Carlos Sainz has revealed his hope that he could pass Lando Norris in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to win Ferrari the Formula 1 title “faded” once the second stint began.
Sainz coming home in second place with team-mate Charles Leclerc third wasn’t enough to see Ferrari overhaul McLaren to the Constructors’ Championship in 2024.
The Spaniard had lined up with the McLarens ahead, but Max Verstappen clashing with Oscar Piastri at the start elevated him up into second behind polesitter Norris.
Sainz managed to remain within touching distance through the opening stages, while Leclerc, who started down in 19th, had made up 11 places on the first lap alone.
With Piastri rooted down the order, Sainz has admitted he allowed himself to believe that Ferrari might have a shot of making a remarkable championship turnaround.
“Yeah, obviously a bit of mixed feelings, I’m not going to lie,” Sainz, who will move to Williams in 2025, told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think we all came into this race trying to win the Constructors’ Championship and ultimately we did manage to do it.
“McLaren have put together a very strong weekend. Lando hasn’t put a foot wrong all race and all weekend. Congratulations to them because they deserve it.
“On my side, I tried to do everything I could to keep within reach of McLaren.
“Before the race we knew that McLaren might have one or two-tenths of pace on us.
“And that was enough, you know, to pull a bit of a gap before the pit stops or during the race to have a bit of a buffer and not to feel too much pressure.
“I think I had a very strong first stint, managed to keep them within reach and within pressure margins, especially when I was told Charles was coming in a good comeback.
“Oscar had obviously that incident in lap one, I thought, we might have a bit of a chance, but then little by little it started to fade.”
McLaren thwarts Ferrari’s title hopes
But although Ferrari triggered an undercut on Norris to slash the gap, McLaren’s two-second pit stop ensured the Briton retained the lead when he emerged on Lap 28.
Despite the margin being under two seconds at that stage, Sainz couldn’t match McLaren’s times on the Hard compound as Norris eased clear in the succeeding laps.
“When we put on the Hard tyres, like we’ve seen in many cases this year, the McLaren upped the pace a bit and they started pulling away three-tenths per lap,” he said.
“That was enough for them to have that safety margin and bring it home.
“And from our side, I think we did everything we could. Both Charles and I have given absolutely everything this weekend.
“It hasn’t been an easy weekend for me, obviously, knowing it was the last one [with Ferrari].
“But I did the best I could to stay focused and to do the maximum that the car could do today, I think.”
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