The 2024 Formula 1 season was one of the most enthralling in years. Max Verstappen sealed his fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship, but the Dutchman was pushed all the way by the likes of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, with McLaren taking their first Constructors' title since 1998. No fewer than seven different drivers won Grands Prix - the most in a single season since 2012. Xinhua takes a look at how each of the runners and riders fared in 2024.

Drivers compete during the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Dec. 8, 2024. (Photo by Song Haiyuan/Xinhua)

McLaren - 1st, 666 points. (Lando Norris - 2nd, 374 points; Oscar Piastri - 4th, 292 points)

McLaren's in-season developmental prowess that had transformed their 2023 season was again evident this year, as the MCL38 was largely the fastest car from June onwards, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both picking up their first Grand Prix wins. McLaren's resurgence, coupled with a slump in form for Red Bull, gave Norris an unlikely shot at the Drivers' title which ultimately came to naught. Nonetheless, a first Constructors' Championship since 1998 was just reward for an outfit that has well and truly bounced back from its mid-2010s nadir.

While Norris undeniably hit new heights in 2024, his tendency for introspection and self-criticism stands in contrast to the cold-hearted pragmatism of reigning champion Max Verstappen, and it remains to be seen whether the Briton has the necessary combination of speed, consistency and mental fortitude that separates the great from the merely very good. Though ostensibly the junior driver in the pairing, Piastri has looked at home at the sharp end of the grid, and will be eager to prove that he too is capable of challenging for top honors.

Ferrari - 2nd, 652 points. (Charles Leclerc - 3rd, 356 points; Carlos Sainz - 5th, 290 points)

With five wins and a points-total just 14 shy of McLaren's, 2024 represented a definite step forward for Ferrari. Shrugging off the disappointment of being told before the season's start that he would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton for 2025, Carlos Sainz took two fine wins and showed well in difficult circumstances. The Spaniard can consider himself unlucky to have been ousted, and deserves a more competitive mount than next year's Williams is likely to be.

In the other car, Charles Leclerc scored fairytale victories at Monaco and Monza, and largely eradicated the unforced errors that had blighted previous seasons. But while his peaks were higher than Sainz's, the Monegasque also showed a propensity for inconsistency with a disappointing mid-season stretch. Hamilton's imminent arrival means Ferrari have arguably F1's strongest driver line-up next year, and it will be fascinating to see who emerges on top.

Red Bull - 3rd, 589 points. (Max Verstappen - 1st, 437 points; Sergio Perez - 8th, 152 points)

A fourth straight Drivers' Championship for Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman was made to work a lot harder for his 2024 gong. It had all looked plain sailing after seven wins in the first ten races, but a mid-season development misstep suddenly saw Red Bull struggling even to finish on the podium, as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all traded wins. Forced to wrestle with an uncompetitive car, Verstappen ground out what results he could and frequently transcended the limits of the RB20, and his victory in the wet in Brazil that virtually sealed the title was a performance for the ages. Critics will maintain that the Dutchman is too aggressive in wheel-to-wheel combat, and his tangle with Piastri in Abu Dhabi was unfair and unnecessary, but on ability alone, Verstappen was without peer in 2024.

In the other car, Perez's form tailed off horribly as the RB20's competitiveness waned, with his underperformance ensuring that Red Bull finished only third in the Constructors' Championship despite fielding a title-winning driver. As the curtain fell on the 2024 season, news emerged that Red Bull were in negotiations to cancel the remaining two years on Perez's contract, and it appears likely that the Mexican has driven his last in Formula 1.

Mercedes - 4th, 468 points. (George Russell - 6th, 245 points; Lewis Hamilton - 7th, 223 points)

Despite falling from second to fourth in the Constructors' standings, 2024 was arguably a more successful year than 2023 for Mercedes, with the Silver Arrows returning to the winners' dais with two wins apiece for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Hamilton had set tongues wagging before the season even started with the shock announcement that he would end 12 years at Mercedes to move to Ferrari for 2025 and beyond. The seven-time world champion rolled back the years with a fine victory at Silverstone that evoked memories of his title-winning peak, but his form tailed off as the season wore on, and Ferrari must be hoping the soon-to-be 40-year-old is not past his imperious best.

Hamilton was especially shown up in qualifying by Russell, who bested his elder teammate 18-5 on Saturdays and laid on several more impressive performances as he prepares to lead the team into 2025 and beyond. With rookie Kimi Antonelli stepping into Hamilton's seat next year, the Silver Arrows' title aspirations appear to lay firmly at Russell's feet.

Aston Martin - 5th, 94 points. (Fernando Alonso - 9th, 70 points; Lance Stroll - 13th, 24 points)

Another year, another fifth place finish in the Constructors' standings for Aston Martin, but the Silverstone outfit scored far fewer points than in 2023, was nowhere near quick enough to challenge for the podium, and even struggled to score minor points in the latter half of the year. Drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll plodded gamely on with little hope of success, but there remains a sense that the team is treading water ahead of the imminent arrival of designer extraordinaire Adrian Newey. With the Briton's sole focus set to be on 2026 and a new set of technical regulations, another season of mid-table mediocrity beckons next year.

F1's elder statesman at 43, Alonso is showing no signs of slowing down, and Newey's arrival has likely galvanised the Spaniard as he seeks his elusive third World Championship title. In the other car, Stroll did not score a point across the season's last 11 Grands Prix, and once again did little to suggest that his place at the team is down to anything other than his father's ownership of it.

Alpine - 6th, 65 points. (Pierre Gasly - 10th, 42 points; Esteban Ocon - 14th, 23 points)

Like Aston Martin, Alpine finished in the same position as in 2023, but there was a worrying drop off in performance, and when Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon locked out the back row of the grid at the season opener in Bahrain, the signs were that Team Enstone was in for a tough year. Ocon and Gasly at least kept their heads amid the chaos in Brazil to score a vital double podium finish that vaulted them from ninth to sixth in the standings.

Simmering tensions between the team and Ocon boiled over at Monaco, when the Frenchman took himself out by needlessly clouting Gasly, and it came as little surprise when it was announced that Ocon had signed for Haas for 2025 and beyond. By contrast, Gasly got stronger as the season wore on, and with rookie Jack Doohan taking Ocon's place for 2025, the Frenchman looks ready to assume the mantle of team leader.

Alpine's enduring tendency for political turmoil drew on apace in 2024, with Bruno Famin removed as team principal role and replaced by Oliver Oakes. More intriguingly, ex-team boss Flavio Briatore also returned as "special supervisor" - though the veteran Italian appears to wield considerably more power than his title might suggest. Briatore's appointment coincided with an announcement that Alpine would cease to be a works team and instead become a Mercedes customer outfit in 2026, meaning next year will be the last with the recalcitrant Renault power unit.

Haas - 7th, 58 points. (Nico Hulkenberg - 11th, 41 points; Kevin Magnussen - 15th, 16 points; Ollie Bearman - 18th, 7 points)

A surprisingly successful season for Haas, who shrugged off the departure of long-serving Team Principal Guenther Steiner to rise from tenth to seventh in the standings under the aegis of Steiner's replacement Ayao Komatsu. In limited machinery, Nico Hulkenberg was one of the stars of the season, frequently placing his VF-24 above quicker cars, and a long-term contract with Sauber-Audi was just reward for his efforts.

Teammate Kevin Magnussen was less impressive, but still notched a decent haul of points and showed himself to be a good team player. Having signed for BMW in the World Endurance Championship for 2025 and beyond, the Dane has likely driven his last in F1, to be replaced in 2025 by rookie Ollie Bearman, who showed well on a couple of substitute outings for both Ferrari and Haas this year. With Esteban Ocon also coming on board, and technical support and investment from Toyota, the future looks rosy for Haas.

RB - 8th, 46 points. (Yuki Tsunoda - 12th, 30 points; Daniel Ricciardo - 17th, 12 points; Liam Lawson - 21st, 4 points)

Eighth in the Constructors' Championship with 46 points was about par for the team formerly known as AlphaTauri. Yuki Tsunoda had a solid campaign, consistently picking up points and showing a greater deal of consistency and emotional control than had been seen in previous campaigns.

The Japanese unquestionably outperformed Daniel Ricciardo, whose disappointing season ended early when Red Bull elected to dispense with his services in favour of Liam Lawson, who impressed in his second part-season for Red Bull's junior outfit, though he blotted his copybook slightly with a few too many scrapes. With Perez's F1 future hanging in the balance, either one of Tsunoda or Lawson looks set for an unexpected promotion to the senior squad in 2025.

Williams - 9th, 17 points. (Alex Albon - 16th, 12 points; Franco Colapinto - 19th, 5 points; Logan Sargeant - 23rd, 0 points)

Not a vintage year for Williams, who fell from seventh to ninth in the standings, and whose drivers found the barriers a little too often, stretching the team's parts inventory to breaking point. Alex Albon was less impressive than he had been in 2023, and a seven-race pointless streak at the year's end bodes ill for 2025. The team did score a coup by persuading race winner and Ferrari refugee Carlos Sainz to join next year, which should prove a shot in the arm for a team that is in danger of stagnating.

After having been overshadowed and outscored by Albon, Logan Sargeant was dispensed with after a needless shunt at Zandvoort and replaced by Franco Colapinto for the remainder of 2024. The Argentinian proved a revelation in his first few outings, prompting speculation of a full-time drive elsewhere for 2025, but a few hefty crashes of his own saw those rumours die down. Nevertheless, the Argentinian successfully put himself in the shop window for future opportunities, especially with his ability to engage F1's considerable South American fanbase.

Sauber - 10th, 4 points. (Zhou Guanyu - 20th, 4 points; Valtteri Bottas - 22nd, 0 points)

A dismal year for Sauber, as the Swiss outfit continues its gradual metamorphosis into the works Audi team ahead of 2026. Those behind-the-scenes machinations seemed to be an unwelcome distraction, and the C44's on-track performance frequently left much to be desired. Zhou at least ensured that it would not be a pointless season for Sauber with a fine drive to eighth in Qatar, but the Chinese often propped up the timesheets in practice and qualifying, and did little to suggest that the team would be any the poorer for his impending departure.

The statistics will show that Bottas was the only driver to complete the full 2024 season and fail to score a point, but the Finn was generally quicker than Zhou, and can consider himself unlucky to have drawn a blank. With Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto signed up for 2025, Bottas and Zhou may have driven their last in F1, though both have been linked with reserve driver roles at Mercedes and Ferrari respectively.

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