McLaren looked fast on the Qatar GP weekend, but Oscar Piastri did not benefit much from it. Piastri did finish on the podium, but it was far from an easy task for the Melbourne-born driver, who had to rely on the misfortunes of others, including his teammate.
Piastri revealed that the pace of his car had disappeared coming into Sunday, which is when it would have mattered the most. It made overtaking particularly difficult, evidenced by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc jumping him at the start of the race.
“It was a very complicated race,” Piastri, who finished third, said. “The cars in front had a very similar pace, and it was very hard to get into the DRS zone and then try to overtake… I had a couple of good battles with Charles on track.”
Piastri: “I had a couple of good battles with Charles on track. Anyway, it’s nice to finish on the podium, but it’s not the result we were hoping for.”
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— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) December 2, 2024
Both Piastri and Lando Norris had started ahead of the Ferrari drivers. However, Norris’ stop-and-go penalty derailed the entire afternoon for the Woking-based squad. The Bristol-born driver had to make his way back up the field from virtually the last position, and the best he managed was P10. Even Carlos Sainz, who suffered a puncture and had a slow pit-stop, finished four places ahead of Norris.
Ferrari capitalized on McLaren’s misfortunes perfectly, which brought down their deficit to just 21 points heading into the season finale.
What does Ferrari need to outscore McLaren in Abu Dhabi?
Despite finishing on the podium, Piastri acknowledged that the overall team result in Qatar was not what McLaren had hoped for. However, he expressed excitement about the Constructors’ Championship battle potentially going down to the final race of the season.
“It will certainly be exciting to have the fight open until the end of the year. We hope to be strong in the last race too, and we must try to give everything to close the game,” the Aussie shared. So the biggest question that remains is can Ferrari win its first Constructors’ title since 2008?
Piastri: “It will certainly be exciting to have the fight open until the end of the year. We hope to be strong in the last race too and we must try to give everything to close the game.”
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— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) December 2, 2024
Mathematically, Ferrari still has a chance, albeit a slim one. A total of 44 points are up for grabs in Abu Dhabi, including the bonus point for the fastest lap. To clinch the championship, Ferrari would need to outscore McLaren by at least 22 points.
A Ferrari one-two finish, combined with McLaren’s failure to place in the top four, would suffice. However, if McLaren secures third and fourth positions, Ferrari’s hopes would effectively be dashed — even with a dominant performance.
