Leclerc targets title fight in 2025 after fierce battle with McLaren this year
In the face of his third-place finish in this year's championship, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has revealed that he finally wants to fight for the championship next year.
Although Ferrari found itself in a difficult position after the summer races when the SF-24 lacked outright pace compared to Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren due to an unsuccessful floor update, the Scuderia managed to get itself back on track from the Italian Grand Prix onwards.
So successful was Ferrari's recovery after Zandvoort, that it managed to close the gap to the field-leading McLaren to just 21 points in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It meant that the Maranello-based outfit had maintained its hopes to clinch its first teams' title since 2008.
Despite the sensational recovery drive from Charles Leclerc at the Yas Marina Circuit which saw the Monegasque fight his way up from P19 on the starting grid to P3, and a brilliant second-place finish from his team-mate Carlos Sainz, the Scuderia ended up second in the teams' standings, 14 points adrift of McLaren.
Reflecting on the fierce battle in the Constructors' Championship at the FIA Gala that took place in Rwanda, Leclerc was still downbeat and dispirited.
"I am very hungry for next year. Obviously, the disappointment is still fresh from the last race, and it was last week. We have been fighting with McLaren until the last race.
"But they have just done better over the whole season. They deserve the title, and my congratulations go to them and to Max," Leclerc said during the FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony.
Despite a bumpy period midway through the season which was induced by an unsuccessful updated floor introduced at Barcelona, there were many memorable moments for the Monégasque throughout the season.
Leclerc won on home soil in Monaco, as well as at the home of Ferrari in Monza before clinching his third victory of the season in Texas. The 27-year-old also wrote history in the opening practice session at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, having driven with his younger brother Arthur to become the first brothers to drive for the same team in any F1 sessions.
Leclerc continued: "So all in all, a lot of positive moments in a season like this, but of course, coming second or third is not what we want. We want to win.
"But the second half of the season was super positive for the team, and I'm looking forward to trying to take fighting for the championship finally." Leclerc concluded.
