It’s January, meaning it’s time to look forward to 2024. Since we just finished 2023, it’s also apropos to look back at that year as well. Guess that’s why they named the month after Janus…
I’m going to take one last look back at 2023 soon, it was definitely a historical season. As that season came to a close though, one could see the groundwork being laid for 2024. McLaren and Aston-Martin made massive strides during the season and look to be more competitive this year. Plus, Ferrari improved on their operations under new Team Principal Fred Vasseur. Mercedes also showed throughout the season, they were reliable and consistent. The stage is set for the new season.
It will kick off soon too. In less than two months, the lights will go out in Bahrain for the first round of the season. Between now and then, it will be a mad rush as teams get their new cars ready for the one pre-season test the week before the grand prix. Although all the drivers at the end of 2023 will remain where they are at in 2024, the “silly season” this year could well be one of the most interesting in years. No fewer than 15 drivers are out of contract as of now (January 8, 2024), which is highly unusual. We may see some early movement though as teams and drivers position themselves for the upcoming seasons.
Along with the seasonal topics, I’ll continue to look back at F1 history as well as motorsport in general. We’re seeing some interesting developments in WEC, IndyCar, and other top forms of auto racing that will affect Formula One. So stay tuned, I have some good things planned for my fellow fans.
