Musings From the Weekend: Growing Fonder

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

A handful of championships were handed out this weekend. Some were decided simply with a start of an engine. Some had two of three championship challengers fall out almost immediately in a ten-hour race. Others were a little more fierce. The World Rally Championship had an astonishing conclusion. The Asia-Pacific region starts a busy period for it in the motorsports world, and one stop was unexpected at the start of the year. Formula One returned to Malaysia as Sepang hosted the Bahrain Grand Prix, and nine years after it last hosted a race, Max Verstappen won again. Sepang was a popular inclusion to this year's calendar though it was not originally planned.

Growing Fonder

Sometimes, things just work out. 

Watching the Formula One live from Malaysia was not going to work out based on time schedules. When the last race held in Sepang was held, it would be without question I would watch it live and not think twice about what Sunday would be like despite the early wake-up. Things change in nine years. 

Nine years ago, it was cable television, it was wonky commercials you would not see at any other hour but 4:00 a.m. In 2026, the body was shaken awake at 4:40 a.m. It was a little earlier than planned, but I was up and the plan was always to start the race once the debris was cleared from the corners of my eyes. Popping open AppleTV and starting the stream from the start, I found a startlingly note. The race had been delayed. 

Sliding along the timeline and watching the hours grew closer to the present, an excitement grew that I had not missed much of the race at all. The race began about five minutes before waking up. I was caught up and watching live with the world after the opening pit stops for the Valtteri Bottas safety car. 

Sometimes, things just work out.

Even while watching delayed, a warmth settled inside of me as the damp conditions threw the race into a tizzy. The Mercedes jumped out to first and second. Max Verstappen was third after holding off Liam Lawson. Ferrari botched the strategy with both cars remaining on the slick tires. McLaren at least split their cars. The order was flipped with a few teams gaining a half-dozen spots or more based on tire choice. The track surface didn't dry as fast as some expected, but it was getting there. The first wet race of the 2026 Formula One season washed away any dull moments. I loved every second of it.

The love might have been in a slumber. Ever since this race was announced, a chunk of Formula One fans were ecstatic for Sepang's return, a track that had not featured on a Formula One calendar since 2017. When Malaysia fell off the schedule, Formula One was looking for something else. The French Grand Prix was returning. It did not feel like much were lost. Netflix cameras were about to start following in the paddock. There was some plan for a docuseries.

I enjoyed Sepang. I never felt it was a staple on the Formula One calendar. It had always been there. I didn't know a Formula One without Malaysia, growing up during the global expansion of the world championship that seemingly has never ended during the 21st century. I didn't feel like Sepang was Spa-Francorchamps or Silverstone or Monaco or Monza. It didn't feel like Formula One had to be there. It was a fine circuit, but it wasn't a case that every race was a banger and we could not imagine Formula One without it. There were plenty of circuits like it. Plus, there was still MotoGP and I could see it every year.

Separation makes the heart grow fonder. 

For the modernity of the Sepang International Circuit, it has a flowing characteristic many modern circuits miss. In my youth, I remember a broadcast where Steve Matchett, or it could have been David Hobbs, once said the best tracks were the ones where drivers felt like they were going somewhere. Sepang has that quality. Even though it isn't the longest circuit and it wasn't based on roads from over 60 years ago, Sepang's dips and rises make it feel like proper roads. The sweeping bends make each lap feel like a journey through the South Pacific archipelago. 

Millennials are going to be obnoxious with nostalgia. The things from their youths will be held too high as flawless. Don't we all do the same when remembering the past? It was always better, greater than the world has ever been. 

An exhausting number held Sepang's absence from the Formula One calendar as some travesty and this was a long-awaited return. No one was that broken when it fell off after 2017. Nostalgia was kicking in. For a generation, Sepang was familiar. I feel its place in the calendar helped. Long being one of the first rounds of the season, it was associated with a return of Formula One, taking place during cool mornings at the end of winter or start of spring, a time when it was best to remain in. Tropical conditions provided warmth through the television screen. Being early in the season, it could also provide a mix in results. Everyone was still getting a handle on their new cars. 

Even if some need to readjust or at least have a more realistic grip on the past, this race was wonderful to see, but it speaks to the power of Formula One in 2026. 

I am not sure more people have shown up to see a Sepang race. That was a far different visual than the last time Formula One held a race there. Formula One has never been bigger. Malaysia knows it. With the lack of a race over the past nine years, this was their moment to see a grand prix. They don't know if there will ever be another one. This isn't the only part of the world that would have the same thing. There are probably a dozen or two-dozen places where if a Formula One race popped up tomorrow, over 100,000 locals would show up because when is this circus going to be around again?

There aren't many circuits in the world that can host Formula One. Not many circuits have hosted Formula One, period. Only 77 circuits have held a grand prix. A given Formula One calendar nearly has a third of the circuits to ever host a grand prix. That puts into perspective how scarce Formula One is in this world. Many places do not hold a grand prix in a given year. Most places never have a grand prix come to town. Formula One has grown to a level that in almost any corner of a globe, it would pack any racetrack it set up camp. Seeing Sepang's success, I wish there was a way Formula One could be more available.

The strange thing about motorsports, compared to other individual sports, it doesn't bounce around as much as others. For golf, tournaments rotate, especially the biggest events. Three of the four major events are at a different golf course every year. The Ryder Cup and President's Cup are always at a different venue. Some tournaments are always at the same place, but even some smaller tournaments rotate. Different communities get to host and attract the atmosphere of the competition. Motorsports doesn't do that. 

In motorsports, a calendar is set, and if they ran at the same two-dozen tracks every year for the rest of eternity, no one would bat an eye. Look at how much the NASCAR calendar hasn't changed, and it has changed significantly since the 2020s began. 

There is no drive from motorsports to constantly be searching for somewhere new or spreading itself further. It is not a yearly effort. Series are not looking to see new places. The calendar is not changing with 20% of the round being held at different circuits than the year before with some returning and others being entirely new. Most of that is down to money. Some places pay to have a race every year. Other places cannot afford to hold a race. Saving all the pennies to pay for one race is not worth to track and series. We are left going to the same places over and over again. 

Formula One is positioned to be different. With the expansion of its calendar and 25 races being the goal, it should make an effort to have a few rotating events to see all corners of the globe. There are plenty of locations that should be locks on the calendar, and in a way Formula One is starting to rotate. We are going to see Spa-Francorchamps and Barcelona alternate starting in 2027, though I am not sure Spa-Francorchamps should not be one of those rotating places. Perhaps that will cause me to love it even more. 

Maybe this should be a norm, or at least something we become more comfortable with. Maybe there are 18 or 20 races that are locks, and the final four to seven races are a rotation. I have already expressed my interest of the European Grand Prix returning as a way to visit some circuits that cannot fit on the schedule every year. Maybe the South Pacific could have another race, allowing for Malaysia to be a semi-frequent stop while also bringing Formula One to Thailand and we could finally see Vietnam host after it was supposed to six years ago, and maybe Formula One could go to Indonesia as well. 

It could be the way South Africa and Kyalami returns to the schedule. A southern hemisphere round could flip across the Atlantic between there and Argentina. Throw in New Zealand and three-quarters of the Rugby Championship sides could share a grand prix. 

I am not sure the Persian Gulf requires having four rounds in one season, but maybe those nations can get three races and that extra spot can go somewhere else and a grand prix can be held in a place that has long been absent of Formula One.

When it comes to money, Formula One is fine. It can race anywhere in the world and it is going to rake in the dough. I hate that current sanctioning bodies in all sports are strictly driven on business. I wish there was more love in decisions. Formula One is so comfortable, it should decide it is going to race in South Africa or New Zealand or Finland or Colombia or Ireland because it can and it wants to be everywhere in the world and bring Formula One to people who do not have a grand prix, even if the race is only once every three or five or ten years. 

It is a dream that may never become reality, but it makes sense especially after seeing Sepang host this past weekend. The people are there who will support the race, and maybe they shouldn't have to wait nine years and for global conflict to see Formula One return. There should be more regular stops on the Formula One calendar even if they are not annual stops. Sepang showed the world is hungry for a grand prix, and the world is hungry for variety in grand prix. 

It may not be a classic track where the likes of Fangio, Clark and Brabham competed, but Sepang has a place in the Formula One world, and it should not be shut out indefinitely. That is probably true for a number of other venues and locations. If we learned anything from this weekend, the world championship has more of the world to include.

Champions From the Weekend

Jack Aitken clinched the IMSA GTP championship once he started Petit Le Mans from Road Atlanta.

The #7 Penske Porsche Motorsport Porsche of Laurin Heinrich, Julien Andlauer and Felipe Nasr clinched the GTP Endurance Cup championship with an eight-place finish at Petit Le Mans. 

The #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca-Gibson of George Kurtz and Alex Quinn clinched the IMSA LMP2 championship with a class victory at Petit Le Mans with third driver Toby Sowery, as all three drivers won the LMP2 Endurance Cup championship as well.

The #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW of Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen clinched the IMSA GTD Pro championship with a third-place finish at Petit Le Mans, which also clinched the GTD Pro Endurance Cup championship.

The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG of Philip Ellis and Russell Ward clinched the IMSA GTD championship with a class victory at Petit Le Mans with third driver Indy Dontje, as all three drivers won the GTD Endurance Cup championship as well..

Elfyn Evans clinched the World Rally Championship with a fifth place finish in Rally Italia Sardegna and a third on the power stage after Oliver Solberg crashed coming to the finish.

The #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche of Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller clinched the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup with a second-place finish in the first race of the weekend from Barcelona.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Max Verstappen and some of the Petit Le Mans winners, but did you know...

The 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche of Matt Campbell, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor won Petit Le Mans. The #68 Car Blanche Aston Martin of Mattia Drudi, Valentin Hasse-Clot and Marco Sørensen won in GTD Pro.

Marc Márquez won MotoGP's Japanese Grand Prix, his sixth victory of the season, and Márquez also won the sprint race. Izan Guevara won in Moto2, his second consecutive victory and third of the season. David Almansa won in Moto3, his third victory of the season.

Chase Briscoe won the NASCAR Cup race from Las Vegas, his second victory of the season. Corey Day won the Grand National Series race, his third victory of the season.

Oliver Solberg won Rally Italia Sardegna, his third victory of the season. 

The #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi of Dylan Pereira and Alex Aka and the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari of Ben Green and Thierry Vermeulen split the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup races from Barcelona.

Coming Up This Weekend

The 69th Bathurst 1000.

Formula One has a short jaunt to Singapore. 

MotoGP has a bit of a longer leap to Indonesia. 

Charlotte hosts an autumnal oval weekend for NASCAR. 

The Indianapolis 8 Hour caps off the Intercontinental GT Challenge season while GT World Challenge America puts a bow on its 2026 season at Indianapolis.

One of six drivers could leave Hockenheim as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship.

For the first time in two months, Super Formula competes with a doubleheader at Fuji.

World Superbike has its penultimate round in Portugal, Estoril to be specific. 

Musings From the Weekend: And at the Wire

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

Dale Coyne dropped the ball. The bottom two series of the Road to Indy concluded their seasons. It was a long Saturday in Kansas, but a normal Sunday. Colton Herta had a good Thursday, but there were two more days to the weekend. George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by 0.196 seconds over Max Verstappen, and it received attention, though most were not giving it attention for the right reason or with the right tone. 

And at the Wire

I had nothing this week. Nothing stood out. I was going to cobble something up, and then know-it-alls opened their mouths, or maybe they live with their heads in the sand. When silence would have been the best choice, the void was filled with foolishness. 

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix wasn't the greatest for the first two-thirds of the race. We were watching a Mercedes runaway with George Russell out in front. It was a single-handed Russell romp, and then a few safety cars bunched the field, bringing Max Verstappen within reach. After overtaking Oscar Piastri for second, Verstappen kept the pressure on Russell. What appeared to be Russell's race was thrown into flux. 

Even with a late local yellow for Valtteri Bottas parked in the barrier, Verstappen was able to make a late run at Russell to the finish line. Russell was able to win the race in what was the closest finish since the 2002 United States Grand Prix. Of course, such a note could not go without comment. 

While Formula One acknowledged the finish and how rare such a close finish is for the series, plenty couldn't let it be. 

Whether it was NASCAR, IndyCar or even MotoGP, many circles compared the Azerbaijan finish to some of the closest finishes in those respective series. For Formula One, it was close. For others, they have had plenty of other closer finishes in the last 24 years. What's the point of measuring contest? 

It is hard to believe Formula One needs defending, but what is the point of this? Formula One had a close finish, a more thrilling finish than anyone was expecting for most of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Russell had to defend from a charging Verstappen, one of the best to ever race in the series, and a driver you would not doubt pulling off an unlikely move on the final lap. 

With the lengthy main straightaway at Baku, few tracks set up for a photo finish and someone slingshotting to the lead to win by inches. It wasn't that close and the naked eye could tell the winner, but it was a tense finish. 

No one is gaining from dunking on Formula One. 

So what if this wouldn't be one of the 100 closest NASCAR Cup Series finishes or if it wouldn't be one of the 100 closest IndyCar finishes? Who care where it ranks against MotoGP? Throwing out all those close results will not change anyone's mind or cause them to watch less Formula One and start watching another series. 

Motorsports can be a pretty dumb place especially when attempting to attract viewers. Time and time again, series think people want close finishes or top speed and that is it. They only want 250 mph or photo finishes and margin of victories that require four decimal places. Those are nice but it must be more than that. It must be more than raw numbers. There must be a connection or interest in those competing. 

The top speeds can be thrilling and the close finishes can be astonishing, but if that is all it took, NASCAR wouldn't have a fraction of its audience from 20 years ago and IndyCar would not have backslid for most of the 2000s. Pushing the victories that have come down to thousandths of a second are nice, but they aren't changing any minds. 

At times, the motorsports world feels like middle school. One kid had a good test score or showcased a specific talent, maybe it was playing the guitar or poetry excellence, and another kid had to jump in and show his ability at something else entirely unrelated that was loud and obnoxious, like jumping his bicycle over trash cans or doing a flip off a swing set. Nice, but it isn't about you. 

Take shots at Formula One and see where it gets you. How many series have seen growth because it dunked on Formula One? That doesn't happen. There are not millions of people looking for a motorsports series to watch but can only decide based on which one pushes Formula One in the mud. 

IndyCar's rating is not increasing because it showed a still photo from a Chicagoland race over 20 years ago nor even a still photo from this year's Indianapolis 500. Nor will more people tune into a NASCAR race because it showed a chart of all the finishes it has had that were closer than Saturday's race in Baku. 

Formula One can be its own thing, and for all its flaws in terms of accessibility and racing regulations, it isn't going to be like IndyCar or NASCAR or MotoGP. For all the data being thrown out there, how many of those IndyCar and NASCAR races were on road or street courses? If Formula One had 75 years of oval races, maybe it would have a few extra dozen races decided by less than a tenth of a second or even less than a hundredth of a second. How many IndyCar and NASCAR road course races have been decided by less than two-tenths of a second? As Racer's Chris Medland pointed out as he expressed his same frustration in the aftermath of Baku, no NASCAR Cup road course race has been as close as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

It is ok to compare apples and oranges, we should compare apples and oranges, but let's recognize when we are comparing apples and oranges and we are looking for ingredients to bake an apple pie. 

Formula One had a close finish and others could not go a weekend without letting it be on its own. It had to be turned into something else. Did anyone outside of Formula One gain anything from this? IndyCar still has about five months left in its offseason and there is a good chance the NASCAR rating will be a few points lower than the year before when it is released in the next 36 hours. 

All that noise for nothing. It is ok to say nothing after an event. Not everything requires a comment. We could have just gone about our Saturdays and saved our energy for something more productive than trying to embarrass another motorsports series for being different. 

Champions From the Weekend

Jack Jeffers clinched the USF Pro 2000 Championship after sweeping the Road America triple-header.

Sebastián Garzón clinched the U.S. F2000 Championship with finishes of 17th, third and fourth at Road America.

Memo Gidley clinched the GT America championship despite not starting the first race from Barber Motorsports Park due to a driveshaft issue, and Gidley won the second race of the weekend.

Nicolò Bulega clinched the World Superbike championship with three runner-up finishes at Cremona.

Jorge Prado clinched the SuperMotocross championship after finishing second in the Thunder Ridge round.

Levi Kitcten clinched the SuperMotocross 250cc championship after finishing second in the Thunder Ridge round.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about George Russell and a few champions, but did you know...

Dino Beganovic (sprint), Alex Dunne (feature #1) and Rafael Cámara (feature #2) split the Formula Two races from Baku.

Eddie Beswick (race one and three) and Ryan Giannetta (race two) split the U.S. F2000 races from Road America.

Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup race from Kansas, his second victory of the season. Kaden Honeycutt won the Truck race, his third victory of the season.

The #8 Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Brandon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa won the 6 Hours of Fuji. The #32 Team WRT BMW of Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael and Darren Leung won in LMGT3.

The #12 AF Corse Ferrari of Matías Pérez Companc and Frederik Schandorff won the GT World Challenge America race from Barber Motorsports Park. The #68 RAFA Racing Team Toyota of Westin Workman and Tyler Gonzalez and the #7 ACI Motorsports Porsche of Trenton Estep and Yves Baltas split the GT4 America. Joel Cortes won the first GT America.

Iker Lecuona swept the World Superbike races from Cremona. Jeremy Alcoba swept the World Supersport races.

Haiden Deegan won the SuperMotocross round from Thunder Ridge after going 1-2. Jorge Prado won the second Moto. Cole Davies won the 250cc round after sweeping the Motos.

Coming Up This Weekend

Petit Le Mans closes out the IMSA season.

The World Rally Championship concludes at Rally Italia Sardegna.

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup wraps up in Barcelona.

Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit will host the Bahrain Grand Prix.

MotoGP starts its Asia-Pacific swing in Japan.

NASCAR will be in Las Vegas.

Best of the Month: August 2026

There are still plenty of days left in August, but with an overflowing weekend of action and the final day being on a Monday, we pay our respects to the highlights of the month now, and respects are the proper way to describe this exercise. The end of the year is still a ways off, but this August was an end, in one case for an event, in another case for a few careers. There might be a third of the year remaining, but the final chapter does not always see the start of winter. 

So Long, Zandvoort

A return was a farewell. 

Formula One's summer break finished, and the teams resumed the 2026 season from the shores of the North Sea, but this trip to Zandvoort and the Dutch Grand Prix is indefinitely the final visit. Zandvoort's exit was known long before this season started. It was known before the 2025 season started. Contracted through 2026, the race was seeing out its contract and then disappearing into the sea breeze.

The send-off could not have been much more thrilling than what we saw Sunday. A myriad of strategies, safety cars and virtual safety cars mixing up the bunch and produced a rather outstanding race, even if the sprint race was rather dull the day before. 

It closed with a Lando Norris victory. Mercedes got Andrea Kimi Antonelli to second while George Russell held off the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for third. The native son went out with a bang. Max Verstappen slammed the barrier on exit of the banked Arie Luyendyk corner, and Verstappen's race was done before he could complete a lap.

For 35 years, The Netherlands went without Formula One. At the height of its greatest driver, it returned and proved to be a tremendous host. The passion for Verstappen brought out an orange swarm, and it filled every corner of the 2.646-mile circuit. That is not an exaggeration. 

There are not many places to put people around Zandvoort, but nearly the entire permanent was occupied with on-lookers. The biggest possible grandstands were erected in some of the narrowest plots. Very few grand prix look like this. It is safe to argue no grand prix matched this. It felt like the race was taking place inside a school gymnasium, and the entire country came out to watch. 

Zandvoort was built during a different time, and it modernized the best it could ahead of Formula One's return. It could only make up for so much. Modern Formula One cars do not quite fit on this circuit. You could go back 20 years and those cars would be a tight squeeze as well. It is a circuit stuck in another era. It was fortunate to get the six years it got on the calendar. 

The final race was something special. Even 2024 was pretty fun. The 2023 race had wet weather mix up the result. It will be hard to look pass how difficult overtaking was at the circuit. The top five starters in 2021 finished in the exact same position. Last year could have been the same if Norris' car had not failed on him. We could not count on Zandvoort to be a lock for a lively race. Somehow, it turned out that way more than we expected. What we can celebrate was how much passion came out every year Formula One visited. 

We don't know if Zandvoort will ever return. It came back once. Never say never. We don't know if Formula One will ever return to The Netherlands. If it does, it might not match those scenes. It was spectacular to see. 

Most countries each year do not host a Formula One race. About 22 countries are lucky to get a race a year. At a time when one of the best drivers hails from the country, it was fitting The Netherlands got a race on the schedule and Verstappen got a home race. 

Looking over all the past World Drivers' Champions, only Jack Brabham, Denny Hulme and the Finns Keke Rosberg, Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen never got a home race. The Australian Grand Prix would join the calendar nearly 20 years after Brabham's last title. Brabham and Hulme both got to race at home. The Tasman Series brought Formula One's best drivers to the Antipodes each winter. It is a shame Formula One has never tried to organize a Finnish Grand Prix. The country has been so fruitful and present for over 40 years. 

There are so many people who have not had the chance to see Formula One in their backyard that calendar expansion makes sense if it brings the series to new places, especially those with ties to the series. 

If there is any hope post-Dutch Grand Prix it is for a revival of the European Grand Prix and having it be a rotating race that can see underserved and somewhat forgotten areas gifted a chance to see the best in the world. Maybe it is the way Zandvoort can remain in the rotation along while finding ways to get to Finland or Denmark or back to Germany and France and Sweden or possibly getting back to Mugello and Jerez though each country already hosts races. Maybe it is how Switzerland can host a race again. It just lifted its 71-year motorsports ban on July 1. 

There can be some melancholia in Zandvoort's end. We will lose an extraordinary scene, but perhaps we can gather hope from its inclusion to see more inspired visits in the future.

Formula E's Duo Departure

We can quickly acknowledge Pascal Wehrlein's second Formula E title in three seasons after rather controversial driving in the final race of the season from London. It was the not the first sour end to a Formula E season in the capital of the United Kingdom. The first two perpetrators of a messy London finish each were a storyline ahead of this year's finale. It marked the end to two of the original Formula E drivers, arguably the series' first rivalry. 

Lucas di Grassi and Sébastien Buemi each announced this would be their final Formula E seasons prior to the London finale. Di Grassi announced his full retirement from motorsports. Buemi will continue with Toyota in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Both drivers set the tone in Formula E, and sometimes for the wrong reasons. 

Since day one, these two drivers competed at the highest level in the series. They both were fighting for the first championship. Buemi won the second title despite di Grassi's best efforts to take out the Swiss driver in the 2016 finale from Battersea Park. Di Grassi won the third title fair and square. Each driver raised the game of the other. 

They went back-and-forth for titles. They went back-and-forth for race victories to the point they were first and second until earlier this season when Mitch Evans ascended to the top spot. They are two of the most experienced drivers in the series history, dating back to the very first race from Beijing. Buemi had a few missed races due to Toyota WEC responsibilities, but both have been Formula E lifers, so much so that we forget two-time champion Jean-Éric Vergne and 2019-20 champion António Félix da Costa both also date back to the very first season, though neither competed in the very first race, and both Vergne and da Costa will continue into 2026-27. 

Buemi and di Grassi are different. In the first years of the series, when it was attempting to gain its footing while carrying the weight a mid-race car swap and slower speeds, Buemi and di Grassi's rivalry gave the series character, a storyline to watch every week. Both were known names from Formula One and sports car racing. There was legitimacy in the competition on the racetrack because of the pedigree each driver brought. 

Their battle waned in the last few years. Neither was the Formula E stalwart they were in that first half-decade of the series. Buemi only won once in the final seven seasons. Di Grassi won four times in that period, but he only won once in the last four seasons, and both drivers each only had one top five championship finish in the last seven seasons. 

Both had gone from the top teams to fighting from the midfield and further back. The next generation arrived and took the factory-affiliated roles Buemi and di Grassi originally had, the old guard shuffled to the privateer entries fighting from behind. 

It is fitting they leave together. It would not feel right one racing without the other in this category. We will get a few more days with Vergne and da Costa, and then the first generation will be gone. For as much animosity Formula E has created for its existence and the lack of what it is, the series has beat many expectations. For a series many gave a year or two, three tops of survival, it has completed a decade and it is onto its fourth generation of car. The car swap has been long gone. Permanent racetracks are now the common stomping grounds, a change that is worthy of discussion on a later date. 

However, we have now seen one generation call a close on a career in the series with a second already underway and in full control. Whatever happens next in Formula E history will occur thanks to the exploits of Buemi and di Grassi setting the foundation.

September Preview

This is when the motorsports season start to get serious. 

A number of championships are rounding into the final stretch. IndyCar will be over in a little over a week. We are running out races, opportunities, and soon we will see the final checkered flag. Not only will trophy presentations and champagne celebrations follow but change will occur. Drivers will leave teams. Manufacturers will leave series. What we saw will be gone, never to be repeated, and we will later return to see something entirely different yet familiar. 

There will be two FIA World Endurance Championship rounds this month, Austin and Fuji. IMSA has its penultimate round from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, though it is a two-hour and 40-minute sprint and not a six-hour endurance race. The European Le Mans Series has its penultimate round at Silverstone. GT World Challenge America has its penultimate round from Barber Motorsports Park. It isn't the antepenultimate round in GT World Challenge Europe, but it is the Sprint Cup's penultimate round from Zandvoort. Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters only has one more round after this month's visit to the Sachsenring. 

For sports car series, September is the month where all championships get busy. If you want to be champion, you will need an outstanding September, and even that might not be enough.

Other events of note in September:

IndyCar concludes at Laguna Seca. 

NASCAR's playoffs begin. 

Formula One has a full September with Monza, a new race in Madrid and a Saturday in Baku. 

MotoGP finishes off the main European portion of the calendar at Misano and the Red Bull Ring. 

After nearly two months off, World Superbike will race at Magny-Cours and Cremona. 

There will be the Suzuka 1000km, the 50th edition of the race, and it will be the penultimate round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge season. 

2026 Midsummer Catch-Up

We are at the halfway point of summer, and we are coming off a break for some. IndyCar, NASCAR, MotoGP and Formula One were all off last week. MotoGP is back after a month off. IndyCar had two weeks off and now has a five-week run-in to close its season. NASCAR gets just the one week off. Formula One will be on break for a few more weeks. Sports cars have remained busy. Every series has established itself. We know how things stand, and over the next few weeks and months, series will conclude their seasons. 

This isn't really a catchup in the traditional sense. It is more some thoughts and where things stand for a few series.

Formula One: This is Fine

It sounds odd to say a season where one driver won five consecutive races and has won over half the races run to this point has been rather competitive, but that has been the case, and the playing field has leveled out a little more recently. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 219 points, and he is 50 points clear of Lewis Hamilton in second. Antonelli has been the best driver this season, and he is really one mechanical issue and an off-track excursion away from having a slightly better lead. The championship is still within his control, but it feels like a strong second half from Ferrari could see him challenged.

Even with Antonelli winning six of 11 races, Ferrari has been up to the task and both its driver have won. George Russell has won twice. Lando Norris put McLaren on the board in Hungary. Red Bull isn't great but we all believe Max Verstappen could work something brilliant to win a race or two. A few races have been good. A few have been dull. It is a Formula One season like many Formula One seasons before it. There are still 12 races scheduled after the summer break! Remember when we got to August and there would be five races left? 

MotoGP: It is Marc Márquez's lose

This is a slightly more common belief around MotoGP. Despite Márquez's sloppy start to the season where he failed to stand on the podium in the first seven grand prix, two of which he missed due to injury, it feels like he entered the summer break as the best rider. 

In the last four races he has gone first, first, seventh and first with a pair of sprint victories in there. He did win two of the first four sprint races as well. He reached the summer break 18 points behind Jorge Martín. Martín's one grand prix victory was the French Grand Prix. Martín has two sprint victories, Austin and Le Mans. Ai Ogura is four points ahead of Márquez in the championship and has been rather strong the last few races. Marco Bezzecchi has unraveled ever since his retirement in Hungary with an exclusion for pushing a marshal at Brno and a broken collarbone in Germany in the interim. 

No Ducati rider is going to consistently beat Márquez, and it does not appear any competitor can match him on pace over the final 11 races. It really comes down to Márquez not tossing away results, something we cannot dismiss him doing. If he can accept days where he is going to fourth or fifth and not be desperate, he will take the title because more times than not the race will come to him.

NASCAR: Isn't it ironic how few surprise winners there are?

We are four races until the playoffs begin in the Cup Series, and all ten race winners this season rank in the top 15 of the championship. How about that in the first season since the reversion to the "Chase" format where the top 16 drivers in points will compete for the championship after the 26th race and there are no scheduled eliminations?

After the first 22 races last season, three winners were outside the top 16 in the championship. 

It should be acknowledged it pays more to win a race. Winning a race now pays 55 points as a base versus 40 points. The maximum points for a victory is now 76 points! A winner can now earn up to 41 more points than second place. That is one reason. 

Another is Shane van Gisbergen has improved mightily on ovals. Van Gisbergen has won twice, both on road courses, but his most impressive races have been the Coca-Cola 600, where he finished 11th but spent most of that race in the top ten, and he was fifth at North Wilkesboro and was legitimately a top five car. Add in finishing sixth in both Atlanta races and just showing more top twenty pace versus struggling to crack the top 25, and he is in the playoffs on points. 

We have had some close calls. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was second in the Daytona 500 to Tyler Reddick in what was somewhat a toss-up coming to the checkered flag. Alex Bowman missed four races due to vertigo-like symptoms, and then he nearly won at Talladega. Brad Keselowski was second at Darlington after winning the first two stages. Drivers currently outside the top 16 were close to victory this season. It just didn't break their way.

FIA World Endurance Championship: There is greater intrigue

BMW has won two of four races. Le Mans was rather compelling with Toyota beating BMW with Cadillac not far off. Ferrari has been good, but not as quick as it has been in previous seasons. The #20 BMW and the #7 Toyota are tied in the championship through four races. It has felt like WEC races have been a little more open this season, and it is not surprising to see deeper competition. 

The next round is at Circuit of the Americas in about a month, and there could be nine cars that have a plausible shot at winning. That isn't a bad thing. It feels like we are bound to see a proper championship fight until the final round.

The WEC calendar has always been eight or nine races in length. I feel like we are a few rounds too short. I wish there were more opportunities to see this championship. 

IMSA: Something is Missing

I cannot put my finger on it. It has been a fun IMSA season. 

Laurin Heinrich stole the show early. Whelen Racing has been near-bulletproof. Acura has won a race. Wayne Taylor Racing finally ended its slump. We have a fun two-driver championship battle because Heinrich has pieced together a full season and Jack Aitken had a different co-driver at Long Beach because Earl Bamber had WEC responsibilities. Something is missing though. 

It might be the IMSA season is too quick, but it has been this way ever since Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series merged. 

The schedule is front loaded... kind of. There are still six weeks between the first and second rounds, but IMSA becomes a once-a-month series for the top class starting in Detroit. 

May 30, June 28, August 2, September 20, October 3. That is the schedule for the top class, and you only see the class compete nine times all year. I don't know if another two or three races over the summer would make the season feel more full or make the championship more compelling. It isn't going to change. IMSA is set on this being the schedule length and this is what the teams can budget toward in terms of mileage over a full season. 

Maybe I am just not feeling it this year.

Super Formula: Kakunoshin Ohta is doing enough for Honda to take him to IndyCar

Seven races are in the books in the Super Formula season with five races remaining, Sportsland SUGO this weekend and a pair of doubleheaders at Fuji and Suzuka, and Ohta has 95 points and a 50.5-point lead over Ayumu Iwasa. Ohta has won four of seven races and finished in the points of all seven events. There are 115 points left on the table. 

It has been rather quiet on Ohta's possible move to North America. He has expressed interest in both IndyCar and IMSA, but the Acura program is leaving the grid at the end of this season. That leaves IndyCar and Ohta is probably ready for it. That second Meyer Shank Racing could be a good introduction.

Ohta was third in the Super Formula championship last year and he has won ten times in his Super Formula career. He is 27 years old. The last guy to come to IndyCar from Super Formula has done pretty well. Joining next year would mean one year in a lame-duck car. Holding off until 2028 could be the wiser move. Ohta is certainly fit for the challenge should he want it, and Honda will help facilitate it.

The Super Formula season goes until November 22. News could come deeper into the offseason than we are accustomed to hearing.

Indy Lights: I am not sure anyone is great

It speaks for itself. It has been a while since this series has had a three-driver championship fight with this little between the top drivers. Nikita Johnson is on 451 points, one point ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi and Tymek Kucharczyk is 25 points back. Nobody wows me. 

Johnson is 18 years old and was strong throughout his Road to Indy career. Fittipaldi spent the previous three years in Formula Two and won two races in that span with a pair of top ten championship finishes. Kucharczyk was Euroformula Open champion last year, but it was a series that had eight full-time drivers and had about 12 cars at most competing in any race. I don't know if these are good drivers or the best the series car attract. 

It doesn't help that Indy Lights does not have a historically great record of producing drivers. Drivers make it to IndyCar and then they are gone. There hasn't been a driver in the Road to Indy system that has ever wowed a team into fully supporting from their first race until they make their IndyCar debut. The closest we have is Kyle Kirkwood with Andretti Global being behind him and loaning him to A.J. Foyt Racing for his rookie IndyCar season. The rest are here today, gone tomorrow. Some do not even get that chance (We still remember you, Kyle Kaiser). 

Beyond the top three, Max Taylor is 18 years old and started strong but has had ups and downs. There is promise there. Lochie Hughes hasn't been as good as he was last years and the same can be said for Myles Rowe. Outside of the top six, there is no one to really mention. 

Somebody is going to be champion and we will have to discuss where that driver will race next year in IndyCar... which actually becomes tougher because of the charter system. 

We haven't discussed how the charter system makes it all-or-nothing for the Indy Lights champion. The prize was enough for an Indianapolis 500 entry and a few other races. There aren't going to be a few other races as grids are going to be restricted to chartered entries. That basically means full-time or just Indianapolis unless a team (Dale Coyne Racing) wants to split a car among multiple drivers. 

It only becomes more difficult to break into IndyCar for these drivers, and in recent years, rookies have struggled even when full-time and with a proper testing program entering a rookie season. We may need to discuss this further in the future.

Formula E: It looks good on paper

One round remains, a doubleheader from London, and nine drivers are still alive for the championship. 

A strong end to the season has seen Jake Dennis re-take the championship lead. With four podium finishes in the last five races, Dennis is on 146 points, two points ahead of Mitch Eavans. Pascal Wehrlein makes its five points covering the top three drivers. Oliver Rowland has an outside chance of defending his title, as Rowland is 14 points behind Dennis. It gets a little harder to believe Edoardo Mortara (116 points) and António Félix da Costa (113 points) have a chance. Nick Cassidy (104), Nico Müller (102) and Nyck de Vries (94) will require some good fortunate. 

There are multiple drivers alive for the championship entering the final round and it will likely be decided in the final race. 

It is unfortunate how buried Formula E has been. It has been that way for a while. It is a series without any demand. No one is lining up to broadcast the series because it is a can't-miss property. It can have some close races and multiple teams have a chance at winning. Eight of ten teams have won a race this season entering the final two rounds, and one of the winners is the worst time in the championship. Quality drivers are competing as well. It is a rather deep group. If only it was a little more accessible. 

Musings From the Weekend: Adjusting to Apple

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

New weekend, same result as Álex Palou won the earliest IndyCar race ever held at Barber Motorsports Park. Unnoticed until Sunday morning, MotoGP re-introduced the United States Grand Prix moniker for the Austin race, replacing the Grand Prix of the Americas that had been used since 2013 when MotoGP had three races in the United States. Supercross has a new championship leader. NASCAR was in Martinsville. A safety car flipped the Mercedes in Japan. Max Verstappen may quit. Dramatics aside, the first month of this Formula One season has been different in the United States, brought to the viewer in a new way.

Adjusting to Apple

It has only been three races, but we have had a decent sample size of Formula One's time on AppleTV in the United States. It has been a month and we will have a month until the next time we get to use the streaming service, as Formula One has an unexpected month off due to the current Middle East conflict preventing the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds from taking place.

How has it been? 

It is a different experience, but once you get to watching a session, it is the same as if you were watching on Speed, NBCSN or ESPN. There is actually more at your disposal, and the biggest shakeup is the process and the build up to a broadcast.

For the first round of the season in Australia, despite knowing it was race weekend and the anticipation to the first practice, it came out of nowhere on that Thursday night. For most of the day, Formula One was out of sight and out of mind. Unlike the previous experiences on a cable channel, Formula One was not being promoted within other programming. It wasn't like Speed where you would hear about Formula One practice or qualifying during NASCAR coverage. It wasn't getting promos during NHL games like it was on NBCSN and ESPN. When you go about your day, those little reminders, as much as people say they hate commercials, are beneficial. Otherwise, it is lost. 

AppleTV is its own little island. It is not a channel in the traditional sense. You might tune in for a show or a film, but how many people have it on non-stop for three hours after getting home from work? It isn't on in the background. It also isn't a sports hub, which is where Formula One has been for the better part of the 21st century in the United States. Whether it was NBCSN, ESPN or even Speed though that was motorsports-focused, Formula One was a column a part of a larger structure. It was around other properties that had their own viewers. It was a guest at a party. Some people you knew, others you didn't, but you were all in the same place. AppleTV does not fit that model, and it likely will not anytime soon.

We are not going to see a 24/7 sports channel from AppleTV where its goal is to draw viewers all day, starting with the slop of debate shows and simulcasted podcasts from about 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. when live events take place. It is meant to be a hub. You come to watch the property when it is taking place. That is what it has done with Major League Soccer. That is what its Friday Major League Baseball games are like. Outside of when the games take place, there is no other reason to be on AppleTV if you are just looking to watch MLS, MLB or now Formula One. 

The best hope of promotion for Formula One is alert that AppleTV gives for upcoming or in progress events, but through three races, it has not felt like those have been numerous. I have watched MLS and subscribed once when Lionel Messi first joined Inter Miami. I still get alerts about matches happening. "Close game in Seattle. Can the Sounders hold off Toronto FC." I even get such alerts for NHL games for some reason, and Apple doesn't even have NHL rights. I have yet to get one for a Formula One session. "Practice is underway from Suzuka. Who will top the charts?" Nothing. That could just be me and my notifications, but those alerts, whether desired or not, is Formula One's best promotional tool on Apple, and it is limited because if you don't have an Apple device, you aren't getting those. 

That is kind of the problem and the concern with this contract. Can Formula One really reach out and grow viewership in the United States when it is secluded to solely a streaming platform? Plenty of people only stream their television, but in the increasingly segmented viewership world, people tend not to flock to one platform for one thing. There are shows people love, but the property needs some variety. Formula One has a built-in fanbase, but paying the monthly subscription for AppleTV when it will only be used for practice, qualifying and races, at most three days a week for a combined seven to eight hours depending on how much pre-race and post-race a person consumes could be the bridge too far. 

When it was readily available, Formula One was worth the time and effort. When a barrier was erected, the effort was no longer worth it. 

In all likelihood, there are plenty of people who have no idea we are three races into the Formula One season who would have at least been aware a year ago because it was on ESPN and it could be easily bumped into. Has there been one second of highlights aired on SportsCenter? I know last year a race highlight would make SportsCenter. ESPN provided some presence at the United States races, not much but there were boots on the ground and it let its viewers be known it was at the grand prix. Miami drew big viewership on network ABC. That isn't going to be there this year, and while Apple claimed big viewership without releasing any numbers after Australia, it is difficult to imagine the race will attract the same amount of attention as in recent years. 

The home races are where we will truly know how viewership has been. Every Formula One race is drawing a crowd, and there are enough people who are buying tickets without being diehard viewers. The change might not be seen in year one, but in a few years, when the wave of the first half of the 2020s dies down, the picture will be much more clear about how this broadcast deal is helping or hurting with interest in the United States. 

That is all tangential to the actual viewing experience. When it comes to turning on practice, qualifying or the race, there is no difference. What is different is the number of options, and it gives the viewer plenty of tools to make the broadcast what you wish it to be. 

Want the F1TV commentators? Done. Want Sky Sports? That is also an option. 

A viewer gets onboard cameras for every car. There is the telemetry feed. You can even make customizable multi-boxes. You could have a four-box with the race broadcast and your three favorite drivers. You could have just an onboard of George Russell and the map showing where the cars are on track. That was not available in previous Formula One broadcast agreements. 

It is difficult to complain when you can make the race viewing experience whatever you wish. It isn't a case of being stuck with whatever broadcast you are given. No one should ever think "too many options" is a negative experience. If you want just Sky Sports that is available, but if you want more and you want to experiment, you are free to do so, and that was never possible previously regardless of what channel held the rights.

Let's see how things change after May. The start of the Formula One season is not the best for the East Coast of the United States. Part of the absenteeism could have been sessions were starting at 10:00 p.m. or later and I wasn't 100% invested in watching or I was already planning on watching it once I woke up in the morning. That was how it was with previous broadcasters, but instead of setting a DVR, I just have to open AppleTV and select the session broadcast and I can choose to start from the beginning. 

That is an advantageous change. I no longer must worry about setting a recording before going to bed or worry about a broadcast being bumped to a different channel because of another live taking place before hand. AppleTV will have the session ready to go, whether I want to start from the beginning or join in progress. 

Three races is barely any time and the next two rounds are North American-based. This will be a big chance for Apple to draw in viewers. The next two races in Miami and Montreal are on at favorable hours. If people want to watch them, they could not be any more accommodating to the viewer. No staying up late. No getting up early. But is AppleTV too steep of a climb for those hoping to watch? 

Maybe someday we will get a clear picture of how it is going.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Álex Palou, but did you know...

Marco Bezzecchi won MotoGP's United States Grand Prix, his fifth consecutive victory dating back to last season. Jorge Martín won the sprint race. Senna Agius won in Moto2. Guidi Pino won in Moto3, his first career victory.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix, his second consecutive victory.

Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup race from Martinsville. Justin Allgaier won the Grand National Series race, his third victory of the season. 

Nikita Johnson and Alessandro de Tullio split the Indy Lights races from Barber.

The #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG of Michai Stephens and Mikaël Grenier won the GT World Challenge America race from Sonoma. The #68 RAFA Racing Team Toyota of Westin Workman and Tyler Gonzalez swept the GT4 America races. Memo Gidley swept the GT America races.

Nicolò Bulega swept the World Superbike races from Portimão. Valentin Debise swept the World Supersport races.

Ken Roczen won the Supercross race from Detroit, his second victory of the season. Cole Davies won the 250cc race, his third victory of the season.

Coming Up This Weekend

Easter weekend see Supercross at St. Louis.

Super Formula opens its season with a doubleheader at Motegi.

NASCAR's lower two divisions will race on Friday and Saturday at Rockingham.

Musings From the Weekend: Are We Too Smart For Our Own Good?

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

Rain did not ruin MotoGP's return to Brazil, neither did a poor track surface but it was not the most accommodating conditions at Goiânia. Despite the troubles, Marco Bezzecchi made it two wins on the spin to open 2026 and four consecutive dating back to last season. Marc Márquez got to keep this sprint victory. There was a team orders row in Sebring. There was also a spectacular comeback in GTD, though it was mostly self-inflicted. NASCAR had a phenomenal race from Darlington. Max Verstappen’s team won on the road at the Nürburgring but was disqualified for using one too many sets of tires. Sadly, Grand Prix of Long Beach president and CEO Jim Michaelian passed away, aged 83. With a little less action this weekend, it was a chance for reflection over what we are seeing in every competition. 

Are We Too Smart For Our Own Good?

March has kept us all occupied. Through four weekends, each weekend fills a little more lively. With IndyCar and Formula One off, it allowed for more time to think, and my mind drifted over what we have seen over the last few weeks. It is hard to ignore the displeasure. 

IndyCar caught a break in the last two races that were fairly active and Álex Palou did not win. After the first race in St. Petersburg, there was plenty of angst over how the season started and the remaining races to come. A stellar Phoenix race and a battle in Arlington has quieted the disgruntled… for now. Formula One has not been as fortunate. 

The first two races have started out well, and we have seen active opening stints, so far between Mercedes and Ferrari. Cars have passed at the start. Cars have run closer together. Then the Mercedes pull away. That has been the theme over the first two races. There are portions of close racing at the front, and then the last two-thirds, maybe half the race, is a forgone conclusion. If anything, the battles have remained semi-frequent in the middle of the field and for the other points positions. The DRS trains have been eradicated with the new active aerodynamic pieces.

We have action and at an above average level for Formula One through the first two races, and yet there has been a notable portion of viewers that have been dissatisfied with what we are saying. Drivers are feeling the same way. Max Verstappen is the leading driver who is not enthused with the new regulations. However, Lewis Hamilton might be the biggest proponent saying this is the best racing he has ever had in his career. I am also sure the Mercedes group is pleased.

Are we too smart for our our good? Do we know too much about racing, what is going on, why thinks are happening on track and how the cars are driven, and does that prevent us from having any enjoyment in what we are watching? 

Over the last few years, my mind has wondered to what it was like being a motorsports fan in the 1960s or 1970s or even the 1980s. Coverage was not this abundant. You got races on televisions occasionally. Practice sessions were not televised. Qualifying was not televised. There was National Speed Sport News and a few other publications, but there was no way to consume an endless flow of information of motorsports. You got your weekly, or perhaps monthly update. If something was big enough to crack a newspaper, you learned a little more. Fandom was more innocent but also more relaxed. Those fandoms could live on a little because not much more existed. 

The closest thing I can imagine what the 1960s or 1970s were like is when I go to a race track as a spectator, and I have no clue what is going on during the race. I like to wander around a course with my camera and take photographs from different vantage points. I am watching. I know who started at the front. I know who is still at the front and who had problems, but I know so little. I can see the gap, but I have no clue the exact time between the two cars. Some areas have a public address system and video boards. You get snippets of the broadcast and you know who is leading and how the cars are running, but you still have to form your own picture of what is happening, and sometimes you aren’t sure why a car lost five positions. You figure pit stops will happen, but you are not sure when everyone last stopped and how long a pit window can actually be. 

That was the normal viewing experience for practically the entire 20th century. And people loved it! 

Do not mistakes this for a call to return to being a Luddite. We have so much at our disposal, and we should be happy that so much information is available to us. We know what tire compound is being used and whether those tires are worn or not in every IndyCar race and we can follow along to the tire strategy through Firestone’s live timing. That is incredible, but I feel we are missing out and expecting more to love because we believe we know exactly how a race should be. We also believe we know everything that is wrong. 

There must have been a time 50 or 60 years ago when people went to the racetrack because they loved motorsports, and races didn't come around that often. Think about how many fewer races there were back then. If IndyCar was coming to town, it was the highlight of the spring or summer. You were going because you loved the engineering and cars pushing the limits. It was your one chance to see it. The same goes for Formula One. People weren't dissecting the racing. In a way, all they wanted to see was fast cars on is racetrack. They weren’t worried about passing and downforce creating dirty air or how tire wear would play a role. In a sense, racing then wasn't racing as you think about it today. 

We have created a myth about what happened even if there is actual documentation. Race broadcasts exist. We can see what it was like, and it was nothing like we have today, and I don't mean the past definitively had better races. 

The racing of the 1960s didn't have 10,000 passes every race. They were not wide-open affairs that anyone could win. Races were different, but people just wanted to see the cars on the track, fall in awe of the speed and the level the drivers were competing at, and perhaps feel close to something dangerous, thrill-seekers even if they didn’t want to admit it. Pit stops were nearly non-existent. Everyone would use one set of tires, no re-fueling and just go for 100 miles or 200 miles. No one was worried about fuel strategy even if teams back then had a harder limit on fuel they could use during a race. In some cases, teams didn't last long enough for fuel to be a factor. 

It is not better nor it is worse. It is just different. Take a race from 1976. People were not showing up expecting a two-stop strategy or maybe a three-stop strategy but an early caution would force cars to save fuel and dictate the strategy. Every car was saving fuel, especially in IndyCar. There was a limit each team had each race, but not everyone was going to make it. A car had to go long enough before that could become a concern. 

Pieces broke left-and-right. Some engines were not meant to go further than halfway. Cars were falling out of the race or running conservatively enough just to get the car further in the race that it isn't like today. Every car can make it to the end. Every car knows how many laps they must make on a stint to have the race be done in two stops. Everyone is effectively on the same strategy because what other choice is there and why do something wild and stupid? That is what makes a modern race feel more dull. 

Fifty years ago, anyone and everyone could break down and from any position. You never knew if a car had to be nursed home and if that would allow someone to take control of a race. There was not urgency from 25 teams to save fuel from the immediate start of the race. At least ten of the teams likely didn’t expect to make it the distance, and if nearly half the field has no belief it will see the checkered flag that changes the makeup of the race. Every race had its unknowns, and they were arguably greater than today. 

What we have today is an evolution, whether we want to admit it or not. Everyone is going to make it to the end. It becomes tougher to get ahead when everyone is running essentially the same strategy. Everyone is trying to hit the same fuel windows. The field doesn't get spread out. Teams are not nursing cars to the finish. It becomes stagnant quickly. Attempts have been made to mix it up, and we just end up hating it. 

Hello, alternate tires which may force a team to stop ten laps earlier than for fuel because a car does not have any grip and is losing time. Hello, movable aerodynamic parts to decrease drag and potentially allow a car to have an advantage in traffic. Hello, push-to-pass, energy deployment systems and the like and the push for road relevance in an increasingly electric automobile world. 

And we hate it because it is not "pure" but few think about what purity means in this context. If it was what happened 50 or 60 years ago, I think many would hate it more should it be reincarnated in the year 2026. 

We think we know what we want or what is good. Good is subjective and constantly changing. That is a problem, especially for series trying to keep up with the expectations of the viewer. How are they to know when we change of minds? 

Do we get in our own way? 

The first two races of this Formula One season might not be like last year or the first two races of 2006, but the anger and dissatisfaction over it not being what we previously saw, whether it be yesterday or 20 years ago, is a waste of sorts. 

This is what it is, and if you focus on what it is and how it is playing out, you can see action and excitement. 

It is different. It doesn't feel comfortable from what we know. Energy recovery and speeds slowing at the end of a straightaway is a notable difference, but everyone is working on energy recovery and energy deployment. This is the new strategy. If you are going to discredit all action as artificial because battles and passes are down to when teams are recovery and deploying energy at different times, you are bound to be miserable. Nothing will be good enough, but the racing of 20 years ago is not returning, and even if it was you might not even like that either.

We have constructed our past as perfect but we are likely boosting the best moments and glorifying those as how it always was. It wasn't. There were definitely good times. There might have been more good times back then compared to now, but the amount is unlikely to be substantially greater than what we have today. 

As we have completed a quarter of the 21st century, I wonder if we are spoiled and use the 20th century, especially the second half of it too much as a measuring stick for how things should be across all walks of life. Everyone just wants the 90s or 80s or 70s. Everyone wants Lolas and Reynards. Everyone wants V10s. Everyone wants the past. And yet, everyone wants a past where innovation was plentiful and the cars were inspiring. How can you go backward and yet continue to innovate?

Nothing says progress like looking and moving backward. 

Every series could give you exactly what the viewer wants. Every series could develop a car that has as many passes as possible and as much speed as possible. We all know the elements of closer racing and the conditions that keep cars together... and even if that was given, there would be a segment of the fanbase that would hate it! You could get exactly as you wish, and then everyone would complain about things being stale (Hello, DW12 chassis!). 

Are we smart or are inconsolable to a point of obnoxiousness? Are we the only barrier to our own enjoyment and happiness? Are we too stubborn?

Perhaps, the best decision would be to change our mindset, and have greater openness. Perhaps what will cure most of our saltiness is if we stopped trying to return to something that is long gone and something we don't even accurately recollect anyway, and come to terms with what is in front of us and how it is exciting in its own way. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Márquez, but did you know...

The #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche of Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich won the 74th 12 Hours of Sebring. The #2 United Autosports Oreca-Gibson of Mikkel Jensen, Hunter McElrea and Phil Fayer won in LMP2. The #911 Manthey Racing Porsche of Klaus Bachler, Ricardo Feller and Thomas Preining won in GTD Pro. The #21 AF Corse Ferrari of Antonio Fuoco, Simon Mann and Lilou Wadoux won in GTD.

Daniel Holgado won the Moto2 race from Brazil. Máximo Quiles won the Moto3 race.

António Félix da Costa won the Madrid ePrix, his second consecutive victory.

Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup race from Darlington, his fourth victory of the season. Justin Allgaier won the Grand National Series race, his second victory of the season. Corey Heim won the Truck race.

Hunter Lawrence won the Supercross race from Birmingham, his third victory of the season. Cole Davies won the 250cc East-West showdown race after Haiden Deegan received a penalty for cutting the course. 

Coming Up This Weekend

IndyCar keeps the Birmingham-area busy with its round at Barber Motorsports Park.

Formula One has the Japanese Grand Prix before an unexpected month off. 

MotoGP heads north to Austin, Texas.

NASCAR is at Martinsville.

World Superbike will be at Portimão.

GT World Challenge America opens its season at Sonoma.

Supercross will be in Detroit.

Musings From the Weekend: A Busy February

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. Lewis Hamilton was at the game. Dale Coyne Racing’s second entry is still not officially filled. Prema’s 2026 season still looks woeful. There will be some IndyCar testing at Sebring. Indy Lights will be testing in Miami. The Asian Le Mans Series season ended. Ryan Preece won the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium through weather delays and sleet. The events of Wednesday night did inspire part of this weekend's musings, but there is quite a lot going on, and it has led to a lot more than I initially anticipated for this weekend.

Busy February
The Super Bowl is behind us, the Olympics are ahead of us, it is a busy February, and so much so, it is tough to focus on one thing to write about. There are also a ew big motorsports events around the corner. To fill the middle of February, let's hit a few topics that fit the moment, starting with a race that is this weekend, but arguably may should occur earlier.

Move the Daytona 500 Up
Last week, NASCAR's season opening event, though it is an exhibition race, was moved from a Sunday night to a Wednesday night due to winter weather hitting North Carolina. Even with the delay, the weather was not kind to the Winston-Salem-area. Sleet still hit Bowman Gray Stadium as the Clash took place. It will now hold a place in NASCAR history for being memorable for simultaneously good and bad reasons.

North Carolina received record snowfall. Not every opening weekend in February is like this, but why even place the event in such a precarious spot. The first weekend in February is not the best spot for a night race in North Carolina. It really isn't a great spot for a night race outside of Florida, Southern California and maybe Arizona. NASCAR wanted to bring the Clash back to NASCAR's root and put a Cup event at Bowman Gray Stadium. Fine, but maybe put it in a better spot for success.

While the Clash didn't take place, this weekend was fairly open in the American sports calendar. It is the weekend before the Super Bowl, and it is a little more open as the Pro Bowl has moved to a Tuesday night. If the Pro Bowl is going to be on a weeknight, I think the door is open for NASCAR to move its biggest race to the weekend before the Super Bowl.

One, the NFL season is bound to expand and add another week in the next five years. If that happens, there is a good chance the Super Bowl will fall on President's Day weekend on a regular basis, the current spot for the Daytona 500. Next year, the Super Bowl will be on President’s Day weekend because of how the calendar falls. NASCAR has no firepower to hold off the invasion, but there are alternatives to fighting.

I don't know if the week after the Super Bowl is better than the week prior, but it could be good to get an early start on it. It is a wide-open weekend, and it would be the biggest event by far. It would come seven days after the 24 Hours of Daytona, but maybe that isn't a bad thing for motorsports fans. You have a great ten-day slate with one of the biggest sports car races in the world leading to one of the biggest races in the United States.

People complain about Speedweeks not being Speedweeks anymore. Imagine a three-week stretch where you have the Roar Before the 24, the 24 Hours of Daytona and then the Daytona 500. Use the 24 Hours of Daytona to promote the Daytona 500! It might be better than the Clash. There would be nearly non-stop action at the track. It would be a great ticket.

As for what would happen next? Take Super Bowl weekend off. Who cares? Don't try to run a race Saturday night. Don't try to run Sunday afternoon before the game. Run a race, take a week off and then have the second race of the season the week after that. Ease into the season.

As for the Clash and Bowman Gray Stadium, I have an idea but will share at a later date.

The IndyCar Scheduling Note You Missed
While an additional race in Washington, D.C. rightfully took a significant amount of attention, there is a note about IndyCar schedule that you likely missed. It isn't official, but confirmed scheduling for one sporting event hints at when an IndyCar race will take place.

Last week, Fox released its broadcast schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and after the FIFA World Cup Final on Sunday July 19, Fox has confirmed it will have a one-hour post-game show beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.

Well, IndyCar has scheduled a race to follow the World Cup Final in Nashville, and at the earliest it appears it will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, which is 5:30 p.m. local.

There is one other issue. NASCAR has a race scheduled for that night at North Wilkesboro for a 7:00 p.m. Eastern start.

No matter what, these races are going to clash, the question is how close do they clash?

Does IndyCar get going immediately at 6:30 p.m. Eastern? Does it have a mini teaser for the race before a 6:45 p.m. start? Does it just start at 7:00 p.m.?

Either way, this is not going to be a night race, and waiting for it to be a night race is foolish. If you want to keep people watching from the World Cup Final, you aren't going to wait any longer than 15 or 20 minutes to start the race. Sunset isn't going to be until 9:00 p.m. local in Nashville. In all likelihood, none of this race will be at night, but if you are hoping to catch a wave of viewership off a bigger event, you take what you can get. Beggars can't be choosers.

We have an idea when the Nashville race will be. It really feels like this race should get right underway. Set up the storylines right after the toss from the post-game show, but by 6:45 p.m. Eastern, this race should be green.

In case you are wondering about the doomsday outcome. It is a thunderstorm delaying this match or interrupting this match. Another good idea from IndyCar could be washed out, and then we will be left wondering what could have been.

Be prepared, and treat it as a comedy should the worst happen.

It is Only Testing
Some were upset when Formula One's first test session was held behind closed doors without much media presence and no fans allowed into the Circuit de Catalunya.

Formula One has made everything into an event of late. Testing, races, the Thursday nights before race weekends begin, whatever it is, Formula One added pomp to it. This was the first outing for teams with these new cars based on the new regulations. It is fine if we didn't get to see everything.

It is only testing, and the first test is pretty misleading. Just because the first test goes a certain way does not mean this is how it will be for the entire season. Also, Formula One is going to be showing more from its later two test sessions from Bahrain. The final hour of each of the first three days will be shown from February 11-13. All three days over February 18-20 will be live in its entirety.

We can live with some things remaining secret for a little longer. There was enough to come up from reports at the Barcelona test to whet your whistle. It just wasn't instantaneous. It wasn't a broadcast and it wasn't creating social media highlights.

That is fine. We will have enough of that once the races begin. It is ok if things are moving a little slower in January and February. It might be better for our expectations, keeping them more even than inflating or deflating unnecessarily.

Champions From the Weekend
The #4 CrowdStrike by APR Oreca-Gibson of Louis Delétraz, Malthe Jakobsen and George Kurtz clinched the Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 championship with a first and eight in Abu Dhabi. 

The #17 CLX Motorsport Ligier-Toyota of Alexander Jacoby, Paul Lanchère and Kévin Rabin clinched the ALMS LMP3 championship with a first and a retirement in Abu Dhabi.

The #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Dustin Blattner, Chris Lulham and Dennis Marshall clinched the ALMS LMP3 championship with finishes of third and ninth in Abu Dhabi.

Winners From the Weekend
You know about Ryan Preece, but did you know...

The #69 Team WRT BMW of Dan Harper, Anthony McIntosh and Parker Thompson won in GT in the first 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi.

The #3 DKR Engineering Oreca-Gibson of Alexander Mattschull, Mathias Beche and Griffin Peebles won the second 4 Hours of Dubai. The #23 23Events Racing Ligier-Toyota of Isaac Barashi, Matteo Quintarelli and Louis Stern won in LMP3. The #56 Écurie Écosse Blackthorn Aston Martin of Jonathan Adam, Kobe Pauwels and Giacomo Petrobelli won in GT.

Ken Roczen won the Supercross race from Glendale. Haiden Deegan won the 250cc race, his fourth consecutive victory.

Coming Up This Weekend
68th Daytona 500
24th Bathurst 12 Hour
73rd Rally Sweden
Supercross makes an early trip to Seattle

Musings From the Weekend: What Piques My Curiosity in 2026?

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

We are hours away from NASCAR's new championship format being announced. Formula E was in Mexico. The Dakar Rally is halfway home. Supercross opened its season in Anaheim, and a few riders are already banged up. New surroundings were not a learning curve for some. IndyCar teams are getting richer, as $11 million was added to the Leaders Circle program. IndyCar officials will have new tools for technical inspection. Will Power ran his first test with Andretti Global. Jimmie Johnson has locked up the Open Exemption Provisional for the Daytona 500, and Johnson will run the Truck race in San Diego. Brad Keselowski will miss the Clash after breaking his leg skiing, and Corey LaJoie will substitute in the #6 Ford. There is so much to look forward to in 2026, but not everything might be on the top of your mind.

What Piques My Curiosity in 2026?

We are still a way's off the heart of the 2026 motorsports season. A few races are popping up slowly. There are a number of notable events early in the year, but when we really feel the season in bloom and at its busiest in a few months. We have a fair greater number of questions than answers, and it will be that way for at least half the year, if not longer. 

Plans have been made for this year, but we aren't sure how things will play out. We must wait and see, but there are a few things that have my interest for this year, and we are a few months from knowing how things will turn out. 

In middle January, what am I keeping an eye on for 2026 in the motorsports' world? There are a few things under the table that should get some light. 

Kalle Rovanperä in Super Formula

One of the best rally drivers in the world has made the switch to single-seaters. The two-time World Rally Champion Rovanperä announced last year he would leave rallying at 25 years old and be moving to Super Formula.

It is one thing to switch disciplines, it is another thing to leap right into Super Formula with limited circuit racing experience, especially single-seater experience. Rovanperä has run some Porsche Carrera Cup rounds, but that is not similar to Super Formula at all. The closest thing they have in common is running tarmac. That’s it, that’s the list!

It would be one thing if Rovanperä started in Super Formula Lights or even started from scratch in Formula 4. Super Formula is as deep as it gets. It isn't Formula One, but it is a proper series and those cars are serious machines that will test a driver. This move feels like a step too far.

Rovanperä is preparing diligently. He is running in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy, the four-round series held in New Zealand that started this weekend. The first weekend was encouraging. He was not the strongest, but he did not appear too far out of his depth, though he was in an accident in the final race of the weekend. Formula Regional Oceania is a large distance from Super Formula. Finishing 17th, 12th, 13th and having a retirement in a 19-car series that is essentially at the Formula Three level isn't quite the same as being competitive in Super Formula. 

I am curious see how this experiment goes. Does it see out the full season? 

Can Adrian Newey work his magic at Aston Martin?

New regulations and Adrian Newey working for a mad-man with money? The combination is ripe to produce a Formula One winner. It is a mighty task for Aston Martin against the likes of McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari, but if anyone can lift a team from the middle of the pack to the top, it is Adrian Newey.

And he would be doing it with Fernando Alonso! It isn't just Newey, but if Aston Martin succeeds, it will be at the hands of Alonso, a driver who is going on 13 years since his most recent Grand Prix victory and 20 years since this most recent championship. Alonso could blow the record book out of the water in terms of longevity and droughts ending. And Lance Stroll would have to do somewhat well if the car is great. Maybe he wins. It would be better than the last few seasons.

Newey has produced winners at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. He even had March/Leyton House finishing on the podium over three-and-a-half decades ago. It feels more likely than not Aston Martin is going to be a contender.

Formula One on Apple TV

In the United States, Formula One will have a new broadcast home in Apple TV. It is a big change for the series after spending much of the last decade on ESPN, and having a semi-regular position on network television dating back to the NBC days that started in 2013, and even before that with a smattering of races on Fox while Speed was the main broadcaster. 

How will this broadcaster change be different? Formula One in the United States had its own broadcast for a good period of time. From the early ESPN days in the 1980s and 1990s with Bob Varsha and David Hobbs on the call, to the Speedvision and then Speed days with Varsha, Hobbs and Steve Matchett joining the booth, and then NBC had Leigh Diffey leading Hobbs and Matchett, there was a dedicated American broadcast with its own commentators, its own pre-race show and features, its own identity. 

When ESPN took over the rights in 2018, it took the world feed and did little more. That didn't hurt interest in the series as ratings rose to its highest levels ever. It feels like most didn't mind. With the move, will Apple continuing doing the same, or will it have its own dedicated broadcast? 

With how much money Apple has spent, and what it has done with its other endeavors into the sporting world (Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer), I think we are going to see something new. We are less than two months away from the first broadcast. It feels like we would have heard something by now if that was the case, but there is still plenty of time. Perhaps nothing will change. 

The move to a streaming platform will be an adjustment. Formula One is not going to be on network television for a half-dozen races like it got with ABC. It will be out of a loop, and while cable is not thriving, it also is not going away. It does feel like Formula One is a property that can sustain on streaming. The viewers are younger and more willing to subscribe to a streaming service. Formula One will also be available at no additional cost. This will not be a fee on top of a fee. Some people will not follow, but I think a fair number will or this change will not cause any change in habits.

The NASCAR Truck Race at St. Petersburg

This is mostly for the absurdity of it all. For the first time in NASCAR Truck Series history, it will run a street race, and it will be during the IndyCar weekend at St. Petersburg on February 28. 

I don't know what the race is going to look like, but St. Petersburg is a tight street course with a few good passing areas. Turn one is wide and presents good opportunities for passing, but it narrows quickly in turns two and three. Turn five will be a legitimate passing zone, but it has been a trouble area for IndyCar, and we are going to see contact there in the Truck race. It will get physical from turns six through nine. We are going to see dive-bombs galore into turn ten.

This is also NASCAR's weakest series on talent. I don't expect any one offs to get a chance, although it would be cool if Jack Hawksworth got a shot or if Ryan Hunter-Reay got an entry. I doubt either will happen. It is different. I think it will be fun, and then NASCAR has all three of its national series running on a temporary circuit at Naval Base Coronado in June. 

Asian Le Mans Series Hypercar Class

We will have to wait until late 2026 to see this, but the 2026-27 Asian Le Mans Series will feature a Hypercar class, which will be open to Pro-Am entries. Currently, BBM Sport will run two privateer, wingless Peugeot 9X8, which last contested a round in 2023, and that is the only confirmed entry. JDC-Miller MotorSports, which field a Porsche 963 in IMSA, and Vanwall are evaluating programs.

I am not sure what this class will look like, but with the success of convergence between Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh in both he World Endurance Championship and IMSA, it feels like there is a place for a Hypercar class in another series. I have been thinking the European Le Mans Series could have a Hypercar class. ALMS has an opening for it. The Pro-Am nature of it is intriguing, especially since champions are awarded 24 Hours of Le Mans invitations. 

In WEC, Hypercar is not a Pro-Am class. Would the ALMS Hypercar champion get a Hypercar invite or would it be an invite for LMP2 the same way LMP3 champion in ELMS gets an LMP2 invite? If the class is not large enough, is it treated like a separate entity and receive no Le Mans invite?

A success in year one would be a half-dozen entries. It has the potential to be exciting. The door is open for AF Corse to run a Ferrari and Proton Competition to bring a Porsche. JDC-Miller's interest is curious as the Asian Le Mans Series overlaps with the 24 Hours of Daytona. I guess it could do both but that does figure to stretch the team's resources. Could this be a place where the Glickenhaus returns? If Vanwall comes back, isn't anything possible?

It would be a good filler for sports car racing between December, January and February. I wouldn't be against another four or five races with the top category of sports car racing in competition. 

Who will Dale Coyne Racing Hire?

Seriously? First, there was a deadline of hiring a driver by Thanksgiving. Then, there was a deadline of Christmas. We are beyond Orthodox Christmas and Chinese New Year is around the corner. Deadlines mean nothing to Dale Coyne. We would be in big trouble if he was a hostage negotiator. 

The longer this continues the less I know where this goes. It doesn't feel like it is going to be Romain Grosjean if it has carried out this long. Conor Daly has already said he isn't in the mix. Jacob Abel has announced his shifted focus to LMP2 as an endurance-only driver in IMSA. We are running out of guys. 

With Dennis Hauger as its other driver in an Andretti Global-support entry, I am surprised there wasn't more urgency to get this second Coyne seat decided. Andretti may not be supporting both cars, but wouldn't it be for the best of both cars if both drivers were known and could start working together? Coyne had Rinus VeeKay finish 14th in the championship in 2025. This team is poised for a rise in 2026, but it feels like it has fumbled an opportunity waiting to round out its driver lineup.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Kalle Rovanperä's results, but did you know...

Louis Sharp (race one), Zack Scoular (race two) and Ugo Ugochukwu (races three and four) split the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy races from Hampton Downs. 

Eli Tomac won the Supercross race from Anaheim. Max Antsie won in the 250cc class. 

Nick Cassidy won the Mexico City ePrix.

Coming Up This Weekend

The Dubai 24 Hour.

Supercross heads to San Diego

Formula Regional Oceania Trophy will be at Taupō.

It is also Chili Bowl weekend. 

2026 Formula One Predictions

Christmas is behind us, and this Boxing Day falls on a Friday, which means our annual tradition of Formula One predictions takes you into the weekend. We really have no clue will happen as a new set of regulations will be introduced. It could be more of the same. It could be a giant shakeup. It could start slow and get better. It could be chaotic early and then be even-keel come the midway point of the season. We don’t know. We have no clue.

But let’s shoot from the hip anyway. 

1. There will not be a race where McLaren swaps its drivers when both are in a podium position

Perhaps the most notable moment of the 2025 season was at the Italian Grand Prix when McLaren swapped positions after Lando Norris fell behind Oscar Piastri due to a slower pit stop for Norris. The swap moved Norris back up to second, though Piastri was leading the world championship at the time. It was three points to Norris and three points away from Piastri. 

Of course, Norris won the title by two points.

This was the second consecutive season with a notable McLaren position swap after pit strategy bit one of its drivers. At Hungry in 2024, Norris was dropped to second and Piastri took the victory after pit strategy put Piastri behind his teammate.

In 2026, I don’t think that will happen again. Either McLaren will not be in a position to swap or it will not have to because the right driver will always been ahead. 

2. One race will feature a podium with at least two drivers who were not on the podium in 2025

New regulations, new possibilities. 

Somebody is going to do better than expected and experience a big leap forward. A few drivers will go through more rough patches. Some winners are going to remain winners, but the door will be open to someone else having their day in the sun. It doesn’t have to be a victory, but a third would do.

Lewis Hamilton notably did not have a podium finish in 2025. Many are skeptical Ferrari will have anything better than it did in 2025, but maybe it does. Maybe Hamilton gets lucky. He did win a sprint race. 

Fernando Alonso is going to be driving an Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin, and Alonso was not on the podium last year. We have also seen Lance Stroll pick up podium finishes when he is in a competitive car. Don’t rule that out.

The catch here is we need the likes of Alonso and Hamilton, or Hamilton and Esteban Ocon, or Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll to be on the same podium for this prediction to be correct. Things must align. That is where it gets tricky. 

3. On at least two occasions will a driver win a race following a retirement

I keep thinking back to 2014 and Lewis Hamilton won the championship after he overcame mechanical issues that did not affect Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the same way. And it happened early in the season. Hamilton was out before the season opener from Melbourne even got underway, and he then won four consecutive races. Hamilton then won five consecutive races after he retired from the Belgian Grand Prix.

The level of Hamilton’s responses likely will not be matched in 2026, but why couldn’t Max Verstappen drop out after engine issues in one race only to win the next? Why couldn’t the McLarens get together in one race and then one of them win the next? 

We are going to see a few responses from one race to the next. 

4. Max Verstappen’s longest podium streak will not be greater than six races

Verstappen ended the 2025 season with ten consecutive podium finishes. Prior to that he had five podium finishes in the first 14 races and he was never on the rostrum for consecutive races. 

There will be some balance in 2026. Verstappen will not struggle, but I don’t think he will be inseparable from the podium. He could still have three streaks of five podium finishes during the season and that would be 15 podium finishes, the same total he had this past season. 

He is going to be competitive. He will likely carry the car further than it can go. I am not sure he can come close to how he ended the 2025 season where he was clearly the best over the final ten races and it nearly led to an improbable championship. 

5. Andrea Kimi Antonelli will score at least 35 points between May and June

In 2025, Antonelli scores 22 points over the six races between May and June. 

He was sixth in Miami and was seventh in the sprint race the day before. Eight points for sixth and two points for the sprint result. 

He was third in Montreal for his first career podium finish. That is 12 points. 

In the other four races, Antonelli had three retirements and he was 18th at Monaco. 

I think things go better during spring 2026. There are only five races between those two months but Miami is still a sprint weekend, and Canada becomes a sprint weekend. 

Antonelli would need to average a finish of 6.5 in the five Grand Prix to hit the 35-point total. I think he does it. 

6. Lewis Hamilton will finish in the points in more sprint races but he will have fewer sprint race points than he had in 2025

In 2025, Hamilton scores 21 points in sprint races. Eight of those were thanks to his sprint race victory in China. He scored in four sprint races (China, Miami, Austin, Interlagos)

It is nuts to think Hamilton will do better than 21 points in 2026. Let’s just say he scores in all six sprint races, he would need to average around four points per sprint race. I don’t think he will have six top five finishes in sprint races. However, I could see Hamilton being in the top eight for five of six sprint races. 

Maybe one or two are in the top five. That could be about ten points right there, but he could be eighth in two others and seventh in another. That would be a total of 14 sprint race points with five finishes in the points. It is plausible. 

7. Cadillac will not have the most double retirements

New team. Unknowns across the board. I want to be optimistic and see Cadillac score points. I want it to have a few thrilling days with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez each having their spots to shine. But it likely will not match Haas’ debut race when Romain Grosjean finished in the top six. 

Cadillac has done all the right things to prepare for this season. It was doing simulated weekends toward the end of the 2025 season where the team went through the flow of a race weekend as if it was already competing. That will help but that doesn’t mean the team is going to come out like gangbusters. There will be plenty of things it can only learn from having a car on track. 

But let’s be positive. I think Cadillac will avoid double retirements and not have the most in Formula One. 

In 2025, there were only three instances of a team having a double retirement. The first was the team formerly known as Toro Rosso at Silverstone. Ferrari was responsible for the other two (Zandvoort and Interlagos). 

This suggests the window is narrow. You cannot have more than one, but with the new regulations the overall likelihood increases. It could happen to Cadillac, but I think Cadillac will make sure it cars stay on track. 

8. When breaking the schedule into thirds, Liam Lawson will outscore Arvid Lindblad in at least two of those thirds

Lawson ran two races for Red Bull to start the 2025 before being kicked down to the junior team. It was the best thing to happen to Lawson. He scored 38 points from there on. 

Lindblad is the latest child Red Bull has rushed to Formula One. He was sixth in Formula Two and he did win three races (one feature and two sprints). He only turned 18 years old in August. We have more examples of these kids not being Max Verstappen than being Max Verstappen that it is far more likely Lindblad struggles, make mistakes and doesn’t score points regularly. 

Lawson is battle-tested. There could be a period later in the season where Lindblad is on the same level and could be getting better finishes, but I don’t see that happening early. Lawson will need to be responsible for points early, and that could be the case for the entire season.

9. Alexander Albon will have a podium finish but finish behind Carlos Sainz, Jr. in the championship

Albon outscored Sainz, Jr. by nine points in 2025 (73 to 64). However, Sainz, Jr. had two podium finishes while Albon’s best finish was fifth. 

Let’s see the reverse in 2026. Albon will get on the podium but Sainz, Jr. will score more points. It felt like Sainz, Jr. had the better season. Albon had the better start, but once Sainz, Jr. was familiar with the car, it swung. I think Sainz, Jr. will be stronger from the start in 2026. Albon will do well, but Sainz, Jr. will be carrying the Williams flag for majority of the season.

10. There will be an incident between Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto

It is a World Cup year. We have a Brazilian and an Argentine on the grid. If there are any two drivers on the grid that could cause an international incident if they got together, these would be the two.

We could see two drivers fighting toward the back of the grid. Colapinto definitely needs results after he failed to score a point. Bortoleto did well as a rookie. Both will want more. Both will be pushing the limit. The two could get together. It would be notable.

11. At least one race will be won from outside a top ten starting position

It goes back to the new regulations. We are going to see teams figuring things out and teams will experience more technical gremlins. An untimely engine change could lead to a grid penalty. A front row start could turn to 12th, but a fast car is a fast car, and there are some circuits where a grid penalty is not insurmountable. 

Max Verstappen won from 14th at Spa-Francorchamps with ease in 2022. We have seen it before. A team could have a setback but run the right strategy to overcome it. It could be Spa-Francorchamps. It could be Monza or Baku. It could be a rain race where it happens and grid penalties don’t even come into play. 

Every race winner in 2025 started on one of the first two rows. We are due for something different, even if only for one race. 

12. There will be one race where Oliver Bearman is the top finishing British driver

I thought Bearman was the best rookie in 2025, and he was putting Haas in a wonderful position. He was fourth in Mexico and sixth in Brazil. Bearman outscored teammate Esteban Ocon by three points. If there is a driver best positioned for a promotion to a top tier team in 2027, Bearman is the guy, and Ferrari could have two open spots.

This prediction is saying a lot because you have Lando Norris at McLaren, George Russell at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, and now there is Arvid Lindblad at Red Bull’s B-Team, and Bearman has to finish ahead of all those drivers. 

Could there be a race where Oscar Piastri wins ahead of Max Verstappen and Bearman is a surprise in third, perhaps filling the role of Nico Hülkenberg at Silverstone? Yeah, that could happen. 

What if there is a race where Norris retires, Ferrari is slower than Haas, Russell has an issue on track and is knocked down about five spots from where he should be running, Lindblad is just 17th best on the day, and Bearman is the best Brit in sixth? It doesn’t sound crazy. 

Haas has never had a podium finish in 214 races. It went a decade without a podium finish! It is bound to happen. It feels like Bearman is meant to be the guy. If he does it, he could be the best finishing Brit on the day, a remarkable achievement in its own right considering the competition from his fellow countrymen. 

And that is another set of predictions complete! We are more than halfway done with NASCAR and motorcycle racing already in the bag. We will finish up next week, as we slowly move toward 2026.