Ferrari fined for breaking tyre rules in Imola GP practice

Ferrari was fined €5000 (£4200) for tinkering with tyre pressures during Formula 1’s Imola Grand Prix and breaking the championship’s rules.

The Italian team was hauled to the stewards after they spotted that Ferrari had breached the regulations regarding tyre pressures on Charles Leclerc’s car during Friday’s practice session.

Strict rules govern the limits on tyre pressures and temperatures, which are set by supplier Pirelli to protect the safety of the tyres and monitor how pressures are adjusted.

A statement from the sport’s governing body, the FIA, said: “The team representative admitted that these procedures were not followed, which is a breach of Article 30.5 a) of the FIA Formula 1 sporting regulations.

“The stewards note that this was during a free practice session. In accordance with similar operational tyre infringements in the past, the stewards issue a fine of €5000.”

The fine could be the least of Ferrari’s worries this weekend, as Leclerc admitted that his team is struggling to match the pace of McLaren, which topped second practice in Italy.

Leclerc, who missed Thursday’s media day through illness, said: “I feel like, honestly, the first row is going to be very difficult. The second row will already be a really good result for us because, at the moment, we are more looking at third row if everything goes well.

“The target is to do the best possible and I hope that we can do a miracle and be better than the second row.”

Leclerc’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton also struggled around the Imola circuit and had a near brush with the barriers during FP1.

At the end of the second practice session, Leclerc and Hamilton finished sixth and 11th respectively.