“It will be another season sculpted for Verstappen’s dominance”: 19 drivers who will not be champions and the future of Checo and Sainz

Not even 100 days have passed since the 2023 championship ended, but from the news that has reached us, it seems like it was more than a year. Formula One began a new season immersed in more drama than usual. If having its own reality show (“Formula 1: Drive to Survive”) was not enough, today the category has done what is necessary to install emotion from the weeks before. Early team changes, drivers without defined futures, complaints, name changes and anti-sounding opinions have managed to load this first traffic light with several protagonists.

the same song

This will be another year listening to the Netherlands anthem. The first race was enough to make it clear to us that this will be another season tailored to the devastating dominance of Max Verstappen. The new Red Bull has shown that it has not wasted any time in glory and has put on the asphalt river an even sharper version of the lethal machine of 2023. The evidence is so compelling, the times are lethal, and more than one The grid has begun to see the beginning of a story that they already know well. With a championship defined so far in advance, it is clear that the men from Milton Keynes dedicated a lot of time to this car that seemed ready to win the fourth consecutive championship.

While all the other teams have tried to copy them, they have evolved elsewhere. Different in its exterior shapes and with a cooling system never before seen on the grid, the car shows that Newey did not opt ​​for the safe route of evolving the 2023 thoroughbred, but rather to create a new breed. The superiority in the previous round has been such that Alonso himself has not hesitated when stating that “there are 19 drivers who think we are not going to win the World Championship. “This sport is that brutal 99% of the time.” The most painful thing? Checo Pérez is also among those 19 drivers.

Two men, one path

The surprise signing of Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari for 2025 has shaken up the grid and given this season a live casting feel. With Checo Pérez in the last year of his contract with Red Bull and Carlos Sainz knowing that he races for Ferrari in a seat that is no longer his, both will seek to shine on the tracks this year to remain in the spotlight. It is clear that Carlos has no option to stay at Ferrari, but he is aware that in 2025 Checo Pérez’s Red Bull seat still does not have an owner and that the seat left by Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes is also free.

The Mexican, for his part, knows that as long as he has a good championship winning races, added to his merchandising numbers, he could extend his stay at Red Bull. It is unlikely, because on more than one occasion the heads of the team have made it clear that they want a more consistent driver, but with good results, this could change. In the middle of these two sought-after seats there is one more factor: Fernando Alonso’s contract expires this year. Experienced pilot, protagonist with his merchandising numbers, titles and very good marketing. Solid tripod so that both Red Bull and Mercedes are directing their gaze at him.

Two great teams looking for drivers and two great drivers (Checo and Sainz) knowing they have been relegated, fighting for the necessary prominence to attract the attention of Mercedes and Red Bull. Two big egos spinning with no other motivation than to shine. A very complicated combination to find the necessary peace of mind when asked to execute team orders where they have to prioritize their future survival in the category over the interests of the team. Without a doubt, there will be drama, frustration and attempts. All while the Netherlands anthem plays in the background.

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