By admin All eyes are on the title fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris as we enter the final stages of the Formula 1 season, but there are also several other key storylines unfolding.
Red Bull’s Verstappen leads McLaren’s Norris by 52 points with six rounds remaining, and the latter’s significant recent pace advantage raises hopes for an exciting finale.
After a break of almost a month, the season will resume next weekend in wild style as the United States Grand Prix kicks off a triple win ahead of races in Mexico and Brazil.
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All the best bits from Max Verstappen vs. Lando Norris’ 2024 title battle so far, with six more race weekends to go
There is another two-weekend break before another three back-to-back races to end the season in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
You can watch every session – starting on Friday in Austin – live on Sky Sports F1, but what else is worth paying attention to beyond Norris’ pursuit of Verstappen.
Can McLaren lock up the constructors’ title?
Although it is the drivers’ title that attracts most of the media and fan attention, McLaren has throughout insisted that their first goal is to win the constructors’ championship.
They are on track to do so after building a 41-point lead over Red Bull at the top of the standings, but that could theoretically be overturned in one weekend.
This result seems unlikely, given that McLaren was the fastest car in the field since the summer break, and its closest rival was Ferrari.
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Sky F1’s Martin Brundle explains how McLaren went from a poor start to the 2023 season to current Constructors’ Championship leader Red Bull
Red Bull is expected to bring improvements to Austin that they hope will cure some of the RB20’s problems, but their car’s performance isn’t the only problem.
Even if they do manage to start challenging for wins again in the final weeks of the season, McLaren’s No. 2 driver (if not in terms of official status), Oscar Piastri, is in a different league to Red Bull Perez’s Sergio.
Therefore, it is very difficult to imagine a situation in which McLaren will not manage to close the championship, and the 75-point advantage over third-place Ferrari will leave the Italian team with an advantage that is equally difficult to overcome.
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Lando Norris cruised to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, overtaking title rival Max Verstappen, while McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri took the podium
While it may be expected at this stage, the feat of rising from the back of the field in the early stages of last season to the Constructors’ Championship in 2024 will be one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in the history of the sport.
Given how much a first Constructors’ Crown since 1998 will mean to the Woking outfit, it will be fascinating to see if any stage fright emerges as they try to finish the job.
Further down the table, RB leads Haas with three points in the fight for sixth place, while Williams is three points ahead of Alpine in eighth.
Hamilton is close to saying goodbye to Mercedes
The final chapters of Lewis Hamilton’s historic partnership with Mercedes will be written.
With just six races left before the seven-time world champion joins Ferrari in 2025, there is likely to be more and more excitement in the Silver Arrows’ garage.
While there is no doubt that Hamilton will leave on good terms, there were some signs of strain in the relationship between driver and team before the break.
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Lewis Hamilton almost had a disastrous moment when he drove his Mercedes into the pit lane
After overcoming problems in qualifying to finish third on the grid in Singapore, Hamilton’s hopes of converting that position into a podium were dashed by the decision to start the race on soft tires.
It was clear from his conversations on team radio that Hamilton was not particularly happy, but he did not speak to the media after the race when Mercedes announced that both he and team-mate George Russell were suffering from overheating.
Although conditions in Singapore are widely considered to be the most difficult on the calendar, it was quite surprising that Hamilton, who prides himself on his fitness, was not fit enough to fulfill his media duties.
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Toto Wolff told Lewis Hamilton on team radio that it was a “horror race” as the Mercedes driver finished ninth after starting from the pit lane in Azerbaijan
A week after the race, he took to social media to assure that everything was “fine” between him and the team, but that the frustration after Singapore’s strategy error was “natural.”
Given that a lot of time has passed, it would be very surprising if anything other than a united front was presented at Thursday’s media day in Austin, a track Hamilton loves to drive at.
Even though it will certainly be a sad but celebratory farewell, it will certainly be fun to watch the end of the Hamilton and Mercedes era in the coming weeks.
Can Lawson make a statement upon his return?
There’s a (old) new face coming to Austin.
After his episode last season when Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand, Liam Lawson this time permanently secured a place for the Australian in the RB squad.
Red Bull’s hierarchy, which has the final say on the junior line-up, ran out of patience with Ricciardo and gave Lawson six races to prove himself.
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On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Anthony Davidson says Liam Lawson needs to make headlines at RB by beating Yuki Tsunoda to give him the chance to race for Red Bull
Unless he performs exceptionally poorly, which would be surprising, Lawson appears to be assured of a spot for 2025, but there is a change.
If he exceeds expectations and Perez’s problems continue at Red Bull, it does not seem that a step up to next season’s position alongside Verstappen would be out of the question.
The 22-year-old New Zealander faces quite a lot of pressure, but at the same time a great opportunity.
Red Bull appears to have no interest in promoting fellow RB official Yuki Tsunoda to its top squad, but if the Japanese driver clearly outperforms Lawson and Perez continues to struggle, his case could strengthen.
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Sky Sports’ Craig Slater believes Daniel Ricciardo will not return to F1 in the future, and also speculates whether Liam Lawson driving for RB until the end of the season could open up an opportunity at Red Bull
Another young driver looking to continue to prove himself in the final stages of the season will be Franco Colapinto.
The 21-year-old Argentine has exceeded expectations in his three races since replacing Logan Sargeant, especially in qualifying and finishing eighth in Azerbaijan.
Although Williams has signed Carlos Sainz, who will drive alongside Alex Albon next season, Colapinto is quickly establishing himself as a contender for any other future positions.
Will the curse saga continue?
There are always side events in F1, and the latest example of this is the row between Verstappen and the FIA over a driver swearing.
The three-time world champion was handed a penalty and ordered to perform community service equivalent to F1 by the sport’s governing body for using an expletive at a pre-race press conference in Singapore.
Verstappen’s choice of language came just hours after the publication of an interview with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in which he said he wanted fewer radio messages containing profanity on television during races.
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Max Verstappen attended a surprising post-qualifying press conference in Singapore as he refused to answer questions fully after receiving a ban for swearing
The Dutchman responded by refusing to provide detailed answers at official FIA press conferences for the remainder of the weekend, instead opting to address the media accordingly in other television interviews and written briefings.
After the Singapore race, Verstappen said “stupid” rules could impact how long he wants to stay in the sport, which some saw as a threat.
Not only did Ben Sulayem anger the world championship leader, but the FIA boss pulled off the impressive feat of uniting Verstappen and one-time great rival Hamilton by stating that he did not believe the Red Bull driver should serve a penalty.
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On the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Guenther Steiner gives his opinion on Max Verstappen receiving community service for swearing at a press conference
Hamilton previously criticized Ben Sulayem’s initial comments, believing there was a “racial element” in associating swear words with rap music.
It can be assumed that the FIA will use the break to try to reach an agreement with Verstappen, who is unlikely to give much insight on the matter.
While ideally the situation can be resolved and focus can be placed on a great title fight, facing two of the most powerful drivers in the sport is the latest mistake for Ben Sulayem in a tenure that has been far more controversial than necessary.
Sky Sports F1 United States GP schedule live
Thursday, October 17
20:00: Drivers’ press conference
Friday October 18
18:00: First practice of the United States GP (session starts at 18:30*)
20:30: Press conference of team directors
22:00: United States GP Sprint Qualifying (qualifying starts at 22:30*)
Saturday, October 19
18:00: Preparation for the United States GP sprint
7:00 p.m.: United States GP Sprint
20:30: Ted’s sprint notebook
22:00: Preparation for qualifying for the United States GP*
23:00: Qualifying for the United States GP*
(Sunday) 1:00: Ted’s qualifying notebook
Sunday, October 20
18:30: Grand Prix Sunday: Preparations for the United States GP*
20:00: UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX*
22:00: Checkered Flag: US GP reaction
23:00: Ted’s notebook
*also live on Sky Sports main event (Sunday race build-up from 7:15 p.m.)
With just six races left in Formula 1 2024, the season will resume with the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 18-20, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership – no contract, cancel at any time