"It is a front on which we have grown" - Charles Leclerc says Ferrari has done a 'great job' in tire management

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari's improvement in analyzing the tires and the strategy around them has been a major contributing factor to its rise. After several years of fighting to make it to the midfield despite significant success in the past, the Prancing Horse is back at the top.

As reported by Motorsport, the Monegasque claimed that while the Prancing Horse may not have aced its tire strategy completely as yet, it is certainly in a better place today than earlier. Leclerc said:

“We are starting to have a good knowledge of these tires, as well as of the way in which you have to drive during the stint, it is the result of a great job started three years ago. This does not give us the certainty that we will no longer have problems with the tires, but it is a front on which we have grown, and what we saw in Melbourne is not accidental. Perhaps it was more casual to see Red Bull suffer more than expected in tire management.”

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are currently leading the world championship standings. This will be the first time in several years that the Scuderia will be back home at Imola at the front of the pack with a very competitive car. This weekend could grow to become an absolute dream for the Tifosi, who may witness Leclerc or Carlos Sainz make history as the fourth Ferrari driver to take a win at the iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari track. With a 1-2 finish for the team in FP1 this Friday, this surely looks like a possibility.

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Charles Leclerc comments on weekend format ahead of 2022 Imola GP

The Imola GP this weekend will feature 2022's first modified sprint race format. Ahead of the first practice session of the weekend, championship leader Charles Leclerc revealed that he prefers to have all three free practice sessions and a regular Friday.

Suggesting a standalone sprint race instead of the current format in a press conference, Leclerc said:

“On the format, I quite like the Friday to be honest just because a normal Friday is normally pretty boring we have FP1, FP2, FP3, lots of practice. Now it’s straight to the point so I quite like this. Then for the Saturday, I believe we could maybe do something better, either having a standout race which doesn’t affect Sunday’s race to have a bit more action on the Saturday and people taking more risks.”

Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz spoke out in agreement with Leclerc, saying:

“I agree with Charles on the sprint idea, it’s something we are discussing with FOM and FIA to try and spice up a bit the sprint weekends.”

The Imola GP qualifying is set to take place later today and will set the grid for the sprint race on Saturday.