F1Weekly Podcast # 1140
ON TODAYS PROGRAM…
MAX ON POLE TAKES VICTORY AT THE NURBURGRING AND IS DISQUALIFIED! HOURS LATER.
THE WORLD KNOWS MERCEDES IS HOLDING BACK POWER!
ASTON MARTIN’S WORKING ENVIRONMENT BECOMING UNCOMFORTABLE AS ADRIAN NEWEY IS REMOVED AS TEAM PRINCIPAL LEAVING ROOM FOR JONATHAN WHEATLEY TO TAKE OVER
AND…THE MOST OBVIOUS QUESTION IS …WHEN WILL ANTONELLI REPLACE LEWIS AT FERRARI?
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: KAZUKI NAKAJIMA,
ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO FORMULA ONE™ TEAM STATEMENT FROM LAWRENCE STROLL.
“With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
“As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company.
“We do things differently here, and while we don’t currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere – it is by design.
“As the most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian’s primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside.
“We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation.”
New management structure for the Audi F1 Project.
Jonathan Wheatley is leaving Audi Revolut F1 Team effective immediately for personal reasons
Mattia Binotto assumes responsibilities as Team Principal in addition to his role as Head of Audi F1 Project
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner: “We will continue to pursue the path we have chosen with determination”
Audi has made an adjustment to the management structure of its Formula 1 project. In addition to his existing duties as Head of Audi F1 Project, Mattia Binotto will also assume the responsibilities of Team Principal. Jonathan Wheatley is leaving the Audi Revolut F1 Team with immediate effect for personal reasons.
Wheatley had been part of the Audi F1 Project since April 2025. Together with Binotto, he built up the racing team at the Hinwil facility in Switzerland, which immediately scored points on its Formula 1 debut in early March. With this transition, Mattia Binotto will now assume additionally the responsibilities of Team Principal, taking leadership at the race track of Audi Revolut F1 Team.
“We are grateful to Jonathan Wheatley for his contribution to the project during the crucial entry phase and wish him all the best for the future,” says Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG and Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Motorsport AG. “Mattia Binotto and the team will continue to pursue the path we have chosen with determination. Our focus remains unchanged: we are concentrating all our efforts on building a team competing at the highest level that will challenge for world championships in Formula 1 by 2030. We will continuously develop our organizational structures to achieve our shared goal in a sustainable manner.”
Penske Entertainment Statement
on Passing of Jim Michaelian
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, March 21, 2026) – A statement from Roger Penske about the passing March 21 of Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian:
“Everyone at Penske Entertainment and within the INDYCAR community is deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Michaelian. Jim was a leader of a small, passionate group who believed in the concept of bringing elite open-wheel competition to Long Beach in the 1970s, worked tirelessly to make it happen despite steep odds and then helped nurture the Grand Prix of Long Beach into becoming America’s premier street race. His vision and energy surrounding this great event remained boundless for 50 years, as no task was too small for Jim even while he served in numerous leadership roles. Penske Entertainment is committed to honoring Jim’s legacy of putting fans and competitors first as we continue to build on the strong foundation he and his staff created for a half-century in Long Beach. Our deepest sympathies are with his wife, Mary, and their sons, Bob and Mike.”
MOTOSPRO.CA APP FOUNDER…
What inspired you to create the app?
For several years now, I’ve run an excel-based F1 fantasy league with family, friends, and coworkers. With tremendous positive feedback around the unique and approachable format of the league, I decided to formalize the fun and create Motospro. I’ve always dreamed of creating a fun game that brings people together, and Motospro allows me to do this while incorporating my passion for F1. Fun fact: Motospro gets its name from my personal race day routine – watching motorsports while sipping my morning espresso (moto as in motorsport and spro as in Canadian-Italian slang for espresso).
Can you explain what using Motospro for F1 fantasy would look like?
Motospro is designed to be approachable and fun whether you’re new to F1 or a longtime fan. By design, the format brings together new “Drive To Survive” fans with longtime fans still dreaming about the return of the V10. There are 24 (now 22) races on the 2026 calendar. Before the first qualifying session begins for each of these race weekends, players pick a driver and a constructor who they think will outperform expectations. Based on real world race results and how their picks performed, players earn points. Players can put as much or as little thought into their picks as they wish. Most points at the end of the season wins!
How do you think this differs from other F1 fantasy programs, like the official F1 version?
Motospro is fundamentally unique in the F1 fantasy space. Most other formats involve curating teams of drivers and constructors based on an artificial salary that fluctuates throughout the season – in other words, they’re far too complex for causal. New fans can find the format quite daunting while long-time fans may not want to invest as much time as the format demands. Motospro has been designed to be approachable, realistic, and engaging from the lights out to the chequered flag. The beauty of the format is that there are only 3 steps before each race weekend: Pick a driver, pick a constructor, and enjoy the race.
To add onto my last question; you went with a more race-by-race style, compared to the Official F1 Fantasy’s more season-based style- any reason behind that?
Yes! Motospro leagues also take up the entirety of the season, but by utilizing race-by-race picks, the format becomes more approachable as the player isn’t tied to a driver or constructor for more than a single race weekend. Another benefit is that with this format, new leagues can be started at any point of the season for the remainder of that respective season. Often times players are disappointed that they miss out on joining a league prior to the start of the season (hype always peaks after the first race drama). With this format, players can create their own league at any time or join the location-themed “House League” to get in on the action.
What are your thoughts about the state of Fantasy for F1, and Fantasy for auto racing as a whole?
Despite F1 fantasy being around for a long time, I believe we are the infancy of public awareness. Historically, F1 fantasy formats have been very complex and geared towards hardcore fans. What I believe has been missing is a casual format like Motospro which eliminates the hardcore barrier to entry and dials up the friendly competition. Initiatives like “Drive To Survive” has been enormous for the sport and Motospro is curated for this new fanbase – those who are here for all the action, but not necessarily willing to invest hours in research.
Do you think professional sports needs more support for fantasy sports rather than online gambling and sports betting?
Yes! I think fantasy formats allow fans to engage with the action without the potentially damaging consequences that are associated with gambling. You can also engage in fantasy sports with your friends and family – the endeavour is wholesome and ultimately a game to bring people together.
Did you run into any difficulty/speedbumps when developing the app?
I started turning my excel-based F1 fantasy league into Motospro in March of last year. During the past year, I’ve learned a tremendous amount about developing a mobile application as it was a completely new space for me. The version you see live in the iOS and Android app store is actually my third iteration. The first big beta-test was transitioning my excel-based F1 fantasy league to an early version of the app in September of last year for the remaining handful of races. After sorting a few teething issues, Motospro is all set for the spotlight in 2026.
What did you enjoy most about the creation and development process?
I’ve always dreamed of making a game to bring people together. I’ve had a lot of ideas over the years, but Motospro felt right given how much positive feedback my homegrown excel spreadsheet league had gotten. My favourite part of creating Motospro was branding the app! Motospro gets its name from my personal race day routine – watching motorsports while sipping my morning espresso (moto as in motorsport and spro as in Canadian-Italian slang for espresso). I’m very proud of the end result and I hope you enjoy using the Motospro app as much as I enjoyed creating it.
We were recently featured by MobileSyrup as “the ultimate destination for casual fantasy racing”
Daniel.
— with Nasir Hameed and Toby Dawes.
