You dont have javascript enabled! Please enable it!

Charles Leclerc

charles leclerc/f1 testing/Formula 1/Lando Norris/Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton, Norris and Leclerc test 2026 F1 tyres in ‘mule’ cars · RaceFans

Admin
on

Formula 1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli tested the latest version of its new, narrower tyres for next season at the Circuit de Catalunya today.

Ferrari and McLaren supplied cars for the test. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc drove last year’s SF-24 which had been modified to suit the tyres intended for use on cars which should be lighter than current designs.

At McLaren, Lando Norris used a car based on the 2023 MCL60, again modified to provide more representative testing data. McLaren also conducted a test for Pirelli last week at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, working on the intermediate and full wet weather tyres.

In dry and sunny conditions at the Spanish circuit, the three drivers covered a total of 332 laps. Norris, having his car to himself, covered 159 laps of the Spanish Grand Prix venue, close to two-and-a-half race distances. He set the quickest time with a 1’15.215.

Hamilton, who crashed a 2023 Ferrari when the team tested at the circuit last week, did 87 laps, one more than his new team mate. His best time of 1’15.930 was a tenth of a second faster than Leclerc’s.

The drivers used examples of the hardest tyres in Pirelli’s range, from C1 to C3. They ran a variety of constructions as Pirelli hones the designs which are 25mm narrower at the front and 30mm narrower at the rear than those used since 2017. The FIA said last year it hoped for a greater reduction in wheel sizes in 2026, but did not want to risk an increase in tyre overheating, which would detract from the goal of its new regulations.

Both Ferrari drivers will continue to test tomorrow while Oscar Piastri will take over from Norris in the McLaren.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Pirelli tyre test pictures

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles

charles leclerc/Driver rankings/Formula 1

2024 Formula 1 driver rankings #2: Leclerc · RaceFans

Admin
on

Charles Leclerc will be measured directly against the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time this year. Last year he once again out-scored Carlos Sainz Jnr, though there wasn’t much between the Ferrari team mates, and there were days Leclerc didn’t quite have the pace.

But the combined strength of their driver line-up was also the reason why Ferrari came so close to snatching the constructors’ championship with the third-quickest car over a flying lap. Leclerc therefore deserves credit for prevailing against a tougher team mate than the other drivers in our top three faced.

That was despite Leclerc’s somewhat faltering start to the year. After brake problems in Bahrain, he delivered a podium finish in Jeddah (which Sainz missed) then was beaten to victory by his team mate in Australia. Leclerc recovered from a poor qualifying effort at Suzuka to trail Sainz in fourth after being told to let him by.

He hit his stride over the following races: Fourth was the best the Ferrari deserved in China, as was third in Miami (plus second in the sprint race) and third at Imola. Then came his classy and cathartic win from pole at home in Monaco.

Charles Leclerc

BestWorst
GP start1 (x3)19
GP finish1 (x3)14
Points356

At this point in the season Ferrari stumbled due to a flawed upgrade, and at times it felt Leclerc was over-compensating for the setback. He was fortunate to avoid a stiffer penalty for a daft incident with Lando Norris in practice at Catalunya, endured various setbacks in Austria, and gambled fruitlessly on an early switch to intermediates at Silverstone.

Once Ferrari got their car sorted, Leclerc got back into his stride and produced some excellent performances over the remaining races. From a surprise pole position at Spa he finished third, a result he repeated at Zandvoort, both behind clearly quicker cars. At Monza he stunned the McLarens, pinching victory with an adroit switch to a single-stop strategy which sent the tifosi into raptures.

Oscar Piastri had revenge at Baku where he mugged Leclerc for the lead after their pit stops, but the Ferrari driver was on the podium again. Leclerc took his final win of the year in Austin, revelling in a rare day when an SF-24 was the chassis to have.

Leclerc continued to deliver strong results over the final races, even on occasions when qualifying did not go to plan. He rebounded from ninth to fifth in Singapore and took fifth again in the rain at Interlagos.

Sainz continued to give Leclerc headaches from time to time. In Mexico, Sainz was clearly the quicker of the two drivers, and Leclerc also lost to his team mate in a close fight in Las Vegas. But he ended the season with two more podium appearances: second in Qatar, and third in Abu Dhabi after a virtuoso drive from 19th on the grid.

That wasn’t quite enough to deliver the title for Ferrari, nor for Leclerc to overhaul Lando Norris and equal his best championship result. But it was unquestionably his best season-long performance to date.

RaceFans’ driver rankings are based partly on the scores awarded to drivers for their performances in each round as well as other factors.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles