Despite Respecting Mercedes’ ‘Historical Strength’, Charles Leclerc Echoes Frederic Vasseur To Pose Fierce Opposition

As the season finale is approaching, the team from Maranello will be hoping to finish strong. They have their rivals Mercedes in sight, being just 4 points behind them going into Abu Dhabi. For the last couple of races, Mercedes did not have the greatest of weekends. Their lower top speed meant that even Alpines could race them on the straight and come out victorious. Ferrari capitalized on both Brazil and Las Vegas to close down the gap for P2 significantly.

However, going into Abu Dhabi, the Silver Arrows will have an air of confidence surrounding them. Historically, Abu Dhabi has been one of Mercedes’ best circuits. Despite the heartbreak in 2021, they still have the best track record around the Yas Marina circuit. Lewis Hamilton has the most wins here, having 5 wins against his name, and Mercedes has 6 wins in total, which is the most for any constructor. That being said, Frederic Vasseur-led Ferrari would do everything in their power to get to P2 in the constructors’ championship.

Charles Leclerc’s hopes for Abu Dhabi

At the Abu Dhabi GP, Charles Leclerc opened up about his team’s chances. He opined that whichever car has optimized their package best according to the demands of the circuit will come out ahead. The Monegasque also said that he was aware of Mercedes’s track record around the circuit, but that it will still be tight between the two teams.

Speaking at the FIA Thursday presser, he said, “It depends on such fine details that it’s difficult to predict before every weekend where you are going to be. As I said, Mercedes is historically strong here, so yeah, it’s going to be tight, as always, and it will all depend on whoever is optimizing the package better, which is upto us. We’ll focus on that throughout the Free Practices.”

However, just like his boss Vasseur, Charles also believes that the momentum is with Ferrari going into the race.

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Momentum with Ferrari to take P2

The last couple of races, as mentioned earlier, was extremely good for Ferrari. In Las Vegas, Mercedes had the best opportunity to capitalize on Sainz’s penalty. However, despite the troubles that a manhole cover caused, Sainz still managed to finish ahead of both the Mercedes, with Leclerc taking P2 in the race.

Going into the race, the momentum is definitely with Ferrari. Speaking on this, Charles commented, “Everybody is super-motivated to beat Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship, so yeah, the momentum is good.”

He also threw in a word of caution, signaling that the battle is far from over. “The big work remains to be done on track, and we’ll make sure that we do everything perfectly this weekend in order to beat them.”

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If the Free Practices are any indication, Mercedes does seem to have an edge over Ferrari in terms of pace. Sainz’s nasty crash during the second Free Practice Session will also play into the minds of everyone in the Maranello outfit. Although Leclerc topping FP2 can also throw a spanner in the works come qualifying on Saturday evening. What do you think, can the Scuderia beat Mercedes to P2?