Red Bull’s F1 fightback was always likely to come sooner rather than later, but it was unfortunate for Ferrari and its fans that the blue team’s first 1-2 for six years should arrive on Italian soil last weekend.
As Matt Kew shows in our GP analysis, Red Bull had a small but significant edge at Imola, and a few Ferrari slips – most notably Leclerc’s first big mistake of the year – made it an emphatic success.
We also delve into what the race says about Leclerc’s strengths and weaknesses, while Alex Kalinauckas focuses on Mercedes – and how George Russell so impressively got the upper hand over his seven-time world champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Jake Boxall-Legge explains the tweaks that both Red Bull and Mercedes took to Italy, though it is Ferrari that will now need to come up with upgrades as F1 prepares for the new Miami GP next month.
It was a busy weekend on the international stage, with FIA Formula 2, F3, Porsche Supercup and MotoGP all included in our World of Sport section.
The World Rally Championship has already thrown up some epic contests this season and Rally Croatia was no exception. Tom Howard shows how Kalle Rovanpera shocked even his own Toyota team to defeat a late charge from Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.
An equally exciting (possibly!) hybrid-powered championship contest kicked off at Donington Park last weekend. The new British Touring Car era got going with some close racing, intra-team fighting and three different winners. Marcus Simmons was there to bring all the insights and arguments from the paddock.
The BTCC support categories also provided some great action and Stephen Lickorish’s reports are part of another bumper 18-page National section, which also covers the British Rally Championship opener and first round of the British Hillclimb Championship.
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