By Joe Murphy
The months have turned to weeks and soon the weeks will turn to days on the official countdown to the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season. It is sure to be a spectacle, with the return of China, Saturday races and even some new sprint venues. 24 races of action to come but when all is said and done, what will be the results? These are the predictions for the upcoming campaign.
World Champion = Max Verstappen
It’s probably a case of by how many points than ‘if’ the Dutchman makes it four in a row. The car was too good last year to not be quickest this year. Furthermore, Verstappen is head and shoulders above his teammate, so theoretically, this title should be in the bag already. Fans of the sport not affiliated to Red Bull are just hoping the gap ant quite as big.
Race of the season = Baku, Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
We are owned a movie-like race from this venue. The street circuit has so many opportunities for mishaps, making it one of the most watchable races over the last several years. The last few have been a little disappointing compared to the high ceiling standards set in 2017 and 2018. We are due another blockbuster edition of this event and 2024 could be the year we get it.
Standout Team = Ferrari
Visually, Sauber probably have this one in the bag. Unfortunately for Haas fans, you can expect this team to be standout but for all the wrong reasons in terms of bringing up the rear. McLaren and Aston Martin could struggle to replicate their success of last year with an improved Mercedes on the grid. Alpine are still finding their feet, Williams progress is good but not remarkable and Team RB won’t be doing anything spectacular. Red Bull should also coast to victory most weeks so in terms of a standout team, Ferrari are this writer’s controversial pick. An interesting Day 2 of testing had the Red Team leading the field across both sessions, with Sainz and Leclerc getting a taste of the P1 life. If they can stop the errors and change the culture, then they could genuinely take it to Red Bull at certain Grand Prix in 2024. They look quick and have talented drivers, just need more consistency. Ferrari should beat Mercedes to P2 before mounting a more serious challenge on the Constructors Championship in 2025.
Biggest Over-Achiever = Yuki Tsunoda
Not that the RB car is capable of much, but I fully expect Tsunoda to go toe-to-toe with his more experienced teammate; Daniel Ricciardo. With Haas and possibly Sauber being slower, there is a possibility of the team scoring a few points at certain races where luck is on their side. The Japanese driver is more experienced this year and could show up his Australian counterpart. If so, then I wouldn’t see Red Bull changing Sergio Perez.
Biggest Under-achiever = Aston Martin
One cannot envisage a scenario where Aston Martin is quicker than McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull. If Alpine make improvements, then the team in green omwont improve on last year’s results, and that is surely the target. Of course, Alonso has the pedigree to get his car into the top six most weeks. However, expecting many more podiums would be a touch optimistic for 2024. As for Lance, P7, maybe P8, is about as good as he can expect in the coming year. And he would need some external favours to achieve this.
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