Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc hailed a giant step ahead as System One championship runner-up on Sunday and hoped to go one higher subsequent season.

The Monegasque completed second to Purple Bull’s double world champion Max Verstappen within the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“Contemplating the place we have been final 12 months, it is a actually massive step ahead,” mentioned the 25-year-old, who received three of the season’s 22 races whereas crew mate Carlos Sainz triumphed as soon as.

Ferrari completed as championship runners-up to Purple Bull, after ending final 12 months third and and not using a win. Additionally they drew a clean in 2020, after they have been sixth general.

Ferrari had 12 pole positions this 12 months, essentially the most of any crew and 10 greater than final season, in addition to 16 podium finishes.

Leclerc had been seventh general in 2021, with Sainz fifth, and this season has been his greatest but in System One even when Ferrari followers are dissatisfied the crew fell brief once more.

“I feel we improved all through the top of the season by way of technique,” mentioned Leclerc, who received two of the 12 months’s first three races earlier than his title bid fell aside in a mixture of mechanical unreliability, driver errors and technique errors.

“We nonetheless must work by way of race tempo, as a result of on Sunday we appear to wrestle a bit extra. However we’ll push throughout the winter break with a view to catch them again just a little.”

Leclerc made a one-stop technique work on Sunday whereas Perez pitted twice and was unable to rein in his rival regardless of an thrilling late chase.

“I am assured that by way of tempo, we are going to handle to catch Purple Bull again subsequent 12 months,” mentioned Leclerc.

Workforce boss Mattia Binotto mentioned the crew had succeeded in getting again to being aggressive.

“We are able to put 2022 behind us figuring out that we made numerous progress and, as from Tuesday, we are going to begin making ready for the brand new problem that awaits us in 2023,” he mentioned