The narrative around Formula 1 (F1) over the previous two seasons has been one of inevitable success for Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. F1 racing has regularly struggled over the past few decades in terms of offering sustained competition across its biggest teams.
The past two seasons have comfortably been won by Verstappen and Red Bull. In this time, the Dutch driver has won 34 out of 44 races and broke the record for most points in a season (454) in 2023.
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His team has won the constructors’ title by an average of 328 points over the past two years, claiming the crown with six races to spare in 2023.
Red Bull’s dominance is not the only example of this in recent years. Mercedes dominated for seven consecutive years between 2014 and 2020, claiming the constructors’ title by an average of 227 points across that time.
For too long, the championship title, at driver and constructors’ level, has been decided by who has the far superior and faster car, resulting in a one or two driver (of the same team) championship battle.
The 2024 season was expected to be another display of dominance from Verstappen and Red Bull, such has been their dominance over their rivals over the past two years.
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By GlobalDataAdd to this, that there are two more years on the current chassis rules, and the gap between the teams seemed insurmountable. Ten races into the season, the pre-season predictions appeared validated, Verstappen claiming victory in seven of the first 10 races.
Another easy procession to the F1 titles for both Verstappen and his team seemed a forgone conclusion until the racing at Silverstone (round 12 of the championship) saw Hamilton claim victory and deny Verstappen for the second successive grand prix – the first time since Austria in 2022 (round 11).
Since then, cracks in the dominance of Red Bull and Verstappen have begun to show and rivals have seemingly narrowed the gap. The last race in July saw Hamilton claim another race win, a fourth in a row where the Dutchman did not stand on top of the podium. There have now been seven different grand prix-winning drivers and four winning constructors.
Most exciting of all is the openness of the competition at each of the current grands prix, with four teams seemingly in contention for victory. Ferrari and Mercedes have been the nearest challengers to Red Bull for the past two years, but the competitiveness of McLaren has added so much more.
The team based in Woking, England, has remained one of the most popular on the grid but until now has been fighting more consistently for the highest-placed drives outside of the main three constructors. McLaren has not won a constructors’ title since 1998 or a driver’s title since Hamilton drove for them in the exciting 2008 season.
Through their driver line-up of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, they have two young exceptional drivers capable of challenging at the front of the grid. Briton Norris has emerged as the closest rival to Verstappen in the championship race, sitting in second ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Australian Piastri, meanwhile, has the highest average race finish of any driver in the past five races. McLaren has emerged as the biggest threat to Red Bull in 2024 and appears capable of ultimately challenging for the biggest titles in the sport again.
The return of unpredictable race results is building excitement amongst race fans. For the past two-and-a-half years, F1 fans have accepted Verstappen as the race winner and the main battle being a fight for second.
Heading into the final 10 rounds of racing in the 2024 season, the next grand prix winner could seemingly come from anywhere on the grid, with real competition amongst the four fastest teams. The only unfortunate thing is it seems too late to influence the outcome of the F1 titles this year.
Verstappen’s dominance in the first half of the season looks to be enough for him to become a four-time world champion. The Dutchman is 78 points ahead of Norris in the standings, over three races worth of points ahead of the rest of the field.
Even 10 race victories for Norris in the last 10 races would potentially not be enough. Nevertheless, F1 appears to finally have a competitive product at the front of the grid to offer fans.
It adds to the drama and builds bigger rivalries across the grid, something fans have longed for and will only boost the following/anticipation of its live racing and hit Netflix show (Drive to Survive).
It may not alter the outcome of the 2024 season, but it will certainly raise the anticipation for 2025, which could prove the most competitive season in the sport over the past few decades.
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