“I know what to do. Leave me alone” – Charles Leclerc channels his inner Kimi Raikkonen as he orders his race engineer to stop talking during the Abu Dhabi GP

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc finished runner-up at the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi. The Monegasque driver brought home his Ferrari despite Sergio Perez’s chase in the last few laps of the race. This result puts Charles second in the championship standings, 3 points ahead of Perez. It was a result that was seen as an outside chance by critics who predicted the Red Bulls to bag an easy 1-2 finish. Leclerc however managed to surprise the paddock with his stellar drive.

Leclerc was put on a one-stop strategy, contrary to Red bull’s two-stop for Sergio. Thus the Ferrari driver jumped the Mexican and was P2 in the latter half of the race, though it was the Monegasque who had a target on his back as Perez put his everything in his last stint. As the pressure built up on Charles, he demanded his race engineer Xavier Marcos Padros, to stop talking, Leclerc said, “Xavi stop talking to me in corners. I know what to do. Leave me alone!”

YouTube video — Sergio Perez failed to get past Charles Leclerc by the end of the race

The 25-year-old’s words resemble the famous phrase of former world champion Kimi Raikkonen who had told his team, “Leave me alone, I know what to do,” at this very track in 2012, with the Finn going on to win the Grand Prix. It seems that Leclerc has picked up on Kimi’s habits back when the Monegasque was a Ferrari junior driver during Raikkonen’s second stint at the Scuderia. This instance was definitely hilarious and ends the season on a high note for all of us who will remember it for time to come.

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Charles Leclerc beats Sergio Perez to P2 in the F1 championship by 3 points

Charles Leclerc’s P2 in the race officially gives him the runner-up spot in the F1 championship

After a failed title bid by Scuderia Ferrari, the 25-year-old was forced to stay content with a battle for the runner-up in the standings. With Ferrari’s drop in pace in the latter half of the season, Sergio Perez closed in on the Monegasque and even led him in the standings, Post the Brazilian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen’s blatant refusal to obey team orders, Charles and Sergio left for the final race with level points. And now as the season has come to an end, it is the 25-year-old who came out victorious with 308 points.

Leclerc has had a disappointing year at Maranello, with the 25-year-old firm on his goal of becoming the Formula 1 world champion in 2023, his timeline differs from the 2026 objective set by the Ferrari President. The Scuderia is also rumored to have a change in leadership with current Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur allegedly replacing Mattia Binotto. In any case, the 2022 season is one of the lessons for the Prancing horse which aims to bring back glory to Maranello after a gap of 14 years.