Mark Hughes

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: The breakthrough Mercedes' Suzuka deficit hides

Lewis Hamilton was confused as to where he lost half a second to Red Bull. Mark Hughes analyses his lap to reveal the answer - and the positive signs surrounding it

Formula 1

Red Bull F1 upgrade headlines Japanese GP changes

Eight of the 10 Formula 1 teams have declared upgrades for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. Mark Hughes details the changes:

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: How Sainz fits into the Red Bull power struggle

Nearly a decade on from his stint as Max Verstappen's Toro Rosso team-mate, Carlos Sainz again finds himself playing a role in a powerplay between the Verstappen clan and the rest of Red Bull

Formula 1

Alonso to Red Bull? Mark Hughes' take on Alonso's 2025 stance

As the 2025 Formula 1 driver market keeps twisting, Fernando Alonso is believed to be angling for an opening at Red Bull. Mark Hughes looks at how Alonso is playing the silly season game

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Ferrari had Red Bull pace in Australia

Max Verstappen's brake failure meant Carlos Sainz and Ferrari effectively 'ran unopposed' in the Australian GP - but how much of a threat to Red Bull were they otherwise?

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Where Ferrari lost its Red Bull-beating pace

Ferrari did have Red Bull-beating pace for qualifying at least. But it got lost along the way, with both drivers. Mark Hughes explains how in his post-qualifying analysis

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Ferrari's opportunity as Red Bull plays catch-up

Max Verstappen's deficit to Charles Leclerc in FP2 at F1's Australian GP shouldn't be taken as representative. Neither should his or team-mate Sergio Perez's long runs. But there is a lot of catching up for Red Bull to do - so can Ferrari strike?

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What doomed F1 to a dull Saudi Arabian GP

It was hard for anyone to make much of a difference in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. And that wasn't just because Red Bull was so dominant

Formula 1

Mark Hughes on where Hamilton's Saudi Arabian GP is going wrong

Lewis Hamilton has been second-best Mercedes driver throughout the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend so far. Mark Hughes looks at what's going wrong for him

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Where there's hope for Red Bull's rivals in Jeddah

Taking the long-run averages from Saudi Arabian GP practice at face value shows Red Bull with an even bigger advantage than it enjoyed in the 2024 F1 season opener in Bahrain. But that's not quite the full picture - none of its closest rivals did comparable programmes

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: This is the beginning of the end of Red Bull domination

Whatever happens from here, this version of Red Bull - steered by Christian Horner and made complete by the enormous talent of Max Verstappen - is approaching its end

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What exaggerated Verstappen's brutal advantage

For the second year running Max Verstappen led home a dominant Red Bull 1-2 in Bahrain, but will 2024 really be a re-run of last year? It appears there's some genuine optimism that it won't be...

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Did Red Bull spook Ferrari out of Bahrain pole?

Although it may seem that it was pre-ordained that Max Verstappen and Red Bull would open the new season with yet another pole, actually this was probably a pole lost by Ferrari and Charles Leclerc. Did Red Bull confidence play a part in Ferrari losing the pole?

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Who was actually fastest as F1 2024 began for real

Mercedes fastest, and Max Verstappen down in sixth? The end-of-day order as the Bahrain GP weekend (and 2024 F1 season) kicked off wasn't as expected. Mark Hughes looks into the likely reasons behind that and what was more conclusively offered by the long-run data

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: How Ferrari really stacks up vs Red Bull after testing

Ferrari ended up topping most of pre-season Formula 1 testing. But how does its pace really compare to Red Bull? Here's what Mark Hughes reckons

Formula 1

Ferrari's suspiciously good race sim is keeping F1 2024 intrigue alive

The Red Bull RB20 is the slam dunk consensus pick as F1 2024's initial fastest car - but a race simulation by Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari SF-24 suggests the season is far from over

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What Verstappen's dominant test pace really means

Max Verstappen and Red Bull were fastest for the overwhelming majority of the first 2024 Formula 1 pre-season test day and ended it over a second clear of the opposition. But just how much can we read into that?

Formula 1

New Red Bull's surprising Mercedes resemblance explained

Has Red Bull really taken inspiration from its old rival Mercedes' winless 2023 design for its 2024 Formula 1 car?

Formula 1

What makes 2024 Ferrari a risky outlier vs F1 rivals

Ferrari’s "completely revamped" 2024 Formula 1 car has stayed the same in one area that leaves Ferrari as a clear outlier compared to its main rivals

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Alonso is Mercedes' Plan B to replace Hamilton

Why is Fernando Alonso yet to sign an extension with an Aston Martin F1 team that's keen to keep him? Mark Hughes explains...

Formula 1

Red Bull can use Verstappen to settle RB driver question

Red Bull needs to have a handle on the level Daniel Ricciardo and, to a lesser extent, Yuki Tsunoda are operating at, in part with the 2025 F1 season in mind. Its two-team set-up gives it a definitive way of finding out how strong its second line-up is

Formula 1

Horner investigation unlikely to conclude before Red Bull launch

The investigation into the complaint lodged against Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner by an employee is not expected to conclude before the launch of the team’s new car next week

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why F1 teams are obsessed with dull 2024 liveries

If Formula 1's 2024 launch season has a theme so far, it’s not so much some new technical innovations but the lack of something: colour. Mark Hughes explains why and ponders how F1 could fix it

Formula 1

Mark Hughes' theory for why Mercedes lost Hamilton

Just how did Mercedes let Lewis Hamilton slip away to Ferrari? After hearing from Toto Wolff, Mark Hughes has a theory

Formula 1

Hamilton agrees shock Ferrari F1 move for 2025

According to sources who should know, a seismic Lewis Hamilton-to-Ferrari Formula 1 deal for 2025 is agreed

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Norris picked McLaren over Red Bull

Lando Norris could probably have got himself a Red Bull drive if he’d so desired. So why pick McLaren? Mark Hughes explains

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Mercedes' F1 down years are so unlike Red Bull's

Mercedes is right to draw inspiration from Red Bull's recovery after being knocked off F1's top step - but there's an unmistakable difference between the two situations

Formula 1

Mark Hughes on McLaren's worrying Red Bull theory

In assessing McLaren’s 2024 season prospects at McLaren's surprise early 2024 launch, Andrea Stella sounded a note of caution regarding Red Bull, as Mark Hughes explains

Formula 1

F1's worst works team is stuck with its laptime-killing problem

Alpine could have been vying with Mercedes for third in the 2023 Formula 1 pecking order rather than being sixth-best. And the big problem behind that underperformance won't change for another two seasons

IndyCar

Mark Hughes on de Ferran: Indy star who'd have been formidable in F1

Two-time CART champion and 2003 Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran has died aged 56. Mark Hughes pays tribute to an effervescent driver who'd have been formidable in F1 had he not slipped through the cracks

Formula 1

The F1 colossus newly-knighted Dennis created at McLaren

Ron Dennis is among those to have been recognised on the 2024 New Year honours list with a knighthood. In this extract from a 2021 piece, here's how Mark Hughes characterised the McLaren F1 team Dennis shaped in his vision

Formula 1

Secrets of Red Bull's RB19 with Adrian Newey

The clever DRS manipulation, suspension and subtle chassis changes that took Red Bull's F1 car to a new level, all explained by its design genius Adrian Newey and The Race's Mark Hughes

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Ferrari was misled into a key F1 design flaw

Lofty winter expectations were soon lowered hours into F1 2023's pre-season testing - so where did it all go so wrong for Ferrari this year? Mark Hughes explains + what it did to fix it

Formula 1

Inside McLaren's miracle leap - and what it means for 2024

Mark Hughes explains McLaren's remarkable 2023 turnaround and what it means for 2024

Formula 1

A statement drive that drew a line under years and years wasted

As The Race reflects on the 2023 motorsport season, we've asked our writers to recount their standout motorsport memory or feeling from the past 12 months. Mark Hughes is next up, and has gone for the race that confirmed Fernando Alonso's mid-grid wilderness years were over

Formula 1

'Is it me or the car?' - Mark Hughes' take on a pensive Hamilton

Two win-less years was not what Lewis Hamilton expected at this end of his incredible F1 career. That was clearly weighing on Hamilton when Mark Hughes heard from him in a very candid end-of-season interview

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Red Bull's rivals were spared even bigger humbling

As the Abu Dhabi GP marked the end of the 2023 F1 season, so too some will be hoping it signalled the end of such a one-sided fight at the front. Those in that camp might have faced a grimmer winter though had Max Verstappen and the RB19 been fully unleashed

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Did Norris really blow Abu Dhabi pole position?

Lando Norris's major moment on his final Abu Dhabi GP qualifying lap cost him the chance to improve - and, he felt, a lot more too. Did he really blow his shot at beating Max Verstappen to pole? Mark Hughes looks at the data - and finds the reality is nuanced

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: The few clues offered up by a very odd F1 Friday

The task facing F1 teams on Friday at the Abu Dhabi GP was an unenviable one given two red flags in FP2 meant long runs were at a premium. Mark Hughes looks at what sense - if any - can be made of the times on show

Formula 1

The final batch of 2023 F1 upgrades explained

It might be the final round of a 22-race season but three Formula 1 teams have brought and declared brand-new upgrades for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend