F1’s Dirty Politics: Bernie vs Balestre, FOCA vs FISA
It is early afternoon on Saturday November 1, 1980. A call is placed to the Brabham headquarters in Chessington, Surrey. The conversation goes something like this: “’Allo?” “Ah, hello. Could…
Clive Rose/Getty Images
Some-time, back in the early sixties, shortly after Piers Courage decided that motor racing was going to be his life, his father took him to one side and asked why…
It’s hard to think of a recent equivalent to the Matra racing regime. In one glorious decade, from 1965 to 1974, Matra fielded victorious Grand Prix cars and Le Mans…
Karl Kling, who died recently, may never have been a great racing driver but he was certainly one who had his days. I interviewed him only once, appropriately close by…
Back in June 1980 I interviewed Patrick Depailler at Brands Hatch. He was a lovely fellow, a man out of his time, I always felt, very much a throwback to…
If a racing driver has to die young, there is an almost gladiatorial rightness that he do so in his element on the track. Gunnar Nilsson was denied even that,…
This was one of those moments Spa seems to produce. It ranks with Mika Hakkinen’s move on Michael Schumacher last year, or the first lap of the 1963 GP when…
When we speak of legendary partnerships in motor racing, perhaps the one that would spring first to most minds is that of Colin Chapman and Jim Clark: throughout his eight-year…
With his dark features and thick, curly, slightly receding hair, Gabriele Tarquini looked not unlike American comedian John Belushi during his time in Formula One. Sadly, the Italian’s machinery often…
It is early afternoon on Saturday November 1, 1980. A call is placed to the Brabham headquarters in Chessington, Surrey. The conversation goes something like this: “’Allo?” “Ah, hello. Could…
Some-time, back in the early sixties, shortly after Piers Courage decided that motor racing was going to be his life, his father took him to one side and asked why…
It’s hard to think of a recent equivalent to the Matra racing regime. In one glorious decade, from 1965 to 1974, Matra fielded victorious Grand Prix cars and Le Mans…
Karl Kling, who died recently, may never have been a great racing driver but he was certainly one who had his days. I interviewed him only once, appropriately close by…
Back in June 1980 I interviewed Patrick Depailler at Brands Hatch. He was a lovely fellow, a man out of his time, I always felt, very much a throwback to…
If a racing driver has to die young, there is an almost gladiatorial rightness that he do so in his element on the track. Gunnar Nilsson was denied even that,…
This was one of those moments Spa seems to produce. It ranks with Mika Hakkinen’s move on Michael Schumacher last year, or the first lap of the 1963 GP when…
When we speak of legendary partnerships in motor racing, perhaps the one that would spring first to most minds is that of Colin Chapman and Jim Clark: throughout his eight-year…
With his dark features and thick, curly, slightly receding hair, Gabriele Tarquini looked not unlike American comedian John Belushi during his time in Formula One. Sadly, the Italian’s machinery often…
Hungary revealed how wind and worn tarmac are rewriting the rules of 2026 F1 performance, and why some of the grid’s best drivers are struggling to keep up. Mark Hughes explains
Kimi Antonelli Astonishing progression from his patchy and underprepared rookie season. Yes, he’s in the best car but he’s doing things with it that stand comparison with the finest. In…
To call Gwen Lagrue a ’scout’ is reductive. Identifying talent is just part of the equation; he supplements that by developing it, playing a central role in nurturing a plethora…
Monaco Lewis Hamilton Many had written off Lewis Hamilton in F1 – too long in the tooth at 41, a poor fit with Ferrari, the rise of rivals, and so…
There was a time when circuit corner names were utilitarian labels, nothing more. Even for the greatest curves, inspiration was drawn from local landmarks or topography: think of Eau Rouge…
The 2025 IndyCar championship was a snoozer, as Álex Palou clinched the title with several rounds remaining. The most compelling storyline in the closing weeks of the season was whether…
Twelve months on from his last F1 win at Zandvoort when he led the World Championship, Oscar Piastri looks like McLaren’s weaker driver this year, though not all of it has been his doing
Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes
The evidence behind some of F1’s gaping team-mate discrepancies – plus the best viewer question we’ve ever received: watch the latest episode of the F1 Show now
As Fernando Alonso turns 45, his Aston Martin gamble still hasn’t paid off. We weigh it against four other ways the most veteran active driver in the sport could be spending what’s left of his prime
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