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Lewis Hamilton feels Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team are back “where they belong” after locking at the front row at the 2024 British Grand Prix.

Despite qualifying behind his teammate for the tenth time in twelve races this season, Hamilton was delighted with the qualifying result at Silverstone as he lines up on the front row for the first time this season, along side his fellow compatriot and Mercedes teammate, George Russell. 

Mercedes took victory last time, but it could be considered fortuitous after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris took each other out of the reckoning for the win with contact at Turn 3 of the Red Bull Ring. This time though, the result was deserved and it evidenced their improving pace as they look for a return to the front.

Speaking to F1TV after the session, Hamilton said: “It’s incredible. George [Russell, Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate] so I’m incredibly happy for him but to have the team one-two is where we belong, I would say. It’s where the team belongs and I couldn’t be happier for everybody.

“Honestly, [the pace] is a real surprise to us. I think we all felt that we’re just a little bit down on downforce performance but I think somehow today just the aero efficiency just ended up being a little bit stronger. 

George Russell was delighted after securing pole position at the 2024 British Grand Prix, ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team’s first 1-2 in qualifying since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Russell came into the weekend having never qualified within the top five at his home race, but after winning last time out in Austria, confidence has never been higher for the Kings-Lynn born driver. As ever at Silverstone, weather played it’s part in the running and during Q1, Russell nearly found himself out in qualifying, only getting through because of his final run.

Hamilton set the pace on the second set of laps in Q3, taking provisional pole, but as has been the case most of the season, Russell piped the seven-time world champion to take his second pole position of the season.

Speaking to F1TV, Russell said: “It feels incredible, I’m really lost for words, we couldn’t have dream of this at the start of the year. 

“It was such a difficult session, Q1 I was almost out, in Q2 I was almost knocked out. There was so much pressure going into Q3, I haven’t felt like this in a long time, in terms of my nerves but as soon as I started the lap I thought it was going to be a good lap, and both were really great. 

George Russell took an excellent pole position on Saturday at the 2024 British Grand Prix, leading a 1-2-3 of Briton’s with Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Lando Norris in third.

It was an excellent day at Silverstone for the British fans, but it wasn’t a great day for Oracle Red Bull Racing, Sergio Pérez will start on the last row while damage to Max Verstappen’s car meant he could only qualify fourth for Sunday’s grand prix. 

Nico Hülkenberg was a standout performer, while British born driver Alex Albon also qualified within the top ten.

Q1 – Wet to Dry conditions catch Sergio Pérez out as pressures intensifies on the Mexican

Q1 got underway with mixed weather conditions around the track. Despite not rain, the track was still wet at the start of the first qualifying session with gray clouds surrounding the circuit. Valtteri Bottas reported that a dry line was appearing on his out-lap, indicating the conditions were changing.

Friday saw the first two hours of Free Practice for the 2024 British Grand Prix, with the teams preparing for what will be another close weekend up and down the paddock.

McLaren F1 Team’s Lando Norris topped both sessions, beginning his home Grand Prix in good form. It was a mixed day for the other Briton’s in the paddock, George Russell was fifth in Free Practice One, but could only manage tenth in the second session, while Lewis Hamilton was outside the top five in both sessions.

It was an encouraging day for McLaren, as they seem quicker than Oracle Red Bull Racing, although Max Verstappen didn’t make the most of his qualifying simulation during Free Practice Two and ended up behind Sergio Pérez.

Free Practice One – Norris tops, bad start for Tsunoda

Norris set the fastest lap in Free Practice One for his home Grand Prix, with Lance Stroll and teammate Oscar Piastri following closely behind.

Russell was the first car on the track, fresh off the back of his 2024 Austrian Grand Prix victory that will certainly inject some confidence into both Russell and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team for this weekend’s race. All eyes were on the rookies selected for Free Practice One, with four teams choosing to put them into their cars. Ollie Bearman took part in his first Free Practice session since it was revealed he would be on the Formula 1 grid in 2025, while Red Bull ran Isack Hadjar in place of Pérez, Franco Colapinto replaced Logan Sargeant for Williams Racing and Jack Doohan stood in for Pierre Gasly, who will be starting from the back of the grid on race day due to engine penalties, for BWT Alpine F1 Team.

As their name suggests, the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) serves as one of the United States Army‘s five active duty special forces divisions. In late June, they had a slightly different special operation when they ascended to the summit of Pikes Peak to deliver the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb‘s checkered flag.

Jeff Hartsough, a senior non-commissioned officer who dabbles in hillclimbing, led a convoy of military machinery like Flyer 72s and Polaris MRZRs to the mountain summit to present the flag to race officials. Although officially just a pre-race procession, it doubles as additional practice for the 10th as well as data collecting for the vehicle manufacturers; Polaris maintains a successful off-road division, while Flyer Defense frequently collaborates with the 5th Special Forces Group to race light strike vehicles at the Mint 400.

“We’re not just here to have fun, we’re actually training,” Command Sergeant Major Kevin Dorsh told the PPIHC broadcast. “We’re actually getting some good data for that. We have some reps. They’re with those vehicles, they’re going to pull the data, be able to pull that back, ultimately make the force better.”

10th Group, nicknamed “The Originals”, is headquartered at Fort Carson just outside Colorado Springs. Most of their operations take place in Europe under the United States European Command (EUCOM), with emphasis on regions like Germany and the Baltics, though they have also been deployed to the Middle East. Members of the 10th stationed in Europe currently help train Ukrainian special forces to defend against the Russian invasion.

Dorsh, who has been with the 10th since 2002, saw parallels between his group and the PPIHC organisers.

Masanao Nitta‘s Toyota Hilux is a bit different from others in rally raid, featuring a bodywork that is made using natural fibres instead of carbon fibre or other elements. After finishing third in 2023, he will run it back and enter the 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally with Kenta Satonaka as his co-driver. They will race under the Würth Power 135 TRD Hilux banner.

Nitta and Satonaka finished tenth overall in the 2023 AXCR, one of ten Hiluxes entered. The year before, Nitta’s first AXCR with the Hilux, he had Tsutomu Matsui as his navigator en route to a twentieth outright and fourteenth in the T1D category; Satonaka and Araki Etoh finished directly behind them in twenty-first to win the T2G(A) class. The Hilux received an award from race organisers in 2022 for its use of natural fibres, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions during the vehicle manufacturing process.

The truck was built by Toyota Racing Development in 2018 for competition in Australia’s Finke Desert Race with fellow Japanese driver Tadamitsu Niihori. After retiring on début, Niihori won the Extreme 4WD class in 2019. Once Nitta acquired the Hilux, he and TRD began making heavy modifications, the most notable being to replace the body with a natural-fibre frame produced by Bcomp.

“Based on last year’s positive experience, we have confidence in the natural fibres and have applied a new charcoal-coloured version this year,” said Nitta. “Additionally, Würth’s high-performance chemical products are essential for this cross-country rally. The AXCR 2024 will again be a long-distance rally with extreme road conditions, so car maintenance and care by the TRD crew will be key. The team will work together to reach this goal with Würth Power 135 TRD Hilux.”

Besides its skin, the Hilux has also received performance upgrades with the suspension and engine. TRD’s Katsutoshi Kashimura, the project leader, stated the team “overhauled this vehicle 120%, and I am confident that it will demonstrate its enhanced performance and ideally finish higher than last year.”

Patrick O’Donovan will finally get his shot in an Extreme E race weekend when he enters the Hydro X Prix with Legacy Motor Club. The 20-year-old with team up with Gray Leadbetter, who is one year younger than him, to comprise the youngest driver duo in the series.

O’Donovan currently works as a Championship Driver for the series, meaning he assists in testing the course and is on standby should a male driver be unavailable at the last minute. He first filled the role last July ahead of the Island X Prix.

“I feel like I know the car really well having been Championship Driver for quite some time, and hope to show what I’ve learned when we get back on track in Scotland,” said O’Donovan. “I’m really looking forward to mixing it with the best out on track. Legacy MC showed huge potential at the first event in Saudi Arabia and alongside Gray we will look to build on that at the Hydro X Prix. To race for Jimmie Johnson is an incredible feeling.”

He mainly competes in rallycross, where he has proven to be one of the discipline’s rising stars as the twice reigning British Rallycross Champion. O’Donovan won twice in the 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship’s RX2e category en route to a fourth in points, then moved up to the premier RX1e class at the 2023 season finale in Hong Kong where he notched a third-place finish in the second race. He also dabbled in Nitrocross at the last race of the 2023/24 season.

A NASCAR Cup Series outfit, Legacy Motor Club was classified sixth in both race days during their début weekend at the Desert X Prix in February, with seconds in the two Redemption Races. Leadbetter, a Championship Off-Road regular, partnered with the great Travis Pastrana for that round. Johnson, seven-time Cup champion and co-owner, is scheduled to take over the ride starting with the Island X Prix doubleheader in September.

Valtteri Bottas is unfazed by the lack of clarity over his Formula 1 future, claiming it’s just part of the sport.

The 10-time race winner isn’t too concerned by his undecided future, and told the media ahead of the 2024 British Grand Prix that it’s too early to be worried about not being part of the 2025 F1 grid.

He said: “It’s actually exciting, I mean, it’s part of the sport and we’re actually still in July. I’ve been in situations before that I’ve had to wait until September or October. So, I think we’re still in a decent situation. If you would ask me in October, if we’re in this situation, then it may be starting to get frustrating, but in July, not really.”

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and as they prepare to become Audi in 2026, it’s unlikely that Bottas will stay with the team beyond this season with Nico Hülkenberg already confirmed and the team targeting the likes of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Liam Lawson according to the media.

Bottas joined Sauber in 2022 after a fruitful spell with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team came to an end, where he was teammates with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. During his time with the Silver Arrows, he won 10 races and finished runner-up in the World Drivers Championship twice, in 2019 and 2020. 

Rumours have once again been circulating about the future of Daniel Ricciardo, with a potential move to Williams Racing on the cards, according to F1 presenter Will Buxton.

Ricciardo’s future with the Oracle Red Bull Racing family is uncertain. The Australian was brought back to put pressure on Sergio Pérez and earn a promotion back to the main team but after a difficult start to 2024, he was unable to do so and Red Bull put their faith in Pérez, handing the Mexican an extension. Dr. Helmut Marko has also been mounting the pressure on Ricciardo, claiming that Liam Lawson is ready to replace him at Visa Cash App RB.

Ricciardo has been in good form over the past few races, beating Yuki Tsunoda in Montreal, Barcelona and Spielberg, while also scoring points in two of these race weekends. If the 35-year-old stays in this sort of form, he may not have to worry about his future with RB, although Marko has come out and made a case for RB being a junior team and needing young drivers to develop.

Buxton has claimed on F1TV that Ricciardo is in conversations with Williams to partner Alex Albon in 2025: “His entire future [is] on the line right now,” he told F1TV. “There is much talk that he will be out of this seat after the summer break.

“There is talk that he may be in negotiations with Williams for their second seat next year alongside Alex Albon. Williams, as we understand, are sick of waiting for Carlos Sainz to make his mind up on where he wants to go next year and may close that door off for him.”

Daniel Ricciardo has defended his former teammate Max Verstappen after his coming together with Lando Norris towards the end of the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo spent two and a half years alongside Verstappen at Oracle Red Bull Racing and the pair raced closely during that time and even famously came together at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Despite a few incidents during their time as teammates, the pair remain close friends with lots of mutual respect for each other. 

Verstappen has always been known for his no-nonsense driving style, but there has been times where it’s crossed the line, especially in the 2021 title fight with Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen has avoided any controversial incidents until recently, when he came together with Norris in a fight for the lead of the Austrian Grand Prix, which was ultimately seen as the Dutchman’s fault by the stewards – handing Verstappen a 10 second time penalty.

Ricciardo has defended his former teammate speaking to the media at Silverstone, claiming that it wasn’t dangerous: “You’re fighting for a win so you’re not just going to wave someone by. I think the contact can happen probably nine times out of 10 with no consequence.”

“They’d been going back and forth, maybe the angle was a bit awkward, Lando ended the race. I think the outcome was probably bigger than what was actually happening on track. What I saw at least, nothing seemed over the top. Was it pushing the edge? Probably. But was anything dangerous or reckless? At least from what I’ve seen, no.

Ollie Bearman has been confirmed on the 2025 Formula 1 grid, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team have confirmed, ahead of the 2024 British Grand Prix.

Rumours had been circulated for some time that Bearman was set to join Haas, who needed a replacement for the departing Nico Hulkenberg, who makes the move to Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber in 2025.

Bearman made a surprise debut in F1 earlier in the year, stepping in for Carlos Sainz Jr. and finishing seventh for Scuderia Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Briton’s excellent performance only increased the expectation of a race seat in 2025, and as Ferrari junior, a move to Haas makes perfect sense. The 19-year-old has six Free Practice One sessions scheduled with the American team this season, and will take part in the first session at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

“It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula 1,” said Ayao Komatsu, team principal of Haas. 

“He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 

Before it makes its competition début, the new Ford Raptor T1+ will be showcased at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed. Reigning Dakar Rally winner and new Ford factory driver Carlos Sainz will be in attendance to both present the vehicle and drive it in the Hillclimb stage.

Sainz, who previously raced for Ford in the World Rally Championship, joined their rally raid division in May following the shutdown of Team Audi Sport. He scored his fourth Dakar Rally victory in Audi’s final race before they shuttered due to a lack of parts to contest the full World Rally-Raid Championship. Before signing with Ford, he did a one-off in the W2RC’s BP Ultimate Rally-Raid with Mini and finished fourth.

Ford Performance opened their rally raid arm in collaboration with South African Rally-Raid Championship powerhouse Neil Woolridge Motorsport and WRC team M-Sport. Nani Roma and Gareth Woolridge débuted the team with the Ford Ranger T1+ in 2023, peaking with a third in the W2RC’s season-ending Rallye du Maroc by Roma, before they struggled at the Dakar in January due to a double stage retirement midway. Nevertheless, each driver showed pace with top-ten stage finishes as high as ninth courtesy of Roma on Stage #11 and seventh from Woolridge the next and final day.

NWM continued the Ranger T1+ programme independently after Dakar, while Ford Performance and M-Sport are focusing on developing their own model with the Raptor. Roma, a Spaniard like Sainz, will race the Raptor as well.

Besides the Raptor, Ford will also bring the Ford Mustang GTD and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb-contending SuperVan 4.2 to Goodwood. M-Sport’s Ford Puma Rally1 WRC challenger is expected as well.

After forty years, the Gotland Grand National has found a new home in the socken of Hejdeby. The bid to host the race in October still needs to be formally approved by the County Administrative Council, though organiser Nordic Sports & Entertainment expects them to sign off as other parties, including the Swedish Armed Forces, have done the same.

The world’s largest enduro race took place at the Tofta shooting range, primarily used for tanks and other military vehicles, from the inaugural edition in 1984 to 2023. When NSE attempted to renew their lease beyond 2023, the military denied it as they needed the area to train troops regularly. This came on the heels of Sweden’s increasing defence spending amidst the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, while the country recently joined NATO in March.

The island of Gotland was demilitarised in 2005, but units returned a decade later following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Gotland is situated at the centre of the Baltic Sea, with Sweden to its west and friendly Baltic states eastward but also the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad—a warm-water home for the Baltic Fleet—to the south. Last month, American and Polish troops joined their Swedish allies on Gotland for NATO’s annual BALTOPS exercsie.

With Tofta unavailable but the economic benefits of such a massive event for Gotland obvious, NSE hoped to find a different location on the island and turned to Hejdeby. The socken (basically Sweden’s version of a county) is situated more inland than Tofta.

The County Administrative Board ruled in March that a delimitation consultation was required to ensure racing in Hejdeby would not endanger the ecosystem. NSE conducted one in May with the help of the Gotland Museum, engineering firm Sweco, and environmental experts Mikael Norén and Nils Ryrholm. The Swedish Armed Forces, government agencies like the Swedish Transport Administration, Police, and Forestry Agency, and island entities such as the Gotland Energy Board and Gotland Botanical Society were also approached for input. In early June, the company and Sweco co-produced a 265-page Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to outline the course and effects on the surrounding area.

The organizer of Rally Greece and the WRC Promoter have signed a new contract with a two-year extension and will be featured in the FIA World Rally Championship until 2027.

The current contract would be valid until next year but the two parties have now agreed to extend it and then the rally is expected to return to its traditional June date like it was back in the old days. The decision is still under subject to World Motor Sport Council approval.

The event made a comeback to the WRC calendar in 2021 after nearly a eight-year hiatus. In recent years, the rally has been held in September, but now it will return to early summer. the rally which is more known as the Acropolis Rally, was part of the inaugural WRC season in 1973 and was featured in the rally calendars all the way to 2013.

The 2024 EKO Acropolis Rally will be held between 5-8 September in the city of Lamia and will include legendary stages such as Tarzan and Thiva, marking the rally’s last appearance as an autumn event.

“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, this rally is a cornerstone of our championship and a favorite among our global fanbase and competitors alike. None of this would be possible without the support from Prime Minister Mitsotakis since day one. I must also acknowledge the invaluable contributions from Lefteris Avgenakis in the past and Yiannis Vroutsis now. Their understanding of the positive impact that bringing the WRC to Greece creates has been instrumental, and we look forward to continuing this journey in 2026 and 2027.” Jona Siebel, WRC Promoter Managing Director, said.

Akira Miura and his Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body were boiling in the Moroccan heat last month, but it will be all worth it come January. From 17–28 June, the team conducted two weeks of testing in Morocco to gauge and upgrade their Toyota Land Cruisers’ capabilities in the desert for the 2025 Dakar Rally.

“Not everything went perfectly, but it turned out to be a very easy and fun car to drive, and I’m keen to show a solid performance at the upcoming Dakar Rally 2025,” said Miura.

Although the team won their eleventh consecutive Dakar Rally in the Stock category in January, team-mate Ronald Basso‘s Land Cruiser finished nearly forty-eight hours behind Miura due to a rash of stage retirements brought on by mechanical failures and crashes. Miura also had his own struggles with high oil temperatures and getting stuck.

For their test, TLC placed emphasis on improving the car’s durability in difficult desert terrain. To do this, the suspension stroke has been increased while Toyo Tire is providing new tyres.

In total, Miura drove the car roughly four thousand kilometres on both gravel and sand. Temperatures typically ran over forty degrees Celsius (104° F) during their fortnight in Morocco.