5 Key F1 Storylines to Watch in 2024
FINAL CORNER, CHEQUERED FLAG: Five key reasons to keep tuning in after an underwhelming 2023 season
Max Verstappen is the red hot favourite to become a four-time Formula One world champion in 2024.
The Dutchman dominated the 2023 campaign in unprecedented fashion, winning a record 16 races, including a historic 10 in a row.
Verstappen is not the first person to be a clear favourite before a championship, in fact it happens more frequently than not.
Just like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher and plenty others before him, he is the king that is likely to dominate the months ahead while everyone desperately plays catch-up.
But there are plenty of other storylines throughout the grid this year to keep up with, in what should be a more exciting season than last year's rather forgettable offering.
The Second Red Bull Seat
Quite unusually, and shockingly, the big driver market news began during the off-season with the announcement Hamilton is leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025.
This is arguably the biggest driver move in the history of the sport, with the most successful driver joining the most successful team.
But the dominant force of today is Red Bull, and Sergio Perez’s spot alongside Verstappen is very much under the microscope in 2024.
Every race will be a referendum on his future with the team, with his contract set to expire at the end of the year.
This will be a coveted seat, but Red Bull’s options aren’t inspiring, with the likes of Charles Leclerc, Hamilton and Lando Norris all off the table.
If the Mexican can turn around his performances, in particular the consistency of his best drives, then perhaps a renewal might yet be on the cards.
However, as things stand, the deck is certainly stacked against him after a disappointing 2023.
Zak Brown’s Red Bull Crusade
McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown has made it crystal clear in recent months that he is unhappy with Red Bull’s growing relationship with RB (fka. Alpha Tauri).
He clarified his stance during Bahrain testing, which could be an indication of where things are heading.
“I don't think they are cheating,” said Brown.1
“But the rules aren’t fit for purpose.
“There's not another major sport that I know of where you can own two teams that compete.
“It's not allowed in any other sport, because of political influence, and player trading.
“It’s for all the reasons you can think of.”
The re-branding of the team to RB only highlights Brown’s point regarding the rules around dual-ownership.
The Andretti bid to become the sport’s 11th team was rejected during the off-season, heightening the need for the 10 current constructors to be strong and independent in their own right.
Red Bull’s ownership of RB undermines that principle, and Brown is not going to let this issue go any time soon.
While it’s unlikely Red Bull will be forced into a sale, it is possible we will see some potentially big rule changes for either 2025 or 2026 as a result of this matter.
McLaren’s Dynamic Duo
Brown will be very happy with his own team’s progress over the last 12 months.
McLaren rocked up to Bahrain in 2023 and it was obvious something wasn’t right even before both cars failed to score points in a miserable opening race of the campaign.
Their in-season development was incredible, with Lando Norris scoring six podiums in the second half of the season.
Rookie Oscar Piastri also scored two of his own in what was a stellar debut year in the sport, especially as he hadn’t been racing at all in 2022 in any category.
How their relationship evolves in 2024 will be fascinating, especially if they both end up competing for a maiden victory.
Norris is very much the golden boy, solidifying his position as team leader over the last couple of seasons.
But there is no denying Piastri’s pace, and the more experience he gains the quicker he could become.
Hamilton’s Mercedes Relationship
Another driver pairing that will be fascinating to watch unfold in 2024 will be the duo at Mercedes.
Hamilton has had the better of George Russell on a consistent basis for most of their time together, but now the seven-time champion is out the door.
Russell will have to wrestle control of the team from Hamilton, which he can only do by beating him on track week-in and week-out.
Otherwise, question marks will have to be raised over whether he is the man to lead the team forward in the future, or if a bigger name is needed to replace the 39-year-old.
The two most obvious names to be partnered with Russell for 2025 are Fernando Alonso and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
How Mercedes choose could be a big indicator of how they truly feel about Russell’s championship credentials, given the wild contrast between these two options.
If Hamilton is still leading the team on track by Abu Dhabi, it could prove a very awkward year for everyone at Brackley.
Alpine’s Continued Decline
Alpine started the new regulations in 2022 in a very positive place, finishing fourth in the championship despite chronic reliability issues.
But the team was overtaken by both McLaren and Aston Martin last year, ending up an underwhelming sixth.
Their pre-season testing form was abysmal, with both drivers seemingly unhappy with the car.
The Enstone team have promised an aggressive strategy to car development, but if they fail to deliver results it could be a really embarrassing year for the constructor.
If they fall even further again this year, then Renault’s place in the sport could be under serious threat.
Prediction corner
As my 2023 predictions showed, trying to figure out a pecking order for the final standings pre-Bahrain is a fool’s errand.
Instead, I’ll keep it simple and predict that second, third and fourth will be Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, in that order.
An F1 return bonus prediction: At least two of these teams will win a race in 2024.
REMINDER
Qualifying is on Friday and the race is on Saturday this weekend!
The same is true next week when the sport goes to Saudi Arabia, with the Grands Prix starting at 3pm and 5pm, GMT, respectively.
Quote of the week
“I think 19 drivers in the paddock now will think that [they] will not win the championship,” said Fernando Alonso last week at testing.2
“It happens 99 per cent of the time in your career.
“This is a brutal sport.”
Alonso with some typical optimism when asked about his championship hopes during testing.
Storyline to keep an eye on - Bahrain
There’s a lot to learn from the opening Grand Prix of the year, but not everything.
However, one important thing to keep an eye on this weekend is Ferrari’s performance in maintaining their tyres.
This has been a serious issue for the team for several years, but testing showed it might not be such a concern this year.
Bahrain is usually quite bad for the tyres, and will likely be a 2-stop race, so it will be interesting to see how the Ferraris hold up relative to the Red Bull, which has been incredibly kind on its tyres in the past.
Source: Motorsport.com
Source: Motorsport.com