A decade is a long time in motor racing but, in the land of Supercars, it’s maybe a little bit difficult to acknowledge that the 2014 Bathurst 1000 did not happen just yesterday. Even for an event known for its great finishes, the 2014 edition was possibly the greatest. At a minute less than eight hours in length, it was certainly the longest, due to an unprecedented number of crashes, 10 safety car appearances and a 63-minute red flag period to repair a damaged racetrack.

Think of the unlikeliest of final laps storyboards you may have seen in Formula 1 history. Jenson Button winning from dead last in Montreal in 2011? Not even close. Riccardo Patrese spinning away a maiden world championship grand prix win and then reclaiming it in Monaco in 1982? Humbug.

What we saw a decade ago was the two cars that started last and second-last on the grid fighting tooth and nail for the win, with just two of the 1000 kilometres remaining – one of the teams begging, then cajoling, its star driver, after coming from a lap down, to ease off and save fuel. Right behind him, having driven from last not once but twice after the car was crashed by a co-driver twice his age, was a 22-year-old rising star, asking his team when the car in front was going to run dry. And the car that eventually did come second – which itself was crashed twice – took the flag looking more like race tape than automobile.

Times change but many of the players have not. Jamie Whincup was the man at the point of that race 10 years ago; he will be back this year, with the same Triple Eight team of which he is now a co-owner. The man who snatched the win away from him, Chaz Mostert, will be there too, now in a Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang. Second on that day, way back when, was James Moffat, then in a Nissan but now a Tickford Ford co-driver. Third place a decade ago went to Walkinshaw driver Nick Percat, who will race this time around for Matt Stone Racing.

For all those changes, and even if 2023 race winner Shane van Gisbergen has moved on to NASCAR, the name of the game remains the same: beat Triple Eight and you will likely be in the hunt for a win.

That was exactly the case at Sandown last month when the team’s Chevrolet Camaros dominated the 500km race, Will Brown and new co-driver Scott Pye edging out Broc Feeney and Whincup for a 1-2 finish. To rub salt into the wounds of the opposition, T8’s wildcard entry, piloted by the now 50-year-old Craig Lowndes and rising star Cooper Murray, finished fifth.

Mostert led home to a stunning victory at Bathurst a decade ago

Photo by: Daniel Kalisz / Motorsport Images

Mistakes will be crucial. Some of the fancied runners – Mostert, both Erebus Motorsport and Dick Johnson Racing entries – took themselves out of contention for the win at Sandown with self-inflicted mistakes or mechanical dramas, while the previously unfancied PremiAir pair of James Golding/David Russell took third place. Youth is all well and good but, sometimes, there is no substitute for a safe pair of hands.

There will be other curveballs. This will be the second Bathurst 1000 for the Gen3 Chevrolets and Fords, introduced at the start of last season. But at Bathurst a year ago the cars raced on the softer of Dunlop’s control tyres, which led to a build-up of marbles from mid-race and a one-line race track. This time the cars will be on Dunlop’s sturdier control rubber, but there will be another variable – a new, softer wet tyre – so if it rains, the teams will be driving into the unknown.

Most teams will have to take into account new driving combinations; of the 26 cars entered only seven will feature the same pair of drivers as a year ago

Likewise, there is a new Virtual Safety Car regulation to deal with. Even though it has featured widely in other forms of the sport, the VSC for Supercars was introduced only at Sandown, and it took some of the teams time to adjust their race strategies; how will they cope on the longest track on the calendar?

And then most teams will have to take into account new driving combinations; of the 26 cars entered only seven will feature the same pair of drivers as a year ago. Those are just the known unknowns, rather than the unknown unknowns, which Mount Panorama always seems to throw up.

Perhaps we will give the last word to the co-driver who took third place in 2014. Asked if he had ever seen a race like that one, he replied: “I’ve never even heard of a race like that one!” That driver was Oliver Gavin who, in his long career, had seen just about everything there is to see in motor racing. Bathurst can be like that – roll on this weekend’s 2024 edition.

With no van Gisbergen on the grid, who will strike gold at this year’s Bathurst 1000?

Photo by: Edge Photographics

After winning the opening stage by staying out, Tyler Reddick restarted deep in the field for Stage 2. When Austin Dillon spun in the tight Turn 7 just ahead, Reddick was entering the corner too hot and started to slide out of control. Reddick was slowed by slamming doors with his car owner and fellow Toyota driver Denny Hamlin, an act that lifted the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota completely off the ground and bending a toelink.

“Yeah, I thought I was gonna flip,” said Reddick post-race. “I think I was behind the No. 19 [Martin Truex Jr.] just trying to work the move to the inside. I got clear of him —  I saw the No. 3 [Dillon] spun and everybody was on the binders coming to a stop. Of course, me and my boss [Hamlin] get together. Felt like I was gonna do a front flip — this thing was absolutely destroyed. Just real hats off to everybody on this Monster Energy Camry. This thing couldn’t go four seconds of what the pace was. And we just kept working on it and we made it a lot better for Stage 3.”

The team managed to keep the car on the lead lap while fixing the damage to the rear of the car, replacing the right-rear toelink. He missed out on Stage 2 points, putting him in an uncomfortable position for the final half of the race.

It looked like he would be chasing aftter Chase Elliott for the final transfer spot, but he eventually got out of reach as the Hendrick Motorsports climbed up through the field. When Austin Dillon lost a wheel late in the race, it set up the final restart with 26 laps to go.

The final charge

Reddick’s crew chief Bill Scott made the aggressive call to give up track position and pit for fresh tires, restarting the race in 26th place, 14 points behind Joey Logano. The problem for Logano is that he was already running inside the top-five, so there wasn’t much else he could do pad his margin with one position equalling one point.

To make matters worse, road course aces A.J. Allmendinger and Shane van Gisbergen ran Logano down with fresh tires and pushed him to the backend of the top-ten.

Meanwhile, Reddick was flying. He nearly spun out with 20 laps to go, instead turning Daniel Hemric as the two cars collided in the same corner where Reddick crashed earlier. This time, Reddick escaped mostly unscathed. He continued his charge without hesitation. On Lap 100 of 109, he finally passed none other than his boss — Hamlin — this time without running into the side of him, finally moving above the cut-line with only nine laps to spare.

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, DraftKings Toyota Camry

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

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At the checkered flag, Reddick had driven from 26th to 11th on track while Logano fell back to eighth. By just four points, the driver of the No. 45 moved onward to the penultimate round while the two-time Cup champion was eliminated.

“It’s tough but you just got to stay calm, stay focused,” said Reddick. “In those moments, it’s so easy to lose track of what you can control. Either way, I was going to drive the car as fast as I could. It just worked out for us. This thing was able to get back up through the field and get us to the good side of the NASCAR cut-line.”

23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan, as well as Hamlin were right there to congratulate Reddick on his strong charge to the flag and surviving yet another week of playoffs eliminations.

Sacha Fenestraz believes one of the reasons his time in Formula E came to a premature end is because he failed to match team-mate Oliver Rowland, who he claims “is easily on a par” with Max Verstappen.

The French-Argentine endured a difficult sophomore season in the all-electric championship for Nissan, claiming only five points finishes from 16 races and ending the campaign 17th in the drivers’ standings.

This was in stark contrast with Rowland, the Briton claiming two wins in Misano and London and being a championship challenger for much of the season on his return to Nissan.

Speaking to exclusively to Motorsport.com’s Latin American edition, Fenestraz said several factors meant he was unable to showcase the same flashes of speed seen during his maiden season, including being up against Rowland, whom he compared with three-time Formula 1 champion Verstappen.

“I came into the season saying to myself ‘I want to be the leader of the team, I want to beat him’ but I think it was unrealistic because we are talking about Rowland, who was in his seventh season in Formula E,” he said.

“For me it was only my second season. It’s a championship that if you look at it, all the drivers at the front are drivers who have been in Formula E for years, they have a lot of experience, they are also much older drivers.

“And me, at 24 years old [at the time], I don’t have the same experience as a driver like him and also, Oliver at his best is easily on a par with Verstappen.

“He’s very good friends with Verstappen and this year Verstappen was telling Oliver that it’s a pity he’s not in Formula 1 because he’d be overshadowing him, so people inside motorsport know the potential he has.”

Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team, 3rd position, with team mates including Sacha Fenestraz, Nissan Formula E Team, celebrate at the podium ceremony

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Fenestraz also revealed he had been assured by Nissan’s management that he would be retained for the 2024/25 season at the start of August and see out the final year of a three-year contract.

But he claimed he found out through social media less than a month later he had been let go, having been replaced by former team-mate Norman Nato, and that he “didn’t take it well”.

Fenestraz had also turned down another team’s offer to drive in Formula E prior to being let go by Nissan but with testing for the new season commencing in less than a month and only two spots yet to be announced on the grid, both at ERT, he has had to turn his attention to other championships.

This includes a return to Super Formula, where Fenestraz was prior to his two-year stint in Formula E after finishing runner-up in 2022, as well as the World Endurance Championship, having been offered a works drive with an unnamed team.

“Fortunately, I have offers, there are opportunities out there,” said Fenestraz. “The truth is that we have the possibility of returning to Japan with Nissan or Toyota.

“Also, now I received an offer for a double programme with WEC and IMSA, with a LMDH car, with a manufacturer.

“I have a meeting with my manager in London and from there we will say what to do and announce. I think it will be announced between now and November or December for sure, but the decision from my side will be very soon.”

Kyle Larson took a commanding victory at the reconfigured Charlotte Roval, ahead of Christopher Bell and William Byron. Larson then took daughter Audrey for a ride around the track in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after she retrieved the checkered flag for him.

“It’s the first time in my playoff career I’ve not been close to the cut line so it was good to have a little bit of a stress-free week,” said Larson. “I think it’s the first time I’ve been here without crashing. Good weekend … Obviously, we’re here at Hendrick’s home and got so many people here from there. Gonna be fun to celebrate with them. Knowing that I don’t really use the sim much and I was in the sim this week, so huge thank you to the guys there. It really helped me get into a rhythm early on and help us kind of fine tune our car. Hats off to everybody there.”

Though Larson was cruising, drivers situated near the cut-off were put under incredible pressure — namely, Tyler Reddick, who had a roller coaster of a race. It started with a Stage 1 win for the 23XI Racing driver, only to then crash into the side of his boss Denny Hamlin at the start of the second stage, damaging both cars. The team was able to make repairs and he made a heroic drive through the field on fresh tires.

With a handful of laps remaining, Reddick closed the gap to Joey Logano and overtook him on the track — as well as in the points standings — for the final transfer spot.

Logano, a two-time NASCAR Cup champion, was one of two Penske drivers who were eliminated from the playoffs. Austin Cindric, who finished fourth, also fell from title contention. Daniel Suarez and Chase Briscoe were also eliminated. Logano missed advancement by just four points.

The complete top-ten: Larson, Bell, William, Cindric, Chase Elliott, AJ Allmendinger, Shane van Gisbergen, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney.

Race rundown

Van Gisbergen led from pole position early in the race, but as expected, those who didn’t need stage points chose to pit just before the stage end. This allowed Reddick to win the opening stage, which became crucial later on.

At the start of Stage 2, Reddick and the others who didn’t short-pit were now deep in the pack. It didn’t take long for trouble find him. As the field stacked up due to the spun car of Austin Dillon in Turn 7, Reddick came in too hot and slammed into the side of Hamlin. The resulting damage forced Reddick to make a green-flag pit stop, complaining on the radio that something didn’t feel right in rear. 

When Chase Briscoe’s flat tire caused a debris caution, both Reddick and Hamlin were among those who came to pit road. Reddick had an extended stop as the team to fix the toe link in the right rear. Unfortunately for Briscoe, he was unable to continue, ending Stewart-Haas Racing’s 2024 title run.

Alex Bowman went on to win Stage 2, and varied strategies put A.J. Allmendinger and Joey Logano out front for the final stage.

Daniel Suarez went to pit road under caution at Lap 57 for possible brake issues. The hood was raised on the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet and brake fluid was poured in.

With 43 laps remaining, Larson moved into the race lead with a dive under Allmendinger at Turn 7 and never looked back. A wayward wheel for Austin Dillon brought out a late yellow, but it did little to change the outcome as Larson marched onward to his 29th career victory.

As the points reset for the Round of 8, Larson is atop the championship standings with a 33-point buffer on the cut-line. Christopher Bell is +13, Tyler Reddick +10, and William Byron +4. Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman start the round in the elimination zone.

Ducati has decided to halt development of its 2024 MotoGP bike as the title battle between Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia enters the final phase.

With four events to go in the championship and 10 points separating Martin and Bagnaia in the standings, Ducati has halted the development of the GP24 so that the pair can fight for the title with the machinery they already know.

Bagnaia took his eighth win of the year and fourth double at Motegi last Sunday, completing a perfect weekend. After arriving in Japan with a 21-point deficit, the Italian recovered 11 points in a single event, confirming that the battle between him and the Spaniard is more open than ever.

Whether it is because of the equality between the two, contract commitments or a simple question of fair play, Ducati has decided to halt the development of the Desmosedici GP24.

Motorsport.com understands that the last new development came at Silverstone, two months ago, and that was a fairing on the lower sides of the bike.

Despite the fact that Martin will leave the Borgo Panigale brand at the end of the season to join Aprilia in 2025, the Bolognese manufacturer’s executives have continued to insist that the Spaniard will have exactly the same tools he had before his departure, to fight for what would be his first MotoGP title.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Dorna

Bagnaia’s and Martin’s agreements with Ducati are identical, regardless of their pay, and this can be extrapolated to Enea Bastianini and Franco Morbidelli, the other two GP24 riders. That means that any improvement that one of them receives must be available to the other three.

Precisely for this reason, the most relevant elements that Ducati tested in the collective test held last month at Misano will no longer be incorporated on the GP24, but directly on the GP25.

“At Misano, I tested a new chassis, which neither I nor Jorge will be able to use this year. Basically, because it’s an evolution that Ducati should be able to offer by contract to all the riders who ride the GP24, but unfortunately, there are not enough parts,” Bagnaia told Motorsport.com.

“Our bike [his and Martin’s] will stay as it is until the end of the season. And it’s a pity because it’s an important step forward, which could probably help to make a difference. But Ducati was always clear about that, and the two bikes will be the same until the end. This chassis will be the starting point for next year’s Ducati.”

Ducati claims to give equal treatment to the two main title contenders, but that is obviously limited to this season. Martin’s move to Aprilia meant that he did not test the chassis in question at the Marco Simoncelli circuit.

In fact, neither he nor any member of Pramac, which will switch to Yamaha bikes next season, was able to enter the Ducati’s garage, something that was customary in testing.

Asked directly about the confidence he has in Ducati to keep its promise until the finale in Valencia, Martin said: “Ducati is backing me 100%. My bike is perfect and I’m convinced that it will stay that way until the world championship is over.”

Williams team boss James Vowles recently stated his duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz will be “the best driver line-up on the grid” in 2025, kickstarting an interesting discussion as several teams could realistically make that claim.

So, which team really has the best line-up next year? Our writers have their say.

Jake Boxall-Legge – McLaren’s duo takes it on current form

Route-one pick? Perhaps, but McLaren is surely the simple answer. Forget past glories, track record, etcetera; the only thing that matters is the here and now. McLaren’s driving duo has been the best-performing duo of 2024 so far and, in 2025, it’s only going to get better.

There are two reasons for that: Lando Norris’ growing experience of a championship fight and Oscar Piastri’s potential becoming realised. Norris is learning how to deal with the pressure of a battle for the F1 title and is finding more from within himself, shaking off the iffy starts and self-doubt and channelling his energy into conquering Max Verstappen. To conquer Max, you must become Max; the 23- and 21-second margins of victory at Zandvoort and Singapore will surely help that cause.

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, are interviewed by Ariana Bravo, F1 Digital presenter, on stage in the Fan Zone

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

But if Norris, still only 24, is starting to reach the peak of his powers, then Piastri’s got even more room to grow. It’s generally assumed that the Australian has the higher plane of potential, and his maturity shone through in his stellar defence against Charles Leclerc in Baku, but consistency is still missing relative to Norris.

When you look at Piastri’s growth from 2023, however, you sense that this will come to him next season. The biggest gulf between the two McLaren drivers last season was in tyre management; Piastri has since upped his race pace and found a way to keep the Pirellis in the window. Both drivers, in terms of peak performance, are pretty much on par thus far – it’s only Norris’ extra tenth in qualifying and that smidgen of extra consistency that keeps him ahead.

In terms of grid averages, Norris and Piastri shake out immediately behind Verstappen at their average starting positions of 3.89 and 4.78 respectively behind Verstappen’s 2.39. In the drivers’ championship, Piastri now sits just eight points behind Leclerc – having scored more points than anyone in the last seven rounds. In that window, he’s scored 125 points, just two more than Norris…

Ferrari’s line-up runs it close, but Lewis Hamilton’s no longer the driver that he was at his peak. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is still too much of an unknown, even if the Antonelli/George Russell pairing could be a world-beating combination in the future. Red Bull is too lopsided, as is Aston Martin, RB, Haas, and Alpine can largely be described as ‘meh’, and Sauber doesn’t even have a full pairing to show us.

With apologies to James Vowles, I think I’d probably take Norris and Piastri over Albon and Sainz. But it’s still a mighty fine line-up you’ve got, that’s for sure.

Mark Mann-Bryans – Mercedes has the right driver profiles to flourish despite Hamilton’s departure

Losing a seven-time world champion to one of your biggest rivals can never be described as a good thing – but for Mercedes, it does offer the chance of a reset.

Hamilton won six of those drivers titles behind the wheel of a Mercedes but in recent seasons he and George Russell were limited to, largely, fighting for scraps as other teams proved dominant.

Russell remains in place and is joined for 2025 by highly-rated rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli despite Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff openly flirting with Max Verstappen at different stages of the 2024 season. The Russell/Antonelli partnership does give Mercedes the sort of driver line-up that can really work.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

In Russell, Mercedes retains a proven race winner who, as he enters his seventh year in Formula 1, has matured into someone who at this stage of his career should be capable of leading a team as its number one driver.

Often outperforming Hamilton in qualifying, Russell has the pace to mix it with the best and could enjoy a strong outing in 2025 ahead of the rule changes if the recent progress made by the team does not start a period of regress before then.

Add to the mix a dose of youthful exuberance in the shape of Antonelli, who was driving so fast on his FP1 debut in Monza he not only shocked Wolff but put Russell’s car into the wall at Parabolica.

The 18-year-old Italian will want to come in and hit the ground running, eclipsing his experienced team-mate in the process, but will also be ready to learn from Russell as the pair work to get Mercedes back to the top of Formula 1.

It will not be an easy task but in Russell and Antonelli, Mercedes has a pairing that will fight and excite in equal measure.

Alex Kalinauckas – The Hamilton/Leclerc combination has no weaknesses overall

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 is no less box office than when it was announced eight months ago. Motorsport.com understands that, as a result, Monza officials are already clocking unprecedented levels of interest in tickets for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix – given it’ll be the first time to see the seven-time world champion in Ferrari red at that famous race. That Charles Leclerc so brilliantly won at Monza this year shows what a strong combination these two are going to be for Ferrari.

Their past successes also combine to prove this is the best line-up, statistics-wise. Hamilton’s title haul is the most any team will be able to boast in their 2025 line-ups. Plus, his record win tally plus Leclerc’s own win total means Ferrari will head into next year with 112 race victory memories in the heads of their two drivers. Next best is Red Bull with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s combined 67.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

But what really sets this line-up apart is how Hamilton and Leclerc complete each other’s games for Ferrari.

In Hamilton, he has shown he can cut it in many a championship battle, plus his racecraft and tyre management are still up there with F1’s best. Are they still the best Hamilton himself could produce at the peak of his Mercedes title run? Those Spa 2022 and Qatar 2023 lap-one crashes suggest not. But even Hamilton coming down from his greatest height is still brilliant.

In Leclerc, Ferrari has F1’s best qualifier – a deserved reputation given his speed and regular flair over a single lap. But his consistency over 33 laps on his way to that Monza win shows he has the nous to treat the tyres just right too when everything is hooked up.

Qualifying speed is something that Hamilton has struggled with of late, which he has been upfront about in his public discussions of the matter. What will be interesting is seeing how he gets on with the tricky Pirellis with being able to see Leclerc’s data from next year – as the Monegasque is often able to extract the ultimate peak of grip from a set of softs. This does, however, leave him at risk of crashing – hence the wild side of his reputation.

What cannot be known is how these two will get on working together – especially if Ferrari can get itself into a title fight in 2025…

Ben Hunt – Here’s why I am picking Haas’ Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon (hear me out!)

Yes, I have read the assignment. And no, I am not joking. I honestly believe Haas has the best driver line-up for 2025 – because it is all relative.

I have seen what my colleagues have had to say about Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, and I make them right. But Haas doesn’t have a chance of signing any of those six drivers, so they have to be smart with who they select, which is why I make its decision to sign Bearman and Ocon as the best choice … available to the team.

I have been very impressed by Bearman on the two GP outings he has made in Saudi Arabia and Baku – two incredibly fast and challenging circuits where he excelled during the race. His other performances in FP1, which have been crucial for Haas to refine the car, have largely been solid where he has completed his objectives.

Oliver Bearman, Reserve Driver, Ferrari and Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

I am excited to see how Bearman progresses next season from this year, his results in Formula 2 have not been a true reflection of his ability.

As for Ocon, he’s now out the other side of his turbulent spell with Alpine. His frustration has dissipated, and the outbursts have stopped. Those who know him, know he’s quick but the career moves have not worked out kindly for him. Now 28, he has all the experience and Haas will look to him to become the team’s leader and that means a new-found level of responsibility and maturity.

Ocon will have been burned by the way he was turfed out of Alpine and should be motivated to prove a point. He will offer a reliable benchmark for Bearman, one just hopes the widely-mooted reputation for not being a team player is simply an unfounded accusation.

I have been impressed by Haas boss Ayao Komatsu and I think his decision to go for this driver pairing could prove to be an inspirational choice. Besides, who else could he have realistically picked?