F1Weekly Podcast # 1169
ON TODAYS PROGRAM…
MAX DOMINATES THE SINGAPORE WEEKEND!
FERRARI DID THE BEST THEY COULD!
MC LAREN SEEMS TO BE IN THE UNHAPPY ZONE! AND FERNANDO SAYS…
HONDA WILL BE BACK…
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER… INTERVIEW WITH ZACK BROWN WHEN HE SPEAKS OF FERNANDO AND LIBERTY MEDIA…Also our BONUS… 3 MINUTES OF CHAOS AT MERCEDES IN MONACO…RIGHT. NOW..
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Verstappen Leads From Start To Finish For First Singapore Grand Prix Victory!
Max Verstappen followed up his Saturday Sprint Race victory by winning Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix for the first time as the four-time F1 world champion led from start to finish on his 250th Grand Prix start for his second 2026 triumph in a row.
The Dutchman started on pole position and just about held off his challengers off the line to build up a comfortable gap, which he never relinquished over 62 laps of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The win moves him up to fourth overall in the drivers’ standings as Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Isack Hadjar bounced back from Saturday reliability issues to finish in 10th place.
Verstappen, 29, said: “It has taken a while, but this race was very good. We had pace when we needed to have it on the soft tyre and on the medium, even though the medium tyre for everyone was a struggle. I am very happy to win here. Luckily it (the start) was just good enough. The last few races have been really positive for us and, hopefully, we can have a bit more fun until the end of the year.”
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson enjoyed another productive race day with seventh spot for six points as British teammate Arvid Lindblad ended in 15th.
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 1st
“It’s an amazing feeling to finally win here in Singapore. We’ve raced here many times and there have been a few missed opportunities, so to finally stand on the top step is really special. The car has been working well all weekend and I’ve felt really comfortable. We had strong pace throughout the race and although I had to push at times to maintain the gap, once I was in clean air I could really get into a rhythm. We had a few issues to manage, including the radio not working, but GP did a great job and seemed to know what I wanted to ask him most of the time! It’s been an incredible weekend and really nice to share another win with him and the Team. Now, we’re just taking it race by race and trying to maximise every opportunity. The most important thing is that we keep having fun, and hopefully we can carry this momentum as a Team into the next few races. Austin is a very different circuit, and a very bumpy one, so we’ll see how we get on when we arrive there.”
ISACK HADJAR – 10th
“It was a fun race tonight. Coming from the back and passing cars is always enjoyable. I wanted to get into the points, of course, but around a track like this, where a train can form, I wasn’t so sure. The car had strong pace from the off, especially once I got into clean air, and I could gradually make my way through. It was similar to Baku, where the Soft was much better than the Medium, so going onto it for the second stint helped a lot. It took a lot of hard work from everyone on my side of the garage to get that one point, but a point is a point for the Team. We clearly have the pace. Max showed that, and a big congrats to him, as I know he’s wanted that one. I’m looking forward to Austin already.”
LAURENT MEKIES – CEO & Team Principal
“Max delivered another outstanding performance today. The Team did a fantastic job to give him a car capable of fighting at the front throughout the weekend and, once again, Max got the maximum out of the package available to him. To come away with Pole and victory in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix is a tremendous result for the whole Team. The pace we showed tonight was very impressive, and it was a very well-executed race, as the team has delivered so many times this season. It is also a special moment to see Max finally adding Singapore to his list of victories. It is never straightforward, however, and we knew the start would be critical. We know it is an area where we still have work to do and we understood the risk going into the race, but Max and the team managed it well enough to retain the lead. From there, he controlled the race exceptionally well and made the most of the pace we had. Isack also delivered a very strong drive from the back of the grid. He was committed throughout, raced aggressively when he had opportunities and showed strong pace. After a difficult weekend, where we did not give him a real chance to fight because of the issues we had on his car, it was good to see him come away with a reward for his efforts. Credit must also go to the entire crew in the garage. They responded brilliantly well to every challenge that came our way this weekend and worked tirelessly to get the cars back out on track, session after session. It was an extraordinary team effort that makes us all proud. It has been a very positive weekend for the whole team, especially following what we achieved in Sepang, and it shows that we are becoming competitive across a wide range of circuits and conditions. That is a credit to the hard work of everyone in Milton Keynes. The important thing now is to keep learning and keep pushing. Even on a weekend where we achieved two poles and two wins, there are still areas we want to improve, both for the remaining races this season and for next year.”
GEORGE…
I managed to make good progress in my first stint and get myself onto the fringes of the top 10. We took the opportunity to stop when the Virtual Safety Car came out but sadly, we didn’t get the full benefit of that as it ended as I entered the pit lane. That type of luck sums up my season unfortunately! We fought hard on the Soft tyre but Nico (Hülkenberg) did a good job defending P8 from me.
We knew tonight was going to be a difficult race given where we were starting and how challenging overtaking is here. To get ourselves back in the points was a decent result but of course it has been a disappointing weekend here in Singapore for me. We will regroup now ahead of Austin and the final six races of the year. We’ve gathered a lot of useful data on the update package and hopefully we can build on that into the closing stages of the season.
Kimi Antonelli
That was a tough race out there today and I am very happy to have ended it by finishing on the podium. We knew overtaking was going to be difficult, so we were trying to do some things a little bit differently on strategy. Whilst we gave up track position to the McLaren of Lando Norris, we knew we were going to be on the better Soft tyre and trying to chase both him and Lewis (Hamilton) down. I managed to capitalise on the battle between the two of them, passed them both, and take P3. It is a fantastic result for the team after a difficult couple of weekends.
We have made some really good progress with our update package this weekend. It has proved to be a very useful experiment and one that has provided us with a really good direction to get the best out of it. Obviously, this was a Sprint weekend and after a tough Friday, there was only so much we could do so it wasn’t like we had the car in the perfect window today. That gives us confidence that we can make more improvements in Austin and start to see what it can truly deliver.
TOTO…
We knew that it was going to be a difficult race this evening with our cars starting from P4 and P19. Overtaking is notoriously tricky here in Singapore and the race was therefore shaped by strategic decisions. We tasked both cars with needing to make passes on track to gain positions in the closing stages and happily they were able to do that. Kimi had the pace to claim the final podium spot, passing both a McLaren and a Ferrari to do so, with George making some great moves throughout the race. He got up to P9 where his progress stalled but it was a good effort, nevertheless. To come away with P3 with Kimi and valuable points from George is a good result in a Grand Prix that we knew was about damage limitation.
We have spent this weekend comparing the update package with the previous specification and that has been a useful experiment. By qualifying yesterday and as we saw in today’s race, we have managed to get it working much better and saw a little more of its potential. It is no doubt a little trickier to get in the right set-up window, but it clearly has goodness and we need to build on that moving forward.
Charles Leclerc
We gave it our all today and extracted the maximum, so I’m happy with our result. Red Bull and Max (Verstappen) were very strong all weekend, and even though I pushed throughout it wasn’t quite enough to catch him in the end.
We had a good pace and made the right calls today, with a different strategy that worked out well for us today.
Next up we head to Austin. We will see what we can do there, and what all our competitors will bring in terms of upgrades which might reshuffle things again for the final set of races this season.
Lewis Hamilton
Today wasn’t the result we were looking for and it was on me. At a track that’s difficult to overtake, you need to try something different and I chose to start on a new Medium tyre, to go long and try to make a one-stop work. Unfortunately the Medium didn’t perform as well as the Soft.
I had a good second stint and the pace was back, but I couldn’t make the progress I needed. Under the VSC, the team called me in but I missed the entry. After that, I decided to stay out and try to hold track position to the end but in the closing laps, I was struggling massively with tyre degradation and lost three places, finishing P6, which doesn’t reflect the pace we had in the car today.
A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong but I’m sorry to the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them.
I’ll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race.
Victoire et titre pour Jousset et Servol sur la finale du Championnat de France FFSA GT
- Une dernière victoire synonyme de titre pour Rudy Servol et Léo Jousset
- Léo Jousset remporte aussi la SRO GT Academy et reçoit une bourse de 150.000 euros pour évoluer à un niveau supérieur en 2027
- Stéphane Lémeret et Stéphane Auriacombe doublent la mise en Am Cup
- Matéo Herrero et David Barrere vainqueurs en Alpine ELF Cup Series devant les champions Romain Monti et Rodolphe Wallgren
- Déjà champions, Léo Poncel et Philippe Marie concluent par une victoire en Ginetta Cup
La meilleure défense, c’est l’attaque ! En s’imposant sur la toute dernière épreuve de la saison, Rudy Servol et Léo Jousset se sont aussi assurés du titre de Champions de France FFSA GT ce dimanche sur le Circuit Paul Ricard. Lors d’une finale baignée de soleil, les 18.200 spectateurs ont pu profiter d’un programme de 15 courses, avec des épreuves spectaculaires et les titres décernés dans cinq séries différentes.
Pour le Championnat de France FFSA GT, le suspense a été préservé jusqu’au bout avec trois équipages encore en lice pour la couronne au moment d’aborder la dernière course de 60 minutes ce dimanche après-midi. Contraints à l’abandon la veille suite à un problème de turbo, Rudy Servol et Léo Jousset n’ont pas tremblé. Au volant de l’Alpine A110 GT4+ de l’équipe Race Cars Consulting, ils ont parfaitement géré cette finale en allant chercher la tête à 25 minutes du but pour ne plus jamais la lâcher.
Pour Rudy Servol, champion Am Cup en 2024, c’était un soulagement tant la couronne en Pro-Am lui a plusieurs fois tourné le dos au cours des dernières années. Quant à Léo Jousset, il a fait coup double en remportant non seulement un premier titre de Champion de France FFSA GT, mais aussi la SRO GT Academy. Cette compétition réservée aux pilotes Silver de moins de 29 ans avait attiré 13 concurrents cette année, mais c’est bien le pilote d’Angers qui s’adjuge la dotation de 150.000 euros ainsi que le soutien de SRO Motorsports Group et de la FFSA Academy pour évoluer à un niveau supérieur l’an prochain.
Deuxièmes ce dimanche, Cindy Gudet et Joran Leneutre (Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 / Akkodis ASP) ont terminé la saison en force avec un cinquième podium en cinq courses. Si le duo termine vice-champion au classement Pilotes, Akkodis ASP Team décroche le titre chez les Équipes !
L’une des belles performances de ce dimanche est à mettre à l’actif de Julien Briché et Nicco Ferrarin (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS / JSB Compétition). Auteur de sa première pole position au classement général, Julien Briché a ensuite mené tout le premier relais. Même s’il n’a pu contenir Léo Jousset et Joran Leneutre, Nicco Ferrarin a préservé la troisième place pour monter sur la plus petite marche du podium tout en s’imposant en Am Cup.
Encore candidats au titre Pro-Am avant cette dernière course, Lukas Papin et Jérémy Corsin (Alpine A110 GT4+ / Schumacher GP) terminent quatrièmes ce dimanche et décrochent finalement la médaille de bronze au championnat.
La dernière course de cette saison a confirmé tout le bien-fondé de l’intégration de l’Alpine ELF Cup Series au Championnat de France FFSA GT. Les leaders de la catégorie se sont livrés une superbe lutte pour la victoire, décrochée sur le fil par David Barrere et Matéo Herrero (Herrero Racing) après une arrivée au sprint. Sacrés depuis samedi, Romain Monti et Rodolphe Wallgren (Chazel Technologie Course) pouvaient néanmoins se réjouir d’un huitième podium en neuf courses.
Troisième de cette course avec son nouvel équipier Achille Leroy, la Polonaise Gosia Rdest (Chazel Technologie Course) termine vice-championne devant le duo Herrero-Barrere.
Un titre acquis dès samedi et… une dernière victoire pour fêter ça ! Philippe Marie et Léo Poncel ont terminé la saison en force dans la Ginetta Cup. Ils ont dominé cette dernière course pour l’emporter devant Gillian Lay et Jean-Christophe Sabadel. Malgré leur abandon, Stephan et Victor Guerin terminent la saison au deuxième rang du championnat.
Après cette fin de saison à succès, les regards se tournent déjà vers l’avenir. Rendez-vous prochainement pour en savoir plus sur la cuvée 2027 du Championnat de France FFSA GT.
SUTTON CROWNED FIVE-TIME CHAMPIO AS DOBLE SEALS INDY GLORY!
Curtain falls on record-breaking BTCC season at Brands Hatch
The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship concluded at Brands Hatch today (11 October), with newly crowned, record-breaking five-time champion Ash Sutton leading the celebrations.
With Sutton having secured the overall Drivers’ title at Silverstone two weeks earlier, the battle for Independents’ honours was all set to be decided at the season finale.
Mikey Doble and his LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing squad prevailed in front of a packed crowd at the famous Kent circuit to win both the Independents Drivers’ and Independents Teams’ titles, while the PMR Audi stable also celebrated young Dexter Patterson’s Jack Sears Trophy success.
The three races delivered their customary drama, with outgoing champion Tom Ingram (Team VERTU – Hyundai) taking two victories before Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK – Ford) won a frenetic finale around the 2.43-mile Grand Prix circuit.
Sutton reached the rostrum twice to end the season with an incredible 21 podium finishes, setting yet another astonishing record for the 32-year-old.
The NAPA Racing UK Ford star signed off by lifting the famous BTCC trophy – the most coveted silverware in British motorsport – while his team also secured the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ titles.
Sutton and his team had further cause for jubilation after announcing a new five-year extension to his BTCC contract, signalling that the partnership could mount many more title challenges in the years ahead.
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns in 2027 for another 30-race campaign at ten of the country’s leading circuits, beginning at Donington Park on 10/11 April.
Tom Ingram wins Brands Hatch opener
Team VERTU’s Ingram won Round 28 of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship after prevailing in a race-long battle with polesitter Aiden Moffat (LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi).
The pair exchanged places several times, but Ingram’s decisive move around the outside on the approach to Paddock Hill Bend proved the race’s defining moment.
Moffat entered the finale in fine form, having followed his victory and podium at Silverstone with yesterday’s ‘Race to Pole’ win.
The Scotsman pushed hard for victory but was eventually passed by the two-time champion, before receiving a five-second penalty for track-limits infringements.
The penalty dropped Moffat off the podium, although Independents’ honours provided some consolation for the driver of the #16 Audi A3 Saloon. Josh Cook (Speedworks Corolla Racing – Toyota) and Ricky Collard (Team VERTU – Hyundai) completed the overall rostrum.
Ingram completes the double
Hyundai man Ingram claimed his second victory of the day in Round 29 of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch, as Doble secured the Independents Trophy.
Team VERTU star Ingram led from start to finish to secure his third consecutive victory, a run that began with his win in the Silverstone finale two weeks earlier. The outgoing champion underlined both his class and his determination to reclaim the crown next season.
Cook of Speedworks Corolla Racing again finished second, confirming the same one-two result as in the day’s opening race.
Five-time BTCC champion Sutton claimed his 20th podium of the season – remarkably, his first third-place finish of the year.
Doble finished fourth to secure the Independent Drivers’ title, while also helping LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing claim the Independent Teams’ crown.
Cammish inherits win after Collard penalty
NAPA Racing UK’s Cammish inherited victory in Round 30 of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship after on-the-road winner Collard received a five-second post-race penalty for a procedural infringement at the safety car restart.
Starting third, Collard seized the lead on the opening lap before an early safety car period. A first-corner incident brought Tom Chilton’s final BTCC race to a premature end, with Team VERTU Hyundai teammate and winner of the day’s opening two races, Ingram, also retiring.
Cammish took the chequered flag in second before learning that he had secured his third victory of the campaign following Collard’s penalty. The NAPA Racing UK Ford driver had spent much of the race battling Patterson (Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing – Audi) and teammate Sutton.
Sutton climbed to second but, while pursuing Collard for the lead, ran off the circuit at Westfields and slipped to ninth by half distance. He then charged back through the field to secure his record 21st podium in 30 races.
Polesitter Patterson completed the podium – his first ever overall rostrum – capping a breakthrough season in which the Scotsman secured his maiden championship title by winning the 2026 Jack Sears Trophy.
2026 BTCC Title Winners
Drivers’ Champion – Ash Sutton
Teams’ Champions – NAPA Racing UK
Manufacturers’/Constructors’ Champions – Alliance Racing/Ford
Independent Drivers’ Champion – Mikey Doble
Independent Teams’ Champions – LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing
Jack Sears Trophy Champion – Dexter Patterson
Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, said: “This is a celebration. A phenomenal day to end a phenomenal season, and it’s also a celebration with Sam (Osborne’s) last race. It’s an emotional one for everyone here at NAPA Racing UK. We’ve also just finished with a record 21 podiums for the season, along with some of the other records, so it’s going to take something to go on and do better than this. It has been outstanding in every aspect, but I couldn’t do any of it without this incredible team behind me, as well as my family, friends and everyone involved.”
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Brands Hatch GP
- Tom Ingram, Team VERTU – Hyundai 15 laps
- Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing – Toyota +3.269s
- Ricky Collard, Team VERTU – Hyundai +5.782s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +5.876s
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +7.497s
- Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +9.305s
- Daryl De Leon, WSR – BMW +10.479s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +17.257s
- Dexter Patterson, Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +22.950s
- Dan Lloyd, Restart Racing – Hyundai +24.406s
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Brands Hatch GP
- Tom Ingram, Team VERTU – Hyundai 15 laps
- Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing – Toyota +0.600s
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +2.733s
- Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +4.969s
- Daryl De Leon, WSR – BMW +5.358s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +8.876s
- Ricky Collard, Team VERTU – Hyundai +10.594s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +12.301s
- Dexter Patterson, Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +13.201s
- Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +15.318s
2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Brands Hatch GP
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK – Ford 18 laps
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK – Ford +0.131s
- Dexter Patterson, Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +0.475s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +1.502s
- Adam Morgan, CPRL – Mercedes +1.768s
- Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing – Toyota +2.096s
- Dan Lloyd, Restart Racing – Hyundai +3.479s
- Ricky Collard, Team VERTU – Hyundai +3.974s
- Gordon Shedden, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport – Toyota +4.980s
- Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing – Audi +5.133s
