If Charles Leclerc’s title campaign ended prematurely this year, it was entirely down to the performance of the SF-24. Despite not having the fastest car in the majority of the races, he emerged as the most consistent driver over the course of the season. With 21 top-five and 18 top-four finishes—the most on the grid—the Monégasque played a crucial role in Ferrari dragging the battle for the constructors’ championship to the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Given the growth and finesse he has exhibited throughout the year in terms of tyre management and racecraft, Leclerc has convincingly earned the second position in Pit Debrief’s F1 2024 driver rankings.
A strong first third of the season with first win in Monaco
While brake issues compromised his results at the season opener in Bahrain, Leclerc scored five podium finishes in the next seven races. Following his first trip to the podium in Jeddah, he finished second in Melbourne to teammate Carlos Sainz and gave the Scuderia their first 1-2 finish since the 2022 Bahrain GP. Qualifying was mixed, struggling to get the tyres in the operating window at Albert Park and Suzuka.
Leclerc’s first third of the season, however, reached its peak in Monte Carlo. Having secured his first pole position of the 2024 F1 campaign, he executed a flawless race to become the first Monégasque driver to win the Monaco GP in 93 years.
A DNF in Canada and a disappointing triple header marking the lowest point of the season
Leclerc’s season pretty much took a nosedive after the tremendous high of a home victory for the first time. While he had to retire the car in Montreal due to engine issues, the accelerated upgrades that Ferrari brought to Barcelona induced bouncing in high-speed corners and further curbed the potential of the SF-24.
Following a slight misstep in qualifying that led to a P6 start, Leclerc was involved in a Lap 1 incident that took him out of contention at the Austrian GP. At Silverstone, his race weekend was compromised from the get-go when he opted to sacrifice his Friday to run extreme set-ups in the hope of finding a remedy for the bouncing. An early call for intermediate tyres cost him any chance of scoring points, and the Monégasque driver finished the race in fourteenth place—his second-worst result of the season.
Bouncing back with a race win on Ferrari’s home soil
With only a P5 finish in Spain contributing to his points tally during the triple header, Leclerc’s title aspirations at the time took a hit and never recovered. However, the next four races saw him display his impressive race pace and secure three podiums.
In spite of falling short of a podium, Leclerc managed to keep the Red Bull of Max Verstappen behind at the Hungaroring circuit. In Belgium, he put in a superb lap during a tricky wet qualifying session and inherited pole from Verstappen (who took an engine penalty). Moreover, the 27-year-old managed to hold off faster cars with strong race management and secured two more podiums at Spa-Francorchamps and Zandvoort.
Starting from P4 on the grid, the Monégasque’s incredible tyre management allowed Ferrari to successfully execute an audacious one-stop strategy and finish ahead of the charging McLarens in Monza. The experiments Leclerc conducted during the triple-header finally bore fruit at the Italian GP, and the new upgrade package helped him give the iconic Italian team their second home victory since 2019 in front of the jubilant Tifosi.
Ending the F1 2024 campaign on a positive note
Despite starting on pole for the fourth year in a row, victory in Baku remained elusive for Leclerc. After Oscar Piastri executed an overtake on lap 20, he failed to retake the lead due to the MCL38’s surprising straightline speed—a product of their controversial rear wing design—and finished P2.
Encountering tyre warm-up problems that prompted him to start P9, Leclerc recovered to fifth place in Singapore. The next race in Austin, however, saw him once again start from P4, sneak through and snatch P1 on the opening lap, and enjoy another unchallenged drive to victory.
With temperature issues plaguing his SF-24 in Mexico, the lift and coast that Leclerc had to perform for a considerable number of laps took the tyres out of the operating window. As a result, he lost a position to Lando Norris in the closing stages of the race and climbed onto the lowest step of the podium.
After finishing P5 and P4 at the rain-affected São Paulo GP and the chilly Las Vegas GP respectively, Leclerc secured back-to-back podiums in the final two races of 2024. With 22 points scored during the race weekend at Lusail, a circuit where they expected the SF-24 to struggle, the eight-time race winner headed into the season finale hoping to clinch the constructors’ title for Ferrari.
Although a Q2 exit and a 10-place grid penalty (for taking on a new battery) put him on the back foot in Abu Dhabi, Leclerc’s storming recovery drive from P19 to P3 gave Ferrari a fighting chance. Furthermore, he produced the best opening lap the sport has witnessed since Kimi Räikkönen’s dazzling first lap charge at the 2020 Portuguese GP and gained eleven positions by the end of Lap 1.
Why Leclerc deserves the second position in the F1 2024 driver rankings
Ferrari ultimately fell short of lifting the constructors’ trophy by only 14 points. Leclerc also finished 18 points behind Norris in the drivers’ standings. However, given that the Woking-based team had the best car on average over the course of the season, it was primarily the Monégasque’s consistency that ensured that these battles went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.
With the SF-24 famously struggling to warm up its tyres, Leclerc’s one-lap prowess took a back seat in 2024. This, however, allowed him to showcase that he is indeed one of the best drivers on the current grid when it comes to tyre management. While he finished ahead of teammate Sainz the majority of the time and scored 66 more points, what left a strong impression on us was his consistency and the lack of major mistakes during any competitive sessions. The eight-time race winner scored the most points and podiums since the summer break and ended the season with thirteen top-three finishes—the most in his F1 career.
Leclerc’s vigorous 2024 campaign bodes really well for the Scuderia and their championship hopes next year, as long as they produce a competitive car. In a season that saw him fend off faster cars and gain dozens of positions with spectacular launches off the line, it’s evident that the Monégasque is entering his prime as a driver. Whether it’s his stunning overtake on Lewis Hamilton in Qatar or his opening lap brilliance in Abu Dhabi, Leclerc proved throughout the season that he possesses the best racecraft on the grid.
When accounting for his performance relative to the car he had and the competition he faced, it’s not surprising at all that the Pit Debrief team has awarded Leclerc the second position ahead of Norris in the F1 2024 driver rankings.
