This weekend will be very special for Scuderia Ferrari in Abu Dhabi because, for the first time in this hybrid era of Formula 1, the team is in the race for a title, in this case the constructors’ title, until the last race of the season.
And for another reason, it will be special for Charles Leclerc because, during the first free practice session tomorrow, the other SF-24 will be driven by none other than his younger brother Arthur.
“It will be a very special moment. Because to a certain extent it means that all the sacrifices made by my family will have been for something.”
Arthur replaces Carlos Sainz for this session, as part of the regulations which stipulate that each team must field twice per season a young driver with no more than two Formula 1 races under his belt.
In Mexico, Oliver Bearman was behind the wheel of Charles’ car and tomorrow it will be Arthur’s turn. The young Leclerc won this year’s Italian GT endurance championship driving a Ferrari 296 GT3 and spent a lot of time working in the Scuderia’s wind tunnel.
“My whole family comes from Monaco for this,” Charles added. “Let’s hope this is the start of a perfect, unforgettable weekend. Any advice? I just told him to have fun.”
-Everything is still to play for in the constructors’ championship, but it would also take something special to win it.
“21 points behind, that’s still a lot,” recognizes the Monegasque.
“For our part, we have to execute everything perfectly, because we have to finish with a one-two finish and then something will probably have to go wrong for our opponents at McLaren. The circuit should suit the top four teams equally, so we will definitely see some very close times. We have to make sure that this time the thousandths are in our favor.”
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