The special significance of the 2024 season in Formula 1 history and what it means for Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s World Cup hopes
The 2024 season will take on a special significance in Formula One history. This is only the third time that four different constructors have managed to achieve at least three Grand Prix victories each: Red Bull (7 wins), Mercedes (3), McLaren (3) and Ferrari (3).
This has only happened twice before, in the 1970s, and both times it involved teams that will also be on the list of winners in 2024: in 1974, McLaren (4), Ferrari (3), Lotus (3) and Brabham (3) each achieved three or more Grand Prix victories in 15 races that season. In 1977, with 17 races in the season, the tally was Lotus (5), Ferrari (4), McLaren (3) and Wolf (3).
Some of these racing teams no longer exist: Wolf disappeared from the scene again at the end of the 1970s. Brabham and Lotus lasted into the 1990s, but in the end they were unable to build on their earlier successes and had to give up.
Others, such as McLaren and Ferrari, are also involved in the fight for the world championship title in the third such occurrence. But did the team that achieved the most victories in a season also become world champion in the past?
In 1974, it was: On his way to winning the drivers’ title, Emerson Fittipaldi won three Grands Prix for McLaren. His team-mate Denny Hulme contributed another victory. Together, Fittipaldi and Hulme secured McLaren the overall victory in the constructors’ championship. Incidentally, these were McLaren’s first two world championship titles in Formula 1.
In 1977, the team with the most victories – Lotus – did not win any titles, although Mario Andretti was the most successful driver of the year with four victories. However, this only earned him third place in the drivers’ championship behind Niki Lauda in the Ferrari and Jody Scheckter in the Wolf, who each won three times. And even the additional Lotus victory by Gunnar Nilsson did not help: Ferrari remained ahead in the constructors’ championship.
And 2024? Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who has won seven times this season, leads the drivers’ standings by a wide margin after 18 of 24 race weekends. In the constructors’ championship, however, McLaren has overtaken Red Bull. So it is quite possible that this year no team will “clear” both titles, but that different teams will each achieve an overall victory.
