Formula One Racing
by Dennis Lee
Formula One, the world’s biggest and fastest motorsport event, is now in the middle of the second half of the 2024 season. Each week, teams follow a four-day schedule from Thursday to Sunday: press interviews for team principals and drivers, daily practice sessions before the race, a qualifying session where each driver goes all-out to be in the front of the grid, and the all-important Sunday afternoon race.
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater “formula” racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It originates from Grand Prix races from the early 1900s, which had a representative driver from each participating country race in cars built based on certain specifications, or formula. The first Grand Prix was held in Le Mans, France in 1906, while the first official Formula Grand Prix started in 1950, in Silverstone, U.K.
Want to learn more? This video lays out the basics of F1 racing.
Teams
There are a total of 10 teams competing in the 2024 championship:
Ferrari, the team known for its iconic red cars, is the longest-running team. It was founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari, a man very passionate about racing. Many legendary drivers drove Ferraris, including Michael Schumacher, a seven-time world champion who is considered the greatest driver in history, and Niki Lauda, who is referred to as the “phoenix” for becoming a three-time world champion despite the car crash that left him with third-degree burns all over his body.
Red Bull is an energy drink company that builds surprisingly fast cars. Although it has a history of investing in extreme sports and racing, no one expected this team to dominate the game. With four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in the early 2010s and three-time world champion Max Verstappen a decade later, Red Bull has become the most competitive championship contender in the sport.
Mercedes, the giant that left a huge mark in the Formula One history in the 2010s, continues its journey in the 2020s. Eight consecutive Constructors’ Wins and seven Consecutive Driver’s championships by the iconic Lewis Hamilton have made them the untouchable. However, after a young rookie Max Verstappen snatched the Driver’s Championship in 2021, the team’s performance has declined.
McLaren is desperate for a world championship. The team was famous for having a legendary driver Aryton Senna in the ‘90s, but they haven’t won a single championship since 1998. With two champion-worthy drivers – Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – McLaren strives to bring back its former glory.
Aston Martin made its first appearance in Formula One in 1959 as a British racing team. However, the team was disbanded a year after. Sixty years later, Aston Martin reappeared with financial support of a Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll with his son Lance Stroll in the team. Lawrence’s will to make his son’s dream of World Champion come true is immeasurable, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make Aston Martin the strongest on the grid.
Williams is on the edge of the cliff. Their past legacy as a 9-time Constructor Champion is completely gone. For the last five years, Williams has not been fighting for the championship, but was rather fighting for its survival as a team. However, that does not mean Williams has no hope. The team is constantly seeking for changes, and they have made some bold ones, including a driver change from Logan Sargeant to Franco Colapinto in the middle of the season. The biggest question is, will those changes be effective?
Alpine carries the legacy of the Renault F1 team. It was a competitive team as well when Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion raced for them. On the other hand, the team carries some controversies, best known as Crashgate - during which the team made Nelson Piquet Jr. intentionally crash into the barrier to secure a championship for Alonso - that became the darkest chapter in the entire history of Formula One. The team has lost its power since then and became one of the slowest cars on the track.
RB is a testing ground for young, promising drivers to determine their suitability for the Red Bull team. The existence of this team is what allows Red Bull to constantly find the best drivers while excluding other lesser-performing drivers so easily.
Kick Sauber, soon to be rebranded to Audi, is having a hard season. Their cars are fine, drivers are also fine, but what is really bringing them down are their pit crews. Sauber lost so much time on pit stops, taking double or even triple the time compared to other teams. They have gained zero points so far in the 2024 season, and it will be interesting to see whether they can get a point or not.
Finally, there is Haas, the only non-European team based in the United States. Back when it was founded, no one expected Haas to achieve much success. However, as their former principal said, they looked like rock stars in their first season. But nowadays, they are at the bottom of the food chain. Can they make a comeback?
Current Status
For the last three years, Red Bull has been dominating the sport. The team’s three-time world champion, Max Verstappen, is still young at 27 and eager to bring his fourth championship to the team. Another notable member of Red Bull is Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, who was a runner-up in the F1 World Driver’s Championship in 2023.
Despite years of Red Bull domination, however, there are many rising teams aiming for the top. For example, McLaren climbed to first place in the 2024 Constructors Championship after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. During the championship race, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri received his second Grand Prix win, and he won his first Grand Prix in Hungary earlier this year.
Oscar Piastri for McLaren (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
The championship weekend was greatly beneficial for McLaren: They took the Constructors title from Red Bull while having one of their drivers as the race winner.
McLaren’s competitive edge is nothing new. During the 2021 - 2023 season, when Red Bull dominated the sport, McLaren held its place as a solid contender for top 4. By the end of 2023 season, they developed a car that can compete with Red Bull in performance.
The beginning of the 2024 season was further dominated by Red Bull. Max Verstappen showed the pace of the champion, while Ferrari and McLaren competed in a tight race for second place. However, with the departure of Adrian Newey, the chief engineer of Red Bull, the team lost its competitive edge. Newey’s departure meant the Red Bull cars lacked their prior excellence, especially in terms of speed. McLaren, in addition to other big teams, saw Red Bull’s instability as an opportunity to secure some of the champion titles. By the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it became clear that McLaren had the fastest car and drivers that were champion-worthy.
The championship featured many heated moments. Notably, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for much of the race. It was not until the first corner of lap 20 where Piastri overtook Leclerc, securing his place for the rest of the race. Leclerc, meanwhile, found some opportunities that might have led to an overtake, but they were unsuccessful as his tires had worn out towards the end of the race. Piastri himself recalled the race as “the most stressful afternoon of my life”, displaying the pressure he had been under during the Grand Prix.
While Piastri was challenging himself to keep the lead, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Sergio Perez of Red Bull crashed on lap 50 out of 51. Sainz, who was overtaking Perez, tried to move in front of Perez to get a better position. Sainz assumed Perez would move to his left, given that Perez had enough space to pivot in that direction. However, Perez decided to go flat-out without turning his steering wheel, which resulted in Sainz pushing Perez into the barrier.
Carlos Sainz’s crash (Photo Credit: SKY Sports)
The rest of the 2024 season will be interesting, as it will be the battle between Red Bull and McLaren. Although McLaren seems to have secured their Constructors Championship, Max Verstappen still holds the lead for the Driver’s Championship, though Lando Norris of McLaren and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari are catching up. Thus, the rest of the season will most likely feature Red Bull trying to minimize their losses, while under pressure from two rising teams. Will Red Bull be strong enough to secure their throne? Or will they be defeated by the “new bloods” that are eager to dethrone the reigning champions? Stay tuned!
Looking for more info? Check out the official F1 website.