Welcome to our PCOTY track notes. These are the stream-of-consciousness scrawlings from our resident hot shoe, editor-at-large Jethro Bovingdon, following his hot-lap sessions in each contender:

If the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the supercar breed, the 296 GTB provides a searing, mind-scrambling reminder that maybe there?s no need to stray too far from the supercar brief as we know it. Ferrari?s twin-turbocharged V-6 hybrid is a stunning achievement. Possessed of outrageous capabilities and completely enthralling, it set the fastest time at Thunderhill and manages to feel ultra-sharp yet intuitive, beautifully balanced but also deliciously scary.

The Ferrari?s rate of response and fast, light steering takes a bit of getting used to. Initially, you?ll take a few bites at every corner, trying to feel the chassis load-up to ease yourself in but instead, you find instant bite and very little roll in this car equipped with the Multimatic spool valve dampers (as opposed to the magnetorheological dampers on the standard car). You need to slow your hands and trust the car as the steering doesn?t significantly weight-up as the lateral forces build. There?s not the gritty, raw feel of, say, a McLaren 750S here. That means calm hands are difficult to achieve as they don?t match the absolutely manic acceleration available and the 296?s ability to change direction with little or no sense of inertia.
Soon it all starts to flow. The Fer...