Are Norris, Mclaren and F1 starting to believe?

Since Zandvoort returned to the Formula 1 schedule in 2021, Max Verstappen’s domination on home soil had been complete until last weekend: three poles and three wins. But, as we’ve started to expect in 2024, Lando Norris and Mclaren made things difficult for Red Bull and the reigning world champion this time around.

More than that, the way in which Norris dominated the event despite a sluggish getaway – and won by 22.9 seconds – increased the murmurs about a possible fightback in this year’s title race.

It’s never quite as simple as that, of course. As Alex Kalinauckas shows in our report on page 14, Red Bull’s set-up gamble left Verstappen vulnerable in the Dutch Grand Prix, while Mclaren’s tech upgrade (p29) is likely to have less of an impact this weekend at high-speed Monza. Verstappen surely remains the favourite to take the drivers’ title, but a 30-point gap in the constructors’ standings shows we have much more of a battle in 2024 than anyone expected…

That’s also true of the British Touring Car Championship following Ash Sutton’s comfortable fourth crown last year. All the leading protagonists had their ups and downs at Donington Park and Stephen Lickorish was there to see Jake Hill take a slim points lead (p38).

For those wanting a broader array of racing machinery to behold, the Silverstone Festival was the place to be last weekend – once the British weather decided to play ball. Our coverage of the historic extravaganza starts on p30, while we also look ahead to the important Rali Ceredigion as international stars return to the UK (p52).