Ferrari takes a double podium at Yas Marina but McLaren wins F1 championship | F1 Abu Dhabi GP review. How events unfolded for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in Abu Dhabi GP.

Ferrari believed until the last corner of the final lap of the 2024 Formula Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Constructors’ Championship remains a prestigious title, and even with slim chances, when there was nothing to lose, the goal was to give it everything. This was the mindset of the historic Italian team. As the sunset gives way to night, let’s take a look at the environmental conditions of this final competitive setting of the season: air temperature at 27.4°C, track temperature at 33.6°C, average humidity at 45%, and wind blowing from the east at 2.4 km/h.

With Leclerc, various strategies were possible. The option to install a new internal combustion engine was dismissed, as starting from the pit lane wouldn’t allow the Monegasque to recover positions at the start. Both Ferraris are on the starting grid, awaiting the two-minute signal to begin the procedures leading to the formation lap. Sainz is set to start on yellow-banded tires, as is Charles, who will aim to maximize performance in the early laps.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are informed that the rest of the drivers, except Hamilton, are also starting on yellow-banded tires. Hamilton opts for the Hard compound to extend his first stint as much as possible. The formation lap begins, with Carlos immediately pushing, while Charles waits for the pack to move before warming his tires effectively, catching up with the group in Sector 3. Two burnouts for the Spaniard, one for the other Ferrari driver. Green lights, and the final race of the season begins.

Sainz gets a great start, taking second place, but the real magic comes from Leclerc, who finds himself in eighth by Sector 3. On lap 2, the Virtual Safety Car is deployed due to debris on the track from a collision between Verstappen and Piastri, who is now at the back of the field. This is good news for Ferrari, as it raises their chances of battling McLaren. Leclerc is highly motivated, expressing it on the radio, with Bozzi acknowledging but urging him to keep his enthusiasm in check and focus on tire management in the early laps.

The Virtual Safety Car period ends, and the race resumes. Sainz creates some distance from Norris, who leads the race and is also managing his tires. Leclerc is behind Magnussen and overtakes him on lap 6 at Turn 5, setting his sights on Alonso. In this initial phase, preserving the tires is critical. The Ferrari garage reports that the tire condition is good, aligning with expectations. Norris is showing impressive pace, forcing the Spanish Ferrari driver to do everything possible to keep up.

Leclerc overtakes Alonso and closes in on Hulkenberg in sixth place. Meanwhile, Piastri, in 17th, is working to regain positions. Bryan reminds Charles Leclerc of the importance of adhering to track limits, as exceeding them too often can result in penalties. Verstappen has already received a penalty for his contact with Piastri at Turn 1. On lap 12, Leclerc overtakes Hulkenberg and claims fifth place. Sainz is pushing hard but admits on the radio that Norris is very fast.

The Ferrari drivers are informed that the performance on Hard tires is poor—not only for Hamilton, who started on them, but also for Piastri, who switched to them after his contact with Verstappen. Ferrari’s next challenge is George Russell, a formidable opponent, though he’s expected to have less pace than Leclerc’s car. Bozzi checks in with Leclerc about Plan C, but the Monegasque dismisses it, unimpressed. Meanwhile, Norris reports that his tires are starting to struggle.

In all of this, tire management continues to clearly limit performance. Bryan also advises against using second gear on the curb of Turn 2—a precaution to avoid reliability issues with the transmission. Leclerc is now closing in on Russell, while Carlos continues to lose ground to Norris, who is now 4 seconds ahead. The Mercedes is very fast on the straights, and attempting an overtaking move won’t be easy. Lando keeps complaining about his front end not being right but remains faster than the Ferrari driver.

Lap 19: Ferrari tries to trick the Brackley team with a fake pit call to attempt an undercut, but Mercedes doesn’t fall for it. Leclerc is growing frustrated as he’s losing precious race time behind the W15 number 63. Consequently, he’s brought into the pits for real to switch to the Hard tires. The Monegasque rejoins the track in eighth, behind Gasly. It will take about five laps for the tires to stabilize. In the meantime, he must manage them while creating enough of a gap to stay ahead of Russell after the Briton’s pit stop. For now, George doesn’t react to Ferrari’s tire change.

Charles overtakes Gasly and sets off after Hamilton, his future Ferrari teammate. Meanwhile, Sainz is gaining on Lando, who is struggling with his tires. By lap 26, Carlos also pits, switching to white-banded Pirellis. He rejoins in third, ahead of Verstappen. Plan C is mentioned for both Ferrari cars, which means managing the tires as much as possible, as further pit stops are unlikely. Piastri is recovering and is already in tenth.

Russell also pits and ends up about 3 seconds behind Leclerc. The undercut worked. With the tire change, Sainz halves his gap to Norris, now just over 2 seconds ahead of the Spaniard. For Ferrari to have any hope, both cars need to finish ahead of Lando; otherwise, McLaren will secure the championship. Carlos is urged to push to catch the Briton. By lap 33, the instruction comes to push harder with car 55 to close the gap.

Bozzi radios again: “Don’t use second gear in Turn 2.” Meanwhile, Piastri serves his penalty in the pits for the collision with Franco Colapinto and rejoins the race in 15th. Hamilton is now being hunted by Leclerc, who is almost in DRS range. However, the Englishman pits before any duel occurs. The two Ferraris are now second and third, but Leclerc is about 20 seconds behind his teammate. Adami congratulates the Spaniard for his efforts, noting he loses a tenth to Norris in Turn 9, just as in qualifying.

Radio communication is frequent. Bryan asks Charles to improve his performance in Turns 6 and 7, where he’s losing about 0.15 seconds to the leaders. The Spaniard is giving it his all, managing his tires well, and trying to keep the battle alive with Lando, who remains first and now 3 seconds ahead. The McLaren driver has a slight performance edge and is making no mistakes. Without his help, Ferrari’s Constructors’ Championship dream fades away.

The race progresses. By lap 42, Lando has increased his lead to nearly 5 seconds. With 16 laps to go, it seems there’s little Ferrari can do. The McLaren’s pace is superior, and without technical issues, the Woking team is poised to win the Constructors’ Championship. Charles asks for the current standings to see if the points are enough to surpass their rivals. Bozzi tells him no but urges him to keep pushing as anything can still happen.

The engineers provide all possible support to improve pace, but up front, the Briton is pulling away, now over 5 seconds ahead of Carlos. In the final five laps, the two Ferraris give it their all but are already resigned to a defeat that weighs heavily. Additionally, it seems something under Sainz’s car is slowing him down. Indeed, the gap grows further, with Sainz dropping to 7.5 seconds behind. Charles inquires about the situation up front, and Bozzi responds, but the Monegasque doesn’t take it well.

He asks if any on-track battles could help their cause but is told no. Frustrated, he reflects on the deficit and the race he’s driven. A better qualifying session and no penalties were needed to do better. Charles’ recovery drive was excellent, but today, McLaren’s number 4 left no room for escape. The checkered flag waves: Sainz says he gave it his all. Fred Vasseur compliments him, and Adami acknowledges his professionalism over the past four years, saying it was an honor.

Carlos chuckles, pleased, singing “Smooth Operator” and shouting, “Forza Ferrari, always.” Meanwhile, the tone on Leclerc’s radio is vastly different. Charles is almost in tears, hitting his helmet in frustration. He thanks the team for their work and even Sainz, wishing him the best for his career. Bozzi thanks him, acknowledging there was nothing more he could have done today. For the record, Oscar Piastri finishes tenth, adding another point to McLaren’s 2024 tally.

Ferrari didn’t lose the Constructors’ Championship today. They lost it during the midseason races when they effectively threw away six races, due to to the floor update introduced at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, which disrupted the Italian car’s balance. This is something the Maranello team must reflect on. Without that issue, they could have fought for both titles—yes, even the Drivers’ Championship. Let this serve as a lesson for next year, where Ferrari must compete without making such errors.

— see video above —