News – Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times

Brexit tariff delay for British-built electric vehicles

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 16:19:48 +0000

The European Commission has signalled a three-year delay to tariffs that would have impacted British-built electric vehicles (EVs) exported to Europe, and increased prices for UK customers buying vehicles from the EU.

The “rules of origin” tariff would have seen a 10 per cent tariff applied to exports if less than 45 per cent of the vehicle’s value originated from outside the UK or EU. It’s a measure designed to encourage vehicle makers to base EV battery production within the bloc, rather than other economic areas such as China.

With very few electric vehicle battery production facilities — or “gigafactories” — in the UK or Europe at present, most British- and European-built electric cars would have fallen foul of the tariffs, because batteries are such an expensive part of an electric vehicle.

However, an agreement is expected to be signed shortly, just under four weeks before the rules are due to come into force, which will delay the introduction of charges by three years.

Price rises were on the way

Both the UK and European car industries have been calling for a delay since the summer, claiming the rules originally due to come in on January 1, 2024, would have seen prices rise noticeably for consumers both in Europe and the UK.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the average EU-made battery-electric vehicle would have been £3,400 more expensive for UK customers, while the average British-built battery-electric vehicle would have been £3,600 more expensive for European buyers.

Under the terms of the Brexit deal, electric vehicles had already been exempted from the tax for three years, hence the January 2024 deadline. But the new deal is expected to add another three years’ exemption when it is ratified by the EU member states.

Perfect timing for Nissan

It’s unclear if the decision is linked to a recent decision by Nissan for a £3 billion investment in its Sunderland plant, which the Japanese carmaker’s president and CEO said in November was “at the heart of our future vision”.

The move will see Nissan build three new electric models in the north-east of England — the new Leaf hatchback, a new electric Juke SUV and a new electric Qashqai SUV — as well as a new gigafactory for battery production.

Naturally, it will take some time for Nissan to implement changes to the Sunderland factory and begin production of the new models. But the reprieve on tariffs should be enough to allow the Wearside factory to get up and running before the rules of origin are applied in January 2027.

Other manufacturers also look certain to be pleased with the news, and consumers may also breathe a sigh of relief. With almost half (49.1 per cent) of all new electric vehicles registered in the UK coming from Europe, the rules-of-origin tariff would have been seen as a barrier to the increased uptake of electric vehicles. It would also have open the door wider to cheaper rivals from China.

SMMT calls on government to do more

With incentives for buying electric cars already few and far between — especially for private customers — the SMMT yesterday called on the government to do more to encourage drivers to switch from petrol and diesel vehicles to less polluting hybrid and electric cars.

Just yesterday, the SMMT announced a year-on-year reduction in EV sales during November, bringing an end to 42 consecutive months of growth for the market.

However, the figures were slightly skewed by an abnormally large number of sales in November 2022, and it should be noted that the number of EVs registered in the first 11 months of 2023 has already surpassed the number registered in all of 2022.

Nonetheless, the data shows that more than three-quarters of new EVs registered in November were sold to businesses, suggesting the company car taxation rules are the greatest driver of electric vehicle sales, with private buyers finding EVs less accessible.

EVs now make up 16.3 per cent of all new cars sold in the UK, and that figure is expected to rise past 20 per cent in 2024.

If you were interested in an extension to the import tariff, you should read about Nissan’s plans to produce three new EVs in Sunderland
Keen to go electric? Here are the top 10 longest-range electric cars
Take a look at all the car makers’ electric vehicle plans

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Best-selling cars 2023: The UK’s top 10 most popular models

Will.dron@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 15:44:38 +0000

The latest vehicle registration figures for 2023 have been released and they show which models have been the top 10 most popular cars in the UK for the first 11 months of the year.

Jump straight to the top 10 best-selling cars now

Car makers have had a torrid time in recent years, as they grappled with the cost-of-living crisis on top of parts supply issues, including the shortage of semiconductors, but new car registrations have seen a comeback and November marked a record 16th consecutive month of year-on-year sales growth in the UK. In fact, the official figures suggest sales in November were just 0.1 per cent below pre-pandemic 2019.

Some 156,525 new cars were registered last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Businesses continue to drive the sales figures, with corporate sales up by more than a quarter year-on-year and representing 59 per cent of the market, with private sales down slightly making up the remainder of UK registrations.

Of course, all eyes are on sales figures for pure-electric cars (also known as “battery-electric vehicles”, or Bevs). After enjoying a 42nd consecutive month of growth in October, sales were down by more than 17 per cent in November, although that’s partly because November 2022 was such a bumper month for Bevs. And the SMMT noted that the slight reduction in private car sales meant more than three-quarters of new Bevs (77.4 per cent) were taken on by businesses. Nevertheless, Bev sales remain up by more than a quarter year-on-year over the first 11 months of 2023.

What are ‘mild hybrid’, ‘full hybrid’, ‘plug-in hybrid’ and ‘pure-electric’ cars?

The slight reduction in battery-electric car sales may have something to do with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to push back the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035. Although fully electric vehicles were only ever expected to be mandatory from 2035 – the government’s decision simply means conventional petrol and diesel car sales will be allowed to carry on alongside hybrids until 2035 – many experts said it will have caused private motorists to delay decisions to make the switch to electric cars.

Following its calls last month to invest in electric vehicle incentives, the SMMT has called on the government to spend money on the UK’s charging infrastructure and suggests reducing the VAT rate on Bevs from 20 per cent to five per cent, bringing it in line with home charging.

The industry body also highlighted the “urgent need to delay” the tougher new UK-EU rules of origin, which come into force on January 1, 2024. The SMMT says failure to postpone the rules would see electric vehicles incur tariffs due to batteries built outside the region, and that would increase prices for customers both in the UK and Europe. Both car makers and governments on both sides have called for a three-year extension to the current rules, which the SMMT says would “support consumer choice and affordability.”

Electric vehicle to charger figures ‘completely misleading’, says trade body

“Britain’s new car market continues to recover, fuelled by fleets investing in the latest and greenest new vehicles,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes. “With car makers gearing up to meet their responsibilities under new market legislation, and COP28 currently underway, now is the time to take sensible steps that will multiply that economic growth and minimise carbon emissions.

“Private Bev buyers need incentives in line with those that have so successfully driven business uptake – and workable trade rules that promote rather than penalise the transition.”

The best-selling cars of 2023

But what are the most popular car models of 2023 so far? Here is the official list of top 10 best-selling vehicles in the UK, according to SMMT new car registration figures.

1. Ford Puma: 46,434 registrations to date

It was controversial when Ford revived the Puma name — previously associated with a niche but beloved, sporty 1990s coupé — as a Fiesta-based crossover SUV, but its sales success is evidence the tactic paid off. It helps that this is one of the best-handling and most practical cars in its class.

In his review of the Puma, Jeremy Clarkson said he loved the washable boot (known as the “megabox”) and noted that it seemed to be designed by “an actual person who leads an actual life”.

In an era of parts supply pressures, the Puma’s positive reception by critics and public alike helped convince Ford of Europe to put all its resources into SUVs and electrified cars; as a result the Fiesta has been discontinued while a new pure-electric Puma is on the way this year. Quite the changing of the guard, but as it was the best-selling car of all in April, May, July, August, October, and November putting it at the top of the chart for the year to date, perhaps Ford has made the right call.

2020 Ford Puma review

2. Nissan Qashqai: 39,068

Last year marked an all-time high for the Nissan Qashqai in terms of sales with it becoming the UK’s best-selling car overall, and the compact SUV ended the first quarter of 2023 at the top of the charts, too. It dropped to fourth before a bumper September resulted in it surging back up to second best seller for the year to date.

The Qashqai helped popularise the crossover genre, having a bigger impact on the types of cars we drive than almost any other car launched this century. Cars from its segment now dominate sales — the VW T-Roc, Tesla Model Y, Kia Sportage, Ford Kuga and Hyundai Tucson are all rivals.

The all-new Qashqai launched in 2021 with a hybrid “e-Power” variant, clever technology, a fresher design and more upmarket interior, and we liked it enough to name it our Small SUV / Crossover of the Year 2021. No doubt its sales success has quite a lot to do with our award; you’re welcome, Nissan.

But there’s no denying that whether buying new or used, the Qashqai is a decent and able family car, with good fuel economy, a smart design and lots of tech at an affordable price. Plus it’s built in Sunderland.

Nissan Qashqai e-Power review 2022

3. Vauxhall Corsa: 37,826

In May the Corsa was knocked off the number one spot after it was outsold by the Ford Puma for the second month in a row, and the Puma is now gaining some clear air ahead at the top of the chart. Then a great September for the Qashqai saw the Corsa drop to third in the sales charts. But it outsold the Qashqai again in October, and the fact that it is doing so well against higher-riding crossovers is impressive. It suggests that traditional superminis aren’t dead quite yet.

The Corsa will be benefitting from Ford discontinuing its hugely popular Fiesta, of course, as the Blue Oval’s supermini was its chief rival. Renault believes it will capitalise on Ford’s decision with its new hybrid Clio, too.

Vauxhall’s model was relaunched in 2019 with handsome looks and a range of power choices under the bonnet, including a pure-electric variant packing a competitive 208-mile range. An updated version of all variants is not on sale, and the electric model has range boosted to 255 miles per charge. It’s not cheap, but the Corsa’s electrification could mean that it is a strong seller for a few years more yet.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric 2023 review: More power, more range and yes, more money

4. Kia Sportage: 34,620

The Kia Sportage family SUV was relaunched in 2022, getting a new chassis and engine line-up along with more modern styling. The interior quality is excellent and the combined 12.3in digital displays give the interior a technologically-advanced look.

At the top of the Sportage range is a plug-in hybrid model developing 261bhp through its combination of 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor, with energy fed from a battery with a 13.8kWh capacity. A non-plug-in hybrid is available on this generation Sportage, with the same 1.6-litre petrol engine on its own producing 226bhp. There are other mild-hybrid petrol models as well as a diesel, so most buyers will be catered for whatever their preference.

The Sportage is performing extremely well in a tough and crowded sector of the market, battling it out with rivals such as its cousin, the Hyundai Tucson, as well as the VW T-Roc, Tesla Model Y, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga.

2022 Kia Sportage: all the info plus how it stacks up against its key rivals

5. Hyundai Tucson: 32,301

The Tucson offers fierce competition for sibling company Kia’s Sportage, as well as the Nissan Qashqai. The fact that all three are on this list just goes to show the strength of the family SUV market and the cars in question.

The old Tucson was great but the new model stepped things up a gear with a really smart exterior design, including ‘hidden’ headlights, and a cool new cabin complete with a big touchscreen and digital instrument display. But the Tucson isn’t just more modern; it’s better to drive, too.

Like the Sportage with which the Tucson shares so much, there’s a wide range of powertrain options, including petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid, all of which are smooth, quiet and efficient.

6. Tesla Model Y: 31,083

The nature of Tesla’s sales and delivery model, which does away with traditional car dealers in favour of online purchasing and a direct-to-customer approach, means that deliveries come in bursts rather than a trickle.

March saw a new boatload of the cars arrive into the UK from factories abroad, propelling the Model Y crossover straight to the top of the sales charts for the month, then the following months were quieter so it dropped down the order. However, August was another big one for the electric crossover and come the end of the year it could end up even higher, as the order book is extremely strong and more batches of vehicles will arrive.

The Model Y builds on the Model 3’s strengths (they share around 95 per cent of their components), adding extra space and crossover styling. Two versions are available, depending on the buyer’s priorities — Long Range (315 miles) and Performance, both with all-wheel drive.

When Driving.co.uk tested the Model Y, we found it to be a massively spacious and competent car with loads to recommend, not least Tesla’s enviable Supercharger network. One big downside, though, was the rather poor ride quality, with bumps and jolts echoing through the vast cabin making it uncomfortable and noisy on rough roads.

Tesla Model Y review

7. Mini Hatch: 29,777

There’s a lot of appeal in the Mini — the UK’s third best-selling car last year — thanks to its premium feel, sporty handling and retro styling. Like a Porsche 911, the design has evolved subtly since its launch so that it still looks good more than 20 years on from the first “New Mini”, and next year an all-new model will continue that trend.

Buyers will find plenty of choice in the current Mini Hatch range from the sensible and affordable Mini One right up to the hooligan John Cooper Works model, as well as a pure-electric version. There’s also the choice of three- or five-door bodystyles.

The Mini is still among the best of British (it’s built in Oxford) and a keen rival for German cars such as the Audi A1 and Volkswagen Polo. The new version will get what looks like a really cool interior with a clever circular touchscreen display, but more importantly the electric model will go further per charge. The Mini’s future seems assured.

Electric Mini production could continue in Oxford after £500m investment and £75m taxpayer contribution

8. Nissan Juke: 29,272

We don’t often see the Juke — the Qashqai’s smaller sibling — in the top 10 so Nissan will be delighted that it has two of the best-selling cars in the UK. That’s largely thanks to a bumper month of sales for the model in March, because the funky SUV didn’t even make the top 10 in October or November.

The Juke has been a bit of a Marmite car in the past but the second generation model is an objectively more attractive proposition and the introduction of a hybrid version last year has clearly caught the eye of many new car buyers who value fuel economy.

Like the Qashqai, the Juke is built in Sunderland and so the “buy local” effect may be a factor in its popularity. But the Juke drives well, has plenty of tech and is competitively priced, starting at under £21,000, which makes the compact crossover an attractive proposition for buyers.

9. Vauxhall Mokka: 28,390

A perennial favourite with UK customers, the Mokka is Vauxhall’s answer to the Ford Puma and the Nissan Juke. Although it’s not quite the best car in its class, the combination of fresh, modern styling and compact dimensions, as well as the comforting familiarity of the Vauxhall badge, have kept the little SUV high in the sales charts.

Also in the Vauxhall’s favour is the number of different trim levels and engine options available. As well as conventional petrol powertrains — diesels have been discontinued — the Mokka is also offered in pure-electric Mokka-e form, which will appeal to those seeking a company car or simply wanting a runabout with minimal running costs and zero exhaust emissions.

These days, the Mokka is taking advantage of the Vauxhall brand’s ownership by Stellantis, sharing technology with the Peugeot 2008 and other cars in the Peugeot, Citroën, Jeep and Fiat ranges. That includes the 1.2-litre petrol engines, which are smooth and eager, and the chassis tech that has helped to make this the best Mokka yet.

10. Audi A3: 28,178

In October, the Audi A3 knocked the Fiesta out of the top 10 best sellers for the year to date, after Ford ended production of its supermini. Ford’s loss is Audi’s gain, it seems, with the German hatchback remaining among the top sellers in November.

The A3 has been around since 1996 and is now in its fourth generation. It’s built on the same underpinnings as — and is a similar size to — the VW Golf and Seat Leon, but considered a more upmarket alternative to both Volkswagen Group stablemates.

It’s also potentially more versatile. You can pick up an A3 in hatchback or saloon forms, and in sporty or rip-snorting guises as the S3 and RS 3. Since 2021 there’s been a plug-in hybrid version, too.

The recent facelifted versions are likely to be the last of the petrol-powered A3s, as Audi is set to launch its final fossil-fuelled cars in Europe in 2025, so expect the fifth gen A3 to be pure electric. Buyers seems to be snapping up the dinosaur-burner versions while they can.

After reading about the most popular cars in the UK in 2023, you might be interested to look back at the best-selling cars of 2022.
If you’re interested in new cars, check out the most exciting cars for 2023
Car makers’ electric vehicle plans for 2023 and beyond

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Could Alfa Romeo be about to make a dramatic return to Le Mans?

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:13:48 +0000

Alfa Romeo is weighing up competing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), which would see the marque return to top-level sports car racing for the first time since 1977.

If the switch from Formula One to the WEC comes off, it would also see an Alfa competing at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, ending an absence of 52 years at the fabled French circuit.

The potential motor sport move could come about because Alfa’s six-year title sponsorship deal with the Sauber F1 team has ended.

Sauber itself is gearing up to become the official Audi F1 works team by 2026, and will use Ferrari engines through to 2025 in preparation for the German manufacturer’s arrival in F1 the following year.

Haas talks lead to nothing

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Alfa’s CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said that negotiations to take over as Haas’s title sponsor in F1 had been held, but did not progress much beyond an initial sounding-out stage.

He added: “We weren’t interested in aiming to do a copy/ paste operation in the style of the one done with Sauber.

“It would have led us to become one of those who puts stickers on bodywork. It would no longer have been new, and we wouldn’t have been part of a story.”

That, in turn, led the Alfa chief to look at other forms of motor sport, as the company has a long and storied history competing in some of the most famous races in the world, dating right back to its inception in 1910.

Other codes were considered besides the WEC, but Imparato explained: “We started looking at something else, quickly reaching a conclusion.

“Alfa Romeo has nothing to do with the world of rallying, the Stellantis group already has two brands [DS and Maserati] involved in Formula E, and so the focus has shifted to the WEC, a world in which Alfa Romeo has lived in the past wonderful experiences.”

Potential tie-up with Peugeot

At this stage, Imparato was keen to impress that nothing has been confirmed at all, as it will require a full cost-benefit analysis before Alfa can commit to the 2025 WEC, at the earliest.

Wary of getting burnt by spiralling expenditure and citing the “uncontrolled cost escalation” in LMP1 in 2015 for such caution, Imparato hinted one obvious way of getting Alfa back into the WEC would be to buddy-up with fellow Stellantis outfit Peugeot — where he served as CEO from 2017 to 2021.

The French firm has campaigned the 9X8 in the Hypercar class with reasonable success since it made its competitive debut midway through the 2022 WEC season at Monza.

Imparato said of the potential Alfa tie-up with his former company: “Obviously, it’s one of the scenarios we evaluated.

“There are already houses within the Stellantis group whose sports programmes are in close contact, for example DS and Maserati in Formula E.

“When we return to the track, we will do so with the support of Stellantis’ motor sport projects and as Peugeot is already present in WEC, obviously co-operation is more than possible.”

Enviable F1 and sports car history

If Alfa does return to the WEC, it will see the company back at Le Mans — one of a number of events on the WEC calendar — for the first time since 1972, when a Tipo 33 TT3 competed at La Sarthe under the auspices of Alfa’s contemporary motor sport arm, Autodelta.

Although it was never seen at Le Mans again after that, Autodelta continued to operate works Alfas in the World Sportscar Championship (WSC) up until 1977, where it won the Group 6 two-seater category with an utterly dominant performance — its 33SC12s won all eight of the races that season on the way to the title.

Since then, Alfa has mainly focused its competition motor sport on F1, having returned to the category as a constructor for a second stint from 1979 to 1985, albeit one which wasn’t marked with a huge amount of success. It then started working with Sauber in 2018.

Its history in earlier F1 campaigns is enviable, though, as it won the inaugural Automobile World Championship in 1925 — a precursor of F1, with grands prix held at various global venues — while its cars won the first two seasons of F1 “proper”, in 1950 and 1951.

Giuseppe Farina, driving the Alfa 158 — one of the most successful competition cars of all time, with a win ratio of 47 races from 54 grands prix entered — won the 1950 drivers’ championship, pipping his team-mate Juan Manuel Fangio to the crown.

But the legendary Argentine got his revenge the next year, winning the first of his five world drivers’ titles in 1951, in the Alfa 159.

Eyeing up a fifth Le Mans win

In other forms of motor sport, Alfa Romeo has also won the Mille Miglia 11 times and the Targa Florio on 10 separate occasions, two famous Italian endurance races.

Yet it is its possible return to Le Mans which raises the most intrigue. If the Italian firm makes the grid in 2025, it will mark a 53-year gap since the TT3 competed back in 1972.

However, Alfa’s true glory years at the French endurance classic were between 1931 and 1934, when the Italian company triumphed outright four times in a row with variations on the gorgeous 8C 2300.

If you were interested in Alfa Romeo’s possible return to endurance racing, you may also want to read about Alfa’s extremely limited edition electric or V6-engined supercar
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2023 review: Minor updates, minor improvements for drivers’ SUV
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7 best windscreen covers to buy in 2023-24

Igorsumonja — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:33:00 +0000

Buying a windscreen cover for your car is a cost effective way to protect it from extreme weather. While they’re primarily used to protect against frost and ice in the winter, they’re beneficial year-round whether it’s sun damage, leaves and debris, or bird mess that’s a concern.

For maximum protection, we recommend investing in a cover that is specifically designed for cold weather and ensuring you’ve selected one of the correct size for your windscreen. Some retailers offer universal sizes, but it’s worth taking measurements before making a purchase to avoid disappointment.

We’ve researched the best car windscreen covers on offer in December 2023, and here are the select few we’ve deemed to be worthy of your money.

1. QcoQce Car Windshield Cover

QcoQce Car Windshield Cover, £24.99 from Amazon — buy here

The QcoQce windshield cover is a bestseller on Amazon with over 1,000 five-star reviews, and is reportedly “good quality” and “value for money”.

It’s not too dissimilar to the Halfords Quilted Frost Guard we’ve listed below in terms of design, though it does come in a larger size. The material is made up of four layers that are designed to protect your windscreen from frost, ice and snow, rain, UV rays and other dirt and grime.

There are three sizes available — small, medium and large. The small measures 147cm x 120cm, whereas the large measures 157cm x 126cm. Make sure you measure your windscreen ahead of time — we spotted a few reviews stating that they opted for the wrong size.

2. FREESOO Windscreen Frost Protector

FREESOO Car Windscreen Cover, £17.99 from Amazon — buy here

Another top seller from Amazon, this all weather windscreen cover has rave reviews with one customer describing it as “an absolute life saver”.

The cover has two “ears” which you trap in between your car doors, and then tuck the bottom of the cover under the windscreen wipers. It comes in two sizes — small and large — and is made up of four layers designed to protect your windscreen from both frost and sun damage.

Note: While unlikely to do so we cannot guarantee the “ears” won’t break the seal to your car door and allow some moisture to find its way inside.

3. Victor Tools Half Car Cover

Half Car Cover, £19.99 from Coopers of Stortford — buy here

We’re not a fan of all full car covers as they can trap moisture between the membrane and the paint, but this half cover could be a great option to protect from frost, snow, ice, dirt and tree sap, especially if you have a panoramic glass roof.

Made from mildew-resistant polyester with a “rugged silver coating”, this cover is designed to protect the whole top section of your car and features elasticated straps that should keep it firmly in place, even in high winds.

Reviews have complemented ease of use and prompt delivery.

4. Halfords Quilted Car Cover

Halfords Quilted Car Cover, £9.99 from Halfords — buy here

If you’re looking for an affordable car cover for the winter months, then this one from Halfords is a great option at under a tenner.

It comes with covers for both side mirrors as well as the windscreen, and is held in place by magnets as well as loops on both sides of the cover. It’s made from four layers of thick and durable material, (PE Aluminum Foil + Needle Cotton + Silk Cotton + Non-Woven).

The dimensions are 118 x 148cm, which is large and should be suitable for most vehicles, it is claimed, including SUVs, vans, trucks and more. Make sure you measure your windscreen before purchasing, though.

5. Halfords All Seasons Car Cover

Halfords All Seasons Car Cover, £58.99 — buy here

If you’re looking to cover your whole car as well as the windscreen then this could be the way to go. As the name suggests, the Halfords own-brand product is suitable for all seasons. It offers snow and ice protection, is waterproof and will prevent sun damage thanks to UV protection. Importantly, the material is said to be breathable, which means moisture wont be trapped underneath.

You secure the cover via the elasticated panels, which fit over your bumpers, and the straps that go underneath the car. It’s available in five different sizes — extra small, small, medium, large and extra large — to suit all vehicles. The dimensions of the medium cover, which we’ve linked to above, are 440cm x 175cm x 135cm.

The cover was awarded four and a half stars in Auto Express’ Mini Test in 2020 and 2021, and reviewers have said that the product is “superb quality and great value”.

6. Halfords All Weather Windscreen Shield

Halfords Essential Frostguard, £5 from Halfords — buy here

This is the third and final Halfords car windscreen cover to appear in our list, and the most affordable option.

This bestselling cover is designed to fit any car and does the job well, according to reviewers on the Halfords site. Some pointed out that it’s lighter weight than some alternatives, which means it can blow in a breeze, and one reviewer said they would prefer elasticated mirror ties to secure it. However, many reviews are very positive, with one buyer saying, “I can’t praise it enough.”

And for just a fiver, including a storage bag, it’s hard to argue against.

7. AA Windscreen Frost and Sun Shield

AA Windscreen Frost and Sun Shield, £12 from Argos — buy here

Last but not necessarily least is the AA’s double-sided windscreen cover, designed to keep your windscreen frost-free in the winter and car interior cool in the summer.

It’s waterproof, breathable and comes with a one-year guarantee. Similar to a few different covers in this list, you attach it by trapping the flaps in the doors, or use the suction cups provided.

It’s 145cm by 70cm, which supposedly fits most cars, though the jury’s out on this one.

Do windscreen covers work?

Providing you choose a cover that is the correct size for your windscreen, then yes, it’ll help protect your car from poor weather and dirt. If frost or ice is your biggest concern, we recommend opting for a cover that is specifically designed for that, such as Halfords’ Essential frost guard, whereas if you want to protect against UV rays as well as frost, the Halfords’ all seasons cover or QcoQce all weather cover are good choices.

How does a windscreen cover work?

In the winter, a cover works by keeping your windscreen clear of ice, frost and snow, and eradicates the need to defrost or de-ice your car. Whereas in the summer, it works by reflecting the sunlight and protecting the car from UV rays. This keeps the interior of the car cooler and prevents sun damage.

Aside from the above, a cover also protects your windscreen from dirt and debris, which could cause damage.

Not all windscreen covers will be suitable to protect your car from every weather condition. Make sure you check the description before making a purchase to ensure it protects against your primary concern, whether that be UV-rays or frost.

How to fit a windscreen cover

Not every windscreen cover will fit to your car in the same way. Some will have tabs at the side which you trap in your car doors, others have magnets or suction cups, and some may attach over your bumpers. We recommend that you read the instructions for your specific model closely.

Enjoyed our roundup of the best car windscreen covers? Then you may find our guide to driving in the snow useful
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The post 7 best windscreen covers to buy in 2023-24 appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

Toyota previews new electric crossovers amid commitment to multi-fuel future

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 23:01:00 +0000

Toyota has presented its plans at its annual Kenshiki forum to achieve full carbon neutrality in its European operations by 2040. While that extends to all parts of the business, including logistics and manufacturing, it also means a raft of new vehicles. As part of Toyota’s “multi-pathway” approach that comes with the grandiose “no one left behind” mantra, internal combustion engines and hybrid power are still in the mix for now, though there’s more focus than ever on zero-emissions vehicles. Hydrogen will play a part in that, though on the passenger car side of things, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are the focus of attention and Toyota confirmed the introduction of five new BEVs between 2024 and 2026.

Urban SUV concept is close to production

One of the first new Toyota BEVs to hit the market will be a compact SUV to compete in the same sector as the Yaris Cross. A design concept for this model called the Urban SUV concept was presented at the Kenshiki event and the new car will be unveiled in production format in early 2024. A high seating position will be paired with interior versatility according to Andrea Carlucci, Vice President of Toyota Motor Europe (TME) – that’s expected to mean a sliding rear bench seat.

Though few technical specifications were released, it was confirmed that the new B-segment SUV would be available with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive thanks to the use of single or dual motors. Additionally, there will be two different battery capacities to choose from.

Range-topping EV to be “design hero”

Following its world debut at the Shanghai motor show earlier this year, the Toyota bZ Sport Crossover concept was repainted silver and the “bZ” part of the name quietly dropped for its European premiere. Nonetheless, this BEV – or something very similar – is on its way to production, with a 2025 launch expected. It is the product of a joint venture established in China by Toyota and BYD.

The Sport Crossover concept is an extravagantly designed vehicle, referred to as the company’s future “design hero”, a halo model to sit at the top of the expanded electric car line-up. Its name and styling suggest that the showroom model will be a low-slung coupé-SUV, while its dimensions place it above most other cars in the Toyota range. It’s promised to have a large boot and particularly generous rear legroom, but no technical details about the car are available.

Last year’s bZ Compact SUV concept car is also expected to be unveiled shortly as a new BEV, while the final two electric models are likely to also be SUV-like.

Electric sports car on the cards, too

Fresh from its recent debut at the Japan Mobility Show, the Toyota FT-Se is a diminutive two-seat electric sports car and, while it doesn’t factor into the promised five new electric models by 2026, an electric successor to the much-loved Toyota MR2 will see the light of day in the future. It’s promised to be “low, light and fun” thanks in part to new high-energy-density battery technology. The concept features a GR (Gazoo Racing) badge on its nose, though Masahito Watanabe – General Manager of GR Vehicle Development Division – told Driving.co.uk that for now it’s only a design concept from Toyota and GR is focused on the company’s (highly successful) motor sport activities, not new road cars.

Both Toyota and Lexus are investigating the possibility of simulating the interaction of a manual gearbox in their sporty electric cars. This will become part of the new Lexus operating system called Arene, which is designed around personalising each car’s driving characteristics and feel according to its driver’s preferences.

Though not on hand to see in Belgium at this year’s event, the Lexus Electrified Sport concept is still intended for production in the future. It’s likely to use the so-called “gigacasting” production technique adopted by Tesla, allowing for more design freedom and better packaging. Further downsizing and weight reduction will also be targeted by the luxury brand, as previewed by the Lexus LF-ZC, a compact saloon concept with similar exterior dimensions to the Lexus IS, but more interior space than the much larger Lexus ES. It’s said to preview a new production car scheduled for launch in 2026.

Battery technology at the core of new models

Toyota has big plans for its battery technology, too, though new advances won’t arrive in time for the five new BEVs promised by 2026. First up will be a conventional lithium-ion battery with much higher energy density, referred to as a “performance” battery. It’s claimed to offer twice the driving range of the existing Toyota bZ4X (that’s quoted as up to 318 miles) while costing 20 per cent less to manufacture.

On the subject of cost reduction, the next battery type will use the cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) layout in a new shape and using a bipolar structure. Against the bZ4X’s battery, this should increase range by 20 per cent, but also bring down the cost by a significant 40 per cent.

For high-performance models, there’ll be another battery featuring a high-nickel cathode and the bipolar structure to bring down the cost and extend the driving range further.

Finally, Toyota appears ready to bring the much-vaunted solid-state battery to production. Andrea Carlucci said: “We have made a technological breakthrough that overcomes the long-standing challenge of solid-state battery durability. A method for mass production is currently being developed and we are striving for commercialisation in 2027-2028 with production capacity of several tens of thousands of vehicles.”

Solid-state batteries are expected to offer more safety, lower weight and faster charging than existing liquid-electrolyte technology, though there have been challenges in their construction to date delaying their introduction. Other car makers are known to be close to a similar breakthrough.

Hydrogen not forgotten

Some media interpreted an announcement at the Japan Mobility Show from Toyota to mean that it was stepping back from development of hydrogen technology for use in passenger cars, but it dismissed this suggestion at the Kenshiki event, and one of the main topics of discussion in Brussels was use of hydrogen power to achieve carbon neutrality. Admittedly, its immediate use is in a wide variety of applications away from cars. Toyota fuel cells powered by hydrogen are already in use in shipping and trucks, and a new fleet of hydrogen-fuelled HGVs is set to decarbonise Toyota’s logistics operations in Europe in the very near future.

In Japan and China, a fuel-cell-powered Toyota Crown will be available alongside the existing hydrogen-fuelled Toyota Mirai. The latter is already available in Europe and as part of its association with the Paris 2024 Olympics, Toyota will add 500 more examples of this large car to the fleet of 1,000 hydrogen-fuelled Mirai taxis presently operating in the French capital. Indeed, Toyota will bring a massive 2,650 vehicles to Paris for the Games, including old diesel coaches converted to fuel-cell power. It claims that the fleet will have a 50 per cent smaller carbon footprint than achieved at the previous Olympics.

Toyota also suggests that its next-generation fuel cell technology will come with a 20 per cent increase in driving range and a reduction in costs of more than 30 per cent. It’s due in 2026.

However, Toyota also continues to research the use of hydrogen in internal combustion engines. This has been proven already in motor sport in small numbers by the company and it is actively working on bringing the ambitious GR H2 Racing concept to reality to race at Le Mans in 2026.

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First reviews are in after troubled Tesla Cybertruck finally gets handed out to customers

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:39:05 +0000

A handful of outlets have put in early reviews of Tesla’s outlandish Cybertruck – just days after the electric pickup was finally handed over to a handful of its first American customers.

In a variety of video and written formats, journalists have drag-raced the most potent version of the Cybertruck against key rivals on the strip, while some have even taken to hitting the Tesla’s distinctive stainless-steel panels with sledgehammers, in order to test its claimed durability.

Both Hagerty and Top Gear were among those giving their thoughts on the biggest Tesla of them all, with the reviews from both overly positive.

In them, reviewers praised one of the Cybertruck’s pioneering technologies – the steer-by-wire system – while also remarking that they’d never been in any vehicle which had attracted so much attention as the Tesla.

Blitzes its opponents on the drag strip

Its outstanding performance was also confirmed when the Cybertruck easily beat key rivals such as the Rivian R1T and Hummer EV in quarter-mile drag races, with Hagerty particularly praising the Tesla’s 800-volt electrical architecture for allowing the truck to do repeated rapid runs, rather than fading away as its battery ran out.

These early favourable pieces should come as some succour to Tesla, as the Cybertruck project has not all been smooth sailing to get to this point.

For instance, it has arrived in production form two years later than the company’s CEO Elon Musk originally envisioned.

The angular Cybertruck, beset by production problems and delays, was finally revealed in a glitzy livestreamed event from Austin, Texas.

And it was the first time the electric vehicle’s (EV) data was finally confirmed to the world.

A handful of US customers took delivery of their Cybertrucks, the machines handed over by Musk himself as he said: “The future should look like the future.”

Difficult start for Cybertruck

The Cybertruck was first announced in 2019 and Musk claimed four years ago that the electric pick-up could be sold from $40,000 (less than £32,000 at today’s exchange rate), while it was also claimed the distinctive stainless-steel bodywork was bulletproof. The armoured, acoustic glass was also said to be shatterproof.

This last claim was rather embarrassingly disproven at one of Tesla’s own events in 2019, where a demonstration involving throwing a metal ball at the truck’s glass saw the window break.

With a slated delivery date of July 2021 for the first customer vehicles, the handover of the first dozen or so trucks in Austin is more than two years late — and the company is still not taking full orders, even in the US.

Instead, it will accept nominal deposits of US$100 – with a supposed potential order bank of up to one million customers already confirmed – ahead of full production eventually ramping up in 2024.

Musk said that by 2025, Tesla will be building 250,000 Cybertrucks a year.

But it will quickly need to earn its keep, regardless of this. Musk himself has already said, as recently as October this year, that Tesla has “dug its own grave” with the Cybertruck, while also admitting that the giant EV won’t be a significant cashflow contributor to the company for another 18 months at least.

Astonishing specification

However, with both the livestreamed event and the early reviews coming in, firm details about the truck’s astonishing specification have now become known.

There will be three models of Cybertruck available, with the more powerful versions available from the off. These are the dual-motor All-Wheel Drive (DM AWD) and the tri-motor Cyberbeast taking its powertrain inspiration from the Tesla Model S Plaid.

The DM AWD has a combined 599bhp from its twin motors, while a simply colossal torque figure of 7,439lb ft was cited. This is expected to be wheel torque, rather than motor torque, but it’s still a massive number — especially when you consider that a Bentley Bentayga Speed, for instance, with its 6-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 petrol engine, delivers a ‘mere’ 664lb ft.

Tesla claims the DM AWD will do up to 340 miles on a charge, while being capable of 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 112mph.

The numbers of the Cyberbeast

The Cyberbeast, though, trumps even these numbers. Its three-motor arrangement outputs a combined 844bhp, while the torque is said to be 10,302lb ft. Again, this is a wheel figure rather than motor output.

Despite weighing a goliath 3,107kg, the Cyberbeast is claimed to have a top speed of 130mph, while it will do 0-62mph in just 2.7 seconds and a standing quarter-mile in less than 11 seconds.

At the launch event, Musk showed a video of the Cyberbeast towing a Porsche 911 on a trailer and beating another Porsche 911 in a drag race while doing so.

Despite all this power, and also despite the fact that Tesla has once again refused to say exactly how big the battery pack is, the 844bhp model can still do up to 320 miles on a single charge.

To get anywhere near the 500 miles-plus range from the Cybertruck Musk claimed it would achieve back in 2019, buyers will need to opt for the “range extender”. This is basically another battery pack that is mounted in the load bed of the truck, taking the range up to 469 miles.

A single-motor Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) model will follow on in 2025, and specs for that are thinner on the ground. All we know at this stage is that it will do 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds and 112mph flat out, while the range is limited to just 250 miles.

Impressive off-road spec

Every Cybertruck will run on electronically controlled air suspension, which has 305mm of travel and can provide up to 432mm of ground clearance for the vehicle.

It’s claimed to be formidable off-road, as it runs on 20in wheels with 35in all-terrain tyres fitted to it, while its locking differentials underneath do not protrude beneath the flat floor — meaning they’re less likely to ground out or be damaged on rough ground.

An optional light bar can be fitted, with lights powerful enough to throw illumination up to 480 metres down the road.

The Cybertruck is also capable of towing up to 4,990kg, although in the UK drivers can only tow up to 3,500kg of braked trailer without needing a special licence.

Measuring 5,683mm long, 2,201mm wide and 1,791mm tall, this Tesla is no shrinking violet – its form is simply huge. That said, with a clever steer-by-wire system and rear-wheel steering, the Cybertruck’s turning circle is smaller than that of the Model S saloon according to Musk.

In that giant body, the 1,820mm long and 1,220mm wide loadbed is actually not that impressive by the standards of most European pick-up trucks. But it’s said to carry up to 1,134kg of payload, while it also features 1,897 litres of lockable load space beneath a rollover cover.

For those needing more room, the Cybertruck’s rear seats fold down and add another 1,530 litres of cargo capacity to the truck. There’s also storage space under the bonnet in the nose, but the capacity of that has not yet been specified.

Touchscreens dominate interior

The Cybertruck’s idiosyncratic stainless-steel body is a super-alloy that requires no paint. Musk says its construction is so strong that the Cybertruck has greater torsional stiffness than that of the McLaren P1 hypercar.

Despite its high and blocky form, the Cybertruck has a relatively good (for a pick-up) coefficient of drag of 0.335. This makes it about as aerodynamic as a current Range Rover.

Equipment for the US cars includes a panoramic sunroof, a 15-speaker sound system, two wireless smartphone charging pads, USB-C outlets capable of outputting an impressive 65 watts and an inbuilt high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filter that’s said to be hospital-grade.

The dashboard, meanwhile, is dominated by the impressive 18.5in “Infinity” touchscreen infotainment. Rear-seat Cybertruck passengers need not feel left out, though, as they get their own corresponding 9.4in item in the back to play with.

For its electrical architecture, this is the first Tesla product to move to an advanced 800-volt system, bringing it to parity with such EVs as the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT and various Hyundais and Kias.

This means the Cybertruck can add 128 miles of range in just 15 minutes when hooked up to a Tesla Supercharger at 250kW. There was some talk of it taking a megawatt (1,000kW DC) charging rate, like the Tesla Semi lorry, but official company websites say the current limit is 250kW.

Throughout the cabin and the loadbed, there are 120- and 240-volt power outlets which can be used for various devices and tools, while the Cybertruck can even output 11.5kW vehicle-to-grid — which Tesla says means you can “keep the lights on at home in the event of a grid outage”.

No UK confirmation as yet

A rival for the likes of the Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T and GM’s Hummer EV, the Tesla Cybertruck is now priced at $60,990 — 50 per cent more than Musk originally promised — on the company’s US website. That’s equivalent to £48,215 in the UK, though Tesla has not yet confirmed whether the truck will be sold outside of its home US market.

Even so, on the Tesla UK website, the Cybertruck is pictured alongside the Model 3 and Model Y cars, which are the only right-hand-drive Teslas customers can presently order in this country.

The Model S and Model X are now left-hand drive and special order only, and are not seen on the UK Tesla website in the same way the Cybertruck is.

There is no order option for UK customers wanting a Cybertruck, though; simply a ‘Learn’ button which gives full details on the long-awaited Tesla pick-up.

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Dacia Duster redesigned for 2024 launch with rugged look and first use of hybrid power

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Few cars became household names as quickly as the Dacia Duster, but when the Romanian marque launched the compact SUV in 2010, it came with a remarkably low price and a no-frills approach that was refreshingly different. Just over a decade later, here’s an all-new, third-generation Dacia Duster. Set to go on sale in 2024, the new car has a much more rugged look than its predecessor.

Using the same underpinnings as the Dacia Sandero and Jogger, the Duster is the same length as before though is slightly lower to reduce drag through the air. The headlights are set lower and appear wider due to a Y-shaped lighting signature that extends from the new brand identity across the grille.

A more pronounced front bumper design includes contrasting skid plates made from plastic with the colour impregnated during construction, making scuffs and scrapes less apparent. Furthermore, Dacia has increased the amount of recycled plastics used throughout the Duster.

A collaboration with LyondellBasell, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, has resulted in a material that Dacia calls Starkle. It uses a 20 per cent blend of recycled plastics and has a mottled appearance due to its construction. Dacia embraces this instead of covering up. The Starkle material features around the wheel arches and sills and on the front wings where they meets the doors.

Chunky interior detailing, too

That chunky look of the exterior carries through to the cabin with details that include the Duster name stamped into a panel on the passenger side of the dashboard fascia. There’s an upswing in both the appearance and the quality of the materials used throughout.

Staying true to its core values, Dacia will continue to offer the Duster with a basic interior setup that allows owners to use their smartphone as the car’s infotainment system by clipping it into a dash-mounted cradle. On higher-grade versions, the Duster features a 10.1in touchscreen angled by 10 degrees towards the driver for ease of use. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay will be available wirelessly to allow users to access their favourite apps.

Standard models will get a 3.5in screen beside analogue dials to show the onboard trip computer information, while higher-spec models gain a fully-customisable digital instrument display measuring 7in across the diagonal.

There’s a new range of accessories that fix onto various points throughout the car, too. The “YouClip” system has a unique hooking design that allows numerous items to be clipped on and off easily. These include LED lights, bag hooks, cupholders and even inductive phone chargers. There’s still plenty of storage space throughout the cabin and in the boot, which holds 472 litres.

No electric Duster, but there is a hybrid

There won’t be a fully electric version of the Duster for this generation of the SUV, as the technology is still too costly to fit in with the brand’s philosophy, but there will be a hybrid, the Duster Hybrid 140. It uses the same powertrain that appears in the seven-seat Dacia Jogger and comprises a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and two electric motors with a sophisticated gearbox that does without a clutch. The maximum power output is 138bhp, and Dacia says it can spend as much as 80 per cent of city driving using only electric power.

A three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine will also be offered, with 48-volt mild-hybrid tech to enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions by a claimed 10 per cent. This version of the Duster will be available with the choice of front- or all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual gearbox.

Dacia will also offer the Duster Eco-G 100, which uses a dual-fuel setup with petrol and LPG. A pair of 50-litre fuel tanks can provide an official driving range of more than 800 miles. The LPG tank is housed underneath the boot floor and does not impact the cargo volume available.

Off-road ready

The inclusion of a four-wheel-drive version could make the Duster a hit with those in rural areas who want an affordable, utilitarian vehicle that can cope with more challenging terrain. At 217mm, the Duster 4×4 has one of the highest ground clearances of its peers, and with approach and departure angles of 31 and 36 degrees, respectively, there’s less chance of scuffing the bumpers.

Dacia has added more drive modes to its 4×4 Duster, too, with an Auto function that distributes power between the front and rear axles when traction is lost. A Snow setting has specific stability control and anti-skid settings, while the Mud/Sand mode deals better with a shifting surface. The Off-Road setting is an evolution of the existing Duster 4×4’s Lock mode, optimising torque distribution to each axle. There’s also an Eco setting that adjusts torque distribution and air conditioning in a bid to save fuel.

Drivers can also view additional information by using the All Road Info system that displays lateral tilt, uphill and downhill pitch and, in the 4×4 version, power distribution between the front and rear axles.

There are due to be four trim levels for the Duster range, called Essential, Expression, Journey and Extreme. Pricing and specifications are expected closer to its first public debut, set to be at the Geneva motor show in early 2024. Cars are due to arrive in UK dealerships later in the spring.

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Goodwood announces ‘landmark moment’ in motorsport with comprehensive use of sustainable fuels for the 2024 Revival

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 09:00:00 +0000

The 2024 Goodwood Revival, due to be held in early September next year, will provide a “landmark moment” in motor sport history as the entire event will be run exclusively on sustainable fuel.

Every vehicle competing at the historic motor sport pageant will compete with at least 70 per cent of the fuel used having to come from sustainable sources – or, in other words, not from fossil fuels.

‘Eco’ 1925 Bentley beats the rest

Goodwood is committed to various forms of sustainable and environmentally sound motor sport, and the 2024 Revival will not be the first time that vehicles have run on sustainable fuel at the Sussex venue.

At this year’s Revival, to mark 75 years of racing at Goodwood, the Fordwater Trophy was held with a field of 30 pre-1966 Porsche 911s, all of which were running on sustainable fuel. Drivers for this race included 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen and nine-time F1 race-winner Mark Webber.

And a 1925 Bentley Speed was victorious at the Rudge-Whitworth Cup at the same meeting, beating conventionally fuelled competitor cars to the flag in the hands of Ben Collins and Gareth Graham.

However, this is the first time the entire Revival weekend will require every competitor in all races to use fuel featuring a “minimum of 70 per cent advanced sustainable components” – which typically means a biofuel or synthetic fuel, mixed with regular petrol or diesel.

The 70 per cent rating is in accordance with the FIA’s current requirements for sustainable fuel in motor sport.

None of the cars competing will need to be modified to accept the sustainable fuel and there is said to be no compromise on their race performance either, so fans should get the same blend of thrilling classic motor sport competition that they have had in previous Revival years run on traditional fossil fuels.

Estate champions various forms of green motoring

Goodwood’s “Revive & Thrive” ethos championing sustainable fuel is just one of the ways the venue wishes to ensure motor sport can continue into a greener age. It will reinforce the 2024 Revival’s message earlier in the year, too, by ensuring the Ken Miles Cup and the Gordon Spice Trophy at the 81^st Members’ Meeting (to be held in April) will mandate the use of sustainable fuels across the event.

And its showcase of electric vehicles (EVs) and all manner of alternative fuels, known as “Electric Avenue”, will also return to the 2024 Festival of Speed that will take place in July.

Former F1 driver and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel is a big supporter of Goodwood’s decision to run the 2024 Revival on sustainable fuels.

He has long had an interest in environmental activism, and cited the hypocrisy of him championing ecological causes in his personal life while jetting around the world with the F1 circus as one of the reasons behind his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2022 season.

Vettel also drove two sustainably fuelled old F1 cars, namely the 1992 Williams FW14B that was formerly raced by Nigel Mansell and the ex-Ayrton Senna 1993 McLaren MP4/8, at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

He said of the 2024 Revival announcement: “It was clear to me at the Festival of Speed that the team at Goodwood share my love of motor racing. I enjoyed sharing my ‘Race Without Trace’ initiative with the fans at the Festival of Speed and having the opportunity to show that sustainable fuels are a fantastic way to ensure a possible future pathway for the sport that we love. It’s great that Goodwood is leading the way in promoting the use of sustainable fuels at historic racing events.”

Ex-F1 drivers praise the decision

Other leading lights of the motor sport world chipped in to commend Goodwood for its decision. Karun Chandhok, former F1 and Formula E driver, said: “The Duke of Richmond and his team have done a brilliant job at bringing motor racing to a new audience whilst celebrating the history of our beloved sport. I’ve been a very vocal supporter of sustainable fuels alongside electrification of motor sport, and I think it’s hugely important to show the public that older high-performance cars can run successfully on new fuels. This is an exciting and innovative step to ensure that we can all still enjoy these fantastic cars in a socially responsible way for the future.”

For his part, Button – who as previously stated raced in the “green” Porsche 911 race at the 2023 Revival – added: “It was great to be a part of the Fordwater Trophy which brought together classic cars and the very latest in sustainable fuel technology. What’s so exciting about these fuels is that they can guarantee the future of historic racing, enabling us to enjoy combustion engine cars for years to come.”

And the man behind all the events in question, the Duke of Richmond, explained: “Goodwood has an illustrious motor sport history and one which we are delighted to continue with the announcement that at next year’s Revival, all of our races will run on sustainable fuel. I am proud that we are the first to be mandating the use of sustainable fuels at the event, and would like to thank all of the participating owners, drivers and preparers for their support.”

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Bracelet made from an old F1 tyre used by Michael Schumacher could fetch upwards of £20,000

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:32:05 +0000

The first in a limited series of bracelets made from the tyre of Michael Schumacher’s 1996 Monza F1 GP-winning Ferrari is going up for auction – with a guide price of £15,000 to £18,000.

Created by Monegasque company Mongrip, which specialises in turning pieces of genuine top-level motorsport relics into fashion accessories, No.1 of the MZ96 “Legend Limited Edition” series is being auctioned by Bonhams, with the sale due to conclude on November 30.

The tyre-derived bracelet was made as part of a collaboration between Mongrip and the charitable Keep Fighting Foundation, set up in 2016 by Michael’s family in the wake of his serious skiing accident in 2013.

A unique idea

Mongrip was founded by Italian businessman Giancarlo Medici, also in 2016, following on from an idea he had at the end of an F1 Grand Prix in 2008.

There, Medici noticed that numerous spectators were heading onto the track to collect bits of used rubber lying on the circuit, as a memento of the race.

His company Mongrip takes the idea further and creates wearable memorabilia out of genuine bits of motorsport history.

It has already created one Legend Limited Edition series of bracelets in 2019, dedicated to the late, great Ayrton Senna, with the items made from one of the Brazilian’s tyres used at the famous 1993 Donington GP.

This time, it’s Michael who is honoured with the MZ96 series. Mongrip asked the Keep Fighting Foundation to source an item that could be turned into a bracelet, and the charity came up with a left-rear Goodyear Eagle slick used on Schumacher’s race-winning F310 from the 1996 Monza GP – hence the “MZ96” name of the series.

It was the first time Schumacher won at the Italian track in front of Ferrari’s fervent home fans, sending the 120,000 tifosi in the crowds into raptures. Ferrari had not been victorious at the track previously since 1988.

Almost £7,000 apiece

Just 91 of these bracelets will be sold at a cost of €8,000 excluding taxes apiece (around £6,935 at the time of writing). They are not only made of a piece of the fabled tyre from that race, but also feature a 20.91-gram clasp of highest grade 950 platinum, which is studded with seven diamonds totalling 0.27ct.

These numbers were chosen because Michael won 91 Grands Prix in his illustrious F1 career, while he was also world drivers’ champion seven times.

But while the remaining 90 bracelets in the MZ96 series will go on sale from December 7 onwards, mainly direct from Mongrip itself, No.1 is currently under the hammer with a guide of £15,000-£18,000.

At the time of writing, bidding had already surpassed the estimate and will likely rise further as the auction nears its end.

‘We must always believe in our dreams’

The winning bidder will receive a wearable piece of true motorsport history, which will come with a certificate of authenticity and images related to the tyre used during the race. An NFT (non-fungible token) card will also be included, so that the bracelet’s eventual owner can obtain a digital certificate of authenticity via blockchain.

Following the end of the auction, Mongrip will resize the No.1 MZ96 bracelet according to the successful bidder’s requirements.

Giancarlo Medici, the CEO of Mongrip, said: “In addition to contributing to projects with which we identify, the collaboration with Keep Fighting Foundation aims to share a relic of an incredible sporting and human history so that nothing can be forgotten, just as we must always believe in our dreams and not giving up.”

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Formula One 2023 season review: What happened in every race of the year leading to Red Bull’s dominance?

Kieran.ahuja@sunday-times.co.uk — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 13:20:32 +0000

The F1 race calendar for 2023 was set up to be a packed schedule, featuring a record 24 races. However, the Chinese GP and Emilia-Romagna GP were both dropped from the calendar, for different reasons, leaving a still busy 22 races in place.

The first grand prix of the 2023 F1 season took place in Bahrain, on March 5, while the final round at Abu Dhabi took place on November 26.

The returning venue of Las Vegas was the penultimate round, on an all-new street circuit. Unusually, the Vegas race took place on a Saturday evening.

The Chinese GP was dropped from the schedule due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, and in January the FIA said there are no plans to reschedule or replace it. That meant there was a four-week gap between races in April.

The Emilia-Romagna GP in Imola was cancelled at the 11th hour due to catastrophic flooding in the region, with not just problems of logistics — there was flooding at the circuit itself, and fans and teams would have found it tricky to reach the venue — but also tragedy in terms of a number of deaths and many families displaced.

August featured just one race, as the traditional summer break remained, though some events were moved around. Because the Belgian GP was shifted to the end of July, the Dutch and Italian GPs ran back-to-back.

2023 F1 calendar

Here’s the full schedule of grands prix for the 2023 Formula One season. Click on the links to read a report of each race.

Date	Grand Prix	Venue
February 23-25	Pre-season testing	Sakhir
March 5	Bahrain (read race report)	Sakhir
March 19	Saudi Arabia (read race report)	Jeddah
April 2	Australia (read race report)	Melbourne
April 30	Azerbaijan (read race report)	Baku
May 7	Miami (read race report)	Miami
May 21	Emilia Romagna (CANCELLED)	Imola
May 28	Monaco (read race report)	Monaco
June 4	Spain (read race report)	Barcelona
June 18	Canada (read race report)	Montreal
July 2	Austria (read race report)	Spielberg
July 9	Great Britain (read race report)	Silverstone
July 23	Hungary (read race report)	Budapest
July 30	Belgium (read race report)	Spa
August 27	Netherlands (read race report)	Zandvoort
September 3	Italy (read race report)	Monza
September 17	Singapore (read race report)	Singapore
September 24	Japan (read race report)	Suzuka
October 8	Qatar (read race report)	Losail
October 22	United States (read race report)	Austin
October 29	Mexico (read race report)	Mexico City
November 5	Brazil (read race report)	Sao Paulo
November 18	Las Vegas (read race report)	Las Vegas
November 26	Abu Dhabi (read race report)	Yas Marina

Bahrain GP report, March 5

As the 20 F1 drivers lined up on the starting grid for the first time at the season opener in Bahrain, as expected, world champion Max Verstappen was in pole position with teammate Sergio Perez alongside, writes Dave Humphreys.

The Ferrari pair followed, led by Charles Leclerc, but Fernando Alonso’s fifth place on the grid was one of the main talking points. After being the big surprise of the pre-season test, Aston Martin appears to have made a significant step forward with its 2023 car and Lance Stroll, despite suffering two broken wrists and an injured foot only weeks before, managed to secure eighth on the grid, sandwiching the Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Russell.

A lacklustre start from Perez allowed Leclerc to slot in behind Verstappen in the opening laps. Aston Martin narrowly avoided disaster when Stroll, late on the brakes, steamed into an apex already occupied by his teammate. Despite the contact, both carried on — it seems the Aston is not only fast but also robust.

As things settled, it wasn’t long before Russell was on the radio to this team asking for them to give Hamilton a hurry-up. The seven-times champion complained that he was struggling with his Mercedes, which hasn’t seen as much improvement over the 2022 model as the team had hoped.

Alonso wasn’t long reeling in the Mercs, with Russell claiming his tyres were worn out by lap 11. Two laps later, the Spaniard dove down the inside of turn one, though Russell wasn’t letting the place go without a fight as the pair diced through the following corners.

At the front, Verstappen and Perez pitted and re-joined, both having an easy run of things at the head of the pack though the Ferraris continued to split them. Things weren’t so rosy for McLaren, with Piastri forced to retire on lap 12 of his debut race and Norris suffering from a pneumatic leak that would see him make multiple pit stops to replenish the car’s onboard system.

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s day was equally frustrating. He first received a time penalty for an infringement at the start, followed by a further 10-second penalty due to him not correctly serving the initial infringement. Breaching the pit-lane speed limit on his exit nabbed Ocon yet another time penalty before ultimately retiring later in the race.

Sergio Perez gradually began to reel in Leclerc. Once in the DRS zone, he quickly got past the Ferrari, providing a valuable buffer to Verstappen, who was now 14 seconds clear and managing his race pace.

Alonso continued his stellar drive and by lap 37 was embroiled in a thrilling dice with Lewis Hamilton. The pair may be the elders of the grid but they demonstrated a masterclass on close but fair racing, with neither giving quarter. Alonso made a move stick with a supreme pass at one of the circuit’s most technical corners.

The hearts of the tifosi broke on lap 41 when the Ferrari of Leclerc lost power, forcing him to retire, leaving Sainz the responsibility of earning points for the Maranello team. Closer racing further down the grid saw decent performances from Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri and the Alfa Romeos.

Towards the end of the race, things settled down with the Red Bulls cruising comfortably and unchallenged towards the chequered flag. Few seemed to notice, though, as Fernando Alonso was steaming his way towards the third step of the podium for the biggest story of the weekend.

Sainz brought the remaining Ferrari home in fourth ahead of Hamilton, Stroll and Russell. Valtteri Bottas bagged a solid eighth place ahead of Gasly, who debuted in the Alpine, securing the team’s only points following Ocon’s retirement. At the same time, Alexander Albon got his and Williams’ championship off to solid start with 10th place.

The next round will take place in Saudi Arabia on March 17-19, where many will be keen to see if Aston Martin’s form is more than a one-off.

Watch the Bahrain GP highlights here

Saudi Arabia GP report, March 19

A drive shaft failure for Max Verstappen in Saturday qualifying and an engine penalty for Charles Leclerc set the scene for an exciting midfield battle under the floodlights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on the Red Sea writes Dave Humphreys. There were no issues for the Red Bull of Sergio Perez, who started in pole position with the on-form Fernando Alonso alongside in the rejuvenated Aston Martin.

And it was Alonso that would lead the pack into the first turn thanks to a brilliant start, the first time he has done so since 2012. It was a clean opening lap for most of the pack, but rookie Oscar Piastri sustained damage to his front wing, losing an end plate that then damaged the wing of his teammate, Lando Norris, requiring both McLarens to pit for new noses, further compounding their poor start to the season.

Alonso’s perfect start soon lost its shine when he received a five-second penalty for a start line infringement for being incorrectly positioned in his grid box. The rapid Red Bull of Perez slipped through by lap four and began to build a lead. The Mercedes cars showed signs of improvement though Hamilton was struggling to keep both Leclerc and Gasly behind, appearing to weave on the straight to defend his position.

Having started in 15th place, Max Verstappen cruised past Hamilton on lap 11, with the Red Bull appearing to have a significant speed advantage over every other car on the track.

Lance Stroll’s strong race pace in the second Aston Martin came to a premature end on lap 18 with the team telling him to stop the car on track due to a mechanical issue. Despite pulling into an access road, the position of the Aston Martin triggered race control to send out the safety car, bunching the pack up and, crucially, allowing teams to pit without compromising strategy — including Alonso serving his penalty before tyres were changed.

With the race resuming on lap 21, Perez got a clean jump on Alonso as the safety car pulled into the pits. Hamilton, running on medium compound tyres out of sync with the rest of the field, passed Sainz to move up a place. There was disappointment for Williams though as Albon suffered brake issues on lap 29.

The hard-charging Verstappen was up to second position by the halfway point in the race, illustrating how dominant the Red Bull car is so far this year. However, his teammate Perez maintained a consistent gap. Verstappen then radioed to the team that he had concerns about a noise from the car — clearly the drive shaft issue that blighted his Saturday qualifying efforts was on his mind. Meanhwile, Perez communicated that his brakes were giving him trouble. Alonso continued to hold third ahead of the Mercedes pair of Russell and Hamilton.

With victory in sight, Red Bull reminded Perez over the radio that he was free to fight with Verstappen. The Mexican, who had set the fastest lap — which brings with it an additional championship point — began questioning the strategy call, suspicious of whether he could lose out on victory. Verstappen, however, seemed to settle for second place, though he did set the fastest time on the final lap, ensuring that he remains in the championship’s lead.

A ding-dong battle between the sole Williams of Logan Sargeant and the McLaren duo provided some late-race entertainment — though outside the points. Alonso crossed the line in third, followed by the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton, respectively. The Ferrari team had little impact on the race, with Sainz finishing a distant sixth ahead of Leclerc in seventh.

There was some drama following the race as the FIA deemed Aston Martin and Alonso did not serve the five-second penalty correctly, initially demoting him to fourth, but Russell’s third place was short-lived following an appeal from Aston Martin.

The next round is in Melbourne, Australia, from March 31 to April 2, at a circuit where Red Bull hasn’t traditionally performed well.

Watch the Saudia Arabia GP highlights here

Australian Grand Prix, April 2

The parkland circuit in Melbourne’s Albert Park traditionally hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull but Max Verstappen helped break that run by qualifying in pole position. His teammate, Sergio Perez had a less enjoyable run up to the race, as he struggled to get to grips with the car and went off in qualifying, meaning he would start from the pit lane after changing his car’s power unit.

A resurgent Mercedes surprised many with Russell starting the race in second and Hamilton in third, just ahead of Alonso. The Ferrari of Sainz would start fifth, followed by Stroll, Leclerc, Albon, Gasly and Hulkenberg, respectively.

When the lights went out, George Russell got the jump on Verstappen and led into turn one as the grid funnelled through, with Hamilton squeezing Verstappen out in turn three. This corner signalled the end of the unfortunate Leclerc’s race as he tangled with Stroll, leaving his Ferrari beached in the gravel and triggering a safety car.

The resumption of racing on lap seven would be short-lived as Alex Albon spun out in turn seven, sprinkling the track with gravel and debris, bringing out another safety car that quickly turned into a red flag. This turned the strategies of those who pitted during the safety car on their head, including Russell and Sainz.

With the cars lining up on the grid once more, this time in order of when the red flag was thrown, it was the turn of Hamilton to make a strong start from pole, though it wouldn’t be long before the rapid Red Bull of Verstappen would cruise by with the assistance of the Drag Reduction System. Albert Park featured four DRS zones in 2023, making it a massive advantage to be following another car by less than one second.

Some of the optimism in the Mercedes garage was dashed on lap 18 when Russell’s engine expired in flames on the pit straight, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car period that momentarily neutralised the race. With the Mercedes recovered, racing resumed and the real action was further down the grid; Perez was now scything through the pack. By lap 23, he was into a points-scoring position.

At the front, Verstappen was steadily clearing off into an unchallenged lead, with Hamilton focused on keeping Alonso, in third place, out of the one-second DRS window.

What looked to then be a straightforward race took a dramatic turn when, four laps from the end, Magnussen clipped the wall exiting turn one, showering debris all over the track and even injuring one fan with a piece of carbon fibre. Once again, the red flag came out, bringing all the cars back into the pits.

With only two laps of racing remaining, the cars lined up on the grid for the third time in what would be a Netflix-worthy racing showdown (some have even accused the race director of pandering to the TV audiences by bringing out the red flag on this occasion).

Yet when the lights went out, with just two laps left to run, the excitement proved too much for some and chaos reigned. The Williams of rookie Logan Sargeant collided with fellow rookie De Vries in turn one; the sole remaining Ferrari — that of Sainz — pitched third-placed Alonso into a spin; and, in the ensuing scrabble, the Alpine of Gasly came together with that of teammate Ocon, sending both into the wall and ending what had been a strong race for the French team.

An immediate red flag was thrown yet again and, as the shards of carbon fibre settled, the dwindling pack returned to the pit lane. As the stewards thumbed through the regulations book, it became clear that the pack had not completed even one sector of the lap before the red flag. Under the rules, this would mean that the grid would once more line up in the previous starting order, minus the cars since eliminated.

This move would suit many, except for Sainz, who was handed a five-second time penalty for his clash with Alonso. That penalty would effectively end the Ferrari driver’s race, as the pack would be brought around the field behind the safety car for one lap before peeling into the pits, allowing the cars to take the chequered flag without the chance to race. With the field streaming over the line in close formation — unable to pass due to the safety car line — Sainz tumbled down the timing order and out of the points.

It was, in the end, an easy win for Verstappen, but the second place for Hamilton gave him and the Mercedes team a much-needed lift. Alonso’s third place is a further boost to Aston Martin, which also took fourth place with Stroll ahead of Perez and Norris. A points finish for Piastri at his home race gave McLaren something to celebrate following a poor start to the season.

There is now a long break until the next race in Baku, Azerbaijan, due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Watch the Australian GP highlights here

Azerbaijan GP, April 30

The street circuit of Baku in Azerbaijan was the setting for Formula One’s latest experiment with the race weekend schedule, with a sprint race on Saturday that would be separate from Sunday’s grand prix, writes Dave Humphreys. Unlike sprint races last year, the results didn’t determine the grid for the main GP on Sunday — effectively making it an event in isolation. It was an attempt to make the weekend’s on-track action more exciting by doing away with some practice sessions that aren’t very interesting for fans to watch.

Qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix took place on Friday afternoon, with Charles Leclerc edging the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez respectively, with teammate Sainz posting the fourth fastest lap time ahead of Hamilton and Alonso.

But to determine the grid for the sprint race there was a separate qualifying session on Saturday morning, leaving only a few hours before the race start, so any accidents on the street circuit would be even more impactful.

Repeating his dominance on Friday, Leclerc clinched pole position for the sprint, this time ahead of Perez, Verstappen and Russell. Not everyone was a fan of the trial format: Williams’ Alex Albon, who showed good pace in Baku, was highly critical. Meanwhile Lando Norris was left ruing poor judgement and would start tenth after being unable to participate in the sprint qualy session as he had no more sets of new soft tyres — a requirement to take part.

Sprint race

At lights out for the first time in the weekend, Leclerc led with Russell and Verstappen going two abreast into the second and third corners, resulting in a coming together and sidepod damage to the Red Bull. Verstappen moaned about it over the radio but most commentators pointed out that he’d have done exactly the same as Russell if the tables had been turned.

Tsunoda glanced the wall on the second lap, breaking his right rear wheel and sending it rolling down the track, resulting in a virtual safety car, then the full safety car for three laps. When racing resumed, Perez soon cruised past Leclerc’s Ferrari, demonstrating Red Bull’s clear speed advantage on the straights.

Crossing the finish line after 17 laps, Perez confirmed his skill at street circuits with an easy win ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen, who could not challenge due to car damage sustained in the tangle with Russell. In parc fermé, Verstappen remonstrated with Russell, who had apologised for the collision citing lack of grip from cold tyres, but the Dutch driver was having none of it.

The grand prix

With a reset grid taking Friday’s qualifying order, when Sunday’s main race got underway Leclerc once again maintained his lead at the start, but it was to be short-lived as Verstappen’s slippery Red Bull cruised past on the start-finish straight, and Perez would do the same one lap later. The Ferrari driver knew there was nothing he could do to prevent it, and even when he gained the advantage of being able to open his rear wing’s DRS, his car was still no match for his rivals’ in a straight line.

The racing further back was more interesting, with Alonso demonstrating why he remains one of the most exciting drivers to watch. The Spaniard also revealed over the radio how much of a team player he has become; when Lance Stroll told the Aston Martin team he wouldn’t attack his teammate, Alonso said Stroll was welcome to try. He then volunteered that he suspected Hamilton’s tyres would soon begin graining and even offered his own brake balance suggestions for Stroll to try, as he believed them to be advantageous.

A disastrous weekend for Nick De Vries ended when he damaged his front wheel against the wall, prompting Red Bull to pit Verstappen. Any potential advantage from that move was neutralised when the safety car was deployed, giving Perez a more advantageous pit stop, along with much of the field, including Aston Martin and Ferrari, who double-stacked their cars.

When green flag racing resumed, Verstappen tried to hunt down Perez for the lead but he had little answer for the Mexican’s swift pace. Leclerc fell back further into third, and it was from there that the race became somewhat processional.

Behind Ocon, a lengthy DRS train had developed, with passing opportunities being rare on the Baku track. Ocon and Hulkenberg had been hoping for a late safety car to give them a better pit stop opportunity, but it never arrived. Alonso could not catch Leclerc, and Sainz staved off the Mercedes of Hamilton to claim fifth place.

Last-lap drama occurred when FIA stewards had begun allowing media to enter the pit lane despite Ocon still having to pit. The sight of his Alpine accelerating towards a group of people in the pits was met with severe criticism of the organisers.

A dominant weekend for Perez puts him right into championship contention with Verstappen. How long that will continue without Red Bull intervening with team orders remains to be seen, but as the Formula One circus flies to Miami this week to another street circuit of sorts, all eyes will be on Perez to see what he can do.

Watch the Azerbaijan GP highlights here

Miami GP, May 7

The regular race format resumed for the Miami Grand Prix, writes Dave Humphreys. However, the shape of the grid was determined by a mistake from Charles Leclerc, spinning his Ferrari into the barrier towards the end of Q3 on Saturday resulted in a starting grid that was anything but ordinary.

With pole position secured, Sergio Perez scored another psychological point over Verstappen, who would start in ninth. Fernando Alonso continued his dream season, starting second ahead of Sainz, Magnussen, Gasly, Russell and Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton could only secure thirteenth on the grid, having been eliminated in Q2.

Once the pre-race build-up’s oh-so-American, over-the-top razzmatazz subsided and the lights went out, Perez retained his lead on the opening lap. Magnussen, who started in fourth, expectedly began to drop back down the running order in the Haas. Piastri hustled his way up to fourteenth but McLaren team-mate Norris was less fortunate, shunted from behind by De Vries into the first corner.

By lap four, Verstappen had passed Magnussen and Leclerc for sixth place. The Red Bulls soon began trading fastest lap times, demonstrating that the RB19 is in a class of its own. Despite fewer Drag Reduction System (DRS) zones at Miami, Verstappen chipped away at the competition, picking one car off at a time and by lap 22 he took the lead of the race as Perez pitted for fresh tyres.

In his efforts to make up time, Sainz steamed into the pits too quickly, locking up his Ferrari’s tyres trying to scrub off speed. He failed to slow enough before the speed trap, though, and incurred a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

The subsequent laps would provide little in the way of entertainment and brought frustration for Leclerc, who languished in thirteenth position. Lewis Hamilton appeared to have an equally challenging race, with his Mercedes teammate passing on lap 33 in a neatly choreographed move.

Given the street-style layout of the Miami circuit there were no incidents to disrupt the race flow, and by lap 40 George Russell had moved up to fourth place as Hamilton finally broke into the top 10.

Careful tyre management meant it was lap 46 before Verstappen pitted for fresh rubber, returning Perez to the lead a mere 1.2 seconds ahead. With Alonso in a distant third place, the race for victory would be a straight fight between the Red Bulls, with no talk of team orders on the radio.

One lap later, the gap between the Red Bulls was under half a second, enabling DRS and leaving Perez with little defence. Verstappen made his move into turn one on lap 48, with Perez offering some resistance, although both drivers were obviously looking to avoid any contact. As Verstappen pulled away, Perez didn’t have an answer.

Further back in the field, Hamilton out-braked Leclerc with three laps remaining, putting him into sixth place, marking a good recovery drive given his qualifying performance.

After a disastrous weekend in Azerbaijan, having both Alpines finish in the points was some consolation for the team.

Local driver Logan Sargeant came home in 20th place and one lap down, which didn’t make for a great weekend in his Williams.

Ultimately, Verstappen’s performance was another dominating one as he retained his lead in the world championship, with crucial points for Perez in second and Alonso in third place.

Following a short break, the teams return to Europe for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy on 21 May.

Watch the Miami GP highlights here

Monaco GP, May 28

Like it or loathe it, the Monaco Grand Prix remains the jewel in Formula One’s crown, and based on Saturday qualifying alone it was shaping up to be one of the Principality’s better races, writes Dave Humphreys. Throughout the preceding practice sessions, several drivers had varying degrees of contact with the unrelenting Armco barriers, including Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

During qualifying, the shock exit was Sergio Perez. He carried too much speed into turn one, possibly distracted by another car leaving the pits, and clattered his Red Bull against the barrier. Red Bull’s frustration was intensified by the stricken car being lifted away by a crane, giving the world a detailed look at its underfloor design, which is credited with making the RB19 such a competitive car so far this season.

Towards the final session, several drivers traded fastest laps to get that crucial pole position. It looked as if Fernando Alonso had it in the bag until Max Verstappen came from behind in the first two sectors to seal the first spot on the grid with a sensational final sector. There was disappointment for Charles Leclerc, who had qualified third fastest, as he was later found to have impeded Lando Norris in the tunnel, landing him with a three-place grid penalty. The session’s surprise was Esteban Ocon, who recorded the fourth fastest time in his Alpine, putting him third on the grid just ahead of Sainz and Hamilton.

After the celebs and dignitaries were ushered away from the grid on Sunday and the lights went out, Verstappen led the snake of cars through the opening laps in what was a relatively uneventful start by Monaco standards. Stroll and Hulkenberg managed to tangle, landing the Haas driver with a time penalty, while Perez pitted after the first lap to make his mandatory tyre compound switch as he attempted to salvage a result.

As Verstappen and Alonso stretched into an early lead, Sainz was in a hurry to overtake Ocon in the Alpine, though the Spaniard’s impatience resulted in him tapping the rear of Ocon’s car, damaging the Ferrari’s front wing in the process.

Over the subsequent laps, the field began to spread out. The main round of pit stops began on lap 32, with Hamilton stopping early to try for the undercut advantage. Verstappen’s eagerness to build a lead didn’t play well for his tyres, unlike Alonso, who seemed to keep them in better condition. Meanwhile, a slow stop for Ocon dropped him back down to seventh, hurting his strong performance.

Perez’s weekend continued from bad to worse. He collided with Stroll on the entry to the swimming pool chicane before making contact with the rear of Magnussen a few laps later, resulting in front wing damage.

Confusion over the Ferrari team radio revealed an angry Sainz, questioning the team’s strategy call as he emerged in seventh place from the pits.

The growing threat of rain saw several drivers stay out as late as possible to potentially rule out having to make additional stops later for wet tyres.

It was becoming something of a processional race until reports of raindrops around the circuit created some excitement as the teams tried to predict the next strategy call. Aston Martin pulled in Alonso on lap 55 for a gamble on dry tyres, despite the rain in one section of the track, but it would prove to be a big mistake. The heavens opened, and a deluge came down and drivers desperately tried to maintain control of their cars.

All drivers who hadn’t already done so then headed to their pit box for inters, but not before several drivers hit the barriers. Alonso had to pit again for intermediate tyres, and he was able to do so without losing second place but the wrong tyre call before ruined a chance of victory. Russell avoided the barriers by taking to an escape road at Mirabeau but collided with Perez as he re-joined the track, landing him with a penalty and no doubt leaving Perez wondering what he had to do to catch a break.

Stroll made his best impression of a pinball through the Fairmont hairpin, losing his front wing. He would eventually retire on lap 63. Sainz also had another lucky escape after sliding at Mirabeau and kissing the wall. Both Mercedes drivers put in solid recovery drives to clinch fourth and fifth, including the fastest lap for Hamilton, ahead of Leclerc, Gasly and Sainz.

The McLaren pair secured some points, with Norris taking ninth and Piastri tenth. Ultimately, it was a lights-to-flag victory for Verstappen, who had the upper hand from qualifying to the end. Alonso’s second place is the team’s best result of the season but the Spaniard will be left ruing what could have been if he’d made the right tyre call, while Ocon’s third place was richly deserved and will be a lift to the Alpine squad.

Back-to-back races will see the teams head to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix on June 2-4.

Watch the Monaco GP highlights here

Spanish GP, June 4

Back-to-back race weekends didn’t give the teams much opportunity to rest and the return to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya saw many teams introduce significant upgrade packages, writes Dave Humphreys.

Mercedes had already made changes to its car at last weekend’s Monaco GP, but the Spanish circuit — traditionally one of the most-used pre-season test tracks — would prove a better opportunity to validate the new rear wing and sidepod design. Ferrari also brought a new sidepod and floor design in a bid to catch up to Red Bull. But the current championship leaders also had a new floor design.

The updates proved to be hit-and-miss for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc having a dismal time in the damp qualifying session — a shock departure in the first part of the session. Ferrari opted to make significant changes to the car’s setup, resulting in him starting the race from the pit lane.

Sergio Perez in his Red Bull also struggled, going off the track in Q2 and failing to reach Q3. There was also an unusual situation with the two Mercedes cars colliding on the straight, apparently due to a lack of communication. But it was a dominant pole for Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) starting alongside on the front row of the grid at this home race.

Another big surprise was Lando Norris (Mclaren) securing a third-place starting position, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Nico Hülkenberg (Haas).

Fernando Alonso seemed to struggle to get the best from his Aston Martin, qualifying in eighth — the updates to the green Astons seemingly not working as well as expected.

Rain threatened to appear before the race but never materialised. As Verstappen headed the pack into turn one, a collision between Hamilton and Norris would ruin the McLaren driver’s race early on, requiring him to pit for a new front wing.

George Russell (Mercedes) started 12th and took to the outskirts of turn one to avoid any contact, and escaped penalty as he made up places just prior. Hamilton passed Stroll for third place on lap 8, with Russell coming up through the pack, too.

Further back, Perez began to make progress with some easy overtakes and was soon into the points places.

After his pit lane start, Leclerc continued to struggle, languishing in 16th place on lap 25. One lap later, Verstappen made his first pit stop, switching to hard tyres.

Tyre compounds would prove a significant factor in the race, with the Mercedes cars going well on the softs, and able to run longer than expected on them. Hamilton passed Sainz for second on lap 28 around the same time Russell passed Stroll for fourth place. It wasn’t long before Russell was on the rear wing of Sainz and he soon made a pass stick, bringing both Mercedes cars into podium positions.

Sainz began to drop further back as the race progressed, with Perez passing him to round off a decent recovery drive from the back to secure fourth place. Having started on the front row, finishing fifth wasn’t the result Sainz would have wanted, leaving Ferrari with more questions than answers about its upgrade package.

Despite a clear lead, Verstappen continued to push and was shown the black-and-white flag late into the race for exceeding track limits. His engineer assured him that there were “no risks required” given his commanding lead, to which Verstappen responded by asking who had the fastest lap, which it turned out was Perez. Rather than let that one extra championship point go to his teammate, Verstappen promptly stuck in another fastest lap time before the end of the race, much to his engineer’s chagrin.

There was a close battle between Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and the two AlphaTauri cars further back. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) forced Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) wide at Turn 1 and would subsequently receive a time penalty, promoting Pierre Gasly (Alpine) into the points.

The Aston Martins of Stroll and Alonso secured sixth and seventh, respectively, ahead of Ocon. Ninth place for Guanyu compensated for a lacklustre performance from Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), who finished 19th.

Norris didn’t fare much better, ending up 17th, a long way from his third-place starting position. It was an equally disappointing day for the Haas and Williams teams, but every driver finished the race, proving how reliable the cars have become.

After a short break the teams will once again cross the Atlantic to the Canadian Grand Prix on June 16-18, at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal.

Watch the Spanish GP highlights here

Canadian GP, June 18

Formula One returned to North America, this time north of the border and on the island circuit of Montreal, writes Dave Humphreys.

The build-up to the Canadian Grand Prix didn’t go according to plan for the organisers, with the first practice session failing to run in its entirety due to technical difficulties with the camera system used for the circuit.

Heavy rain then beset the following sessions resulting in a few surprises on the starting grid, including a stellar drive from Nico Hulkenberg in his Haas to clinch second — only to be pushed back down to fifth on the grid after stewards deemed him to have not reduced speed sufficiently when the red flag was deployed immediately after his hot lap.

Local boy Lance Stroll spun his Aston Martin in the challenging conditions and rookie Oscar Piastri, who had been showing good pace in his McLaren, hit the wall to bring out the red flag that Hulkenberg was to rue. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had a bit of a shocker and didn’t make it out of Q2, while the usual chaos at Ferrari meant Carlos Sainz and Charles LeClerc failed to get the most out of Qualifying. Alex Albon in the Williams had a cracker in Q2, topping the timesheets on slicks during a very short dry spell, but the red flag in Q3 scuppered his quick lap and he was forced to start from 10th.

The mixed up grid left fans with an exciting start to the race that saw Max Verstappen and his Red Bull lead the pack into turn one, followed closely by Hamilton in his Mercedes, who beat second-place Alonso (Aston Martin) off the line. The experience trio have 11 world championships between them, so fans were thrilled to see the maestros go up against each other in rival machines.

Sainz (Ferrari) and Perez (Red Bull) battled it out further down the field for eleventh place. The Haas of Magnussen clipped the wall at the end of the opening lap, but his car survived.

The close confines of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are always a challenge and can be unforgiving. On lap four it was Alonso’s car’s turn to kiss the concrete wall and, like Magnussen, escaped without damage to continue chasing Hamilton.

The first yellow flag came out on lap eight as the Williams of Logan Sargeant suffered engine failure, triggering a brief ‘virtual safety car’. Racing quickly resumed, as did a DRS train covering drivers from seventh to sixteenth.

George Russell’s Mercedes became the next to meet the Canadian circuit’s walls, with a severe collision that left parts of his car strewn across the track, bringing out the Safety Car. He did manage to limp the car back to the pits and, to much surprise, the team were able to replace the wheels and get him back out into the race. In the intervening safety car period, leader Verstappen made an easy pit stop to remain in the lead.

It was close running throughout the field as the race reached its halfway point. On lap 35 Magnussen and AlphaTauri’s Nyck De Vries tangled into turn one and continued to tussle towards turn three, resulting in both running off down an escape road and losing several places as they struggled to rejoin the circuit.

Six laps later and Hamilton was the first of the leading pack to pit, switching to medium compound tyres. Alonso stopped one lap later, while the leading Red Bull stopped on lap 43 for an easy, trouble-free visit to the pits.

By now, the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz had made their way up to fourth and fifth places, respectively. It appeared that team orders were issued, as Leclerc was told over the radio that Sainz would not attack him for position. A great recovery drive from Russell came to a premature end on lap 55 when he was forced to retire the car with brake issues, while Alex Albon (Williams) continued an impressive and defensive drive in seventh place.

In the end, it was a straightforward lights-to-flag victory for Verstappen, continuing the incredible dominance of the Red Bull RB19 this year — no other team has won a race so far this season — and recording the team’s 100th victory. It was also the 41st win for Verstappen, equalling Ayrton Senna’s career total.

Alonso’s late move on Hamilton saw him regain second place, while Leclerc, who was running a tribute helmet to Gilles Villeneuve, came home in fourth place ahead of Sainz. The other Red Bull of Sergio Perez finished in sixth but did clinch the fastest lap to net the Mexican an additional championship point.

Now the championship moves back to Europe and to Red Bull’s home track in Austria, where they already look like favourites to take another victory unless significant updates from other teams can upset their dominant run so far this season.

Watch the Canadian GP highlights here

Austrian GP report, July 2

As Red Bull’s dominance of the 2023 season continues, the team returned to its spiritual home in Austria for the first time since the passing of its founder Dietrich Mateschitz for a packed weekend of racing including a Saturday sprint race, writes Dave Humphreys.

A welcome mixed starting grid lined up for the sprint, with the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton starting further down the pack than they’re used to, in 15th and 18th places respectively. Red Bull locked out the front row, while Nico Hulkenberg (a stunning effort in the Haas) and Lando Norris (McLaren) occupied the second.

Persistent rain resulted in almost the entire grid starting on intermediate tyres, but Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo opted to gamble by starting on slicks. That decision proved to be the wrong one during the formation lap, with Bottas pitting for more suitable tyres as the rest of the grid lined up to take the start.

Both Red Bulls got away cleanly, Sergio Perez edging ahead after turn one and appearing to run Max Verstappen wide as he defended, with the Dutch driver putting a wheel on the grass. The championship leader responded by braking deep into turn three, pushing Perez out wide retaking the lead.

Hulkenberg seized the opportunity to steal second place. Norris had a less successful start, falling back to 10th place in his McLaren.

Hamilton was in a close battle with Kevin Magnussen (Haas) for 12th by lap 11. The Danish driver gave the Brit a good run for his money around the damp circuit. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) was doing an equally solid job of holding off Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) while further up the field, the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz passed Perez for 3rd place on lap 13.

With a dry line beginning to appear, Russell was one of the first to pit for slicks and on lap 17 race control enabled DRS (this is disabled in wet conditions). The intermediate tyres were beginning to lose grip in the drying conditions, demonstrated by Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) passing Hulkenberg. The German Haas driver then dived into the pits, as did Hamilton, for a tyre change to slicks.

Those changing to slicks made the right call but none had the time to catch the leaders. Verstappen had built and maintained a massive lead out front, with Perez trailing 21 seconds behind in second place as the chequered flag dropped. Sainz put in a decent performance to come home in third place ahead of Stroll and Alonso, the pair securing more points for Aston Martin.

Grand Prix

The weather couldn’t have been more different on Sunday as the grid lined up for the Grand Prix, with Verstappen on pole position ahead of the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz. An updated McLaren package for Norris saw him qualify in fourth, ahead of Hamilton, Stroll, Alonso and Hulkenberg.

The experienced Hamilton overtook Norris at the start, and further back in the pack, Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) ran wide into the gravel, having previously made contact with Ocon in turn one. That tangle left debris on the racing line, resulting in a safety car deployment to lead the field through the pit lane while marshals cleared the track.

With racing resumed, Verstappen managed to maintain a one-second advantage over Leclerc, preventing him from being able to open the Ferrari’s DRS rear wing flap for a speed advantage on the straights.

As the battle between Sainz and Hamilton intensified, so did the track limit violations that plagued the entire race weekend. When both wheels of a car go beyond the track boundary’s white line, drivers receive a warning, which turns to a black and white flag after repeat offences and eventually a time penalty. Hamilton was the first to receive this warning on lap 13 before receiving a five-second penalty.

A virtual safety car on lap 14 to allow the recovery of the stricken Haas of Hulkenberg saw numerous drivers dive into the pits to maximise any advantage, first with Hamilton and Piastri, then the two Ferraris. Verstappen stayed out and didn’t pit until lap 25.

As Verstappen rejoined the track, he did so behind the Ferrari, thus ending his run of 249 consecutive laps in first place. It would be short-lived though as he soon re-passed Leclerc to retake the position.

The race began to settle at the front, though further back there was intense battles for positions and Nick De Vries (AlphaTauri) forced Magnussen wide and into the gravel.

Sainz pitted on lap 46 to serve the next time penalty for track infringements, and rejoined behind Norris before a close battle to regain his position in front of the McLaren. Perez, who started back in 15th was now up to 5th and going well in his far superior Red Bull, and it wasn’t long before he reeled in Norris and Sainz, passing them both with clean moves.

So large was Verstappen’s lead over Leclerc towards the end of the race he opted to pit for fresh soft tyres on the penultimate tour (against his team’s wishes, who felt it was an unnecessary risk) to go for the fastest lap and score one additional point. Leclerc crossed the line in second, scoring the 800th podium finish for Ferrari, while an impressive recovery drive from Perez was rewarded with the third step of the podium.

The race didn’t end there, though, as the stewards waded through more than 1,200 instances of cars leaving the track. Additional punishments were dished out after the race, with some drivers receiving multiple penalties and altering the finishing order and final classification.

That promoted Norris up to 4th, Alonso up to 5th and demoted Sainz to 6th (from 4th). Hamilton was also demoted to 8th, and Gasly dropped one place to 10th. The FIA has called for the circuit to make changes ahead of its return next year to prevent a repeat of this fiasco.

The next race is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 7-9.

Watch the Austrian GP highlights here

British GP report, July 9

Despite inclement weather at times, some 480,000 fans over the weekend were treated to top-tier racing at Silverstone, writes Dave Humphreys.

There was little surprise when current championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull) clinched pole position for the British Grand Prix. Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull had a less enjoyable Saturday, only managing 15th place on the grid. The McLarens were a big surprise, as updates to both cars resulted in a thrilling qualifying showdown, with Norris securing 2nd and Piastri 3rd, ahead of Leclerc and Sainz in the Ferraris and Russell and Hamilton in the Mercedes. Credit also to Albon in the Williams, who qualified in 8th.

The charged crowd erupted as the start lights went out and Norris edged into the lead ahead of Verstappen as the pack made its way around the first lap mostly without incident. Hamilton ran wide, dropping a handful of places as Russell moved up to 5th. Piastri, in 3rd, held onto the back of Verstappen, showing the McLaren’s pace, but when DRS was enabled, it took Verstappen only until lap five to reclaim the lead from Norris.

Further back, Russell battled with Sainz as Hamilton began to make up the places he lost at the start. Hulkenberg lost the front wing endplate as Perez barged through, prompting him to pit for a new front wing and sending him to the back of the pack.

Alpine’s weekend suffered an early blow as Ocon retired on lap 10 with hydraulic issues. That helped Perez, who was now up to 12th; meanwhile, his teammate reported how high winds affected his car’s handling in some corners. Regardless, by lap 18, Verstappen was four seconds clear of Norris as the first round of pit stops began.

Leclerc (Ferrari) was the first of the front runners to stop, taking on hard compound tyres as part of a strategy gamble, though he failed to make much progress. Sainz made a similar pit stop for hard tyres and rejoined 12th on lap 27. As more drivers pitted, the pack shuffled around, and Russel on medium compound tyres cruised past the Ferrari of Leclerc, who had no answer for the pace of the Mercedes.

A poor weekend for Haas was made worse on lap 31 as Magnussen’s car came to an abrupt and fiery stop with engine failure, initially signalling a virtual safety car, then a full safety car deployment as the marshals recovered his stricken car. That brought a flurry of pit stops that helped some and hindered others, but Hamilton was one of the winners, rejoining in 3rd.

Some questionable driving standards from Stroll (Aston Martin) saw him pass the remaining Alpine of Gasly off-track. A few laps later, the pair again met, this time with Stroll running off, rejoining and colliding with Gasly, damaging his rear suspension and ending his race. Stroll received a five-second penalty, which seemed lenient given Gasly’s position. By then, Perez is up to 6th, while the Ferraris languished just within the points positions.

Hamilton charged down Norris, but it would prove to be too much for the rear tyres of the Mercedes, forcing him to back off and settle for 3rd place. Verstappen cruised over the finish line, but Norris in 2nd place got the fans most excited. Sadly for Piastri, 4th place was all he could manage, mainly due to the safety car period not suiting his pit stop window. Nevertheless, it was a superb drive from the young Australian. Albon also put in an excellent performance, staving off Leclerc in the race’s final stages to secure 8th.

The next race is the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring on 23 July.

Watch the British GP highlights here

Hungarian GP report, July 23

Red Bull stood on the verge of setting a new record in Hungary, writes Dave Humphreys. Up to this point the season proved to be a masterclass in dominance by Red Bull Racing, and with 11 back-to-back wins prior to the Hungaroring it had equalled the record set by McLaren, and its drivers Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. A dozen would see the Milton Keynes-based team go one better.

However, Red Bull’s record run was put in doubt when Lewis Hamilton set a scintillating time in qualifying to put his Mercedes on pole position. The Hungaroring is one of Hamilton’s best circuits, and the seven-times world champion set a record of his own this year as the first driver to record nine pole positions at a single track.

Hamilton’s Saturday performance also made up for a disastrous call on the other side of the Mercedes garage that would leave Geroge Russell starting in a lowly 18th position.

But as the lights went out to start the race on Sunday, Hamilton fell behind as Max Verstappen put his Red Bull into the lead going into the first corner. It was an important move by the Dutch championship leader as the fast-starting McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had filled the second row of the grid — the successful car upgrades introduced at Silverstone clearly working well on slower, twistier courses, too. It was Piastri that managed to slot in behind Verstappen, in fact, as the rookie continues to show the talent that everyone has expected from the former F3 and F2 champion.

Further back, Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), who’d had a mega Qualifying to put himself fifth on the grid, suffered anti-stall at the race start, then outbraked himself into turn one to hit the rear of an Alpine and trigger a chain reaction of incidents. Both Alpine cars ended up retiring.

Sergio Perez, who started ninth in the sister Red Bull after yet another torrid start to his race weekend, was driving hard to make up places, keen to put in a good performance to remove any doubt over his future at the team.

The McLaren drivers swapped places after the first round of pit stops as Verstappen ran for longer before stopping for fresh tyres. As in Austria, Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari was harried by Perez, who soon passed to make up another place. However, he could not beat Hamilton on track, resorting instead to using a pit stop strategy to overtake the lead Mercedes.

A slow stop for Piastri saw him lose some of his gap to Perez, who eventually overtook a few laps later. As much as the McLaren car has improved, it could not match the Red Bull’s outright pace.

The Ferraris struggled for speed further down the field, with Charles Leclerc remonstrating with the team once again over the radio about its strategy decisions. A pit lane speeding infringement also landed the Monegasque driver with a five-second time penalty to add more woes to his weekend.

Towards the end, a recovering Russell split the Ferraris and closed the gap sufficiently to jump Leclerc in the overall points standings, after the time penalty was served. The return of popular Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo in the AlphaTauri, after rookie Nyck De Vries was dumped by the team, saw him finish in 13th, crucially beating his teammate.

Victory rarely seemed in doubt for Verstappen as he cruised round the Hungaroring, stopping for fresh tyres to ensure he scored an extra point for setting the fastest lap and securing that new consecutive race wins record for Red Bull. A second podium visit for Norris shows how much the McLaren car has improved, while Perez making his way back to third was another fine display of damage limitation by the Mexican. If only he could avoid trouble on Fridays and Saturdays.

Watch the Hungarian GP highlights here.

Belgian GP report, July 30

The Belgian Grand Prix was moved forward in the calendar to avoid the poor weather conditions that have affected it in the past, writes Dave Humphreys. But of course Mother Nature had other ideas and rain affected the entire weekend.

Sprint race

Saturday’s sprint race was delayed by 30 minutes as a result of downpours and when proceedings eventually got underway, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) led the field behind the safety car. It remained that way for five more laps until conditions sufficiently improved for drivers to begin pitting for intermediates, starting with Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who’d raised eyebrows with stunning speed around Spa, in second place. Verstappen made the mistake of staying out for another lap, which gave Piastri the advantage and the rookie ended up leading after the stops.

The potential upset was short-lived, however. An off-form Fernando Alonso made an uncharacteristic mistake on lap 6, causing him to retire his Aston Martin and bringing out the safety car, and on the restart Verstappen blasted past Piastri after Eau Rouge.

A tangle between Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Sergio Perez left a gaping hole in the Red Bull’s bodywork, who later had an off ending his race. The stewards took a dim view of the collision and awarded Hamilton a five-second time penalty for the collision, demoting him down to 7th.

That moved Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) up to 4th, with teammate Charles Leclerc in 5th, while Lando Norris (McLaren) secured 6th place.

Piastri held on to take 2nd place and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) earned a welcome 3rd place on a challenging weekend for the French team, which had announced the departure of team principal Otmar Szafnauer, sporting director Alan Permane and chief technical officer Pat Fry.

Grand Prix

The weather did show signs of improvement for Sunday’s grand prix, and Leclerc would start on pole position due to Verstappen serving an engine penalty that dropped him down to 6th.

In the sister Red Bull, Perez lined up in 2nd ahead of Hamilton, Sainz and Piastri. As the field funnelled into turn one, Piastri collided with Sainz ending his race and leaving the Ferrari worse for wear with damage to its side that severely affected its aerodynamic performance.

At the front, Perez cruised past Leclerc’s Ferrari to take the lead as his teammate Verstappen made his way up to fourth before the end of lap one.

Norris was the first to pit as Verstappen made his way past Hamilton, while further back, the Mercedes of Russell overtook the struggling and damaged Ferrari of Sainz.

On lap 9 Verstappen overtook Leclerc leaving only his teammate Perez in his sights. As the rest of the field cycled through their pit stops, Perez resumed the lead but he had no answer for Verstappen, who was operating on another level from the rest of the field.

Rain began falling on lap 22 but wasn’t enough to warrant tyre changes. Verstappen did have a big moment going through Eau Rouge but it was easily held. As the track began to dry on lap 24 Ferrari called it a day on Sainz’s race and retired his damaged car.

From there on it was a masterclass by Verstappen as he stretched out an unassailable lead over the other Red Bull as the rest of the field spread out. There was little more that Leclerc could do from 3rd place, but Hamilton pitted on the last lap for fresh medium tyres before setting the fastest lap of the race, stealing back the extra point from Verstappen.

As the teams go into the summer break, Verstappen has a massive 125-point lead over Perez in 2nd place in the championship standings, while Red Bull enjoys a 256-point advantage over Mercedes, having won every race thus far.

The next race will be the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 25-27.

Watch the Belgian GP highlights here

Dutch GP report, August 27

Following the summer break, racing resumed for the second half of the F1 season at the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort. The tight and fast-flowing circuit caught some drivers out during the practice sessions, but the returning Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) fared the worst, suffering a broken bone in his wrist following a crash to avoid Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who had hit the barrier just ahead of him at the banked turn three. That gave Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson his debut, replacing Ricciardo for the rest of the weekend.

Inclement weather resulted in a mixed-up starting grid. However, continuing his form, it was Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who would begin from pole position just ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren), George Russell (Mercedes) and Alex Albon (Williams), with the Williams team as surprised as everyone else that their low-drag car was working so well on a tight track like Zandvoort.

Rainclouds ominously formed as the lights went out at the start. Verstappen maintained his lead while the fast-starting Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) held the low line around turn three to pass Russell. At the end of lap one, the heavens opened with a deluge of rain. Almost the entire field carried on, except for Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), pitting for wet tyres. Leclerc’s team wasn’t ready for him, leaving him stuck in the pit box for what must have felt an age while they scrambled for tyres.

Once it became clear that the rain would not pass soon, a flood of cars came in to switch tyres. In one lap, the lead changed three times, but it would be Perez who was at the front once the stops had been completed. His early stop put him in a strong position, but Verstappen was closing the gap and, on lap 12 as the track was drying out, the Dutch driver pitted early, ultimately resulting in his resuming the lead once Perez came back in to switch tyres.

Logan Sargeant’s Williams suffered a hydraulic failure, causing him to crash into the barrier, bringing out the safety car. As racing resumed, Verstappen bolted to create a large gap to Perez, now in second place ahead of Alonso.

Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Sainz battled for fourth, but the other Ferrari of Leclerc wasn’t faring as well, having suffered some damage in a minor collision with Norris. Despite being further down the field, Piastri put in some great driving with superb overtakes as he progressed up the pack.

On lap 42, Sainz pitted once more to rejoin in 11th, and one lap later Leclerc came in to retire the car. More rain was coming, this time with more intensity and on lap 60 it arrived, prompting everyone to pit for intermediate tyres.

However, the rain was too much for that tyre as evidenced by multiple drivers losing control of their cars. Zhou Guaynu in the Alfa Romeo aquaplaned on turn one, colliding heavily with the barrier and with visibility reduced, the race was red-flagged.

The Dutch GP would eventually resume behind the safety car as a rolling start with only seven laps remaining. Verstappen got away nicely, with Alonso now in second ahead of Perez. However, the Mexican driver’s luck worsened as he received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Russell tangled with Norris, puncturing his Mercedes and ending his race.

Verstappen was uncatchable as the track began to dry again, though that didn’t stop Alonso from setting the fastest lap as the chequered flag fell. The time penalty for Perez promoted Gasly into third place for a sorely needed podium finish for Alpine. It was a record-equalling ninth successive victory for Verstappen, matching Sebastian Vettel. Sainz claimed fifth ahead of Hamilton (Mercedes), Norris, Albon, Piastri and Ocon (Alpine).

The next race is the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, on September 1-3.

Watch the Dutch GP highlights here

Italian GP report, September 3

The tifosi were ecstatic to see the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz clinch pole position for the Italian Grand Prix, with his team-mate Charles Leclerc in third — the rampant Red Bull of Verstappen unable to get the upper hand and was sandwiched between them.

Following a delayed race start due to the AlphaTauri of Tsunoda grinding to a halt on the formation lap to the grid, Sainz held off the hard-charging Verstappen to maintain his lead, soon stretching his lead to half a second.

Sainz was never going to have an easy run despite the Ferrari’s high top speed throughout the weekend and on lap six Verstappen almost collided with the leader into the first chicane. A few places further back Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes) only just avoided tangling at the same section, leaving the track and swapping positions when they rejoined.

As the race progressed Sainz maintained his lead to Verstappen but the Red Bull driver was heaping on the pressure, and on lap 15 Sainz overcooked his brakes going into the first corner, giving the Dutchman enough of an opportunity to get past and take the lead. Perez was able to replicate the move one lap later and would take over the lead of the race as Verstappen and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) pitted for fresh tyres.

The pit stop brought Leclerc right into the path of Sainz, giving the Spanish driver no let up in the pressure to maintain his position.

It was the first corner that provided much of the action, with Russell and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) narrowly avoiding a collision, which would land the Mercedes driver with a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

There was little let up in the action at the front, with Perez and Leclerc almost coming together on lap 31, the Ferrari driver hampered by a lack of DRS from his teammate ahead. Perez made the move stick one lap later, releasing him to hunt down Sainz.

A few places further down the grid, Alex Albon (Williams) was putting in a strong performance at a track Williams had been expected to do well at, due to its long high speed sections, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) who was struggling at this phase of the race with a harder tyre compound.

By lap 41, Hamilton was rediscovering pace and began charging down Piastri, lining up a pass into turn three, but as he moved into the braking zone he collided with the McLaren driver, damaging Piastri’s front wing and forcing him to pit. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for the incident and apologised for the incident after the race.

It was a less impressive performance at this stage from the Aston Martin pairing, with Alonso unable to pass Norris in the other McLaren.

As the race entered the final stages Leclerc smelt a podium finish and began heaping the pressure on his team-mate, with the pair almost coming together on the entry to the third corner. The team called for the pair to hold position but that message didn’t seem to get though to Leclerc, and on the final lap the Monegasque locked up his front tyres and came within inches of taking out both Ferraris.

Ahead of the battling duo it was cleaner sailing as Verstappen rounded the final corner to claim victory and set a new record for 10 consecutive wins in Formula One, with Perez crossing the line in second place. A solid drive from Russell to finish 5th was the best that could be expected from the Mercedes’ performance this weekend.

The next race will take place under the lights on the streets of Singapore on September 17.

Watch the Italian GP highlights here

Singapore GP report, September 17

Street circuits always throw up added excitement and surprises, and Singapore came one of the season’s highlights so far, writes Dave Humphreys.

A reduced grid lined up under the floodlights of the Singapore Grand Prix, as Lance Stroll sat out the night race on medical advice following a massive shunt in qualifying. The Aston Martin driver wasn’t the only one to get a shock on Saturday — championship leader Max Verstappen struggled to extract any meaningful performance from his Red Bull, with both he and his teammate, Sergio Perez, exiting the session before the final shootout for the fastest ten drivers. Verstappen was notably out-qualified by Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri) — in his third F1 start, standing in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo.

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) would start from pole position for the second race running, ahead of George Russell (Mercedes), Lando Norris (McLaren), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). As the field funnelled into the first turn, Hamilton took to the escape road to avoid a collision, gaining an advantage in the process. He would have to cede the places to his teammate and Norris over the following laps.

A coming together between Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) brought a premature end to the Japanese driver’s race as he stopped with a reported puncture. At the front, Sainz and Leclerc pulled out a modest lead. The team soon began a careful management strategy, asking Leclerc to fall back to maintain a gap that would help with the Ferrari’s temperature control.

On lap 16, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) achieved a new record of surpassing 100,000 kilometres (62,137 miles) of racing laps in Formula One.

On lap 19, Logan Sargeant (Williams) understeered into the wall, wrecking his front wing. He managed to reverse out of the situation and drive back to the pits, though he was dragging his wing along the way and sending shards of carbon fibre all over the track. That was enough to bring out the safety car, prompting a slew of pit stops. Ferrari’s attempt to double-stack its cars backfired as Leclerc had to be held longer in the pit box as other cars streamed down the pit lane.

The Red Bull duo stayed out on hard tyres, but Verstappen began to complain as the race progressed, liking the experience to driving on ice.

Esteban Ocon’s birthday celebrations were dampened on lap 43 when his Alpine ground to a halt at the end of the pit exit, triggering a virtual safety car. This time, the Mercedes pair double-stacked in the pits, taking advantage of having an extra set of new medium-compound tyres carried over from Saturday.

Russell and Hamilton were back in contention on fresh, softer rubber and quickly reeled in the leaders. Russell passed Leclerc on lap 53, with Hamilton doing the same a lap later. The race was lining up for a thrilling showdown, and with four laps remaining, the top four covered by just 1.7 seconds. While Norris seemed unable to pass Sainz, the McLaren driver also had his work cut out to keep the fast-charging Mercedes behind.

Sainz used this to his advantage by dropping back slightly to reduce the gap to Norris to below one sceond, which give the McLaren driver a DRS advantage. This meant the Mercedes’ found it trickier to get past Norris, and helped maintain Sainz’s grip on the lead. It was extremely smart driving.

This made Russel’s job much harder and, perhaps frustrated, the Brit clipped a wall on the final lap, which send him off into a tyre barrier. That ended Russell’s race and promoted Hamilton to the final podium place. It was Sainz who ruled the Singapore streets, though, breaking Red Bull’s season-long run of wins in dominating fashion.

The next race is the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on September 24.

Watch the Singapore GP highlights here

Japanese GP report, September 25

The Suzuka circuit regularly produces some of the most thrilling F1 races and once more was the setting for a championship decider, writes Dave Humphreys.

We may not fully understand what caused Red Bull’s stark drop in performance at the Singapore Grand Prix, but championship leader Max Verstappen dispelled any doubts as to his and his car’s competitiveness when setting a blisteringly past qualifying lap for yet another pole position in Japan. The bigger surprise was that directly behind him was rookie Oscar Piastri (McLaren) in what was his first time at the track, while team-mate Lando Norris lined up third.

Piastri enjoyed a strong start, almost getting ahead of Verstappen into the first corner, but Norris edged ahead of his McLaren teammate. There was contact further back between Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Alex Albon (Williams), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Zhou (Alfa Romeo). Further up the pack, Perez (Red Bull) also suffered front wing damage following a collision with Hamilton (Mercedes) as the Mexican driver swerved to avoid Carlo Sainz (Ferrari). It was enough to bring out the safety car at the end of the first lap, neutralising the race as the track was cleared.

As racing resumed, there was less action as Verstappen judged the restart well, building a slight lead. The Mercedes duo were clearly racing, with Russell passing Hamilton into the last chicane, only to be re-passed going into turn one. Bottas’ race didn’t get any better when he was tagged by Sargeant (Williams), spinning him into the gravel at the hairpin, subsequently ending the Finnish driver’s day. Having only received a new front wing, Perez collided with Magnussen (Haas) going into the chicane, breaking yet another wing, earning him a five-second penalty as the team radioed for him to retire the car.

The Mercedes duo continued to battle hard, with Russell asking on the team radio who he was really fighting. Verstappen maintained his lead following the first round of pit stops. Alonso was less than happy with Aston Martin’s pit strategy, telling his engineer that they had “thrown him to the lions” and demanded they come up with a solution. Lance Stroll retired the other Aston Martin due to a rear wing failure.

McLaren swapped its drivers around on lap 27, but Verstappen was still pulling away into what seemed like an unassailable lead. One lap later, the second Williams of Albon retired, ending a disastrous weekend for the team.

The Ferrari duo were racing Mercedes on pace all weekend. On lap 40, having apparently retired the car, Red Bull made some repairs, put Perez back into the car and sent him back out. He completed one lap, pitted to serve his time penalty to avoid it being carried over to the next race, and then retired again.

A strong performance from Russell began to fade towards the end, with Leclerc getting past. As the laps ticked down, Russell started to hold up Hamilton as Sainz in the Ferrari closed in on fresher tyres. Mercedes swapped its cars under team orders as Hamilton was the quicker of the two. In a repeat of the previous race, where Sainz gave Norris a DRS assistance, Russell called for Hamilton to do the same, but it was unsuccessful and Sainz overtook, causing Hamilton to push on to maintain the position.

As the chequered flag dropped, it was yet another relatively easy victory for Max Verstappen, and despite Perez failing to score a point, it was enough for Red Bull to seal the Constructors’ title, the sixth time it has done so. Norris crossed the line in second, and it was a super result for Piastri, finishing on the third step of the podium, proving that his contract extension at McLaren was a wise move by the team.

The next race takes place in Qatar at the Losail International Circuit on 8 October.

Watch the Japanese GP highlights here

Qatar GP report, October 8

Under the floodlights and in the searing heat of Qatar, F1 returned to the Loasail International Circuit with the prospect of seeing Max Verstappen clinch his third world championship, writes Dave Humphreys.

The Losail Circuit is predominantly used for motorcycle racing, but it suits today’s F1 cars where the fastest corner is taken at 160mph. However, right from the outset, it was clear that the issue of track limits would once again rear its head, and throughout qualifying for the race and the Saturday Sprint drivers struggled to keep within the limits, with lap times being deleted accordingly.

Sprint Qualifying saw Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) go out in SQ2 after his lap was deleted for exceeding limits. The two McLarens were going well all weekend, and rookie Oscar Piastri clinched pole position ahead of his teammate Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (Red Bull), with George Russell (Mercedes) starting fourth.

Piastri made a better start than Norris and Verstappen, who were challenged by Russell and the Ferrari duo of Sainz and Leclerc, starting on soft tyres. Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri) spun into the gravel creating a Safety Car period. As racing resumed, Piastri was harried by Russell, who passed moments before another Safety Car period following a spin from Logan Sargeant (Williams).

Verstappen picked up his pace as racing again got underway and soon slipstreamed past the two Ferraris. Things didn’t go as smoothly for Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull, colliding with Hulkenberg (Haas) and Ocon (Alpine) in Turn 2, ending their races and triggering a third Safety Car. By this stage, Russell was struggling with his tyres, but the team ruled out a pit stop, allowing Piastri to extend his lead and he crossed the line to take his first victory in F1. Verstappen chased him down to secure second place and guarantee his third world championship title, while Norris out-raced Russell to take the third podium spot.

Before the race proper even started, a curve ball was thrown following a safety concern from Pirelli about how the harsh kerbs impacted its tyres on the circuit. Officials altered the track slightly and imposed a mandatory 18-lap limit per set of tyres.

Verstappen led the field away on Sunday with drama occurring in the first corner when Hamilton turned in on his teammate Russell. It was an immediate retirement for Hamilton, while Russell was able to recover from the spin and make it back to the pits before rejoining at the back of the field. That collision opened the door for Piastri to slot into second place ahead of Alonso in the Aston Martin as the Safety Car was introduced.

Piastri couldn’t quite keep up with Verstappen at the restart but kept his position. The first of many pit stops began with Ocon on lap 11. Albon (Williams) was among the last to stop and briefly lead the race before pitting. Russell was already battling his way back through the field, dicing with Gasly (Alpine), who gave no quarter.

The revised circuit created several issues for drivers, including Perez, who was one of many to receive a five-second penalty for exceeding the limits on multiple occasions. The race conditions were also taking their toll on some of the drivers as the intense heat and high-speed nature of the track proved challenging. Logan Sargeant retired from the race after becoming unwell in the car, while Ocon also struggled. The additional pit stops didn’t provide much comfort for the drivers, and Alonso complained of a burning sensation from his seat.

Verstappen had a safe victory in sight as the laps ticked down, though the McLaren duo didn’t let him gain too much of a lead. Russell’s recovery drive to secure fourth was impressive, while Leclerc in the sole Ferrari (due to an issue preventing Sainz’s car from starting the race) crossed the line in fifth place. While it was Verstappen’s weekend, the McLaren performance was impressive, indicating a team that has found its form again.

The next race takes place in the United States at the Circuit of the Americas on 22 October.

Watch the Qatar GP highlights here

United States GP report, October 22

Formula One returned to the United States for the second of three race weekends, this time at the Circuit of the Americas with the added spectacle of a Sprint weekend, writes Dave Humphreys.

Sprint race

Double-header weekends that include a Sprint race tend to throw up a few surprises. However, it was a familiar sight at the front of the grid on Saturday as Max Verstappen (Red Bull) led the field into the steep rise of the first corner at the Circuit of the Americas, forcing Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) into the far left of the track, which in turn opened up an opportunity for Lewis Hamilton to pass in his Mercedes.

As the pack snaked through the circuit Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) found himself sandwiched between the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, Sainz passed Norris while Piastri defended from Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.

At the front, Hamilton was keeping Verstappen in close range as the Red Bull driver began to complain on team radio about the driveability of his car. By lap 10 Norris moved on Sainz to retake his position as Hamilton began to drop back from the leader. Piastri was shown the black and white flag for exceeding track limits as the laps ticked down.

Further back, Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) on his return from injury was battling with Stroll (Aston Martin) for a place just outside of the points. Stroll’s race ended prematurely with brake issues.

Verstappen took a relatively easy Sprint victory in the end, having stretched out a 9.4-second lead over the 19 laps, with Hamilton taking second place ahead of Leclerc.

Grand Prix

With qualifying for the US Grand Prix having been settled on the Friday, Leclerc lined up in pole position for Sunday’s race with Norris just behind, followed by Hamilton, Sainz, George Russell (Mercedes) and Verstappen. Both of the Aston Martin and Haas cars opted to start from the pit lane following set-up changes after Saturday’s Sprint race.

As the lights went out, Norris made the better start and edged out Leclerc into the first corner. Hamilton lost a place to Sainz while further back Ocon (Alpine) collided with Piastri. That damage would prove too much for both cars and they were forced from the race as a result.

Strategy would play a major role in this race, and the first round of pit stops began on lap 11 for those further down the field. By now Verstappen had also caught up with Leclerc and forced his way up the inside of the turn 12, running the Ferrari off the track. Hamilton was flying, closing down Norris, while the other Mercedes of Russell battled with Perez.

Following the first round of pit stops, Verstappen was managing a brake issue and was quite vocal about it on team radio (in fact he described his car as “a piece of shit”). Even so, he was able to close in on Norris and pass the McLaren driver, indicating just what an advantage over the rest of the field the Red Bull has had this season.

Mercedes had hoped to offset the Red Bull strategy by running long, on a one-stop strategy, to leapfrog Hamilton ahead of Verstappen, but it didn’t quite pay off due to the Dutchman’s dominant pace.

However, Hamilton was reeling in Norris and Verstappen towards the end. As the Mercedes closed in, Norris defended well but eventually the advantages of the drag-reduction system (DRS) and fresher tyres would be too great, freeing Hamilton to hunt down Verstappen. With only a handful of laps remaining, Hamilton caught up to Verstappen, but there wasn’t enough time to attempt a move, giving the Red Bull driver yet another victory.

Meanwhile Ferrari once again appeared to have made the wrong strategy call, with pole sitter Leclerc dropping back down the field. Adding insult to injury, towards the end Ferrari instructed Leclerc to let teammate Sainz past.

And the drama didn’t end there, as both Leclerc’s and Hamilton’s cars failed scrutineering tests for plank wear underneath the cars, leading to their disqualification from the race. That promoted Norris to second and Sainz to third, while Logan Sargeant scored his first championship point for Williams.

The next race is the Mexico City Grand Prix on 29 October.

Watch the US GP highlights here

Mexico City GP report, October 29

The high-altitude, high-speed Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez provides one of the most energetic settings for any grand prix; its long straights, tight stadium section and passionate fans make it a perfect home for the F1 race in Mexico, writes Dave Humphreys.

The Mexico City Grand Prix doesn’t always throw up some big surprises, but a mixed qualifying session on Saturday provided a starting grid with some more potential for Sunday entertainment. The big shock was the early exit in Q1 for Lando Norris (McLaren), leaving him starting from 19th. Both Aston Martins also struggled, with Stroll starting from 18th and Alonso 13th — a significant drop in performance from where Aston Martin was in the early stages of the season.

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) pulled out a great lap to take pole position, just ahead of his team mate Carlos Sainz, while Verstappen (Red Bull) could only manage third fastest. Another surprise was Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) nabbing 4th place on the grid, ahead of local driver Perez (Red Bull) and Hamilton (Mercedes).

The long run down to turn one saw Verstappen slip in between the Ferraris and then to the right of Leclerc, while Perez, benefitting from a slipstream moved to the outside of Leclerc as they headed towards the braking zone. A mixture of optimism and pressure to perform in front of his home crowd saw Perez then turn in on Leclerc, who had nowhere to go with Verstappen on his other side, and the pair collided, causing significant damage to Perez’s car and breaking the Ferrari’s front wing end plate.

Verstappen now leading, gained a further advantage by avoiding the melee at turn one, while Leclerc hung onto second position despite part of his front wing hanging off.

That end plate snapped off the car a couple of laps later triggering a brief virtual safety car while marshalls recovered the part from the track.

Despite some frantic repair efforts by the Red Bull team, the damage to Perez’s car was too severe to carry on, ending the Mexican driver’s home race.

Hamilton was now chasing down Ricciardo and passed on lap 11. Nine laps later Verstappen was the first of the leading pack to pit for new tyres, as Hamilton was now reeling in Sainz. Keen to get the advantage of an undercut, Hamilton pitted on lap 25.

Sainz opted to stay out and do a longer run but was passed quickly by Verstappen four laps later as the Dutch driver hunted down Leclerc who was seven seconds up the road.

A quick Ferrari pit stop on lap 31 saw Sainz rejoin in 4th, and one lap later Leclerc came in for fresh rubber, giving Verstappen the lead.

A big shunt for Magnussen (Haas) in turn 9 initially brought out the yellow flags and with a potential safety car imminent, Red Bull pitted Verstappen. However, the damage to the barrier was too severe and the race was red flagged at half distance. Magnussen made it out of the car unscathed.

As the lights went out for the second standing start, Verstappen made a solid start and led into the first corner as Hamilton pressured Leclerc. Norris, who had been making progress, had a poor start, losing several places.

As Verstappen pulled away, the battle between Leclerc and Hamilton heated up, and on lap 40 the Mercedes driver pulled out all the stops on the run down to the first corner, putting one wheel onto the dirt to pass.

Alonso retired from the race on lap 48, ending a poor weekend for him. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) was having a great race in the points until he came together with Oscar Piastri (McLaren), after numerous close passing attempts, spinning in the first corner and dropping well down the order, but escaping serious damage.

Norris was the faster of the two McLarens and the team switched him and Piastri’s order, to let him go after Ricciardo. On lap 61 Norris made the pass work with a beautiful move, and six laps later he also passed George Russell in the second McLaren, marking an incredible recovery drive.

In the closing laps, Lanec Stroll and Valtteri Bottas collided in the stadium section, ending Aston Martin’s dismal race weekend and landing the Alfa Romeo driver with a five-second penalty.

Verstappen sailed to another victory, breaking his own record for most wins in a season, and Hamilton nabbed the fastest lap on his way to second place, earning a valuable extra point as he targets beating Perez for second in the championship.

The next race is the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on 3-5 November.

Watch the Mexico City Grand Prix highlights here

Brazil GP, November 5

As the 2023 season nears its end, the final sprint weekend of the year was at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, writes Dave Humphreys.

Few races in the world bring in such an enthusiastic crowd as Brazil and the fans got value for money this weekend. The Saturday Sprint format continues to divide opinion, and even those within the sport are uncertain about how to improve the spectacle. However, the track at Interlagos consistently ranks highly in terms of the number of overtakes, and this weekend proved that the Sprint races can deliver really exciting entertainment for the crowds in place of the usual Qualifying.

That GP qualifying instead took place on Friday, but the session was cut short in Q3 when a severe storm rolled in, with thunder, lightning and torrential downpours. This resulted in a mixed grid for Sunday that, in a return to form from earlier in the season, saw the Aston Martins qualify third and fourth. But first, there was the final Sprint race of the year to tackle.

Sprint race

Throughout the earlier sessions, the McLaren looked fast. Lando Norris clinched pole position ahead of the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, followed by the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

As the lights went out, Norris made a good start initially, but in the second phase, Verstappen reclaimed ground and slipped down the inside of the McLaren into the first corner, followed by Russell in the Mercedes.

Hamilton was also able to make a move on Perez, but on lap four, the Mexican driver cruised past Hamilton with some DRS assistance. One lap later, Norris took back second place from Russell, who was then overtaken by Perez three laps later, highlighting a lack of pace from the Mercedes.

Verstappen maintained a steady gap to Norris as the laps ticked down. On lap 21, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) successfully overtook Hamilton, who seemed to be struggling with tyres, as Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) began closing in and soon made his move.

Ultimately, it was an easy win for Verstappen, Norris coming in four seconds behind with Perez in third place, picking up valuable points in his effort to secure second place in the Drivers’ Championship.

Grand Prix

There was drama before the start of Sunday’s race as Leclerc spun out on the formation lap, damaging his Ferrari and ending his race before it even began. Hydraulic failure of the car, it transpired, was the cause. That gave Verstappen an easier run down to the first corner, but chaos further back resulting from a collision between Alex Albon (Williams) and the two Haas cars triggered a chain reaction that also damaged the cars of Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren), and brought out the red flag.

A lengthy wait as the barriers were rebuilt played into the hands of AlphaTauri and McLaren, who could both repair their cars in time for the restart.

The second standing start of the day was something of a repeat of Saturday, with Verstappen charging ahead of Norris while Hamilton chased them down with Alonso close behind. Perez and Russell battled for fifth and sixth places, but the Red Bull was the faster car, and this weekend Perez was determined to make a better impact than he did in his disastrous Mexican Grand Prix (see above).

Mercedes was the first of the front runners to pit on laps 19 and 20, with Perez following one lap later. Even on different tyres, the Mercedes cars didn’t appear to have the speed this weekend as they struggled to maintain position. Some feisty team radio chatter from Russell did little to ease the tension within the team. On lap 35, Sainz, in the sole remaining Ferrari, cruised by Russell and quickly did the same to Hamilton.

Norris was keeping Verstappen honest at the front, though he was unable to close in enough to take advantage of DRS. When pressured, Verstappen seemed to find extra pace without too much difficulty, suggesting he was able to run at 90 per cent and still cruise to victory.

Further down the field, what had looked like a promising weekend for Alfa Romeo on the strategy front turned into a double retirement with power unit issues.

Another round of pit stops did little to lift Mercedes’ pace, and on lap 58, Russell, running in 13th, was told to retire the car to avoid a mechanical failure. The Alpine of Gasly also overtook Hamilton, who could not extract any more performance from the car.

But the best action of the race came towards the end as Perez harried Alonso for the final podium position. It was a masterclass in defensive driving from Alonso until lap 70, when Perez managed to get ahead. Alonso wasn’t ready to give up and launched one final assault on the last lap, reclaiming the position thanks to some DRS assistance and careful deployment of his hybrid power in the final drag uphill towards the finish line. The Spaniard was just able to pip Perez to the finish, with only a 0.053-second gap separating them.

Further up the road, it was a relatively easy win for Verstappen and another well-deserved second place for Norris.

The next race, the penultimate of the year, is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 18.

Watch the Brazilian Grand Prix highlights here

Las Vegas GP, November 18

The penultimate round of the 2023 Formula One championship has been one of the most-hyped races in living memory, but would Las Vegas be an entertainment jackpot, writes Dave Humphreys.

Few sports are as strong at self-promotion as Formula One; even so, there hasn’t been a hype train quite like it since it announced its return to Las Vegas.

The disruption in building the street circuit caused consternation among locals, and in FP1, it proved just as unpopular with Ferrari. A dislodged water valve cover came loose nine minutes into the session, severely damaging Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.

It prematurely ended the session and delayed the subsequent FP2 session so much that fans were forced to leave the track despite having tickets due to its delayed 2:30am start and insufficient staffing.

Ferrari would have to replace Sainz’s chassis, leading to a 10-place grid drop for the race before qualifying began.

The high-speed nature of the circuit, akin to Monza, suited some teams more than others.

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) nabbed the pole ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull), followed by George Russell (Mercedes) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine). Both Williams made it through to Q3, with Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant qualifying 5th and 6th respectively.

Sainz was quick throughout the practice sessions but would start in 12th due to that grid penalty.

Once all the celebrities ranked from A to Z and other hangers-on were cleared from the grid, the low track temperatures and fresh tarmac were bound to contribute to some exciting racing.

Leclerc led the relatively short charge into turn one, but Verstappen once again pulled one of his now signature moves by running wide, forcing Leclerc off the track and moving himself up into the lead of the race.

Further back, a touch of over-enthusiasm saw Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) understeer into the first corner, spin and collect Valterri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), who sustained some damage in the incident.

Debris on the track resulted in a virtual safety car period. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) used this opportunity to make a strategic early pit stop. No sooner was racing underway when Lando Norris (McLaren) lost the back end of this car at the high speed turn 12, colliding with the wall and careering down the escape road in a shower of sparks. He was unhurt but was taken to the medical centre and, subsequently, the local hospital for checks.

The race stewards decided to punish Verstappen this time for his block pass on Leclerc at the start with a five-second penalty.

A stellar start from Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) saw him go from last to 10th. There was more great racing between the two Alpine and Williams cars as they tussled between 4th and 8th places. On lap 17, Leclerc had finally caught back up on Verstappen and made a successful pass before the Red Bull driver pitted and served his penalty.

Further back, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) made contact in one of the braking zones, resulting in both developing punctures, but the McLaren rookie could make it into the pits before passing the entry point. Hamilton had to do one further slow lap before pitting.

As the pit stops shook out, Perez was in 2nd place thanks to his early stop.

Another collision on lap 27 between Verstappen and Russell brought out the safety car as marshals cleared the debris. Both cars could continue, albeit with some light damage, and once the safety car went in, Piastri made a fantastic overtake on Gasly to move up to 3rd place.

At the front of the pack, Perez was now leading, with Leclerc trying to recover ground, having been disadvantaged by the earlier safety car. On lap 36, the Ferrari driver outbraked Perez to take the lead, and soon after, Verstappen, now back up to 3rd place, would also make a move on his teammate. One lap later, he made a similar move on Leclerc for the race’s lead.

Five laps hence, Leclerc ran too deep into one of the corners, allowing Perez to gain a position, putting the Ferrari driver again on the back foot.

As the laps ticked down, Leclerc faced a challenge to catch up to Perez, but gradually began to reel him in.

Further back, Russell progressed through the pack despite Mercedes having a poor weekend. Russell also received a five-second penalty and, having completed his pit stops, that time would be added to his race time. That prompted him to push harder to retain a decent finish.

Hulkenberg was the second race retiree and was soon joined by Tsunoda, who reported gearbox issues.

With two laps remaining, Leclerc was now cruising up on the back of Perez. Red Bull asked Verstappen to slow down to give Perez some aerodynamic help with a slipstream. It seemed enough, but then, at the end of the straight, Leclerc pulled off an impressive late-braking manoeuvre to dive inside Perez to reclaim second place, leaving the Mexican driver with no chance to fight back before the finish line.

It was yet another victory for Verstappen, and while there were some teething problems earlier in the weekend, Las Vegas delivered some exciting racing for fans.

The next race, and the final round of the championship, is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on 24-26 November.

Watch the Las Vegas GP highlights here

Abu Dhabi GP, November 26

As the 2023 season drew to a close, there were still valuable constructors’ championship positions to be decided. The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi was once more the setting for the end-of-season showdown, writes Dave Humphreys.

No matter which side of the fence you sit on, any motorsport fan has to marvel at the sheer dominance that Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been able to produce throughout the 2023 season. The RB19 will go down as one of the greatest F1 cars of all time and in Abu Dhabi it was no real surprise when Max Verstappen put the car on pole position once more.

But all eyes were on the battles between Ferrari and Mercedes for second in the constructors’ championship, while Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) were tied on 200 points and battling it out for fourth in the drivers’ standings. Lando Norris (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) found themselves just five and twelve points behind respectively, and keen to see if they could change the game in the showdown.

As the red lights went out one last time in 2023, Leclerc starting in second gave Verstappen a decent challenge into the first corner. However, it was clear that the Ferrari driver wasn’t willing to get too close to Verstappen and damage Ferrari’s chances of second place in the constructors’ championship. He was also fully aware that team-mate Sainz had a difficult qualifying and started the race in a lowly 16th. The Spaniard failed to make an impact early on, however.

Oscar Piastri and Norris in the McLarens were charging down Leclerc as George Russell (Mercedes) kept up in fifth.

By lap three, Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez passed Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) to move up to ninth place, as Norris overtook Piastri, who will have been briefed to help out his team-mate in the championship battle, for third.

Four laps later, Piastri was coming under pressure from Russell, who was keen to play his part to secure that crucial second place in the constructors’ championship for Mercedes. The rookie Australian driver wasn’t easily fazed by Russell, fending off several overtaking attempts, though by lap 11, the Mercedes driver managed to pull off a move.

A few laps later, Piastri made an early pit stop to cover the charge from Alonso, emerging from the pit lane just ahead of the Aston. A flurry of pit stops followed, including one for Norris who suffered a short delay that brought him out just behind Russell.

Out on track, Pierre Gasly misjudged a tight left-hander and Hamilton bumped his rear under braking, damaging the Mercedes’ front wing and the Alpine’s diffuser. Hamilton made a pit stop after but didn’t replace the wing.

Verstappen made his first pit stop on lap 17, soon followed by Leclerc, promoting Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) into the lead of the race. Although he was there due to not yet making a pit stop, it still marked only the second time that a Japanese driver has ever led an F1 race, and no doubt was a proud moment for AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost, retiring at the end of this season.

As the race settled, Perez continued to make up positions, passing Piastri for fifth place on lap 28. Meanwhile, Russell had his thinking cap on and, over team radio, was working on a strategy to secure second place in the constructors’ championship.

On lap 48, Perez and Norris collided in the chicane at turn six, with Perez deemed by the stewards to have been at fault. The Mexican driver received a five-second time penalty and, as he had already completed his planned pit stops, the five seconds would be added at the end of the race.

That was positive news for Russell, who was closing down the gap, but in a surprising move, Leclerc, running in second place, radioed to the team that he could slow down to give Perez a slipstream to get past and help him build a gap to Russell. That could have helped to secure Ferrari second place in the championship, and in the dying stages of the race, the Ferrari slowed up to let the second Red Bull cruise by.

However, Leclerc did not attempt to block or slow a charging Russell, either, and that allowed Russell to close the gap to Perez to under five seconds. Leclerc still held onto second place on the podium, with Russell joining him and Verstappen, who crossed the line to clinch his 19th victory of the season, but Mercedes had done enough to secure that second place for the Mercedes team.

If Sainz had had a better weekend it might have been a different story, but in the end the Spaniard was running around out of the points, and the team brought him towards the end of the race for a DNF.

Ultimately, it was a phenomenal season for both Red Bull and Max Verstappen. He led set new records, leading more 1,000 race laps, winning 19 out of 22 races, scoring more points than any other driver in a season (575) and made 12 pole position starts. Red Bull’s phenomenal RB19 won all but one race.

The 2024 Formula One season will kick off with pre-season testing on 21 February and one week later racing will commence at the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain from 29 February to 2 March.

Watch the Abu Dhabi GP highlights here

Were there F1 Sprint races in 2023?

Sprint races made their debut during the 2021 season and until this year were races that determined the grid position for Sunday’s Grand Prix. However, in 2023 a different format was trialled (see below).

For 2023 the teams agreed to up the number of sprint locations to six, as follows.

Azerbaijan GP, April 30
Austrian GP, July 2
Belgian GP, July 30
Qatar GP, October 8
United States GP, October 22
Brazilian GP, November 5

F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali said: “The introduction of the F1 Sprint has created a race weekend that includes three days of competitive racing action and brings more entertainment to fans of the sport as well as additional value for key stakeholders including teams, broadcasters, partners, and host venues.”

How does Sprint Qualifying work?

The starting grid for the sprint race on Saturday used to be determined on Friday afternoon with the weekend’s sole three-session knockout qualifying session. The final order from the sprint race was then the grid for Sunday’s GP. However in 2023, things were different.

Drivers started the sprint race from grid positions set by its own condensed qualifying session on the Saturday morning — still three parts but with sessions lasting 12, 10 and eight minutes respectively, making them more frenetic as drivers scrabble to get their quick lap in.

Making it trickier, drivers could only use medium tyres in the first two sessions, and softs in the final session, and could only use a single new set of tyres per session.

Teams needed to make all their set-up changes before the Friday qualifying session; parc ferme rules stated that any settings made after that result in the car having to start both the sprint race and grand prix from the back of the grid.

At 62 miles long, sprint races were shorter than a normal 190-mile grand prix. Though the rules were almost the same, drivers did not have to pit for tyres.

Importantly, the sprint race was made an isolated event; the grid for Sunday’s GP is set by a separate full fat qualifying on the Friday. That was to try to encourage drivers to be a bit less cautious in the sprint race, knowing that they would still start from their Friday grid spot the following day, even after a disaster on Saturday.

However, penalties carried over so bad behaviour on or off-track could result in being pushed down the order for the start of the race on Sunday, and any damage meant the engineers had their work cut out to get the car ready again for the GP.

The top eight drivers received points for the sprint race: eight points for the win, seven for second, etc.

If you found our F1 grand prix race schedule useful, you might also want to know how to watch F1 in the UK
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8. Nissan Juke: 29,272

9. Vauxhall Mokka: 28,390

10. Audi A3: 28,178

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1. QcoQce Car Windshield Cover

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5. Halfords All Seasons Car Cover

6. Halfords All Weather Windscreen Shield

7. AA Windscreen Frost and Sun Shield

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Blitzes its opponents on the drag strip

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Touchscreens dominate interior

No UK confirmation as yet

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A unique idea

Almost £7,000 apiece

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