F1Weekly Podcast # 1166
ON TODAY’S PROGRAM…
MAX WILL PASS HIS RED BULL SEAT TO ROBIN WHEN READY!
YUKI TO HAAS FOR 2027?
COLTON HERTA THROWS IN THE TOWL ON HIS FORMULA 2 CAREER
LAWRENCE STROLL IN PANIC MODE LOOKING AT MERCEDES OR FORD AS A REPLACEMENTS FOR HIS HONDA HEADACHE!
AND…FERNANDO SO TIRED OF HIS SLOW ASTON MARTIN BUYS A BUGATTI VEYRON GRAND SPORT! BRAVO…
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER A MOMENT IN MOTORSPORTS HISTORY…THE GILLES VILLENEUVE REPORT AND INTERVIEW WITH JACQUES VILLENEUVE. GRACIAS!
El Machismo.com
Fernando Alonso’s aluminium Veyron sat unsold for 27 months before it reached Monaco!
Fernando Alonso has taken delivery of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse that a German dealer has been calling the most expensive Veyron ever built since it went on sale in June 2024. A video filmed near the Casino this week shows the Aston Martin Formula 1 driver easing the polished-aluminium car through Monaco traffic. When Mechatronik of Pleidelsheim listed it, the odometer read 750 km after nine years.
Chassis 8.100 is a Grand Sport Vitesse with 20 tonnes of aluminium behind it
The car Mechatronik lists as chassis 8.100 was ordered from Molsheim in 2014 and delivered in 2015 with a front bumper and seamless side panels milled from solid aluminium blocks, then polished, on a body that is otherwise exposed carbon fibre. More than 20 tonnes of aluminium went to Molsheim to produce those panels, Bugatti had to write dedicated CAD programs for them, and it spent longer building this Veyron than any other. Underneath it is a standard Vitesse: an 8.0-litre W16 with four turbochargers, 1,200 hp, 1,500 Nm and 410 km/h with the roof in place. The options bill alone exceeded the Vitesse’s list price of about €1.69 million before tax.
The first owner held all six Veyron Legends editions and used them as leverage
The car exists because of an ultimatum. According to Mechatronik, the first owner already had a Veyron Pur Sang and had ordered all six Grand Sport Vitesse Legends editions, the 2013 and 2014 series built three cars apiece, along with several Super Sports. Bugatti declined the aluminium body as too expensive, and the client answered that the rest of his order book would go elsewhere if it did not build the car. It built the car. It then covered 750 km in nine years before it was consigned to a showroom near Stuttgart. Bugatti’s own La Maison Pur Sang restoration programme now treats twenty-year-old Veyrons as classics, and this one arrived at that status without ever being used.
Alonso said at Goodwood in July 2024 that he wanted ‘a small collection’
Alonso set out the shopping list himself, a month after the Veyron was listed. Interviewed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2024, he said he was ‘in the moment of my life where I’m really looking forward to having a small collection’, and added that some of the luxury brands he had driven for ‘went into a different direction: bigger numbers’, whereas he liked makers that ‘treat the customer like unique customers’. The list that followed was an Aston Martin one: a Valkyrie due around his 29 July birthday, one of the 38 Valiants he commissioned with a manual gearbox he admitted he never drives, and a DB5 he was chasing through the heritage department. Two years on, the cars that have actually arrived are a one-off Pagani Zonda Roadster Diamante Verde in May and now a one-off Bugatti, both bought from Mechatronik and both delivered in Monaco.
A Veyron built on one customer’s ultimatum fits Alonso’s own definition of luxury
Chassis 8.100 is the most literal version of what Alonso said he valued: a factory that built exactly what one client wanted and never repeated it. Bugatti made 450 Veyrons between 2005 and 2015, and the Pur Sang of 2007, five cars in bare aluminium and carbon, was the factory’s own earlier experiment in showing the metal. That is the same instinct that produced design director Frank Heyl’s bespoke Veyron, and it explains why a car that spent 27 months unsold suited this buyer.
Alonso drives what the first owner did not: 750 km in nine years, then Monaco traffic
The Veyron’s first owner averaged less than 100 km a year in it. Alonso, by his own account at Goodwood, drives every day: he lives in Monaco, uses ‘maybe more scooters than cars’, and takes his Aston Martin DBX to the airport each race week. The video shows the aluminium car doing exactly that kind of duty, waiting at a junction below the Casino rather than sitting under museum lights in Llanera. That puts him in the same camp as Lando Norris, filmed in London this week in the Ferrari F40 a friend crashed last year. Alonso’s price is undisclosed; Mechatronik never published one.
CLIO CUP (TOTO’S FAVORITE)
A tense battle awaits at Rallye Cœur de France.
Less than three weeks after its resumption at Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine, the Clio Trophy France Asphalte heads to the Rallye Cœur de France Région Centre-Val de Loire. Based in Vendôme, the penultimate round of the 2026 season could be decisive for Paul Dachicourt, who can clinch the title, while his rivals must step up to keep the suspense alive.
The Clio Trophy France Asphalte enters its home stretch. Added to the calendar as a replacement for Rallye Rouergue Rodez Aveyron Occitanie, the Rallye Cœur de France promises to deliver a thrilling show. While some contenders have chosen to use their wild card here, most of the favourites will be on the start line, underscoring the importance of every result in hopes of keeping their chances alive ahead of the season finale in the Cévennes.
On the back of two consecutive victories, Paul Dachicourt (Fun Meca Sport) has increased his lead in the general classification. The Pas-de-Calais native has his sights set on a hat-trick in the Loir-et-Cher to move even closer to the title. Also leading the Juniors’ category, where an official drive is up for grabs, he will draw upon his knowledge of the roads around Vendôme, where he finished in the top ten a year ago.
His rivals are determined to rekindle the suspense before it is too late. Romain Fostier (David Auto Compétition) will lead the challenge. Having scored his fifth podium finish in seven appearances at Morzine, the leader of the Gentlemen category will look to build on this momentum in a rally where he has lacked success since finishing fifth in 2020. Meanwhile, Maxence Potard (Gilbert Compétition) and Romain Brun (SKPB Compétition) will be keen to return to the podium – which they narrowly missed out on in the Alps – to keep their title hopes alive.
After coming within a hair’s breadth of the title last season, new father Julien Deslauriers-Sablonnière (Lycée Roger Claustre) is determined to rejoin the frontrunners in his return to the Clio Trophy France Asphalte after finishing second in the 2025 Rallye Cœur de France, just six seconds adrift of the winner. Other competitors are lying in wait and will use their experience on these roads to close the gap. Jérôme Janny (David Auto Compétition) is one to watch, as are Pascal Bérard, Jacques Bourrat, Laurent Lambert (Gazou Compétition) and Franck Giraud (Lycée Roger Claustre).
Building on their best result at Morzine, Léo Véricel and Fabien Combe want to confirm their rise in form with a first top-five finish. The same can be said of Néo Rivallant (Fun Meca Sport), whilst Louis Gass (PH Sport) will try to bounce back on roads where he finished ahead of the current trophy leader twelve months ago. Having also enjoyed a promising start to the season before getting caught out in the Alps, Tom Le Jossec (Rageau Sport Location) and the Dane Oliver Sørensen also want to get their campaigns back on track.
Thomas Van Outryve (LCS Location) and Maxence Girard (CHL Sport Auto) will attempt to demonstrate the full extent of their progress with a solid performance in a field completed by Baptiste Langlois (SKPB Compétition). The latter will make his debut in the Clio Trophy France Asphalte following several class victories in a Clio Rally5 in the French Cup.
Rallye Cœur de France Région Centre-Val de Loire will feature 13 special stages totalling 182.33 kilometres on a 510.35-kilometre route. On Saturday, competitors will contest two identical loops comprising three stages (Cellé, Bessé-sur-Braye and Bonneveau-Sougé) before a super-special stage in the Vendôme city centre. Sunday’s programme will continue with three stages run twice: Mazangé-Fortan, Savigny-sur-Braye and Sargé-sur-Braye, the route’s longest timed section at 22.1 km. Each of the final ten special stages will be worth up to five Jean Ragnotti Performer points, which could prove invaluable in the various title races.
The round will also showcase the prowess of Renault’s rally range in the French Rally Championship, with 5 Clio Rally3, 2 Clio Rally4 and 28 Clio Rally5 cars competing outside the trophy – a record for a round initially not on the calendar. Currently leading the Women’s class in Clio Trophy France Asphalte, Belgium’s Clémentine Benoit will make her debut in Renault’s four-wheel-drive car.
Entry list
#46 Paul Dachicourt – Adèle Dachicourt (J)
#47 Romain Fostier – Ophélie Abchiche (G)
#48 Maxence Potard – Maxime Biegalke (J)
#49 Romain Brun – Aurélia Chevalier (J)
#50 Jérôme Janny – Hélèna Pêcheur
#51 Julien Deslauriers-Sablonnière – Romain Depeux
#52 Léo Véricel – Jade Gaston (J)
#53 Fabien Combe – Fabien Chèze
#54 Néo Rivallant – Tom Joly (J)
#55 Louis Gass – Alison Girard (J)
#56 Tom Le Jossec – Christophe Leroy (J)
#57 Oliver Sørensen – Frederik Glad (J)
#58 Pascal Bérard – Caroline Bérard (G)
#59 Thomas Van Outryve – Johanna Della-Pina (J)
#60 Jacques Bourrat – Jean Bourrat (G)
#61 Maxence Girard – Ricardo Gil Mateus (J)
#62 Laurent Lambert – Céline Farnault (G)
#63 Franck Giraud – Christophe Dubien (G)
#64 Baptiste Langlois – Yael Lamont (J)
Maman.
GT3 Revival Series confirms full 2027 plans as Hungaroring and Dijon join the calendar.
• Two new venues join three continuing tracks for second season of retro GT3 series
• Circuit Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya all return
• Belgian event forms part of support line-up for marquee 24 Hours of Spa.
The GT3 Revival Series has confirmed its full 2027 calendar, which includes two new events as part of a five-round season that runs from April to October.
A provisional schedule was first announced by Stéphane Ratel during his annual press conference at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. The final line-up includes two notable changes, with Dijon-Prenois filling a previously to-be-confirmed slot and Circuit Paul Ricard replacing the Nürburgring in late August.
As is the case this year, each event will be hosted by one of its co-organisers, Peter Auto and SRO Motorsports Group. The season will launch with testing at Circuit Paul Ricard on 15–17 March, which forms part of Peter Auto’s annual test days at the French track.
The GT3 Revival Series has confirmed its full 2027 calendar, which includes two new events as part of a five-round season that runs from April to October.
A provisional schedule was first announced by Stéphane Ratel during his annual press conference at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. The final line-up includes two notable changes, with Dijon-Prenois filling a previously to-be-confirmed slot and Circuit Paul Ricard replacing the Nürburgring in late August.
As is the case this year, each event will be hosted by one of its co-organisers, Peter Auto and SRO Motorsports Group. The season will launch with testing at Circuit Paul Ricard on 15–17 March, which forms part of Peter Auto’s annual test days at the French track.
The competitive action begins on 2–4 April at Circuit de Barcelona-Barcelona, the same venue at which the 2026 season will conclude on 3/4 October. But while this year’s finale is part of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS schedule, the 2027 date will join Espiritu de Montjuic.
Organised by Peter Auto, this annual event commemorates the golden age of racing on the Montjuïc street circuit in Barcelona, with this year’s edition including classic machinery from the sixties, Group C sportscars, and a Formula 1 exhibition.
Round two will see the GT3 Revival Series race alongside Championnat de France FFSA GT for the very first time when it competes at the Dijon-Prenois circuit on 7–9 May. This track has a place in GT3 history, having staged the fourth round of the inaugural FIA GT3 European Championship in 2006. FFSA GT has been organised by SRO since 2017.
Then it’s on to the biggest GT race in the world, the 24 Hours of Spa, which stages its 79th edition on 23–27 June. The GT3 Revival Series makes its first appearance on the support bill, joining an event that has consistently drawn well in excess of 100,000 spectators to the Belgian Ardennes. What’s more, the 24 Hours of Spa is acknowledged as a fundamental part of the GT3 success story.
On 27–29 August the GT3 Revival Series will return to Circuit Paul Ricard for a second year in succession. But, having staged its inaugural event at the French track this season alongside GT World Challenge Europe, in 2027 it will join the Dix Mille Tours. Organised by Peter Auto since 2010, this year’s edition drew almost 300 cars to the south of France.
The 2027 campaign closes on 1–3 October at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest. This will see the GT3 Revival Series rejoin GT World Challenge Europe, which will return to the Hungarian track for the first time since 2019.
The 2026 GT3 Revival Series season concludes at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 3/4 October. Cars homologated between 2006 and 2013 are eligible to participate in either the Pro-Am or Am classes, both of which have achieved consistently strong grids this year.
Teams and drivers wishing to contest the final round and get a taste for the series ahead of a 2027 entry should contact [email protected] and [email protected].
The 10% duty on American cars into Europe is about to be zero.
On June 25th, the Council of the EU approved the US-EU Turnberry deal that sets EU duties on US built cars to 0%. The law takes effect the day after it lands in the EU’s Official Journal, which is expected any day as Trump urges a July 4th deadline.
We built a tool that shows which US-built cars now clear into the EU at 0% duty under this law.
