Scuderia Ferrari got here agonizingly near ending their 16-year drought in securing the Constructors’ Championship.
Heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Frederic Vasseur knew his crew had a 21-point deficit to beat in the event that they had been to grab the title away from McLaren.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc would have left the paddock on Saturday totally conscious of the immense problem forward after seeing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri declare the front-row spots. For the Spanish driver, it was set to be his last race with Ferrari, whereas Charles Leclerc brazenly acknowledged to the media that he was in dire want of a ‘miracle,’ together with his beginning place set for nineteenth on the grid. The Monegasque driver had been eradicated in Q2 as a result of observe limits infringements on his flying lap and was additionally handed a 10-place grid penalty for an vitality retailer unit change.
Regardless of these setbacks, each drivers delivered stellar performances, ending second and third behind Norris. Nevertheless, Lando Norris’ victory was nonetheless sufficient to safe McLaren the Constructors’ Championship.
Former System 1 driver David Coulthard praised Charles Leclerc for his flawless first lap, and Carlos Sainz couldn’t have performed extra earlier than making his transition to Williams’ automobile lower than 24 hours later.
On the F1 Technique Report Podcast, journalist Ben Anderson mentioned what Ferrari might have performed higher. He steered that Fred Vasseur would doubtless have been annoyed with one explicit division inside Ferrari, which might have value them the title. Ben Anderson pointed to the electronics crew as a key space the place Ferrari’s efficiency could have fallen quick: “I imply, construct higher batteries, have higher battery reliability might be the one factor. I’m positive Fred Vassar might be hammering the engine division and the electronics division on that rating since you don’t wish to bust your allocation. You bust your allocation, you’re screwed.” – the F1 journalist defined.
“Except you may take a tactical one sooner or later earlier within the season. That’s what clearly Purple Bull did with the engine for Max and Spa. However that value him a win in that race. So, you understand, it’s all about reliability on that rating. Which will have meant then Charles Leclerc qualifies higher and so they can put Norris underneath extra strain within the race. But when Leclerc qualifies on the primary two or three rows, possibly he will get wrapped up within the Verstappen-Piastri scenario. So it’s very troublesome to sort of extrapolate.” – Ben Anderson continued.
Ferrari is set to enhance their efficiency within the Constructors’ Championship with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz ended the season in fifth place within the Drivers’ Championship, simply two factors behind Oscar Piastri and 66 factors adrift of Charles Leclerc. Whereas evaluating the Spanish driver to Lewis Hamilton could appear unfair, it’s price noting that the seven-time world champion was outperformed by his teammate George Russell and completed 67 factors behind the Spaniard.
Eddie Jordan believes Ferrari ought to rethink Lewis Hamilton’s contract in an effort to retain Carlos Sainz, but it surely’s now too late for that.
The Ferrari crew principal isn’t apprehensive about Lewis Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari subsequent yr. His performances in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, notably his racecraft, exhibit that he nonetheless possesses the talent to compete on the highest stage. Although Lewis Hamilton might want to deal with some qualifying challenges he confronted this yr, Ferrari might have a aggressive package deal in 2024, as demonstrated by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s outcomes. If the automobile proves sturdy and free from premature technical failures, Ferrari might definitely contend for each titles within the upcoming System 1 season.
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