Written by Jenny Clynes, Edited by Meghana Sree
It is finally February and that means it is officially the return of Formula One after a long winter break. The first fortnight of this month marks an exciting time where each of the teams will officially reveal their 2024 car to the world, ahead of pre-season testing which is set to take place from the 23rd of February at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Pre-season testing provides the short opportunity for drivers and teams to test their newly developed cars and make any needed improvements in just three days. They do not have long however to make these improvements, as the first Grand Prix of 2024 starts just a week later on February 29th.
With a flurry of activity in the world of Formula 1 once again, it’s safe to say we have a mega month ahead of us. Here are the key details you need to know to stay up-to-date with all the car launches in the forthcoming weeks.
The first car revealed to the world is the Haas F1 2024 car. The past few weeks have been busy at Haas, not only with preparing their new car but with some serious personnel changes. The much loved Team Principal Güenther Steiner left his position in January, in a shock move after having a rollercoaster of eight years at Haas.
Now, Ayao Komatsu steps up to the position of the American team’s principal. Haas disappointingly finished in last place in the 2023 Constructors’ Championship, however, the team were very early to start the development of their new car, the VF24.
The first time we will get to see the car in action will be at a Shakedown at Silverstone on the 11th of February.
The next car that is going to be released will be the newly named Stake F1 Team on the 5th of February at an event in London. Previously Alfa Romeo, the team came in ninth place in 2023, but with a brand new name, logo, and car, will we see better results this season?
Also on February 5th, the iconic Williams F1 team will reveal their 2024 car at an event in New York City, in the Puma store on Fifth Avenue.
The team’s 2023 season was a brilliant season as they finished seventh, making last season their best season since 2017. We got to see Alexander Albon shine several times under the new Team Principal James Vowles. We also got to see rookie Logan Sargeant’s F1 potential.
Vowles has emphasised that this is just the beginning of what he hopes will be a resurgence of the Williams team back to the top of the grid, and he has emphasised that he wants to look for long term results with the team.
On February 7th, Alpine will hold a “motorsports season launch” where they will launch both their Formula One car and their World Endurance Championship team. In the middle of the 2023 season, the team saw significant staff changes, with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer leaving his post, as well as the CEO Laurent Rossi and the Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry exiting.
The team reportedly began their development earlier than many of the other teams, and is set to release a car that is new from “front to back”.
The second new team name for 2024 is set to release their car on February 8th. The Visa Cash App RB team, formerly AlphaTauri, will launch their car at a Las Vegas launch event following their fully rebranded identity.
AlphaTauri had a rollercoaster of a 2023 season with the team replacing rookie Nyck de Vries with Daniel Ricciardo mid-season, and Liam Lawson having to be brought in after Ricciardo injured himself.
This new season for the freshly named team has been highly anticipated for some time, and all eyes will be on the performances of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.
Aston Martin will launch their 2024 car on the 12th of February. They are set to release the AMR24 in Silverstone after a successful 2023 season, where they came fifth overall in the Constructors’ Championship, and Fernando Alonoso had a wave of domination on the podiums.
Ferrari will release their 2024 car on February 13th. The iconic Italian team have already had an eventful February with the groundbreaking announcement that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025 alongside Charles Leclerc.
This year marks the second year with Team Principal Frederic Vasseur at the helm, who has reported that “95%” of the car will be new compared to the 2023 car. It is certain that all eyes will be on Ferrari this season after the signing of Hamilton to try to infer what his life will look like in the upcoming years.
On February 14th, Mercedes will release the W15. Once again, all eyes will be on the British team following the announcement of Hamilton’s departure, especially since Hamilton’s last Grand Prix win was back in December 2021.
The 2023 season was underwhelming for the team, with it being their first winless season for the first time in 12 years thanks to the complete dominance of the Red Bulls.
The car will be launched at a digital event from Silverstone and it is reported that some of the main features of the new car include a new front and rear suspension, alongside a new chassis and a new gearbox.
Also on the same day, McLaren will launch the MCL38. 2024 has already been busy for the Papaya team as they unveiled their new livery in a highly dramatic social media campaign.
McLaren had an electric second half of the 2023 season, with both Lando Norris and rookie Oscar Piastri excelling time and time again. It is certain that this season will be an exciting one for them.
The final car to be released will be the 2023 Red Bull car. After a 2023 season of almost complete domination where they won 21 out of 22 races, they are without a doubt the team to beat.
The car is predicted to have a low-key launch as Red Bull are notorious for keeping their car launches very private. One thing that has been rumoured however, is that the team will have a “bold design”. It is currently unknown whether they will showcase the car or just the livery.
This is the time in the Formula One world that is filled with anticipation, hope, and nerves for all of the teams and fans alike. However, after a 2023 season of Red Bull domination, it is no doubt that the winter break has definitely not been a stagnant one for the ten teams in competition.
The question that will be lurking in everyone’s minds during these next few weeks of car releases is whether any of these cars will be able to put an end to the dominance of the Red Bulls and Max Verstappen.