Mark Hughes

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: How Alpine snatched its face-saving result

A first Pierre Gasly podium for Alpine – albeit in the Spa F1 sprint – could not have been better timed for a beleaguered team that had just announced a trio of high-profile exits. Mark Hughes explains how it was done

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Verstappen, Red Bull and Piastri thrive at Spa

Max Verstappen’s Belgian Grand Prix qualifying pace superiority – at a track where the Red Bull can really stretch its legs – was huge. But McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri showed similar hints of greatness

Formula 1

Mercedes package headlines Belgian GP upgrades

All but one of Formula 1’s 10 outfits have declared some developmental parts coming into the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps – and while many are specifically tailored towards Spa’s lower-drag demands and cooler temperatures, some are more general evolutions

Formula 1

Russell has ‘a bit of fear’ over F1’s Spa undercard grid size

Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell admits he “fears a little bit” for junior categories below F1 racing with grids that he perceives as too numerous

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Red Bull-Mercedes pace reversal was so drastic

The margin with which Max Verstappen won the Hungarian Grand Prix was enormous, even by the estimations of rivals who’d feared Red Bull’s pace. Mark Hughes explains why the RB19 was so potent in race trim

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What’s brought Hamilton and Verstappen back on par

It’s suddenly 2021 all over again – Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes vs Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Mark Hughes explains why Mercedes is faster and Red Bull is slower this weekend

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: The reality beneath crazy Hungary Friday times

Forget the headline times from Friday practice for Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Mark Hughes explains why they were so wildly jumbled, and answers the questions they raise, such as: is Red Bull actually slow?

Formula 1

Red Bull sidepod change heads the list of Hungary F1 upgrades

Given Red Bull has more limited development opportunity than all its Formula 1 rivals – and less need to actually upgrade its dominant 2023 car – any major changes on the champion team’s design are always attention-grabbing

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What Red Bull will want from Ricciardo vs Tsunoda

Daniel Ricciardo’s mission is to prove he’s a better bet for Red Bull than Sergio Perez. But first he’ll be compared to Yuki Tsunoda. Mark Hughes gives his take on what Red Bull will want to see

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Ricciardo gave up the seat he so badly wants now

Five years on from his fateful decision to leave Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo will give it his all just to restore that status quo

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why British GP jumbled the 2023 F1 pack so much

Aston Martin anonymous, Ferrari slumping, McLaren suddenly on the pace and Mercedes middling but on the podium. Mark Hughes explains why the chasing pack behind Max Verstappen was so shaken up at Silverstone

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: How McLaren beat cars it was no match for before

Not long ago, McLaren wouldn’t even have harboured hopes of being in the same fight as the like of Ferrari or Mercedes. But that was the case in Austria last weekend, and its Saturday performance at Silverstone suggests it’ll be the there again in the British GP

Formula 1

Inside Red Bull’s F1 bid for Ferrari-like total control

Red Bull Powertrains has been the subject of “scaremongering”, in Christian Horner’s words, amid debate about the suitability of the 2026 Formula 1 engine rules. Mark Hughes was among a group to get an inside look at the project

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Decoding British GP’s practice pace surprises

Williams and Mercedes were F1’s two biggest eyebrow-raisers – in contrasting ways – during British GP’s Friday practice

Formula 1

All the British GP upgrades as nine F1 teams bring new parts

Nine of the 10 Formula 1 teams have new parts for the British Grand Prix. While some are high-speed package tweaks just for Silverstone, others could be game-changing in some of the grid’s tightest battles

Formula 1

Red Bull finding 2026 engine issues as it’s ‘ahead of schedule’

Max Verstappen and Christian Horner have added context to their reservations about the 2026 Formula 1 engine regulations – with Horner suggesting Red Bull Powertrains being “well advanced” means it is discovering issues before its rivals

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why upgraded rivals still can’t touch Red Bull

Red Bull says it’s barely developed its 2023 Formula 1 car all season. Its main rivals are throwing plenty of upgrades at theirs. So why is Red Bull still so far ahead? Here’s Mark Hughes’ assessment

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Sprint dilemma doomed some – and saved others

For the top five in the Austrian GP sprint, there was no real need to pit for slicks even in the face of drying conditions. But those behind had no such stress-free luxury. Mark Hughes looks at who benefitted and who lost out from the late-race gambles

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Austria track limits farce has escalated

The regular Austrian Grand Prix qualifying track limits mess has become much, much worse in 2023. Why? And how much did it define Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc’s pole battle?

Formula 1

Ferrari and McLaren headline F1 teams’ Austrian GP upgrades

Part one of the three-part upgrade McLaren hopes will change its 2023 Formula 1 season and another big package from Ferrari are the headlines of teams’ Austrian Grand Prix upgrades

Formula 1

How FIA’s trying to close an F1 team ‘side project’ loophole

Formula 1 teams’ non-F1 engineering projects have always felt like a potential cost cap minefield. Mark Hughes explains a new FIA effort to tackle that

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Red Bull’s margin really was smaller in Canada

No, Max Verstappen wasn’t just cruising this time – Aston Martin and Mercedes were definitely closer to Red Bull at the Canadian Grand Prix. But have they made progress or did Red Bull have a ‘bad’ weekend?

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Tying Senna for wins rewards Verstappen’s patience

Max Verstappen’s Canadian Grand Prix victory – his 41st in Formula 1 – puts him level with Ayrton Senna’s tally. And while F1 wins are just numbers, they’re a real mark of the payback Verstappen has earned with his patient F1 career choices

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Verstappen was so comfortable amid the chaos

The crazy environment created by a wet Montreal qualifying provided a real challenge to every driver and team – but there are reasons why some emerge on top while others falter. Mark Hughes explains six key factors behind a successful wet qualifying performance

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Ferrari has most reason for optimism in Canada

Mercedes was fastest on a very strange Canadian Grand Prix Friday, but the Formula 1 team that really looks in much better shape in Montreal is Ferrari

Formula 1

Big Aston Martin changes head Canadian GP upgrade list

A major Aston Martin AMR23 revision and a one-side-of-the-garage Williams FW45 upgrade are the big-ticket F1 development items in Canada

Formula 1

‘You’re not doing that’ – Verstappen denied Nordschleife F1 run

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen says he wanted to join Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in driving an F1 car around the Nordschleife but was blocked by Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Mercedes’ breakthrough result may be deceptive

Mercedes looked like it was back on the right course in Formula 1 with its Spanish Grand Prix performance. But its battle with Aston Martin and Ferrari may well have been skewed by elements specific to the Barcelona weekend

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Where McLaren’s sudden top-three pace came from

McLaren’s only been the seventh-best car in Formula 1 qualifying so far this season, but Lando Norris starts third for the Spanish Grand Prix. Mark Hughes explains how that performance was possible, and why it’s not to do with McLaren’s upgrades

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Red Bull is humbling its upgraded rivals

Its rivals have brought upgrades to the Spanish Grand Prix but Red Bull – and Max Verstappen – look as comfortable as ever as Mark Hughes explains in his Friday analysis

Formula 1

Spain F1 upgrades: Red Bull ‘copies’ rival, big Ferrari changes

Ferrari’s changes headline the list of upgrades announced by Formula 1 teams ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, but a slightly cheeky remark by Red Bull about a change it’s made has caught the eye as well

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Jeopardy everywhere – but Verstappen never faltered

Proper pressure in qualifying, a tyre offset in the race, the looming threat of rain – plus an unbeaten Red Bull record on the line. None of those could stop Max Verstappen in the Monaco Grand Prix

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What Red Bull overcame for toughest 2023 pole yet

Another 2023 F1 pole for Red Bull but, as it predicted, it was a close-run thing. The need for the RB19 to surrender peak performance made for a Q3 showdown where provisional pole ebbed and flowed – with a suitably climactic end

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Monaco Grand Prix upset hopes rest on Leclerc

For all that the Monaco Grand Prix may represent the best chances of the 2023 Formula 1 season so far for Ferrari or Aston Martin to beat the so-far invincible Red Bull, Friday practice indicated that is still going to be a formidable task

Formula 1

What Mercedes (and others) have disclosed about Monaco upgrades

All 10 Formula 1 teams have declared updates to their cars for the Monaco Grand Prix – some circuit-specific and some useful for the rest of 2023

Formula 1

What Mercedes upgrades show us – and what’s still hidden

Mercedes may only have revealed a limited amount of its big 2023 Formula 1 car upgrade so far at the Monaco Grand Prix, but the scale of change is already clear

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Monaco’s undone F1’s best before. Is Red Bull next?

Red Bull’s start to the 2023 F1 season has been so dominant that the question of whether it can go all year without defeat is being asked. But the Monaco GP is next up and has been fatal to such hopes in the past – with two pertinent examples for Red Bull to heed

Formula 1

Why Mercedes has got F1’s current era so wrong so far

Mark Hughes explains why Mercedes was caught wrong-footed with a concept it hoped would be not just a winner but utterly dominant

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What made Verstappen’s comeback win a formality

Max Verstappen had a decent margin over the opposition throughout the Miami Grand Prix weekend. And the repercussions of his qualifying problems probably made his victory even more inevitable

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: The confusion within Mercedes’ biggest deficit yet

After the promise of opening practice, the Miami GP weekend has been a sobering one since for Mercedes. Mark Hughes explains some of the contributors to Mercedes’ biggest deficit of 2023 so far – as well as how the team doesn’t fully understand the flaws