The 2024 F1 season will kick off on Sunday with the checkered flag flying at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, marking the first time since Brawn won the title in 2009 that a team other than Mercedes and Red Bull will be crowned. Constructors' Champion.
Heading into Sunday, McLaren is literally and figuratively in pole position. McLaren arrived in Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead over Ferrari in the title race, securing a front row spot in Saturday's qualifying. Lando Norris starts up front, with Oscar Piastri lining up second.
As for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc will be last on the grid thanks to a 10-place grid penalty imposed when the team installed a new Energy Store (ES) on the SF-24. That's one more than the two the regulations allow each year. rule. Leclerc was eliminated in Q2 on Saturday in 14th place and will start 19th barring an additional penalty.
As for Carlos Sainz Jr., he qualified third on Saturday, so he will start just behind the McLaren. This gave Ferrari a chance to fight at the top, but Sainz admitted after qualifying that the team faces a “mission impossible” when it comes to the constructors' championship.
“Well, I think it was already very difficult. As I said, even before the weekend started, it was a bit of an impossible mission. Then when we got to FP1, Charles' battery died before he could start. , the grid penalty was obviously a big shock and a big blow. And on top of that, you can see where Charles was in the second quarter,” Leclerc said. FIA press conference After qualifying. “That obviously just makes things a lot more difficult. But at the same time, even on a perfect weekend where we both set laps in Q3 and could even fight for the win, these two could still be up front. It's very sensitive, so it's always going to be difficult.
“It's made our lives even more difficult. But we don't know what's going to happen until the checkered flag falls tomorrow. And no matter what happens, we're going to keep fighting. And Charles in the back… I'm sure we'll push hard and get all the points we can get and see what happens with McLaren.”
Sainz also made an emotional appeal regarding the constructors' championship in general, outlining how important the title is to each F1 team.
“Every fan, every journalist, or perhaps anyone who hasn't fully bought into the Constructors' Championship, or hasn't fully bought into it, the moment they visit an F1 factory, they understand why it exists and why it exists. I think you understand why it is so important,” Sainz began. . “Because when you visit an F1 factory, you see over 1,000 people working to transport and perform cars just for us, the drivers.
“We're just the last part of the chain behind all these teams, and everyone on the team counts in that difference, and it's the driver's job to make these people feel like they're the team principal. 's job, and the main engineer's job. 'It's important,' continued the Ferrari driver. “So each person could make a 100th of a difference to the team, and those 100ths could add up to the final tenth that made McLaren faster today. There is one final difference, and why it is so important.
Sainz then spoke about the current state of F1 following the most competitive season in recent memory.
“Besides that, I think F1 is in a good place right now. It's important to have a level playing field, not only between drivers but also between teams. I think teams are being given a more level playing field.” added. “It's not all about the budget. It's the people and the infrastructure that can be achieved. You see that at McLaren and you see it now with the top four teams. We're all within tenths of a second of each other. The drivers' championship is fairer because the drivers can make a bigger difference. But the constructors' championship is also fairer.
Sainz has the chance to achieve that dream, even if it is a 'mission impossible', in his final race with Ferrari before moving to Williams next season.
