The 2024 season is almost here, with pre-season testing just around the corner and the first race of the season set to get under way on March 2. To get you ready for the coming action, we’ve prepared a list of must-know info about this year’s field of 20 drivers who will all be aiming at the top step of the podium throughout a season which could be closer than ever.
Red Bull is the team to beat after two seasons of almost unanswered dominance, but the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin will almost certainly be motivated to close the gap — possibly resulting in a title-battle for the ages! With plenty of drivers also set to be out of contract by the end of the new campaign, many will be keen on making an impression in order to leap into a front-running seat at Mercedes — following Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari in 2025 — or even Red Bull — with Sergio Perez’s position still covered in question marks.
See full details of all the drivers set to compete in the 2024 season below:
Max Verstappen 🇳🇱
Red Bull
Car number: #1
Career GPs: 185
Race wins: 54
Pole positions: 32
Max Verstappen was just 17 when he made his F1 debut for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix — making him the youngest grand prix driver ever.
He became F1’s youngest race winner just a year later when he won his first race for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix after being promoted to the team just four races into his second season.
In 2021, the Dutchman became the fourth youngest driver to win an F1 world championship — besting Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season finale in Abu Dhabi to secure the title.
Verstappen has since scored 34 race victories, 19 pole positions and two more drivers’ world championships.
Sergio Perez made his F1 grand prix debut with Sauber in 2011 and would go on to score three podium finishes the following year.
He completed a move to McLaren in 2013 — in place of Lewis Hamilton who had left for Mercedes — but struggled to produce consistent results.
A move to Force India — which would later become Racing Point — in 2014 proved more fruitful as Perez scored six podium finishes and a race win over seven seasons with the team.
His performance earned a last gasp move to Red Bull for 2021, where he has struggled to keep pace with Verstappen over the course of a season.
Lewis Hamilton entered F1 in 2007 as the best prepared rookie in history and subsequently challenged for the drivers’ title in his first season with McLaren.
A debut drivers’ title in 2008 was secured at the penultimate corner of the Brazilian Grand Prix, as the Briton passed Timo Glock for seventh to go one point ahead of Felipe Massa in the drivers’ standings.
A move to Mercedes in 2013 began relatively slowly but soon evolved into an era of absolute dominance as Hamilton would win six out of the seven F1 world titles on offer from 2014-2020.
Mercedes has struggled since, and perhaps contributed to the Briton’s decision to move to Ferrari for 2025, where he will pair with Charles Leclerc and hope to end a 17-year wait for the Scuderia’s next F1 drivers’ world champion.
George Russell began his F1 journey in 2019 with Williams where he’d prove himself as a potential world champion.
The Briton earned a long-awaited move to Mercedes for 2022 and would deliver on his potential almost immediately, scoring seven podium finishes and race win at Interlagos.
The combined results earned him fourth in the drivers’ standings, making him the third driver to beat Lewis Hamilton as a team-mate.
2023 was less successful, but Russell will remain a key part of Mercedes’ long-term future and is set to step up into a leadership role in 2025 upon Hamilton’s departure.
Charles Leclerc made his F1 debut with Sauber in 2018, where he’d score impressive points finishes before completing a blockbuster move to Ferrari for the following year.
The Monegasque driver kept pace almost immediately with title-winning team-mate Sebastian Vettel and would later claim two historic wins at Spa and Monza.
Leclerc has since grown into one of the grid’s great qualifiers — with 23 pole positions to his name so far — but has rarely been able to convert them into race victories.
Critical errors and general misfortune have kept the 26 year old from real title contention. But 2024 could tell a different story.
Over an eight-year career, Carlos Sainz has raced for four different F1 teams: Toro Rosso (from 2015-2016), Renault (from 2017-2018), McLaren (2019-2020) and Ferrari (2021 to 2024).
The Spaniard has achieved progressively better results with each outfit — scoring points finishes with Toro Rosso and Renault, podiums with McLaren and race wins with Ferrari.
In 2023, he was the only non-Red Bull driver to score a race victory, as he claimed the top step at Singapore under incredible pressure from Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
Despite his success and comparable pace with team-mate Leclerc, the Spaniard will depart from the team in 2025 following the shock signing of Lewis Hamilton.
Much like Hamilton, Lando Norris has been under McLaren’s supervision from a young age and made his grand prix debut for the team in 2018.
Despite numerous impressive performances, a visit to the top step continues to elude him — either due to the underperformance of his car or costly last gasp errors.
The Briton is poised to lead McLaren into the future, having signed a new “multi-year” contract extension with the team following his best season yet in 2023 with seven podium finishes.
Oscar Piastri entered F1 following a year of controversy, as he publicly rejected a seat at Alpine in order to sign for McLaren for 2023.
At first, his talent was held back by the underperformance of the MCL60. But as the team re-found form, the Aussie often had no problem in finding front-running pace.
He achieved his best result of the season at Qatar, where he won the sprint race and later finished second to Verstappen in the grand prix.
His performance warranted a mid-season contract extension, which will keep him racing in papaya until at least 2026.
At 42 years old, Fernando Alonso is currently F1’s eldest and most experienced grand prix driver — having made his race weekend debut for Minardi in 2001 at the Australian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard won back-to-back drivers’ world championships in 2005 and 2006 — ending a run of Michael Schumacher-led dominance since 2000.
He retired in 2017 after disappointing runs with Ferrari and McLaren but returned in 2021 with Alpine.
A move to Aston Martin in 2023 seemingly reignited an old flame, as Alonso scored seven impressive podium finishes with no sign of slowing down.
2024 will be the Spaniard’s last season under his current contract, but has already shown a keen interest in staying with Aston Martin for years to come.
With the massive financial support of his family, Lance Stroll entered F1 for the first time in 2017 — driving for a struggling Williams team.
He’d score his first podium just eight races into his rookie campaign — finishing third at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Canadian then completed a move to Racing Point in 2019 after his father Lawrence led a consortium of investors to buy out Force India. Here, Lance would achieve better results — the highlight being a pole position at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix.
Under the new Aston Martin moniker, Stroll has struggled against his team-mates but is set to remain a part of the F1 grid for the foreseeable future.
Standing at 186cm, Esteban Ocon is the joint-tallest F1 driver on the current grid — alongside Nico Hülkenberg — and made his F1 debut for Manor Racing in 2016 at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The following year, he made the switch to Force India where he partnered Sergio Perez — but their relationship soon turned sour with multiple on-track clashes.
The Frenchman lost his seat for 2019 to Lance Stroll, but re-joined the grid in 2020 with Renault.
Ocon has since become a vital part of Enstone’s future and became its most recent race winner in 2021 with a victory at the Hungaroring.
Alex Albon entered Formula 1 in 2019, joining Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) for his rookie season.
The Thai-Anglo driver impressed with consistent performances, and earned a mid-season promotion to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen for the 2019 season.
He continued with Red Bull in 2020 but struggled to match Verstappen’s level of performance, leading to his departure from the team at the end of the season.
After a year away, Albon returned to F1 in 2022 with Williams, contributing to the team’s development and showcasing his skills in a midfield context.
His impressive performances have attracted attention from the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes who may want to lure the Thai driver away during the final years of his contract with Williams.
Daniel Ricciardo made his Formula 1 debut with HRT in 2011 before moving to Toro Rosso in 2012, where he showcased his talent and earned a promotion to Red Bull Racing.
Under the Milton Keynes marque, the Aussie secured seven grand prix victories and became a consistent podium finisher from 2014 to 2018, finishing third in the driver’s championship twice.
A surprise move to Renault (now rebranded as Alpine) in 2019 shocked many in the paddock, but ultimately lived up to little as the French constructor failed to build a competitive car.
A move to McLaren in 2022 proved disastrous — aside from a surprise win at Monza — and poor performance saw Ricciardo left without a seat for 2023 until he was re-signed by AlphaTauri to replace Nyck de Vries midway through the season.
Yuki Tsunoda entered Formula 1 in 2021 with AlphaTauri — becoming the first Japanese driver to compete in the series since 2014.
The Red Bull junior impressed with his speed and adaptability — as he scored points in his debut race — but a lack of consistency cast doubt over his long-term future.
An increased competitive presence in 2022 helped turn the tide and impressive performances throughout 2023 helped Tsunoda secure another contract extension for 2024.
Valtteri Bottas joined Formula 1 in 2013 with Williams, displaying early promise and earning a promotion to Mercedes as their driver for the 2017 season.
The Finn played a crucial role as a team-mate to Lewis Hamilton from 2017 to 2021 — contributing to the team’s unprecedented championship success with multiple race victories.
Looking to lead his own team, Bottas moved to Alfa Romeo (now Sauber) in 2022 — but has faced a tough midfield in a highly inconsistent car.
Zhou Guanyu made his Formula 1 debut in 2022 with Alfa Romeo — becoming the first Chinese F1 driver.
He showcased promising performances in his rookie season, adapting quickly to the demands of the series and demonstrating competitive potential.
His efforts helped the team achieve an impressive sixth in the constructors’ standings, but 2023 proved to be a much tougher year as the Hinwill marque struggled for consistency.
Kevin Magnussen began his F1 career with a bang — finishing on the podium in his first race for McLaren at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. Sadly only poorer results would follow and the Dane was released at the end of the season.
He re-joined the F1 grid in 2016 with Renault before moving to Haas the following year where he’d become a key part of the team’s rise to the top of the midfield in 2018.
Magnussen took a brief hiatus from F1 in 2021 but returned in 2022 — rejoining Haas to partner Mick Schumacher. He’d score several impressive performance throughout his comeback season, but the highlight came in Sao Paulo where Magnussen scored the first pole position of his F1 career.
Former rival Nico Hülkenberg arrived to partner the Dane in 2023, but Haas struggled to develop a competitive car.
Nico Hülkenberg entered Formula 1 in 2010 as a rookie with world championship potential — a reputation he strengthened in Brazil where he secured an unlikely pole position.
In the years which followed, Hülkenberg would compete for various teams, including Force India, Sauber, and Renault — delivering consistent performances and establishing himself as a reliable driver.
After leaving Renault in 2019, Hülkenberg acted as a reserve driver to Racing Point and Aston Martin until he re-signed to a full-time seat with Haas in 2023.
Despite his experience and obvious talent, Hülkenberg owns the unfortunate record for the most grand prix (206) without a podium — having only ever finished as high as fourth.
