MOTORSPORT: Formula1 teams launched for 2024

Continuity is king and carbon is the new black in the Formula 1 paddock as the Grand Prix circus launches into its biggest season yet.

With testing set for the Bahrain International Circuit from Wednesday through Friday next week, teams will be looking to make inroads into the advantage held by the all-conquering Red Bull Racing squad and triple world champion Max Verstappen.

Worryingly for the competition, the new RB20, which supersedes the RB19 model – the winner of all bar one race last season – appears to simply be an evolution of the outgoing machine, with development on the car noted as starting early last year.

Alongside Verstappen, perhaps Sergio Perez will be feeling the most pressure in 2024, with his position in the squad under the microscope after fading throughout last year.

Remarkably, among the 20 cars on the grid, there have been no off-season driver changes, although two teams have rebranded, with Alfa Romeo switching to the clunky Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber moniker, while AlphaTauri will now be known as the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.

At the latter, Daniel Ricciardo will saddle up alongside Yuki Tsunoda, with the Aussie widely anointed as the next in line for Perez’s seat should the Mexican falter.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the various season launches is the liberal application of bare carbon-fibre on many of the race cars.

With weight, and therefore performance being pushed to the absolute extreme, allowances for paint and vinyl transfers, in many cases, have been scaled back to a minimum, with perhaps the two biggest culprits being Alpine and McLaren.

Elsewhere, the striking Ferrari SF-24 pays homage to the Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P prototype, with the deep red complimented by yellow and white accents.

While there has been stability throughout the F1 paddock into 2024, there has been no lack of storylines.

For starters, Lewis Hamilton shocked the establishment with the announcement of his move to Ferrari in 2025, displacing Carlos Sainz, the only non-Red Bull Race winner last year.

The lame-duck seasons for Hamilton and Sainz will no doubt be a developing story, ditto the flow-on effect the move will have on the impending silly season, with no less than 14 seats yet to be confirmed for next year.

Elsewhere, Formula 1 management rejected Andretti Global’s bid to join the grid, citing a potential lack of competitiveness and value for the championship, after the entry was earlier accepted by the FIA.

The reasoning was somewhat interesting, given the Andretti family’s success in the sport across IndyCar, Formula E, Extreme E, sports cars, locally in Supercars and in other classes, with the family’s body of work encompassing over 350 victories.

The entry also had the potential to add a truly American flair to the grid, with the outfit having the backing of General Motors brand Cadillac.

Meanwhile at Red Bull, inquiries are ongoing into allegations of inappropriate behaviour levied against its team principal, Christian Horner, who was recently interrogated for eight hours.

At the time of publication, no deadline has been placed on resolving the matter.

The Bahrain test days will be broadcast live in Australia via Fox Sports and Kayo, while the Formula 1 season kicks off with a pair of Saturday races in Bahrain on March 2 and Saudi Arabia on March 9, before the Australian Grand Prix takes over Albert Park over March 21-24.

The season is set to feature 24 events, with China returning for the first time since 2019. Ditto the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, which was cancelled last year due to flooding.

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