On Saturday, George Russell opened the weekend by dominating a boring sprint before Lando shocked everyone with his final qualifying lap to steal pole position with both Mercedes starting behind him.

Fight at the Front

The race barely made it one lap before a scary crash from Max Verstappen caused a red flag.

• Lando got away nicely at the start while the Mercedes battled behind. Kimi dove down the inside of George at Turn 1 to move up to P2.

• As the cars rounded the final corner to start Lap 2, Max took an unconventional line and dipped a tyre off the track. He spun hard into the wall and back out on to the track as the other drivers scrambled to avoid him. Thankfully Max is ok.

Gifted with a red flag restart, Kimi took advantage of starting in second this time and took the lead into Turn 1 with an inside move on Lando.

• Lando stayed focus and stuck within one second of the leader as they quickly built a gap to the cars behind.

• Unable to breakaway and extend his lead, Kimi pitted before Lando to avoid an undercut. Lando stayed out on his older tyres to build an offset later in the race (where his new tyres would be considerably fresher than Kimi’s).

After the next set of pit stops, Kimi seemed to struggle for grip on his new tyres and Lando closed the gap within just a few laps.

• On Lap 54, Lando was just behind Kimi as the two approached Lewis Hamilton (who had not pitted yet and was in front on slower tyres). Kimi initially tried to go down the outside to pass Lewis, but he underestimated how close Lando was.

• Lando trusted his brakes and stuck all the way around the outside of Turn 1 to steal the lead back from Kimi. A decisive move from the reigning world champion.

Lando sped away to win with a nice gap while Kimi and George rounded out a Mercedes double podium behind him.

• Drama ensued for Mercedes when Kimi pitted again for Soft tyres and found himself behind George.

• Logic would suggest the two should race fairly as George sits second in the driver’s standings, but the team ordered George to let Kimi pass.

• George later admitted that Kimi likely had him no matter what on the fresh tyres, but the message was clear: Kimi is Mercedes top driver.

Down the Grid

• Ferrari fumbled the chance to fight at the front through silly strategy and awkward team dynamics.

  • Lewis had a chance to challenge for a podium late, but Charles ended up in front of him on slower tyres.

  • Instead of clearly communicating the team need and asked Charles to move, the team told Charles to pit even though a stop made no sense at the time.

  • Charles ignored the order and continued to impede Lewis’ progress for another lap. Lewis was the most upset he has seemed in years.

• Oscar Piastri managed P6 and had some nice overtakes early on, but he still seems a few steps behind Lando in this new generation of car.

• Liam Lawson had a nice day as the sole surviving Red Bull, finishing P7 in his substitute performance.

• Nico Hulkenberg finished P8 and produced the highlight of the day with a mind blowing maneuver to avoid his spinning teammate.

• Fernando Alonso finished P9 and continues to lead a sliver of resurgence for the disappointing Aston Martin team.

• Pierre Gasly grabbed the final point in P10 after defending like a madman in the midfield all race.

• Yuki Tsunoda nearly scored a point in his return to F1 and beat his teammate Arvid Lindblaad.

• Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, who both recently renewed their contracts with the team on big pay raises, crashed into each other during a late battle for non-points scoring positions.

The Circuit

• Zandvoort is a fast circuit with a unique layout on the western coast of the Netherlands.

• The tight, twisty layout of today’s Zandvoort evolved out of need — complaints about noise from the local population threatened to close the circuit, so they redesigned the layout to fit in a much smaller space and keep noise away from populated areas.

• Zandvoort‘s heavily-banked corners invite higher speeds and allow drivers to pursue multiple different lines.

• This is Zandvoort’s final year in contract with F1 for the foreseeable future.

The Lap

• The lap opens on Zandvoort’s one and only straight, where drivers will reach top speed and see their best overtaking opportunities at Turn 1: Tarzanbocht.

• Tarzanbocht is Zandvoort’s heaviest braking zone — but is also one of the circuit’s three banked corners. Banked corners offer better grip, the opportunity to take different lines through a corner, and increased cornering speeds

• Turn 3 is the second banked corner and is a deceptively tight left-hander where you can expect battles on Lap 1.

• The middle sector features a series of fast, sweeping corners where the smallest mistake will leave a driver vulnerable at the end of the lap.

• Turns 11/12 form a quick chicane at the end of the second, shorter straight, presenting another potential overtaking opportunity.

• The final corner is a full-speed right-hander with 18 degrees of banking, allowing drivers to take multiple lines accelerating onto the main straight.

Top of Mind

• Kimi Antonelli holds a 50-point championship lead halfway through the season. Can anyone catch him?

  • Lewis Hamilton is in P2 after his resurgence this year with Ferrari. Can they deliver him a winning car?

  • George Russell sits P3 after some struggles as well as some mechanical issues in the first of half of what was supposed to be his season.

  • Charles Leclerc is in P4 and has been a step behind Lewis most of the season. Ferrari could ask Leclerc to play a more direct supporting role a la Perez for Red Bull in 2021.

  • Lando Norris is in P5 after his first win of the year and rides some quiet momentum from McLaren’s upgrades. McLaren did start slow then develop fast in the last set of regulations.

• Max Verstappen re-signed with Red Bull through 2030 to contribute to a mostly not silly free agent season.

• Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both got raises and extended with Williams.

• Isaac Hadjar injured himself boxing over the break and will be replaced by Liam Lawson on the big team this week. Honda-backed Yuki Tsunoda will return to replace Lawson in the Racing Bulls car.

Odds and Predictions

• Kimi is favored with Lando and Lewis projected evenly behind him.

• Leclerc, Russell, and Verstappen are projected third through fifth.

• Oddsmakers seem to believe in both Lando and Lewis, and that Red Bull has not improved drastically just yet.

Schedule

• Sprint Qualifying is Friday at 10:30am ET

• Sprint is Saturday at 6am ET

• Qualifying is Saturday at 10am ET

• The Race is Sunday at 9am ET

Fight at the Front

Lando started from pole with Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen behind him. Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton started P5 and P6 after receiving penalties during qualifying.

• Lando found himself under pressure from Oscar early. The two teammates nearly made contact as Oscar bravely ran around the outside of turn two and stole the lead early.

• Max struggled with (and complained about) his car setup all weekend but managed a decent start to move into P3.

• George Russell struggled off the line as his car went into anti-stall mode and he fell all the way back to P20.

Lewis caught and passed Max early, leading to another throwback battle between the two champions.

• It felt like 2021 all over again as Lewis and Max pushed each other wheel-to-wheel through multiple corners and gave each other almost no space.

• It looked like Lewis had won the position for good when Max sent a desperate dive from way back down the inside of Turn 1. He somehow slowed the car down and managed to win P2 back.

Lando settled in behind Oscar in P2 and the fight for the win also became a lamer type of throwback as the two drivers jockied the McLaren team for preferential treatment over the radio.

• Lando was behind in position, but clearly faster on pace as he followed Oscar closely on a track where following is difficult.

• Oscar won the position fair and square and had no interest in giving it up after a tough start to his own season.

• McLaren eventually pitted Oscar first in a move that should’ve given him a slight advantage. Unfortunately, an absent-minded Carlos Sainz (suffering in his slow Williams) impeded Oscar on his out lap and slowed him enough for Lando to take the outright lead.

• Oscar pulled over with a broken gearbox with 15 laps to go in a devastating drop from P2 to DNF.

Kimi had a nice race despite battling both his penalty and a slight pace disadvantage for the first time this season in the rocket ship of a Mercedes.

• The Hungaroring lacks the long straights and high-power sections to let the Mercedes stretch its legs.

• Kimi raced like a patient champion - moving up steadily throughout the race and avoiding contact or issues. He let Lando pass with almost no defense, understanding that he lacked the pace to win this week.

• Kimi managed a podium finish in P3, most importantly, scored more points than either of his two current challengers for the championship.

Lando won handily, building a 15-second lead by the time he took the checkered flag.

• It was a resurgent weekend for the reigning champion and his team. It might be too late to contend this season, but this is just the first year of a regulation set.

• Max finished P2 for his second straight podium, but was not particularly happy. Max has complained endlessly about these current regulations and seems quite ready to leave Red Bull.

• Kimi is still comfortably ahead in the title race.

Down the Grid

• Ferrari finished P4 and P5 for decent double points but ultimately a disappointment considering their pace at this track. Both Ferraris started the race on soft tyres, a gamble against the rest of the field (on mediums) that did not work.

• Isaac Hadjar managed P6 and is quietly turning in the best season for a Red Bull #2 in years.

• George Russell managed to get back to P7 after his disastrous start, but this season is still turning sad for him at this point.

• Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finished P8 and P10 for another double points Racing Bulls weekend. The two drivers also find themselves fighting each other at least once per week.

• Nico Hulkenberg grabbed two points in P9 and looked handsome doing it.

The Circuit

• The Hungaroring is a narrow, bumpy, and twisty circuit where overtaking is nearly impossible in dry conditions. Qualifying is Monaco-level important here.

• The same things that make overtaking difficult make defending a position in a slower car feasible, so any drivers able to punch above their weight in qualifying are more likely to secure an upset.

• Hungaroring is one of the best circuit names in F1.

The Lap

• A lap around the Hungaroring starts and finishes on its only true straight before slowing to a near-stop for a tight right-hand hairpin.

• The middle sector is non-stop turning through eight quick, technical corners.

• Back-to-back wide hairpins close out the lap as drivers exit onto the main straight.

• There is one overtake detection spot at the final corner of the track.

• The Turn 2-3 complex is the only conventional braking and overtaking zone.

Top of Mind

• Races at Hungaroring tend to be parades with little overtaking, but better following in the new regulations could disrupt that.

• Kimi Antonelli has a commanding lead and mostly needs to make sure he finishes races to secure the championship.

• George Russell is looking for a much needed rebound and has a history with this track: he qualified on his first pole here is 2022.

• Ferrari has been knocking on the door, but inconsistently. This could be a good track for them to challenge.

• McLaren is reportedly bringing upgrades this week.

Odds and Predictions

• Oddsmakers are showing shockingly little faith in Russell, projecting him fourth behind Kimi and the Ferraris.

• Chaos. This is a track that punishes mistakes and Kimi has been brilliant, but far from perfect.

• I like Haas or Alpine to score in the midfield as they’ve both done better in twisty, high downforce circuits.

Schedule

• Qualifying is 10am ET on Saturday

• The Race is 9am ET on Sunday

Fight at the Front

Kimi qualified on pole again and jumped out to an early lead despite a surprise challenge from Max Verstappen.

• Max qualified P2 after a selfless assist from teammate Isaac Hadjar who sacrificed his own qualified to give Max a slipstream.

• With no business starting that far up, Max managed a nice start and slipped past Kimi into the lead at Eau Rouge (a rare overtake spot). Kimi passed Max moments later.

George fell back at the start after reportedly suffering some battery power issues, and had to retire after making contact with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 5.

• Lewis received a penalty for the incident, but it seemed either faultless or on George after review.

• The Ferraris and Oscar Piastri settled in to battle for P3 as Kimi and Max sped ahead.

Leclerc lucked into the lead when a virtual safety car came out after the Mercedes already pitted.

• Charles waited to pit and came out well ahead of Kimi after the cheap safety car stop.

• Lando Norris let Charles by him relatively easy, then put up a stout defense before letting Kimi pass. It was one lap of inconvenience, but goes to show everyone is battling against Kimi right now.

Kimi chased down Charles with 10 laps to go and passed him confidently to retake the lead for good.

• Kimi is looking as confident as ever and takes a 50-point lead home with him this week after Russell’s crash out.

• George started the season as the favorite but it seems like everything is going wrong for him. Even with pace struggles, he needs to limit his incidents to have any chance against his young Italian teammate.

• Leclerc finished P2 and Max P3 to round out the podium.

Down the Grid

• Oscar finished P5 after a nice quiet race and Lando finished P7 behind him. Lando started P13 after an engine penalty and did a nice job rising up the field. Watch out for a resurgence from McLaren as they get their first big upgrade next week.

• Isaac Hadjar finished P6 after starting P21 from an engine penalty. It was a brilliant comeback drive after being the ultimate team player Saturday.

• Audi was relatively quick at Spa and Gabriel Bortoleto capitalized with a Q3 appearance on Saturday and a P8 finish in the race.

• Arvid Lindblad finished P9 after some spicy wheel-to-wheel racing against his teammate Liam Lawson.

• Franco Colapinto grabbed the final point for Alpine, highlighted by a double overtake over Lawson and teammate Pierre Gasly.

The Circuit

• The 4.3 mi Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps — or Spa — is one of the most legendary racing circuits in the world.

• Winding through the Belgian Alps at high altitude, Spa is one of the most beautiful visual spectacles in racing.

• A lap around Spa is long and provides plenty of overtaking opportunities for cars with good straight-line speed. Spa is many drivers’ favorite circuit.

The Lap

• The start/finish straight leads into Le Source - a sharp right-hand hairpin that can be a good overtaking spot.

• Drivers need a critical exit from Le Source as they speed downhill toward Eau Rouge and Radillion, one of the most famous and dangerous corner combinations in racing.

• Eau Rouge is a soft left-hander where drivers will stay flat out on the throttle and try to position themselves perfectly to accelerate up a steep hill.

• Radillion swings drivers back to the right and uphill on the absolute limit as they position themselves for the long Kemmel straight.

• One spot for overtakes is at the end of this straight. This combination of Turns 7-8-9 is a quick right-left-right known as Le Combes.

• The middle sector is a more technical series of constant corners before drivers go flat out for most of the final sector between Turns 14-18.

• Drivers slow to a near stop at the final “bus stop” chicane into Turn 19 before exiting back onto the start/finish straight.

Top of Mind

• The Mercedes fight at the top is still very much on as Kimi Antonelli leads the championship and George Russell sits within one win (25 pts) behind him.

• Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari have been knocking on the door, but they may struggle this week on a track with limited battery charging (braking) zones.

• McLaren got the newest version of the Mercedes engine this week. Lando Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty to implement, but they are hoping for a step forward.

• Red Bull has struggled this year, and rumors suggest Max Verstappen is still exploring an early exit after this season. That said, Max loves this circuit and the RBR power unit is strong at altitude.

Odds and Predictions

• Kimi Antonelli is favored comfortably over George Russell.

• The Ferraris and Max are projected together just behind them.

• The Racing Bulls should have another good chance at double points.

Schedule

• Qualifying is Saturday at 10am ET

• the Race is Sunday at 9am ET

• With the increased role of battery deployment in the new regulations, “yo-yo” overtakes — where one driver deploys their batter and takes a place only for the overtaken driver to deploy their own battery and win the place back at the next opportunity — have become increasingly common.

• The Silverstone sprint race had yo-yo overtaking up and down the grid. It was fun to watch, but not much ultimately changed in the grid order.

Fight at the Front

Kimi qualified on pole with the Ferraris behind him. Charles and Lewis surged past Kimi at the start for an early Ferrari 1-2.

• Max moved up two places from P7 to P5 at the start.

• Kimi retook P2 from Lewis in the early laps and set his sights on Charles for the lead.

• Lewis received a borderline five-second penalty for moving early at the start (he barely moved), and was forced back to P7.

Lewis worked his way back up the field as Kimi chased down Charles in the middle phase.

• Lewis reached George Russell in P4 on Lap 30 and the two former teammates dueled for five laps, highlighted by a rare wheel-to-wheel battle through Maggots corner.

• George fought past Max a few laps later in another, slightly less respectful, wheel-to-wheel battle. Max showed no quarter and forced George to wait and save up his battery before passing.

As he was about to reach Leclerc to challenge for the lead, Kimi came on the radio to complain about mechanical issues.

• It turned out Kimi’s front left wheel shield was broken and his car performance was seriously limited.

• He tried to pit and come back out to salvage points but ultimately fell to P15.

Max was running in P3 late and crashed out into the wall as a result of a similar rear-wing failure similar to his crash in Austria. The Safety Car came out and seemed primed to deliver one final lap of a three-way battle.

• Ultimately the track was not ready in time and the race ended under Safety Car. Not all the lapped cars had unlapped themselves in time, so the Safety Car had to stay out one lap. Ironically, this is what should’ve happened at Abu Dhabi in 2021.

• Charles took the gift of a large gap and rode it to a nice win, his first of the season.

• George worked his way up to P2 and maximized his teammate’s DNF. He closes the gap to just 25 points in the championship standings.

• Lewis finished P3 and just behind George in the championship.

Down the Grid

• McLaren is still not fully competitive, but Lando Norris turned in a nice weekend scorecard with P3 in the Sprint and P4 in the race. Oscar Piastri was unlucky with early contact and fell down the standings.

• Isaac Hadjar had one of his best weekends at Red Bull, out-qualifying and ultimately out-finishing Max Verstappen.

• Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad turned in a nice double points finish for Racing Bulls and were a cut above the rest of the midfield all weekend.

• Gabriel Bortoleto had a resurgent weekend for Audi and finished P8.

• Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly finished P9 and P10, respectively to give Alpine double points.

Silverstone is a legendary 5.9km circuit located 70 miles northwest of London that has hosted the British GP since 1948.

• Silverstone was built as a service road circumventing a WWII Royal Air Force base. It is one of many British circuits built as an RAF base and converted to a racing circuit during the 1950s post-war racing boom.

• The original triangle runways still outline the modern-day track.

• Silverstone is fast, flowing, and unanimously popular among fans and drivers.

• Drivers are concerned this year that a lack of battery power will dampen the thrill of Silverstone’s exciting fast corners.

The Lap

• The lap opens on a quick straight followed by a slow section where traffic can build up at the start.

• The exit of Turn 4 is critical to open up an overtaking opportunity down the first straight. The braking zone of Turn 6 is the most common overtaking spot.

• The end of the middle sector is one of the most famous stretches in racing. Drivers hurtle through “Copse” flat-out then weave through the combo of “Maggots”, “Becketts”, and “Chapel”.

• Chapel exits onto the “Hangar Straight” where a second straight zone creates an overtaking opportunity under braking into Turn 15.

Top of Mind

• After a lego car driver’s parade turned into a (contact-filled) lego car race in Miami last year, Lego and F1 are doubling down and returning to the driver’s parade at Silversone. Instead of large cumbersome lego F1 replicas seating both drivers, they are bringing Lego go-karts for all 22 drivers.

• The fight is back on at Mercedes after George Russell’s win in Austria. This is George and the team’s home race.

• Lewis Hamilton has been nipping at their heels in recent weeks, and he has won more at Silverstone than any other race. That said, this year’s Ferrari may not be well-suited to the track.

• Max Verstappen looked to be in great form last week in Austria and the Red Bull could be competitive this week.

• McLaren has been quiet since their single win in Miami. They seem relegated to best of the rest unless/until they upgrade.

Odds and Predictions

• Kimi Antonelli is favored by a hair over George Russell for the win.

• Hamilton and Verstappen are projected even behind them.

• Oddsmakers are treating Charles Leclerc like a genuine second driver after his run of performances.

• I like Lindblad to score a point this week.

Schedule

• Sprint Qualifying is Friday July 3 at 11:30am ET

• the Sprint is Saturday July 4 at 7am ET

• Qualifying is Saturday July 5 at 11am ET

• The Race is Sunday July 6 at 10am ET

Fight at the Front

George got a great jump and controlled the race from the start as a chaotic battle broke out behind him.

• It initially looked like Charles Leclerc would challenge George for the lead in the first few corners. Instead, Lewis Hamilton chased down his teammate and passed him around the outside to take P2.

• Kimi Antonelli went off track as he struggled with a braking issue and Max Verstappen quickly passed him for P4. Max then took advantage of the fighting Ferraris ahead, passing Charles Leclerc for P3 just after the battle with Lewis.

• George faced little challenge and Mercedes covered off every strategy risk. With this win he closes Kimi’s points lead a bit and retakes P2 from Lewis.

As George sped off into the lead, Lewis and Max squared up to challenge for P2 and put on one of the best wheel-to-wheel shows of the season.

• It looked like 2021 as Max dive-bombed and showed no quarter while Lewis held firm and forced Max to the absolute edge of the track.

• Lewis held off Max’s first challenge attempt, using an up and under to retake the position from a Max dive bomb. Max finally captured the position later with an unconventional inside move into Turn 6.

• Max finished P2 and Red Bull showed that their power unit is strong at high altitudes. Lewis struggled with engine overheating and fell to P5 as Ferrari attempted an ill-fated three stop strategy.

Kimi Antonelli roared back from a tough start to finish P3 and score a double podium for Mercedes.

• Kimi failed to score a final qualifying lap after Max’s Q3 crash on Saturday. George got pole because he pressed on through the early yellow flag, lifting just enough to follow the rules. This is the kind of risk that a more experienced driver might know to take.

• At the start, Kimi went off track into three consecutive corners with heavy braking zones. It became apparent later that he was struggling with mechanical brake issues.

• Despite these stumbles, Kimi passed Leclerc, Piastri, and Hamilton on his way to a P3 recovery drive. He even made a late bid to challenge Max and came within a half second on the final lap. This kind of damage control will be critical if Kimi wants to hang onto his championship lead.

Down the Grid

• McLaren remains a step behind on pace as Oscar Piastri finished P4 and Lando Norris P7. They did attempt to overtake Kimi Antonelli by splitting him on either side ,like the F1 movie.

• Isaac Hadjar finished P6 and looked feisty against the McLarens.

• Leclerc suffered floor damage early and still looks a step behind with this new generation of car. He finished P8.

• Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblaad scored double points in P9 and P10 at Racing Bulls unofficial home race.

The Red Bull Ring stands 700m above sea level in the heart of the Austrian mountains. A lap around RBR is short but action-packed with constant elevation changes, three consecutive straight-mode zones, and two primary overtaking spots.

The Lap

• Red Bull Ring starts with two straights separated by a single 90-degree right-hand turn.

• Turn 3 is a slow hairpin that exits onto a third straight where drivers will reach top speed before braking aggressively downhill into Turn 4. This downhill braking zone can be a nice overtaking opportunity.

• The back half of the lap puts drivers through six consecutive fast corners before exiting onto the start/finish straight. Turn limits have been a recurring issue in the final two corners.

Top of Mind

• Lewis Hamilton was the first to knock Mercedes back on its heels last week.

• Between reliability issues and Ferrari, Mercedes is reportedly concerned enough that they’ll consider team orders between their drivers to ensure the best result for the team.

• Max Verstappen and the McLarens seem to be forming a midfield of their own. As Max ponders his future in F1, Red Bull will be looking to improve Max’s car performance however possible.

• Silly season is afoot as drivers and teams consider their futures and rumors swirl. Max Verstappen might leave Red Bull or F1 entirely. George Russell’s contract is up. Fernando Alonso should probably retire.

Odds and Predictions

• Mercedes is favored once again with Kimi ahead of George, but both Ferraris are projected just behind them.

• The fights between the two Mercedes have been spicy and respectful so far, but the ice feels thin.

• Charles Leclerc has won here before and could be a smart pick to resurge this week.

Schedule

• Qualifying is Saturday at 10am ET

• Race is Sunday at 9am ET

Fight at the Front

George Russell qualified on pole with Lewis P2 and Kimi Antonelli P3.

• Lewis seemed locked in all weekend and really delivered when it counted on Saturday. He was just six thousandths of a second off Russell.

• Kimi was just behind while both McLarens and Red Bulls were farther off the pace.

• Charles Leclerc crashed in Q3 and delivered a depressing interview where he said it must be difficult to support him.

The leaders held position at the start of the race while Charles found a bit of momentum with three overtakes on the opening lap.

• Lewis started on soft tyres hoping to take the lead early. He failed to pass George but successfully held Kimi off for P2.

• With his soft tyres dying quickly, Lewis pitted on Lap 11 to attempt an undercut.

• Both Mercedes pitted within the next few laps to cover off the undercut.

When Lewis pitted a second time on Lap 27, Kimi had closed the gap a bit to George and Mercedes critically waited to pit either driver.

• Kimi challenged George for the lead multiple times and failed. George’s defense was confident and clean.

• While the Mercedes battled up front, Lewis was in clean air on fresh tyres lapping 2.5 seconds per lap faster than them.

• Lewis took the lead when Mercedes finally pitted a second time, then was gifted a cheap third pit stop himself when Fernando Alonso retired his car on the track. Lewis came out on fresh tyres and ahead of George.

With Lewis stretching his legs ahead, Kimi Antonelli bore down on his teammate once again.

• Mercedes asked the young Italian to hold off over the radio, saying they had a better chance to catch Lewis if they didn’t fight. Kimi did not listen.

• George defended the first few attempts but Kimi finally passed him down the inside of Turn 1 on Lap 61. Five laps later, Kimi’s engine failed and he had to retire.

• Lewis crossed a huge milestone with his new team and made up some serious ground in the championship standings.

• If this is a genuine three way fight, Mercedes will need to think about how often they let their drivers battle. Especially with their apparent engine reliability issues.

Some believe that Kim Kardashian (currently dating Lewis Hamilton) cast a spell on Kimi Antonelli by stealing his towel at the Monaco GP.

Down the Grid

• Lando Norris ran a steady race despite the McLaren still struggling for pace. He earned a podium from it with Kimi’s retirement.

• Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and Isaac Hadjar fell in line P4,5,6 respectively. Hadjar qualified further back but had a nice first half of the race successfully getting past some slower cars.

• Alpine and Racing Bulls filled out the rest of the points each having solid weekends with Pierre Gasly at the head in P7.

• Eight total drivers DNF’ed in Barcelona. Only four drivers finished that did not score points.

race highlights

The Circuit

• The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya just north of Barcelona has been a fixture in F1 since its inauguration in 1991. It used to be the location for preseason testing because its diverse mix of fast and slow corners helped teams gather valuable data.

• Barcelona is a flowing circuit with creative corners that drivers enjoy.

• In 1991, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell staged an epic duel for the lead.

• In 2016, teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed each other out before 18 year old Max Verstappen went on to become the youngest ever F1 race winner.

The Lap

• Barcelona opens on a long pit straight before a quick right-left for Turns 1 and 2. This first corner is the most conventional overtaking spot.

• Medium-speed, technical corners make up the rest of sector one and most of sector two. Mistakes here will make a driver vulnerable late in the lap.

• Turn 9 is a high-speed right-hander that exits onto the back straight.

• Sector three starts with back-to-back hairpins, then drivers accelerate through two final corners and onto the main straight.

Top of Mind

• Kimi Antonelli has been dominant since the second race and looks primed to become the youngest world champion ever.

• George Russell started the season as the title favorite and won the opener. Now he’s fallen to third in the standings and looks like a clear second fiddle at Mercedes.

• Lewis Hamilton has quietly stolen second place from George as Ferrari sits on the fringes of competing for wins. Charles Leclerc seems to have fallen victim at least a bit to Lewis’ influence driving decisions at the Scuderia.

• McLaren has struggled and Lando Norris is having the worst title defense season in more than a decade.

Odds and Predictions

• Kimi is favored with George projected second.

• Max is projected next best over a scramble of McLaren and Ferraris. Oddsmakers seem unsure whose upgrades will make an impact and whether anyone can catch Mercedes anyway.

• Williams has been quietly rebounding and is at least closer to competing with Haas than Aston Martin. They could see double points here again at Carlos Sainz’s home race.

Schedule

• Qualifying is Saturday at 10am ET

• The Race is Sunday at 9am ET

Kimi qualified on pole at the last possible moment of an epic qualifying session that saw Max Verstappen beat Charles Leclerc for P2 by just one thousandth of a second. Kimi turned in the perfect lap at the perfect moment as his teammate George Russell qualified P6.

Fight at the Front

Max suffered a mechanical failure off the line and retired as Kimi eased into a safe lead and the Ferraris fell in behind.

• Lando Norris lost a place to Pierre Gasly on the opening lap and eventually retired from the race. Lan

• George Russell initially gained a place on Isaac Hadjar via undercut, but lost it again due to multiple penalties.

• Hadjar and Oscar Piastri benefited from the chaos, moving up to P3 and P4, respectively.

The recently contract-extended Leclerc caused a late red flag with a crash on lap 64. He angrily blamed Ferrari’s brake issues.

• Kimi was forced to defend from Lewis for a second standing start and had no issue. He rode to a smooth victory and celebrated taking a 66-point lead in the standings.

• Lewis finished P2 for the second consecutive week and sits in second place in the standings.

• Isaac Hadjar nabbed the final podium place, his first with Red Bull Racing and the first in more than two years for Red Bull’s second driver.

Multiple drivers received penalties for speeding in the pitlane due to a quirky measurement issue.

• Pit lane speed is measured by sensors spaced a certain distance apart. How long it takes you to get from one sensor to the other tells the stewards your speed.

• Multiple drivers were taking a tighter line into the pit lane and shortening the distance they traveled. So though they were driving at the pit lane speed limit, the system measured them as going slightly too fast.

• Teams and drivers were warned about the potential for this in advance so penalties were enforced strictly.

Down the Grid

• George Russell finished P12 after penalties for speeding in the pit lane and for not serving his first penalty correctly.

• Oscar Piastri managed a quiet P4 and overtook his world champion teammate in the drivers standings (for fifth).

• Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad grabbed a nice double points finish in P5 and P6 for Racing Bulls,

• Pierre Gasly saw a podium turn into P7 after a post-race penalty.

• Alex Albon finished P8 as Williams continues to look more competitive in the midfield.

• Esteban Ocon scored two points for Haas in P9 after some off-week rumors suggested he was on the outs with his team principal.

• Fernando Alonso somehow scored the final point with P10 in the disastrous Aston Martin.

The Circuit

• The Circuit de Monaco is a street circuit in the truest sense. The Monaco GP runs on the real, narrow city streets of one of the world’s wealthiest tax havens.

• Monaco is one of the most challenging laps on the calendar. It’s shocking that a modern F1 car can fit through some sections of the track let alone push at the limit.

• Monaco is also one of the best and richest spectacles in F1. Yachts besiege the coast a week in advance and teams build their own floating party barges.

• It is nearly impossible to overtake at Monaco, so Qualifying on Saturday is usually the competitive highlight of the weekend. Watch as drivers nearly clip every wall (and sometimes crash on purpose) hoping for a pole position that is highly likely to yield victory.

The Lap

• Monaco starts on its longest straight and turn one is a fast, uphill right hander. Drivers like to go side-by-side at Turn 1 on the first lap and many of them end up off track or in the wall.

• A downhill hairpin slows drivers all the way down before a twisty, tight-walled second sector highlighted by the famous Monaco tunnel.

• The final sector is a technically demanding dance through the marina. Unforced errors and wall touches are most common here with sharp turns and tight exits.

Top of Mind

• Kimi Antonelli, the youngest championship leader ever, has a 43 point lead in the standings over teammate George Russell. A win in Monaco might feel like an early coronation for the young Italian.

• After a spicy fight last week followed by a battery failure, George will be looking to make a statement of his own.

• This week is when the compression ratio rule changes go into effect. This is the thing that many teams claim Mercedes had a big advantage on. It is unclear how much these changes will affect Mercedes’ pace.

• Ferrari is good in slow corners and Monaco has a lot of them. Charles Leclerc is Monaco’s favorite son and Lewis Hamilton is coming off his best race in years.

Odds and Predictions

• Oddsmakers favor Ferrari this week over the Mercedes with Charles Leclerc heavily favored.

• Lando Norris is +550 with teammate Oscar Piastri +1200. Piastri is struggling after leading the championship this time last year.

• I think Lewis could surprise with a pole position this week.

Schedule

• Qualifying is Saturday, June 6 at 10am ET

• Race is Sunday, June 7 at 9 am ET

George Russell won a spicy sprint on Saturday then qualified on pole. George and Kimi battled back and forth and even made contact before Kimi went off track and fell to P3 behind Lando Norris. Kimi shared some heated words on the radio before team principal Toto Wolff gave him the hush hush.

Fight at the Front

Lando Norris leapt from P3 into the lead on Intermediate tyres as McLaren gambled that the track would stay wet.

• Kimi took advantage and pinned Russell in the middle of the track to take P2 around the outside.

• The McLaren tyres fell apart quickly as the track dried, and Kimi took the lead on Lap 2.

Antonelli and Russell proceeded to duel for nearly 20 consecutive laps.

• George passed Kimi on Lap 12 as Kimi locked up down the inside of Turn 1.

• The two passed and repassed each other countless times as Kimi pressured George and forced him to lock up multiple times into the Turn 10 hairpin.

Kimi took the lead for a final time on Lap 30. Moments later George’s battery failed and forced him to retire.

• It was a frustrating end to a brilliant duel, and George was understandably furious.

• Kimi cruised to an easy victory and stretched his championship lead to 43 points. He sat on the shoulders of his idol Lewis Hamilton on the podium.

Down the Grid

• Lewis had his best race weekend since joining Ferrari, finishing P2.

  • Lewis was locked in and seemed energized all weekend. He has reportedly ditched the Ferrari simulator and is using more old school practice methods.

  • He passed Oscar Piastri twice on track, then out-dueled Max Verstappen in the final phase.

• Max finished P3 for his first podium of the season. The Red Bull is the fourth fastest car so far this year.

• Charles Leclerc finished P4 and did not seem very happy about it. He was a half-step behind Lewis for the first time this year and was grumpy again on the radio.

• McLaren failed to score a single point after their failed weather gamble and Ferrari picked up huge ground in the team standings. Lando Norris retired with a gearbox problem.

race highlights

The Circuit

• Nestled on an island park in the heart of Montreal, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is the prettiest temporary street circuit on the F1 calendar.

• Straight-line speed is key here with long straights and slow corners.

• The famous “Wall of Champions” is a tight wall on the right-hand side of the final chicane that has claimed numerous world champions over the years.

The Lap

• Turns 1-2 combine for a tricky, slow complex where cars are likely to stack up on Lap 1.

• The middle sector opens on the first short straight and ends at the gorgeous turn 11 hairpin with a panoramic grandstand.

• The final sector is fastest stretch of the track with two consecutive long straights and only the wall of champions chicane to briefly slow them in between.

• The most likely overtake spots will be Turn 13 and Turn 1 at the middle and end of this long final section.

Top of Mind

• F1 needs momentum after two early lulls in the season have fans forgetting who won the early races (George, Kimi, Kimi, Kimi).

• Ferrari is in second after a consistently solid season start powered by consistently great race starts. They’ll be fighting for wins if they can hold their pace deeper into the race.

• McLaren was fiesty in Miami as Lando Norris won the sprint then double podiumed with Oscar Piastri in the race.

• George Russell is now 20 points down on a teammate he has treated like a younger brother so far. Let’s see how long that lasts.

• Max Verstappen is likely mad after his masterful drive in the GT3 24 hours of Nurburgring was cut short by a driveshaft failure.

Odds and Predictions

• 19 year-old championship leader Kimi Antonelli is favored slightly over teammate George Russell. George has excelled in Canada over the years, he won here last year, and he’ll show up with a chip on his shoulder after three straight losses. I think he’s a decent bet this week.

• McLaren is projected next fasted with Max Verstappen favored slightly above Oscar Piastri. Oddsmakers either think Red Bull has progressed or Max will make some magic.

• Ferrari is projected slowest of the frontrunners, likely because Montreal is not a friendly track for recharging the battery.

Schedule

• Qualifying is at 4pm ET on Saturday

• Race is at 2pm ET on Sunday

Lando Norris qualified up front for the Saturday Sprint with Oscar Piastri in P3 and Kimi between them.

• Oscar overtook Kimi at the start and McLaren cruised to a 1-2 finish.

• Later that day, Kimi qualified on pole for his third consecutive grand prix.

Fight at the Front

Charles Leclerc surged into the lead around the outside of Turn 1 as Kimi fell back and Max Verstappen challenged down the inside.

• Charles took the lead as Max cooked his tires and spun amidst heavy traffic. Max made a masterful correction to stay in the race but dropped back to P10.

• Lando and Oscar took advantage to improve from P4 and P7 to P2 and P3, respectively.

Lando overtook Kimi for P2 just before an early Safety Car, then passed Charles on the back straight to take the lead on Lap 13.

• Kimi passed Leclerc quickly, setting his sights on Lando and the lead. He couldn’t pass him after a few initial attempts and Mercedes called him in for an early pit stop.

• Kimi made up great time on his first few out laps and successfully undercut Lando, stealing the lead once Lando pitted.

• Lando chased Kimi for the entire final stint, but failed to catch him. Kimi looked composed and confident en route to his third consecutive win.

Max staged a furious comeback through the midfield, dive bombing left and right on his way to the front.

• Up in P6, Max pitted extra early to try and gain track position for a long final stint. He successfully held the lead for a few laps before both Kimi and Lando passed him.

• Oscar passed Charles in the final few laps and Charles spun just after, falling all the way to P6.

• George snuck into P4 with the late spin but was undoubtedly disappointed with his weekend as he falls further behind his teammate in the standings.

Down the Grid

• Lewis Hamilton finished P7 and looked a full step behind the frontrunners all weekend.

• Franco Colapinto had his best race for Alpine, finishing P8 and holding his own in midfield battles against Max and Lewis.

• Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon scored double points for Williams in P9 and P10. Nice momentum after a very sluggish start.

race highlights

The Circuit

• The track is a narrow street circuit in the parking lot of Hard Rock Stadium that does its best to generate action with long straights.

• Miami is a popular race for celebrities and brands, the Monaco of the states.

• It tends to rain often in Florida, but for short stints. Watch out for spurts of precipitation to drip mixed condition chaos on Saturday and Sunday.

The Lap

• The lap opens on its shortest straight into a technical first sector.

• Sector 2 is flat out until a quick left-right-left from Turns 11-16.

• The long back straight dominates Sector 3 and is one of the longest in F1. The Turn 17 braking zone at the end of the back straight is Miami’s most common overtaking spot.

• The short start/finish straight can create switchback opportunities, and likely will with the battery deployment battles of these new regs.

Top of Mind

• The FIA made their first big tweak to the new regulations.

  • They’ve altered the battery charging limits to avoid awkward “super-clipping” in qualifying where cars slow early on straights to charge extra battery power.

  • They’ve made deployment changes in specific zones to avoid dangerous speed differences like the one that led to Oli Bearman’s crash in Japan.

  • They’ve added warning lights and mechanisms to help cars that struggle off the line at the start.

• Every team will come with updates now that they’ve had time to learn their new cars and design/develop better parts. No one expects Mercedes to struggle, but McLaren should likely take a step forward and Ferrari could as well.

• Kimi Antonelli is the youngest ever championship leader as we resume the season, and his veteran teammate George Russell will not give that away easy. Expect the fight to heat up quickly.

Odds and Predictions

• Russell is favored slightly over Antonelli and both Mercedes are projected a cars length ahead of the field.

• McLaren are projected 3/4 for the first time this season with Ferrari just behind.

• Oddsmakers don’t think Red Bull has figured anything out yet. Reports continue to indicate that Max Verstappen has a foot out the door after his longtime race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was confirmed as McLarens future Chief Racing Officer.

Schedule

• Sprint Qualifying is Friday at 4:30pm ET

• Sprint is Saturday at 12pm ET

• Qualifying is Saturday at 4pm ET

• The Race is Sunday at 4pm ET

Fight at the Front

Mercedes qualified up front but suffered again at the start as the McLarens and Ferraris surged ahead to shuffle the order.

• Oscar Piastri qualified P3 and took the lead at Turn 1. Not bad for the first race he’s started all year.

• Charles Leclerc qualified P4 and jumped to P2.

• Lando Norris qualfied P5 and jumped to P3.

George and Kimi started working their way up the field immediately.

• Kimi passed Lewis to take P5 and George passed Lando to take P3 on the second lap.

• George passed Charles on Lap 4 and set his sights on Piastri. It took Kimi a few laps to pass Lando, but he got him on Lap 12.

• Kimi and Charles had a fun scrap four laps later. Kimi seemed to overtake at first, then got a snap of oversteer coming out of the corner and Charles got him back. Kimi passed him for good two corners later.

• McLaren pitted Oscar early to stay aggressive and Mercedes responded by pitting George as well.

On Lap 22, Franco Colapinto floated out into the middle of the track while slowing to recharge his battery just as Oliver Bearman approached from behind going much faster.

• Bearman went off onto the grass on the left to avoid contact and hit three trackside signs before spinning across the track and slamming into the wall.

• Oli took 50G of force from the crash and was noticeably shaken as marshalls helped him off the track. His xrays were negative for any fractures.

• Many drivers have warned of this possibility with the new regulations. Drivers slowing unnaturally to charge battery can lead to dangerous speed deltas with approaching drivers. As Carlos Sainz pointed out, this is what happened on a track with a lot of runoff. Imagine this happening on a street circuit with narrow walls?

The crash led to a Safety Car that changed the complexion of the race. Oscar and George fell behind as all the drivers ahead got free pit stops.

• Kimi was the biggest winner, he retained the lead and scampered away after the safety car restart.

• The young Italian built a 17-second gap before winning his second grand prix and becoming the youngest ever to top the standings. He’s been lucky but he’s also knocked every opportunity out of the park this season.

• Oscar couldn’t come close to challenging for the win, but he held on in P2 for McLaren’s best finish so far this year.

Two thrilling late fights shaped up as George pushed to steal a podium for Charles and Lando challenged Lewis behind.

• George and Charles battled for multiple laps, climaxing on Lap 51 when George challenged down the inside but Charles miraculously held on around the outside.

• Lewis and Lando passed and re-passed each other twice before Lando squeezed ahead at Turn 1 on Lap 52.

Down the Grid

• Pierre Gasly finished P7 and staged a sturdy defense of a charging Max Verstappen in the final laps.

• Speaking of Max, he finished P8, his car is not very fast, and he’s not happy. Max raced in Germany last week with his GT3 team and seemed to have a blast. After the GP in Suzuka he said he was questioning his life choices. Dramatic.

• Liam Lawson finished P9 for Racing Bulls and has put together a nice first few races despite a statement start from his rookie teammate.

• Esteban Ocon finished P10 to take the final point for Haas.

• Williams, Cadillac, and Aston Martin remain slow, very slow.

race highlights

The Circuit

• Honda built the 3.6m Suzuka International Circuit as a company test track in 1962.

• Suzuka is the only “figure-eight” shaped track in F1. Half the track is clockwise, half is counterclockwise, and the long back straight ends in a bridge that passes over sector two.

• Suzuka is a narrow track with few conventional overtaking spots, but who knows what to expect in the new regulations?

The Lap

• Drivers start on a short straight before braking for a wide right-hand combo at Turns 1-2.

• Turns 3-7 are a back and forth series of “esses” (S) that will test drivers ability to keep their rear ends under control on Lap 1.

• The heavy braking Turn 11 hairpin slows drivers all the way down before spitting them out toward the back straight.

• That back straight is where drivers will reach top speed as they go flat out over the bridge and through Turn 15, the famous “130R”. Turn 15 might be less exciting this year as drivers are likely to run out of battery power and use the opportunity to slow earlier.

Top of Mind

• This fight is Mercedes v Mercedes until something changes, and Suzuka is not likely to challenge their advantage.

• Ferrari has been just behind so far and kept the races somewhat interesting. If they can get ahead at the start, the narrow track will be an asset.

• Red Bull is floundering and Max seems more excited about his GT career right now than F1. McLaren is biding their time until their first upgrade.

• Adrian Newey has already stepped down as Team Principal of Aston Martin to a more focused role and Jonathan Wheatley is set to leave Audi and succeed him. It’s a sudden move, but Aston has had a historically disastrous start to the year.

• Due to the war in the middle east, F1 is cancelling both its races in April and will be off until Miami in early May. 👎

Odds and Predictions

• Oddsmakers seem confident in the current pecking order, predicting Mercedes 1-2 with Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull in lock step behind them.

• I like a bet on both Haas to score points this week. Oliver Bearman has been on a run and Esteban Ocon is fighting for his own future in F1.

• Max Verstappen has had his worst career start in F1. Might he make some noise one of these weeks?

Schedule

• Qualifying is at 2am ET on Saturday

• The Race is at 1am ET on Sunday