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Hamilton’s Ferrari bombshell, Newey’s Red Bull exit and more – The key moments of an unforgettable 2024 F1 season
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How do you sum up a season as action-packed and eventful as 2024? Well, I guess someone has to try…
With the new year almost upon us now feels like the perfect time to look back on the last 12 months in F1 following a season that had it all. From epic races to titanic title battles and dramatic driver moves, every box has been ticked.
So – all together now – let’s take a really, really deep breath and dive into the key moments from a classic year of F1.
Lewis Hamilton’s sensational switch to Ferrari is confirmed
To bring you into the mind briefly of an F1.com editor – January and February are the months where you’re sat wondering what on earth you’re going to write about. This time around there was no such problem.
Following on from the huge news that Guenther Steiner had left Haas the month before (which would have been a key moment, but I have to set a limit somewhere) came the absolutely gargantuan announcement that – yes – Lewis Hamilton was moving to Ferrari for 2025.
It’s hard to describe how seismic this was and still is. Not only did it blow the driver market wide open – thanks to the knock-on impact of a vacancy at Mercedes and the fact Carlos Sainz was out of a seat now – but it would bring to an end the most successful driver/team partnership in F1 history.
Before 2024 had even got going, the excitement for 2025 was already building.
Before the season even began it was confirmed Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, taking Carlos Sainz's seat
Verstappen’s lightning start
As the season got underway, it felt a little like a continuation of 2023 thanks to Max Verstappen’s rapid start. While he may have been behind the wheel of the RB20 rather than the RB19, the results were very familiar.
He began the year with seven straight pole positions and five victories in those first seven Grand Prix weekends – the only thing stopping him being his malfunctioning brake in Australia and Lando Norris’ maiden Grand Prix win in Miami.
As it turned out his early season prowess would go a long way to helping him take his fourth drivers’ title.
EXCLUSIVE: The Top 10 F1 drivers of 2024 – as chosen by the drivers
Bearman’s first super-sub showing, before Sainz bounces back
It was just the second race of the season when we got our first glimpse into the future of the F1 grid, as then 18-year-old Ollie Bearman had to be subbed in for Ferrari after Carlos Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis.
With the Spaniard requiring surgery the Briton would take over his car and qualify P11 in Jeddah, before ending Saturday night’s Grand Prix in P7 to claim six points in his first ever Formula 1 race.
However, more magic was to follow. Just two weeks later, with the F1 paddock now assembled in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, Sainz was amazingly back in the car after his surgery.
With the Spaniard still far from 100 per cent he would go on to produce a simply stunning performance, taking advantage of Verstappen’s early-race retirement to win. It was undoubtedly the comeback of the year.
Sainz amazingly bounced back from surgery for appendicitis to win the Australian Grand Prix two weeks later
Adrian Newey leaves Red Bull
After almost 20 years with Red Bull, and numerous more championships added to the design guru’s list of accolades in F1, a bombshell announcement dropped on May 1 – Adrian Newey was leaving the team.
The Briton had joined Red Bull ahead of their second F1 season in 2006 and had been instrumental in the squad’s success, helping to turn the operation from midfield runners and points scorers into Grand Prix winners and world champions.
Just like that, there would be a flurry of activity from teams across the grid trying to sign up the esteemed designer. Time would tell where he ended up…
Lando Norris’ maiden F1 win – and the day McLaren leapt into contention
The Miami Grand Prix – the sixth race weekend of this season – marked a turning point in F1. While it will always be remembered as the day Lando Norris finally banished memories of Sochi 2021 to take his first Grand Prix victory, it was also the day that the competitive switchover from Red Bull dominance to McLaren being regularly faster happened.
As explained expertly by Mark Hughes here, this was where McLaren introduced their big upgrade – including a crucial game-changing front wing. They were back fighting at the very front.
Lando Norris took his long-awaited maiden F1 win in Miami
Leclerc lifts the Monaco curse
After years of bad luck and frustration, finally Charles Leclerc clinched that long-awaited home win at the Monaco Grand Prix.
In doing so he became the first-ever Monegasque driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix in the world championship era, and the first since Louis Chiron in 1931, which was the third edition of the race.
It also marked the end of a 39-race winless streak for the Ferrari driver – his most recent victory before that coming at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
Perez’s 2024 downturn begins – and never recovers
After four podiums in the opening seven races, it looked like Sergio Perez’s form was back after some tricky times in 2023 – even though the Mexican finished runner-up to team mate Verstappen.
But then came the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, which marked the start of his serious downturn in form. Not only would he qualify 16th, he would also make an early exit after being caught up in a significant Lap 1 crash that red-flagged the race.
A week later Perez was given the news he would have undoubtedly loved – a two-year contract extension with Red Bull that Team Principal Christian Horner hoped would end the speculation over his future and act as a confidence boost.
It didn’t materialise. All in all Perez would fail to get back onto the podium at all for the rest of the year – his best position being a P6 in Zandvoort following that opening run of success.
Leclerc at last managed to win his home race in 2024
Alpine’s season hits a new low – and Ocon exits
Alpine were another team embroiled in drama following events in Monaco – thanks primarily to their two drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly coming together on Lap 1.
The former’s bold inside lunge turned into disaster when he mounted the latter’s car, briefly went airborne and then came crashing back down onto the tarmac, leaving both cars with damage.
Ocon was deemed at fault for the incident and slapped with a 10-second penalty – which became a five-place grid drop in Canada as he was forced to retire after the clash in Monaco – but more words would have undoubtedly been said behind closed doors.
Considering the team had started the season as arguably the slowest on the grid, it was a problem that hardly helped their predicament, and given Ocon and Gasly’s long-time rivalry it brought another level of scrutiny on their partnership at the Enstone squad.
Until the next week however, when Alpine announced they would be parting ways with Ocon at the end of the 2024 season after five years together.
2024 Monaco Grand Prix: Gasly furious after Ocon sent airborne in clash between the two Alpines
Verstappen vs Norris reaches its first boiling point
With the F1 circus in Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix – a week after Verstappen’s triumph in Spain – we got our first insight into how intense the battle could be at the front between the Red Bull man and Norris.
After a slow pit stop for Red Bull put the Dutchman into the clutches of the chasing McLaren, what followed was some incredible on-track drama as – lap after lap – the Briton tried to get past.
That is until the two collided, with both dropping out of the lead of the race – while Mercedes’ George Russell was left to inherit the win via a cry of “you can win this George!” over the radio from his team boss.
Verstappen would ultimately finish fifth while Norris would retire, and it wouldn’t be the last time we would talk about these two coming together.
Hamilton ends his 945-day win drought
After all the success, all the titles and all the records – the 2024 British Grand Prix arguably gave us Lewis Hamilton’s most emotional victory after a win drought of 945 days.
With the seven-time world champion openly speaking about his doubts over whether he was good enough anymore, the scenes at Silverstone as he took a record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix victory will live long in the memory as the feel-good moment of the year.
It really was a fairytale storyline in the making, and a special moment in his and Mercedes’ farewell season.
Hamilton secured a fairytale victory at the British Grand Prix to end his 945-day win drought
Piastri’s first Grand Prix win as McLaren team orders come into play
In just his second F1 season, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri would take his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary – but in a controversial manner with the team’s 1-2 dominated by a team orders debate.
Having taken the lead at the start from his pole-sitting team mate, Piastri would control affairs from the front until Norris – rather than the Australian – was called into pit first. That saw the Briton gain the lead via the undercut with the team imploring him for much of the race to give the position back to Piastri.
With plenty of back and forth over the radio, Norris would eventually relent on Lap 68 of 70.
Hamilton’s second win of the season, via a Russell disqualification
The final race weekend before the summer break saw George Russell – hailed on the day as the “tyre whisperer” by Wolff – superbly one-stop his way to Belgian Grand Prix victory.
With the podium celebrations done and champagne sprayed, news then came through that the Mercedes man’s car had been found to be overweight, promoting initial runner-up Lewis Hamilton to winner.
George Russell was disqualified for an underweight car in Belgium, with Hamilton inheriting the win
Carlos Sainz signs for Williams
The dust had barely settled from that Belgian Grand Prix result and disqualification when – just as we were all gearing up for a summer break rest – it was confirmed where Sainz was heading after losing his Ferrari seat to Hamilton.
In the end Williams Team Principal James Vowles – who had long courted the Spaniard – got his man with the Spaniard signing a multi-year deal.
Another new Alpine Team Principal
With the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix weekend dominated news wise by the departure of Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, there was a sense of déjà vu when, at this year’s event in Spa, the team announced replacement Bruno Famin would also be moving away from the role.
The Enstone squad – now with the returning Flavio Briatore installed as Executive Advisor – would soon announce Famin’s replacement in the summer break with Hitech Grand Prix founder Oliver Oakes joining.
A former racing driver himself, Oakes would become the second-youngest Team Principal in F1 history with a tough task ahead of him in turning around the team's fortunes.
Carlos Sainz would eventually decide to sign for Williams
Franco Colapinto replaces Logan Sargeant
With Norris basking in Dutch Grand Prix glory after the summer break, at the other end of the grid Williams’ Logan Sargeant was looking back on a particularly tough weekend.
The American had crashed his updated car heavily in Zandvoort and was still facing up to the knowledge that he would be making way for Carlos Sainz in 2025.
But that weekend proved to be his last with the team as it was soon announced F2 racer Franco Colapinto would be contesting the rest of the season in Sargeant’s place.
Antonelli is confirmed as Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement
Following months of speculation after Hamilton’s aforementioned move to Ferrari was announced, we finally had confirmation as to who would be replacing the seven-time world champion at Mercedes – 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Silver Arrows protégé would complete his rapid rise to Formula 1 – having taken part in F2 this season after skipping F3 – with Toto Wolff freely admitting the team were “prepared to take the risk on maturity in terms of the pressure of F1.”
Wolff on signing 'superstar' Antonelli
Leclerc’s magical Monza masterclass
Following his exploits at his home race in Monaco, Leclerc utilised a bold one-stop strategy to hold onto the lead and win Ferrari’s home race in Monza – holding off the McLarens of Piastri and Norris.
It was a masterful strategy call that sent the tifosi wild and marked out Ferrari as dark horses in the championship conversation.
Newey signs for Aston Martin
Following the May announcement that Newey would be leaving Red Bull, a week after Monza his next destination was confirmed – Aston Martin had won the race.
Unveiled at a special event as the Silverstone team’s new Managing Technical Partner, it was the offer of partnership and shareholding that brought added appeal to the designer.
Team owner Lawrence Stroll was understandably ecstatic to land Newey, calling him a ‘bargain’, while it signalled to the rest of F1 just what a force Aston Martin could be in the future.
Newey shares the key factors that attracted him to Aston Martin
A Baku thriller sees Piastri come out on top
Oscar Piastri’s win in Azerbaijan will be remembered for all the right reasons by the Australian – no team orders here, just masterful defence.
With the McLaren man expertly pinching the lead from Leclerc with a Turn 1 move, he would fend off the Ferrari for lap after lap around the streets of Baku.
On top of this there was also a thrilling battle for the podium between Sainz and Perez – the Mexican having a stellar weekend as he fought to regain form – with the pair eventually finishing proceedings in the wall after a high-speed collision.
Farewell Daniel Ricciardo
With Norris securing a dominant victory in Singapore and Verstappen’s win drought going on, all eyes were soon on RB’s Daniel Ricciardo in Marina Bay with rumours swirling the fan favourite could be about to be dropped.
Sure enough the news came that Singapore had indeed been the Australian’s last race for the team, and possibly ever in F1, with his emotion on Sunday seeming to be an indicator that this was coming.
Back in the seat was last season’s super-sub Liam Lawson, who was handed an opportunity to show what he was capable of until the season’s end.
Daniel Ricciardo's last race for RB proved to be in Singapore, with Liam Lawson replacing the Australian for the rest of the season
Verstappen vs Norris ramps up again
As we embarked on the penultimate triple header of the season, and with Norris seemingly closing in bit by bit on Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship, the heat turned up in Austin and Mexico.
In the first race Norris was penalised for overtaking Verstappen off the track, dropping him to fourth at the flag with Verstappen in third, while in Mexico City the Red Bull driver notched up 20 seconds worth of penalties as he fought the Briton for P2.
All of that saw Verstappen’s championship lead cut to 47 points ahead of the final race of the triple header, Sao Paulo…
A Brazilian epic
What a monumental weekend this proved to be. After Norris had been gifted Saturday’s Sprint win by his team mate, the heavens opened in Sao Paulo and drenched the circuit – forcing qualifying to be held on Sunday morning.
Norris would take pole, Verstappen would exit in Q2 – with a five-place engine penalty dropping him to a P17 spot on the grid. Things couldn’t have been going any better for Norris and his own championship ambitions.
What followed was a wet weather drive for the ages with Verstappen rising up the order to take a simply sensational victory, while Norris would only finish sixth thanks to mistakes of his own.
With just three races left of the season, Verstappen had very nearly put the championship out of reach with that result – his first Grand Prix win since Spain no less. Oh, and Alpine took a double podium!
2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Max Verstappen Brazil Masterclass
The driver market falls into place
Post Brazil, one of the final driver market pieces fell into place as Kick Sauber announced F2 star Gabriel Bortoleto would be joining the outfit in 2025 alongside Nico Hulkenberg (the German driver moving from Haas).
As a result it meant we’d be looking at a vastly different grid in 2025, with the likes of Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu and former Mercedes racer Valtteri Bottas some of those left without seats.
Meanwhile we’d have rookies Ollie Bearman (Haas), Bortoleto, Antonelli and Jack Doohan (Alpine) to watch.
Verstappen’s fourth title
With much of the work done in Brazil, Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive drivers’ title in Las Vegas courtesy of a fifth-placed finish, while Norris would finish behind him in sixth.
It was another accolade that cemented the Dutchman’s place among the greats of F1, as he joined Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as four-time world champions.
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Verstappen took his fourth consecutive drivers' title in Las Vegas
The General Motors/Cadillac F1 project
Just a day after the Las Vegas Grand Prix it was confirmed that Formula 1 had reached an agreement in principle to support bringing GM/Cadillac as the 11th team in the field in 2026.
News followed in early December that former Marussia Sporting Director Graeme Lowdon had been appointed Team Principal while it was announced later in the month that Ferrari had entered into an agreement to supply the team with power units and gearboxes starting in 2026, the year in which the manufacturer could potentially join the grid.
READ MORE: Ferrari agree to supply General Motors F1 project with power units and gearboxes
Ocon exits Alpine early
There was still time for the driver market to throw us another late curveball as Alpine announced Esteban Ocon would be released early ahead of the Abu Dhabi finale.
Stepping up to race would be his 2025 replacement Doohan, with the French team saying the move would allow Ocon to drive for his new squad Haas at the end-of-season test.
Ocon left Alpine with just one race left to go of the season
McLaren’s first constructors’ title since 1998
As the grid rocked up for the Abu Dhabi finale – the 24th race weekend of the year – the constructors’ title was on the line with Ferrari and McLaren vying for glory, Red Bull having since dropped out of the race.
Norris would go on to execute a flawless display at the Yas Marina Circuit as he dominated to win the race. Even though Sainz and Leclerc would take the final podium spots, McLaren had done enough to secure their first constructors’ championship in 26 years.
Perez leaves Red Bull, and Lawson steps up
As the season came to its end there were still two final driver market pieces that needed sorting – and it wasn’t long before we found out that Sergio Perez was paying the price for his 2024 form.
The Mexican was confirmed to be leaving Red Bull while, the next day, the team announced Lawson would be stepping up as Verstappen’s team mate for 2025.
The day after that F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar was confirmed at RB alongside Yuki Tsunoda, meaning another rookie to look out for next year. Finally – after Hamilton kicked things off with his Ferrari announcement in February – we had our 2025 grid.
How McLaren won the 2024 Constructors' Championship
Bottas returns home
While Red Bull were getting their driver line-up in order, it was also confirmed Bottas wouldn’t be waving goodbye to F1 completely.
The Finn would be returning to Mercedes, where he’d scored all 10 of his Grand Prix wins, as reserve driver with the view to trying to get back on the grid for 2026.
ANALYSIS: Why Bottas' return to Mercedes makes perfect sense for both sides
Okay…and breathe
If anything sums up the eventful 2024 F1 season then it’s this list, which still has some notable omissions, but this feature had to end at some point.
With any luck 2025 will give us just as much excitement as 2024 has – and if there’s one award we can give out to the hardest worker of the year, then it’s our social media breaking news graphic. We get the feeling it might be making a comeback on a few occasions next year…
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