Charles Leclerc outlines what ‘means a lot’ more than beating Lando Norris at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc will be looking to put his recent frustrations behind him as the Monegasque driver has lots to fight for at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The last two races have seen multiple outbursts from Leclerc as the 27-year-old has been left feeling hard done by at Ferrari. Finishing behind his teammate Carlos Sainz in Las Vegas, Leclerc was furious over his radio after he was undercut by the Spaniard at the final pit stops and could not get back through.

Eddie Jordan was left shocked by Leclerc’s outburst as he did not expect such a reaction from the Ferrari driver. But Leclerc’s frustrations continued in the previous round at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Leclerc was left angered by his race engineer after he felt he was not getting the right information due to there being traffic in qualifying. Nevertheless, the Monegasque driver lined his car up fifth for the race and came home second on Sunday behind Max Verstappen.

The result in Qatar puts the Ferrari driver in an interesting position as he finds himself just eight points behind Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings. The McLaren driver was penalised for not lifting under yellow flags and finished the race in 10th.

With the Drivers’ Championship being out of reach, finishing second would be a great finish for Leclerc, especially at the expense of one of his rivals. But speaking on the TSN YouTube channel, it seems the 27-year-old is focusing his attention on something else in Abu Dhabi.

Charles Leclerc says winning the Constructors’ title with Ferrari ‘means a lot’ more than beating Lando Norris

While the drivers’ title is wrapped up, the constructors’ title is still up for grabs, with McLaren and Ferrari set to battle it out on the Yas Marina Circuit for the crown.

While the margin is slim between Norris and Leclerc for second in the drivers’ standings, for the latter, while he is looking to beat his rival, the Constructors’ Championship is his main focus.

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Leclerc hopes to end the season strong with Sainz – who will race for Ferrari for the final time this weekend in Abu Dhabi before joining Williams next year.

“I don’t really mind about second, third, fourth, fifth. I only want to win, but obviously the win is out of the question now because we are out of contention for the drivers’ championship,” he said.

“However, for the constructors’ championship, we are still in the fight so this means a lot for me.

“For the drivers’ championship, I’m still going to try and do absolutely everything to finish second. I think it will be really good considering the season that we had.

“But yeah, the constructors’ probably means more this year because the win is still possible.”

What does the Constructors’ Championship look like heading into Abu Dhabi?

Ferrari were able to cut McLaren’s lead in the constructors’ standings to 21 points in Qatar thanks to Norris; penalty. Sainz came home sixth for the Maranello squad with Leclerc second, while Oscar Piastri salvaged third for McLaren to keep them ahead of their rivals.

Red Bull are officially out of the running for the title and will not retain their crown in 2024 after their result in Qatar. While Verstappen claimed his ninth win of the season, teammate Sergio Perez suffered his fourth retirement of the season, shattering their hopes of defending the championship.

Heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, both Ferrari and McLaren will be desperate to win the title over the weekend. The former have not won the constructors’ since 2008, while the latter have to go all the way back to 1998 for their last title win.

Both teams will be eager to end their losing streaks, and Leclerc has the chance to beat McLaren in both championships as he sets his sights on getting Ferrari the constructors’ title, but also beating Norris for second behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings.