The start of a great McLaren era and rating the class of 2025

Alain Prost’s 1985 Formula 1 title success and our school report on the crop of 2025 feature in the latest Autosport magazine, out today (14 August).

McLaren’s domination of F1 in the 1980s began with the MP4/2 in 1984, with Prost taking the first of his three titles with the team the following season. To celebrate 40 years since that success, Autosport joined McLaren at Pembrey recently and spoke to many of the key players to find out about the hurdles they faced in 1985 and how those were overcome.

The F1 summer break also provides the traditional opportunity for us to take a step back and assess how all the drivers have performed so far. Jake Boxall-Legge is the schoolmaster reporting on the class of 2025, while Stuart Codling picks out the storylines to watch over the second half of the season.

We also look ahead to the Silverstone Festival and the incredible array of F1 cars that will form its World Champions Collection centrepiece.

Outside of F1, we hear from two Le Mans winners. Ferrari driver Phil Hanson talks to Gary Watkins about his ‘crazy’ career path to the top of the World Endurance Championship, and GT veteran Richard Lietz speaks to James Newbold following his sixth class success at the 24 Hours.

Oliver Solberg created something of a sensation when he rocked up and won Rally Estonia in July, after more than two years away from Rally1 machinery. The 23-year-old Swede tells Tom Howard about the remarkable reaction he has had from the motorsport community and makes it clear what he feels should come next.

Jonny Adam hit a special milestone at Spa this season when he became the first driver to score 20 overall victories in the British GT Championship – and all during its competitive GT3 era. His interview with Ed Hardy is part of our 19-page National section, which also includes the big news from the club-racing world.

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