The weekend started badly for Scuderia Ferrari at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the Reds are fighting for nothing less than the world constructors' championship title.
They've already fallen behind in this race, and twice over... While the driver suffered food poisoning at the drivers' closing dinner, his car battery died. Everything seemed to start off dreamily, as Charles Leclerc was able to take to the track alongside his brother, Arthur:
“It all started last night when I got food poisoning. I didn't sleep all night, I was extremely tired, and I couldn't think about anything except when I could finally go to bed. The day started off very difficult... I didn't really feel like getting in the car, but I was very motivated because we can go around together with Arthur. This fulfilled a dream our whole family traveled here for, so I couldn't miss it because of that.”
"When it was discovered that we were having battery issues and it would need to be replaced, a lot of things came to mind. First, that I might miss the chance to be on track with my brother at a Formula 1 weekend. Then there's the constructors' championship... We have to start from ten positions further back, so the weekend became much more difficult. But overall, I see it as a challenge! I feel a little better, I'll sleep well tonight, and I'll come back with recharged batteries. What we need is a great tomorrow and an amazing Sunday!" declared the unfortunate Charles Leclerc.
