During their four-year tenure as teammates, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc spearheaded Ferrari’s charge for a world title. Ferrari fell only 14 points short of championship glory in 2024. Yet, the Leclerc and Sainz were the most evenly matched pairing on the grid.
Qualifying, race pace, consistency and more — how the Leclerc-Sainz duo nearly won the title for Ferrari
In the 2024 F1 season, as many as four teams fought for race victories. A record 7 different drivers won multiple races throughout the year.
Red Bull’s dominance waned as the season progressed, opening up opportunities for the rest of the grid to seize. McLaren and Ferrari picked up the mantle in 2024, fighting for the title until the finale in Abu Dhabi.
Although McLaren picked up the constructors’ title in 2024, Ferrari’s performance stood out across the year. The Scuderia maximised their opportunities, as both drivers grabbed vital points every weekend.
A look into the numbers too tell a familiar story. Leclerc outqualified Sainz 14 times to 9 in 2024, apart from outqualifying Jeddah stand-in Ollie Bearman. The Monegasque also holds the more favourable race record, finishing ahead 14 times to 8.
Neither driver finished in Canada, while Leclerc finished ahead of Bearman in Jeddah. But a deeper dive into statistics this year provides another valuable insight.
While the Ferrari pairing took 22 podiums across the season, the most of any team, both drivers proved to be consistent forces.
The Scuderia pairing finished within two positions of each other at 16 of the 24 Grands-Prix in 2024. On two other occasions, the pair finished within four positions of each other. This ensured the team had two drivers consistently performing at a high level.
This consistency kept Ferrari in the hunt for the constructors’ title all year. While McLaren were able to emerge on top, Ferrari’s campaign certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
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Consistently maximising machinery: An aspect of Leclerc and Sainz’s Ferrari career
Consistency has been important in Leclerc and Sainz’s time as Ferrari teammates. Both have maximised the machinery at their disposal as teammates, often finishing close to each other on the track.
Barring Grands-Prix in Canada, Austria and Silverstone, Leclerc managed to score points in every other race. Even when Ferrari were in the midst of a mid-season slump, Leclerc consistently fared well, scoring podiums too.
This has been a pattern across both drivers’ time as teammates. Leclerc being able to consistently maximise the machinery underneath him earned several podiums and victories across seasons.
In 2022, the Monegasque driver scored in every race he finished. Barring two reliability gremlins and his crash at France, Leclerc finished in the top six at every Grand Prix.
He also remained a consistent force in 2021 and 2023, playing second fiddle to Sainz in the latter before a late-season surge saw him rise up to fifth in the standings.
As for Sainz, the Spaniard has consistently scored points across his time at Ferrari. Sainz finished all but 14 races he started as a Ferrari driver, underlining his ability to take points on almost every weekend.
Despite missing the Saudi Arabian GP due to an appendectomy, Sainz managed to finish fifth in the standings. While his DNF at Baku certainly cost him a podium, the Spaniard stood on 9 other podiums in 2024.
As for Leclerc, he stood on as many as 13 podiums in 2024, in a surreal season. The Monegasque never finished outside the top 5 when he scored points, an incredible record in a special season for the Scuderia.
Even though the Scuderia only fell 14 points short of McLaren’s tally, the Sainz-Leclerc duo’s consistency always kept Ferrari in the hunt for their first title in over 15 years.
Qualifying strong helping Ferrari’s cause
Qualifying had emerged as Ferrari’s greatest strength. Leclerc’s qualifying form was nothing new, the Ferrari man notching up 26 poles during his time at the Scuderia.
The Monegasque’s shattering pace over one lap has marked him out as a qualifying star. It has helped Ferrari snatch big results even on days when the car didn’t entirely suit the track characteristics.
Although the Ferrari man has seldom converted pole to victory, he has most often ended up on the podium, or in the top four. Traces of these include the Azerbaijan GP races in 2021 and 2023, when Leclerc ended up on the podium despite Ferrari not having a Red Bull beater on race day.
However, when he has converted pole to victory, Leclerc has always elevated himself a class above the rest. If his wins at Spa and Monza in 2019, or Bahrain and Australia in 2022 weren’t evidence, his win in Monaco certainly stands as a prime example.
With a dreaded ‘Monaco curse’ hanging over him, Leclerc danced the Ferrari SF24 around the streets of Monaco on Saturday. His qualifying time of 1:10.270 has only been bettered twice around the Principality’s streets in over 70 years.
Leclerc then maintained his qualifying position to finally take that elusive Monaco victory. An important milestone in his budding career, as it took the monkey off his shoulders.
This only evidences Leclerc’s speed. If Ferrari continue to provide him a car capable of fighting at the front, expect to see more such feats in 2025.
His partner-in-crime, Sainz, was no pushover in qualifying. The Spaniard himself showed his speed in qualifying on several occasions. Although he hasn’t been able to outqualify a beast over one lap like Leclerc, Sainz‘s two poles in 2024 highlighted his speed and guile over one lap.
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Pulling off the unthinkable – The Ferrari edition
In the past, Ferrari winning a race seemed a massive feat to celebrate. While the rosso corsa often suffered from lack of outright pace, decisions from the pit wall subject to flak, and unreliability, Leclerc and Sainz have pulled off unthinkable drives.
The best example is none other than Sainz’s Singapore win, with the Spaniard defying the odds and using his street smarts to pull off an unlikely win.
The Spaniard also took a special win in Australia in 2024, just 16 days after an appendectomy. He capitalised on a brake fire on Verstappen’s Red Bull to take victory on the day.
Leclerc has pulled off some special drives for the Scuderia, too. While it is still difficult to forget his memorable Monza triumph in 2019, his win at Ferrari’s home in 2024 might have garnered similar praise.
On a day when Ferrari lacked out-and-out pace to match the McLarens, Leclerc’s tyre management ensured the Scuderia took two home wins in 2024.
Leclerc’s stunning comeback at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP is worthy of praise. Starting down in 19th, as Ferrari chased McLaren for their first title in 16 years, the Monegasque drove a sterling race to finish third, right behind his teammate.
Even though it wasn’t enough to win the title for the Scuderia, Leclerc’s drive earned plenty of praise. Much like their turnaround to finish second in 2024, just shy of a constructors’ title.
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