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

Will the 2024 F1 season surprise, or be more of the same?

Formula 1 is back.

But in many ways, it seems nothing has changed.

For the first time in the history of the sport, the exact same driver lineup that finished the 2023 season will take to the grid to start the 2024 campaign. Instead of a “silly season” filled with driver movement, all 20 drivers are back in the same seat to begin this year.

Giving it a very familiar feel as the year beckons.

What also feels familiar? The notion that everyone is chasing Max Verstappen. “Ominous” was one of the major words used to describe what we saw during pre-season testing last week, as Verstappen and the RB20, Red Bull’s challenger for the 2024 season, looked dialed in throughout the week.

Perhaps more ominous? Verstappen’s declaration that the RB20 is “for sure” better than the RB19, one of the most dominant cars in the history of the sport.

The next few months will settle whether Red Bull truly is ahead of the field, and if so how the pecking order gets sorted behind them. But it will also shape how the grid looks when 2025 begins. With more than half the grid — 13 drivers to be exact — set to see their contracts run out at the end of the 2024 season, many drivers are fighting for their F1 futures this season.

Then there is the matter of Lewis Hamilton, set to embark on his final year at Mercedes before he moves to Ferrari for 2025.

So yes, F1 has a familiar feel to it ahead of the 2024 season, and we may see a familiar face at the front all year long.

But so many things are about to change.

Team-by-team previews

Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Can Haas take a step forward as a new era begins?

Massive changes have come to Haas in the last few days, not only with the departure of Steiner, but also the departure of Simone Resta, the team’s Technical Director. Ayao Komatsu steps into Steiner’s role, having previously served as the team’s Director of Engineering.

That move shines a light on where the team needs to improve.

As noted above, one-lap pace was not the problem for Haas, but race pace certainly was. Looking ahead to their 2024 challenger, they need to do better in this department, and to avoid the tire degradation issues that plagued them a season ago. When reports of Resta’s departure surfaced, there was speculation that a difference between Resta and Gene Haas, the team’s owner, was at the heart of the situation. Resta wanted to focus on development for the VF-23 during last season, while Haas wanted to forge ahead with a vision similar to Red Bull’s RB19 for the 2024 campaign.

When you are the one signing the checks, you get to make the big decisions.

They have two capable, veteran drivers, and a car that at times performed well on Saturdays. If they can sort things out for Sundays, they can climb out of the cellar.

If not …

Read the Haas preview here.

Sauber is a team in transition

Like every other team on the grid, Stake is seeing their 2023 driver pairing return for the 2024 campaign. Bottas is entering the third and final year of his current deal, and Zhou signed a one-year extension with the team. But with the upcoming move to Audi, both drivers — as well as the team at large — will be under pressure to reduce the gap between them and the rest of the field.

Read the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber preview here.

VCARB on the front foot?

As for how the team will fare on the track, having the driver pairing of Tsunoda and Ricciardo in place to start the season should put them on the front foot. The team has decided to forge ahead with veteran drivers, rather than using those two seats as more of a proving ground for Red Bull.

Then there is the excitement about their 2024 challenger, which is rumored to be implementing many features and components of the RB19. That could also see the team on the front foot to start the 2024 season, although it has led to some complaints from other teams — most notably Zak Brown at McLaren — about the relationship between Red Bull and their sister team.

Read the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team preview here.

How high can Williams climb?

Still, there are risks. Growth and development are not linear, and while expectations will be in place for Sargeant to have a stronger sophomore season, that might not come to fruition. While Williams is receiving their fair share of expectations at the moment, nothing matters until the stopwatch is running.

That might be why the team in recent days started to downplay thoughts of a move higher up the table. In an interview with Auto Motor und Sports, Vowles outlined that fighting with Alpine and Aston Martin might not be in the cards for them in 2024. “That’s not realistic,” said Vowles when asked about challenging those two teams ahead of them. “I know the true gap between the two teams and I know our speed of development. What we want to change is still too far away to allow us to take this step next year. I am confident that we will be better off next year. But I won’t do anything that jeopardizes our long-term goal.”

Still, that was in line what what he was saying a year ago, before they delivered their surprising seventh-place finish.

Read the Williams preview here.

Photo by Philippe Nanchino/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Can Alpine escape the middle?

When you consider how much time they were losing each lap with the A523, the fact Alpine managed to finish sixth is almost impressive. They have an experienced driver pairing, and if they can extract more power — and better lap times — from the A524 than its predecessor, they could certainly improve their standing next season.

If not, however, it could be another year that finds them stuck in the middle.

Read the Alpine preview here.

Can Aston Martin figure out the mid-season development window?

The team hopes that the decisions made down the stretch in 2023 will pay off in a big way, not just at the start of 2024, but throughout the entire season.

“We recognised that we needed to do something that was going to teach us lessons for 2024 and we did. And I think to come out of that having achieved good performances towards the end of the season, culminating in a podium in Brazil and [fifth] place [in the championship], which was a great result for us, and then to come out of that and then to obviously have that momentum going into this year, I think that was the really key bit for us,” added Fallows. “Having been through that process and continuing that momentum into ’24, I think gives us a lot of confidence going into this season.”

Development is the critical issue facing Aston Martin this year. They started 2023 on the right note, but faded down the stretch. If they can keep pace with their rivals with upgrades throughout 2024 to the AMR24, they might be able to keep pace with them on the track as well.

Read the Aston Martin preview here.

Will McLaren keep the momentum going?

Their strong closing stretch has given the team a ton of momentum heading into 2024, but the biggest question is likely this: Can they start on the front foot with the MCL38, and not on the back foot as they did a season ago with the MCL60?

We will get our first answers to that during pre-season testing in a few short days.

However, Stella is optimistic.

“I’m certainly pleased that we’ve been able to make significant steps forward after a difficult start to 2023 from a reliability point of view,” said Stella in a piece on the McLaren website. “I’m pleased, not because I look at the results, but because I look at the work that we have put into the technical reliability, in particular. In terms of looking at the organisation and the operating model of how we deal with reliability, we have deployed more forces and structure on reliability.

“We are working on further evolutions in terms of the way we look at reliability, which we will carry into the future. And, we have also added some more people to work on reliability.”

If the team has gotten it right with the MCL38, and they truly start on the front foot?

Watch out.

Read the McLaren preview here.

Photo by Philippe Nanchino/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Does Ferrari have something with the SF-24?

“With the SF-24 we wanted to create a completely new platform and in fact, every area of the car has been redesigned, even if our starting point was the development direction we adopted last year and which saw us take a leap forward in terms of competitiveness in the final part of the season,” said Enrico Cardile, the team’s Technical Director – Chassis. “We have taken on board what the drivers told us and turned those ideas into engineering reality, with the aim of giving them a car that’s easier to drive and therefore easier to get the most out of and push it to its limits.

“We did not set ourselves any design constraints other than that of delivering a strong and honest racing car, which can reproduce on the race track what we have seen in the wind tunnel.”

If the SF-24 lives up to expectations, Ferrari fans have reason to be excited. Combine a strong challenger with the consistency of Sainz, and the maturity we saw down the stretch, and you have a winning combination.

Read the Ferrari preview here.

Is the W15 the sendoff Lewis Hamilton is hoping for?

For Wolff, who has long maintained that failure is a necessary prerequisite to success, the struggles with both the W13 and the W14 may very well pay off with the W15.

“As the saying goes: when it stings, it sticks. I believe the previous two years were necessary for us to readjust, recalibrate and reinvent ourselves in certain areas. That root-and-branch approach is never easy,” said Wolff at the launch of the W15. “But we’ve made progress and look forward to taking the next step with the W15. It won’t be a linear path, but when we stumble, we will get back up and keep climbing.”

Development is not linear … that sounds familiar.

So there may very well be reason for optimism at Mercedes, given their new direction.

Yet, there is still the looming specter of Hamilton’s departure, which will likely overshadow every moment for the team this year. There is reason for optimism on the track, but how will (gestures in the general direction of everything else happening at Mercedes right now) impact their season?

Read the Mercedes preview here.

Major off-season news

Lewis Hamilton to drive for Ferrari in 2025

A move to Ferrari for Hamilton would represent not just a seismic shift in the sport, but it would also be a reunion for the seven-time Drivers’ champion. Early in his career, when Hamilton was competing in the lower levels, he drove for Frederic Vasseur’s teams. Hamilton drove for Vasseur’s ASM and ART teams when he won the Formula 3 Euroseries and the GP2 championship in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

Vasseur is now the Team Principal at Ferrari.

Why Lewis Hamilton is headed to Ferrari

There may also be a sense in Hamilton’s mind that he needs to give this a shot. Perhaps he feels that his run at Mercedes has taken its course, and with the team seemingly plateaued these past few years, now is the time to make such a bold move before the window closes, and the opportunity is behind him.

Finally … it is Ferrari. Beyond the memes about strategy and bad pit stops and the like, it is one of the biggest brands in motorsport. A legendary name in F1. That is hard to turn down.

Hamilton to Ferrari is reminiscent of Michael Schumacher, by James Dator

The news that Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari in 2025 is sending seismic waves through Formula 1, as we prepare for the first time in over a decade he won’t be at the wheel of a Mercedes. As jaw-dropping as the report was, it’s also beautiful in its symmetry with the F1 legend to whom Hamilton is so often compared.

Who could replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?

If you are one of the Formula 1 fans who enjoy “silly season” as much — if not more — than the action on the track, then the 2023 season must have been a rather uninspiring affair for you. Not only was Max Verstappen dominating on the track, but when the dust settled at the end of the 2023 season, all 20 drivers were set to return for 2024, a first for the sport.

However, you are in luck dear reader, because the silly season is set to reach new heights this year.

Not only are 13 drivers on contracts set to expire at the end of 2024, but now one of the most-coveted seats in the sport is up for grabs for 2025. With the shocking news that Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the season and drive for Ferrari in 2025, a spot with the Brackley-based operation is available.

Who are some of the options for Mercedes in 2025?

Guenther Steiner out at Haas

Steiner has been with the team since its inception and helped build the American-based F1 team from the ground up. Steiner recruited many of the team’s initial members to Haas and has been serving as the Team Principal since their first season, in 2016.

Steiner has also become one of the more well-known figures in F1, thanks to a star turn prompted by the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. He was a featured player dating back to the first season of Drive to Survive, and last season opened with him and former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto traveling to one of Binotto’s vineyards in a tiny Fiat.

Now, both are out of F1.

A Monday in NYC with Williams

Ultimately, the main questions that Sargeant needs to answer come on the track. Getting a second year in F1 was not a given, and the announcement did not come until after the season had ended. So I asked: What does a successful season look like to him?

That’s when the confidence and determination that Vowles spoke of truly came through.

“It’s always one of the hardest questions at the start of the year because we don’t know where we’re going to be as a team. So I’m going to leave that out of it because, you know, we’ll ultimately find that out in Bahrain,” said Sargeant.

“But, personally, it’s quite simple.

“I want to make a big step forward from a personal aspect. I want to perform consistently over the course of a season at the level I know I can perform at,” continued Sargeant.

“And if I do that, that’ll be a big success.”

Pre-season testing recaps: Winners or workers?

F1 fans were given their first taste of what to expect last week. Over three days at Bahrain International Circuit, all ten teams put their 2024 challenger through the paces. Now, ahead of the season-opening race at the same circuit, the teams are pouring through every bit of data, trying to extract every possible millisecond of time from their cars.

How did the teams fare? What teams look to be starting 2024 on the front foot, and what teams have a lot of work — and sleepless nights — ahead?

Before we close the book on pre-season testing and shift our focus to the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season, it is time to take one final look at what we saw over three days at Bahrain International Circuit.

Again, the usual warnings about reading too much into pre-season testing apply. Teams are running different programs, using different fuel loads, and operating at different engine levels, so it is hard to gauge too much from the times over three days of work.

But ahead of the 2024 season, it does seem like some teams are starting out on the front foot, and other have a lot of work to do.

Here are the “winners and workers” from 2024 F1 pre-season testing.

Read our full F1 pre-season testing recap here.

30 questions that will shape the 2024 F1 season

One of the best phrases I have ever heard to describe F1?

The notion that what is about to take place is a “voyage of the unknown.”

You hear this often ahead of races, particularly if weather is expected or teams are unsure of how tire wear will unfold. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, for example, loves to use the phrase ahead of a race.

In that vein, we might have more questions than answers as the 2024 season beckons.

Here are 30 questions that will shape the 2024 F1 season, one for each driver on the grid, and one for each team.

Haas

Have they solved their tire degradation woes from 2023?
Can Kevin Magnussen match his teammate in qualifying this year?
Can Nico Hülkenberg deliver race results that match his qualifying pace?

Sauber

Is the C44 truly a big step forward from the C43?
Can Zhou Guanyu solidify his spot in F1?
Will Valtteri Bottas’ race results match his helmet game?

VCARB

Will their 2024 challenger live up to the expectations set during pre-season testing?
Will Yuki Tsunoda enjoy his first F1 podium?
Will Daniel Ricciardo do enough to earn his “storybook” ending?

Williams

Will the FW46 be a more consistent car than the FW45?
Can Alexander Albon improve on an impressive 2023 season?
What does Logan Sargeant, Year Two look like?

Alpine

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

Photo by Philippe Nanchino/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Aston Martin

Has Aston Martin figured out mid-season development?
Can Lance Stroll hold up his end of the bargain?
Will Fernando Alonso finally enjoy his 33rd victory?

McLaren

How far ahead are they from last year?
Will Lando Norris win his first F1 grand prix?
What does Oscar Piastri’s sophomore season look like?

Ferrari

Is the SF-24 as strong as it looked during pre-season testing?
Has Charles Leclerc become a leader?
How does Carlos Sainz Jr.’s final season at Ferrari unfold?

Mercedes

Is the W15 as good as the team hopes?
Can George Russell become “driver one” at Mercedes?
What does Lewis Hamilton’s final Mercedes season look like?

Red Bull

Has Adrian Newey done it again with the RB20?
Can Sergio Pérez hold onto his seat?
Can anyone catch Max Verstappen?

2024 F1 season predictions

Now we close things out with some predictions that are sure to be wrong.

Constructors’ Championship predictions

1. Red Bull
2. Ferrari
3. Mercedes
4. McLaren
5. Aston Martin
6. VCARB
7. Williams
8. Alpine
9. Sauber
10. Haas

Drivers’ Championship top-five predictions

1. Max Verstappen
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Lando Norris
5. Sergio Pérez