F1 Journalist’s 5 Bold Forecasts For The 2024 Season

Correspondent and presenter Lawrence Barretto is one of the largest names in the Formula 1 media scene, and, as a reporter for F1.com, it’s fair to say that his opinions carry at least a little bit of weight. 

At the beginning of each new year, the veteran F1 journalist gives five bold predictions for the upcoming season, and this year’s might be his most interesting yet. 

Before we break down Barretto’s F1 predictions to see if they hold water, if you’re looking to bet on the upcoming Formula 1 season, give your bankroll a boost by looking at the list of the best sportsbook promos and bonus codes from Overtime Heroics.

5. Lando Norris finishes top-three in the championship

This isn’t exactly a scorching take, especially considering how well he ended last season, but Lando Norris finishing top three in the Drivers’ Championship would undoubtedly be the greatest accomplishment of his career to date. 

From Austria onward, Norris had an argument for being the most consistent driver on the grid in 2023 not named Max Verstappen, getting on the podium seven times and finishing top ten in every race outside of a DNF in Vegas. After some early calibration struggles, McLaren ended the year with a very strong car and should head into 2024 with serious aspirations of a second-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship. 

Is it the boldest opinion? Not really. Is it most likely correct? Probably. Norris is an excellent driver in an excellent car, who could realistically finish as high as second in the F1 Drivers’ standings should luck go his way.

4. Lewis Hamilton will return to the top step

It’s insane to think that in 2024, Lewis Hamilton finishing P2 in the Drivers’ Championship is bordering on a hot take, but here we are. The former 7x World Champion made it two straight seasons without a race win, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he didn’t squeeze every last drop out of the Mercedes W14. 

Through sheer consistency, including six podiums and 21 out of 23 points finishes, Hamilton managed to secure an impressive P3, even challenging for P2 late in the season before a slight drop off. 

After two disappointing seasons, Mercedes are doing a massive rework in hopes of finding championship form, and Hamilton finishing in 2nd place is a more than defendable take if their changes are successful.

3. Aston Martin will win a Grand Prix

Now things are getting interesting! We all remember Aston Martin’s red-hot start to the 2023 season, headlined by a career resurgence from Fernando Alonso, who secured six podiums in the first eight weeks, but it’s up to debate whether that was all just a flash in the pan. 

Remember, Alonso scored just two podiums across the final 15 races, as teammate Lance Stroll routinely finished outside of the points entirely. While backing one of F1’s greatest-ever drivers to win a race is certainly never a bad idea, we have to wonder if Aston Martin will be consistent enough pace-wise to capitalize on any Red Bull mishaps. 

Still, the team flashed the occasional race-winning pace even during their last season slump, and it’s not impossible to see a world where they get lucky one weekend and pull out a W.

2. Williams will score a podium

Williams securing a podium in 2024? It’s not as crazy as you might think.

Alex Albon was an absolute machine last season, practically dragging Williams to P7 in the Constructors’ Championship by scoring 27 of the team’s 28 total points. Still, despite the impressive run, he never finished higher than 7th in a single race, a long way off from a podium champagne shower. 

But, there’s reason to believe this year might be a different story. Williams made no upgrades to their car after race eight in Canada, instead choosing to turn an early focus to their 2024 ride. If the extra development time and funding for this year’s car pays off, Albon definitely has it in him to get at the very least into podium contention a few times. 

1. AlphaTauri finally gets P5

To end off the list, Barretto makes his boldest F1 2024 prediction by far. AlphaTauri had a good run to end the 2023 season, becoming a consistent back-half points finisher, but they were miles off top-five team pace regardless. Put it this way, AlphaTauri (25 pts) had less than ten times as many points as 5th place Aston Martin (280 pts) last season. 

Still, it’s not as if Barretto doesn’t have at least a bit of an argument. The team is heading in a new direction with the departure of principal Franz Tost, and rumors are that their partnership with Red Bull is likely to be tighter than ever before. Combine that with a more consistent driver lineup of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, and you can almost see P5 potential if you squint hard enough. 

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