F1 2024 race reports: The thrilling season as it happened
Verstappen has sealed his fourth world championship... but McLaren was the star of the constructors
Max Verstappen sealed his fourth Formula One world championship with a fifth-place finish in Las Vegas but the constructors’ title race went right down to the wire at Abu Dhabi in December, finally going McLaren’s way for the first time since 1998.
It was an epic battle throughout 2024, thanks in part to an F1 season featuring a record 24 races. Once again the season began with the Bahrain Grand Prix, which took place on Saturday, March 2, then stretched into December, with the final round at the Yas Marina track on December 8.
In scheduling the races for 2024, F1’s management made a conscious move towards “greater calendar regionalisation”, which in layman’s terms means grouping events together based on their geographical locations. This, F1 says, has the dual benefit of reducing logistical burdens on the teams and making the season more sustainable.
The resulting tweaks involved moving the Japanese GP to April, putting it between the Australian and Chinese rounds, while the Azerbaijan GP shifted to September, after Italy and before Singapore. Additionally, the Qatar Grand Prix was back-to-back with Abu Dhabi.
Of greatest interest for UK F1 fans will have been the 2024 British Grand Prix, which took place on the weekend of July 5-7 (read our race report).
A statement from F1 read: “This calendar creates a better flow of races in certain regions, and this work will continue while being realistic to the fact that as a world championship, with climatic and contractual constraints, there will always be travel required that cannot be completely regionalised.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues.
“Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment.”
When is the next F1 race?
The next F1 race will be the 2025 season opener in Melbourne, Australia, on March 16.
2024 F1 calendar
Here’s the full schedule of grands prix for the 2024 Formula One season. Click on links to read a report of each race.
| Date | Grand Prix | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| February 21-23 | Pre-season testing, Bahrain | Sakhir |
| February 29 – March 2 | Bahrain (report and highlights) | Sakhir |
| March 7-9 | Saudi Arabia (report and highlights) | Jeddah |
| March 22-24 | Australia (report and highlights) | Melbourne |
| April 5-7 | Japan (report and highlights) | Suzuka |
| April 19-21 | China (report and highlights) | Shanghai |
| May 3-5 | Miami (report and highlights) | Miami |
| May 17-19 | Emilia-Romagna (report and highlights) | Imola |
| May 24-26 | Monaco (report and highlights) | Monaco |
| June 7-9 | Canada (report and highlights) | Montreal |
| June 21-23 | Spain (report and highlights) | Barcelona |
| June 28-30 | Austria (report and highlights) | Spielberg |
| July 5-7 | Great Britain (report and highlights) | Silverstone |
| July 19-21 | Hungary (report and highlights) | Budapest |
| July 26-28 | Belgium (report and highlights) | Spa |
| August 23-25 | Netherlands (report and highlights) | Zandvoort |
| August 30 – September 1 | Italy (report and highlights) | Monza |
| September 13-15 | Azerbaijan (report and highlights) | Baku |
| September 20-22 | Singapore (report and highlights) | Singapore |
| October 18-20 | United States (report and highlights) | Austin |
| October 25-27 | Mexico City (report and highlights) | Mexico City |
| November 1-3 | Brazil (report and highlights) | Sao Paulo |
| November 21-23 | Las Vegas (report and highlights) | Las Vegas |
| November 29 – December 1 | Qatar (report and highlights) | Lusail |
| December 6-8 | Abu Dhabi (report and highlights) | Yas Marina |
2024 Bahrain GP race report
The 2024 F1 season has already had more than its fair share of drama and scandal before the lights went out on the first race, writes Dave Humphreys.
Despite plenty of variability in the early practice sessions, the starting grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix continued where 2023 left off. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull started from pole position ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and George Russell of Mercedes.
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) lined up in fourth place — he has a lot to prove this year, as he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025. Hamilton could only qualify in ninth, saying he sacrificed qualifying speed for race setup in his Mercedes.
The wily Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) started from sixth, ahead of the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. A strong performance from Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) saw him in tenth spot.
As the lights went out, Verstappen got away cleanly and maintained his lead into the first corner, with the pack taking a cautious approach to the first lap in this season-opener. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) spun around following a light touch from Hulkenberg, demoting the Canadian driver to last place as he recovered. Zhou Guanyu (Stake F1) made a great start and gained four places by the end of lap one.
A couple of laps in, Norris made a move stick on Alonso while further up the field, Russell performed a fantastic overtake on Leclerc into turn four. With the Mercedes moving ahead, Leclerc had the Red Bull of Sergio Perez on his rear wing. The Mexican driver kept the pressure on and on lap seven Leclerc locked up his brakes and ran wide in turn 11, allowing Perez to slip through.
Hamilton’s race pace wasn’t as promising as it might have been; complaints over the team radio revealed he was dealing with hybrid battery issues and a broken race seat. Nevertheless, he passed Alonso on lap 10 just before Sargeant (Williams) stopped briefly off-track. Sargeant soon got the car going again but was now plum last.
The first raft of pit stops took place on lap 12, with Russell, Leclerc, Perez, Hamilton and Piastri all stopping. Perez was fast on fresh tyres and caught up to Russell, passing him two laps later to move into sixth place. Sainz was also driving well and pulled off a daring overtake on Leclerc on lap 17, clearly out to make a name for himself this year.
Verstappen was untroubled out in front, and the race leader stopped on lap 18 for fresh rubber. Further back, Leclerc struggled with balance issues, and the Mercedes of Russell also developed problems with the power unit overheating. That provided Sainz the opportunity to overtake for third place.
It then became quite processional out on track with little action for fans to get excited about. The second round of pit stops began on lap 32 with Russell and Bottas. The Finnish driver had a lengthy delay due to a wheel nut issue, but he was eventually able to rejoin the race in the lurid green Stake F1 car. A few laps later, Perez made his second stop that enabled him to get out in front of Sainz, though he was still some way behind Verstappen, who would set the fastest lap of the race on lap 40.
Six laps later, Russell made a mistake going into turn 11 and ran wide, leaving the door open for Leclerc to slip by in the Ferrari, moving up to fourth. Further back, the two RBs (formerly AlphaTauri) of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were involved in some action as the team instructed Tsunoda to switch places and leave Ricciardo through, much to the Japanese driver’s chagrin.
Unhappy at being asked to give up what was already a non-points-finishing place, Tsunoda vented his frustration on the team radio. It seems that the new team boss, Laurent Mekies, has brought some of the questionable decision-making from Ferrari’s strategy department with him to RB. Adding insult to injury, Verstappen lapped both RBs in the Red Bull on his way to the chequered flag.
Sergio Perez rolled home in a distant second place, some 22 seconds behind Verstappen, and Sainz scored an important third place ahead of Leclerc. Fifth was all that Russell could muster in the end, followed by Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Alonso and a good recovery from Stroll following his spin at the start to finish the race in the last points-scoring position of 10th.
The next round of the 2024 Formula 1 season will take place on March 7 in Saudi Arabia, with the race taking place on Saturday, March 9 due to Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, starting on Sunday, March 10.
Watch the 2024 Bahrain GP highlights
2024 Saudi Arabian GP race report
A slightly altered weekend schedule for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, moved forward by one day to accommodate Ramadan, once more saw action under the floodlights, writes Dave Humphreys. The Christian Horner / Red Bull saga may have continued — and even ramped up — off-track but on circuit it was business as usual for Max Verstappen as he clinched pole position during Friday’s qualifying session.
However, all eyes in qualifying were on young up-and-coming British driver Oliver Bearman, who had a last-minute call-up to replace Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari. The Spanish driver had been feeling under the weather since arriving in Saudi Arabia and was subsequently diagnosed with appendicitis, requiring immediate surgery.
Ferrari called upon 18-year-old Bearman, who had been competing in feeder series F2, to step into the second Ferrari from the third practice session. Having spent just an hour with the car, he was thrown into Qualifying, though it didn’t rattle the youngster and he narrowly missed out on making it through to Q3, qualifying a very respectable 11th.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) lined up alongside Verstappen (Red Bull) on the front row of the grid, with Perez (Red Bull) in 3rd ahead of Alonso (Aston Martin), who was impressive throughout the weekend. The McLarens of Piastri and Norris made up the third row, with the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton behind. Tsuoda (RB) and Stroll (Aston Martin) rounded off the top 10.
Verstappen got a clean getaway at the start, with Leclerc following closely into the tight first corner. Perez was all over the Ferrari’s rear, keen to get by. Piastri made no delay in getting past Alonso, while Gasly (Alpine) was forced to retire at the end of the opening lap with suspected gearbox issues.
Perez slipped by Leclerc to 2nd place with the help of DRS on lap 4, but the race was neutralised three laps later when Stroll tapped the wall on the inside of turn one, damaging his suspension and sending him into the tyre wall, resulting in the deployment of the safety car. That triggered a flurry of pit-stop action, with some teams double-stacking cars. Perez narrowly avoided a collision as he left his pit box, which earned him a five-second penalty.
Norris and Hamilton stayed out during the safety car period, leaving the McLaren driver in the lead of the race when action got underway again.
Bearman kept his nose clean but raced hard and moved into the top 10 on lap 10m, passing Zhou (Stake F1).
Magnussen (Haas) was also handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Albon (Williams). That was bad news for Magnussen’s race, but he proceeded to defend his position gallantly and held up Tsunoda, Ocon (Alpine), Albon and Sargeant (Williams), creating enough of a gap ahead for his Haas team mate Hulkenberg to pit and retain his points-scoring position.
Hamilton stopped on lap 37 for fresh rubber, leaving Norris some clear air ahead of his stop one lap later. The McLaren re-emerged between Bearman in the second Ferrari, slowly making his way up the field, and Hamilton’s Mercedes.
Perez was closing the gap to Verstappen at the front, but the Red Bull driver would hold station in 2nd place with a comfortable gap to Leclerc in 3rd. The Ferrari driver did manage to secure the fastest lap before the end, earning another crucial championship point.
Despite the off-track drama, it was very much business as usual for Verstappen as he crossed the line, having led from the start. However, Bearman impressed most with a faultless drive to secure a respectable 7th place in his F1 debut with Ferrari. It remains unclear if Sainz will recover in time for the next round in Melbourne, so we may see the young Brit in action again.
2024 Australian GP race report
As F1 returned “Down Under”, it was a welcome relief that it was the action on-track that generated the most interest, rather than what was happening behind the scenes, writes Dave Humphreys.
The tight circuit nestled within the leafy surrounds of Melbourne’s Albert Park proved to be a challenging one for some of the drivers. Alex Albon (Williams) had an enormous impact against the wall during practice, enough to damage his chassis beyond repair.
Williams, already on the back foot during winter development, didn’t have a spare chassis for Albon and therefore made the controversial and difficult decision to put underperforming Logan Sergeant on the bench for the weekend and give his car to Albon in the hope of him scoring a point or two.
Many saw it as unfair to punish a driver who, through no fault of their own, would have to miss a race, but team principal James Vowles said he made the tough decision in the team’s best interests. Albon lined up a decent 12th on the starting grid, just behind Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who could manage only 11th after being knocked out of Q2 by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
It was another pole position start for Max Verstappen (Red Bull), but more impressive was Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), returning from an appendectomy that saw him sit out the previous race. The Spanish driver is still on the hunt for a drive next year and is keen to prove his worth. Lining up behind him were Lando Norris (McLaren), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Sergio Perez (Red Bull), who was demoted after receiving a penalty for blocking Nico Hulkenberg (Haas).
A clean getaway from the grid saw Sainz sticking with Verstappen in the opening laps while George Russell (Mercedes) passed Perez to move up a place. Hamilton also moved up a place; otherwise, the pack was holding station. The Ferrari cars had looked quick all weekend at Albert Park and, on the second lap, Sainz exploited the DRS to pass Verstappen and remain in front.
It seemed as if Verstappen didn’t have an answer to Sainz’s speed, and then on lap five smoke began to emerge from the Red Bull’s rear, causing him to slow. A fire on the right rear brake proved to be terminal as the Red Bull returned to the pits, ending Verstappen’s phenomenally impressive reliability run.
Sainz built up a comfortable lead over Norris, with Leclerc following in third. Hamilton, one of the only drivers to start on the soft tyre, pitted on lap eight for hard tyres, with teammate Russell doing the same one lap later. An early pit stop for Leclerc signalled that the Ferrari driver was going for the “undercut” on the McLaren of Norris. The McLaren driver stayed out to counter the offensive before pitting on lap 15.
Race leader Sainz stopped on lap 17 just before the virtual safety car was activated because Hamilton peeled off the circuit with an engine failure. It was a premature end to the race in what Hamilton later described as the worst start to a season in his career. Alonso took advantage of the incident to make a quick pit stop and save a few seconds.
With Sainz in a comfortable lead and Leclerc closing in, Ferrari instructed its drivers to hold position. The team was eyeing a valuable one-two finish and didn’t want to risk more racing between its drivers. In the sole Red Bull, Perez was making up places, passing Russell to regain sixth on lap 21. Albon was now running in 10th and in the points, though there was still lots of racing to be done.
Piastri obliged as team player when asked to switch with Norris as he was proving to be faster and chasing a podium finish. The other Australian driver, Daniel Ricciardo (RB), wasn’t having such a good race and continued to struggle, running last at one point and four seconds adrift of the Alpines. In the other RB, Yuki Tsunoda had a far better race, in ninth.
The leaders’ second round of pit stops began on lap 40 with Piastri, followed by Norris and Sainz one lap later. That temporarily made Leclerc the race leader, but he still had a stop to make himself. A late dive into the pit for Russell on lap 46 suggested he might catch Alonso with fresher tyres, and by the closing stages of the race he had caught right up. Alonso, claiming to have an engine issue, slowed more than expected into turn six, catching Russell out and sending him off the track and spearing into the wall, before ricocheting back onto the circuit.
Further up the field, Sainz crossed the line to complete a masterfully controlled race and take the win ahead of Leclerc. Norris secured third. Piastri earned a solid fourth ahead of Perez and Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin.
Tsunoda was promoted to seventh after the stewards issued a drive-through penalty to Alonso for causing an incident with Russell, which became a 20-second time penalty.
The two Haas cars finished in the points as a result of Russell retiring, but Albon, who had so much pressure to earn some points, finished just outside them in 11th.
2024 Japanese GP race report
Race fans in the UK once again had to set their alarm clocks for an early start as the latest round of the 2024 F1 season took place at the Suzuka circuit in Japan, writes Dave Humphreys.
Following his surprise retirement at the Australian Grand Prix, current championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was keen to regain his race-winning ways at Suzuka. Despite securing yet another pole position start, he didn’t have such an easy run of it after a close-run qualifying battle with his teammate Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren) in third, just ahead of Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren).
The Mercedes team continued to struggle with its car performance, resulting in Lewis Hamilton starting in seventh and George Russell in ninth. Making up the rest of the top ten was Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in eighth and local driver Yuki Tsunoda (RB) in tenth.
Verstappen made a clean getaway at the start, keeping Perez behind, but the race was quickly red-flagged following a collision between Daniel Ricciardo (RB) and Alex Albon (Williams) that sent both cars into the tyre barrier in turn three, ending their races. It was an unfortunate end for both drivers, with more pressure ratcheting up on Ricciardo and the security of this seat at the team, while Williams suffered yet another substantial (and costly) repair.
As the race restart got underway Verstappen once again led the field. Further back Esteban Ocon (Alpine) suspected contact with his teammate Pierre Gasly. Verstappen started to pull out a slight lead, breaking free of the DRS window ahead of Perez.
Sainz was putting pressure on Norris, who had got the best from his tyres already and went on to pit on lap 12. Tyres were proving to be a challenge for others, including Hamilton, and resulted in the team orchestrating a swap of positions between him and Russell. Hamilton’s race didn’t get much better when Norris overtook him on the way into turn two, and soon Sainz would also pass.
Leclerc opted to stay out longer and was splitting the Red Bulls for a period until Perez resumed second place when he passed the Ferrari as it ran wide at the Degner 2 corner. With the Red Bulls managing a comfortable lead, the more exciting action was happening further back in the field, with Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), Tsunoda and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) fighting for the remaining points places.
Williams’ dire weekend continued when Sargeant went into the gravel trap but stopped short of the tyre barrier. He managed to reverse back out onto the track before continuing. Both Ferrari drivers had strong races, with Sainz putting in another impressive performance as he continues his search for a drive in 2025. The Channel 4 commentators in Britain claimed that there was now huge demand for the Spanish star, following his performances so far this year.
Towards the end, Leclerc swapped positions with Sainz as they were on different race strategies and lapping faster.
The action continued right to the end of the race as Russell tussled with Piastri into the final chicane. The McLaren driver was forced off the track to avoid contact but held onto the position. Nevertheless, Russell made the move work at the second attempt, aided by the drag reduction system, which flips open a rear winglet.
It proved to be another relatively easy victory for Verstappen, with Perez securing second ahead of Sainz in third. Given his starting position, Leclerc’s drive to earn fourth represented a good recovery.
Norris and Alonso crossed the line in fifth and sixth, respectively, followed by Russell, Piastri, Hamilton and Tsunoda, who scored the last remaining point, much to the delight of his home crowd. He’d also made two brilliant passes on different laps around the outside at turn six, which is highly unusual and showed the Japanese driver is more than pulling his weight at RB.
2024 Chinese GP race report
After a lengthy break from the calendar, F1 returned to China with a sprint weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit, writes Dave Humphreys.
The return of the Chinese Grand Prix was accompanied by lots of interest in the country, buoyed by the presence of a local driver, Guanyu Zhou (Sauber), competing in front of his home crowd.
Sprint race
They were treated to an exciting qualifying session for the Sprint race, which saw Lando Norris (McLaren) start from pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
As the lights went out, Norris led the way, but a slightly faster start from Hamilton gave him the better line going into the first corner, and he was able to run Norris wide, sending him off the track and back down the field.
Alonso had a front-row seat for the move and capitalised on it, moving up to second with Max Verstappen (Red Bull) close behind in third, but the Dutch driver was struggling early on with battery issues in his car.
After what was becoming a processional race, Verstappen resolved his car issues with a change of engine mode and began closing in on Alonso.
Behind that was Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), while Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull was keeping ahead of the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Having dropped back, Norris managed to stay ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
The long back straight in Shanghai and the benefit of the drag reduction system (DRS) meant that on lap eight, Verstappen could comfortably pass Alonso and began closing in on Hamilton.
Verstappen gained an added advantage as the gap diminished when Hamilton ran wide at the hairpin. Now, Verstappen was right behind and, on the next lap, helped with that DRS advantage, he overtook the Mercedes for the lead. Further back, it was a more settled race until the closing laps.
On lap 17, Sainz sent it up the inside of Alonso, pushing him wide, opening the door for Perez to slip by. Alonso regained the position but picked up a puncture in the process. In the frantic action, Leclerc then passed Sainz heading into the hairpin, but the Spanish driver — soon to be out of contract — barged his way back in front, forcing Leclerc off the road.
After having to pit with a puncture from the incident with Sainz, Alonso found he had to retire his Aston Martin due to additional damage.
Things began to settle from then on and, up front, Verstappen cruised to a comfortable victory. Hamilton was able to keep ahead of Perez and earn a very welcome second place. Leclerc, angry with Sainz, finished ahead in fourth as the McLaren pair crossed the line in sixth (Norris) and seventh (Piastri), while Russell in the other Mercedes could only manage eighth. Big cheers went up for local driver Guanyu as he scored a ninth-place finish ahead of Magnussen in the Haas.
Grand Prix
Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix had a predictable front row, with Verstappen on pole and Perez alongside, but a stellar drive from Alonso in qualifying placed him in third place for the start, beside Norris. Despite a great showing in the Sprint race, Hamilton had one of his worst qualifying sessions in years and would start from 18th.
Verstappen led into the first corner, but Alonso pulled off a masterful overtake on Perez around the outside of turn one. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) was running well in sixth, just behind Russell. On lap five, Perez lunged at Alonso to regain the Red Bull one-two. Alonso was overtaken again at the hairpin by Norris and soon after, Leclerc made a successful move on Russell.
Next on Leclerc’s list was Piastri, whom he passed at the hairpin and then, as Alonso pitted, the Ferrari driver found himself in fourth place.
Following the first round of pit stops, Verstappen was back in the lead. The Sauber of Bottas suffered a technical failure that caused a virtual safety car on lap 21, allowing Leclerc an advantageous pit stop.
Marshalls had difficulty removing the Sauber, prompting a full safety car that bunched up the field. As that was happening, Stroll (Aston Martin) ploughed into the back of Ricciardo (RB), ending the Australian driver’s race with a broken floor. Stroll received a 10-second penalty for causing the incident.
As racing resumed, Perez made a move on Leclerc to gain third place, while Hamilton fought his way up into a points-scoring position further back. Alonso’s second pit stop saw him drop to 12th, but he quickly raced his way back up to 7th.
It was an easy win for Verstappen, who was in another class to the rest of the field and seemed to be toying with his car in the final laps. It was another solid podium finish for Norris in second, who must surely be in line for a race win soon.
Perez’s third place was more good news for the Red Bull Racing team, while Ferrari earned another fourth and fifth place with Leclerc and Sainz, respectively. The rest of the top ten included Russell, Alonso, Piastri, Hamilton and Hulkenberg.
2024 Miami GP race report
F1 landed in Miami for the first of three races in the United States this year, writes Dave Humphreys, and it was a weekend to remember for one debut GP winner.
The circuit at Miami may take place in the car park area surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, but the 19-turn track involves both tight racing and high-speed action. McLaren brought a comprehensive upgrade package, while Ferrari celebrated its 70-year presence in North America by running flashes of blue on its car as a nod to the US importer, Luigi Chinetti, who operated the North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) with blue and white colour schemes.
Sprint race
The Saturday Sprint race saw Max Verstappen (Red Bull) start from pole, ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Daniel Ricciardo (RB), who put in a solid performance to start on the second row.
As the lights went out, the run into the first corner saw Perez lose a place, but further back there was more drama as the two Aston Martin drivers, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, came together with Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Lando Norris (McLaren). The safety car was deployed as marshals cleared the debris.
As racing resumed on lap three, the drivers were a bit more cautious, but once the tyres were back up to temperature, Perez began his fight with Ricciardo. A deep lunge under braking on lap five saw the Mexican driver regain his position.
Further back, Hamilton was engaged in a close battle with Kevin Magnussen (Haas), who gave no quarter to the multiple world champion. The Haas matched the Mercedes on performance, requiring Hamilton to dig deep into his book of tactics to get past. Magnussen missed the chicane on lap 12, earning him a penalty and, two laps later, the stewards showed him the black and white flag for driving standards. This ding-dong fight intensified when Hamilton ran wide, trying to out-brake the Haas, opening the door for Yuki Tsunoda (RB) to slip by and gain two positions.
There was a vast train of cars further back, with positions from 11th to 18th all within one second of each other. To add insult to injury, Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane during the safety car period, resulting in the time being added to his race. It was a clean win for Verstappen, though Leclerc wasn’t far behind in second, with Perez in third. Fourth place gave Ricciardo a strong result after a challenging 2024 season to date.
Grand Prix
The race on Sunday once again saw Verstappen start from pole, with the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz behind and Perez in fourth. The two McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri made up the third row, followed by the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton.
Verstappen got off to a great start but Perez locked up and almost speared into his teammate as he carried straight on, and only just avoided the Ferraris. The melee gave an opportunity to McLaren, with Piastri moving up. Hamilton was once more battling a Haas, this time with Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel, as George Russell (Mercedes) closed in. On lap five, the hard-charging McLaren of Piastri went up the inside of Leclerc to gain second place.
Going through the chicane on lap 22, Verstappen clipped a bollard and sent it into the racing line, which called for a virtual safety car (VSC) period as marshals retrieved it. That VSC wasn’t long enough to give any major pit stop advantages to the leading drivers. However, six laps later, Magnussen tangled with Logan Sargeant, putting the Williams car out of the race and bringing out the safety car once more, gifting Norris an advantageous pit stop. As the field reshuffled, Norris was leading.
Sainz and Piastri were embroiled in a thrilling battle as racing resumed, with each driver giving as good as they got. The two touched, damaging the McLaren’s front wing and requiring a pit stop that effectively ended the Australian’s race.
As the laps ticked down, it became clear that Verstappen, who complained all weekend of not feeling at one with his car, didn’t have an answer for Norris, who put in consistently fast laps in his McLaren. There was intense fighting back in the pack, and a massive lock-up from Albon saw him lose out to Ricciardo, Piastri, Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) and Magnussen.
As the chequered flag came out, it was a richly deserved and long-overdue win for Norris. It confirms his talent and highlights how much the McLaren team has improved this year. But although Verstappen couldn’t catch the Brit and was complaining of poor grip all weekend, it is a sign of the Red Bull driver’s dominance that he still managed to win the sprint race from pole and start the grand prix from pole, too, then secure the second step on the podium in Sunday’s main event.
2024 Emilia-Romagna GP race report
The European leg of the 2024 Formula One season got underway at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, writes Dave Humphreys.
Following a slew of “fly-away” races, the F1 circus touched down in Europe for the first time this season, at Imola, Italy. The old circuit is steeped in history, and infamous as the venue of a GP weekend in 1994 that involved the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in separate incidents. The 30th anniversary of the tragedies was marked by the F1 community, with tributes paid to both men.
Sebastian Vettel hosted a celebration of their lives by gathering the current F1 drivers, along with many from F2 and F3, for a run around the circuit stopping at the Senna memorial to pay their respects.
Then it was business as usual for the current F1 teams and stars. In qualifying, McLaren continued to improve its performance, with Oscar Piastri recording the second-fastest time just behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who clinched pole position, though he again wasn’t entirely happy with his car and definitely felt the pressure from rivals as the rest of the field had closed the performance gap.
Lando Norris in the second McLaren was third-fastest ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, with George Russell (Mercedes), Yuki Tsunoda (RB), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Daniel Ricciardo (RB) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) making up the top ten, respectively.
However, Piastri incurred a three-place grid penalty for blocking Kevin Magnussen (Haas) in qualifying, which demoted him to fifth for the start of the race. As the lights went out, Verstappen got a clean getaway and led into the first corner, while further back, Hamilton quickly passed Tsunoda and tucked in behind his teammate, Russell.
In an unusually poor weekend for Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard started from the pit lane after a crash in practice and an “off” during qualy, then lagged behind the field in his Aston Martin. He then opted for an early pit stop in the hope of a safety car later in the race, a common occurrence at this circuit.
Alex Albon (Williams) also stopped early for a tyre change but a poorly-attached wheel required him to crawl around the lap and return to the pits. That would subsequently be deemed an unsafe release by the stewards, earning him a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, effectively ending any chance of a successful finish.
Up front, Piastri was charging hard and closing in on Sainz, while Tsunoda managed to pass Hulkenberg in the pit stops. By lap 18, Verstappen was increasing his lead over Norris, though the McLaren driver kept the Red Bull in his sights.
Norris stopped on lap 23 but Ferrari kept Leclerc out, hoping to benefit from the “overcut”. Exiting the pits, Norris came up behind Sergio Perez (Red Bull), and he soon passed the Mexican driver, who was struggling to match his teammate’s pace during the race. Hamilton caught and passed Perez on lap 37.
As Verstappen stopped for tyres on lap 25, Norris set the fastest lap of the race as he tried to close the gap. The hard tyre wasn’t to Norris’s liking, and after ten laps of racing he complained to the team about the performance of the rubber. Leclerc was also now closing the gap to Norris, getting within DRS distance by lap 42 as Norris made his way through traffic.
Despite getting close, Leclerc was unable to make a pass and Norris soon began to stretch his lead again. The McLaren driver had his sights set on catching Verstappen and slowly began reeling in the Dutch driver. Russell made a late pit stop on lap 53 and managed to stay ahead of Perez.
As the laps ticked down, so did the gap between Verstappen and Norris. The Red Bull struggled with its tyres, and the McLaren was looking far quicker. Taking several tenths per lap, it seemed Norris could be on the way to a second successive victory. At the opposite end of the field, Williams retired Albon following a dismal weekend, leaving Alonso to continue in last position.
Norris was giving it everything in the battle for victory but in the end Verstappen was able to just hold onto the lead, crossing the line less than one second ahead of Norris. Leclerc satisfied the home fans by holding onto third ahead of Piastri and Sainz. Hamilton and Russell secured sixth and seventh, while the top ten was rounded up with Perez in eighth, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) in ninth and Tsunoda in tenth.
2024 Monaco GP race report
The Monaco Grand Prix has long been the most glamorous and prestigious race on the F1 calendar, writes Dave Humphreys, and this time a home driver too victory.
No other circuit carries the same mystique and history as Monaco, but it is also one of the least forgiving on the calendar. The ultra-narrow layout lined with Armco barriers leaves no margin for error, and as overtaking is so tricky, solid qualifying is essential.
The Saturday performance for some could have been better, with the Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen demoted to the back of the grid following a technical infringement when stewards found the Haas rear wing to be outside of the regulations. That helped some drivers, such as Logan Sargeant in the Williams, who would start from 15th, ahead of Sergio Perez (Red Bull) in 16th, who had a dismal performance and initially qualified in lowly 18th. Both Red Bulls were off the pace all weekend, though Max Verstappen (Red Bull) qualified in sixth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Yuki Tsunoda (RB), Alex Albon (Williams) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
While the Red Bulls were at sea around the harbour streets, local driver Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was on form all weekend and secured pole position despite a strong challenge from Oscar Piastri in his McLaren. Both McLarens were painted in a striking green and yellow colour scheme as a mark of respect to Ayrton Senna. Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari would line up in third alongside Lando Norris in the other McLaren. Once more this year, George Russell in the Mercedes out-qualified Hamilton and started from fifth.
As the lights went out on Sunday, the field snaked through the first corner and Sainz had the slightest of touches with Piastri’s car. On the run up the hill, the Red Bull of Perez and Magnussen’s Haas came together, spearing the Red Bull into the barrier and collecting the second Haas of Hulkenberg.
This incident would bring out the red flags, but not before Sainz locked up in the run-off area at Casio Square with a front left puncture from his contact with Piastri. Adding to the opening lap mayhem, just before going into the tunnel, Esteban Ocon (Alpine) attempted an overtake on Gasly that spectacularly failed, launching Ocon into the air and ending his race, much to the chagrin of Gasly and the team.
With the race red-flagged, Sainz was given a lifeline as the stewards determined that not all the cars had made their way through the timing zone on the opening lap. Thus, the grid for the restart would be the same as the original, putting the Ferrari driver back in third with a fresh set of tyres.
With 16 cars remaining, the restart was a cleaner getaway, this time with Piastri staying clear of Sainz and Norris behind. The restart allowed teams to change tyre compounds, which significantly impacted the race strategy. Some cars on the hard tyre could theoretically complete the race without stopping. Russell, in fifth, was one of the cars carefully managing tyre wear, which held Verstappen back in sixth.
By lap 23, Leclerc was starting to stretch a narrow lead over Piastri, extending to 1.2 seconds and breaking the DRS gap, though Monaco is one track where DRS is almost irrelevant, such is the difficulty of passing. The front four were now extending the gap to Russell, while further back, a string of cars was building up behind Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) in 12th.
The strategy was playing out like a game of chess, with the leading drivers slowing down to manage any potential pit stop advantage others would have in case a safety car would be deployed. It didn’t make for an exciting viewing experience for fans. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) was one of the few drivers to pit on lap 44 and re-emerged in 11th, thanks to Alonso’s defensive driving. Stroll could now chase down Gasly for the points-earning 10th place, but two laps later, he clipped a barrier, puncturing his rear tyre. He made it back to the pits for fresh tyres, but his chance of a points finish was gone.
Verstappen tried hard to catch and pass Russell, but earlier tyre management meant the Mercedes had enough to up the pace and defend as the race entered the closing stages. Piastri was keeping Leclerc within distance at the front, but there was no way for the McLaren driver to mount a proper attack. With two laps to go, Leclerc had a sufficient buffer that he could take it home without pushing hard.
As the Ferrari driver rounded the final corner the harbour erupted with the sounds of yacht horns and cheers from the grandstands as the local boy finally took victory at his home race, the first time for a Monegasque driver in 93 years. Piastri crossed the line in second, ahead of Sainz in third. Norris brought the other McLaren home in fourth ahead of Russell, Verstappen, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Albon and Gasly.
2024 Canadian GP race report
Changeable weather during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend resulted in some thrilling action and a few surprises along the way, writes Dave Humphreys.
Weather played an influential role in the outcome of the 2024 Canadian GP, though it’s clear that Red Bull doesn’t still have the dominant advantage it demonstrated in the season’s early stages. Inclement weather in the run-up to qualifying meant drivers had little experience of the track in the dry, resulting in a shaken-up grid for the race.
Sergio Perez (Red Bull) was one of the early departures in Q1, as was Esteban Ocon (Alpine), due to a carry-over grid-drop penalty for his clash with teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco. The more significant news was that Ferrari, fresh from a win in Monaco, was nowhere near the pace, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz failing to progress past Q2.
That left Mercedes, rediscovering its form, to challenge the remaining Red Bull of Max Verstappen for pole. Despite a strong showing in the practice sessions, Lewis Hamilton failed to capitalise in Q3, setting only the seventh fastest time. George Russell in the other Mercedes took pole, ahead of Verstappen, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the McLarens filled the second row. Daniel Ricciardo (RB) qualified in fifth, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda (RB), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Alex Albon (Williams).
Despite heavy downpours before the race, it got underway with a standing start. Russell narrowly edged ahead of Verstappen in the run down to the first corner, and through the enormous plumes of spray, most of the drivers made it through without incident. Perez had a sideways moment and touched Gasly’s Alpine, causing minor damage.
A surprise was that both Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg started on full wets while the rest of the field was on the intermediate tyre. It was a gamble that paid off in the early stages, with Magnussen ticking off overtakes lap by lap and making his way up to fifth place. As the track began to dry out, there was a conundrum for the strategists: more showers were incoming but were still too far away to make the ‘inters’ last on the drying track.
Ferrari’s poor weekend continued with Leclerc reporting engine issues that were costing him half a second down the straights. With blue skies appearing, Magnussen opted for a quick pit stop but caught his team off-guard, resulting in a longer-than-normal stop and undoing much of the excellent work he had already put in. Many drivers struggled with grip: Hamilton ran wide at Turn 1 as he grappled with Alonso, and Logan Sargeant (Williams) had a spin but recovered.
Russell was managing his lead well despite Verstappen closing the gap down to half a second. The Red Bull driver then also ran wide, leaving Russell with breathing room and putting Norris in a position to harry Verstappen. With the help of DRS, the McLaren of Norris was soon past Verstappen and hunting down Russell. Only one more lap was needed for Norris to perform the same manoeuvre and take the lead.
On lap 25, Sargeant had his second spin of the afternoon, colliding with the wall and blocking part of the track. A yellow flag zone was soon upped to a full safety car, but not before Norris could make the most of a shorter pit stop. Behind him the rest of the field streamed in for fresh tyres, and on the second lap around Norris peeled into the pits for fresh inters, rejoining in third, just ahead of Piastri.
In a bizarre move, Ferrari pitted Leclerc for slicks despite the track being very wet and with more showers forecast. The slow stop included an engine restart that seemed to cure its earlier issues, but by now, Leclerc was running at the back of the field. The hope was that if he could manage the wet laps, when the track dried, he could have an advantage of not needing to stop again. The gamble didn’t pay off, and a few laps later, Leclerc pitted again for intermediate tyres.
By lap 40 a dry line appeared around the racing line, and Gasly opted to be the first to pit for hard slicks. Hamilton was the first of the front runners to pit on lap 44, followed by Piastri one lap later. Russell and Verstappen did the same, leaving Norris out in front, attempting to build an advantage. However, it wasn’t enough, and when the leading McLaren driver pitted, he returned in second, just behind Verstappen and with Russell and Piastri close behind. A four-way fight provided some thrilling action for the spectators, with Russell and Norris swapping places before the Mercedes driver had a big moment in the turn 3/4 chicane, letting Norris through again.
Perez had a spin in Turn 6 and went into the tyre barrier backwards, wrecking his rear wing. Nevertheless, the Mexican driver returned to the pits, hoping to avoid a safety car that would negatively impact Verstappen’s lead. But he was dropping bits of broken carbon fibre on the track, which later earned him a three-place grid penalty for the next round in Spain. It proved pointless anyway as Sainz spun and collected Albon, ending both of their respective races and summoning the safety car back into action.
The Mercedes duo pitted for fresh tyres under the safety car, and with racing getting back underway, Piastri needed help to keep Russell behind. The pair banged wheels in the last corner, allowing Hamilton to get through as Verstappen defended from Norris further ahead. Russell made a cleaner pass in the following laps and began to charge down Hamilton for the final podium place.
With DRS enabled, Russell streamed by on the back straight, but Hamilton wasn’t giving it up easily and, on the final lap, mounted an attempt to regain the position. With less than half a second between them and setting the fastest lap of the race while trying, Hamilton couldn’t pass Russell, who clung to third but will wonder how different the result could have been. Verstappen crossed the line first, followed by Norris. Piastri finished in fifth, ahead of Alonso, Stroll, Ricciardo, Gasly and Ocon.
2024 Spanish GP race report
As the gap between the top four teams closes with each subsequent round, the Spanish Grand Prix delivered close racing and close strategy calls, writes Dave Humphreys.
Over the last few races, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes have all closed in on Red Bull, leading to Max Verstappen stating: “The era of Red Bull dominance is over”, and that proved correct after a very closely run qualifying for the Spanish GP that saw the first 14 drivers covered by less than one second. It had seemed that Verstappen (Red Bull) would continue his dominance, but Lando Norris (McLaren) set a scintillating lap time to secure pole by two hundredths of a second.
At the start of the race, Norris dived to the right of the track to block Verstappen, but wheelspin hampered the McLaren driver just enough to prevent the move from succeeding. A great start by George Russell (Mercedes) in fourth saw him overtake his teammate Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and take advantage of a slipstream on the long run down to the first corner. As the pack headed into the braking zone, Russell darted out from behind Norris and swept around the outside of him and Verstappen to take the race’s lead.
Further back, Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) was having a good opening lap, making up three places, while Yuki Tsunoda (RB) gained two positions following a poor qualifying performance that saw him start from 17th place. Back at the front, Verstappen was keen to take control of the race and on lap three pulled off a successful overtake on Russell going into the first corner aided by DRS.
Two laps later, the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc touched going into turn one but escaped any race-limiting damage. At the front, Verstappen was edging out a safe lead over Russell, while Norris managed his pace as the team devised the best strategy. The first round of pit stops began on lap 11, with Kevin Magnussen (Haas) being the first to stop, followed by Sergio Perez (Red Bull) a few laps later. A slow stop for Russell on lap 16 saw him re-emerge just ahead of Sainz, losing much of the advantage he had built up. Red Bull pulled out an impressively fast stop for Verstappen on lap 18, with the car stationary for under two seconds.
Hamilton was now in a close fight with Sainz for sixth position. In the run to the first corner, the Mercedes driver dived down the inside, forcing the Ferrari to run slightly wide. There was the slightest of contact, but it was hard, fair racing, and despite Sainz’s protests over team radio, the stewards saw no issue with the move.
Norris was one of the last of the leading cars to pit, doing so on lap 23 and with fresh tyres he was flying in the McLaren. It wasn’t long before Norris reeled in Sainz, passing him before making the pass stick on Hamilton on lap 32, promoting the McLaren driver up to third.
It was a race then determined by strategy and tyre management, which resulted in close racing around the pit stops and as tyres began to lose performance. Norris and Russell diced again before the Mercedes driver had to pit for fresh rubber, leaving Norris to start closing in on Verstappen. Further down the grid, it wasn’t a good day for the Haas team, as following a time penalty for Magnussen due to a false start, Hulkenberg picked up a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Things were more favourable for the Alpine team as its drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, were on track for points finishes. In the other Red Bull, Sergio Perez managed to stay in the top ten but didn’t impact the race much.
As the pit stops had shaken out, Hamilton was once again closing in on a fight with Sainz in the Ferrari, and with a sniff of a podium finish, the Mercedes driver gave it his all. Norris made a late stop for tyres on lap 47 and remained ahead of Russell, leaving him the opportunity to chase down Verstappen for the win. It was a charge that would come too late. Despite the speed of the McLaren, the gap to the leading Red Bull was just too much.
The second McLaren of Oscar Piastri didn’t make much of an appearance during the race and seemed well off the pace of Norris, finishing up in seventh overall. It was also a disappointing weekend for Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso managing only 12th, two places ahead of Lance Stroll in the second Aston. There was still plenty of action behind, with Hamilton pulling off a fantastic overtake on his teammate to clinch third place for this first podium finish since Mexico last year. Leclerc also passed his teammate to claim fifth, just behind Russell.
2024 Austrian GP race report
Red Bull’s dominance appeared to be diminishing as it arrived at its home in Austria, the middle round of a hectic triple-header series of races, writes Dave Humphreys.
The 2024 season is proving to be relentless. The teams arrived at the Red Bull Ring in Austria just one week after the Spanish Grand Prix and faced the added pressure of it being a Sprint weekend.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) got away cleanly from pole position for the Sprint Race and pulled out a short lead from the duelling McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Further back, Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who is yet to announce his plans for a drive next season, continued to drive impressively well, gaining places on the opening lap. Norris hunted down Verstappen and, on lap five, dove down the inside at turn three to emerge in the lead, but Verstappen fought back at the next corner. Piastri seized the opportunity to slip past Norris but couldn’t manage to keep Verstappen in the DRS window.
Further back, George Russell (Mercedes) was fighting back against Sainz, claiming fourth position from the Spanish driver. As the laps ticked down, Norris appeared to be mounting a challenge on Piastri, but that soon settled down, and the duo focused on securing their respective podium places rather than risking an inter-team battle. It was a comfortable victory in the end for Verstappen, but McLaren’s pace would give the Red Bull team something to think about for the Grand Prix on Sunday.
It was another pole position start for Verstappen for the race proper, but Norris joined him on the front row so the run-up to the first corner would be tense. Verstappen got away more cleanly as the lights went out, and most of the field made it through unscathed. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) found himself pinched between Piastri and Sergio Perez (Red Bull), resulting in some front wing damage requiring a pit stop at the end of lap one that saw him plummet to the back of the grid. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) also made a good start, gaining a position on Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was right up on the back of Russell in the other Mercedes, and on lap three, Hamilton dived up the inside, going into turn three, only for Russell to reclaim the place on the run to the next corner thanks to some DRS advantage.
Meanwhile Piastri, who had been driving well all weekend, made a nice pass on Perez around the outside of turn six. The first pit stops began on lap 11, with Kevin Magnussen (Haas) being the first to stop, followed by Daniel Ricciardo (RB) and the other Haas of Nico Hulkenberg.
The race leader, Verstappen, stayed out until lap 24 before making his first visit to the pits for fresh tyres, as did Norris. As Hamilton was coming in for his pit stop, he oversteered on pit entry and placed one wheel outside of the white line, earning him a five-second time penalty. He wasn’t the only driver to receive a penalty; Perez was caught speeding in the pit lane.
Verstappen was doing a solid job commanding the race lead, but on lap 41, he began complaining on team radio about the tyres dropping off performance. There was more action further back as the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly wrestled for position, undoubtedly adding to the stress levels of team management. Gasly eventually got by without incident, adding a simple “Ciao” over team radio.
The action at the front was now heating up and as Verstappen made another pit stop, again shadowed by Norris, a slow right rear wheel change ate into the Red Bull driver’s advantage. He returned to the track ahead of Norris, but the McLaren driver was now much closer and working on getting into the DRS window.
It was clear that turn three was where Norris saw his best opportunity to try the overtake on Verstappen and made one lunge up the inside only to run wide, requiring him to give the place back and regroup. As the laps ticked down, Norris again tried the overtake into turn three, this time using the racing line on the outside of the corner. Verstappen drifted to the left in the braking zone and the two cars touched, immediately puncturing the front right tyre of the McLaren and rear right of the Red Bull.
This incident gave Russell the race lead as the two other drivers limped back to the pits. Verstappen managed to get new tyres and continue but the damage to the McLaren proved too much, and Norris was forced to retire. Piastri was now up into second position, with Sainz in third and only a handful of laps remaining. Russell crossed the line to take his second victory in F1, and one that he wasn’t expecting.
The collision also brought some of the runners lower down the field into the points-scoring places, but unlucky Leclerc’s weekend didn’t get much better as he finished in 11th. Hamilton was just off the podium in fourth, one place ahead of the recovering Verstappen. It was also a good day for the Haas team, with Hulkenberg finishing sixth and Magnussen in eighth, just behind the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
2024 British GP race report
Heading into the British GP there had been five different race winners; as the season reached its halfway point at Silverstone, the prospect of another was tantalising… and very much on the cards given how closely matched the field had become.
It was typical British summer weather during the weekend and, as conditions remained mixed through the practice and qualifying sessions, the wet-dry tracks threw up some surprises. The biggest scalp in qualy was Sergio Perez in the Red Bull, who spun into the gravel in Q1, casting more doubt on the future of his seat at the team.
Later in the session, his teammate Max Verstappen also visited the gravel but kept the car facing the right way and escaped back to the asphalt, but not without damaging the floor of his car and suffering resulting aerodynamic losses.
The resurgent McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both looked strong again, but Mercedes found some real pace. Lewis Hamilton initially topped the time sheets, only to be beaten at the flag by George Russell, with Norris slotting in just behind the Merc pair. That meant the top three drivers on the grid for the British GP all being Brits — an extraordinary development that delighted the fans.
As the grid formed for the race the skies continued to look ominous but it was a dry start. Only Perez would begin from the pit lane due to an engine change following his qualifying disaster, though Pierre Gasly’s Alpine also received a new power unit earlier in the weekend and so the Frenchman started from the back of the grid. His weekend was to end on the first lap, though, with suspected gearbox issues.
Russell got away cleanly at the start with Hamilton close behind, but as Norris had a slight off-track moment, Verstappen slipped through into third. Having started in a lowly 11th in a lacklustre Ferrari, Charles Leclerc made up several places in the opening laps to climb to eighth.
The two Mercedes cars began to edge out a safe lead over Verstappen but, with rain coming, the race was expected to be as much about strategy and luck as on-track skills. By lap 14, Norris had gained ground on Verstappen and with help from the drag reduction system (DRS), he made his move to overtake at Stowe corner. As the rain began to fall, Piastri also made a successful lunge on Verstappen to claim fourth place.
The conditions started to deteriorate and the experienced Hamilton steamed past Russell to take the lead, but soon after both Mercedes cars missed the first corner due to lack of grip. They rejoined just ahead of Norris, who was clearly in a car better suited to the slippery conditions, and the McLaren driver wasted no time in passing Russell before easily cruising past Hamilton for the lead. If anything, Piastri was looking even more dialled in that Norris at this point, and he quickly passed Russell for third.
The track dried a bit but within a few laps there was heavier rain than before in certain areas of the track. There were plenty of conflicting opinions over team radio over the best tyre call, with some drivers stating the track was still too dry for intermediates. By lap 25, Verstappen and Sainz pitted for intermediates, soon followed by the Mercedes duo.
McLaren opted to split its strategy rather than double-stacking its drivers in the pits — a call that proved disastrous for Piastri, who faced another lap on a circuit that was suddenly getting very slippery indeed. Norris had already caught him up on track when he eventually came in, dropping the Aussie significantly down the order.
On lap 34, pole-sitter Russell received the worst possible radio message: “Retire the car.” The team informed him that a water cooling issue was about to become a terminal issue.
Five laps later there was again cause for dry tyres, with Hamilton and Piastri stopping for slicks. Norris pitted the following lap, but a lock-up coming into his pit box caused him to stop long of his marks, adding a precious couple of seconds to the stop. As he rejoined the track on soft tyres, Hamilton was just ahead and took the race lead again to the crowd’s delight.
Verstappen, meanwhile, had put on a set of the harder compound slicks and to everyone’s surprise he was setting a very good pace, and as Norris’s tyres started to wear out he began reeling in the Brit for second place, and once he got within DRS range along Hangar Straight, there was little the McLaren driver could do.
The gap between Verstappen and Hamilton was three seconds as the laps ticked down. Hamilton was punching in fast laps on a Medium tyre and maintaining a safe gap.
It was now clear that Verstappen needed a few more laps to deal with Hamilton’s pace out front, and the Mercedes driver crossed the line to take one of the most important victories in his career, making history by becoming the most successful driver at any one circuit by taking his ninth win at Silverstone. It was also his first win since 2021 — the longest drought in his career.
As Hamilton cried tears of joy over the team radio, the home fans were exuberant. There were more tears all round when he climbed out of the car and embraced his father, later admitting that he thought he’d never see another win at Silverstone.
Further back, it was another very solid result for Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas, securing sixth place; he’d looked strong all weekend. At the same time, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso scored vital points for Aston Martin by finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.
Alex Albon also scored valuable points for Williams in ahead of Yuki Tsunoda (RB) in tenth. Credit is also due to Logan Sargeant (Williams), who finished 11th; despite being outside the points it was a solid weekend in tricky conditions from the American, whose seat is also under scrutiny. Charles Leclerc’s (Ferrari) disappointing run continued, finishing in 14th behind Daniel Ricciardo in the other RB.
2024 Hungarian GP race report
With a number of teams having levelled the paying field in the championship fight, many eyes were on the Hungaroring race to see how things would shake out on one of the season’s tightest and twistiest circuits, writes Dave Humphreys.
Once again this season, Saturday’s qualifying session created headlines and surprises. Yet another crash for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in Q1 added to doubts about the security of his recently extended contract. But Mercedes also had issues with George Russell timing his final run poorly on a drying track, and the Brit was pushed down to 17th.
Russell’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton, fared better and would start in 5th, behind Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Lando Norris in the other McLaren, once again proving how much the Woking-based team has improved this year.
On Sunday, as the lights went out, Norris was squeezed into turn one by Piastri on his right and Verstappen on his left. However, there wasn’t room for all three into the tight first turn and Verstappen was forced wide and off the track. Rather than lift off, though, the Dutch reigning champ kept his foot down and rejoined the track in second behind Piastri, forcing Norris into third. Just behind, Hamilton also made up a place in the first-corner melee.
Immediately, Norris was on the team radio to demand that Verstappen give the place back, and Red Bull had a similar debate with Verstappen, who reluctantly ceded his position to the McLaren driver, who quickly pulled out a gap beyond the one-second required for the Drag Reduction System activation; proving McLaren had the edge in Hungary. The Brit then began to reel in his teammate.
On lap 8, the first pit stops began with Daniel Ricciardo (RB) and Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber). Meanwhile, Verstappen was now under threat from Hamilton. On lap 17, the Mercedes team attempted the “undercut” by pitting Hamilton for hard tyres before the Red Bull. Norris pitted one lap later, followed by the other McLaren on lap 19, in a move that gave Piastri a solid lead once the other stops were completed.
Meanwhile Perez and Russell, who had started much further down the grid than usual, were progressing well through the field.
Verstappen pitted on lap 22 and had a longer-than-usual stop that didn’t help his race, as he re-emerged behind Hamilton, and the seven-times world champion was able to defend against his efforts to overtake. It was clear that Red Bull’s strategy was unravelling. Verstappen wasn’t holding back his views over team radio, criticising them for the pit stop decisions in a tirade full of expletives. Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was becoming audibly exasperated by the constant sniping and whinging from the race seat.
There were likely more expletives from Pierre Gasly (Alpine), who was forced to retire the car on lap 35 with hydraulic issues, his second consecutive DNF.
The second round of pit stops began for McLaren on lap 45, this time pitting Norris ahead of Piastri, which put him ahead of the Australian. The team assured Piastri “not to worry about Lando” as he rejoined in second place. Norris was now leading the race again, but the team asked him to “re-establish the order at his convenience” so Piastri could resume the lead. However, Norris, who is currently second in the driver’s championship and chasing his second GP win, was reluctant to do so despite pleas from the team.
Although not appearing in contention for a victory, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was back on form and ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz, both running well within the top ten. But all eyes were on the front of the field as Piastri struggled to reel in Norris who, despite team orders, clearly did not want to relinquish the lead.
Hamilton (now 3rd) was also defending hard but fairly against Verstappen, who made a late stop for tyres on lap 50 and re-emerged in 5th.
It didn’t take the leading Red Bull driver long to begin catching the leaders on his fresher tyres, soon passing Leclerc, but as the laps ticked down and his frustrations grew, it boiled over heading into turn one.
With a slipstream advantage down the straight, Verstappen lunged down the inside of Hamilton, locking up his fronts and colliding with the Mercedes, sending his Red Bull into the air with a hard landing. Both cars could continue, but Verstappen had to rejoin in 5th after Leclerc slipped back through. The Dutchman complained about this to his engineer, too, only to be told by Lambiase that he didn’t want to get into it on the radio and that his comments were “childish”. Clearly the debriefs at both McLaren and Red Bull were to be fairly fiery.
With two laps to go, Norris finally lifted off the accelerator on the pit straight to allow Piastri through, much to the relief of the McLaren team, enabling the young Australian driver to claim his first grand prix victory and giving McLaren its first one-two since Monza in 2021.
Hamilton also had cause to celebrate as his 3rd place was a record 200th podium finish. Russell sealed a solid recovery drive to finish 8th and claimed the fastest lap to earn one additional championship point. Perez claimed 7th in another recovery drive (he does make it hard for himself), behind Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc, respectively.
Hungarian GP race highlights
2024 Belgian GP race report
F1 headed to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps for the final race before the summer break, Dave Humphreys writes
The Belgian Grand Prix is one that all drivers and fans look forward to. With its mixture of corners and unpredictable weather, Spa-Francorchamps always throws up some surprises. That weather played a role during practice and qualifying sessions this year but Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) found the perfect window to grab pole.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) had been fastest, in fact, but was in line for a 10-place grid penalty, so he would start the race from 11th.
In the other Red Bull, Sergio Perez alleviated some of the pressure surrounding his future in the team by qualifying on the front row beside Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) showed surprising pace to qualify third, ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and George Russell (Mercedes), while the rest of the top ten was made up of Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and the Williams of Alex Albon.
The fine weather on Sunday was expect to remove some of the uncertainty in the race, but with parts of the track having been resurfaced since the previous grand prix, tyre wear would be a contributing factor in the teams’ strategy, and the grand prix proved to be far from straightforward.
As the lights went out, Leclerc made a solid start on the run to turn one, while Hamilton also got away well and defended hard against Perez, putting the Mercedes driver a front wing ahead on the run down to the infamous sweeping uphill turns of the Eau Rouge and Radillon.
Verstappen was already making swift progress through the field and by the end of lap one was up to eighth. On lap three Hamilton cruised up behind Leclerc and made an easy pass for the race lead on the Kemmel Straight, thanks to the drag reduction system (DRS), which opens the rear wing for a higher top speed.
Meanwhile, the dismal season for Kick Sauber continued as Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu slowed up with hydraulic issues that forced him to retire the car.
The first pit stops began on only lap eight, with Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) soon followed by Albon, Daniel Ricciardo (RB) and Logan Sargeant (Williams).
A couple of laps later the leading groups followed suit, with Russell and Verstappen diving in first, emerging back in 12th and 14th, respectively. Hamilton pitted a few laps after that, along with Perez and Piastri.
When Leclerc went in for fresh rubber, too, his teammate Sainz, who’d started on hard tyres, found himself in the lead and able to hang in there — despite a powerslide through the gravel at one point — until he too needed new boots at on lap 21.
That put the hard-charging Hamilton back into the lead. Russell was also doing well, overtaking Perez before the Mexican driver made his second stop.
At the second round of pitstops, Piastri took the lead and put in the fastest lap in the clean air. He would be one of the last of the leading pack to stop on lap 31, and that gave Russell the lead ahead of his teammate. No-one had predicted Mercedes to be so competitive, as disastrous Friday practice sessions resulted in the team ripping off all the car’s “upgrades” and reverting to the Silverstone-spec car.
Russell was so confident in his car, in fact, that he radioed the team to tell them to think about a one-stop strategy. It soon became clear that the team had decided the gamble was worth it, which meant Russell was required to manage his tyres over an ultra-long stint.
Pole-sitting Leclerc was running in third but had Piastri closing fast, and with seven laps remaining, the McLaren swept past into turn five with the aid of DRS.
Hamilton was now closing on Russell but it remained unclear if he could get the move done within the remaining time. The team’s only order: “Give each other space.”
Piastri was also now charging up behind the Mercedes of Hamilton, and as the Brit got within half a second of the leader with two laps remaining, we were on for a thrilling end to the first half of the F1 season.
Both Mercedes went deep and wide into the first corner, and through Eau Rouge it seemed as if Russell was defending just enough to keep Hamilton at bay. Meanwhile, Piastri was still closing the gap behind.
In the end, though, Hamilton looked a little scrappy while Russell kept it tidy, and he had done just enough to hold on to take the chequered flag ahead of Hamilton, who seemed unhappy about the team’s strategy decision.
That was later turned on its head as Russell’s car was found to be 1.5kg underweight, resulting in his disqualification from the race. That promoted Hamilton to victory, with Piastri second and Leclerc third. Promotion to seventh for Perez will do little to help his cause, and his place in the Red Bull team looks increasingly uncertain. Rumours suggest he could be replaced before the season resumes.
The next race, the Dutch GP, will take place at Zandvoort in the Netherlands from August 23-25.
Belgian GP race highlights
2024 Dutch GP race report
Following a much-needed summer break, F1 returns for the second half of the season at the seaside track of Zandvoort in the Netherlands, but as Dave Humphreys writes, Verstappen didn’t have it easy in his own backyard.
Formula One returns after the summer break with the drivers rested and the news of Alpine signing Jack Doohan for the 2025 season to race alongside Pierre Gasly. Further driver changes could be happening sooner rather than later at Williams too, following Logan Sergeant having another hefty (and expensive) crash, this time during practice.
The excessive damage to his Williams prevented him from taking part in qualifying and could be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back regarding his future at the team. Reports are circulating that he may be replaced before the end of the season, possibly by Mick Schumacher or Liam Lawson.
During Saturday qualifying the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were both lacking in the pace we’re used to seeing from them, while the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri continued to demonstrate a vastly improved performance.
Among the Q2 exits were Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the latter also incurring the wrath of the stewards following an incident with Perez, earning him a three-place grid penalty. There was also disappointment for Daniel Ricciardo in the RB, managing to qualify only 16th, behind Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen in 14th and 15th respectively in their Haas cars.
As the flag fell on Saturday, it was Norris who clinched pole position, ahead of Verstappen and Piastri, with George Russell (Mercedes) in fourth, Perez fifth and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in sixth.
It’s not the first time that Norris has started a race from pole, but in previous instances, he was swallowed up by the pack following poor starts. This time Norris matched Verstappen’s reaction time as the lights went out, but the reigning world champion stole the lead going into the first turn and wasted no time edging out a lead.
Russell also had a solid start, gaining one place to move to third. Verstappen quickly had more than a one-second lead giving him a buffer from any DRS-assisted attack from Norris. Piastri was also starting to drop back from Russell, allowing Leclerc to pass with DRS as the early laps ticked by.
By lap 14 Hamilton had made his way up into the top ten by passing Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and quickly set his sights on Fernando Alonso in the other Aston Martin. Verstappen was starting to lose his lead to Norris and was complaining about the grip levels from his tyres. The McLaren suddenly found some pace and reeled in the leading Red Bull and, just one lap later, Norris was back within DRS range. It took only three more laps for Norris to make the move, diving up the inside into turn one and re-taking the race lead.
From there Norris began to gradually build out a safe margin at the front and the first rounds of pit stops began. Russell was the first of the leaders to stop, returning to the track in ninth behind Alonso. Verstappen stopped on lap 28 for fresh tyres and Norris did the same one lap later. Perez had a slow stop, which didn’t help his cause. Stroll also did not have a great time in the pits, earning a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
By lap 40 Piastri was closing the gap to Russell and replicated his teammate’s overtake by going around the outside of the Mercedes in turn one to go after Leclerc. Five laps on, and Norris now had a 12-second lead over Verstappen. Sainz was eyeing up the second Red Bull of Perez and overtook on lap 47. Hamilton was in a race of his own, having a safe gap to the Haas cars behind, so the team opted to pit for new soft tyres, and subsequently he began setting numerous fastest laps.
However, Norris took it upon himself on the final lap to go for the fastest time and did it, earning himself a valuable extra championship point as he took what turned out to be a commanding victory. Verstappen was resigned to accepting second place while Leclerc was pleasantly surprised – given the team’s performance over the weekend – to end up on the podium. Sainz also put in a good recovery drive to secure fifth, ahead of Russell, Hamilton, Gasly and Alonso.
The next race, the Italian GP, will take place at Monza in Italy from August 30 to September 1.
Dutch GP race highlights
2024 Italian GP race report
As the second half of the 2024 season rolls on, racing returns to the “Temple of Speed” at Monza, and, as Dave Humphreys writes, the balance of power appears to be swinging away from Red Bull.
For the second race in succession, the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri dominated Saturday qualifying, and the papaya cars locked out the front row. Having made life hard for himself in the previous race by starting from pole and losing positions on the opening lap, Norris was keen to make a clean getaway and did so on the run down to the first chicane.
However, Piastri wasn’t giving his teammate any chance to break away and almost collided with George Russell (Mercedes) in the braking zone. This forced the Mercedes to run wide through the tech-pro barriers on the escape road, damaging his front wing in the process and dropping him down to seventh.
Piastri kept the pressure on and swept around the outside of Norris at the second chicane, narrowly avoiding contact between the two. The overtake unsettled Norris, allowing Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) to capitalise and move up into second place. There were more incidents further back down the field as Daniel Ricciardo (RB) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) tangled. The stewards gave Ricciardo a five-second penalty for causing the collision, but soon after, Hulkenberg also came together with Yuki Tsunoda in the other RB car. This time, the damage to the RB car would prove terminal, ending Tsunoda’s race prematurely.
By Lap 14, Piastri had extended his lead over Leclerc to more than three seconds. Meanwhile, Norris was closing in on the Ferrari driver and decided to pit early, attempting an undercut. He locked up his tyres heavily as he entered the pit lane. After switching to hard tyres, Norris rejoined the race in eighth position. Leclerc responded by pitting one lap later, only to rejoin behind Norris in seventh.
On Lap 17, Piastri made his stop, and although he returned to the track still ahead of his teammate, the gap had noticeably narrowed. Leclerc expressed his frustration over the radio about the timing of his pit stop, having lost out to Norris in the undercut. Another driver likely feeling annoyed was Ricciardo, who received a 10-second penalty for incorrectly serving his initial time penalty.
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) was now in the race lead, but that didn’t last long. He had to pit for fresh tyres on Lap 20, dropping to sixth place. That promoted Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the Red Bulls, which had yet to pit, having started on hard compound tyres.
McLaren was trying to manage the situation between its drivers, mentioning “papaya rules” to Norris over team radio, suggesting something to do with team orders. This message was clarified soon after when Norris was told he could race Oscar. Verstappen dropped back to sixth after his stop, which was slower than usual due to a right rear tyre issue, while Perez rejoined in seventh.
As the field worked itself out following the pit stops, Piastri was still 2.5 seconds ahead of Norris, with Leclerc and Sainz in third and fourth, respectively. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was behind them, although he seemed off the pace all weekend.
Norris made a second pit stop on Lap 33, rejoining in sixth with fresh hard tyres after a slow stop. Russell also pitted slowly and came out in 12th. Norris closed in on Verstappen for fifth, prompting the Dutchman to ask if he should race or defend. His team told him to race. Piastri, considering a one-stop, decided it wasn’t feasible and pitted from the lead on Lap 39, rejoining ahead of the Norris-Verstappen battle.
Russell overtook Perez for eighth at Turn 1, despite being squeezed to the edge of the track. On Lap 41, Norris used DRS to pass Verstappen for fourth, as the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz, holding first and second, respectively, had yet to make their second stops. Verstappen pitted again, rejoining in sixth on medium tyres, while Ferrari surprised some by appearing to attempt a one-stop strategy. With 10 laps to go, Leclerc led the race with an 11-second gap over Sainz. However, Piastri was close behind the Spaniard, with Norris a few seconds back in fourth place. Verstappen, on fresher tyres, was rapidly closing in on Hamilton in fifth place.
Struggling with ageing tyres, Sainz couldn’t prevent Piastri from overtaking him for second place on lap 45. As Sainz’s pace dropped, Norris quickly caught up and overtook him for the final podium place. Norris was three seconds behind Piastri, who in turn was seven seconds behind Leclerc.
As the race neared its end, Piastri reduced Leclerc’s lead, but not fast enough to challenge him for victory, leaving Leclerc safe to secure an incredible win in front of Ferrari’s passionate fans. Norris may be disappointed by only finishing in third, but he also clinched the fastest lap at the end, earning him one more crucial point in the championship fight against Verstappen. A mention is also due to Franco Colapinto who made his debut in the Williams car, replacing Logan Sargeant, and managed to finish 12th, not far behind Alex Albon on 9th, making a solid weekend for the team.
Italian GP race highlights
2024 Azerbaijan GP race report
The F1 circus leaves Europe ahead of a series of flyaway races, the first stop at the street circuit of Baku in Azerbaijan and, as Dave Humphreys writes, the championship has quite a way to go before being decided.
Following much talk of McLaren issue team orders to favour Lando Norris’s title bid, over Oscar Pastri, Saturday qualifying proved to be disastrous for Norris after he was caught out by a late yellow flag that would see him exit in Q1; he would start from 15th with some penalty-related promotion. An engine change for Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) saw him start from the pit lane, along with Pierre Gasly (Alpine) who was disqualified from qualifying following a technical infringement.
Ferrari driver and Baku specialist Charles Leclerc started from pole position after a magnificent qualy, ahead of Piastri and Carlos Sainz in the other prancing horse, while a resurgent Sergio Perez qualified his Red Bull in fourth. George Russell (Mercedes) found himself fifth on the grid, ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull).
As the lights went out, Leclerc made a smooth start from pole, holding off Oscar Piastri into the first corner. Behind them, the Red Bull drivers were on the move — Sergio Perez overtook Carlos Sainz, and Max Verstappen passed George Russell under braking for turn two.
The top ten positions held steady as Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Franco Colapinto — making his debut in the Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant — Alex Albon (also Williams) and Oliver Bearman — standing in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen in the Haas — maintained their positions.
Norris quickly climbed to 12th by the end of the first lap, benefitting from Lance Stroll’s early puncture in his Aston Martin.
Norris continued his charge on lap three, overtaking Yuki Tsunoda (RB) for 11th place. Tsunoda, struggling with damage resulting from a collision with Stroll’s car, soon lost positions to Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), Daniel Ricciardo (RB), Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton.
At the front, Leclerc was under pressure as Piastri stayed within DRS range. Meanwhile, Norris edged closer to 10th-placed Bearman, reporting that his hard compound tyres (most were on mediums at the start) were in good condition. On lap eight, Norris made a clean pass on Bearman to move into the points.
Leclerc responded to Piastri’s pressure, breaking out of DRS range and extending his lead to 2.5 seconds by lap 10. Russell reported possible debris in his airbox, while Verstappen complained about a lack of grip.
Colapinto was the first of the top 10 to pit, switching to hard tyres on lap 12. Alonso followed on the next lap to cover the potential “undercut”. Russell, Verstappen and Perez all pitted shortly after, while Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, Albon and Norris stayed out.
On fresh tyres, Perez quickly caught Norris, and McLaren asked their man to hold up the Red Bull driver to help Piastri when he pitted. This strategy worked, as Piastri rejoined just ahead of Perez after his pit stop. Leclerc stopped for fresh rubber on lap 17, followed by Sainz, while Tsunoda retired due to damage from his earlier collision.
Leclerc’s lead reduced after his stop, allowing Piastri to close in and make a decisive move on lap 20, overtaking Leclerc into turn one. Perez, watching from third, was ready to capitalise on any possible incident between the two ahead.
Further back, Sainz moved past Norris for fifth on lap 23 and overtook Albon a lap later to move into fourth place. Norris, struggling with tyre wear, fended off Verstappen, who complained about brake issues and a rear end that he said was bouncing. Russell, running in eighth, maintained the gap to Alonso and Colapinto.
Moving to “plan C”, which presumably meant “give it everything” in an effort to take the lead quickly, Leclerc continued to challenge Piastri but the McLaren driver defended well. Their battle allowed Perez to close back in, making it a three-way fight for the lead. Meanwhile, Verstappen and Russell fought hard, with the Mercedes driver holding on to sixth.
The intense effort by Leclerc meant that his Ferrari soon started struggling with rear tyre degradation, and he lost ground to the leader. As the laps ticked down, Leclerc’s rear tyres gave up, allowing the McLaren to pull away and the Red Bull of Perez to close in. On lap 48, the Mexican attempted to pass Leclerc, but the Monegasque driver managed to defend well and hold on to the position despite his failing tyres. That brought teammate Sainz, who had managed his race well and was on a hard late charge, into play behind.
Having caught the back of the leading Red Bull as Leclerc backed up Perez, Sainz edged ahead. Perez came back at Sainz as they exited turn three, and the pair collided on the drag down to turn four, ending both of their races in the wall. Both drivers could have done more to avoid the incident, the stewards later found, but neither was penalised. The incident brought out a virtual safety car and effectively stopped the race prematurely.
Piastri cruised to the finish, securing the win ahead of Leclerc. Russell inherited third place due to the Perez-Sainz collision, giving Mercedes a podium finish. Norris finished fourth in an exceptional recovery drive, and took valuable points away from championship leader Verstappen, who ended up fifth. Alonso finished sixth, followed by Albon, Colapinto, Hamilton and Bearman, who rounded out the points.
Verstappen was later hauled in front of the stewards for overtaking under the VSC on the cool down lap, but as this was dismissed following a similar incident earlier in the year, the Dutchman was let off with a warning and all drivers were told not to do so in the future.
The next round will take place at night on the streets of Singapore on September 20-22.
Azerbaijan GP race highlights
2024 Singapore GP race report
The streets of Singapore once again proved to be a spectacular setting for F1’s night race. As Dave Humphreys writes, the battle for this year’s driver’s championship is heating up as McLaren continues to improve against a struggling Red Bull.
While Lando Norris (McLaren) started from pole, all eyes were on several other drivers hoping to capitalise on the tight confines and potential chaos of the start. Among them was Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who started from fifth on the grid. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both faced recovery drives after troubled qualifying sessions that saw them start ninth and tenth respectively.
There was drama even before the lights went out. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll reported a brake issue as the drivers completed their lap to the grid, and the team scrambled to make repairs.
Most of the field had opted for medium tyres, while a few, including Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Daniel Ricciardo (RB), took a gamble with softs. A smaller group, featuring Stroll, Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) and Kevin Magnussen (Haas), chose hard tyres, expecting to stretch their opening stint.
As the lights went out, Norris held off Verstappen at turn one, while Hamilton briefly battled Verstappen for second before falling back. Behind them, Piastri’s attack on George Russell (Mercedes) into the first corner was compromised; that allowed Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) to sneak past before Piastri reclaimed the position at turn seven.
As the laps ticked by, Norris pulled clear of Verstappen, moving out of DRS range. Sainz made an early stop on lap 14, showing the undercut strategy had potential. Norris’s race engineer confirmed the potential advantage of the undercut as the team mulled its options, extending his lead over Verstappen to 13 seconds by lap 18.
Ricciardo was the first to make a scheduled pit stop, switching his soft tyres for mediums on lap 11, while others, including Leclerc – who was struggling in the midfield – also began to make their tyre changes. At this point, Norris’s lead appeared unassailable, keeping his cool while maintaining a comfortable gap to Verstappen.
By the time Verstappen pitted for hard tyres on lap 32, his rears were struggling for grip, allowing Norris to further extend his lead. Norris had a scare when he brushed the wall at turn 10, but the McLaren crew confirmed that the damage was minimal, and he was able to continue without any issues.
Behind the leaders, Piastri and Russell engaged in a battle for third, with the Australian showing impressive pace on fresh hard tyres. Piastri eventually overtook the Mercedes at turn seven and began chasing down Verstappen.
Hamilton’s race took a turn for the worse after a misjudged attempt to pass Yuki Tsunoda in the RB. Complaining of issues with the car and his early pit stop, he found himself caught in the midfield, eventually passed by both Piastri and Leclerc. Despite his complaints, Hamilton managed to bring his car home in sixth.
Leclerc, who had been working hard to climb up the order, managed to overtake Hamilton on lap 51 and began hunting down Russell. However, the Monegasque’s push to catch the Mercedes was unsuccessful, as he settled for fifth, just behind Russell.
Meanwhile, Magnussen’s late-race puncture caused some excitement. The Haas driver limped his car back to the pits after clipping the wall in sector one and rejoined the race on soft tyres, briefly snatching the fastest lap before Norris responded with his own quickest time.
As the laps ticked down, Norris expertly managed the gap to Verstappen, crossing the line 20 seconds ahead of his Red Bull rival. The victory added to his wins in Miami and the Netherlands, further solidifying his impressive 2024 campaign. Piastri finished in third, securing McLaren’s double podium, and adding another strong result to his season.
Verstappen’s second-place finish helped to mitigate the damage in the championship, while Russell took fourth and Leclerc rounded out the top five. Hamilton crossed the line in sixth, followed by Sainz, who struggled with tyre degradation throughout the race. Alonso, Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez completed the points-paying positions.
Further down the order, Williams newcomer Franco Colapinto impressed once again, finishing 11th, and continuing his strong start in Formula 1. Tsunoda and Ricciardo were locked in their own battle in the lower midfield, with Ricciardo eventually securing the fastest lap bonus for Red Bull Racing after a late stop for fresh tyres and taking what could prove to be a crucial championship point away from Norris.
Doubts remain as to whether we’ll see Ricciardo at any further races, and with several weeks until the next round, both Red Bull and RB senior management have time to decide on what to do with its drivers for the remainder of the season.
Singapore GP race highlights
2024 United States GP race report
Following a three-week sojourn between races, the F1 paddock resumed service at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas with the added bonus of a Sprint Race, writes Dave Humphreys.
It was a high-intensity weekend. With only a single practice session on Friday, drivers had little time to dial in their cars and shake off any rust that may have developed on their driving skills following the lengthy break. This was especially true of Liam Lawson, who returned to the RB race seat as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement.
Red Bull found itself at the centre of a technical controversy in Austin as it was reported the team had developed a means of adjusting the portion of the car’s underbody, known as the bib, which could affect performance between qualifying and the race. The matter was investigated by the FIA and seemingly clarified and settled. It did little to unsettle Max Verstappen’s (Red Bull) form, as he set pole position for the Sprint race ahead of George Russell (Mercedes), followed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Lando Norris (McLaren), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas).
Sprint race
As the lights went out, Verstappen covered off any challenge from Russell in the uphill run to the first corner, but opportunistic Norris got past the Mercedes driver as the Ferraris went wheel to wheel. Sainz, who will leave the Ferrari team for Williams in 2025, was still keen to make his mark by not giving Leclerc an easy run and harried him for position during the opening laps.
By lap 5, Russell was closing the gap to Norris, who in turn saw the gap to leader Verstappen grow. Further back, Lawson (RB) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) were battling hard, with the young rider making life difficult for the multiple world champion.
With ten laps remaining, Leclerc was charging down the leading Mercedes of Russell, having already been passed by Sainz, while Norris did the same to Verstappen in the race’s lead. Russell appeared to be struggling for pace but Lewis Hamilton, in the second Mercedes, began to close the gap. Oscar Piastri’s lack of pace in the McLaren saw him battling Yuki Tsunoda (RB) for 10th place towards the end.
On the last lap, Carlos Sainz still had plenty of fight in him and made a move on the inside of Norris into the first corner, causing the McLaren driver to lock up and run wide, losing 2nd place in the process. That, in turn, allowed Leclerc to close back up and almost made the overtake happen towards the end of the lap.
Robust defending from Norris, which saw Leclerc almost run into the rear of the McLaren, was enough to retain a valuable 3rd place for the McLaren driver whose fight for the Driver’s Championship with Verstappen has intensified. But in the end, it was a lights-to-flag victory for Verstappen in the Sprint Race.
Grand Prix
Sunday’s Grand Prix grid saw Norris secure the pole with a great qualifying, though Verstappen joined him on the front row. The Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc made up row two, ahead of Piastri, Russell, Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Alonso, Kevin Magnussen (Haas) and Sergio Perez (Red Bull).
However, a late crash for Russell in Q3 would see him have to start from the pit lane as the team was forced to break the parc fermé curfew to rebuild his car in time for the race. It was a poor result for Mercedes as Hamilton also qualified a lowly 19th, only to be bumped up by Lawson, who was forced to start from the back after engine penalties were applied.
The start saw Norris get away well and he crossed to the left to defend from Verstappen, though the door was left open enough for the Red Bull driver to force his way in. As the pair ran wide, Leclerc seized the opportunity to swoop into the lead. Hamilton was quickly making up places, getting as far as 12th by the end of the opening lap, but it all ended prematurely two laps later when he spun out and beached his Mercedes in the gravel trap, triggering a safety car period.
When racing resumed, Leclerc broke free, as did Verstappen, getting into the DRS range to Sainz, who reported issues with the car. In a repeat of the sprint race, Lawson again fought hard with Alonso, passing the Aston Martin on lap 12. The tight confines of sector three are an excellent place for overtaking, but it also became a contentious zone as numerous drivers were given five-second penalties for overtaking outside of the track limits, including Russell for a move on Bottas.
Sainz pitted early on lap 23 to undercut Verstappen, and it worked when the Red Bull driver stopped four laps later. By now, Leclerc had a comfortable margin in the lead and pitted for new tyres on lap 26, temporarily putting Norris back into the lead.
Gasly and Tsunoda were the next drivers to receive five-second penalties, while rookie Franco Colapinto (Williams) continued to impress by keeping Perez behind him in 8th.
Verstappen was less enamoured about his tyres following the pit stop, complaining about a lack of grip. Norris was again starting to close in on Verstappen, getting within DRS range, though the Red Bull driver put on a masterclass in defending over the coming laps. Norris kept piling on the pressure and eventually was close enough to make a move, but both cars ran wide, with the McLaren completing the overtake beyond track limits.
Wily Verstappen was immediately on the radio to protest, but the stewards hadn’t missed it and issued a five-second penalty to Norris. With only two laps remaining, it was clear the McLaren driver would not be able to edge out enough of a margin to stay ahead after the punishment had been applied.
Russell pulled off one more overtake on Perez to clinch 6th place, which, given his pit lane start, was an impressive performance, but it was Leclerc who crossed the line first after a faultless drive, just ahead of Sainz, to provide Ferrari with its first 1-2 finish on US soil since 2006 when Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa did the same at Indianapolis.
Norris crossed the line in 3rd, but with the time penalty added, Verstappen was promoted to the final podium place. Behind 4th place Norris were Piastri, Russell, Perez, Hulkenberg, Lawson and Colapinto.
US GP race highlights
2024 Mexico City GP race report
As it entered the crucial closing stage of the season, F1 landed at the high-altitude Mexico City for the second of three successive races in the Americas, writes Dave Humphreys.
The location of the Mexico City Grand Prix poses some unique challenges for the drivers, but especially the cars, as it lies 7,349 feet above sea level, where the air is thin and the engines struggle breathe.
Following Ferrari’s 1-2 finish in the previous race in Austin, the Scuderia again demonstrated a strong performance throughout qualifying on Saturday, with Carlos Sainz clinching pole position. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) lined up alongside Sainz on the front row, with Lando Norris (McLaren) in third, joined by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in fourth. The rest of the top ten was made up of George Russell (Mercedes), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), Piere Gasly (Alpine), Alex Albon (Williams) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas).
As the lights went out it was Verstappen that appeared to get a marginally better get away, holding the inside line into the first corner, but there was a melee further back as Yuki Tsunoda (RB) clipped wheels with Albon, spearing the Japanese driver off the circuit and narrowly avoiding collecting any other cars.
While this was happening, up front Sainz ran wide over the grass in the first corner, and subsequently had to give the place back to Verstappen to avoid a penalty. No sooner had the field made its way through the first couple of corners than the safety car was deployed to clear up the debris and recover both cars, as Albon also came to an eventual stop on track.
Hometown hero, Sergio Perez (Red Bull), having already suffered a terrible qualifying performance that saw him start in 18th, was given a five-second penalty for being in the wrong starting position on the grid. His car was too far forward of the grid slot.
Racing resumed on lap seven, Verstappen got a decent jump on Sainz, immediately creating enough of a gap to prevent Sainz from benefitting from DRS. However, the fast-charging Spaniard soon closed the gap and on lap nine he made the move stick as the pair diced through the first series of corners. That left the current world championship leader in the firing line for his nearest competitor, Lando Norris.
As the McLaren lined up a repeat of what Sainz had done going into turn four, Verstappen pushed Norris wide, forcing him to run off onto the grass before resuming. Norris regained the place only for Verstappen to dive up the inside in turn seven with no hope of making the corner, understeering wide and causing both to have to run off the track for a second time.
Norris complained on team radio, saying, “this guy [Verstappen] is just dangerous.” The stewards immediately investigated both incidents and awarded Verstappen a 10-second penalty for each.
The weekend came to a premature end for Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) as he was forced to retire the car on lap 16, on what was his 400th Grand Prix weekend. There was further Red Bull action at the other end of the field as Liam Lawson (RB) fought hard with Sergio Perez and came out the better of the two. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), having started well back after a shock Q1 exit on Saturday, was slowly making his way back towards the points-scoring positions.
The first pit stops began with Hamilton on lap 29, followed by Leclerc, Russell and Norris in the following laps. On lap 43, Russell reported small drops of rain on his visor, but while darker clouds approached the circuit, the rain failed to materialise. With Hamilton closing in, Mercedes informed Russell that both were free to race and team orders were not being imposed. Meanwhile, Verstappen was clawing back positions after serving his 20-second penalty at the pit stop.
At the front, Sainz was now comfortably cruising in the lead, six seconds ahead of Leclerc, but the Monegasque driver was starting to close the gap, triggering Sainz to radio the team asking for him to ease off. Piastri was now up to eighth after passing Hulkenberg, while Norris was closing in on Leclerc.
The Mercedes duo continued to battle, with Russell demonstrating excellent defence and use of his battery deployment to keep Hamilton at bay, despite the DRS advantage. But on lap 61 Hamilton finally made the move and got ahead. As the pressure from Norris mounted on Leclerc, the Ferrari driver ran wide in the last corner and did a miraculous job to save the car from colliding with the wall. Norris zipped through and was well on his way to securing a second-place finish.
With no way of catching Norris before the end of the race, Ferrari pitted Leclerc for fresh tyres on lap 69 so he could make an attempt at the fastest lap, which he duly succeeded in doing, netting one additional championship point in the process. Red Bull tried the same with Perez, but were unsuccessful, partly due to existing sidepod damage.
It was a dominant win for Sainz, who looked strong all weekend, and with both Ferraris getting onto the podium, the constructors’ championship is becoming a close fight between the Italian outfit and McLaren. Vital points for Norris, and a damage-limitation exercise for Verstappen, meant the gap between the two clear leaders for the drivers’ championship remains close.
Mexico City GP race highlights
2024 Brazilian GP race report
As the teams arrived at the resurfaced Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace — better known as Interlagos — the atmosphere was tense, with fight for the drivers’ championship likely to go down to the wire, writes Dave Humphreys.
This season is the longest in the sport’s history with 24 scheduled rounds. To add to the teams’ challenges, the recently resurfaced track was also to host a Sprint Race, the fifth of the season thus far. There were also changes in the field, as Kevin Magnussen (Haas) was struck down with food poisoning, requiring Oliver Bearman to step up as the team’s reserve driver.
Sprint race
The McLarens dominated qualifying for the Sprint Race, with Oscar Piastri starting from pole and Lando Norris alongside. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was third on the grid and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) fourth. All drivers made a clean getaway from the start, with Piastri maintaining his lead as the pack began to spread out.
By lap seven Leclerc was closing back in on Norris, regaining a DRS advantage to Norris who had, in turn, lost the same advantage. Norris did claw some of that gap to Piastri back over the following laps. However, Leclerc was doing a better job of reducing the gap to Norris and Piastri was asked to drop back to give Norris the DRS boost.
Verstappen ran wide at the first corner on lap 16, giving Leclerc a momentary respite. Further back, Liam Lawson (RB) was continuing to drive hard and prove he deserves to be in the sport, moving up into the points in eighth. Only a couple of laps later Verstappen passed Leclerc, while Perez in the second Red Bull made a successful overtake on Lawson.
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) was forced to retire with suspected engine issues, bringing out the yellow flags. That prompted McLaren to make a quick position swap between its drivers in case of a safety car and moments later the virtual safety car was deployed.
As racing was about to resume, Verstappen had closed right up on Piastri, who sold him a dummy move just as the flag went green, and he was able to break away to retain second place. The manoeuvre subsequently landed Verstappen with a five-second time penalty for a “VSC” infringement, though, demoting him to fourth place, behind Leclerc.
Grand Prix
Qualifying for the GP was due to take place after the Sprint Race, but heavy downpours delayed action and with no let-up in sight, organisers were forced to postpone it until early on Sunday morning. The extreme rain also prompted F1 to bring forward the race start time in an attempt to avoid further bad weather later in the day.
The qualifying itself was a war of attrition with no less than five red flags over the three timed sessions as both Aston Martin drivers, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, found the wall, as did the two Williams drivers, Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon, along with Carlos Sainz (Ferrari). The delays from each crash not only ate into the prep time for the race, but severely limited the chances of those cars being repaired in time. In the end, Albon’s Williams was too damaged to be rebuilt in time and he would miss the race.
There was yet more drama on the formation lap as Stroll spun off and, in a bizarre move, got his car turned around and proceeded to drive straight into the gravel trap, thereby becoming beached… much to the chagrin of the mechanics that worked so hard to repair it after his qualifying crash.
The pack lined up, but due to the Stroll incident, the race start was aborted, which caused some confusion. After a few moments, Norris and George Russell (Mercedes), moved away as if to do another formation lap. They were followed by Yuki Tsunoda (RB) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine), and then some others. It was clear that nobody seemed sure of the procedure, and the drivers that moved would be investigated after the race.
When the race did eventually start, it was Russell that got the best getaway and took the lead into the first corner. Verstappen, having been forced to start from 17th due to an engine penalty, scythed through the field, making up seven places on the opening lap. The Red Bull driver soon passed Alonso and was gaining on Piastri, who had a poor start. As Russell and Norris traded fastest laps, Lewis Hamilton was having a harder time in the other Mercedes, complaining about severe bouncing as he languished further down the field.
Heavier rain was coming, and some were struggling on the now worn “intermediate” tyres. On lap 25 Leclerc pitted and soon after Hulkenberg spun at turn one, temporarily beaching his car on the slope, bringing out the virtual safety car. A quick push from some marshals got the Haas moving again, but that would see Hulkenberg receive a black flag for getting outside assistance, resulting in his disqualification from the race.
As the pit stops shuffled though, Verstappen now found himself in second place after Norris and Russell pitted, and the McLaren driver emerged the better of the two. But on lap 31 Colapinto had a big off in one of the high-speed corners, which initially brought out the safety car before the race had to be red flagged. The Argentine driver was unhurt, but there was considerable damage to his car and debris on the track.
The temporary stop was a disaster for Norris and Russell who had just pitted, as under restart rules all cars could freely change their tyres. That reformed grid saw Ocon starting on pole, followed by Verstappen, Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Norris, Russell, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Piastri, Alonso and Lawson.
Ocon got away cleanly and took an easy lead, but Norris ran wide, losing several places. Hamilton was fighting with Alonso, but there was little overtaking due to the massive amounts of spray being thrown up from the cars. Sainz was the next driver to take a spin, nerfing the barrier and triggering a safety car. He managed to get the Ferrari going, but suspension damage meant his race was over.
Racing once again resumed on lap 42 and Verstappen was now in the lead and determined to make a point by asserting his dominance and extending his lead over the Alpine duo. It was becoming clear that Norris was not going to be able to make up many more places, so the team swapped Piastri. What looked like a damage limitation exercise for Verstappen turned into an emphatic win, and gave his championship bid a major boost.
Russell’s fourth place was in contrast to Hamilton’s 10th, while Leclerc’s fifth place was the best the team could hope for after a disappointing weekend. A sixth place for Norris won’t help his championship bid much, but it’s not over until it’s over.
Brazilian GP race highlights
2024 Las Vegas GP race report
F1 returned to Sin City for an unusual Saturday night race and the potential for the drivers’ championship to be decided, writes Dave Humphreys.
The fast nature of the Las Vegas street circuit proved a surprise for even the Mercedes team as George Russell set a solid qualifying time to start from pole position. However, a couple of uncharacteristic errors in Q3 from teammate Lewis Hamilton meant he started back in 10th.
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) started alongside Russell on the front row, with Pierre Gasly (Alpine) in third, having had the qualy session of his life, and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in fourth. Championship leader Max Verstappen could only manage the fifth fastest time in qualifying, with the Red Bull struggling for pace due to not having a sufficiently low-downforce setup in Las Vegas. Lando Norris (McLaren) started sixth, ahead of Yuki Tsunoda (RB), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas).
Despite reporting issues on his way to the grid, Russell made a clean getaway as the lights went out and the field funnelled its way through turn one. Leclerc also had a great start and found himself in second place as the pack settled, while further back there was an entertaining fight between Liam Lawson (RB) and Kevin Magnussen (Haas), with close but clean racing.
Verstappen had it all to lose in many ways, but he began piling the pressure on Gasly as Norris started to drop back from the leading Red Bull, potentially to protect his tyres for later in the stint.
On lap four, Verstappen made his move on Gasly as Leclerc began to apply more pressure to Russell. But Leclerc’s fast pace quickly took life from his tyres, and Sainz and Verstappen soon passed him.
Further back, Hamilton was pressing on and passed Tsunoda for seventh. Piastri’s start was deemed to be in breach of the regulations, landing him with a five-second penalty at his first pit stop.
Norris was the first of the leading pack to stop for fresh tyres, soon followed by Alex Albon (Williams), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Sainz. As the rest of the field stopped, Russell remained in the lead and was slowly extending the gap at the front, setting very fast laps while most other drivers had tyres that were past their best.
An engine issue on lap 15 brought Gasly’s race to a disappointing and premature end, having started so high up the grid. There was further disappointment for Williams as Albon was forced to retire yet again on lap 26.
Hamilton closed in on Sainz, who was calling for a pitstop for a couple of laps due to worn tyres, then committed to a pit stop, only to dart back across the pitlane line at the last second to rejoin the track because the team told him they weren’t ready. Usually a breach of the rules, the manoeuvre went unpunished by the newly installed race director.
Hamilton did dive in for fresh rubber at the same time, and that gave him a massive advantage over the Ferrari. Sainz chastised the Ferrari team over the radio for the late decision change, telling them: “Wake up guys!”
Verstappen was driving his own race, clearly with an eye on where he had to finish to stand a chance of securing his fourth title. This strategy was evident as Hamilton streamed by on the back straight, with the Dutchman putting up no fight.
The pace of Hamilton’s Mercedes was hugely impressive as he closed in very quickly on Russell, who seemed to be dawdling out front, no doubt as he thought he had an unassailable lead. He must have got the hurry up from the team, as his pace quickened again.
The Ferraris with fresher tyres began closing down Verstappen and, within a handful of laps, had passed the Red Bull driver, who had been told to “remember our objective” — i.e. three he only needed three more points than Norris to secure the drivers’ championship.
Sainz was now the leading Ferrari pairing, much to Leclerc’s chagrin, who voiced his displeasure with the team’s strategy over the radio.
As Russell cruised towards victory, Hamilton was setting a phenomenal pace in second and continuing to close the gap, despite being well ahead of third-placed Sainz. When the chequered flag dropped, Hamilton was just seven seconds behind his tammate, an no doubt ruing his disatrous qualifying.
It was a dominant win for Russell, but the more significant news was that Verstappen had done enough with his fifth-place finish and secured his fourth successive world championship, elevating him to an exclusive group of drivers including Schumacher, Vettel, Hamilton and Fangio.
There is still the constructors’ championship to fight for, and the next race weekend will take place at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, from 29 November to 1 December.
Las Vegas GP race highlights
2024 Qatar GP race report
Though the drivers’ champion had already been already crowned, there was still plenty to play for in the penultimate F1 race weekend of the season, writes Dave Humphreys.
One week after Max Verstappen became world champion for the fourth successive time, the Formula One paddock crossed the globe again, this time to Qatar for the final sprint race weekend of the season. Right from the outset, the McLarens looked fast in practice and sprint qualifying, as did the Ferraris, but Red Bull seemed strangely off the pace.
It would be Lando Norris (McLaren) starting from pole for the sprint, with George Russell (Mercedes) alongside him on the front row. Oscar Piastri lined up the other McLaren in third with Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) in fourth position, followed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) and Liam Lawson (RB).
Sprint race
Norris made a strong getaway at the start and his McLaren teammate slotted into second place on the opening lap. Hamilton also made a solid start, quickly passing both Verstappen and Leclerc. The new world champion wasn’t performing well as he began slipping down the order to ninth.
In the other Red Bull, Sergio Perez was having an even worse race, starting from the pit lane. As his light went green, he seemed to be daydreaming and had to be prompted by his race engineer to get going. That slow start was enough for Franco Colapinto (Williams), who was also starting from the pit lane, to overtake Perez as the pair joined the track.
A few laps in, Russell came back at Piastri, who had to defend against the leading Mercedes driver. The race then settled into a steady pace for the next few laps, but as the time ticked down, Leclerc made a move on Hamilton. The pair diced through turn two and continued through the next few corners with no driver giving an inch, racing hard but fair. The Ferrari driver came out on top, but this was a sign that we can look forward to the future teammates crossing paths regularly next season.
With only a couple of laps remaining and limited overtaking opportunities, Russell was running out of time to make a pass on Piastri. He attempted once again on the run into the first corner, but the young Australian driver firmly shut the door.
Keen to score crucial points for the constructors’ championship, McLaren needed the one-two in this race, and would achieve it, albeit with one more twist. As Norris exited the final corner, he lifted slightly, enabling Piastri to overtake for the sprint win while perfectly calculating the gap to Russell, who remained in third. It was payback for Piastri’s assistance in Brazil earlier this season.
Grand Prix
There was more controversy before Sunday’s race with Max Verstappen, having secured pole position in an amazing performance turnaround, being given a one-place grid penalty for driving slowly on a warm-up lap during qualifying. That penalty promoted Russell into the prime starting slot on the grid, but on the run down to the first corner Verstappen passed the Mercedes for the race lead.
The action was short-lived as the safety car was sent out following a collision involving Hulkenberg running into Esteban Ocon (Alpine), who in turn took out Colapinto. The Argentinian has shown great speed and promise since his F1 debut at the Italian GP, but his torrid end to the season continued in Qatar.
The opening lap melee also saw Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) come together with Alex Albon (Williams). Stroll was given a ten-second penalty for that collision, which he served before returning to the pits one lap later to retire the car.
Back at the front, Piastri was now ahead of the two Ferraris and maintaining a consistent gap to Russell. The Mercedes driver then fell afoul of a slow left rear tyre change during the pit stops, which dropped him back down the order.
Then came what would be a pivotal moment in the race. A mirror from Albon’s car came off on the main straight, landing just away from the racing line but still in a dangerous position in the middle of the track. As race control decided how to retrieve it, double yellow flags were shown in the zone. Verstappen picked up on this and saw that Norris had closed the gap slightly, so he radioed his team to investigate if the McLaren driver had liften off the throttle, as per the regulations. The team responded that Norris had not appeared to lift and reported him to the stewards.
Just a couple of laps later, Bottas (Sauber) ran over the mirror while moving off line, shattering the carbon mirror into hundreds of pieces. Within seconds, both Hamilton and Sainz had punctures, most likely caused by the debris, and this prompted the race director to send out the safety car while the fragments were cleaned up.
This period also triggered numerous pit stops, and as racing prepared to resume, Norris closed right up on Verstappen. The leading McLaren driver gave Verstappen a good run on the restart but couldn’t make a pass. Hulkenberg spun out all by himself, beaching his car in the gravel, which caused another safety car period.
On the next restart, Verstappen had a cleaner break and there was little Norris could do to challenge the leader. Soon after, though, it all became academic as Norris was issued an unusually severe 10-second stop-and-go penalty for his earlier infringement.
After that, Norris returned to the race dead last and, with his race effectively over, Verstappen found himself with an easy run to the chequered flag. Norris managed to scrabble up to 10th, for a single point, and gained another point for fastest lap.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s race went from bad to worse after he was found speeding in the pit lane and was served with a drive-through penalty, which sent him to the back of the pack.
It was a dominant win for Verstappen, then, and a crucial second place for Leclerc, saving Ferrari’s efforts for the constructors’ championship, which now goes down to the wire at the final race in Abu Dhabi on December 8.
Qatar GP race highlights
2024 Abu Dhabi GP race report
The 2024 drivers’ championship had already been awarded to Max Verstappen, but as the lights went out on the final race of the sport’s longest-ever season, the constructors’ championship was going down to the wire, writes Dave Humphreys.
Fans will always remember the world champions, but the team with the most points each season can be overlooked despite, arguably, being of greater significance due to the collaborative team effort required to help the drivers reach the top step of the podium each race.
McLaren’s chances were boosted when Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row in qualifying with a one-two. Carlos Sainz helped Ferrari by starting from third, but a lap time deletion for track limits and a power unit change for Charles Leclerc meant he would start from the back row in 19th. Things weren’t looking good for Ferrari’s title hopes at this stage, as a McLaren would take the championship simply with a win, or both its cars in the top four.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) started from fourth, followed by Pierre Gasly (Alpine), George Russell (Mercedes), Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) in his best qualifying of the season, and Sergio Perez (Red Bull).
An unfortunate series of events in qualifying led to Lewis Hamilton, in his final race for Mercedes, failing to progress to Q2 and it would see him start the race from 16th position.
When the lights went out, Norris made a great start while Verstappen made a clumsy lunge up the inside of Piastri in turn one, causing the two to collide and spinning both cars around. Far from the type of move expected from a multiple world champion, it opened up the constructors’ battle as Piastri, much like Leclerc, had to fight to recover from the back of the pack.
There was more action to come on the opening lap as Bottas clipped Perez, prematurely ending the Red Bull driver’s race in what is likely to be his final outing for the team (contrary to what the Mexican told the press before the race, citing a renewed two-year contract).
Piastri’s opening lap went from bad to worse as he collided with the rear of Franco Colapinto’s Williams. Only minor damage was done to the McLaren’s front wing but it was a heavy enough shunt to the Williams.
Gasly was proving his talent once again as he fought hard with Russell, while Leclerc was enjoying a stellar start and was soon up to sixth place and passing Alonso. A 10-second penalty for Verstappen was justice for Piastri, but that was short-lived as the Australian driver was also given the same penalty for his collision with Colapinto.
The first flurry of pit stops started on lap 13, with Alex Albon (Williams), Kevin Magnussen (Haas) and Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) coming in for tyres. A slow right rear change for Magnussen didn’t do his day any good in his final race in the sport.
Gasly stopped two laps later to re-emerge in clean air from his fight with Russell and soon passed Yuki Tsunoda (RB). Hamilton opted to go long on the hard tyres from the start, and he was now up to sixth on lap 19.
At the front, Sainz was pushing hard to stay in contact with Norris but the McLaren driver seemed comfortable in the race lead with a car that was performing well. Even so, the Brit will have known that a retirement would put the team in a very perilous position, given Piastri’s issues, and he may also have been told that Leclerc, in the second Ferrari, was making unbelievable progress up through the field.
Sainz and Norris pitted on laps 26 and 27 respectively, resuming their positions at the front. That earlier shunt for Colapinto proved too damaging to the car, forcing the newcomer to retire on lap 28. Another rookie, Jack Doohan, making his race debut in the Alpine, was keeping his head down and gaining experience.
A second round of pit stops saw Verstappen serve his penalty. Bottas suffered a lock-up and collided with Magnussen, spinning the Haas around, but the damage to the Sauber was more severe, ending what had been a torrid season for the Finnish driver.
Piastri pitted to serve his penalty on lap 39 and faced an uphill battle to get back into the points to help the team’s effort to clinch the title. Hamilton was also given further encouragement after his later stop for medium tyres, with the team telling him that a podium place was on the cards.
Piastri had a big moment as he fought Tsunoda but recovered back onto the track without losing much time. Closer to the front, Hamilton, on fresher tyres, was now taking chunks out of the gap to Russell. Ferrari began to play mind games with McLaren, sending mechanics out into the pit lane, but Norris was in a commanding position, and it appeared that Sainz had taken too much from his tyres earlier in the race.
Leclerc had made a supreme effort to get up to third place, but it wouldn’t be enough to change the title standings as the laps ticked down. With two laps to go, Hamilton was now right on the rear of Russell, prompting Toto Wolff to radio George, asking him to keep it clean with Lewis. Perhaps knowing his place and understanding the occasion, Russell put up little fight as Hamilton overtook around the outside on the final lap for a fourth-place finish.
Norris took a commanding victory, earning McLaren’s first title since 1998, while Ferrari took the remaining two steps on the podium. The longest season yet duly went down to the wire.
Though we say goodbye to several drivers (and potentially even more yet to be confirmed), it won’t be long before the new season gets underway with some tantalising prospects, not least seeing Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari.
2024 Abu Dhabi GP race highlights
Were there F1 Sprint races in 2024?
Sprint races made their debut during the 2021 season and continued in 2024. They are meant to feature circuits that encourage overtaking and thus result in close and entertaining action for fans.
Sprint races took place in 2024 at the following grands prix:
- Chinese GP, April 19-21
- Miami GP, May 3-5
- Austrian GP, June 28-30
- United States GP, October 18-20
- Brazilian GP, November 1-3
- Qatar GP, November 29 – December 1
What was the format for an F1 Sprint race weekend?
The starting grid for the sprint race on Saturday used to be determined on Friday afternoon with the weekend’s traditional three-session knockout qualifying session. The final order from the sprint race was then the grid for Sunday’s GP. However, in 2023 things were different, and it changed again for 2024.
At 62 miles long, sprint races are around two thirds shorter than a normal 190-mile grand prix, and last around 30 minutes. Though the rules are almost the same as for a GP, drivers do not have to pit for tyres during a sprint (though pit stops are not banned).
Importantly, in 2023 the sprint race was made an isolated event, with its own qualifying session, and a separate qualifying for Sunday’s GP. That’s a change from the debut format, which saw the GP grid determined by the result of the sprint. It was modified to try to encourage drivers to be a bit less cautious in the sprint race, knowing that they would still start the GP from the grid spot for which they qualified, even if they have a disaster in the sprint race and finish near the back of the field (or crash out).
However, in 2024 the schedule was changed to move sprint qualifying from Saturday to the Friday afternoon, replacing the second free practice session of a regular weekend. The sprint race now takes place on Saturday morning, replacing FP3, before the qualifying session for the grand prix. This gives teams less practice time, and less time for prep/analysis. Basically, it’s more frenetic.
While drivers have a second bite at the cherry in the GP, even if the sprint race goes badly, penalties are carried over from the sprint so bad behaviour on or off-track can result in being pushed down the order for the start of the race on Sunday. What’s more, any damage sustained means the engineers have their work cut out to get the car ready again for the GP.
The top eight drivers receive points for the sprint race: eight points for the win, seven for second, etc.
The sprint qualifying session is in three parts, as with the GP qualifying, but with sessions lasting 12, 10 and eight minutes respectively, giving teams less time to get their quick lap in.
Making it trickier, for 2023 it was determined that drivers can only use medium tyres in the first two sessions, and softs in the final session, and could only use a single new set of tyres per session.
Related articles
- If you found our F1 grand prix race schedule useful, you might also want to know which drivers will be with each F1 team in 2024
- Click here if you are wondering how to watch F1 in the UK
- Want to see race reports from the 2023 F1 season? We’ve got ’em.
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