Mark Hughes

Formula 1

Aston Martin’s initial verdict on its last big 2022 F1 upgrade

Aston Martin has taken an unusual approach to its 2022 Formula 1 development programme, but what it suggests will be its last big upgrade of the year has arrived

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Mark Hughes: Is Mercedes making it a three-way British GP fight?

F1 has been waiting on Mercedes to join its fellow top teams out front in 2022 – and at Silverstone that possibility looks closer than ever

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Significant Mercedes F1 package among British GP upgrades

Eight of the 10 Formula 1 teams have brought upgrades to the British Grand Prix, as revealed in the latest ‘show and tell’

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Mark Hughes: Verstappen’s masterful defeat of faster Ferrari

There were a lot of ‘what ifs’ for Ferrari in the Canadian Grand Prix. Mark Hughes assesses the chances Carlos Sainz had to win it, and how Max Verstappen and Red Bull made sure he didn’t

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Mark Hughes: A corner-by-corner look at Alonso’s terrific lap

Fernando Alonso went up against the better traction of the Red Bull and the Ferrari in Canada – and his brilliance picked off one of them

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Mark Hughes: The caveat to Verstappen’s Montreal superiority

Max Verstappen looked dominant on Friday at the Canadian Grand Prix. But his superiority might not have been all it seems as Mark Hughes explains

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FIA’s new F1 bouncing limit won’t apply at Canadian GP

The FIA’s new technical directive concerning the vertical acceleration of Formula 1 cars will not be applied this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix, with the Montreal race just being used for data gathering instead

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What upgrades have F1 teams brought to the Canadian GP?

The list of Formula 1 teams’ Canadian Grand Prix upgrades isn’t huge, but it includes some significant contenders

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Mark Hughes: Why it wasn’t Perez who capitalised on Ferrari woe

Sergio Perez was again the faster Red Bull driver in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix build-up and blitzed the early laps after grabbing the lead. But in the end he was comfortably beaten by team-mate Max Verstappen. Mark Hughes looks at why, and how the race might have panned out had the Ferraris continue

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Mark Hughes: Ferrari may not be as vulnerable as Red Bull hopes

Does Ferrari’s Baku set-up leave it too exposed to Red Bull race day attacks? Or does Red Bull’s risk its tyres too much? Mark Hughes looks at what the title rivals’ technical differences mean for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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Mercedes ‘experiments going wrong’ for Hamilton versus Russell

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has attributed Lewis Hamilton’s run of qualifying defeats to team-mate George Russell to “experiments going wrong” on Hamilton’s side of the garage

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Mark Hughes: How Red Bull and Ferrari compare in Baku

A typically Baku day of choices left Ferrari and Red Bull trying different things but ending up separated by very little as Mark Hughes explains in his Friday analysis

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Red Bull and Ferrari F1 upgrades among Azerbaijan GP updates

After an expectedly stagnant Monaco Grand Prix, Formula 1’s development race has fired back into life at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with the majority of teams bringing new parts for the Baku weekend

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Mark Hughes: Snubbing Andretti would show F1 hasn’t learned

If Formula 1 really is holding the door open for an indecisive automotive brand while simultaneously having a bouncer bar the way for Michael Andretti’s independent team to enter, it stinks

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Mark Hughes: All the reasons Ferrari lost the Monaco GP

Ferrari had the faster car at the Monaco Grand Prix and multiple chances to turn that into victory even as the weather randomised the race. Mark Hughes explains how Red Bull wrong-footed it

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Mark Hughes: The legendary lap Leclerc didn’t need to finish

Charles Leclerc was denied the chance to add a legendary pole lap to the Monaco Grand Prix history books, but his rivals faltering meant it didn’t make a difference, as Mark Hughes explains

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Mark Hughes: Why Ferrari has a clear advantage in Monaco

Ferrari’s 2022 Formula 1 car has a characteristic that’s giving it a crucial edge over Red Bull around Monaco, as Mark Hughes explains in his full analysis of the Friday practice pace

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The Monaco-specific updates F1 teams have made

Most of the Formula 1 car changes this weekend are Monaco-specific because of its unique, slow-speed nature where downforce is at a premium and the efficiency of that downforce – ie how much drag it induces – is relatively unimportant

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Mark Hughes: Ferrari rescued its weekend then lost anyway

Friday went from a troubled Friday to looking certain for Spanish Grand Prix victory before Charles Leclerc’s engine problem. Mark Hughes looks at that turnaround and what Mercedes might’ve achieved had Lewis Hamilton had a clean race

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Rivals suspect Verstappen had pre-race fuel temperature drama

Rival F1 teams suspect Max Verstappen was at risk of having over-cooled fuel before the start of the Spanish GP, but the FIA says it was within the legal window at all times once the car left the garage

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Mark Hughes: Why trademark Leclerc approach was risky but right

Charles Leclerc’s all-or-nothing approach to Formula 1 qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix was risky but necessary as Mark Hughes explains

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Mark Hughes: The signs Mercedes’ F1 recovery is real this time

Mercedes was mystified when it set the pace in practice in Miami – correctly so, as its speed thereafter proved. But it has reason to be confident its closer to Red Bull and Ferrari after a strong Friday showing at Barcelona

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Huge McLaren package headlines first big 2022 F1 upgrades

A massive suite of new parts for McLaren is the stand-out entry in the declaration of F1 teams’ updates ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix

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Mark Hughes: The urgent cost cap debate looming over F1 2022

The big Formula 1 teams are pushing for the cost cap limit to be increased to accommodate for inflation caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mark Hughes explains more

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What stopped Perez dealing Ferrari another Miami F1 blow

The late-race Miami Grand Prix safety car should have provided Sergio Perez with a chance to further dent Ferrari’s Formula 1 championship leads, so why didn’t he take it?

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Mark Hughes: The Red Bull edge that decided Miami victory

The Miami Grand Prix proved that the 2022 Red Bull Formula 1 car is formidable, when it works. And even on a fraught weekend, it had a key advantage that enabled Max Verstappen to defeat Charles Leclerc again

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Mark Hughes: Why Mercedes tumbled back again in Miami

Mercedes’ practice-topping Friday performance at the Miami Grand Prix proved a false dawn. Mark Hughes explains why the team fell back again, and why it won’t give up on the concept that seems to be causing its problems

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Dispelling the myth of the ‘wild’ Gilles Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve is too often remembered as a string of spectacular snapshots – wheel-banging moments, sideways slides and passionate drives. But Mark Hughes argues for the cerebral, nuanced side of Villeneuve’s game that should’ve made him a multiple world champion

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Mark Hughes: Is Mercedes really back on the pace in Miami?

Was Mercedes fastest in Miami Grand Prix Friday practice because its upgrades worked? Or because the circuit suited it? Or was it just not indicative of anything much at all? Here’s Mark Hughes’ take

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Mercedes changes headline F1 teams’ Miami upgrades

The FIA has issued its list of the upgrades Formula 1 teams are bringing for the Miami Grand Prix, and as expected the most eye-catching element is what Mercedes is doing. Mark Hughes runs through what’s new in the pitlane

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Mark Hughes: How Red Bull changed the F1 2022 picture at Imola

Up to Imola, Red Bull had trailed Ferrari for both pace and consistency. Was the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix form reversal down to Red Bull’s upgrades or other factors?

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Mark Hughes: What decided latest Verstappen/Leclerc duel

The battle for victory in Formula 1’s Imola sprint hinged on one marginal factor. But while it made the race and gave it a fitting climax, some felt that it also hindered overtaking opportunities

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Brawn doubts validity of Russell’s F1 sprint race criticism

Mercedes driver George Russell sees shortcomings in Formula 1’s sprint format after an Imola sprint that “felt processional” – but F1 sporting director Ross Brawn believes Russell’s comments should be taken with a pinch of salt due to his team’s struggles

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Mark Hughes: Why Mercedes fell so low in Imola qualifying

The root of Mercedes’ disastrous Imola qualifying was a compounding set of problems, all of them routed in the Mercedes W13’s inability to defer its porpoising to a competitively high speed

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What upgrades have F1 teams brought to Imola?

Formula 1 teams have declared their Emilia Romagna Grand Prix updates as part of the new ‘show and tell’ format introduced for the 2022 season. Mark Hughes runs through the new parts and what they’re each intended to achieve

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Mark Hughes: What happens next will define Sainz’s F1 career

Regardless of his tough start to 2022, Carlos Sainz is an ideal long-term signing for Ferrari. But for Sainz’s own F1 career, two very different outcomes are possible from here

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Mark Hughes: How Russell and Hamilton really compare so far

Mercedes’ issues early in the 2022 Formula 1 season are such that its focus won’t be on how Lewis Hamilton and George Russell compare right now, but the numbers are intriguing – even if caveats make it tough to be definitive

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A £1.50 part and a strategy misstep – Alonso’s lost weekend

The failure of a part that’s estimated to be worth about £1.50 and a (with hindsight) incorrect strategy squandered Alonso’s chance of a shock result in Melbourne

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Mark Hughes: Why Red Bull looked so meagre in Australian GP

Even before Max Verstappen’s costly exit, Red Bull looked the odd one out in Melbourne compared to the previous races

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McLaren’s leap is ‘80%’ unrelated to its F1 car

McLaren’s sudden performance leap is “80%” down to the Australian Grand Prix track layout, reckons Lando Norris, rather than a major improvement by the Formula 1 team