OPINION: Unpredictable, emotional, iconic - 2024 was peak Formula One
- Zoha Wyne
- Jul 14
- 8 min read
Written by Zoha Wyne, Edited by Marit Everett
The 2024 Formula One World Championship didn't just break records—it broke the mould. In a year that featured everything from debut winners to fights that played out down to the wire and even the sport’s first identical pole-worthy lap times in years,fans were reminded why they fell in love with racing in the first place.
This was Formula One at its peak: unpredictable, emotional, and utterly gripping.
A record-breaking calendar packed with chaos
With a historic 24 Grands Prix packed into the season, 2024 was the most demanding calendar the sport had ever seen. And yet, the intensity only seemed to fuel the drama.
Seven different race winners—Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri kept fans guessing at every corner.
The statistics speak volumes: seven different drivers won races across 24 events in 2024, the most in a single season since 2012. Only Verstappen won more than three races (he took nine), a stark contrast to previous seasons dominated by one team and one man.
The rest? They scrapped, strategised, and stole the spotlight. As a previous Divebomb article from 2023,Opinion: Dominance is BORING pointed out, seasons without challengers tend to drag. The 2024 season proved exactly this with unexpected winners nearly every week.
Verstappen may have clinched his fourth consecutive World Championship with nine wins, but for once, he didn’t dominate the narrative. This time, he was just part of the story and not the whole headline.
Unpredictability at its finest: seven winners, two breakthrough stars, and one unforgettable Monaco moment
Every race had its own narrative. Two of the most satisfying came from Norris and Piastri, who both clinched their first Formula One victories in serious style.
In Miami, Norris finally shook the monkey off his back. After years of heartbreak and close finishes, the McLaren driver pounced during a mid-race safety car, overhauled Verstappen, and stormed to the chequered flag.
On the cool-down lap, an emotional Norris let it all out over the radio: "About time! Oh… we did it! We did it! Ahhh… thank you so much everyone. Thank you. Finally! Finally!"
Later, speaking to Jenson Button in his post-race interview, he added:"What a race. It’s been a long time coming, but finally I’ve managed to do it. I’m so happy for my whole team, I finally delivered for them. A long day, tough race, but finally on top, so I’m over the moon”.
McLaren’s resurgence didn’t stop there. In Hungary, Piastri led home a McLaren one-two, crossing the line two seconds clear of Norris, who handed back the position after a team order reshuffle.
That win marked not just Oscar’s personal breakthrough, but confirmed McLaren as a genuine championship threat.
Norris would go on to win four races. Piastri, two. Together, they delivered McLaren’s first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years.
Let’s go back to Monaco. Charles Leclerc, a hometown curse broken — and I’m not even going to pretend I didn’t cry.
After years of brutal luck at his home Grand Prix, the stars finally aligned. Leclerc led every lap after the restart, with Ferrari bringing it home for a one-three finish.
The moment he crossed the line, the radio crackled to life:“Yesssss, yes, yes, yes, yes. YES!”His voice cracking, the emotion unfiltered. It wasn’t just relief, it was catharsis. Because this wasn’t just a win. It was a redemption arc.
In 2021, he put it on pole, only to crash in qualifying and never make it to the grid. In 2022, a botched Ferrari strategy call threw away another pole position.
Even in 2019, he retired early after a messy qualifying left him buried in the pack.Every year, it seemed like something—everything—went wrong.
But not this time. This time, he conquered Monaco. On home soil, under the crushing weight of expectation and history.
Then came Alex Jacques’ unforgettable words, “The grandstands he once watched being built as a child now rise for him and for the first time in 93 years, this fabled race is won by one of their own. Charles Leclerc wins the Monaco Grand Prix to achieve his dream.”
That moment made everyone watching including me so emotional, it was impossible not to feel every bit of that history and heartbreak melt into joy. It meant something to all of us. To see a driver finally claim victory on his home turf after that kind of journey reminded us why we watch. Not for stats. Not even for strategy. But for moments that punch you right in the chest.
In his post-race interview, Leclerc said:“No words can explain this. I think because twice I started from pole and couldn't make it, it means more in a way. It was a race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver. In the last 15 laps, the emotions were coming—I was thinking of my Dad. He gave everything to get me here. It was his dream for me to race here and to win. So this is… unbelievable.”
But if Monaco was about redemption, Brazil was about resurrection. Alpine’s double podium in Brazil was the Cinderella story no one saw coming.
After a season plagued by underperformance, internal shakeups, and boardroom drama that made Otmar Szafnauer’s exit feel like just one square on the infamous “Alpine restructure bingo card,” few gave the French squad a shot.
This was a team that started the year nearly a second off the pace and was faster in playing musical chairs with leadership than in pit stops. But in São Paulo, everything clicked.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon capitalised on late-race chaos and perfect tyre strategy to finish P2 and P3—Alpine’s first double podium since 2021.
“We never gave up, and here we are” Gasly beamed in parc fermé.
What a day that was,” Ocon added. “After a difficult season, it’s really nice to be driving around here […] I’m very happy to be on the podium today. […] I can’t thank everyone enough.”
It wasn’t just a podium, it was a statement. In a year where Alpine were written off, picked apart, and meme’d relentlessly, Brazil reminded us all: even in a sport dominated by giants, the underdogs still get their day.
And just when you thought Brazil couldn’t get more dramatic - Max Verstappen pulled off one of the greatest recovery drives of his career.
Starting P17 after a shocking qualifying and penalty, Verstappen carved through the field in classic Interlagos chaos to win the Grand Prix in emphatic style.
His drive was ruthless, calculated, and relentless, a reminder that even in a season filled with parity and plot twists, Verstappen’s talent remains otherworldly.
It was his ninth win of the season, but possibly the most iconic. From the back of the grid at P17 to the top step of the podium—it wasn’t dominance by default, it was brilliance by design. As ever with Max, he didn’t just win the race. He took it.
Redemption, emotion, and legacy
2024 wasn’t just about firsts, it was about lasts too. Carlos Sainz, recovering from appendix surgery, delivered standout wins in Australia and Mexico, his last with the Ferrari team.
His final day in Ferrari red before his departure. Ferrari gave him a warm send-off, with a private track day at Fiorano alongside his father Carlos Sainz Sr. that spoke volumes about his contribution.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was getting ready to leave Mercedes, his team of 12 years and seven world titles. As they entered their home race, Hamilton turned back the clock at Silverstone. In treacherous mixed conditions, the seven-time World Champion claimed his 104th win and a record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix triumph.
Over team radio, Hamilton was audibly emotional, calling it “the most emotional race” of his career. A fitting farewell to Mercedes, as he prepared for the scarlet overalls of Ferrari in 2025.
Tension, unpredictability, and the end of domination
There was drama everywhere you looked and not just on the racetrack. The silly season was pure chaos: Hamilton to Ferrari, Sainz to Williams, and a flood of rookies shaking up the grid.
But the unpredictability bled straight into Saturdays, too.
In Canada, qualifying delivered one of the wildest moments of the year: Russell and Verstappen set identical Q3 lap times, 1:12.000, with Russell awarded pole simply because he crossed the line first.
It was a ruthless reminder that in 2024, even perfection wasn’t always enough. Timing alone could make or break a weekend.
On paper, Verstappen was still the man to beat. But his nine wins never came in long stretches, and the sheer volume of different winners, seven, the most since 2012 — meant no one could take anything for granted.
Whether it was Norris losing to Max by 0.725s at Imola or Piastri finishing half a second behind Hamilton in Belgium, every race felt like a title fight.
Goodbyes and fresh faces
But with triumph came tears. Daniel Ricciardo’s final F1 race came and went quietly in Singapore, replaced by Liam Lawson, who had already subbed in for him during his hand injury in 2023.
Sergio Pérez’s departure from Red Bull later came as well, even after a mid-season contract renewal.
Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, and Zhou Guanyu also exited the grid, each in subdued circumstances. Zhou, at least, got to race at home in China for the first time in his F1 career.
In their place came a wave of fresh talent. Oliver Bearman made headlines by scoring points on debut in Saudi Arabia, stepping in last-minute for Sainz.
Though not a full-time entrant in 2024, his performance laid the groundwork for a 2025 rookie campaign with Haas.
Kimi Antonelli was confirmed at Mercedes, Isack Hadjar joined Racing Bulls (RB), and Gabriel Bortoleto replaced Valtteri Bottas at Sauber. Jack Doohan began the 2025 season with Alpine but was replaced mid-season by Franco Colapinto after six underwhelming races.
Liam Lawson, who had replaced Ricciardo at RB in 2024 and was initially promoted to Red Bull Racing alongside Verstappen for 2025, yet was demoted back to RB after just two races.
Following the Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull reinstated Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese Grand Prix onward. The rookie class of 2025 was big, bold, and brutally competitive.
The verdict: unpredictability wins
Dominance builds legends. Unpredictability builds fans. In 2024, Formula One found its sweet spot. A tight Constructors’ battle. A blend of youthful triumph and veteran resurgence.
A grid constantly reshaping itself, week after week. This was a season with heart, grit, and drama at every turn.
In my eyes, this was the best Formula One season in modern memory. Every weekend mattered. Every mistake was punished. Every win felt hard-earned.
If this is what F1 can be, if this chaos, competitiveness and emotion becomes the norm then the sport’s future is as thrilling as ever. Here’s to more like it.
Love it? Hate it? Think 2024 wasn't all that? Let us know your take — drop a comment below. Who was your driver of the season?
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