“I think we are better than last year,” Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari can solve its tire degradation woes in 2023
The Monegasque driver stated that Ferrari has worked extensively on tire degradation over the winter.
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Charles Leclerc
Scuderia Ferrari struggled with tire management during the 2022 F1 season. So much so, Charles Leclerc was put on the back foot in the fight for the title. Many believe Ferrari’s tire degradation problems provided Max Verstappen an advantage in 2022. However, for 2023, Leclerc has faith in the Scuderia to make strides in this arena. Additionally, Pirelli has changed the tire construction for all the compounds.
Regarding tire degradation with the 2023 tires, the Monegasque driver believed the harder fronts played a role. He said, “In terms of degradation, yeah maybe it’s a bit of a stronger front tire.” Although, the 25-year-old was adamant that the Italian team faced different tire degradation issues in 2022. Charles Leclerc explained, “But for us, last year, it wasn’t always the same issue when we were speaking about tire degradation. Sometimes it was the front, sometimes it was the rear.”
The 25-year-old went on to describe the way the team managed the tires to be an issue. Charles Leclerc said, “It was more the way we managed those tires, and what we thought the degradation was going to go.” Although, the Monegasque driver was confident that the work done in Maranello during the winter break could solve these problems. He stated, “and on that, we have done a lot of work, which I think we are better than last year.”
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Charles Leclerc calls the new Pirelli tire construction a “transparent change”
The Scuderia Ferrari driver expressed his belief that the teams can manage the effect of the new tires through set-up alterations. Charles Leclerc stated, “it’s actually pretty easy to shadow that with the car, and balance it in the other direction.” Moreover, the 25-year-old called it a negligible change for the teams and drivers. He said, “basically a transparent change. So, I don’t think it will have a big effect.”
Lastly, Charles Leclerc mentioned that this change has no significant effect on Scuderia Ferrari. The 25-year-old concluded, “I don’t think the change of tires will help us or hurt us in any way.” Interestingly, the Ferrari strategic department has been overhauled, with Ravin Jain becoming the new chief. Certainly, the team will be working in tandem to make the most of the tires in the races soon.
Thus, the Scuderia has worked extensively during the winter break to address its weakness. Charles Leclerc is optimistic that Ferrari can indeed make the tires work as per the team’s needs this season. Fans will be hoping that this development allows both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to take some ambitious strategies in a bid to gain an advantage over their rivals this season.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)