The 74th season in the history of Formula 1 ended at the Yas Marina circuit. The last race of the year was largely of an exhibition nature: the winners of the first three places in the general classification were determined ahead of schedule . The main intrigue of the final was the fight in the Constructors’ Championship: Mercedes and Ferrari were separated by only four points before the start, but this battle, against the background of the unattainable Red Bull cars, was only for second place.
However, not everything can be reduced simply to the fight for the championship: there were many other events that made the season bright and memorable. And who could have predicted at the beginning of the season that Fernando Alonso, who never left the podium, would finish at the bottom of the top 10, and Mercedes would have to fight with McLaren?
Two more years of dominance? it is not a fact
The fight for the title actually ended at the Miami Grand Prix, when Sergio Pérez, who was previously confident in his chances of competing with Max Verstappen, suffered a humiliating defeat by his teammate and, under pressure, began to commit mistakes over and over again. again. At some point even second place was in danger, but at the end of the season Checo still fought against Hamilton.
In the paddock they fear that Red Bull’s dominance will continue for at least two more years, until new technical regulations appear in Formula 1, according to which engineers will have to create new chassis almost from scratch. And although this forecast now seems realistic, let’s not forget that behind the Austrians the balance of power periodically changed and, in theory, four teams at once could make a leap towards the leaders and force them to fight next year.
McLaren’s progress was one of the surprises of the season
Photo: Peter Fox/Getty Images
In the first races, Aston Martin was the closest to Red Bull: the British team separated itself from the middleweights, although the regulations remained practically unchanged compared to 2022. In the end, Aston Martin could not keep up with the pace of the race update and went back; However, the very fact of such off-season progress is impressive. In theory, similar advances could be made in 2024, although not to such high positions, at Alpin or Williams.
But even more curious is the McLaren phenomenon, which seemed to have taken off after half the season. In the early stages of the season, Norris and Piastri battled their way into Q3, and after the summer break, Lando emerged as perhaps the main threat to Verstappen. So, whatever the skeptics say, Woking, Brackley and Maranello can still find reserves of speed and complicate the next season for Max and his team.
How was the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
Now it’s official: we are witnessing a record dominance in the history of Formula 1!
Verstappen is really good
In the context of Red Bull’s dominance (a record, by the way, for Formula 1), the fact that Verstappen had an exceptional season may go unnoticed. It may not have been the most fun to count the number of wins in a row and on and off throughout the year, but Max really was the best this year – this is his era and he’s rightly enjoying success.
In fact, Verstappen has been the most consistent driver on track this year. We all made mistakes, even Alonso sometimes went off track and did inexplicable things. For Max, apart from minor imperfections in the fight (like the start in Las Vegas) and failures in the qualifications when he had to try to jump over his head, there is nothing special to remember.
Verstappen surpasses Vettel in number of victories in Formula 1
Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
After his victory in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen moved into third place in the number of victories in Formula 1, ahead of only seven-time world champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. This was Max’s tenth season on “Grand Prix” and he is probably now at the top of his form.
You could argue that being well ahead of the pack makes it easy to avoid making mistakes, but Verstappen had a period where he struggled: early in the season against Perez. And at the right time, Max was ruthless and invulnerable, and many years later, the individual stages of the 2023 season will be cited as proof that the Dutchman is one of the best in the history of the sport.
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Super rookie in Formula 1. Even a year and a half
Testing is banned in Formula 1, making it more difficult than ever for newcomers to gain driving experience and prepare for their world championship debut. However, Oscar Piastri showed that even with those performances, if you have talent, you can always shine.
At first, the Australian was inferior to the more experienced Norris, but at Spa there was a radical change: in two qualifying sessions over the weekend, the debutant was faster than Lando! Furthermore, in nine subsequent heats, Oscar even won 5:4. So far, however, he lacks pace on long stretches, which is why the Briton is almost always faster in races, but Piastri did an excellent job in his first season.
Oscar Piastri: the main discovery of the season
Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images
Liam Lawson, who had to sit in the cockpit of the Alpha Tauri unprepared in the summer when Ricciardo broke his arm, showed himself very well. Lawson arrived at the start in Zandvoort without having completed a single dry lap in practice. The New Zealander impressed so much that the paddock offered to make him a prize driver already in the 2024 season. Red Bull made a different decision: Liam will spend another year on the bench, but it is almost certain that in 2025 we will see him again on the starting grid .
But Logan Sargent was downright disappointing this year. The American made too many mistakes and failed to make a good impression. At one point, it looked like Logan, following Nyck de Vries, would be fired right in the middle of the season. At times the newcomer was able to demonstrate speed, but even in such cases he remained behind Albon. But in the context of the Williams driver’s woes, it’s clear how well Piastri and Lawson coped.
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Freedom knows what it is doing.
Compared to the recent race in Las Vegas, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix seemed a bit bland, and this is partly good news: the fact that the new street stage overshadowed the season finale is a sign that the idea of Liberty was a success. Promoters were again criticized for inappropriate driver presentation ceremonies in Formula 1, but the race clearly demonstrated that fans love Grand Prix not for the ceremonies, however colorful they may be.
In the paddock there is talk of a change in the format of the sprint weekends. Liberty actively defended its main creation: it brings more money to promoters because it attracts spectators to the stands on Fridays. However, the organizers heard justified criticism and are now developing a new format.
Esteban Ocon in front of the Yas Marina stands
Photo: Peter Fox/Getty Images
We believe that we will do without the inverted starting grid, which is not natural in the highest level of sport. Liberty has shown that he is willing to change and adapt to teams when necessary, and this is good news for Formula 1. Admittedly, Andretti may not like this very much.
Not all the wishes of the organizers came true: in modern Formula 1 it is still difficult to overtake, the transition to cars with ground effect did not solve the problem. In the foreseeable future, the FIA will prepare new technical regulations: in 2026, the cars should become more compact, which will make it easier for racers to compete on the track. But even up to this point it won’t be boring. Even if Verstappen continues to dominate in 2024.
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