After a lengthy delay the previews roll on! This week we’re looking at two hopeful contenders for 2024, Ferrari and McLaren. Towards the end of 2023 both squads showed the qualifying pace to compete with Red Bull, but their race pace was always lacking. It’ll be fascinating to see how well each team was able to develop their cars this winter. They’re both one breakthrough away from competing for race wins and potentially Championships. Let’s get to it, starting with the Scuderia!

Scuderia Ferrari

Charles Leclerc

The Prince Who Was Promised. I may be the only one who refers to Leclerc this way, but holy shit can Charles drive! Based on the respect he commands from this competitors and former drivers, it seems like everyone knows how special he is. It’s hard to believe Leclerc is only 26, but he has plenty of experience and should be for competing for Championships every year. His qualifying performances alone, show how much of a freak this dude is. Ferrari has Ferraried way too much over the past two seasons and it seems to be getting old quick for Leclerc. They’ve put him through hell with their poor strategy calls, indecisiveness and lack of car development. Which is why I was shocked to see he signed an extension this week to stay with Ferrari. In classic F1 fashion the length and terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but this will keep Leclerc with the Scuderia for the foreseeable future. Which for me is absolutely terrifying. The next couple of years could be a lot of the same with Max likely to dominate until the next regulation set in 2026. But if Ferrari can somehow deliver Charles a race winning car in 2024 it could be game on for the Championship. I have my doubts and so do the sportsbooks, which have Charles at +2200 to win the Championship. But that is a very tempting number for our sweet Prince.

Carlos Sainz

Unlike Lecerc, Carlos Sainz did not receive a contract extension from Ferrari this week. Based on his performance in 2023, I found that a little puzzling. Maybe the Audi rumors are true, or the extension will be announced soon. Either way, let’s take a look at 2024. As mentioned, Sainz impressed last season. On race pace he was right with Leclerc just about every weekend. Finishing only 6 points behind Leclerc in the driver’s standings and losing 10-12 on grid finishing positions, Sainz was a consistent, solid driver last season. I expect that to continue this season and for the rest of his career. All F1 drivers improve with experience, but Carlos seems to get better every single season. Its quite impressive how consistent and reliable he has become. He was much less volatile than Leclerc last year and it will be a thrill to see the battle between the two all season. Given a proper race car the boys from Ferrari could be snagging podiums left and right in 2024 and I, like the rest of the Tifosi, would certainly be here for it. We’ll see how it all shakes out, the oddmakers have Carlos at +2800 to win an unlikely Driver’s Championship.

McLaren

Lando Norris

According to Vegas, Lando Norris is the number one contender this season to Mr. Verstappen. I’ll believe it when I see it, but god damn McLaren was awesome in 2023. The start of the 23 season, as they warned us repeadily, was an expected nightmare. But once those upgrades came in, McLaren was arguably the second fastest car on the grid. Expectations are sky high for the famed McLaren team in 2024 and the majority of those lie on this 24 year old animal. After flashing potential early in his career it’s clear Norris is one of the best drivers on the grid. This will be Norris’ sixth year driving for McLaren and this may be the first time he’ll have to worry about his teammate. Oscar Piastri was a dude last year, in his 2023 rookie campaign, and he’s only going to be better this season. I have no doubt this team is behind Lando as the #1 driver but if Oscar gets off to a great start there could be a shift. Lando must know that and he better be ready to drive his ass off to ensure he keeps his teammate in his mirrors all season long.

Oscar Pisatri

I already teased Oscar but he lived up to the hype last season. I was extremely impressed with his maturity and temperament in his rookie season. It looked like the 22 year old Australian had been on the F1 grid for plenty of seasons. I guess based on the controversy behind his path to McLaren (sorry Alpine) the pedigree was clearly there, but seeing it was something else. Piastri did finish way behind Lando in the 2023 Driver’s Championship, 108 points, but he felt much closer than that every week. He seemed to get all the bad strategy or reliability luck for McLaren and it showed in his finishing position. Piastri and Lando are already arguably the best driving pairing on the grid. I for one, can not wait to see how hard Piastri can push Lando this year, it will be fascinating to watch. There is some serious betting value on Piastri right now, at +2000 to take home the Driver’s Championship. Obviously a huge difference compared to his teammate. If the 2024 car is what everyone thinks it could be, Piastri may find himself right in the middle of a title chase this year.

Happy Hunting!