The Latest Breaking News from Colin Chapman

Plus Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson is spotted among the plebs in economy.

F1 has long been raged with a debate over who the greatest driver in history is and that is something which will continue to happen for as long as the series exists.  

When Mercedes launched its 2023 W14 there were a lot of comments about the return to a black livery. The base colour is that of the naked carbon fibre structure, with no paint applied at all. And the reason? To save weight.

Endurance racing is enjoying a boom period as manufacturers flock to build cars for the new Hypercar class regulations with the aim of winning the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Jim Hurtubise was the man who warned them all. He set a four-lap qualifying average of 149.056mph on the fourth day of time trials for the 1960 Indianapolis 500 – a new record and about 2.5mph faster than Eddie Sachs’s polewinning average from a week earlier. Then he informed anyone…

Jim Hurtubise was the man who warned them all. He set a four-lap qualifying average of 149.056mph on the fourth day of time trials for the 1960 Indianapolis 500 – a new record and about 2.5mph faster than Eddie Sachs's pole-winning average from a week earlier. Then he informed anyone…

In these days of 20-plus race Formula 1 seasons, it’s astonishing that any driving career from the 10-Grands-Prix-per-year era – in Jimmy Clark’s case, only for seven complete seasons – could amass statistics that still stand strong in the F1 history books.

The quiet Scot nevertheless left a lasting legacy, his 25 world championship victories from 72 starts is still enough for 10th on the all-time F1 wins list.

These are the criminals from our region who were locked up over the past seven days