F1 snore-fest shows new cars badly needed: Up/Down Japanese GP
The 2025 Japanese GP showed a much more extreme change than next year's technical regulations is needed to make racing at classic F1 tracks interesting
2017 may just be a few days old but motor sport is already back, and at its most extreme.
Some 316 competitors will be tackling almost 10,000 kilometres, from Paraguay to Argentina via Bolivia, over 12 days in the race for the 2017 Dakar crown. Day one began at Asunción, Paraguay, taking in 454km to Resitencia in Argentina.
Toyota leads the way in the car category, filling three of the first five places, led by Nasser Al-Attiyah. Carlos Sainz of Peugeot ended the stage fourth, with Sébastien Loeb sixth. Last year’s winner Stéphane Peterhansel is 12th, one spot ahead of Romain Dumas.
Watch highlights of stage one below.
The 2025 Japanese GP showed a much more extreme change than next year's technical regulations is needed to make racing at classic F1 tracks interesting
Max Verstappen looks set to be pitched into a hectic, high-stakes battle for F1 victories in 2025, between at least four teams. How will fans react if he resorts to his trademark strongman tactics?
Red Bull has a new team-mate for Max Verstappen in 2025 – punchy F1 firebrand Liam Lawson could finally be the raw racer it needs in the second seat
The 2024 F1 season was one of the wildest every seen, for on-track action and behind-the-scenes intrigue – James Elson predicts how 2025 could go even further