Leclerc Reveals Last-Minute Decision to Assist Perez in F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Running in second place behind the leader, Max Verstappen, Leclerc made an attempt to give Sergio Perez a slipstream in the final laps to help him stay ahead of Russell, who was looking to secure a second-place finish for the Mercedes team in the fight against Ferrari.

Sergio Perez needed to maintain a five-second lead over Russell due to a penalty he received for a clash with McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Despite Leclerc’s assistance, Perez was unable to widen the gap and subsequently dropped from second to fourth after the post-race penalty was applied, enabling Mercedes to maintain their second place in the constructors’ championship by a slim three-point margin.

“It all came down to the last few minutes because Checo had a five-second penalty,” explained Leclerc regarding his attempt to aid the Red Bull driver. “We had to help him finish ahead of George with the five seconds. I tried to provide him with the DRS and a slipstream, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.”

Starting in second place, Leclerc had two opportunities to overtake Verstappen during the opening lap but ultimately decided against it. “I obviously wanted to try and get that first place, but we also know that in the race, we lacked some pace compared to them,” he mentioned. “So, even if I would have passed Max there, I probably would have got overtaken again three or four laps [later].”

“And at the end, my only target was to beat the Mercedes, so I didn’t want to lose too much tire juice and also time with Max. But yeah, it was fun.”

Russell expressed his appreciation for Leclerc’s sportsmanship, acknowledging that he “kept it clean” by not trying to impede him after letting Perez pass. “It was tight with Checo at the end, I thought Charles was going to back me up but respect to him for keeping it clean,” Russell added.

“[Securing second place] means a huge amount. There are so many people back at the factory, Brackley, Brixworth, who have worked hard to achieve this,” said Russell. “It’s been a really challenging season. I’ve let the side down a couple of times this year, so pleased to bring it across the line today.”