Who Truly Deserves F1 2024’s Prestigious Driver’s Title?
The last time I wrote for Symonds News, it was the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix and Max Verstappen had continued his winning ways by achieving three victories in the opening four rounds. Back then in April there was a fleeting chance of the 2024 season being interesting. But, unbeknownst to everyone then, this season may just be the best one in recent memory, with the Drivers’ championship very much alive and kicking.
Since Verstappen’s and Red Bull’s convincing win over the rest of the field in Japan, Verstappen has only won four other races - making it currently his lowest performing season since 2020. Despite this, Verstappen’s superb start to the season means he currently leads the Driver’s championship, as of the Autumn break. However over the course of 2024 so far, Red Bull have fallen from their dominating grace that was 2023 (winning 21/22 races) and have lacked crucial car performance in recent events, leaving Verstappen vulnerable.
Due to this decline, it has turned the dreams of other teams in the paddock into a reality. Ferrari was the first to put the pressure on Red Bull, but it was Lando Norris’ impressive maiden win at the Miami Grand Prix which heavily suggested that Red Bull’s woes were coming to fruition. After a mega mid-season upgrade in 2023, McLaren rocketed themselves up the order. The team were the dark horses of the early 2024 season, having been performing well without recognition. It was only when Norris’ pure pace during his victorious drive did the paddock pick up on McLaren’s opportunistic possibilities for the season.
Norris, now three wins up after victory in Verstappen’s backyard at Zandvoort and dominating in Singapore, is now Verstappen’s closest rival to the Driver’s championship. The hunter has now become the hunted as Verstappen, being no stranger to a championship scrap, looks to manage in the remaining races. But after a season of surprises, Red Bull’s disappearance and McLaren constantly failing to seize opportunities, is the 2024 Driver’s championship going to accurately honour the correct driver?
If Verstappen wins, it will be his fourth consecutive title - eerily reminiscent of Sebastian Vettel’s iconic four championships with Red Bull before the team collapsed in the latter year. Although the spotlight has recently been on Norris, Verstappen has done well to limit the damage, - continuing to score points and edge forward in his championship defence. A second place in Singapore, alongside Daniel Ricciardo snatching away a fastest lap point from Norris, has now swung the championship in his favour again. Verstappen’s silent defiance against Norris’ impressive performances would make a fourth title somewhat deserved. But in a constantly evolving season where Verstappen has been on the backfoot, it seems unjust that he easily deserves the title.
Lando Norris’ 2024 season has been his best on record - his loyalties to McLaren finally paying off. After five previous seasons in F1, including a heart-in-mouth rejection of a first win in Russia 2021, Norris’ fortunes are looking up as he draws Verstappen with the most podium appearances this year (11). Norris’ ability to maximise the performance of the MCL38 is exciting to watch as his two recent victories have been over his rival Verstappen, with the lowest gap between them being twenty seconds. Despite this, Norris had the possibility to win more races but was taken out of contention due to the team’s strategy or his own mistakes. A Q1 exit in Azerbaijan made Norris work harder for a lower result; an error by McLaren denied Norris a win at home in Britain; a race-ending collision with championship rival Verstappen in Austria expanded the gap. Similar to Verstappen, Norris and McLaren’s stumbles would make for a scruffy and unconvincing title.
Away from the top two, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is in third place, over thirty points behind Norris in second. Leclerc’s season has not been perfect but instead special. Having had a similar, competitive start like in 2022, Ferrari soon came to a halt after car upgrades in Imola deteriorated performance later. Ferrari’s chances this season have since been revived, now trailing Red Bull by only thirty points. Leclerc spectacularly won his home race in Monaco and his team’s home race in Monza - making 2024 a year to remember regardless of the end result. After overcoming the fan-named ‘Monaco curse’ and attempting a bold one-stop strategy over the McLarens in Italy, Leclerc drove two of the best races of his career so far: suggesting that he still has the spark to make him World Champion one day. But bleak non-point scoring races in Britain, Austria and Canada doesn’t seem fitting of a Driver’s championship-winning year.
You could argue that other drivers away from the sharp end of the standings deserve recognition - fellow Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s stellar opening to the season took the paddock by storm. A win in Melbourne and several podiums after had star-studded qualities.
Along the same lines as Sainz, Mercedes’ short and sweet turn around in the European races harks back to the days of their renowned championships. Hamilton’s record-breaking home win at Silverstone springs to mind when thinking about drivers deserving of a championship, as well as George Russell’s bold one-stop strategy win in Belgium before his unfortunate disqualification. Yet the inconsistencies of Sainz and the Mercedes pair doesn’t seem worthy of a Driver’s title this year.
For me, Oscar Piastri’s faultless and impressive 2024 season seems the most deserving of the championship. In only his second season of being in the pinnacle of motorsport, the young Australian has achieved two victories, seven podiums and currently sits fourth in the standing on the heels of Leclerc. Although assumed to play second fiddle to McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, Piastri’s natural talents as a fast racing driver has caused the team headaches as to who to prioritise. Even when Norris had been on the front foot, Piastri’s bold and confident driving style led to thrilling moments like his lap one overtakes in Monza on his team-mate and the two championship rivals at Hungary. Although his following maiden win at the Hungaroring was down to Norris’ team cooperation, his constant ability to maximise the performance out of the McLaren, without rookie-like assistance or prioritisation is admirable.
Piastri is also currently the only driver in the entire field to complete every racing lap of the year. His consistency in terms of results is incredible and his silverware has established him as a force to be feared - as his pursuit of the Mercedes at Spa proves. His second win in Baku saw him dismiss Charles Leclerc with an optimistic divebomb before controlling the race perfectly. Piastri’s consistency, talent and attitude makes him fully deserving of this year's Driver's title, for me. Lower scoring positions in the earlier stages however, including an unfortunate collision with Sainz in Miami, has left him out of direct contention currently.
The F1 2024 season has only six races left with the Driver’s championship left open. Regardless of the outcome, it has paved the way for an even more exciting 2025 season, where in only his third year Piastri may be the one to challenge.
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