Best races of 2024 (so far)

The one thing all Formula One fans can agree on is that the 2024 season is as exciting as it is unexpected. It seemed like yet another year of Red Bull's absolute domination when it began. The team's 1-2 and Max's 20-second lead over the rest of the field brought the fans back to 2023, also known as the season during which the Dutch anthem had become synonymous with the ending of a race weekend. But then, a few races into the season, cracks began forming in Red Bull's perfect facade. Within a blink of an eye, their hold over the rest of the field crumbled, leaving behind race wins for the taking of anyone who dared to try and get them. 

In a season as great as this one, many races raised heartbeats and caused screams of either frustration or excitement. Narrowing them down to only a few wasn't an easy task as most had something spectacular to offer. Still, after hours of deliberation and multiple opinions, I have compiled what I believe to be an objective list of the five most thrilling races of the season so far. 

But before we get to it, I have to mention a few runner-ups, races that just barely didn't make the cut but that deserve to have their place in the article. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS 

The first one, somewhat controversial, is Bahrain, the season opener. While its result was exactly what was expected coming off of the 2023 season, it set the tone for the rest of the season. It was the first time we could see how the new cars truly fared against each other and the first time we could see frontrunners emerging from the crowd. Still, with no real fight for the win, the race paled in comparison to some of the ones that would come later. 

Miami was also among my contenders for a spot in the top five, providing not only Norris' first win but also one of the biggest safety car curveballs in a long time. The race seemed to be going entirely to Verstappen's liking until Sargeant and Magnussen made contact that sent the Williams into a wall and brought out a yellow flag. After some confusion regarding the de facto leader of the race, Norris was able to fully utilise the power of his upgraded McLaren and leave Max a good few seconds behind. His win was a fascinating plot twist... But not much more. While it was a fascinating watch at a time, it became partially forgettable under the shadow of the rest of the season. 

The last race that just barely missed out on making it onto the list was the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri's maiden win. Thanks to his great overtake at the very beginning, the young Australian found himself in the lead where he would remain up until McLaren's questionable strategy gave his teammate a great advantage and allowed the Brit to pass him. The heated radio messages that ensued as the team appealed to Norris to give the position back, made for a thrilling watch. Once again, this race's only crime was that others were even better. 

Now that the honourable mentions are out of the way, let's focus on the clue of the article. I present to you, the five most thrilling races of the 2024 season, written down in chronological order. 

CANADA 

At first glance, Canada may seem like just another classic Max win, but the truth is, it was anything but a sure victory. Having set the exact same lap times during qualifying, Verstappen and Russel started the rainy race side-by-side and they emerged as the two most likely candidates for the top step of the podium.  A surprise third name was added to the fight once the track dried off enough for DRS to be enabled. Since it was one of the first races of the era in which it was the orange McLaren that was the fastest of all cars, it was still somewhat surprising to see Norris slip past the top two and claim the lead. He didn't stay at the front of the field for long. Having completed just short of 30 laps, Sargeant found the wall and brought on the safety care. While Verstappen and Russel immediately pitted, Norris waited a lap longer, a decision which led to him falling back into P3. Verstappen became the third race leader in a race which, up to that point, ran for only 28 laps. But Norris wouldn't give up without a fight. When the time came for the top cars to pit again, he once again waited a lap longer than his competitors, taking the provisional lead and hoping to put in a lap quick enough to drive out of the pits before his opponents could overtake him. He almost managed to do so but an unfortunate slip at the exit from the pits pushed him back to P3. Was that the end of the excitement provided by the circuit of Gilles Villeneuve? Absolutely not. With only a dozen laps left in the race, an unfortunate series of events led to Perez, Sainz, and Albon crashing and bringing out a second safety car. After it had ended Verstappen soared away from Norris, who had found his way back to P2 after Russel's second pitstop. A race that gave us Verstappen's 60th race win, only 15 classified finishers, and fights all over the track certainly deserves a spot in this season's top five. 

AUSTRIA

If someone asked me to point at the most unexpected podium of 2024, the Austrian one would be the first to come to my mind. After Verstappen put in an incredibly dominant performance on Saturday and managed to build a lead of multiple seconds in the race itself, the fate of the Grand Prix seemed to be determined: the Dutchman was to win it in front of a crowd of Red Bull fans. But a race is only over when then the checkered flag waves and not a minute earlier. As multiple drivers were penalised for various 'crimes', Verstappen and Norris, numbers one and two on track, dove into the pitlane on the same lap. Verstappen led the Brit by over five seconds, but the advantage melted to less than two after a disastrous pit stop, a rarity in the Red Bull garage. That, and the fact that Norris bolted on a new set of mediums while Max had to settle for used ones, meant that a proper fight for the lead broke out at the front of the field. Both drivers fought hard to remain on top, and Norris' aggressive attacks earned him a warning for exceeding track limits. He had to watch his driving more carefully. Or rather, he would have had to, had his McLaren not made contact with the Red Bull. Both cars sustained some damage and while Verstappen was able to rejoin the race after a quick stop, Norris' say came to an early finish. Neither of them had any chance of fighting for the win, especially after Max received a ten-second penalty for causing the incident. Russel, Piastri, and Sainz benefited from the accident, making for quite the unexpected podium. 

SILVERSTONE 

A race that Lewis Hamilton's fans will never forget will also go down in history as one of the best races of the 2024 season in the eyes of everyone who appreciates the sport. Well, maybe except for the fans of Charles Leclerc who would love to forget Ferrari's terrible strategic calls which led to their driver losing 12 seconds in one lap. As hard as he tried to salvage the race, there was nothing he could have done. The Grand Prix saw a great fight for the win between Verstappen, Norris, and Hamilton. For a while Russel and Piastri also looked like possible contenders, but the Brit had to retire the car after only 34 laps, and the Australian fell away from the top three before the race was over. As it often does, everything came down to the timing of the last pit stop and the tires chosen by the teams. Even though Norris was leading the race before his stop, a combination of poor timing and a less-than-perfect tire change led to him losing the lead to Hamilton. To add insult to injury, he then lost second place to Verstappen. Having left Norris behind, the Dutchman tried to catch Hamilton, but there was nothing he could do to stop the seven-time-world champion from taking his 104th win. After a long winless streak, Lewis Hamilton won where it mattered most. 

MONZA

While Silverstone was special for team LH, Monza will forever stay in the hearts of the Tifosi. It didn't seem like the race would be one for them to remember after their Ferrari Prince qualified 4th, behind two incredibly fast McLarens and the Mercedes of George Russel, but Leclerc proved them wrong as soon as the lights went out. Not a minute of the race had passed before he took advantage of the McLarens fighting each other and fought his way into P2. He stayed there until the cars began coming in for their pit stop and even though changing the tires pushed him back, he quickly got back where he belonged. The one person standing between him and a truly historic win was Oscar Piastri. The only way for Leclerc to take the win was to do something that the McLarens didn't dare to try: go for a one-stop race. Having decided on the strategy, he found himself in the lead, with the Australian 12 seconds behind, but on much fresher tires. For the last laps of the race, the eyes of every viewer were glued to the ever-decreasing gap between the two. In the end, it was a home win for the Maranello-raised Leclerc, after a race so captivating, that it wasn't even an option to look away from the screen. 

AZERBAIJAN 

And finally, last but certainly not least, one of the most recent races. The one-stop race that could have been a back-to-back win for the polesitter, Charles Leclerc, fell away from his grasp when he was passed by Oscar Piastri. The Monegasque spent the rest of the race within Piastri's DRS but always came just short of catching up to him. The two fought for the entire race, never further away than a few seconds. Tensions were high since every lap could be the one to put Leclerc back in the lead. But, after delivering an amazing drive, it was Piastri who took the win, just as Sainz and Perez crashed on the very last lap. Ass to that the fact that the race sparked discussions about McLaren's flexible DRS flap that was later banned by the FIA, and we get a race that was not only thrilling as it happened but also thrilling to discuss long after it had ended. 

In a season this exciting, it wasn't easy to choose the most interesting races. Almost every single one had something great to offer. Will the last six races of the season change the standings? I will revisit this article once the season is over and with Norris so eager to catch up to Verstappen and Verstappen desperate to hold onto the championship that had his name written all over it, I can only hope that the top five will look entirely different.