Written by Sofia Costantino, Edited by Tarun Suresh
The summer break is officially over, and our dear Formula One is revving up for the second half of the 2024 season. After a nearly four-week hiatus, the championship returns with the next race in the Netherlands on August 25th. If the first 14 races were anything to go by, we’re in for an exhilarating ride as the season heats up.
Let's summarise really quickly what this season has been: the season kicked off with a bang, as Red Bull and Max Verstappen seemed poised for another dominant year, echoing their success from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with impressive 1-2 finishes. The stage was set for Verstappen to charge towards his fourth consecutive title.
But the plot thickened in Melbourne, where a brake failure on Verstappen’s RB20 #1 handed victory to Carlos Sainz of Ferrari—a surprising twist for a team that had shown promising early-season form. McLaren, demonstrating significant progress since Baku 2023, soon made waves with Lando Norris’s victory in Miami, marking McLaren's first win since Monza 2021.
Despite Verstappen’s seven pole positions and seven wins in the first ten races, his dominance isn’t as overwhelming as in the past two years. The competition has stepped up, especially after the Austrian GP—the eleventh race—where a dramatic collision between Verstappen and Norris handed an unexpected win to George Russell and Mercedes.
Mercedes has since found its stride, securing regular podiums and three wins in the last four races, signalling a recovery of their performance lost with the 2022 regulations.
McLaren has been another key player, with consecutive podiums and a win from Oscar Piastri in Hungary, positioning themselves as the main challengers to Red Bull. With seven different winners from four teams in the first half of the season—a feat not seen since 2012—the championship has become a thrilling contest.
Although Verstappen’s reign appears slightly challenged, he remains at the top, thanks to his early-season victories and ability to capitalise on others' mistakes. He defended his position against Norris in Imola, benefited from errors by George Russell and McLaren drivers in Canada, and took advantage of Norris’s poor start in Barcelona. Yet, Norris’s struggle to overtake Austria shows the intense competition.
As we head into the second half of the season, the current advantage of Verstappen and Red Bull comes down to Verstappen’s exceptional talent, McLaren’s poor decision-making and Mercedes perhaps arriving too late. With plenty of racing still to come, the excitement is far from over.
If we look at the standout performers so far, Nico Hulkenberg with HAAS/Ferrari deserves special mention. Despite starting from the back, Hulkenberg made all six appearances for his team in Q3, secured two sixth places in Austria and Great Britain, and amassed the majority of his team’s points (25 vs. 5 for Kevin Magnussen).
This performance has placed Haas in seventh place in the Constructors' Championship, just seven points behind the Racing Bulls. Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez, driving the same car as Verstappen, finds himself at the bottom of the standings.
With the summer break behind us (finally) and the action about to resume, the 2024 Formula One season promises to deliver even more drama, excitement, and surprises. And of course, you're catching up series will be with you along the ride. it feels so good to be back!
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