1958 German Grand Prix review for Motor Sport Magazine

Terry Whalebone from Bolton, UK [CC BY 2.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

My latest classic Formula 1 race retro review for Motor Sport Magazine's website has landed. That for the forthcoming German Grand Prix.

I look back at a classic. An incredible Nurburgring comeback win, chasing down the Ferrari pair from a seemingly impossible deficit to prevail. But it's not Juan Manuel Fangio, it's F1's forgotten genius Tony Brooks.

Twelve months on from Fangio's finest hour, Brooks took an about-as-brilliant 1958 German Grand Prix victory in his Vanwall.

You can check out the story via this link: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/tony-brooks-greatest-victory-forgotten-genius-win-1958-german-grand-prix

Which Nations Dominate F1 and WRC?, by Select Car Leasing

We're all familiar with the greats of the sport, but which countries can boast the best record on the track? Select Car Leasing has analysed how many drivers from each country have taken part in F1 and WRC and compared that total to each nation's population size, per every 1 million citizens. The stats revealed some big surprises.

Key Findings

-       The UK loves the track...with the second-best F1 participation rate, behind only Switzerland

-       Just five nations have won a title in both F1 and WRC... which are the UK, Finland, Italy, Spain and France

-       The UK and US represent almost half of the total motorsport participants since 1950... featuring a combined total of 418 drivers

-       The F1 bug hasn't yet reached China and India... Despite a combined population of 2.7 billion citizens, they've had just two F1 drivers

-       Where winter bites WRC is popular... Estonia, Sweden, Norway and Finland lead the line for participation

-       Estonia falling at the final hurdle... despite huge participation, the country is yet to win a professional WRC title

The Make-Up Of A Formula 1 Winner, by Just Tyres

With Formula 1 kicking off there's an audible buzz in the air that's got us wondering about all the cogs in the machine that turns out an F1 champion. So what does it take to be the best?

Just Tyres has analysed 50 years of F1 tournament data to find out what makes an F1 winner. Take a look below to find which countries have the most F1 champions, which teams have won the most races and what the peak age for winning is.


Source: Just Tyres

New Motorsport Week article: Forty years on - how Williams rose to the top

Suyk, Koen / Anefo / neg. stroken, 1945-1989, 2.24.01.05,
item number 930-4115 [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)]

This is a very a special British Grand Prix weekend for Williams. Sir Frank Williams' half-decade as a team boss is being marked, while the race takes place 40 years to the day since Williams took its first ever F1 win, which also was at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.

For Motorsport Week I look back four decades to how the team first rose to the top, which - strange as it may seem several championships later - was rather an unlikely rise at the time.

You can check the tale out here: https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/23644

1965 British Grand Prix review for Motor Sport Magazine

By Eric Koch / Anefo - http://proxy.handle.net/10648/
aab4ce4c-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84, CC0, https:/
/commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66004918

My latest classic F1 race retro review for Motor Sport's website is here. And ahead of the British Grand Prix this weekend I look at the unparalleled Jim Clark winning the 1965 British Grand Prix.

Clark won the British race five times in his career, plus he bestrode the 1965 calendar year more generally. With these, you might assume his Silverstone win was a cruise. But like the man himself, there was much more to this one.

You can have a read of this extraordinary tale here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/jim-clarks-feat-unparalleled-brilliance-1965-british-grand-prix

And as a bonus I also for Motor Sport explored five memorable races from the British Grand Prix's long history. You can check that out here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/glory-guts-and-rain-magic-moments-british-grand-prix

The Evolution Of Silverstone, by Leasing Options

Now that the future of Silverstone as a Formula 1 track has been assured, it’s a perfect time to look back at how the track has changed since 1948.

Leasing Options has created an animation to show all of the many changes that Silverstone has undergone since racing began on the track, explained what the key changes were and listed our top five Silverstone Formula 1 moments.

The evolution of the Silverstone track

Key dates in Silverstone’s history
1948 - The First Grand Prix
The first grand prix at Silverstone took place in 1948, but the course was somewhat different and more terrifying than it is today.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - 2020: Silly Season Begins

Photo: Octane Photography

Only nine races in and the silly season for the 2020 Formula 1 Season has already begun. Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon aside, we think Marcus Ericsson maybe involved in the musical chairs too. In fact, will we lay part of the blame for tyre issues in 2020 on Ericsson too? And poor Pierre Gasly, if he has to go, history has shown a higher probability for the mid-season than the end.

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we also talk about Red Bull Racing's thoughtful training for their junior drivers and IF they are planning a senior driver program too. To help Williams, will Formula 1 introduce a point for the fastest pitstop? And why asking Gasly to 'CTRL + ALT + DEL' might not work. Tune in!

(Season 2019, Episode 26)
Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes, audioBoom (RSS feed) and Google Podcasts for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour

New Motorsport Week article: Why the Austrian Grand Prix provided F1’s salvation

Photo: Octane Photography

"Crisis? What crisis?" One thrilling race later and suddenly modern-spec Formula 1 doesn't seem so bad after all. F1, like drivers, is only as good as its last race it seems.

And yes, it's true that the Austrian Grand Prix did not in fact provide an answer to many of F1's fundamental and familiar ills. But it did hint at some of the solutions.

You can have a read of my take on all of that for Motorsport Week via this link: https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/23511

The F1 British Grand Prix: The most memorable moments from Silverstone

It's almost that time of the year again for the most exciting race in British motorsport, as Formula 1 turns its attentions to the United Kingdom and more specifically, Silverstone. The world-famous and historical track will once again play host to the British Grand Prix on July 14, whereby Lewis Hamilton will be looking for his sixth win on home soil.

By Carlina Xavier from London, England -
It's time for a comeback, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://
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The Stevenage-born driver is arguably one of the finest to represent Britain in F1, and he has often been the focal point of Silverstone's finest moments. 2019's race will be the 55th time that Silverstone has held the British Grand Prix so ahead of the spectacle, let's take a look at some of the most memorable moments from Silverstone.

Hamilton's first win at Silverstone – 2008
There's no better place to start than remembering Lewis Hamilton's first-ever win at Silverstone in 2008, which was the same year he won his first drivers' championship as well. The 23-year-old had endured a difficult qualifying which meant he started in fourth position, but the latter stages of the main race demonstrated what Hamilton was all about. He took a commanding lead early on but the maturity in his driving in such bad conditions was a joy to behold, and he duly crossed the line to a rip-roaring applause from the home faithful. Think he'll do it again this year? British Grand Prix Betting is available right now for the latest and best prices.

How To Find An Auto Lease That Fits Your Budget

An auto lease is an agreement where an individual is given an opportunity to rent a vehicle for an extended period of time. This agreed-upon period of time, in most cases, is between two to five years, after which the vehicle is returned to the initial owner or purchased for a lump sum that is determined at the time of the original agreement.

Photo by alex ringer from FreeImages

An auto lease can be compared in many ways to renting a house. The house doesn't belong to you, rather, it's rented for a specified period of time after which you're expected to vacate it or extend the lease agreement.

Bear in mind that there are penalties that apply if the auto lease terms such as exceeding the predetermined mileage coverage agreement are violated.

With that basic understanding of what an auto lease is, let's look at a few tips to use to find an auto lease that fits within your budget:

1.    Be On The Lookout For Leasing Specials
Leasing specials come into play when the lease formula is adjusted in such a way that enables you to pay lower monthly instalments or get a reduction in costs such as down payment and drive off fees. This way you can be able to lease newer and more luxurious vehicles which you initially wouldn't be able to afford.

A Look At The Range Rover Sport PHEV

SUVs are currently the most popular type of car around which means that car manufacturers tend to take them very seriously. This also means that anything new that is introduced in this segment is done so after careful deliberation and planning which means that any change in SUVs is here to stay. On that vein, the Range Rover Sport PHEV represents a major shift in the mindset of both car manufacturers and the expectations of car consumers. After all, it is a freaking Range Rover powered by a hybrid engine.

Can Range Rovers and hybrid technology even co-exist?

This is the first question that would pop into people's heads when they hear that Range Rover is making a hybrid car. Why is it so shocking? Well, a Range Rover SUV is meant to go pretty much everywhere a car can fit and that means being driven through water and mud and everything in between, that could be difficult for the luxury brands engineers to manage. Powerwise, hybrids do not have any shortcomings but it is the part with the water that can raise eyebrows. Water and electricity do not exactly go hand in hand with each other but Range Rover hasn't gone at this half-cocked. The batteries are enclosed in a waterproof compartment and the Range Rover Sport PHEV will do everything a Range Rover is meant to do.

What the car is all about:

At its very heart, the Range Rover Sport PHEV is a luxury SUV with all the amenities and features you would expect from a premium car with the added benefit of being very economical and environment-friendly. The CO2 emissions are future proof as it is so low that even when stricter emission norms will be introduced, this car would still be acceptable and affordable to run. It can do an amazing 31 miles on just its battery power which is a phenomenal range for a car of its size and weight. Another amazing quality is the ability of this car to touch 85 mph on battery power alone. The sensation of such a big car powering to 85 mph with the characteristic silence of an EV is just otherworldly. The only quirk it has is that when the switch is made from electric to hybrid mode there is a noticeable delay while everything adapts but it is nothing that is earth-shatteringly bad. Overall, this is a very luxurious car that will allow you to drive silently and in an eco-friendly manner in the city and power through A-roads with plenty of grunt and ease.

What it means for the future:

SUVs are never going to be the same again as the Range Rover Sport PHEV is the perfect exhibition of a fully functional hybrid SUV and it is only a matter of time before more affordable hybrid SUVs hit the market. It also means that the day where a fully functional electric SUV becomes mainstream is not that far away and it is not a matter of if but a matter of when that will happen. Cars can rarely pack in so many surprises but the Range Rover Sport PHEV will definitely leave you with plenty of admiration and astonishment.