With the team standings for the 2024 season done, let us move to the prediction for the Drivers Championship. This one is much harder to anticipate, and we hope to be surprised by some of the drivers. Nonetheless, there are some hints, that helped us create this list
World Drivers Championship order, as predicted by the F1 Blast team
1. Max Verstappen
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Sergio Perez
4. Lando Norris
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Lewis Hamilton
7. Oscar Piastri
8. George Russell
9. Fernando Alonso
10. Yuki Tsunoda
11. Daniel Ricciardo
12. Valtteri Bottas
13. Lance Stroll
14. Pierre Gasly
15. Esteban Ocon
16. Alex Albon
17. Zhou Guanyu
18. Nico Hulkenberg
19. Logan Sargeant
20. Kevin Magnussen
Let’s break down our list and see why we believe this to be the order at the end of the year.
1. Max Verstappen
We do not have to elaborate too much on this topic, do we? Max dominated the 2023 season, and with the RB20 delivered by Adrian Newey, like we saw during the pre-season testing, he has everything he needs to dominate 2024 as well. In our opinion, Ferrari will be able to stand up to RB a bit more, and not only in Singapore, but ultimately Max is on the way for his 4th consecutive title.
2. Charles Leclerc
The fight for P2 will be probably the closest one in many years, as there a few drivers capable of achieving it, but in our opinion, Charles Leclerc will be the one to succeed. Ferrari seemed strong during the pre-season testing, and Charles is likely to receive the Driver number 1 treatment, as Carlos Sainz is parting his ways with the Maranello team after the season.
3. Sergio Perez
Last year, Sergio managed to grab P2, which was Red Bull’s first 1-2 in the Drivers Championship. The luck was strongly on his side, and despite having a superior machine, he had to fight to finish as a runner-up. This year, we believe that Sergio will have stronger competition from Ferrari, and won’t be able to repeat his success.
4. Lando Norris
McLaren had an amazing end of the year in 2023, and stood up to a fight with Red Bulls during some of the sprints. Lando seems like a natural leader of the team, and despite the undeniable talent of Oscar Piastri, we consider him a stronger threat for the podium of the Drivers Championship.
5. Carlos Sainz
Parting ways with Ferrari is never easy, especially when it’s not your call to do so. Not having his contract extended beyond the end of 2024 must be hard for Carlos, and he will do his best, to prove the team from Maranello wrong. It will not be an easy task, as he will most likely be treated as a second driver, which means Charles will be received the first pit stops, and better strategy. It does not mean though, that Carlos will be finishing far off his teammate.
6. Lewis Hamilton
The last dance for Hamilton in the Mercedes car will be emotional, but until the lights go out in Abu Dhabi, there are 23 races, and Lewis will not put his foot of the gas pedal even for a second. The warrior mentality of the 7-time World Champion will let him fight for podiums, but in our opinion it will not be enough to win a race.
7. Oscar Piastri
After a stunning rookie season, Oscar Piastri will be fighting to outperform his teammate, and both drivers from Ferrari and Mercedes. However, the pack will be so bunched up, that despite his best efforts, we cannot put Oscar Higher than 7th. We would love to be wrong, as Oscar is a World Champion material, but McLaren didn’t seem too impressive during the tests, and there are many questions over their reliability.
8. George Russell
The Brit has a chance to prove that 3 years of “waiting” in Williams to get the Mercedes seat were worth it, but with every season he seems less threatening. In his first Mercedes season, he managed to score a race win and was close to Hamilton on race pace. His second season seemed much worse, with mistakes such as the Singapore last lap crash. We would be surprised to see Russell outperform his teammate, or anyone from Ferrari or McLaren.
9. Fernando Alonso
When Fernando joined Aston, the Hype train started rolling slowly, and when we saw the car for the 2023 season, everyone was on board of the hype train. Sadly, Fernando was close to his #33 race victory, but it was never enough to beat Max. As the season continued, the rest of the grid quickly caught up to Aston, and they were no longer the 2nd force on the grid. Now, with no new regulations or revolution, the AMR24 doesn’t seem to be as competitive as his previous generation.
10. Yuki Tsunoda
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls had many headaches at the beginning of 2023, but as the season progressed, they dealt with them one by one, and really closed the gap to the midfield for the last rounds. The new team name and livery gave some freshness, and it seems that both VCARB drivers will be capable of competing for point finishes in 2024.
Positions 11-15
Daniel Ricciardo, Valteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are in the group considered for the positions just outside the Top 10. Neither Alpine nor Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber convinced us during the pre-season testing, and Lance Stroll will struggle to get points finishes once his Aston Martin is no longer competitive. We believe, all of them will score points on multiple occasions, but it will not be enough.
Positions 16-20
Alex Albon, Zhou Guanyu, Nico Hulkenberg, Logan Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen will be the drivers at the bottom of the table. Neither Williams nor Haas will be able to score points on a regular basis, and if they do so, it will be due to some unforeseen circumstances and multiple DNFs ahead. Zhou on the other hand, will finish behind his teammate. The Chinese driver is an okay one, but we do not foresee his career going much longer. With poor performance from Haas, 4 of these drivers may end their careers after the season. The only hope we see is for Alex Albon, who’s much better driver, but Williams will not make it easy for him to compete for points.
