As the 2024 Formula 1 season comes to a close, Sky Sports F1 has released its annual driver rankings, where Karun Chandhok placed Charles Leclerc in an impressive P2, ahead of Lando Norris, who finished as Max Verstappen’s closest title rival and ended the season in second place in the championship standings.
In the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Chandhok justified this ranking by highlighting the contrasting fortunes of Ferrari and McLaren throughout the season. While McLaren’s car was consistently competitive across a variety of tracks, Ferrari’s SF-24 struggled with inconsistency, yet Leclerc’s performance was exceptional in maximizing every opportunity, despite the car’s challenges.
Leclerc ended the season in P3, securing 356 points—18 behind Norris. Many had previously considered 2022 as Leclerc’s best season, where he finished second in the standings, but Chandhok disagrees and believes 2024 was actually his most impressive year.
Why Karun Chandhok Rates 2024 Higher for Leclerc
“The argument to say 2022 was Leclerc’s best season because he finished second is strong, but he made more mistakes,” Chandhok explained. “I actually thought this was his best season in Formula 1.”
Chandhok’s reasoning lies in the minimal changes in Leclerc’s environment over the two years. The Monegasque driver had a new race engineer in 2024, and Ferrari’s strategy team had improved, executing calls more efficiently than in 2022, which was often a source of frustration.
Ferrari’s historically indecisive strategic decisions were notably better in 2024, and Leclerc capitalized on this consistency, helping him extract more from the car’s potential. In contrast, Norris, despite having a faster car for most of the season, was often unable to fully maximize his performance.
The Struggles of Lando Norris
Norris finished only 18 points ahead of Leclerc in the standings, raising questions about his ability to maximize McLaren’s competitive package. Despite being the main contender to Verstappen’s title, the British driver made several errors throughout the season that prevented him from mounting a stronger challenge.
A key issue for Norris was his poor race starts, particularly from pole position. His inability to consistently convert strong qualifying results into race wins likely cost him crucial points in the championship battle. Had he been able to secure better starts and win races, he could have maintained a closer fight with Verstappen until the final race of the season.
McLaren also made some strategic errors during key races, further hindering Norris’s chances. However, many believe Norris showed growth over the course of the season. His maturity was evident in the latter part of the year, culminating in his dramatic win at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where his flawless performance helped McLaren clinch the Constructors’ title. While Norris’s victory in Abu Dhabi was a standout moment, it came too late in the championship fight, and ultimately, he fell short in the drivers’ standings despite having the fastest car.
The Final Assessment: Leclerc’s Consistency vs. Norris’s Missed Opportunities
In the end, while Norris had the edge in overall points and finished as Max Verstappen’s closest rival, it was Leclerc’s ability to consistently maximize the potential of his car that earned him the higher ranking in Chandhok’s eyes. Norris, despite his raw speed and several standout performances, was plagued by avoidable mistakes and missed opportunities throughout the season, costing him vital points in the fight for the championship.
In contrast, Leclerc’s performance in 2024, though not without challenges, demonstrated a high level of consistency and maturity, allowing him to make the most of Ferrari’s often unpredictable package. For Chandhok, this is why he considers Leclerc’s 2024 campaign to be his best in Formula 1.
As the season wraps up, it’s clear that both Leclerc and Norris have immense potential, but it was Leclerc’s ability to capitalize on every race that set him apart in the rankings this year.
