By Stefania Zajdel
The 2023 Formula One season was completely dominated by Red Bull and many fans hoped and prayed that 2024 would bring a change. They wanted to see more winners, more teams at the front of the field, and perhaps most importantly, a true fight for the championship. Tensions rose as they gathered in front of their TVs to watch the season opener and then… Nothing changed. Max Verstappen claimed his first victory in the brand new RB20 (Red Bull’s car for the 2024 season), finishing the race over 20 seconds before any of his opponents. The unbeatable Red Bull was seemingly faster than ever, and a third double-championship for the team seemed all but inevitable.
The season went on until something quite unexpected happened. Out of nowhere, the tide shifted away from Red Bull and towards the teams who spent the past few seasons watching the back of Verstappen’s car and cursing as he beat them again and again. Ferrari was the first team to “steal” a win from the reigning champion and both McLaren and Mercedes quickly followed in their footsteps. Week after week different drivers stood on the podium and it was becoming increasingly hard to predict which team would come out on top.
It was also a season filled with incredibly important victories. Both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, achieved their first career wins (an achievement also known as a driver’s maiden win), Lewis Hamilton ended his long winless streak with a home victory, and of course, Charles Leclerc broke the “Monaco curse” and, for the first time ever, won on the streets of the city he had been born and raised in.
Even though by the time the season ended Verstappen managed to win the WDC (World Drivers’ Championship) for the fourth time in a row, Red Bull did not score enough points to hold onto the WCC (World Constructors’ Championship). That title went to the British McLaren. Seven out of the 23 drivers became multiple race winners, setting a new record.
Overall, the season was seen as one of the most exciting ones in recent years. But do AUC students agree with this statement?
David León Huertas, a third-year Social Science student and a Spanish fan of Fernando Alonso, had followed his career for years. While the two-time world champion still has a special place in his heart, a certain Dutchman’s recent winning streak led to him adding a name to his list of favourites. “Most people want to support a driver who wins so my second favourite driver, the one I now support, is Max Verstappen,” he says. When it came to the 2024 season, he agreed with the general consensus. “It was interesting, even though I haven’t watched every single race. It started with Max being very dominant but then, after the first break, it completely changed. McLaren had made a supercar and Lando became a contestant for the WDC. That was crazy because it came out of nowhere.” While seeing the average McLaren suddenly turn into a WCC winning machine surprised him, it did not take away from the joy of seeing Verstappen take the individual trophy home.
But will Huertas continue rooting for Verstappen next season? “I was never a Hamilton fan because I don’t like when winners win all the time. Well that, and because of the Fernando/Lewis dilemma from many seasons ago,” he says, referring to a very heated 2007 season, in which the two both drove for McLaren and could not seem to get along as teammates. He goes on to say that since Verstappen has already won four championships in a row, he is slowly becoming a winner who wins all the time. Because of that, Huertas would rather see someone else win the WDC. “If the next season will be anything like the second half of this one, I’m going to be pretty happy.”
Nicolas Catuogno, a second-year Social Science student, started off with a somewhat controversial opinion when he stated “I’m a Ferrari fan because I’m Italian, but I am also a McLaren fan.” For the people not that interested in the world of motorsports, it may not seem strange but the two teams had been hard rivals for decades, and usually fans of one cannot stand the other. “I love McLaren because they are a historic team but also because of their driver pairing, and because their team principal was born on the same day and in the same town I was born in,” he explains jokingly. “Obviously, I’m first and foremost a Ferrari fan but if Norris had won the WDC I would have been happy.” When asked about Verstappen he admits that while it is undeniable that the Dutchman’s winning streak is impressive, he isn’t his favourite type of driver.
In terms of the latest season, Catuogno doesn’t quite agree with most fans. “The last few seasons have been more interesting to me, especially after Mercedes domination ended. This one wasn’t boring, but I usually prefer the first few seasons after new regulations are introduced, those are always fun. Then you get a bit more used to it.” While he does admit that the Norris-Verstappen title fight added to the thrill, because of its predictable outcome it wasn’t quite enough to get him hooked on the season.
Catuogno also shares his hopes and predictions for the upcoming season. “I’m going to root for Charles Leclerc. But I’m also excited to see what happens in McLaren with Piastri and Norris, since I don’t think Piastri can accept being the second driver anymore. My bold prediction is that a switch between Lawson and Piastri is very plausible. And one of my favourite young drivers, Oliver Bearman, is joining the grid this season so I hope he does well.”
Dimitra Klavdianou, a first-year Humanities student, was quick to state who was her favourite on the grid. “You could say Red Bull is my favourite team, but I’m more in it for Verstappen than the team as a whole,” she says. She also agrees that the season was one of the better ones. “It was very exciting, although quite stressful, especially after a certain point. It wasn’t just that all the teams were more equal but that there was a lot more unpredictability. Like the crash in Austria, or everything that happened in Brazil in the rain. It just had a lot of surprises.” She admits that she’s quite happy with the result, and that the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix was her unquestionable favourite.
Klavdianou also shares her experience of finding time to watch races during the academic year. “I usually watch with friends. For the second half of the season, after I had already gotten here [to Amsterdam], I always watched with friends. We usually watch in their dorms, not in the bars,” she explains, continuing, “It’s easy for me to find the time and the people to watch with. I mean, it’s only like three hours every weekend, that’s nothing!”
So, if you’re thinking of taking up Formula One as your new hobby, you will always find someone to share the thrills of a Grand Prix weekend with, no matter which team you decide to support. But if you want to make it easy for yourself, choose Verstappen as your favourite driver – it seems like most of AUC’s motorsport fans have him in their top three.
The Herring 