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Charles Leclerc was left to wonder what might have been for Ferrari’s championship dreams if he had started further up the field in Abu Dhabi, with the team just missing out on the title despite ending the day with a double podium.
The Maranello outfit entered the season finale with a 21-point deficit to McLaren, but after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row, Ferrari’s chances seemed to dwindle with Leclerc knocked out in Q2 and facing a 10-place grid drop.
READ MORE: Norris sails to victory ahead of Sainz and Leclerc in Abu Dhabi as McLaren seal constructors’ championship
Undaunted by the challenge, he stormed through the field from 19th to eighth on the opening lap and gradually made his way to the higher points-paying positions, but was too far back to attack the eventual race winner Norris.
With Carlos Sainz taking second place, Ferrari claimed 33 points to McLaren’s 26 as Piastri was forced to settle for P10, but it was not quite enough to change positions in the standings – they ultimately lost out by just 14 points.
Speaking after the race, Leclerc said: “I knew that on Lap 1 I had to take all the risk possible to gain as many places as possible, to then be in a good position for the rest of the race. This was achieved but unfortunately we were just starting too far back to do anything better than what we’ve done today. I think we’ve done the maximum.
“It hurts obviously, because when the season is so close until the end, it was a hard hit on Friday when we knew we had the penalty. We still gave it all and just came short of our goal which is a shame, but in the end we’ve tried everything.”
HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from the season finale in Abu Dhabi as Norris dominates to seal constructors’ title for McLaren
The 58-lap race was Leclerc’s last with Sainz as his team mate, as the Spaniard is set to move to Williams next season. The duo have had their most successful season together, finishing 2024 with 652 points and five race wins between them.
“We’ve had an amazing relationship,” the Monegasque driver summarised. “We’ve pushed each other. I really hoped that we could finish these four years together with a constructors’ title.
“We both gave it all, it wasn’t enough. Obviously now the disappointment is here, and I will have four/five days to reset and start thinking about next year.”
Sainz was left similarly despondent after crossing the line 5.8s behind Norris, who controlled the race from start to finish after he emerged unscathed from a chaotic opening lap, while Sainz was able to take advantage of Piastri clashing with Max Verstappen.
“Obviously a bit of a bittersweet feeling,” the 30-year-old said. “In the end, P2 I think was the maximum we could do today given the pace of Lando in the McLaren. I gave it everything, especially the first stint – it looked like we could hang onto them, then as soon as we put the hard tyres [on], they just seemed to be that one or two-tenths quicker per lap like we’ve seen all weekend.
READ MORE: Norris ‘so proud’ of McLaren as Abu Dhabi win ensures team take first constructors’ title since 1998
“They just got a bit out of reach. Congratulations first of all to McLaren – they deserve this championship. They’ve been rock solid in the last two-thirds of the championship and they’ve been incredible.
“From our side, I think we can be proud of the effort and the championship we put together. It’s been a tough year but definitely a year [that] we need to be proud of, and hopefully be back here soon.”
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