How Perez defeated Max Verstappen to win last weekend’s race is explained by Jake Boxall-Legge’s report in this week’s Autosport magazine, out today (4 May). And whether the Mexican can really provide a genuine championship threat to his illustrious Dutch Red Bull team-mate is tackled by Alex Kalinauckas.
It’s hard to see Perez beating Verstappen over a 23-race season and it should be remembered that he has strong history at Jeddah and Baku – the two circuits he has won at so far in 2023 – but he is also the closest thing Verstappen currently has to a challenger thanks to the RB19’s pace.
Another dominant team was given something to think about last weekend. Toyota finished 1-2 as the World Endurance Championship visited Spa but, as Gary Watkins reports, the pace of Ferrari at the high-speed venue suggests the Japanese team might have to work hard to record a sixth consecutive Le Mans victory next month.
That’s a positive, but the negative is the controversy as several cars suffered big crashes in the Belgian cold. Watkins argues the 2023 ban on tyre warmers needs to be lifted before the 24 Hours.
Not ready to join in the big one just yet, even though it has an eligible car in the family, is Toyota’s rival Honda. Its Acura brand has become a force in American IMSA racing, while Honda itself continues to battle Chevrolet in IndyCar. Charles Bradley went behind the scenes to find out more – and to see if he could persuade them to head to France sooner rather than later…
Honda-powered Romain Grosjean narrowly missed out on his first IndyCar victory at Barber last weekend, thanks to a superb drive from Penske’s Scott McLaughlin. David Malsher-Lopez reports on how the duel unfolded.
Sebastian Vettel’s return to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and some former Super Touring stars heading to a special Brands Hatch event lead our 15-page National section covering this week’s UK developments.
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