F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Leclerc warns of tyre wear after topping second practice

Charles Leclerc topped Friday’s second practice session but expects tyre degradation to be a significant challenge in the race.

GPBeat · Newsroom02 Oct 2026, 21:24 · 1 min

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fourth in Friday’s opening practice session, behind Max Verstappen, before setting the fastest time in the second. After the sessions, he told RacingNews365 and other reporters that the slippery track had made conditions difficult.

Leclerc said Ferrari would need to anticipate how conditions change on Saturday. He thought grip might improve, but did not expect tyre life to improve much over the weekend.

Leclerc said Ferrari normally has a good car in races and hopes that remains true this weekend, although he expects managing the tyres to be difficult.

Sources 01

SOURCELeclerc wijst op grootste uitdaging voor succes in MaleisiëRacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-10-02

Source context

RacingNews365 Nederland, 2 October 2026: the article names Sepang as the venue, while its calendar lists Bahrain for the 4 October race.

Claims and supporting evidence 5

RacingNews365 reports that Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was fourth in the first practice session, behind Max Verstappen, and fastest in the second.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Friday practice at Sepang Friday, 2 October 2026 These session positions are reported by the single retrieved publication.

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Speaking to RacingNews365 among others, Leclerc said conditions during practice were poor and the track was slippery. He said his team needed to anticipate what might change on Saturday.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Leclerc’s assessment of practice conditions After Friday practice on 2 October 2026 This is Leclerc’s assessment as quoted by RacingNews365, not an independent measurement of track grip.

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Leclerc identified tyre degradation as a likely race challenge because, in his assessment, the tyres do not last long. He did not expect that problem to improve much over the weekend, although he thought grip might improve.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Leclerc’s race outlook Ahead of the race weekend’s remaining sessions in October 2026 His forecast is not an established race outcome.

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Leclerc said Ferrari normally has a good car in races and expressed hope that this would also be true that weekend; he did not claim it was assured.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Leclerc’s expectation for Ferrari Ahead of the October 2026 race This is a general assessment and a hope, not a verified prediction of race performance.

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The page’s references to Sepang and Malaysia conflict with its calendar’s Bahrain Grand Prix label for 4 October. The event’s official designation cannot be settled from this page alone.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Event identification on the retrieved page October 2026 This is a discrepancy within the retrieved publication, not evidence that either designation is correct.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.