Red Bull-Verstappen domination, drivers at the end of their contract, an extended year… What can we expect from this 2024 season?

After a lively start to the year behind the scenes, F1 returns to action in the Bahrain desert on Saturday.

After three months away from the circuits, the drivers will return to the asphalt and the noise of the engines. The 2024 Formula 1 season will kick off on Saturday April 2 in Sakhir (Bahrain) with the first Grand Prix of the year. Drivers at the end of their contracts who will inevitably seek to play the leading roles, an extended season, the longest in the history of the discipline… franceinfo: sport takes stock of what should animate the 2024 financial year.

A new domination of Red Bull and Max Verstappen?

Obviously, they are approaching this new season in the costume of the big favorites. Triple reigning world champions, Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team remain on two seasons of almost unchallenged domination in the paddock. Last year, the Austrian team won 21 of the 22 Grand Prix contested, a record. Of these 21 victories, 19 went to the Dutchman, who climbed alone to third place in the GP winners’ ranking (54).

Everything suggests that the situation will not change for the 2024 season. The pre-season tests, always to be put into perspective depending on what the teams want to show or hide, revealed that Red Bull still had a length of ahead of the rest of the peloton. Max Verstappen thus completed the first day, Wednesday February 21, with more than a second ahead of the second best time, that of Lando Norris (McLaren). Who could compete with the red bull? The Ferraris and the Mercedes seem, at the moment, the best armed in the fight, but the first race will provide the first elements of an answer.

Many drivers at the end of their contract wanting to show themselves?

For once, the “silly season”, which usually enlivens the summer break, started even before the end of the reveal of all the new cars, with the bombshell of the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. Behind the transfer of the century, which opens, through a domino effect, a place at Mercedes and which pushes Carlos Sainz to have to find an emergency seat, other drivers should change teams for 2025, why not in chase- cross.

Indeed, more than half of the grid (11 drivers) are out of contract at the end of the season, including veteran Fernando Alonso, number 2 Red Bull, Sergio Pérez and the two Frenchmen from Alpine, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. All the drivers concerned will seek to shine on the track to attract the attention of the team directors, and ensure they extend or find a base.

The busiest season in history, to the point of exhaustion?

After several attempts, F1 could finally hold the longest season in its history. At the time of the first Grand Prix in the Bahrain desert, 24 races are planned on the calendar, a record. In recent seasons, F1 has flirted several times with the 24-event mark, but has never yet reached it, between repeated cancellations of the Chinese Grand Prix, withdrawal from Russia’s calendar after the invasion of Ukraine, and a missed appointment last season at Imola due to flooding.

This season, to these 24 Grand Prix, it will also be necessary to add six sprint races spread over the entire year. A frenzy that doesn’t really please the pilots. “I have the impression that we have far exceeded the limit of the number of races… It is not sustainable”regretted Max Verstappen at a press conference on Wednesday. “Even the world champion thinks the schedule is a bit long… So imagine the rest of us”also joked Fernando Alonso.

Alpine and the French still in the hole?

Coming out of a disappointing 2023 season ending in sixth place in the constructors’ standings, its second worst position (tied with 2017) since the return of the Renault brand to F1, Alpine is moving forward in the dark. Visibly in difficulty, the French single-seaters appeared behind during the pre-season tests. The first qualifying session, in Bahrain, confirmed fears with a 100% Alpine final line, Esteban Ocon 19^e in front of Pierre Gasly 20^e.

Not enough to raise high hopes for the two French drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who are among the drivers at the end of their contract at the end of the season. “I remain realistic. I know that our beginnings will not be easy, but the most important thing is to continue to learn the key areas of work, to learn and to progress”said in Auto Hebdo the last, who is entering his second season with the team.