Charles Leclerc highlights peril awaiting F1 drivers in Sepang

Charles Leclerc has stated he expects tyre degradation to remain a significant factor throughout the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang this weekend.

Drivers were subjected to significant tyre wear on Friday as they got up to speed at the Sepang International Circuit.

The track surface and high temperatures created a challenge for the competitors, which saw tyre performance quickly slip away during their stints.

But with similar conditions expected throughout the weekend, Leclerc is not expecting the situation to get any better.

"The high degradation is going to be a big thing for the race because tyres are not lasting for very long," Leclerc said.

"I don't expect this to get significantly better throughout the weekend.

"The grip in itself will most likely get better, but still, it's going to be a tricky weekend, particularly for the degradation.

"We normally have a good race car, so I hope that will be the case this weekend."

Leclerc had to relearn Malaysia F1 track

Although Leclerc was not a full-time F1 driver when the sport last raced in Sepang in 2017, he took part in FP1 with Sauber that weekend, adding to his experience from a GP3 round the previous year.

But with some time passing between those outings, Leclerc admitted he had to relearn the circuit.

"I had to relearn the track all over again," he said. "I didn't remember it so well coming here.

"I had done one FP1, and then was all the way back to 2016 in GP3, where I had a race weekend.

"But it's a nice track, I enjoyed it. However, today the conditions were very, very, very poor, and so it was very slippery.

"For that we need to be good at anticipating what it will feel like tomorrow once the track is in a better condition."