When the ultimate race week of the 2024 Components 1 season started, Ferrari confronted what Carlos Sainz Jr. known as “mission inconceivable” of their chase of McLaren, and the Constructors’ Championship. With McLaren holding a 21-point lead in that struggle — and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each beginning Sunday’s season finale on the entrance row — Ferrari wanted one thing extraordinary to finish the season as Constructors’ champions.
They nearly pulled it off.
Contact between Piastri and Max Verstappen on the primary flip of the race sparked chaos on the opening lap and opened the door for Ferrari. Storming by way of was Leclerc, who was beginning all the best way down in nineteenth attributable to a troublesome qualifying efficiency on Saturday, and a ten-second grid penalty for taking a brand new Vitality Retailer (ES) this week, his third of the season and yet one more than the 2 allowed for every season beneath the principles with out penalty. When a Digital Security Automobile was carried out on that opening lap Sainz was in second behind Norris, Leclerc was already up within the factors after selecting up 11 locations on the primary lap, Piastri was behind the sphere, and the sport was on.
Ferrari continued to place the stress on, as Leclerc moved up the grid because of an amazing first stint. By Lap 12 he was up into P5, and some laps later when inexperienced flag pitstops started Leclerc was into P4. As for Sainz, he had light a bit from the rear wing of Norris’ MCL38 and was over three seconds behind, however remained in placing distance of the race chief, in place to capitalize ought to one thing occur to Norris.
Across the halfway level of the race, the subsequent tense second arrived for McLaren, as Ferrari known as in Leclerc on Lap 20, after which Sainz on Lap 25, to attempt to stress McLaren and Norris on the entrance. McLaren known as Norris on Lap 26 to cowl off Ferrari, and the pit crew delivered a surprising two-second-flat cease to reply. Whereas Sainz had closed the hole, Norris rejoined the struggle 1.5 seconds forward of the Ferrari driver.
With barely more energizing tires, Norris pressed the benefit. By Lap 44 his benefit over Sainz was over 4 seconds, and additional again within the subject, Leclerc was asking his group over the radio if that operating order would imply that McLaren had secured the title.
“Like this sure, however it’s not completed. Hold pushing,” was the reply.
Ferrari pushed with every thing they’d, however it in the end was not sufficient. Norris managed his tires, and among the soiled air he was dealt when encountering lapped automobiles, to the checkered flag to take the victory and clinch the title for McLaren.
Sainz got here dwelling second in his closing race for Ferrari, with Leclerc third, however the two podium steps weren’t sufficient on a day that noticed Norris, and McLaren, climb to the highest.
“We tried our greatest,” was the message from Sainz after the checkered flag over the radio to his group.
“I knew I needed to be very aggressive,” mentioned Leclerc trackside after the race. “Sadly we had been simply beginning too additional again to do something higher than what we’ve completed at this time.
“It hurts.”
Leclerc additionally spoke fondly about his present teammate, who will probably be driving for Williams subsequent season.
“For now it’s extra fascinated by the previous yr, and the previous years, I’ve completed with Carlos. We’ve had an incredible relationship, we’ve pushed one another, I actually hoped that we may end this 4 years along with a Constructors’ title,” mentioned Leclerc. “We each gave all of it.
“It wasn’t sufficient.”
“A little bit of a bittersweet feeling,” described Sainz trackside. “Congratulations to start with to McLaren, they deserve this championship … they’ve been unimaginable.”
Ferrari definitely threw every thing they’d at McLaren, practically pulling off what Sainz had known as “mission inconceivable.”
However on today, mission inconceivable was simply out of attain.
