It may only be the first race of the 2024 F1 season, but the biggest story of the year may be the driver transfer window. After all, 13 drivers are due to have their contracts expire at the end of the season, and with Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari pending, this year’s ‘stupid season’ could become legendary. There is sex.
Are you one of those drivers? Carlos Sainz Jr. will lose his Ferrari seat to Hamilton at the end of the year. With this news, Sainz will officially lose his seat for the next year, making him the first driver to become something of a free agent. Every race this year gives him a chance to prove his worth to other teams.
He made the most of it at Saturday night’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Yes, it was Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez who gave Red Bull a one-two finish, just as we saw them squeeze out of the front row a year ago. He will soon arrive at the Bulls, but what we saw from Sainz on Saturday night was nothing short of spectacular and will surely capture the attention of the other nine teams on the grid. Sainz started from fourth, but a “clinical” performance from Jolyon Palmer in commentary box 31 lifted his SF-24 onto the podium. F1TV.
Sainz made a number of impressive moves on Saturday night, but his overtaking of teammate Charles Leclerc on lap 17 probably topped the list. Sainz tried to chase Perez in the final act of the race, hoping that the hard tires would give him a chance, as the soft compound of Perez’s RB20 was fading, but he was unable to catch up with Perez.
After the race Sainz spoke about his performance with David Coulthard. F1TV. “I felt really good today. The start wasn’t ideal, but from there I managed the tires well,” Sainz said. “I followed Red Bull and was pleasantly surprised.”
What we saw from Sainz on Saturday was impressive. “This is a complete race car driver,” Coulthard said in commentary box 31. F1TV.
A complete race car driver is what many teams are looking for heading into 2025.
Here are the full results and other winners and losers from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
It’s heartbreaking for Hulkenberg and Haas, but what’s the hope for the future?
Saturday was to see for the first time whether Haas had indeed solved its tire deterioration problems from a season ago. Nico Hulkenberg started the race in 10th place thanks to another excellent qualifying session. If he can stick around and pick up the points, it would show that Haas have indeed solved the mystery.
By the first turn of the Bahrain Grand Prix, it was clear that the mystery remained unsolved.
Hulkenberg got off to a slow start and Lance Stroll jumped in front on the first straight heading into Turn 1. As the field made its way through the opening turns of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hulkenberg found himself at the back. The front wing of Stroll’s AMR24 was damaged, requiring a pit stop on the opening lap.
In the final stages of the race, Hulkenberg would eventually give way to teammate Kevin Magnussen, but his pace was faster in the closing stages. His time was not good enough to regain points as both drivers finished outside the points.
If there is any consolation for Haas, it may be found in Magnussen’s drive. Despite starting from 15th place, he was able to gain several positions in the race and, more importantly, did not fall back. On the final lap of the race, he held off Daniel Ricciardo on the hard while the latter was running on the soft to move into 12th place. Even with Hulkenberg, he managed to gain a few positions, finishing 16th, ahead of the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
While these may be signs that the team has taken a step forward on race pace and tire deterioration issues, they may be small consolations given how the day started.
How nervous are you at VCARB?
Photo credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
Well, it didn’t take long.
In the final few laps of the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, the Visa Cash App RB F1 team found its drivers back in 13th and 14th positions. Hiroki Tsunoda was 13th on the hard tires, and Daniel Ricciardo was right behind him on the soft tires. With Kevin Magnussen and Guanyu Chou both ahead of Tsunoda, the team had no chance of scoring points, but then the order was given to Tsunoda.
Leave it to Ricardo.
That was an order that Tsunoda didn’t like. “Are you kidding me?” the driver radioed to the crew.
Right behind him, Ricardo remained silent. “Well, you don’t need to say anything,” said the Australian driver.
In the end, Tsunoda overtook Ricciardo, while his teammates tried to corner Magnussen. However, Mr. Tsunoda did not just vent his dissatisfaction. “Yes, thank you, I appreciate it,” Tsunoda said. And a few minutes later, Tsunoda complained further about Ricciardo’s pace. “Yeah, he’s not fast at all!” Tsunoda exclaimed.
Magnussen was able to hold off Ricciardo, and both VCARB drivers finished outside of the points.
Of course, the underlying tension is clear. As mentioned above, the contracts of 13 drivers, including both Ricciardo and Tsunoda, will expire at the end of the season. Both VCARB drivers have their sights set on retaining their current seats in 2025, and perhaps fending off Liam Lawson, but also perhaps settling into the seat currently occupied by Sergio Perez at Red Bull. ing.
If the first race of the season is any indication, this tension may not just boil over at VCARB this season, but it could eventually come to a boil.
A strong start for the Scuderia
Sainz’s podium finish will probably grab the headlines, but it was a strong day for Ferrari. The Scuderia entered this week looking like ‘Team 2’ behind Red Bull, but will leave Bahrain firmly behind in the standings. Red Bulls took the first two spots on the grid, with the Scuderia taking the next two spots with Sainz in third and Leclerc in fourth.
Early in the race, it didn’t look like Leclerc was going to have a good day. While Sainz was moving forward, Leclerc was struggling with the SF-24. He was dealing with brake issues that caused him to slide off the track several times and lock up several times.
However, as the race progressed, Leclerc began to calm down. Leclerc, who bolted on hard compound to his SF-24, looked comfortable in the closing stages and managed to chase down George Russell to finish fourth.
Perhaps the best sign for Ferrari beyond the points they scored?
This also looked like a veteran performance from Leclerc.
Take a look back at how the 2023 season ended. As the season draws to a close, Ferrari is locked in a fierce battle with Mercedes for second place in the constructors’ championship. Leclerc was touring Yas Marina as he considered various title changes with his team, seeking to maximize any points available to Ferrari in the battle. Mercedes ultimately retained second place in the constructors’ championship, but it was a veteran moment for Leclerc and a sign of his growth and maturity as a driver.
I saw it again on Saturday. Despite early struggles, he persevered and raced on. Rather than fighting SF-24 in the early stages and perhaps causing bigger problems, he persevered and brought great results to the team.
If the Charles Leclerc we’ve seen in the last two F1 races is the driver we see throughout 2024, watch out.
A mixed night for Sauber
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Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
Perhaps it was a mixed night for Sauber.
First, the team finished outside the points range. Although there were high hopes for Sauber’s participation in the Bahrain Grand Prix, on Friday, Chou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas were eliminated in Q1, and they were unable to score any points on Saturday.
Bottas then made a violent pit stop on lap 32, which turned his drive into a mere test session. During the stop, the left front tire developed a problem and the team ended up having to bolt on a second tire. The entire stoppage lasted more than 50 seconds and ended Bottas’ chances of finishing in the points.
However, there was a drive from Shu. Despite starting 17th, he fought his way to the points position and remained in contention for 10th throughout the race. A deft pit stop from Lance Stroll and a patient drive from Fernando Alonso eventually saw Aston Martin duo Zhou pit, finishing 11th in the points.
But considering his starting position, it was a great run by Zhou.
It also shows that perhaps those expectations for Sauber are in place, and if the team can squeeze just a little bit more out of the C44 in the coming weeks, it could really score points.
Stable days for McLaren, Aston and Mercedes
On Saturday, it might be fair to say that these three teams enjoyed a “workmanlike” performance. Both teams secured double points finishes, which is an important consistency throughout the F1 season.
For McLaren, Lando Norris crossed the line in sixth place, with teammate Oscar Piastri finishing a few places behind in eighth. Mercedes moved into second place early on with Russell, but after dropping a few places after having to deal with a power unit problem, Norris took fifth and Lewis Hamilton seventh. And at Aston Martin, the “incredible” pace he displayed earlier in the week paid off as Alonso finished ninth, followed by Stroll in 10th, for a double points finish.
These teams weren’t able to pull off a big win Saturday, but success during the season can sometimes mean avoiding big losses. If these three teams finish with double points, they will have a solid start to the year.
The road to the Alpine seems difficult
The Alps are approximately seven hours’ drive from Viry-Chatillon, where Alpine manufactures its power units.
That mountain range may seem like a climb beyond Alpine.
Alpine predicted a “difficult” start to the 2024 F1 season, and they were right. The team was locked out of the last row of the grid at Friday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly both eliminated in Q1. Ocon started 19th, while Gasly started the season in last place for the second year in a row.
The situation did not improve much for the race itself. Ocon gained several positions and finished 17th, while Gasly similarly gained places and finished 18th. However, these spots were due to other people’s mistakes rather than anything to do with the A524. Bottas’ late pit stop and Logan Sargent’s mistakes cost him a lot of time as well.
However, the team knows they have some work to do and this is only the first of 24 races of the season. There’s still plenty of time for Alpine to figure out how to get the most out of the package and improve lap times. F1 is fast, but the season is a marathon, not a sprint.
Remember how McLaren started a year ago?
Oh yeah, how about Red Bull?
Yes, about those people.
The word “ominous” was used throughout pre-season testing as the RB20 once again looks like the pacesetter of the F1 world. And a truly ominous outcome occurred at the front of the field. Verstappen scored his 55th career win, making another strong start to his title defense. With Perez finishing behind them, the Bulls locked out a front row spot in Bahrain for the second year in a row and reminded the rest of the field that there is still a gap between them and the rest of the team. Ta.
What’s even creepier than the result? Hear from both drivers after the race.
“It couldn’t have been any better,” Verstappen told Coulthard. F1TV. “I felt really good in the car. It’s always really special to have days like this. [where] You are one and only with the car. ”
“I think this was the most we could have accomplished,” Perez said. “Overall, I think it’s a great way to start the season.”
If this start is any indication, Red Bull could be in for even more special days, and perhaps another special season.
