F1 June News Roundup

One-third of the racing calendar has been completed. The year so far has brought into the limelight two new (potential) title competitors in Ferrari, and Mclaren. Mclaren would see Lando Norris’ first win in; Miami. Ferrari has proven themselves worthy of race wins as well, Carlos Sainz in Australia, and Charles Leclerc in Monaco.

As of writing, the 2026 regulations have been released, but that will be covered in a separate article at another time, as this column is focused on the current 2024 season. Let's get started!

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Noteworthy:

Red Bull’s grasp on the WDC and WCC seemed iron-clad at the start of the season, however, after the brake overheating issue faced by Verstappen at the Melbourne Grand Prix, the gap in both the WCC and WDC has begun to shrink.

Lando Norris achieved his first career win with a solid performance in Miami, securing Mclaren’s second win in the last 12 years, and finishing 7 seconds up on Max Verstappen. 

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured his sixth win in F1, with his home win at the fabled Monaco Grand Prix, joining his teammate Carlos Sainz, who won the Melbourne Grand Prix, in the winners circle for the 2024 championship.

News since the season start has been incredibly varied, especially regarding driver contract negotiations as we head into silly season. 

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Driver Contracts:

- Sergio Perez signs a 2 year deal with Red Bull Racing

- Nico Hulkenberg is the first driver to sign with Audi

- Fernando Alonso signs multi-year at Aston Martin

- Alex Albon signs multi-year at Williams

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A reminder that several drivers whose contracts expire at the end of the 2024 season have not yet secured a drive for 2025, the list as follows;

- Valterri Bottas (Kick Sauber)

- Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber)

- Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB)

- Daniel Ricciardo (VCARB)

- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

- Esteban Ocon (Alpine) (Set to depart Alpine at the end of 2024)

- Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

- Logan Sargeant (Williams)

- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

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Hot seat:

Amid a tumultuous season for Alpine, and the near double DNF faced in Monaco, rumours had spread that Esteban Ocon would be substituted for Alpine Reserve driver Jack Doohan. As of May 31st, Ocon will be racing with Alpine at the Montreal Grand Prix. Further, as of June 3rd, Alpine announced that Esteban Ocon will be leaving the team at the end of 2024.

Sergio Perez has confirmed his seat at RedBull until the end of 2026, as reported by Sky Sports. Barring any unforeseen incidents, this new deal could take him into retirement. With the driver market being as crazy as ever, RedBull decided on playing things safe and locking up Perez, giving them a capable lineup for 2025, and the first year of the new regulations in 2026.

Which brings us to Carlos Sainz. RedBull is officially off the table for him, and if it is true that he could go to Audi in 2026, that’s likely why they shied away from him. A one year rental in Sainz vs a longer term contract in Perez seemed appealing to the championship favorites. Other rumours swirling about make a case for just about any other team, including his old home at VCARB (Toro Rosso.)