Top 50 Drivers of 2021
Autosport 2021 Top 50: #30 Daniel Ricciardo
8th in Formula 1 World Championship
Daniel Ricciardo’s start to life at McLaren was atrocious as he struggled to align his preference for late braking with what the MCL35M needed to be strong at corner entry.
When Lando Norris had to be waved past and then disappeared at Imola, the initial gulf between them was revealed.
But Ricciardo rallied, allying all the simulator work he and his engineers had completed with a summer-break trip to LA to reset and recharge. His confidence with the car improved considerably, and when McLaren had its chance at Monza he nailed it.
PLUS: The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver the goods for McLaren
There were later lows – such as tagging Valtteri Bottas in Mexico, which wasn’t as bad as it looked – but he closed the intra-team gap.
Related video
Autosport 2021 Top 50: #29 Scott Dixon
Autosport 2021 Top 50: #31 Kalle Rovanpera
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...
How Radical's latest machines fare on track
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer has not rewritten the rulebook with its latest machines, but the new SR3 XX and SR10 still provide a step forward on its previous successful models
The real-life racing rogues stranger than fiction
The forthcoming Netflix film linking the world of underworld crime and motorsport plays on a theme that isn't exactly new. Over the years, several shady figures have attempted to make it in racing before their dubious dealings caught up with them
How a GP is thriving in a COVID-free territory
The New Zealand Grand Prix's mix of rising talent and big-name stars thrilled the crowds (yes, remember crowds?) assembled for the Toyota Racing Series meeting at Hampton Downs last weekend and left distant observers craving a repeat