If you tuned out of Formula 1 after the first four races of last year, you probably assumed Max Verstappen cruised to another easy trophy while everyone else fought for scraps. Honestly, it looked that way. He won seven of the first ten races. It felt like a repeat of 2023. But then, the script flipped in a way nobody really saw coming.
Max Verstappen won the 2024 F1 Drivers' Championship, securing his fourth consecutive title. He did it in Las Vegas, not even needing the final race in Abu Dhabi to seal the deal. But while the name at the top of the standings stayed the same, the story of who won 2024 F1 is actually a tale of two different winners. For the first time since 1998, McLaren took home the Constructors' Championship, finally ending a 26-year drought that had haunted the team from Woking.
It was a weird year. We had seven different race winners. We had a Red Bull car that started as a spaceship and ended the season as a handful that Max had to wrestle into the points.
The Verstappen Great Escape
Max is now a four-time world champion. That puts him in the same room as legends like Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel. But this wasn't the dominant "I’m 30 seconds ahead" Max we saw a year prior.
Basically, the Red Bull RB20 hit a wall. Around the time we got to Miami, McLaren and Ferrari didn't just catch up—they passed them. Max went on a ten-race winless streak between June and November. Think about that. The best driver in the world, in a Red Bull, couldn't find the top step of the podium for nearly half the season.
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He won this championship through sheer grit and a legendary performance in Brazil. Starting 17th on the grid in a torrential downpour, he carved through the field to win. That was the moment Lando Norris's title hopes effectively died. Lando was his closest rival, and while the McLaren was often the faster car in the second half of the year, Max just didn't make mistakes. He finished the season with 437 points, 63 ahead of Norris.
Why McLaren Winning the Constructors’ Matters
While Max took the individual glory, the team trophy went to McLaren. This is huge. For over two decades, McLaren has been "rebuilding." They finally did it.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were arguably the most consistent duo on the grid. They scored 666 points combined. Ferrari actually gave them a massive scare toward the end, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz putting up a hell of a fight, but McLaren held on by 14 points at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The turning point was the MCL38's upgrade package in Miami. Suddenly, they had a car that could handle any track, any temperature, and any tire compound. While Sergio Perez struggled in the second Red Bull—often failing to even make it into the final round of qualifying—Piastri and Norris were bagging double podiums. That’s how you win a team title. You need two drivers performing, and Red Bull only had one.
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The Chaos and the Underdogs
It wasn't just a two-horse race. We saw some truly wild moments that shifted the momentum of the season.
- Lewis Hamilton’s Farewell Tour: In his final year with Mercedes before heading to Ferrari, Lewis won at Silverstone. It was his first win in 945 days. The scenes were emotional. He then grabbed another win at Spa after his teammate, George Russell, was disqualified for an underweight car.
- The Ferrari Surge: Charles Leclerc finally won his home race in Monaco. If you follow F1, you know how much of a curse that race has been for him. Ferrari also dominated in Austin and Mexico, making the Constructors' battle a three-way fight until the very end.
- The Mid-Season Swap: Williams got tired of Logan Sargeant’s crashes and brought in Franco Colapinto. The kid was a revelation, scoring points almost immediately and proving that the talent pool outside the veteran names is deeper than people think.
- Alpine’s Miracle: At the rain-soaked Brazilian GP, Alpine somehow got a double podium with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. It jumped them from near the bottom of the standings to sixth, worth tens of millions in prize money.
What Most People Missed
The real reason Max won wasn't just the car—it was the "points floor." Even when the Red Bull was the third or fourth fastest car on track, Max was finishing P2 or P4. He maximized every single weekend. Lando, on the other hand, had some "what if" moments. Bad starts in Spain and Hungary, and some strategic wobbles from the McLaren pit wall, cost him points that he desperately needed by the time the circus reached the American leg of the tour.
By the time we hit the Las Vegas Strip, the math was simple. Max just had to finish ahead of Lando. He finished 5th, Lando finished 6th. Job done.
Actionable Insights for F1 Fans
If you’re looking to follow the momentum into the next season, here’s how to look at the 2024 results:
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Watch the "Number 2" Driver: Red Bull lost the team title because Sergio Perez couldn't support Max. In 2025, the gap between teammates will determine who wins the big money.
Track Development Curves: McLaren’s jump from 2023 to 2024 was unprecedented. Keep an eye on the first three races of 2025—specifically the high-speed corners—to see if Ferrari or Mercedes has finally cracked the code to sustain a full-season challenge.
The Hamilton Effect: Lewis moving to Ferrari is the biggest story in sports. Given that Ferrari finished 2024 as arguably the fastest car on some tracks, he might actually have a shot at that elusive eighth title sooner than we thought.
Don't Ignore the Midfield: Teams like Haas and Alpine showed that one lucky (or brilliant) race in the rain can change a team’s entire financial future. The battle for 6th place is often more intense than the battle for 1st.
The 2024 season proved that dominance is fragile. Max Verstappen is the champion, but the era of him winning every race by half a minute is officially over. We're in a multi-team fight now, and that's exactly what the sport needed.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep a close eye on the official F1 Standings to see the final point tallies and how the gap closed toward the end of the year.