Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc confronted challenges on the opening day on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after having suffered meals poisoning on Thursday earlier than he was hit with a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his energy unit allocation.
Forward of his remaining race with Ferrari, Carlos Sainz was compelled to overlook the opening observe on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the sporting rules stating that each driver is required handy his automotive over to a rookie driver – a racer who has accomplished a most of two grands prix – through the season.
The Spaniard was changed by his team-mate Charles Leclerc’s 24-year-old brother Arthur, who drove Sainz’s automotive within the first free observe session. Arthur and Charles Leclerc grew to become the primary time in Formulation 1 historical past that two brothers have been on monitor on the identical time, driving for a similar staff.
Nevertheless, issues acquired difficult earlier than the motion acquired underway in FP1 because the eight-time F1 racer winner revealed that he has suffered meals poisoning which meant he may barely sleep final evening.
“It began sadly final evening once I acquired meals poisoned and couldn’t sleep all of the evening which… I’m so drained, I simply wish to sleep now. It wasn’t really easy, even this morning I didn’t really feel like I needed to drive, however clearly the massive motivation of the day was doing the FP1 with my youthful brother.
Charles Leclerc and Arthur Leclerc’s mom, Pascale Leclerc, was captured smiling whereas watching her sons driving for Scuderia Ferrari within the FP1 session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“This can be a dream that [has] come true at present for each of us, for all of our household that travelled all the best way from Monaco to see that and it was a really emotional second. I undoubtedly needed to put the helmet on very early as a result of I additionally was emotional.
Though Leclerc managed to get his act collectively to climb into his automotive regardless of feeling unwell, he was then compelled to attend within the pits for the primary 20 minutes of the opening observe session in Abu Dhabi, with a technical difficulty stopping him to go out on to the monitor.
It later emerged that the Monégasque endured a battery difficulty on his automotive. Though Ferrari managed to repair the issue, the Scuderia was compelled to put in a brand new unit into Leclerc’s automotive.
The change signifies that Leclerc has now exceeded the allocation of two vitality shops per season and should serve a grid drop, which signifies that he will probably be hit with a 10-place penalty for the season finale on the Yas Marina Circuit.
“After which that’s the place every thing began to go fallacious sadly as a result of as quickly as we fired up the automotive, we noticed that there was an issue with the vitality retailer. [There were] numerous issues going via my head – first, am I going to drive this FP1 with my brother which is a novel alternative, and clearly additionally the championship.
An FP1 for the historical past books 👑#AbuDhabi 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/pZOIapFNmc
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) December 6, 2024
“That makes our weekend much more troublesome, however that doesn’t demotivate me in any respect. I really feel a bit bit higher tonight already, I’ll have an excellent evening’s sleep and I’ll come again tomorrow with a battery totally recharged. Hopefully we’ll have an excellent day tomorrow after which have an incredible restoration on Sunday.”
This weekend will probably be an emotional one for Ferrari from different causes as nicely. Sainz, who joined the Scuderia in 2021, will depart the Maranello-based outfit after 4 profitable years which noticed the Madrid-born racer clinch 4 victories.
Reflecting on his final weekend when he’s sharing the Ferrari storage with Sainz, Leclerc added: “[That is] one other factor that provides to this up-and-down weekend, emotionally talking,” the eight-time race winner stated. “We actually wish to end on a excessive.
“This morning we ended up watching FP1 collectively and we have been a bit unhappy each of us for what had occurred, as a result of clearly we depend on one another in making an attempt to win this constructors’ and we actually wish to finish these 4 years collectively in the absolute best means.
“However typically issues occur exterior of our management and that’s what occurred at present. However we’ve had an incredible relationship, superb 4 years, and we’ll give all of it till the final lap with the intention to finish these 4 years collectively in the absolute best means.”
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