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Gary Anderson: How F1's 'privateers' really fared in 2019
F1's Class B battle has really come into its own in recent seasons and the unofficial 'best of the rest' category often provides as much excitement if not more than there is at the front.
Some people will be upset by me calling Formula 1's other six teams 'privateers', but they don't have the budgets, the head count or the works status to challenge the big teams. McLaren is probably the only one that we can look to straddle that divide, but in 2019 it was firmly in the 'privateer championship'.
Considering I've grouped Renault into the works teams, realistically ninth place on any given weekend should be a 'win' for these outfits. In reality, seventh was, given Renault's pace, so that's what I'm using as the maximum. So for a given weekend, 10 points plus one for fastest lap is the maximum the midfielders could score.
Can Red Bull really win anywhere now it’s toppled a Mercedes F1 stronghold?
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The IndyCar feature that Paul Ricard desperately needs in F1
The French Grand Prix offered a surprisingly interesting spectacle, despite the headache-inducing nature of the circuit. But IndyCar's Road America race offered far more in terms of action - and the increased jeopardy at the Elkhart Lake venue might be something Paul Ricard needs in future...
French Grand Prix driver ratings
The French GP was a weekend decided by tiny margins both at the front of the field, as Red Bull inflicted a comeback defeat on Mercedes, and in the battle for the minor points places. That's reflected in our driver ratings, where several drivers came close to a maximum score
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The French GP has been a stronghold for Mercedes since Paul Ricard's return to the calendar in 2018. But that all changed on Sunday, as a clever two-stop strategy guided Red Bull's Max Verstappen to make a race-winning pass on the penultimate lap - for once leaving Mercedes to experience the pain of late defeat it has so often inflicted on Red Bull
The Mercedes lap that puts F1 victory fight back on a knife-edge
Red Bull led the way after the first two practice sessions for the 2021 French Grand Prix, but only just ahead of Mercedes. There was all the usual practice skulduggery complicating the performance picture, but one aspect seen at the world champion squad gave it a ‘surprise’ lift, as it looks to leave its street-circuit struggles firmly in the past.
How Ferrari got its F1 recovery plan working
After its worst campaign in 40 years, the famous Italian team had to bounce back in 2021 – and it appears to be delivering. Although it concedes the pole positions in Monaco and Baku paint a somewhat misleading picture of its competitiveness, the team is heading into the 2022 rules revamp on much stronger footing to go for wins again
The joy that exposes F1’s key weakness
Long-awaited wins for ex-Formula 1 drivers Marcus Ericsson and Kevin Magnussen in IndyCar and IMSA last weekend gave F1 a reminder of what it is missing. But with the new rules aimed at levelling the playing field, there’s renewed optimism that more drivers can have a rewarding result when their day of days comes
The F1 figures Red Bull and Mercedes can't afford to see again
OPINION: An interloper squad got amongst the title contenders during Formula 1’s street-circuit mini-break, where Red Bull left with the points lead in both championships. But, as the campaign heads back to purpose-built venues once again, how the drivers of the two top teams compare in one crucial area will be a major factor in deciding which squad stays in or retakes the top spot
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