F1Weekly Podcast # 1116

NORRIS BEGINS NAILING THE FINAL NAILS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!...PIASTRI LOOSING INTEREST…MAX DRIVER OF THE DAY AND...FERNANDO READY FOR LAS VEGAS. THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER, WE KEEP IT SIMPLE WITH SOME DUKE OF DIJON AND NASIR BANTER! It was a dominant performance from Lando Norris as he claimed his seventh victory of the year, following up on his victory in the sprint race with another 25 points on Sunday, extending his championship lead to 24 points over Oscar Piastri. Early race incidents would leave Oscar Piastri with a shock penalty and lead to the retirement of Charles Leclerc through no fault of his own. And in unexpected fashion, Max Verstappen would grab fans' attention following his conversion of a pit-lane start all the way to a P3 finish, grabbing a podium on a day many fans would expect his championship shot to slip away from him. None of the top ten were able to get past each other in the initial portion of Lap 1 except Liam Lawson on George Russell, with Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari having the weakest start of any on the grid, dropping four places into 17th. A loss of control from home favorite Gabriel Bortoleto in the Sauber occurred only halfway through the first lap, causing the 21-year-old to hit the barriers, bringing out a safety car and ending his race. The safety car was brought out for the third time in a row at the Brazilian Grand Prix, lasting for three laps and coming in on Lap 4. There was more chaos immediately, as Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri went three abreast at Turn 1 after the Italian struggled to keep up with Lando Norris' pace following the restart. Piastri and Antonelli would collide, sending the Mercedes into Leclerc's Ferrari and causing the Monegasque racer to lose both a tire and incur suspension damage, ending his race prematurely. Unable to continue, Leclerc's Ferrari would pull over and bring out a Virtual Safety Car, with the McLarens of Norris and Piastri leading from the Mercedes of Antonelli and the Racing Bull of Isack Hadjar. Laps 14 and 17 would see ten-second penalties applied for both Yuki Tsunoda and Oscar Piastri, with Tsunoda's given for an incident with Lance Stroll and Piastri's for the aforementioned crash after the safety car restart. Verstappen, who had taken an early pit stop to change from hard tires to mediums, found himself up to seventh by Lap 19 thanks to Hadjar and Pierre Gasly entering the pit lane. Seventh turned into fifth by Lap 21, the Dutchman having gained 15 places in the first third of the race and looking impressive as he looked to restore his championship ambitions. LANDO: “It was an amazing race, and it's nice to win here in Brazil. It's an amazing track with amazing fans. This one was for one of my mentors, Gil, I hope he'd be very proud. “It was a great win, but to be honest, seeing how quick the competition was  today, it's clear we’ve still got work to do. I'll go back, see the team, congratulate them and see what we can do better. Looking ahead, I'll keep focusing on myself, keep my head down, ignore the noise and keep pushing.” MAX: From pitlane to podium, this weekend has completely turned around for me, something that I didn't think was possible. The start of the race was very hectic and I picked up a puncture early on from a load of debris on the track which meant that I pretty much had to start the race again. The Team used the right strategy from start to finish which allowed me to get through all of the traffic very efficiently. I definitely had to send it a few times to get past the other cars but I love doing that and ended up having an unexpectedly fun race. Overall it showed that we had really good pace today and that the grip was much better than the last couple of days. The atmosphere at Interlagos was amazing and it really spurred me on. I am so proud of the Team and would like to thank them for all of the hard work that they put into making the changes post Quali last night. SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 09: Race winner Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren Second placed Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Third placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Mark Norris, Director of Commercial Trackside Operations at McLaren on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 09, 2025 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) We kept pushing and took multiple risks this weekend because we never want to settle for second and we didn't give up. To start in the pitlane and finish P3 on the podium only 10 seconds off P1 was incredible. Now all we can do is keep fighting hard over the final few races of the season and do the best that we possibly can whilst trying to find as much performance as we can extract from the car. A huge congratulations to Kimi as well, he drove amazingly well which will have given his confidence a huge boost which is great for any rookie!" Alex Albon: It was a good race for the fans today but unfortunately for us it was a bit of a race to forget. We had good pace when we could show it. We've struggled with pace all weekend but seem to have recovered a little bit today. In the end what took us out of contention for points was that I think we stayed out too long on the first stint and we never really recovered from there. In the last stint we were quick and were fighting our way back up the grid and just missed out on a point at the end. It's frustrating that our rivals scored points today, but we will regroup and look forward to a better weekend in Las Vegas. Carlos Sainz: Not the day I was hoping for. Once I got squeezed on turn 1, I had considerable damage to the car and my race was compromised from there. We managed to stay in the hunt for points most of the race but after a slow first stop and compiled with the damage, that was it unfortunately. Time to go back home and see what we can do in these types of circuits, as Qatar will also be a challenge. A few races to go, so we cannot relax. Let’s keep going.  

FELIPE MASSA AND THE 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP NOW IN COURT!…WHO KNEW AND, WHO DIDN’T KNOW? WILL LCH BE FORCED TO HAND OVER 2008 GOODIES?...HOW COULD PIASTRI DROP OFF SO BADLY? COMPARED TO LANDO NORRIS! AND, THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE GET NOSTALGIC WITH A LOOK BACK TO 2016...GP2 ENGINE AAAHHHH.... Felipe Massa's Legal Case: In 2023, Massa filed a lawsuit against the FIA (International Automobile Federation) and F1's governing body, arguing that the manipulation of the 2008 race — which he believes cost him the championship — was not only unfair but should have been investigated more thoroughly at the time. Key points in Massa’s case include: Fraud and Misconduct: Massa alleges that the events surrounding the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 were fraudulent and misrepresented to the public, and that this directly affected the outcome of the championship. Potential Victory: He claims that, had the safety car period not occurred due to the orchestrated crash, he would have won the race and the title. Timing: Massa’s case is built on the assertion that new evidence (like testimonies from insiders and other facts) has come to light, suggesting that the true extent of the manipulation wasn’t fully revealed or dealt with at the time. Why Now? Massa’s legal action comes years after the original events, with the key question being why the case is being pursued so late in the day. Some speculate that Massa might have been waiting for the right legal grounds or new evidence to surface, or simply for a change in the FIA's leadership and its handling of such cases. Current Status: As of late 2023, the case was ongoing, with Massa and his legal team looking to secure compensation or possibly even a re-opening of the 2008 season's results. Massa has hinted that he might be seeking justice more than just financial recompense. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for F1 and how the sport handles cases of team manipulation, race fixing, or other forms of cheating. It also raises questions about accountability within F1 and the FIA regarding race conduct. Massa’s lawsuit is likely to be a long and complex legal battle, given the intricacies of sports law and the FIA's position in the motorsport world. How sweep it is: Porsche takes all three IMSA titles. At the end of the day, you can’t talk about a history of racing without a history of winning. After a season of sweat, heat, trading paint and swapping drivers, Porsche Penske Motorsport has taken all three 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship titles: Drivers’, Teams’, and Manufacturers’. No race—and no championship—is a given until the checkered flag drops. Yet after finding victory lane in the first four races of the season, there was definitely something in the air around Porsche Penske Motorsport. And with victories secured at Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, and Monterey, the 963 was cementing its status as another legendary Porsche endurance racer. A string of strong finishes followed, all of them in the face of intense competition—which is exactly how racing should be. Because it’s in the heat of the moment that you learn the lessons that make you better. All of them culminating at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, where the whole Porsche Penske Motorsport crew took what they’d learned and made it official: they’re the champs. JAK CRAWFORD CONFIRMED AS ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO THIRD DRIVER FOR 2026 AMRTC, Silverstone, 28 October 2025: The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team has announced that Young Driver Jak Crawford will become the team’s Third Driver for the 2026 Formula One season. The role sees Jak act as the team’s reserve driver at all races next season. The 20-year-old, who joined the team’s Young Driver Development Programme in 2024, has accumulated over 2,000km in Formula One machinery. Most recently, he made his Grand Prix weekend debut at the Mexico City Grand Prix, driving Lance Stroll’s AMR25 during FP1. Throughout 2025, Jak has been a constant presence in the simulator at the AMR Technology Campus in Silverstone, providing valuable technical feedback that has supported both race operations with the AMR25 and development work on the 2026 challenger, the AMR26.  Jak is currently competing in his third Formula 2 season, where he sits second in the Drivers’ Championship. The series heads to Qatar next month for the first of the final two rounds.  Jak Crawford, Young Driver, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team: “I’m incredibly proud to be confirmed as the Third Driver for 2026. It’s a huge moment in my journey with Aston Martin Aramco and a big motivation to keep learning and contributing. Over the past two seasons, I’ve learned so much from being in the Formula 1 environment, both at the factory and trackside. I’ll be doing everything I can to support the team and continue developing as a driver.” Andy Cowell, CEO and Team Principal, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team: “It is great to see Jak progress to become our Third Driver for 2026. Over the past two years, he has shown his value as a key member of our driver squad and built up a valuable bank of experience and test mileage. Jak has impressed in the simulator, having completed regular sessions at the AMR Technology Campus to support our race operations and car development. Jak’s performances in Formula 2 have also been outstanding, and we are excited to continue supporting his growth as he takes on a bigger role.  

LANDO NORRIS DANCES THE CUCARACHA IN MEXICO! MAX GETS THE "NO WAY JOSE" ON LECLERC, GEORGE GETS A LITTLE EXCITED, THE VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR WAS TOTALLY BOGUS!! AND PIASTRI NO LONGER LEADS THE CHAMPIONSHIP. NASIR HAMEED CORNER HAS... ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ, ANTONIO PIZZONIA AND TEAM OWNER TREVOR CARLIN. GRACIAS.   MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - OCTOBER 26: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 battle for track position at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 26, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) Orcale Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen drove a battling race from fifth on the grid to secure thid place in the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, finishing just 0.725s behind second place as he fought all the way to the chequered flag in his hunt for more points in the 2025 Drivers' Championship fight. Starting fifth, Verstappen made a fast start, but ran wide in Turn 1 as he tried to thread his way into the top three. The Dutchman recovered quickly and fought hard to put his RB21 on the podium as McLaren driver Lando Norris drove to a comfortable win. Verstappen's late race charge to catch runner-up Charles Leclerc came down to the very last lap of the race, but the Ferrari driver just held on by 0.725s to leave Verstappen third. In the race for the 2025 Driver's Championship Verstappen gained more ground on the two McLaren drivers ahead of him however. Norris overtook team-mate Oscar Piastri to assume the championship lead by a single point on 357, but Verstappen closed the gap from 40 points to 36 with just four races now remaining. Team-mate Yuki Tsunoda just missed the points in 11th place, losing a position from his starting slot on the grid, while Visa Cash App Racing Bulls saw only Isack Hadjar finish in 13th after Liam Lawson suffered a DNF after just five laps onf the Grand Prix. LANDO:  “I could just keep my eyes focused, I could just keep eyes forward and just focus on what I was doing. “A pretty straightforward race for me, which is just what I was after. Good start, good launch, good first lap and I could go from there.” “This is awesome here... this is unbelievable. My first win here in Mexico, a beautiful one to win, especially here in the stadium. A big thanks to all the fans.”myself, I keep my head down, I ignore all of this [noise] and I keep to myself. It's working at the minute, so I'm happy.” GEORGE: That was a frustrating afternoon. At the start, three drivers cut over the grass at turn one and either kept or gained positions without penalty. I stayed on the track but lost out, unfortunately. That also happened when Lewis (Hamilton) and Max (Verstappen) were battling; when the Red Bull came back on the track, I had to take avoiding action, go off track, and lost several positions myself. Those two moments were ultimately the undoing of our race. From there, it was difficult being stuck in a train of cars and in particular, with the dirty air. We inverted the cars to try and maximise the team result but ultimately we just didn’t have the pace to fight our way forward. We’ve got four races to go and need to regain some momentum if we are to emerge ahead in the battle for second in the Constructors’ Championship. We’re relishing that fight and looking forward to Brazil. FERNANDO: "It was a difficult race for me, and we've struggled for pace all weekend. We had a good start but then there was some contact which caused minor damage to the front wing. I was also surprised to see a few cars cutting the corner at the start, jumping ahead of us and not getting penalties. Unfortunately, about halfway through the race we had to retire the car as a precaution. Hopefully we can have more luck in the future." MAX: “I didn’t expect to be on the podium today, it was quite eventful at the beginning and I had a good start. However, I went into the kerb, started bottoming out, avoided the wall by going on the grass and got back on to the track. It was quite hectic and the grip wasn’t there on the Medium tyre, we quickly realised it wasn’t a great tyre and tried to extend on it as much as we could. As soon as I was on the Soft tyre it felt better and we were more competitive. We did the perfect strategy, really optimised the final stint and I was enjoying it. At the end with the virtual safety car, it was unfortunate timing but sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn’t and that is just racing, but it would have been an exciting finish. I have said before that we need everything to go perfectly for the rest of the season and it wasn’t perfect this weekend, so we will just need to continue optimising our performance as much as we can. However, even with a difficult weekend, to still be on the podium is a great result. We need to analyse everything and see what we can do better to come back stronger: it will be tough but we will give it everything that we can.” LAURENT: “Well done to the whole Team for never giving up on a weekend when we have been struggling a bit more than we wanted with the car. Everyone pushed hard to get to a better place and the support we got from Milton Keynes and here trackside was very strong. It was never quite enough to fight for the win here but allowed us to get another important podium with Max. His drive made the strategy work very well for us, so very well done to the strategy team because we committed to a difficult one-stop while starting on a very tricky Medium tyre, his second stint was mega, he didn’t let the pace drop and what he managed to extract from the car was what we needed to make the race work. He was taking six to seven tenths out of Charles per lap and we would have had a proper fight in the last few laps without the VSC. It is part of the game, we don’t control the VSC, and it’s cost us a nice battle to watch and perhaps a few points. The pace from Yuki was also fast today, especially his first stint on the Medium.  Unfortunately we had a fairly long pitstop with him, which is not the sort of thing which usually happens with our super strong pit crew.” Thinking of you Nasir...

Max Verstappen dominates the United States Grand Prix closing in on the drivers championship. Has Piastri lost his machismo? Norris looking more like a number one... This week's Nasir Hameed corner we celebrate successful women in Motorsports with Lynn Saint James and Tatiana Calderon!   AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Chris Gent, Chief Mechanic at Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrate on the podium with Champagne during the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 19, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) Max:   “It was a perfect weekend and I think the start was key today. The pace wasn’t magic but we got a good start on the first stint and Charles got in the middle of myself and Lando which helped a lot and as soon as Lando was in clean air he was very fast. We just did the best we could and tried to manage our tyres in the best way possible even though they were overheating a bit. This performance was exactly what we need until the end of the season to fight for the title. The Team has done a great job, I’m having fun and it’s exciting for everyone. The performance of the car has been better and we need to keep the momentum going. We really maximised everything with the points and we need to continue having these perfect weekends until the end of the season. I am very happy to win again.” Laurent: “This has definitely been our strongest weekend in a long while. On a burning hot track, where we have found it tricky here in the past, Max kept extending the gap to his opponents in every session. If you see how tight it was on Friday, even though he was on pole for the Sprint, and then today, it was a substantial improvement. Once again, I want to thank everyone at the track and those back at base, who have been taking risks in terms of pushing everything to the limit, it’s uncomfortable, but the work they are doing is unbelievable and it’s paying off. They have unlocked so much from the car. AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 18: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing Second placed qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Third placed qualifier Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari look on during Qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 18, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) We never took anything for granted, ultimately finding more and more performance as the weekend progressed. Max is driving at an incredible level and keeps raising the bar. We are going to continue with our approach for the upcoming races, starting by seeing how we can put the best possible car on track in Mexico. Yuki also enjoyed a strong weekend, especially today when he made up six places in the race, bringing home some useful points to add to those he scored in the Sprint yesterday. Finally, thank you and congratulations to our partners Mobil and Mobil 1 as we celebrate our 75th win together. It's been a strong and successful partnership and we look forward to celebrating many more together.” Fernando: "We started tenth and finished there, so we come away with one point in the end. We didn't really have the pace to fight for anything more than P10 and it seems we had a bit more performance in Qualifying than in the race. It wasn’t the most exciting day for me, and we were open to various strategies, but it was a standard one-stop race. We’ll go again in Mexico and see if we can fight for points there."               Carlos:  It’s a shame to end the race that way as the car had great pace today. I had done a similar move on Bearman some laps before, so I tried that inside line with Antonelli into turn 15. He opened the line and then closed the door more abruptly than what I was expecting, I tried to react by slamming on the brakes to avoid contact but it was too late and we touched. I was behind so I accept my part of fault and ultimately it’s a shame as it cost the race for both of us. We were quick, so it hurts not to convert it into more points today but we’ll bounce back for Mexico next week. James Vowles, Team Principal: Part of the reason why I'm in motorsport is you can have some fantastic days with the highest highs, and then just 24 hours later, you can walk away with nothing, as we are today. And that's the reflection of Austin. What’s positive to me is we have really strong car pace, and that's one item that we'll carry through for the remainder of the season. But it just highlights that we have to qualify both cars in position towards the point-scoring end of the grid, and we need to ensure we're fighting through the field without contact or incident. I'm sorry for both Carlos and Kimi, both had good race pace today and I'm confident would have scored points, but it is just a part of racing that, as you're trying to overtake through different sections, contact may happen. The stewards have decided to hand Carlos a 5 place grid penalty, there was a sensible conversation however the guidelines are fairly clear on fault allocation. We will come back fighting in Mexico.

Palou states in court, Zack Brown promised F1 glory but then…Hired Oscar Piastri! As we prepare for the final races of the season, let’s not forget Jules Bianchi…It’s important. The Nasir Hameed corner brings you the show after the accident, our interviews are Peter Nygard, founder of grandprixphoto.com and, Indian driver Jehan Daruvala.  

Play Podcast: 10-06-25f1weekly1115.mp3 George keeps Max at Bay for the win in Singapore! Verstappen happy with second and, Oscar finally coming out of his shell! This week’s Nasir Hameed corner we have: Loic Duval, Nas discusses the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP finish. George: I’m really pleased with our victory this evening. This track has not […] The post F1Weekly Podcast # 1115 appeared first on F1Weekly.com - Home of The Premiere Motorsport Podcast (Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Three, Motorsport Mondial).

Play Podcast: 09-29-25f1weekly1114.mp3 Max takes his first victory in GT3 at the Nurburgring, McLaren having long talks with their drivers. Without a win since 2013 Fernando begins to ponder retirement. This week’s Nasir Hameed corner… It’s Dr. Helmut Marko direct from Austria. Max Verstappen & Chris Lulham: Royal Debut in the Green Hell! What a […] The post F1Weekly Podcast # 1114 appeared first on F1Weekly.com - Home of The Premiere Motorsport Podcast (Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Three, Motorsport Mondial).

Play Podcast: 09-22-25f1weekly1113.mp3 We have full blown Max Domination all across the F1 nation. McLaren drivers beginning to crack under mighty Max. Ferrari driver swap got stuck on the launch pad and, Fernando says sorry for the jump start led by Piastri. This week’s Nasir Hameed corner: Jack Harvey, a vintage Peter Brazier report and, […] The post F1Weekly Podcast # 1113 appeared first on F1Weekly.com - Home of The Premiere Motorsport Podcast (Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Three, Motorsport Mondial).

Play Podcast: 09-15-25f1weekly1112.mp3 Max gets his Nordschleife license at the Nurburgring! Carlos Sainz beats his dutch penalty, Lance Stroll caught saying absolutely nothing! Toto Wolf …We all need an Asshole to hate in F1. This week’s Nasir Hameed corner…Derek Walters and your favorite! Lance Stroll. Enjoy! ISACK HADJAR THRILLS HOME CROWD WITH HIS FIRST F1 […] The post F1Weekly Podcast # 1112 appeared first on F1Weekly.com - Home of The Premiere Motorsport Podcast (Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Three, Motorsport Mondial).

Play Podcast: 09-08-25f1weekly1111.mp3 Gran Premio de Italia 2025 the fastest Grand Prix in Formula 1 ® history! Max ‘s pole the fastest lap in F1 history! Max Verstappen in a different league! McLaren has a fix for slow pit stops! LCH slowly coming out of his Ferrari funk. This week’s Nasir Hameed corner…Bobby Unser, John […] The post F1Weekly Podcast # 1111 appeared first on F1Weekly.com - Home of The Premiere Motorsport Podcast (Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Three, Motorsport Mondial).