F1Weekly Podcast # 1115
Play Podcast: 10-06-25f1weekly1115.mp3
George keeps Max at Bay for the win in Singapore! Verstappen happy with second and, Oscar finally coming out of his shell! This week’s Nasir Hameed corner we have: Loic Duval, Nas discusses the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP finish.
George:
I’m really pleased with our victory this evening. This track has not always been my best friend over the years, maybe from my own doing. We didn’t start the weekend in the best way either but come Q3 yesterday I felt really good in the car and that carried on into today. It was such a long race, so I was very glad to see the chequered flag, but we ultimately had it all under control.
The goal for us is to finish second in the Constructor’s Championship this year. This result helps us in that quest, but we still have six races to go. We will need to be at our best if we are to achieve that but hopefully we can carry this form into the double header of Austin and Mexico City. Congratulations to McLaren on their Constructor’s title and to Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains too.
Max:
“We had a difficult start to the race, having little grip on our side of the grid. We opted for the Soft compound for a better launch and to try and get to P1 but it didn’t happen for us unfortunately. The car wasn’t where we wanted in terms of the set up and it isn’t a mystery what went wrong but just need to analyse this later. The biggest problems were the downshifts and upshifts: this was giving me a lot of pushing in the braking which is not what you want on a street circuit and it was not easy to drive around the track. However, it didn’t matter as, even if the balance was perfect, it is hard to pass round here so I think second is the best result we could have achieved.
I think my tyres were older for the final stint, so it was difficult to manage, but we were able to keep Lando behind which is what mattered. Well done to McLaren on the Constructors’ Championship, they fully deserve that title, and I am very happy for them. Overall, we can still be very satisfied with the weekend, Singapore is not our favourite layout and we maximised our result today. We do understand the car a lot better, we have definitely improved in the last few races, we just need to analyse and hopefully next weekend we can do a little better.”
Lando:
Yeah. Not too bad. Not too bad. I could go again. I mean, it was a tough race. Max didn’t make any mistakes, whether I was feeling good or not. I gave it my all today and got close. A few chances where we were side by side and some good little bits of battling. But, yeah, like they said, just too difficult to overtake, which is a shame because the pace was very strong today, and I would have loved to have tried to catch George and given him a little bit more pressure. So, I’m happy with today. I got forward two positions. We won, as a team, the Constructors’ once again, so I’m most happy about that.
Giancarlo Fisichella: Hamilton, LeClerc and Ferrari can turn things around in 2026
I hope Hamilton-LeClerc can be a winning lineup next year
“Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time World Champion and I’m sure he still has the pace to fight for the Championship and for podiums.”
“Probably next year with new regulations, everything could be mixed and Hamilton has more opportunities to get good results. If he’s got a good car, I’m sure he can fight for the victory.”
“I’m a big fan of Charles. Especially in a single lap, or qualifying sessions, he is probably top two along with Max.”
“I see Charles and Max as the strongest drivers in a single lap.”
“Charles also has a lot of race pace but unfortunately he’s been a bit unlucky this past year. He needs a good car and I hope next year he gets it.”
“Ferrari has a good driver lineup for next year. A lot of experience, a lot of pace in the qualifying sessions.”
“Ferrari is Ferrari, so I hope the lineup proves to be a winning one next year.”
“I still work with Ferrari and I really hope to see them be back to winning ways.”
Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy announces its Class of 2025
Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy – the global initiative designed to discover and develop the next generation of engineering talent – has announced its Class of 2025 at the STEM Racing Global Final in Singapore.
The 10-strong cohort will receive access to exceptional early careers opportunities, mentorship from Atlassian Williams Racing and Komatsu team members, exclusive trackside and factory experiences, plus engineering and STEM modules via an online learning platform. This support will be offered over the duration of their academic career, from school studies to degree level.
This year’s class:
- Arnav Shukla (UK) – Tori Voloci Racing
- Alexandros Pantazidis (Greece) – Orama Racing
- George Kyriazopoulos (Greece) – Velkoi Racing
- Joseph Moon (UK) – Vega Racing
- Jack Metcalfe (UK) – SBA Unity Racing
- Kornilia Vasiliou (Cyprus) – Atalanta Racing
- Liam Jones (Australia) – Lunar
- Maxwell Zylberman (Australia) – Lunar
- Sen de Montigny (Canada) – ASAP Racing
- Shreyansh Dora (Singapore) – MACH10
They will mark the start of their journey in the Academy with a visit to the Singapore Grand Prix paddock this weekend. The Class of 2024, which was selected in November last year, welcomed ten students from nine different countries. The students have already completed the first modules of their online engineering programmes, built relationships with their mentors, and visited the Williams factory, as part of their first year in the Academy.
The ten scholars were selected from the pool of STEM Racing Global finalists. Previously known as F1 in Schools, STEM Racing is a prestigious global competition which challenges 9- to 19-year-olds to design, manufacture and race a miniature F1 car. The competition attracts more than 1.8 million participants from over 60 countries every year.
The Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy is part of both organisations’ commitment to supporting early careers and helping exceptional talent to grow and thrive in motorsport roles.
Today, 12% of the Atlassian Williams Racing team are in Early Careers programmes, like apprenticeships, industrial placements, or graduate schemes, as the team invests in talent as part of its plan to return to the front of the grid.
Likewise, since coming on board as a Principal Partner at the start of the 2024 season, Komatsu’s unwavering dedication to nurturing future engineering talent made them the perfect partner for this programme. With apprenticeship opportunities offered at Komatsu subsidiaries around the world, the Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy bolsters the global manufacturer’s commitment to its young workforce.
James Vowles, Team Principal, Atlassian Williams Racing: “Here at Atlassian Williams Racing, we are committed to finding and supporting the talent of tomorrow – wherever they come from and whatever stage they are in their academic career. The Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy is an integral part of this project, and I look forward to welcoming our new cohort at the paddock in Singapore.”
Takuya Imayoshi, President and CEO, Komatsu Ltd.: “As we continue our partnership with Atlassian Williams Racing, we are delighted to support the next generation of talent and our second cohort of the Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy. It’s an honour to be able to welcome the ten new members into a truly global programme. The competition was fierce and those selected demonstrated exceptional potential. We are proud of this shared initiative, collaboratively guiding young people on their career journeys into engineering and STEM.”
Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman, STEM Racing: “Opening pathways into engineering is at the heart of STEM Racing’s mission. From our World Finals in Singapore, we’re proud to provide the selection pool for the Komatsu–Williams Engineering Academy – turning potential into opportunity. The Class of 2025 will gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and factory and trackside time. STEM Racing opens the door; through the Academy, Williams and Komatsu take them further – equipping these young engineers with the skills, networks, and confidence to thrive – in motorsport and beyond.”
Clio Cup
Corberand gets back on track at Cœur de France
After making a costly error at Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine, Yoan Corberand and Pauline Compozieux recovered perfectly to take top honours in Clio Trophy France Asphalte at Rallye Cœur de France Région Centre-Val de Loire. The David Auto Compétition crew won their duel with Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière and Amandine Brunel to revive their title hopes. Lucas Zielinski and Ewen Leenhardt secured their first podium finish of the year and became the fourth different winners in as many rounds in the Junior category. Pascal and Caroline Bérard (Gentlemen) and Charlotte Olea and Cécile Pages (Women) continued their undefeated streaks in their respective classes.
Valentin Ascenzi was the first to make his mark on the partially wet roads on Saturday, before making a mistake in the second stage. Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière, the leader in the general classification coming into the weekend, took the lead with the fastest times in SS2 and SS3, reaching the first service park with a 1.8s gap over Yoan Corberand. In search of points after Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine, Corberand went on the offensive when the action resumed, but his rival fought back to close the gap to 0.6s. Behind the two leaders, Melvin Rabilloud lost a lot of time with a puncture in SS4, leaving Lucas Zielinski and Tom Vauclare to battle for third place.
The fierce battle between Yoan Corberand and Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière continued on Sunday, with tenths of a second separating them. With a slight advantage of just over a second at the start of the decisive loop, Yoan Corberand went faster than Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière in the last three stages to go on to win by 6.0s.
The battle for third place on the podium and victory in the Junior category went to Lucas Zielinski, 17.4s ahead of Tom Vauclare. Jean-Claude Pietri gained several positions in the final kilometres to finish fifth, followed by Alex Florenson and Yohan Roumieux, who were once again in the top ten. Yohan Codaccioni finished eighth, ahead of Louis Gass and Paul Dachicourt, who took four stage wins after losing more than three minutes in a ditch in SS1. Charlotte Olea claimed her fourth consecutive victory in the Women’s category, as did Pascal Bérard after a thrilling duel with Franck Giraud in the Gentlemen’s category.
With this second victory of the year, Yoan Corberand is now 21 points behind Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière, who has reduced his deficit to 24 points in the Performer Jean Ragnotti classification. In the team’s classification, Autocantal Compétition has slightly increased its lead, while Groupe Bertrand has widened the gap in the Renault Network Challenge. Despite a shortened first leg, Christophe Truchet takes the lead in the new Clio Full Challenge, introduced this year to reward versatility on multiple surfaces.
In addition to the trophy, Antoine Bordagaray and Antoine Loiseau won in RC3 in their Clio Rally3, whilst Quentin Ribaud and Loan Biagetti secured their third victory of the season in the Michelin Amateurs Trophy in their Clio Rally4. The latest creation from the Dieppe and Viry-Châtillon departments, the Alpine A290 Rallye was also present in the service park ahead of its competitive debut at the Rallye National de l’Indre (8-9 November).
The Clio Trophy France Asphalte competitors will head to Sainte-Maxime for the season finale, the Rallye du Var (27-29 November), where the points awarded will carry a 1.5 coefficient.
Yoan Corberand: “I’m really happy with this win, which rewards all the hard work put in to rebuild the car in just about two weeks. It allows us to bounce back, and it was crucial to finish ahead of Julien to keep our title hopes alive. On this round, there was no such thing as management. With the pace Julien and Amandine were setting, we quickly understood we had to go flat out. It was intense, and I think both of us made a few questionable drives throughout the weekend! The fight is still wide open, even though I’ve already used my joker and can’t afford any mistakes now. With the worst score dropped at the end of the season, we’d currently have around a twenty-point lead, so overall it’s pretty satisfying.”
Clio Trophy France Asphalte – Rallye Cœur de France
- Yoan Corberand – Pauline Compozieux 1h54m50.1s
- Julien Deslauriers Sablonnière – Amandine Brunel +6.0s
- Lucas Zielinski – Ewen Leenhardt (J) +1m07.4s
- Tom Vauclare – Frédéric Vauclare (J) +1m24.9s
- Jean-Claude Pietri – Jean-François Muselli (J) +2m06.1s
- Alex Florenson – Charline Dichamp (J) +2m22s
- Yohan Roumieux – Bastien Fontaine +2m32.7s
- Yohan Codaccioni – Hugo Olivier (J) +2m39.3s
- Louis Gass – Alison Girard (J) +3m27.3s
- Paul Dachicourt – Adèle Dachicourt (J) +3m56.8s
- Jérôme Janny – Helena Pecheur +4m06.6s
- Melvin Rabilloud – Enzo Mahinc (J) +4m47.8s
- Charlotte Olea – Cécile Pages (J, F) +5m40.3s
- Calvin Lucas – Julie Plat (J) +5m50.9s
- Pascal Bérard – Caroline Bérard (G) +5m57.7s
- Franck Giraud – Christophe Dubien (G) +6m05.1s
- Willy Mathey – Nelly Guille (G) +8m36.6s
- Emma Chalvin – Charline Quartini (J, F) +8m42.6s
- David Panteix – Lou Cardot (J) +9m16.9s
- Laurent Lambert – Yannick Le Moing (G) +10m08.8s
- Jacques Bourrat – Jean Bourrat (G) +10m18.4s
- Christophe Lucas – Yohann Marilleau (G) +11m00.4s
- Philippe Janvier – Julie Derory (G) +12m56.2s
- Clémentine Benoit – Éric De Bolle (J,F) +13m42.3s
- Guillaume Hanique – Philippe Vandevelde +21m10.9s