Motorsport.com's most read stories of 2018

25. Why the Haas floor was ruled illegal

Romain Grosjean was stripped of his sixth place finish at the Italian Grand Prix due to a technical infringement concerning his Haas machine's floor. Here we explained exactly what the issue was.

24. Both Toyotas excluded at Silverstone, Rebellion wins

Our most-read WEC story of the year was the shock news that both of the dominant Toyota TS050 Hybrids had been thrown out of August's Silverstone round, handing privateer outfit Rebellion Racing its first overall win in the series.

23. Ricciardo exit ends "very strange" saga - Marko

Daniel Ricciardo's shock switch to Renault was one of the biggest F1 storylines of the season, and Helmut Marko's response to the situation turned out to be the most-clicked on story about the Australian's move.

22. Hamilton reveals his top three F1 rivals

What do Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen have in common, besides all being bona fide F1 aces? They were cited by Lewis Hamilton as his biggest three rivals in the championship today.

21. Ferrari to run new livery from Japanese GP

Ferrari caused a stir ahead of October's Suzuka race by opting to tweak its livery, with long-time sponsor Phillip Morris adding its 'Mission Winnow' branding to the Italian cars from the Japanese GP onwards.

Philip Morris Mission Winnow branding on the Ferrari SF71H

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images

20. Halo saved Leclerc from visor strike in Spa crash

The Halo had its fair share of detractors, and still does, but few could dispute that the device did its job perfectly in Spa, where Charles Leclerc was saved from having his visor struck by the front wing endplate of Fernando Alonso's McLaren.

19. What F1 2019's cars will really look like

Formula 1 chiefs agreed with teams to a raft of aerodynamic changes for 2019 to try to help the racing. Motorsport.com’s technical team analysed the impact of these new rules and explained why they should help cars follow each other better.

18. Kubica agrees 2019 Williams race deal

One of the feel-good stories of 2018 was confirmation that Robert Kubica’s bid to make an F1 race return had been successful – which was broken by Motorsport.com a few days before the official announcement.

17. FIA tells Ferrari to stop using camera cooling bag

Once the FIA was alerted to Ferrari’s camera cooling bag, it made clear that deliberate actions to unnecessarily block the cameras was not going to be tolerated.

16. Superbike star Dan Kneen killed in Isle of Man TT crash

The tragic passing of popular Superbike rider Dan Kneen at this year's Isle of Man TT was our most read story in the road racing world in 2018.

Dan Kneen, Penz13

15. Whiting amused by Hamilton's Ferrari "tricks" comments

Ferrari found itself at the centre of controversy (and an FIA investigation) over its double battery system – with the Maranello team ultimately to be found to be doing nothing wrong. But that didn’t stop some intrigue over remarks that Lewis Hamilton made in the wake of defeat at the Belgian GP.

14. Floersch suffers spinal fracture in Macau crash

Images from Sophia Floersch's terrifying airborne Macau Grand Prix crash left the motorsport world shocked in November. Thankfully, she is recovering well and on course to be back in the cockpit next season.

13. Hamilton’s speed on bikes caused concern, van der Mark reveals 

One of the more unexpected stories of 2018 was F1 champion Lewis Hamilton trying out a Yamaha Superbike at Jerez at the end of November. Here, Michael van der Mark recalls his experiences of sharing the track with him.

12. Former NASCAR Truck driver Rick Crawford arrested in Florida 

Sometime NASCAR Truck race winner Rick Crawford, 60, was in the news for all the wrong reasons this year when he was arrested for “attempted enticement of a minor.”

11. Alonso believes six teams are in "big trouble"

McLaren’s season ultimately disappointed this year but, in Australia, Fernando Alonso was clear that it was not just his team that was facing difficulties early on.

Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL33 spins into the gravel trap after his rear wheel comes off

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images

10. Mystery surrounds Vettel's secret third paddle

Success in Formula 1 is all about marginal gains, and teams will do anything to help performance. Ferrari’s early success this year prompted intrigue about what it had found with a third paddle on Sebastian Vettel’s steering wheel.

9. The factors that saved Floersch’s life 

Following Floersch's awful Macau GP crash, we took a closer look at the factors that could have made the difference between life and death for the German teenager.

8. Ferrari plan to replace Raikkonen with Leclerc back on

Charles Leclerc’s promotion to Ferrari appeared to be off in the wake of Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne’s death this year, but as the weeks passed the mood within Maranello changed, and it became inevitable that he would take Kimi Raikkonen’s spot.

7. Hamilton says F1 would miss Raikkonen as Ferrari exit looms

Kimi Raikkonen’s departure from Ferrari was as disappointing for his rivals as it was for fans, with Lewis Hamilton’s comments on the Finn grabbing attention amid what was then speculation about his future.

6. Lorenzo and Honda agree two-year deal

Our most read MotoGP story of the year was the news that Jorge Lorenzo will partner Marc Marquez at the Repsol Honda team next year, having parted ways with Ducati.

Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images

5. New Ferrari device prompts fresh camera intrigue

F1’s technical battleground is as much about distraction as it is about innovation. One of the more intriguing stories of the year involved a cooling bag that Ferrari fitted over its camera for a few races. The team argued it was to stop electronics overheating; rivals felt it was to block the on board cameras from spying in the cockpit… When the bag was banned, Ferrari trialled a different idea to achieve its goal.

4. Formula 1 2021 concept car image leaked

F1’s managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn had a reality check about the power of social media ahead of the Singapore GP. Giving a speech to fans, he showed them some secret images of what F1 cars could look like in 2021. Seconds later, phones were out, photos were taken and the drawings were flying around the world.

3. Hamilton suffers small crash during Superbike test

The first details of Hamilton's Superbike run at Jerez leaked out before imagery was released into the public domain, including news of a crash - luckily inconsequential - for the Briton.

2. Truex, crew chief and sponsor moving to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019

Rounding out our list are two NASCAR exclusives - the first was the news that Martin Truex Jr, whose Furniture Row team was closing down, was to move across to Joe Gibbs Racing along with his existing crew chief Cole Pearn.

1. Kurt Busch and Monster Energy to leave Stewart-Haas Racing 

Our most read story of 2018 was the news of Kurt Busch and sponsor Monster Energy leaving Stewart-Haas Racing to join Chip Ganassi Racing for 2019, replacing Jamie McMurray.

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Fusion State Haas Automation/Monster Energy

Photo by: Russell LaBounty / NKP / LAT Images