Formula 1 2024, you have been something! Unlike a rather predictable 2023 season, you have made the air thick with anticipation, and every corner the turning point in the race for the ultimate prize – the title of World Champion. With the grid packed tighter than ever and the championship contenders pushing to the limit, we’re on the cusp of witnessing one of the most thrilling title battles in recent memory. Buckle up as we delve into the burning question on every fan’s mind: Who will emerge victorious as the World Champion of Formula 1 in 2024?
The season so far has been nothing short of a rollercoaster – rivalries reignited, unexpected underdogs rising from the midfield, and the constant threat of technical issues looming at every turn. The war is at full throttle, with teams relentlessly fine-tuning their cars in a bid to extract every last ounce of performance. Every critical piece in this puzzle could determine who stands on the podium’s top step come the season’s end. The stakes have never been higher, and in this high-octane sport, nothing is certain until the final lap.
It’s silly season, and our drivers are on summer vacation, but our minds never stop! Today, we dive into the potential outcomes, carefully examining the strengths and weaknesses of the top contenders, driver-by-driver. Get ready for an in-depth journey into the heart of Formula 1, where every twist and turn of the season brings us closer to crowning the 2024 World Champion. Brace yourself because this is a battle you won’t want to miss.
Max Verstappen
Currently number one on the driver standings, the reigning champion, as well as the current weapon of the grid: Max Verstappen. He is Red Bull Racing’s current pride and joy, and he’s been driving that unbelievably fast car to exponential heights, bringing home seven pole positions thus far. As long as nothing too shocking happens, Verstappen is expected to win the World Driver Championship 2024.
But we also can’t ignore that his performance in the most recent races hasn’t been his best. In fact, he hasn’t seen the top of the podium since Spain on 23 June 2024. His positions for some of the recent races have been P5 in Austria, P5 in Hungary, and P4 in Belgium. One of his biggest weaknesses is that he is a rather emotionally fuelled driver. With his former and fresh rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, advancing through the ranks, Verstappen must remain composed to bring back the crown.
Red Bull Racing has a rocket ship for a car and held this advantage over their competitors’ heads for the first few races of the season. But the other teams are catching up. Red Bull better hit the barracks this summer break, or we might just see the fall of Verstappen.
Lando Norris
Second in the standings is Lando Norris. With McLaren’s speedy car combined with Norris’ incredible skill, he has been performing well, even entertaining us with wheel-to-wheel duels with Verstappen. This has led people to believe that Norris is a contender for the title of World Champion and a potential rival to Verstappen. Let’s dig into that, shall we?
Red Bull might have created a weapon of a car. But then, why isn’t Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, higher in the rankings if they’re driving the same car? That’s because Verstappen’s continued success isn’t necessarily sheer luck or a good car; it’s his skill and consistency. Likewise, Norris may have a car worthy of competing with Red Bull’s, but Norris’ skill is nowhere near Verstappen’s.
Norris still has only one win under his belt, and that came this season. Verstappen has had seven pole positions this season alone. Norris is young and feisty. His emotions and thirst to win can easily cloud his judgement and overpower his already relatively lacking skill (compared to Verstappen). Don’t we all remember how the Austrian Grand Prix 2024 went down? An emotional showdown between Norris and Verstappen led to contact, allowing Mercedes’ George Russell to overtake them and take the win from right under their noses.
They might be close in points, but we foresee this ranking changing once summer break ends. The current gap between Verstappen and Norris is at 78, while that between Norris and Charles Leclerc, who is currently third in the standings, is only 22. Norris isn’t in a secure enough position to lock in P2 for the rest of the season the way Verstappen might have for P1.
But it’s never that simple, is it? With McLaren also in P2 for the Constructors’ Championship and Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, performing astronomically this season, we might see some of McLaren’s strategy coming into play. As we witnessed in the Hungarian Grand Prix 2024, despite repeated orders from the engineers, Norris was reluctant to return P1 to Piastri after a pit stop that resulted in a swap of positions. He saw an opportunity to win, which would have propelled him higher up the standings with points.
McLaren’s eyes could be on the Constructors’ Championship instead of the Drivers’. What might this mean for Norris? We’ll just have to watch the races to see how their strategy pans out!
Charles Leclerc
Ah, Leclerc! You sit third in the standings, but you’ve fought hard for this position. If you’ve been following the season, you’ll remember Ferrari’s domination early in the season. We were constantly seeing red on the podium. We saw both Leclerc and his teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr., take pole positions, too. We even saw Leclerc win his home race in Monaco, making it the first time one of their own stood at the top of the podium! He’s 100 points behind Verstappen and 22 behind Norris.
But with Monaco being such a high moment for Leclerc and Ferrari, it also marked the beginning of the end. They were going absolutely phenomenal, but following Monaco, the next race in Canada ended in a DNF for both Ferrari drivers. Since then, we haven’t seen Leclerc on a podium (although, following Russell’s disqualification in Belgium, Leclerc inherited P3). We’re seeing a dry spell for the driver who blew us away with his amazing drive in Monaco.
Nonetheless, while the odds may have been against him, Leclerc has always fallen victim to Ferrari’s poor strategy. Whether it’s random, unexplained malfunctions or ill-advised tyre changes and pit stops, these have affected Leclerc’s chances. He very well could still be a contender if Ferrari could clean up their act.
As for Leclerc, he has the drive and the skill to win a race. But what about a championship? Do his skills fall short, or have we just never experienced his potential to its fullest glory due to poor strategy calls by his team? Whatever it is, he is about to become teammates with seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton in 2025. We hope to see this dynamic duo bringing Ferrari back to its glory days. In the meantime, we manifest better strategy for Leclerc and, hopefully, a championship-worthy performance once the season resumes.
Oscar Piastri
Oh, my. Piastri, Piastri, Piastri. What an absolute presence you’ve been on the grid this season! He might be a rookie, but his performance has been beyond exceptional. His masterclass-worthy overtakes, effortless duelling, and composure, even during high-pressure moments, have won the heart of every Formula 1 fan!
While he’s still far from being a World Champion, he’s most certainly one in the making. He has the composure. He has the knowledge. And now, he’s picking up the skills that only come from experience. Every race, he’s getting better. This season also saw Piastri’s debut win at the Hungarian Grand Prix! And don’t tell me you’ve forgotten his incredible drive in Belgium!
Seeing him fourth right now in the standings is both a pleasant surprise, as well as a result that makes complete sense. McLaren’s car is on fire right now. As mentioned earlier, its raw performance is worth battling Red Bull. But the car is also in good hands in that of Piastri, who is evidently a fast learner. He could work on his tyre management and the nitty-gritty, but his performance in recent races has been unparalleled, and it’s been a joy watching him grow.
Maybe not this season, but we most definitely foresee him becoming a World Champion one day. As for this season, though, we do hope to see his progression in the second half and see him standing on that podium in Abu Dhabi when the World Champion is crowned.
Lewis Hamilton
Allow me to skip to our current Formula 1 2024 P6-holder, Lewis Hamilton. If we remember the first (miserable) half of the season for Mercedes, we’d recall the absolute loss of hope and dejection in the air upon coming to terms with Mercedes’ car. It was not nearly as fast as its competitors, even in the hands of Hamilton himself, the greatest driver Formula 1 has ever seen.
But after the P4 in the Canadian Grand Prix, hope inched back into our hearts as every race cemented that thanks to whatever magic Mercedes put into their cars again, we saw our GOAT return to glory. And with Hamilton’s legendary win at the British Grand Prix 2024, we now know that he might well and truly be in the running for an eighth world championship! It would be a dream come true to see one more out of him in that Mercedes tracksuit!
You see, a kind Formula 1 fan did the math, and here’s what they discovered: Mathematically, Hamilton could win the World Drivers’ Championship if he places on the podium for the next six races. Realistically, though, what do you think? For Hamilton to do so, we’d have to see a drop in performance from Red Bull and McLaren, who are both leading the Constructors’ Championship and have been operating on all cylinders.
While it is technically possible for him to win, Hamilton doesn’t seem to have the same drive for blood or confidence as he did during his winning streak. It was even more evident during his post-race interview in Belgium, where he said “no” with a laugh when asked if he could go for the championship. If it’s something the summer break can change, we’re hoping to see the beast Hamilton used to be on the circuit back in 2024 for what could be a legendary championship win!
The Questions Remain
You see, our World Champion 2024 is pretty clear. If nothing goes too off the rails, we will likely see a fourth World Championship win for Max Verstappen. But then again, 2024 has been a beautifully unpredictable season thus far, and we don’t know what to be sure of anymore.
Nonetheless, if Verstappen does take home another championship title, then the real fight ensues for the second and third positions on the podium. While Norris, Leclerc, and Piastri are serious contenders, Hamilton might be hot on their tail. And what’s the worst position to find yourself in during a Formula 1 race? In front of the Lewis Hamilton.
But that’s not all we’re wondering. What about the other Red Bull driver who has been driving what’s supposed to be a rocket ship – Perez? To say the least, he has been underperforming, with just 131 points so far. He sits at P7 on the standings and is 146 points behind his teammate, who sits cosily in P1. The gap between him and Verstappen is more than the number of points he currently has, which spells doom for him and Red Bull.
Nonetheless, it is a wonder that Verstappen has (almost) single-handedly transported Red Bull to P1 in the Constructors’ Championship! Ferrari’s Sainz has been performing well this season yet sits at P5 in the standings. We don’t see him contending for a spot on the podium, but it would be a lovely image to see him in red on the podium one last time before he joins Williams in 2025. As for Mercedes’ Russell, his performance has been getting much better, but still, he’s got quite the journey ahead of him before a Championship win or podium.
Could we really see Norris challenging Verstappen for the title? Could we see a re-run of the iconic Verstappen-Hamilton rivalry back to life in the Formula 1 2024 season? What does Perez’s future look like with Red Bull? So many questions and not nearly enough answers. What we do know is that this season has been the return of true Formula 1, and we’re thrilled for what’s to come!
As the season hurtles toward its final checkered flag, the tension is palpable, and the stakes sky-high. After all, a championship hangs in the balance, with each contender ready to leave it all on the track in a desperate bid for glory. Ultimately, it will come down to those fleeting moments where nerves of steel, split-second decisions, and sheer determination separate the victor from the vanquished.
When summer break finally ends, the world will once again hold its breath as we prepare for the final races of the 2024 season, starting with the Netherlands Grand Prix from 23 to 25 August. After all, the drivers’ Everest remains; one of the toughest tracks on the roster earnestly awaits their presence—the Singapore Grand Prix 2024. From 20 to 22 September, the home of the night race will light up for our drivers.
As these races unravel before our eyes, we will finally see who is crowned the World Champion. But don’t blink, because everything can change in the blink of an eye.
Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2024
🗓️Dates: 20 to 22 September 2024
💲Prices of available tickets*:
Hospitality Packages:
| Hospitality Packages: | 3-Day Pass | Friday (20 September) | Saturday (21 September) | Sunday (22 September) |
| Sky Suite | S$9,832 | – | – | – |
| Twenty3 | S$8,633 | – | – | – |
| The Vista Suite | S$5,559 | – | – | S$4,448 |
| Torque Lounge | S$3,924 | – | – | S$3,423 |
*Hospitality refers to all-in-one package experiences that include unobstructed views and dining. Grandstands provide prime vantage points to see the racers. Walkabouts allow free roaming around the circuit map zone, with designated viewing points available.
Grandstands:
| Grandstand | 3-Day Pass | Friday (20 September) | Saturday (21 September) | Sunday (22 September) |
| Pit Grandstand | – | S$298 | S$688 | – |
| Pit Exit Grandstand | – | S$298 | S$688 | – |
| Chicane @ Turn 2 Grandstand | – | S$298 | S$688 | – |
| Bayfront Grandstand | – | S$258 | S$588 | – |
| Republic Grandstand | – | S$198 | – | – |
| Padang Grandstand | – | S$138 | – | – |
| Stamford Grandstand | – | S$138 | – | – |
Walkabouts:
| Walkabout | 3-Day Pass | Friday (20 September) | Saturday (21 September) | Sunday (22 September) |
| Premier Walkabout | – | S$188 | S$298 | S$428 |
| Zone 4 Walkabout | – | S$128 | S$198 | S$268 |
*All tickets listed are available and priced accurately as of the time of writing.
Get your tickets to the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2024 right now! Stay tuned to the latest happenings on Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix’s Instagram and TikTok pages.
Visuals courtesy of Singapore GP Pte Ltd.
