Top 10 Meme-orable Moments of the F1 2024 Season (So Far)
Your designated Meme Queen brings you the social media highlights from each of the Formula One teams this season
It’s Paige again, hi! As I may have mentioned before, the hilarious social media meme content of the F1 grid is one of the reasons I fell in love with this crazy sport two months ago, and the ending of another historic British Grand Prix means we’re already halfway through the 2024 Formula One season. After twelve races, all ten teams have had their highs and lows, but let’s focus on the funnies and count down each team’s most memorable, meme-able moments of the year!
10. Kick scooter racing (Sauber)
They might be last in the standings, but Stake Kick Sauber’s social media admin is number one in my heart. Watching Valterri Bottas zoom around on a scooter and race his fellow drivers through the paddock might be the only time we get to see a Sauber victory this year. Even if their team’s racing isn’t up to snuff, at least the drivers are funny. If you don’t follow their TikTok, you’re also missing out on Zhou Guanyu learning the latest GenZ slang, and VB’s impressive water bottle karate skills.
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9. Peace on earth (Haas)
While it might not be the most hilarious moment of the season, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen’s double points finish in Austria was certainly a surprise. The duo have scored 20 points across the last two races, which is far more than some other teams can say for the whole season, so who’s laughing now? The former-rivals-turned-teammates seemed to be getting along great while they watched the Euros together. Five years ago, fans would have surely thought this post was photoshopped.
8. What does she know? (Aston Martin)
“I’m an Aston Martin that you steered straight into the ditch.” Taylor Swift fan theories tie this line from her latest album to her rumored fling with Fernando Alonso. The driver himself posted this cheeky response to the buzz that imgonnagetyouback could be about him. A few weeks later, Alonso sent his car into the gravel during a practice session at Imola, sparking dozens of edits featuring the song’s audio over the footage of the crash. Coincidence? You decide.
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7. French Revolution 2: Electric Boogaloo (Alpine)
Alpine teammates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are known to not get along, but things came to a head in Monaco, when their cars made contact on the first lap of the Grand Prix. The crash immediately spawned a slew of memes labeling the incident a civil war between the two French drivers of a French-owned team. Thankfully, both drivers were okay, but Ocon walked away with a five-place grid penalty, a DNF, and a very angry boss.
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6. Ping-pong prank (Williams)
The Williams boys were up to a bit of mischief in Spain, distracting Nico Hulkenberg during an interview by throwing what appears to be a ping pong ball down from the second floor of their team’s motorhome next door. Luckily, the Haas driver and the television crew were good sports about it, while Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant ran for cover in the team hub.
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5. What’s in a name? (VCARB)
“Visa Cash App Red Bull Formula One Team” is certainly a mouthful, but whether you prefer to call it VCARB, Torro Rosso, Red Bull 2.0, or Red Bull Junior, you’ve gotta give a hat tip to James Vowles (the Williams team principal) for his creativity as he struggled to remember the full name during an interview.
"Don’t ask me what they’re called, Alpha Tauri Visa Cash App Buy One Get One Free." -Vowles, via SkySports
Well, he almost had it. How can anyone be expected to remember the name of this team if they keep changing it every year? Rumor has it the team will be rebranding once again in 2025.
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4. An oldie but a goodie (Ferrari)
When asked who he would choose to be in a band with him, Charles Leclerc chose Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris. “Carlos on the triangle, I will play the piano, Lewis can sing, and Lando at the guitar.” The sure-to-be-iconic boyband needed a name, and Carlos cleverly suggested calling it “Just an Inch-ident”. Fans who are into the deep lore of the sport know this reference to a 2012 interview where a young Charles recaps a karting incident between himself and Max Verstappen. When asked what happened, little Leclerc shakes his head and says, in his adorable Monégasque accent, “Nothing, just an incident.” The crowd at RedBull Ring went wild for the callback. When do you think we should expect an album?
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3. Attack of Darth Toto (Mercedes)
At the Austrian Grand Prix, while caught up in the excitement, we got a visit from none other than Darth Toto. Toto Wolff, the deep-voiced Mercedes team principal, shouted through the team radio, “George, you can win this! You can win this, George!” His enthusiasm was not appreciated by his driver, George Russell, who replied curtly, “Just let me f**king drive.” After the race, George remarked that Toto’s message had come through his headset in the middle of a braking zone, causing him to lose focus.
“Toto’s screaming in my ear, I’ve almost gone off the track in shock, like a bomb’s gone off.” - George Russell
No hard feelings, though, as George quickly drove on to claim his second career race win.
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2. Mr. Worldwide (McLaren)
Australian. Pastry. Cricket Enthusiast. Polite Cat. The youngest driver on the grid this season is many things, but Oscar Piastri is also adopted. (Sort of.) Oscar has dual citizenship in both Italy and Australia, but that hasn’t stopped him from claiming more and more home races as the season progresses. Round 3 of the season was his official home race in Australia, where he finished P4. In April, the Aussie revealed that his family also has some Chinese heritage (1/16th on his father’s side). He joked that the Chinese Grand Prix would be a sort of home race for him, and he finished with a handful of points in P8. But the gag didn’t stop there. In Italy, he finished P4 again, so when the grid moved on to Monaco, he wanted to keep the streak going.
“Searching my family tree to find any trace of Monegasque roots” - Piastri, via X (Twitter)
As a solution, fellow driver Charles Leclerc, a Monegasque native, offered to adopt him. This inspired the official F1 media team to get behind the adoption, re-naming him Oscar Piastri-Leclerc on the practice session leaderboards in Monaco. Congratulations to the Leclerc’s on another wonderful addition to their racing family! The rapidly-growing family tree also includes Charles’ biological brother Arthur, the Ferrari junior (and future Haas F1) driver Oliver Bearman, and Charles’ Mini Dachshund, Leo.
Honorable Mention: A return to form
Though this one technically originated from the 2023 intro video, George Russell’s corny-turned-iconic pose made a reappearance as he celebrated his second career win in Austria last month. After being one of the most meme-able F1 moments of last season, it was great to see the driver embrace his awkward T-pose and turn it into a unique celebration that fans loved.
1. No ifs, ands, or… balls? (Red Bull)
And finally… the number one meme-orable moment of this season so far undoubtedly goes to defending three-time world champion, Max Verstappen. (Did you really think it would be anyone else?) Interviewers in the post-race press conference in Miami were asking first-time winner Lando Norris whether he could have still won the race without the help of the safety car’s convenient timing. His friend Max was quick to defend Norris’ talent and racing prowess with a unique quip that had the whole podium giggling.
“It’s always if, if, if… If my mum had balls, she’d be my dad.” - Max Verstappen
That’s all for now…
Summer break is fast approaching, but don’t worry, there’s half a season of silliness still to come. What meme-able moment was your favorite? Which ones did I miss? Let me know in the comments.
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