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Max Verstappen had almost everything his own way early in 2024, winning five of the opening seven races and building a sizeable championship advantage, while Red Bull boasted a solid lead of their own. But just two more wins have followed for driver and team since then, with rivals making strides and a genuine title fight developing. So, who exactly has been trending in the right direction? As the F1 paddock gets ready to head back out on track, we take a closer look…
As mentioned above, Verstappen went on an early-season charge by winning in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China and Imola, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (Australia) and McLaren’s Lando Norris (Miami) the only two drivers to break the Dutchman’s stellar run.
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It became clear by the Miami round, though, that several of Red Bull’s competitors were starting to catch a team who have dominated F1’s latest ground effect era so far, prompting calls for improvement from Verstappen as he looks to make it four title wins on the bounce.
And those calls have only grown louder in recent times, given that Verstappen’s return of five wins from the first seven races has been replaced by two victories from the last seven – the RB20 no longer looking like the dream machine that started the season.
Indeed, four different teams have now claimed victory this year, with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all joining Red Bull as winners, while seven different drivers – everyone from those outfits bar Sergio Perez – have taken the chequered flag first.
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