Rushing yard leaders all time

The curse of sport is that unless you are number one, you are condemned to live under a cloud of failure. For no matter how many races you win, poles you take or points you score, there can only be one champion. The rest all fall short. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Red Bull know this only too well. After being deposed from F1’s Mount Olympus with the onset of the V6 turbo hybrids, their journey back to the top was as frustrating as it was humbling. But that decade of discontent reached its end over the past two seasons, and Red Bull head into a new year as undisputedly and unequivocally the best team in their sport. Emerging bruised, bloodied but victorious from their brutal year-long battle against Mercedes in 2021, Red Bull knew they were vulnerable going into Max Verstappen’s first year sporting the coveted number one on his car. But when Mercedes faltered, Ferrari faced up to Red Bull in their place. However, Ferrari’s implosion as the season … [Read more...] about Will Red Bull dominate again as their development handicap bites in 2023?

The 100th running of the famous Indianapolis 500 saw a former Formula One driver becoming a surprise first rookie winner since 2001. Elsewhere both Super Formula and the Nurburgring 24 Hours were affected by abnormal weather conditions while the World Touring Car Championship encountered tyre dramas at the Nordschleife. Indycar Round 6 of 16: Indianapolis 500 Alexander Rossi took victory on his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500 with a brilliantly calculated fuel-saving drive. In just his first season of Indycar Rossi has had a tough start to the year but has showed signs of improvement, and eleventh in qualifying was another step forward. He never looked like a contender though until he was left out during a late caution to clear the wrecked cars of Mikhail Aleshin and Conor Daly, and despite falling out of sync with everyone else and pitting 36 laps from the end for fuel, he nursed his car to the finish. Carlos Munoz finished an equally surprising second to complete … [Read more...] about Shock as rookie wins 100th Indianapolis 500

For the 30th time in 71 seasons of the Formula 1 world championship, the drivers’ title was decided in the very final race of the season. But what was F1’s best ever final showdown? Recap all thirty of the final race title deciders below and then let us know which one you feel was the best climax seen in a Formula 1 season. 1950: Fangio vs Fagioli vs Farina The first world championship produces the first title showdown at Monza. Fangio needs a win or second place to become the inaugural world champion, but Fangio retires twice in two separate cars, opening the door for Farina who takes the win and the first ever world title. 1951: Fangio vs Ascari vs Gonzalez The next year, another threeway showdown for the title at the season-ending Spanish Grand Prix around the streets of Barcelona. Going into the final round with the lead, Fangio holds off Ferrari’s Jose Froilan Gonzalez to take the chequered flag and secure his first of five titles. 1956: Fangio vs Collins Peter … [Read more...] about Which was F1’s best down-to-the-wire title fight?

Liam Lawson will be in Qatar, but will he racing for AlphaTauri or watching on from the sidelines? Daniel Ricciardo has missed the last couple of Grands Prix, after breaking a metacarpal in his left hand following a practice crash at the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August. In his stead, Liam Lawson was given the nod to race the AlphaTauri and has impressed due to a mixture of confidence, speed, and ability to immediately match the pace of teammate Yuki Tsunoda – he even scored his maiden F1 points at the Singapore Grand Prix, one of F1’s toughest races. Will Liam Lawson be racing at the Qatar Grand Prix? Lawson’s impressive performances meant he became a late candidate for a full-time AlphaTauri seat for 2024, but was ultimately overlooked by Red Bull as they committed to Ricciardo and Tsunoda for next season. The Kiwi racer will be the reserve driver for Red Bull and AlphaTauri for next season but has made it very clear he wants nothing less than a full-time seat – … [Read more...] about Qatar verdict looms for Liam Lawson as F1 ‘consumes’ Daniel Ricciardo deputy

Former British American Racing Formula 1 team principal Craig Pollock has confirmed he plans to return to the sport with a new team in 2026. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Earlier this year the FIA opened applications for new teams to enter F1 in 2025, 2026 or 2027. Pollock plans to submit an application for his new project, named Formula Equal . He intends the team to include an even split between genders at all levels. “The concept and the idea was to try and build a F1 team, 50% male, 50% female, which is extremely hard to do if you have an existing F1 team,” he told CNN . “It’s a lot easier with a clean sheet of paper.” The FIA previously indicated it will confirm at the end of next month which if any prospective new F1 teams have been selected. Among the criteria they will be judged on is “considerations of sustainability, EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), and societal benefit”. The backing for Pollock’s project is rumoured to come … [Read more...] about Pollock confirms he is planning a return to F1 with new ‘equal-gender’ team

Aston Martin plan to knock down their former headquarters, which has been used by Formula 1 teams since 1991, next year. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The old base is being destroyed to make way for the new facility Aston Martin is building at a cost of up to £200 million . Eddie Jordan Racing’s eponymous boss commissioned the creation of the factory, which sits on a road opposite British Grand Prix venue Silverstone , in 1990 when he wanted to take his successful junior single-seater team into F1. It was used by Jordan from his team’s debut in 1991 through to the end of 2005, when it was sold to the Midland Group. The team raced as Midland in 2006, as Spyker in 2007 and then as Force India from 2008 to 2018. When a Lawrence Stroll-led consortium then bought the team after it faced financial struggles, it rebranded to Racing Point and then last year became Aston Martin. Cars designed and constructed in the factory have won five grands prix. The … [Read more...] about Jordan’s original Formula 1 factory to be demolished next summer

After five red flags in just 75 minutes of running, Formula 2 drivers say stoppages are inevitable at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit . Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The red flags flew twice during the 45-minute free practice session, after Cem Bolukbasi and Theo Pourchaire crashed heavily . The session was abandoned with 8 minutes remaining. The 30-minute qualifying session was stopped three times. Pourchaire was in trouble again, his car catching fire. Then Logan Sargeant crashed and finally a third red flag was shown in error following a GPS failure on Frederik Vesti’s car. The interruptions posed an added challenge for teams as Formula 2 has changed its regulations on refuelling this year. Teams are no longer allowed to refuel their cars during sessions, meaning some drivers began to run low after too many aborted attempts. Teams needed to weigh that risk as part of their strategies, said Richard Verschoor. “Of course you want to have the best … [Read more...] about Red flags are a natural part of Jeddah say F2 drivers after five in two sessions

Andretti has formally announced it intends to submit an entry to compete in the Formula 1 world championship in collaboration with General Motors brand Cadillac. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The two companies plan to submit an Expression of Interest when the FIA begins the process which was announced by president Mohammed Ben Sulayem last week. Michael Andretti – former F1 driver, IndyCar champion and son of 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti – has long sought an opportunity to enter F1. Andretti Global announced the construction of a major new headquarters in Indianapolis last year. Its F1 operation would be based in the US with a “support facility” in the UK. “We are continuing to grow Andretti Global and its family of racing teams and always have our eyes on what’s next,” said Andretti. “I feel that we are well suited to be a new team for Formula 1 and can bring value to the series and our partners, and excitement for the fans.” Andretti’s team … [Read more...] about Andretti and Cadillac announce plans to enter Formula 1

Another potential new entrant to the Formula 1 grid has announced its intention to join the series. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free LKY SUNZ says it has secured backing from US sports fund Legends Advocates Sports Group and other Asian investors. It plans to submit an entry ahead of the FIA’s deadline for new applications, which were invited earlier this year. The project was co-founded by Benjamin Durand, who was previously involved in another attempt to enter a team in Formula 1. His Panthera Team Asia project was announced in 2019. Its other co-founders are Andrew Pyrah, who has been named chief commercial officer, and Paul Fleming, its chairman. LKY SUNZ – which takes its name from a combination of ‘Lucky’, which it calls a “nod to the Asian heritage of the team”, and ‘SUNZ’ representing the sun – intends to operate from a location in Europe. However it intends to construct a “state-of-the-art net zero green energy-powered factory complex” in the … [Read more...] about New Asian-based team LKY SUNZ reveals bid to join F1 grid in 2025