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SEP 20, 2026
F1Weekly Podcast # 1166
ON TODAY'S PROGRAM... MAX WILL PASS HIS RED BULL SEAT TO ROBIN WHEN READY! YUKI TO HAAS FOR 2027? COLTON HERTA THROWS IN THE TOWL ON HIS FORMULA 2 CAREER LAWRENCE STROLL IN PANIC MODE LOOKING AT MERCEDES OR FORD AS A REPLACEMENTS FOR HIS HONDA HEADACHE! AND...FERNANDO SO TIRED OF HIS SLOW ASTON MARTIN BUYS A BUGATTI VEYRON GRAND SPORT! BRAVO... THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER A MOMENT IN MOTORSPORTS HISTORY...THE GILLES VILLENEUVE REPORT AND INTERVIEW WITH JACQUES VILLENEUVE. GRACIAS! Fernando Alonso's aluminium Veyron sat unsold for 27 months before it reached Monaco! Fernando Alonso has taken delivery of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse that a German dealer has been calling the most expensive Veyron ever built since it went on sale in June 2024. A video filmed near the Casino this week shows the Aston Martin Formula 1 driver easing the polished-aluminium car through Monaco traffic. When Mechatronik of Pleidelsheim listed it, the odometer read 750 km after nine years. Chassis 8.100 is a Grand Sport Vitesse with 20 tonnes of aluminium behind it The car Mechatronik lists as chassis 8.100 was ordered from Molsheim in 2014 and delivered in 2015 with a front bumper and seamless side panels milled from solid aluminium blocks, then polished, on a body that is otherwise exposed carbon fibre. More than 20 tonnes of aluminium went to Molsheim to produce those panels, Bugatti had to write dedicated CAD programs for them, and it spent longer building this Veyron than any other. Underneath it is a standard Vitesse: an 8.0-litre W16 with four turbochargers, 1,200 hp, 1,500 Nm and 410 km/h with the roof in place. The options bill alone exceeded the Vitesse's list price of about €1.69 million before tax. The first owner held all six Veyron Legends editions and used them as leverage The car exists because of an ultimatum. According to Mechatronik, the first owner already had a Veyron Pur Sang and had ordered all six Grand Sport Vitesse Legends editions, the 2013 and 2014 series built three cars apiece, along with several Super Sports. Bugatti declined the aluminium body as too expensive, and the client answered that the rest of his order book would go elsewhere if it did not build the car. It built the car. It then covered 750 km in nine years before it was consigned to a showroom near Stuttgart. Bugatti's own La Maison Pur Sang restoration programme now treats twenty-year-old Veyrons as classics, and this one arrived at that status without ever being used. Alonso said at Goodwood in July 2024 that he wanted 'a small collection' Alonso set out the shopping list himself, a month after the Veyron was listed. Interviewed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2024, he said he was 'in the moment of my life where I'm really looking forward to having a small collection', and added that some of the luxury brands he had driven for 'went into a different direction: bigger numbers', whereas he liked makers that 'treat the customer like unique customers'. The list that followed was an Aston Martin one: a Valkyrie due around his 29 July birthday, one of the 38 Valiants he commissioned with a manual gearbox he admitted he never drives, and a DB5 he was chasing through the heritage department. Two years on, the cars that have actually arrived are a one-off Pagani Zonda Roadster Diamante Verde in May and now a one-off Bugatti, both bought from Mechatronik and both delivered in Monaco. A Veyron built on one customer's ultimatum fits Alonso's own definition of luxury Chassis 8.100 is the most literal version of what Alonso said he valued: a factory that built exactly what one client wanted and never repeated it. Bugatti made 450 Veyrons between 2005 and 2015, and the Pur Sang of 2007, five cars in bare aluminium and carbon, was the factory's own earlier experiment in showing the metal. That is the same instinct that produced design director Frank Heyl's bespoke Veyron, and it explains why a car that spent 27
60 MIN
SEP 13, 2026
F1Weekly Podcast # 1165
on today's program... KIMI OVERCOMES FIRST LAP CHAOS TO WIN AT THE MADRING! MAX SPARS WITH LCH IN THE OPENING LAPS AND HANGS ON TO P2 NORRIS SAYS SIMPLY BAD LUCK WITH VSC AND... FERNANDO SAYS...I'M STICKING AROUND...I THINK... THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER...MORE MOTORSPORTS HISTORY, MARTIN AND, ALEX BRUNDLE AT THE AUTOSPORTS SHOW IN THE U.K. Formula 1 made its first trip to the new Circuito de Madring, about 10 miles outside of the Madrid city center, on Sunday, and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli christened the track with a win. The championship leader now owns an even more comfortable lead and picks up his eighth career race win, one week after he won the Italian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen finished second after holding off Lando Norris, who was on pole after Saturday's qualifying session, but an unfortunate pit stop contributed to his third-place finish. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished fourth, and Antonelli's teammate George Russell came in fifth. Kimi Antonelli It was great to get the victory today, but we know we were a little bit fortunate with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car. Lando (Norris) was in control at the front, but we were able to dive into the pits just as the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, make the cheap stop onto the Hard, get the net lead and run to the end. We probably didn’t deserve to win therefore but we will of course take it. We can also be happy with our pace today. We know we are still out of step with other teams in terms of upgrades, but we have been able to win the last two races at very different circuits. That is encouraging as we continue the season; we have a good position in the championships but we know there is still a very long way to go. MAX VERSTAPPEN “It was a great result, and we really maximised our performance, with finishing P2 on this track a solid way to wrap up a good weekend. At the start, Lewis clipped the kerb and jumped back onto the racing line, I had to go off track, otherwise both of us would have taken damage. I don't think we had the pace to challenge for the lead anyway, Kimi and Lando were faster than me throughout, so I'm happy with second. It's a circuit that's very difficult to pass on; if you position yourself in the middle, there isn't really a way through, so I was able to hold off Lando until the end. This double header has been a positive one. The car has been in a decent window both weekends, and we've been able to score consistently good points over the last few races. A podium is a nice way to end the European swing." LIAM LAWSON "I think it was a decent race. We had good speed through parts of it, but I just think we weren’t on the ideal strategy today. We went for the alternate strategy, starting on the Hards. At the start I lost the position to Franco and lost a lot of time as it was, but by the time I cleared him the VSC came out and they’d boxed, so it was just tricky from there. The start was exciting and I had to take a lot of risks to get the move done on Franco because it’s quite difficult to overtake here. It would’ve been nice to start a bit higher, but considering where we did start, the result today was good and I’m happy we managed to gain two places in the Race. I’m much more confident in the car this week, we’ve made a couple of great steps, so there are some good things to take away from the weekend." LAURENT MEKIES, CEO & Team Principal “After Monza another strong result from the whole Team at the end of a tough race. Once again, Max extracted absolutely everything from the car, as he always does. There was obviously some frustration at the start when he had to give the place back to Lewis, but the Team on the pit wall took a good look at it and, credit to them, made the difficult call. It was painful at the time, but Max immediately got himself back into the fight and was outstanding all the way to the flag, including a great defence against the McLaren in the final laps. It was also
54 MIN
SEP 7, 2026
F1Weekly Podcast # 1164
ON TODAY'S PROGRAM... ANTONELLI WINS AT MONZA FROM 19TH ON THE GRID! BRAVO! FERRARI FAIL AGAIN AT MONZA BUT...THERE COULD BE HOPE GEORGE SEES HIS CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES FIZZLE FREE MCLARENS GIVEN TO MOTORSPORTS TRIBUNAL JUDGES! AND...FERNANDO SAYS...GP2 ENGINE GP2... THE NASIR HAMEED CORNER FEATURES: NICO HULKENBURG AND F1W LISTENER RICHARD BRIGHT WHO, BUMPS INTO NASIR IN COLOGNE! BONUS: DESIREE'S MONZA TRACK HISTORY! AND...YES WE DO NEED YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO KEEP THIS SHOW ON THE AIR, JUST CLICK ON THE SUPPORT F1W TAB, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! F1W TAB Kimi Antonelli's stunning victory in the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid will go down in Formula 1 folklore - and, remarkably, his team boss Toto Wolff said that he had seen it coming on Saturday. After Sunday's race, Wolff said that beforehand he thought that one of his two drivers was going to be standing on the top of the podium. It was an eye-opening statement given they started the race 17 places apart on the grid, George Russell on the front row alongside shock pole winner Pierre Gasly's Alpine; Antonelli on the penultimate row. "I thought one of the two is going to win," Wolff said. "Either George, because he was on the front row, or Kimi because he's going to walk over water, here at Monza. And I felt that yesterday also." Wolff was asked to explain why he felt a performance he was comparing to a miracle was on the cards. "It's been a while that I've seen drivers," he said. "Energy levels, mindset or behavioural pattern. I knew that was his mission today, to win the race. I chatted with his father yesterday. The father also saw that coming. "These are the moments where you can see how a weekend is panning out through the sessions that a special moment can come." “I will remember forever” – Antonelli’s joy of winning the his home race from the back of the grid The Italian GP podium is always a special one, but for Kimi Antonelli to win his home race after starting all the way down in 19th place, the young Mercedes driver let out all his joy over the radio, and couldn’t hide his emotions even after the race, saying the fans just add “that little bit extra” emotion that spurred him on to a success he “will remember forever“: “I think this is the most special podium of the season,” he said in the press conference after the race. “To see all the fans on the straight, it’s just incredible. And then, of course, you know, being at home, it adds that little bit of extra. And, yeah, super, super happy with that.“ When asked if this was the best race of his career, Antonelli was quite philosophical in saying the best one is “yet to come“: “I mean, the best one has yet to come, but I feel like it was one of the best races I’ve done so far, and one that I will remember forever. “I think definitely the fans gave that little bit extra to push more. “For sure, the support has been great this weekend. So definitely, seeing the grandstand cheering every lap, for sure it gave that little bit of extra to push more and to try and do even better to win it.” McLaughlin Ends DroughtWith Dominant Laguna Seca Win MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026) – Scott McLaughlin ended a long winless streak and the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season in style, dominating the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey for his first victory in more than two years. Pole sitter McLaughlin drove the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet to victory by 1.3739 seconds over the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda of Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood. The win was the eighth of McLaughlin’s INDYCAR SERIES career and his first since Sept. 1, 2024, in the second race of a doubleheader weekend at the Milwaukee Mile, snapping a drought of 36 races. SEE: Race Results “My little girl (Lucy, born in October 2024) hasn’t seen me win yet, and now she has,” McLaughlin said. “So, Dad’s coming home with a trophy, baby. Let’s go! “These guys and girls at Team Penske have stood behind me the whole
68 MIN
AUG 30, 2026
F1Weekly Podcast # 1163
ON TODAY'S PROGRAM... ZACK COULD BEAT TOTO, AT HIS OWN GAME... IS NORRIS THE "A" TEAM AND, OSCAR THE "B" TEAM... CARLOS SAINZ...AS HE SIGNS ANOTHER CONTRACT WITH WILLIAMS HE KNOWS HIS CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES ARE GONE...AND FERNANDO SAYS...HONDA MAKING PROGRESS! I'M NOT GONA MISS IT! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER ANOTHER MOMENT IN F1 HISTORY...THE 2014 SEASON AND, THE CHAOS BETWEEN TWO DRIVERS! ...INTERVIEW WITH JOS AND MAX VERSTAPPEN DURING HIS SHORT FORMULA 3 SEASON! ANOTHER NASIR CLASSIC! OUR BONUS: TECH TALK WITH TIM....THE FRICS SYSTEM Front to Rear Inter-Connected Suspension. High Schooler Garcia Drivesto First Career Win in Milwaukee WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026) – Don’t tell the principal, but Max Garcia may have earned the right to skip school Monday after his stirring first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile. Series rookie Garcia earned his first win in his 15th career start in the INDYCAR development series, driving his No. 12 Abel Motorsports machine under the checkered flag .9430 of a second ahead of the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports car of JM Correa, who also earned a career-best finish. SEE: Race Results It’s still uncertain whether Garcia, 17, will be in homeroom Monday morning at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, where he just started his senior year. “Unbelievable,” Garcia said. “It’s been such a tough year for all of us at Abel. We knew we had a good oval package. We knew we set the car up more for the race, and we knew in practice we could move through cars. It was all about timing it right and then getting through everyone. “I’m trying to convince my mom not to let me go to school. Surely, this is something to celebrate. A day off would be nice, right?” Rookie Jack Beeton continued his strong second half of the season by finishing third in the No. 45 HMD Motorsports machine, earning his third podium result in the last five races. Andretti Global’s Max Taylor finished fourth in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen entry, while Nikita Johnson rounded out the top five in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car and took the lead in a sizzling championship fight with two races remaining. Johnson drove from 15th at the start to earn his eighth top-five finish of the season. He leads Enzo Fittipaldi by three points and third-place Tymek Kucharczyk by 29 entering the season-ending Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader Sept. 5-6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It’s tied for the fifth-closest race margin between the top two drivers with two races to go in series history. “I just kept my head down, pushed really hard and found lines that other people didn’t find until about halfway through,” Johnson said. “I think that really helps, just playing around and trying different lines out when everybody was just stuck in one line. It was a really good points day for us.” Fittipaldi finished seventh in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car, while Kucharczyk placed 12th in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine. Garcia started ninth but steadily worked his way through the field on the 1.015-mile oval. He passed Beeton for second on Lap 35 and pulled to within one second of leader and pole sitter Josh Pierson of Andretti Global, who had led by more than two seconds in the early going of the 90-lap race. Under pressure from Garcia, Pierson’s quest for his first career victory unraveled on Lap 54 when he spun in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti car in Turn 2 while leading and hit the tire barrier inside that corner to end his race. Pierson led every lap to that point. Garcia inherited the lead and never surrendered it despite four restarts in the last 37 laps after the race went caution-free for the first 53 laps. Abel Motorsports driver Garcia was threatened only once on one of those restarts. Beeton looked under Garcia in Turn 1 on Lap 83 but couldn’t complete the pass. On the next and final restart on Lap 86, Garcia left no doubt by getting a good jump and pulling
70 MIN
AUG 23, 2026
F1Weekly Podcast # 1162
ON TODAY'S PROGRAM... NORRIS PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER TO WIN IN ZANDVOORT! MAX SIGNS 4 YEARS DEAL WITH RED BULL...CRASHES ON THE 1ST LAP! HAMILTON IS DOWN RIGHT DISRESPECTFUL HULKENBURG WAS ON FIRE IN THE MIDPACK AND... FERNANDO SCORES POINTS GIVING FANS A LITTLE HOPE! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER IS A MOMENT IN MOTORSPORTS HISTORY...BMW'S DR. MARIO THEISSEN ! NORRIS WINS AS MAX CRASHES ON FIRST LAP. "Amazing. A tough race! Yesterday I said we needed to put on a bit of a show for everyone for the final race here, so I made it tough for myself today but [it was] a good race, well-fought. Probably one of my better wins – we had to fight for it well but the pace was strong. We managed things incredibly well today so over the moon, very happy. Nice to win the final race here in Zandvoort." Norris declared he is doing a better job than every other driver after a superb win at the Dutch Grand Prix – where Max Verstappen walked away from a huge crash at his final home race. The 26-year-old reeled in championship leader Kimi Antonelli at Zandvoort to clinch back-to-back wins and further raise hope that he could yet defend his title. Norris leaves the Dutch seaside having moved fourth in the standings but still 83 points behind the Italian – with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton 59 points back from the leader. Mercedes are wary of the looming threat of McLaren's Norris, with Antonelli branding them the new fastest team on the grid and Russell declaring that the papaya outfit are the ones to beat. "They are not going to say themselves are they? I don't think it's true," Norris retorted. "Mercedes have a better all-round performing car. I also know how good of a job I'm doing behind the wheel. "For once I will give myself a little bit of credit that I feel I am doing a better job than everyone. "I think that can make a difference. We have a car now capable of beating them. We didn't win yesterday (sprint race) and we didn't change much but I worked a lot on my driving – I want to believe more than everyone else. "I make one mistake we are P4, P5. So the fact that I am doing a good job is the reason why people are saying it." Norris banished post-race sprint race negativity to deliver a commanding drive in Sunday's main event. He was jumped off the line by Antonelli following a red flag for Verstappen's crash, after the race had begun in damp conditions, but McLaren made the key move by pitting him later than the Italian. That enabled Norris to attack on fresher rubber and he got the job done, blasting past Antonelli round the outside of turn one on lap 54. "When the car gives me what I want and I am driving at the level I am now, I can win races," Norris said. "I was able to force him to make mistakes, force them to do something with strategy." Norris refused to declare himself back in the title hunt but would accept that Sunday's win was among his best. "I made it tough for myself but a good race. Probably one of my better wins. We had to fight for it," he added. Mercedes executed team orders, asking Russell to allow Antonelli through on fresher tyres as he came home second. Russell then held off Hamilton over the closing laps to retain third, with Charles Leclerc fourth ahead of Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri. The final Dutch Grand Prix before it drops off the calendar began in crushing fashion for the packed grandstands, with their hero Verstappen suffering a crunching high-speed crash at the end of lap one. The four-time world champion, revered in these parts, appeared to dip a wheel onto the kerb on the inside of the 18-degree banked final bend before sliding across the track and thundering into the barriers. In-season test around the all-new Madring After the summer break, we have an in-season test to get back on track, with all 30 FIA Formula 3 drivers getting a taste of a brand-new venue. The Madring in the Spanish capital city hosts the two-day event ahead of the seas
73 MIN