Formula 1 | Max Verstappen, main title contender

(Sakhir) At the wheel of his powerful Red Bull single-seater, Dutchman Max Verstappen, three-time reigning world champion, will still be the big favorite for the 2024 Formula 1 season which begins in Bahrain this weekend.

If his hegemony seems set to last, a few drivers can hope to complicate his task this year.

Max Verstappen

After crushing the competition by collecting records in 2023, including 19 victories in 22 Grands Prix, the 26-year-old Dutchman is once again the No. 1 contender for the world title this season.

If Red Bull has against all expectations modified the concept of its single-seater, unlike its competitors who tried to draw inspiration from the Austrian cars of recent years, the team which flew through the 2023 season with 21 victories in 22 GPs still seems far ahead of his pursuers.

“I trust the team to be honest, to make the right decisions about where the car should go,” Verstappen explained.

During testing in Bahrain last week, the three-time title holder once again impressed at the wheel of his new single-seater called the RB20.

Charles Leclerc

The 26-year-old Ferrari driver did not win a victory, unlike his Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz, in 2023, but he managed to get the better of the Red Bulls on several occasions in qualifying by taking five pole positions.

Furthermore, the Scuderia car has apparently made good progress this winter, building on the momentum of the second half of last season. So his performance during testing in Bahrain last week was very encouraging. “I think I can say that we are off to a good start,” said Ferrari’s French boss, Frédéric Vasseur.

Enough to tickle Verstappen? Not sure… “For the moment, Red Bull still has a good head start,” assured the Monegasque.

Lando Norris

The Briton hopes to build on his good performances last year at the wheel of his McLaren. Author of six podiums in the second half of the season, he often bothered Verstappen even if he did not succeed in making him trip.

“Do I think we’ve made progress?” Absolutely. Do I think we’ve improved a lot of things? Yes. But in the end, you never really know where you stand in relation to others. I think we are in a good position,” said the fiery 24-year-old driver.

However, Norris is aware of the limits of his car and the very tough competition. “We have definitely taken steps in the right direction, but I think we are still very far from Red Bull and Ferrari,” he admitted.

Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen’s colleague at Red Bull obtained the best final result of his F1 career in 2023 by securing second place in the drivers’ standings, thus offering the first double to his team.

The 34-year-old Mexican, winner of two Grands Prix last year, will still have the best car on the grid. But will he be able to exploit his potential to the fullest? Nothing is less sure…

Author of too many errors last year, Pérez will still be under pressure this year and will have to drastically raise his level if he wants to hope to keep his seat in 2025. Very comfortable on urban circuits, the experienced Mexican has theory of arguments to occasionally challenge the supremacy of his teammate.

Lewis Hamilton

The 39-year-old driver hopes to end his drought after two consecutive years without a victory. For his last season at the wheel of a Mercedes before his departure to Ferrari, the seven-time world champion will have to benefit from a much more efficient Silver Arrow than that of last year to be able to come and play spoilsport.

“We are not yet where we want to be, we knew that would be the case before the tests, but we have an excellent base on which we can build,” he explained Friday at the end of the three days of testing in Bahrain.

Mercedes, arriving in the Gulf island with a 2024 single-seater “very different” from its predecessor, seemed satisfied after this first run even if “work still remains to be done” according to Hamilton.