F1Weekly Podcast # 1148
Play Podcast: 05-18-26f1weekly1148.mp3
MERCEDES WINS AT THE 24 HOURS OF THE NURBURGRING FIRST WIN FOR MERC IN A DECADE!
MAX’S CAR HAS A DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE!
NICK DEVRIES WINS THE MONACO E-PRIX!!
WHAT ARE THE OTHER F1 DRIVERS DOING ON THEIR DAYS OFF?
WILL MAX BE MOTIVATED TO RACE AT LE MANS?
AND…FERNANDO SAYS…I WANT TO KEEP RACING UNTIL MY SON CAN SEE ME IN THE F1 PADOCK!!
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: YANNICK DALMAS FOUR TIME LE MANS WINNER…CARLOS SAINZ SR…AND INDY 500 WINNER THE LATE GIL DE FERRAN!!…
Max Verstappen and team dominate 24h Nürburgring until final hours, as Red Bull Team ABT makes a spectacular comeback for 2nd place!
Max Verstappen produced a standout debut performance at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, in command of the race for the majority of its 24 hours before Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing were forced out of the lead with just over three hours remaining following a driveshaft failure on the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The four-time F1 world champion, sharing the car with Dani Juncadella, Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon, had delivered spells of excellent driving across both day and night in his first 24-hour race, a performance that further underlined his ability to adapt seamlessly across different disciplines of motorsport.
With Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing forced to retire, the sister #80 Mercedes inherited the lead to take overall victory, with the #84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 classified second after a recovery drive from a lap-one puncture. A record 352,000 spectators attended the 24h Nürburgring weekend for Verstappen’s debut appearance, a surge many are calling the “Verstappen effect”.
The charge began on the opening lap, when Juncadella moved up the order from P4 as the pole-sitting Red Bull Team ABT #84 suffered a puncture. Verstappen took over for his maiden Nordschleife race stint with the #3 in P3, and a brief early scare onto the grass did little to slow him. Settling into rhythm, he stormed through the order with a string of thrilling overtakes to take the lead inside his very first stint.
From there the #3 settled into a sustained battle at the front, with the team’s four-driver rotation slotting into the rhythm of the race. After Verstappen’s opening double stint, Gounon took the car on for his run before Auer reclaimed the lead with a strong spell of his own. Juncadella then took the wheel into the small hours, going lap-for-lap with the chasing #80 as the two factory Mercedes cars opened up a commanding gap over the rest of the field, the two rarely separated by more than 20 seconds across the full race distance.
Verstappen was at the centre of the action across the overnight hours. The Dutchman pulled nearly half a minute clear of the sister car on his way to a string of standout moments, including a 270 km/h side-by-side battle on the Döttinger Höhe that saw the #80 run onto the wet grass before recovering, and a patient overtake to put the #3 back into the lead after more than 20 minutes of pursuit.
The 24h Nürburgring is widely regarded as one of the most punishing events in motorsport, and across the race weekend a sizeable share of the 161-strong field were caught out by some combination of mechanical issues, crashes and the Nordschleife’s notoriously changeable conditions. By the time the chequered flag fell, only 18 of the 41 GT3 cars that had started the race were still running.
Heading into the final four hours, Verstappen had stretched the lead back out to 33 seconds before handing over to Juncadella on his in-lap. The issue struck shortly after, just three laps into the Spaniard’s stint. An initial ABS warning escalated into vibrations from the rear right corner, and the car limped back to the garage where mechanics diagnosed a broken driveshaft and significant rear axle damage.
With repair time running to nearly an hour, victory was no longer possible, but the team committed to rebuilding the car so it could rejoin the race for the closing laps. “We spoke with Max and the other three drivers, and everybody is so disappointed,” said Mercedes-AMG manager Stefan Wendl. “But we said let’s send this beautiful car out again for the last two or three laps and present it to the fans who have cheered for 20 hours and tried to bring us to victory.”
Juncadella, who was behind the wheel when the issue struck, took the disappointment in his stride: “It’s obviously very heartbreaking, but motorsport is like that sometimes. There are many things you cannot control. The mechanical aspect in motorsport can sometimes be very cruel, and it was with us this time. Unfortunately, the race was three hours too long for us, and we couldn’t make it to the end. Nevertheless, we have to be proud of everything that has been done. The team was incredible with the calls they did in the race. Max had a lot of fun; we could all see that. Maybe now there’s a reason to come back.”
Driving alongside Verstappen for the first time, Lucas Auer reflected on the team dynamic: “Last time we drove together was against each other, and it’s definitely better to have him as a teammate because he is just a machine. He’s a lot of fun, a hard worker and has amazing speed.”
The sister #80 Mercedes of Team RAVENOL (Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin) went on to take Mercedes-AMG’s first 24h Nürburgring victory in a decade, having recovered from a Top Qualifying crash that had left them starting in 25th place. Red Bull Team ABT held on to second despite a late penalty for a Code 60 infringement, finishing 16 seconds clear of the third-placed Walkenhorst Aston Martin.
Red Bull Team ABT’s Luca Engstler, who shared driving duties in the #84 with Mirko Bortolotti and Patric Niederhauser, could scarcely believe the team had fought back to second after a puncture dropped them to 14th: “It was an incredible week. We had a very good qualifying, starting front row, and then we had a horrible start, got taken out, and we had the puncture, and we were two and a half minutes down. We dropped back to about nine minutes behind the leader. But I never gave up, and in the end, we’re here, and that’s just insane.”
Race engineer Leon Wippersteg, fresh from delivering Lamborghini’s first Nürburgring front-row lockout in qualifying, credited the wider team effort that delivered second place: “It was one year of preparation to come here and to perform. All the drivers, engineers, mechanics, all the partners, everything has to fit together to be able to perform. We had the package, and I would say we’re one of the quickest manufacturers out there. I think we managed well, and I’m very proud.”
La revanche de Servol et Jousset en Championnat de France FFSA GT
Malchanceux samedi, Rudy Servol et Léo Jousset ont renoué avec la victoire ce dimanche sur le Circuit de Dijon-Prenois
David Levy et Jodie Sloss remportent leur premier succès en Am Cup
Romain Monti et Rodolphe Wallrgen prennent le large dans l’Alpine ELF Cup Series, Gillian Lay et Mikkel Njor lauréats dans la Ginetta Cup.
Le Circuit de Dijon-Prenois a offert aux fans du Championnat de France FFSA GT deux courses hyper spectaculaires. Malgré une météo fraîche pour la saison, 13.420 spectateurs ont rejoint le mythique tracé bourguignon ce week-end… et ils n’ont pas été déçus !
N’ayant pas pu prendre le départ samedi suite à un problème technique, Rudy Servol et Léo Jousset (Alpine A110 GT4+ / Race Cars Consulting) ont pris une cinglante revanche ce dimanche en menant cette seconde course de bout en bout. Mais avec un total de trois neutralisations en 60 minutes de course, ils n’ont jamais pu réellement souffler. Leur deuxième victoire de la saison, après la course 1 de Nogaro, leur permet de de conserver leurs chances au championnat.
Avec une ultime relance pour un seul tour en fin de course, on s’attendait à vivre de nombreux scénarios… Harri Reynolds er Rhys Lloyd (Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 / Circuit Toys) croyaient s’offrir la deuxième place, mais les Gallois étaient pénalisés après l’arrivée pour un contact durant la course.
Premiers des concurrents de la classe Am à passer sous le drapeau à damier samedi, David Levy et Jodie Sloss (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO / Mirage Racing) ont perdu la victoire sur le tapis vert après la course, le dépassement décisif pour la victoire ayant été effectué après le déclenchement de la procédure Full Course Yellow. Ce dimanche, rien n’est venu entraver leur marche en avant et le duo franco-écossais signe ainsi son premier succès de la saison.
Avec une victoire samedi puis une deuxième place ce dimanche, Nicco Ferrarin et Julien Briché (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport / JSB Compétition) ont marqué des points très importants pour le championnat en devançant deux fois Stéphane Lémeret et Stéphane Auriacombe (Alpine A110 GT4 EVO / CMR), toujours leaders mais avec une avance de 2 points seulement sur la paire Ferrarin-Briché.
Monti et Wallgren creusent l’écart en Alpine ELF Cup Series, de nouveaux vainqueurs en Ginetta Cup.
Les arrivées au sprint deviennent une habitude dans l’Alpine ELF Cup Series. Mais un final avec 85 millièmes de seconde de différence entre les vainqueurs et leurs dauphins, c’est une première !
Dans cette course entre les Alpine A110 Cup, Romain Monti et Rodolphe Wallgren (Chazel Technologie Course) ont donc remporté de justesse leur troisième victoire de la saison face aux vainqueurs de la veille, Gosia Rdest et Paul Alberto (Chazel Technologie Course).
Deux fois en pole position dans la classe, le jeune Luxembourgeois de 16 ans Lenny Kieffer et son nouvel équipier Julien Neveu (Schumacher GP) sont montés sur la plus petite marche du podium pour la première fois après une magnifique prestation. Roulant en solo et ne marquant pas de points au championnat, Axel Constantin (Chazel Technologie Course) a devancé Julien Paget et Anthony Pisano (Chazel Technologie Course).
Reigning Winner Palou Beats Heat
To Earn Second Career Indy 500 Pole.
INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 17, 2026) – Alex Palou will start the defense of his 2025 victory from the best spot possible in the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge – the pole.
Four-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou earned his second career pole for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in a dramatic Firestone Fast Six session Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the NTT P1 Award and a $100,000 bonus with his four-lap average speed of 232.248 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
“I have no words,” Palou said. “So, that was incredible. It just feels incredible. Great start to the Month of May.
“Did not expect it. You could see the celebration was really high (after winning the pole) because this morning when we woke up, we did not expect this speed.”
Palou, who also won the “500” pole in 2023, earned the 15th NTT P1 Award of his INDYCAR SERIES career. He became the first reigning “500” winner to claim the pole since Helio Castroneves in 2010.
The Spaniard will see a fellow Indianapolis 500 champion alongside him on the front row, as 2016 winner Alexander Rossi qualified second – his best qualifying performance among his 11 “500” starts – at 231.990 in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing.
Another driver earning his career-best Indy 500 start, Team Penske newcomer David Malukas, will start on the outside of the front row after qualifying third at 231.877 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Malukas’ previous-best start was seventh last year for AJ Foyt Racing.
Felix Rosenqvist qualified fourth at 231.375 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian. It’s the second-best “500” start in Rosenqvist’s career, but the Swede couldn’t hide his disappointment after leading the opening round of qualifying (232.599) and the Fast 12 round (232.065), entering the Firestone Fast Six as the pole favorite.
“There was quite a big gap from run two to run three,” Rosenqvist said. “It felt good. It just didn’t seem like there was that much in it. It just didn’t go as fast.
“It’s a shame. It’s kind of déjà vu for me. I’ve had this three times now when I’ve gone into the last round and had to finish it off. It’s kind of like a curse. But it is what it is. We’ll just focus on the race.”
Santino Ferrucci qualified fifth at 230.846 in the No. 14 HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises. Pato O’Ward rounded out the Firestone Fast Six at 230.442 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Six different teams are represented in the first two rows of the starting grid for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 24.
Rain washed out PPG Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, creating a pressure-packed format of one qualifying attempt per driver per round under sunny skies and air temperatures that climbed into the mid-80s Sunday. All 33 drivers participated in the first round, with the 12 fastest advancing to the Top 12 second round, which whittled the pole contenders to the Firestone Fast Six.
Palou was at a disadvantage in the first round due to his wife, Esther, drawing the 31st position in the qualifying order in the blind draw Friday evening. His attempt took place two hours, 19 minutes after teammate Scott Dixon – who drew the first starting position – made his attempt in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Air and track temperatures were around 5 and 10 degrees higher, respectively, for Palou’s run, and he barely earned a transfer to the Top 12 after ending up 11th in the first round with a four-lap average of 231.155. But he climbed to second in the Top 12 at 231.665 behind Rosenqvist due to his Chip Ganassi Racing crew already accustomed to tuning the car for the peak heat of the day.
“I have to say being on the 31st – thanks to my wife, by the way for drawing that number – I think being there allowed us to work on those conditions,” Palou said. “It’s not easy to do everything the way this team is executing.”
— with Nasir Hameed and Toby Dawes.
Ardennes awaits for expanded 44-car grid: Everything you need to know about the GT3 Revival Series at Spa Classic
The GT3 Revival Series returns to action this weekend (23/24 May) to stage the second event of its debut season, which takes place as part of Spa Classic.
As the venue for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the Ardennes circuit is synonymous with GT3 racing. By 2011 it had become the premier class at the twice-around-the clock contest, helping to establish Spa as the world’s biggest GT race. Indeed, many of the cars featured in the GT3 Revival Series forged their reputation at the 24 Hours.
Now, they will join a sensational line-up of machinery at Spa Classic. Created in 2011 by Peter Auto, the event has grown to become one of Europe’s leading historic meetings, with around 500 drivers and 370 cars expected at this year’s edition. The 2026 programme includes a fantastic array of vintage sports prototypes, touring cars and sportscars spanning more than half a century.
Here’s what to look out for when the GT3 Revival Series hits the track at Spa-Francorchamps.
The grid has expanded to 44 cars and 11 brands
That’s 16 more than tackled the season-opening round at Circuit Paul Ricard and includes two manufacturers that will be represented for the first time.
The Nissan GTR Nismo is among the most beloved GT3 cars ever produced. Powered by a twin-turbo V6, the Japanese machine is affectionately known as “Godzilla” by its many fans around the world. At Spa Classic, Team Parker Racing will run a GTR for Andrew Bentley and Max Lynn.
The event will also see the McLaren name on the entry list with the MP4-12C entered by Jordan Racing Team. This was the British marque’s first GT3 car and is based on the eponymous road-going model, a project that was closely overseen by Ron Dennis.
A total of 11 marques will be represented at Spa Classic. In addition to McLaren and Nissan, there will also be machinery from Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. The Audi R8 is the most popular choice, with 10 examples set to go racing this weekend.
There are now three separate classes competing for victory
The extra entries this weekend have resulted in a slight change to the class structure. Pro-Am remains a single class, though the field has grown considerably to 13 cars. Among them are first-time entrants Era Motorsport (Aston Martin Vantage), Équipe Europe (Audi R8), and Maxted-Page Motorsport (Porsche 997).
They will join several returning teams, including the Storic and Race Cars squad that swept the weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard. The French outfit’s Ferrari 458 was a 24 Hours of Spa class winner with Jean-Luc Beaubelique at the wheel in 2013.
For the first time, the Am category and will be split in two. An enormous field of 25 cars will be entered in the Gen II class, which covers cars homologated between 2010 and 2013. Circuit Paul Ricard winner Benjamin Ricci is joined by his father Mauro in their Ferrari 458 GT3 Evo, while CMR (BMW Z4), Lionspeed (Porsche 997) and Team Motopark (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG) also return.
In addition, there are several first-time entrants. Among them are Pyro Motorsport (Audi R8), Pastorelli Classics Cars (Ferrari 458) and Anderson Racing Team (Lamborghini Gallardo). With 25 cars fighting over three podium positions, this promises to be a particularly fierce contest.
A further five cars will compete in Am Gen I, which covers cars homologated between 2006 and 2009. This includes a trio of Callaway Corvettes – two from newcomer Seiler Racing and another from Scott Sport – as well as a Matech-built Ford GT and a Porsche 997 Cup S. There will be separate podiums for Gen I and Gen II, as well as for the Iron Cup which rewards the best-finishing crew with a combined age of 100 and over, or the best solo driver aged 60 and over.
Finally, the grid features an invitational entry: the Ferrari 458 Italia GTD run by Équipe Europe and shared by Pierre-Alain and Erwin France. Having previously competed in IMSA, the car meets different technical specifications and will not be eligible to compte for the podium – though it will add an extra dimension to the on-track action.
A host of drivers will make their GT3 Revival Series debuts
A total of 67 drivers will contest the Spa Classic races. And, with more than a dozen extra cars, many of them will be competing in the GT3 Revival Series for the first time.
They include the prominent London car dealer Joe Macari, who will drive a Ferrari 458. Best known for his involvement with historic racing, Macari has also competed in premier contemporary events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Spa 24 Hours.
World Touring Car Champion in 2012, Rob Huff will make his first start in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG alongside fellow newcomer Philip Kadoorie. Another addition is Kyle Tilley, a sometime NASCAR Cup Series racer and a class winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Pierre Thiriet, a two-time LMP2 class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will pilot an Audi R8 for Équipe Europe. Michel Ettouati, Jürg Aeberhard, Heiko Scharnhorst and Mario Cordoni are just some of the other newcomers who will join the grid this weekend.
We’ll see night racing for the first time
The format for the Spa Classic weekend is similar to that used at Circuit Paul Ricard, but with the added excitement of night racing at the Ardennes venue.
Free Practice sessions will run on Friday (22 May) at 12:55 and 19:05, each lasting 45 minutes. Qualifying takes place on Saturday at 11:55, with two sessions establishing the grids for Race 1 and Race 2 respectively. For two-driver crews, each will compete in one session and start the corresponding race; solo drivers must take part in both sessions.
Race 1 gets underway at 21:25 on Saturday, just minutes before sunset, while Race 2 is scheduled for 14:35 on Sunday. Both last 50 minutes and will air live and unrestricted on the GT World YouTube channel.
* All times are CEST
