Leclerc Tops FP2. So Why Is He Watching Red Bull?
Ferrari led Sepang’s second practice session, but Leclerc saw enough in Red Bull’s running to question whether the timing screens told the full story.
Charles Leclerc finished Friday’s FP2 at the top. His assessment of Ferrari’s position was considerably more cautious.
The Ferrari driver posted a 1:37.528 at Sepang, edging Isack Hadjar by less than a tenth, with Lando Norris third. Yet after the session, Leclerc singled out Red Bull as the team catching his attention ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
“I still feel like the Red Bull, for example, is standing out this weekend so far,” he said.
Two reasons to look beyond first place
Leclerc pointed to mistakes he believed Hadjar had made late in his lap. Even with those imperfections, the Red Bull driver finished close behind.
Max Verstappen offered another reason for caution. He placed fourth without using soft tires in FP2, setting his best time on mediums while Leclerc used softs.
Verstappen had also set the day’s fastest lap in FP1, a 1:37.520. Leclerc’s afternoon benchmark was eight thousandths slower.
Those details make Friday’s order harder to interpret. Different tire choices and run plans prevent a clean comparison, while an imperfect lap can conceal pace. Leclerc’s result gives Ferrari encouragement, but it doesn’t establish an advantage over Red Bull.
The track could change the picture again
Leclerc described a dirty, slippery surface and expected grip to improve significantly before qualifying. Ferrari must anticipate those changes while addressing the tire degradation that dominated Friday’s running.
Pirelli reported that sliding and the abrasive surface contributed to high thermal degradation, particularly over longer runs. That makes maintaining speed through a stint a separate challenge from producing one quick lap.
Leclerc also warned against dismissing Mercedes after George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished seventh and eighth. Both missed a clean soft-tire lap, leaving another unanswered question near the front.
Ferrari has a useful starting point. Qualifying will offer a clearer comparison, but Sunday will demand something Friday’s fastest FP2 lap cannot demonstrate: pace that lasts.
