Leclerc: Abu Dhabi strong start a ‘good sign’ but ‘still work to do’

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Charles Leclerc set the pace in Friday’s second practice in Abu Dhabi, a performance that bodes well for the remainder of Ferrari’s weekend although he insists there’s still “a lot of work to do”.

Leclerc was nowhere to be seen in FP1, but for a good reason as the Scuderia had assigned his car to reserve driver Robert Shwartzman as it fulfilled its second mandatory rookie session of the season.

The Monegasque and his team were forced to deal with a disrupted second practice which they owed to a heavy crash by Carlos Sainz that brought out the red flag and halted proceedings for 30 minutes.

With only sixteen laps on the board, collected data and information was necessarily limited, but despite the reduced mileage, Leclerc concluded his day with a positive vibe.

“Yeah, because I only did one lap on the medium [tyre] then straightaway a lap on the soft and it was feeling pretty good,” he explained.

“It’s a good sign when it starts like this, so [I] hope we can have a great weekend from now on.”

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This weekend’s finale at Yas Marina will see Ferrari attempt to seize the runner-up spot in the Constructors’ standings from Mercedes which holds just a four-point advantage over its arch-rival.

Ferrari had the upper hand over Mercedes in recent races, but Leclerc is cautious ahead of the pair’s showdown, especially after seeing George Russell lead the way in FP1.

“It’s true that also Mercedes looked very strong,” he said. “I don’t know what happened exactly in FP2 – they looked a little bit less strong compared to FP1, so we’ve still got a lot of work to do because we will be fighting with them this weekend.”

Ferrari’s track record at Yas Marina is a mixed bag, which offers Leclerc another reason to exercise prudence.

“I will wait before saying that it’s a strong circuit for us!” added the 26-year-old.

“We still have to prove it tomorrow in qualifying, and then tyre management will be the biggest thing this weekend. We know that we have to be prepared for that on Sunday, so we’ll do our best.”

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.