Charles Leclerc’s F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying session delivered a challenging P5 result for Ferrari. The Monegasque driver battled extreme handling difficulties throughout qualifying. He maximised the car’s potential but expressed disappointment with his final qualifying position. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, suffered his third consecutive Q1 exit, qualifying P16.
Tricky car handling
Leclerc faced significant challenges during his F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying runs. Speaking in the print media pen after the session, he described the difficulties managing the car.
“It was very tricky, but mostly that second lap in Q2 was very, very difficult to manage and to finish the lap [in P6]. I was actually pretty happy that I finished it and on top of that it helped us to go to Q3.”
The Ferrari driver expressed limited satisfaction with the result, but acknowledged that P5 represents the maximum available to him: “So yeah, I was satisfied, but it helps to be satisfied with my time. That’s the situation we are in and the only thing I can take are the little happiness whenever we maximise our car package. And I think that’s exactly what we’ve done today, but P5 is disappointing,” he stated.
Uncertainty for race pace
Limited running in the final practice session of the year created question marks for Leclerc’s Abu Dhabi GP race strategy. When asked if the car would be easier to manage during the race, Leclerc remained uncertain.
“I’m not sure. We’ve changed massively the car after FP2 and unfortunately with the red flag this morning we couldn’t do any long runs. So it’s a bit of a question mark for tomorrow. We’ve experimented a little bit with the car and I think we did well because we would never have been P5 otherwise. But looking at tomorrow, I’m not sure,” he stated.
Midfield closes competitiveness gap
Ferrari’s struggles intensified during the season’s final races. When asked about the car becoming trickier in the final phase, Leclerc explained how narrow margins now separate Q1 elimination from Q3 advancement in F1.
“Yes, we are now in Q1, Q2. These are sessions that you do the slightest mistakes, we are out. Since 4 or 5 races, for some reason, the others, especially the midfield, kind of closed the gap and we have lost competitiveness. So we are struggling massively.”
The competitiveness loss forced Ferrari into an uncomfortable operating window during Leclerc’s Abu Dhabi GP qualifying efforts.
Managing degradation for tomorrow’s race
Tyre management will play a crucial role after Leclerc’s F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying P5 result. When asked about controlling front graining and degradation, Leclerc noted Ferrari typically handles these conditions well. “Normally pretty good. Having said that, we’ve changed massively the car and again, I don’t know how it will behave tomorrow. So let’s wait and see,” he stated.
Struggles persist despite return to normal weekend
Leclerc noted that Ferrari entered Abu Dhabi hoping a more conventional layout would stabilize performance after the past two races. While those weekends were difficult to evaluate due to their unique characteristics, he admitted the challenges have carried into this round. “They have been more difficult, yes. It’s also true that especially Las Vegas and Qatar were very specific. So to draw any kind of conclusions from those last two weekends is difficult,” he stated.
Leclerc continued, emphasizing that the shift back to a standard circuit has offered little relief: “But we are coming back to a more normal weekend this weekend and we are still struggling. So yeah, we are definitely on the back foot.”
Defending Hamilton amid difficult circumstances
Leclerc’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton‘s consecutive Q1 exits prompted questions during Leclerc’s F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying debrief. Leclerc defended his teammate by explaining the SF-25’s extreme difficulty: “I’m driving the car as well and I can see how tricky the car is. You’ve just got to go full commitment and it’s either in the wall or through Q1. And then you need to do the same in Q2 and then you need to do the same in Q3.”
The all or nothing approach prevents proper development understanding. Leclerc explained how constantly pushing the limit hinders set-up refinement: “I know what it’s like to have a car that is… And also for the understanding of the car, it’s much more difficult to understand something from the car when you really have to push to the absolute limit. In Q2, I thought I would put it into the wall quite a few times. And that makes it difficult to also improve the car just like probably the McLaren or Red Bull do. By pushing a little bit less in Q1 and Q2, you understand more about what’s going on with the car. So yeah, it’s a tricky situation we are in.”
Leclerc’s focus for tomorrow’s GP
Following his Abu Dhabi GP qualifying session, Leclerc stated he will not consider F1 title implications during the race. Instead, he will focus on how he can maximise performance in his Ferrari.
“To be honest, I don’t even want to know all these scenarios whatsoever because it’s quite stressful to be in that position. In my head, there will be none of that going into tomorrow’s race. The only thing that will be in my head is how can I maximise my performance and the result of Ferrari,” he stated.
Leclerc committed to making real time decisions based solely on Ferrari’s interests: “If that means doing everything at that particular moment when they are behind to try and slow them down, I’ll do that. If that means not fight with them because for my strategy it’s better to not fight with them, I won’t fight them. None of that championship title thing will be in my head because it’s not my job to be here to favour one or the other.”
Extreme set-up creates additional question marks
Ferrari implemented aggressive set-up changes after FP2 at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. When asked about confidence for race day given it would be less on the edge than Leclerc’s Abu Dhabi GP qualifying laps, he remained cautious.
“I’m not sure. Again, I’ve got many question marks about the extreme set-up we’ve had, so I just want to wait and see for tomorrow, but I think it will be good.”
When asked if the extreme set-up matched early season configurations, Leclerc suggested they had gone further. He stated, “It’s probably another level.”
The changes extended beyond front end adjustments: “Not only that. Multiple things, but it makes it tricky.”
