pisilinuxworld.org

As Formula 1 returns after its summer break, Sky Sports F1 have collated everything you need to know going into the final 10 races of the 2024 season.

Almost four weeks on from Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Spa, the drivers will return to the track in Zandvoort on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.

Everything is to play for with world championship leader Max Verstappen attempting to close out a fourth successive drivers’ title despite his Red Bull team’s remarkable streak of dominance appearing to have ended.

There is also a hugely competitive battle playing out in the Constructors’ Championship, with Red Bull under increasing pressure from McLaren and Mercedes.

Regardless of results, there will undoubtedly be emotional scenes at Mercedes as Hamilton enters the final stages of his historic stint with the team ahead of his move to Ferrari.

Meanwhile, the 2025 grid still needs completing, with the question of who will replace the seven-time world champion at Mercedes still to be answered.

What has happened to this point?

Verstappen began his campaign in the sort of dominant form that saw him break just about every record in the book, winning four of the first five races and only being denied a strong shot at victory in Australia by a reliability issue that forced him to retire from the race.

The chief beneficiary on that day was Carlos Sainz, who remarkably returned to the cockpit less than two weeks after having his appendix removed to lead home a Ferrari one-two from Charles Leclerc.

Ferrari had established themselves as Red Bull’s closest challengers as they secured a podium finish at each of the first four races, but a new contender would soon emerge.

McLaren had started on the back foot after admitting ahead of the season they had failed to get their car where they wanted to, but upgrades that arrived for the fifth race in China would catapult the papaya cars back into contention.

Lando Norris took second in Shanghai before finally claiming his maiden F1 win next time out in Miami, a weekend since which McLaren have been in contention for victory at just about every race.

Leclerc took advantage of Ferrari’s slow-speed corner prowess to break his ‘Monaco curse’ by winning at his home circuit, but the Italian squad would then drop out of contention at the front.

Verstappen displayed his brilliance to edge out Norris in Canada and Spain as a duel developed, with the battle reaching boiling point in Austria as the pair collided in the closing stages when battling for the lead, gifting George Russell and Mercedes a first victory of the season.

The uplifting result for Mercedes came after a series of upgrades, but the gains they had made didn’t become fully apparent until Hamilton ended a 56-race winless streak with a record ninth British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone.

The season got a seventh different winner as Oscar Piastri claimed victory in Hungary, but the Australian’s maiden Grand Prix win was somewhat overshadowed by a McLaren team orders drama that saw Norris refuse to let his team-mate back into the lead for a long period before finally relenting.

In the final race before the break, Mercedes laid down a statement as Russell pulled off a one-stop strategy to lead Hamilton home in a one-two, only for the former to later be disqualified for his car having slipped marginally under the minimum legal weight.

Can Verstappen hold on to drivers’ crown?

Largely thanks to his dominant start to the season, Verstappen possesses a 78-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers’ standings.

Leclerc is exactly 100 points behind Verstappen in third, while Piastri is a further 10 points back in fourth, with both seemingly too far adrift to mount a late charge.

Verstappen was fortunate that his collision with Norris in Austria – that he was adjudged to have caused – ultimately saw him gain 10 points on the Brit.

With Norris also having been guilty of failing to capitalise on several weekends where he appeared to have the fastest car, Verstappen’s lead could have easily been significantly smaller at this stage.

However, with the standings as they are, it is going to take something historic for Norris to chase down the Dutchman from here, with Mercedes’ emergence as a contender for race victories only serving to stiffen his task.

Ultimately, for Norris to have a realistic chance of taking a shock first F1 title, he will need Verstappen to suffer multiple retirements between now and the end of the season.

McLaren closing in on Red Bull in constructors’ battle

Red Bull possess a 42-point lead over McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, but the Woking squad have all the momentum heading into the final stretch.

That gap was 99 points after five rounds but a shocking drop-off in form from Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez that has seen him claim just 28 points across the last eight races, has effectively made it a two-versus-one for McLaren.

Norris and Piastri have consistently combined to outscore Verstappen, and many were surprised by Red Bull’s announcement at the start of the summer break that they would be keeping Perez for at least the remainder of the season.

Unless the Mexican somehow manages to regain his form over the summer, Verstappen appears powerless to prevent McLaren from claiming a first constructors’ crown since 1998.

Ferrari are theoretically still in contention with just a 63-point gap to Red Bull, but the third-placed squad’s lack of form means that they are more likely looking over their shoulder at the threat of being displaced by Mercedes.

The Silver Arrows are 79 points back from Ferrari and team principal Toto Wolff has stated his ambition to chase down Hamilton’s future employers.

The battle at the front could be impacted by a mid-season change to the sport’s technical regulations, the banning of asymmetric braking, which can help address the conflict between the low-speed understeer and high-speed oversteer.

The FIA did not disclose whether a team had been using such a system or whether the change was a result of a team seeking clarification on the matter for future development plans, but a drop off in speed over the coming weeks for one of the top teams may be viewed suspiciously.

Aston Martin have a firm grip on fifth despite an underwhelming campaign to this point, while RB hold a seven-point lead over Haas in the battle for sixth. Sauber are the only team still without a point.

Which races are still to come?

There are 10 rounds remaining, three of which are Sprint weekends.

The season resumes with four races across five weekends, with a back-to-back in the Netherlands and Italy followed by a week break before another double-header in Azerbaijan and Singapore.

There are then three successive weekends off to allow the teams and drivers to prepare for two triple headers to end the season.

The first comes exclusively in the Americas with Austin, Mexico and Brazil hosting before another week off.

It’s then back to Las Vegas for the stunning spectacle of F1 cars speeding down the strip, before the season comes to a close with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Austin, Brazil and Qatar are Sprint weekends, sure to provide additional drama and crucial extra points for championship battles.

Which 2025 seats are yet to be filled?

Sainz signing for Williams at the start of the summer break has left just four seats open for 2025, with one each belonging to Mercedes, RB, Alpine and Sauber.

The most desirable remaining drive is undoubtedly replacing Hamilton alongside Russell at Mercedes, and there is a very clear favourite to land the seat.

Sainz, who had been linked with Mercedes, joining Williams was the latest sign that Wolff is going to gamble on Italian teenager Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli, who will turn 18 on Sunday.

The young star produced a couple of timely victories in Formula 2 in the weeks before the summer break, and the only thing that could stop him getting the seat at this point would appear to be Verstappen making a surprise exit from Red Bull.

There is also a fair amount of certainty around who Alpine will give their second seat, with reserve driver Jack Doohan expected to finally get his chance in F1.

The uncertainty at RB stems from the top of the Red Bull system. Sergio Perez is technically contracted for two more seasons, but his dismal form has created doubt over whether he will get the chance to start the extension he signed in June.

That has resulted in speculation that either RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo or Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson could take the seat. Tsunoda is contracted for another season with RB, but Ricciardo has somewhat bizarrely yet to be assured of his RB future while also being linked with a promotion.

Red Bull are likely to want to see how Perez gets on over the coming weeks before making a decision across their two teams.

Finally, the Sauber team – that will become Audi in 2026 – have yet to confirm a team-mate for incoming driver Nico Hulkenberg. Incumbent Valtteri Bottas would appear to be the favourite, but no deal has been agreed despite an apparent lack of strong alternatives.

Changes at the top for Sauber and Alpine

A possible cause of the delay over a decision on Bottas at Sauber is some significant changes in the team’s management.

Former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took up his dual positions as chief operating and chief technical officer at Sauber at the start of August and may have brought a new perspective to the team’s driver line-up.

Sauber have also appointed Jonathan Wheatley as their new team principal, but the long-time Red Bull sporting director will not be able to take up his role until next season.

There will be a new team principal in the paddock in Zandvoort, with Alpine having hired 36-year-old Brit Oliver Oakes to take charge of the struggling squad.

Wheatley is the latest key figure to leave Red Bull, following chief technical officer Adrian Newey leaving his role earlier this season.

Newey’s exit had been linked to the atmosphere at the team amid tensions between team principal Christian Horner and Verstappen’s management team, most notably his father Jos.

A very public row played out after allegations around controlling behaviour were made against Horner by a female Red Bull employee. The allegations were dismissed in February, but the complainant appealed the decision in March, leaving the situation hanging over the team.

The appeal was dismissed on August 8. Horner and Verstappen are likely to be asked about the situation when facing the media in Zandvoort later this week.

Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 23-25, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime.

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.