Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc was not at all happy with the outcome of the first day of track action at the Yas Marina circuit ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and believes that the Maranello team’s rivals are “a step ahead” of them for now based on the data seen on Friday practice in Abu Dhabi.
The Monegasque driver – who is involved in a close duel with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez for second place in the World Championship – ended the day in third place in both sessions, but above all was not happy with the balance of his F1-75 car at the Yas Marina circuit.
In the first free free practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ferrari development driver Robert Shwartzman got the opportunity to drive the F1-75 challenger by replacing Carlos Sainz, while the Spanish driver returned to the track in FP2, as Carlos set the sixth fastest time of the hour.
Mercedes was fastest in the opening session at the Yas Marina circuit while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace in the second part of the day.
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In an interview after Friday practice, Charles Leclerc confirmed that the key areas in which the Italian side had faced difficulties were in fact expected, but also pointed out that the competition appeared to have an edge over them for now.
“Overall, our sessions were okay. We struggled a bit with the race pace due to tyre degradation, which was expected. Our qualifying pace was a little better, but our competitors seem to be a step ahead. We will use tomorrow’s practice to make further progress and give it our all for the last qualifying of the year.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc said after Friday practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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