(photo courtesy Sky Sports)
The 2024 Formula One season is upon us, with preseason testing complete and teams looking ahead to the first official practice session of the season. After a winter break full of drama, teams, drivers, and a passionate fan base gear up for what’s promised to be another exciting year.
The biggest news of the winter came from arguably the greatest F1 driver of all time, as 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton announced he will be leaving Mercedes-AMG at seasons end and going to Ferrari. The announcement sent shockwaves in the F1 community, as fans could not believe what they where hearing. Hamilton and Mercedes where a dominating force in the 2010’s and in 2020, until defending champion Max Verstappen took the coveted motorsport crown.
Winter also provided F1 fans with plenty more to chew on, as Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Lando Norris (McLaren) announced multi-year contract extensions. Red Bull boss Christian Horner is under investigation for team finances and sexual misconduct. Racing royalty the Andretti’s where denied a bid onto the F1 grid, as their proposal for Cadillac in 2025 was shut down by F1. And charismatic HAAS boss Guenther Steiner leaves the team following the release of the popular Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive”.
This season brings plenty of excitement, with the calendar being loaded with plenty of exciting races. Traditions such as Monaco, Silverstone (Great Britain), and Monza (Italy) are featured, as well as 3 races in America, which will take place in Miami, Circuit of the Americas (Austin, Texas) and Las Vegas. Safe to say there will be plenty of excitement this season as F1 makes its world tour.
All 11 teams will be looking to dethrone Red Bull, as Red Bull is coming off their 2nd straight constructor’s championship, which is awarded to the team who finishes first in the team standings. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has his eyes set on his 4th straight drivers’ championship, which would place him tied for 4th all time. Early odds predict Verstappen will claim his 4th title, as he is favored at -500 (per CBS Sports).
Verstappen won 19 out of 22 races last season, which is an F1 record, with only one non red bull victory coming way of Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) in Singapore. I’m with many F1 fans, as I’m expecting a more competitive field, with Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin all having the drivers and cars to give Red Bull a run for their money.
Everyone is hoping to see their favorite drivers take the 1st place podium spot this season. Personally, I would love to see Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), and Daniel Riccardo (Red Bull) take the 1st place trophy. But the likelihood of this happening is slim.
I, among many others, expect to see another dominant year from Max Verstappen and Red Bull. The battle for 2nd place in both the drivers and constructors will be a warzone, and it truly could be anyone’s. I tried to be different and think outside the box for these predictions, but it was really hard to ignore how dominant Verstappen and Red Bull have and will continue to be.
There are plenty of questions entering this season. Will it be Verstappen’s 4th consecutive championship? Will Lewis Hamilton finally break Michael Schumacher’s record with an 8th championship in his final year for Mercedes? Will there be a first-time champion in George Russel (Mercedes-AMG), Charles Leclerc, or Lando Norris. As much as F1 fans want to see a new champion, Max Verstappen is too fast to be slowed down. So, I have the dutchman claiming his 4th consecutive driver’s championship. To round out the top 5, I have Lando Norris (McLaren), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton and George Russel (Mercedes-AMG). With that, here’s my entire 20 driver prediction for how the season will shake out:
1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2) Lando Norris (McLaren)
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-AMG)
5) George Russell (Mercedes-AMG)
6) Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
7) Fernando Alonzo (Aston Martin)
8) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
9) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
10) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
12) Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
13) Daniel Riccardo (Red Bull)
14) Valteri Bottas (Kick Sauber)
15) Kevin Magnussen (HAAS)
16) Alexander Albon (Williams)
17) Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
18) Nico Hulkenburg (HAAS)
19) Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber)
20) Logan Sargent (Williams)
As for the constructor’s championship, it’s more of an open field compared to the drivers. I believe the dominance of Max Verstappen will propel Red Bull racing to winning a 3rd straight constructors’ championship. As I stated earlier, it was really hard to disregard just how good Red Bull Racing is. As for the rest of the grid, here’s my prediction for how the grid will shake out for the rest of F1:
1) Red Bull Racing
2) Ferrari
3) McLaren
4) Mercedes-AMG
5) Aston Martin
6) Alpine
7) Red Bull
8) Williams
9) Kick Sauber
10) HAAS
F1 fans all around the world, including myself, are more than excited for the upcoming season. If this upcoming season is anything like its predecessors, it will be one full of excitement, drama, unexpected and unforgettable moments.
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