The United States GP could not have gone any better for Ferrari, who approached the weekend with cautious optimism and left with the winners’ and runners’ up trophy, thanks to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s brilliant drives.
Leclerc, who started P4, took the lead of the race at the first corner of lap one and dominated from thereon. Sainz, meanwhile, had to spend some time behind Max Verstappen in P2, before a Ferrari undercut helped him jump the Dutchman.
Now, Ferrari is just 48 points behind leaders McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, and Leclerc feels that his team has what it takes to finish the season ahead of the Woking-based team.
“If we do everything right and continue to finish ahead of McLaren at the end of the Abu Dhabi GP, we can be ahead and win the title, counting only on ourselves and our performance,” the Monegasque driver said as per Formula Passion.
View this post on Instagram
In the Drivers’ Championship, while Leclerc’s chances of winning the title are nearly impossible, he can still aim for P2. He is just 22 points behind Lando Norris, whose pursuit of the title is becoming increasingly difficult as he tries to chase down Verstappen.
Leclerc needs “luck” for WDC win
Despite it seeming virtually impractical at this point of the season, Leclerc refused to rule out all chances of him winning his first-ever World Drivers’ Championship. He is 79 points behind Verstappen, and with just five race weekends to go, it would take a miracle for him to emerge victorious.
However, as Leclerc said, “Never say never…”
Leclerc pointed out that just like a mixture of hard work and luck — because of McLaren and Red Bull’s shortcomings in previous races — brought them back in the race for the Constructors’ title, similar fortunes could play in his favor.
“To get back in the running for the Drivers’ World Championship, I would also need a bit of luck,” he concluded.
