It was a beautiful day at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and an even better day for Ferrari. The Scuderia Ferrari were able to secure their first double podium of 2026, as Charles Leclerc took out his first win in 624 days. His teammate Lewis Hamilton managed to hang on and secure P3, after yellow flag investigations threw concerns surrounding the podium finish. A positive double podium result for Scuderia Ferrari; Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton Mercedes driver George Russell was lucky enough to join the Ferrari pairing on the podium, finishing P2. This result significantly closed the gap to his teammate Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli despite his best efforts could not secure a podium and in the end was given a 5 second time penalty, when issues with his car arose and he could not steer properly. Antonelli would ultimately drop down to P15 due to finishing under safety car. McLaren struggled during the race. Oscar Piastri was involved in an early collision with Liam Lawson and was forced to pit for a new front wing, which dropped him down to P21. Despite his best efforts and the safety cars, Piastri would only finish P11, just missing out on points. Lando Norris had a strong result, managing to gain positions on track and stay within the top 5, finishing P4. Max Verstappen had a very difficult weekend, after being outqualified by his teammate Isack Hadjar and then also struggling in the race, before spinning out and being unable to finish the race. The result for Verstappen would be a DNF, whilst teammate Isack Hadjar had a strong weekend, qualifying ahead of Verstappen and going on to finish in P5. A tough end to the British Grand Prix for Max Verstappen. The Racing Bulls were able to continue their strong race results with another double points finish. Starting P9 and P10, the pairing was able to gain plenty of spots during the race itself. Despite an early incident on track, Liam Lawson was able to finish in p6, whilst his teammate Arvid Lindblad was able to finish P7. Gabriel Bortoleto was the lone Audi in the top 10 and able to finish the race. Bortoleto almost made it through to Q3, only just missing out and starting P11. Despite this, the young driver was able to make up positions in the race and would go on to finish P8. His teammate Nico Hulkenberg suffered yet another difficult end to a race, with gearbox and technical problems causing him to DNF on lap 39. Alpine were able to secure the final 2 positions in the top 10. Both Gasly and Colapinto could not make it through to Q3 for qualifying, but that still didn’t stop the positive result on race day. Franco Colapinto was able to finish ahead of Pierre Gasly in P9, with Pierre Gasly finishing in that final points spot. A solid race result for the Alpine Duo; Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly. Haas had a quiet weekend, even with some early lap one incidents. Luckily these did not ruin their pace over the weekend, but the team itself still has plenty to learn. Oliver Bearman was able to keep P12, even with that incident with Alex Albon. Esteban Ocon went on to finish behind his teammate in P13. Cadillac had a more positive weekend than what they have been facing. Both drivers managed to stay in the race and work their way up the positions ever so slightly. Sergio Perez managed to finish p14, whilst Valtteri Bottas finished the Grand Prix in P16. A positive highlight for the team with both drivers facing no problems or DNFs. The Williams pairing faced another tough result. Despite their best efforts, Alex Albon was faced with a horrendous race spent behind majority of the drivers, due to an early on track incident with Oliver Bearman. This same incident resulted in a penalty for Albon, but despite his best efforts the race would not be salvageable. He would DNF, whilst teammate Carlos Sainz received a post-race penalty for overtaking the safety car when he did not need to. Sainz would finish well outside the points, in P17. An early Lap 1 incident ruined Alex Albon and Oliver Bearmans race results. Aston Martin aimed to continue their best efforts to try and revive their season, but to their best efforts, the team still struggled on race pace compared to the rest of the field. The driver pairing remained at the back of the field and were unable to make gains on the rest of the pack. Fernando Alonso was able to finish P18, whilst teammate Lance Stroll finished P19.

Darwin provides us with a picturesque circuit, and even then the round gives us some great livery designs to represent the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Race 17: Race 17 brought up some great racing, especially from the race winner, Cam Waters. On the day, he was working hard for a win in 2026, and with the grit and determination he was able to achieve exactly that. It was not an easy battle though, with Kai Allen breathing down his neck for the win, it was a very close battle, but Kai Allen was just short of the win, taking out P2 ahead of teammate Matt Payne who finished in P3. Cam Waters had a solid weekend in Darwin with a win and recieving the Triple Crown win as well. Brodie Kostecki was managing another weekend of sickness, dealing with concerns around that. Having started on pole it was going to be a tough ask, especially with losing 3 positions on track as well. Despite all the dramas he still managed to race and achieve a great result, finishing P4. Will Brown had an impressive showing in Darwin. Brown had started P9 after a difficult time during qualifying, but outqualifying his teammate Broc Feeney who started P13. By the end of the race Will Brown was up into the top 5, finishing P5, whilst Feeney had a difficult race, struggling and ultimately finishing P14. Anton De Pasquale struggled during race 17. Starting on the front row in P2, despite all the effort and work to achieve the great qualifying result, by the end of the race he had dropped down 4 positions and was forced to settle for a P6 result. A difficult first race during the weekend for Team 18. Walkinshaw TWG Racing had a good weekend with both drivers finishing within the top 10 for race 17. Chaz Mostert having qualified P11, managed to make up 4 positions over the race itself to achieve a P7 result, whilst teammate Ryan Wood did lose two positions, but still managed a P8 result. This means the team was able to score some solid points for the team. Impressive racing on Friday between all of the teams. P9 was the young PremiAir racing driver Jayden Ojeda. Having started in an impressive P5, he did struggle a bit on track for position against some of the hard hitters but still was able to put in his best drive and score some decent points. Finally, the final driver in the top 10 was Brad Jones Racing driver Macauley Jones. Jones had a great first race, making up four positions on track as well and achieving a solid result for the team. Race 18: Race 18 showed us that anything can happen. For Kai Allen it was a race win after a great race and managing to gain 4 positions on track and even gain time on the rest of the field. Cam Waters was Allens biggest competitions and having lost the battle for the win, Waters was forced to settle for P2, but not without a fight with Brodie Kostecki closely behind in P3. Plenty of drama and chaos occurred between Payne and Waters in Darwin. Matt Payne had another strong result during race 18. Despite starting in P3 for the race, his teammate was extremely competitive and showing what he can do and for Payne he was forced to settle for P4. P5 was another solid showing from Will Brown. Brown had just missed out on the Top Ten Shootout opportunity, forced to start P11. This didn’t stop him, having gained 6 positions to finish with another strong result. His teammate Broc Feeney also showed better pace, making it into the shootout, and starting P6. For the race, there was still improvement needed from the team, but Feeney managed a top 10 finish, ending up P7. Splitting the two RedBull Ampol Racing cars was the Walkinshaw TWG Racing car of Chaz Mostert. Darwin wasn’t looking overly strong for the team and race 18 seemed to be a major struggle for Mostert being caught out with fluid dropped from Woods car on track. Despite all the worries and issues, he still managed to finish P6. Teammate Ryan Wood ended up with a steering issue after an incident with Declan Fraser and was forced to retire the car after just 4 laps. Anton De Pasquale was the biggest mover during race 18. He managed to make up 12 positions to ultimately finish within the top 10. It was a tough qualifying session for De Pasquale, having missed out on the shootout and starting P20, there was plenty to do during the race. He proved how strong of a driver he is and ultimately went on to finish P8. A very strong result for De Pasquale, making up 12 spots during saturdays race. Jack Le Brocq was a quiet entry into the top 10. Having had a brilliant showing in qualifying, he managed to place himself in P7 in the shootout before getting into the race itself. Although losing two positions, he still was able to finish P9. The P10 result went to Jayden Ojeda with another great overall result for the team in race 18. Having started outside the top 10, he worked hard and managed to make some great overtakes to get into the top 10. Race 19: The final race of the weekend and there had been plenty of chaos over the weekend. Due to being unwell, both Brodie Kostecki and Thomas Randle could not participate in the race, instead the teams’ co-drivers stepped in. Todd Hazelwood stepped in for Kostecki, whilst we saw an appearance from Mark Winterbottom replacing Thomas Randle. For these two, it wasn’t the perfect result they would have wanted, but being able to race was better than nothing. The big winner on Sunday was Anton De Pasquale, who drove such a brilliant race to achieve that win. Having made it into the top 10, and starting P3 after the Shootout, it was very close. After managing to overtake a strong looking Cam Waters and Matt Payne, the win was very well deserved. His teammate David Reynolds, also managed to get into the top 10, having started from P17 and ultimately sneaking in to finish P10. It was a great race 19 for Anton De Pasquale winning the race ahead of Matt Payne and Cam Waters. P2 for the race went to Matt Payne, who had driven so well over the entire weekend pushing the car to its absolute limits. His teammate Kai Allen had a good result in race 19, not as good as he might’ve wanted, but a top 10 finish after starting P12, he managed to get vital points finishing P6. For Cam Waters, he would’ve hoped he could’ve gotten two race wins, but with Payne and De Pasquale, it was such a difficult task. Waters would settle for P3 but be determined to prove that he is back after a tough few weeks. RedBull Ampol Racing had their best result in race 19, with both drivers making it into the top 5. It would be another strong result for Will Brown who managed to finish in P4 and just ahead of his teammate Broc Feeney in P5. For Walkinshaw TWG Racing, the result they got would not have been one they expected. With an engine issue for Chaz Mostert during the final part of the race forcing him to DNF, they’d be left with one driver. Ryan Wood was still able to get some points for the team finishing in P7, but it would be a tough result to deal with as a team. Tough day for Chaz Mostert as an engine failure forced him to end his race early. Jack Le Brocq made another appearance in the top 10 in Darwin, starting in P7 and managing to finish in P8, whilst his teammate Zach Bates had a very tough weekend, especially with penalties and unfortunate results despite positive qualifying outcomes. P9 was Cam Hill who had a great race result, making it into the shootout to try for pole position and ultimately starting P8. Brad Jones Racing have been showing some solid pace so far in the 2026 season, with plenty more racing still to go, let’s see what else they can do.

The weekend appeared to be a struggle for various teams including Ferrari who has been facing difficulties regarding straight line speed. The RedBull Ring would be considered their biggest enemy, and their weakness was shown. For Mercedes it was yet another dominant showing as George Russell ran off with the lead, which ultimately turned into a race win, whilst teammate Kimi Antonelli who started from P4 managed to get a P3 result with a great race. An impressive showing for Mercedes at the Austrian Grand Prix: George Russell, Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. RedBull Racing driver Max Verstappen showed exactly why they have the best engine, with straight line speed and almost no difficulties in chasing the opponents. It was a P2 result and another podium for Verstappen, whilst teammate Isack Hadjar had a great race and finished in P6. McLaren was a team that most people expected to be quick in Austria, and whilst that was seen in a way, there were also struggles from them. Oscar Piastri managed to finish P4, but well over 20 seconds behind Antonelli. Lando Norris faced a tough time, only managing to finish P7 and despite scoring points, it was not where he would’ve liked to have been at the end. Ferrari were known to struggle at tracks like this, and in Austria that was clear. Lewis Hamilton was able to make it a P5 finish in Austria, despite it not being his best or most favourable track. His teammate Charles Leclerc was forced to finish P8, a tough result with starting in P2, but with very little pace to keep up, there was not much that could be done. A close battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen reminiscent of 2021. The Racing Bulls pairing had a solid race in Austria, finishing P9 and P10. Liam Lawson was able to finish P9, even with concerns of fire very early on in the race, which seemed to dissipate. Arvid Lindblad was our final driver in the top 10, finishing P10. It was a quiet one for him, with very little going on around him, which allowed him to cruise home. As mentioned in previous weeks, Audi appear to be showing their capability and starting to make a move. Both drivers had just missed out on a point scoring opportunity, finishing P11 for Gabriel Bortoleto and P12 for Nico Hulkenberg. Alpine had a semi decent weekend. Whilst no points were scored, the potential is slowly getting there for the team. Pierre Gasly was extremely close to an overtake on Hulkenberg in the closing laps but could not get it done and would be forced to finish P13. Teammate Franco Colapinto was unluckier, given he was further back than Gasly and would be forced to settle for P15. Oliver Bearman had quite a quiet race, keeping to himself and towards the end of the race, being over 20 seconds back from Pierre Gasly. Bearman would ultimately finish P14, with no major threats to his position at the tail end of the race, whilst teammate Esteban Ocon would struggle to keep up to P15 and be well over 30 seconds behind, resulting in a P16 finish. Bearman having a good race out in Austria, unfortunately not enough for a top 10 finish. The Williams of Alex Albon had a tough weekend. So far, the team has had some on and off race results. The weekend in Austria was an off race. Albon would finish P17, ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz who ultimately had to retire on lap 23 when the car lost all power and he was forced to stop on the main straight. Aston Martin was having another one of those weekends. A tough result for Stroll who only got 45 laps complete before being forced to DNF, due to reliability issues regarding his car. His teammate Fernando Alonso was able to keep in the race, but would be a backmarker and 3 laps down on the field as a result finishing P18. For Cadillac it was another underwhelming weekend, with a double DNF ending their race by lap 4. For Valtteri Bottas, his race was over by lap 2 due to a brake fire that forced him to DNF for the third consecutive retirement so far in the season. Sergio Perez was out by lap 4, also due to overheating brakes. It was a very difficult weekend for the team, given there was new upgrades, but even that couldn’t stop the teams' difficulties. Sergio Perez faced a difficult weekend out in Austria.

Felix Rosenqvist & others on pit lane during the 2026 Indianapolis 500 (Photo by: Dirk Fletcher Getty Images) Indycar silly season is upon us and it is expected to be the wildest silly season in some time. The first domino to fall is 2026 Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist confirming he will not return to Meyer Shank Racing in 2027. It is a shock announcement in the paddock considering Rosenqvist has won one of the biggest races in the world with the team. There is a lot of speculation we could see Rosenqvist reunite with Mclaren. In addition, it was also confirmed Scott Dixon will not return to Chip Ganassi Racing next season, ending a 25 year tenure with the team. There are talks going on around the paddock he could go to Mclaren and it is said to be "a done deal." However, there are also numerous drivers on a contract year, meaning if there are no contract extensions, those drivers are free to look elsewhere for opportunities. Those drivers being Christian Lundgaard, Nolan Siegal, Marcus Ericsson, Caio Collet, Mick Schumacher, and Dennis Hauger. With Lundgaard and Siegal on a contract year, Christian Lundgaard could make the jump to Chip Ganassi Racing, replacing Scott Dixon. Nolan Siegal on the other hand could see himself out of a seat for the 2027 season due to poor performance during his stint at Mclaren. In other news, it was confirmed Meyer Shank Racing has held discussions with rookie Caio Collet but it has not gone any further from that. Collet has had an impressive season with AJ Foyt Racing so far and has been improving as the season continues. Dennis Hauger, the 2025 Indy NXT champion, has had an up and down season with Dale Coyne Racing so far, however early in the season with Marcus Ericsson being on a contract year with Andretti, there were discussions about Hauger potentially going to the 28 in 2027 replacing Ericsson. It is rumored that Andretti Global has given Dennis Hauger permission to explore options with other teams. If Hauger were to pursue options at other teams or re-sign with Dale Coyne for an extension, Andretti could end up keeping Marcus Ericsson beyond the 2026 season. Mick Schumacher, another rookie apart of the Indycar grid could see himself staying at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for another year. There is still a long way to go in the Indycar season, and we could see many more stories develop as the season continues.

The weekend in Barcelona was an extremely successful one, especially for a driver determined to get his first win with his team. With some very smart pit strategy calls, Lewis Hamilton rose to the occasion and got his first win with Ferrari. Although Hamilton had a great result, it would not be the same for the other side of the garage. Despite a crash in qualifying, Charles Leclerc was still able to compete in the race starting P10, but due to a Hydraulic issue he was forced to retire on lap 62. A brilliant weekend out for the Brits with a 1,2,3 finish; Lewis Hamilton, George Russell & Lando Norris. The Mercedes pairing had a difficult day out, despite leading majority of the race, the pit strategies from Ferrari were too good. George Russell was able to secure P2 whilst his teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli had an engine failure which ultimately ended his race on lap 61. Lando Norris had a great weekend out. With the track appearing like it would favour the Mercedes and McLaren in terms of engine capabilities, it was still interesting to see him finish P3. His teammate Oscar Piastri faced a quiet race, sitting by himself for most of the race until the end, which he would finish P5. Red Bull Racing had a strong weekend with a double point scoring result. Max Verstappen was looking to redeem himself after that difficult result in Monaco and impressed everyone with a P4 finish. His teammate Isack Hadjar also had an impressive showing, finishing P6. Alpine finished the race weekend on a positive. From the beginning of the weekend, there was excitement at Alpine with the reinstatement of Pierre Gasly’s Podium in Monaco, right up until a double point scoring result in Barcelona. Pierre Gasly finished his weekend strong in P7, whilst teammate Franco Colapinto scooped up that final point scoring position, finishing P10. A strong weekend out at Barcelona for Alpine driver Pierre Gasly with another points finish, along with teammate Franco Colapinto. Racing Bulls was our final team to round out the top 10, also with a double point scoring weekend. Despite a good start to the race, it ended up being rather quiet for the two young drivers. Liam Lawson finished ahead of his teammate in P8, whilst Arvid Lindblad finished P9. Finishing just outside of the points in P11 was Gabriel Bortoleto; despite having a good race, Audi unfortunately would receive no points for this hard work. Similarly, Williams also faced a similar situation with Carlos Sainz who finished p12, even though Sainz had done well, starting the race in P16. Our last two drivers were Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Cadillac driver Sergio Perez. Both drivers had a tough weekend. With very little pace in the cars, it proved to be a very difficult task. Esteban Ocon finished P13 for Haas, whilst Sergio Perez finished P14. A quiet weekend for the Cadillac drivers as Bottas DNFs, whilst Sergio Perez completes the race. For some drivers however, the weekend was anything but great. from minor situations to major incidents, these were the drivers who did not finish the race: Aston Martin had another tough weekend, despite out qualifying his teammate Fernando Alonso after a 42-race qualifying head-to-head, but despite all that Lance Stroll would become the first DNF due to what appeared to be a gearbox issue on lap 5. Fernando Alonso later joined his teammate amongst the many DNFs, with a battery issue on lap 37. Audi was having a difficult weekend, especially being caught in the firing line. Nico Hulkenberg was forced to DNF from the race due to an unfortunate incident where a rock flicked up from Liam Lawsons car, hit the ERS switch and forced Hulkenberg’s car to stop. Hulkenberg was close to his first point scoring weekend up until that incident. The damages to Nico Hulkenbergs car that ultimately caused his unfortunate DNF. Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas had another one of those weekends. Despite looking to have a good race and be able to finish it, the team forced him to DNF on lap 15 from a precautionary standpoint, related to a mechanical issue. Alex Albon faced a weird weekend. With difficulties already being faced related to balance and unpredictability of his car, he was expected to start P18. By the race however he was forced to DNF on lap 55 with a loose T-cam, which once fixed brought him back out, but by the end of the race he would be 11 laps down. Oliver Bearman was looking to have a good weekend. Making it through to Q2 was already a big result, with issues related to the car during the Free Practice sessions. The result would not turn out however, with a power related issue causing him to DNF on lap 60 of the race in Barcelona.

MotoGP's rider market exploded this week with one of the biggest lineup announcements in years at Ducati. IndyCar's Indy 500 champion is on the move despite winning at the Brickyard just weeks ago. And a storied performance tuner just changed sides in the truck wars. Here is the weekend in motorsport. Ducati Confirms Acosta, Officially Ends the Bagnaia Era Pedro Acosta will join Marc Marquez at the factory Ducati Lenovo Team for the 2027 and 2028 MotoGP seasons, with Francesco Bagnaia confirmed as departing at the end of the current campaign to join Aprilia. The announcements came in quick succession this week. Marquez's new deal was confirmed Tuesday. Bagnaia's departure was announced Wednesday morning. Acosta's signing followed two hours later. The timing was tied to the conclusion of Concorde Agreement negotiations between manufacturers and MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, which only reached a resolution last Friday and had been holding up rider market announcements across the paddock. The Acosta signing is the headline move. The 22-year-old Spaniard arrives at Ducati with a resume that already includes the 2020 Red Bull Rookies Cup, the 2022 Moto3 title as a rookie, and the 2023 Moto2 crown in his second season. He made his MotoGP debut with the satellite GasGas Tech3 team in 2024, taking five podiums, was promoted to KTM's works team in 2025 with another five top-three finishes, and has added three more this year. A premier class win has not come yet, but the talent has never been in question. "Pedro is undoubtedly one of the most talented young riders in the MotoGP paddock," said Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali. "At just 22 years old, he is the kind of rider with whom a new and exciting chapter can be written. We believe that, alongside Marc, he represents the ideal complement for a team that wants to continue playing a leading role in the future." The signing also means Ducati's 2027 lineup will feature no Italian riders for the first time since Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden shared the garage in 2010. Bagnaia's exit is the other side of the story and it deserves its own recognition. The 29-year-old brought Ducati its first MotoGP title since Stoner in 2007 when he won the championship in 2022, then defended it in 2023. He has 31 victories with the manufacturer across eight seasons, six of them with the factory team. The past 18 months have been difficult, with Marquez's arrival at the factory squad in 2025 shifting the dynamic significantly. Marquez won last year's title by 257 points over Bagnaia. He will head to Aprilia, where he will partner Marco Bezzecchi on a team currently leading the 2026 manufacturers standings. Jorge Martin, the 2024 champion, is heading to Yamaha. The top of the grid is being reshuffled entirely. "In relationships, it is not always easy to recognise and understand when a cycle has come to an end and change becomes necessary," said Ducati general manager Gigi Dall'Igna. "The deep bond and mutual affection between us will not change." Bagnaia has 13 grands prix remaining to add to his Ducati legacy. Rosenqvist Leaving Meyer Shank After Indy 500 Win Felix Rosenqvist will leave Meyer Shank Racing at the end of the 2026 IndyCar season, the team confirmed this week, just weeks after the Swede delivered the organization its greatest result with victory at the Indianapolis 500. Rosenqvist informed MSR ownership of his intention to accept an offer elsewhere ahead of last weekend's Road America round. His destination has not been confirmed, but reports indicate Andretti Global or Arrow McLaren as the most likely landing spots. He will finish out the season in the No. 60 MSR Honda before making the move after the September 6 championship finale at Laguna Seca. The 34-year-old is currently sixth in the championship standings. His career had stalled in the middle part of the decade before joining MSR, where he has rediscovered form and turned himself back into one of the more coveted free agents in the paddock. "It's unfortunate that Felix has decided to move on from MSR, particularly given everything we've accomplished together, including this year's Indy 500 victory," said co-owner Mike Shank. "Felix has played an important role in helping build this program into what it is today, and we're grateful for his contributions both on and off the track." MSR made a significant counteroffer to retain Rosenqvist but was unable to keep him. The team now has two seats to fill for 2027 and has reportedly attracted considerable interest from free agents across the paddock. Marcus Armstrong, who nearly won at Road America in the No. 66 MSR Honda, is also due for a contract extension discussion. "Our focus at MSR is on the future and ensuring we have the right driver in place for the 2027 season," Shank said. "We've made tremendous progress over the last few years, and maintaining that momentum is a top priority." Roush Performance Switches From Ford to Ram In news that would have seemed unlikely to most, Roush Performance has announced a partnership with Ram to develop a new high-performance truck. Roush is known to many in the car community for it's long-standing association with Ford performance vehicles. Details on the project remain limited. A silhouette image posted to Roush's Instagram suggests the collaboration could produce an enhanced version of the TRX or RHO, both of which already sit at the top of the performance truck segment. Roush has not confirmed specifications or a timeline. Roush currently offers a lineup of modified Ford trucks including the Nitemare street truck and the lifted RT6, along with aftermarket parts for the Bronco and Mustang. No further details are expected until closer to the vehicle's reveal.

Connor Zilisch arrived in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026 as one of the most hyped prospects the sport had seen in years. He won ten races in the Xfinity Series last season. He was supposed to be ready. Through the first stretch of his NASCAR Cup campaign, the results have told a different story. Zilisch has struggled, and the criticism has been loud and fast. But before anyone writes him off, it is worth asking a question that does not get asked nearly enough: is the problem the driver, or is it the system he was thrown into? The NASCAR Testing Landscape Has Changed Dramatically To understand the problem, you need to understand how much has changed since 2015. Before NASCAR effectively banned open testing that year, a driver and team preparing for a new season could spend any amount of miles on a track in a single day. Teams ran hundreds of laps. Drivers learned their cars, learned new tracks, worked through mechanical issues, and built the kind of feel and confidence that only comes from repetition. For a rookie making the jump to the Cup Series, that time was invaluable. The testing restrictions were introduced in response to financial pressures that had been building since 2008, and the logic was sound. Unlimited testing was expensive, and the teams with the most money were getting the most out of it, widening the gap between the haves and have-nots. Since the restrictions took effect, that competitive gap has narrowed. The racing has arguably improved. But there has been a cost, and rookies have been paying it. Since 2015, the average championship finishing position of the NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year is 19th. Only four rookies made the playoffs in their debut season during that stretch, and that was under the win-and-you're-in format that made it more achievable than the current structure. The numbers are not flattering, and they tell a consistent story. The counterargument is that the ten years before 2015 also produced some underwhelming rookie classes, but those fields skewed older. The average Cup rookie used to be 24 to 27 years old. Now they are 19 to 22. These are younger drivers being asked to perform at a higher level with less preparation time, under more media scrutiny than ever before, in machinery that is significantly more complex than anything their predecessors drove. Now the first time most of them get laps in a Cup car at full competition speed? Qualifying for the Daytona 500. "You Have to Learn a Lot of It in the Race" Isabella Robusto, currently competing in the ARCA Menards Series and widely considered one of the more promising young talents in the NASCAR pipeline, spoke candidly about preparation at the Pocono weekend. "The Sims are as close as they can possibly get, but it's not the same as being in the car and being at the track," she said. "More seat time is always more valuable. But at the same time, you have to look at the cost side of things." Robusto pointed out that the current structure creates an unintended side effect for developing drivers. With practice sessions so compressed, what little track time rookies do get is consumed by car setup work rather than skill development. "Our practices are so short that we have to focus on the car and the handling versus our racecraft and other things," she said. "We have to learn a lot of it in the race, unfortunately." She also noted the difference between her first and second ARCA seasons. Last year, 18 of 20 tracks on the schedule were venues she had never visited. This year, she can draw on notes and experience from those same tracks. That kind of accumulated knowledge is exactly what a Cup rookie is denied when they make the jump to the top series. When asked about the idea of a structured rookie orientation program, she was direct. "I think it would be cool if they did two or three test days just throughout the year at different tracks, maybe a road course, an intermediate, and a short track. Obviously more seat time is valuable, and by the time I do end up moving up, the more seat time the better." The Teams Know Testing Is a Double-Edged Sword Tyler Reddick, the current Cup Series points leader and arguably the best driver in the sport right now, acknowledged the complexity of the issue when asked about it at Pocono. "The tough part is, anytime there is rookie testing, that manufacturer or that entire organization has an opportunity to learn and try a lot of new things," Reddick said. "So I understand why the testing is so limited." It is a real tension. A test session designed to help a rookie get up to speed does not exist in a vacuum. The team learns something. The manufacturer learns something. What starts as a development opportunity becomes a competitive advantage, and that is exactly the dynamic NASCAR was trying to prevent when it tightened the restrictions in the first place. Reddick's own rookie year was the 2020 COVID-shortened season, which stripped away most normal preparation for everyone. His response to that abnormal circumstance was perhaps telling. "I actually liked showing up and just racing practice. For me, it was kind of awesome. But everyone's different." "We Get So Fixated" Bubba Wallace offered what might have been the most honest assessment of the whole situation. "We get so fixated, we as a sport in its entirety, in this room, in the garage, we see what Connor's doing, he's winning ten races, give him a Cup ride," Wallace said. "And there's a few of us going, okay, I think it'll be easy. Just because he's winning. If he won every race, it's not going to be easy." Wallace drew on his own experience. "I had all the confidence in the world and that immediately got shut down. Just how tough the Cup level is." He also connected the testing discussion to Katherine Legge's Cup campaign, in which she made seven starts with Live Fast Motorsports and received significant criticism from a portion of the fanbase. Wallace suggested that a single test session ahead of her debut would not have silenced her critics but would have made her situation fairer. "More seat time for her is beneficial no matter what car she's in," he said. "It's not from lack of effort from them, but they're showing up and trying to give it their all. It's just the way of the business." On the broader criticism culture around rookies and drivers who are perceived as outsiders, Wallace was characteristically blunt. "You're never going to escape those critics. That's just the little bubble they live in." "It's Just Hard" Ty Gibbs, who became one of the most scrutinized rookies in recent memory after a crash-heavy debut season that drew widespread criticism, was asked directly whether a rookie orientation program would have helped him. "Not really. I mean, it's just hard," Gibbs said. "I feel like Xfinity is pretty easy to be honest with you. Coming here, it's a big leap. I think kids go out, win two races, and don't really do anything outside of that. They're gonna get their ass kicked and that's just how it is." What Gibbs described is something the data reinforces. Dominant performances in the Xfinity Series (now the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) do not translate cleanly to Cup readiness. The cars are different, the tire wear is different, the tracks feel different, and the competition level is different in ways that are difficult to simulate. Gibbs said the simulator is "always open" at JGR, but acknowledged that seat time in a real car is something the sim cannot fully replicate. He has since found his footing at JGR and become a competitive presence in the series, which suggests the transition is survivable given enough time. But the question is whether rookie drivers and their reputations can afford the cost of that learning curve playing out in public. The Veteran Anchor Dale Earnhardt Jr., speaking in his capacity as co-owner of JR Motorsports, offered a perspective on what can replace testing in the current environment: veteran presence. "It's great to have a veteran in your garage, in your shop," Earnhardt said. "It helps them become better race car drivers." He pointed to the value of having an experienced driver like Justin Allgaier as a standard-setter within his organization, not just for technical information but for how to carry yourself as a professional. "He's a great example for me to go, hey, look at how he did this, how he treated a partner before a race, how he showed up at an appearance, how his demeanor was." Earnhardt drew a direct parallel to his own career, recalling how closely he studied teammate Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports early in his Cup days. "When I was racing with Jimmie, at the time the greatest guy in the series, I looked at his race cars, I looked at everything he did to the cockpit of his cars. I looked at everything he ate, drank, everything he did." It is a model that works, but Earnhardt also acknowledged its limitations. "They've got to be smart enough to tap into it." Not every rookie has that veteran resource available. Not every team has the infrastructure to provide it. And no amount of mentorship fully substitutes for the experience of actually driving the car. What Rookies Look Like When Testing Is Part of the System The contrast between what NASCAR rookies are experiencing in 2026 and what is happening in other major series this season could not be more stark, and the testing structures of those series are a big reason why. In Formula 1, 19 year old Kimi Antonelli is thriving in his sophomore season at Mercedes, he is leading the drivers championship. He has already won multiple races in 2026 and become the youngest driver in history to lead the F1 title standings. His rookie year in 2025 was not perfect, there were crashes, pressure, and real doubts about his place at the team, but he came through it and built on it. Part of that development was built into the F1 structure itself. Mandatory FP1 appearances for young drivers give junior talent real laps in race-specification machinery before they ever need to qualify for a Grand Prix. Teams are required by the regulations to hand those sessions to reserve or junior drivers a minimum number of times per season. By the time a driver reaches F1, they have often accumulated meaningful mileage in the actual car they will eventually race full time. There is also a test for young drivers at the end of the season. In MotoGP, Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira is making a similarly compelling debut for LCR Honda in 2026. He arrived in the premier class as the reigning Moto2 World Champion, having climbed through a ladder system that includes Moto3, Moto2, and extensive testing programs at every step. His best result this season is a sixth-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and he leads the Rookie of the Year standings. That result comes on a Honda that is not the most competitive package on the grid. The preparation system gave him every tool available before his first premier class lap. IndyCar presents the most direct comparison to NASCAR's situation. Mick Schumacher arrived in 2026 with significant prior open-wheel experience in F1 and WEC, but the IndyCar package was new to him. He did conduct a test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before signing with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and that session was specifically cited as the reason he committed to the series. Despite that, his results have been inconsistent, sitting near the bottom of the standings through much of the season, though his pace data has shown genuine competitiveness on several weekends where results did not reflect his speed. IndyCar does offer an orientation program and pre-season testing opportunities, and the infrastructure exists to get drivers prepared. Even with that, the transition has been hard. Without it, the situation would almost certainly look worse. The common thread across F1, MotoGP, and IndyCar is that each series has built mechanisms into its calendar and regulations to give new talent some form of structured preparation before they are thrown into competition. NASCAR has not. The gap between the ARCA Menards Series or the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Cup car is significant enough that it demands some kind of bridge. Right now that bridge does not exist in any formal sense, and the results over the last decade have reflected exactly that. What Should Change The honest answer is that NASCAR is not going to open the floodgates on testing again. The competitive equity arguments against unlimited testing remain valid, and the sport is not going back to a world where the richest teams run two race-worth of laps in a single afternoon. But there is a middle ground that the sport has not fully explored. Formula 1 requires teams to give young drivers seat time during practice sessions, with mandatory rookie or reserve driver appearances built into the calendar. IndyCar has its own orientation programs for drivers making major transitions. NASCAR has the Daytona rookie orientation, which covers superspeedway licensing, but nothing comparable for the full range of track types a Cup driver will face across a season. A structured, NASCAR-sanctioned program with strict data sharing rules to level the competitive playing field could give rookies track time without handing a meaningful advantage to well-funded teams. Expanding practice sessions for select events and mandating that at least one session feature a young driver from each team's pipeline is another option that has precedent elsewhere in the sport. The cars are more reliable and more equal than they have ever been. The talent coming into the sport is younger and more raw than it has ever been. And the media scrutiny on that talent has never been more intense. That combination creates an environment where reputations can be damaged before a driver has had a fair chance to develop. Zilisch may well become exactly what everyone expected. Gibbs already has. But both of them, and every rookie who comes after them, are being asked to learn at full speed with one hand tied behind their backs. RCAP spoke with Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and ARCA driver Isabella Robusto at the Pocono NASCAR weekend.

It was a weekend of unexpected results and dramas. The Symmons Plains raceway is a fast track, with lap times close to 55 seconds, so the races are always one to watch given the difference in track length compared to Melbourne SuperSprint and similar tracks. Race 14: Race 14 saw Chaz Mostert win his first ever race with Toyota during the 2026 season, driving a brilliant race with close to a 5 second gap to P2. Mostert’s race start was anything but pretty, experiencing wheel spin off the start finish line which dropped him behind Anton De Pasquale. His teammate Ryan Wood had a tough time, all the way down in P14. However, the weekend in Tasmania would not end up too bad for the Walkinshaw pairing. Chaz mostert takes his first win in the 2026 season during race 14. David Reynolds impressed the field, finishing behind Mostert in P2. The Team 18 driver has already proven his capability based on previous experience, but Supercars always prove that anything can happen. Brodie Kostecki was the P3 finisher for race 14. Having a quiet start with no positions gained or lost until De Pasquale was moved aside by Andre Heimgartners Supra on lap 2. Broc Feeney was following closely behind Kosteckis Shell V-Power Mustang hoping he would make a mistake, but given the experience for Kostecki, it was very unlikely. Feeney eventually would have to settle for P4, just behind Kostecki. Andre Heimgartner had a great result in race 14, finishing in P5. He was able to prove his ability in driving, given he is often overlooked. The weekend in Tasmania was a win for him. By the final lap, he was roughly 1 second behind Feeney and drove a near perfect race. There was even earlier fight for track position against Anton De Pasquale as well, where he pushed to the absolute limit for the overtake, which eventually paid off. P6 was Anton De Pasquale who after the earlier incident with Mostert, Reynolds and Heimgartner were still able to keep within the top 10. After the near perfect race start though, it would not have been as fulfilling, losing 4 positions from his original starting position of P2. Dramas during race 14 between teammate David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale. P7 was the Supra of Cam Hill, who had a quiet race to himself. The Supra’s have started to appear to be a real competitor, after they’ve been able to work through the difficulties of the new cars. We have seen from both Brad Jones Racing and Walkinshaw TWG Racing, that they are beginning to work their magic with the cars. P8 was Matt Payne who began with a miserable starting position in P19 after a difficult qualifying session. By the end of race 14, he had made up 11 positions for that P8 result. His teammate Kai Allen had a race he would much rather forget only making it to P19. The P9 result went to a hardworking Will Brown. Starting out of the top 10, on a track that is quite difficult to overtake on, he managed to make up 3 spots to finish within the top 10. Although like De Pasquale, the result would be tough especially compared to the success of their teammates. Our last spot in the top 10 went to a young driver, Jayden Ojeda. Ojeda had a great race making up 3 positions as well and showing off his ability as a driver. We haven’t been able to see his true pace so far in the 2026 season, so this result was able to clarify a bit more for who he is. Race 15: Race 15 was a big one celebrating 100 races down at Symmons Plains raceway. The race itself was also a great one to watch. We were able to witness an Andre Heimgartner P1 result after a perfect start to his race, he was able to hang on and secure that top spot. With an early battle and a determined Broc Feeney breathing down his neck, he kept it cool, calm and collected. Andre Heimgartner claims a historic win for Brad Jones Racing in Tasmania Race 15. Broc Feeney was the driver in P2. He really put all his effort into aiming for the front of the field, however despite all the hard work and determination during race 15, P2 was the most he could secure. Red Bull Ampol Racing had a great race 15, with Will Brown making it to P4 and scoring some essential points for the team. The team still has a very healthy lead in the constructors, but any points are good points. P3 ended up going to Matt Payne. Although starting on the front row alongside Heimgartner, he had a tough start, which resulted in the Feeney overtake. For Payne though, it was still another podium finish to add to his continued positive results. Anton De Pasquale had another strong result with a top 5 finish in race 15. It was a tough qualifying, but he was able to make up some good positions during the race itself which he ultimately benefitted from. P6 was another good result, this time for Penrite Racing with Kai Allen also scoring points. He was one of the most impressive drivers during the race, given there was close to 11 positions gained for the young driver. The Tickford duo was able to get double points during race 15. Race 14 was difficult, but they were able to improve on their results finishing P7 for Cam Waters and P10 for Thomas Randle. Ryan Wood was able to secure some big points for the Walkinshaw crew, finishing in P8. These results were also helped by an issue with Brodie Kostecki’s car, due to an incident early on between Reynolds, Kostecki and Wood which saw Kostecki drop down to P24. Chaos during race 15 sees Brodie Kostecki drop down the field with damage. P9 was another Supra, belonging to Cam Hill who drove a great race, securing vital big points for Brad jones Racing. Hill was down 2 positions than the original qualifying spots, however proving that BJR are looking to work and become more of a threat to the mid pack in the constructors. Race 16: The last race at Symmons Plains for the 2026 season. The longest race of the weekend with 84 laps of racing to go on. Broc Feeney was our big winner on the Sunday, securing plenty of points to continue his healthy lead in the championship fight. He was also able to keep a decent distance to the drivers behind, with just over 7 seconds to the driver in P2. Despite a good fight from teammate Will Brown, he would only manage to finish P5, although showed plenty of promise right off the bat starting on lap 1. This still ensures 68 points between Red Bull Ampol Racing and Penrite Racing in the championship fight. Broc Feeney continues his dominance in Tasmania with another win added to his belt. The remaining podium places went to the drivers down at Penrite Racing. Matt Payne was able to secure the P2 spot, ahead of teammate Kai Allen. An impressive result for Penrite, given the difficult start to the weekend itself. Anton De Pasquale finished ahead of Will Brown in P4, although a quiet weekend for him, especially in race 16, with 5 seconds between himself and Brown on track, there wasn’t much going on for him. Two drivers that I didn’t expect to see in the middle of the top 10 were Jayden Ojeda who drove brilliantly to finish P6 and was being chased down by a very determined Aaron Cameron who finished in P7. Aaron Cameron has had some of the most difficult results so far, with race incidents that weren’t his fault taking him out of top 10 contention, it was about time for a decent result. Walkinshaw TWG Racing were able to secure more points for the team with their driver pairing both scoring in race 16. Ryan Wood was able to finish P8, whilst his teammate Chaz Mostert gained 9 positions to finish P9. The final driver within the top 10 for race 16 was Cam Waters. Although his teammate was behind him, he was experiencing a race like De Pasquale. A very quiet one, but with a still positive result. Our current top 5 after the race weekend in Tasmania looks like this: 1. Broc Feeney – 1211pts 2. Matt Payne – 1121pts 3. Brodie Kostecki – 1038pts 4. Cam Waters – 934pts 5. Kai Allen – 917pts We move on and head up to Darwin this weekend for the Triple Crown weekend. During the weekend we see some beautiful liveries and experience some of the best racing you often see in Supercars. The on-track action begins on June 19. A race weekend full of memorable livery designs as well as plenty of race chaos.

Graham Rahal at the NTT Indycar Series season opener at St. Petersburg (Photo by: INDYCAR/Penske Entertainment) Graham Rahal has had an interesting start to the 2026 NTT Indycar Series season, and things seem to be looking up for the driver of the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda more than people may think. Nine races into the 2026 season, Graham Rahal has finished on the podium three times, all of them being third place finishes with those taking place at Birmingham, the Indianapolis GP, and the streets of Detroit. This season is the first time Rahal has stood on the podium since 2023, and the first time since the 2020 season having mutiple podium finishes in a season. Graham Rahal currently has three podiums, five top 10s, and is sitting 11th in the standings. This is the highest Rahal has been in the point standings since the 2021 season where he went on to finish 7th in the standings. Prior to the start of the season, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing made significant changes to the team during the off season. The team brought in new leadership, a restructured pit crew and even changes to the teams driver lineup. Jay Frye, former Indycar President joined the team as the Special advisor / President and Brian Barnhart was hired as the Vice President of Operations. Barnhart also joined the team as Graham Rahal's race strategist. Changes on the pit crew side of the team had RLL bring in Kyle Sagan as the Pit Stop Manager, helping the team with having more consistent pit stops. Both Barnhardt and Sagan had left Arrow McLaren after the 2025 season to join RLL for the 2026 season. With the revised driver lineup, RLL re-signed Louis Foster and brought in former F1 driver Mick Schumacher, replacing Devlin DeFrancesco. Rahal's last win came in 2017 when he achieved the weekend sweep in Belle Isle winning both races that weekend, and the last time Rahal has qualified on the pole was back in the 2023 season at the Indianpolis GP and the Grand Prix of Portland. There is still plenty of racing to go this season, and with Graham Rahal already matching his best run of podium finishes in six years, expect to see Rahal contend for more podiums for the remainder of the season, and potentially pole positions and even race wins.

by Luke Flanagan Familiar Faces for F1 Fans There are 16 former Formula 1 drivers taking part in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Hypercar (13) Kamui Kobayashi - Toyota Racing #7 Nyck De Vries - Toyota Racing #7 Sebastien Buemi - Toyota Racing #8 Brendon Hartley - Toyota Racing #8 Will Stevens - Cadillac Hertz Team Jota #12 Kevin Magnussen - BMW M Team WRT #15 Andre Lotterer - Genesis #17 Sebastien Bourdais - Cadillac Hertz Team Jota #38 Jack Aitken - Cadillac Hertz Team Jota #38 Antonio Giovinazzi - Ferrari #51 Robert Kubica - AF Corse Ferrari #83 Paul di Resta - Peugeot #93 Stoffel Vandoorne - Peugeot #93 LMP2 (2) Jack Doohan - Nielsen Racing #24 Pietro Fittipaldi - Vector Sport #26 LMGT3 (1) Logan Sargeant - Proton Competition #88 Out of the 16 former F1 drivers there are six who have overall victories at Le Mans. Kobayashi, Buemi and Hartley have won Le Mans with Toyota; and Hartley also won with Porsche in 2017. Andre Lotterer has won three times with Audi, while Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Kubica have won for Ferrari in recent years. Jack Doohan and Logan Sargeant are making their Le Mans debuts this year. Former F1 driver Robert Kubica (left) won last year's race in the Ferrari #83 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) Ferrari's Chance to Draw Level With Audi Ferrari have won the last three editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a different car triumphing in each of the last three years. If they were to win this year and make it four in a row, they would go level with Audi on the all-time leaderboard of overall victories, with 13, joint second behind Porsche on 19. Audi overtook Ferrari during their dominant period in the 2000's and 2010's. If Ferrari are to claim their 13th win, it will take something special from one of their cars after a poor qualifying during the week. The #51 was the only Ferrari to make it through to Hyperpole 2 and will line up in 8th, while the #50 was knocked out in Hyperpole 1 qualifying 12th and the #83 could only manage 17th on Wednesday's first qualifying session. #50 Ferrari 499P in last years 24h of Le Mans (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) First Time at Le Mans for Genesis This is the first time Genesis, Hyundai's luxury brand, have competed in the World Endurance Championship, meaning it will be their first time racing at the Circuit de La Sarthe. Former Caterham and Renault F1 team principal Cyril Abiteboul is overseeing the Genesis Magma Racing Hypercar Program as the President of Hyundai Motorsport. In their two WEC races so far at Imola and Spa they have finished 15th and 8th with the #17, and 17th and 13th with the #19. Despite the unremarkable results in previous races, they had an excellent qualifying for Le Mans as both cars made it through to Hyperpole 2. The #19 will start from 6th and the #17 from 9th on the grid. #19 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 (Photo: Wikipedia Commons) BoP Advantage for LMDh cars Since the opening qualifying session on Wednesday there have been complaints that the BoP (Balance of Performance) for this race is favouring the LMDh teams. For those unaware, there are two sets of regulations that make up the Hypercar class, LMH and LMDh. In simple terms, LMH cars are built for the WEC and Le Mans, but LMDh are also built to compete in IMSA. LMH rules are more relaxed than LMDh and BoP is used to equalise them. Alpine, BMW, Cadillac and Genesis are running LMDh cars while Toyota, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Peugeot's cars are LMH. The disparity between the two classes is evident in the qualifying results as LMDh cars locked out the top 6 and 8 of the 10 cars in Hyperpole 2 were LMDh. Toyota's technical director David Floury said after Wednesday's qualifying session that LMH cars are facing a clear deficit to LMDh cars, describing it as a 'two-class' structure. So if an LMDh car wins Le Mans this year, don't be too surprised. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

by Luke Flanagan At the time of writing, only four drivers in Formula One are contracted for 2028: Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. That leaves 18 seats still unconfirmed, and while some might be easier to predict, some are more ambivalent. Predicting the future of F1 is never as easy as it seems, but these predictions will attempt to realistically fill the 2028 grid, taking into account the numerous factors that could influence the decisions made by F1's 11 teams. To start, we'll briefly go through the current drivers who will be out of the sport in this prediction. No Longer in F1 by 2028 Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon has been outperformed by his teammate Ollie Bearman since joining Haas from Alpine in 2025. It's felt like his F1 career has slowly but surely been dwindling for the last few years and I think that it will likely come to an end at the conclusion of this season, or the end of 2027 at the latest. Sergio Perez & Valtteri Bottas The experience Perez and Bottas bring from their time at dominant teams is invaluable to a new team starting from scratch, as Cadillac is doing. But they will eventually want to move up the grid and I believe to do so, an all new driver lineup is in their best interest. Despite their experience, I don't believe either will still have the ultimate pace when Cadillac are in a position to be a competitive midfield team. Photo: Joe Portlock / Getty Images Alexander Albon It might seem harsh, but Williams have not had the kind of improvement they've hoped for over the last few years, and a change might be needed to reignite their return to the top. There doesn't seem to be any other realistic options for Albon if Williams was to look elsewhere, so unfortunately he is also out of F1 in this prediction. Nico Hulkenberg Since returning to Formula 1 full-time in 2023 for Haas, Nico Hulkenberg has shown glimpses of the potential we always knew he had. While he never got the chance to show what he can do at a top team, he's had a respectable career. The highlight of which being, of course, finally claiming his first podium at Silverstone last year. It would surprise me if he doesn't retire at some point in the next year or two. Lewis Hamilton I believe Hamilton will call time on his legendary career in the next couple of years. He will go down as one of the greatest we've ever seen, for some the best. Although it's unlikely, it would be one of the most incredible stories in sports history if Hamilton was to win an 8th title and surpass Michael Schumacher with Ferrari; the team where he won five of his seven championships. Photo: Getty Images Fernando Alonso I originally had Alonso still at Aston Martin in this prediction. But while I was writing, he hinted at retiring during the Thursday press conference for the Spanish Grand Prix and I've decided to make a late change. I thought that he would want to have one more season in a front running team before retiring, but it looks like that won't be the case. It's unfortunate because for me, only two championships does not tell the story of how good he really was. Photo: Formula 1 And now, the predictions for the 2028 Formula 1 grid. Mercedes Andrea Kimi Antonelli Antonelli is going nowhere any time soon. Mercedes have backed him since he was in karts, fast-tracking his path to Formula 1. It was an investment that mirrored McLaren's backing of a young Lewis Hamilton - and one that is being fully justified as Antonelli emerges as an equally generational talent. I expect him to sign a long-term deal with Mercedes in the near future. Photo: Formula 1 George Russell Despite recent rumours that Mercedes has a performance based clause to replace him, I think that Russell will most likely stay at Mercedes until at least 2028. I can't see him looking to move away just as Mercedes returns to being the clear top team in F1 for the first time since he joined in 2022. Ferrari Charles Leclerc Leclerc has just signed a new contract with Ferrari, keeping him at the team until at least 2029. There are occasional rumours of him looking elsewhere, mostly in reaction to blunders by Ferrari costing him wins or podiums. But more than any other driver in F1, I find it hard to picture him driving for anyone else. It wouldn't surprise me if he spent his entire career at Ferrari. Ollie Bearman As soon as Ollie Bearman stepped into the absent Carlos Sainz's Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, many were convinced it would not be his last time driving for Ferrari. He has also shown his potential on a few occasions for Haas since joining them full-time for 2025, including a brilliant 4th place finish in Mexico last year. If Hamilton is to retire, Ferrari has a rising star ready to step up at their disposal. Photo: Andy Hone / Getty Images McLaren Lando Norris Having just won his first title, there's no reason for Norris to leave McLaren. Even if he did want to leave, he would have to take a step back on the grid rather than forward. After last season, I think it's fair to say Norris is the number one driver at a fairly competitive McLaren, so he won't be going anywhere for now. Photo: Formula 1 Oscar Piastri There were some whispers last year that McLaren's favourable treatment of Norris may turn Piastri's head, but for now his best bet is staying put. Like Norris, there is no better options available if he was to move away from McLaren. Red Bull Max Verstappen While I do believe Verstappen will leave F1 earlier than most to compete elsewhere, he has a few more years left before actually leaving in my opinion. He will probably continue to race outside of F1 like we saw this year with the Nurburgring 24 Hours. As for the constant Mercedes rumours, I just don't see it happening after all Red Bull has given him - but I'll happily be proved wrong. Arvid Lindblad Isack Hadjar has done decently well so far, but I don't see Red Bull changing their attitude towards their second seat anytime soon. Lindblad has had an impressive debut season so far and will surely be given a chance in the top Red Bull team at some point. Photo: Formula 1 Alpine Pierre Gasly Gasly has gone massively under the radar in the last couple of seasons, but has started 2026 quite well. As mentioned earlier, he is contracted to Alpine until the end of 2028, but it's difficult to see what will happen with him after that. Gabriele Mini Alpine junior Gabriele Mini is the first rookie to appear in this prediction. At the time of writing, the Italian is leading the Formula 2 championship with MP Motorsport and should he go on to win the championship he could be in F1 as early as next year. Photo: Formula 2 Audi Gabriel Bortoleto It was clear that when Audi signed Bortoleto for 2025 while they were still Kick Sauber, they saw him as a young prospect who could develop with the team. He had a very impressive debut season with multiple Q3 appearances and a best finish of 6th in Hungary. It's unlikely he'll be leaving any time soon. Carlos Sainz Sainz decided to join Williams over Audi for 2025 following his departure from Ferrari. It made sense at the time, given the massive leap into the unknown going to Audi would have been. But Williams have failed to deliver the progress they had hoped for, making Sainz's decision look less wise now. Sainz will surely believe he can still compete at a top team and right now Audi probably look like the team with more potential. Also, the link between Audi and Carlos Sainz Snr. makes me think he will drive for them at some point. Photo: Formula 1 Williams Luke Browning Currently competing in Super Formula in Japan, Williams Academy driver Luke Browning finished 4th in Formula 2 last year. He has competed in a few FP1 sessions for Williams, with more planned for this season, and should be a shoo-in for Williams if they are to go with an all new driver lineup as predicted. Photo: Formula 1 Liam Lawson Out of all the drivers to race for Red Bull's junior team in the last few years, Lawson was the most impressive in my opinion. I thought it was very harsh to drop him from the top team so early in 2025 and despite continuing to outperform the second Red Bull, I think his association with Red Bull will come to an end soon. Depending on how Hadjar performs, he might return to the top team temporarily, but ultimately he will eventually move on. For me, he definitely deserves to stay in F1 and I think Williams would be a great move for him. Photo: Formula 1 Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar As mentioned earlier, I don't see the roundabout with the Red Bull second seat ending, so inevitably Hadjar will probably return to Racing Bulls to give someone else a shot at the top team. By 2028, he will probably be in a similar situation that Laswon is currently. Nikola Tsolov Currently second in Formula 2, Tsolov will be the first Bulgarian driver in F1 history should he make the step up as predicted. I think he will be the next in a long line of drivers to make it to F1 with the Red Bull Junior Team. Whether he graduates to F1 in 2027 or 2028 may depend on what happens with Liam Lawson. Photo: Formula 2 Aston Martin Yuki Tsunoda Tsunoda's long association with Honda may give him a second chance in F1. Tsunoda was supported by the Honda Formula Dream Project in his feeder series career alongside being part of Red Bull's Junior Team. Aston Martin's switch to Honda engines in 2026 could see Honda push for Tsunoda to be the one to replace Fernando Alonso. Photo: Formula 1 Lance Stroll As much as I think Aston Martin would be much better off with someone else, I tried to be as realistic as possible with this prediction and realistically Stroll is unlikely to lose his seat. Haas Rafa Camara While Haas now has a technical partnership with Toyota, they will continue as a Ferrari customer team until at least 2028. With that being the case, Ferrari will likely continue to use their relationship with Haas to give their academy drivers a start in F1. If Bearman is promoted to Ferrari, reigning F3 champion Rafa Camara is the most suitable FDA driver to replace him. The Brazilian is currently 7th in the F2 championship with Invicta Racing. Photo: Formula 2 Ritomo Miyata The partnership between Haas and Toyota includes the development of drivers, so we could easily see a Toyota backed driver drive for Haas at some point. Ritomo Miyata has been supported by the Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge Program for many years and is currently the closest driver in this program to F1, currently driving for Hitech in F2. Miyata took part in a private test for Haas in 2024 as well as two tests for Alpine in 2025. Photo: Formula 2 Cadillac Colton Herta In my opinion, it wouldn't make sense for Herta to leave Indycar for F2 if he wasn't guaranteed to be in Formula 1 at some point. He's not exactly set the world alight in F2 so far, but I think he will drive for Cadillac in F1 regardless of how he performs in F2. Photo: Formula 2 Franco Colapinto With Mini joining Alpine in this prediction, it leaves Franco Colapinto without a seat. There seems to be constant rumours that Flavio Briatore is looking to replace him, so it's probably only a matter of time before he does pull the trigger. Personally, I think Cadillac would be a realistic landing spot for him. Cadillac might like the idea of having two drivers from The Americas and the huge Argentine support that come with Colapinto. Photo: Formula 1

Monaco is the crown jewel of the Formula One calendar. There typically is not much expected of the great race, but this year decided otherwise. It was the fifth win for Kimi Antonelli as he continued to rise above, especially against his own teammate who had a terrible result overall. Lewis Hamilton joined the podium finishing another weekend in the P2 spot and being joined by Isack Hadjar for his first podium in 2026 finishing in P3. Your top 3 in Monaco; Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar. Whilst the top 3 were comfortable and able to get onto the podium, their teammates were having a difficult race. For George Russell, after receiving a 5 second penalty for speeding in the pitlane, not successfully completing it, he received a drive through penalty. This would later cost him positions, with a standing start after a red flag and needing to pit to complete the penalty, he was forced to drop out of the points and finished P12. Charles Leclerc, the prince of Monaco as we all call him, yet the Monaco streets were nothing but harsh. With issues relating to the track began to occur, he ran into the barrier on the final corner causing a DNF and bringing out the red flag. Leclerc blamed terrible brakes, yet the track did not appear in great condition and looks to have resulted in some of the error. Max Verstappen, starting P2 and expecting to be the big defender against Kimi Antonelli, yet the car would not start up properly due to a power unit failure. Struggling off the line, Verstappen really could not get anywhere and was forced to return to pitlane and end his day. He was later seen leaving the track early to return to his home in Monaco. Oscar Piastri had an oddly quiet race. With very little going on around him, he slowly crept up starting from P7 and eventually finishing the race in P4. His teammate Lando Norris however suffered a car failure and was forced to DNF from the race. It was looking to be a concerning race for Norris considering he was unable to finish the FP2 session earlier on in the weekend. Oscar Piastri having a quiet weekend during the race in Monaco. The two Racing Bulls drivers had a tremendous weekend, finishing with a double point scoring result. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were both able to get their best career finishes. Liam Lawson finished in P5, whilst Arvid Lindblad finished P6. Pierre Gasly was looking to be heading for a podium finish, all before two 5 second penalties were to ruin his day. Despite the penalties, he drove a brilliant weekend to successfully finish P7. His teammate Franco Colapinto struggled after the chaos of the safety cars and red flags, as well as an incident with Carlos Sainz late in the race. All of this would lead to Colapinto finishing P14. Alex Albon had a great weekend out in Monaco. Although it looked grim at the halfway mark, with a car swap for a pit gap and Albon as the sacrificial lamb, there was concern. But despite the worries, he managed to score points for himself and the team finishing in P8. Esteban Ocon was able to also score some points for Haas. With his seat on the line and his future uncertain, he needed a good weekend out in Monaco, and he got exactly that. Even with all the dramas, he maintained composure and secured the P9 spot. The final spot P10 went to a driver who managed to be extremely lucky. With a post-race penalty incoming for Sergio Perez, the final point scoring position ended up being Fernando Alonso. Alonso has managed to score his first point for himself and Aston Martin so far this season, with their rocky start to the new regulations. Lance Stroll was the first official crash during the Monaco Grand Prix. Due to the issues regarding the track, this would have been the contributing factor to his DNF. Fernando Alonso successfully scores points for Aston Martin in Monaco. Audi have been slowly moving up the ranks. Still struggling on pace compared to those around them, they are starting to step up. Gabriel Bortoleto was very close to the points eventually finishing P11, whilst teammate Nico Hulkenberg with a 10 second penalty was behind George Russell in P13. The final driver still in the race was Sergio Perez. As mentioned, looking to score Cadillacs first points of their first season, Perez was their only hope, but a penalty would prevent them from this. With a 10 second penalty for starting out of position, he would lose the top 10 finish and fall to P15. We had many DNFs over the span of the race. Below are the DNFs from the Monaco Grand Prix: - Max Verstappen’s DNF was on the first lap. This was due to a power unit failure. - Valtteri Bottas suffered issues with brake temperatures and was forced to retire on lap 15. - Oliver Bearman was forced to retire after an incident on the opening lap, which damaged the front wing. Bearman came in to change the wing, but with blue flags on track, the choice to retire was clear, he retired on lap 27. - Lando Norris retired due to a car failure on lap 43. - Lance Stroll was the first to crash at the final corner on lap 56. - When we went to get back to racing, Charles Leclerc’s crash which resulted in his DNF occurred and was on lap 64. - Carlos Sainz was the last DNF of the day, with damage caused by Hulkenberg and Colapinto, he was forced to retire on lap 70. Max Verstappen with a terrible race start ultimately resulting in a DNF.