F1Weekly Podcast # 1154
ON TODAYS PROGRAM…
GEORGE CLAWING HIS WAY BACK INTO CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENTION!
MAX FINDS HIS MOJO IN AUSTRIA…
KIMI STILL LEADING THE CHAMPIONSHIP
FERRARI NOT AS QUICK AS PREVIOUSLY SUGGESTED AND FERNANDO SAYS…WE ARE IMPROVING!!!
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: A MOMENT IN MOTORSPORTS HISTORY…AN INTERVIEW WITH MOTORS TV FOUNDER FREDERICK VIGER!!!
Verstappen Back On The Podium With Season-Best Second At The Austrian Grand Prix.
Oracle Red Bull Racing’s four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen for the first time since the Canadian Grand Prix, driving to second place in a thrilling Austrian Grand Prix that saw all four Red Bull drivers score points.
After qualifying in fifth place following a crash in Saturday’s Q3 shootout, the Dutchman made a great start to Sunday’s race at a scorching Red Bull Ring, moving up to third early on, before engaging in an ever closer battle with eventual winner George Russell and his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the final third of the race.
Russell held on to win by just +1.611s over Verstappen, who himself held off Antonelli for his best finish of the 2026 season to date by just +0.3s.
Further down the order, Oracle Red Bull Racing’s young pilot Isack Hadjar put the second RB22 into sixth place for the second successive Grand Prix, continuing his impressive debut season for the team.
It was an equally impressive day for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, who celebrated the team’s first double points-scoring Grand Prix of 2026 thanks to ninth and 10th place finishes for Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad.
While Antonelli continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen and Hadjar now sit seventh and eighth in the standings, with Lawson also inside the top 10 in 10th.
QUOTES
Oracle Red Bull Racing
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 2nd
“It was a very good race for us today. The first two laps were quite fun and the first half felt really good and fun to drive. Then, it was basically just about trying to manage our tyres, especially after the battles with Lewis. Something happened with the rear axle which made me lose pace, which is why I wasn’t able to fight at the end. In hindsight we could have done the undercut to jump ahead and I think I had the degradation edge over George, but overall I am pleased with P2. We did some good racing and I didn’t expect us to be that strong against the Mercedes.
“It was a great effort from the team: they have worked really hard to get the upgrades to the car, so thank you very much to everyone. It was better than expected and the race pace was a lot better than we thought. I didn’t think we would fight for the win when I jumped in the car this morning, so to finish sitting here in the top three is a really positive result for us!”
ISACK HADJAR – 6th
“l was happy with my race start, it was a big improvement from Barcelona. Starting from eighth, we had a very aggressive race. I was running out of tyres at the end of my stints, so it was probably not the fastest race for me, but I still managed to gain two places. You could feel the upgrade in the race pace and I think we had the second quickest car today, so I was very happy with that. I still need to feel more comfortable in the car to extract the most from it, but it’s the best race car we’ve had so far and it is delivering. I think on a cooler track, hopefully next week, we can be a bit more competitive again.”
LAURENT MEKIES – CEO & Team Principal
“Our best result of the year. We produced a very strong performance this afternoon, without a doubt our strongest race of the season so far. The most satisfying element is the pace: I think Kimi was quickest today and Max was maybe a little bit quicker than George, but then your grid position also has an impact.
“In qualifying, it was clear how much progress we have made, even if the grid positions didn’t reflect that. On what is a very difficult track, made even more demanding by the very hot conditions, we got very close to the sort of pace needed to win. That is a testament to how effective the work carried out back at the factory was. If you look back to the start of the season, we’ve managed to close the gap to the fastest from one second to around a couple of tenths. The fight is not over yet, with everyone continuing to bring updates, and we will need more to come from our side. Max was exceptional today in all phases of the race. We did not win, but we were lacking very little, maybe just hundredths of a second and it was certainly a good fight.
“Isack also delivered another solid performance today, as he continues to make progress, so overall it’s a step in the right direction. It’s also worth noting that all four cars using the Red Bull Ford Powertrains finished in the points today.”
George Russell
I’m really pleased with that result. It’s never straightforward around here and we were under pressure for much of the race, particularly in the final stint, so to convert pole into the win is very satisfying.
The team did a great job with the strategy and gave me a car that I could manage well across the race. In those conditions, it’s about keeping things simple, focusing on just driving, and I think we executed that well today.
It’s also great to score strong points together as a team. Kimi did a good job to recover and get himself back into the fight, which was important for the overall result.
We know it’s very tight at the front and our competitors are pushing us hard, so we have to keep working to find more performance. For now, though, we can take the positives from this weekend and look ahead to Silverstone next week.
Tsolov takes fourth win of the season in dramatic Spielberg event
Nikola Tsolov took a fourth victory of the season in fine style with a mature performance at the Spielberg Feature Race. Having lost the lead through the middle phase of the race, the Campos Racing driver bided his time before regaining P1 and would drive off into the distance once he did. It was a double podium for MP Motorsport with Gabriele Minì in second ahead of Oliver Goethe.
AS IT HAPPENED
It was a fast start from third-placed Tsolov, who got ahead of Alexander Dunne on the run to Turn 1. He then dived to the inside of Campos teammate and polesitter Noel León at Turn 3 to take the lead. Dunne’s slow start saw him drop to fourth after losing out to Minì, who then challenged León for P2 before the Safety Car halted their battled. Sebastián Montoya and Rafael Villagómez were out of the race after colliding on the way to Turn 3.
Racing resumed on Lap 4 with Tsolov leading the field away. In the battle for P8, Joshua Duerksen got around the outside of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at Turn 3. The Thai driver’s fall through the field continued on Lap 6, with Roman Bilinski and ART Grand Prix teammate Kush Maini demoting him to P10.
León was then the first of the leaders to come in for their mandatory stop, swapping his Supersofts for some Softs. Dunne was in for his set of softs on Lap 8, and he had made the overcut work on León, with Tsolov and John Bennett following him in on the next lap to get rid of their supersofts.
It was a slow stop for the Bulgarian, but he came out ahead of Dunne and his Campos teammate, although he had to defend from the Rodin driver. Minì and Câmara were next in for some softs on Lap 9, leaving Goethe – who had started on the Softs – as the virtual leader of the race.
His MP teammate briefly made the overcut count as he came out ahead of Tsolov. But the Bulgarian went to the inside of Minì at Turn 3, as Dunne then went around the outside of his fellow Alpine Academy member at the next corner. Having put pressure on Tsolov since the pitstops, Dunne got through on the next lap with a neat move to the inside at Turn 3. The two drivers did make slight contact taking off the front wing end plate of the Campos.
Câmara was the next driver to make a move at Turn 3, diving to the inside of León for P12 on Lap 15, as he set his sights on closing in on Minì. It was a good few laps for Invicta, with Duerksen overtaking Bennett at Turn 1 for P14. A few corners later, the Paraguayan gained another position with an overtake on León.
On to Lap 19 and having steadied the ship, Tsolov was just 0.3s behind Dunne. Lap 24 and Tsolov was starting to put more pressure on Dunne, who locked up at Turn 4. The Rodin driver then ran wide at the final corner, allowing his rival to take the position at Turn 1.
The Bulgarian then broke DRS to the Irishman, who was now under pressure from Minì. But just as they prepared to fight, the Virtual Safety Car came out with Mari Boya having stopped on track. Racing resumed on Lap 28, with Minì resuming his attack on Dunne. He got ahead of his rival at Turn 4 for what was a net second place.
Their squabbling allowed Tsolov to build a 2.5s gap as Oliver Goethe came in for his stop. He filtered out in P10 with his brand-new set of Supersofts. Inthraphuvasak and Nico Varrone were the final stoppers, leaving Tsolov in the lead from Minì by 1.9s while Dunne was battling to keep P3 with Câmara.
The Brazilian made his move around the outside of Turn 3 on Lap 33, but Dunne closed the door. Behind them, Goethe was up to P6 after overtaking León at Turn 6. With Dunne and Câmara fighting, Duerksen and Goethe closed in. Bennett, León and Inthraphuvasak joined the battle for the podium a few corners later.
Goethe then got around outside of both Câmara and Dunne at Turn 4 to take P3 on Lap 36. Inthraphuvasak was up to fifth on Lap 37, getting past León and Dunne with DRS on the run to Turn 4. On to the final lap, Tsolov and Minì had driven away from the rest, with the Campos driver crossing the line to achieve his fourth victory of the season.
Goethe took his maiden Formula 2 podium, ahead of Câmara, who held off Inthraphuvasak at the line, while Stenshorne made a last lap overtake on teammate Dunne for P6. León was eighth ahead of Laurens van Hoepen and Duerksen.
KEY QUOTE – Nikola Tsolov, Campos Racing
“Third Feature Race win of the year and fourth overall, so extremely happy. It’s not something we expected this morning. But I am grateful we could do it and a well-managed race.”
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Gabriele Minì maintains his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship on 108 points, but Nikola Tsolov has brought the gap down to just two points. Rafael Câmara is third with 82 points, ahead of Alexander Dunne on 78. Noel León rounds out the top five with 60 points.
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing lead the way on 166 points, while MP Motorsport are up to second on 136. Rodin Motorsport drops down one position to third with 134 points, with Invicta Racing fourth on 104. DAMS Lucas Oil close out the top five with 68.
UP NEXT
The drivers and their teams will now make their way to Silverstone for Round 7 with the action taking place from June 26-28.
2026 FIA Formula 2 – Spielberg – Provisional Classification, Feature Race
| | | | | DRIVER | | | LICENCE | | | TEAM | | | |
| | | 1 | | | Nikola Tsolov | | | BUL | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 2 | | | Gabriele Mini | | | ITA | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 3 | | | Oliver Goethe | | | GER | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 4 | | | Rafael Camara | | | BRA | | | Invicta Racing | | |
| | | 5 | | | Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak | | | THA | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | 6 | | | Martinius Stenshorne | | | NOR | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 7 | | | Alexander Dunne | | | IRL | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 8 | | | Noel Leon | | | MEX | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 9 | | | Laurens van Hoepen | | | NED | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 10 | | | Joshua Durksen | | | PAR | | | Invicta Racing | | |
| | | 11 | | | Roman Bilinski | | | POL | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| | | 12 | | | John Bennett | | | GBR | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 13 | | | Kush Maini | | | IND | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | 14 | | | Dino Beganovic | | | SWE | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| | | 15 | | | Emerson Fittipaldi | | | BRA | | | AIX Racing | | |
| | | 16 | | | Ritomo Miyata | | | JPN | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | 17 | | | Nico Varrone | | | ARG | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | 18 | | | Cian Shields | | | GBR | | | AIX Racing | | |
| | | 19 | | | Colton Herta | | | USA | | | Hitech | | |
| NOT CLASSIFIED | ||||||||
| | | DNF | | | Mari Boya | | | ESP | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| | | DNF | | | Sebastian Montoya | | | MEX | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | DNF | | | Rafael Villagomez | | | COL | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| OVERALL FASTEST LAP | ||||||||
Stromsted becomes eighth winner of 2026 with Spielberg victory
It was a race full of battling but Noah Stromsted came out on top, winning his second race in FIA Formula 3 from fourth on the grid. The Dane held Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu and TRIDENT teammate Freddie Slater at bay in a gripping Feature Race around the Red Bull Ring.
AS IT HAPPENED
Hiyu Yamakoshi covered off Ugochukwu on the run to Turn 1 to retain the lead. But the Campos driver got a great exit and was side-by-side with the polesitter, and claimed the lead at Turn 3. Into third place was Stromsted, who made a place on Tuukka Taponen, he was followed through by teammate Slater ahead of Turn 6 to cap off a good start for TRIDENT.
The Safety Car was then deployed with Maciej Gladysz and Yevan David off the road and out of the race. Racing got back underway entering Lap 4, and Ugochukwu opted to get going ahead of Turn 9 to establish a half-second buffer across the line. Slater was on the move, and he past teammate Stromsted around the outside of Turn 3, and he was immediately into the slipstream of Yamakoshi. With another dive to the outside, the Briton claimed second place at Turn 4, with his attentions turning to title rival Ugochukwu.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed on Lap 5 after Woohyun Shin was left in the gravel at Turn 5 following a battle with Fernando Barrichello. Virtual Safety Car withdrawn on Lap 7, Taponen was the driver most alert and he was able to catch Stromsted out to re-take fourth position on the run to Turn 4. The Dane was back down the inside of the Finn on the following lap at Turn 3 to restore himself back up a position.
Lap 9 and Slater pounced on the race lead, diving down the inside at Turn 3 to take the lead from Ugochukwu. The Campos driver was then forced to defend from Yamakoshi at Turn 4 to retain second place. Their fighting allowed Stromsted to join the lead battle, with the top four drivers covered by just 1.5s with 10 laps ticked off.
Yamakoshi lined up a move on Ugochukwu at Turn 3, braked late and cleared the American driver for second place on Lap 11. Onto Lap 15 and Ugochukwu had stablised his pace and attacked Yamakoshi for P2. The Japanese driver held firm, closing the door on the exit of Turn 4 to hold onto the place.
Taito Kato was on the move after a wide moment at the penultimate corner left Alessandro Giusti without momentum, allowing the ART Grand Prix driver to profit up to P5. The Frenchman fell down to P9, with Jin Nakamura and Pedro Clerot also gaining positions. Ugochukwu was back on the attack on Lap 18 at Turn 4. But once again Yamakoshi was able to defend from the American driver to retain P2.
One lap later though and it was third time’s the charm for the Campos driver, as he dived to the inside at Turn 4 to relieve Yamakoshi of second place. Slater was wide at the final corners on Lap 20, putting him under threat from Ugochukwu up the hill to Turn 3. The TRIDENT driver defended the inside line but on exit, he had Yamakoshi to deal with too.
Somehow the Briton dealt with both and retained the lead at Turn 4, while Stromsted took advantage of the battling up ahead to sneak his way through for third, passing Yamakoshi at Turn 7. Lap 22 and Ugochukwu set up a pass at Turn 4 with superior traction out of T3, taking the lead back from Slater with five laps to go.
Onto Lap 23 and it was roles reversed as Slater put a firm move on his rival at Turn 4 to re-take the lead. Teammate Stromsted took advantage once more from the battling ahead to move himself up to second at Turn 6. Three laps remaining and Slater was back on defence, covering the inside of Turn 3, but he was powerless to stop Stromsted from passing him on the run to Turn 4.
Kato was on the hunt for a late-race pass of his own and made a bold dive at Turn 1 to briefly take fourth from Yamakoshi. The Van Amersfoort driver re-claimed the place with a better exit, but the ART rookie dived down the inside of Turn 3 to take the spot back. It turned into a six-car fight as Kato went wide out of Turn 4, and Nakamura and Clerot put moves on the Japanese driver in the middle sector. Clerot’s bravery won him fourth as he rounded both to take P4 at Turn 6.
Onto the last lap Ugochukwu and Slater were side-by-side once again at Turn 4, and despite minor contact between the two, the American somehow found the room to take second place from his rival. Stromsted however was untroubled in front, and he became the eighth winner of the 2026 season. Ugochukwu and Slater completed the podium after their last-lap battle, with Clerot and Nakamura rounding out the top five. Kato was sixth ahead of Taponen, Yamakoshi, Nicola Lacorte and Kanato Le.
KEY QUOTE – Noah Stromsted, TRIDENT
“A very good job by the team the whole weekend, the car has been amazing. Very nice to finally get my season underway with some good points. We’ve been struggling with bad luck and bad results at the start of the season, so nice to come away with the win from here.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Ugo Ugochukwu extends his advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, going onto 78 points. Freddie Slater is up to second, now on 62 points, with Théophile Nael third on 52. Bruno del Pino is fourth on 49 points, while Brando Badoer is fifth, level on 51 points with Noah Stromsted who climbs up to sixth.
Campos Racing remains at the top of the Teams’ Standings with 156 points. Van Amersfoort Racing are second with 109, while TRIDENT climb onto 103 in third. Rodin Motorsport and ART Grand Prix complete the top five with 79 and 47 points respectively.
UP NEXT
FIA Formula 3 is back in action right away as we head to Silverstone for Round 5 of the 2026 campaign, from July 3-5.
FIA Formula 3 – Spielberg – Provisional Classification – Feature Race
| | | | | DRIVER | | | LICENCE | | | TEAM | | | |
| | | 1 | | | Noah Stromsted | | | DEN | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 2 | | | Ugo Ugochukwu | | | USA | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 3 | | | Freddie Slater | | | GBR | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 4 | | | Pedro Clerot | | | BRA | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 5 | | | Jin Nakamura | | | JPN | | | Hitech | | |
| | | 6 | | | Taito Kato | | | JPN | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | 7 | | | Tuukka Taponen | | | FIN | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 8 | | | Hiyu Yamakoshi | | | JPN | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | 9 | | | Nicola Lacorte | | | ITA | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| | | 10 | | | Kanato Le | | | JPN | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | 11 | | | Alessandro Giusti | | | FRA | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 12 | | | James Wharton | | | AUS | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| | | 13 | | | Enzo Deligny | | | FRA | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | 14 | | | Louis Sharp | | | NZL | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| | | 15 | | | Matteo De Palo | | | ITA | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 16 | | | Theophile Nael | | | FRA | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 17 | | | Christian Ho | | | SGP | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 18 | | | Bruno Del Pino | | | ESP | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | 19 | | | Ernesto Rivera | | | MEX | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 20 | | | Salim Hanna | | | COL | | | AIX Racing | | |
| | | 21 | | | Mattia Colnaghi | | | ARG | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 22 | | | Brando Badoer | | | ITA | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 23 | | | Jose Garfias | | | MEX | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| | | 24 | | | Fionn Mclaughlin | | | IRL | | | Hitech | | |
| | | 25 | | | Gerrard Xie | | | CHN | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| | | 26 | | | Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi | | | THA | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| NOT CLASSIFIED | ||||||||
| | | DNF | | | Woohyun Shin | | | KOR | | | Hitech | | |
| | | DNF | | | Fernando Barrichello | | | BZL | | | AIX Racing | | |
| | | DNF | | | Maciej Gladysz | | | POL | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | DNF | | | Yevan David | | | SHI | | | AIX Racing | | |
| OVERALL FASTEST LAP | ||||||||
| | | | | Theophile Nael | | | FRA | | | Campos Racing | | | |
| 1:22.077(Lap 9) | ||||||||
| OVERALL FASTEST LAP FOR POINTS | ||||||||
| | | | | Noah Stromsted | | | DEN | | | TRIDENT | | | |
| 1:22.991(Lap 9) | ||||||||
