Last weekend’s British Grand Prix at the iconic Silverstone circuit served up one of the season’s best races so far. The famed fickle British summer — periods of glorious sunshine interspersed with spells of rain — helped spice things up at the front. As many as five drivers across three teams were in contention for the win before Lewis Hamilton took a record ninth victory on home soil — the most by any driver at one circuit — and his first since 2021.
With 12 races completed, the 75th Formula One championship has reached its midpoint. A lot has changed since the start of the year, and the dramatic upheaval in the pecking order means an intriguing second half of the year beckons.
Dispiriting early signs
In 2023, F1 saw the most one-sided campaign in the sport’s history. Max Verstappen won an astounding 19 of the 22 races en route to his third drivers’ crown, while Red Bull won 21. And when the same combination won four of the first five races in 2024, there was trepidation it would be a repeat of the last two years, with Verstappen sleepwalking to the title without a fight.
However, things have turned exciting over the last seven races. After the Chinese GP, four different drivers and three teams other than Red Bull have climbed onto the podium’s top step.
The recent uptick in the form of McLaren and Mercedes — Ferrari is somewhere in the mix, having won two races but is on a downward trend — has reinvigorated the championship.
At the season’s halfway stage, Verstappen and Red Bull lead the drivers’ and constructors’ standings. Verstappen is 84 points ahead of Lando Norris, and Red Bull has a 71-point lead over Ferrari. The frontrunners might appear comfortable, but the competitive order, much like the British weather, has become unpredictable, whetting the appetite for the 12 remaining races.
In the first third of the year, Red Bull and Ferrari were the top two, followed by McLaren and Mercedes. But in the seven races starting with the Miami GP, when McLaren brought its first significant upgrade, it has scored the most points, 199 compared to Red Bull’s 178.
Shaking things up: The recent uptick in the form of McLaren and Mercedes — Ferrari is in the mix, but on a downward trend — has reinvigorated the championship. | Photo credit: Getty Images
The new parts helped Norris win the Miami race, his first in F1. Since then, Red Bull and McLaren have been on par, in terms of pace, with the latter even a nose ahead on some circuits.
Red Bull has shown a remarkable ability to out-develop its rivals in the past, but has struggled in recent times to pull clear of the field. It will be interesting to see how the reigning champion, which has lost technical genius Adrian Newey, develops the car through the rest of the year.
At the same time, McLaren’s long exile from fighting at the sharp end has diminished its ability to seize moments. It arguably lost wins in Imola, Canada, Spain and Britain due to strategic errors and driver mistakes.
Max proves his worth
Even as rivals have significantly eaten into Red Bull’s advantage, Verstappen has shown why he is widely considered the best driver on the grid and is so highly paid. Though he doesn’t enjoy the significant car advantage he once did, the 26-year-old has proved his worth by executing stellar drives to snatch opportunistic wins in Imola, Canada and Barcelona.
Now that Red Bull’s superiority has all but evaporated, Verstappen will be forced to battle wheel-to-wheel, something he hasn’t had to worry about since 2022. While he is ruthless and often clinical in combat, he has also on occasion crossed the line of what is acceptable.
And it all came to the fore in Austria when the early-years Verstappen resurfaced, trying to defend his lead from a hard-charging Norris. The three-time champion moved under braking, was aggressive when they were alongside each other and triggered a collision, damaging both their cars and helping George Russell take his second career victory.
Compelled to fight: With Red Bull’s superiority evaporating, Max Verstappen will be forced to battle wheel-to-wheel, something he hasn’t had to worry about since 2022. | Photo credit: Getty Images
It was Mercedes’ first win since 2022 and the German marque seems to have found its feet after the struggles of the last two years, securing back-to-back wins in Austria and Britain. The ‘Three-pointed star’ was swift to pick up the pieces when the opportunity opened up.
The introduction of a new front wing in Monaco seems to have unlocked the car’s potential to be consistent across a wide range of conditions.
Russell took pole position in Canada and Britain, showing that his side had caught up to the frontrunners. Even if the race pace still seems a few tenths per lap slower than Red Bull and McLaren, the team has, at least, discovered the right path after being lost for a few years.
Unlike McLaren and Mercedes, Ferrari has gone the other way. The Scuderia started out as Red Bull’s closest challenger, winning in Australia (Carlos Sainz) and Monaco (Charles Leclerc) but has struggled in the developmental race. The upgrades introduced in Imola and Spain seem to have failed. To make things worse, Ferrari had to remove those new parts in Silverstone because they introduced handling issues.
The lack of pace has forced the Prancing Horse into adventurous strategies such as running dry tyres on a wet track (Canada) and vice versa (Britain), in a desperate bid to stay ahead of the weather forecast. The Italian giant might still be competitive on certain tracks but the alarm bells should start ringing in Maranello as it starts to slip further behind.
Since the high of 2021, when Verstappen and Hamilton battled for the title until the last lap of the season, F1 has struggled to deliver an intense, exciting title fight. Although 2021 was iconic, it was eventually just a two-horse race.
F1 has longed for a situation in which multiple constructors are in contention for victories, and out of nowhere in 2024, it has just manifested. More importantly, the four teams that have won races this year have outstanding driver lineups, which allows for great racing.
Plenty to play for
Though the titles are far from done — 336 points (including three Sprint races) are up for grabs in the drivers’ championship — it is hard to see anyone push Verstappen off his perch. The Dutchman may reap the rewards of his early-season hard work. However, the constructors’ title, more significant because it determines the teams’ prize money, is very much in play.
Both Ferrari and McLaren, 71 and 78 points behind Red Bull respectively, have objectively better driver pairings than the reigning champion, which is overdependent on Verstappen. Sergio Perez has had a horrid seven-race stretch, scoring only 33 points and putting the energy drinks giant’s lead in jeopardy.
At the start of the year, many racing fans would have reluctantly settled for Verstappen and Red Bull being made to sweat it out for wins, given their previous dominance. Now, over the course of two months, things have turned to such a degree that at least one of Red Bull’s titles is under threat. The stage has been set for an exhilarating second half. Bring it on!
