Formula 1

Autosport has already picked out the top 10 F1 title deciders and the race could be a candidate for that list… But the tension is also reminiscent of the darker days in F1 history, when the title has been decided or marred by controversial clashes. Here are the times things went bad, with some non-F1 misdemeanours

Stoker is going up against Mohammed ben Sulayem in the vote on 17 December to become the successor of Jean Todt. With the final countdown underway to the election, Stoker has outlined his vision for how he wants the FIA to approach F1 if he triumphs. His outline of 10 key pledges for F1 –

The Enstone-based team had a slow start to the 2021 season and did most of its scoring in a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix, which yielded Ocon’s maiden F1 win. After the summer break Alpine’s form was patchy but on the good days it managed to score big, notably with Fernando Alonso’ podium in Qatar, that

Title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were caught up in multiple incidents last Sunday in Abu Dhabi that led to the stewards handing Verstappen two penalties. After being told to give Hamilton a position back after an off-track pass earlier in the race, Verstappen was later hit with a five-second time penalty for leaving

Hamilton and Verstappen are heading in to the final race of the season tied on points, with the driver that finishes ahead on Sunday set to take the crown. While Mercedes is coming off the back of three consecutive wins, Red Bull took a comfortable victory at the Yas Marina circuit 12 months ago as

The tweaked concept, which merges artwork by UAE-based female artist Rabab Tantawy with McLaren’s traditional papaya and blue colours, will run for the first time in Friday practice at the Yas Marina circuit. The new colours were revealed at a special event in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night, and are the result of a Driven

A bad-tempered grand prix in Saudi Arabia, which was marred by sniping from both Red Bull and Mercedes camps – plus a collision and more controversy between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – has pointed towards an escalation in the F1 title battle intensity. Verstappen has shown he is not afraid to take things to

The test, which uses standard current cars and tyres, will run in parallel with a two-day test for race drivers with the definitive 2022 18-inch tyres. Although not all teams have officially announced their drivers for the rookie test, a full list has begun to take shape. Several teams have put a focus on using

Hamilton’s front wing had taken a double battering in the Jeddah race on Sunday, following a clash with Esteban Ocon at the restart and then having run into the back of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. The loss of performance was notable on the Mercedes pitwall, with its data suggesting that the downforce deficit from the

Mick Schumacher triggered a red flag when he spun off at the high-speed Turn 22 early in the race. Following the restart, an unsighted Nikita Mazepin ran into the back of George Russell as the Williams driver tried to avoid Sergio Perez, who had been spun round by contact with Charles Leclerc. Mazepin’s chassis was

Horner was left frustrated at a number of decisions made by current F1 race director Michael Masi during the Jeddah race – which included the five-second penalty that ultimately cost Max Verstappen a chance of winning. On an evening that included Masi making major calls on red flags, handing positions back, bartering with Red Bull

The Stewards, having received a report from the Race Director, summoned (documents 39 & 40) and heard from the drivers and team representatives, have considered the following matter and determine the following: No / Driver 33 – Max Verstappen Competitor Red Bull Racing Honda Time 22:19 Session Race Fact Car 33 braked in a manner

Vettel finished a lowly 17th in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, only beating team-mate Lance Stroll and the Haas cars to leave Aston Martin as the second-slowest team. Vettel sounded disappointed over team radio when his engineer confirmed he had only finished 17th, lapping over two-tenths of a second shy of a Q2

Leclerc lost the rear and hit the wall hard in the closing stages of Friday’s second practice, leaving Ferrari with an extensive overnight repair job. Remarkably, both the chassis and power unit were salvaged after the heavy impact, and Leclerc repaid his promise to thank his mechanics in “the best way possible” by qualifying fourth

The defending F1 world champion held on to take his fifth pole of the season in Jeddah after Max Verstappen hit the wall at the final corner on his last lap in Q3, having looked set to grab top spot at the finish.  The crash meant Verstappen will start the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP from

“I remember my race for third place with Mansell at Suzuka in ’94. Every lap he tried to pass in the same place, and I knew on the last lap he’d go for it and probably take us both off. But the race had been stopped and restarted, and I was ahead on overall time,

Hamilton topped both free practice sessions at the Jeddah Corniche street circuit, narrowly edging out teammate Valtteri Bottas and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in the second session. His title rival Max Verstappen ended up fourth in FP2 in the Red Bull, two tenths behind Hamilton, after the Dutchman finished a close second to the world champion

The Mercedes driver completed a clean sweep of top times on Friday in Jeddah, leading FP2 by 0.061s from team-mate Valtteri Bottas despite both drivers having their soft tyre qualifying-style runs hampered. The second practice session was ended prematurely by a heavy crash for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.  As F1 drivers got to grips with the

A fortnight ago Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Williams duo George Russell and Nicholas Latifi all suffered similar looking left front tyre failures during the race at Losail. The puncture caused a retirement for Latifi, while the remaining three victims managed to get back to the pits and continue their race, although

The Aston Martin driver has been quite active this year in promoting equality, and has been open about being uneasy regarding some of the attitudes towards women that are common in Saudi Arabia. But rather than elect to simply speak out against what he does not like, Vettel used his presence in the country to

The high average speeds and sequences of flat out and blind corners on the track, which is hosting the country’s first grand prix this weekend, means that drivers will have little warning if there’s an accident ahead. With the circuit’s characteristics in mind, Sainz says drivers will have to rely on track marshals and race

In many sports the last event of the season sees the presentation of the trophy to the winner. At the Indy 500 the Borg-Warner trophy is given to the winner moments after they step out of the car, in the NFL the Lombardi Trophy – given to the winners of the Super Bowl – is

Aston Martin was hit hard by F1’s aero rule tweaks for 2021 and has struggled to keep up with its midfield rivals throughout the season. The former Racing Point team scored big in Monaco and Baku, where Vettel claimed his first podium for the Silverstone outfit, and was within a point of fifth-placed AlphaTauri following

While Hamilton is expecting nothing less than a strong challenge from Russell when he steps up from Williams to replace Valtteri Bottas next year, the seven-time champion senses a golden opportunity to help guide his new team-mate. He thinks that 23-year-old Russell’s positive attitude and strong work ethic, allied to them being at difference stages

Red Bull driver Verstappen goes into this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP – the penultimate round of the season – with an eight-point gap over Hamilton after having scored nine victories to the Briton’s seven. That advantage means Verstappen will have his first match point of the year at the Jeddah circuit, and will be crowned

The young Briton has long resisted joining other F1 drivers in the tax haven of Monaco, despite the clear money benefits from doing so, and committed to living near the McLaren factory in Woking. But, after getting more established in F1 and having extended his McLaren contract earlier this year, Norris thinks now is the

After seven years of endless financial struggle since his 1969 debut with Piers Courage as Frank Williams Racing Cars, the dreams of late F1 boss Williams – who died earlier this week aged 79 – appeared to have come true as he finally found a generous benefactor in wealthy Canadian oil entrepreneur Walter Wolf for 1976.

Piastri currently leads the Formula 2 standings after taking the FIA F3 title at his first attempt last year with Prema. But despite his rapid rise the Australian will spend 2022 on the sidelines, becoming Alpine’s reserve driver after missing out on a potential F1 seat. Piastri was said to be in the frame for a seat at Alfa

Former Williams drivers and people from all areas of motorsport united in expressing their admiration for a man who had achieved so much success over the decades, and yet remained at heart the ultimate enthusiast, always eager to see the next race or support the latest young star coming through the ranks. He served as

Fontana, who took part in four F1 grands prix in 1997 with the Sauber squad, received the helmet over the weekend after a fellow racer happened to spot it being worn by a motorbike rider in the street.  The helmet was stolen from Fontana’s family dwelling in his hometown of Arrecifes, located 180km away from