Getting to the top of F1 can take a long time. The size of modern teams and the nature of the rules mean changes in the competitive order come along more rarely than they used to.
The much-vaunted new rules should go some way to addressing that over the coming seasons, but it’s likely that the leading teams will remain at the front, even if they have to work harder for wins and titles.
Ferrari and McLaren are the most likely candidates when it comes to selecting those with the best chance of challenging Red Bull and Mercedes. We will look at Ferrari in the next issue (3 February), but this week the spotlight is on McLaren.
The legendary team’s recovery since it finished ninth in the 2017 constructors’ table has been impressive. Making the final step to title contender is the hardest, but the team knows what it needs to do – and is making changes to strengthen its hand. Award winning journalist Luke Smith hears from the key players, including supremo Zak Brown, in our in-depth cover piece.
Top 10: McLaren Formula 1 drivers ranked
Another famous name returned to the top last weekend. Sebastien Loeb should be in any fan’s list of the greatest rally drivers of all time and, at the age of 47, the Frenchman scored his record 80th WRC victory in an epic Monte Carlo Rally.
His fight with Sebastien Ogier was a reminder of the contest we’ve seen too little of over the past decade – and was a fine way to kick off the Rally1 era. Tom Howard was there to witness the brilliant battle and to speak to the main contenders.
The Formula E season gets under way in Saudi Arabia this weekend. Matt Kew looks at Stoffel Vandoorne’s chances of ending Mercedes’ time in the championship on top, and Jake Boxall-Legge picks out the other big storylines.
Gary Watkins talks to the top British drivers in with a chance of winning this weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours, while Stephen Lickorish delves into how Porsche picks its Junior drivers in our National section.
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