Read an extract from a new biography of Niki Lauda, describing how his decision to quit F1 for good in 1985 prompted another fall-out with McLaren team principal Ron Dennis.
F1 history articles archive
F1 History
Hakkinen leads McLaren one-two as Coulthard races on after plane crash
2000 Spanish Grand Prix flashback
Posted onMika Hakkinen cut Michael Schumacher’s points lead by winning the Spanish Grand Prix 20 years ago today, while David Coulthard rebounded after a fatal plane crash.
Analysis: Is Hamilton’s driving as spotless as Allison claims?
2020 F1 season
Posted onMercedes technical director James Allison says Lewis Hamilton has an “utterly unblemished” record. Does an analysis of his 250 F1 races support that claim?
What could Ayrton Senna have achieved at Williams in 1992?
F1 history
Posted onAyrton Senna’s former manager revealed the three-times champion nearly joined Williams two years early, in 1992. What could he have achieved in Nigel Mansell’s all-conquering FW14B?
Senna turned down contract to drive for Williams in 1992 ‘out of loyalty to Honda’
F1 history
Posted onAyrton Senna was persuaded by Honda to turn down a contract to drive for Williams in 1992 shortly before the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of Formula 1.
Coulthard stops Schumacher’s winning run amid Silverstone’s April showers
2000 British Grand Prix flashback
Posted onMichael Schumacher’s pursuit of his first championship with Ferrari suffered a setback 20 years ago today following a resurgent performance by McLaren at Silverstone.
Kubica was wrong to allege favouritism at BMW – Heidfeld
F1 history
Posted onNick Heidfeld says Robert Kubica was wrong to allege BMW gave him preferential treatment when the pair were team mates.
How (not) to negotiate a contract with Bernie Ecclestone
F1 history
Posted onTwo of Bernie Ecclestone’s former drivers reveal what it was like to go up against the biggest piranha in the tank when negotiating their contracts.
“We knew we’d got something special” – Senna’s mechanic on his first win, 35 years ago today
F1 history
Posted onFormer Lotus mechanic Chris Dinnage described how the team knew Ayrton Senna was special when he won his first F1 race with them on this day 35 years ago.
The last time a track held two Formula 1 races in the same year
F1 history
Posted onSome F1 tracks could hold two or more races this year, something which hasn’t happened since the days of non-championship races, which ended in 1983.
Watch Norris’s passing masterclass at the Red Bull Ring
It's Not Race Week
Posted onIt’s Not Race Week presents another great race video you might have missed. This week: Lando Norris in a three-way fight for victory at the Red Bull Ring.
“We had wheelspin in fourth gear”: How to drive the most powerful F1 car ever
F1 history
Posted onHow does it feel to drive an F1 car with 1,400 horsepower? Marc Surer relives his experience of BMW’s extreme mid-eighties turbo engine.
Watch Verstappen out-drive a stellar F3 field at Imola
It's Not Race Week
Posted onOur new series It’s Not Race Week highlights great races you might have missed. In our first instalment, Max Verstappen’s superb drive against a stellar F3 field at Imola.
Sir Stirling Moss, 1929-2020
F1 history
Posted onSir Stirling Moss, who has died at the age of 90, was far more than just ‘the greatest driver never to win the world championship’, the label most often applied to him.
My F1 Cars: How Karun Chandhok went from the ridiculous to the sublime
F1 history
Posted onThe F1 cars he raced weren’t up to much, but Karun Chandhok has driven some of the sport’s greatest cars since, and reveals some surprising facts about them.
Strategic superiority extends Schumacher’s winning streak
2000 San Marino Grand Prix flashback
Posted onMichael Schumacher extended his championship lead after coming from behind to beat Mika Hakkinen at Imola 20 years ago today.
Pictures: When F1 put one foot in the Algarve
Pictures
Posted onPortugal’s Algarve track has been given a licence to hold F1 races. Why hasn’t the sport returned in over a decade, and could it ever go back?
My F1 Cars: Perry McCarthy on Andrea Moda and more
F1 history
Posted onIn the first of a new series Perry McCarthy, who had the misfortune to drive for one of the worst teams F1 has ever seen, talks us through his career in cars.
Schumacher doubles up as McLaren fail to score again
2000 Brazilian Grand Prix flashback
Posted onMichael Schumacher’s pursuit of his first world championship as a Ferrari driver took another step forward 20 years ago today in Brazil, while McLaren were stung by a disqualification.
Hamilton and Alonso were ‘F1’s best driver pairing ever’
F1 history
Posted onMcLaren’s 2007 driver pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso was the best the sport has ever seen, former driver Pedro de la Rosa has said.