Ferrari has had a roller coaster of a season in 2024, with Grand Prix wins and podiums sandwiching a bad slump in form during the European leg of the season. Still, they stand only 21 points off the Constructors’ championship lead, all thanks to Charles Leclerc. Since the summer break, the Monegasque driver has won two races and scored the most number of points.
With 164 points to his name since the Dutch GP, Leclerc is even ahead of newly crowned world champion Max Verstappen — who stands at 152 points. Behind them, comes Lando Norris (150) who hasn’t capitalized on the potential of his MCL38 — which has been the fastest car this season since the Miami GP.
Charles Leclerc still leads all drivers in points since the summer break & is now the only driver to make ground on Verstappen since then.
Since
1. Leclerc 164
2. Verstappen 152
3. Norris 150
4. Piastri 124
5. Russell 119
6. Sainz 110
7. Hamilton 61
8. Gasly 30
9. Perez 21 pic.twitter.com/APkEJyhQ9r— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) December 2, 2024
The competition this season has been quite notable with multiple drivers winning races and that trend hasn’t changed in the races post the summer break. That explains why drivers like Oscar Piastri, George Russell, and Carlos Sainz have also scored 100+ points in the last nine races.
The surprising entry in this list, however, is Lewis Hamilton, who has struggled badly with only one podium in Las Vegas and a total of 61 points since Zandvoort. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez has cost Red Bull the lead in the constructors’ championship owing to his lowly 21-point haul.
All in all, it reflects how Leclerc has been a consistent performer, maximizing the improved performance of the SF-24. It is this consistency that has brought Ferrari back into the fight for the constructors’ title.
Can Leclerc help Ferrari end its title drought?
With a 21-point deficit, there is a legitimate chance that Ferrari ends its long drought of world championships after last winning the constructors’ title in 2008. It is still an uphill task for Leclerc and Sainz with one race weekend left.
McLaren has been the consistent team over this season, which was evident in how easily they overtook Red Bull for the lead of the championship in Azerbaijan. However, Ferrari has also been on a purple patch of results, with Leclerc leading the charge.
The Italian outfit will hope that the Abu Dhabi GP produces a result in their favor. Leclerc and Sainz will have to produce their A-game, but even a 1-2 finish doesn’t guarantee them the title. They will hope that some sort of issue holds back one of the McLaren drivers’ progress to secure its first F1 world championship in 16 years.
