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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McMaster chapter.

Formula One is SO back. Lewis Hamilton came back with his first win since 2021, both McLaren drivers claimed their maiden wins, Brad Pitt is making an F1 movie, and Max Verstappen is no longer dominating F1 like we’ve come to expect over these past few years. The F1 drama never stops!

Let’s be honest—most people watch sports for pure entertainment. The excitement of guessing and wagering on winners is an age-old tradition that brings people together. There’s nothing like a neck-and-neck, nail-biter game—those so close that even the most dedicated fans can’t decide who to root for. It’s this constant unpredictability that brings drama to motorsport. It’s no fun if the same people keep winning time and time again—where’s the intrigue? The stakes? The thrill?! Well, great news for all F1 fans, both new and longtime: after three years of Red Bull domination, reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen is FINALLY starting to slip (sorry to all the Max fans), and Formula One is interesting to watch again! Formula One is SO back! If you’re new to the world of F1, be sure to check out my HC article, “Not Just a Rich Guy’s Game: A Girl’s Guide to F1,” to get up to speed (see what I did there?).

Since the 2024 season kicked off in March, it has become increasingly unclear which team and which driver will ultimately come out on top. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both picked up their first wins this season, Charles Leclerc reminded everyone he was born to be a Ferrari driver with iconic victories in Monaco and Monza, and Lewis Hamilton made a triumphant comeback by winning at his home race in Silverstone and breaking the record for the most wins (9) at a single circuit. Now, we’re over halfway through the season with 16 races and seven different race winners (which is wild compared to last year’s lonely three winners).

If the racing drama isn’t enough for you, then Silly Season is what you need. Around mid-season, during the summer break, rumours and speculation about teams changing their driver line-ups start to spark and spread like wildfire across social media. With only ten teams and 20 driver seats in Formula One, every Silly Season is like a spiked, cutthroat version of musical chairs; the best drivers get the best seats, and those who don’t perform get the boot, leaving room for tenacious rookies to step up to the plate. This 2024 season has been unique because, for the first time in F1’s seven decades, there was not a single rookie driver in the starting lineup. That means no fresh talent has been able to prove themselves this year. Luckily, this year’s Silly Season has brought several exciting announcements for the 2025 driver lineup, including three rookies: Ollie Bearman for Haas, Jack Doohan for Alpine, and Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes. The most shocking announcement of all, though, has got to be American driver Logan Sargeant being dropped mid-season and immediately replaced by Argentinian F2 driver Franco Colapinto. Poor Logan has earned the unfortunate stat of costing his team the most money (over $3 million) due to crashing and totalling his car multiple times throughout the season.

If all the F1 drama excites you as much as it does me, then you’ve got to check out the F1 Academy races—an all-female motorsport series whose goal is to get women into F1 driver seats eventually. Similar to the hit Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive,” F1 Academy will also be releasing a docuseries produced by Reese Witherspoon that will cover its inaugural season, set to air in 2025. Also coming to the screen in 2025 will be the highly anticipated F1 movie starring Brad Pitt. Teasers have been sprinkled, and rare glimpses of Pitt filming in the paddock with the drivers during race weekends have fans buzzing. With all the sophisticated and realistic filming techniques, everyone is expecting the F1 movie to be the ‘Top Gun’ of motorsport, as it will share the same director, Joseph Kosinski.

Watching F1 race highlights and interviews is fine and dandy, but if you’re looking to get in on the action, then the Toronto F1 Exhibition is an experience you won’t want to miss. It kicked off earlier this year and is running until September 22—so you only have a few more days to go! There are interactive exhibits, tons of paraphernalia, and, of course, sparkling F1 cars. You can ogle power units, helmets, engines, front wings, and even the preserved car wreck from Grosjean’s massive crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix (he survived, don’t worry). There are even F1 simulators you can drive to test your skills!

To stay up to date on all things F1, I recommend following Paddock Project, a podcast run by women that discusses not only race weekends but also sustainability and diversity in motorsport. Listening to their race previews and recaps has become an essential part of my weekly routine.

Julianna is a final year Mechanical Engineering Student at McMaster. She is a struggling student by day and a singer/writer/foodie by night. If she had it her way she would be laying on a beach on Lake Huron, soaking up some rays and reading a good book. In her spare time, you may find Julianna daydreaming about freshly baked croissants, obsessing over the new F1 season, or running around a soccer field.