Leclerc says Ferrari got Sepang’s opening tyre call wrong

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari made the wrong tyre call at the start of the Sepang race, but stressed that the decision was not clear-cut. Ferrari started on dry tyres in changeable conditions; intermediates proved the better choice, and drivers on them built a major gap to the rest of the field, including Ferrari.

Leclerc said about half the grid made the right choice and half did not. He said Ferrari reviewed the decision after the race, looking at what each person could have done better. He declined to discuss the review’s conclusion, but said the team had worked hard on the issue and that he was confident of a step forward.

A safety car reduced the losses for those who had made the wrong call. Ferrari recovered to third with Lewis Hamilton and fourth with Leclerc.