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Charles Leclerc Shuts Down ‘Perfect Season’ Talk as Ferrari Falls Short Again in 2024

Carl Smith by Carl Smith
December 13, 2024
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Charles Leclerc Shuts Down ‘Perfect Season’ Talk as Ferrari Falls Short Again in 2024

Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 8, 2024 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. before the race REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki

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Ferrari’s bid for Formula 1 glory in 2024 came tantalizingly close but ended in heartbreak at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Despite a double podium finish, the iconic Maranello squad couldn’t close the gap to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, falling 14 points short and extending its title drought to a 17th year.

While fans and pundits speculated that a Constructors’ crown would’ve been a “perfect season,” Ferrari’s star driver, Charles Leclerc, swiftly dismissed the notion.

“Perfection? Not Even Close,” Says Leclerc

“A perfect season? No. Because I would only rate a perfect season if we win everything,” Leclerc asserted when speaking to reporters. “Even if we had won the Drivers’ and Constructors’, there would always be room to improve. That’s the nature of this sport.”

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Leclerc capped off his own campaign with a solid third place in the Drivers’ Championship, but the team’s mid-season struggles left a sour taste. Ferrari’s SF-24 showed promise early on, but a disastrous update package introduced in Spain created severe bouncing issues, derailing the team’s momentum.

Mid-Season Collapse: The Critical Blow

Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur highlighted the crucial mid-season slump, estimating that Ferrari lost “80 or 90 points” to McLaren during that period. The aerodynamic updates meant to push the SF-24 ahead instead hindered its performance, leaving the team scrambling to recover.

“Performance-wise, the first half was unacceptable,” Leclerc admitted. “But we didn’t let it break us. We focused on maximizing points every weekend, even when the car wasn’t competitive.”

That resilience, Leclerc believes, kept Ferrari in contention until the final race.

Execution Over Performance

Leclerc praised Ferrari’s operational excellence as the key reason it stayed in the title fight. “We executed at a very high level this season,” he said. “If you told me at the start of the year, given our performance back then, that we’d be fighting for the Constructors’ in Abu Dhabi, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

He credited the team’s ability to adapt and improve throughout the year, saying, “We didn’t let tough weekends demoralize us. That’s why we even had a shot at the title.”

Hamilton’s Arrival and 2025 Prospects

With Ferrari’s title drought dragging into 2025, all eyes turn to the arrival of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. The Briton is expected to bring a wealth of experience and championship-winning mentality to a team desperate to return to the pinnacle of the sport.

However, Leclerc’s candid reflection on 2024 underscores that Ferrari must address fundamental issues with its car development to capitalize on its new driver pairing.

“Execution can only take us so far,” Leclerc acknowledged. “To win championships, we need the performance to match.”

A Glimmer of Hope Amid the Heartbreak

Despite the sting of defeat, Ferrari’s 2024 campaign offered glimpses of what could be. The team’s ability to recover from its mid-season woes and remain competitive reflects a level of operational maturity that will be critical in the seasons ahead.

For now, though, the red tide of Ferrari faithful must continue to wait. If the lessons of 2024 are heeded, perhaps 2025 will finally be the year the prancing horse gallops back to championship glory.

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