Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Action on track. Multiple drivers and teams battling for the top spots. An unpredictable driver market and silly season has seen new faces dotting the landscape of Formula One. The 2024 Formula One season has been delivering, both on and off the track. It's a stark contrast from the 2023 season, which saw barely any driver activity or multiple race winners.
Fans relishing the way the 2024 Formula One season has played out can also be attributed to the dour expectations coming into the season. Coming off a completely lop-sided 2023, many fans cut a despondent look ahead of the new season.
A dull start to the season
According to a survey conducted by The Race after the first two races of 2024, a whopping 61% of the fans who responded that they were 'less interested' for the 2024 Formula One season, while a mere seven percent expressed interest for the season ahead.
Perhaps, you couldn't have doubted the outcome. While credit is to be given to Red Bull and Max Verstappen for shattering the existing standards and setting unprecedented highs, their dominant run meant fans were less likely to tune in to the proceedings.
This was reflected by a drop in viewership figures, down eight percent in the Americas compared to 2022, standing at approximately 1.11 million viewers, despite the presence of three American races on the calendar.
Even the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas couldn't rack up viewership figures. Formula One fans were less likely to tune in to a race, after both championships were decided with five races to go. Crucially, two of these races were in the Americas.
This explains contrasting viewing figures for the Miami Grand Prix in May, which stood at 1.96 million, as compared to Austin or Las Vegas, the latter only being able to reach 1.3 million views despite the pre-event hype.
It's easy to imagine why fans would be less likely to tune in to the 2024 Formula One season, when Verstappen and Red Bull dominated the first two races at Bahrain and Jeddah. No driver changes heading into the season, and the status quo remaining the same.
Fans thrive over suspense and curiosity when they sit in front of the TV to watch a race. There's a sense of happiness and desire tuning in to a race, not knowing who will win. If the same driver wins every race, you'll find little point tuning in, especially with the unpredictability factor thrown out of the window.
The prospect of as many as three, and sometimes four teams battling it out for the spots behind would only be of some interest, as fans would be more likely to train their eyes towards the battle for victory, than as much for the spots behind.
Even though it was a matter of when the likes of Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes would be able to match Red Bull's pace, than an if, the outlook for the season still looked bleak.
With Verstappen coming back from a difficult sprint qualifying to win by 13 seconds at Shanghai, another dominant season was in the offing. With Formula One's longest ever calendar at 24 races, it was shaping up to be another re-run of 2023.
A four-way fight for victory — Good for the sport, good for the broadcasters
Like many Formula One fans, I'm one who looks forward to multiple teams battling at the front. It's no secret as to why 2012 still remains one of my favourite seasons of Formula One till date.
There's something truly special about multiple teams and drivers fighting for victory. The increased competitiveness adds an element of uncertainty to the sport, apart from drawing more eyeballs to the racing action. Fans are always more excited to see newer faces at the head of the field.
The spike in viewing figures only drives home how impressive the racing action has been in 2024. As many as 3.1 million viewers tuned in from the USA to witness Lando Norris's triumphant Miami Grand Prix , a stateside record for Formula One races.
Over 1.9 million tuned in to witness Charles Leclerc's feel-good win at Monaco, with the viewership peaking towards the end of the race, as the entire sport was on the cusp of witnessing one of the greatest feats in modern day racing.
The ensuing Canadian Grand Prix drew in 1.8 million viewers, as changeable weather played host to an action-packed race at Montreal. While four races had breached the one million mark stateside, two less than last year at that stage, the average viewership stood at 1.27 million after the first nine races, up from last year's figure of 1.19 million viewers.
Over 480,000 fans turned up at Silverstone for this year's British Grand Prix weekend, matching the record set in 2023. A record audience of 164,000 witnessed Lewis Hamilton break his victory drought with an excellent drive, and take a record ninth win around Silverstone, a track the seven-time champion has experienced loads of success at.
While these are only evidences of increased viewership from America, a market that has witnessed the largest growth in the recent past, one can only imagine the audience figures from other countries. More and more fans are tuning in to the sport with excitement, and this figure is only set to grow as the season goes on.
More competition, More stories and narratives
There's also a fun aspect arising out of the increased competition. The increased uncertainty and excitement brings in more narratives to the season.
What started out as a dominant season for Red Bull has suddenly been flipped on its head as McLaren, Ferrari, and later Mercedes began to take victories. The season has witnessed seven different winners, the most for any season since the famous 2012 season, which saw eight make it to the top step of the podium, including seven in the first seven races.
2024 also marks the first season since 2012 that has seen Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari all take victories in the same season. Such stories are always a happy sign for the sport, sparking memories of an extremely competitive Formula One season.
A good season brings feel-good stories in abundance, and 2024 has been no different. Oliver Bearman stepping in for Carlos Sainz at Jeddah and finishing seventh only affirmed the abundance of talent at the youngster's disposal. The Spaniard taking victory at Melbourne only 16 days after his appendectomy provided another glimpse of his sheer talent and resilience.
Zhou Guanyu's emotional homecoming at China was another special moment for motorsport in the nation. McLaren's growing competitiveness meant Verstappen and Red Bull had to dig deep for further success.
Charles Leclerc finally overcoming the infamous 'Monaco curse' and Lewis Hamilton finally experiencing victory for the first time since his heartbreak in 2021 were other stories capturing the hearts of fans.
Amidst McLaren's internal controversy, Oscar Piastri's maiden Grand Prix victory brought delight to the Paddock, while George Russell stunned everyone with an against-all-odds one-stop strategy at Belgium, winning on track before being disqualified post-race.
With Red Bull even potentially revealing they may have hit a ceiling on car development, and Andrea Stella pushing for McLaren to be ruthless in the coming rounds, there's enough time to set further narratives and bring home more stories from the gift that keeps on giving — the 2024 Formula One season.
A buzzing driver market
With as many as 13 drivers having their contracts come to an end in 2024, and becoming free agents in 2025, the driver market has been buzzing with activity.
Like many, I have certainly found plenty of joy and revelled in the uncertainty and speculation the driver market has to offer. It's always a fun time for fans and pundits to play a game of 'Guess who goes where' as they witness this game of musical chairs between drivers and teams.
You could say the narrative was firmly set in stone even before the season began. Lewis Hamilton's shock move to Ferrari was one that turned heads around the paddock. As someone who roots for the team in red, I found it to be a mouthwatering prospect.
Carlos Sainz became the fulcrum of this driver market, his departure from Ferrari confirmed at the end of 2024. The speculation of his next team added an element of intrigue to the season's storyline, with the rumour mill linking the Spaniard to every team on the grid.
James Vowles' persistence ensured he got Sainz onboard, taking one of the hottest stars off the market and leaving those interested in the 29-year old's services to scurry around and look for options.
Speaking of Williams and Vowles, the sacking of Sargeant to bring a fresh face in Colapinto onboard has only spoken volumes of the uncertainty of the sport. It has also given rise to intense debate among fans, whether such a call was right or not.
While the news of Nico Hulkenberg moving to Kick Sauber for 2025 and Esteban Ocon moving to Haas caught eyeballs, the biggest speculation has been whether the young phenom called Andrea Kimi Antonelli would step up to a Mercedes seat in 2025.
Having skipped F3 to race in Formula 2, Antonelli has revelled in the new era of the series in 2024, pulling off some astonishing feats to sit seventh in the championship standings. The young Italian has won at Silverstone and Hungaroring in 2024.
While Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff initially said, "Antonelli needs to swim", referring to the youngster requiring some more time across junior series to build his racing skill set, the signs all seem to be pointing towards a shock elevation for the young Italian.
All in all, the next big question remains around the Mercedes seat for 2025, and if the Brackley-based team will open the door for the 18-year old youngster to step up.
Other questions too remain with regards to the second Kick Sauber seat for 2025, and if Daniel Ricciardo will remain at VCARB for next year, with Liam Lawson waiting in the wings.
Despite Sergio Perez penning a new two-year contract at Red Bull, there has been intense speculation if the Mexican will actually be able to remain at the team until his contract ends. This has given rise to fresh rumours around his future in the sport.
It's not often you witness such activity, with the rumour mill working overtime all through a Formula One season. It only gives more reason for fans to follow the sport and tune in to every race weekend.
Conclusion - Relish the gift that keeps on giving
2024 has probably been the dream year fans have been thirsting for. As many as four teams have found themselves in contention for race victories, and seven different names have stepped onto the top step of the rostrum in 2024. It's almost as though Formula One in 2024 is the gift that keeps on giving.
Fans are eagerly tuning in to race weekends, relishing the prospect of uncertainty around the race winner, and witnessing a renewed level of competitiveness every race. It's only coincidental that 2024 consists of 24 race weekends, the most in the sport's history.
Every weekend is worth tuning into, with unpredictability and uncertainty reigning supreme around Formula One.
As Sebastian Vettel once famously said, "We have to remember these days, because there's no guarantee they will last forever." His words live on even today. Seasons like these come only once in a while. Relish this ephemeral feeling until it lasts.
Comments