F1Weekly Podcast # 1158
ON TODAY’S PROGRAM…
OMG…FERNANDO MADE IT TO Q2!!!!!!! ASTON MARTIN FINISHED 13TH AND 14TH…
LANDO WINS AGAIN IN HUNGARY!
GEORGE’S START WAS HILARIOUS
LCH AND MAX WAS HILARIOUS!….
PIASTRI FEELING LIKE A NUMBER TWO AND…
FERNANDO …………………………..HAD FUN TODAY!
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…EL LEONE!!
AKA. OUR NIGE!… YES NIGEL MANSELL WITH NASIR WE CALL IT THE PERFECT INTERVIEW!!!
AS WE FOLLOW COLTON HERTA…14TH IN THE SPRINT AND 19TH IN THE MAIN EVENT!!!
LANDO…
“I’m tired! What happened?” Norris smiled post-race, taking it back to the first lap. “I don’t know what happened, to be honest. I just kept losing the rear. I had like three or four big snaps. It felt horrible and, of course, Oscar did a good job to get the cutback and get back past, so I think I was just a bit wide in the dirt – game over for the first lap.
“But man, I was pushing like hell to try and force him into a mistake or something. My pace today was probably some of the best pace I’ve ever had. The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident, so a great race. To get it back in terms of going long, which is certainly not what I was expecting, but the pace was so good I could always extend the stints, and fresh tyres then always won me the race. I’m just happy to be back and see the number one again.”
MAX…
“It was a really strong day and positive for us to finish in P2 today, although I’m quite surprised with the result given the problems we had this weekend. We really hung in there, made some good calls and brought it home in the second half of the race, especially with our older tyres. We were trying to make the best of what we had, and it was quite tough for a long period of the race, but everyone contributed to securing this podium.
“I think the start and the first stop to gain the position were really crucial, keeping the others behind for a while. Then, of course, we got undercut because the others were on the Soft tyres. We managed to jump ahead of Lewis again, which I think was very critical in that stint too. We were still struggling with the same things we had in Qualifying and there were some bright shining moments, but we need to be a bit more solid all-round in the second half of the season. Despite this, I think we performed well today and made all the right calls. The Team are all looking forward to a break so we can come back rested and refreshed for the second half of the season.”
KIMI…
It was not an easy race today. It was very difficult to overtake, even when we had significantly more pace than the cars ahead. We knew it might be like that today and so it proved. We did well to build a decent tyre offset to those ahead though throughout the race and that enabled us to get up into the podium positions.
I initially wanted to target a one-stop race. It seemed like it might be possible in the opening stint but then we started to suffer with the rears. We made the call to go onto the two-stop and in the final stint, had really good pace. The Virtual Safety Car made our lives a little more difficult with Lewis (Hamilton) getting fresh tyres and being right behind us, but we were able to bring home P3.
We have had a much better first half of the season than we perhaps expected at the very start. This is where we are at now though and we need to keep going, keep pushing on and doing the best job we can. It is going to be an intense second half of the year, but we are ready for it.
GEORGE…
That was another tough race. We lost lots of positions off the line and that ruined our chances of fighting for the podium. We’re not sure exactly what happened just yet. We did all the procedures as we normally do but it didn’t behave as we expected. The anti-stall then kicked in, and we dropped to the back of the field. The positive is that our pace across the rest of the race was strong and we were able to fight back to P7. That is not where we want to be finishing but is still points.
It has not been a smooth first half of the season. I am looking forward to this break so we can reset and come back stronger after the summer shutdown. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster on my side so far and I am hoping the second half of the year can be much better.
HUGE CROWD ENJOYS HIGH-SPEED BTCC ACTION AT THRUXTON.
Victories in Hampshire for Josh Cook, Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram
The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship blasted back into action following its mid-summer break with a stellar trio of races at Thruxton today (26 July).
A huge crowd descended on the Hampshire venue as 22 tin-top stars took on the fastest circuit in the UK for Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of this year’s campaign.
Josh Cook became the eighth different race winner of the season so far before title protagonists Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram added to their respective tallies.
Speedworks Corolla Racing’s Cook has long been hailed the ‘King of Thruxton’, having previously taken ten career BTCC victories around the 2.36-mile circuit, although he had been waiting since 2022 for a further success
Sutton’s record-breaking start to the season continued in yet more exemplary fashion, maintaining his championship challenge with an impressive win and two second places.
Team VERTU’s Ingram claimed two top five finishes before a vital win in the finale, keeping Sutton within sight in the fight for the title.
Alliance Racing/Ford and NAPA Racing UK top both the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ tables.
Mikey Doble remains at the head of the Independent Drivers’ order, whilst LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing hold sway in the Indy Teams’ table.
A brilliant day for James Dorlin – with two top six finishes overall – elevated him to the summit of the Jack Sears Trophy standings.
The BTCC returns in two weeks’ time for its annual trip north of the border, at Knockhill on the 8/9 August.
Cook extends winning record at Thruxton
Speedworks Corolla Racing’s Cook took victory in the Thruxton opener, extending his winning record at the Hampshire venue with 11 overall victories.
Having set the pace during Qualifying, before going on to win the ‘Race to Pole’ on Saturday afternoon, the #66 Toyota Corolla claimed a commanding lights-to-flag triumph.
It was far from easy, however, with four-time BTCC champion Sutton keeping Cook honest throughout the contest. Whilst their pace on-track looked comparable, a lack of boost available for the #116 Ford Focus Titanium meant that second place was just reward for the current standings’ leader
There was more joy behind as Dan Rowbottom secured the first ever podium for Cataclean Plato Racing, with the Mercedes squad showing improved pace this weekend. The result also confirmed that each of the six marques have now scored at least one podium so far this season.
Rowbottom got a great start, as well as benefiting from an early scuffle between Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK – Ford) and Ingram (Team VERTU – Hyundai), and the #32 Mercedes A35 Saloon slipped into third – a position he held until the finish.
Series returnee Senna Proctor – substituting for the unwell Sam Osborne this weekend – drove brilliantly to take fourth, fending off the attentions from former teammate Ingram in the #80 Team VERTU Hyundai.
Sutton surges to sixth triumph of 2026
NAPA Racing UK’s Sutton stood victorious in Round 14, extending his championship lead in the process.
Sutton got the better of good friend and opening race winner Cook, when the latter’s Toyota ran wide in the opening exchanges and the #116 Ford Focus nipped by.
The four-time champion kept the rest at bay while Speedworks Corolla Racing’s Cook fell back into the clutches of Ingram (Team VERTU – Hyundai) and later Cammish (NAPA Racing UK – Ford) in the final laps.
The battle between Cook and Ingram intensified, gradually building to a critical moment through the final chicane as the two cars went side-by-side while completely on the limit.
In truth, neither car made the corner with Ingram getting the better of it, as Cook’s #66 Toyota Corolla endured a half spin before continuing.
This left Cook in the grasp of Cammish’s Ford Focus in the latter stages as the pair swapped positions twice, with the latter eventually gaining the position.
There was even better news for Cammish and Cook on the final tour when a ten second penalty was confirmed for Ingram following excessive track limit infringements, meaning the pair completed the podium.
Ingram takes top spot in Thruxton finale
Team VERTU’s Ingram took the chequered flag in the Thruxton finale, as the 2025 Champion stood triumphant for the second time in his title defence campaign.
A robust early move past pole-sitter Dorlin was enough to secure the deal as the young talented Restart Racing Hyundai driver fought valiantly to keep a gaggle of contenders behind.
The NAPA Racing UK Ford pairing of Sutton and Cammish were next through, but both were unable to make inroads into Ingram’s early advantage as the experienced trio settled in to secure the all-important podium positions.
Team VERTU’s Ricky Collard drove brilliantly from 11th on the grid to take fourth after a number of eye-catching moves – ending an often-frustrating weekend on a high for the #11 Hyundai i30N driver.
Proctor rounded off a great day with another top five finish, having been thrown into the #18 Ford Focus Titanium race seat at the final minute.
Dorlin eventually came home sixth but undoubtedly proved to be one of the stars of the Thruxton event as he scooped yet more Independents’ and Jack Sears Trophy honours.
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Thruxton
1. Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing – Toyota 16 Laps
2. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +0.653s
3. Daniel Rowbottom, Cataclean Plato Racing – Mercedes +3.422s
4. Senna Proctor, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +6.334s
5. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU – Hyundai +7.005s
6. Adam Morgan, Cataclean Plato Racing – Mercedes +8.451s
7. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +13.797s
8. Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +14.533s
9. James Dorlin, Restart Racing – Hyundai +15.925s
10. Árón Taylor-Smith, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport – Toyota +23.102s
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Thruxton
1. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK – Ford 16 Laps
2. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +9.305s
3. Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing – Toyota
4. Daniel Rowbottom, Cataclean Plato Racing – Mercedes +10.761s
5. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU – Hyundai +11.826s
6. James Dorlin, Restart Racing – Hyundai +14.532s
7. Adam Morgan, Cataclean Plato Racing – Mercedes +14.633s
8. Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +18.740s
9. Árón Taylor-Smith, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport – Toyota +18.900s
10. Gordon Shedden, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport – Toyota +19.322s
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Thruxton
1. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU – Hyundai 19 Laps
2. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +0.663s
3. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +4.603s
4. Ricky Collard, Team VERTU – Hyundai +5.167s
5. Senna Proctor, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +7.261s
6. James Dorlin, Restart Racing – Hyundai +11.857s
7. Gordon Shedden, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport – Toyota +14.473s
8. Tom Chilton, Team VERTU – Hyundai +15.149s
9. Dexter Patterson, Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +16.268s
10. Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +16.584s
Penalties:
Race 1
Chris Smiley received a one-place penalty in Round 13 of the championship, for an incident involving Árón Taylor-Smith – click here for the penalty report.
Ricky Collard originally received a 10-second time penalty in Round 13 of the championship, for repeated track limits offences. The Clerk subsequently rescinded the time penalty for mitigating circumstances – click here for the penalty report.
Race 2
Daryl De Leon received a one-place penalty in Round 14 of the championship, for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in an incident involving Charles Rainford – click here for the penalty report.
Josh Cook received a one-place penalty in Round 14 of the championship, for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in an incident involving Dan Cammish – click here for the penalty report.
Ash Sutton was investigated in Round 14 of the championship, for a potential start infringement. The Clerk deemed that no infringement had occurred – click here for the penalty report.
Race 3
Tom Ingram received a five-second time penalty in Round 15 of the championship, for a start infringement – click here for the penalty report.
León keeps Maini and Câmara at bay to win in Budapest
Slater holds off Ugochukwu to take victory and championship lead in Budapest
Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwu went wheel-to-wheel for the win and the championship lead in the Budapest Feature Race, with the TRIDENT driver holding on to claim his first FIA Formula 3 victory. The Briton took the lead early on once Tuukka Taponen pitted with damage, and controlled the race out front, resisting pressure from Ugochukwu. The Campos Racing driver went from sixth to second, while Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer took the final spot on the podium in third.
AS IT HAPPENED
It was a clean start from pole for Taponen keeping the lead ahead of Slater, while Mattia Colnaghi retained P3 despite pressure from Badoer. Slater was keen to take the lead early on and looked to go the inside of Taponen at Turn 12. But the two made slight contact, leaving the TRIDENT driver with front wing damage.
The Safety Car was called upon moments later with Maciej Gladysz and Gerrard Xie in the barrier at the exit of Turn 13. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver collided with Jin Nakamura which sent him into the ART Grand Prix rookie, with all three out of the race. Taponen used the opportunity to come into the pitlane having suffered a right rear puncture, and with the other drivers following him in, he only dropped to P6.
The incident between Slater and Taponen was under investigation as the Briton led the field away at the restart on Lap 6. But the Virtual Safety Car was signalled moments later with Salim Hanna having stopped on track at Turn 13.
With the AIX Racing car cleared from the track, racing resumed on Lap 7 and Colnaghi was under pressure from Badoer and Ugochukwu. The Campos driver was showing great pace and went around the outside of both Badoer and Colnaghi at Turn 2 to get up to second with one of the moves of the season.
At the same time, the Stewards ruled that there was No Further Action for the incident between Taponen and Slater. But the Briton had new problems with Ugochukwu right on his gearbox on Lap 12, and he went defensive into Turns 1 and 2 to keep his race lead.
The Virtual Safety Car was called upon on the next lap with Kanato Le having stopped at Turn 12. Racing resumed on Lap 14 and Ugochukwu resumed his attack on Slater, but the top two were not alone, with Badoer, Colnaghi and Théophile Nael all right behind.
The Safety Car was out on the next lap following a three-car collision at Turn 1 between the AIX cars of Fernando Barrichello and Yevan David, as well as Enzo Deligny. Barichello was left on the side of the road with a broken rear left suspension, while David and Deligny continued on – although the Van Amersfoort Racing driver retired in the pitlane. The Sri Lankan driver was later given a 10-second time penalty for the incident.
Slater led the field to green on Lap 18 of 24 as Nael and Taponen went wheel-to-wheel at Turn 1. The MP driver was not pleased, believing he had been run off the track by his Campos rival. On Lap 19, the Briton extend his lead out front to 1.1s, breaking the DRS barrier to Ugochukwu.
The American fought back on Lap 21 but was too far behind to make a move. Ugochukwu was closer to his title rival on the penultimate lap, even looking up the inside at Turn 9, but once again Slater held on. On to the final lap and Ugochukwu once again had his DRS wing open but was still not close enough to Slater to make a move.
The British driver had done enough and took his first ever victory in FIA Formula 3 and with that the championship lead going into the summer break. Ugochukwu settled for P2 ahead of Badoer, while Colnaghi ended up in fourth. Nael held on to fifth ahead of Taponen, while Ernesto Rivera was seventh. Nicola Lacorte finished eighth, while PREMA Racing duo James Wharton and Louis Sharp rounded out the points.
KEY QUOTE – Freddie Slater, TRIDENT
“Just finished the Feature Race here in Budapest, finally got the win on the board, seven podiums in seven rounds, it’s been an incredible rookie season so far and we are fighting hard. Massive thank you to the team for working really hard overnight to improve the pace, yesterday was a bit of a struggle, today was even better. So massive thank you to them for digging deep overnight and giving me a car that could do that.”
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
For the first time this season, Freddie Slater leads the Drivers’ Championship on 130 points, with Ugo Ugochukwu down to second on 122. Théophile Nael is third on 85 points, while Brando Badoer moves up to fourth on 71, as Ernesto Rivera rounds out the top five with 70.
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing continue to lead the way on 277 points, with TRIDENT 196. Van Amersfoort Racing with 131 points are third, while Rodin Motorsport sit fourth on 120, as ART Grand Prix round out the top five on 119.
UP NEXT
The drivers will now get a few weeks to rest before hitting the track in Madrid for a two-day test on August 24-25. After that is Round 8 in Monza from 4-6.
FIA Formula 3 – Budapest – Provisional Classification – Feature Race
| | | | | DRIVER | | | LICENCE | | | TEAM | | | |
| | | 1 | | | Freddie Slater | | | GBR | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 2 | | | Ugo Ugochukwu | | | USA | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 3 | | | Brando Badoer | | | ITA | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 4 | | | Mattia Colnaghi | | | ARG | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 5 | | | Theophile Nael | | | FRA | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 6 | | | Tuukka Taponen | | | FIN | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 7 | | | Ernesto Rivera | | | MEX | | | Campos Racing | | |
| | | 8 | | | James Wharton | | | AUS | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| | | 9 | | | Louis Sharp | | | NZL | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| | | 10 | | | Christian Ho | | | SGP | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 11 | | | Hiyu Yamakoshi | | | JPN | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | 12 | | | Jose Garfias | | | MEX | | | PREMA Racing | | |
| | | 13 | | | Noah Stromsted | | | DEN | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 14 | | | Taito Kato | | | JPN | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | 15 | | | Bruno Del Pino | | | ESP | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | 16 | | | Pedro Clerot | | | BRA | | | Rodin Motorsport | | |
| | | 17 | | | Fionn Mclaughlin | | | IRL | | | Hitech | | |
| | | 18 | | | Alessandro Giusti | | | FRA | | | MP Motorsport | | |
| | | 19 | | | Nicola Lacorte | | | ITA | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| | | 20 | | | Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi | | | THA | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| | | 21 | | | Matteo De Palo | | | ITA | | | TRIDENT | | |
| | | 22 | | | Woohyun Shin | | | KOR | | | Hitech | | |
| | | 23 | | | Yevan David | | | SRI | | | AIX Racing | | |
| NOT CLASSIFIED | ||||||||
| | | DNF | | | Maciej Gladysz | | | POL | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | DNF | | | Jin Nakamura | | | JPN | | | Hitech | | |
| | | DNF | | | Enzo Deligny | | | FRA | | | Van Amersfoort Racing | | |
| | | DNF | | | Fernando Barrichello | | | BRA | | | AIX Racing | | |
| | | DNF | | | Kanato Le | | | JPN | | | ART Grand Prix | | |
| | | DNF | | | Salim Hanna | | | COL | | | AIX Racing | | |
| | | DNF | | | Gerrard Xie | | | CHN | | | DAMS Lucas Oil | | |
| OVERALL FASTEST LAP | ||||||||
| | | | | Matteo De Palo | | | ITA | | | TRIDENT | | | |
| 1:36.064 (Lap 8) | ||||||||
| OVERALL FASTEST LAP FOR POINTS | ||||||||
| | | | | Freddie Slater | | | GBR | | | TRIDENT | | | |
| 1:36.481 (Lap 24) | ||||||||
FERNANDO…
“It was a good step forward for us this weekend, so it’s a solid baseline for us to build on when we return after the summer break. The car was performing well in the race, and we were able to fight with those around us, which was great after some difficult weekends. We’ll keep pushing, and we’ll see how things come together in Zandvoort, especially with Honda’s update.”
ADRIAN…
“It’s clear we’ve taken a very encouraging first step forward with the upgrade, and the progress made is a huge credit to the hard work of the entire team at Silverstone. The other positive is that performance was in line with our data predictions, showing good correlation between our updated simulation tools and the track. This is a strong indication we are on the right development path for the short and longer term. With valuable learnings gathered today, we now have a solid baseline to build on when we return from the summer break, with further upgrades planned for Zandvoort.”
Charles Leclerc #16
We lost a few positions at the start, and on a track like this, where overtaking is so difficult, we just couldn’t come back from that. The main challenge of my race was the grip. These new cars are extremely sensitive to the smallest changes and the same tyre compound can feel different across stints.
We looked strong on Friday but our competitors were conservative and we realised after qualifying that we would struggle a bit more than it first seemed. We have performed very well on tracks we did not expect to do so well on and not reached our goals on tracks we expected to be strong.
The whole team back home in Maranello and at the track has done an amazing job in bringing upgrades to our package, which has allowed us to make solid progress and be competitive, including winning two races. Now we will take some time to recharge and come back stronger, analysing our season so far and continuing on this positive trajectory after the summer break.
Lewis Hamilton #44
I’m really grateful to everyone in the team for the work they’ve put in over the first half of the season. We’ve made some genuine progress, and the car was good again this weekend, which is very positive.
It’s obviously frustrating to come away with so little when the potential was there. Everyone back at the factory and here at the track has worked incredibly hard to keep moving us forward, so it’s disappointing not to convert that into the result we were capable of.
The last few races have been costly on my side, with too many points left on the table. But I’m still second in the championship, there’s a long way to go, and there are plenty of opportunities ahead.
The summer break is a chance to reset, recharge and come back with the same determination. We’ll keep pushing, keep improving, and I’m confident we can come back strong for the second part of the season.
Fred Vasseur Team Principal
The race did not go well for us, with too many issues and mistakes, even if the first of those was made yesterday in qualifying. At the start Charles dropped from P2 to P5 after Turn 1, because he had too much wheelspin and we found ourselves with both cars not only behind (Oscar) Piastri but also behind (Max) Verstappen. We did the right thing undercutting Verstappen but we then lost the position again on track. In the end we pitted both cars for Softs as Lewis was on used Hards and would have been vulnerable. On a positive note, we have closed a bit more the gap to Mercedes. Now it’s time to recharge the batteries to come back stronger in the second part of the season.
