Formula 1 is often seen as the epitome of professional racing, with the perfect mix of speed and strategy with high-level technology and engineering. Each year, 10 teams put 2 drivers on the grid to compete across 24 races, known as Grand Prix. The top 10 finishers of each Grand Prix earn points, with 25 points going to the winner. These points contribute to 2 different titles: the Constructors’ Championship, awarded to the team with the most points, and the World Drivers’ Championship (WDC), given to the driver with the most points. This season, Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing secured his fourth consecutive WDC during the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 23. However, unlike last season’s Red Bull domination, the path to the World Drivers’ Championship was not exactly smooth sailing.
Coming into 2024, Red Bull Racing was expected to dominate just as they had the previous year, and for the first five races, they lived up to expectations. Verstappen, in his RB20 car, led three first-place second-place finishes with his teammate, Sergio Perez, in three of those first five rounds of racing: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. While Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc seemed like an early challenger to the Red Bulls, often finishing on the podium, no team seemed capable of consistently matching Red Bull’s raw pace.
However, round 6 of the 2024 season, the Miami Grand Prix, proved to be a critical turning point in the season. McLaren, who introduced significant upgrades to their car, brought Lando Norris his maiden F1 win, holding off Verstappen and showing everyone that the Red Bull dominance expected this season was no longer a reality. While McLaren was the fastest car on the grid, driver and team strategy inconsistencies prevented them from using their speed to its full advantage.
Over the next 4 rounds, Norris became Verstappen’s closest rival, finishing each race on the podium alongside Verstappen, while Leclerc, who had been in contention for the WDC earlier in the season, seemed to be falling behind in terms of the points standings.
As the championship battles continued, Formula 1’s notorious “Silly Season” added more drama to the year. The biggest shock was the announcement that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes, the team with which he won 6 of his 7 world titles, for Ferrari in 2025. This shift would leave Carlos Sainz, the current Ferrari driver, without a seat. After much speculation, Sainz confirmed that he signed with Williams for the next season. Alpine announced Jack Doohan as their new driver after Esteban Ocon’s move to Haas. Other notable moves included Nico Hulkenberg, currently of Haas, joining Sauber, which will rebrand as Audi in 2026, and Formula 2 drivers Oliver Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, and Gabriel Bortoleto entering F1 with the teams Haas, Mercedes, and Sauber, respectively. Mid-season, Williams dropped the underperforming American driver Logan Sargeant, replacing him with rookie Franco Colapinto. Similarly, RB replaced fan-favorite driver Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson, who debuted in F1 in 2023. Another plot twist came when Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s Chief Technology Officer and engineering mastermind, who’s credited with much of Red Bull’s success, departed for Aston Martin, a move that could reshape the competitive landscape of the grid in following years.
The Constructors’ Championship proved to be just as competitive as the World Drivers’ Championship, if not more. Red Bull, despite their dominance and strong performances in the first half of the season, quickly fell behind McLaren and Ferrari as Perez severely underperformed. Ferrari and McLaren’s battle for the Constructors’ lasted until the season’s final race in Abu Dhabi, with each team having 5 wins and 20 podiums, and with McLaren only 21 points ahead. In order to win the Constructors’, Ferrari needed to place first and second during the race with the McLarens placing fourth and fifth. However, Leclerc got a 10-place grid penalty before the race after Ferrari replaced the energy supply in his car, making him start the race in 19th, at the back of the grid while McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris started first and second. Leclerc drove an impressive recovery race, finishing in third while his teammate Sainz finished second. Norris took the top step of the podium, finishing first, and won McLaren their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
The 2024 season has been nothing short of spectacular, combining unexpected wins, driver and team rivalries, and hard racing. While this season was certainly exciting, the future and following seasons seem to hold just as much excitement, with 4 confirmed rookies next year, and the announcement of an 11th team, which is backed by General Motors, joining the sport in 2026.
