Unconcerned Charles Leclerc Plays Down One of Ferrari’s Major 2022 Problems After Recent Developments

The 2022 F1 season didn’t turn out the way Scuderia Ferrari would have wanted. After suffering from heavy blows by an indomitable Red Bull last year, the Italian team looks for redemption in 2023. As the first race at Bahrain looms large, the Italian brigade wants to leave no stone unturned with their development, which includes the perfect tire setting. Ferrari struggled with their tire last year, but it will not be a cause of concern for the Maranello-based team this year, believes team driver Charles Leclerc despite Pirelli making changes to the tire structures.

As per Motorsport Turkey, Leclerc told, “We had already tried some of the new tires in Abu Dhabi last year. The front tires seem to be stronger, which may affect the stability of the car a bit. But it’s pretty easy to overshadow that with your driving style and balance it out the other way, so I don’t think the tires will have a big impact.”

“The front tires seem a little stronger in terms of wear. But last year, tire wear was a problem for the whole car, not just one spot. We saw some wear on the front tires and sometimes on the rear tires. We’ve worked hard on tire management, I think we’re better than last year. But I still don’t think a tire change will help or hurt us in any way,” further stated the Monegasque during the official car launch in Maranello.

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Ferrari faced trouble with the tire on multiple occasions in 2022. They faced surprising tire degradation in the rear as well as front tires and at times in both. As Leclerc already said that the new Pirelli tires will not affect them, it’ll be interesting to see how much of that is going to be true since Ferrari is believed to have worked massively on their development this year.

Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari’s commitment despite speculations

The Monegasque driver has recently opened up about his future at Scuderia Ferrari. Leclerc, who joined the Italian team from Sauber in 2019, believes his future is intact with the Maranello-based team for the next couple of years.

When asked if he was in contract negotiations with any other team, Leclerc said to Sky Sports, “No, there are no talks ongoing now, at least.” He went on, “I love the red colour. I love Ferrari. I am happy here. But we’ll see what the future holds. It is very early to speak about this [until] my contract ends [at the end of 2024].”

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There are speculations regarding the Monegasque if he might be a good fit at Mercedes once Lewis Hamilton leaves the Brackley team. As of now, there is no information on this as Charles Leclerc is on his way to starting his fifth season with the Maranello-based team.