1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing
Championship final position: 1st
Number of wins: 9
Number of poles: 10
As predictable as it may seem, there is little to debate regarding Max Verstappen’s performance in 2024. Despite a wave of off-track tensions gripping the Red Bull camp early on, the reigning world champion showed no signs of slowing down on track, racking up poles and wins in the early part of the season in what felt like a déjà vu of his dominance from the previous year.
When things became more complicated for the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Verstappen still rose to the challenge, keeping the Red Bull ship steady as his car's performance gradually faded in the face of growing competition from McLaren, Ferrari, and occasionally Mercedes. Despite a four-month winless stretch, the Dutchman -- who only suffered a single DNF (in Australia) -- never finished lower than 6th on his worst Sunday.
It was this remarkable consistency that allowed Verstappen to turn his early points lead into a title-winning campaign, holding off a determined but at times fragile Lando Norris. While Verstappen’s fourth world title may not be remembered as the most dominant or flamboyant, it will certainly be regarded as one of the most impressive, just as his display in Sao Paulo sealed his status as one of Grand Prix racing's greats.
While there were also a few on-track controversial tussles that brought out the Dutchman's worst traits, Verstappen never appeared more in control of his own title pursuit than in 2024 -- a worrying sign for his rivals.
