Ferrari narrowly missed out on the Constructors’ Championship this season as McLaren took the title by 14 points.
The Italian team headed into the final round at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in second place in the standings, 21 points behind McLaren.
This meant McLaren had something to protect at the final race of the year, while Ferrari had nothing to lose in a bid to win the championship.
Charles Leclerc had a difficult weekend as he had a battery change in Friday practice, which forced him to take a 10-place grid drop.
The Monegasque driver also endured a difficult qualifying as he didn’t make the top 10 and started near the back of the field.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur feels the Italian team made a step forward this season but won’t reveal where he believes they lost the critical 14 points.
Frederic Vasseur has ‘lots of thoughts’ about where Ferrari lost the championship
Ferrari were very quick on a range of tracks with varying downforce levels, as Leclerc won in Monaco and at the Italian Grand Prix.
After Monaco, Ferrari was 24 points behind Red Bull, who had led the Constructors’ Championship earlier in the season before fading away.
Unreliability at the season’s final round let the Italian team down slightly, and Vasseur would have been angry with Ferrari for losing points at such a critical time.
They also suffered a double non-finish in Canada in a disastrous weekend for the team as the most valuable points.
READ MORE: Peter Windsor believes Ferrari didn’t consider one crucial thing when they signed Lewis Hamilton
Vasseur explained that Ferrari didn’t improve enough compared to last year despite taking the title battle down to the final round.
He told Motorsport: “A good [step], but not enough. If you compare with one year ago, it’s a huge step forward, and everything is great; we did a good [season] in terms of pitstop, strategy, reliability – we improved everywhere in terms of pure performance.
“At the end, 14 points are missing and I think if you are 80 or 100 points behind you don’t feel the frustration. I have tonnes of thoughts in my mind where we lost the 14 points, but it is like it is.
“McLaren also had some issues, and it is just that we have to do a better job next year. But also quite proud of the step that we did. McLaren also had some issues, and it is just that we have to do a better job next year. But I’m also quite proud of the step that we did.”
Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were very consistent this season
Ferrari were blisteringly fast in Monaco and at the United States Grand Prix, but McLaren had a quicker car throughout the season.
The constructors’ champions were very fast throughout the middle of the year, but Ferrari did have a much peakier car.
Carlos Sainz and Leclerc were very reliable and didn’t make a lot of errors, which allowed Ferrari to keep picking up points and building momentum.
James Hinchcliffe thought Ferrari’s run was impressive, but the Scuderia would need to start on the front foot with the addition of Lewis Hamilton to fight for both titles in 2025.
Leave feedback about this