Leclerc says Ferrari has no ‘number one’

In the round-up: Charles Leclerc says he and new team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr have equal status at Ferrari.

What they say

Leclerc was asked whether Ferrari have chosen a ‘number one’ at their team this year:

Well, at the end, I’ve spent more time in Ferrari than Carlos did, so I have more experience with Ferrari. I don’t think there is a clear leader and I think Mattia made it clear.

But that’s good. I am here in Formula 1 to fight against the best. I think Carlos is extremely talented and we’ll just push each other to perform better every time we are on track. But as the team mentioned, there’s no clear number one or number two.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Restored 70-year-old BRM V16 dyno-tested

BRM’s ambitious but flawed 16-cylinder P15 could run again, 70 years since its sole appearance in a Formula 1 race. Examples of the car and its fearsomely complicated V16 engine are being restored by BRM, the first example of which has been reserved by the grandson of BRM’s original owner Sir Alfred Owen.

The P15 was entered for two world championship races in 1951 at Silverstone and Monza. Reg Parnell took one to fifth place in the former, scoring two points, but none of the team’s cars took the start at the next round, following which the project was canned.

The cars are now being re-engineered and rebuilt. One engine has been tested by BRM’s technical partners Hall and Hall on a dynamometer at RAF Folkingham in Lincolnshire.

“We didn’t want to push it too hard on the dyno but even so we estimate we got about 550bhp at 10,000rpm and 2.5psi,” said chief engine technician Martin Smith. “[This] is a huge step forward as we continue to build our experience and understanding of this astonishing engine.”

The rebuilt engine last ran in 1999 when former F1 racer Jose Froilan Gonzalez “lunched” the unit by over-revving it.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free