Following the Abu Dhabi GP, Toto Wolff commended Charles Leclerc for his outstanding sportsmanship. In his post-race interview, Wolff specifically pointed out a significant moment in the battle between Leclerc and George Russell that showcased the former’s integrity on the track.
Russell and Leclerc were both fighting to help their respective teams finish P2 in the championship. In the midst of this intense competition, Leclerc made a strategic move that will be etched in the memories of Mercedes fans forever. The Monegasque driver endeavored to slipstream Sergio Perez in the final laps, aiming to help him gain an advantage over Russell, who was fiercely competing to secure P2 for Mercedes.
Mercedes needed Perez to be within a five-second margin of Russell to secure P2. It was only then Russell could accumulate the crucial points required. However, had Leclerc intentionally slowed down Russell to create a five-second gap for Perez, the dynamics would have shifted.
It was because, in an alternate scenario, Perez needed to finish five seconds ahead of Russell to stay at P2 after receiving a penalty for a collision with Lando Norris. Fortunately, Leclerc refrained from deliberately impeding Russell, allowing the Mercedes driver to stay within the necessary distance of Perez. This strategic move ultimately enabled Mercedes to triumph over Ferrari in the battle for P2.
Nevertheless, despite Ferrari losing the competition, Leclerc’s sportsmanship earned him a commendation from the rival team boss. According to Planet F1, Toto Wolff after initially highlighting the high esteem Mercedes holds for Scuderia as a team, commended Charles Leclerc saying, ” Charles drove like a real sportsman at the end.” However, after praising Leclerc, Wolff also conceded the “impeccable” performance of George Russell on the Yas Marina Circuit.
How did Charles Leclerc react after losing to Mercedes in the P2 battle?
Ferrari entered the Abu Dhabi showdown trailing Mercedes by a mere four points. Interestingly with Leclerc securing P2 in qualifying, there were expectations of a potential reversal. However, George Russell’s excellence and Charles Leclerc’s fair play on Sunday ensured Mercedes clinched a deserving P2, edging out Scuderia by a slim three-point margin.
In light of this, Charles Leclerc shared his take on their performance in the Abu Dhabi GP. He said, “ On the one hand I’m really happy because on a weekend like this there was not one thing we could have done better.”
Subsequently, Leclerc also added how impressed he was with the team’s overall efforts. He remarked, “As a team, it was definitely not a given that we were in the second-fastest car this weekend, but we did an incredible job doing everything right, the strategy, qualifying.”
In his concluding remarks, Leclerc mentioned that both he and the team were well aware of the impending challenges they would face throughout the season. In light of this, he cited the fact that the team’s preseason expectations for the 2023 campaign were not fulfilled.
The Monegasque said, “It’s just a shame that we finished third in the constructors’. That’s all that mattered to me in this end of season, but we didn’t achieve that. However, in the end, Leclerc emphasized that the team still did an incredible job, pushing their limits until the last race.
