As expected, normal service was resumed at Suzuka, with Verstappen scoring his 13th win of the season and clinching Red Bull’s second consecutive constructors’ crown, putting it just one behind Lotus in the all-time list. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for enjoying the performance of a great driver in a brilliant car around a proper circuit.
As Jake Boxall-Legge shows in part of our in-depth race coverage, Verstappen wasn’t the only star of the show last weekend. Lando Norris was brilliant for McLaren, while his team-mate Oscar Piastri – surely a race winner and title contender in the making – scored his first GP podium.
Verstappen’s crushing Suzuka performance was reminiscent of some of the drives Michael Schumacher put in there. This week we look back at the team with which he scored his first two world titles: Benetton. Experienced journalist and former Autosport staffer Damien Smith has just finished a book on the sometimes controversial squad, having spoken to the key players. We run an extract and get Smith to pick out his top 10 Benetton F1 drivers.
It’s not too difficult to pick out the star performers in the British Touring Car Championship this year. Ash Sutton, Tom Ingram and Jake Hill all had rollercoaster rides at Silverstone last weekend but each showed their class. Marcus Simmons was there to see the drama unfold and the title race boil down to Sutton vs Ingram.
The IndyCar crown emphatically went to Alex Palou in 2023. Charles Bradley charts the on and off-track drama and ranks the leading competitors in our season review.
Our 16-page National section covers all the news and action from the weekend’s UK events, from Silverstone’s TOCA supports to the British Hillclimb finale at Loton Park, while the demise of tyre wars and the NASCAR challenge at Le Mans are part of our latest free 28-page Engineering supplement.
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