Charles Leclerc has claimed that Ferrari must take a 1-2 in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to have a chance of overhauling McLaren to win the Formula 1 Constructors’ title.
Leclerc’s second place in last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix saw Ferrari keep the championship alive as it reduced the gap to McLaren to 21 points with one event to go.
Ferrari had ventured into the main race expecting to lose more ground to McLaren, having seen its rival secure a maximum points haul in the Sprint to extend the lead.
But while both McLarens lined up ahead, Lando Norris incurring a stop/go penalty and Oscar Piastri pitting prior to a Safety Car helped Leclerc to come home second.
Despite team-mate Carlos Sainz picking up a puncture which restricted him to sixth, the Italian marque gained a net three points on a weekend it expected to struggle.
Asked whether Ferrari exceeded expectations, Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week: “Yes, we did, because we knew that it would be very difficult pace-wise.
“We expected McLaren to be very strong in terms of race pace. We maybe did not expect Max to be that strong, but he was super strong today.
“However, finishing second after such a weekend, where the track characteristics are very far off from the optimal of the track characteristics we need for our car, is a surprise.
“We got a little bit lucky, obviously on my side. A bit unlucky with Carlos and his puncture. But as a team, it’s been a positive weekend.
“We exceeded our expectations because coming into the weekend, I expected to lose a bit of points compared to McLaren here. However, we recovered some, so that’s good.”
However, Leclerc has asserted that Ferrari must land a 1-2 – a result it has managed twice in 2024 – at the season finale in Abu Dhabi to overturn its deficit to McLaren.
“In Abu Dhabi, to win the title we will have to win and be first and second,” he highlighted.
“We have never won, but there is always a first time. It is a good year to do it.
“In Monte Carlo I have never won and I did it this year. Maybe we will be able to do it in Abu Dhabi too, where we have never won before.”
Abu Dhabi more favourable to Ferrari
Leclerc is confident, though, that the Yas Marina Circuit’s track characteristics will be more favourable to Ferrari’s SF-24 than the high-speed Qatar venue proved to be.
“I feel like on paper, it should be a bit more positive than Qatar was,” the Monegasque assessed.
“Today we’ve been quite lucky, but without what happened to Lando, we would have been very, very far off. And without the Safety Car, we would have been very far off.
“In terms of race pace, we weren’t fast.
“So I feel like… Yeah, Abu Dhabi should be better for us. So I hope so. But we’ll wait and see.
“But it’s not too many points between us. So we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and try to maximise everything. And hopefully we’ll bring back the title to Maranello.”
Leclerc targeting personal gain
Meanwhile, Leclerc will also have the chance to boost his position in the Drivers’ Championship to second place as he now trails eight points behind McLaren’s Norris.
“That would be cool,” he added. “It’s better than P3, but it’s not the most exciting position to fight for.
“However, in a year like this, where it’s been very tricky for the team and we’ve went through very difficult times, it will be still a satisfaction to get that P2.
“So, yeah, I’ll still do absolutely everything to get it. But the Constructors is more important.”
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