For the neutral, that was pretty much the worst-case scenario. Formula 1 kicked off with a Red Bull 1-2 and victor Max Verstappen barely breaking sweat as he beat the field by over 20 seconds. You have to admire his and the team’s abilities but, as a sporting contest, last weekend’s Bahrain GP was distinctly lacking.
So, are there reasons to be cheerful about the campaign ahead? Jake Boxall-Legge and Alex Kalinauckas run you through how circumstances helped Red Bull and why Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are better than they looked on Saturday in this issue. Things could be closer in Saudi Arabia this weekend…
Sadly, the off-track developments at Red Bull seemed to attract more attention. Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing last Wednesday (28 February), only for an incredible sequence of events to keep the saga rolling on over subsequent days. That ongoing struggle leads our international news.
There could be more domination this weekend. Ducati will be tough to beat in Qatar’s MotoGP first round, but all eyes will be on Marc Marquez to see whether he can return to the top following his departure from Honda. Lewis Duncan is your guide in our season preview.
Joey Barnes speaks to Romain Grosjean about his chances with Juncos Hollinger Racing as part of our IndyCar preview, and also picks out the key stories to watch in 2024.
A change in the status quo did happen in Qatar last weekend. After dominating the World Endurance Championship in 2023, Toyota struggled in the season opener. Gary Watkins was there to see Porsche set the pace in both Hypercar and the new LMGT3 category.
On the eve of International Women’s Day, we also speak to Indy NXT racer Jamie Chadwick and Motorsport UK about its push to get more women into motorsport.
Jonny Adam joining the Blackthorn Aston Martin squad for his latest British GT attack headlines the National news pages, with F1 tester Jess Hawkins also confirmed as racing a Vantage GT3 for Beechdean in the series. Meanwhile, Stefan Mackley is put through his paces as Autosport samples the shootout assessments for the Dragon Sport Scholarship, where drivers competed for a funded Britcar Trophy drive.
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