Mercedes knows all about coming agonizingly close to a result it wanted in Abu Dhabi. Remember the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP? Well, in this year’s edition of the race, it was Ferrari that came agonizingly close to the result it wanted, only to lose to Mercedes. The result it wanted was P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. It was a race that had everything from prize money to bragging rights at stake. And in the middle of it all was Charles Leclerc. He gave his everything for Ferrari, but the Scuderia didn’t return the favor.

Before the lights went out for the final time in 2023, Ferrari was four points behind Mercedes. Both teams had one driver in front and the other out of position. With Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton starting outside the top 10, all eyes were on Leclerc in P2 and George Russell in P4. Once the race was underway, it became clear that their fight would decide which team would walk away with $11 million more than the other. Russell knew it, and so did Leclerc. Despite the high-pressure situation and the significance of the occasion, the Monegasque successfully carried out a masterclass. Almost. 

In the dying stages of the 58 laps around the Yas Marina Circuit, Leclerc was in P2, and Russell in P3. The Ferrari driver knew the Briton needed to finish lower than P3 for Ferrari to secure P2. That’s where Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, on fresher tires, came in. After getting a five-second penalty for an earlier incident, the Mexican was on a charge to catch Russell’s Mercedes. After he got past the W14, there were just around five seconds separating Leclerc from Russell. That’s when the Monegasque unleashed his Singapore Sainz tactics.

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He said on the radio, “Tell me the gap between Checo and Russell. If it’s less than five seconds, I’ll give him the slipstream and let him pass for the last sector. He’s got five seconds anyway.” He let Perez pass on the last lap, but it was a little too late. Ultimately, he crossed the line in P3 with Russell in P4. But as Perez lost his P2 to Leclerc, so did Ferrari lose its P2 to Mercedes. Understandably disappointed, Leclerc made a request to his engineer to help with the mood. Much to his dismay, his team denied the request, and the Tifosi unleashed their wrath on Instagram.

Ferrari is “the worst team” for denying Charles Leclerc

Once Charles Leclerc got the news that Ferrari lost to Mercedes, he simply said, “I do burnouts, okay?” Instead of obliging, his engineer said, “No burnouts. Straight to the grid.” The entire situation had Leclerc frustrated, and he let Ferrari know on the radio. His fans, on the other hand, expressed their frustration online.

After that first season with Ferrari in 2019, there have been close to no positive signs for Leclerc. As per fans, he used to be this happy-go-luck person, but now, he’s just this eternally disappointed one. One of them wrote, “Bro has actually like hit depression.”

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Needless to say, it’s not doing wonders for his mental health. “Ferrari is destroying this guy’s mental health at this point.”

Doing burnout donuts is almost customary at the end of the season. If not for everyone, at least a select few drivers. Leclerc thought he’d be one of them, but unfortunately, Ferrari had other plans. Plans that involved no donuts. “How dare Ferrari not let Leclerc do donuts 🤬”

Leclerc and Ferrari have had a really tough season. Considering all that the Monegasque has been through, “The only burnout he is allowed is burnout syndrome.”

He did all he could for the Scuderia, but his team couldn’t let him do just one thing he wanted. “Ferrari really is the worst team,” and “for Ferarri, they don’t deserve him.”

There have been rumors this year that Charles Leclerc might switch teams, possibly to Red Bull. considering Max Verstappen got to do donuts and Leclerc didn’t, “if this aint a sign to leave. idk what is.”

Had it not been for Leclerc’s performance throughout the weekend, Ferrari wouldn’t have come close to securing P2. With all that he’s done, the least his team could’ve done for him would’ve been to let him do burnouts. “Man’s carrying the whole team and he doesn’t even get to do donuts. Criminal.”

Although most fans were furious that Ferrari didn’t let Leclerc have fun, one of them explained why the Scuderia denied their driver’s request. “For those calling Ferrari boring, he would’ve probably run out of fuel and be disqualified, so…it was the boring but wiser thing to do.”

Were you impressed with the tactics Charles Leclerc tried to use to get the better of Mercedes? And were you upset that he didn’t get to do burnouts on the track?

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