Five things you might have missed at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
How do you sum up a bonkers Azerbaijan Grand Prix? Its corkscrew plot. Its many incidents. Team-mates coming to blows. Late drama. It had it all
Rush hour
Many tried to sum it up, and ubiquitous Twitter presence and former Caterham F1 driver Giedo van der Garde found the best way to encapsulate it all. Well done Baku indeed.
Well. Done. Baku. pic.twitter.com/8bQ3IizgDT
— Giedo van der Garde (@GvanderGarde) April 29, 2018
Missing Hulk
The race was tough for Nico Hulkenberg. Just like last year in Baku he hit a wall when running fifth and looking good maybe even to end his now-139 race podium drought.
He seemingly couldn't bring himself to face his Renault team afterwards, causing it to send out an appeal for sightings. If the photo's any guide he'll be found browsing one of Baku's high-end boutiques.
Anyone seen our Hulk?
— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) April 29, 2018
He's pretty tall, blonde, wearing black & #yellow overalls and was last seen climbing out of an @F1 car... #RSspirit #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/ZTm0HWmZir
Making the halo viewer-friendly
The new-for-2018 halo has not been a popular introduction to the cars. The cockpit protection device not only is unsightly but we've since discovered it gets in the way of TV's onboard camera shots.
But it seems F1 has learned that - as one high-profile F1 Twitter account put it - if life gives you lemons make lemonade, with some very nifty TV graphics added over the structure.
The man from the Land of Snow ? Looking hot in the Land of Fire! #AzerbaijanGP ?? #VB77 pic.twitter.com/6DpyFFdZ9G
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) April 27, 2018
Give Kevin a chance
Kevin Magnussen has been called F1's next Kimi Raikkonen. Not only on the grounds of his driving talent but also due to his Kimi-esque no nonsense answers to media questions.
In fairness to him not even F1's most engaging and verbose pilot could have waxed lyrical in response to this enquiry. We think.
Kevin Magnussen didn't quite get the gist of this one ?#F1 #AzerbaijanGP ?? pic.twitter.com/CED4dsEwfK
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 26, 2018
The alternative view
Having an F1 drivers' mural may seem inoffensive. Yet the one in Baku was something from your most fevered nightmare.
What is going on is a matter for speculation but among other things Lewis Hamilton has a new ginger team-mate (who is partial to Toblerone) while Fernando Alonso has an interesting choice in recreation.
Still it was good to see Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel's seagull friend from Canada a couple of years back make a reappearance.
Hit or miss? Azerbaijan F1 team-by-team ratings
Motor1.com launches Italian version
Rating the best drivers of the century so far
Autosport's Top 50 feature has been a staple of the magazine for the past two decades since its first appearance in 2002. Here are the drivers that have featured most prevalently during that time
The best motorsport moments of 2021
Motorsport produced one of its greatest years of all-time in 2021 despite a backdrop of ongoing COVID-19 challenges and an ever-changing racing landscape. Through the non-stop action Autosport has collected the finest moments from the past 12 months to highlight the incredible drama and joy motorsport generates
The racing comeback artists who resurrected long-dormant careers
Making it in motorsport can be tough, and sometimes drivers move elsewhere before their best chance arrives. Here are some of those who made it back
The hidden racing gem attracting ex-F1 heroes
It’s rarely mentioned when it comes to assessing the best national contests, but the Brazilian Stock Car series that reaches its climax this weekend has an ever-growing appeal. Its expanding roster of ex-Formula 1 names has helped to draw in new fans, but it's the closeness of competition that keeps them watching
The one-time Schumacher rival rebooting his career Down Under
Joey Mawson made waves in the middle of the last decade, beating future Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher - among other highly-rated talents - to the 2016 German F4 title. A run in F1's feeder GP3 category only caused his career to stall, but now back in Australia Mawson's S5000 title success has set that to rights
The lesson football’s would-be wreckers could learn from racing
OPINION: The greed-driven push for a European Super League that threatened to tear football apart is collapsing at the seams. Motor racing's equivalent, the football-themed Superleague Formula series of 2008-11, was everything that the proposed ESL never could be
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands
The female all-rounder who arrived "too early"
From Formula 3 to truck racing, Dakar and EuroNASCAR via a winning stint in the DTM, there's not much Ellen Lohr hasn't seen in a stellar racing career that highlights the merit in being a generalist. But she believes her career came too early...