The Las Vegas GP was filled with excitement and drama. while Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fought it out for the podium position, George Russell led the race from the start and dominated the race while Hamilton and Sainz filled the final 2 spots on the podium. But the other Ferrari driver was not very happy with the team.
During the 2nd stint of the race, Carlos Sainz was in front with Leclerc and Hamilton behind. Due to the threat from Hamilton, Ferrari had asked the Spaniard to let his teammate through as his race pace was faster. But on lap 29, Sainz was called into the pits to start his 3rd and final stint. Leclerc on the other hand was called in only on lap 31.
Having pitted 2 laps later, Leclerc lost some ground to Sainz. With the #55 driver with warmer tyres, he quickly got past Leclerc. The Spaniard went on to take 3rd place while Hamilton took 2nd. The Monagasque driver was absolutely furious with Ferrari after the race.
Charles Leclerc goes on a rant against Ferrari
After crossing the chequered flag, Leclerc’s race engineer came onto the radio to say how Leclerc had done his job well. To this, he replied:
“Yeah, I did my job, but being nice f***s me over all the f*****g time, all the f*****g time. It’s not even being nice, it’s just being respectful. I know I need to shut up, but at one point it’s always the same, so…”
Charles Leclerc’s team radio after the race…
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) November 24, 2024
With Leclerc going on a rant against the team, Fred Vasseur couldn’t do much to calm him down. Leclerc felt that the team betrayed him as Sainz was originally asked to allow his teammate to get past (which he did), and then later when Leclerc was coming out of the pits, Sainz was told not to put pressure on Leclerc and let him keep position. Sainz didn’t comply with this team order from Ferrari. This was why Leclerc was upset.
But how did this affect Ferrari? It actually didn’t affect the team’s result at the race. It was clear that Mercedes had the fastest car in Vegas, hence, it was not plausible for either of the Ferrari drivers to overtake Hamilton. However, they were close to Verstappen. Both Ferrari drivers ended up overtaking Max and finishing 3-4.
Ferrari on track to challenge McLaren for WCC
Heading into the Las Vegas GP, McLaren was leading the Constructors’ Championship by 36 points. But in Vegas, Ferrari outscored McLaren by 12 points, reducing the lead to only 24 points with 2 races to go. If Ferrari continues to outperform McLaren in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, we could see them winning the WCC by the end of the season.
Although McLaren was once the favourite to win almost every race, they lost ground to Ferrari since the Summer break. In the second half of the season, Ferrari has slowly been climbing back on top. The Prancing Horses overtook Red Bull at the United States Grand Prix where they achieved a 1-2 finish. Since then, all eyes have been on the Championship.
Our top 10 in Vegas 🎲🎲#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/0LrmV73Rgu
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 24, 2024
Although Mercedes did show pace in Vegas, they are too far behind the top 3 and hence, will finish 4th in the Constructors’ no matter where they finish in the next 2 races.
It will be interesting to see how the final 2 races play out. With Qatar being a Sprint Race, it’s all to play for between McLaren and Ferrari. Who do you think will take this year’s Constructors’ title?
