Yahoo Finance What You Need to Know Before Heading Into the Biggest Formula 1 Season Ever
The green flag is set to wave for Formula 1’s 75th season this weekend, and judging by all available metrics, the world’s richest, most popular, and technologically advanced form of motorsport is continuing to grow. Last week’s testing on the 3.36-mile Bahrain International Circuit hinted at the action to come. One thing is for sure: It’s going to move quickly. Here are some need-to-know storylines, some of which may seem familiar, some of which might surprise.
Yes, It's the Biggest Ever
Formula 1 will host 24 for ‘24—a full two-dozen Grand Prix contests. That is the most races on the calendar, ever. F1 will race in 21 countries, tied for the most ever. Keep in mind that for the first 20 years of F1, there were less than a dozen races.
The Chinese GP (April 19-21) returns for the first time since pre-Covid, and the GP at Imola (May 17-19) is back as well after being canceled last year due to flooding. The U.S. and Italy are the only countries that will host more than one GP—with America hosting the same three as last year. The rumor mill suggests that the season could get longer in the future, and even better for Stateside fans. F1 recently applied to trademark “Grand Prix Chicago” and “Formula 1 Chicago Grand Prix.” This may come as no surprise judging by the success of the first-ever NASCAR street race, which was held in Chicago last year and comfortably outpaced F1’s Miami Grand Prix TV viewership in 2023.
Picking Up Where We Left Off
While the cost cap has closed the gap between the best and worst—all ten teams made multiple appearances in Q3 in 2023—Red Bull is still in the driver’s seat. Pontificators have called Max Verstappen "a shoe in" (pun intended) and the whole season as "a race for second.” Though Ferrari topped the tables in two of the three days of Sakhir testing—with Carlos Sainz the only pilot to crack a 1:30 lap—every sportsbook worth its dollar signs has Verstappen the safe bet in the new RB20.
The second and third-place constructors of last year—Mercedes and Ferrari—will challenge for all the points that Red Bull fails to Hoover up. That continuing rivalry should play out as the most exciting narrative of 2024 (Mercedes captured second last season by a mere 3 points), especially given the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Maranello next season.
But, just as relegation threats and player transfers keep Premier League soccer (football) games interesting even in the middle and bottom of the table, F1’s battles for points and payouts among the the lower ranking teams remain fascinating. Points mean money, which every team wants to score. Which means every championship point matters. Neither Williams nor Haas looked at all strong in Sakhir. But Aston Martin? Maybe. McLaren had a way better start in testing this year than last. The mood at Woking is bright.
Scuderia AlphaTauri is now running with the “roll-right-off-the-tongue” name of Visa Cash App RB. Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake is now Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. But driver lineups remain the same—for now. And with the new power unit regs set to take effect in 2026, this year’s technical changes are minor. So, livery tweaks aside, the cars too will look similar to 2023.
Michael Andretti's F1 Dream? Not So Fast!
When Michael Andretti announced he was applying for a new team membership in F1, with Cadillac as an engine partner, American fans were riveted. This was the story we were waiting for. “Our goal is to be an all-American team,” Andretti told R&T last year. “To build a car over here on U.S. soil, with an American driver and an American team.”
As most now know, F1 rejected the application for an 11th team, with unmitigatedly arrogant reasoning. "We do not believe that the applicant would be a competitive participant," the series’ statement argued. Well, we will never know, will we? Not at least until 2028, the earliest that Andretti Global could now jump in.
This should get under American fans’ collective skin. Only once ever has an American team built its own car and won in F1—Dan Gurney at the 1967 Belgian GP in the All American Racers Eagle. Not since 1978 has America had an F1 world championship, Mario Andretti. Only 22 times in F1’s history has an American won an F1 GP with any team (excluding the Indy 500, which qualified as a round for some years early on), and 12 of those 22 were won by Mario. Not since 1993 has an American stood on the podium at an F1 GP—Michael Andretti, with a third at Monza.
It’s time for U.S. teams and drivers to step up. But who?
Speaking of Stars and Stripes
Haas F1 topped the charts with the most laps in testing (441), clearly in an attempt to show that the squad’s fortunes are looking up following the sacking of popular team principal Guenther Steiner in the off-season. Steiner has led Haas F1 since its birth eight years ago. Haas F1 has work to do in 2024 to keep the support of fans. The team has a total of zero podiums in its eight campaigns, with two fastest laps and one pole. With the Andretti/GM bid squashed, at least for now, Haas remains the only American team, with a lot to prove.
The best news for American fans may come from the lower ranks. Manhattan-raised Max Esterson is the lone American in FIA F3 this season. (Read about his incredible rise from iRacing phenom to open-wheel stardom here.) Two Americans will campaign in F2, both with Dams Lucas Oil. Jak Crawford—a Red Bull Junior Team Driver—finished 13th in last year’s F2 championship. Teammate Juan Manuel Correa continues his drive forward after suffering a shocking shunt in 2020 that nearly took his life (and did take the life of another driver).
The Road Ahead
As the race for the drivers’ and constructors’ championships begin to play out, so too will the personal narratives of every man on the grid and in the paddock. Christian Horner, one of the most powerful figures in international motorsport, sees his legacy in peril after the longtime Red Bull team principal was caught up in a sexting scandal. Will Horner get the sack? Carlos Sainz, who set the fastest lap in the Bahrain tests and who finished seventh in last year’s campaign (just six points behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc), enters the season with no seat for 2025. Will Sainz prove the Ferrari bosses wrong by besting his teammate this season?
Sergio Perez’s contract is running out at Red Bull. Could Sainz end up in Perez’s seat next spring? A lot of fans predicted that Logan Sargeant wouldn’t be back after claiming just a single point in 2023. Can the Floridian rise up and claim a future in F1?
Will Michael Andretti’s bid for an F1 team continue to gain traction? Can 42-year-old Fernando Alonso win his first Grand Prix since 2013? Can Hamilton add to his all-time record of 103 F1 checkered flags? All of it will make this season not just the biggest, but hopefully one of the best. The green flag awaits.
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