It’s been another great year of motorsport! We wave goodbye to 2019 and look forward to another spectacular season of racing in 2020, but not before our traditional run-down of our ten most read stories from the past 365 days. Here’s what our readers clicked on the most…
#10 ‘Rosberg has never been credible, even as a driver’ – Verstappen
It’s the classic case of ex-driver criticises current driver, so current driver hits back! Max Verstappen did exactly that when he branded 2016 champion Nico Rosberg not ‘credible’, after the German called Verstappen’s move on Kimi Raikkonen in Belgium ‘overly aggressive’.
#9 Hartley to replace Button at SMP Racing for Sebring and Spa
Jenson Button was forced to sit out two rounds of the World Endurance Championship due to clashing Super GT commitments and it seems news that Brendon Hartley would replace him was a popular headline in 2019…
#8 Bottas sponsor ends deal over ‘weak results’
Valtteri Bottas’ 2018 season wasn’t great. He failed to win a single race, unlike his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton who won 11. That led to a personal sponsor severing ties with the Finn over ‘weak results’. Well if that isn’t a punch to the gut, we don’t know what is. At least he performed better in 2019!
#7 Toyota confirms 2019/2020 WEC entry
Toyota Gazoo Racing – that team that wins a lot in WEC – confirmed it would remain in the series for the 2019/20 season. It didn’t really come as a shock, but it seems our readers were interested in this particular announcement.
#6 British GP saved as Silverstone agrees new F1 deal
Motorsport Week broke news that a new deal had been struck to keep the British Grand Prix on the F1 calendar – great news! Although Silverstone then immediately refuted our story – before removing said tweet. A week later the circuit confirmed the new deal had indeed been signed off.
#5 Keating Motorsport to field first non-factory Ford GT at Le Mans
With the release of the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was revealed that Keating Motorsports would enter with a single Ford GT – which marked the first time a privateer would run a GT outside of Ford’s own motorsport programme.
#4 Hamilton takes a swipe at ‘irrelevant’ Rosberg
YouTuber F1 champion Rosberg came in for yet more flack as his former team-mate took a swipe. Hamilton reposted Verstappen’s comments on his social media and then branded Rosberg ‘irrelevant’, before referring to his new career as a YouTuber.
#3 WEC gives green-light for road-going hypercars to join 2020/21 grid
Something we’re pretty excited about for 2020! WEC confirmed the introduction of a new hypercar class in the hope it would reverse the declining grid by allowing manufacturers to use existing road cars, modified to meet new hypercar rules.
#2 Marko: Gasly had to go because ‘he doesn’t like to overtake’
It was one of the biggest stories of the year as Red Bull did what Red Bull do best and dumped a driver mid-season. Helmut Marko wasn’t shy in explaining why the decision was made to drop Pierre Gasly. Thankfully the Frenchman bounced back at Toro Rosso with an impressive podium in Brazil.
#1 Formula 1 set for 2020 Dutch Grand Prix return
Another Motorsport Week exclusive and this one was our biggest hit of the year, racking up over 100,000 reads! We broke news that the Dutch Grand Prix would officially return to the F1 calendar in 2020 at the Zandvoort circuit.
