Sunday’s selection of F1 news will not make for fun reading for seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Not only have his aspirations of challenging Red Bull and Max Verstappen in 2024 been dashed, but Mercedes teammate George Russell has been tipped as a stronger possibility to win the championship this season.
Buckle up for a whirlwind tour of the day’s top stories…
Lewis Hamilton’s F1 2024 title hopes knocked
A Red Bull insider has urged Lewis Hamilton to forget about challenging for the F1 2024 title, saying that it could be another “dull season” dominated by Max Verstappen.
Verstappen has won 44 of the last 66 races dating back to the start of his inaugural title-winning season in 2021, while Hamilton has not won since the season’s penultimate round in Saudi Arabia.
Mercedes hopes to challenge for the title in 2024, but the Red Bull driver believes it is hard to look past Verstappen.
But fresh hope for George Russell?
An F1 race winner believes George Russell will challenge Verstappen in the 2024 season if Mercedes can develop a competitive chassis.
Russell had a successful debut season with Mercedes in 2022, beating legendary teammate Hamilton to his first career victory in Brazil, but was limited to only two podium finishes in a dismal 2023 season.
But, on one condition, a fellow one-time grand prix winner believes Russell will fight back hard and possibly take on Verstappen in 2024.
David Croft reveals one F1 2024 team already in trouble
One of one team’s 2024 cars has already been described as “slow” by one of their drivers, according to Sky F1 commentator David Croft.
The beginning of a new season is generally a time for renewed hope and expectation, but Croft was informed before Christmas that one team’s optimism is already dwindling.
Let’s just say that, based on how their 2023 season unfolded, this team’s identity may not come as a great surprise…
F1 2024’s troubled team understands Red Bull secrets
Surprisingly, the same crew claims to have an excellent grasp of last year’s title-winning Red Bull RB19.
So, dear reader, who do you believe: David Michael Croft or Team A’s technical director?
They can’t both be correct, can they?
Sprint qualifying set to return to Friday?
F1 Sprint qualifying could return to Friday as part of F1’s two possible ideas to change up the schedule for the following season.
The sprint became its own separate event in 2023, with sprint qualifying on Saturday morning and the sprint race in the afternoon, but that could be reversed in an effort to improve the format for 2024.
According to PlanetF1.com, that is one of two options that have been tabled, with a final decision due to be submitted to the F1 commission this month.