The moment Frederic Vasseur knew Ferrari had ‘messed up’ their Constructors’ Championship chances

Ferrari came up short in Abu Dhabi as they lost the Constructors’ Championship to McLaren despite a strong Grand Prix from the Maranello outfit.

Ferrari came into the season finale 21 points behind their rivals, and their already difficult task ahead was made even harder when McLaren locked out the front row in qualifying, while Charles Leclerc started 19th after being hit with a 10-place grid penalty for changing his battery in practice.

But fortunes would soon swing in Ferrari’s favour as Oscar Piastri made contact with Max Verstappen at turn one, sending the Aussie to the back of the field, while Leclerc produced a stunning start to climb up to eighth after turn seven.

Despite a mega effort from the Monegasque driver to finish third – with Alex Brundle telling Ferrari they can rely on Leclerc for a long time after such a performance – and Carlos Sainz finishing second in his final race for the team, it was not enough.

Lando Norris converted pole position to victory in a dominant display from the Brit, while Piastri salvaged a point from a frustrating race to secure McLaren their first constructors’ title in 26 years by 14 points.

Frederic Vasseur left looking back at races Ferrari dropped points after losing the constructors’ title to McLaren

Ferrari took a huge stride forward in their development in 2024, overtaking Red Bull in terms of performance – the Maranello squad beat the Milton Keynes-based outfit by 63 points to finish second.

However, it was not enough to get the edge over McLaren despite a brilliant outing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But team principal Frederic Vasseur seems to think Ferrari lost the title long before the final race of the season.

Journalist Laura Winter spoke with Vasseur after the race and she says the Ferrari boss was looking back at previous races where they ‘messed up’ their title chances, including the Canadian Grand Prix where Leclerc and Sainz registered Ferrari’s first double retirement since the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Winter said via the F1 Nation Podcast: “I actually saw Fred Vasseur outside the hospitality. I went up [to him] and you have that weird moment where you’re not sure whether to say congratulations or commiserations and I sort of said both to him.

“And he said, I won’t repeat the word he used but it began with F, it’s not tonight that we ‘messed’ up. He said it was Spain, Canada, Silverstone. He’s already thinking back to where they dropped points, to where they’ve lost this.

“They’ll be looking ahead to 2025 as well.”

Can Ferrari make that next step in 2025 with Lewis Hamilton?

Ferrari ended the 2024 season with what could be argued as the second-fastest car behind McLaren, and they will be looking to take the next step and end their losing streak that dates back to 2008.

The arrival of Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes could give Ferrari that boost they need, with his experience and competitiveness that he showed in his final outing with the Silver Arrows in Abu Dhabi.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Starting 16th after being eliminated in Q1, Hamilton finished an incredible fourth after a stunning overtake on teammate George Russell around the outside of turn nine on the final lap.

Martin Brundle claimed ‘vintage’ Hamilton returned in Abu Dhabi in what was a fitting end to his record-breaking 12 years with Mercedes.

As the 39-year-old embarks on his new adventure with Ferrari, the Maranello outfit will be looking to go one better in 2025 with their new exciting driver pairing.