Matt Beer

Formula 1

What Alonso's 'painful' expectations tell us about his mood

The contrast between Fernando Alonso's incessant delight in his honeymoon phase at Aston Martin and the simmering rage of his final months at Alpine was absolute. On paper, his comments after a miserable US GP Friday read like a case of 'honeymoon over'

Formula 1

Letdown or misleading? Haas's biggest day of F1 2023

Haas's biggest upgrade of its 2023 Formula 1 season didn't exactly sparkle on debut. But was that misleading of its true benefit or evidence of a development misstep?

MotoGP

Why Zarco took so long to win on MotoGP's best bike

More than six years after bursting onto the scene in head-turning fashion, Johann Zarco is a MotoGP race winner. Given he's had the Ducati at his disposal for some time, what's stopped him from winning on it until now?

MotoGP

'Completely crazy' - Martin's ruinous gamble explained

Jorge Martin freely admits he made a costly mistake with his tyre selection for the Australian GP - a gamble which clearly shocked some of his MotoGP rivals

MotoGP

Martin dominates Australian GP qualifying but Bagnaia escapes Q1

Jorge Martin broke MotoGP's Phillip Island lap record to take an all-important pole position for his 2023 title hopes

Formula 1

Ricciardo's biggest challenge might be the shadow of Lawson

After his injury, Daniel Ricciardo needs another period of grace in his F1 comeback, doesn't he? Perhaps, but his stand-in while he was injured has at the very least denied Ricciardo the chance to use rustiness as an excuse for underperformance

Formula 1

Perez dismisses F1 retirement 'easy route' - so what's his plan?

Sergio Perez says he "doesn't even think about retirement" and is only focused about getting "back to my best level". But as his F1 slump continues, there's an ever-looming question he may soon have to answer

Formula 1

Ricciardo's return comes at the worst time for Perez

Daniel Ricciardo's return from injury comes just as Sergio Perez's performances in the F1-dominating Red Bull look as shaky as ever

Formula 1

FIA 'revisiting' Hamilton's Qatar track crossing punishment

The FIA has announced it is "revisiting the incident in which Lewis Hamilton crossed a live track during the Qatar Grand Prix" following his first-lap clash with Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate George Russell

Formula 1

Ben Sulayem escalates pressure on F1 to let Andretti in

Now the FIA has approved Andretti, would Mohammed Ben Sulayem step back from the contentious new teams issue while F1 conducted its part of the process and came to its own conclusion about whether Andretti should get a grid slot? It was never likely

Formula 1

Piastri wins first F1 race in Qatar sprint while Verstappen takes title

Oscar Piastri won his first race in Formula 1 after triumphing in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race while second place allowed Max Verstappen to clinch the 2023 title with six grands prix to spare

Formula 1

Lawson's last big F1 chance to make a 2024 case

Daniel Ricciardo will miss this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix as he continues to recover from the hand injury he sustained in the Netherlands just over a month ago, giving Liam Lawson one last chance to impress in the AlphaTauri Formula 1 car before what is currently set to be a year on the sidelines

Formula 1

Dominant Verstappen win gives Red Bull sixth constructors' title

Max Verstappen took Red Bull to the 2023 F1 constructors' championship title with six races to spare, bringing himself to the brink of the drivers' title too by dominating the Japanese GP

Formula 1

Everything that happened in Verstappen-dominated Suzuka FP1

Max Verstappen was on an instant mission to put his and Red Bull's Singapore Grand Prix defeat behind them as he dominated opening practice for this weekend's Formula 1 race in Japan

Formula 1

Video: Red Bull’s abrupt plunge from unbeatable to ‘undriveable’

It looked like it would take high drama or bizarre events for Red Bull to be defeated in the 2023 Formula 1 season. Instead it simply wasn’t very competitive at the Singapore Grand Prix

Formula 1

Podcast: How Sainz ensured Ferrari was first to topple Red Bull

Mercedes and McLaren were in contention when Red Bull slumped at the Singapore Grand Prix, but Carlos Sainz made sure it was Ferrari that halted the champion team’s 2023 Formula 1 win streak. The Race F1 Podcast looks at how and the many other Singapore storylines

Formula 1

F1 Tech Show: Why FIA’s latest wing clampdown matters

Flexible bodywork may technically be outlawed in Formula 1, but teams are still drawn to exploiting ‘aeroelasticity’ where they can. That’s why there’s another FIA crackdown coming

Formula 1

The problem with F1 officials’ favourite penalty

F1 stewards seem to default to five-second penalties these days – which leaves the system vulnerable to being gamed

MotoGP

Martin sees off banged-up Ducati peers for Misano MotoGP pole

Jorge Martin’s record-breaking lap led a Ducati 1-2-3 in MotoGP qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano

Formula 1

Marko issues apology for ‘offensive remark’ about Perez

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has issued an apology for what he’s acknowledged was an “offensive remark” directed at the firm’s Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez in the aftermath of the Italian Grand Prix

Formula 1

Podcast: The long-term shape of the F1 driver market

With Lewis Hamilton committing to Mercedes for longer but Sergio Perez expressing doubts about his Red Bull future, there’s a lot going on in the Formula 1 driver market for The Race F1 Podcast to debate

Formula 1

Wolff explains why he finds Verstappen’s win record ‘irrelevant’

Toto Wolff wasn’t especially animated about Max Verstappen setting a new consecutive grand prix wins record – he thinks that statistic’s never carried much weight. That dismissal is perhaps unsurprising given the Mercedes/Red Bull relationship, but that doesn’t mean the achievement doesn’t matter

Formula 1

Our verdict on Ferrari’s heroic but futile Monza victory bid

The Italian Grand Prix was Ferrari’s best race of the 2023 Formula 1 season, even though it still ended in a clear defeat to Red Bull. Should it be encouraged, or was this a deceptive performance?

Formula 1

Sainz beats Verstappen to deliver dream Ferrari pole at Monza

Carlos Sainz lived up to his Italian Grand Prix practice promise to put Ferrari on pole at Monza

MotoGP

All you need to know about second Red Bull Ring MotoGP practice

Marco Bezzecchi narrowly led Maverick Vinales in second practice for MotoGP’s Austrian Grand Prix, as Aprilia followed up its British GP win by getting among expected pacesetters Ducati and KTM at the Red Bull Ring

Formula 1

Massa reportedly begins legal action over 2008 F1 title loss

Felipe Massa appears to be pushing ahead with legal action against Formula 1 and the FIA over the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and its impact on his world championship defeat to Lewis Hamilton. Does he have a case?

MotoGP

Honda’s MotoGP season so bad Mir seriously considered retiring

Joan Mir’s admission that his first Repsol Honda season has been so bad he considered retiring from MotoGP at the age of 25 is yet more evidence of how far the team has fallen

Formula 1

Bring Back V10s: How Mansell conquered IndyCar

Nigel Mansell coming into what was then the CART Indycar World Series as reigning Formula 1 champion and winning the title at the first attempt in 1993 was one of the most extraordinary stories of 1990s motorsport. Bring Back V10s takes an American detour to celebrate it

Formula 1

Might Renault just pull the plug on Alpine’s F1 ‘project’?

All is clearly not well at the Alpine Formula 1 team given the massive team management clearout just before the summer break. Might parent company Renault just be tempted to cut its losses?

NASCAR

What happened to Button and Kobayashi in latest NASCAR race

Formula 1 veterans Jenson Button and Kamui Kobayashi both had bruising midfield runs as they joined part of the NASCAR Cup Series’ latest influx of international guest stars at the championship’s Indianapolis road course round

Formula 1

Red Bull’s newest world champion is right to ignore F1

Jake Dennis’s route to becoming Formula E champion was one that benefitted from a willingness not to sacrifice it all in pursuit of a Formula 1 drive. And that’s exactly why, even with Red Bull ties and Andretti as a prospective entrant, he won’t chase it now either

Formula 1

Piastri’s rise is uncharted territory for Norris – and a threat

There’s more and more evidence that in Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris has a McLaren Formula 1 team-mate who could actually topple him for the first time

MotoGP

How can Silverstone solve its MotoGP problems? Our verdicts

Silverstone’s MotoGP crowd improved for 2023, but not by enough – despite the circuit’s best efforts to boost its two-wheeled British Grand Prix. Three members of The Race Media team who attended the event give their takes on their experience and what Silverstone – or, perhaps more importantly, Moto

IndyCar

Podcast: Grosjean fights back, Kirkwood and a debutant star

Kyle Kirkwood’s second win of the year, Romain Grosjean’s on-track response to his team boss’s criticism and an interview with debut star Linus Lundqvist all feature in this week’s The Race IndyCar Podcast

MotoGP

MotoGP Podcast: Honda’s risk of a 2024 rider and team exodus

With Marc Marquez, Alex Rins, Joan Mir and LCR all linked with moves (and Taka Nakagami’s future not exactly certain), who’ll actually be left riding Honda’s in the 2024 MotoGP season?

Formula 1

Verstappen overcomes grid penalty to win Belgian GP

Red Bull heads into Formula 1’s 2023 summer break unbeaten and having secured its first 1-2 in three months thanks to Max Verstappen coming from sixth on the grid to win the Belgian Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez

Formula 1

Why a usual Spa F1 underdog rocketship has been grounded

Alex Albon and Williams expected to star at Spa, and with good reason. Here’s why they haven’t so far

Formula 1

Belgian GP starting grid after penalties including Verstappen’s

A gearbox change for Max Verstappen and Red Bull means the Belgian GP grid will be the first of the 2023 Formula 1 season where the fastest qualifier has lost pole to a penalty. But have grid drops changed the Spa starting order?

Formula 1

Hamilton ‘ruined’ Perez’s race – But did it deserve a penalty?

There was Red Bull vs Mercedes sniping after the Belgian Grand Prix F1 sprint, following contact between Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez that earned Hamilton a penalty. Did the incident merit that? Here’s all sides of the debate

Formula 1

Szafnauer out amid exodus of Alpine F1 management

The Alpine Formula 1 team has dramatically parted with a group of senior employees including team principal Otmar Szafnauer