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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.

Denny Hamlin delivered one of the most dominant performances of his career and then gave the most honest interview of his season. Jett Lawrence returned to form in emphatic fashion at the opening round of Pro Motocross. And Mercedes-AMG made a surprise change at the top of its motorsport department. Here is the weekend in motorsport. Hamlin Wins Michigan by 11 Seconds and Talks About What Comes Next There are very few drivers in NASCAR history who have performed at a higher level at 45 years old than Denny Hamlin is right now, and even he seems uncertain about how long it can last. Hamlin won the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, his second consecutive Cup victory and third of the season alongside wins at Nashville and Las Vegas. The margin of victory was 11.11 seconds, the largest of his 63-career career. The win pulls him to within 51 points of championship leader Tyler Reddick and ties him with the late Kyle Busch for ninth on the all-time wins list. "This might be the most exceptional thing he's done," said team owner Joe Gibbs after the race. But it was what Hamlin said afterward that will stick with people longer than the trophy. Speaking with Prime Sports in his post-race interview, Hamlin gave his most candid comments yet on his future. He has a contract with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2027 and suggested that the end of that deal remains the most likely endpoint, but acknowledged he is already planning for the inevitable decline. "I'm planning for the downfall that I know will come," Hamlin said. "I always say there's like three things that happen. In no particular order, it's your eyesight, your reaction, and then your body hurts. I've already got the body hurts part of it, right? It's just the other two things that have remained really sharp." When asked directly about his plans, he told Gibbs to check back in six months and pointed to 18-year-old TRD driver Brent Crews as a likely heir to the No. 11 seat. Crews has five top-five finishes in 12 O'Reilly Auto Parts starts this season, four top-10s in 11 Truck Series races, and six ARCA wins to his name. Hamlin has never won a Cup Series championship. He finished second last season to Kyle Larson. Jett Lawrence Is Back and Hangtown Felt It The 57th running of the Coker Pump Hangtown Motocross Classic was electric! Lawrence swept both motos on a challenging track outside Sacramento, outrunning his brother Hunter in both races and posting the fastest qualifying lap of the session, the only rider to break the 1:50 barrier at 1:49.886. In Moto 1, Lawrence grabbed the holeshot and managed the race with patience before pushing the pace as Hunter Lawrence and Haiden Deegan traded momentum for second. He won by 7.7 seconds. Deegan earned the first moto podium of his career in third. Jorge Prado ran fourth for most of the moto before losing power on his KTM just before the final lap, falling to 36th. Moto 2 was interrupted by a red flag for a downed rider and restarted, with Cooper Webb taking the holeshot in the second gate drop. Jett Lawrence went around Webb quickly and put his brother in his mirrors, and the two Australians eventually opened a double-digit gap over Chase Sexton in third. Deegan worked from 11th to third by the midway point, adding to an impressive day for the young Yamaha rider. As Hunter Lawrence began applying pressure for the lead approaching halfway, Jett responded with a sudden sprint that extended the gap from under a second to nearly four in the span of a few laps. He finished 6.8 seconds clear of his brother. Deegan held third. "I knew if I picked a fast pace early that Hunter would be right there with me and would make it a lot harder," Jett said. "I chose instead to get a better flow for about 15 minutes and then decided to push for a quick sprint to try and mess up his rhythm, and it worked. It's good to be back up here with a 1-1." Hunter was measured. "It's harder racing against Jett. He's my toughest competitor. It got to a point where I was going to take the time to reset and make a push, but he decided to do a sprint and gapped me. Still a solid result." 450MX Top5: Pos Rider Team Motos 1 Jett Lawrence Honda HRC Progressive 1-1 2 Hunter Lawrence Honda HRC Progressive 2-2 3 Haiden Deegan Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 3-3 4 Dylan Ferrandis Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati 4-6 5 Garrett Marchbanks Monster Energy Kawasaki 6-5 Mercedes-AMG Confirms Surprise Leadership Change Mercedes-AMG confirmed this week that Christoph Sagemuller, who has led the company's motorsport department since March 2021, will step down at the end of June. Simon Wilbers, who has been with Mercedes-AMG since 2018 and most recently headed the marketing and commercial side of the motorsport division, will take over as head of motorsport on July 1. The departure came as a surprise internally. Sagemuller had been with the company since 2011 and was widely expected to eventually move into a broader role within the Daimler Group. Instead he is departing entirely and is understood to have already secured a new position elsewhere. Wilbers steps into the role at a significant moment. Mercedes-AMG's GT program has been performing well, with victories at this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours and the Bathurst 12 Hour, a lead in the overall DTM standings, and the high-profile addition of Max Verstappen's Verstappen Racing outfit to its customer program. At the same time, the team faces the development of a successor to the current GT3 car and the ongoing transition from HWA AG to the 100 percent subsidiary Affalterbach Racing GmbH, a process that has not been without complications. Stefan Wendl will continue as head of the customer racing program and his responsibilities remain unchanged under the new structure. Wilbers' remit covers the full Mercedes-AMG motorsport department with the exception of the Formula 1 project, which remains under Toto Wolff.

It was a weekend in which we expected rainy weather again, except we did not necessarily get that. As the formation lap was beginning, there were various tyre strategies going on, including the McLaren pairing on a set of intermediate tyres each. This would cause dramas on the first few laps, given both drivers were not confident in the tyre choice. We had multiple formation laps, after the initial race start was aborted due to Arvid Lindblad’s car had a gearbox/clutch failure, which meant he was unable to get going again. By the end of the race, there was significant drama. Kimi Antonelli won yet another race weekend making that 4 so far this season. He continues his lead in the championship, extending it away from his teammate. Joining Antonelli on the podium was Lewis Hamilton who was able to finish the race in P2, after a battle with Max Verstappen in the dying laps, which would result in Max Verstappen finishing P3. A very elated podium in Canada; Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen Charles Leclerc managed to finish the race in P4, although 44 seconds behind the top 3 drivers, still gave Ferrari another double point scoring weekend. Another driver who ensured a double points scoring weekend was Isack Hadjar, who ultimately finished the race in P5. A very great result and an impressive drive from the young Redbull driver, proving his capability in the seat alongside Verstappen. Alpine had a great result also scoring double points. Franco Colapinto had his best finishing result so far of his career, finishing in p6. His teammate Pierre Gasly would finish in P8, although disappointing for a driver of his capability, proves how Alpine are able to start stepping up with the assist of the Mercedes engine as well. The final three drivers within the top 10 were all carrying their teams to points on the weekend. Liam Lawson was able to score Visa Cashapp some points with the unfortunate DNS of Lindblad. Lawson would go on to finish P7. Carlos Sainz was the next solo driver representing their team within the top 10, finishing P8, and being able to help score some small number of points that could later prove essential to the constructor’s championship. Ollie Bearman was the final driver taking out the last point scoring spot in P10. Bearman had a somewhat quiet weekend, keeping to himself and helping Haas keep within the championship fight. A difficult weekend but ultimately resulting in points for Ollie Bearman. Oscar Piastri had a difficult time during the race. An incident with Alex Albon would prove costly, giving him a 10 second time penalty that he would serve later in the race. But unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to score points, having to settle for P11 and being lapped 2 times by the front runners. Audi are showing that they can get better results with a weekend where there were things going wrong left and right. In this instance, although no points were scored, it was a step in the right direction for Audi. Nico Hulkenberg went on to finish P12, whilst Gabriel Bortoleto finished P13. Esteban Ocon seems to be having a difficult start to his season, with another race result where he had been outscored by his younger teammate. With rumours floating around about possible changes to the driver lineup, Ocon needs to prove to the team why he is still able and willing to put in the effort for the team. Ocon would ultimately finish P14. Lance Stroll wasn’t having the weekend he intended to have at his home grand prix. A P15 result, would not have been the position he was hoping for, but given Aston Martins difficulties so far this year, having finished the race would be a huge result for him and the team. A weekend to forget for the hometown hero, Lance Stroll. Valtteri Bottas was our final driver finishing P16. Like Ocon, with rumours going around, Bottas has some catching up to do. Given Cadillac wanted drivers with previous experience, they have had that with Bottas and Perez. They still show plenty of potential for the future, but we knew Cadillac was going to have a tough few years ahead as they worked everything out. Whilst the weekend was impressive for Antonelli, it was a race to forget for teammate George Russell, who would DNF on lap 29, due to power unit issues. Russell was extremely frustrated and ended up with a fine post-race for throwing his headrest out of the car. A very sad day for George Russell after power unit issues caused him to DNF. Sergio Perez would DNF on lap 39, after the suspension on one part of the car exploded. It appeared to be a bizarre situation, given he seemed to know something was wrong having chosen to get into the pitlane, but an unusual experience, nonetheless. Lando Norris faced a DNF as well. The result of his DNF was due to a terminal mechanical issue within the car. Norris lost all power and could not continue in the race and was forced to pull the car over and call it a day. Fernando Alonso was forced to DNF in Canada due to a seat issue. The Aston Martin has been experiencing vibrations all year so far, and the seat issue was causing pain each lap. Alonso opted to not finish the race for his health and wellbeing instead. For Alex Albon, it was a weekend he’d rather forget. An incident between himself and Oscar Piastri resulted in a collision and a DNF from Albon. A tough result, given how Albon needs to prove himself to the team, but sometimes things cannot be helped. A collision with Oscar Piastri cost Alex Albon the opportunity for a good race.

NASCAR Mourns Kyle Busch There are no words that adequately cover the loss of Kyle Busch. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, one of the most talented and polarizing drivers the sport has ever produced, passed away suddenly last Thursday at the age of 41. His family confirmed the cause of death as severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. The grief that followed was immediate and overwhelming across the entire motorsport community. Busch spent the majority of his career at Joe Gibbs Racing, winning two championships with the iconic No. 18 before joining Richard Childress Racing ahead of the 2023 season. His final three Cup wins all came with RCR, all in 2023, all under the No. 8 he had made his own at the team. That number will not return to the track. RCR announced the car will carry the No. 33, not the No. 8. The team was definitive about why. "Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR's stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry," the team said in a statement. "No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing." Brexton, Kyle's son, is currently 11 years old. The decision carries a clear historical parallel. When Dale Earnhardt was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500, RCR shelved the No. 3 and replaced it with the No. 29 for Kevin Harvick. The No. 3 did not return to Cup competition for over a decade, eventually passed to Earnhardt's grandson Austin Dillon. The No. 18, which Busch carried through the defining years of his JGR career, has not been used since he left at the end of the 2022 season. Rosenqvist Makes Bank! The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 did not just produce the closest finish in race history. It also generated the largest purse in the event's history by a significant margin. The total payout for the 2026 race reached $30,906,400, an increase of more than 50 percent over last year's $20,283,000. Newly crowned champion Felix Rosenqvist took home $4.34 million, while Mick Schumacher earned Rookie of the Year honors after finishing 18th, the highest position among all first-time starters, collecting a $50,000 bonus as part of a total payout of $218,800. IndyCar and IMS President J. Douglas Boles pointed to a month that exceeded expectations across every metric. "The Month of May featured a back-to-back grandstand sellout crowd, our largest crowd since the 100th running in 2016, and intense on-track action with the most lead changes ever in the Indy 500. Felix Rosenqvist added his name to the history books in stellar fashion, with the closest finish in Indy 500 history and now the largest purse." For context on how quickly the numbers have moved: Year Total Purse Winner's Share 2026 $30,906,400 $4,340,000 2025 $20,283,000 $3,800,000 2024 $18,456,000 $4,300,000 2023 $17,021,500 $3,700,000 2022 $16,000,200 $3,100,000 Alex Marquez to Miss Mugello and Balaton Park MotoGP heads into its Italian and Hungarian rounds without Alex Marquez, who will sit out both events as he continues to recover from the injuries he sustained at the Catalan Grand Prix at Barcelona. Gresini Racing confirmed last Thursday that Marquez will not take part in the Mugello or Balaton Park rounds, meaning he will be absent until at least the Czech Grand Prix on June 21. The Spaniard suffered a broken right collarbone after making contact with Pedro Acosta's KTM at Barcelona and required surgery. Scans also revealed a minor fracture of the C7 vertebra, though no immediate operation was performed on that injury. Further tests were scheduled this week, but Thursday's update from Gresini made no reference to the vertebra or any updated timeline for full recovery. Gresini has not announced a replacement rider, though the regulations require the team to field one. When Fermin Aldeguer missed the Thailand season opener earlier this year, Ducati test rider Michele Pirro stepped in as his substitute. The timing is particularly difficult for the Marquez family. Alex returned to his home in Madrid alongside elder brother Marc Marquez, who is also sidelined after suffering a foot injury at the French Grand Prix the week before Barcelona. Marc underwent surgery on both the broken foot and his right shoulder and missed the Catalan round entirely.

It was a weekend of dramas, with extreme weather causing the race to be moved to an earlier scheduled time. This did not stop Kimi Antonelli from having another brilliant race weekend, with another race win under his belt. The McLaren pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both managed to get onto the podium, with Norris P2 and Piastri P3. Miami 2026 podium: Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. George Russell had a difficult time, but having started in P5, making it to the top 4 was a good result. The win for Antonelli though, extends his gap to teammate Russell. The Ferrari pairing had a weekend that was not their greatest. Having started P3 for Charles Leclerc and P6 for Lewis Hamilton, they could only go up from there. Leclerc was having an impressive race, having jumped to the front of the grid off the race start, it was looking very positive for him. However, a last lap spin as well as collision with a wall causing steering damage, he would be given a 20 second penalty for leaving the track without a justifiable reason. This penalty would eventually drop Leclerc to P8 behind his teammate as well as Alpines Franco Colapinto. With a collision on the first lap, Hamilton was forced to deal with significant damage resulting in a loss of downforce on his car. Given this, it was not going to be easy, but he still managed to complete the race and would ultimately finish P6. Max Verstappen having started P2, would spin on the first lap, dropping him down the field towards the mid-pack. It was going to be difficult to go on for a good result, although that last lap incident with Leclerc paid off for him. He would go on to finish P5, having passed Leclerc just before the finish line. Isack Hadjar had another difficult weekend after being disqualified from the qualifying session, he was granted permission to still compete, but it would not last long. By lap 4, he had clipped the wall at turn 14, causing steering damage, which he could not correct before running into the wall at turn 15. Significant damage to Isack Hadjar's Redbull after a collision with the wall. Franco Colapinto had a decent race, although colliding with Hamilton on the first lap, still went on to finish in P7. His teammate, Pierre Gasly would unfortunately DNF after a collision with Liam Lawson, which flipped Gasly’s car, before coming to a stop at turn 17/18. Both drivers were okay and managed to get out of the cars unharmed. A scary moment as Pierre Gasly rolls after a collision with Liam Lawson. The final two points scoring positions went to the Williams pair. The two drivers drove tremendously, which would pay off, ensuring they receive points for the team. Carlos Sainz would finish in P9, just ahead of teammate Alex Albon in P10. The Haas pairing had a quiet, yet tough day. With neither driver scoring points, it was a disappointing weekend. Oliver Bearman would finish just outside of the points in P11, whilst Esteban Ocon went on to finish P13, separated by the Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto. A little moment for the two Haas as they battle each other on track. Gabriel Bortoleto, like Bearman almost was able to score points for his team. Being the only remaining Audi due to Nico Hulkenberg’s DNF, it was going to be tough to get beyond the P12 result, which he would have to settle for. Audi will be hoping for a better result in Canada, with both drivers finishing the race and some points scored as well. Arvid Lindblad had a good weekend, having never driven in Miami, it was a first. He would finish ahead of his teammate due to the DNF and ultimately go on to finish P14. The remaining two teams had a quiet weekend again. The Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were able to complete a race, which is a positive outlook for the team. Alonso would finish P15, whilst Stroll finished P17. The final team was Cadillac, given it was a home race, they hoped to impress. Given it is their first season, they had plenty to be proud of. Sergio Perez went on to finish P16, whilst Valtteri Bottas would finish P18. A quiet but positive weekend for both Cadillac drivers.

The Prado gets fined after giving Webb a gesture in Salt Lake City. One of MotoGP's most respected team principals is heading to Honda. And a NASCAR veteran secured his future at a team he has helped build from the ground up. Here is the weekend in motorsport. Prado Fined After Gesture Directed at Webb in Salt Lake City The ongoing tension between Jorge Prado and Cooper Webb reached a new flashpoint at Round 17 of the SuperMotocross World Championship in Salt Lake City, with Prado fined and docked one rider license point after directing an obscene hand gesture at Webb following the finish. Prado crossed the line six-tenths of a second ahead of Webb and extended his middle finger in Webb's direction after the race. SMX Media confirmed that race direction reviewed the incident and determined Prado had violated the code of conduct. "Race Direction reviewed an incident involving Rider 26 and Rider 1 in section 8 after the finish line," SMX Media stated. "After review, it was determined that Rider 26 violated the code of conduct by using an obscene hand gesture during the competition. Rider 26 was assessed one rider license point and a fine." The two riders have clashed repeatedly throughout the 2026 season. At Denver the weekend prior, Webb threw a block pass on Prado late in the race that sent Prado to the ground. Prado had grabbed the holeshot and was running at the front before the contact, ultimately finishing sixth. Webb went down in the incident and finished 11th, his first result outside the top 10 all season. The pair also made contact at Round 11 in Detroit, where Prado finished 13th and Webb sixth. Prado did not hold back when addressing the situation after Salt Lake City. "I'm always the guy that's taken out. I never take him out, so he's going pretty aggressive with me," Prado said. "If he was much faster, he would've passed me, as the other riders did. So I just focused on myself, and hopefully next year I'm a bit better so I don't need to be fighting with him and being upfront." Brivio Leaving Trackhouse to Join Honda's MotoGP Restructure Davide Brivio will leave his role as Trackhouse Aprilia team principal to join Honda Racing Corporation in 2027 as an internal consultant, as part of the Japanese manufacturer's ongoing restructuring of its MotoGP operation. The news, first reported by Sky Italia and confirmed by Motorsport, marks Brivio's return to a factory environment after several years on the satellite side. His track record in MotoGP management is difficult to argue with. At Yamaha, he was central to building the structure around Valentino Rossi and later Jorge Lorenzo. At Suzuki, he guided Joan Mir to the 2020 MotoGP world title. He then spent time at Alpine's Formula 1 operation before departing at the end of 2023 and joining Trackhouse when Justin Marks' organization took over from RNF in 2024. Honda's restructure has seen Japanese executives take a significantly more prominent role in decision-making. The operation that secured Fabio Quartararo as the manufacturer's lead rider from 2027 was handled directly by Taichi Honda, and the decision to extend Johann Zarco's contract by two additional years was also driven by the Japanese management group, a move that drew some surprise in the paddock given the broader market situation. Quartararo is confirmed for the factory HRC garage from 2027, with David Alonso expected to join him under a pre-contract agreement. That would leave Zarco and Diogo Moreira at the satellite LCR team. Honda's previously discussed expansion to six bikes through a potential Tech3 arrangement appears increasingly unlikely, with the Guenther Steiner-led French outfit now expected to remain aligned with KTM. Alberto Puig, Honda's team manager since 2018, is expected to renew his contract when it expires at the end of the current season. Stenhouse Re-Signs With Hyak on Multi-Year Deal Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has signed a multi-year contract extension with Hyak Motorsports, keeping him in the No. 47 Chevrolet for the foreseeable future. Stenhouse has been with the organization since 2020, when it was still operating as JTG Daugherty Racing. The team rebranded as Hyak ahead of the 2025 season. He brings nearly 500 Cup starts and four victories to the table, all coming at superspeedways, including the 2023 Daytona 500. Hyak operates as a single-car team, a group that in the current Cup landscape also includes the Haas Factory Team, Rick Ware Racing, and Wood Brothers Racing. Stenhouse currently sits 27th in the standings, with a second-place finish at the Daytona 500 as his best result of the 2026 season. "It's never easy being a single-car team, but the experience we're gaining and the notebook we're building is helping us get better and better," Stenhouse said. "More than anything, this team feels like one big family. On and off the racetrack, we're building something that has me really excited about the future of Hyak Motorsports." Team owner Gordon Smith pointed to Stenhouse's experience and leadership as central to what the team is trying to build. "He brings experience, leadership, and a competitive mindset every weekend, and we believe there's still a lot ahead for this team with Ricky in the No. 47."

Max Taylor is one of the fastest-rising prospects on the Road to Indy, but speed is only part of the story. In an exclusive interview, the Andretti Indy NXT driver discussed how involved he is with car setup, the elite drivers he studies, fun ranking, and why he believes he is getting close to the IndyCar level. How the Andretti Move Came Together Taylor explained that his path to Andretti started forming as early as 2024 when he was competing against Sebastian Wheldon, which naturally put him on the team’s radar through their junior connections. From there, things developed through testing opportunities in the Indy NXT car across late 2024 and early 2025, where he says he showed enough speed to justify deeper conversations. “Then I did some tests in the Indy NXT car at the end of ’24 and beginning of ’25, and I did quite well at those tests, showed a lot of my talents and my speed there,” Taylor said. Those performances eventually led into discussions that progressed through the middle of the year before becoming a formal deal. “We started talking pretty early in the year and got it finalized a bit more in the summer where I signed the contract.” Max also emphasized how impressed he was with the structure inside Andretti once he joined. “Everyone there is extremely professional and extremely talented at what they do. Everything is on top of everything,” he said. Development Path and Key Mentors Before Andretti, Taylor spent his entire early career with VRD, beginning in USF Juniors in 2023, and he credits that environment for shaping him as a driver. He highlighted Dan Mitchell and Jacob Loomis as major influences in his progression through the junior ladder. “They were the people who really developed me as a driver,” Taylor said. “I learned so much with those VRD guys.” Even after moving on, he still remains connected to the program and regularly spends time around them during USF events. “I go to nearly all the USF practices, I’ll be coaching with them and just hanging out with the guys.” He made it clear that his current level is a direct result of that foundation. “I really am the driver I am today because of them, truly.” Indy NXT Really is Close to IndyCar One of Taylor’s strongest points in the interview was explaining the performance gap between categories, which he believes is widely misunderstood. While many assume IndyCar is a massive leap from Indy NXT, he argues the biggest jump actually comes earlier in the ladder. “I think people don’t realize how big of a jump that is, from USF Pro to Indy NXT,” he explained. “Indy NXT runs a 1:09 at Mid-Ohio, USF Pro a really good time is a 1:16, so that’s seven seconds. The IndyCars are probably in the 1:05s, so only about four seconds from Indy NXT.” Because of that structure, Taylor believes drivers at his level are already much closer to IndyCar readiness than outsiders assume. “Honestly, I think if I got the call right now to jump in an IndyCar, I think I’d be pretty competitive.” Car Setup and Engineering Approach Taylor described his approach to setup work as more focused on consistency than constant change. While he is involved in decisions, he said much of the time is spent refining a strong baseline rather than chasing major adjustments. “The main thing me and my engineer have been working on is just getting the basic stuff set up first,” he said. “A lot of the time we won’t change a whole lot because usually the setup we start off on is pretty solid.” He also pointed out how much variation exists across the calendar, which changes how much a driver can influence setup direction. “We go to ovals, street courses, road courses, speedways, super speedways, so the changes vary a lot depending on the format.” Driving Style and Who He Learns From When asked about his driving identity, Taylor avoided copying any single driver and instead focused on adaptability and thinking under pressure. He described himself as a “cerebral” driver who tries to stay ahead of situations rather than reacting late. “I tend to be pretty cerebral, just thinking a lot through it,” he said. “That’s what separates a really good driver from a great driver, that extra capacity in your head while you’re driving.” In terms of influences, he pointed toward two of IndyCar’s most complete competitors. “Scott Dixon or Alex Palou, where they’re thinking about fuel, tires and a million different things,” he said. “That’s probably who I would model some of my driving style after.” Fellow Andretti stablemate and Indycar Championship contender Kyle Kirkwood has also been a massive help. The young driver from Connecticut said “ I've been on the pit stand for Kirkwood with Brian Herda with the headset for all the IndyCar races. So I've been learning and listening a bunch from that and really seeing what it takes to be a high level IndyCar driver like Kyle Kirkwood is, you know, he's fighting there for the championship right now. So he's a really good guy to learn off of.” Social Media is a New Driver Attribute Taylor also acknowledged that modern motorsport success is no longer just about on-track results, but also about presence and marketability. He said young drivers have to treat sponsorship and media work as part of the job. “It really is so important,” he said. “A big part of the job is delivering for partners and helping grow the sport and then I get to drive race cars as the reward.” He also pointed to Pato O’Ward as an example of how influence off track can help elevate both a driver and a championship. “He brings fans to IndyCar, so now the series loves him, his team loves him.” Max Rank’s ’Em Taylor also took part in a rapid-fire ranking segment covering tracks, drivers, and major global races, giving insight into both his preferences and mindset. When I asked him to rank Iconinc IndyCar tracks St.Pete, Laguna Seca and Skip Barber Motorsports Park, he ranked St. Pete first, Laguna Seca second, and Barber third, admitting all three are strong circuits. “They’re all a lot of fun,” he said. When ranking top drivers born in 1997 involving Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Alex Palou, Taylor put Verstappen first. “He’s a phenom, he’s incredible at what he’s able to do,” he said. His final order was Verstappen, Palou, then Leclerc. Now for comparing the races apart from the Motorsports Christmas (Indy 500, Coke 600, and the Monaco GP), Taylor had no hesitation about the Indy 500 sitting at the top. “Indy 500 is first. I’m so excited for that race every year.” He placed the Coca-Cola 600 second and Monaco Grand Prix third, while being candid about Monaco’s racing product. “The race itself is a bit lackluster, but it’s still incredibly cool because of the history.” Bucket List Goal and Final Ambition Despite everything he has already achieved, Taylor made it clear that his long-term motivation is singular. The Indy 500 stands above everything else. “There’s only one, man. The Indy 500. I want to win that so bad,” he said. “Every time I’m in the gym or thinking about racing, I’m thinking about that race.” Looking ahead, he believes the timeline to IndyCar could come quickly if things continue trending upward. “I think the goal for next year is to be in IndyCar. I’m working hard to achieve that.” Taylor does feel ready for if he gets the call today but understands how important Indy NXT is for his development. Taylor sounds like someone who understands every side of modern racing: performance, politics, branding, preparation, and history. He respects those who helped him, values where he is now, and believes he belongs at the next level. He may be living the IndyCar life he dreams of very soon.