Charles Leclerc finished second in the Abu Dhabi GP beating Sergio Perez to second in the drivers’ championship; Leclerc stopped Perez at the end of the 2022 season after Ferrari went one step closer to perfection.
Last Updated: 20/11/22 5:13pm
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished second in the standings, says he is extremely proud of his team for overcoming the challenges of the outside world heading into the weekend.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished second in the standings, says he is extremely proud of his team for overcoming the challenges of the outside world heading into the weekend.
Charles Leclerc praised Ferrari for a “good performance” as he finished second in the final Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to deny Red Bull a one-two in the drivers’ championship.
Leclerc started third at the Yas Marina Circuit, one place behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, after the pair entered Sunday’s race on points as they battled to finish behind world champion Max Verstappen.
Red Bull seems to have the fastest car, but Ferrari and Leclerc have left one way to stay second in the race and the championship.
“It was a good race,” said Leclerc. “We perfected it, which is what we’ve been focusing on in the last few races.”
Ferrari have entered the fray over the future of team principal Mattia Binotto, with reports in Italy suggesting he will be replaced by Alfa Romeo teammate Frederic Vasseur during the break.
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Max Verstappen ends a successful season with a further 15th victory of the campaign as Charles Leclerc waits for second.
Leclerc’s performance, along with teammate Carlos Sainz’s fourth-place finish, ensured that Ferrari left Mercedes comfortably in the constructors’ championship.
“We did the right one, and one that had a lot of challenges,” said Leclerc.
“Obviously, the external pressure and all the rumors going on over the weekend, the pressure to keep second place in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, and we managed to do very well in situations like this, which makes me. I’m very proud of the team.”
Uncertain whether one or two stops was the most effective strategy in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari convinced Red Bull to put Perez in the final, which proved crucial.
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Highlights of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the Yas Marina Circuit.
“I think Red Bull is still stronger than we were today,” added Leclerc. “But we forced them to make mistakes and pushed for two sets, and in the end it paid off, so we’re very happy.
“We had our doubts, but I must say that everything we have done is what we wanted to do. Exactly what we give Checo in the pressure, it is already prepared, the rolls we stopped him and made him. I think we will make it, he took it and went to the second stop, so we did everything perfectly, and I am very proud of our execution today .
“It’s been a very difficult season for the whole team. We started very well and we’ve had a lot of problems, reliability, technical, tire management afterwards.
“This was not easy to control knowing that the potential was in the car to do very well. So to finish at the top is good. Now we have to focus on finding the next step of racing speed, because Red Bull seems to have found something that we don’t have at the moment .”
Sanz: Ferrari has had a good season overall
Sainz, who benefited from Lewis Hamilton’s late exit to jump from the top of the world championship seven times to fifth in the drivers’ championship, was also left with positive feelings by Ferrari’s end to the campaign.
“I think it has been, in the end, a good season for this team,” said the Spaniard. “You have to think about where we’ve come from the last two seasons. To come back and fight for the win, to get into the championship, I think it’s a good season.
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Carlos Sainz says Ferrari will try everything to beat Red Bull and has his sights set on beating Mercedes in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I know we made a lot of mistakes and we didn’t do as well as Mercedes and Red Bull, which are things we will take from next season. Now that we are back fighting at the top, we know two or three things that we have to change.
“Of course Red Bull is a very strong package that works well in all areas, where we were very dependent on the area, in the second half of the season.
“I think in the first half we were quick everywhere, but in the second half we didn’t develop enough. Others have done better for us, especially Merc, and Red Bull a little bit.
“This is how it’s going, with Formula 1, it’s the first year the team has returned to fight to win, so we’ve also seen how Red Bull is and what we have to do next year if we want to beat them. “
