With battles for Place 1, tyre management and fantastical wins, it seems as if competition in Formula 1 has returned with full force compared to last year when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won all but three races, several with leads of up to 30 seconds.
This season, however? Seven winners with four teams, as well as very wild races from the midfield that saw vital points earned and upsets of teammates, making for truly exhilarating races throughout the season, through the grid.
Here are 10 drivers to watch out for, both race winners and midfield giants.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Cries of “It’s not Max, it’s just the car” were silenced this season when Red Bull’s apparent supercar was no longer as dominant as it was one year ago. Not when Lando Norris built a seven-second lead in Miami, or when he struggled to overtake Charles Leclerc in Belgium.
With mechanical issues such as increased understeer and McLaren taking the title of the fastest car on the grid, Verstappen had to prove that his phenomenal performances went beyond his car, with his incredible skill, desire and talent. He can place his car to prevent overtakes from other drivers who have a drag-reduction system and can make questionable strategies work for himself. After all, he’s won seven races so far, out of his nine podiums.
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Finally shedding the nickname of “Lando No-wins,” Norris has proved himself as a race winner this season, with shining performances seeing him battle for P1 multiple times. He’s gotten a few pole positions in grand prix and sprint races, and in Miami stood on the podium’s top step.
However, there are a few reservations people have about his skills, such as “bottling” leads with horrible race starts, as well as lack of consistency in positions kept and overtakes when compared to his teammate Oscar Piastri, who has won both a grand prix and sprint race. If Lando can overcome these faults, he is sure to win more races this year.
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Only in his second season, Piastri already won a grand prix and a sprint race. While the former was under controversial circumstances, there’s no doubt he didn’t have a terrific drive, and throughout the past year.
Already a threat to several track veterans, most notably Carlos Sainz at the beginning of the season and Fernando Alonso last year, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this man is a future world champion.
George Russell (Mercedes)
Despite years of people discrediting Russell’s skills, he has been continuously successful when battling several racers including teammate Lewis Hamilton. Somehow, he held off Hamilton and Piastri with an unexpected one-stop stint in Belgium with 34-lap-old tyres, and it’s a shame his win didn’t count.
When he pulls a clean lead in front of other drivers, he can clutch a win the moment the opportunity arises, like in Austria when the leading two drivers Norris and Verstappen crashed into each other, leaving the race win for Russell.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
The GOAT of Formula 1 has returned to race-winning form, with his several high finishes and most importantly, his race wins in Britain and Belgium. 945 days after his last race win filled with hard work and patience, he got his 104th win, extending several records including most race wins and podiums (199), and breaking many more, such as most wins at a singular circuit and a home race (eight each).
The entire month of July saw Lewis on the podium with two wins, and it was no surprise seeing how well he performed throughout the first half of the season.
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Driving like a man without a team and an appendix this first half, he pushed hard against his teammate Leclerc and other drivers to place as high in the standings as possible.
Not shying away from overtaking Leclerc, planning his strategies so that he could maximize tyre usage and grid placement, he knows how to handle his car for long stints without relying on a not-so-great team of strategists. This was how he won the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, breaking Verstappen’s record-breaking streak of 10 consecutive race wins, and in Australia when Verstappen’s mechanical did not finish opened up the opportunity for Sainz to win, also breaking Verstappen’s winning streak of nine consecutive race wins.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Despite his chronic bad luck with penalties and race strategies, Leclerc has had stellar performances this season. His maiden home win in Monaco broke his infamous “Monaco curse,” where he previously experienced two DNFs, one did not start and a few grid penalties before finally winning in 2024.
Even in races where he didn’t score points, he still made up several places like in Spain, won many battles with successful overtakes, and helped the team understand how the car performs so they can develop better upgrades and strategies.
Yuki Tsunoda (Visa CashApp Red Bull)
Tsunoda has proven himself a difficult opponent to outrace these past few years. He has consistently scored vital points for his team, outqualified teammates, and executed dubious race strategies, such as his one-stop stint in Hungary which landed him in ninth place.
When paired up with seasoned driver Daniel Ricciardo, he has scored more points, outqualifications and constantly placed higher on most occasions, which should put him in strong consideration for Red Bull’s second seat if Sergio Perez continues to underperform.
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
The pure definition of a teammate this season, Magnussen has given several wild performances to help his teammate Nico Hulkenberg secure essential points for the team, placing them higher on the Constructor’s Championship. This has worked out well, with Haas currently sitting at 27 points, five earned by Magnussen. It’s a total of 180 from other teams with warring teammates, such as the McLaren strategy disaster in Hungary, Ferrari’s drivers sometimes at odds with each other and VCRB’s controversial driver swap in Bahrain.
Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
It was difficult choosing between Alpine’s Ocon and Pierre Gasly for the last one as they are so evenly matched this season, so ultimately Ocon is number 10. When not at civil war with his teammate, Ocon has seized a few points in what was once the heaviest, worst car on the grid.
He has consistently climbed up the grid in the midfield the moment his Alpine saw new upgrades and bagged the last championship points in many races alongside Gasly. They’re almost equally matched, but Ocon in the head-to-head is a little better despite having one less point.
It has, without a doubt, been an exciting first half of the season, and with even more excitement for how the cars will come out after the summer break with newly awaited upgrades. It’s a riveting prospect to see how well drivers can use their upgrades and other car specs to improve race times, qualifying positions, competition against teammates and opponents and, of course, championship points.
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