F1 | Abu Dhabi GP | Leclerc disappointed with tenth after being caught out under the Virtual Safety Car
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc has praised the efforts of his teammate Carlos Sainz and the whole Ferrari team after the Maranello based outfit secured third place in the Constructors championship ahead of McLaren. However the Monegasque was disappointed with how his race went after a gamble to pit under the Virtual Safety Car failed to bare fruit.
Charles Leclerc believes that switching to medium tyres during the Virtual Safety Car cost him a good haul of points in yesterday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Leclerc, who had been carrying the helmet cam for this weekend’s race, fell back to 12th after the first round of pitstops, with the Monegasque electing to pit under the VSC for fresh medium tyres.
The gamble didn’t pay off as Leclerc couldn’t only manage 10th, picking up a solitary point for his efforts.
"It wasn’t a great race today. The first stint wasn’t bad. Then, we tried something different and put on Medium tyres during the Virtual Safety Car. It was a decision we made together, as a team, and it just didn’t work out as we wanted it to."
On the other side of the Ferrari garage, Carlos Sainz secured his fourth podium of the year with third behind the two championship protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Sainz’s podium guaranteed the Maranello based outfit third place in the Constructors Championship as McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris could only manage seventh and 12th, respectively, at the chequered flag.
Leclerc paid tribute to Sainz and his team after a tough 2020 season that saw the Maranello based outfit fall to sixth in the Constructors championship.
"Congratulations to the team for finishing in third place in the Constructors’ championship. It was not easy after a tough season last year and a big thank you goes to everyone on our team, whether at the track or at our factory at home in Maranello, for all the hard work they did to make this possible. Carlos did a great job this season and congratulations to him for fifth in the Drivers’ standings."
With the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix just 95 days away, Leclerc is keen to return to work so that he can learn more about next season’s radically different regulations.
"The 2021 season ended today and the 2022 season begins from tomorrow. We will start learning a lot for the coming season starting with the test we have planned this week. We believe the foundation we have is a solid one and we will keep working to be able to fight further in the front in the next World Championship."
