Will Red Bull Dominate 2024?

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🌎 Around Formula 1

🎉 2024 Season: 24 Races, Same Drivers, New Challenges - The 2024 season will feature a record 24 races, starting in Bahrain on March 2. Pre-season testing is set for late February in Bahrain. The driver lineup remains largely unchanged from 2023 pending Sargeants resigning, with most contracts expiring at the end of 2024, promising potential shifts in team dynamics. Read more

🥵 New F1 Heat Safety Measures - The FIA introduces cooling solutions for F1 drivers, including a cockpit "scoop" and potential weight allowance for cooling gear, addressing extreme heat challenges faced at the Qatar GP. Read more. Read more

🔮 F1 CEO Anticipates Tighter 2024 - Stefano Domenicali expects a more competitive 2024 season, despite Red Bull's 2023 dominance. He cites McLaren's progress under the budget cap as evidence of potential rapid team improvements. Read more

🛞 Drivers

🦸‍♂️ Max’s Historic Season - Verstappen's 2023 F1 season, marked by 19 wins and 575 points (92.7% of the total possible), stands out for its consistency and dominance, surpassing past greats like Schumacher in points percentage and leading more laps than Senna and Prost in 1988. Read more

😂 Bottas' Nude Calendar Raises $150K - In a daring move for charity, posed nude for a calendar for Movember, a men's health charity. Titled 'Bottass 2024', the calendar featured unfiltered images. Initially met with skepticism, the project, aimed at supporting prostate cancer research, gained widespread support and popularity, selling over 10,000 copies. See video

🙅‍♂️ Alonso Denies Brake Testing Hamilton - He refuted Hamilton's claim of brake testing during the Abu Dhabi GP, attributing the incident to both drivers' experience. Alonso, who finished seventh, emphasized the need for Aston Martin to improve straight-line speed and address tire degradation issues for better performance next season. Read more

🏎 Teams

💰 2023 Prize Money Breakdown

Red Bull's Victory: Clinching both championships early, $140m.

Mercedes vs Ferrari: Battle for second, Mercedes edged out Ferrari, securing $131m, Ferrari taking $122m.

McLaren's Turnaround: Resulting in $113m.

Aston Martin's Success: Best result since 2021, $104m.

Alpine's Consistency: A steady performance, $95m.

Williams' Improvement: Marking significant progress, $87m.

AlphaTauri's Struggle: Despite challenges, $78m.

Alfa Romeo's Decline: Slipping to ninth, $69m.

Haas' Difficult Year: Dead last, $60m.

Note: These figures are based on the estimated $1 billion prize pot, reflecting the teams' achievements and challenges throughout the 2023 F1 season. Read more

🎬 Tost's AlphaTauri Era Ends - Franz Tost retires after 18 years as AlphaTauri's team boss, leaving a legacy of two wins, five podiums, and nurturing talents like Vettel and Verstappen. Read more

😤 Horner Defends Red Bull-AlphaTauri Ties - Defends the growing Red Bull-AlphaTauri partnership, asserting significant differences between their cars. He compares the relationship to Ferrari and Mercedes with their customer teams, dismissing concerns of a "pink Mercedes" scenario among rival teams. Read more

📊 Final Standings

F1's Record-Breaking U.S. Viewership in 2023 - The season on ESPN platforms ended as the second most-viewed in U.S. history, averaging 1.11 million viewers per race. Highlights include record audiences for eight races, including the Monaco GP on ABC with 1.79 million viewers. The season's success reflects a near doubling of average viewership since 2018, showcasing F1's growing popularity in the U.S. The season concluded with a three-year renewal deal between ESPN and Formula 1, promising continued growth. Read more