Charles Leclerc is already looking ahead to 2023 after a difficult race in Suzuka
While he crossed the finish line in second position at Suzuka, Charles Leclerc received a five-second penalty, causing him to drop to third place behind Sergio Pérez.
Charles Leclerc will not win his first world championship title this year, it’s official. If there were still any doubts about it… Starting second on the grid at Suzuka, the Monegasque never troubled Max Verstappen. He crossed the finish line in second position, but ultimately ended up with the third place, after receiving a five-second penalty for cutting the last chicane. A mistake that benefits Sergio Pérez, who moves up to second place, and above all the Dutchman, who secures his second world title.
« I gave it my all, but it was a tough race for us today. We were good at heating up the tires in the early laps, but then everything deteriorated, explained Charles Leclerc. « Especially towards the end, I struggled with tire degradation and it was really difficult to keep Checo (Pérez) behind me. I congratulate Max (Verstappen) and Red Bull for this incredible season, they did an excellent job and deserve the title.
The Ferrari driver is now focused on the upcoming season, hoping to deliver better results: We will use the last four races to work on our race management, tire management, and become a stronger team in all areas in order to face an even greater challenge next year. We have already taken steps in the right direction in the last two races and we will continue to push in that direction until the end.
Same tune from the Scuderia boss, Mattia Binotto: Charles had a good race overall, but unfortunately, he suffered from tire wear on the intermediates after pushing really hard in the early laps after his pit stop. We now shift our focus to the final four races, ready to fight in Austin in two weeks.
