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Charles Leclerc feels Ferrari rivals are “one step ahead” of them after opening day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Monaco – still battling Sergio Perez for second place at the world championships – finished third on the timetable in both races on Friday.
Meanwhile, Robert Shwartzman drove Carlos Sainz’s F1-75 in FP1 before Sainz returned to action in FP2, where the Spaniard Got the sixth fastest time per hour.
Mercedes took a 1-2 lead in the opening race, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leading later.
Leclerc reflects on Ferrari’s struggles
After Friday’s race, Leclerc acknowledged that Ferrari’s difficult territory was to be expected, but also warned that their rivals appeared to have an advantage over them.
“Overall, we had a good meeting,” Leclerc said.
“We had some difficulties with race pace due to tire degradation, which is to be expected. Our qualifying pace was a bit better, but our competitors seemed to be a step ahead.
“We will use tomorrow’s practice to make further progress and give our all for the final qualifying session of the year.”
Sainz: There is still a lot of room for improvement
Sainz is eager for Saturday’s final qualifying session of the 2022 F1 season and hopes the team can find some improvements before then.
“It was a very busy FP2 for me after missing the first session, so it was all about catching up and getting into the rhythm as quickly as possible,” commented Sainz.
“The feeling on the track isn’t too bad, but I know we have a lot of room for improvement tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the last qualifying session of the year.”
Ferrari remain second in the manufacturers’ championship, although third-placed Mercedes cut the gap to 19 points after finishing 1-2 at the last Brazilian GP.
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