Five key F1 questions to be answered during the summer break

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2023 — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

Five key F1 questions to be answered during the summer break

Some huge F1 storylines will define the 2024 summer break

By Daniel Austin.

Tuesday 6 August 2024 18:00

When Red Bull confirmed that, against all odds, Sergio Perez would be continuing as Max Verstappen’s team-mate until the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, they snuffed out a storyline which seemed as though it was going to run all summer long.

The Mexican’s dreadful form in the first part of the campaign led to rampant speculation that he would be replaced by either Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson, but the Milton-Keynes based squads have opted stick with their status quo as they aim to retain both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

With both titles on the line and teams further back in varying states of flux, though, there are still plenty of other big questions to be answered over F1’s summer break before the Dutch Grand Prix kicks the season back off at the end of August.

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Red Bull’s current position is a fascinating dichotomy – they sit top of both championships, having the lead the way all season long, but are beset by more turmoil on an organizational level than arguably any other team on the grid.

Last week it was announced that they will be losing highly-regarded sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to Audi from next season as he leaves to take up the team principal role with the German brand’s fledgling F1 project, joining renowned designer Adrian Newey on the list of major leavers.

The cracks in the Red Bull hierarchy began to emerge following accusations of inappropriate behavior against team boss Christian Horner by a former employee at the beginning of the year. Following an investigation Horner was kept on by the team, but since then key names have opted to leave and they have been reeled in on-circuit by rivals McLaren and Mercedes.

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It is surely a matter of when rather than if, then, the protégé is confirmed as the seven-time world champion’s replacement. The summer break is so often when contract extensions and new deals are confirmed in F1, but perhaps an announcement at Antonelli’s home race is most likely.

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Will Alpine confirm Mercedes customer deal?

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The Alpine team is once again undergoing a huge restructure as it looks to arrest its slide down the grid. Having finished fourth in 2022 the French squad dropped to sixth last season and is eighth so far this year.

Hitech founder Oli Oakes has been brought in since the Belgian Grand Prix to replace outgoing team principal Bruno Famin, while former Renault boss Flavio Briatore was given a consultancy role earlier in the year despite his controversial past in F1.

Briatore has reportedly informed Renault boss Luca De Meo that the most cost-effective way for Alpine to challenge at the front is to drop its in-house engine project and become a customer team of Mercedes. That would mean halting its operation at its Viry-Chatillon headquarters, which would be a huge reduction in its workforce and brand ambition.

If a deal is confirmed this summer, the future of the Alpine team will look significantly different.

Does Liam Lawson have a future at Red Bull?

Liam Lawson impressed as a stand in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo last season

With Red Bull keeping all four of their current drivers in place for the rest of the season, young prospect Lawson’s future in their stable appears uncertain.

The Kiwi seemed assured for a promotion to either the main squad or RB team before the U-turn on Perez’s status, and will now be without a seat until 2025 at the earliest.

Advisor Helmut Marko said earlier this year that the team would have to either promise Lawson a race seat for 2025 or face losing him to a rival team, and the 22-year-old has been linked with Sauber.

His future needs to be resolved one way or another, and the negotiations that take place over the summer break will no doubt offer more clarity to a young driver who consistently impressed when he stepped up to replace the injured Ricciardo for five races in 2023.

Who will partner Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber?

Valtteri Bottas' future is not yet secured

Speaking of Sauber, they still have a seat of their own available for 2025. The team will become Audi from 2026 onwards, and the German manufacturer already wields significant control over the Hinwil outfit, having signed Nico Hulkenberg from Haas for one of its race seats.

Former McLaren boss Andreas Seidl was leading Audi but unexpectedly and abruptly left his position last month, being replaced by ex-Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto, whose arrival was followed by the announcement of the capture of Wheatley from Red Bull.

With Zhou Guanyu looking likely to be cut adrift at the end of the current season, and fellow incumbent Valtteri Bottas still not tied down to a new deal, this remains perhaps the most lively of the remaining open seats on the grid for next year, with plenty of drivers seemingly in contention.