F1Weekly Podcast # 1120

NORRIS BEGINS NAILING THE FINAL NAILS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!…PIASTRI LOOSING INTEREST…MAX DRIVER OF THE DAY AND…FERNANDO READY FOR LAS VEGAS. THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER, WE KEEP IT SIMPLE WITH SOME DUKE OF DIJON AND NASIR BANTER!

It was a dominant performance from Lando Norris as he claimed his seventh victory of the year, following up on his victory in the sprint race with another 25 points on Sunday, extending his championship lead to 24 points over Oscar Piastri.

Early race incidents would leave Oscar Piastri with a shock penalty and lead to the retirement of Charles Leclerc through no fault of his own.

And in unexpected fashion, Max Verstappen would grab fans’ attention following his conversion of a pit-lane start all the way to a P3 finish, grabbing a podium on a day many fans would expect his championship shot to slip away from him.

None of the top ten were able to get past each other in the initial portion of Lap 1 except Liam Lawson on George Russell, with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari having the weakest start of any on the grid, dropping four places into 17th.

A loss of control from home favorite Gabriel Bortoleto in the Sauber occurred only halfway through the first lap, causing the 21-year-old to hit the barriers, bringing out a safety car and ending his race.

The safety car was brought out for the third time in a row at the Brazilian Grand Prix, lasting for three laps and coming in on Lap 4.

There was more chaos immediately, as Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri went three abreast at Turn 1 after the Italian struggled to keep up with Lando Norris’ pace following the restart.

Piastri and Antonelli would collide, sending the Mercedes into Leclerc’s Ferrari and causing the Monegasque racer to lose both a tire and incur suspension damage, ending his race prematurely.

Unable to continue, Leclerc’s Ferrari would pull over and bring out a Virtual Safety Car, with the McLarens of Norris and Piastri leading from the Mercedes of Antonelli and the Racing Bull of Isack Hadjar.

Laps 14 and 17 would see ten-second penalties applied for both Yuki Tsunoda and Oscar Piastri, with Tsunoda’s given for an incident with Lance Stroll and Piastri’s for the aforementioned crash after the safety car restart.

Verstappen, who had taken an early pit stop to change from hard tires to mediums, found himself up to seventh by Lap 19 thanks to Hadjar and Pierre Gasly entering the pit lane.

Seventh turned into fifth by Lap 21, the Dutchman having gained 15 places in the first third of the race and looking impressive as he looked to restore his championship ambitions.

LANDO:

“It was an amazing race, and it’s nice to win here in Brazil. It’s an amazing track with amazing fans. This one was for one of my mentors, Gil, I hope he’d be very proud.
“It was a great win, but to be honest, seeing how quick the competition was
 today, it’s clear we’ve still got work to do. I’ll go back, see the team, congratulate them and see what we can do better. Looking ahead, I’ll keep focusing on myself, keep my head down, ignore the noise and keep pushing.”

MAX:

From pitlane to podium, this weekend has completely turned around for me, something that I didn’t think was possible. The start of the race was very hectic and I picked up a puncture early on from a load of debris on the track which meant that I pretty much had to start the race again. The Team used the right strategy from start to finish which allowed me to get through all of the traffic very efficiently. I definitely had to send it a few times to get past the other cars but I love doing that and ended up having an unexpectedly fun race. Overall it showed that we had really good pace today and that the grip was much better than the last couple of days. The atmosphere at Interlagos was amazing and it really spurred me on. I am so proud of the Team and would like to thank them for all of the hard work that they put into making the changes post Quali last night.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 09: Race winner Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren Second placed Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Third placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Mark Norris, Director of Commercial Trackside Operations at McLaren on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 09, 2025 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

We kept pushing and took multiple risks this weekend because we never want to settle for second and we didn’t give up. To start in the pitlane and finish P3 on the podium only 10 seconds off P1 was incredible. Now all we can do is keep fighting hard over the final few races of the season and do the best that we possibly can whilst trying to find as much performance as we can extract from the car. A huge congratulations to Kimi as well, he drove amazingly well which will have given his confidence a huge boost which is great for any rookie!”

Alex Albon:

It was a good race for the fans today but unfortunately for us it was a bit of a race to forget. We had good pace when we could show it. We’ve struggled with pace all weekend but seem to have recovered a little bit today. In the end what took us out of contention for points was that I think we stayed out too long on the first stint and we never really recovered from there. In the last stint we were quick and were fighting our way back up the grid and just missed out on a point at the end. It’s frustrating that our rivals scored points today, but we will regroup and look forward to a better weekend in Las Vegas.

Carlos Sainz:

Not the day I was hoping for. Once I got squeezed on turn 1, I had considerable damage to the car and my race was compromised from there. We managed to stay in the hunt for points most of the race but after a slow first stop and compiled with the damage, that was it unfortunately. Time to go back home and see what we can do in these types of circuits, as Qatar will also be a challenge. A few races to go, so we cannot relax. Let’s keep going.

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In his Jaguar XK120, Phil Hill races to a win in the first Pebble Beach Cup, the premier event of the first Pebble Beach Road Races, held on November 4, 1950. (Photo: Julian P. Graham / Pebble Beach Company Lagorio Archives)

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA (November 5, 2025)­­­­— Amidst its 75th celebration the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will pay tribute to its historic roots in racing.

The first Pebble Beach Road Race took place on this very date in November 1950, and the first Pebble Beach Concours was held in tandem with it. Concours cars were shown and judged in a nearby field, then they paraded down the start-finish straight of the race course.

“In truth, the Pebble Beach Concours owes everything to that race,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “The race was clearly the main event, drawing crowds from far and wide. The concours was secondary—a last-minute addition to serve as a social gathering and add a bit of style.”

Auto races weren’t entirely new to the area; Hotel Del Monte, a precursor to The Lodge at Pebble Beach, had hosted some of the earliest races on the West Coast from 1903 through 1907. But those races took place on a horse track, while the 1950 course was laid out on the scenic roads of Del Monte Forest in keeping with a newfound love for road racing that was spreading from Europe across the US.

The Pebble Beach Road Race was the brainchild of Sterling Edwards, who hoped to come out on top with his new Edwards R-26 Special Sport Roadster. Instead, the first Pebble Beach Cup went to a young Phil Hill in a Jaguar XK120. Hill went on to become America’s first World Drivers’ Champion and the first person to complete the triple crown of endurance racing, winning at Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona. Edwards took home a different award—Best of Show at the first Pebble Beach Concours.

Hill often cited Pebble Beach as the start of his road racing career, noting it was certainly “the most important” race on the West Coast. A multitude of top racers and constructors took part in races held at the resort in the 1950s, including Carroll Shelby, Ken Miles, Richie Ginther, Bill Pollack, and Phil Remington, along with celebrities such as Jackie Cooper.

Ultimately, the tree-lined winding roads proved to be too tight for the increasing speeds. After a tragic fatal accident in 1956, a purpose-built course was carved out of a nearby dry lake—“Laguna Seca”—and racing continues there to this day.

The early combination of races and concours later inspired the pairing of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, now the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, with the concours beginning in 1974. And the ongoing success of both events have inspired a multitude of motorsports events around the world.

The 75th celebration of the Pebble Beach Concours will feature a gathering of Pebble Beach Road Racing greats that showcase the evolution of sporting cars in the early 1950s. Curated by Concours Selection Committee member Ken Gross and Del Monte Trophy Race Group steward Rob Manson, the grouping will pair top models from manufacturers with some of the most iconic one-off specials.

The Concours will take place at The Lodge at Pebble Beach on August 16, 2026. The event will also include a very special gathering that pays tribute to iconic groups of cars that were first brought together at the Pebble Beach Concours. More details and features will be announced in the coming days and weeks, and ticket sales will open later this month.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is also partnering with the Pebble Beach Concours to showcase Pebble Beach Road Race cars at Laguna Seca. And a comprehensive history of the Pebble Beach Road Races will be published later this year.

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MIGUEL MOLINA AND FERRARI END THE SEASON ON A HIGH WITH A WORLD TITLE IN BAHRAIN

The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season has come to a close, with Ferrari and Miguel Molina writing a new chapter in endurance racing history. At the end of the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the #50 Ferrari 499P scored another podium finish, sealing Ferrari’s FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturer’s Championship title. Finishing for the third consecutive year in the world’s top three crews, Miguel Molina also becomes the first Spanish driver to contribute to a Scuderia crown in the premier category.

Miguel Molina and his teammates Nicklas Nielsen and Antonio Fuoco headed to the Bahrain International Circuit for the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship with a clear mission: to help Ferrari clinch the Manufacturers’ World Championship title.

After productive practice sessions punctuated by the fastest time for the #50 Ferrari 499P, the crew was not as successful in qualifying, with Antonio Fuoco missing out on the Hyperpole by just 0.039s. Starting from the sixth row, the trio focused on their race plan, determined to fight their way up the order to support Maranello’s ambitions.

Nicklas Nielsen made a cautious but efficient start in the heat of the Sakhir desert, quickly settling into the top ten. The Dane then gained several positions in his double stint before handing over to Miguel Molina

Eighth when he took to the track, the Spaniard put in an exemplary performance to cement his crew among the podium contenders. Despite a neutralisation, the team maintained its strategy by staying on track. Thanks to this gap, the founder of ROGO Motorsport Agency kept the car in the leading group before handing over to Antonio Fuoco halfway through the race.

“We stuck to the plan despite the safety car period, and our pace was quite solid throughout. The car behaved well, and we were competitive throughout the stints. It was one of those races where consistency and strategy made the difference as we had to make the right calls at the right time despite the pressure.”

The Italian continued the efforts of his teammates before Nicklas Nielsen got back in the car. Thanks to a perfect strategy and flawless execution, the trio was back right in the thick of the battle after another safety car period in the final hour. Fourth at the restart, the Dane completed the offensive to take third place.

The leading Ferrari crew in Bahrain finished on the podium for the fourth time this season, and as a result, the #50 Ferrari 499P contributed to a historic result for the Prancing Horse, as the Italian manufacturer claimed its ninth overall world title in endurance racing, 53 years after its last. This triumph also marks the first world title in the premier category for their teammates Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, who led a Ferrari treble in the Drivers’ Championship.

© Ferrari
For his part, Miguel Molina further cemented his place in Ferrari and motorsport history, becoming the first Spanish driver to be crowned world champion with the Prancing Horse in endurance racing’s premier category.

“I’m absolutely delighted to end such a fantastic season this way. It’s been a long and demanding year, but also full of great moments. We fought hard every weekend, and it’s an incredible feeling to finish with this result. Winning the Manufacturers’ title means a lot, not only for the team and the brand, but also on a personal level, as someone who has been part of this project since the very beginning. Congratulations to our teammates in the #51 for securing the Drivers’ title. And thanks to Antonio and Nicklas, because we finished the season on the World Championship podium for the third year in a row. It’s a special moment for everyone: the engineers, mechanics, and everyone at Maranello. The teamwork has been exceptional, and I’m proud to have contributed to this chapter of Ferrari’s and Spanish motorsport’s history. Now we can look ahead to the future with confidence and ambition.”

After an intense season marked by his commitments in the FIA WEC, European Le Mans Series, 24 Hours of Spa, and Petit Le Mans, Miguel Molina now turns his attention to 2026. The kick-off for this new global campaign begins at the Losail International Circuit from 22 to 28 March 2026.

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