F1Weekly Podcast # 1098
Play Podcast: 06-09-25f1weekly1098.mp3
Max apologizes to some not to others! The Tifosi beginning to tire of Lewis’s grumpy attitude, McLaren in charge of both Championships. For classic Nasir Hameed we have…Interview with Dr. Mario Thiessen of BMW Motorsports and, our Le Mans special, a conversation with Jean Pierre Beltoise!
Jean-Pierre Beltoise, the winner of the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix and a veteran of 84 world championship starts, has died aged 77.
The popular Frenchman began his racing career in motorcycling, capturing 11 titles in his homeland between 1961 and 1964 before switching to four wheels.
However, his car racing career was nearly ended before it had properly begun when he was badly injured in a crash at Reims in 1964.
Despite never regaining full movement in his left arm, Beltoise continued his ascent towards the top of motorsport, winning titles with Matra in F3 and F2 racing before graduating to F1 racing with the French marque.
It wasn’t long before he was showing his full potential, finishing a superb second in the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix in what was his first full season in the top flight.
Beltoise would continue racing for Matra until the end of 1971, achieving several podium finishes, but never quite managing to reach the top step.
He would eventually triumph though, taking a brilliant wet-weather victory at Monaco in 1972 following a switch to BRM. It would prove to be the British manufacturer’s final F1 win and the highlight of Beltoise’s career, which included a total of eight F1 podiums.
He continued with BRM until the end of 1974 season before going on to achieve further success in sportscars and touring cars.
BTCC:
Ingram, Sutton and Rowbottom all win at Thruxton
The race for the 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues to take shape with the top three drivers in the overall standings all winning at Thruxton today (8 June).
A first victory of the season for Tom Ingram and two second places produced one of the largest points hauls of the season so far, as he drew to within nine points of four-time champion Ash Sutton.
NAPA Racing UK’s Sutton claimed his third triumph of the campaign before team-mate Dan Rowbottom won for the second successive event – following his race two success at Snetterton – as he climbed up to third in the Drivers’ standings.
It wasn’t just the points battle that intensified as Sutton and Ingram clashed twice during the day, before reigning champion Jake Hill also had his own contact with Sutton’s #116 Ford Focus.
It seems the gloves are off as we move towards the midway stage of the 2025 season, which has already included an incredible nine different races winners from the 12 races so far.
Aside from the main title tussle, there are similar scraps in both the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ championships, with the Alliance Racing/Ford and its NAPA Racing UK outfit holding a slender advantage in each.
Chris Smiley and the Restart Racing Hyundais top the Independents’ tables, whilst WSR BMW’s Daryl DeLeon extended his lead in the Jack Sears Trophy.
Oulton Park closes out the first half of the 30-race season with another triple header on the 21/22 June.
Ingram makes it nine different winners in nine races
Team VERTU’s Ingram became the ninth different winner in as many races, after the former champion got by pole-sitter Sutton in the opener at Thruxton.
Sutton’s Ford faded from second with an air intake issue as NAPA Racing UK team-mate Dan Cammish secured the place, whilst the One Motorsport Honda of Josh Cook claimed a hugely popular podium following his high-speed accident in qualifying yesterday.
There was an early dispute between Ingram and Sutton with the former believing he had passed the #116 machine prior to the safety car boards being shown, which was due to an incident involving the ROKiT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport Cupra of Max Hall and NAPA Racing UK Ford of Sam Osborne.
Forced to give the place back, the two were at it again shortly after as Sutton’s car slid into Ingram’s Hyundai at the final chicane, forcing both cars off-track.
Ingram returned in the lead, as Sutton began to slip back into the clutches of Cammish, who had since recaptured third after Mikey Doble’s Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall ran deep into the complex following the restart.
Worse was to follow for Doble as he pulled off with an engine issue, whilst a now down-on-power Sutton dropped into fourth behind Cammish and Cook.
Cook’s charge was phenomenal, particularly when you consider he was in hospital yesterday following his sizeable shunt in qualifying. Heavy bruising to his foot was not enough to keep the Thruxton specialist at bay, and the #66 made the most of the opportunity by storming from 14th on the grid to third.
MIGUEL MOLINA READY TO DEFEND HIS LE MANS VICTORY
The countdown has begun for the 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the crown jewel of the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar. As this legendary event approaches, Miguel Molina prepares to take on a doubly symbolic challenge: defending his 2024 victory in the #50 Ferrari 499P alongside Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen while consolidating his position as a world title contender.
After an intense run of four races in six weeks, Miguel Molina has had a chance to recharge his batteries before taking on the biggest challenge of his season: the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As he has done every year since 2017, the Spanish driver will enter the twice-around-the-clock classic behind the wheel of a Ferrari. For his ninth consecutive Le Mans appearance, his third in the top-flight Hypercar category, Miguel Molina will reunite with Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari 499P fielded by Ferrari – AF Corse. Fifth in 2023, before winning in 2024, the crew approaches the race with a wealth of experience and unwavering ambition: to make Ferrari succeed against increasingly fierce competition.
“This will be my ninth Le Mans appearance, and it’s always special to return. There’s something unique about this place. We live in the motorhome for the entire week, which makes the experience different from any other race. I so much enjoy that rhythm. You usually wake up in the morning stress-free, and as the sessions are in the afternoon and the evening, you have time to ease into the day. I like this experience, and coming back feels even more special after last year, which is the most memorable moment of my career so far.”
“It was the pinnacle, and those feelings remain, especially now that I’m back. What we achieved last year was very important, and that emotion stays with me. Also, representing Ferrari in such an important race again is a genuine honour. I always remind myself of Ferrari’s racing history in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where everything started in 1949. That heritage means a lot to us. For sure, there’s extra pressure, but it’s the kind of pressure that turns into motivation. It’s actually enjoyable!”
This 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans coincides with an especially successful period for Ferrari. Unbeaten at La Sarthe since returning to the top flight of endurance racing, the Italian manufacturer is also unbeaten so far this season in the FIA WEC, with a victory for the Molina-Fuoco-Nielsen crew in the opening round in Qatar. Like his teammates, the Ferrari factory driver knows that his rivals are determined to reverse the trend, but he remains positive before getting down to business.
Before taking to the track to defend their victory, Miguel Molina and his teammates headed into the city centre on Saturday morning for the Pesage, where FIA and ACO officials scrutinised each car’s and crew’s key components. After a run through the city, they will return to the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans for Test Day, where two three-hour sessions will allow them to get back up to speed on this unique 13.626 km circuit.
“It will be good to be back on this track with iconic sections of the circuit like Mulsanne and Indianapolis, which I enjoy the most, especially with the Ferrari 499P. You arrive at high speed, and the braking zones there are very challenging. That’s where your blood starts racing. Anyway, the focus for Test Day is all about getting to grips again with the track, testing the car, understanding everything, and getting up to speed. Track evolution here is huge, as always, so building confidence, finding the pace, and properly preparing is essential. That’s the key to a strong start to race week.”