Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are Formula 1’s three biggest characters, and the 2024 season which starts in Bahrain this weekend looks set to be defined by them, on and off track.
Verstappen starts the season as a hot favourite for a fourth consecutive world title, and the likelihood of another year of dominance from the Dutchman and his Red Bull team will raise questions about the health of the sport.
Hamilton has shaken up the entire business with his close-season decision to switch to Ferrari for 2025, where he will form part of a supercharged driver line-up with Charles Leclerc.
There is a whole season to go before the most successful driver in history moves to the sport’s most celebrated team, but the dynamics set in play by the move will reverberate long and deep.
Hamilton’s move will directly impact on Alonso, who starts the season just under five months shy of his 43rd birthday, but cannot help but be at the centre of one of the most interesting driver markets in recent memory, with the contracts of most of the grid up for renewal.
Can Ferrari or even Mercedes take the challenge to Red Bull after a positive test, and how Sergio Perez will stack up against his dominant team-mate Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Can Haas take a step forward as a new era begins? Stake is seeing their 2023 driver pairing return for the 2024 campaign.
How high can Williams climb? Could Red Bull Juniors be the top mid team on the grid?
Also on the agenda is some debate on why McLaren should win a race in 2024, and an outline of some of the rule changes for 2024 to make sure you’re adequately prepared for the season to get underway.
Even if the action at the front of the field could trend towards the predictable, there will be plenty to keep up the interest.
