Ferrari unfortunately lost the 2024 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship and this did not happen as a result of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but over the course of the season. We have to admit that McLaren deserved it more, despite committing numerous errors. Let’s break it down, starting with the last round of the season, which was held at the 5.281-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island. For the first stint, teams opted for the yellow tires, avoiding the red ones due to critical thermal management issues over long distances. At the start, it was crucial for the MCL38 cars to have a clean launch. That did not happen, making the race immediately more challenging. Carlos Sainz found himself behind Lando Norris after Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri collided at turn 1 and the Spanish driver tried to “build up” tire temperature gradually.
It was a challenge on both axes, but especially on the rear end. Charles Leclerc made up 12 positions on the opening lap. Starting on Mediums, his race quickly aligned with that of the leading pack, while Lando Norris managed to create a small safety margin early on, around 2-3 seconds. With Oscar Piastri dropping to last place after the first lap, the team decided to bring him in for Hard tires, aiming to extend the stint and execute an effective undercut on slower drivers.
Otherwise, he would have lost significant time overtaking everyone on track. Additionally, this provided the team with valuable data on the Hard tires and their wear profile over the stint. Max Verstappen had good pace, but his front end was difficult to control thermally. Once it overheated, the Red Bull driver reported he could no longer brake effectively. Ahead of his pit stop, he was asked if he wanted a flap adjustment. The Dutchman agreed but noted there was little that could be done, it was the front end overheating excessively.
In Turn 3, all drivers needed careful management to avoid stressing the tires. At McLaren, around lap 18, Lando Norris reported early tire management issues, occurring sooner than anticipated. On track, however, there was no noticeable performance drop. Their main limitation was the front right tire. At this point, as the pit-stop windows opened, Carlos Sainz was 4 seconds behind the British driver, a decent gap but not enough, given the strong undercut effect at Yas Marina.
This was exacerbated by the significant track degradation in Abu Dhabi. On lap 20, Ferrari attempted to trick Mercedes with a fake pit call to lure George Russell’s W15 into an early stop, but Mercedes didn’t fall for it. At that moment, teams were trying to extend their stints to gain a tire advantage for the next phase while also exploiting the power of the undercut. On the following lap, as Charles Leclerc began losing race time behind George Russell, the Monegasque driver pitted.
Ferrari had determined that at that stage, they were wasting precious time that would delay their comeback. On lap 26, Carlos Sainz also pitted to attempt an undercut on Lando Norris’s McLaren MCL38. However, the following lap, McLaren reacted, calling the British driver in to switch to the Hard tires and retaining the position. The Spaniard put together a very quick out-lap and, upon exiting the pits, found himself 1.6 seconds behind the number 4 MCL38. The future Williams driver did not attempt an attack, as a gradual introduction to the tire was essential in order to be able to extend its lifespan.
During the early laps of the second stint, Ferrari focused on Hard tire management, particularly in Turn 3 and its entry. Charles Leclerc was informed that strategists were considering Plan C, a single-stop strategy. The Monegasque, however, responded that it seemed overly optimistic. McLaren faced a similar situation, with tire degradation management zones focused on Turns 2 and 3. Lando Norris’s engineer suggested he could push a bit harder. Another area where the McLaren driver was losing time was braking into Turns 5 and 6.
Subsequently, they began assessing the possibility that Carlos Sainz might not stop again, attempting a single-stop strategy to finish the race on the white tires. In that case, they asked Lando Norris if he thought he could overtake Carlos Sainz on track, as they were convinced Ferrari would make a second pit stop. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, experienced some graining with the Hard tires, leading to a degree of understeer. This phase of the tire typically clears up after a few laps, allowing performance to stabilize.
As can be seen from the telemetry data, Lando Norris extended his lead even in the second stint, as Carlos Sainz was unable to stay close to him. Ultimately, the drivers succeeded with the single-stop strategy, including Charles Leclerc, who had a few extra laps to cover on the Hard tires. In terms of numbers, Ferrari and McLaren finished the season virtually on par, with the papaya-colored cars slightly ahead by about one-tenth.
On a track with manageable degradation, Ferrari once again demonstrated its solid race pace this year. The chronic issues with temperature stabilization are no longer apparent, and the tire phases are now more linear, suffering less from wear. Max Verstappen could have finished close to the two Mercedes cars of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton without the 10-second penalty, but Red Bull ends the 2024 Formula 1 championship with some front-end issues, showing limited grip, similar to last week, in the faster corners of the Yas Marina circuit.
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