WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR RED BULL, FERRARI, MERCEDES, MCLAREN, AND THE REST FOR THE F1 2024 DRIVERS, TEAMS, AND CARS GUIDE?
Will the F1 season in 2024 continue to be as biased as the previous one? Though it’s hard to predict, supporters will be hopeful that teams like Mercedes and Ferrari can catch up to the Red Bull squad, which dominated the previous season, especially with the help of defending world champion Max Verstappen.
The driver lineup for 2024 hasn’t changed, which is unusual given that one team has rebranded. This means that the teammates who finished 2023 together will compete against one another once more in the hopes of winning.
For example, Mexican pilot Sergio Perez, who struggled late in the season to end up with Red Bull, will be being watched.
He was particularly unreliable in qualifying. This year, will he be able to clear his record and establish his merit for a slot next to Verstappen? This is our guide to the drivers, teams, and vehicles.
With 21 victories out of 22 races in 2023, Red Bull was unmatched. The majority of people predict that the other competitors will catch up in 2024, especially because Red Bull has been hindered by a 10% reduction in wind tunnel testing last year due to breaking cost cap regulations in 2022. However, given how dominant the RB19 is, it’s reasonable to assume that the RB20 will likewise win races.
Verstappen is a strong contender to win again in 2024 after going almost unbeaten and recording a record 19 victories in 2023. His infrequent errors in qualifying were more than made up for in the races since he was lightning quick and unbelievably consistent. Compared to 2022, he showed himself to be a far more experienced and well-rounded driver.
Perez’s Red Bull career is currently in shambles, and although he only won half as many points as his teammate, his second-place result in the drivers’ championship was sufficient to secure his spot for 2024.
Because they are so confident in the vehicles they have available, both drivers are rumored to be eager to drive for the team for free.
Work on that shift has already begun thanks to an agreement for Ford hybrid powertrains starting in 2026, though it is unlikely to have an effect on Red Bull’s prospects for the next two seasons.
In early February, Lewis Hamilton, the top driver for Mercedes, made a shocking announcement: he will be joining the Ferrari squad in 2025.
It surprised almost everyone because the seven-time world champion from Britain had signed a two-year contract with Mercedes last year, which many had assumed would be his last F1 contract. However, he was able to use a break provision that allowed him to quit the company early.
It shocked everyone in the Formula One world, even the Mercedes team. Manager Toto Wolff has stated that he is unsure about Hamilton’s replacement; anything is possible at this time, including a new, youthful talent or an accomplished race winner.
Mercedes, though, has to win a championship before that can occur. It remains to be seen what this means for the cohesiveness of the club in 2024, as well as whether Mercedes chooses to prioritize George Russell this season—a move the team would undoubtedly contest.
There is definitely potential in the automobile. The team chose an innovative zeropod design for its 2022 vehicle, but it struggled for most of that year.
Knowing that Red Bull had improved so much in pre-season testing for 2023, the team felt it had to change its strategy. Consequently, a significantly modified machine was unveiled at Monaco 2023, adopting Red Bull’s strategy.
That might yield benefits in 2024. There were more podium finishes than in 2022, despite the fact that the unrest last year prevented Mercedes from winning any races for the first time in the team’s current F1 history.
Additionally, the Brackley-based team defeated Ferrari to finish second in the constructors’ title. The highest-finishing non-Red Bull driver at the end of the season was Lewis Hamilton.
Both of the British drivers are excellent behind the wheel, despite the changing driver dynamic. Both players had a strong performance in 2023, but Russell will need to control his emotions because his occasional displays of annoyance suggest a less reliable season than that of his composed teammate.
As a seven-time world champion, Hamilton may not have anything left to prove, but he will want to prove to Ferrari that he is still the best and won’t tolerate another season without a victory.
Both of its drivers’ mindsets will undoubtedly be impacted by Hamilton’s unexpected news that he will join Ferrari in 2025, especially Carlos Sainz, who is expected to lose his position at the end of the current season. In contrast, Charles Leclerc signed a long-term contract with the team in 2023.
Since Sainz is a professional, he won’t reveal his displeasure, but it will become evident during the season whether he utilizes it as motivation to reach greatness on schedule in 2024 or whether it shows itself as frustration and bad performance.
Leclerc, on the other hand, claims he was aware of the Hamilton arrangement in advance and is excited to compete with the seven-time world champion.
However, an Italian newspaper claims that Leclerc was shocked to learn of the news, which might unnerve the Monegasque driver.
Although it has recently gained a reputation for making bad strategy moves, Ferrari should always be regarded as a contender and will be interesting to watch.
Although the car was fast and the team was considered Red Bull’s major rival in the beginning of 2023, after the last round, it was trailing Mercedes by a few points.
Third place in the constructors’ championship isn’t terrible, but the Scuderia and its ardent Tifosi supporters anticipate better.
In light of this, team principal Fred Vasseur claims that the 2024 car is 95% new, yet, as the rules remain the same, it is still seen as an advancement over the 2023 SF-23. It might be close to the front once more if it leads to a respectable step forward.
The drivers must concentrate fully and ignore the Hamilton news in order to perform at their very best. Leclerc and Sainz need to be more consistent, and a vehicle that can run on every kind of circuit would be great.
