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The clock for the 2024 F1 season is ticking as we get closer to the car launches.
Last season was arguably not the most exciting one as Red Bull ended up winning all but one race. Max Verstappen himself won 19 races in the season and broke a plethora of records throughout the year.
In terms of excitement and an unpredictable title battle, the 2023 F1 season was forgettable.
At the start of the 2024 F1 season, many fans are hoping for more competition and a better experience. Having said that, as we wait for the action to start, we could be at the cusp of some shocks in 2024.
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There are a few shocking developments that could take place this season. Let's take a look at five of them that could catch the F1 fans off-guard.
#5 Lando Norris leaves McLaren
This one looks highly unlikely as on the contrary Zak Brown has made it clear that he wants to see Lando Norris with the team for the long haul. Having said that, one cannot deny the fact that the young rookie in Oscar Piastri already turned a few heads in F1 last season.
There are already a few pundits in F1 who look at Piastri and see more potential as compared to Norris. Whether that's true or not is hard to answer at the moment, but it does open up the debate around what would happen if Norris does find himself being second best to Piastri in 2024.
Will he continue to be part of McLaren and be second best? Or will he look at other options to try and build his career there? With Seidl keeping a keen eye on the grid and Audi coming to the grid soon, Norris could get tempted and make a move.
If he does, surely that's going to be one of the bigger shocks of the 2024 F1 season.
#4 Sebastian Vettel announces his return
Audi's entry into F1 is scheduled for 2026 but the German manufacturer's influence seems to be steadily increasing.
For now, two names thrown around when it comes to possible candidates for the seats are Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg. Neither of them, however, are big names that would garner too much attention and bring the team into the spotlight.
There is, however, one driver who left the sport in 2022 who could do just that. To make it more enticing, he's German and has won four world titles.
It won't come as a surprise that there have been conversations already between Andreas Seidl and Sebastian Vettel in the background. If Vettel does agree to come back, that would be as big a shock given he announced his retirement from the sport in 2022.
#3 AlphaTauri becomes a race winner
If this happens, we're going to see quite a few teams up in arms and protesting against Red Bull's dual ownership and having two teams on the grid. The 2024 F1 season is going to be very interesting in that aspect because there are some very high expectations from AlphaTauri (Racing Bulls?) for the 2024 season.
The team has been an afterthought for the last few years and hasn't really been a factor even in the midfield for the most part. This season, however, Red Bull is going to be even more aligned with the project. The improvements were visible last season as well and there is a possibility of the team making a big step this year.
If AlphaTauri ends up winning a race this season, we're looking at a result that's going to cause a lot of outrage.
#2 Fernando Alonso retires
Fernando Alonso has already crossed the 40-year barrier and one wonders how much gas he has left in the tank. Some believe he still has a few years in him, but that belief has been getting tested lately with Aston Martin's sudden downturn in form.
The Silverstone-based squad is likely the last F1 team that Alonso will be a part of before he retires. If the 2024 season starts and the team has taken a backward step, that's something that would worry him.
Alonso has never been too worried about burning bridges. If the Spaniard loses hope in the project, we might see him finally giving up on his dream of winning another title, and finally calling time on his F1 career.
#1 Lewis Hamilton retires from F1
Lewis Hamilton has another year left on his contract after this one but he's also got more than 100 wins and seven world titles in the bag. He's now gone two years without winning a race, the first time this has happened since his F1 debut in 2007.
As a result, there are numerous questions around what the season holds for Hamilton and the team.
What if the Mercedes recovery program takes longer? What if the start of the 2024 F1 season is not what Hamilton expects from his team and a possible future title shot looks like nothing more than a distant dream?
Would he continue to toil every weekend and fight for the scraps left behind after Max Verstappen picks up wins? Would he find something like that fulfilling?
What if the consistent challenge of fending off George Russell is something he doesn't find rewarding in any which way? Would he be willing to continue if that is the case? He might because he still has the hunger. Or, he could call time in his career because he loses all hope of fighting for a title in the near future.
We could have a scenario where Hamilton retires at the end of this season and if that happens, it would be a seismic moment for the sport.
