P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Charles Leclerc undertook a bizarre strategy late on in Abu Dhabi by conceding track position to Sergio Perez in order to help Ferrari’s Constructors’ Championship fight.
Charles Leclerc has revealed his reasoning for allowing Sergio Perez to overtake him during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Perez incurred a five-second time penalty earlier in the race, compromising his chances of a podium finish. Leclerc was in second place and Perez was set to drop behind George Russell due to the penalty, which would secure Mercedes second place in the standings ahead of Ferrari. Leclerc tried to create a gap of five seconds for Perez by giving him the DRS and slipstream, but it was not enough and Perez finished fourth. Leclerc expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance during the weekend but lamented the third-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship. Leclerc also admitted that although he wanted to challenge for first place, he knew that he lacked the pace to compete with Max Verstappen and focused on beating Mercedes instead.
