2024’s Final Chapter: What to expect in the last three F1 races this year

Following on from Red Bull’s dominance in the sport in 2023, few would’ve believed that with just three races to go in 2024, we’d have both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships still alive, witnessed seven different race winners across four teams, and have watched some of the most exciting, heartwarming, and upsetting moments in Formula 1 history.

It's a great to see the sport we love enjoy such a brilliant season of racing action. It’s not over yet though, and with three races to go in the 2024 Formula 1 season, including plenty of loose ends to tie up, here’s what you need to be on the lookout for as we head to Las Vegas to kickstart the final triple header.

Max Verstappen vs Lando Norris – who’s taking the championship? 

While Max Verstappen kicked off the 2024 season dominating once again as he had in 2023, somewhere around Miami things started to shift for the Red Bull team, as other challengers closed in. McLaren have been at the front of that challenge for most of the year, with their fast MCL38 driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri frequently taking race wins and podium places.

With three Grand Prix wins and a good few podiums this year, Lando Norris has kept in contention with Max Verstappen right the way through. He’s now the only driver who can mathematically beat the Dutch champion, but it’ll be a tall order following on from the Sao Paulo GP.

After winning the Sprint race last time out with some help from his McLaren teammate Piastri, Norris had managed to close the gap to just 44 points – bringing him right into the fight for the top trophy in motorsport. However, a dominant performance from Max in Sunday’s Grand Prix and a poor result for McLaren has since brought the gap back up to 62 points.

With only 86 points left to be scored in the Drivers’ Championship, it’s not impossible for Norris to win, but Max certainly stands a far better chance. In fact, he could win the trophy next weekend in Vegas if the British driver fails to significantly outscore him. Max will be eyeing up a victory in Sin City to cement his place as a four-time World Champion, while it’s down to Lando Norris (and a McLaren car that has performed well on street circuits) to fight at the front to keep this championship alive.

If it does keep going, we could be looking at an exciting 2021-esque final showdown in Abu Dhabi to decide the champion. Either way, it’s going to be exciting to watch the fight for Lando’s chance at a World Championship unfold in Vegas next weekend.

McLaren vs Ferrari vs Red Bull Racing – the Constructors’ Championship fight continues

A championship that looks more likely to go down to the final race in Abu Dhabi is the Constructors’. With 147 points left available for the teams across the final three races of the year, and only 49 points separating them, there is a chance that any one of McLaren, Ferrari, or Red Bull Racing could win.

It’s looking likely that it’ll be either McLaren or Ferrari based on the performance of the teams over the past 10 races, but if Red Bull are able to pull together a decent performance in Vegas from both their drivers like they did last year, they may be back in contention.

As for current leaders McLaren, even if they manage to score maximum points in the next race and Ferrari fail to take home any, they still won’t have enough of a lead to win the championship.

It’s going to be a close battle among all three teams as they look to take the top spot in the standings in the last run of races.

Will the last vacant 2025 seat be decided? 

Following Kick Sauber’s announcement last week that they would be signing Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto for the 2025 Formula 1 season, only one seat now remains to be decided for next year – the one currently occupied by Liam Lawson.

On the surface, it looks like the most likely candidate is the New Zealand racing driver, but there may be more upset on the way for the Red Bull camp, with speculation that they are looking to drop Sergio Perez before the end of his contract. The Mexican driver has been performing far behind that of his teammate Max Verstappen throughout 2024, and with two keen young racers in their junior team, there may be an opportunity for Lawson to move up, leaving his seat vacant for another.

We’ll keep an eye on this final seat as we enter these closing races. Will RB spill the tea on who’s racing for them next year before the final chequered flag, or will we have to wait a little longer?

Final races for four drivers 

Four drivers currently on the grid don’t have seats for next year, spelling the end (for now) for these racers. Kevin Magnussen, with 182 starts and a career which started in 2014 will not be continuing with Haas next year and looks set to leave the sport. Valtteri Bottas, who has 243 starts, 10 wins, and first started in 2013 is also out of contract for next year, along with teammate Zhou Guanyu.

Williams stand-in Franco Colapinto has impressed in his first six F1 races, and while he’s out of contract for next year, there’s little doubt that the Argentine driver back will be back racing in F1 in the near future.

These drivers will be looking to leave their mark as they depart from their teams and, potentially, the sport for good. Don’t miss the chance to see them on track for the final time.  

Lewis’ last races with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton’s racing story with Mercedes is to conclude at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next month. Racing for the Brackley-based team since 2013, the driver has been critical of the squad's performance since the 2022 regulation changes. Earlier this year, he announced he was leaving the team to join Ferrari in a move that shocked the sport.

An exciting move in his career, it’ll also be bittersweet to see his longstanding partnership with the Silver Arrows come to an end.

As the 2024 season begins winding down, all eyes are starting to shift to next year as we get ready to celebrate 75 years of the Formula 1 World Championship.

Don’t miss your chance to be at the very track where the first round took place in July. Tickets to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix 2025 are on sale now!