
MPH: To the man trying to fill Christian Horner's shoes: good luck!
Laurent Mekies arrives as Red Bull F1 team principal with a series of immediate challenges to solve and long-term issues to tackle. He'll either sink or swim, says Mark Hughes
The greatest of all time for many, Jim Clark was killed at Hockenheim 48 years ago this week competing in Formula 2. As part of our British champions issue in 2012 Peter Windsor remembered Clark, including his introduction courtesy of Warwick Farm promoter Geoff Sykes.
Niki Lauda won twice, winning at Long Beach in 1982 and in South Africa two years later. The Kyalami victory ended a winless streak stretching back almost two years to the British Grand Prix of 1982.
In Brazil in 1985, Alain Prost continued McLaren’s run of victories that began at Brands Hatch the previous July. It was the team’s eighth in a row and Prost’s third. Nigel Mansell secured a third successive win of his own seven years later, as Williams dominated at Interlagos in 1992.
Denis Jenkinson enjoyed two International Trophy meetings at Silverstone, despite a “wind so cold even the brass monkeys stayed in the beer tent” in 1973. Jackie Stewart won the marquee race of what was the BRDC’s 25th race meeting. The following year, James Hunt won in Hesketh’s new 308 during what DSJ called “a splendid motoring garden party.” He even praised the traffic management…
Brands Hatch hosted its 1971 1000kms, with Andrea de Adamich and Henri Pescarolo claiming an overdue victory for Alfa-Romeo. At Monza in 1988, Jaguar’s Martin Brundle and Eddie Cheever managed their fuel to snatch a ‘beautifully-judged’ victory in the 1000kms from Sauber Mercedes.
England’s first world champion, Mike Hawthorn, was born this week, 87 years ago. His potential replacement at Ferrari, Cliff Allison, died this week 11 years ago.
American racer Frank Lockhart was born in 1903. Like Hawthorn, Lockhart’s career was brilliant but short. In just two seasons he won the Indy 500, at the age of 24 and at the first attempt, and twice finished runner-up in the championship.
Honda’s first Formula 1 driver, Ronnie Bucknum, was born this week in 1936. A surprise choice at the time, he accumulated two world championship points thanks to a fifth-place finish in Mexico 1965.
Walt Hansgen, who played such a large part in the making of Mark Donohue, died testing at Le Mans in 1966.
Mercedes Benz Grand Prix driver Hermann Lang was born in 1909, winner at Le Mans in 1952 and runner-up in the 1938 Donington Grand Prix. Richard Attwood celebrated his 76th birthday this week, while Mark Blundell turned 50 and Jacques Villeneuve 45.
Laurent Mekies arrives as Red Bull F1 team principal with a series of immediate challenges to solve and long-term issues to tackle. He'll either sink or swim, says Mark Hughes
Former McLaren F1 team-mates Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard are set to renew old rivalries in a new Evening with... tour – they told James Elson all about it
In Formula 1, driver contracts may look iron-clad on paper, but history shows that some of its biggest stars have made dramatic early exits
Former McLaren F1 ace told James Elson about his private audience with The Beatles' George Harrison, who played an unreleased grand prix-themed song