An F1 season recap

First, I apologize to Max Verstappen for jinxing his season. At the beginning of the 2024 season, our article “Silver is the new gold” predicted continued Verstappen domination — I mean at the time, Bahrain had just happened. Instead, we’ve gotten double McLaren maiden wins with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri becoming multiple Grand Prix winners. Ferrari has had its wins and way too many losses (Ferrari, I beg of you, fix this). Even Mercedes found their way back to the top a couple of times. Hamilton’s heartwrenching win at his home GP, Silverstone, had the stands — and the entire world — on their feet, cheering. Also, their one-two finish in Vegas was masterful. Verstappen still managed to win the Drivers’ Championship for the fourth consecutive year, so clearly, I didn’t jinx him too badly. 

Silly season this year has lasted all year. Considering how many contracts were up throughout the grid, it wasn’t unexpected. The most exciting change was early on in the season when Hamilton, the most iconic F1 driver, announced his switch to Ferrari, the most iconic F1 team, for 2025. It’s a match made in heaven. Yet, his parting from Mercedes, a team he helped win eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships, is bittersweet. After Australia, I was so sure we’d be seeing Carlos Sainz in Red Bull blue. Instead, we’re seeing him in Williams  blue. We’ll also be welcoming some rookies to the grid to freshen things up — most notably, Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement. Is it a risk? Probably. But RB once took a risk on a rookie too, and look how that turned out. 

That’s the chequered flag on an exciting season, I’ll see you at lights out for 2025. 

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Graphic by Forrester Toews