F1Weekly Podcast # 1149
Play Podcast: 05-25-26f1weekly1149.mp3
ON TODAYS PROGRAM…
GEORGE’S MERC GOES KABLAMO WHILE IN THE LEAD GIFTING ANTONELLI THE WIN!
MCLAREN MAKES ONE. BLUNDER AFTER ANOTHER…
GOOD FIGHT BETWEEN MAX AND LCH FOR P2 AND…
FELIX ROSENQVIST WINS THE INDY 500 BY A NOSE!!!
SUPER SAD NEWS…KYLE BUSCH GONE AT 41…
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: A MOMENT IN MOTORSPORTS HISTORY WITH FRANCOIS CASTAIN!…
Rosenqvist Earns Epic Victory
in Closest-Ever Indianapolis 500 Finish
INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 24, 2026) – Felix Rosenqvist capped his magical May by edging David Malukas in a last-lap drag race to the Yard of Bricks with the highest stakes, winning the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the closest finish in the century-plus history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Rosenqvist rode the high line against the concrete wall exiting Turn 4 on Lap 200 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian and powered past the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet of David Malukas to prevail by .0233 of a second. The previous closest finish in “500” history came in 1992, when Al Unser Jr. held off a charging Scott Goodyear by .043 of a second.
“Unreal; I still don’t believe it,” Rosenqvist said. “It kind of worked out the right way when I got back to third, and then I just had to flat-out lap on the high line, and it stuck,” Rosenqvist said. “It was just the coolest way you can finish and win an Indy 500.”
The breathtaking race featured an event-record 70 lead changes over its 200 scintillating laps, breaking the previous mark of 68 set in 2013. With his second career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory, Rosenqvist became the third Swedish driver to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” joining Kenny Brack (1999) and Marcus Ericsson (2022).
Meyer Shank Racing also earned its second NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory – both coming in the most prestigious race in the world. Helio Castroneves captured his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory in 2021 for the Ohio-based team.
The victory capped a remarkable month for Rosenqvist. He and his wife, Emille, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Stella, on May 4.
“I really miss my wife and my newborn child, Stella,” Rosenqvist said. “I wish they were here with me. This whole month, becoming a dad and winning the ‘500’ … We joked about it in the beginning: ‘Maybe you’ll win the ‘500’ and have a baby.’ It’s just unreal.”
Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, as the fabled team placed two drivers in the top three but fell just short of a record-extending 21st Indy 500 victory.
Pato O’Ward placed fourth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his fifth career top-four finish in seven “500” starts without a victory. Marcus Armstrong rounded out the top five in the No. 66 Acura Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian despite taking the green flag in the lead on a one-lap shootout for the victory after a late caution.
An incredible .4360 of a second separated the top-five finishers. Rosenqvist’s average speed was 162.021 mph.
The one-lap dash to the checkered flag and immortality was set up when rookie Mick Schumacher brushed the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in his No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda on Lap 197.
Racing resumed at the end of Lap 199, with Armstrong leading to the flag stand with the white flag in the air and one lap remaining, with Malukas in second and Rosenqvist third. Malukas powered to the lead entering Turn 1 and started to pull away on the backstretch of the 2.5-mile oval with teammates Armstrong and Rosenqvist running side by side in a joust for second.
Rosenqvist, running the high line around the oval, nosed ahead of Armstrong in Turn 4 and set his sights on Malukas. With the checkered flag in the air ahead, Malukas drove his car toward the pit wall to try and break Rosenqvist’s aerodynamic tow. Malukas then moved toward the center of the track, and Rosenqvist quickly swung his machine back toward the top of the racetrack, just barely avoiding contact.
The two cars were side by side yards from the finish line when Rosenqvist nosed ahead and crossed the Yard of Bricks first by about a half-car length, the capacity crowd of 350,000 pulsating in delight.
It was the most important of the 629 on-track passes in the race, including 567 for position.
“I don’t know what else we could have done,” Malukas said as he choked back tears in his pit box. “We were the fastest car that whole race. I gave it 150 percent. I mean, I almost crashed this damn car every lap, and we still ended up with a P2.
“I just can’t believe it. I don’t know what else I can give. So close. This place, we’re going to come back and bring it everything. We’re going to give it 160 percent the next time.”
Said Rosenqvist: “Good job to Marcus and David at the end. They raced really cleanly. It’s because of drivers like that you get really good racing. Unbelievable.”
McLaughlin, O’Ward and Armstrong then crossed the Yard of Bricks three-wide in the sprint for third, capping a race for the ages.
The spellbinding finish was the final act of a dual-strategy drama that unfolded over the closing laps. O’Ward, Armstrong and Rosenqvist made their final pit stops on Laps 164, 165 and 166, respectively, right at the edge of the fuel window to finish the race without another stop under green-flag racing.
Meanwhile, Malukas, McLaughlin and pole sitter Alex Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda were among a group of cars that were on a different sequence and had to make their final stops on Laps 175 (Malukas) and 176 (Palou and McLaughlin).
Malukas took control of that chasing group, but they were more than 20 seconds behind O’Ward, Rosenqvist and Armstrong with less than 25 laps to go. Rosenqvist, with two more laps of fuel than O’Ward, was content to ride in the draft of the Mexican and save even more fuel as both lapped nearly 10 mph slower than the chasing pack to ensure they could make it to the finish.
Rosenqvist finally pounced past O’Ward for the lead on Lap 185 and was headed toward Easy Street.
The chasing trio of Malukas, McLaughlin and Palou appeared to be running out of laps to catch O’Ward, Rosenqvist and Armstrong, but the field was bunched on Lap 192 when rookie Caio Collet slammed the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, triggering the sixth of seven caution periods in the race.
Race officials immediately red-flagged the event for accident cleanup, with all cars pulling into the pits.
“It was the perfect situation for us before that,” Rosenqvist said. “We kind of had everything lined up. Pato was struggling with fuel, and we were pretty rich (on fuel) to the end. I was like: ‘This is going to be great. At some point you’re just going to pass him and hopefully cruise to the win.’ But then in the end, everything flipped upside-down.
“But you just have to reload. I was a little negative at first. I was like, ‘Of course, this happened.’ But then you just had to think forward. It actually was good when I got back to third because it felt like I was hunting instead of being hunted.”
Rosenqvist led the field to green flag on the Lap 196 restart after the 10-minute red flag period, with O’Ward second and Armstrong third. But Armstrong powered to the front in the four-wide restart with a bold outside move in Turn 1, with Malukas riding his aerodynamic coattails to second. But then Schumacher made contact with the SAFER Barrier to bring out the final caution on Lap 197, setting up the one-lap dash for glory.
NTT P1 Award winner Palou led a race-high 59 laps but finished seventh. Adding his 12 bonus points for earning the Indy 500 pole, Palou leads the series standings by 42 points over Malukas entering the next event, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday, May 31 on the streets of Detroit.
Kimi Antonelli
First of all, massive commiserations to George. I feel very sorry for him as he was leading the race and was super strong. We were having a great battle in that first stint and very close on pace. I am sure it would have gone right until the end of the Grand Prix, and I am disappointed we didn’t get the chance to continue that.
It was not an easy race for us. The wind was very tricky and with the low temperatures, it was hard to get the tyres working. We had several lock-ups, particularly in the early stages, but fortunately were able to keep it on the track and get to the chequered flag first. It is of course not how we want to win but we will take it. We now get ready for the European portion of the season and six races in eight weekends leading up to shutdown. It will be an intense period, but we are looking forward to it.
George Russell
I am proud of my weekend, no matter that it ended in a retirement today. I took pole for the Sprint, won that race, took pole for the Grand Prix and was leading before we had the Power Unit issue that finished our race. I know there is nothing more I could have done this weekend to perform and that fills me with confidence moving forward into the rest of the season. It is of course a painful way to finish our Canadian Grand Prix weekend, but I will leave here satisfied that I did my best.
Up until lap 30, I was thoroughly enjoying the race. I loved the battle with Kimi, and I am sure he did too. It was like going back to karting days where you are racing wheel-to-wheel, swapping the lead multiple times. I hope everyone enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed being in it. I just wish we could have continued it until the end of the Grand Prix.
MAX…
We made the right calls and didn’t leave anything on the table
Finish Position: 3, Start Position: 6
“It’s great to be back on the podium. It was a little bit of a surprise, but we made the right calls and didn’t leave anything on the table. We had a very good first stint on the Soft tyre, and that gave us the gap we needed. The Medium tyre was more difficult because managing the temperatures, combined with going in and out of Virtual Safety Cars, made things more challenging. I enjoyed the last few laps battling with Lewis, and I pushed hard to take the position back. Over the last two weekends, we’ve been a lot closer, and there have been positive steps forward. It’s also our first podium with our own powertrain, which is a great milestone for the Team, so credit to everyone for getting us here.”
ISACK…
We took a big step forward since Miami and made the most of the weekend
Finish Position: 5, Start Position: 7
“I started off with a very good launch but struggled a lot with pace during the race. The car was very fast but hard to drive compared to yesterday when I felt more comfortable, so I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted. I think we could have secured fourth place, but had to settle for fifth in the end. The overall car performance this weekend was very positive – we took a big step forward since Miami and made the most of the weekend. I hope we can keep the same momentum for Monaco.”
MATHILDA PAATZ SECURES MAIDEN F1 ACADEMY VICTORY – ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO’S FIRST IN THE ALL-FEMALE SERIES
23 May 2026, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Canada: Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team celebrated a landmark moment in F1 ACADEMY as Mathilda Paatz secured her maiden victory, delivering the team’s first-ever win in the series. The result came just hours after claiming a P3 podium finish in the series’ opening race of the day.
The 17-year-old German produced a composed and determined drive from the outset, making an excellent launch off the line to immediately climb into P3. Showing strong pace throughout the race, she quickly established herself in the fight for the podium positions before the first Safety Car period neutralised the field.
When racing resumed, Mathilda continued to apply pressure to the cars ahead and executed a decisive move for P2 on Lap 12 shortly before a second Safety Car was deployed. Remaining calm under pressure on the restart, she held position and stayed firmly in contention for victory.
On the final lap of the race, a five-second penalty was applied to car No.18 driven by Rafaela Ferreira for a jump start, promoting Mathilda into P1 and sealing both her first F1 ACADEMY victory and a historic first win in the series for Aston Martin Aramco.
Mathilda Paatz, Aston Martin Aramco F1 ACADEMY driver said: “It’s been a better day than I could ever have imagined. I can’t believe I’m going home with two trophies and my first win!
I had an awesome start to the race this evening, exactly the kind you want. Then the job was just to stay calm and ensure my overtakes were clean. It was a challenge to keep my tyre temperatures up during the safety car periods, but I think we managed the race well as a team and I was able to deliver the result. After a tough week in Shanghai, this is exactly the kind of comeback I was hoping for. I can’t thank Aston Martin Aramco and PREMA enough, the support has been amazing and I wouldn’t be here without it.”
Nuno Pinto, Director of Racing, Aston Martin Aramco Driver Academy, said: “Mathilda has done a brilliant job today, delivering intelligent drives around a challenging track to secure two podiums — Aston Martin Aramco’s first in the F1 ACADEMY series.”
SEARING HEAT ON SPECIAL SNETTERTON WEEKEND
Rainford and Shedden join winners party as Hamilton brings the house down
Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship took place at a scorching hot Snetterton yesterday (24 May) with Charles Rainford (BMW), Ash Sutton (Ford) and Gordon Shedden (Toyota) sharing the victories, whilst Nic Hamilton (Hyundai) won a hugely popular Jack Sears Trophy.
Not only was it a special occasion for several individuals it proved to be a big weekend for the WSR BMW squad, adding its name to the 2026 winners list.
The Cataclean Plato Racing Mercedes outfit won the first ever Qualifying Race at Donington Park at the season curtain raiser and since then there have been wins for Audi, Ford, Toyota and Hyundai machinery, with BMW the only marque coming into the weekend without a triumph in a race.
Rainford immediately ended that run with success in the Qualifying Race on Saturday and he duly backed that up with a proper race win around the 2.97-mile circuit in Sunday’s opener.
A Sutton masterclass followed in Race 2 before Shedden rolled back the years with one of the best victories of his career – his 54th success – as he fended off a couple of highly talented fellow champions.
If that wasn’t enough then Hamilton brought the noise and emotion to the final BTCC podium of the day as he claimed the Jack Sears Trophy across the three races.
When the sun set over a glorious Snetterton and the tens of thousands of fans exited the circuit, it was Sutton who was still sitting atop the overall Drivers’ standings, having extended his advantage over Tom Ingram.
Alliance Racing/Ford and NAPA Racing UK top both the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ tables.
Shedden joined Mikey Doble at the head of the Independent Drivers’ order, whilst LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing hold sway in the Indy Teams’ table.
James Dorlin remains in charge of the Jack Sears Trophy despite Hamilton’s unforgettable triumph today.
The next event on the BTCC calendar takes place at Oulton Park on 6/7 June.
Rainford romps home as WSR take double podium
WSR’s Rainford took a commanding lights-to-flag victory in the first race of the day, claiming his second career victory, as the Surrey-based BMW squad saw two cars reach the rostrum.
Team VERTU’s Ingram took a lonely second, the Hyundai driver having got the better of Speedworks Corolla Racing’s Josh Cook on the opening lap.
Cook couldn’t hang on to second for the duration of the race as the hard charging second WSR BMW of Daryl De Leon fired his #2 machine onto the final step of the podium.
The young gun made his way up to fifth early on before getting stuck behind Dan Cammish’s NAPA Racing UK Ford for much of the contest.
De Leon eventually made an impressive move and, in free air, immediately pulled away from the #27 Ford Focus Titanium and onto the back of Cook’s #66 Toyota Corolla.
The Anglo-Filipino wasted little time in relinquishing Cook of third place as the Cambridge resident grabbed silverware at his home event.
Sutton surges to take fourth victory of 2026
NAPA Racing UK’s Sutton took victory in Round 8, asserting himself at the top of the standings with half of all victories so far this season.
Starting from tenth on the grid, the four-time champion ripped through the lower end of the top ten in the early running before gradually hauling his Ford into a battle with team-mate Cammish and Team VERTU’s Ricky Collard.
Meanwhile, reigning champion Ingram had made his way past the fading BMWs of De Leon and Rainford with the Bavarian duo struggling slightly while running on the Goodyear medium tyre, as well as having a lack of available boost by virtue of their double podium in the earlier race.
Sutton saw off teammate Cammish, Collard’s Hyundai and both BMWs before setting his sights on attacking leader and old adversary Ingram, when disaster struck the #80 Hyundai i30N.
Ingram locked up with what was confirmed post-race as an alternator failure, as he initially dropped down the pack before later retiring with the problem.
Sutton streaked clear for the win with the Team VERTU duo of Collard and the hard-charging Tom Chilton completing the podium.
Shedden secures special Snetterton success
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Shedden stood atop the podium, taking his seventh victory at the Norfolk venue in one of his best ever drives.
Despite starting from pole position, Shedden first had to fend off the Cataclean Plato Racing Mercedes duo of Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan before later having to contend with an even more daunting sight – four-time champion Sutton and two-time champion Ingram in his mirrors.
With the Mercedes duo fading slightly after mid-distance, it was Sutton’s #116 Ford Focus Titanium and Ingram’s #3 Hyundai i30N bearing down on the three-time supremo Shedden.
Not many drivers on the grid have defended in such a classy way against Sutton with the pair going side-by-side on a couple of occasions but somehow the Toyota Corolla man stayed ahead.
Sutton secured second ahead of Ingram, but there was further drama post-race when the latter was handed a ten-second time penalty for exceeding the permitted number of track limits breaches. Ingram subsequently finished Race 3 in eighth place, promoting WSR’s De Leon onto the podium – the BMW man’s second of the day.
There was sheer joy further down the order when Team VERTU’s Hamilton was confirmed as the Jack Sears Trophy winner for the Snetterton weekend.
It proved to be one of the loudest and most emotional podiums in memory with a huge crowd roaring Nic onto the rostrum, as Shedden, Sutton and Ingram joined the fans in front of the podium to cheer on the inspirational character.
Hyundai man Hamilton had already scored overall points this season – at Brands Hatch last time out and during Saturday’s Qualifying Race – with his improved pace there for all to see, but this proved to be a huge reward for the tireless work, effort and spirit he has shown over the years.
It truly was one of the greatest BTCC moments in recent history and for him to be joined by three champions – with nine titles between them – made the occasion even more special.
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Snetterton
1. Charles Rainford, WSR 12 Laps
2. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU +3.917s
3. Daryl De Leon, WSR +8.379s
4. Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing +9.872s
5. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +10.226s
6. Daniel Rowbottom, Cataclean Plato Racing +11.593s
7. Tom Chilton, Team VERTU +12.681s
8. Ricky Collard, Team VERTU +14.893s
9. James Dorlin, Restart Racing +16.274s
10. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +20.794s
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Snetterton
1. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK 12 Laps
2. Ricky Collard, Team VERTU +1.009s
3. Tom Chilton, Team VERTU +2.295s
4. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +6.954s
5. Adam Morgan, Cataclean Plato Racing +9.906s
6. Daniel Rowbottom, Cataclean Plato Racing +10.942s
7. Gordon Shedden, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +11.129s
8. Charles Rainford, WSR +12.496s
9. Chris Smiley, Restart Racing +12.613s
10. Daryl De Leon, WSR +14.047s
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Snetterton
1. Gordon Shedden, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport 12 Laps
2. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +0.728s
3. Daryl De Leon, WSR +3.226s
4. Chris Smiley, Restart Racing +4.975s
5. Charles Rainford, WSR +5.698s
6. Adam Morgan, Cataclean Plato Racing +6.945s
7. Tom Chilton, Team VERTU +7.093s
8. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU +10.923s
9. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +11.756s
10. Daniel Rowbottom, Cataclean Plato Racing +12.494s
Penalties:
Qualifying Race
Charles Rainford received a verbal warning in the Qualifying Race at Snetterton, for an incident involving Tom Chilton
Chris Smiley received a five-second time penalty in the Qualifying Race at Snetterton, for obtaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving Lewis Selby
Race 1
Sam Osborne was disqualified from Round 7 of the championship, for a significant overboost infringement
Race 2
Ash Sutton received a five-second time penalty in Round 8 of the championship, for obtaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving Daryl De Leon and Ricky Collard
Race 3
Tom Ingram received a ten-second time penalty in Round 9 of the championship, for exceeding the permitted number of track limits breaches