Peter Collins was the debonair embodiment of the 1950s racing driver, a man of good looks and charm and wit. Born in 1931, he missed the war; with half a…
Places mean cars, don't they? Hear the word `Maranello' and you think of something red with yellow shields on its flanks. Similarly, 'Weissach' is synonymous with Porsche, and when I…
He'd nursed his slick-shod car in shine and rain for 54 laps — but now hail was a distinct possibility. "By climbing the pit wall fence you could see the…
Great Read
How difficult is it to win in Formula 1? Ask Toyota. For the eight seasons and 140 races that the world's largest car company contested between 2002 and 2009, not…
If Valentino Rossi's father had been less unlucky as a motorcycle racer Rossi might now be ruling Formula 1 instead of MotoGP. Rossi Sr was a scarily fast though crash-prone…
Ferrari's F1 Finest 2nd, Ferrari 156 << Ferrari 312T: Central figure >> Ferrari 500: Light fantastic The 'sharknose' Ferrari 156, the grand prix car that reigned supreme in 1961, was…
Thank goodness for Jean Alesi and Pirelli. Thanks to that combination, the US GP in Phoenix had a modicum of interest for half its length, even if it was an…
Right from the start, in his own mind he’s a giant. A good giant. And he does things that back up that belief. Regularly. And each time, he turns around…
Great Read
In the relentless theatre of Formula 1, the members of the complex cast – drivers, team chiefs, designers, organisers, circuit owners, officials – may be liked, admired, respected, even feared.…
Great Read
Motor racing is essentially a science; it's supposed to be about nuts and bolts, numbers on lap charts and on stopwatches. But sometimes other, less tangible factors seem to play…
Great Read
One of the many pleasures in going to New York used to be dinner with René Dreyfus, who personified the word 'gentleman' like few folk I have known. It would…
Great Read
We all remember our first grand prix. You can watch it for years on the television but until you actually go and watch a gridful of Formula 1 cars come past, feel…
Great Read
How do you put together a new Formula One car in Bognor Regis, with an assembly team switched from making refrigerators, and expect anything but trouble? Well, the Lec CRP1…
Great Read
It was a novel, if not naïve, concept: bringing 10 of the best and bravest IndyCar drivers from America to Italy to compete against an equal number of Formula 1’s…
If it knows anything at all of him, the general public is more cognisant of events around him than it is of the personality of Flavio Briatore. Last year he…
Great Read
I am sometimes asked about past Williams drivers and Carlos Reutemann in particular, who is always referred to as enigmatic because he was sparing with his true thoughts and often…
