Charles Leclerc Negates Carlos Sainz’s Disability to Deliver Crushing Blow to Lewis Hamilton & Co. In $131M Battle

Coming into the Abu Dhabi GP this season, unlike 2021, the championships were already dusted with Max Verstappen and Red Bull taking the trophies home. However, the fight for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship is still on. Only 4 points separate Mercedes from Ferrari and the Scuderia look rapid. With the pressure on, Charles Leclerc crushed Lewis Hamilton and Co. in the qualifying despite Carlos Sainz‘s bad luck. But how?

Ferrari had the upper hand on Mercedes during the second half of the season. While the Silver Arrows had a great first half, the Scuderia have upped their game post-summer break. This included a Carlos Sainz win at the Singapore GP, the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race this season. However, the Spaniard had a bad day at work during the Abu Dhabi GP qualifying, but his teammate made up for it. 

Charles Leclerc’s stunning qualifying and a miserable day for Carlos Sainz

After the pace showcased by Ferrari at the Las Vegas GP, everyone expected the Scuderia to perform well. However, Sainz had a very bumpy start to the weekend when he crashed during the FP2 session and caused a Red Flag. Nonetheless, nobody expected the Spaniard to get out in the Q1 session. The exit shocked everyone as Sainz was left complaining about the Mercedes and Alpine blocking his final lap in Q1.

Charles Leclerc was on the opposite end of the spectrum during the Abu Dhabi GP qualifying. While it looked like McLaren had the upper hand over Ferrari, the Monegasque pulled out a magical lap at the end of the Q3 session and put his car on the front row for the start of the race. Mercedes had a shocker of a day themselves, but not as bad as Carlos Sainz. 

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Let’s see how the qualifying session went for the Silver Arrows and how the battle for $131 Million, that is the prize money for finishing P2 in the championship, will pan out on race day. 

Lewis Hamilton Struggles while George Russell keeps Charles Leclerc on his toes

With the fight as close as it is between Ferrari and Mercedes, even one little mistake can cost the team heavily. Lewis Hamilton, while not making a mistake, had the huge opportunity to put two Mercedes cars in Q3 after Sainz’s early exit. The 7X World Champion, however, wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunity and was knocked out in Q2. Hamilton was heard complaining about the car on the radio after he got knocked out. 

George Russell, on the other hand, looked quick throughout the weekend. The young Brit showed great pace in the practice session and replicated the same in the qualifying session. While Leclerc is starting P2 and has a slight advantage, Russell in P4 will keep the Monegasque in check. And with Oscar Piastri being under investigation for impeding, a penalty for the Australian might promote Russell into P3. 

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It is difficult to predict which team will come out on top in the race, but it sure is going to be an interesting dynamic with one car from each team being at the front while the other one starts from the middle of the pack.