F1Weekly Podcast # 1142
ON TODAYS PROGRAM…
CARLOS SAINZ SAYS IT’S NOT F1…NORRIS SAYS THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG
WE KNOW WHAT MAX SAYS…THE ROOKIES ON THE OTHER HAND DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER!
IS KIMI FASTER THAN GEORGE? AND…
FERNANDO’S NEW BABY’S NAME…LEONARD ALONSO JIMINEZ…MACHISMO!
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: JOHNNY CECCOTTO JR. AND RIO HARYANTO FORMER F1 DRIVER
NEXT WEEK…WE HAVE ZACK BROWN before he joined McLaren and BOB BONNDURANT…
Johnny Amadeus Cecotto, aka Johnny Cecotto Jr., was born in Augsburg, Germany, in 1989 and has lived in the Principality for a long time. He is a former racing driver, entrepreneur, aviator, and dad who is happily married to Cristina Boeri de Cecotto. They have two children, a son and a daughter, who are the light of their lives. His mother is Monaco resident jewellery designer Martina Wagner, and his father, Johnny Alberto Cecotto Persello, known as Johnny Cecotto, is a Venezuelan former professional Grand Prix motorcycle and auto racer.
Johnny Cecotto Jr.’s racing career was filled with numerous highlights. He became the youngest driver to win an international Formula 3 race at just 16-years-old, a record that still stands today. He also won the Monaco Formula 2 Grand Prix in 2012, a race that is considered one of the most prestigious in the world. Johnny served as the third driver for Toro Rosso and Force India in Formula 1, a testament to his skill and talent. He also held the record for the most race starts in GP2 history, including several victories, pole positions, and podiums.
Eventually, Johnny left racing to dedicate fully to his booming entrepreneurial career as the founder of Stars Monte-Carlo, a luxury car dealership in the Principality, where he continues his passion for wheels by selling luxurious and super-sport cars. With Stars Formula, a motorsport management company, Stars Capital, an investment firm, and Stars Real State, he has been expanding his portfolio in various fields since 2012, with no end in sight. This was after successfully building his IT company, which had clients like Vodafone and the Nolan Group.
Rio Haryanto, born 22 January 1993 in Surakarta, Central Java, holds a unique place in motorsport history as Indonesia’s first and only Formula One driver, and the first Muslim driver to start a Grand Prix. Though his F1 career was brief, just 12 Grands Prix in 2016, Haryanto’s journey from Southeast Asian karting circuits to the global Formula One stage was anything but ordinary.
Haryanto’s career began in karting where he quickly made a name for himself, winning multiple regional championships. He moved to single-seaters in 2008 and took his first major international title in 2009, claiming the Formula BMW Pacific Championship with Meritus.
He then climbed the European junior ladder, including spells in GP3 and GP2, developing under the Manor Motorsport umbrella, which would later form his link to F1. His early success in GP3 even earned him a test with Virgin Racing (later Marussia/Manor) at the 2010 Abu Dhabi young driver test.
After years on the brink, Haryanto was confirmed as a full-time driver for Manor Racing in 2016, alongside Pascal Wehrlein, the reigning DTM champion and Mercedes protégé. It was a historic moment for Indonesia and a major milestone for Southeast Asian motorsport.
Driving car number 88, Haryanto made his debut at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, but an early incident with Romain Grosjean in practice earned him a grid penalty and set the tone for a challenging campaign. In the race, he retired on lap 18 with a drivetrain issue.
Despite often finding himself at the back of the field, Haryanto showed flashes of racecraft and resilience. His best finish came in Monaco, where he brought the car home in 15th, albeit four laps down—but it was still classified! He also beat teammate Wehrlein in China and Spain, though Wehrlein would eventually grab Manor’s only point of the season in Austria, highlighting the gulf in car performance and opportunity.
While Haryanto had talent, his F1 seat was primarily backed by Indonesian government sponsorship—funds that, partway through the season, were frozen by Parliament due to procedural concerns. Without the financial backing to continue, Manor demoted him to reserve driver after the 2016 German Grand Prix, replacing him with Esteban Ocon.
In a twist of fate, both of Haryanto’s successors—Ocon and Wehrlein—would go on to race for established teams. Manor, however, collapsed at the end of the 2016 season, closing the chapter on Haryanto’s F1 story.
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF AUTOMOTIVE EXCELLENCE THIS AUGUST.
Join us on August 16, 2026 for the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance at The Lodge at Pebble Beach in California. Watch style icons, innovative prototypes, and racing greats compete for the top prize in the collector car world, while you enjoy the camaraderie of auto enthusiasts from around the globe.
ISACK HADJAR TO DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING RB7 AT THE 2026 KENNOL GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE HISTORIQUE
AS THE LATEST FORMULA ONE DRIVER TO FLY THE FRENCH FLAG ON THE GLOBAL STAGE, ISACK HADJAR’S RUN IN AN RB7, DURING THE FAST & FAMOUS SEGMENT, WILL BE A SPECIAL MOMENT FOR HIS HOME FANS
Isack Hadjar is the latest in a long line of French racing drivers who have graced Grand Prix grids over the years, and this May, at the Paul Ricard circuit he will get behind the wheel of the hugely successful Red Bull Racing RB7 for a special demonstration at the 2026 KENNOL Grand Prix de France Historique.
In 2011, the RB7 was totally dominant, with 12 wins to its name, 11 of them courtesy of that year’s world champion, Sebastian Vettel. Its appearance is set to be a headline moment – elevated further as France’s Isack Hadjar, in his second season in Formula One, unleashes it in front of a home crowd sharing the track over the weekend alongside great Grand Prix drivers from the past, including Alain Prost, René Arnoux, Jean Alesi, Olivier Panis and Philippe Alliot.
Isack’s demonstration within the ‘Fast & Famous’ segment on Saturday 9th May will form part of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s presence at this year’s KENNOL Grand Prix de France Historique, which includes track activities, paddock meet‑and‑greets, and appearances from Team ambassadors.
Isack Hadjar, Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver, said: “Driving in front of a home crowd is something I always look forward to, and doing so as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver makes it even more special. Sharing the track with some of the greatest French F1 drivers will be a huge personal moment for me. The RB7 is such an iconic car, and driving it alongside legends of our sport I grew up admiring feels like a full circle moment. I can’t wait to put on a great show for the fans.”
Celebrated as the only event in France to feature authentic historic Formula 1 races, the Grand Prix welcomes nearly 225 race cars, including more than 60 Formula One cars spanning the 1970s to 2010, creating a rich motorsport backdrop for Isack’s appearance.
