2024 F1 season preview: Team previews, testing recaps, questions that will dominate the season, and predictions

Formulation 1 is again.

However in some ways, it appears nothing has modified.

For the primary time within the historical past of the game, the very same driver lineup that completed the 2023 season will take to the grid to start out the 2024 marketing campaign. As a substitute of a “foolish season” crammed with driver motion, all 20 drivers are again in the identical seat to start this 12 months.

Giving it a really acquainted really feel because the 12 months beckons.

What additionally feels acquainted? The notion that everybody is chasing Max Verstappen. “Ominous” was one of many main phrases used to explain what we noticed throughout pre-season testing final week, as Verstappen and the RB20, Crimson Bull’s challenger for the 2024 season, regarded dialed in all through the week.

Maybe extra ominous? Verstappen’s declaration that the RB20 is “for certain” higher than the RB19, one of the vital dominant automobiles within the historical past of the game.

The following few months will settle whether or not Crimson Bull actually is forward of the sector, and if that’s the case how the pecking order will get sorted behind them. However it should additionally form how the grid appears to be like when 2025 begins. With greater than half the grid — 13 drivers to be actual — set to see their contracts run out on the finish of the 2024 season, many drivers are preventing for his or her F1 futures this season.

Then there’s the matter of Lewis Hamilton, set to embark on his last 12 months at Mercedes earlier than he strikes to Ferrari for 2025.

So sure, F1 has a well-known really feel to it forward of the 2024 season, and we may even see a well-known face on the entrance all 12 months lengthy.

However so many issues are about to alter.

Workforce-by-team previews

Picture by Mark Thompson/Getty Photos

Can Haas take a step ahead as a brand new period begins?

Huge adjustments have come to Haas in the previous few days, not solely with the departure of Steiner, but additionally the departure of Simone Resta, the staff’s Technical Director. Ayao Komatsu steps into Steiner’s function, having beforehand served because the staff’s Director of Engineering.

That transfer shines a light-weight on the place the staff wants to enhance.

As famous above, one-lap tempo was not the issue for Haas, however race tempo definitely was. Waiting for their 2024 challenger, they should do higher on this division, and to keep away from the tire degradation points that plagued them a season in the past. When reviews of Resta’s departure surfaced, there was hypothesis {that a} distinction between Resta and Gene Haas, the staff’s proprietor, was on the coronary heart of the state of affairs. Resta wished to deal with improvement for the VF-23 throughout final season, whereas Haas wished to forge forward with a imaginative and prescient much like Crimson Bull’s RB19 for the 2024 marketing campaign.

If you end up the one signing the checks, you get to make the large choices.

They’ve two succesful, veteran drivers, and a automotive that at instances carried out effectively on Saturdays. If they’ll kind issues out for Sundays, they’ll climb out of the cellar.

If not …

Learn the Haas preview right here.

Sauber is a staff in transition

Like each different staff on the grid, Stake is seeing their 2023 driver pairing return for the 2024 marketing campaign. Bottas is getting into the third and last 12 months of his present deal, and Zhou signed a one-year extension with the staff. However with the upcoming transfer to Audi, each drivers — in addition to the staff at massive — will likely be below stress to scale back the hole between them and the remainder of the sector.

Learn the Stake F1 Workforce Kick Sauber preview right here.

VCARB on the entrance foot?

As for the way the staff will fare on the monitor, having the driving force pairing of Tsunoda and Ricciardo in place to start out the season ought to put them on the entrance foot. The staff has determined to forge forward with veteran drivers, moderately than utilizing these two seats as extra of a proving floor for Crimson Bull.

Then there’s the joy about their 2024 challenger, which is rumored to be implementing many options and parts of the RB19. That might additionally see the staff on the entrance foot to start out the 2024 season, though it has led to some complaints from different groups — most notably Zak Brown at McLaren — concerning the relationship between Crimson Bull and their sister staff.

Learn the Visa Money App RB F1 Workforce preview right here.

How excessive can Williams climb?

Nonetheless, there are dangers. Progress and improvement usually are not linear, and whereas expectations will likely be in place for Sargeant to have a stronger sophomore season, that may not come to fruition. Whereas Williams is receiving their justifiable share of expectations in the intervening time, nothing issues till the stopwatch is working.

That is perhaps why the staff in current days began to downplay ideas of a transfer larger up the desk. In an interview with Auto Motor und Sports activities, Vowles outlined that preventing with Alpine and Aston Martin won’t be within the playing cards for them in 2024. “That’s not sensible,” mentioned Vowles when requested about difficult these two groups forward of them. “I do know the true hole between the 2 groups and I do know our velocity of improvement. What we need to change continues to be too far-off to permit us to take this step subsequent 12 months. I’m assured that we are going to be higher off subsequent 12 months. However I received’t do something that jeopardizes our long-term objective.”

Nonetheless, that was in line what what he was saying a 12 months in the past, earlier than they delivered their stunning seventh-place end.

Learn the Williams preview right here.

Can Alpine escape the center?

When you think about how a lot time they had been dropping every lap with the A523, the actual fact Alpine managed to complete sixth is sort of spectacular. They’ve an skilled driver pairing, and if they’ll extract extra energy — and higher lap instances — from the A524 than its predecessor, they may definitely enhance their standing subsequent season.

If not, nonetheless, it may very well be one other 12 months that finds them caught within the center.

Learn the Alpine preview right here.

Can Aston Martin determine the mid-season improvement window?

The staff hopes that the choices made down the stretch in 2023 will repay in an enormous approach, not simply firstly of 2024, however all through your complete season.

“We recognised that we wanted to do one thing that was going to show us classes for 2024 and we did. And I believe to return out of that having achieved good performances in the direction of the top of the season, culminating in a podium in Brazil and [fifth] place [in the championship], which was a fantastic end result for us, after which to return out of that after which to clearly have that momentum going into this 12 months, I believe that was the actually key bit for us,” added Fallows. “Having been via that course of and persevering with that momentum into ’24, I believe provides us a variety of confidence going into this season.”

Growth is the crucial difficulty going through Aston Martin this 12 months. They began 2023 on the fitting observe, however pale down the stretch. If they’ll preserve tempo with their rivals with upgrades all through 2024 to the AMR24, they could be capable of preserve tempo with them on the monitor as effectively.

Learn the Aston Martin preview right here.

Will McLaren preserve the momentum going?

Their robust closing stretch has given the staff a ton of momentum heading into 2024, however the greatest query is probably going this: Can they begin on the entrance foot with the MCL38, and never on the again foot as they did a season in the past with the MCL60?

We’ll get our first solutions to that in pre-season testing in just a few brief days.

Nonetheless, Stella is optimistic.

“I’m definitely happy that we’ve been capable of make vital steps ahead after a tough begin to 2023 from a reliability viewpoint,” mentioned Stella in a chunk on the McLaren web site. “I’m happy, not as a result of I have a look at the outcomes, however as a result of I have a look at the work that we’ve got put into the technical reliability, particularly. When it comes to trying on the organisation and the working mannequin of how we take care of reliability, we’ve got deployed extra forces and construction on reliability.

“We’re engaged on additional evolutions when it comes to the best way we have a look at reliability, which we’ll carry into the longer term. And, we’ve got additionally added some extra individuals to work on reliability.”

If the staff has gotten it proper with the MCL38, and so they actually begin on the entrance foot?

Be careful.

Learn the McLaren preview right here.

Does Ferrari have one thing with the SF-24?

“With the SF-24 we wished to create a very new platform and actually, each space of the automotive has been redesigned, even when our start line was the event path we adopted final 12 months and which noticed us take a leap ahead when it comes to competitiveness within the last a part of the season,” mentioned Enrico Cardile, the staff’s Technical Director – Chassis. “We’ve got taken on board what the drivers instructed us and turned these concepts into engineering actuality, with the purpose of giving them a automotive that’s simpler to drive and due to this fact simpler to get probably the most out of and push it to its limits.

“We didn’t set ourselves any design constraints aside from that of delivering a powerful and trustworthy racing automotive, which may reproduce on the race monitor what we’ve got seen within the wind tunnel.”

If the SF-24 lives as much as expectations, Ferrari followers have motive to be excited. Mix a powerful challenger with the consistency of Sainz, and the maturity we noticed down the stretch, and you’ve got a profitable mixture.

Learn the Ferrari preview right here.

Is the W15 the sendoff Lewis Hamilton is hoping for?

For Wolff, who has lengthy maintained that failure is a obligatory prerequisite to success, the struggles with each the W13 and the W14 could very effectively repay with the W15.

“Because the saying goes: when it stings, it sticks. I imagine the earlier two years had been obligatory for us to readjust, recalibrate and reinvent ourselves in sure areas. That root-and-branch method is rarely simple,” mentioned Wolff on the launch of the W15. “However we’ve made progress and look ahead to taking the following step with the W15. It received’t be a linear path, however once we stumble, we’ll get again up and preserve climbing.”

Growth is just not linear … that sounds acquainted.

So there could very effectively be motive for optimism at Mercedes, given their new path.

But, there’s nonetheless the looming specter of Hamilton’s departure, which is able to probably overshadow each second for the staff this 12 months. There may be motive for optimism on the monitor, however how will (gestures within the normal path of every part else occurring at Mercedes proper now) affect their season?

Learn the Mercedes preview right here.

Main low season information

Lewis Hamilton to drive for Ferrari in 2025

A transfer to Ferrari for Hamilton would characterize not only a seismic shift within the sport, however it might even be a reunion for the seven-time Drivers’ champion. Early in his profession, when Hamilton was competing within the decrease ranges, he drove for Frederic Vasseur’s groups. Hamilton drove for Vasseur’s ASM and ART groups when he received the Formulation 3 Euroseries and the GP2 championship in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

Vasseur is now the Workforce Principal at Ferrari.

Why Lewis Hamilton is headed to Ferrari

There may additionally be a way in Hamilton’s thoughts that he wants to provide this a shot. Maybe he feels that his run at Mercedes has taken its course, and with the staff seemingly plateaued these previous few years, now’s the time to make such a daring transfer earlier than the window closes, and the chance is behind him.

Lastly … it’s Ferrari. Past the memes about technique and unhealthy pit stops and the like, it is likely one of the greatest manufacturers in motorsport. A legendary identify in F1. That’s laborious to show down.

Hamilton to Ferrari is paying homage to Michael Schumacher, by James Dator

The information that Lewis Hamilton is shifting to Ferrari in 2025 is sending seismic waves via Formulation 1, as we put together for the primary time in over a decade he received’t be on the wheel of a Mercedes. As jaw-dropping because the report was, it’s additionally stunning in its symmetry with the F1 legend to whom Hamilton is so typically in contrast.

Who may exchange Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?

In case you are one of many Formulation 1 followers who take pleasure in “foolish season” as a lot — if no more — than the motion on the monitor, then the 2023 season should have been a moderately uninspiring affair for you. Not solely was Max Verstappen dominating on the monitor, however when the mud settled on the finish of the 2023 season, all 20 drivers had been set to return for 2024, a primary for the game.

Nonetheless, you might be in luck expensive reader, as a result of the foolish season is ready to achieve new heights this 12 months.

Not solely are 13 drivers on contracts set to run out on the finish of 2024, however now one of many most-coveted seats within the sport is up for grabs for 2025. With the stunning information that Lewis Hamilton will go away Mercedes on the finish of the season and drive for Ferrari in 2025, a spot with the Brackley-based operation is out there.

Who’re a number of the choices for Mercedes in 2025?

Guenther Steiner out at Haas

Steiner has been with the staff since its inception and helped construct the American-based F1 staff from the bottom up. Steiner recruited most of the staff’s preliminary members to Haas and has been serving because the Workforce Principal since their first season, in 2016.

Steiner has additionally grow to be one of many extra well-known figures in F1, due to a star flip prompted by the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. He was a featured participant courting again to the primary season of Drive to Survive, and final season opened with him and former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto touring to certainly one of Binotto’s vineyards in a tiny Fiat.

Now, each are out of F1.

A Monday in NYC with Williams

Finally, the primary questions that Sargeant must reply come on the monitor. Getting a second 12 months in F1 was not a given, and the announcement didn’t come till after the season had ended. So I requested: What does a profitable season appear like to him?

That’s when the arrogance and willpower that Vowles spoke of actually got here via.

“It’s at all times one of many hardest questions firstly of the 12 months as a result of we don’t know the place we’re going to be as a staff. So I’m going to go away that out of it as a result of, you recognize, we’ll in the end discover that out in Bahrain,” mentioned Sargeant.

“However, personally, it’s fairly easy.

“I need to make an enormous step ahead from a private facet. I need to carry out persistently over the course of a season on the stage I do know I can carry out at,” continued Sargeant.

“And if I try this, that’ll be an enormous success.”

Pre-season testing recaps: Winners or staff?

F1 followers got their first style of what to anticipate final week. Over three days at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, all ten groups put their 2024 challenger via the paces. Now, forward of the season-opening race on the similar circuit, the groups are pouring via each bit of knowledge, attempting to extract each doable millisecond of time from their automobiles.

How did the groups fare? What groups look to be beginning 2024 on the entrance foot, and what groups have a variety of work — and sleepless nights — forward?

Earlier than we shut the e book on pre-season testing and shift our focus to the beginning of the 2024 Formulation 1 season, it’s time to take one last have a look at what we noticed over three days at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit.

Once more, the standard warnings about studying an excessive amount of into pre-season testing apply. Groups are working completely different applications, utilizing completely different gasoline hundreds, and working at completely different engine ranges, so it’s laborious to gauge an excessive amount of from the instances over three days of labor.

However forward of the 2024 season, it does look like some groups are beginning out on the entrance foot, and different have a variety of work to do.

Listed below are the “winners and staff” from 2024 F1 pre-season testing.

Learn our full F1 pre-season testing recap right here.

30 questions that may form the 2024 F1 season

Probably the greatest phrases I’ve ever heard to explain F1?

The notion that what’s about to happen is a “voyage of the unknown.”

You hear this typically forward of races, significantly if climate is anticipated or groups are uncertain of how tire put on will unfold. Crimson Bull Workforce Principal Christian Horner, for instance, loves to make use of the phrase forward of a race.

In that vein, we’d have extra questions than solutions because the 2024 season beckons.

Listed below are 30 questions that may form the 2024 F1 season, one for every driver on the grid, and one for every staff.

Haas

Have they solved their tire degradation woes from 2023?
Can Kevin Magnussen match his teammate in qualifying this 12 months?
Can Nico Hülkenberg ship race outcomes that match his qualifying tempo?

Sauber

Is the C44 actually an enormous step ahead from the C43?
Can Zhou Guanyu solidify his spot in F1?
Will Valtteri Bottas’ race outcomes match his helmet recreation?

VCARB

Will their 2024 challenger reside as much as the expectations set throughout pre-season testing?
Will Yuki Tsunoda take pleasure in his first F1 podium?
Will Daniel Ricciardo do sufficient to earn his “storybook” ending?

Williams

Will the FW46 be a extra constant automotive than the FW45?
Can Alexander Albon enhance on a formidable 2023 season?
What does Logan Sargeant, Yr Two appear like?

Alpine

Have they solved their energy unit deficiencies from 2023?
Can “Estie Bestie” get again to a podium?
Will Pierre Gasly get a podium of his personal in 2024?

Aston Martin

Has Aston Martin found out mid-season improvement?
Can Lance Stroll maintain up his finish of the discount?
Will Fernando Alonso lastly take pleasure in his thirty third victory?

McLaren

How far forward are they from final 12 months?
Will Lando Norris win his first F1 grand prix?
What does Oscar Piastri’s sophomore season appear like?

Ferrari

Is the SF-24 as robust because it regarded throughout pre-season testing?
Has Charles Leclerc grow to be a pacesetter?
How does Carlos Sainz Jr.’s last season at Ferrari unfold?

Mercedes

Is the W15 nearly as good because the staff hopes?
Can George Russell grow to be “driver one” at Mercedes?
What does Lewis Hamilton’s last Mercedes season appear like?