Leclerc: I will fight for it until the very last lap

The Maranello-based outfit have to score 22 points more than leaders McLaren over the course of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend to secure their first Title since 2008. However, McLaren have looked like the quicker team around the Yas Marina Circuit, and locked out the front row after dominating Qualifying with Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. wasn't too far behind in P3, and his teammate Leclerc should have been right up there too were it not for a track limits violation during his Q2 run. This prevented the Monegasque from making it into the final part of Qualifying; along with a ten-place grid penalty for replacing his SF-24's battery this means he will start the Grand Prix from the foot of the grid.

This will make it very difficult for Leclerc to score meaningful points and help close the gap to McLaren in the Standings. Furthermore, the 27-year-old is only eight points behind Norris for second in the Drivers' Championship. All hopes appear to be lost but Leclerc has stated that his goals for the final race of the season haven't changed.

In a session report published by Ferrari, Leclerc claimed that he is as determined as ever to win the Constructors' crown for the Italian team. He said: "My goal remains the same: to win the Constructors’ Championship.

"I believe in it as much as I did yesterday. It’s ambitious, but it’s still possible on paper and I will fight for it until the very last lap. In terms of qualifying, I don’t think we would have managed to beat the two McLarens. However, with my lap time deleted, P14 added to our 10 place grid penalty will make this a really challenging goal to achieve," stated Leclerc.

The Ferrari driver hopes that low tyre degradation will allow him to move up the order during the 58-lap event. He continued: "Our race pace is okay but McLaren seem to be stronger. We changed our car quite a bit since FP3, and I believe we went in the right direction.

"Our tyre degradation seems better than that of some of the others, so I hope this can give us some advantage. Anything can happen tomorrow and we will give it absolutely everything," he concluded.

Sainz has his sights set on victory to give Ferrari the best chance at reversing the deficit to McLaren. The Spaniard said: "We did a good job on the car after yesterday and today in Q1 and Q2 I was able to put together some solid laps.

"In Q3 I pushed like crazy on the last attempt and I think my lap was good, only hundredths of a second away from P2. Anyway, starting P2 or P3 doesn’t make a huge difference here as the race is very long and I have confidence in our pace.

"Races have to be raced until the very last metre, so believe me when I say I will drive my heart out to try to win and let’s see what happens. Nothing would make me happier than finishing with Ferrari on a high, so let’s go for it one more time!" exclaimed Sainz.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will start at 13:00 GMT (17:00 local time) on Sunday 8 December. Can Ferrari win the Constructors' Championship?