Formula 1: Engines are heating up

With Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari having dropped the bomb of the century in Formula 1 a few days ago, the new championship starts at the end of the month. With the British driver and the Scuderia announcing their partnership for next season, they have already managed to cast their shadow over this year’s, in which no dramatic surprises are expected in terms of the protagonists and the favorite to claim the title anyway to drivers and manufacturers.

On the last day of the leap year – this year – February, the first free tests are scheduled at the Bahrain circuit, before the first Grand Prix of the season on March 2. Next week (21 to 23/2) the established winter tests will also take place on the same track.

Last year lacked the battles and thrills as Max Verstappen comfortably dominated, leaving many to yearn for scenes like those seen in 2021 when the Dutchman and Hamilton battled it out for the title until the final round of the season.

The diary

This season will be F1’s longest to date, with 24 races scheduled in 21 countries. There are no new locations on the 2024 calendar, but we do welcome back two tracks. The Chinese Grand Prix makes its long-awaited return for the first time since 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic, while Emilia Romagna is also on the schedule after the 2023 race was canceled due to severe flooding in northern Italy.

Las Vegas, which entered the calendar last year, retains its place as a Saturday race. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will also hold a Saturday to accommodate Ramadan.

In announcing the calendar, the organizing authority stressed that it had moved towards a “greater” regionalisation, with the aim of making the season more sustainable, although some drivers are not happy with the schedule.

Title holder Max Verstappen said 24 races was “too many”, while Britain’s Lando Norris said “if I were to pick the perfect number, it’s probably closer to 20”.

The sprint races

As in 2023, six sprint races will be held this year – in China, Miami, Austria, USA, Brazil and Qatar. China and Miami will host sprint races for the first time. Verstappen has made it clear he is not a fan of them, but other drivers such as Charles Leclerc seem to enjoy them. “I think six sprint races is good,” he stressed, adding: “Having one free practice and going straight into qualifying is something I like.”

Teams and drivers

For the first time in F1 history, the first race of the new season will have the same line-up of drivers as the last race of the previous season. But while the drivers remain the same, two teams have changed their names. Alfa Romeo has returned to its original name – Sauber and the team will officially be called Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. And Red Bull’s “sister” team, Alpha Tauri, had changed its name to Visa Cash App RB.

Budget

The cost cap, introduced for 2021, limits how much a team can spend on their car in a year, with Red Bull having a small overspend in the same season which resulted in the fined $7m (£5.5m).

The cost cap was $135m (£106m) in 2023 and remains the same for both 2024 and 2025. Previously, the budget was $140m (£110m) for 2022 and $145m (£114m) for 2021.

Contracts

Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari in 2025 was the biggest news in the field, despite the fact that the Briton has a contract with Mercedes until 2026. However, this summer, 13 contracts are more or less completed, which means that several reshuffles are expected in the teams, except of course Ferrari. Specifically, the partnerships of Sergio Perez (Red Bull), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas (Sauber), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen (Haas) are ending ), Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo (Visa Cash App RB), Alex Albon and Logan Sargent (Williams).

The small changes

This season has no big differences compared to the previous one. The most important of the small details has to do with enhancing the cooling inside the car, after many drivers complained about the extreme heat conditions they encountered at last year’s Qatar race.

The program

Bahrain – February 29-March 2

Saudi Arabia – March 7-9

Australia – March 22-24

Japan – April 5-7

China – April 19-21

Miami – May 3-5

Emilia Romagna – May 17-19

Monaco – May 24-26

Canada – June 7-9

Spain – June 21-23

Austria – June 28-30

British – July 5-7

Hungary – July 19-21

Belgium – July 26-28

Netherlands – August 23-25

Italian – August 30-September 1

Azerbaijan – September 13-15

Singapore – September 20-22

United States – October 18-20

Mexico – October 25-27

Brazil – November 1-3

Las Vegas – November 21-23

Qatar – November 30-December 1

Abu Dhabi – December 6-8

The protagonists

Overall, the grid has remained unchanged from how it closed in 2023 for the first time in decades, resulting in a paradoxical stability ahead of the big changes of 2025.

Pilots and teams

Red Bull – Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez

Both the team and the Dutch driver have the title of favorite for this year’s victory in both drivers and manufacturers.

Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton, George Russell

In his final season with the team the British driver has vowed to give his best in order to threaten Verstappen’s dominance. Of course, a lot will also depend on the help they will get from the car.

Ferrari – Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz

If Formula 1 were… a beauty pageant the Scuderia’s (95% changed) car would already have won the title. But this is not enough. Both Leclerc and Saint want to end the season leading Ferrari to the top, but that is not easy.

McLaren – Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri

He did pretty well in 2023, he wants to do even better in 2024 trying to do damage to the top three.

Aston Martin – Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll

The Spaniard with two world titles is a guarantee for the team that will try to raise the bar again this year.

Alpine – Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly

Williams – Alexander Albon, Logan Sargent

Visa Cash App RB – Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda

Stake F1 Team – Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou

Haas – Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen

Source: Daily