Last year’s Formula 1 season was entertaining, so long as you didn’t care about who was winning the races. It was a season dominated by Oracle Red Bull Racing (Red Bull) and their premier driver, Max Verstappen, who won 19 of 22 races. Despite the Red Bull-dominated season, none of the 10 teams in F1 decided to switch their driver lineups; the 20 drivers who ended the 2023 season all returned for 2024. You might think that because of the lack of driver changes, it would once again be a Red Bull sweep. Boy, would you be wrong.

The 2024 season has been one of the most competitive seasons in the history of the sport, as seven different drivers have won races. Plus, six of those seven drivers have at least two victories, a nearly unprecedented number in this era of F1. Four different constructors (teams) have at least three race wins this year, and three of those four are locked in a tight battle over who will take the constructors’ championship. With three races to go this year, it will be all eyes on the track, as nearly every driver and constructor has something to drive for.

Hamilton Leaves Mercedes, But Not Done Yet

On Feb. 1, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, arguably the best F1 driver ever, announced he would be leaving Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team (Mercedes) to join Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari) after the 2024 season. Hamilton won six of his seven world championships with Mercedes, and he helped them achieve eight straight constructors’ championships from 2014 to 2021. After two less-successful seasons, Hamilton decided that his 11-year stint with the Silver Arrows would come to an end in 2024. However, there have certainly been some highs during his last year in the silver and black. 

After Mercedes grabbed back-to-back podium finishes at the beginning of June (Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, finished third in Canada and Hamilton finished third in Spain), George Russell drove his way to victory in Austria on June 30. It marked the team’s first victory since Nov. 13, 2022, when Russell won the São Paulo Grand Prix. With Hamilton finishing fourth, it looked like the season was starting to turn around for the Silver Arrows.

The next race, in Silverstone, United Kingdom, marked the home race for both Hamilton and Russell, who had momentum entering the weekend. Hamilton stole the show, battling with Verstappen and Lando Norris all race long, but ultimately getting ahead of them to win the British Grand Prix. This marked the first victory for Hamilton in 945 days, a ridiculous statistic, considering Hamilton nearly dominated race wins in the 2010s. However, the emotional race win seemed like the perfect way to end Hamilton’s magical Mercedes run. 

He returned to the top step in Spa, Belgium, after finishing second in the race, but teammate George Russell suffered a disqualification after his car was found to be lighter than Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) guidelines mandate. Heading into the final three races of the year, Mercedes sits comfortably fourth in constructor standings, where they will likely finish, unless they miraculously get ahead of any of the top three constructors. No matter what happens, these last three races will be historic for Hamilton and Mercedes, as the legendary partnership will come to an end after the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi. 

McLaren’s Got a Rocket

After a slow start last season, McLaren Formula 1 Team (McLaren) made up serious ground in the second half of 2023. Both of their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, headed into this year looking for their first race victories, especially Norris, who finished in second place six times last year, all in the span of July to November. While their slow start last year never made McLaren a legitimate title threat in 2023, they entered 2024 knowing they would have a chance to compete with the heavyweights of F1.

Norris made it clear early that he would be competing for a world drivers’ championship, grabbing his long-awaited first victory in Miami, Fla. on May 5. Piastri also finished atop the podium for the first time in his career in Hungary, but it was clouded by McLaren’s tactic to allow Piastri to take first place from Norris in the late laps of the Grand Prix. Norris has since acquired victories in the Netherlands and Singapore, while Piastri won his second race—this time with less controversy—in Azerbaijan. McLaren currently sits atop the constructors’ championship, but they will have some serious work to do to fend off Ferrari and Red Bull during these last three races. 

McLaren’s issues in 2024 do not come from their drivers, but from their race strategy and management. Norris and Piastri are both championship-level drivers, but McLaren often turns them against each other and then has to suffer the consequences. Norris is currently 62 points behind Verstappen for the drivers’ championship, making it difficult for him to mount a final run before the year ends. It could’ve been easier for him if McLaren had, for instance, let him stay in first in Hungary, or prioritized him in other races where they decided not to. Ultimately, they should have their two drivers working together to get McLaren their first constructors’ title since 1998, but strategy might have already cost Norris his chance at challenging Verstappen for the drivers’ title. 

Ferrari’s Consistency Puts Them in Contention

While they await the arrival of Hamilton in 2025, Ferrari’s driver lineup of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz is still capable of competing for a championship, and the Scuderia’s consistency throughout 2024 shows how they remain in the battle for the constructors’ title. After getting appendicitis and missing the second race of the season, Sainz returned and conquered the field to win the Australian Grand Prix. This began his campaign to prove his worth in F1 and impress other teams enough to earn a new seat, as he will be replaced at Ferrari by Hamilton after the year ends. 

At the Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco native Leclerc found himself on pole at his home race. However, he had been unsuccessful in converting a pole to a victory at Monaco the last two times he qualified ahead of the pack. The Ferrari tifosi were hoping that the third time was the charm, and Leclerc could finally turn a Monaco pole into a long-awaited home victory. Finally, those dreams came true, as he stood atop the podium and became the first Monégasque driver to ever win the Monaco Grand Prix. The fairytale ending Ferrari had hoped for since Leclerc signed with the team had finally come true, and it kickstarted the team to success for the rest of the season.

Leclerc continued the Ferrari heroics in Monza, Italy, at Ferrari’s home race, winning the Italian Grand Prix for the second time in his career. While consistently finishing well in the points throughout the season, Ferrari won back-to-back races, with Leclerc winning in Austin, Texas at the United States Grand Prix, and Sainz (with Leclerc in second) winning the Mexico Grand Prix the next week. Ferrari currently sits in second place in the constructors’, fighting with McLaren and Red Bull. Leclerc is only 24 points behind Norris for second place in the drivers’, meaning that if Leclerc and Ferrari keep their consistency for the last three races, they could very well win the constructors’.

Max is Max, but Red Bull is Struggling

Last year’s Red Bull dominance was unlike anything the sport had ever seen, so it’s unfair to call 2024 a disappointment because they aren’t experiencing the same level of success. However, Red Bull has certainly had a rocky season overall, and the issues are apparent, as they currently sit only at third in the constructors’ title.

Verstappen began 2024 picking up where he left off in 2023, winning seven of the first ten races of the year. However, his teammate, Checo Pérez, has gone winless this year and only has three podium finishes to his name. While Verstappen is leaps and bounds beyond Perez, the two of them drive the same car, and so should remain relatively close in ranking. But Perez has had a slew of crashes and difficulties with the Red Bull chassis, and he currently sits eighth out of the eight drivers with competitive cars this year (drivers for Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull). 

Red Bull’s management is notably ruthless in their decision-making about drivers, and they are not afraid to cut off a driver midseason if they are not performing, but Perez has escaped this treatment from the Red Bull higher-ups. He signed a two-year extension with the team during this year’s summer break, but all signs are pointing towards Red Bull going in a different direction next year. Verstappen will likely grab his fourth straight drivers’ championship, barring a crash or malfunction, which would allow Norris or Leclerc to leapfrog him. However, Red Bull would need significant production from both Verstappen and Perez to defend their constructors’ title. If they don’t succeed in retaining that title, Perez could be out, and Verstappen may have a new teammate come 2025. 

Other Headlines and What To Expect in the Final Three Weeks

While most of the important headlines surround these four teams battling for wins week in and week out, plenty of drama has taken place among the other six teams. Fan favorite Daniel Ricciardo was axed from RB Honda RBPT (RB) after his poor performance and, all things considered, his replacement, Liam Lawson, has looked solid. Williams Mercedes (Williams) finally ended the Logan Sargeant experiment, dropping Sargeant in favor of Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto. “Silly Season,” the period where teams sign their drivers for the next season, was one of the most chaotic in years, as experienced veterans like Sainz, Esteban Ocon, and Nico Hülkenberg gained contracts with new constructors for 2025. Additionally, four rookies will be entering their first seasons in F1 next year, with plenty of new headlines surrounding them and the teams for which they’ll compete. 

So much has happened already in the 21 races that have taken place, and the last three are shaping up to be just as exciting. On Saturday, Nov. 23, F1 will return to Las Vegas, Nev., for the second-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix. Last year’s excitement included Leclerc’s last-lap overtake of Perez to claim second place, and with much more on the line this year, things could be even more entertaining. We’ll see drivers and teams look to clinch their championships at the Qatar Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the two weeks after Las Vegas. 

Will Norris or Leclerc find a way to topple Verstappen and prevent him from his fourth straight drivers’ championship? Who between Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull will come out on top for the constructors’ championship? How will Hamilton look in his final three races for Mercedes? Who will win the battle for sixth between Alpine Renault (Alpine), Haas Ferrari (Haas), and RB? Will Perez prove that he deserves the extension he received from Red Bull over the summer? No matter how these questions are answered, there will most certainly be drama throughout the final three weeks of back-to-back-to-back races and the end of the 2024 season. 

Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.