The biggest question facing every team in F1 2024 

In little over a month’s time, the field will have hit the track for the first time in anger for pre-season testing, and we will be a little bit closer to knowing how things will shape up across the longest F1 season in history.

Until the action gets underway in Bahrain, here are some of the biggest questions facing each of the 10 teams. 

What will Red Bull do about Perez? 

2023 was a record-breaking year for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. 

Such was the Dutchman’s domination, he scored enough points to win the constructors’ trophy single-handedly, exposing a problem facing Red Bull. Should the field converge and a greater challenge come their way in 2024, the team will desperately need Sergio Perez to up his game. 

Despite securing his highest-ever F1 finish last season with P2 in the championship, ending up a massive 290 points adrift of Verstappen, with just two wins to Verstappen’s 19 in the most dominant F1 car of all time, has left serious question marks over Perez’s future.

It is set to be a career-defining year for the Mexican, who is out of contract at the end of the season and facing pressure from Daniel Ricciardo, currently driving for Red Bull’s rebranded sister team. 

Red Bull’s decision on who should partner Verstappen for 2025 will be sure to dominate headlines in the coming months. 

Third time lucky for Mercedes? 

Mercedes’ W15 challenger will mark their third attempt at getting the new ground-effect regulations right following two disappointing campaigns, having been left bewildered by the 2022 rules overhaul. 

Having realised their decision to stick with the same concept for 2023 was a mistake, and abandoning the flawed design during the early stages of last season, Mercedes are embarking on a totally new direction for 2024.

Mercedes are hoping that wholesale changes for the W15 can help them get back to winning ways. Mercedes face a crucial year in their bid to overcome their current slide in competitiveness and Lewis Hamilton’s quest to win a record-breaking eighth world title before he retires.

Can Toto Wolff, fresh from signing a new three-year deal to stay on as team principal, lead Mercedes and Hamilton back to F1’s summit, or will it be another year of frustration ahead? 

Is this the year Ferrari finally deliver? 

A question which has repeatedly been asked of Ferrari for well over a decade now.

Despite lagging behind Red Bull - and being pipped to second in the constructors’ by Mercedes - Ferrari’s 2023 showed signs of promise. 

Ferrari’s 2023 car excelled in qualifying - underlined by Charles Leclerc’s five pole positions - but proved no match for the superior Red Bull on race day, while Carlos Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to record a victory last season, denying the reigning world champions a whitewash. 

Fred Vasseur’s arrival galvanised Ferrari and has given the team clear structure in what was a very solid first year in charge. Ferrari have two very fast, grand prix-winning drivers and want to keep both of them tied down for the foreseeable. 

On paper, at least, Ferrari appears to have everything needed to mount a title challenge. 

With wholesale changes planned for their 2024 car to eradicate previous weaknesses, could 2024 be the year Ferrari’s barren spell comes to an end, or will it end up being another false dawn?

Can McLaren become a consistent frontrunner?

McLaren’s mid-season transformation in 2023 was nothing short of remarkable.

From starting the year with one of the slowest cars on the grid, a mid-season development push enabled McLaren to end the year fighting with Red Bull. At times, their MCL60 was the second-quickest car in the hands of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. 

McLaren have been bolstered by the signings of David Sanchez (who joined from Ferrari) and Rob Marshall (who arrives from Red Bull), both of whom started work at Woking earlier this month ahead of the new campaign. 

With renewed optimism, expectation also increases for McLaren heading into 2024. After such great progress, the question now is whether they can continue to improve and cement themselves as a consistent frontrunner. 

Will Aston Martin keep Alonso happy? 

A fast-starting Aston Martin were the early headline-grabbers in 2023 as Fernando Alonso emerged as Verstappen’s closest rival in the early rounds to tease the tantalising prospect that the Spaniard could be in the hunt for an elusive 33rd win and maybe even a third world title. 

But Aston Martin’s early promise ultimately faded, along with their competitiveness and results, as the season reached its midpoint. That led to the first signs of frustration from Alonso, who was still able to exert his magic with two podiums in the second half of the year as he claimed a strong fourth in the championship. 

The Silverstone-based outfit were disappointed to slip behind McLaren and Alonso has demanded more consistency and straightline speed from the AMR24. 

Alonso’s contract expires at the end of the year, and while Aston Martin want him to continue, they will have to deliver further progress to convince the Spaniard, who turns 43 in July, to stick around. 

Can Alpine address their stagnation? 

Alpine have flattered to deceive for several years now and their ‘100-race plan’ to get to the front of the grid is no closer to fruition after another ultimately underwhelming 2023 campaign. 

Two podiums - one each for Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon - was a decent return given Red Bull’s utter domination, but finishing 160 points behind Aston Martin reflected the gulf separating Alpine from being a top-of-the-midfield runner capable of mixing it up with the big three. 

After finishing the year in the F1 equivalent of No Man’s Land, it is clear major steps forward need to be made if Alpine’s fortunes are to drastically change this season.

Have Williams hit their ‘glass ceiling'? 

Under the leadership of new boss James Vowles, Williams made huge strides in 2023 as they earned their highest finishing position in the championship since 2017 by taking seventh place. 

This was largely thanks to the starring performances of the impressive Alex Albon, who scored all but one of Williams’ 28 points, while teammate Logan Sargeant endured a difficult rookie season marred by several big crashes and mistakes. 

It would take something special for Williams to bridge the large gap to their rivals ahead, so 2024 may be more about consolidation and making gains along the way.

Who will impress Red Bull the most?

Down at Red Bull’s rebranded sister team, the intra-team battle between Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda has an extra edge to it. With a possible opening at Red Bull on the cards for 2025, there is even more at stake in 2024. 

Ricciardo, the last teammate to beat Verstappen over the course of a season, is viewed as Red Bull’s natural first choice to potentially succeed Perez. But Tsunoda also has a good chance of staking a claim for Perez's seat if he can outshine the Australian. 

With Liam Lawson also vying for a full-time drive after some eye-catching cameos in 2023, the pressure will not only be on Perez this year.

Can Sauber overcome struggles? 

2023 was a tricky season for the then-named Alfa Romeo squad. After an encouraging start, the Hinwil team slipped down the midfield pecking order and ended the year ninth in the constructors’, scoring just 16 points.

It was a notable step back for a team that finished sixth the previous season, marking the best result for Sauber in a decade. 

Sauber has exciting times ahead with Audi coming onboard for 2026, while the arrival of James Key last September strengthens the team’s technical department. Can Sauber now push on up the grid?

Will a change at the top help Haas? 

A disastrous 2023 campaign, in which Haas finished dead last in the constructors’ standings, concluded with the bombshell departure of long-serving team principal Guenther Steiner. 

Gene Haas explained his decision not to renew Steiner’s contract was down to “performance” during a shocking 2023. Haas is convinced that Steiner’s replacement, Ayao Komatsu, has the right skill set, with “more of a managerial-type and engineering approach” to turn things around. 

Time will tell if a “different approach” can spark the start of a new dawn at Haas.