Ferrari came agonisingly close to ended their 16-year wait to win the Constructors’ Championship.
Frederic Vasseur knew his team needed to overturn a 21-point deficit to steal the title away from McLaren going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc would have left the paddock on Saturday knowing they were facing a seriously uphill task after watching Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lock out the front row.
Sainz was about to race for Ferrari for the final time, while Leclerc admitted to the press that he needed a ‘miracle’ as he faced starting the Grand Prix from 19th on the grid.
He was eliminated from qualifying in Q2 after breaching track limits on the flying lap and had already been handed a 10-place grid penalty for changing an energy store unit.
The pair drove magnificently, finishing second and third behind Norris, but the Brit’s victory was enough to clinch the Constructors’ Championship.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
666 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
652 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
589 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
468 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
94 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
65 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
58 |
| 8 |
Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
46 |
| 9 |
Williams F1 Team |
17 |
| 10 |
Sauber F1 Team |
4 |
David Coulthard hailed Leclerc’s perfect first lap, and Sainz couldn’t have done any more before stepping into Williams’ car for the first time less than 24 hours later.
Journalist Ben Anderson was speaking on the F1 Strategy Report Podcast and explained that he thinks Vasseur would have been upset with one Ferrari department in particular that might have cost them the title.
Frederic Vasseur would have been ‘hammering’ Ferrari’s electronics team
Asked what Ferrari could have done better, Anderson said: “I mean, build better batteries, have better battery reliability is probably the only thing.
“I’m sure Fred Vassar will be hammering the engine department and the electronics department on that score because you don’t want to bust your allocation.
“You bust your allocation, you’re screwed.
READ MORE: The moment Frederic Vasseur knew Ferrari had ‘messed up’ their Constructors’ Championship chances
“Unless you can take a tactical one at some point earlier in the season. That’s what obviously Red Bull did with the engine for Max and Spa.
“But that cost him a win in that race. So, you know, it’s all about reliability on that score.
“That may have meant then Leclerc qualifies better and they can put Norris under more pressure in the race.
“But if Leclerc qualifies on the first two or three rows, maybe he gets wrapped up in the Verstappen-Piastri situation. So it’s very difficult to kind of extrapolate.”
Ferrari aiming to go one better in the Constructors’ Championship once Lewis Hamilton arrives
Sainz finished the season fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, just two points behind Piastri and 66 points behind Leclerc.
While it’s harsh to compare Sainz to Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion was beaten by his teammate George Russell and was 67 points worse off than the Spaniard.
Eddie Jordan thinks Ferrari should go back on Hamilton’s contract to try and keep Sainz, but it’s too late for that.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Vasseur has no concerns about Hamilton going into next year and his displays in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi during the race prove how masterful he can still be during Grand Prix.
He needs to iron out some issues he’s had in qualifying this year, but if the car is as competitive as Sainz and Leclerc have shown in 2024 – and they don’t suffer any ill-timed technical issues – there’s no reason why Ferrari can’t walk away with both titles next season.
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