Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has been named in a report about a controversial brainwave data leak allegedly linked to China. The report claims that Chinese-backed groups accessed data from several high-performance athletes, including tennis players Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, skier Mikaela Shiffrin, touring car racer Nestor Girolami, NFL player Logan Ryan, and multiple English Premier League soccer players.
The investigation, conducted by Hunterbrook and Pablo Torre, says the data was collected through the FocusCalm device. FocusCalm is a headband used by athletes to track stress and relaxation during training.
BrainCo, the company behind FocusCalm, reportedly received funding from the Chinese Communist Party and is said to have shared the data with the Chinese military. The information may have been used for research, including “supersoldier” programs.
Sam Koppelman from Hunterbrook said, “BrainCo has largely shut down its US operations and moved to China. It is now going public at a $1.3 billion valuation and has quietly become an important company for the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.”
Legal and technology expert Nita Farahany of Duke Law School added, “China’s investments in brain-computer interface devices suggest a military and dual-use component, raising questions about why they are investing so heavily.”
FocusCalm devices are designed to help athletes improve performance by monitoring brain activity and guiding stress management. The report has sparked concerns about privacy and the possible misuse of sensitive athlete data.
Meanwhile, Leclerc is preparing for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He has historically performed well at the Baku City Circuit, securing back-to-back pole positions from 2021 to 2024.
Speaking about his strengths on city tracks, Leclerc said, “It comes naturally. I feel I am quite strong normally on city tracks and here, maybe there is something else as well that makes it particularly strong for me. It’s a good feeling to come back here.”
Currently, Leclerc is fifth in the Drivers’ Championship with 163 points. His teammate Lewis Hamilton is sixth with 117 points. Ferrari sits second in the Constructors’ Championship with 280 points.
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