One thing every F1 team must do in the second-half of 2024

As F1 teams prepare all the fancy ways to post on Monday morning that it is 'race week' as the season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix, let's take some stock. 

After 14 of 24 rounds in 2024, Max Verstappen and Red Bull lead both tables - something you'd have got very good odds of happening in Bahrain, but the numbers lie. 

Whilst Verstappen looks set for a fourth title, he is to be put under severe pressure from the rapid McLarens and even a rejuvenated Mercedes. 

RacingNews365 has put all 10 teams under the microscope to come up with one thing they must do in the second-half of the season, in current constructors' order...

Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari

For Red Bull, its quest in the second half of the season is very simple: get Sergio Perez scoring big points once again. 

There is no concern over the other side of the garage as Max Verstappen will continue to do Max Verstappen things, and he can afford the odd scrappy race with a 78-point - or three grands prix worth of points - lead over Lando Norris, but McLaren is just 42 points behind Red Bull in the constructors'.

However it does it, it must get Perez firing again or risk losing the constructors'.

And that is the goal for McLaren: Win the constructors' championship. 

Not since 1998 has Woking claimed the title, although it did of course score the most points in 2007, but for spy-gate. 

McLaren has the fastest car, it arguably has the strongest driver pairing in Norris and Oscar Piastri, it just needs to execute races better. It cannot allow for any more strategy faux pas and trackside operations failures. 

It has a golden chance to beat Red Bull to a world championship - it must not let it slip through its fingers. 

As for Ferrari, it claims it has an understanding of why the bouncing re-introduced by its Spanish GP upgrade has happened, but it is still trying to work through the problem.

The Scuderia's goal must be to show it can claw its way out of the hole its dug itself and get back into contention as it was up until the Canadian GP when things started to go wrong.

Mercedes, Aston Martin, RB

Three wins in the final four races before the summer break sent Mercedes on its holidays with a spring in its step, but it must ensure that it is not a false dawn. 

For the first time in the ground effects era, the team looks to have a genuine understanding of the car and the demands of the rule set. It must continue to trend upward. 

Aston Martin needs to show it is able to develop itself out of the slump it has shown this season to get to a place it was 12 months ago. Heading into the 2023 summer break, the team had 196 points and was third in the standings with six podiums. 

Now it has 73, is fifth in the table and has no podiums and looks lost, with Fernando Alonso also in a slump ever since he re-signed back in April. Getting him out of his funk would also be ideal. 

For RB, it's target is very simple. Finish sixth in the constructors', ahead of Haas and try to latch onto Aston Martin if possible.

Haas, Williams, Alpine, Stake

Haas is currently seven points behind RB in the hunt for sixth place, which, if the American team could nab, would be a remarkable achievement for Ayao Komatsu in his first season at the helm. 

Overhauling RB is the target for Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. 

For Williams, it needs to prove that Carlos Sainz has not made an error in signing for the team for 2025. Williams traded its straight-line speed trait for a more rounded approach to the car, which has worked, but results are hard-to-come-by. 

Down at Alpine, the rest of the season is just about bedding in for new team principal Oliver Oakes. 

The former Hitech F2 boss has stepped up to lead Enstone and what this team needs now is a period of stability and to calm down. Oakes is ideal for that. 

Stake's target is very simple: score a point. 

The car struggles over one-lap in qualifying and in high-speed corners, meaning Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have not been able to challenge for the points. 

Any progress forward will be helpful for Audi.