Ferrari put up an excellent fight in pursuit of their first championship for 16 years, but ultimately fell short at the last hurdle.
A double podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix wasn’t enough for them to overcome a 21-point deficit to McLaren at the final race of the season.
As if their job wasn’t difficult enough, having Charles Leclerc start from 19th after an energy store penalty made their day even trickier – just think of what could have been if not for that.
Carlos Sainz couldn’t have done much more, with his excellent drive to second – on the heels of Lando Norris, not quite enough to force an error.
Ferrari lost the 2024 F1 constructors’ title with ‘catastrophic upgrade’ in Spain
Ferrari’s problem certainly wasn’t the way they closed out the season, making the podium at each of the last three races – but more about what they did before that.
They spent the early part of the European leg of the season recovering from a poor upgrade at the Spanish Grand Prix which hindered their car and pushed them back to being fourth fastest.
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc explains how ‘incredibly talented’ Carlos Sainz helped him ‘improve’ at Ferrari
Will Buxton pointed out in F1’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Post-Race show that it may have been the reason they ended up losing the constructors’ title.
“They didn’t lose the world championship tonight. They lost it in Spain with that catastrophic upgrade that they brought to the car which took it backwards.
“That they held on to second place in the constructors’ championship for as long as they did was a testament to just the relentless drive from them.
“But, they will rue that mistake, they will rue the correlation errors that led to them putting that thing on the car in the first place.”
Can Ferrari avenge their 2024 defeat next year?
Ferrari are ending the 2024 season with what is likely to be the second-fastest car behind McLaren, but they have one major ace up their sleeves for next year.
The arrival of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and the experience of a title-winning organisation that he brings could be crucial for further success.
Putting him next to a developing talent in Leclerc could be a recipe for immediate success – but it’s unknown whether they will get on at this stage.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle says Ferrari have a ‘critical’ advantage over McLaren for 2026
The Monegasque driver has been paired up with one other multiple world champion in his career – Sebastian Vettel and they came to blows a few times.
It will be up to team boss Fred Vasseur to keep their relations in a good space and continue to lead them in a winning direction.
On recent evidence, they shouldn’t be any worse off in 2025, and it could be their last chance before the new technical regulations shake things up for 2026.
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