Before the Formula 1 season kicks back into gear at Zandvoort this weekend, we celebrate two birthdays.
The WRC is 50 years old in 2023, so now seemed like the perfect time to put together a special track (stage?!) test. Petter Solberg, the 2003 world champion, and Autosport’s Tom Howard descended on Goodwood for a brilliant day with key cars from the main WRC eras. Solberg tells us what he made of them in our 10-page exclusive.
We also put together a panel of experts to help select the top 10 WRC drivers. As ever, the list is controversial and doubtless no one on the panel agrees with all of the final order, but it highlights some of the greatest talents in motorsport history.
The WRC itself also helps us showcase the championship’s defining moments, while we finish with some key stats from the first half-century of competition.
Silverstone is even older and is celebrating its 75th birthday. We talk to ex-Williams man Dickie Stanford and enthusiastic collector Zak Brown about how they revived Nigel Mansell’s famous 1987 British GP-winning FW11B, and pick out some other great moments that have graced the Northamptonshire venue.
With the help of the British Racing Drivers’ Club and Silverstone Museum, Marcus Simmons charts the key track changes and shows how the fastest lap speeds have evolved since the old airfield became a race circuit shortly after the Second World War.
Finally, Paul Lawrence is your guide to the key attractions for this weekend’s Silverstone Festival (aka Silverstone Classic), which is bound to be one of the highlights of the UK season.
We’ve also got the usual range of reports from the weekend, from DTM and Super Formula to MotoGP, via club events at Silverstone, Oulton Park and Brands Hatch.
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