Charles Leclerc, interviewed during the press conference ahead of the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP, analyzes this frustrating season also with a view to 2024.
The fight for second place in the constructors continues
After second in Las Vegas, which placed the Classic Ferrari for sale 4 points behind Mercedes, Leclerc speaks on the fight for the constructors' championship: “It will be tight. We come to this race with positive momentum because the latest ones have been positive for us, but historically Mercedes Benz was always strong here ad Abu Dhabi. We have to put everything together to be able to fight with them and beat them in the constructors' championship. Clearly this is the goal.” Leclerc then delves deeper into the constructors' fight for the upcoming Abu Dhabi GP. “If we think we have the fastest car this weekend? It will depend on such small details as it is difficult to predict before a weekend what our position will be. As I said, Mercedes is historically strong here. And so it will be a very close battle as always: we will be close and everything will depend on who succeeds optimize the package in the best way. This will be up to us: so we will focus on this during the free practice sessions".
Fred vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, stated in an interview that the momentum is on the side of Ferrari. Leclerc then concludes in view of the next Abu Dhabi GP: “How important is inertia from my point of view? We are certainly coming from the last race which was very positive. The previous one was also positive in terms of pace, the contact wasn't there for me, we are all extremely motivated to beat Mercedes in the constructors' championship. So yes, the momentum is good, but there is still a lot of work to do on track and we need to ensure we do everything perfectly this weekend to beat them.”
Leclerc pre Abu Dhabi GP: “2023 was disappointing”
The pre-GP interview in Abu Dhabi for Charles Leclerc ends like this: “What do I think about this 2023? Maybe the last race was the best moment, though, honestly, it was a disappointing season. After last year we expected to get to this season trying to fight for the championship. Which, already after the first race, we realized how much it would be difficult than a Red Bull, which took a huge step forward, esp on the race pace. We have not been able to take the same step; was our sore point. On the other hand, if we only look at these last few days and forget about the rest, I think we grew a lot over the course of the season, That is positive e it gives me confidence from a future perspective. PBut there is a substantial gap to make up for to take over Red Bull. We will have to work hard during the winter break e we hope to come back stronger next year with a machine that is capable of win races“. As they say, the speranza is always the last to die, and now more than ever Charles ha hungry for victories.
