Speaking after the race, Leclerc said: “I knew that on Lap 1 I had to take all the risk possible to gain as many places as possible, to then be in a good position for the rest of the race. This was achieved but unfortunately we were just starting too far back to do anything better than what we’ve done today. I think we’ve done the maximum.
“It hurts obviously, because when the season is so close until the end, it was a hard hit on Friday when we knew we had the penalty. We still gave it all and just came short of our goal which is a shame, but in the end we’ve tried everything.”
HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from the season finale in Abu Dhabi as Norris dominates to seal constructors’ title for McLaren
The 58-lap race was Leclerc’s last with Sainz as his team mate, as the Spaniard is set to move to Williams next season. The duo have had their most successful season together, finishing 2024 with 652 points and five race wins between them.
“We’ve had an amazing relationship,” the Monegasque driver summarised. “We’ve pushed each other. I really hoped that we could finish these four years together with a constructors’ title.
“We both gave it all, it wasn’t enough. Obviously now the disappointment is here, and I will have four/five days to reset and start thinking about next year.”
