The shocks, surprises, and events of the first 14 Grands Prix – a midseason review.
It is fair to say that heading into the 2024 F1 season, many, including the drivers themselves, believed that Red Bull and Max Verstappen would continue their dominance from 2023. Last year, they won all but one race with the Dutch driver winning all but three. This year, thus far, seven different drivers across four teams have each won at least one grand prix. Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have won two each.
Now that the summer break has come and gone, it is time to reflect on what we have seen so far with a 2024 F1 Midseason Review. Each team will be discussed at length.
Some of the more unique locations we’ve raced at this season 😍
Our eye in the sky providing the goods once again 🙌🚁#F1 pic.twitter.com/DMYPc4q5FL
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 17, 2024
Red Bull
While the Austrian team lead both championships, it should be concerning for them how quickly other teams have caught them up. Verstappen has a 78-point lead on Lando Norris in the Drivers Championship thanks to 7 wins. Some may say that this is a comfortable lead, unlike the Constructors’ Championship where they have a 42-point lead ahead of McLaren.
What has not helped Red Bull either is their reluctance to bid farewell to Sergio Pérez. Pérez is 7th in the title fight, but that does not extend to him as it does his teammate, and the team have confirmed that he will be driving the RB20 after the summer. This was a shock to many who believed he would have been replaced by Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson. With this, they are vulnerable in their championship hopes as the Mexican driver struggles to deliver the results needed each week.
This was not all the team have had to contend with. Perhaps the biggest surprises of the first half of the season came in the form of departures. Adrian Newey is rumoured to be headed to Aston Martin while Jonathan Wheatley will be Audi’s Team Principal. Both men are considered to have been instrumental in the team’s dominance after over a decade of service. Considering the issues already arising for them, could Red Bull be in danger as they head to Zandvoort and beyond?
McLaren
McLaren had a first half of the 2024 F1 season to remember this year. Led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the British team have caught up to Red Bull. On occasion, they also had the fastest car, which saw their drivers become first-time Grand Prix winners in Miami and Hungary. Right now, it feels safe to say that if they continue on this path, the Constructors’ Championship will be theirs this year. If Norris could improve his starts, he could prove an issue for Verstappen in the Driver’s title as well. He certainly has the car to do so.
However, despite their successes, problems still arose. Out of the 14 Grands Prix thus far this season, it became apparent that the team were not taking every opportunity available to them. What also became apparent was that their strategy calls were not up to scratch for a team that needed to perform at the highest level at all times. A McLaren win could have been had every weekend following Miami, beyond Monaco and Silverstone, but strategy calls let their drivers down.
Mercedes
Dare we say the biggest turnaround of the 2024 F1 season so far? It is hard to believe any other team will top this. Since their dominance ended in 2021, Mercedes have felt like they have been on the back burner. With one win in Brazil in 2022 for George Russell, the team had been winless up until this year. Now, they head back to the season with three wins in the last four races.
Russell and Lewis Hamilton seem happier than ever with their stronger car and are performing well. The team also seem to have got to grips with the regulations after years of confusion, which bodes well for the next 10 races. What a way to say goodbye to Hamilton.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season was Hamilton’s departure announcement. For many, it was believed that the Briton would retire with this team. However, that is not quite the case. In February, it was leaked, then announced that he would join Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc in 2025.
Much like Red Bull, success and departures were not the only things Mercedes had to contend with. While the past six races bought podiums and points, the first eight races did not. They gained 96 points across these in total, leaving them behind Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari. Russell’s car was also underweight in Belgium which saw a disqualification and the loss of their first one-two since 2022.
It is hard to imagine title fights are in their near future, but everything does point to Mercedes playing a key role in the outcome.
Ferrari
For Ferrari fans, while it may not seem like it, their team is in a stronger position than last year. They sit 63 points behind Red Bull and both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have won a race each. Much like McLaren and Mercedes, they also have a competent driver pairing.
However, since Monaco, where Leclerc won his home race for the first time, they seem to have dropped back. It was believed that the Monegasque was the driver to challenge Verstappen and they were the team to challenge Red Bull. Now, McLaren and Mercedes seem to have bettered their development and the prancing horse has fallen considerably behind. Despite this, Leclerc and Sainz maximise their potential when they can, which is why they cannot be ruled out of the Contructors’ fight yet.
It would also make for a final season with Sainz, who to the shock of all, will be a Williams driver this time next year.
Aston Martin
Beyond the Adrian Newey rumours, Aston Martin had a quiet first half of the 2024 F1 season, which came as a shock. Last year, the British team finished fifth in the constructors and all talk pointed at further success this year. While they look on track to finish fifth again, there has been a significant lack of progress for them that has done little to help with Lawrence Stroll’s ambition.
Nothing points to improvements in the second half, but a Newey announcement could prepare fans for the future.
RB
If you were to ask F1 fans about drivers who impressed them so far, the chances of Yuki Tsunoda being on the list are high. For those who would omit him, perhaps you have not been paying attention. RB are a team that are stuck in the shadows of Red Bull but also have their own lack of development to deal with. It also has not helped that Daniel Ricciardo is inconsistent in his efforts, which saw a slow start for the Australian. Amongst this, is Tsunoda who has been quietly impressive since race 1.
He is one to watch in the second half as he sets his sight on the second Red Bull seat. Ricciardo, who has a lot to lose, may also step it up. He did show promise in the first half of the season that he must capitalise on consistently.
Haas
Guenther Steiner’s departure was proven worth it in those 14 races gone by. While he would have played a role in the groundwork for this season, no one can deny what Ayao Komatsu has brought to the team. Nico Hülkenberg has been the standout, delivering where the car should not be. He has scored 22 of the team’s 27 points. He also delivered back-to-back sixth-place finishes in Austria and Silverstone. Unfortunately for HAAS, Hülkenberg will be an Audi driver come next year. They do, however, have rookie Ollie Bearman and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon joining to reshape them.
Kevin Magnussen is also not delivering as strongly as his teammate, which has seen them lose momentum in the constructors rankings. Had he picked up the pace, HAAS would be ahead of RB and closer to Aston Martin. Thanks to their car development, however, Hülkenberg is certainly one to watch as we go racing again.
Alpine
A common ocurance during each F1 season seems to be drama at Alpine. The first half of the 2024 season was no different, on or off track. In fact, key technical personnel left before the start of the season. There has since been a change in team principal and a suggested move away from being a constructor to a customer under Mercedes. Not to mention Flavio Briatore is back.
On track, things have not fared much better. The Monaco Grand Prix weekend saw teammates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly collide, which did nothing to smooth over the pair’s rocky relationship. Ocon soon announced his departure and Gasly a contract renewal. While it remains to be seen who will be joining the French man next season (Jack Doohan and Mick Schumacher are the current favourites), the team are eighth somehow.
They have scored points on a consistent basis, including six of the past nine rounds. Two of these races saw double points scored. Considering the mess, it has been impressive for the French team.
Williams
A surprise to the season was Williams’ poor start. Team Principal James Vowles‘ first year in the role throughout the 2023 season shifted momentum considerably for the once powerful team. However, they have scored just four points in total across 14 races. Each was scored by Alex Albon in the seventh or eighth fastest car.
It has also felt like the team has not supported Logan Sargeant enough. While there is room to argue that the American has not made it out of Q1 enough, he has been set back by Williams. In Australia, he had to give his car up to Albon due to the Thai-Brit crashing. There was not a spare chassis available, and despite Albon destroying his, it was Sargeant who lost out. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems largely unfair.
We could not talk about Williams in a 2o24 F1 Midseason Review and not discuss Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard is set to join the team from 2025. While this will likely not help them this season, it does make you wonder what Vowles and co have shown him for the future.
Stake
The most noise Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber have made this season so far was with their name change. They have felt largely non-existent with an uncompetitive car and no points between Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou. Their best finish in all 14 races has been P13 and completing their pit stops before the race finishes. In fact, their highlight perhaps was their minimal pit stop improvements, which still require a significant amount of work.
This work is hopefully in the near future. In 2026, the team will become Audi and recruitment has already started. Nico Hülkenberg is set to drive with another individual in the second spot, perhaps Bottas. Jonathan Wheatley has been poached from Red Bull and Mattia Binotto has also returned to the grid. Things can only get better from here on out.
Conclusion
What is apparent is that this 2024 F1 season has been and will likely continue to be one to watch. The competition is clearer than ever, and with four teams already with race wins to their name, will any other join the list? As the first 14 Grand Prix showed, anything is possible.
Off to Zandvoort.
