Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) is favorite to win a fourth straight Formula 1 world title in the sport’s longest season, which begins this weekend in Bahrain.
The first two races, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will be held exclusively on Saturday rather than Sunday, due to Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, and will be the first in a 24-date calendar that ends only on December 8. in Abu Dhabi, the longest in history.
Winter testing has shown that, with the exception of three-time champion Max Verstappen, the remaining drivers at the front maintain a remarkable balance, paying particular attention to the technical development of Ferrari, as well as Mercedes, which abandoned the aerodynamic concept used in the previous two seasons. and relied on the same wide side pontoon scheme implemented by Red Bull.
The Austrian brand does seem to be a source of inspiration for others, although the evolution introduced this year by designer Adrian Newey shows that it remains one step ahead of its competitors.
However, the team’s dominance over the energy drink brand is being overshadowed by an internal investigation into alleged inappropriate behavior by team director British Christian Horner, the outcome of which is expected to become known in the coming days.
The Dutch press has raised the possibility of sacking the team’s leader since the 2005 World Cup, which would be a major blow to Red Bull’s competitiveness.
In 2023, Max Verstappen completely dominated, winning 19 of 22 races, a new record for the discipline. Mad Max allowed only the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) to win in Singapore and the Mexican Sergio Perez, his Red Bull teammate, in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.
It was just one of the highs set by the Dutch driver, who also set a new all-time record of 10 consecutive wins and 575 points (121 more than the previous season and more than double that of championship runner-up Perez , at 285 points). ) .
If he achieves his fourth title in a row, Max Verstappen will equal the feat of German Sebastian Vettel, who won titles in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with Red Bull, and Frenchman Alain Prost (1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993 champion). . Ahead of him will be the Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957), who has five, the German Michael Schumacher (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004) and the Briton. Lewis Hamilton (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020), with seven crowns to his name.
Hamilton and “Schumi” are also the only two with more race wins than the Dutch Red Bull driver. Hamilton has 103, the German 91, Verstappen 54.
Next to the champion is Sergio Perez, who is entering the final year of his contract and will have to perform better than he did in 2023 to maintain the trust of those in charge of the team. Better means, at a minimum, not losing as many points to the leader as he drives an identical car.
First year without driver change
2024 will be the first year in the Formula 1 World Championship, in which exactly the same drivers who completed the previous season will start.
However, it is already known that this calm precedes the storm that is expected in 2025, as the season, which starts this weekend in Bahrain, marks the farewell of several riders from current teams.
Firstly, Briton Lewis Hamilton, who is bidding farewell to Mercedes, will move to Ferrari in 2025 after 12 seasons, taking the place of Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who will have to look for a place in another team.
From 2021, Hamilton is chasing the eighth title of his career, which would make him the most decorated in history, surpassing German Michael Schumacher, with whom he is tied, with seven championships won.
The Briton’s move to Ferrari could cause a domino effect and affect most of the 10 teams on the grid, especially as several drivers are out of contract, namely Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who at 41 years old was one of the sensations of the past championship.
The Asturian, world champion in 2005 and 2006, has added more podium finishes but has yet to achieve the 33rd career triumph he will try to repeat this year.
However, the advantage of the Red Bull RB20, especially the one driven by Dutchman Max Verstappen, a three-time champion, still seems too much for the rest of the competition.
The Dutch driver won 19 of 22 races last season (Carlos Sainz was the only one to win for a non-Austrian marque in Singapore), making it 10 straight wins, a new Formula 1 record.
At 26, he is favorite for a fourth title in a row, equal with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, who also won a “fourth” title with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013.
Suspended at the end of 2022, Vettel has been mentioned again in Formula 1 as a possible replacement for Hamilton at Mercedes next season. A vacancy for which Fernando Alonso or Carlos Sainz are also in contention.
But if the musical chairs are expected to be filled next year, 2024 will be the first year since the championship began in 1950 in which there were no line-up changes, with 20 drivers retaining their seats from the previous year.
This did not happen with the team management: the Italian Gunther Steiner, who became famous thanks to the Netflix documentary about the discipline, closed the door in the winter and was replaced by the Japanese Ayao Komatsu.
While the 10 teams remain the same, the 2024 bracket features two new name changes. Red Bull’s satellite team is now called VisaCash RB, replacing Alpha Tauri (previously Toro Rosso), while Sauber terminated its agreement with Alfa Romeo, reverting to its old name.
The championship starts on Saturday in Bahrain and ends on December 8 in Abu Dhabu after 24 races, making it the longest ever.
Season calendar
1. March 02 Bahrain Sakhir
2. March 09 Saudi Arabia Jeddah
3. March 24 Australia Melbourne
4. 07 Apr Japan Suzuka
5. 21 Apr China Shanghai
6. May 05 Miami Miami, USA
7. May 19 Emilia Romagna Imola
8. May 26 Monaco Monaco
9. June 09 Canada Montreal
10. June 23 Spain Barcelona
11. June 30 Austria Spielberg
12. 07 July Great Britain Silverstone
13. July 21 Hungary Modorod
14. July 28 Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
15. August 25 Netherlands Zandvoort
16. 01 Sep Italy Monza
17. 15 Sep Azerbaijan Baku
18. 22 Sep Singapore Singapore
19. October 20 USA Austin
20. 27 Oct Mexico Mexico City
21. 03 November Sao Paulo Sao Paulo, Brazil
22. November 23 Las Vegas Las Vegas, USA
23. 01 Dec Qatar Lusail
24. 08 Dec Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.