The Gryphon Gazette

By: Ollie B. ‘25

With the car launches, pre-season testing, and Bahrain Grand Prix now completed, the 2024 Formula 1 season has finally begun. Yet, with much more racing still to go, many enthusiasts have tried to predict which driver and team will have the best display of speed by the end of the season. Most expect a repeat of last season while others anticipate some shocking results; regardless of such predictions, every team will try to maximize their budget and push their engineering past that of last season’s vehicle. However, despite each team’s extensive work during the off-season, most will not be successful during the season while only a select few drivers and teams will frequently visit the podium. Based on performances from the beginning of the F1 season, these teams appear to be Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull. With their cutting-edge aerodynamics and daring drivers, these teams’ vehicles stand as the pinnacle of automotive ingenuity. To understand what makes their vehicles superior to their opponents, let’s dive deep into the technology and skills of each team. 

To start is “The Prancing Horse,” more widely known as Ferrari. Making its debut in 1950, the legendary Italian racing team has arguably the greatest success in F1 history. With 244 Grand Prix victories and 16 Constructors’ Championships, Ferrari was historically the team to beat. However, in recent years, Ferrari has had consistently mediocre results. In fact, their last Constructors’ Championship was in 2008 and their last Driver’s Championship in 2007. Yet, with the team’s 3rd place standing last season and 2nd place result in 2022, Ferrari seems to be slowly reapproaching their glory days. Leading the effort are drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who placed 5th place and 7th place in the 2023 season, respectively. While Lewis Hamilton will replace Sainz in 2025, that does not seem to affect the Spaniard, who had an outstanding result at the Bahrain Grand Prix, taking 3rd place. Right behind Sainz was his teammate Leclerc, the two of them earning 27 points for the team. Such high-performing results do not seem to be a coincidence, as Ferrari posted the second fast time at pre-season testing. According to Leclerc, the car is “better than the base we started from last year.” In addition, the tires seem to have much better traction, enhancing Ferrari’s new car over their previous model. Based on the early season results, Ferrari seems to be primed for the rest of the season, and they have a great chance to reappear on the podium for their 4th season in a row. 

Next on the list is the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, more commonly known as Mercedes. Since hiring Toto Wolf, team principal and CEO of Mercedes F1 Team, the team has been one of the most dominant F1 teams. Winning the Constructors’ Championship 8 years in a row, Mercedes has dominated the F1 landscape during the hybrid era. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ top driver, has become one of the best F1 drivers in history during his time with the team, winning six Driver’s Championships. However, despite their extensive success, since losing the championship to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in 2021, the team has not reached the same levels of domination. With changing regulations for F1 cars during the 2022 season, Mercedes struggled to respond, suffering from porpoising and other issues that further buried them in the Constructors’ Championship standings. By the end of the 2022 F1 season, Mercedes placed only third in the team battle, performing much worse than their previous years. However, despite their lackluster 2022 F1 season, Mercedes made a slight comeback during the 2023 season, narrowly beating Ferrari for second place. While the team didn’t have the best results in the Bahrain Grand Prix, with George Russell placing 5th and Lewis Hamilton placing 7th, the W15’s performance during pre-season testing seemed promising. They seem to be at Ferrari’s level in long-run pace, and for the rest of the season, the two teams will likely battle for 2nd place position.

Without surprise, Red Bull will be the team to beat during the 2024 F1 season. Having one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history, Max Verstappen destroyed his competition, winning 19 of the 22 Grand Prix races. Alongside Verstappen was teammate Sergio Perez, who won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With the two drivers together, Red Bull accumulated 860 points in the Constructors’ Championship, more than doubling the amount of the second-place team, Mercedes. Unfortunately for the rest of the field, their success has not faded as they placed first and second at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. At pre-season testing, Red Bull’s new car, the RB20, maintained the success of its predecessor, having an advantage of 0.2 seconds over Mercedes and Ferrari during the long runs. This is primarily due to their highly advanced floor and aero concept. Not only does the engineering enable the car to increase its race pace, but it also takes a lot of stress off the tires, reducing the total time by minimizing pit stops. Considering Red Bull’s previously successful seasons and the positive signs during the beginning of the season, it seems nearly impossible for any team to rival Red Bull. By the end of the season, it will likely be Max Verstappen’s 4th World Championship and Red Bull’s 7th Constructors’ Championship. 

In the end, the 2024 F1 season will likely unfold similarly to the 2023 season. Red Bull will easily win the championship, and it will be a competition between Ferrari and Mercedes for 2nd place. Regardless, there are still 23 more races in the season, and in the competitive world of F1, only time will tell who will come out victorious.