At the start of 2024, many, including myself, wrote this year off as another by-product of a certain Dutchman’s dominance, but we were so, so wrong. All the signs pointed toward another year where Max Verstappen won the World Driver’s Championship (WDC) at a canter. Ultimately Max took the title, but as is so often the case in motorsport, the final results table doesn’t tell the full story.

The 2024 season saw seven different winners, races won by over 20 seconds and those decided by less than a second, 24 races and five sprints, stellar comeback drives, countless strategy gambles, and a World Constructors’ Championship battle that went down to the final race of the season. Now that the dust has settled, let’s look back on an action-packed year of Formula 1.

A Promising Pre-season

In typical F1 fashion, the drama began off-track before pre-season testing, when Sir Lewis Hamilton shocked the entire sporting world by announcing his departure from Mercedes-AMG in February, severing a 12-year relationship. Fulfilling his dream of driving in Rosso Corsa, his hunt for an elusive eighth championship will restart with Ferrari in 2025.

Once the dust settled, the F1 season began in earnest with a pre-season test in Bahrain, with Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc setting the fastest times overall. The third-fastest time was set by none other than Sir Lewis. Was 2024 shaping up to be the closest season in a long time?

Bahrain & Saudi Arabia

Many hoped that would be the case, but those desires appeared unrealistic after Red Bull opened the 2024 season with a 1–2 finish, with Verstappen leading teammate Sergio Perez to the chequered flag at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Having won 21 out of 22 races the previous year, many sarcastically and seriously predicted that Red Bull could complete a clean sweep for the first time in the sport’s history.

Seven days later, another 1–2 with Verstappen and Perez at the head of the field at the second race in Saudi Arabia began to cement this belief among fans. The standout performance of the weekend came courtesy of Ferrari’s reserve driver Oliver Bearman, who was called up at the last minute to replace Carlos Sainz for the race. With one practice session to acclimatise to the car, the British rookie qualified 11th and finished the race in 7th place.

Australasian Leg

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit – aka Albert Park – would see Verstappen starting on pole position once again, and a team take a 1–2 finish, but it wouldn’t be Red Bull. A newly appendix-less Carlos Sainz passed Verstappen on the second lap, before the reigning champion retired on lap four with brake issues. Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc took second place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris in third, with fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri in fourth. The Australian Grand Prix was the first sign that the competition was closing in on Red Bull.

However, Verstappen came back from his premature finish down under with a vengeance, winning comfortably in Japan and China. Both Red Bulls finished on the podium in the Far Eastern races, with Perez taking second and third at Suzuka and Shanghai respectively. Carlos Sainz scored his third podium of the season in Japan, while Lando Norris split the Red Bulls in China. It was becoming clear that the MCL38 was the second-fastest car on the grid, but McLaren weren’t settling for that.

McLaren Takes Miami

A comprehensive upgrade package made a statement on the streets of Miami for F1’s first trip to the United States of America in 2024. While the 19-lap sprint race went the way of Max Verstappen, the Grand Prix was a different story. Following a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period to clear on-track debris, Lando Norris inherited the lead, and a well-timed pit stop during a subsequent safety car period cemented his position at the head of the pack. He held Verstappen at bay, taking advantage of the clear track ahead of him while his rival suffered in the wake.

The upgraded McLaren was clearly faster than the Red Bull in clean air and allowed Norris to take his first-ever Grand Prix win.

Imola and Monaco

The new championship protagonists continued their battle around Imola, delivering another blockbuster race. This time, Verstappen led a chasing Norris, with the last few laps of the race having viewers at the edges of their seats. The two were separated by a handful of seconds, with Norris waiting to capitalise on any mistake from Verstappen, but the Flying Dutchman held his nerve, crossing the line just seven-tenths of a second ahead of Norris. Close racing is what the new regulations promised, and two years after their introduction they were finally beginning to deliver.

From one formidable track to another, F1 headed to Monaco. While most of the grid calls the Principality their home, the only current driver born in Monte Carlo had yet to take victory at his home race. However, that changed this year as Charles Leclerc won the Monaco Grand Prix, following six years of bad luck. Be it mechanical failures, disqualifications, or suboptimal strategy calls, nothing had gone Charles’ way since 2018. True to form, it wasn’t plain sailing for him in 2024 either, as a red flag period caused by a multi-car crash on lap 1 led to a second standing start. He led the field away for a second time, where he remained until the chequered flag, becoming the first Monegasque driver to win his home race since Louis Chiron in 1931.

Spain, Canada and Silverstone

Returning to purpose-built circuits, two straight wins in Spain and Canada extended Max Verstappen’s WDC lead. All was going to plan for the resurgent Red Bull powerhouse until the first turning point of the season in Austria. A slow pit stop negated the lead that Verstappen had built up over Lando Norris, as he rejoined the track well within the grasp of the McLaren.

Seeing an opportunity, Norris attacked with late lunges while Verstappen appeared to move in the braking zone on more than one occasion. Things reached a head on lap 64, when the championship rivals collided. The clash caused Norris to retire, while Verstappen recovered to finish fifth. At the time, George Russell was on course for a podium finish but capitalised to take his second F1 victory, and the first for Mercedes-AMG since Brazil in 2022.

The British Grand Prix continued to be a highlight of the season, delivering an unexpected but highly emotional result. The famous British weather influenced the running, with rain hitting the circuit close to the halfway point of the race. Pole-sitter George Russell was forced to retire before both Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen switched from intermediate to slick tyres on the same lap. Race leader Lando Norris waited an extra lap to make the switch and would eventually be passed by a resurgent Verstappen. However, Sir Lewis retained his lead, taking victory at Silverstone for a record-breaking ninth time. 

Newey Departs Red Bull

By the Hungarian Grand Prix, Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull Racing was confirmed, and the car began to lose its competitive edge. While Sergio Perez had voiced concerns about balance issues earlier in the year, the #1 car was still winning. But by the midpoint of the season, the Milton Keynes-based outfit entered damage limitation mode to cling to its lead in the Constructors’ Championship.

On-track in Budapest, Oscar Piastri won his first Grand Prix, but team orders helped decide the result. Teammate Norris emerged ahead of Piastri after the final round of pit stops, with the team commanding Norris to yield the position. This was not the only time that McLaren’s lack of recent race-winning experience cost them, and the team could have dominated many more Grands Prix with better management from the pit wall.

Moving from its traditional calendar slot at the end of the summer break, the Belgian Grand Prix was held in July at Spa. The longest track on the F1 calendar saw a masterclass in tyre conservation by George Russell, where he executed a perfect one-stop strategy and won the race on track. However, he was later disqualified for being under the minimum weight by 1.5 kg at the end of the race. This promoted Sir Lewis Hamilton to the race victory, which would ultimately be his last for Mercedes-AMG.

As is traditional in August, the rumour mill went into overdrive, with Sergio Perez’s seat being the topic of discussion for many outlets. Perez was underperforming for the reigning champions, and many speculated that Spa could have been his last race in a Red Bull – just a matter of months after a two-year contract extension was signed.

Drama at the Dutch and Italian GPs

The season restarted in Zandvoort for the Dutch GP, which had a 100% pole and win ratio by home hero Max Verstappen since its return to the F1 calendar. The grandstands were packed with orange-clad fans, but the party was spoiled by a fittingly orange car. Lando Norris took victory with a monumental 22-second gap to Verstappen, coining his signature phrase “simply lovely” on the team radio to further rub salt in the wounds.

At the other end of the grid, Logan Sargeant’s tough 2024 campaign came to an abrupt end following another hefty trip to the barriers during practice, and a 15th-place finish in the race. The Williams F1 team drafted in Franco Colapinto to finish the season, ahead of Carlos Sainz’s arrival in 2025.

Having been the focal point of countless jokes and memes about race strategy blunders, Ferrari nailed it at the race that matters most to them – the Italian Grand Prix. Monza hosted the final European round of the season, with Charles Leclerc and his team executing a perfect one-stop race to win in front of their home crowd.

Heading to Azerbaijan, the starting grid changed once more with Oliver Bearman being called up to race again, but this time for Haas. Kevin Magnussen had accumulated 12 penalty points on his FIA Super Licence, resulting in the first one-race ban since Romain Grosjean’s exclusion in 2012.

Thanks to a 10th-place finish, “Super Sub” Bearman became the first driver to score points in two different Ferrari-powered cars in the same season. Ahead of him, Lando Norris kept edging closer to the Championship lead with a brilliant drive from 15th to fourth place, while his teammate Oscar Piastri took his second race win of the season.

Back to Asia and the Americas: Red Bull Gets Ruthless

McLaren began to look unstoppable as F1 returned to the Far East for the Singapore Grand Prix. Norris once again won in commanding fashion, finishing 21 seconds ahead of Verstappen. The ruthless nature of the sport was highlighted as Daniel Ricciardo was told that the 62 laps around the Marina Bay street circuit would be his last in an F1 car. His replacement was the driver who substituted for Ricciardo after breaking his hand at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix: Liam Lawson. Perhaps Ricciardo deserved a proper send-off, but the Red Bull camp had already turned their eye to the future of their teams.

With the next round a month away, Red Bull had time to figure out what wasn’t working with the RB20. They returned in much better shape at Austin, where Verstappen won the Saturday Sprint. Norris qualified on pole for the Grand Prix but lost positions at the start, and the two Ferraris secured a 1–2 finish, with Leclerc leading Sainz home.

With the Drivers’ Championship heating up, Verstappen had to pass Norris and drive defensively to maintain his lead at the top of the standings. Controversially, he used the rulebook to his advantage, forcing Norris off the track. However, as Verstappen’s car was ahead at the apex of Turn 12, he was allowed to maintain his position ahead of his championship rival and gain two extra points.

The do-or-die approach backfired in Mexico City, as Verstappen and Norris collided once more. A borderline dangerous move sent the pair off track, but this time Verstappen was handed a 20-second time penalty. Post-race, Verstappen admitted that had he not made that audacious move, Norris would have won the race instead of eventual winner Carlos Sainz.

However, Verstappen redeemed himself in Brazil with a mixed-condition masterclass. After qualifying P17 due to getting caught out by a red flag, it looked like the WDC was heading to Norris. But, as it so often does, the Interlagos weather had other plans. In torrential rain, Red Bull gambled by staying out on intermediate tyres rather than switching to wets. Alpine also opted to pray for a red flag, and both teams were hugely rewarded for this risk after Franco Colapinto’s race-ending crash.

At the restart, Verstappen drove away from the field, defying the odds to win from his 17th-place starting position. Both Alpines finished on the podium for the first time in 11 years, vaulting the team past Haas to secure sixth in the Constructors’ Championship. That single strategy call may have earned Alpine an additional £50 million and is indisputably the gamble of the season.

The final street race of the season in Las Vegas saw Mercedes-AMG return to form, taking a commanding 1–2 victory as George Russell won, while Sir Lewis Hamilton recovered from 10th to second on the road. Carlos Sainz finished third, but all eyes were on the fifth-place finisher, Max Verstappen. By finishing ahead of Lando Norris, Verstappen secured the World Drivers’ Championship title for the fourth year in a row, joining Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as a four-time champion. He even broke the record for securing his four titles in the quickest time in F1 history.

Constructors’ Climax

With the WDC wrapped up, attention turned to the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren needed both cars to finish the remaining Sprint race and two Grands Prix ahead of Ferrari. In Qatar, the Woking-based outfit took 15 points from a 1–2 Sprint result, while Ferrari managed 9. However, their gains were nullified in the Grand Prix. Max Verstappen secured his ninth win of the season, while Charles Leclerc held off Oscar Piastri to take second. Lando Norris’ 10th-place finish meant that McLaren left the Losail Circuit with only a 31-point lead over Ferrari.

The final round of the season at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit saw the Constructors’ Championship go down to the wire, with McLaren needing a perfect race to clinch the title. The ever-consistent Ferrari were ready to pick up the pieces if something went terribly wrong, and it looked as if disaster had struck at the first corner when another late lunge by Max Verstappen sent Oscar Piastri tumbling down the order. Nevertheless, Lando Norris converted his pole position into a victory, securing McLaren’s first World Constructors’ Championship since 1998.

My Highlights of the 2024 F1 Season

In a season full of action, a few highlights stood out to me personally. My overtake of the year has to go to Alex Albon for his double pass on Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon on a greasy Montreal circuit. Albon judged both overtakes perfectly, avoiding becoming the latest victim of the Wall of Champions.

Design is subjective, and my favourite livery of 2024 goes to the papaya-and-chrome McLaren that raced at the Circuit of the Americas. The nod to the Vodafone-sponsored era was full of nostalgia, and nostalgia wins big in F1. It was also a genius marketing move, promoting Google’s Chrome browser on a chrome-trimmed car.

Finally, my race of the season was the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. This should come as no surprise as I am a proud Max Verstappen fan, but starting in 17th place, navigating changeable conditions, nailing red flag restarts, and ultimately driving away from the field to win by a comfortable margin is no easy task. Verstappen handled the race beautifully, showing us that his win at Interlagos in 2016 was a prequel to the masterclass drive he delivered this year. In my view, this was the final turning point of the Drivers’ Championship, and the one that turned it his way.

Looking Forward to the 2025 F1 Season

While the celebrations began in the Middle East and continued in the middle of England for the newly crowned Constructors’ champions, F1 waited for nobody. The eyes of multiple teams and drivers had been set on 2025 for some time.

The off-track musical chairs that surrounded the driver market began with Sir Lewis Hamilton’s move to join Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, announced in February. Carlos Sainz was displaced, moving to Williams.

Needing to replace a seven-time World Champion, Mercedes-AMG promoted their young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who has quite the pair of racing boots to fill. Red Bull parted ways with Sergio Perez shortly after the season finale, and Yuki Tsunoda was once again overlooked for a promotion to the senior team. Instead, Liam Lawson will be a Red Bull driver in 2025, while Tsunoda will be joined by rookie Isack Hadjar at the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team.

Another rookie joins the grid in Jack Doohan, who made his first F1 start in the season-ending Abu Dhabi race for Alpine. Esteban Ocon moves from Team Enstone to Haas, joined by Oliver Bearman, whose three standout stand-in appearances thoroughly earned him a full-time F1 drive for 2025. Nico Hülkenberg is headed to Sauber, where he’ll join Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Audi’s entry into F1 from 2026. Aston Martin and McLaren retain their driver line-ups, while Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu will not return to race seats in the upcoming season.

The 2024 season was a rollercoaster, but I think the upcoming year of Formula 1 will be even more dramatic. With five rookies, a big shake-up of driver pairings, and multiple teams in contention to fight for the championship, being a Formula 1 fan right now feels like waiting for the corn in the microwave to start popping. Formula 1 in 2024 saw the highest number of races in a year, the most viewers, and interest from all corners of the world.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for 16 March to arrive, and for the next chapter of the F1 World Championship to begin.