slots empire Charles Leclerc Says Ferrari 'Gave It Everything' In Abu Dhabi Finale
Leclerc (centre) and Sainz salute the crowd Leclerc (centre) and Sainz salute the crowd 
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari "gave it everything" as they narrowly lost out to McLaren in the Formula One Constructors' Championship on Sunday. (More Sports News)
Leclerc climbed from 19th on the grid to finish third at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, behind Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Lando Norris.
Norris' victory sealed McLaren's first Constructors' Championship title since 1998, finishing the season 14 points ahead of Ferrari.
Leclerc was left disappointed by the final outcome, but insisted he could have done no more.
"I knew I had to be very aggressive, so on Lap 1, I took all the risks possible to gain as many places as possible to be in a good position for the rest of the race," he said.
Abu Dhabi GP: McLaren Win First F1 Constructors Title Since 1998 As Lando Norris Dominates Yas Marina "Unfortunately, we were starting too far back to do anything better than what we did. I think we did the maximum. It hurts when a season is so close until the end.
"We gave it our all, and we just came up short of our goal. It's a shame, but we gave it everything."
One last podium in red together#AbuDhabiGP#F1 pic.twitter.com/fNgLZsFBOO
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) December 8, 2024Norris held on despite pressure from Sainz, who finished second in what was his final race for Ferrari before linking up with Alex Albon at Williams for the 2025 season.
"Obviously, a bit of a bittersweet feeling in the end," said Sainz. "P2, I think, was the maximum we could do today, given the pace of Lando in the McLaren.
"I gave it everything, especially the first stint. It looked like we could hang onto them, then as soon as we put on the hard tyres, they just seemed to be one or two-tenths quicker per lap. They just got a bit out of reach.
"From our side, I think we can proud of the effort and the championship that we put together. It’s been a tough year, but definitely a year that we need to be proud of, and hopefully be back here soon."
Reflecting on his time with Ferrari, he added: "Obviously, it was an emotional in-lap with my engineer talking to me on the radio, but at the same time, very grateful to be part of this amazing team for four years.
"I've had the opportunity to win my first racesslots empire, achieve my first pole position. I've proven to myself and to everyone that I can be fighting for race wins and podiums if I have the right car."