F1Weekly Podcast # 1094

Colapinto takes over for Doohan thank you Flavio! Alpine loosing personnel faster than you can shake a stick. LCH not apologizing for GP2 moment and Carlos Sainz Sr. wants to be FIA president…

Carlos:

I’m confident I can do a good job and put together an excellent team to give back to the sport part of what it has given me. “I have accumulated a lot of experience in this sport throughout the years and I’m certain I can bring new and interesting things, to strengthen and develop the sport and the automobile world.

This week’s Classic Nasir Hameed Interview is with Formula 1 ® Speedvision TV broadcast announcer Bob Varsha!

Bob Varsha practiced law in Atlanta, but his life took a different direction when TBS asked him to cover the Peachtree Road Race, which he headed as part of the Atlanta Track Club in 1980.

He did so well that TBS offered him a part-time job. In 1986, Varsha joined ESPN, where he hosted the network’s Formula One coverage as well many other international sports events including gymnastics, figure skating, track & field and 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s been history ever since.

Let’s hear from LCH:

Overall, we’ve made some solid steps forward this weekend. P8 isn’t where we aim to be of course, and there are definitely learnings to take moving forward, but considering where we started it was a decent recovery.

I’m starting to feel more at one with the car, which is encouraging, and I’m as motivated as ever to be fighting at the front. We’re still lacking a bit of pace, but everyone is working incredibly hard behind the scenes and we’re hopeful of making progress in the coming races. We’ll just keep pushing and stay focused on the work ahead.

Indycar:

Palou Continues Magic Carpet Ride with Sonsio Grand Prix Victory!

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 10, 2025) – Alex Palou continued his march toward history and immortality by winning the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, his fourth victory in five NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season.

It was the Spaniard’s third consecutive victory in this race, an event record, and he became the first driver since Sebastien Bourdais in 2006 to win four of the first five races of an INDYCAR SERIES season.

“I cannot describe the amazing season we’ve had so far,” Palou said. “I owe everything to the team, Chip Ganassi Racing, my teammates, everybody who is working behind the scenes to make me look so fast on track. It’s amazing. It’s unbelievable.”

NTT P1 Award winner Palou drove his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 5.4840-second victory over the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Pato O’Ward. That margin may have been considerably larger if not for a late caution period – the first in the series since Lap 1 of the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding – bunching the field before Palou ran away again.

Two-time series champion Will Power finished a season-best third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, 8.4529 seconds behind Palou. His teammate Scott McLaughlin was fourth in the No. 3 Sonsio Vehicle Protection Chevrolet.

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon rounded out the top five in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

After this victory, Palou’s report card this season reads four victories (St. Petersburg, Thermal, Barber, Indianapolis road course) and one second-place finish (Long Beach). He leads the standings by 97 points – nearly two races’ worth of points – over Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global after just five of 17 races this season.

“We need to do something to stop this 10 car,” O’Ward said. “These guys are really, really on a roll. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it, especially in INDYCAR.”

Future targets are coming into clear focus for Palou after this win. The first is victory in the next event, the biggest of them all, the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25 at IMS. Palou has never won the “500” or on an oval, about his only remaining mountains to climb in this series.

“Hopefully we get to stay here (Victory Podium) again in a couple of weeks for the biggest race of the year,” Palou said.