F1Weekly Podcast # 1101

McLaren dominate in Austria with Norris beating Piastri! Kimi takes out Max on the first lap! Oh dear…Ferrari second best and, The Host of F1Weekly has seen the F1 Movie. This week’s Nasir Hameed corner we have F1 photographer Peter Nygaard and, some young whippersnappers… George Russell and Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen has been eliminated from the Austrian Grand Prix after being tagged by Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap. In the uphill run towards the Turn 3 right-hander, ninth-place starting Antonelli appeared to miss his braking point, ducking to the inside to avoid the cars ahead of him. He then locked his tyres to spear straight into the back of Verstappen at the apex.
Both Verstappen and Antonelli were out on the spot with terminal damage to their cars, with the incident bringing out the safety car.
Lando Norris successfully defended his pole position to lead on the lap 4 restart, with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri passing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth after a prolonged fight with the second Mercedes of George Russell.
Antonelli risks a further grid drop for next week’s British Grand Prix in Silverstone as the FIA race stewards are set to investigate the collision after the race

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 29: Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls VCARB 02 leads Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 29, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Max:

“The incident with Kimi on the first lap was unfortunate but no one does that on purpose and I knew it was an accident. He apologised to me when we were walking back from the track and he came to my room afterwards to apologise again, we get on very well, he is an amazing guy and a super talented driver. P6 for Lawson this weekend is fantastic. Unfortunately for us this weekend there weren’t a lot of positives and although we were unlucky with the yellow flag in qualifying yesterday and the incident today, we lacked pace throughout. We will have a look at everything we did from this weekend, I know how hard the Team work and we need to get a better understanding of the car. We have had some amazing performances at this track in the past and I am the most disappointed about this result in front of a home crowd, but we will continue to try and do our best and my mentality and focus will not change.”

Liam:

“It was a great weekend, and it feels good to execute everything well. It’s been a tough season so far, with a lot of potential, and in this race, we were quick where it mattered and managed to see it through. After the first lap, I thought it might be over, but the team made a brave call with the one-stop strategy, it worked out perfectly. Full credit to them, they’ve been working incredibly hard behind the scenes, and I’m super proud. The car was really fast all weekend, we’re constantly pushing and making small adjustments to make it more comfortable. The goal now is to carry this momentum through the rest of the season. We need to take the positives, keep fighting, and keep scoring points.

Kimi:

I am very disappointed with how today played out. After the lights went out, I was just trying to maintain my starting position but made a mistake coming into Turn Three and that cost me a lot. I did not brake too late but after trying to avoid Liam (Lawson) I locked the rear brakes. I then locked the front brakes too and could not avoid the crash with Max (Verstappen).

We didn’t get to see how our race would have played out so apologies to the team. I also want to say sorry to Max for ruining his race too. This was a big mistake, and I know we could have fought for a good result without it. Thankfully, we’ve got a race straight away next weekend, so our full focus is already on Silverstone.

Fernando:

“After starting P11, I’m really happy to finish P7 today in Austria. Our one-stop strategy worked really well. I was unsure about it this morning because of the heat, but it paid off and the team made the right decision.

I was able to use DRS throughout the race and I was a bit lucky in the final laps – one more lap would have been too much. It’s great to end a tough weekend on a high, and the team’s hunger is clear to see. Let’s carry this momentum into Silverstone next week.”

Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd appointed for sale of Mansour Ojjeh’s extraordinary collection of McLaren road cars

29 June 2025 — Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd, one of the world’s most respected and exclusive high-end dealers in classic and historic sports cars and racing cars, has been selected by the Ojjeh family in respect of the sale of Mansour Ojjeh’s extraordinary collection of 20 McLaren road cars.

Fresh from selling Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of 69 historic Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars earlier this year, Tom Hartley Jnr has now been chosen to handle the sale of another unique collection compiled by another F1 icon.

Before his death in 2021, Mansour was a pivotal figure in the world of motorsport, most celebrated for his visionary role in transforming McLaren into one of F1’s most successful teams. Under his stewardship, the team secured seven Constructors’ and ten Drivers’ Championships, while also expanding beyond the racetrack. He was instrumental in launching McLaren Automotive and the McLaren Applied Technologies division, helping to cement the brand as a leader in innovation and engineering excellence.

When McLaren Automotive began producing road cars in earnest, Mansour turned his attention to building the ultimate McLaren road car collection. The legendary McLaren F1 is its ‘jewel in the crown’. The last of that model ever produced, it was finished in a unique colour named ‘Yquem’, after the esteemed and rare dessert wine. To reflect the significance of this vehicle, McLaren subsequently renamed the colour ‘Mansour Orange’, a custom hue used exclusively on his cars.

Mansour requested the final chassis number for each model, ensuring his cars incorporated all the technical updates made during the production cycle. The result is without equal. With the exception of the F1 (which has only 1,810km) and the P1 GTR (used occasionally during McLaren track days), every car remains unused, in factory-delivered condition, and maintained under direct instruction by McLaren themselves – a service no other collector has ever received.

The collection features a host of iconic McLaren models, including the Speedtail, P1, Senna, Elva, and Sabre – the latter being the last of only 16 examples ever produced – plus special and limited Longtail and Le Mans editions.

Kathy Ojjeh (widow of Mansour Ojjeh) said:

“McLaren meant so much to Mansour. It was more than business, it was pure passion and it was in that vein that he curated this unique collection of McLaren road cars. The ‘Last of Legends’ car collection is a treasure for our family – a reminder of the hours we witnessed Mansour designing each car to his specifications. He had an unusual talent for detail that stuns and impresses, a talent driven by the very passion he nurtured for so many years with McLaren.

“Parting with this very personal collection is not easy, but it is time for it to go to its new custodian, one who truly ‘gets it’ and will cherish owning and caring for it the way Mansour did.

“We are very grateful to Tom Hartley Jnr for providing us with the highly professional framework within to sell this collection, as we know Tom truly understands the collection’s intrinsic value and is also one whose passion for beautiful automobiles surpasses most.”

Tom Hartley Jnr said:

“I’m truly humbled that the Ojjeh family has entrusted my business with the sale of their incredible collection. I had the privilege of meeting Mansour on a few occasions, and his attention to detail and appreciation for the finer things in life are clearly reflected in the collection that remains today.

“Offering this collection for sale would be extraordinary in its own right, but the fact that it comes from the home of one of McLaren Automotive’s founding figures, a man so instrumental in McLaren’s Formula 1 success, makes it truly unrepeatable.

“Being entrusted with the sale of Mansour Ojjeh’s McLaren collection is akin to handling Enzo Ferrari’s Ferraris or Ferdinand Porsche’s Porsches. We’re talking about one of the founding figures behind McLaren Automotive, a man who, together with Ron Dennis, helped build McLaren into one of the most respected and successful teams in Formula 1 history.

“For me, the highlight of the collection is, of course, the F1. It’s widely regarded as the greatest road car ever built, and this particular example is the very last one produced. It has only just over 1,800km from new and comes directly from Mansour Ojjeh, who, alongside Bruce McLaren and Ron Dennis, was instrumental in shaping the history of the marque. I have no doubt this will fetch a world record price for the model when it’s sold.

“There are so many other remarkable cars in the collection, each one completely unique and the final example of its model ever built. One especially poignant example is the Elva, delivered after Mansour’s passing. In an extraordinary gesture of respect, McLaren replaced the manufacturer’s badges on the front and rear with Mansour’s own emblem — a tribute to one of their founders.

“This is the most significant McLaren road car collection ever assembled, and I sincerely hope it is acquired by a single buyer, just as the Ecclestone Grand Prix collection was which we sold earlier this year.”

Zak Brown (Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing) said:

“Mansour was a founding father of McLaren as we know it today. A massively passionate racer and automotive enthusiast and no bigger fan of McLaren. His collection is very special, I’m not aware of anything else that compares with it.”

Louis Sharp excited to be racing on familiar ‘home’ ground at Silverstone

British-born Kiwi looking to maximise track knowledge
First non-new circuit on the 2025 Formula 3 calendar
Frustrating weekend of learning at the Red Bull Ring
“It’s the closest thing to a home race for me,” says the reigning GB3 Champion

After tackling six unfamiliar circuits, Louis Sharp is eagerly anticipating the upcoming rounds of the FIA Formula 3 Championship – starting this weekend at Silverstone – where he’ll be racing on tracks he already knows.

Though the talented young New Zealander has continued to impress, the high-pressure nature of F3 weekends, held as part of the Grand Prix undercard, offers little support for rookies. Limited track time and tyres give a notable advantage to those in their second or third seasons. As a result, on the six new circuits encountered so far, the 18-year-old has focused primarily on gaining invaluable experience – experience he hopes will pay off as he works towards his ultimate goal of reaching Formula 1.

*Louis Sharp, Rodin Motorsport. FIA Formula 3 Championship – Round 6 – Spielberg, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria.*

Fortunately, Louis has previously raced at all three of the next circuits on the F3 calendar – Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, and Budapest – during his back-to-back British F4 and GB3 Championship-winning campaigns in 2023 and 2024.

Having stepped up to F3 at the beginning of the year with Rodin Motorsport, Louis is still looking to replicate his previous winning form achieved with the same team. Nevertheless, he has already underlined his potential with points-scoring finishes on debut at Imola and Monaco. With three familiar circuits ahead, he’s confident about adding more points to his tally.

Silverstone, in particular, holds significance for Sharp. He’s raced on the full Grand Prix circuit in both F4 and GB3 and spent two days there as a finalist in the 2024 Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

It’s also the closest he has to a ‘home’ track. Although he competes under a New Zealand licence, Louis was born in Nottingham and lived in the UK before his family moved to New Zealand. He has since returned to live in the outskirts of London while pursuing his European single-seater career toward F1.

“It will be nice to start going to places where I have raced before, so I’m looking forward to the next few weekends and being back at some familiar tracks,” said Louis before switching his attention to this coming weekend. “Silverstone is the closest thing to a home race for me. I was born not many miles away and there will be lots of family and friends to support me which will be nice. Hopefully we can all have a really good weekend.”

Silverstone comes at a good time for Louis, following a frustrating weekend in Austria. With no prior experience at the Red Bull Ring, Friday’s 45-minute Free Practice was always going to be vital for learning. Unfortunately, numerous red flags caused by other drivers meant Louis only managed a few laps before heading into qualifying.

Given the limited preparation, qualifying just over half a second off the pole sitter was impressive. However, with the field so tightly packed, it left him a disappointing 21st on the 30-car grid.

Despite the setback, the Red Bull Ring offers multiple overtaking opportunities, and Louis remained optimistic heading into the races. Sadly, in Saturday’s Sprint Race, he was hit by a rival – who was later penalised – and forced into early retirement with a damaged car. It marked his first DNF (Did Not Finish) of the season.

Missing valuable race experience on Saturday, Louis adopted a more conservative approach for Sunday’s longer Feature Race. True to form, he gained several positions on the opening lap before settling into the midfield – focusing on building his knowledge of the circuit, which will undoubtedly be useful in the future.

“We didn’t get the laps in we wanted to in Practice due to all the stoppages which put us on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. Even more so when we lost any meaningful laps in the Sprint race so we had no reference going into the Feature race. I still went forward and made up some positions which was a positive – so, all things considered I managed the race fairly well but, obviously, I wasn’t where I want to be and should be,” admitted Sharp who enjoys backing from New Zealand-based Rodin Cars, owner of Rodin Motorsport.

As in Austria, the British Grand Prix weekend kicks off with a 45-minute Free Practice session on Friday (08:55–09:30), followed by Qualifying in the afternoon (14:00–14:30). The Sprint Race (18 laps or 40 minutes + 1 lap) begins at 09:00 on Saturday, and the Feature Race (22 laps or 45 minutes + 1 lap) takes place at 09:30 on Sunday—just ahead of the British Grand Prix.

Peter Digby wins 2025 MIA Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry

25 June 2025 — The Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) is delighted to announce that the 2025 winner of its prestigious Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry is Peter Digby.

Peter, Chairman of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), was former President of Xtrac and Chairman of the MIA. He was presented with the Award at the House of Lords, London, last night during the MIA’s annual Summer Reception.

This prestigious Award from the MIA — the world’s leading organisation for the motorsport and high-performance engineering industry — recognises outstanding personal contribution to this industry. Past winners include Toto Wolff, Ross Brawn OBE, Martin Brundle OBE, Adrian Newey OBE, and Sir Jackie Stewart. Throughout his career, Peter has made a lasting and positive impact on British motorsport and its global reputation.

Peter started his motorsport career in 1979 at Williams Racing, rising to become Production Manager. After a short spell at Haas Lola as Assistant Managing Director, in 1986, former Hewland engineer Mike Endean persuaded him to join the fledgling British transmission manufacturer Xtrac, which he went on to lead to success over the following decades.

Operating from its headquarters in Thatcham, Berkshire, Xtrac established facilities in the United States in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Mooresville, North Carolina and recently, Austria.

Xtrac recently dominated the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, supplying transmissions to 90% of the grid. They are now the exclusive transmission supplier to the NTT IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Cup Series, LMDh entries in IMSA, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), and the eWRX, the first all-electric off-road FIA World Championship.

Under Peter’s leadership, Xtrac’s increasingly global footprint and its focus on fostering young talent through many apprenticeship schemes has established the company as one of Motorsport Valley®’s greatest success stories.

Peter moved on to become Chairman of the BRDC, the operator and owner of Silverstone Circuit, home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. Peter led the team which negotiated a new ten-year deal with Formula One Management (FOM), securing the British Grand Prix’s future at Silverstone until at least 2034.

Peter was Chairman of the MIA for five years, nurturing the international trade body of motorsport and high-performance engineering from 2003 to 2008.

Peter Digby said:

“Winning the MIA Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry is a great event for me. I’ve been involved with the MIA for well over 30 years, I’ve been Chairman of the Association, and I’ve seen what it’s done for the industry. It’s an honour to be recognised by my peers, and I’m really excited by it! It’s been a great evening, and this was a total surprise. Being recognised in the industry that I love, and have worked in now for over 45 years, is just a great honour.”

Chris Aylett (Chief Executive Officer, MIA) said:

“Peter deserves all the praise he gets for winning this MIA Award, voted on by our members. His well-informed knowledge, huge experience and determination to bring success to Xtrac never wavered. So many, working in motorsport today, have benefited from his advice, occasional criticism, and support!”