Sebastian Vettel described de Vries’s sacking as “brutal”, and it’s hard not to feel sorry for the Dutchman. Ten races for AlphaTauri is not really enough, particularly as the AT04 is far from the team’s best.
On the other hand, it’s nice to see Ricciardo back on the grid. The Australian’s time at McLaren did not do his talent justice and, if he really has rediscovered his mojo, we’ll again be able to enjoy watching a proven grand prix winner.
The move has kicked off much intrigue in the F1 driver market. Sergio Perez’s recent struggles at Red Bull raise the possibility that maybe Ricciardo could end up as Max Verstappen’s team-mate, a position he gave up at the end of 2018.
Alex Kalinauckas takes a look at what has to happen for Ricciardo to return to a Red Bull race seat, and also ponders where Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll could end up.
He also picks out the drivers who are struggling most against their team-mates and who need to improve their performances in the second half of the season.
One of Britain’s best racers outside F1 now looks set to take the Formula E crown. Jake Dennis will head to the London finale later this month with a healthy lead following a fine performance in Rome, the scene of a major accident and an error by title rival Mitch Evans that also took out championship contender Nick Cassidy.
Stefan Mackley was there to see the drama unfold – and hear from the drivers about the changes they think need to be made to the circuit.
Alex Palou is in an even more dominant position in the IndyCar standings than Dennis is in Formula E but the Ganassi star had to play second fiddle to Christian Lundgaard in Toronto. Charles Bradley reports on how Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver scored his first series win last weekend.
Vettel was arguably the star of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, entertaining the crowds with both an ex-Ayrton Senna McLaren and ex-Nigel Mansell Williams. We pick out the highlights in our six-page review, while Stephen Lickorish charts the highs and lows from British F4’s first 250 races.
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