Charles Leclerc’s magnificent recovery drive at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix may have been one of the best performances of his Formula 1 career to date.
It underlined why Ferrari have picked him over Carlos Sainz to partner incoming seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and beyond.
His efforts throughout the year helped the Scuderia compete to end a 16-year title drought at the final race of the season, before falling short.
Will Buxton pinned a ‘catastrophic decision’ on Ferrari, as the reason why they failed to take the Constructors’ Championship home in the end – and that it wasn’t either driver’s fault.
Alex Brundle says Ferrari can rely on Charles Leclerc for a ‘long time’
After a promising Friday, Charles Leclerc was handed a 10-place grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after an energy store change.
To compound his misery, he was eliminated from Q2 on Saturday after having a lap time deleted for exceeding track limits.
But that didn’t stop him from producing a storming drive through the field on Sunday, to finish 3rd after starting 19th on the grid.
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc dedicated final unheard radio message to Carlos Sainz at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
His mega first lap had shades of Kimi Raikkonen’s crazy start at Portimao back in 2020 and kept his team’s title hopes alive for the evening.
Speaking on F1’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix post-race show, Alex Brundle highlighted just how impressive the Monegasque driver was in the Middle East.
“That was a brilliant drive, went unrewarded in the end with rescuing the constructors’ championship. But, Ferrari can rely on this man for a long time.”
Will Lewis Hamilton disturb Charles Leclerc’s rhythm at Ferrari?
Leclerc enters his seventh season with Ferrari in 2025, and they haven’t enjoyed anywhere near as much success as they would have hoped.
The addition of Mercedes star Hamilton is a statement of intent for their future aspirations.
Martin Brundle described Hamilton’s performance in Abu Dhabi as ‘vintage’, but he’s not produced them consistently enough for his liking, in part because of how difficult their car has been to drive.
Their car is very close to being capable of fighting for the Drivers’ Championship, and the Brit’s experience and feedback may be exactly what they need to tip things in their favour.
READ MORE: Nico Rosberg makes Lewis Hamilton claim at Ferrari based on George Russell’s form
It may create extra pressure within the team, but that’s what makes diamonds, and they will have to get used to that feeling if they want to win.
Leclerc has faced similar levels of heat before, such as when he partnered Sebastian Vettel during his rookie season in 2019 – where they had similar championship aspirations, so he should be fine.
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