With the announcement that Esteban Ocon will replace Rio Haryanto for the final nine races of the Formula One season, the Manor team is about to host what could be a preview of the 2020 (or so) world championship battle. Ocon, a 19-year-old Frenchman, will square off against fellow rookie Pascal Wehrlein, another rising star who has wasted no time proving he belongs at the sport's highest level. Both young men are Mercedes proteges, and, if their careers continue along their current trajectories, either or both would be potential replacements whenever Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg move on. For this year, though, while all eyes will be on the Hamilton-Rosberg battle for the championship, Ocon vs. Wehrlein has the potential to be a fantasti...

The second half of the 2016 MotoGP season gets underway in Austria this weekend with Honda's Marc Marquez holding a 48-point lead at the top of the standings over Yamaha rider and defending champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Spanish pair both have three wins apiece from the nine races so far this year, but Marquez has built a healthy lead thanks to a number of podium finishes—he has only finished outside the top three once—and he goes into Sunday's race on the back of victory at the Sachsenring, Germany, last time out. Italian legend Valentino Rossi has claimed two victories so far this season but three scoreless races has left him 59 points back from Marquez, and he needs a big performance at Spielberg's Red Bull Ring t...

After representing Mercedes and Renault in various test and practice sessions in the first half of 2016, Esteban Ocon will make his Formula One debut at the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix after joining Manor. The Frenchman will compete in the final nine races of the season alongside fellow Mercedes protege Pascal Wehrlein following Rio Haryanto's demotion to a reserve-driver role, and the teenager has described his excitement for the weeks and months to come as he seeks a more permanent seat on the 2017 grid. While Ocon rose to prominence after beating Max Verstappen to the FIA European Formula Three title, Carlos Sainz Jr. only began to attract serious attention when he matched the boy wonder in F1. The Spaniard has emerged as Toro Rosso's te...

With the Formula One teams off on their summer holidays, it's time for the midseason instalment of our annual driver value-for-money rankings. By comparing the driver salaries published by Paddock Magazine (h/t F1i.com's Michael Delaney) with the number of points each driver has scored, we can get an idea of who is underperforming and who might be due for a raise or a bump up the grid. Of course, the details of driver contracts are protected like state secrets, so the figures here are just estimates, but they do provide an interesting point of comparison between drivers. Equally important to remember is that the number of points scored doesn't also give the full picture of a driver's success (or lack thereof). For example, few wou...

It was, as ever, Martin Brundle who called it right. The champagne was only just beginning to dry on the Russian Grand Prix podium when the Sky Sports television pundit, armed with a microphone, marched onto the balcony and toward the race-winner. "Congratulations!" he told Nico Rosberg as he accepted a handshake that, whether he liked it or not, quickly morphed into a borderline man hug. "Wow, the man who can't stop winning! Seven in a row. Only three other drivers in the history of Formula One have done that: Alberto Ascari, the great Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and now..." And then a pause. Only a slight pause, only a faint pause, but a pause just long enough to have the desired effect. "And now you," he added, flicking hi...

Former NASCAR driver Bryan Clauson died Sunday as a result of injuries suffered in a crash at the 2016 Belleville Midget Nationals in Kansas on Saturday. He was 27. Clauson's fiancee released a formal statement on the family's behalf via Facebook: Our Bryan fought to the end with the same desire that he demonstrated behind the wheel of all the various race cars he would park in victory lane. However, we were more proud of our Bryan that took a moment to make a young fans day, or demonstrated his uncommon kindness and appreciation toward his friends, family and fans. Clauson was taken to a Nebraska hospital in critical condition Saturday night after crashing in the sprint midget race at Belleville High Banks. He was le...

Road racing, once considered a dreary hybrid by NASCAR loyalists, has blossomed into one of its premier spectacles, as demonstrated by Denny Hamlin's stirring victory in the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen on Sunday. The title was the only cheesy aspect of what went on in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. Four races remain before the Chase, which begs the oft-asked question: Why no road course in the Chase? Beats Hamlin, who nearly won the earlier such race in Sonoma, California. He said: "There are so many opportunities. You can see the leader right there in front of you, even if you're in eighth place. The leader is right there. You're trying to dive into the corners, do everything you can to make a move. "The track is barely wide en...

Kevin Magnussen was delighted when Renault offered him the opportunity to keep his Formula One career alive at the beginning of 2016, but the first half of the season has been rather depressing for the Danish driver. Renault's heavy focus on the 2017 regulation changes has seen Magnussen restricted to just one points finish in the opening 12 races of this season, hampered by a modified 2015 car that was initially tailored for a Mercedes power unit. With the team openly flirting with other drivers, Magnussen is facing an uncertain future, but the 23-year-old has admitted the prospect of returning Renault to winning ways has kept him motivated. Another driver who may or may not be on the grid next season is Jenson Button, Magnussen's former t...

The red flag got to stretch its wings two times at Watkins Glen for the Cheez-It 355 as oil dumped itself on the track early and late in the race. As is often the case, you patiently endure most of the race for thrilling finishes, and this past race was no different. The complexion of the race changed in the final two turns with certain drivers needing points and others gunning for icing on cakes. Denny Hamlin iced the cake and took advantage of some crucial driver error to put himself in position to win. “In simple terms," NBCSN's Kyle Petty said, "it was like a game of chicken where those two guys (Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch) lost, and Denny Hamlin won. He made the corner when he got there.” By and large, the race was slop...

Denny Hamlin successfully navigated the twists and turns of Watkins Glen International to earn the checkered flag Sunday in the Cheez-It 355 in Watkins Glen, New York. It's the first road course win of Hamlin's career and his second victory of the season. Joey Logano came in second place, a little over two seconds behind Hamlin:Hamlin moved into fourth place after Sunday:The first half of the race largely went off without a hitch, with just two cautions in the opening 50 laps. That wasn't the case in the final stages. Fox Sports: NASCAR lamented the number of cautions late in the race, which took away from some of the drama:Hamlin succeeded in avoiding any critical mistakes following the numerous restarts. Both Kyle Busch and Brad Kese...