“Despite the tears”, Charles Leclerc receives praise from Spanish media. Even Marca praised Charles Leclerc’s performance in Qatar.

Charles Leclerc himself reiterated it multiple times in his post-race statements: not even he expected to finish the Qatar GP in second place given the pre-race outlook and the feedback from the track during earlier sessions.

Ferrari, however, capitalized on the Safety Car periods and Lando Norris’s penalty to secure the second step of the podium, just behind a dominant Max Verstappen who overcame his own qualifying penalty. The Monegasque driver is now only eight points behind Lando Norris with one race left in a season that could still bring joy to Ferrari fans.

Ferrari heads to Abu Dhabi with the chance to claim a Constructors’ Championship title that has eluded them for 16 years. A result that seemed unimaginable before the season began has increasingly become a tangible goal for the entire team.

*Marca* praises Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc’s near-flawless race earned him compliments from the Spanish newspaper *Marca*, traditionally aligned with Carlos Sainz. In the regular post-weekend analysis, Spanish journalist Marco Canseco used glowing words to describe Charles Leclerc’s performance, though he also included a subtle jab.

“Leclerc drove masterfully, and this is certainly his best season of his career,” reads *Marca*. “Despite the tears (a reference to some of Leclerc’s complaints, editor’s note), when inspired, he is undoubtedly one of the best drivers on the grid.” – the Spanish media admitted – He held off both Russell and Piastri in a great race that leaves him eight points behind Norris. Additionally, it seems that if he finishes second in the standings, he’ll receive a bonus of approximately five million dollars,” Spanish journalist Marco Canseco concluded.