14 rounds down, 10 to go!
We’re a little more than halfway through the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Back in Bahrain, it looked like yet another predictable season was headed our way. However, with 14 rounds now completed, we can confidently say that the remaining 10 are set to be exciting.
It is now time to say farewell to the sandy shores, guilty pleasures and boring Sundays, welcoming back the sound of wheel guns and revving engines. Hot wheels will be hitting the asphalt again tomorrow. We will see our first green light in weeks at Zandvoort when FP1 flags off this Friday.
As we roll closer to our first bit of action, let’s track back to Bahrain.
Round 1 – Bahrain Grand Prix
Bahrain opened the Formula 1 season once again.
After an outstanding headstart since the ground effect era was introduced in 2022, Red Bull were expected to have another strong season. Naturally, there was the expectation that the gap would have closed up. However, Red Bull had an even bigger gap to the rest in Bahrain.
After Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix 22 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez who was 25 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz’ Ferrari, it was hard not to lose hope for a fight for the title.
In terms of the rest of the grid, the power dynamic shifted in comparison to the 2023 season. Aston Martin who started the 2023 season strong but lost the development race seemed to have gone even further back come Bahrain 2024. Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes were now ahead of Lawrence Stroll’s team.
Ferrari looked to be the second fastest on the grid, with Mercedes and McLaren both having a somewhat difficult start to the season.
Alpine were the shock of the show. All weekend, Alpine proved to be the slowest car on the grid. Williams and Kick Sauber struggled too, with the Haas team looking somewhat stronger than those around them at the back of the field.
Round 2 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix did not provide much of a change of perspective for the 2024 F1 season.
Red Bull were still unbelievably fast. Ferrari still looked to be the second fastest, while McLaren and Mercedes slightly struggled behind them.
What was notable that weekend was a surprise debut for a Ferrari Academy driver. Following appendicitis surgery, Carlos Sainz was unable to take part in the Saudi Arabian GP. In his place, Ferrari brought on F2 Prema driver Oliver (Ollie) Bearman. After qualifying P11, Bearman had a good race, crossing the finish line in P7.
The 18-year-old drove with composure and talent, earning praise from the grid and beyond. After his performance that weekend, Bearman was automatically slotted into all talks of the 2025 F1 season as a driver to be considered.
Another driver who made an impression was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. After an impressive rookie season in 2023, Piastri started the 2024 season on an upward trajectory, showing even more promising signs.
Alpine were still shockingly slow but managed a P13 finish with Esteban Ocon, with Kick Sauber unable to make an impression two seasons in a row. Williams had a better race, with Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant finishing P11 and P14 respectively.
Round 3 – Australian Grand Prix
Just like in 2023, the 2024 Australian Grand Prix was a bit chaotic and somewhat unpredictable.
As the weekend started, yet again, the power dynamics hadn’t changed across the grid. It was still Red Bull and the rest.
On race day, however, Ferrari proved to have a strong package. Sainz was able to stay close to Verstappen before finally taking the lead from him on lap 2. However, there appeared to be an explanation for Red Bull’s sudden disadvantage. On lap 4, there was smoke coming out of the rear of Verstappen’s car, as he tumbled down the field. It looked to be coming from his right rear tyre. The Milton Keynes team later revealed that the Dutchman started the race with a right rear brake issue, which went from bad to worse, leading to his retirement.
To everyone’s shock, the race win was open. It wasn’t going to be yet another dominant win from Max Verstappen.
As the race unfolded, it looked like it would be a Ferrari 1-2. In the final stages of the race, Charles Leclerc was challenging his teammate for P1. However, a late virtual safety car dampened his chances. The race ended under the safety car, with Sainz leading the Ferrari 1-2.
George Russell caused the virtual safety car, as he lost control of his car fighting for P6. He crashed into the wall, the heavy shunt landing his car on its side, in the middle of the track. His teammate Hamilton meanwhile had retired from the race on lap 17 with a power unit issue. That perfectly summed up Mercedes’ start to the 2024 Formula 1 season.
On the podium with Ferrari was Lando Norris, with Piastri in P4. In P5 was Sergio Perez, with the fastest car on the grid. It was a telling finish.
At the back of the grid was some drama with Williams. Towards the end of FP1, Alexander Albon lost control of his FW46. Albon was forced to sit out Free Practice 2, as the team assessed the damage to the Thai-British driver’s car.
The damage was deemed too significant to continue using the chassis. As a result, the team made a controversial decision. Albon was asked to drive Logan Sargeant’s car for the remainder of the weekend, the American sitting out action at no fault of his own. This was as Williams had confirmed that they have no third chassis available that weekend.
Round 4 – Japanese Grand Prix
In Japan, Red Bull were right back at the front. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez locked out the front row after qualifying, and went on to secure yet another Red Bull 1-2 come race day.
At the race start, Daniel Ricciardo’s RB made contact with Williams’ Alex Albon. The two went off into the wall, the impact heavy. This brought the red flag, with a standing start consuming on lap 4.
Red Bull had another comfortable race as mentioned earlier. Ferrari looked comfortable too, finishing the race in P3 and P4. McLaren, Mercedes and Fernando Alonso battled for the remaining places in the top 9, with Yuki Tsunoda making it into the points at his home race.
Two drivers who stole the spotlight during the race were Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda. Sainz looked more comfortable in the Ferrari than Leclerc did. As for Tsunoda, RB got the pitstops right, and the Japanese driver had incredible overtakes throughout the race.
Round 5 – Chinese Grand Prix
Formula 1 was finally back in China for the first time since 2021. Shanghai, proudly back on the F1 calendar flagged off the first of six sprint weekends of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
McLaren had a strong car in China. They had not brought any upgrades, it’s just that their car was well suited to the track, and conditions. Lando Norris claimed pole for the Sprint. He however lost that lead at the start of the Sprint. He lost six places in the Sprint Race from P1 to P7 after Turn 1.
McLaren then qualified P4 and P5 for the main race with Norris and Piastri respectively. Norris finished on the podium, 13 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen. The Australian on the other hand had damage from contact, which cost him his race, finishing P8.
Ferrari on the other hand had a difficult time in China. On race day they were slow from the start. What Ferrari’s weekend in Shanghai highlighted too, was their poor qualifying trim, which has been a struggle for them most of the season.
At this point in time, Mercedes were quite questionable. It had appeared that McLaren had found some pace somewhere. With this, a Mercedes customer team had gotten the better of them. And despite Ferrari’s struggles, the Ferraris were still stronger contenders than the Mercedes’ were.
Both RBs retired after being hit in the back. Ricciardo specifically was hit by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. This brought a lot of heat towards the Canadian, with many questioning his place on the grid.
As if Kick Sauber weren’t having a bad enough season, Valtteri Bottas too retired from the race with an engine issue.
All in all, it was a somewhat difficult return to Shanghai for the grid. It was a first-ever trip to the circuit for some drivers on the grid, including home hero Guanyu Zhou. It was also the first return since 2019 for the rest of the grid. Not to mention, the track had undergone some changes, with a bitumen surface treatment affecting grip.
Round 6 – Miami Grand Prix
In F1’s third return to Miami, a driver on the grid saw his dreams turn into a reality. After a disastrous Sprint quali and Sprint race, he turned his fate around come race day. From P5 on the grid, Lando Norris went on to become an F1 Grand Prix winner for the first time in his career.
That weekend however highlighted a weakness that Norris is yet to overcome as of now. His starts have been poor. He is in fact yet to gain a position on lap 1 this 2024 season. At the Miami Sprint for one, he started the race in P9, but went down to P20, losing 11 places after contact. This incident had not entirely been his fault, however, he would go on to have self-inflicted poor starts in future races.
The Red Bulls were not as quick as they had been in previous races, allowing Norris to have a go at the win on Sunday. Also, an untimely safety car hampered Verstappen’s chances of winning the race against the McLaren driver.
For most of the race, however, Verstappen and Norris kept us on our toes, wondering who the win would go to. Ultimately, it was the Brit who was crowned victor that day, putting a foot into the title race.
Round 7 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
In 2023, Formula 1 did not race in Imola due to regional floods which had affected the Imola circuit. In 2024 however, we got to race at one of F1’s classic circuits.
At one of their home races – the other being Monza – Ferrari had a better weekend, after bringing performance-related upgrades. Qualifying was still a struggle for the Maranello-based team, however, a podium finish came their way in the race. Leclerc was P3, whilst Sainz was P5. Although not such great results, it looked as though Ferrari were finding themselves again after a drop in performance in China and Miami.
McLaren having had the fastest car since Miami, had Norris finishing only 0.725 seconds behind race winner Verstappen. Mercedes on the other hand were more or less in the same place they had been in other races.
RB driver Yuki Tsunoda who has been having a great season in a struggling car finished P10, earning a point for himself and his team. Sergio Perez on the other hand finished the race in P8.
Round 8 – Monaco Grand Prix
After leaving the landscapes of northern Italy, off to the land of glitz and glamour we went. Along the shores of one of F1’s most iconic tracks of all time are yachts where the rich and the famous enjoy the growl of the V8 engines zooming past them.
While Monaco might not necessarily hold the excitement it once did, especially on race days, it delivered that weekend. The 2024 Monaco Grand Prix is arguably one of the best races of the 2024 F1 season, simply because of its end product.
Lap 1 was chaotic. Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnessun and Nico Hulkenberg were the early retirements on the grid after a nasty collision on that lap. Perez’s RB20 incurred the most damage, holding heavy financial implications for Red Bull, which have arguably been a reason for their recent ‘decline’.
Also on lap 1, there was the ‘French Civil War’. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon collided, ultimately leading to Gasly’s retirement. This caused a rift within Alpine and a ruckus in the media. After weeks of speculation, rumours and accusations being thrown around, it was later announced that Esteban Ocon would be leaving the French team at the end of the season.
Elsewhere upfront, Monaco’s own was in a race against time. Racing to break a curse that has had a strong hold on him his entire professional career, the Monaguesue held his own. After starting the race in pole, he drove to the chequered flag on the streets that raised him. With emotion heavy in his heart, Charles Leclerc crossed the line first to become the winner of the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time in his career.
Round 9 – Canadian Grand Prix
Mercedes turned heads in Montreal. It is without a doubt that Mercedes deeply struggled with the W15 in the early rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 season. The W15 had a difficult combination of low-speed understeer and high-speed oversteer. Lewis Hamilton described it as, “the slower you go, the less the car wants to turn,” with the car then becoming very nervous at the rear in high-speed corners.
As a result, Mercedes brought a somewhat controversial front wing to Monaco. A few days later, George Russell claimed pole position in Montreal. Mercedes went on to finish the race in P3 and P4 with Russell and Hamilton respectively.
Ferrari who were at a point faster than Mercedes this season had a shockingly disappointing weekend. Unable to find pace all weekend long, there was quite a lot to question. Both Ferraris had a DNF in Montreal, to their further demise.
Red Bull and McLaren meanwhile remained close, with Verstappen winning 3.8 seconds ahead of Norris.
An unexpected positive for Alpine was present at Montreal. Gasly and Ocon finished P9 and P10 respectively, earning Alpine’s first double points of the season.
Round 10 – Spanish Grand Prix
McLaren, still having the fastest car on the grid managed to secure pole with Lando Norris in Barcelona. However, after Turn 1 on race day, he went down to P3. Norris went on to finish the race in P2, 2 seconds behind Verstappen’s Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton who had been having a difficult season got his first podium of the season, standing on the third step. Russell finished behind his teammate, with the top 4 all having a fierce race in a fight for the top spots.
Ferrari, although not struggling as much as they did in Canada, were now without a doubt slower than Mercedes. Leclerc, Sainz, Piastri, Perez, Gasly and Ocon rounded off the rest of the points positions. Alpine with two-point finishes in a row was an impressive feat. However, Perez qualifying P8 and finishing the race in the same position was another telling result from the Mexican.
Round 11 – Austrian Grand Prix
The Red Bull ring hosted the third sprint weekend of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
McLaren were once again the fastest, with Verstappen’s Red Bull hot on their tails. Both Piastri and Norris had strong performances all throughout the weekend, as did Verstappen. On Sunday’s race, the latter were battling hard for the race win.
However, after several moves under braking from Verstappen, Norris and the Dutchman eventually collided, with only a few laps to go. Behind them, in the right place at the right time was George Russell inheriting the win from the two. Mercedes had a race win for the first time this season, an accomplishment that looked completely impossible at the start of the season.
On the podium with him were Piastri and Sainz, with Hamilton and Verstappen rounding out the top 5. Norris on the other hand retired from the race. Frustration filled both camps, with eyes on the FIA, who have been named compliant for Verstappen’s driving style by the media.
Through the clouds of tension though, there was something to smile about. After round 11, four teams had won a Grand Prix Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes. The 2024 F1 season was shaping up quite nicely.
Round 12 – British Grand Prix
Silverstone might just be the most loved circuit on the grid, by fans and drivers. And true to fashion, Silverstone delivered a fantastic race. Much like Monaco, it was a race that brought to life a beautiful story.
Mercedes had a very strong weekend. They locked out the front row on Saturday, Russell in P1, and Hamilton in P2, a tenth of a second separating them. Norris and Verstappen were just behind the two, a statement not to count them out.
Come race day, Lewis Hamilton had a commanding drive. Those around him had good performances too, with the race win open to anyone. However, the first to cross the finish line at the start of the Hamilton Straight was the man himself; Lewis Hamilton. A second behind him was Verstappen and in third and fourth, Norris and Piastri.
After a two-year drought, Hamilton became a race winner again. It was a much-needed boost for the Brit and something Ferrari must have been happy about, as he will be driving for them next season.
Despite Russell retiring due to a water leak, Mercedes’ progress was clear and quite commendable.
Aston Martin, Haas, Williams and RB too had something to smile about. Aston Martin got double points, while Hulkenberg, Albon and Tsunoda were in the points.
Round 13 – Hungarian Grand Prix
Another dream came to fruition this year, with the Hungaroring playing host.
McLaren started the weekend strong. They locked out the front row, with Piastri just 22 milliseconds behind his teammate. Oscar Piastri snatched the lead from his teammate at the start of the race.
As he always has, Piastri maintained a cool head, driving with composure in the lead. From the start, he had practically earned the race win. However, that was nearly taken from him by a questionable strategy choice by McLaren. In defence of a non-existent threat to their 1-2, McLaren pitted Norris before the Aussie, Norris thus undercutting Piastri. This allowed Norris to take the lead of the race. From lap 45 when Norris pitted, he was instructed to give the place back to Piastri. However, the Brit refused to comply until he eventually slowed down at the start-finish straight on lap 68. Piastri went on to cross the line first for his maiden F1 victory.
In that race, Piastri proved that he had conquered an issue he had struggled with since his debut; tyre management. He has made great strides in terms of that this season, but it was at the Hungarian Grand Prix that he showed true growth.
On the podium with the McLaren was Hamilton. Verstappen was sandwiched between the two Ferraris in P5.
As for the back of the grid, it was an underwhelming weekend for Alpine, RB, Williams, Haas and Kick Sauber.
Round 14 – Belgian Grand Prix
The final race before the summer break was held at the iconic Spa.
Max Verstappen claimed pole. Locking out the second row with him was Charles Leclerc with an impressive lap in a struggling Ferrari. Esteban Ocon too had an impressive lap, managing P10 with the Alpine.
Max Verstappen received a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his limit on internal combustion engine components, therefore Leclerc started on pole with Perez, Hamilton and Norris behind him.
On race day, Leclerc and Hamilton – who started in P4 – had great starts. Perez lost a place to Hamilton, whilst Norris lost three places at the start.
As the race progressed, and with the outlook of how strategies were to play out, Hamilton looked most likely to win. However, behind him, Piastri, Verstappen and Leclerc were not to be counted out.
What was not anticipated, was Russell’s hand in the race for the win. Russell opted out of the prearranged pit stop strategy he, his teammate and the rest of the team had agreed on. The young Mercedes driver opted for the one-stopper – a risky but possibly rewarding choice. With the one-stopper, Russell went on to win the race 5-tenths of a second in front of Hamilton.
However, after mandatory checks by the FIA, George Russell was disqualified, as his car was underweight. There are many factors that could have contributed to this, including the choice to run on one set of tyres for as long as he did. Either way, it made his race win illegitimate. As a result, Lewis Hamilton was promoted to race winner, earning his second win of the season. Piastri and Leclerc were promoted to the final steps of the podium.
Conclusion
This 2024 Formula 1 season has had its fate completely turned around. We went from thinking this would be yet another comfortable walk to both titles for Max Verstappen and Red Bull, to wondering who could win the title. It is more likely to be either Verstappen or Norris, but there are other options too. As things stand now, even Hamilton who is in P6 in the standings can mathematically win the Drivers’ Championship title this year.
Unless Norris can overcome his struggle to have good starts, he may not be a strong contender for the title. As for Verstappen, he has proven to struggle under pressure, and now the competition is much closer. Having to fight off McLarens, Mercedes and Ferraris will be no easy feat. Going into Zandvoort, the 15th race win of the season is open to anyone. We have quite the season left to go.
