The Paris 2024 Olympics is over, the Premier League is back and Formula 1 is too after the summer break. From now until mid-December, there are 10 F1 races to decide the championships and the title race might just go down to the final couple of events.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull sit at the top of the driver and constructor standings but the field have caught up and the Grand Prix prior to the summer break delivered some sensational racing.
This year has seen seven different winners, with maiden victories for McLaren‘s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, plus the return of Mercedes to the top step of the podium. So, what will the remainder of the season bring in F1?
Ten F1 races including two triple-headers
The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will host the first F1 race back this weekend before the circus heads straight to Monza for the Italian GP a week later at the end of August.
Two weeks later, there is another set of back-to-back races with the Azerbaijan GP on September 13-15 and Singapore GP on September 20-22 to round off four events in five weeks.
Unusually, there’s another four-week break ahead of the Sprint weekend at the United States GP in Texas on October 18-20, which is followed by the Mexico City GP on October 25-27 and another Sprint event at the Sao Paulo GP on November 1-3.
More from the Azerbaijan GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport’s latest Azerbaijan GP coverage, including George Russell’s dramatic Baku victory, the full race classification, the fastest lap result, and the Driver of the Day from the 2026 race.
After three weeks off, a final triple-header finishes the longest season ever with the Las Vegas GP, on a Saturday night again in Sin City, on November 21-23, a Sprint weekend in Qatar at the end of November and the finale in Abu Dhabi on December 6-8.
F1 2024 UK qualifying and race start times
| Rd | Date | Grand Prix | Qualifying | Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Aug 23-25 | Dutch GP | 14:00 | 14:00 |
| 16 | Aug 30-Sep 1 | Italian GP | 15:00 | 14:00 |
| 17 | Sep 13-15 | Azerbaijan GP | 13:00 | 12:00 |
| 18 | Sep 20-22 | Singapore GP | 14:00 | 13:00 |
| 19 | Oct 18-20 | United States GP* | 23:00 | 20:00 |
| 20 | Oct 25-27 | Mexico City GP | 21:00 | 20:00 |
| 21 | Nov 1-3 | Sao Paulo GP* | 18:00 | 17:00 |
| 22 | Nov 21-23 | Las Vegas GP | 06:00 | 06:00 |
| 23 | Nov 29-Dec 1 | Qatar GP* | 17:00 | 17:00 |
| 24 | Dec 6-8 | Abu Dhabi GP | 14:00 | 13:00 |
F1 driver standings: Can Norris catch Verstappen?
It looked like Verstappen would runaway to a fourth consecutive drivers’ championship after his dominant start to the season. He’s still favourite to do that but Norris has an opportunity to catch him.
Since the Miami GP in May, Red Bull‘s early season advantage has gone and McLaren have competed for the win at every race. However, Norris still only has one victory to his name, in Miami, after failing to take his chances in Canada, Spain, Austria, Silverstone, Hungary and Belgium.
Norris has a 78-point deficit to overcome but that easily could have been a lot less, had he taken just a few more wins and eaten into Verstappen‘s lead.
Charles Leclerc is 100 points behind Verstappen but Ferrari‘s form means he will most likely be looking over his shoulder. Oscar Piastri is another 10 points adrift of Leclerc with a very slim chance at the title.
It should all be about Verstappen vs Norris and the latter needs to go on a streak of wins or hope for retirements from the reigning world champion to ignite the title battle.
There’s no reason why McLaren can’t compete for victory in each of the remaining 10 races, whereas Red Bull are expected to seriously struggle at Singapore and could be vulnerable if they are outdeveloped too.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 277 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 199 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 177 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 167 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | Mercedes | 162 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 150 |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 131 |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes | 116 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 49 |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 24 |
F1 constructor standings: McLaren favourites?
Red Bull‘s lack of performance has seen Verstappen not win the last four races prior to the summer break, his longest run without a victory since 2020.
Sergio Perez has finished no better than seventh since the Emilia Romagna GP in May and Q1 eliminations in Monaco, Montreal, Silverstone and Budapest saw him come under real pressure.
Perez has received the formal backing of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to keep his seat for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season but his form will be pivotal in the constructors’ championship.
Even though McLaren haven’t maximised their results over the summer races, they are only 42 points behind and are on track to overtake Red Bull if the trend we saw before the break continues.
Mercedes and Ferrari have been able to join the fight for the win too, so they will play a role in the F1 Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari are 63 points adrift of Red Bull but probably don’t quite have the performance to become champions.
George Russell‘s disqualification at the 2024 Belgian GP put a big dent in Mercedes‘ small hopes of getting into the title race as they trail Red Bull by 142 points.
Further down, Aston Martin are on course for fifth place but RB are only seven points ahead of Haas in the fight for sixth, and Alpine are another 11 points back in eighth.
Williams are in four points in ninth and Sauber are the only team yet to get off the mark after the 14 F1 rounds so far.
| Pos. | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull | 408 |
| 2 | McLaren | 366 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 345 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 266 |
| 5 | Aston Martin | 73 |
| 6 | RB | 34 |
| 7 | Haas | 27 |
| 8 | Alpine | 11 |
| 9 | Williams | 4 |
| 10 | Sauber | 0 |
F1 driver market latest
Williams announced Carlos Sainz on a two-year deal beginning in 2025 at the end of July, which was the move everyone was waiting for, so the other seats could be filled.
Lewis Hamilton‘s replacement at Mercedes for next year is yet to be confirmed but Formula 2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is favourite. That leaves three seats at Alpine, RB and Sauber available.
Jack Doohan is expected to go from reserve driver to full-time driver at Alpine, with Esteban Ocon already announced to join Haas.
It seems like any motor racing driver could drive for Sauber alongside Nico Hulkenberg in 2025, with the team to be taken over by Audi in 2026 when the new F1 regulations are introduced. One, or both, of current Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will be out of F1 at the end of this year.
In June, Yuki Tsunoda was confirmed to stay at RB for 2025 but Daniel Ricciardo‘s future hasn’t been revealed. The situation is made more complex by Perez‘s poor form, even though the Mexican is contracted to be at Red Bull in 2025.
Red Bull can put any of their four drivers – Verstappen, Perez, Tsunoda and Ricciardo – in any of their four seats at Red Bull or RB. But, they are also keen to give Liam Lawson a drive in 2025. Someone will miss out and all will be decided before the end of the season.
