Leclerc Sheds Light On Crucial Ferrari 2023 Problem: 'Tires Disguise Weaker Points'
F1Wednesday, 20 December 2023 at 07:00
Charles Leclerc partially explained the reason behind Ferrari's oscillating performances throughout the 2023 season.
Unlike Red Bull Racing, which consistently performed well on almost every single circuit of the season besides Singapore, the Ferrari team struggled much more often.
Some of the inconsistent initial performances could be attributed to Ferrari not wholly understanding their own car at the beginning of the season.
On the other hand, Charles Leclerc described different issue he struggled with on his SF23 (2023 Ferrari car). The Monegasque told Auto Motor und Sport:
"When we have new tires in qualifying, the extra grip from the tires compensates for the car's weaknesses. As soon as the tires get older and lose grip and we have a lot of fuel on board, the problems start."
Ferrari cars were super fast in qualifying, which the 26-year-old proved with five pole positions throughout the season. But race pace definitely wasn't his car's strength this season.
"Then if we are driving in traffic, the wind picks up or the temperatures change, the weaknesses become even more obvious. Then it becomes very difficult to drive the car."
While Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur mentioned he believes everything is ultimately related to the pace of the car rather than the tires themselves, Leclerc believes tires play a significant role.
"With us, new tires disguise the weaker points, which would otherwise slow us down. With Red Bull, this is less the case."
The Monegasque driver mentioned the Mexico City Grand Prix, where both Ferraris qualified first and second but then crossed the finish line in third and fourth place.
"As I said, it's a very thin line on which the car works. Take the Mexico City Grand Prix: We were really fast on medium tires, but as soon as we got on hard tires, nothing worked."
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