**Title: “F1 2024 Second Half Showdown: Can McLaren Overtake Red Bull in the Race for the Championship?”**

With only 10 races remaining, does McLaren have what it takes to surpass Red Bull and claim the F1 championship? Crash.net summarizes the key discussions as the 2024 F1 season enters its latter half.

Following an almost four-week hiatus, Formula 1 resumes this weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix, marking the first of the final 10 races that will determine the 2025 world championship results.

Initial concerns that Red Bull would dominate the season have been dispelled due to a closely matched and competitive group of teams, highlighted by seven different drivers securing victories in the first 14 races.

As we approach the latter half of the season, here are the main topics everyone is discussing…

Constructor's Championship Intensifies

Although Red Bull's Max Verstappen hasn't secured a victory in the last five races since the Spanish Grand Prix, he maintains a solid 78-point advantage in the championship standings over McLaren's Lando Norris, his nearest competitor.

Although Red Bull has experienced some recent performance issues, Verstappen's impressive steadiness has allowed him to optimize his outcomes and further increase his lead in the championship, even when competitors had faster cars. He is still in a highly favorable spot to secure a fourth consecutive world title.

If Norris hopes to have any opportunity to surpass Verstappen for his first drivers’ championship, he would have to earn an average of eight more points per race than the Dutch competitor. Considering the latest performance trends and Norris’s single win this season, this outcome seems improbable.

The race for the constructors' championship is still very much alive. Red Bull's recent decline in performance, along with Sergio Perez's underwhelming results, has allowed McLaren to reduce the deficit from a substantial 115 points following Miami to a mere 42 points.

Recently, McLaren has boasted one of the quickest and most reliable cars on the track. However, a mix of operational mistakes and driver missteps has caused them to miss out on additional race victories. To contend for their first constructors' championship since 1998, McLaren must maintain peak performance for the remainder of the season.

Is Mercedes back at the top?

As they enter the latter part of the season, Mercedes has emerged as the leading team. A series of upgrades has allowed the German automaker to extract more potential from the W15, reversing a lackluster beginning to the year.

George Russell's win in Austria was largely due to a crash between Verstappen and Norris. However, at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, Mercedes showcased the most competitive car, securing the top two positions before Russell was disqualified.

Under the current F1 regulations, Mercedes is finally making real strides and narrowing the gap to the leaders. However, team principal Toto Wolff remains skeptical that Mercedes is ready to challenge for victories at every race.

"We are aware that we need to catch up," Wolff stated before F1's race at Zandvoort this weekend. "At this point, we are not in a position to fight for wins at every race."

"We've made significant progress in addressing the W15's shortcomings and will keep striving to make further improvements. By doing this, we aim to narrow the gap in both championships."

Is a Ferrari Comeback on the Horizon?

Ferrari started the season as the closest competitor to Red Bull, but they have since lost ground significantly, with teams such as McLaren and Mercedes surpassing them in the chase for the current world championship title.

A first and second place finish in Australia, along with Charles Leclerc's dream victory in Monaco, now seem distant memories. Ferrari has struggled to contend for victories since then, and even securing podium finishes has been a challenge. Carlos Sainz achieved a third-place finish in Austria, while Leclerc managed to get on the podium in Belgium, benefiting from Verstappen's grid penalty.

Following a strong beginning, Ferrari's progress has hit a snag, as updates to their 2024 car have led to more bouncing issues. This problem has made it difficult for both Leclerc and Sainz to control the erratic SF-24. In an effort to address this, the Italian team made adjustments to the underbody of the car's floor during the races in Hungary and Belgium.

Ferrari is gearing up for another round of enhancements aimed at Zandvoort, hoping these improvements will rejuvenate their season following a stretch of six races without a victory.

Lewis Hamilton is expected to closely monitor Ferrari's advancements as he prepares for his highly anticipated move to Maranello this winter.

Red Bull faces a dilemma with their driver roster. Despite the team's statement following the Belgium race that Perez will stay on until the season concludes, he continues to feel the strain as the second half of the season approaches.

Should the Mexican driver fail to enhance his performances, he may face the risk of losing his spot, especially as Red Bull is under significant pressure to defend their constructors’ championship.

Red Bull has expressed their desire for Perez to remain with the team. However, if he fails to regain his performance levels and McLaren's competitive pressure intensifies, Red Bull will likely be forced to evaluate alternative options.

This situation could pose a challenge for Red Bull. Yuki Tsunoda is already committed to the affiliate team for 2025, and Daniel Ricciardo has yet to make a compelling argument for a return based on his performance this year.

Red Bull has reserve driver Liam Lawson on standby and is said to need to decide on his future by September, or they might lose him entirely.

The upcoming series of races will be vital for Perez to solidify his status at Red Bull.

How will the newest head of Alpine perform?

Oliver Oakes is set to make his first appearance as Alpine's team principal at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The British founder of the Hitech team, which competes in junior motorsport divisions, is set to become the second youngest Formula 1 team principal at the age of 36.

Oakes is the third individual to lead Alpine, succeeding Otmar Szafnauer and Bruno Famin, during a tumultuous year marked by the exit of numerous top executives.

Oakes will face a tough challenge in his debut role in Formula 1, as Alpine has had a difficult season. Nevertheless, he hopes to guide the team to build on their recent improvements, despite beginning the 2024 season with the slowest car on the grid.

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