Charles Leclerc was left wanting more from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after finishing in seventh place in his last Formula 1 race for Sauber.
The Monegasque driver had started from eighth on the grid, a fantastic opening lap of the race saw him get the jump on Romain Grosjean in the opening few corners.
Leclerc was then able to get past Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, moments before an early safety car was called while marshals helped Renault's Nico Hulkenberg in his upside down R.S.18 after a clash with Grosjean.
At the restart, Leclerc was able to keep pace with the leaders, even making a move for fourth place on the man he will replace at Ferrari for 2019 – Kimi Raikkonen.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-120x86.webp)
Raikkonen was forced to retire later in the lap after his SF-71H lost all power and was unable to get it going again, prompting a Virtual Safety Car.
Sauber subsequently pitted Leclerc to try and get his mandatory stop out of the way, but this left the 21-year old back in 14th place and in a lot of traffic. This meant time was lost to other midfield runners
"I think that there was more in the race for us, but we rounded off the season with a decent P7 and some more points," said Leclerc.
"I would like to thank the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for this incredible year and everything they have taught me. It has been great to work together and to see all of the effort reflected in the progress we have made.
"We can all be proud to have been part of it, and I wish them all the best for the future."
Leclerc will be testing with his new Ferrari team in the post-race Abu Dhabi tyre test.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-350x250.webp)
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