Leclerc puts Ferrari first in Abu Dhabi GP, not title contenders

Charles Leclerc may be starting Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from fifth, right on the fringes of Formula 1’s three-way title shootout – but the Ferrari star insists he won’t be dragged into anyone else’s championship chaos.

As Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri gear up for one of the tightest finales in years, Leclerc says he’ll race them purely on merit, strategy and instinct… not on what’s at stake for them.

While some drivers have openly admitted they might exploit the tension among the title contenders, Leclerc wants none of it. The Ferrari driver won’t burden himself with the mental math of championship scenarios.

“To be honest, I don't even want to know all these scenarios whatsoever because it's quite stressful to be in that position,” he told reporters at Yas Marina.

Instead, he plans to approach Sunday with the blinkers on.

“In my head there will be none of that going into tomorrow's race. The only thing that will be in my head is how can I maximize my performance and the result of Ferrari.”

And if he ends up dicing with any of the three drivers fighting for the crown, his approach will be cold, practical and purely situational.

“If that means doing everything at that particular moment when they are behind to try and slow them down I'll do that,” he added.

“If that means not fight with them because for my strategy it's better to not fight with them, I won't fight them. And no, that championship title thing will not be in my head because it's not my job to be here to favour one or the other.”

Leclerc Lifts Lid on Ferrari Struggle

Leclerc’s determination comes against the backdrop of a Ferrari that’s been, in his words, brutal to extract performance from. After securing P5, he opened up on just how knife-edge the SF-25 has become.

“I can see how tricky the car is – how you've just got to go full commitment and it's either in the wall or through Q1,” he said, referencing Lewis Hamilton’s crash in FP3.

“Then you need to do the same in Q2 and then you need to do the same in Q3 and, yeah, I know what it's like to have a car that is... and also for the understanding of the car, it's much more difficult to understand something from the car when you really have to push to the absolute limit.”

According to Leclerc, that limit was razor-thin on Saturday.

“In Q2 I thought I would put it into the wall quite a few times and that makes it difficult to also improve the car – probably the McLaren or Red Bull do by pushing a little bit less in Q1 and Q2, you understand more about what's going on with the car,” he said.

“So, yeah, it's a tricky situation we are in.”

• Read also: Hamilton feeling ‘a lot of anger’ after painful Q1 exit in Abu Dhabi

With Leclerc walking a tightrope and the title contenders battling for survival, the Monegasque’s vow to race uncompromised adds yet another volatile ingredient to Sunday’s decider.

He may not be fighting for the trophy — but he could help shape who takes it home.

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