Catching Up On the F1 Track
Over the past few weeks of races, a lot of exciting news has come and gone in Formula One. From contracts changing, hectic races, and other behind-the-scenes changes, this year, and next, have been full of anticipation.
This past weekend’s race in São Paulo, Brazil was nothing less of chaotic excitement, with the wet conditions making it anybody’s game. The many crashes and off-roading incidents made this race quite abnormal.
Nico Hulkenberg received the first black flag since 2007 for outside assistance when his car spun off, disqualifying him. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly secured their first-ever double podium finish alongside the winner, Max Verstappen.
As it stands, Verstappen leads the drivers championship by 62 points, followed by Lando Norris in second and Charles Leclerc in third place.
The constructors similarly have three of the same teams fighting, only with Mclaren in first, Ferrari in second, and Red Bull third.
On top of this, a couple of major driver updates have been released in recent days. Formula 2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto will join Nico Hulkenberg at Kick Sauber (which will become Audi in 2026), replacing this year’s drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.
It is still uncertain where rookie driver Franco Colapinto will end up, but he is rumored to be in discussion with other teams, with Red Bull being the most notable. After replacing Logan Sargent this year, Colapinto has scored points on two occasions, and is yet to finish below P12.
Oliver Bearman, on the other hand, is making history as well, becoming the third youngest driver ever to start a grand prix. After taking over a couple of times for ill/injured drivers, Bearman became the youngest driver to score points in his first race. The British driver is currently a reserve for Ferrari and Haas, but will race full-time for Haas in 2025.
With many more new faces coming in and well-known ones leaving, who knows what else can happen toward the end of the 2024 season?
