F1Weekly Podcast # 1145
Play Podcast: 04-27-26f1weekly1145.mp3
ON TODAYS PROGRAM…
MIAMI IS THE REAL 2026 SEASON OPENER!!
TURKEY GP RETURNS FOR 2027!
JEAN ALESI CRASHES HIS 1969 312 FERRARI AT THE MONACO HISTORIQUES!
TOTO KEEPING HIS CARDS CLOSE TO HIS CHEST!
BYD ARE TALKING WITH DOMINICALI!!…..AND….
FERNANDO’S VICTORY OVER THE RED BARRON WAS 20 YEARS AGO! AND…
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: JEROME D’AMBROSIO AND LANDO NORRIS AT DONNINGTON 2015!!
On 24 April 2005, the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola became one of the defining races of Fernando Alonso’s first championship season. He won for Renault, but the result is remembered above all for the final laps, when Michael Schumacher brought the Ferrari close enough to make every corner matter.
Alonso had started second. Schumacher had started 13th on the grid after a difficult qualifying session, yet as his pace came alive, it transformed the afternoon. Kimi Räikkönen had led early for McLaren before retiring with a driveshaft problem, and Alonso inherited a race that soon became a test of control as much as speed.
In the closing phase, Schumacher was the faster driver. He had the Ferrari underneath him, the experience of seven world titles behind him, and a circuit where passing was difficult. Alonso had track position, a Renault R25 to protect, and no margin for error. For lap after lap, he placed the car exactly where it needed to be.
Alonso crossed the line just 0.215 seconds ahead of Schumacher. After the later BAR-Honda disqualifications, Alexander Wurz was classified third for McLaren Mercedes.
Imola 2005 remains a clean piece of Formula 1 memory: pressure, restraint, and two drivers at different points of their stories meeting at the edge of a changing era.
Stovebolt Special Returns to Pebble Beach Decades after Historic Run in Last Road Race
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA (April 22, 2026) — At the drop of the green flag, in what was to be the very last road race at Pebble Beach although no one knew that then, two-time past winner Bill Pollack jumped into the lead in a much-modified car that would come to be known as the “Stovebolt Special”—a 1950 HWM fitted with experimental disc brakes and the very first Chevy V8 to be used in road racing. The date was April 22, 1956.
For a brief time, the car led the Ferraris of Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby, and Ernie McAfee as well as every other car in the race. It was powered to win—and might have done so but for the many tight corners of the tree-lined course, which the just-completed special struggled to navigate since its handling was not yet dialed in.
Ultimately it finished sixth overall—a fine achievement in a field comprising the top sports racing cars and drivers of the day.
Although the Stovebolt Special now resides in England with renowned auto journalist and current owner Simon Taylor, it will return to Pebble Beach this August for the 75th celebration of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an event that began in tandem with the Pebble Beach Road Races in 1950.
The HWM had already lived a long and storied life when it raced at Pebble Beach. In original form, as a works race car bearing a four-cylinder two-liter Alta engine, it served as the steed for Stirling Moss in his first paid competition. He raced the car for HWM throughout much of the 1950 season, recording several fine results including a third-place finish behind the Alfas of Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio in the Bari Grand Prix. With Johnny Claes at the wheel, the HWM won the Grand Prix des Frontieres. It was also driven by Rudi Fischer and Raymond Sommer.
A few years later, the car was sold to 20th Century Fox to be used in the film “The Racers,” starring Kirk Douglas—and was crashed in accord with the script.
It was Tom Carstens who bought the wreck and resurrected it for Pebble Beach, not simply rebuilding it, but doing all that he could to improve the chassis, transmission, and body. The new Chevy V8 engine was bored and stroked to just under five liters by Bobby Meeks at Vic Edelbrock’s shop and then was fitted in the car by Eddie Kuzma, who managed that task by repositioning the firewall and fabricating new rear bodywork. Ted Halibrand’s shop added a quick-change rear axle and the disc brakes.
The return of the Stovebolt Special to Pebble Beach is made possible thanks to Simon Taylor as well as the American Hot Rod Foundation (ahrf.com), particularly founder Steve Memishian and foundation manager David Steele.The “Stovebolt Special” among several race cars in competition at the very last road race through the tree-lined course in Pebble Beach.
Photo Credit: Julian P. Graham / Pebble Beach Company Lagorio ArchivesThe 75th Concours will pay tribute to its historic ties in racing as well as the many “first-ever” gatherings of cars that have made it famous. The former road racers will be showcased in two special classes, one focusing on cars that raced in close-to-original form as made by their manufacturers and the other focusing on specials that were much modified.
The event will also feature cars ranging from early American Speedsters to Ferraris and Japanese race cars, and the latest new creations and dream cars will be displayed on the Concept Lawn.
ZHENRUI CHI JOINS THE ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO FORMULA ONE™ TEAM DRIVER ACADEMY
22 April 2026, AMRTC, Silverstone, UK: The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team is pleased to announce that Zhenrui Chi has joined its Driver Academy. The 17-year-old, regarded as one of China’s most promising young drivers, becomes the latest addition to the Academy’s expanding roster as the team continues to strengthen its long-term pathway for developing emerging talent from across the global motorsport landscape.
As a member of the team’s Driver Academy, Zhenrui will race in an Aston Martin Aramco-liveried car, introducing the marque’s iconic green to the Formula Regional grid.
Zhenrui’s signing follows a comprehensive selection process carried out by the team’s Driver Academy programme, which first saw him driving at its evaluation day in Mugello before tracking his impressive 2025 campaign. Over the course of the season, he demonstrated consistent front-running pace and racecraft across European and Middle East F4 categories, delivering a series of standout performances that underlined his talent.
As part of the Aston Martin Aramco Driver Academy, Zhenrui will take part in a tailored development programme designed to support every aspect of his motorsport progression. The programme includes racecraft mentorship from experienced team personnel both trackside and at the AMR Technology Campus, physical conditioning, and a dedicated media and communications training to prepare him for the demands of professional motorsport.
Zhenrui Chi, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team Driver Academy: “Joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team family is a huge honour for me. It’s a great responsibility, but also an incredible opportunity and motivation to keep pushing myself to the next level. Knowing that I have the support of such an iconic team, with all its experience and expertise, gives me a lot of confidence for the journey ahead. I know the road will require hard work and dedication, and I’m fully aware that I have to continue to prove I deserve this opportunity. I’m ready to give everything I have and I can’t wait to start this journey with Aston Martin Aramco.”
Nuno Pinto, Racing Director, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team Driver Academy: “Zhenrui is exactly the kind of talent our Academy exists to find. We first saw him at an evaluation test in Mugello and were immediately impressed by his ability and approach. We then followed his progress through the rest of the 2025 season, where he showed not only pace but also strong consistency in one of the most competitive junior categories in racing, Italian F4. We are delighted to welcome him to the Academy and to support his development through our programme at Silverstone. With the resources of the AMR Technology Campus and the environment we have built around our drivers, we believe we can help him to continue to grow. This is a long-term partnership, and we are looking forward to the journey ahead together.”
— with Nasir Hameed and Toby Dawes.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Shahin and Patterson victorious at Silverstone 500
Optimum’s strategic masterstroke helped Yasser Shahin and Garnet Patterson lift the historic 1932 RAC Trophy at the Silverstone 500 where Innovation Racing and Hadley Simpson – as well as Thomas Holland – converted pole position into GT4 victory on their series debuts in British GT’s season opener.
In terms of pure pace, the three-hour encounter should have been won by Darren Leung and Dan Harper who controlled the race from pole position for the first two-and-a-half hours. But a combination of Safety Car timing and Optimum’s pitstop gamble ultimately restricted Paradine’s BMW to third overall behind another M4: Century’s example shared by Jonathon Beeson and Charles Clark.
As well as finishing second, the Silver-Am duo also lead GT3’s early standings by dint of Shahin and Patterson’s guest entry status. However, their overall victory will go down as the first by an Australian since Charlie Cox won at Croft in September 1997.
Further back, Holland and Simpson converted GT4 pole position into victory over MK Racing’s Aston Martin of Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton, while the Optimum McLaren shared by Luca Hopkinson and Josh Stanton completed a top three covered by 1.8s. It was the first time in two years that a team other than Century or Optimum had won the class, as well as Ginetta’s first victory since 2023.
Another G56 was also firmly in contention before unfortunate pitstop and Safety Car timing restricted Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell to fifth overall. However, Toro Verde’s duo did at least celebrate winning the Pro-Am class.
