As $131M Battle Intensifies, Mika Hakkinen Lands in Team Leclerc to Deliver Crushing Blow to Lewis Hamilton & Co.

Red Bull ran away with the championships, securing the constructors’ championship, and both P1 and P2 in the driver’s championship. For many, this might be enough reason to switch away from the season finale in Abu Dhabi. However, acute fans will be correct in noticing that the rest of the positions in the championships are not very clear. Thanks to Mercedes slipping up in the last couple of races, Ferrari has capitalized to bring down the second-place fight to 4 points.

The Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz duo have capitalized on most of the opportunities available to make this really close. In fact, the only non-Red Bull winner this season is Carlos. Even in Las Vegas, despite having manhole-related troubles, Carlos still managed to finish ahead of the Mercedes pair. With this momentum that they are carrying forward, the flying Finn reckons that this is just enough for Ferrari to trump Mercedes in the Finale

Hakkinen Backs Charles Leclerc

Mika Hakkinen weighed in on the $131 million battle in Abu Dhabi. He reckons the Ferrari duo’s ability to go flat out in qualifying should just be enough for the Maranello team to gain a lasting advantage over Toto Wolff-led Mercedes. Charles and Carlos have been wonderful in qualifying this season so far. Despite not having the fastest car in the grid, they’ve managed to outqualify even the dominant Verstappen on several occasions.

While Charles in particular has gained a reputation for getting on pole, but not being able to convert it into a win, Hakkinen thinks this wouldn’t matter in the last race. The Ferrari duo have to just outscore Mercedes by 5 points or more to secure the $131 million prize money for finishing P2 in the championship. For that, the Ferrari duo’s qualifying pace would be enough for them to gain the track advantage to place ahead of Mercedes on Sunday.

He stated, “One reason I always liked going flat out in qualifying, is that starting from the pole makes life a lot easier. Even if @ScuderiaFerrari can’t keep Max behind in the race, a strong qualifying is a big advantage for them when fighting the WCC 2nd place against @MercedesAMGF1″

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However, this is not the only battle that will be interesting in Abu Dhabi as well. The battle between Aston Martin and McLaren is also heating up for P4. Along with this, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, and Charles Leclerc are also in a close fight for P4 in the drivers’ championship.

Crucial Weekend For Leclerc, Sainz

For Leclerc and Sainz, this weekend is extremely important. Not only are they fighting for the $131 million from the constructors, but they are also fighting for their personal glory. Both Sainz and Alonso are tied in P4 at 200 points. However, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc are following soon behind at 5 points and 12 points respectively.

Charles will be hoping that he goes for the win, Sainz goes P4, while Hamilton and Russell combined to get 32 points or less. Of course, he will also be hoping for Norris and Alonso to have not-so-great races as well.

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A lot depends on how Saturday goes for the Maranello duo. Despite Red Bull’s domination this season, there are a lot of other important storylines that you should be aware of while watching the last race at the Yas Marina circuit.