Very difficult to manage: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc

LONDON: Scuderia Ferrari's F1 team driver Charles Leclerc said he was concerned about the removal of 'Tyre Blankets' in the 2024 Formula 1 season.

According to the official website of Sky Sports, Charles Leclerc said, if you are racing other cars, then it becomes very, very difficult to manage.

Tyre blankets enable teams to heat their tyres to 70 degrees celsius for two hours before a session, providing drivers with a better grip at the start of a race or when coming out of the pits.

As per the official website of Sky Sports, "In a bid to improve sustainability, Pirelli has been developing tyres that do not need pre-warming. Blanket-free wet tyres were introduced earlier this season - and raced for the first time at the Monaco GP - while drivers have been testing the dry-tyre versions."

Asked about removing tyre blankets, Charles Leclerc said, "You've got four or five corners where it's very tricky. Where the tyres need to get into temperature. When you are alone on track it is not that much of a problem. But of course, if you are racing other cars, then it becomes very, very difficult to manage."

He added, "If it remains four or five corners, even in low conditions, then it's something that we could consider. But obviously, with very low conditions, I expect this to be much longer, this warm-up period, and this then could become difficult."

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said, "I have to say that in the conditions that I had during the test, it was good, and it went well, But yeah, in lower temperatures, I don't know. I haven't tested these tyres in lower temperatures and that's where the big question mark is."