Very similar to McLaren, the staff that finally defeated it, Scuderia Ferrari has made vital strides over the previous 18 months. Nonetheless, regardless of a spirited marketing campaign that saved its hopes alive till the ultimate phases, the Italian staff sadly narrowly missed out on claiming the 2024 constructors’ championship after an intense battle in opposition to 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 real challenger to Crimson Bull’s dominance within the 2023 Method 1 marketing campaign, with Carlos Sainz executing a masterful technique to safe a memorable victory in Singapore. Nonetheless, the Maranello staff’s wrestle to bridge the hole between its spectacular one-lap tempo and inconsistent race-day efficiency left doubts about its readiness to contend totally in 2024, notably concerning its ongoing battles with tyre overheating.
To Ferrari’s credit score, the 2024 Method 1 season started with a promising efficiency. The Italian facet discovered itself aggressive from the outset, although nonetheless trailing Crimson Bull when it comes to outright velocity. 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 exceptional improvement surge from Might’s Miami Grand Prix onward, vaulting itself into competition and finally surpassing Ferrari within the standings.
Regardless of a decided late-season push by Ferrari, 4 pivotal moments finally left the Maranello staff with an insurmountable deficit, dooming its title aspirations.
Initially, 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 tender tyres. Ranging from eleventh and twelfth, the weekend’s troubles had 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. Crew principal Fred Vasseur summed up the frustration bluntly, stating that Ferrari had confronted “all the problems on the earth” throughout their ill-fated journey to Montreal.
A misguided ground replace then ship Ferrari right into a improvement tailspin. After the double setback in Canada, Ferrari regarded to rebound in the course of the triple-header at Barcelona, Spielberg, and Silverstone. Nonetheless, the introduction of a brand new ground 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 automotive’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 foundation trigger. Resolving the difficulty demanded back-to-back testing classes on the Silverstone circuit and compelled the staff to compromise race setups, which led to different useful factors being misplaced. As McLaren surged forward with flawless execution and speedy developments, Ferrari discovered itself dropping useful floor.
A quick 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, provided a glimmer of hope. It confirmed that whereas Ferrari was struggling, it was removed from defeated. By the later phases of the 2024 Method 1 season, the staff lastly appeared to have addressed the bouncing challenge, 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 automotive remained formidable on tracks favoring traction and prime velocity. In Baku, Charles Leclerc mounted a robust problem however finally 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 harm to Ferrari’s marketing campaign. The missed podium was a bitter capsule 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 structure enjoying to the strengths of the SF-24. It was a venue that had delivered the staff’s solely win of 2023, and expectations had 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 harm, 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 situations of Brazil, finally left Ferrari with an insurmountable problem to overhaul McLaren, regardless of the Scuderia’s spectacular kind within the closing phases 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 facet, as Ferrari arguably ought to have led the championship by then to take care of a sensible shot on the title, particularly given McLaren’s superior tempo within the ultimate rounds of the 2024 Method 1 season, particularly in Qatar.
Nonetheless, the title race tightened unexpectedly because of setbacks for McLaren drivers within the ultimate rounds. In Qatar, Lando Norris confronted unexpected difficulties, whereas in Abu Dhabi, Oscar Piastri’s incapacity 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 totally 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 would possibly replicate 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 ultimate season as teammates, and the staff’s skill to get better from a mid-season improvement 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 in the course of the 2024 Method 1 season, highlighting their enhancements and resilience in overcoming challenges. Nonetheless, he admitted to feeling disillusioned at coming so near profitable the title, as solely 14 factors finally 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 Method 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 similar 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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