Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari team was left disappointed after narrowly missing out on the constructors’ championship title, despite ending the day with a double podium. The Monegasque driver and his teammate Carlos Sainz put up an impressive fight, but ultimately fell 14 points short of McLaren’s total.
Leclerc, who started from 19th place, made a remarkable comeback to finish eighth, while Sainz crossed the line in second place. Ferrari secured 33 points, but it was not enough to change their standing in the championship standings. The team had entered the season finale with a 21-point deficit to McLaren, and despite Leclerc’s efforts, they were unable to close the gap.
“We knew that on Lap 1 I had to take all the risk possible to gain as many places as possible,” Leclerc said after the race. “Unfortunately, we were just starting too far back to do anything better than what we’ve done today.” The team gave it their all, but ultimately came up short of their goal.
Sainz was also left despondent, despite his impressive second-place finish. He praised McLaren’s performance and congratulated them on their championship win. “It’s been a tough year, but definitely a year [that] we need to be proud of,” he said. The team will look to regroup and come back stronger in the future.
This marks the end of an era for Sainz, who is set to move to Williams next season. He reflected on his time with Ferrari, saying “We’ve had an amazing relationship… We both gave it all, it wasn’t enough.” The team will miss Sainz’s contributions, but are confident in their ability to bounce back.
Source: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/it-wasnt-enough-leclerc-left-dispirited-after-ferrari-narrowly-lose-out-on.3qyKonZkPkWjBWijnMxh36