The end of the 2024 F1 season

This past Sunday marked the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, with the final race in Abu Dhabi and Lando Norris claiming the final win.

I have to say, I'm a little sad the season is over; this was the first year I followed Formula 1 closely and was incredibly invested in every race. The excitement of the 2024 season was indeed something to behold. 

For the fourth year in a row, Max Verstappen won the world championship with 437 points, and McLaren won the constructors' championship with 666 points, which is, in my opinion, the biggest accomplishment of the F1 season.

(images retrieved from Formula 1 Instagram)

This is McLaren's ninth constructor win, the team's first championship since 1998.

This season marked a significant milestone in McLaren's history. Despite Verstappen's fourth title, the 2024 Formula 1 season belonged to McLaren.

McLaren and its two drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, helped bring McLaren to the top with an exciting comeback. Lando Norris had an exceptional F1 season, finishing behind Max Verstappen in the standings. His performance brought a new level of competition to every race, and other drivers acknowledged him as the driver to beat the grid in 2024. 

There were many Grand Prix winners in 2024 and many memorable moments. My favourite moment was witnessing Hamilton win the Silverstone GP, his first win since 2021. This was an emotional win for Hamilton and his fans, a final victory in the Mercedes car.

There were so many achievements; Ferrari finished second in the constructors' standings with 652 points, 14 points behind McLaren. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had a season of consistency in the Ferrari cars, finishing in the top three at almost every Grand Prix. Their consistency gave Ferrari enough points to surpass Red Bull in the constructors' championship—a massive achievement.

It will be sad to say goodbye to the iconic duo at Ferrari, as 2024 is the last time Sainz and Leclerc will be racing together in red. Carlos Sainz is a great driver, and I'm sad to see him leave Ferrari to go to Williams Racing next year, but at least his replacement (Hamilton) is a driver of great skill.

Lewis Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes in 2025. His legacy there is one of the greatest in F1 history, and I can't imagine how hard of a loss this is for Mercedes and Hamilton. However, I'm excited to see what Hamilton will bring to Ferrari in 2025 alongside Leclerc. However, I don't think this move for Hamilton will be as drastic as many fans anticipate in terms of a better performance.  

Another loss this year was Daniel Riccardo. The driver was let go after the Singapore Grand Prix and replaced by Liam Lawson. Riccardo ended his F1 career after 14 seasons, and there is no mention of him rejoining the paddock in 2025. The Australian driver struggled this season with performance. He is an iconic personality on the paddock and is loved by the F1 fandom, so seeing him go is sad for all.

Max Verstappen undoubtedly had another great season with performance. His fourth world championship was outstanding, but Verstappen carried Redbull to the end. Redbull had come third in the constructors, and their second driver, Sergio Perez, was not even close to performing to the same calibre as Verstappen.

Next year promises to be an exhilarating season. With a few young drivers joining the grid and McLaren's growing strength, Max Verstappen and Red Bull will face intense competition. The once-large gap between Red Bull and the rest of the drivers and teams is slowly closing, and I believe we will witness some outstanding performances from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull again next year. I can't wait to see how the dynamics of the sport will change with the new developments.

I'm also interested in how Mercedes's new driver, Kimi Antonelli, will be taking on the pressure of Lewis Hamilton's Legacy.

Given how strong a driver Lando Norris was this year, I'm excited to see what he will bring to the 2025 season and the threat he will pose to Verstappen. Norris has shown incredible potential this year, and if he continues to perform at this level, he could very well be a serious contender for the championship in 2025.

If I were to make a bold prediction for 2025, I would predict that Lando Norris will be the next world champion in Formula 1.