Mark Hughes

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: The real Imola favourite amid Red Bull's struggles

Max Verstappen and Red Bull had a genuinely troubled Friday at Imola. And despite the headline times looking good for Ferrari, it's McLaren with most reason for confidence

Formula 1

Imola F1 tech: Extensive Ferrari changes + other major upgrades

F1 teams have headed to the first European round of the 2024 season armed with a host of upgrades for the Emilia Romagna GP. Mark Hughes runs through the pick of the new parts being introduced at Imola

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Where Norris + McLaren's devastating pace came from

Lando Norris needed a few variables to come into play in the Miami GP, but once they fell his way he applied a vice-like grip to claim his first F1 win. Mark Hughes looks at why the upgraded McLaren swung back into its window to give Norris an edge Max Verstappen called "insane"

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: The Miami paradox unsettling even Verstappen

The harder Formula 1 drivers pushed in Miami qualifying sessions, the slower they seemed to go. Mark Hughes explains what's going on

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why Norris's pole pace completely disappeared

Lando Norris in the heavily-upgraded McLaren in Miami Grand Prix sprint qualifying: P1 in SQ1. P1 in SQ2. P9 when it mattered in SQ3. Why?

Formula 1

Big packages for McLaren and Mercedes among Miami F1 upgrades

The Miami Grand Prix marks the end of the first quarter of the 2024 Formula 1 season, and it's here where McLaren and Mercedes have decided to bring their most significant upgrades yet.

Formula 1

Ferrari pushing hard for Newey with early 2025 move possible

Ferrari is understood to be working hard to secure the services of Adrian Newey for when the outgoing Red Bull F1 technical chief becomes available in early 2025

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Who's really behind Red Bull's dominant F1 cars?

As Adrian Newey's departure from Red Bull has come into view, so too has the question of how involved he's been in the generation of cars that have dominated F1's current ground effect era. Mark Hughes explains why that's a simplistic question without a black and white answer

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Newey's Red Bull decision is purely personal

Red Bull is a team that is still being shaken to its foundations more than 18 months on from Dietrich Mateschitz's passing. Just how destabilising, then, would it be if it lost F1's greatest technical mind? Mark Hughes considers that amid speculation of Adrian Newey's desire to leave

Formula 1

Newey to leave Red Bull? Shock exit talk explained

Formula 1 design legend Adrian Newey could depart Red Bull with speculation rife he wants to leave and potentially make a sensational move to a rival team

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Superb Norris stunned Ferrari - and McLaren

Max Verstappen's Chinese Grand Prix dominance proved no surprise, but who followed him - via a superbly managed race - certainly was. Mark Hughes explains why and what made the difference

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What keeps skewing F1 pecking order in China

Behind the Red Bull front row, the Chinese Grand Prix grid order is slightly unusual. Mark Hughes explains why

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What's behind McLaren's outstanding China F1 pace

But for an issue on Oscar Piastri's car, McLaren may well have ended up with a 1-2 in qualifying for the Chinese GP sprint race. As it happened, it was still 1.3s faster than the next-best thing around a wet Shanghai F1 track. Mark Hughes explains where that advantage has come from

Formula 1

Two major packages among F1 teams' Chinese GP upgrades

Two midfield Formula 1 teams have significant upgrade packages for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, while three others have adjustments around the cockpit area

Formula 1

Ted Toleman obituary - Mark Hughes on Ayrton Senna's first F1 boss

The story of Ted Toleman, the petrol-headed businessman turned Senna's first F1 team boss, powerboat racer, Le Mans entrant and Dakar Rally competitor who has passed away aged 86

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Suzuka's overshadowed F1 thriller explained

Everything in the Japanese GP was secondary to Max Verstappen's dominance - but those secondary parts were both intricate and enthralling

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: The breakthrough Mercedes' Suzuka deficit hides

Lewis Hamilton was confused as to where he lost half a second to Red Bull. Mark Hughes analyses his lap to reveal the answer - and the positive signs surrounding it

Formula 1

Red Bull F1 upgrade headlines Japanese GP changes

Eight of the 10 Formula 1 teams have declared upgrades for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. Mark Hughes details the changes:

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: How Sainz fits into the Red Bull power struggle

Nearly a decade on from his stint as Max Verstappen's Toro Rosso team-mate, Carlos Sainz again finds himself playing a role in a powerplay between the Verstappen clan and the rest of Red Bull

Formula 1

Alonso to Red Bull? Mark Hughes' take on Alonso's 2025 stance

As the 2025 Formula 1 driver market keeps twisting, Fernando Alonso is believed to be angling for an opening at Red Bull. Mark Hughes looks at how Alonso is playing the silly season game

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Ferrari had Red Bull pace in Australia

Max Verstappen's brake failure meant Carlos Sainz and Ferrari effectively 'ran unopposed' in the Australian GP - but how much of a threat to Red Bull were they otherwise?

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Where Ferrari lost its Red Bull-beating pace

Ferrari did have Red Bull-beating pace for qualifying at least. But it got lost along the way, with both drivers. Mark Hughes explains how in his post-qualifying analysis

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Ferrari's opportunity as Red Bull plays catch-up

Max Verstappen's deficit to Charles Leclerc in FP2 at F1's Australian GP shouldn't be taken as representative. Neither should his or team-mate Sergio Perez's long runs. But there is a lot of catching up for Red Bull to do - so can Ferrari strike?

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What doomed F1 to a dull Saudi Arabian GP

It was hard for anyone to make much of a difference in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. And that wasn't just because Red Bull was so dominant

Formula 1

Mark Hughes on where Hamilton's Saudi Arabian GP is going wrong

Lewis Hamilton has been second-best Mercedes driver throughout the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend so far. Mark Hughes looks at what's going wrong for him

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Where there's hope for Red Bull's rivals in Jeddah

Taking the long-run averages from Saudi Arabian GP practice at face value shows Red Bull with an even bigger advantage than it enjoyed in the 2024 F1 season opener in Bahrain. But that's not quite the full picture - none of its closest rivals did comparable programmes

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: This is the beginning of the end of Red Bull domination

Whatever happens from here, this version of Red Bull - steered by Christian Horner and made complete by the enormous talent of Max Verstappen - is approaching its end

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What exaggerated Verstappen's brutal advantage

For the second year running Max Verstappen led home a dominant Red Bull 1-2 in Bahrain, but will 2024 really be a re-run of last year? It appears there's some genuine optimism that it won't be...

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Did Red Bull spook Ferrari out of Bahrain pole?

Although it may seem that it was pre-ordained that Max Verstappen and Red Bull would open the new season with yet another pole, actually this was probably a pole lost by Ferrari and Charles Leclerc. Did Red Bull confidence play a part in Ferrari losing the pole?

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Who was actually fastest as F1 2024 began for real

Mercedes fastest, and Max Verstappen down in sixth? The end-of-day order as the Bahrain GP weekend (and 2024 F1 season) kicked off wasn't as expected. Mark Hughes looks into the likely reasons behind that and what was more conclusively offered by the long-run data

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: How Ferrari really stacks up vs Red Bull after testing

Ferrari ended up topping most of pre-season Formula 1 testing. But how does its pace really compare to Red Bull? Here's what Mark Hughes reckons

Formula 1

Ferrari's suspiciously good race sim is keeping F1 2024 intrigue alive

The Red Bull RB20 is the slam dunk consensus pick as F1 2024's initial fastest car - but a race simulation by Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari SF-24 suggests the season is far from over

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: What Verstappen's dominant test pace really means

Max Verstappen and Red Bull were fastest for the overwhelming majority of the first 2024 Formula 1 pre-season test day and ended it over a second clear of the opposition. But just how much can we read into that?

Formula 1

New Red Bull's surprising Mercedes resemblance explained

Has Red Bull really taken inspiration from its old rival Mercedes' winless 2023 design for its 2024 Formula 1 car?

Formula 1

What makes 2024 Ferrari a risky outlier vs F1 rivals

Ferrari’s "completely revamped" 2024 Formula 1 car has stayed the same in one area that leaves Ferrari as a clear outlier compared to its main rivals

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Alonso is Mercedes' Plan B to replace Hamilton

Why is Fernando Alonso yet to sign an extension with an Aston Martin F1 team that's keen to keep him? Mark Hughes explains...

Formula 1

Red Bull can use Verstappen to settle RB driver question

Red Bull needs to have a handle on the level Daniel Ricciardo and, to a lesser extent, Yuki Tsunoda are operating at, in part with the 2025 F1 season in mind. Its two-team set-up gives it a definitive way of finding out how strong its second line-up is

Formula 1

Horner investigation unlikely to conclude before Red Bull launch

The investigation into the complaint lodged against Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner by an employee is not expected to conclude before the launch of the team’s new car next week

Formula 1

Mark Hughes: Why F1 teams are obsessed with dull 2024 liveries

If Formula 1's 2024 launch season has a theme so far, it’s not so much some new technical innovations but the lack of something: colour. Mark Hughes explains why and ponders how F1 could fix it

Formula 1

Mark Hughes' theory for why Mercedes lost Hamilton

Just how did Mercedes let Lewis Hamilton slip away to Ferrari? After hearing from Toto Wolff, Mark Hughes has a theory