The Formula 1 World Championship of this season seemed to be a replica of the last edition. The dominance imposed by Red Bull in the first races has not been confirmed in recent weeks, when the situation was completely reversed. To confirm this decline in performance are the Grand Prix of Austria, England, Hungary and Spa, where the victories of Russell, Hamilton and Piastri were recorded. These stages highlight a greater fight at the top, with races fought until the end, full of overtaking, with battles to the limit and winners difficult to predict. These increasingly heated rivalries also arise from the increasing difficulties of Red Bull. The Austrian team has not won since the Spanish Grand Prix; four races have been held since then and this fast of victories has not happened since 2020.
The conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix coincides not only with the start of the summer holidays, but also with questions to ask. Why did Red Bull lose all the advantage it had over its opponents? The reasons may be different: the farewell of Newey, internal tensions, but not only. Perez’s continued mistakes and opaque performance have had a major impact on both the budget cap and the rankings, compromising some of the development of the Milton Keynes team. But now Red Bull will have to be good at shelving this negative situation and look to the future, because McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari are very fast.
McLaren is in a better position, but the English team cannot be 100% satisfied. In recent races, although the gap in the standings from Red Bull has decreased, it was not always possible to capitalize on the maximum number of points. At the end of the season small mistakes can be decisive, both for the drivers and for the manufacturers. The car is the fastest, it fits well on every track, but has a weak point: it has trouble passing, especially with the DRS open. This turns out to be a problem not inconsiderable when the two cars are located behind other monoplaces. Woking’s team can be satisfied with the great progress made, but they are aware that they have to be perfect for the rest of the season. The stake is the victory of the championship, both drivers and constructors, a goal no longer impossible.
From the Canadian Grand Prix the Mercedes is probably the positive discovery. At the beginning of the year the certainty was guaranteed by the drivers, but if the single-seater is not competitive it is difficult for them to fight for victories or podiums. From some races the trend has been reversed: the car is fast, as demonstrated by Russell’s pole positions, his victory in Austria and Hamilton’s two. The upgrades of the German team worked perfectly and the goal is to get more and more points from his opponents.
Unlike the last two teams, Ferrari started convincingly in the World Championship, but it did not manage to develop the car in the best way. A negative figure are the 91 points recorded in the last six races, with an average of just over 15 points per race. This negative moment is due to the introduction of updates brought by the Spanish Grand Prix that did not work. The latest news has highlighted an increase in bouncing, which has led to a loss of about two tenths per spin. Adding to these problems also those due to strategies not always perfect, which did not help to maximize the result, these situations have led the Italian team to lose the initial momentum. But Formula 1 is a team sport, and if there’s one team with the highest collective spirit, it’s Ferrari.
The 2024 F1 championship, despite the initial premise, offered us a world championship to discover. Max has a good lead, but there are still 10 races to go. The imperative for the pursuers is not to give up until the checkered flag of Abu Dhabi.
