Leclerc mentioned in investigation into brainwave data espionage.
"This headset is not just an ordinary product."
20 September 2025 - 08:26
Charles Leclerc has been connected to a report suggesting that the Chinese government may have accessed neural data from top athletes. According to journalist Pablo Torre and Hunterbrook Media, a training headset named FocusCalm, which is commonly used in professional sports, might have been breached, and its data allegedly accessed by a Chinese government official.
"This headset isn't an arbitrary product," Torre stated on his podcast. "It's very popular in sports as it helps athletes track their brainwaves for improved performance management. You can determine when you're calm, stressed, or entering what is known as the flow state."
Other athletes mentioned include tennis players Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, Olympic skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin, and Premier League footballers. BrainCo, the company behind the headset, has longstanding connections to China and is preparing for an IPO there, estimated at $1.3 billion.
Sports physician Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli, who collaborates closely with Ferrari driver Leclerc, validated the broader utilization of the technology. "Yes, definitely. We're still in touch because they’ve also created a wearable device that we can employ for various experiments in aviation and the military," he noted.
Experts, including Nita Farahany from Duke University, argue that the data might be utilized in military initiatives, involving research into so-called 'super soldiers.'
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Formula 1 | Charles Leclerc has been associated with a report claiming that Chinese entities have gained access to neural data from top athletes. Journalist Pablo Torre and […]