The Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull)which last year captured a third straight title, looks for poker in the Formula One World Cup; the longest in history, 24 races; which starts this week with the dispute of the Bahrain Grand Prixin which his partner, the Mexican world runner-up Sergio Perezand the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) y Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) will aim, again, high.
‘Mad Max’, 26 years old, broke all kinds of records last season, starting with victories in a single year, raising his own record from 15 to 19, achieved the previous season. Also the number of points (575: in total, 121 more than the previous year) and the number of consecutive wins, improving by one the nine that the German quadruple world champion had achieved ten years earlier. Sebastian Vettel: leader of Red Bull’s previous glorious journey, which chained four ‘doubles’ between 2010 and 2013
The Dutch star repeated, along with ‘Checo’ – born 34 years ago in Guadalajara and that by winning in Arabia and in Azerbaijanraised his number of victories in F1 to six – the ‘double’ achieved a year earlier, also scoring the Constructors’ World Championship for the very dominant Austrian team.
He approaches Fangio, Schumacher and Hamilton
If Verstappen wins a fourth title in a row this year, he would be at the same level as Vettel and the Frenchman. Alain Prost, four times crowned; and he would only have the five-time Argentine champion ahead of him Juan Manuel Fangio and the two seven-time champions: the German Michael Schumacher and English Lewis Hamilton.
The ‘Kaiser’ -with 91- and Sir Lewis, with the historical record of 103, are the only ones to improve their 54 victories in the premier category.
Hamilton, center of media attention
It was precisely Hamilton, 39 years old, the protagonist of the great news bombshell so far in 2024, announcing, before the preseason started (on February 1), that at the end of the year he will leave Mercedes, the team with which he captured six of his seven titles. Starting next season, the spectacular and eccentric champion of Stevenage – also the historical record holder for pole positions (104) – will drive for Ferrari, a team from which Sainz, 29, will leave; that he has not yet announced which team he will ride for next year.
Hamilton’s jump from the most successful team so far this century to the most successful of all time will cause a ‘domino effect’ that also affects Alonso. The Asturian double world champion, 32 times victorious in F1 and who, at 42 years old, caused a sensation last year by reaching the podium eight times in his first campaign with Aston Martin -raising his ratio of ‘drawers’ in the premier category to 106-, he has a contract in force this year, but not next.
Fernando Alonso’s last year in Aston Martin?
The Asturian genius recalled, in the video conference to present the new AMR24 – in which he told Efe that “it would be an honor to achieve the first victory” in history for the Silverstone (England) team, with which he will sit “in first instance” to talk about his future – that there are only three world champions on the track. And that the only one who is free in 2025 is him.
Hamilton’s announcement advanced the ‘silly season’ by half a year, which in English refers to the sometimes disproportionate rumors about signings and team changes; which normally occur in summer and not at the beginning of the year. And that affects in the first instance Sainz – with two victories and 18 podiums in F1 – who, curiously, was the only one who questioned the hegemony of the very dominant Austrian team last year.
Red Bull won all the races except one: the one that was scored, on the night of Singaporethe talented driver from Madrid.
Carlos Sainz’s future is uncertain
Sainz set the fastest lap (1:29.921) in the three days of preseason testing that took place last week in Sakhir, the 5,412-meter track where the first of the 24 races of the year will be held this Saturday. In which Alonso achieved three of his 32 victories; and in which ‘Checo’ – who could also be affected by Hamilton’s change of scenery – signed the first of his six: in 2020: when Bahrain ‘doubled’ in the World Cup calendar due to the pandemic and the brave pilot from Guadalajara signed up the Grand Prix that bore the name of the circuit.
After Verstappen ‘scared’ on the first day of testing, confirming that he will face the start of the season with the insatiability that closed the previous one, Sainz set the best time of the preseason. In the second of the three days. Before his companion, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, head the time table of the last day; in which Alonso registered eighth, just ahead of his compatriot and ‘Checo’, second on Thursday.
The Canadian Lance Strollwho will be Alonso’s partner for the second year, finished with the thirteenth time on the last day of a preseason that the brilliant Asturian driver – also world endurance champion (WEC), a category in which he won (twice) the 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) – seemed excessively short.
Red Bull starts as favorite
Alonso believes that the AMR24 has taken “a step forward”, but warns that almost everyone has done so and that, according to him, on the grid “there are 19 drivers who believe they are not going to be world champions.” In clear reference to all the contenders, except the Dutch sports super-predator.
The season is very long – 24 tests had never been scheduled before – all the cars can be developed; and many things can happen. But both Verstappen and ‘Checo’ said they felt very comfortable in the new RB20, the latest work of art by the stellar English engineer Adrian Newey – the guru of aerodynamics -, designed according to a technical regulation that will not change substantially until 2026. And If the liquid is white and bottled, it is almost always milk.
Ferrari seems to be doing fine and we will have to see where they really are Mercedes, McLaren y Aston Martin; and if the upper-middle class of the grid will be joined by Red Bull’s mother team, now called Visa Cash App RB.
The first answers will be known starting Friday, when the first qualification of the year takes place.
The same drivers from the previous season
The World Championship starts in Bahrain – whose race will be held on a Saturday and not a Sunday, like the second, a week later, in Saudi Arabia, due to Ramadan – with the same drivers who finished last season. The same ones who started it, except the Dutchman Nick de Vries -who was replaced by the Australian ‘returnee’ Daniel Ricciardo-; which implies that this course begins without beginners.
There is a change in nomenclature in some teams: what was Alpha Tauri (heir to Toro Rosso) is now the Visa Cash App RB; and Alfa Romeo is Stake F1 Sauber, waiting for the team structure to become the new Audi team from 2026. A brand successfully associated with the Sainz surname.
The longest World Cup
The longest World Championship of all time, the first with 24 races, starts this week in Bahrain: seven days before it runs in Yeda (Saudi Arabia). Then there will be four long trips (with races on non-consecutive weekends) to Australia, Japan y China; before you cum in Miami (USA) -which, after the Shanghaiwill host the second of the six sprint events planned this year.
The circuit of Montmeló (Barcelona) will host on June 23 the Spanish Grand Prix, the tenth race of the year. And the Mexican Grand Prixthe twentieth of the season, will be played in the capital Rodríguez Brothers Racecourse the last weekend of October; a week before F1 arrives São Paulo (Brazil).
The World Cup will close, once again, in Abu Dhabi. The circuit of Yas Marinaon the outskirts of the capital of the United Arab Emirates, will host the last race of the longest championship in history. EFE (I)
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