Hamilton Frustrated as Ferrari Team Repairs Car After Crash,Leclerc Secures Fifth on Grid
ABU DHABI,UAE – Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration with his qualifying performance and acknowledged Ferrari’s dedicated efforts to repair his car after a crash during final practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,while teammate Charles Leclerc salvaged a fifth-place starting position thanks to significant setup changes. Hamilton’s qualifying session ended prematurely following the incident, but he praised the team’s work, stating, “The team did a mega job [to repair the car]. They deserve better, for sure.”
The contrasting fortunes highlight Ferrari’s ongoing struggles to consistently compete at the front of the grid, a critical issue as the team looks toward the 2024 season. While Hamilton’s crash underscored reliability concerns, Leclerc’s recovery demonstrates the team’s ability to adapt and optimize performance under pressure.the outcome of this weekend’s race, and the performance of both drivers, will be closely scrutinized as Ferrari assesses its strategy for the future.
Leclerc, who managed to reach Q3 and secure fifth on the grid, attributed his improved pace to “massive” changes made to the car’s setup after Friday’s practice sessions. “I’m very pleased with P5,” Leclerc said. “It’s a shame to be pleased with P5, but that’s all we had today. I’m satisfied with the performance of today and the laps in Q3.” He added, expressing long-term ambition, “I just hope that next year we’ll start on the right foot, and we’ll be back winning races, because that’s all I want.”
The gamble to overhaul the car’s setup proved triumphant, with Leclerc estimating they would have qualified around ninth without the changes. “We’ve changed massively the car from FP2 to FP3, took a huge risk, and it paid off,” he explained. Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Leclerc intends to aggressively pursue a podium finish, despite starting behind the three drivers battling for the World Championship title.
“I don’t know [what will happen],” Leclerc admitted.”Surely, I will take massive risks tomorrow and try and be on the podium for the last race – that’s all that matters to me.” He emphasized his commitment to maximizing Ferrari’s result, stating, “Of course, there’s a title fight, but on my side the onyl thing I’m looking at is what can I do for Ferrari, and that is trying to maximise tomorrow’s result no matter who I fight. That will be my mentality going into tomorrow.”
