timeWe go into the 2024 season with two wins and three pole positions, with the experts all but handing the title to defending champion Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, lawyers are descending on Formula 1 like never before.
But to the throngs of racing fans who packed Melbourne’s tree-lined Albert Park circuit, the interstate turmoil meant nothing. Instead, on this mild Saturday, tens of thousands of fish flocked to the lake’s main stage.
“Who wants to see Daniel win?” the host asked, to a mostly lackluster response from Australian icon Daniel Ricciardo. “Who wants to see an Oscar win?” she tried again. The crowd erupted in cheers for Melbourne local Oscar Piastri, who was splashed with more orange than anywhere outside Zandvoort, as if cheering for a new national hero .
Fans are still looking to see which contender might fall behind the dominant Red Bull in the 2024 race, but off the track, there are more surprises than the Mercedes hole.
A complaint made by a Red Bull employee about inappropriate behavior against team principal Christian Horner was dismissed in February. The employee has appealed and the matter is still pending. The complaint and the way it was handled have fueled speculation about a power struggle in the world’s fastest garage in recent weeks. Formula One champion Verstappen, whose parents divorced in 2008, said on Thursday that Red Bull was a “second family”, which did little to quell paddock gossip.
Much of the automotive media is focused on what this saga means for the defending champion’s future and his role in the carousel of great drivers that will define much of the season. However, the complaint is just one of a series of integrity scandals testing the Formula 1 body.
The sport has capitalized on its success on Netflix and soap opera-like features to attract an increasingly diverse following, including in Australia. Two-fifths of Albert Park’s record crowd last year were women, compared with less than a quarter in 2019, and as Formula 1’s growing stature comes new… expectations. “We’re living in 2024, not 1984,” McLaren chief executive Zac Brown said pointedly on Friday when asked about the sport’s integrity.
But looking around, it’s not obvious. The drivers are all men. The paddock is overwhelmingly male. Press box, gender similar. Despite the appointment of Natalie Robyn as CEO in 2022, the FIA governing body is largely devoid of women in leadership and governance roles. At the end of last season, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had to defend historical sexist comments discovered in his files. Personal website.
Susie Wolff, the head of the all-female F1 Academy series, has filed a criminal complaint in a French court over comments made about her by the FIA in December that she claims stemmed from “intimidation and disgust” Women’s Behavior”. Lewis Hamilton, Wolff’s husband Toto’s boss at Mercedes, offered his support to Susie on Thursday and highlighted the sport’s ongoing challenges around gender and inclusivity.
The FIA’s problems don’t stop there. On Wednesday, Ben Sulayem was cleared of charges of interfering with the outcome following an investigation by his organization’s ethics committee. But it provides no evidence to justify the finding. Two days later, Brown called for swift resolution of the sport’s numerous problems and “complete transparency.”
The incident prompted Ben Sulayem to defend his leadership in a letter to FIA members, The Associated Press reported on Friday. Bin Sulayem claimed the complaints against him were intended to “undermine my position as FIA president while also calling into question the integrity of our respected organisation”.
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What it lacks on-track drama, it makes up for in off-track drama. Red Bull finished first in the first two races, while Verstappen has now won nine consecutive grands prix and an incredible 19 of the last 20 races.
Saturday’s qualifying session gave competitors little reason to feel optimistic. The Red Bull driver’s fastest trip around the lake was more than a quarter of a second faster than the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, who returned two weeks after having his appendix removed.
Eight-time Albert Park pole sitter Lewis Hamilton failed to make Q3 and will start from 11th on the grid. Further back was Ricciardo, whose best lap in the first qualifying session was canceled by race stewards for exceeding track limits. It’s the first time the 34-year-old has been dropped in Melbourne’s first season, with Ricciardo set to start closer to the back on Sunday.
Piastri’s performance met but did not exceed expectations and his lap time was narrowly beaten by McLaren team-mate Lando Norris late in the race. The Australian will start from sixth on the grid, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the third row.
Speaking to the media after the race, Verstappen said he was satisfied with another pole position given that Ferrari appeared to have closed the gap. Red Bull’s turmoil and the FIA’s challenge avoid discussion.
But Sainz’s words echoed throughout the Melbourne night after taking his place on the front row. Asked about his still-healing stomach, the Spaniard replied: “Everything feels a bit strange.”
