It's here: the final moment of the F1 2024 season. The post-season test in Abu Dhabi is set to start this Tuesday, bringing an end to a thrilling season. This test will provide us with some familiar faces in new settings, but also some brand new names that we might not be so familiar with.
Ever since 2022, each team is obligated to give a rookie driver at least one session in each of their cars during a free practice session throughout the season. They can put any driver in, regardless of where they’re from. There’s only two rules that apply: the driver has to be in possession of a Free Practice License, and they can’t have completed more than two races in Formula 1. Below there is a list of all the drivers who have or will partake in a practice session in 2024.
Silly Season for 2025 is rapidly heating up, with one of the biggest transfers F1 has seen in years and half the grid looking for a new seat. So with that in mind, let's keep track of the changes in the driver market throughout the season.
Oscar Piastri can officially call himself a Grand Prix winner. The Australian won the Hungarian Grand Prix after taking the lead at the start. Despite that though, the win was anything but easy.
Lance Stroll hasn’t drawn too much attention in recent races, but he has gotten a decent amount of points. In fact, he has outscored his teammate by a decent margin in the last six races. Given that Stroll is generally seen as a poor driver, I have to wonder: what’s going on?
Ever since Adrian Newey has announced his departure from Red Bull, people have been wondering what his next move will be. Newey is not a man known for sitting still, and his sudden departure from Red Bull before his contract was up does suggest he was already looking for a new employer. And there is definitely no shortage of options: every team will be eager to sign Newey, given that his cars have won a total of 25 titles since 1990. But so far, there hasn’t been any concrete news about the star designer.
The 2024 season has proven to be a very nice change of pace compared to its predecessor. Last year was one of the most dominant years in the history of Formula 1, with Max Verstappen winning all but three races. This year is much different already, with six different winners in the first twelve races. But that means there is now so much going on at the front of the pack, that we hardly ever see what happens outside of the top 3. That was especially the case at the British Grand Prix.
McLaren has shown itself as a true frontrunner team this year. They have a great car, two insanely talented drivers, and all the pieces seem to be there to really challenge for the win in the constructors’ championship. Well, all the pieces except one…
Lewis Hamilton has won the British Grand Prix. At his home race, in front of thousands of adoring fans, did Hamilton take his first victory in three years' time. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris completed the podium, and made things difficult for Hamilton until the very last moment.
After making some noise around the Formula 1 paddock for about a year and a half now, the Brad Pitt movie about F1 finally has a release date (summer 2025) and a title. They have creatively titled this movie about F1…. “F1”. Maybe not the most imaginative title, but it is good to see Formula 1 represented on the big screen again. Because there has been a shocking lack of F1 in Hollywood productions. In fact, all of racing has struggled to really get a foothold in the industry.
The word is out and it’s official: Ollie Bearman will drive for Haas in 2025. The Briton was announced just before the British Grand Prix. He’ll replace Nico Hulkenberg at the American team, though it’s not yet known who will be his teammate.
George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix after race leaders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided and took themselves out of contention. It was a bit of a lucky break for Russell, but he still managed to stick around in third for most of the race in prime position to take the win when the opportunity presented itself.
George Russell has won the Austrian Grand Prix. At Red Bull’s homerace, championship leader Max Verstappen was on track for his next victory. But then it all came undone in the final laps.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Aston Martin announced this week that Lance Stroll will continue with the team for 2025 and beyond. Given that his father Lawrence Stroll is the team owner, this was a foregone conclusion from the very start. But since his results are lackluster to say the least, it does beg the question: what really is the point of keeping Lance Stroll at Aston Martin?
It’s been a busy week for the driver market. Lance Stroll was confirmed to be staying with Aston Martin (shocker) and Pierre Gasly is extending his contract at Alpine. But behind the scenes something else has happened. Something big. And we have no idea what it is.
Pierre Gasly has signed a new contract with Alpine. The French driver will stay with his team for at least two more years, joining drivers such as Alonso and Perez in staying with their teams into the new regulation cycle.
During the Spanish Grand Prix, there was more than a bit of tension between the two Ferrari drivers. The two cars made contact on lap 3, with both drivers claiming the other one was in the wrong. At the end, when Leclerc just fell short of overtaking George Russell for P4, he insinuated that it was this contact with Sainz that ultimately cost them the position. In the post-race interviews both drivers also lashed out at each other. Leclerc claimed that Sainz didn’t obey team orders, Sainz claimed that Leclerc always has something to complain about.
Max Verstappen has won the Spanish Grand Prix. At the same track where he won his first race back in 2016, the Dutchman now established himself once again as the title favorite for this year. But the victory did not come easy. Not in the slightest.
