The longest season in Formula One history is set to kick off this weekend in Bahrain.
A record 24 grands prix will be staged in ’24 with Imola and China returning to the jam-packed calendar. The iconic Monaco Grand Prix takes place May 26 followed by the Canadian Grand Prix a fortnight later at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 9. The season wraps up in Abu Dhabi once again on Dec. 8.
Before we say “lights out and away we go” to the 2024 F1 season, here’s a rundown of what you need to know.
VERSTAPPEN EYES FOUR-PEAT
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will be targeting a fourth consecutive drivers’ championship and you don’t have to look too far into the past to find the most recent four-peat. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pulled it off from 2017-20 right before Verstappen’s reign kicked off.
Yes, F1 is all about eras and we’re firmly in the Verstappen Era — likely until the regulations change in 2026. Design wizard Adrian Newey and his team have nailed the current setup and have created the perfect rocketship with Verstappen in the cockpit.
It’ll be tough for the 26-year-old Dutch driver to match his dominant 2023 season featuring a record 19 wins, but expect nothing less than maximum effort from Verstappen.
THE LAST DANCE: MERCEDES/HAMILTON EDITION
Just when you thought it would be a quiet off-season, Lewis Hamilton sent shockwaves when he announced he would be opting out of his Mercedes contract and joining rival Ferrari in 2025.
It’s hard to summarize Hamilton’s legacy with Mercedes as the raw numbers — six drivers’ championships, eight constructors’ championships and 82 grand prix victories — don’t paint the whole picture. Hamilton established himself as one of the greatest of all time (if not the greatest) and a global icon and activist at Mercedes with one more season still to come.
This will be Hamilton’s record 12th year with Mercedes, surpassing Michael Schumacher (11 seasons with Ferrari from 1996 to 2006) as the driver with the longest tenure on one team. There’s another record Hamilton shares with Schumacher that he’s keen to break: most world championships. The 39-year-old Hamilton has unfinished business and is still looking to “reclaim my eighth” title he lost out on back in 2021.
Mercedes haven’t been able to provide Hamilton with a championship-calibre car since then as he’s gone winless over the past two seasons — the longest drought of his career. Mercedes teammate George Russell has just one win, the only win of his career, during that same period.
Can Mercedes give Hamilton the proper sendoff or will the focus shift entirely to Russell as the future of the team? It’ll be a compelling storyline either way.
PEREZ ON THE HOT SEAT
Verstappen could single-handedly help Red Bull claim a third consecutive constructors’ championship as well, but that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t expect Sergio Perez to make a significant contribution.
Things got heated between Perez and team advisor Helmut Marko last season, particularly when the Mexican driver struggled during qualifying. Perez missed out on Q3 a total of nine times, including a stretch of five consecutive early exits, to put him out of the top 10 on the starting grid despite having identical equipment as Verstappen.
Regardless, Perez picked up a pair of wins and finished second in the drivers’ championship as Red Bull won all but one race. But is just being good, good enough? As other teams become more comfortable with their setups, it should get closer in the standings.
Perez’s contract is up at the end of the year and look no further than Red Bull’s secondary squad Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (the name just rolls right off your tongue) where Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will be out to prove they’re worthy of a promotion. You can also add reserve driver Liam Lawson to that mix. The 22-year-old rising star held his own during a five-race stint filling in for an injured Ricciardo last season. It should be an entertaining battle if anything.
A TALE OF TWO FERRARIS
It’ll be intriguing to see how things play out this season at Ferrari between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Which one will be under more pressure lies in the eye of the beholder.
Leclerc signed a multi-year contract extension in January — a week before Hamilton’s decision to join the Scuderia squad next season. The 26-year-old Monegasque driver has captured five wins and 23 pole positions since arriving at Ferrari in 2019 and will be out to ensure he remains their main man going forward.
Although Hamilton’s arrival means Sainz will be moving on, the 29-year-old Spanish driver is in the prime of his career and will be a highly coveted free agent. Sainz, who has two wins with Ferrari and was the only non-Red Bull driver to score a victory last season, can increase his value elsewhere. Sainz will have plenty of options to choose from as only seven of 20 seats have been reportedly filled for next year.
THE SILLIEST OF SILLY SEASONS?
The drama off of the track is just as spicy as the action on it. Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 will create a domino effect to follow throughout the season beginning with his vacant seat at Mercedes.
Sainz could simply swap rides, but Mercedes also have their eyes on promising prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will compete in Formula 2 this year. If Mercedes believe the 17-year-old Italian junior driver is ready to make the jump to the big leagues, they’re not going to hesitate as it appears that’s why they didn’t sign Hamilton to a longer contract last year.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff explained to Autosport.com that he wanted to ensure his options were available because he doesn’t want a repeat of what happened back in 2014 when they had the chance to sign Verstappen but were tied up long-term with Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Red Bull inked Verstappen to their Toro Rosso squad (now Visa Cash App RB F1 Team) and the rest is history.
If Mercedes feel Antonelli isn’t quite ready, how about two-time world champion Fernando Alonso? The 42-year-old Spaniard had a renaissance season with eight podiums in 2023 and would be a fine driver to have in the meantime if he wants to continue racing. How’s this for a comparison: Antonelli was only two months old when Alonso won his second world title.
Don’t rule out Esteban Ocon, who has strong ties to Mercedes from juniors right through to serving as the team’s reserve when he was out of a full-time ride in 2019. Ocon even said he was “very close” to joining Mercedes in 2020 before landing his current deal (thanks to Wolff) at Alpine.
We’ve already mentioned Red Bull’s situation, but if Aston Martin keep improving, that’ll be another desirable destination for free agents should Alonso opt to move on or retire.
ONE BOLD PREDICTION
Hamilton has second thoughts and decides to stay with Mercedes? Maybe if you’re still in the denial stage of grief, but we’re going to go with McLaren winning a grand prix this season.
With 24 races this season, the door will be open at some point for McLaren’s Lando Norris to score his first career victory.
McLaren more than doubled their point total during the second half of 2023 and Norris and Piastri finished with a combined seven runner-up results during the season. The team should be able to build off of that positive momentum to take the next step on the podium.
from Sportsnet.ca
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