One of the highlights of the annual motorsport calendar is upon us, as the great and good of Formula 1, sportscar racing, rallying and more descends on West Sussex for a four-day celebration of the cars and stars that make racing special.
As ever, the Goodwood Festival of Speed will be a spectacle not to be missed. Here’s what to look out for at this year’s event.
1. Horseless to hybrid; pioneers to the present
The Le Mans-winning BMW V12 LMR of 1999 will make a welcome return
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
The pursuit of performance over 130 years of motorsport provides a vast canvas upon which the Duke of Richmond & Gordon’s team has painted toothsome portraits across five epochs to the present. The contrasts in each window are staggering.
Pioneers of Propulsion features an 1893 Salvesen Steam Wagonette presaging such pacy delights as Darracq 200bhp and Fiat S76 ‘Beast of Turin’, Sunbeam 350bhp, Bugatti T35, Alfa Romeo P3 and Napier-Railton and Auto Unions. Don’t miss the wacky French Leyat Helica.
Progression of Power focuses on the 1950s and 1960s, spanning BRM V16, Maserati 250F, shark-nose Ferrari 156s, Honda RA272 (driven by RB F1’s Yuki Tsunoda), Lotus-Cosworth 49 and whistling gas turbine Howmet TX sportscar and Lotus 56B, the latter with marque founder Colin Chapman’s son Clive and grandson Magnus up.
Evolution of Revolution showcases Lancia Stratos, Le Mans-winning Matra-Simca 670C, Porsche 936/77 and Alpine-Renault A442B, plus F1 Renault RS10 and Audi Quattro rally cars as the sizzling turbo era advanced. Innovation Unleashed stars McLaren F1 GTR, Audi R8C, BMW V12 LMR and Ferrari 333 SP Le Mans icons, while the Future of Speed showcases the 2022 hill-record-shattering McMurtry Speirling, manufacturer specials and the driverless Indy Autonomous Challenge.
2. Verstappen tops roster of sporting superstars
Reigning F1 world champion Verstappen will be reunited with the RB16B in which he won his first title in 2021
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
World champions have coloured the Festival’s history since 1993. But to have the reigning Formula 1 title holder in attendance – in this case triple champion Max Verstappen – is unprecedented. Currently third in the all-time rankings with 61 GP victories, the 2024 points leader will wow onlookers on Sunday in a 2021 Red Bull Racing-Honda RB16B.
Superstars pepper the entry as ever. NASCAR legend Richard Petty, with 200 stock…
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