F1 2024 Predictions: All You Need to Know
There’s little over a month to go until it is “lights out” in Bahrain. The F1 2024 season is rapidly approaching, and before then, we’ve got pre-season testing and the exciting launch of a host of new liveries. Will Verstappen and RedBull dominate again in 2024, or will a rejuvenated Mercedes and a hungry Hamilton, the ever-present Ferrari, and a rapidly improving McLaren spoil the party? We can only hope.
Where should you put your money in F1 in 2024? Your resident F1 expert is here to walk you through the regulatory changes, teams, and drivers and provide insight into the favourites for the crown this season.
Will 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton make it 8 in F1 2024?
Key Changes Ahead of F1 2024
You shouldn’t place any bets until you understand the landscape in the F1 2024 season. There are a few regulatory changes to cover. For starters, the start times of the first two races (Bahrain and Saudi Arabia) have been changed. Because of Ramadan, you’re now looking at the first two races taking place on a Saturday, so all events have been shifted forward a day.
China is set to return this year, having been absent from the calendar since 2019 (mainly due to COVID). We didn’t get an Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last year on account of flooding, but it is back with a bang. The Russian Grand Prix, however, is still suspended following the invasion of Ukraine.
In terms of race regulations, the C0 compound (the hardest in Pirelli’s range and unused last season) has been removed. Furthermore, a proposed trial ban on tyre blankets this year, leading to a full ban in 2025, has been canned. Lastly, the Sprint Weekend formats have been adjusted so that Sprint Qualifying and Sprint Races take place back-to-back and don’t interfere with the regular race weekend.
Any New Teams and Drivers?
What about the teams and drivers? There are no driver changes before the start of the season – everyone who ended the 2023 season in Abu Dhabi begins the Bahrain race. However, there are a few tweaks in team names. Alfa Romeo is out. As Audi is set to debut in 2026, the team has reverted to the Sauber works name, albeit under the title Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber for sponsorship reasons. Alpha Tauri has also been renamed, with the silly-sounding Visa Cash App RB F1 Team being chosen in its place. Both teams are still powered by Ferrari and Honda RBPT engines, respectively. Should there be any drivers switching seats, you can keep tabs on that right here at GamesBelt in our sports news section.
Who Are the Favourites for the F1 2024 Season
We don’t have anything to go on yet, considering pre-season testing hasn’t begun. However, you’d be a fool not to bet on Max Verstappen to win the Driver’s Championship and RedBull to win the Constructors. They were too far ahead last season, and while other teams may have closed the gap, it’ll be a tall order to beat them unless RB has slipped up in their design.
If that happened, who could you have a punt on? You can write off Max’s teammate. Checo hasn’t proven himself capable of challenging for the title before. There’s no reason to suspect he would now. If Mercedes has upped their progress and finally understands their car, then don’t discount Lewis Hamilton. He’ll be hungry for the eighth (record-breaking) title, which was controversially snatched from him in 2021. What about the Prancing Horses? Both are a long shot, but if I had to pick between the two, my money is on Carlos Sainz outperforming alleged team leader Charles Leclerc. Is it enough for a title challenge? Doubtful.
In the Constructors, it seems more open. Perez has proven that he can’t be relied on to regularly finish second, potentially opening the door for Mercedes or Ferrari to put together a challenge if both of their drivers are on form. Elsewhere, McLaren looked competitive in the second half of last season, but they blew last year’s budget on one big upgrade and couldn’t splash that cash on preparing this year’s car. Whether they can progress or end up going backwards remains to be seen.
Can McLaren bag wins in F1 2024, or will their performance tail off?
Things to Watch Out for in F1 2024
So, what can we expect in terms of predictions for F1 2024? The first thing I’d say is to watch out for Sergio Perez. If he has a blinder, the seat is his. But his contract runs out this season, and a few poor performances may see Daniel Ricciardo make his much-anticipated and dramatic return to the big team. Elsewhere, James Allison has signed a new long-term deal with Mercedes. Now that Adrian Newey’s only real rival has full rein in developing the W15, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a Silver Arrows fightback, with Lewis leading the way.
Over at McLaren and Aston Martin, things are more complicated. McLaren has two of the most exciting young drivers on the grid in Norris and Piastri. However, they couldn’t work on this year’s car as early as they may have liked, meaning that there’s no guarantee that they’ll be as competitive this time around. Aston Martin started last season well but nosedived after half a dozen races. Alonso is unquestionably capable of landing wins if they up their efforts. Stroll, however, will likely continue that if you have rich parents, you can remain in the sport no matter how lacklustre your driving skills may be compared to everyone else. Fernando must have a more skilled and reliable partner if Aston Martin is to advance.
Lastly, keep your eyes on RB F1 (formerly Alpha Tauri) and Daniel Ricciardo in particular. RB F1 is now buying most of its parts from its parent team, Red Bull Racing. That’s frustrated a lot of other teams, who see it as tantamount to cheating. As long as there is no law against it, RB F1 could find themselves a lot further up the grid, potentially in podium positions. If that was the case, expect Ricciardo to start knocking at Perez’s door sooner rather than later.
So, there you have it. Those are my predictions for F1 2024. Now we just need to get through pre-season testing to see which way the money will fall when you start betting on F1 this season.
