Written by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Fans took to social media as they reminisced on moments that made the first half of the 2024 season. A season filled with triumphs and tribulations.
Comparisons of 2024’s competitive nature have been made with what some may claim to be well-loved seasons of the past, such as that of the 2012 Formula One season. With that being said, are we seeing the rebirth of the golden age of F1?
The ground effect era
This may trail back into 2022, when the new ground effect rules were implemented. The regulations came into effect (no pun intended) just months after the conclusion of the iconic 2021 championship battle between a veteran, Lewis Hamilton, and youngster, Max Verstappen, who clinched his first driver’s title.
Optimising ground effect was a fundamental change in the 2022 car, as it was one of the most aerodynamically influential parts of the design, where teams needed to be creative in making modifications around the floor.
This was met with initial confusion for some, even leading to a heated debate around the term ‘porpoising’, a phenomenon where the car bounces up and down on the straights. As it causes an uncomfortable experience for the drivers, teams continuously develop their designs to ensure this effect is reduced, without compromising other sections of the car.
However, the ground effect concept is not new on the technical side. It was introduced back in the 1970s before a ban was imposed 40 years ago, due to concerns of it allowing dangerous cornering speeds.
With plenty of technical advancements being made over the years on these modern-day cars, it finally returned, this time in much safer hands. Not only did the concept make its first appearance through the new generation of F1 cars in the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, it hit the ground running.
The rise of the Red Bull
With Verstappen becoming world champion for the first time, and the regulations being set, no one could imagine who would be the next driver to claim the title. Not even one could imagine the tune of the Netherlands’ national anthem being played as Verstappen stood on top of the podium for 15 rounds of the season, a total display of the Dutchman’s dominance.
With these 15 race wins, 2022 marked the beginning of Verstappen’s record-setting feats, smashing any possible records that were previously held by racing legends such as Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. These achievements definitely made a name for himself among the greats.
His winning margins set not only an embarassingly large gap in the championship points between himself and teammate Sergio Perez, but also with the other drivers. With just four races left in the calendar, he went on to collect his second drivers’ title in the Japanese Grand Prix, further proving the reliability of the RB18.
Although, more competition was indeed expected from the other drivers, much less the constructors.
Top teams such as Mercedes and McLaren have struggled to make their way back to the top of the standings. Despite the Brackley-based team going for a radical route with their newly ‘zero sidepods’ invention, George Russell sadly brought home Mercedes’ sole race win in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
On the other hand, McLaren had to deal with inconsistency in its performances, one of the reasons being facing issues around its narrow operating window. Its tyre difficulties also resulted in delivering poor race stints.
Lando Norris ended up taking third at Imola, the Woking-based outfit’s only podium of the season. With these lacklustre results, McLaren fell into fifth place in the standings, behind Alpine.
The Italian giant Ferrari showed promising signs of a championship battle with its introduction of drag-reducing unique sidepods design alongside Leclerc’s four podiums out of the first five races, but their campaign petered into a disappointing one, in the end.
Their 2022 season was frequently marred by occasional errors of judgement and mechanical failures which forced Leclerc to retire for three rounds in Spain, Azerbaijan and France. The double retirement in Baku was one of the worst misfortunes the Italian team ever encountered that year.
Max Verstappen’s record-shattering performances continued into the 2023 season. It was simply a breeze for him, as he swung his way into 19 race wins. Perez’s two race victories in Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia also contributed to Red Bull’s tally of 21 wins out of 22.
Despite being denied a win in Singapore by Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, this collection of Red Bull race wins has shown the huge advantage the Austrian outfit gained over the field.
Ferrari once again were hopeful for a championship battle, but had a disastrous start for 2023 with engine related issues causing Leclerc to lose precious points.
There were glimpses of outstanding drives here and there showcased by both Leclerc and Sainz, but it wasn’t enough to finish as the championship lead as it lost out to Mercedes as the runner-up by a mere three points.
It was a shocking defeat by Mercedes, the team facing its first winless season since 2011. It has abandoned the previous season of ‘zero sidepods’ concept, which involved reducing the side volume of the car to very narrow inlets. Regardless, Lewis Hamilton’s six podiums helped the team remain afloat in the top three of the constructor standings.
Meanwhile, McLaren faced a turnaround of a season. Its first round of game-changing changes in Austria involving the revamped floor, new engine cover and sidepods proven to succeed.
With a stellar driver lineup of the experienced Norris and talented rookie Oscar Piastri, the gradual growth in performance led them to finish with an impressive campaign, resulting in fourth place in the constructors standings.
While it is normal for constructors to take some time to adjust to the new regulations, however, this just showcases how much of a powerhouse Red Bull is.
Dominance of a team may be the norm in Formula One, as it was the case with Mercedes pre-2022, but will this one team show continue in the upcoming seasons?
Third time’s a charm
Entering 2024, as F1 heads into the third season under these regulations. Every fan searches for signs of a potential championship battle in the season.
As Verstappen eased his way to victory for the first two races, this led to questions whether the regulations could actually meet their main objective: Bring more competitive racing. Little did they know the unexpected was to come in the next few rounds.
Bear in mind, this has been the first season in history where there are no rookies in the grid. Hence, all protagonists of the 2023 season have long familiarised themselves with the expectations that come with these regulations.
After Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Verstappen has made several attempts to achieve three race wins in a row. But the streak was interrupted, coincidentally, thrice by Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris and George Russell in Australia, Miami and Austria respectively.
The battle for the title grew more challenging. The spark of F1 brilliance that had been hidden for the previous few years became more visible/brighter since the new regulations started. From the third race onwards, different names made it to the podium on several rounds.
After Piastri’s win in Hungary, the 2024 grid emerged with seven different race winners. This is also the year where there are a total 13 different race winners on the grid, achieved for the first time since 1980.
Young talents managed to taste their first Grand Prix victory. McLaren may face backlash from its mismanagement and questionable strategic tactics, however, there is a silver lining in this situation. Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri clinched their first wins in Miami and Hungary respectively, sparking double celebration in their Woking factory this season.
The experienced drivers also enjoyed success after a long drought. Lewis Hamilton secured first place at the British Grand Prix, a historic home win after nearly 1000 days and two winless seasons. This also marked his last one with Mercedes before starting a new chapter with Ferrari next year.
Another feel-good home race win is Charles Leclerc’s, as he led the 78-lap race into victory sans error. He finally broke, as many argued, ‘the Monaco curse’ after numerous failed attempts in his home soil over the years.
Midfield teams eventually returned to the front of the grid, as Ferrari and McLaren going-head-to-head with constructors leader Red Bull, with all three of them achieving 1-2 finishes on three separate occasions, a deserved reward for each driver’s stellar performance.
Mercedes rounds up the top four for the constructors title, as it also catches up with the F1 W15 collecting three race victories and six podiums this season. This made a significant leap in their championship points compared to their previously winless season.
Gaps between the cars are getting narrower, with Norris merely missing out a win by 3 seconds in Spain, as Verstappen won at Catalunya. The 2024 Belgian Grand Prix has the one of the closest finishes in F1 without any intervention of a safety car, since the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a margin of only 1.173s.
Despite appearances of various race winners on podiums, there is a worrying trend of overtaking opportunities decreasing over the seasons from 2022 onwards. With ten races remaining, there may be hopes that this would change for better action in the future, as teams continue to increase strengths and eliminate weaknesses in all aspects.
Future regulations, future challenges
2026 will arrive as another new era of racing, as a new set of technical regulations will be introduced, just four years after the previous edition. Of course, no regulations come without throwing in a new set of challenges. These regulations, directed by FIA, will carry forward the purpose of bringing closer racing and reducing environmental impact in F1 cars.
However, this also includes several new features. One of the most notable changes is the implementation of Manual Override Mode, F1’s latest overtaking tool that will replace the Drag Reduction System(DRS).
Moving forward, it’s clear the 2022 regulations have proven to be successful in terms of performance for the past three seasons, delivering loads of on-track battles, with more to come. The rebirth of F1’s competitiveness in the 2024 season has never looked more exciting, especially once the sport returns at Zandvoort.
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