Much like McLaren, the team that ultimately defeated it, Scuderia Ferrari has made significant strides over the past 18 months. However, despite a spirited campaign that kept its hopes alive until the final stages, the Italian team unfortunately narrowly missed out on claiming the 2024 constructors’ championship after an intense battle against McLaren which went on until the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the 5.281-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island last weekend.
Ferrari had emerged as the sole challenger to Red Bull’s dominance in the 2023 Formula 1 campaign, with Carlos Sainz executing a masterful strategy to secure a memorable victory in Singapore. However, the Maranello team’s struggle to bridge the gap between its impressive one-lap pace and inconsistent race-day performance left doubts about its readiness to contend fully in 2024, particularly regarding its ongoing battles with tyre overheating.
To Ferrari’s credit, the 2024 Formula 1 season began with a promising performance. The Italian side found itself competitive from the outset, though still trailing Red Bull in terms of outright speed. What Ferrari could not foresee, however, was the meteoric rise of the team led by Andrea Stella, a former Ferrari race engineer. Starting the season off the pace, McLaren unleashed a remarkable development surge from May’s Miami Grand Prix onward, vaulting itself into contention and eventually surpassing Ferrari in the standings.
Despite a determined late-season push by Ferrari, four pivotal moments ultimately left the Maranello team with an insurmountable deficit, dooming its title aspirations.
First of all, the catastrophic double retirement at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve: Ferrari’s season suffered a severe blow in Canada with its first double retirement in two years, marking a disastrous weekend riddled with various setbacks. The qualifying proved a nightmare, as both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz failed to progress beyond Q2, unable to improve their times on aging soft tyres. Starting from 11th and 12th, the weekend’s troubles were only beginning.
The race unfolded into calamity. Charles Leclerc was forced to retire after encountering an electrical fault with his power unit, while Carlos Sainz lost control in the wet and collided with Alex Albon’s Williams, ending both drivers’ races. Team principal Fred Vasseur summed up the disappointment bluntly, stating that Ferrari had faced “all the issues in the world” during their ill-fated trip to Montreal.
A misguided floor update then send Ferrari into a development tailspin. After the double setback in Canada, Ferrari looked to rebound during the triple-header at Barcelona, Spielberg, and Silverstone. However, the introduction of a new floor design at the Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix proved disastrous. Rather than boosting performance, the aerodynamic update designed by the team led at that moment by former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile exacerbated bouncing issues in high-speed corners, compromising the SF24 car’s balance and derailing its overall pace.
This flaw sent Ferrari spiraling into a lengthy troubleshooting process in order for the Maranello technicians and engineers to identify the root cause. Resolving the issue demanded back-to-back testing sessions at the Silverstone circuit and forced the team to compromise race setups, which led to other valuable points being lost. As McLaren surged ahead with flawless execution and rapid developments, Ferrari found itself losing valuable ground.
A brief reprieve came in Austria when Lando Norris retired after a collision with Max Verstappen, allowing Ferrari to salvage some points. Charles Leclerc’s podium in Belgium, the team’s first in five races, offered a glimmer of hope. It showed that while Ferrari was struggling, it was far from defeated. By the later stages of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the team finally appeared to have addressed the bouncing issue, restoring competitiveness.
After Charles Leclerc’s emotional victory at the Monza circuit in front of the Tifosi, Ferrari’s trip to the Baku City circuit Azerbaijan highlighted the team’s ongoing strengths and weaknesses. While questions lingered about its performance on high-downforce circuits, the Ferrari SF-24 car remained formidable on tracks favoring traction and top speed. In Baku, Charles Leclerc mounted a strong challenge but ultimately finished second to Oscar Piastri, who drove a faultless race for McLaren.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz appeared poised to claw back a podium finish until a dramatic late-race clash with Sergio Perez sent both cars into the wall. The incident robbed Ferrari of 15 crucial points and allowed Lando Norris to pick up additional points for McLaren, compounding the damage to Ferrari’s campaign. The missed podium was a bitter pill to swallow in a season where every point was pivotal.
Then there was Singapore, a promising weekend derailed by qualifying woes. Ferrari entered the Singapore Grand Prix as favorites, with the Marina Bay circuit’s traction-heavy layout playing to the strengths of the SF-24. It was a venue that had delivered the team’s only win of 2023, and expectations were high. However, those hopes took a severe hit during qualifying. Carlos Sainz crashed in Q3, while Charles Leclerc failed to set a competitive lap time, relegating both drivers to the fifth row on the grid.
On a circuit notorious for limited overtaking opportunities, Ferrari therefore faced an uphill battle. Despite this, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz delivered commendable performances to finish fifth and seventh, respectively. However, their efforts paled in comparison to McLaren’s dominant showing, with Lando Norris securing a commanding victory. While Ferrari managed to limit the damage, the weekend underscored the Maranello team’s struggles to capitalize on its potential when it mattered most.
The setbacks, compounded by Carlos Sainz’s crash in the wet conditions of Brazil, ultimately left Ferrari with an insurmountable challenge to overtake McLaren, despite the Scuderia’s impressive form in the closing stages of the championship. The team also struggled in Las Vegas, where Mercedes delivered an unexpectedly dominant performance. That race marked a clear missed opportunity for the Italian side, as Ferrari arguably should have led the championship by then to maintain a realistic shot at the title, especially given McLaren’s superior pace in the final rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 season, especially in Qatar.
However, the title race tightened unexpectedly due to setbacks for McLaren drivers in the final rounds. In Qatar, Lando Norris faced unforeseen difficulties, while in Abu Dhabi, Oscar Piastri’s inability to score more than a single point, finishing 10th, left McLaren vulnerable. It set the stage for a dramatic conclusion where just a bold move from Carlos Sainz to take victory from Lando Norris could have flipped the championship entirely in Ferrari’s favor.
For team principal Frederic Vasseur, such hypotheticals will hold little value, as the French manager has repeatedly stated his disdain for dwelling on “ifs” and “buts.” Yet, while Ferrari might reflect on what might have been, its 2024 season also stands out for its many achievements. These include a triumphant home victory at Monza, the stellar performances of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in their final season as teammates, and the team’s ability to recover from a mid-season development setback. Despite falling short of the constructors’ title, Ferrari’s journey in 2024 was one of resilience and renewed competitiveness, offering hope for the seasons ahead.
Frederic Vasseur expressed satisfaction with the team’s achievements and progress during the 2024 Formula 1 season, highlighting their improvements and resilience in overcoming challenges. However, he admitted to feeling disappointed at coming so close to winning the title, as only 14 points eventually separated Ferrari from a sensational world championship win, leaving the Maranello team and the fans to wonder what could have been. Reflecting on the 2024 Formula 1 season, Frederic Vasseur noted the setbacks in Canada, issues with the aerodynamic update introduced at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, and the accidents in Singapore and Baku, but at the same time he emphasized that on each occasion the team rebounded stronger, which he regarded as a promising sign for the future.
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