Charles Leclerc finished both the 2024 season and the Abu Dhabi GP in 3rd place, falling short of Ferrari’s aspirations for the Constructors’ title, which came down to the wire against McLaren.
The Italian outfit finished a season with just 14 points behind the reigning Constructors’ champions McLaren.
Ferrari showed promise with Sainz and Leclerc securing 2nd and 3rd after Piastri clashes with Verstappen in the opening corner, but Norris claimed victory for McLaren in the end.
Charles Leclerc also reflected on a ‘rocket start’ which saw the Monegasque gain 11 places by the end of the first lap.
“I knew I had to be a very aggressive so I knew that in lap 1 I had to take all the risks possible in order to gain as many places as possible to then be in a good position for the rest of the race.” – Leclerc noted.
The Ferrari’s driver disappointment was explained after Friday’s 10-place grid drop penalty which sealed the deal of Constructors’ ambitions in a way.
“Season is so close until the end and it was a hard hit on Friday when we knew we had the penalty. We still gave it all and we just came short of our goal, which is a shame. But in the end, we’ve tried everything.”
Moreover, the third-place finish for the 2024 season still left room for hope, as Leclerc expressed optimism for the new season following massive upgrades introduced in the second half of the year.
Leclerc secured three victories this season, while his teammate Carlos Sainz claimed two wins.
Yeah, I really hope so. I mean, if we look at the first part of the year, we were nowhere near being in the fight for the constrictors. The second part of the season was really good and the team did an incredible job.” – Leclerc commented.
Ultimately, Charles Leclerc thanked his now-former teammate, Carlos Sainz, for a successful four years of collaboration and wished him all the best in his new journey with Williams.