Very like McLaren, the staff that in the end defeated it, Scuderia Ferrari has made vital strides over the previous 18 months. Nonetheless, regardless of a spirited marketing campaign that stored its hopes alive till the ultimate levels, the Italian staff sadly narrowly missed out on claiming the 2024 constructors’ championship after an intense battle towards McLaren which went on till the ultimate lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the 5.281-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island final weekend.
Ferrari had emerged as the only challenger to Pink Bull’s dominance within the 2023 Formulation 1 marketing campaign, with Carlos Sainz executing a masterful technique to safe a memorable victory in Singapore. Nonetheless, the Maranello staff’s battle to bridge the hole between its spectacular one-lap tempo and inconsistent race-day efficiency left doubts about its readiness to contend absolutely in 2024, significantly relating to its ongoing battles with tyre overheating.
To Ferrari’s credit score, the 2024 Formulation 1 season started with a promising efficiency. The Italian aspect discovered itself aggressive from the outset, although nonetheless trailing Pink Bull when it comes to outright pace. What Ferrari couldn’t foresee, nevertheless, was the meteoric rise of the staff led by Andrea Stella, a former Ferrari race engineer. Beginning the season off the tempo, McLaren unleashed a outstanding growth surge from Might’s Miami Grand Prix onward, vaulting itself into competition and ultimately surpassing Ferrari within the standings.
Regardless of a decided late-season push by Ferrari, 4 pivotal moments in the end left the Maranello staff with an insurmountable deficit, dooming its title aspirations.
To start with, the catastrophic double retirement on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve: Ferrari’s season suffered a extreme blow in Canada with its first double retirement in two years, marking a disastrous weekend riddled with varied setbacks. The qualifying proved a nightmare, as each Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz did not progress past Q2, unable to enhance their occasions on ageing mushy tyres. Ranging from eleventh and twelfth, the weekend’s troubles have been solely starting.
The race unfolded into calamity. Charles Leclerc was compelled to retire after encountering {an electrical} fault together with his energy unit, whereas Carlos Sainz misplaced management within the moist and collided with Alex Albon’s Williams, ending each drivers’ races. Workforce principal Fred Vasseur summed up the frustration bluntly, stating that Ferrari had confronted “all the problems on this planet” throughout their ill-fated journey to Montreal.
A misguided flooring replace then ship Ferrari right into a growth tailspin. After the double setback in Canada, Ferrari regarded to rebound through the triple-header at Barcelona, Spielberg, and Silverstone. Nonetheless, the introduction of a brand new flooring design on the Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix proved disastrous. Reasonably than boosting efficiency, the aerodynamic replace designed by the staff led at that second by former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile exacerbated bouncing points in high-speed corners, compromising the SF24 automobile’s steadiness and derailing its general tempo.
This flaw despatched Ferrari spiraling right into a prolonged troubleshooting course of to ensure that the Maranello technicians and engineers to determine the basis trigger. Resolving the problem demanded back-to-back testing classes on the Silverstone circuit and compelled the staff to compromise race setups, which led to different precious factors being misplaced. As McLaren surged forward with flawless execution and speedy developments, Ferrari discovered itself dropping precious floor.
A short reprieve got here in Austria when Lando Norris retired after a collision with Max Verstappen, permitting Ferrari to salvage some factors. Charles Leclerc’s podium in Belgium, the staff’s first in 5 races, supplied a glimmer of hope. It confirmed that whereas Ferrari was struggling, it was removed from defeated. By the later levels of the 2024 Formulation 1 season, the staff lastly appeared to have addressed the bouncing subject, restoring competitiveness.
After Charles Leclerc’s emotional victory on the Monza circuit in entrance of the Tifosi, Ferrari’s journey to the Baku Metropolis circuit Azerbaijan highlighted the staff’s ongoing strengths and weaknesses. Whereas questions lingered about its efficiency on high-downforce circuits, the Ferrari SF-24 automobile remained formidable on tracks favoring traction and high pace. In Baku, Charles Leclerc mounted a robust problem however in the end completed second to Oscar Piastri, who drove a faultless race for McLaren.
In the meantime, Carlos Sainz appeared poised to claw again a podium end till a dramatic late-race conflict with Sergio Perez despatched each vehicles into the wall. The incident robbed Ferrari of 15 essential factors and allowed Lando Norris to select up extra factors for McLaren, compounding the injury to Ferrari’s marketing campaign. The missed podium was a bitter tablet to swallow in a season the place each level 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 format taking part in to the strengths of the SF-24. It was a venue that had delivered the staff’s solely win of 2023, and expectations have been excessive. Nonetheless, these hopes took a extreme hit throughout qualifying. Carlos Sainz crashed in Q3, whereas Charles Leclerc did not set a aggressive lap time, relegating each drivers to the fifth row on the grid.
On a circuit infamous for restricted overtaking alternatives, Ferrari subsequently confronted an uphill battle. Regardless of this, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz delivered commendable performances to complete fifth and seventh, respectively. Nonetheless, their efforts paled compared to McLaren’s dominant exhibiting, with Lando Norris securing a commanding victory. Whereas Ferrari managed to restrict the injury, the weekend underscored the Maranello staff’s struggles to capitalize on its potential when it mattered most.
The setbacks, compounded by Carlos Sainz’s crash within the moist circumstances of Brazil, in the end left Ferrari with an insurmountable problem to overhaul McLaren, regardless of the Scuderia’s spectacular kind within the closing levels of the championship. The staff additionally struggled in Las Vegas, the place Mercedes delivered an unexpectedly dominant efficiency. That race marked a transparent missed alternative for the Italian aspect, as Ferrari arguably ought to have led the championship by then to keep up a practical shot on the title, particularly given McLaren’s superior tempo within the remaining rounds of the 2024 Formulation 1 season, particularly in Qatar.
Nonetheless, the title race tightened unexpectedly because of setbacks for McLaren drivers within the remaining rounds. In Qatar, Lando Norris confronted unexpected difficulties, whereas in Abu Dhabi, Oscar Piastri’s lack of ability to attain greater than a single level, ending tenth, left McLaren susceptible. It set the stage for a dramatic conclusion the place only a daring transfer from Carlos Sainz to take victory from Lando Norris may have flipped the championship solely in Ferrari’s favor.
For staff principal Frederic Vasseur, such hypotheticals will maintain little worth, because the French supervisor has repeatedly acknowledged his disdain for dwelling on “ifs” and “buts.” But, whereas Ferrari may mirror on what may need been, its 2024 season additionally stands out for its many achievements. These embrace a triumphant house victory at Monza, the stellar performances of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz of their remaining season as teammates, and the staff’s capability to get well from a mid-season growth setback. Regardless of falling wanting the constructors’ title, Ferrari’s journey in 2024 was considered one of resilience and renewed competitiveness, providing hope for the seasons forward.
Frederic Vasseur expressed satisfaction with the staff’s achievements and progress through the 2024 Formulation 1 season, highlighting their enhancements and resilience in overcoming challenges. Nonetheless, he admitted to feeling upset at coming so near successful the title, as solely 14 factors ultimately separated Ferrari from a sensational world championship win, leaving the Maranello staff and the followers to surprise what may have been. Reflecting on the 2024 Formulation 1 season, Frederic Vasseur famous the setbacks in Canada, points with the aerodynamic replace launched on the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, and the accidents in Singapore and Baku, however on the identical time he emphasised that on every event the staff rebounded stronger, which he thought to be a promising signal for the long run.
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