Autosport 5/12/2022

Tony Brooks was one of the finest racing drivers of the 1950s. The news of his passing, at the age of 90, came through shortly after our last issue went to press and marks the end of an era, so our tribute to an understated legend begins on page 4 this week. Only Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari and Stirling Moss won more world championship grands prix during the 1950s, and Brooks could consider himself unfortunate not to have taken the title. He led the line at Ferrari in 1959 and, but for a combination of calendar changes, unreliability and farcical scenes at Sebring, he could have been world champion. As it was, he only lost to Jack Brabham by four points. Ferrari’s latest trip to the US underlined what many had…

Two young Britons etched their names into motor racing lore in 1955: Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks. Moss was already an established works driver at 25 when he won the Mille Miglia for Mercedes-Benz. His pounding of Italy’s roads would have been a standout performance even had journalist Denis Jenkinson, his pace-noting navigator, not captured the occasion so vividly in the greatest motorsport article. Brooks’s drive in the non-championship Syracuse Grand Prix was more low-key – as was the man – but ‘Jenks’, observing trackside, was just as effusive. And rightly so, for a rookie’s apparently effortless defeat of a phalanx of works Maserati 250Fs driven by established stars in front of a fervent home support was Boy’s Own stuff. Charles Antony Standish Brooks, 23, was planning to follow his father into…

FORMULA 1 Ferrari believes that Red Bull will not be able to maintain the current levels of spending on an aggressive upgrade push that has contributed to Max Verstappen’s back-to-back victories in the Emilia Romagna and Miami Grands Prix. The Dutchman’s wins at Imola and in Miami have indicated that recent car developments have given Red Bull the edge in the close fight at the front of the pack. While Ferrari’s early-season advantage has been wiped away by its decision not to introduce any major updates so far, and Charles Leclerc’s points lead is being eroded, the Italian squad still believes that the long game is important. With all teams limited by Formula 1’s $140million budget cap this year, Ferrari thinks that Red Bull’s early expenditure on developments mean it will have to…

FORMULA 1 McLaren CEO Zak Brown has ruled out a sale of the team to Audi amid interest from the German manufacturer in a potential takeover. Audi parent company the Volkswagen Group is in an advanced state of preparations with its efforts to get Audi and sister marque Porsche to enter F1 from 2026. Audi held talks with McLaren, and one option that was being evaluated was for a full takeover of the squad that would have resulted in it becoming the official Audi F1 team, potentially leading to the McLaren name disappearing from F1. But speaking ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Brown (above right) made it clear that the McLaren name is here to stay and there will be no sale to Audi. “Our shareholders are very committed to McLaren,” said Brown.…

WEC The Indianapolis Motor Speedway could host a round of the World Endurance Championship in the future. Roger Penske wants to establish a major long-distance sportscar race at the venue he bought along with the IndyCar Series at the end of 2019 and is ready to welcome the WEC with open arms. Penske described creating a new fixture on the Indianapolis road course as “at the top of my list”. He floated the idea last year in the context of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and has now revealed that initial discussions have started with the WEC and series boss Frederic Lequien. “We are having discussions about it right now: nothing to announce, but it would be terrific,” explained Penske. “I’ve talked to Frederic and said we might have an interest. As far as…

FORMULA 1 Lewis Hamilton has shown no signs of backing down in the ongoing stand-off with the FIA over wearing jewellery while competing in Formula 1. The FIA informed drivers at March’s Australian Grand Prix that it would be strictly enforcing the article of the International Sporting Code that bans the wearing of piercing jewellery or neck chains, and made checks part of the pre-race scrutineering declaration by each team for last weekend’s Miami GP. Hamilton turned up to the press conference on Friday wearing eight rings, three watches (all on different timezones), bracelets and neck chains. “It’s almost like a step backwards, if you think about the steps we’re taking as a sport and the more important issues and causes we need to be focusing on,” he said. “I think we’ve made…