The controversies everyone will be talking about in F1 this year

While Formula One has inevitably set up a ‘David vs Goliath’ story, largely due to the dominance of Red Bull Racing and its generational 26-year-old driver, Max Verstappen in this new era of the sport for F1 fanatics – the success of Netflix’s Formula One: Drive to Survive has attracted new fans to the sport wanting to know more about the drama-fuelled stories and politics behind the racing grid.

To use Drive’s Features Editor, Rob Margeit’s words: “The 2025 [F1] silly season has started early” – with the 2024 season laying the groundwork for what could be one of the most memorable seasons in the sport’s illustrious history.

Whether you’re a seasoned F1 fanatic or a casual fan scrolling through endless online conversations, here are the controversies everyone will be talking about in the upcoming Formula One season.

Drive would be remiss not to mention the biggest domino to fall and the one driver move that inevitably sent shockwaves across the racing paddock and the internet, possibly changing the sport's driver landscape.

After a dominant 12 years with Mercedes-AMG – which included eight constructor championships from 2011 to 2021 – seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton announced he will be donning the iconic red suit and racing for Scuderia Ferrari from 2025.

This comes as Hamilton previously signed a two-year extension with the Silver Arrow brand – which would have seen the British driver remain at Mercedes until the end of the 2025 season.

However, Hamilton decided to activate a release clause in the contract which would enable him to join Ferrari after the 2024 season.

Hamilton – widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history – winning six of his seven driver’s championships under the silver arrow, with most fans considering he would race for Mercedes-AMG until his inevitable retirement.

However, after two disappointing seasons since its dynastic run in the 2010s – Hamilton is looking for a new challenge after nearly 20 years – and 103 Grand Prix victories – in Mercedes-powered vehicles.

Hamilton will partner with Monaco-born Charles Leclerc who recently signed a multi-year contract extension with Ferrari.

In a statement posted to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the seven-time world champion expressed his gratitude and sentiment to Mercedes while addressing his motivation behind the move to Ferrari.

"Mercedes has been a huge part of my life since I was 13 years old... I'm incredibly proud of all that we've achieved together and I'm very grateful for the hard work and dedication of everyone I have worked with over the years," he said.

"I feel incredibly fortunate, after achieving things with Mercedes that I could only have dreamed of as a kid, that I now have the chance to fulfil another childhood dream. Driving in Ferrari red."

The sport’s longest-tenured team principal, Christian Horner is currently at the heart of the sport’s biggest controversy heading into the 2024 season.

According to a report by the UK publication The Sun, anonymous sources reportedly said an investigation focused on an unknown previous Red Bull employee who raised “concerns about Horner’s strict work regime.”

An unnamed source close to the story told the news outlet: “Christian had concerns about her conduct and made it clear he was unhappy.

“She went on to complain about his ‘controlling’ behaviour, which detonated the crisis for the team.”

Horner has denied these claims.

Following the allegations made against the team principal, the Austrian energy drink company said it was looking into the matter.

According to a media statement obtained by Formula One reporter, Philip Duncan – a Red Bull spokesperson said: “After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation (into Christian Horner),”

“The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible.”

Under Christian Horner – who joined in 2005 – Red Bull Racing has won six constructors' and seven drivers' championships – with current champion Max Verstappen contributing three of his own since 2021.

Though it’s a tall ask to expect a new driver to fill the void left by Hamilton, the Silver Arrows is at a crossroads with its next chapter in the sport after a decade of dominance.

According to Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff – the team is looking to lean on British rising star George Russell as Hamilton’s successor, leading the team into a new future.

“George has the potential to be the next lead driver in the team… I couldn’t wish for a new team leader when Lewis leaves, there’s no doubt about that,” Mr Wolff said in a previous media statement.

With the news of Hamilton’s exit after the 2024 season – UK news outlet Sky Sports has compiled a list of potential candidates for the second seat at Mercedes-AMG as they look to be competitive after falling short of the constructors' and drivers’ championship in the past couple of years.

Per the Sky Sports report – current Williams driver Alex Albon has been linked to the German racing team – with his current contract ending after the 2025 season, the 27-year-old driver has yet to sign an extension.

Albon came up through the Red Bull development program and was touted as the secondary driver behind Verstappen following Daniel Ricciardo's departure to Renault (now Alpine) in 2019.

The London-born Thai driver has a steady relationship with Russell, joining the F1 grid in 2019, at the same time as Russell and McLaren's Lando Norris.

Additionally, the current Williams team principal James Vowles spent 12 years with the Mercedes F1 team, making the transition easier for Albon.

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon is one of the names circulating amongst media outlets as a potential Hamilton replacement – with the French driver previously racing for Mercedes during his junior racing tenure and more recently, as a reserve driver for the team in 2019.

And rumours of recently retired four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel returning to Formula One re-ignited after Mr Wolff reportedly said he was in talks with the German racing legend, though he claimed: “It wasn’t about driving for us in the future.”

The 36-year-old retired in 2022 following a two-year stint with Aston Martin at the twilight end of his career – but he hasn't ruled out a return to the grid, previously telling Sky Sports: "I can't say no, because that you don't know" when asked on a possible return back to the sport.

Rumblings of a new team joining the notoriously exclusive F1 grid started to become a reality after the sport's governing body the FIA (Federation Internationale de L'Automobile) previously said the US-based Andretti team met all the requirements necessary to join the grid.

However, needing further approval from the F1's commercial owner, Liberty Media's Formula One Management (FOM) – the Cadillac-backed Andretti team was rejected by FOM on the basis that "the presence of an 11th team would not provide value to the Championship".

According to the announcement – made on 31 January 2024 – FOM claimed "the most significant way a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive", and it believes the proposed US team would not have enough time to develop an engine and a car that can compete with the current teams.

With a new set of technical regulations coming to the sport in 2026, FOM alleged the Andretti-Cadillac team is not capable of building two vastly different vehicles if they were to be added to the grid in 2025.

Though Mario Andretti – the CEO of the team – holds a respectable pedigree in motorsport, being one of the few drivers to compete in Formula One, Indy Car, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR – the commercial body believed "that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around."

FOM said the Andretti-Cadillac team entry could be looked at differently in 2028 when Cadillac claims it will supply its own power unit to the team.

In response, Andretti-Cadillac said it disagreed with the decision and is committed to "placing a genuine American works team in F1".

"We are proud of the significant progress we have already made on developing a highly competitive car and power unit with an experienced team behind it, and our work continues at pace," the team said in a previous media statement.

Following Hamilton’s shock announcement – Carlos Sainz, currently the second driver at Ferrari is the latest name to be added to the F1 driver’s game of musical chairs – with multiple other drivers vying for a seat in the 2025 F1 grid.

The Spanish driver, whose contract with the prancing horse finishes at the end of the 2024 season is a known commodity amongst rival teams with an extra seat in 2025.

While there has been no official word from Sainz’s camp on what team he is joining in 2025, Sainz took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and said: “News about my future will be announced in due course.”

Multiple online reports speculate the Spaniard could be eyeing a potential relationship with the likes of Mercedes, Sauber (previously known as Alfa Romeo), and Red Bull.

F1's current dynastic team Red Bull continues its search to find the ideal supporting cast behind its generational lead driver, Max Verstappen.

Since the 26-year-old Dutch driver's 2015 entrance into the pinnacle level of motorsport, Red Bull has burned through multiple secondary drivers in its attempt to achieve consistent points in both constructors and drivers championships.

Some could argue the second seat for Red Bull is cursed, with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and now Checo Perez failing to live up to the extremely high bar Verstappen has set for the team.

Perez, the most recent Red Bull driver in the hot seat was previously touted as the ideal wingman behind Verstappen – totalling 27 podium finishes, with five first-place finishes under Red Bull.

However, after a blistering start to the 2023 season, which included four podiums in the first five races, the Guadalarajan driver hasn't achieved the consistent results the team expects from its second seat – with Perez possibly hinting at a possible end to his Red Bull tenure after his contract finishes.

"With the season we have had, it is important to hold the next races in an environment where I feel I can contribute," he told Spanish publication DAZN.

"And [if] that place is not here, we will have to look for other alternatives."

American F1 team Haas previously announced the abrupt end to Guenther Steiner's tenure as the team's racing principal.

Steiner, who has been the team's racing leader since its addition to the F1 grid in 2016 – as well as one of the stars in the Drive to Survive Netflix series – was reportedly let go by the team due to a lack of improvement in January 2024, with owner Gene Haas stating the decision "came down to performance".

Under Steiner, the US F1 team struggled to achieve consistency, finishing no higher than eighth in the past five seasons and reaching the bottom of the ladder in the 2023 season, with only 12 points in 22 races.

In an interview with Formula1.com, Haas said a change was needed after stagnant bottom-end results.

"Here we are in our eighth year, over 160 races – we never had a podium. The last couple of years, we've been 10th or ninth," he said.

"I'm not sitting here saying it's Guenther's fault... but it just seems like this was an appropriate time to make a change and try a different direction, because it doesn't seem like continuing with what we had is really going to work."

The team has since promoted its Director of Engineering, Ayao Komatsu to team principal for the 2024 season.

Besides Lewis Hamilton switching to Ferrari, and Carlos Sainz's future decision on where he will be racing in 2025 – the majority of drivers on the racing grid will have their contracts end after the 2024 season.

The French outfit, Alpine, will have to decide if both of its drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, will stay on after their contracts finish at the end of the 2024 season.

Legacy F1 team, Williams is another outfit on the grid which has to look at its future plans sometime this 2024 season – with secondary driver Logan Sergeant off the books at the end of 2024, and its lead driver Alex Albon under contract until the end of the 2025 season.

Red Bull will have a lot on its hands besides Checo Perez's future – its sister team Visa Cash APP RB's (formerly Alpha Tauri) two drivers, Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Japanese prodigy Yuki Tsunoda's contracts are up after 2024.

Sauber's (formerly Alfa Romeo) driver lineup is under question, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyou finishing their term with the team in 2024. Bottas could be considered an extremely valuable asset to a new team – with a previous history of excelling in a secondary role during his tenure as Hamilton's racing mate from 2017 to 2021. Adding some intrigue, Sauber is set to become Audi in 2026, with Carlos Sainz long-tipped as one of German team's star drivers. Does the Spaniard now jump into a Sauber seat in 2025, a year ahead of the team's transition to Audi? We'll find out soon.

At Haas, returning F1 figures, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will also throw both their names in the driver carousel at the end of 2024 – with both of their contracts ending at the end of the season.

Similarly, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso is another name rumoured to be linked to other teams, with the 42-year-old Spaniards contract finishing after 2024.