Verstappen finds circuit tricky: 'Losing a lot of traction'

During the press conference, Verstappen says he doesn't mind coming to Abu Dhabi: "It's always very chilled. I guess that also has to do with the end of the year. Good temperatures, nice people, and then the track itself." But there is one thing the Dutchman would change: "I think the only thing I would like to change is just the off-camber corners." An off-camber corner is when the apex is on a higher part of the track from the point where you turn in. Verstappen prefers to have it this way: "A bit more banked corners would help. So around the hotel, they need to bank that instead of off-camber. And at, what is it, Turn 7, that little crest, it always throws you off a little bit, and especially when you're behind, you just lose a lot of traction. So that corner also, just bank it a bit. That would help."

Leclerc expects consequences

"I like this track actually," said Charles Leclerc, "Especially the last sector is very technical. It's also very, very difficult to get it right in qualifying because it's such fine margins, and as Max mentioned, it's very difficult to follow in those off-camber corners." Fortunately, the Monegasque does like a challenge: "But at the same time during qualifying, as soon as you get it wrong, but even by five orten centimetres, that has huge consequences. Which I like it in qualifying, but I agree with Max that for the race, I don't think that's great because you struggle a lot to follow in those corners."

Once asked if the Ferrari driver would also like to see banking, he says this: "I think it would be nice. It will definitely help racing, which it's a track where there's already quite a lot of overtaking opportunities, but definitely that will make it even better."