Beginners guide to Formula 1 in 2024
Few professional sports can match the excitement and energy of a high-octane F1 race. Over the last half a century, some of the most gripping sporting moments have unfolded on the bends and blistering straights of F1 tracks dotted all around the world.
If you enjoy F1 racing but aren’t too sure where to go to build your knowledge to the next level, we’ve put together a handy and easy-to-read guide to give you pointers and inform you about the critical aspects of the upcoming season, which begins later this month.
Betting on Formula 1
As the gambling world expands into almost exclusively online markets, F1 is firmly on this train and heading to new pastures. Betting companies have been able to amplify the immense technological developments that have come courtesy of smartphones and mobile devices. By expanding upon these ideas, F1 markets have grown, encompassing a range of derivative markets and in-play options.
Online casino gaming made the most headway initially, highlighting how much potential the sector had. Even in the early 2000s, before the mass adoption of the internet and smartphones was as widespread as it has become, online casino gaming expanded.
Seeking out reviews of online casinos such as Golden Nugget, can help you make an informed decision about your preferred digital bookie, and the same applies if you’re looking to place an F1 bet or a sports wager. However, you must always ensure that you understand the market and the monetary risks involved when gambling, and avoid betting with money that you can’t afford to lose.
What to expect from the Formula 1 season in 2024
Unlike the last few years, where there’s been a host of new drivers and new circuits joining the premium level of motorsports, the F1 2024 season will begin with all the same drivers who ended the 2023 campaign. It’s unusual that this happens as teams that often demand peak performance will be cutthroat in their decisions, dismissing drivers who aren’t pulling their weight or falling below expectations.
It’ll also be Lewis Hamilton’s last season with Mercedes. As one of the faces of the sport, the Brit is coming to the end of an all-time great career, putting himself alongside some of the finest drivers that have ever been part of F1.
His worthy adversary, Max Verstappen, has stretched his lead far ahead of the chasing pack. The formidable Belgian-born Dutch ace has won the last three consecutive F1 championships and is the bookies’ favorite to collect his fourth in 2024. Despite being a decade younger, it’ll sit him just three championships behind Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton needs one more championship to surpass Michael Schumacher, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely as he heads into the latter stages of his phenomenal career. Mexico’s Sergio Perez put in a spirited effort last year, narrowly beating Verstappen to the top of the podium on more than one occasion and eventually proving to be the best of the chasing pack.
However, Verstappen’s lead became so significant that it will be challenging for anybody to give him real competition throughout the next F1 season. Barring any significant setbacks, it should be another record-breaking year for the Belgian.
How do Formula 1 circuits work?
There are two dozen circuits on the F1 schedule, and we’ll be witnessing the return of the Chinese Grand Prix following three years of it being missing from the calendar. There are two races in the Southern Hemisphere, in Australia and Brazil. The following 22 are spread across the Northern Hemisphere, with some of the standouts for drivers and fans being:
- Monza (Italy)
- Silverstone (UK)
- Monaco
- Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
- Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Canada)
In addition to these classic circuits, some of the newer ones, such as the Las Vegas and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, have been commended for their new designs and approach, bringing the sport into the modern era.
However, even the classic courses have so much heritage and history that they provide an authentic slice of the F1. As a beginner, we’d recommend watching all these races so that you can understand how drivers tackle them, the dangerous corners, bends, overtaking spots and the maximum speed they can hit on each course.
Simple starting points
We’d say the first stage is to get used to the racing calendar, find out when the races are taking place and how you can watch them. Plenty of F1 content is available online, and you can use many websites to keep up to date with the latest information.
Once you are comfortable with the calendar, checking out the profiles of each team and driver will help expand your knowledge further. It shouldn’t take long to arm yourself with this knowledge, and you can then look to drill into the best aspects you like about F1, whether it is a specific circuit, driver or team.
Another angle we’d recommend is finding F1 enthusiasts on social media, whether they’re fans, YouTubers, influencers or expert podcasts. All of this helps to grow your knowledge and build an online community with others who are passionate about the sport.
Conclusion
As with any sport you’re first getting to know, finding out the basics and how the general structure of the season works is a great place to begin. Once you understand the basics and have enough knowledge to delve further into it, you can use the basis of your knowledge to move on from beginner to intermediary or advanced level.
Watching a sport is often the best way of understanding it. Keeping up to date with the news or listening to F1 podcasts and shows are all options to continue building your knowledge and keep the spark of your interest fresh.
There’s a great deal to like about F1. With the financial backing and constant innovation that runs through the sport, it continues to be one of the truly global sports, attracting fans from every continent.
In the digital age, staying connected and boosting your knowledge of the sport is easier now than ever, and we hope our handy guide today will help you on your way.
