Revealed: The real winners and losers from the F1 2024 season

The F1 2024 season turned out to be far better than expected with some surprise winners and surprise losers throughout the year.

A predicted Red Bull dominant season did not transpire and there were plenty more stories up and down the F1 grid.

Winners and losers of the F1 2024 season

Winners

McLaren

Winning the title was always part of the plan for McLaren but they will be the first to admit, the reward has come a season early.

Andrea Stella in particular has masterminded a turnaround in the team’s fortunes to the point that when Red Bull’s stranglehold on the championship loosened, it was McLaren who were there to take advantage.

A mixture of smart choices when it came to driver lineup and car development meant that for a good portion of the year, the MCL38 was the quickest car on the grid.

McLaren did not maximise that advantage quite as well as they should have but the consistent scoring from both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri meant the title went back to Woking for the first time since 1998.

FOM and the fans

When Red Bull won all but one race in 2023, there would have been a few in FOM Towers wondering where this leaves them.

While 2023 was an incredible sporting achievement, it made hyping up F1 a particularly hard task. After all, who wants to watch a race when you know who is going to win?

Verstappen’s four wins in five races to open the year gave everyone a feeling we were in for a similar season this year, but 2024 turned out to be a remarkable season.

Seven different winning drivers, five different pole sitters, 10 different drivers on the podium, nine different lap leaders, no more than two consecutive races won by the same team and a different name on the Constructors’ title.

2024 turned into one of the best seasons in years and had Verstappen not got such a good start, it may well have been up there with 2021 for drama.

Both FOM and the fans will be hoping for more to come next season.

General Motors

At times it looked as if a 11th team would never be a reality but behind-the-scenes, General Motors have negotiated a deal that sees their Cadillac brand put on the grid.

With Ford’s arrival as Red Bull partners in 2026, Formula 1 has become the home of the world’s biggest car companies and for GM, that meant an opportunity too good to miss.

Starting initially as a team, they will become an engine supplier later down the years and it could have the same positive impact that Mercedes experienced when they rejoined the grid in 2010.

Max Verstappen

Another title-winning season means Max Verstappen has to be included in this list but of his four successes, this may be the achievement that most shows it is not all about the car.

The RB20 failed to match the level set by the RB19 and after a positive start, it came down to how much Verstappen could extract from a car he openly disliked.

Unbalanced, slower in key areas than their rivals and a development path that did not bring the pace the team had hoped for – Verstappen needed every inch of his driving skill to earn enough points to creep to the title.

No win from Spain to Sao Paulo is a remarkable statistic considering his season last year but in the end, the Dutchman got it done.

Lando Norris

A coming-of-age season for Lando Norris, even if it did not end with the title.

It seems a long time ago now but Norris entered 2024 without a win and struggling to make the conversion from promising young driver to title contender – but this season has seen him do exactly that.

Four wins including his best in Singapore put him in contention but there is still work to do for the McLaren man if he wants to topple Verstappen next season.

Franco Colapinto

A driver who did not look likely to have a future in F1 was propelled into the limelight once Williams decided to give Logan Sargeant the boot and Colapinto more than took his opportunity.

Points in Baku and Austin, combined with substantial sponsorship opportunities, made him one of the hottest young prospects in F1, causing Red Bull to take an interest, and even though his season did whimper out, he has at least made himself a name in the F1 paddock.

Will he get back in? Time will tell but his chances of doing that are far better now than they were at the start of 2024.

More on the 2024 F1 season from PlanetF1.com

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Losers

FIA

Another year, another few hits to the FIA’s reputation.

It was a season that saw Mohammed Ben Sulayem focus on precisely the wrong areas and one that saw more crucial matters overlooked.

Stewarding was under the spotlight and the chopping and changing of senior staff meant even drivers felt like they had no idea what was going on.

Ben Sulayem enters into the final year of his term but is determined to win re-election.

Andretti

On January 1 2024, Andretti were a team with FIA approval hoping they could convince FOM to grant them an F1 spot.

On January 1 2025, that dream will be all but dead.

To the surprise of many, an 11th team has been given the green light but it was a categorical denial of Andretti by FOM. A bid led by GM, who were once Andretti’s greatest asset, has morphed into the Cadillac team and the only hint of the American family is Mario Andretti’s board member role.

It is a big defeat for Michael Andretti who also gave up ownership of Andretti Global this year.

Daniel Ricciardo

A season many thought was an audition for the Red Bull seat ended with the Australian out of the sport entirely.

It was a poor season for Ricciardo and one where the all too familiar mental blocks of his time at McLaren were on display again.

A good race was followed by a couple poor ones and his inability to beat Yuki Tsunoda meant putting him in Perez’s seat was never an option.

His time in F1 looks done for good.

Valtteri Bottas

In many ways, the worst thing you can say about Valtteri Bottas’ season is that it was just so forgettable.

Sitting in the 15th century Guildhall in London at the start of the year, Bottas was front and centre as Sauber promised a new era. A striking new look complete with a new name promised much but ultimately it failed to deliver.

Just four points for the whole season show how dismal a year it was for Stake and it was one that may well have cost Bottas his F1 career.

Too much focus was placed on Audi’s arrival and despite his desire to stay, Bottas will be watching from afar when the German manufacturer finally arrives.

Red Bull

Going into the season, betting on anyone but Red Bull to win the title would have seemed foolish but not only did they surrender their crown, they slipped down to third in the order – their lowest spot since 2019.

While Verstappen was able to retain his title, it was a tumultuous year for Red Bull and one that has seen them end the season worse than they started it.

Factions warring, their chief designer departing and a driver who is misfiring so poorly that he may well lose his seat before the next season starts.

For a team that was once famed for making ruthlessly efficient decisions, their stalling has left them vulnerable.

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