One-Third Down: Reviewing a Thrilling 2024 So Far – Part 1

The Formula 1 season is well underway and after Round 8 at the Monaco Grand Prix, we will be reviewing every team and drivers’ start to the 2024 World Championship.

The start to 2024 has been thrilling, with Max Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing starting the campaign in a dominant manner but later being challenged by a number of other teams. In the eight rounds of 2024, there has been four different winners including a driver picking up their first victory.

Oracle Red Bull Racing

Constructors Championship: 1st (276 points)

Drivers Championship: Max Verstappen 1st (169 points), Sergio Pérez 5th (107 points)

Red Bull are currently leading in both F1 Championships. Early season drama surrounding team boss Christian Horner stole the headlines, with senior figures such as Verstappen and advisor Helmut Marko potential candidates to leave the team. Despite all of that surrounding the team, they managed to start the season in the best way possible, taking maximum points away from Bahrain with Verstappen leading Sergio Pérez.

The second round in Saudi Arabia delivered the same result, with Red Bull looking like they’d take a third consecutive double championship. An engine failure for Verstappen during the Australian Grand Prix allowed Scuderia Ferrari to take a one-two finish but they returned back to form and took maximum points at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Chinese Grand Prix was slightly more uncomfortable for Verstappen, but he still took maximum points while Pérez finished a respective third in the Grand Prix. An upgrade package for McLaren F1 Team saw them take victory at the Miami Grand Prix, with both Verstappen and Pérez unable to match the pace of Lando Norris.

Moving into the European stage of the season, Red Bull were massively on the back foot. A horrid set of practice sessions saw their drivers go into qualifying as the underdogs. Pérez was kncoked out in Q2 by Daniel Ricciardo, but Verstappen managed to deliver against all the odds and secure pole position. He managed to convert it in the race to a victory but he finished only a few tenths ahead of Norris, who pushed him all the way in the final few laps.

The most recent race in Monaco was an absolute disaster for Red Bull, Pérez was knocked out in Q1 and his race was over on lap one – through no fault of his own. Verstappen qualified in sixth, and couldn’t make any progress in the race. The Dutchman was critical of Red Bull after the race, leaving many thinking that both his and his teams grip on both championships may loosen heading into the middle part of the season.

Adrian Newey departure being announced by the team was also a noticeable moment. While it may not effect the Milton Keynes outfit in 2024, it could have a lasting effect going into the 2026 regulations and beyond.

Team Rating: 8

Max Verstappen: 9, Sergio Pérez: 7

Photo: Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

Scuderia Ferrari

Constructors Championship: 2nd (252 points)

Drivers Championship: Charles Leclerc 2nd (138 points), Carlos Sainz 4th (108 points), Ollie Bearman 12th (6 points)

Fred Vasseur’s team started the year as the second fastest team, and that was evident in the Bahrian Grand Prix, where Carlos Sainz Jr. scored a podium, with Charles Leclerc just behind him. With an appendicitis diagnosis that needed urgent surgery, Sainz withdrew from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, creating a vacancy at Ferrari in the middle of the race weekend. Reserve and current Formula 2 driver Ollie Bearman was called upon to make his F1 debut, becoming the youngest British driver in history. Bearman qualified 11th on the grid, and in the race, he managed to make up positions to finish seventh ahead of Norris and Lewis Hamilton. 

Sainz recovered in time for the Australian Grand Prix, and returned in spectacular fashion to take Ferrari’s first win of the season with an excellent drive to finish ahead of his teammate. The win was his third in F1 after taking victories at Silverstone in 2022 and Singapore in 2023.

At Suzuka, Sainz once again finished on the podium for the third consecutive race, once again ahead of Leclerc, who finished in fourth. The teams run of podiums ended in China, where they could only manage to finish fourth and fifth. The Chinese Grand Prix kickstarted a run of three consecutive finishes in third place for Sainz. 

Leclerc was back on the podium at Miami, finishing just a few seconds back from Verstappen, while he secured another third place finish in Imola. Heading to Monaco, Leclerc aimed for victory around his home town. He previously failed to convert pole position twice at the circuit in the past, but the 2024 weekend was a completely different story. The whole weekend saw the home town hero dominate, securing pole position on Saturday and then leading a very composed race on the Sunday. Sainz finished third on the podium to complete a great weekend for Ferrari that helped them close the gap on Red Bull at the top of the Constructors.

Team Rating: 9

Charles Leclerc: 9, Carlos Sainz: 8

Credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

McLaren F1 Team

Constructors Championship: 3rd (184 points)

Drivers Championship: Lando Norris 3rd (113 points), Oscar Piastri 6th (71 points)

McLaren’s resurgence from the start of the 2023 F1 season is something really special. Norris and Oscar Piastri have gone from fighting at the back of the midfield to challenging for wins and potentially even both championships if they continue to outperform Red Bull into the middle stage of this season.

Their start to the season was modest compared to the highs they experienced at the back end of the 2023 season. The first podium of the season came at the Australian Grand Prix via Norris, while he also secured a second place at the Chinese Grand Prix. Piastri started the season well too, securing a top four finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Despite some good results at the start of the season, they weren’t competitive enough compared to Red Bull and Ferrari but a performance upgrade package at the Miami Grand Prix for Norris changed their expectations massively. As we’ve seen in the past, McLaren upgrades have seen them have a massive uptake in performance and these were no different. Norris took his first F1 victory in Miami, beating Verstappen on pure pace and enjoying a little bit of luck with a safety car. Piastri also showed strong pace in the race, despite only having half of the package.

Going into Imola, expectations were high but McLaren and Norris were keen to downplay their performance in Miami. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend was another excellent one for McLaren. Piastri was on the front row before an impeding penalty and on race day Norris finished second, pushing Verstappen all the way, finishing just a few tenths behind the reigning champion.

Piastri secured another front row in Monaco, and finished second in the Grand Prix, equalling his best result in F1, while Norris finished behind Sainz in fourth. Their pace in Monaco was close to Ferrari, while Red Bull were further behind. If McLaren can continue this upwards progression into the rest of 2024, who knows what’s possible for the Papaya.

Team Rating: 9

Lando Norris: 9, Oscar Piastri 8.5

Credit: McLaren F1 Team

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

Constructors Championship: 4th (96 points)

Drivers Championship: George Russell 7th (54 points), Lewis Hamilton 8th (42 points)

Finishing second in the 2023 Constructors Championship was a big boost for Mercedes and Toto Wolff but before the season even started they were met with bad news. Lewis Hamilton announced he’d be leaving the team at the end of 2024 to join Ferrari after 10 years and 6 championships.

Their performance on track in the first eight races certainly wasn’t many had expected after a strong end to 2024. They started the year on par with McLaren, and at the Bahrain Grand Prix, George Russell finished ahead of Norris to secure fifth, while Hamilton ended the day in seventh ahead of Piastri. Russell was once again the more dominant Mercedes driver at Saudi Arabia, finishing sixth while Hamilton was down ninth.

The Australian Grand Prix was a disaster for Mercedes. Hamilton retired from the race on Lap 15, while Russell crashed out with just two laps to go while fighting Fernando Alonso for a lowly eighth position. Russell was once again ahead of his teammate in Japan, finishing seventh compared to Hamilton’s ninth. The Chinese Grand Prix highlighted a trend of Mercedes starting a weekend in a strong manner, and then losing performance on race day. Hamilton finished second in sprint showing strong pace but when it came to qualifying, he was down the order and finished the race in ninth, while Russell faired better but could only finish sixth.

Hamilton finished above Russell for the first time in a full Grand Prix at Miami, ending the day in sixth compared to Russell’s eighth, and did so again in Imola, with the pair finishing sixth and seventh. The most recent Grand Prix saw Russell secure Mercedes just their second top five of the season, after he managed to hold off Verstappen around the streets of Monaco.

It’s not been an easy season for Mercedes, their upgrades are working but they aren’t giving them anywhere near enough performance to challenge the top three teams. Hamilton has failed to qualify above seventh all year, while the team have only finished in the top five twice. The only positive for Mercedes so far on track would be Russell making the best of a bad situation, and outperforming his teammate as he looks to become team leader when the seven time world champion departs for Ferrari in a matter of months.

Team Rating: 6.5

George Russell: 7.5, Lewis Hamilton: 6.5

Credit: LAT Images

Aston Martin Armaco F1 Team

Constructors Championship: 5th (44 points)

Drivers Championship: Fernando Alonso 9th (33 points), Lance Stroll 11th (11 points)

After a bunch of podiums in 2023, many had expected Aston Martin to kick on and be in a similar position to McLaren in 2024, especially Lawrence Stroll. However the story this season has been really disappointing as they’ve failed to reach anywhere near the highs they experienced last season.

In Bahrain, they were the clear fifth fastest team, finishing ninth and tenth with Alonso ahead of his teammate, Lance Stroll. Their best moment of the season came in Saudi Arabia, as Alonso managed to wrestle his AMR24 into fifth. Stroll’s best finish came in Australia as he managed to finish sixth, with Alonso in eighth. When F1 went to Japan in April, Alonso finished the Grand Prix in sixth, while Stroll missed out on points. Alonso secured points in China too, and Miami.

An upgrade package at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix promised more performance, but it’s clear to see they didn’t deliver what was expected. Alonso was knocked out in Q1 and started at the back of the grid, and the race was a similar story as he finished nineteenth. Stroll scored points and finished ninth, but only thanks to a tyre offset at the end of the race.

Monaco was another disaster for Aston Martin, as Alonso was knocked out in Q1 for the second consecutive race weekend and Stroll could only muster fourteenth on the grid. They made up some ground in the race, Stroll was chasing points, meaning Alonso backed up the pack to give his Canadian teammate a large enough pit window. Stroll pitted onto fresh rubber to chase and overtake Pierre Gasly, but just a few laps into the stint, he suffered a puncture ending his chance of points. Alonso finished eleventh at the end of the race, although he thought he was in tenth after Stroll was forced to pit again.

There haven’t really been any positives for Aston Martin this season, but their form at the start of 2023 should be motivation for them to get back to their previous levels.

Team Rating: 6

Fernando Alonso: 6.5, Lance Stroll: 6

Credit: Aston Martin F1