Mark Hughes

Formula 1

How Ferrari fuel suspicions began at Monza in 2019

Mark Hughes examines key data surrounding Spa and Monza last year, where the Ferrari fuel suspicions started and led to a number of technical directives which appear to have hamstrung its 2020 season

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Mark Hughes: Mercedes really is under more pressure at Spa

Red Bull and Renault led the way in Belgian Grand Prix practice, with Racing Point quick too. But is Mercedes still set to sweep them all away when it matters? Maybe not this time, reckons Mark Hughes after his full analysis of the Friday times

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F1 only has itself to blame for tyre flaws that wreck racing

Lewis Hamilton is leading a fresh wave of criticism of Formula 1’s tyres. But drivers, teams and fans lambasting Pirelli miss the point. A decision made a decade ago has created a problem there’s no quick fix for

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Mark Hughes: Hamilton’s perfection eliminated every ‘what if’

Mercedes wasn’t bluffing in its scepticism over its Spanish Grand Prix chances. This race may have looked boring, but that was only because Lewis Hamilton eliminated every stumbling block he might’ve faced through masterful race management

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The dilemma that leaves Mercedes sure Verstappen is favourite

Mercedes does not expect to encounter the same issues in Barcelona as those that cost it victory in Silverstone, but it still believes Max Verstappen will be better suited to the challenge of the Spanish GP

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Does Verstappen have a chance in Spain? Mark Hughes’ analysis

After Silverstone’s shock result, will high temperatures and high tyre wear make Mercedes vulnerable to Max Verstappen and Red Bull again in Spain? Here’s what we learned from Friday practice

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Mercedes in U-turn over signing new F1 Concorde agreement

Toto Wolff has indicated that he is much closer to signing the Mercedes team up to the Formula 1 commercial agreement than was the case this time last week

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Why Verstappen at Red Bull is like Senna at Lotus

A driver everyone knows is a future champion who can only win occasionally because the era’s benchmark has the best car. Ayrton Senna’s Lotus years have a lot in common with Max Verstappen’s situation right now

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Vettel and Ferrari’s last attempt at harmony

Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel was playing down his antagonism towards the Ferrari team that was very evident last week at Silverstone’s 70th Anniversary event

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The Mercedes change that let relentless Verstappen defeat it

Mercedes was anxious about the tyre situation going into the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, but felt it had a margin because it still had the fastest car. But it didn’t, thanks to a set-up change, and that gave the brilliant Max Verstappen all he needed to inflict a shock defeat

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How moves towards Ferrari downforce altered the order

A widespread shift in downforce philosophy was among the factors that made the pecking order for the second Silverstone F1 race so different from the first

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Will a ‘not good’ tyre choice shake up F1’s Silverstone follow-up?

Pirelli’s decision to bring softer tyres for the 70th Annivrsary GP hasn’t undone Mercedes’ dominance, but could yet prove a decisive factor

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Mark Hughes: The clues to what caused Silversone’s late drama

It’s not yet clear precisely what caused the spate of last-gasp punctures in the British Grand Prix, but a mixture of factors from the current cars’ behaviour to the race circumstances might have combined for a perfect storm

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How Mercedes can keep the intrigue alive in F1 2020

With Mercedes so far ahead, it has to let its drivers fight to avoid the season falling flat. The lessons of Lewis Hamilton’s ‘secret’ Silverstone strategy in 2019 show the way forward

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Why Mercedes should fear a title-skewing nightmare

Mercedes has voiced fears over reliability impacting its F1 campaign – but rather than deny it titles, it’s much more likely to mar its triumph

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Is Bottas getting tough or getting paranoid?

Valtteri Bottas going public with some minor grievances after Hungary was out of character. Mark Hughes looks into whether it was pure frustration, or a change of tactic

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The weakness that Ferrari’s new structure aims to address

Mark Hughes delves into Ferrari’s new performance development department, explaining how it aims to fix a weakness that was created in 2016

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Mark Hughes: Vast superiority created a race of housekeeping

The weather created a huge number of storylines in the Hungarian Grand Prix, but they were all subplots left trailing far behind Lewis Hamilton. Mark Hughes gives his take on the race

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Hungary performance swings show Red Bull and Ferrari’s reality

Comparing Hungary qualifying performance from 2019 to 2020 reveals a lot about Mercedes and Racing Point’s progress, the areas where Ferrari’s actually improved, and the scale of Red Bull’s plight here

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Obituary: Design legend Ron Tauranac

Ron Tauranac, the legendary designer responsible for the early Brabham Formula 1 cars and the Ralts that earned so much success in junior single-seaters, has died. Mark Hughes pays tribute to him

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Ferrari racing to change 2021 engine around FIA directives

Ferrari is in a race against time to develop an updated power unit for the 2021 Formula 1 season that it hopes will get around the limitations of the current engine under the technical regulations as interpreted by the recent extra directives regarding fuel flow, ERS distribution and oil burn

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Mark Hughes: How Mercedes pincered Red Bull into defeat

Mercedes had complete control of the Styrian Grand Prix, as a number of factors came together to hold back Red Bull and release the champion team. Mark Hughes explains them

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The car flaws F1 2020′s top two teams are still figuring out

Red Bull and Mercedes are a class apart so far in the 2020 Formula 1 season, but both also have fundamental problems. Mark Hughes delves into them

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How Ferrari’s 2020 design has caused a perfect storm

Ferrari has endured a disappointing start to the 2020 Formula 1 season so far – and the whole design philosophy of this year’s car means it will be tricky to bounce back from

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Could Alonso deal ripples let Vettel and Ferrari split early?

The major 2021 Formula 1 driver market moves are now complete with Renault securing Fernando Alonso. But will they all wait until 2021 to happen? The state of Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s relationship means an early shuffle isn’t unthinkable, speculates Mark Hughes

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Which version of Alonso will Renault get this time?

With Renault expected to announce today that it’s signed Fernando Alonso for the 2021 Formula 1 season, Mark Hughes looks back at his two previous – very different – Renault stints

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The ‘many bullets’ Mercedes dodged – Mark Hughes’ GP analysis

Though Mercedes took its expected victory in the Austrian Grand Prix, there were multiple ways in which that win was nearly lost

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The hints Bottas is ready to take golden title opportunity

The 2020 Formula 1 season is set to be a season like no other – but the stars might have aligned for Valtteri Bottas, if he can keep his Austrian Grand Prix qualifying form rolling on

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How Verstappen can topple Mercedes in Austria

Max Verstappen and Red Bull shouldn’t be written off as potential 2020 Austrian Grand Prix winners – especially not when conditions might have lined up perfectly for history to repeat itself, says Mark Hughes

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F1 could face long-term calendar disruption

Countries’ differing approaches to coronavirus lockdowns could have implications for the Formula 1 calendar for years to come, according to an FIA expert

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Vettel’s blunt revelation hints at trouble for Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel’s admission of ‘surprise’ that Ferrari never offered him a contract suggests the Scuderia is in for some driver management headaches

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What it’s like at the track as F1 resumes

Mark Hughes gives his thoughts on an unusual Formula 1 season opener from the track in Austria, as new safety protocols bring a weird atmosphere to a normally bustling scene

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Vettel can dent Leclerc’s megastar credentials in 2020

Charles Leclerc goes into 2020 with huge momentum. But repeating his 2019 form won’t be enough now. To keep his credentials as a Lewis Hamilton/Max Verstappen challenger intact, he has to dominate Sebastian Vettel – and that might’ve got much harder now

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Reassessing Nico Rosberg – and how he beat Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton could match and surpass Michael Schumacher’s records when the 2020 F1 season begins. But how should we judge the only man who’s interrupted Hamilton’s title run in this era: Nico Rosberg?

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The real change F1 needs to improve its diversity

Formula 1’s action against racism and to increase its diversity is welcome, but a fundamental change to motorsport’s structure is needed to achieve truly equal opportunities, says Mark Hughes

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How McLaren Group’s problems could affect its F1 team

The McLaren Group is grappling with financial problems and an internal row, and that could put its F1 team in a difficult position

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The question marks over Ferrari as it emerges from lockdown

Ferrari spent testing playing down its hopes, wasn’t keen on carrying its 2020 car into 2021 and is now denying reports of major upgrades for Austria. Are its prospects for the upcoming new season as bleak as they seem?

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F1’s numbers game: 5 didn’t just thrive in red

Our series on F1’s most iconic race numbers reaches a number made legendary by one driver (and colour), but which achieved plenty of success with others too

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F1 must retain brutal consequences for underperformers

Ross Brawn says it would be “almost wrong” for a team underperforming as Williams has to not “suffer” for it, but do F1’s attempts to level the playing field risk creating a situation where coasting without ambition goes unpunished?

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F1 Revisited: Schumacher digs deep to end Ferrari heartache

Our series of classic grands prix reassessed continues with Suzuka 2000 – when Michael Schumacher ended 21 years of hurt for Ferrari, but doing so required him to dig very, very deep to beat Mika Hakkinen