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With the start of the new year and with the 2023 F1 season now firmly in the background, the countdown for the new season has already begun. We're only a month and a handful of days away before all the cars are launched and the testing begins.
Before this F1 season begins, everyone tends to have a set of expectations. Lewis Hamilton fans will want him to get back to winning ways after spending two years away from the top step on the podium. Fernando Alonso fans will want the Spaniard to continue proving everyone wrong and that age is just a number.
On the other hand, Max Verstappen and Red Bull fans will like to see the status quo to be maintained. They will hope their favorite team and driver continue dominating the sport just like they did last season.
Having said that, what can we truly expect to happen this season? What do the trends indicate? Who could potentially have a good season and whose momentum is going to take them down the drain?
Let's find out: here are our top 5 bold Predictions for the 2024 F1 season.
#1 At least 3 drivers will lose their seats this season
If you look closely at the grid, it is clear that there are quite a few drivers whose contract comes to an end this season. At the same time, a lot of them are in danger of losing their seat as well.
Both drivers of the Stake F1 team are out of contract, and this is the case with Alpine, Haas, and a few other teams on the grid as well.
In all of this though, there are 3-4 drivers who have a major claim on making their way to the F1 grid in 2025. Liam Lawson and Theo Pourchaire are already proven talents, while Ollie Bearman has impressed Haas. Then we have Kimi Antonelli, a driver who many anticipate to be the next Max Verstappen.
In all likelihood, at least three drivers on the current grid are going to lose their spots. We will have to wait and see who those three will be.
#2 The field will shrink further and we will see more surprise podiums
Last season saw the top six teams have their drivers on the podium. With another year for the regulations to mature, we could expect the field to shrink even more. When that happens, don't count out the likes of AlphaTauri and Williams being outside contenders for a possible surprise podium.
Considering we saw six different teams scoring podiums in a season where Red Bull stretched away from everybody else, we're banking on an even bigger number doing it in 2024.
#3 Max Verstappen will have another relatively dominant F1 season
This is arguably a bit of a downer, but it does appear that Max Verstappen is once again going to dominate and win the title.
The major reason behind making such a claim is not because the gap won't shrink to Red Bull. It certainly would! Having said that, what we need to keep in mind is that the buffer that the team enjoyed over the rest of the field in 2023 was just too big. One can't expect a gap this big to be bridged so easily, especially in the cost-cap era of F1.
Will he have the same level of dominance that he did in 2023? That's highly unlikely, and we might see other teams picking up a win or two. Overall, though, the title likely won't leave Milton Keynes in 2024.
#4 Alpine suffers a drop in the pecking order
One team that looks massively vulnerable at the moment is Alpine.
The team was gung ho at the start of the 2023 F1 season, targeting regular podiums and the odd win here and there. That didn't happen and we also saw a Ferrari-like implosion of sorts as team principal Otmar Szafnauer was fired alongside Alain Permaine. Nico Fry, the team's technical director was poached by Williams as well.
The reason given for this was Szafnauer's lack of aggressive growth projection. However, Alpine are also yet to find a proper replacement for the outgoing team principal.
As a makeshift replacement, Bruno Famin is at the top of the affairs for Alpine as the team starts the 2024 F1 season after dropping to sixth in the pecking order last season. Can the team do better this year? It can, but it's going to take a brave man to bet on it.
The Enstone squad might be looking at a further drop in pecking order this season and it certainly won't come as a surprise.
#5 We will see Andretti lose its bid to be the 11th F1 team
For a long time, it appeared that Andretti was going to find its way into the sport. The American team has even got the much-needed approval from the FIA and it seemed like Andretti getting its place in the sport was a mere formality.
Unfortunately, things haven't gone to plan.
The last month has also shown how less of a power the FIA possesses and how united the teams can get against the governing body. You take all of that into consideration and you're looking at a scenario where one way or the other, Andretti doesn't find a way onto the F1 grid in 2024.
