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ON TODAYS PROGRAM… WITH GIANPIERO LAMBIASES LEAVING RED BULL THE MAX ERA IN F1 COMING TO AN END… WHEN FERRARI PLAY CATCH UP…WELL WE’VE SEEN THAT COMEDY OF ERRORS BEFORE MERCEDES WILL NEVER SHOW ALL THEIR CARDS AND… FERNANDO KNOWS THE FAT LADY IS ABOUT TO SING! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: ZACK BROWN before he joined McLaren and BOB BONDURANT… AND YES….OUR BONUS IS HIRO MATSUSHITA OF FORMULA 1 AND CHAMP CAR FAME! Bob Bondurant was one of America’s most influential racing figures — a driver who succeeded on the world’s greatest circuits, competed for legendary teams including Shelby American, Ferrari, and Eagle, and ultimately shaped generations of racers through education. Rising from the fiercely competitive Southern California road racing scene of the 1950s, Bondurant achieved significant success on both sides of the Atlantic and became a pivotal ambassador for American road racing. His enduring legacy lives on through the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, which trained hundreds of thousands of drivers — from future professionals to Hollywood royalty. Career, Bondurant was born in Evanston, Illinois, but his competitive instincts emerged early and loudly. As a teenager, he raced Indian motorcycles on dirt ovals, learning car control the hard way. By 1956, he shifted his focus to sports cars, initially racing a Morgan, and soon made his mark by winning the West Coast “B” Production Championship in a Chevrolet Corvette, claiming an extraordinary 18 victories in 20 races. His growing reputation caught the attention of Santa Barbara Chevrolet dealer Shelly Washburn, who hired Bondurant in 1961 to drive his #614 1959 Corvette. Over the next several seasons, Bondurant became a dominant force on the West Coast. His on-track rivalry with David McDonald produced some of the era’s most memorable Corvette battles. At the 1962 L.A. Times Grand Prix, Bondurant debuted Washburn’s new 1963 Corvette Z06 Stingray, and between 1961 and 1963, he won an astonishing 30 of 32 races in Washburn’s Corvettes. Shelby, Europe, and international success In 1963, Bondurant joined Carroll Shelby’s Ford Cobra team, immediately delivering results. He won his first race for Shelby at Continental Divide Raceway in Colorado, followed by an overall GT victory at the L.A. Times Grand Prix at Riverside later that year. The following season propelled him onto the global stage. After finishing second in GT at Sebring, Bondurant spent 1964 racing in Europe, campaigning Shelby’s new 289 FIA Cobras at iconic events including the Targa Florio, Spa-Francorchamps, and the Nürburgring. His most celebrated triumph came at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he and Dan Gurney won the GT class in the revolutionary Cobra Daytona Coupé. Bondurant reached the peak of his international racing career in 1965, when he played a key role in Shelby American and Ford winning the FIA Manufacturers’ World Championship. He won seven of ten races, defeating the class-dominant Ferrari 250 GTOs across Europe. That same year, Bondurant expanded his résumé further, driving a works Ferrari Formula One car at the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, followed by a start in a Lotus 33 for Reg Parnell at the Mexican Grand Prix. Formula One, film, and defining moments In 1966, Bondurant’s expertise took him beyond the racetrack. He served as technical consultant for John Frankenheimer’s film Grand Prix and personally trained lead actor James Garner to drive Formula cars for the movie’s racing scenes. That same year, Bondurant was involved in one of the most consequential moments in motorsport safety history. Alongside Graham Hill, he helped extract Jackie Stewart from his fuel-soaked wreck during the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix — an incident that directly inspired Stewart’s later campaign for improved safety standards. Bondurant also competed in five Formula One Grands Prix with Team Chamaco Collect, driving BRMs and achieving an impressive fourth-place...

ON TODAYS PROGRAM… CARLOS SAINZ SAYS IT’S NOT F1 NORRIS SAYS THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WE KNOW WHAT MAX SAYS… THE ROOKIES ON THE OTHER HAND DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER! IS KIMI FASTER THAN GEORGE? AND… FERNANDO’S NEW BABY’S NAME…LEONARD ALONSO JIMINEZ…MACHISMO! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: JOHNNY CECCOTTO JR. AND RIO HARYANTO FORMER F1 DRIVER NEXT WEEK…WE HAVE ZACK BROWN before he joined McLaren and BOB BONNDURANT… Johnny Amadeus Cecotto, aka Johnny Cecotto Jr., was born in Augsburg, Germany, in 1989 and has lived in the Principality for a long time. He is a former racing driver, entrepreneur, aviator, and dad who is happily married to Cristina Boeri de Cecotto. They have two children, a son and a daughter, who are the light of their lives. His mother is Monaco resident jewellery designer Martina Wagner, and his father, Johnny Alberto Cecotto Persello, known as Johnny Cecotto, is a Venezuelan former professional Grand Prix motorcycle and auto racer. Johnny Cecotto Jr.’s racing career was filled with numerous highlights. He became the youngest driver to win an international Formula 3 race at just 16-years-old, a record that still stands today. He also won the Monaco Formula 2 Grand Prix in 2012, a race that is considered one of the most prestigious in the world. Johnny served as the third driver for Toro Rosso and Force India in Formula 1, a testament to his skill and talent. He also held the record for the most race starts in GP2 history, including several victories, pole positions, and podiums. Eventually, Johnny left racing to dedicate fully to his booming entrepreneurial career as the founder of Stars Monte-Carlo, a luxury car dealership in the Principality, where he continues his passion for wheels by selling luxurious and super-sport cars. With Stars Formula, a motorsport management company, Stars Capital, an investment firm, and Stars Real State, he has been expanding his portfolio in various fields since 2012, with no end in sight. This was after successfully building his IT company, which had clients like Vodafone and the Nolan Group. Rio Haryanto, born 22 January 1993 in Surakarta, Central Java, holds a unique place in motorsport history as Indonesia’s first and only Formula One driver, and the first Muslim driver to start a Grand Prix. Though his F1 career was brief, just 12 Grands Prix in 2016, Haryanto’s journey from Southeast Asian karting circuits to the global Formula One stage was anything but ordinary. Haryanto’s career began in karting where he quickly made a name for himself, winning multiple regional championships. He moved to single-seaters in 2008 and took his first major international title in 2009, claiming the Formula BMW Pacific Championship with Meritus. He then climbed the European junior ladder, including spells in GP3 and GP2, developing under the Manor Motorsport umbrella, which would later form his link to F1. His early success in GP3 even earned him a test with Virgin Racing (later Marussia/Manor) at the 2010 Abu Dhabi young driver test. After years on the brink, Haryanto was confirmed as a full-time driver for Manor Racing in 2016, alongside Pascal Wehrlein, the reigning DTM champion and Mercedes protégé. It was a historic moment for Indonesia and a major milestone for Southeast Asian motorsport. Driving car number 88, Haryanto made his debut at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, but an early incident with Romain Grosjean in practice earned him a grid penalty and set the tone for a challenging campaign. In the race, he retired on lap 18 with a drivetrain issue. Despite often finding himself at the back of the field, Haryanto showed flashes of racecraft and resilience. His best finish came in Monaco, where he brought the car home in 15th, albeit four laps down—but it was still classified! He also beat teammate Wehrlein in China and Spain, though Wehrlein would eventually grab Manor’s only point of the season in Austria, highlighting the gulf in car performance and...

ON TODAYS PROGRAM… KIMI WINS AGAIN WITH A LITTLE SAFETY CAR KARMA! GEORGE GETS HIS CAGE RATTLED BY ANTONELLI MCLAREN QUICKLY CATCHING UP WITH MERCEDES. RED BULL CLEARLY A MID PACK TEAM. DID THE NEW RULES CONTRIBUTE TO OLIE’S BIG CRASH? AND…FERNANDO HELD BACK GP2 ENGINE aaahhh! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: CHRISTIAN KLEIN. 2026 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday Kimi Antonelli It feels great to get my second win! I made a bad start from pole and was kicking myself that we lost so many positions. When we were in free air on the Medium tyre though, I was able to improve my pace quite a lot. We were fortunate with the timing of the Safety Car and that put us in the lead; it made my life a lot easier! Who knows what would have happened without that, but I felt like we had the speed today to challenge for the win without it. This is the best way to head into this mini break in the season. I am going to enjoy the moment but use the time well to work on where I can improve. As a team, and despite winning the first three races, we know we need to keep raising our game too. We had a real battle today and we know that it’s not going to be easy to keep up this run of form. We’re looking forward to using the time ahead of Miami well and hopefully putting ourselves in a strong position once the season resumes. George Russell We’ve had a lot of bad luck this weekend and that is unfortunate as we were definitely in the fight for the win today. After a difficult start, we’d managed to get ourselves back to P2 but stopped just one lap before the safety car was deployed. That changed the complexion of the race and unfortunately, after taking the restart in P3, we lost two more positions as a result firstly of hitting the harvesting limit and then an unexpected superclip. It was pretty frustrating but that’s the way racing goes sometimes. It’s clear from this weekend that our competitors are beginning to optimise their cars much more now. We have enjoyed a great start to the season, but our rivals are hot on our heels as we saw today. The upcoming gap in the calendar will also give everyone a chance to develop further so we know that, once we’re back on track in Miami, we are in for a proper fight. Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal We had an exciting race today with plenty of overtaking which hasn’t always been the case here at Suzuka. It’s a new way of racing where you have to think strategically in order to both pass and then make sure it sticks. It’s a great challenge for both the drivers and the teams and it makes the race very unpredictable. Sometimes you need the luck to go your way in racing and that was the case with Kimi today. He lost positions at the start but was able to get them back with a fortunately timed safety car. Whilst that was helpful to him, his pace in the second half of the race showed what he was capable of. George was on the flip side of that equation and lost out having pitted just one lap before the safety car came out. He then lost more positions, firstly on the restart as he hit the harvesting limit and was low on deployment and then secondly with an unexpected superclip. He fought hard to get back to P4, but he’s certainly had more than his share of bad luck this weekend. Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director Well done to Kimi on his second win. He had really strong pace and, whilst he benefited from the safety car to put him into the lead, he was able to comfortably control the race once he was in that position. Kimi's fortune was George's misfortune. Had we stopped George a lap later, he would have retained the lead for the restart. As it happened, he dropped to P3 and lost a further place to Lewis when he hit the harvesting limit too early in the lap and had insufficient battery for the restart. He then had another frustrating issue where a bug in the software code, triggered by a button press and a gear shift at the same time, caused the power unit to go into superclip and charge the...

ON TODAYS PROGRAM… MAX ON POLE TAKES VICTORY AT THE NURBURGRING AND IS DISQUALIFIED! HOURS LATER. THE WORLD KNOWS MERCEDES IS HOLDING BACK POWER! ASTON MARTIN’S WORKING ENVIRONMENT BECOMING UNCOMFORTABLE AS ADRIAN NEWEY IS REMOVED AS TEAM PRINCIPAL LEAVING ROOM FOR JONATHAN WHEATLEY TO TAKE OVER AND…THE MOST OBVIOUS QUESTION IS …WHEN WILL ANTONELLI REPLACE LEWIS AT FERRARI? THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: KAZUKI NAKAJIMA, ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO FORMULA ONE™ TEAM STATEMENT FROM LAWRENCE STROLL. “With the current speculation surrounding Adrian Newey’s role in our team, I want to take this opportunity to set the record straight. “As Executive Chairman and Controlling Shareholder, I would like to reaffirm that Adrian Newey is my partner and an important shareholder. He is AMR’s Managing Technical Partner, and he and I have a true partnership built on a shared vision of success for the company. “We do things differently here, and while we don't currently adopt the traditional Team Principal role that you see elsewhere - it is by design. “As the most successful engineer ​in the history of the sport, Adrian's primary focus is on the strategic and technical leadership where he excels. He is supported by a highly skilled Senior Leadership Team to deliver on all aspects of the business, both at the Campus and trackside. “We are regularly approached by senior executives of other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in keeping with our policy, we do not comment on rumour and speculation.” New management structure for the Audi F1 Project. Jonathan Wheatley is leaving Audi Revolut F1 Team effective immediately for personal reasons Mattia Binotto assumes responsibilities as Team Principal in addition to his role as Head of Audi F1 Project Audi CEO Gernot Döllner: “We will continue to pursue the path we have chosen with determination” Audi has made an adjustment to the management structure of its Formula 1 project. In addition to his existing duties as Head of Audi F1 Project, Mattia Binotto will also assume the responsibilities of Team Principal. Jonathan Wheatley is leaving the Audi Revolut F1 Team with immediate effect for personal reasons. Wheatley had been part of the Audi F1 Project since April 2025. Together with Binotto, he built up the racing team at the Hinwil facility in Switzerland, which immediately scored points on its Formula 1 debut in early March. With this transition, Mattia Binotto will now assume additionally the responsibilities of Team Principal, taking leadership at the race track of Audi Revolut F1 Team. “We are grateful to Jonathan Wheatley for his contribution to the project during the crucial entry phase and wish him all the best for the future,” says Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG and Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Motorsport AG. “Mattia Binotto and the team will continue to pursue the path we have chosen with determination. Our focus remains unchanged: we are concentrating all our efforts on building a team competing at the highest level that will challenge for world championships in Formula 1 by 2030. We will continuously develop our organizational structures to achieve our shared goal in a sustainable manner.” Penske Entertainment Statement on Passing of Jim Michaelian INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, March 21, 2026) – A statement from Roger Penske about the passing March 21 of Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian: “Everyone at Penske Entertainment and within the INDYCAR community is deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Michaelian. Jim was a leader of a small, passionate group who believed in the concept of bringing elite open-wheel competition to Long Beach in the 1970s, worked tirelessly to make it happen despite steep odds and then helped nurture the Grand Prix of Long Beach into becoming America’s premier street race. His vision and energy surrounding this great event remained boundless for 50 years, as no task was too small for...

ON TODAYS PROGRAM… CONGRATULATIONS TO KIMI FOR POLE AND THE WIN! MERCEDES CLEARLY AHEAD OF THE PACK! WITH FERRARI RIGHT BEHIND FERNANDO SEES THE END OF RACING WITH DRIVING SLOW IN THE CORNERS TO HARVEST KILOWATTS… LAWRENCE STROLL CLOSE TO THE BRAKING POINT COULD SELL ASTON MARTIN TO BYD! UNLIKE MAX…LCH LOVES THE NEW CARS! AND…. THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: ARVID LINBLAD AND UGO UGOCHUKWU….ENJOY! Kimi Antonelli became the second youngest F1 winner of all time, beating Mercedes team-mate George Russell into second place in Shanghai, while Lewis Hamilton claimed his first ever podium for Ferrari. But it was another chaotic, controversial grand prix under these new 2026 regulations. Neither McLaren made it to the grid, world champion Lando Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri both suffering from unspecified technical gremlins. After his crash on the formation lap in Melbourne last weekend, Piastri becomes the first driver since team founder Bruce McLaren back in 1969 to fail to start successive races. But they were hardly alone. Williams’ Alex Albon and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also failed to start, while Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen was one of three more drivers who failed to finish. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso had to retire due to excessive vibrations from his power unit – the same vibrations he was worried might lead to “permanent nerve damage” in Australia. The controversial new 50–50 hybrid power units for this season, combined with active aerodynamics, have completely split fans and drivers. Some are enjoying the lack of reliability and hugely increased overtaking, with drivers able to deploy “boost” and “overtake” modes. Others, notably four-time champion Max Verstappen, decry the action as “artificial”, comparing this new era to computer games such as Mario Kart. You certainly cannot accuse these new rules of failing to produce action. China, the second race of the season, was meant to herald a return to something more “normal” after an extraordinary120 overtakes at the season opener in Australia last weekend. But it was just the same. A wild start, in which the fast-starting Ferraris surged to the front from the second row. A wacky first stint, in which the Ferraris and Mercedes battled for supremacy. And then – after a safety car came out on lap 10 when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll retired – Mercedes gradually pulling clear. Antonelli, 19, eventually won by 5.5sec ahead of Russell to become the first Italian winner of a Formula One race for 20 years, since Giancarlo Fisichella at Sepang in 2006, and the second youngest grand prix winner of all time behind Verstappen, while Hamilton was another 19.7sec back, having emerged victorious from a furious tussle with team-mate Charles Leclerc in which they repeatedly swapped positions and went wheel to wheel. Leclerc said it was “fun” while Hamilton called it “one of most enjoyable races” he has ever had. Fans will be split on that sentiment. Briton Oliver Bearman was an impressive fifth for Haas, just shy of his best ever finish, fourth place in Mexico last year. Kimi Antonelli... What an incredible day! This win is a fulfilment of one of the dreams I’ve had ever since I first drove a go-kart. I want to say thank you to my amazing family and the incredible team at both Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive. I couldn’t have done this without any of them, and it means so much to take my first victory in F1. It was a very special moment for all of us. The race itself wasn’t easy. I lost a position at the start and had to fight back to get ahead. We then had to manage the Safety Car restart which wasn’t easy on the Hard compound. It was difficult to get the tyres working but fortunately we were able to before we were under threat from those behind. This has been a great way to close the first double-header of the season but there is lots of work ahead. We aren’t taking anything for granted and will make sure we work hard ahead...

ON TODAYS PROGRAM… FIRST PROBLEM…THE F1 TV COVERAGE IS STINKO! LOOKS LIKE MERCEDES IS GOING TO GET AWAY WITH IT AGAIN! FERRARI LOOK FAST BUT THE BAD DECISIONS CONTINUE AND ASTON MARTIN LOOK TO BE IN TROUBLE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER... WE HAVE A CANADIAN BONANZA! TEDDY YIP JR., DANIEL MORRAD AND ROBERT WICKENS! George Russell... That wasn’t a straightforward afternoon, but this win feels very sweet! Congratulations to the whole team; they’ve done an incredible job and this victory is for them. We had a difficult and chaotic start and from there, were yo-yoing with the overtakes between Charles and me. I could have perhaps used my energy more smartly to defend when I first overtook him and that cost me when he passed me back. It was quite stressful from in the car but hopefully meant we put on a good show for the fans. We stopped quite early on when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed and knew we were going to have to manage our tyres from there. We were not clear on whether the one or the two-stop was going to be quickest or which one was the right decision to help us take victory. The strategy team made a great call though and I am really happy we could take the victory and the 1-2. It’s a perfect way to start the season and we will enjoy this moment, but it is still very early days in the championship, and we know our rivals will be trying to close the gap quickly. It wasn’t easy for us so let’s see how we perform in China next week. Kimi Antonelli What an afternoon and what a weekend! It has not been easy on my side of the garage here in Melbourne, but we’ve come away from here with a great result. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive; they’ve produced a really strong car and a platform for us to build on. This 1-2 is for them and due to all the hard work and effort they’ve put in over several years. Coming to the grid, I had a lower battery level so the start was very stressful! We obviously made a slow launch but from there our recovery was good and our pace was strong. That enabled us to fight our way back to the Ferraris and ultimately, after we went through the pitstops, to take a 1-2 for the team. There is a lot we’ve learned about our car and how to operate within these new regulations this weekend. Whilst we were the strongest team in Melbourne, we are going to have to work really hard to stay ahead. I’m now looking forward to China and seeing what we can do in Shanghai. MAX... “The first laps were pretty hectic and we just needed to stay out of trouble. I had some issues at the start with the battery so as soon as the clutch was dropped, I had no power so that is something we need to understand. We then got quite cleanly through the field, did some decent overtakes and learned a bit about what we could do. We settled into our own race but unfortunately had a little too much degradation; the tyre behaviour was surprising as we had a lot of graining on the Hard compound, which of course compromised our stints and meant that we couldn’t really fight for more. So, this is something that we need to go back and understand a bit more. We also tried everything at the end to overtake again and gain a position but when we got close my tyres opened up. Overall the Team still did a great job: it was a decent comeback from P20 and we will work as a Team to close the gap further.” ISACK... "Today was frustrating. I was confident that we could challenge for the podium so this result is a shame. I felt really strong off the line but unfortunately the issue we had came up straight away. The reliability we had throughout the weekend was good, but of course, the race is different and I could feel that there was a problem quite early on. The car was making a funny sound and I knew that we weren't going to make it to the end. It's frustrating, but these things can happen and we're so early on in our journey. We quickly go onto China with a short...

…ON TODAYS PROGRAM… ASTON MARTIN ALREADY PONDERING... THE SEASON IS ALL BUT A WASH! WILL MERCEDES PASS A COMPRESSION TEST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE RACE? FERRARI MUST KICK OFF THE SEASON WITH A WIN IN MELBOURNE. AND… FERNANDO COULD BE IN F1 FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: ADRIAN ZAUGH AND F1W LISTENER BURAQ SARTAG FROM TURKEY! Champ Palou Opens Season with Dominant March to St. Pete Win ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 1, 2026) – Alex Palou picked up right where he left off in 2025, opening the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with a dominant victory in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Palou won his third consecutive and fourth overall series championship last season by a whopping 196 points, an advantage of more than three races, and he and Chip Ganassi Racing showed the same swagger on a sun-splashed Sunday in Florida. SEE: Race Results Reigning event winner Palou, from Spain, cruised to his 20th career victory in just his 99th start, driving his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 12.4948-second victory over the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet of NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin. “This team keeps on improving, keeps on making new changes, and they just keep on raising the bar,” Palou said. “It’s pretty impressive. It’s a long season in front of us, but what a great way to start the season.” Christian Lundgaard, who started 12th, rallied to complete the podium finishers in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Kyle Kirkwood dropped from second late in the 100-lap race to finish fourth in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Pato O’Ward put two Arrow McLaren cars into the top five after finishing fifth in the team’s No. 5 Chevrolet. This was the first race in which INDYCAR rules mandated the use of at least two sets of the softer Firestone Firehawk alternate tire with red sidewalls, throwing an additional strategic element into the racing mix. And, as usual, Palou and longtime strategist Barry Wanser made all the right calls. The decisive moment of the race came on Laps 36 and 37. Team Penske called leader McLaughlin to the pits at the end of Lap 35, with Marcus Ericsson assuming the lead from second in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. Andretti Global summoned Ericsson to the pits at the end of Lap 36, with Palou taking the top spot. But instead of calling Palou to the pits on the next lap, Wanser and Palou decided to stay out until the end of Lap 38 on their original set of alternate tires in an “overcut” strategy. It worked. Palou blended back on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit in front of McLaughlin and Ericsson. Once the rest of the leaders cycled through their pit stops, Palou found himself out front by Lap 42. He would only surrender the top spot during pit stop cycles to finish the race, leading 59 of the 100 laps. There was a bit of suspense when Palou made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 67 with a 14-second lead on McLaughlin. Palou had used the required two sets of Firestone alternate tires in his first two stints and opted for the harder, but slower, Firestone primary tires for his final run to the finish. Kirkwood and McLaughlin made their final stops at the end of Laps 65 and 68, respectively, both taking the softer but faster Firestone Firehawk alternate tires. That tire choice offered a glimpse of hope that Palou could be reeled in after he took the lead on Lap 70, but Kirkwood never got closer than 5.5 seconds in his pursuit despite the more grippy tires. Palou, who started fourth, then pulled away at an astonishing rate over the closing laps to win by the largest margin in the 23 editions of this event. “Those Firestones were like everlasting,” Palou said. “They would just keep going. I had an amazing car today.” There was drama in the final 10 laps as McLaughlin and Lundgaard both took advantage of fresher tires to pass Kirkwood for the...

…ON TODAYS PROGRAM… FERNANDO AND THE HONDA CURSE, LAWRENCE STROLL SELLS ASTON MARTIN NAMING RIGHTS FOR 50 MILLION POUNDS. FERRARI ON THE OTHER HAND SHOW OFF NEW SPINNING REAR WING AND, LOOK VERY COMPETITIVE ! MCLAREN AND MERCEDES ARE NOT FAR BEHIND… RED BULL IS STILL A QUESTION MARK?…AND FERNANDO WILL NEED HIS CAMPING CHAIR AS THE GP2 ENGINE THAT FAILED HIM AT MCLAREN, THAT WENT KABLAMO IN THE INDY 500 AND LOOKS TO HAUNT ALONSO FOR ANOTHER LONG SEASON!! STAY TUNED FOR SOME GREAT ONE LINERS FROM MACHISMO… THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: MARCUS ERICSSON, MARTIN BRUNDLE, AND MIKI MONRAS DE ESPANA…! Indianapolis 500 Veteran Hucul Dies at 79 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Feb. 20, 2026) – Canadian driver Cliff Hucul, a veteran of three Indianapolis 500 starts in the late 1970s, died Feb. 17 on his farm in his native Prince George, British Columbia. He was 79. Hucul made three consecutive starts in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” from 1977-79. His best finish came as a rookie in 1977, 22nd in the No. 29 Team Canada McLaren/Offenhauser that Hucul bought after Johnny Rutherford drove it to victory in the 1976 “500.” Hucul completed 72 laps before being sidelined by gearbox problems. He qualified on Bump Day for that race despite touching the wall in practice the previous day and suffering two engine failures during the Month of May, a significant pitfall for his low-budget team. Hucul’s best qualifying spot was 18th in 1979, his final “500” start. The small-town driver from northern British Columbia learned his craft by racing stock cars and modified sprint cars at local tracks. He then began racing modifieds and supermodifieds in the Pacific Northwest against drivers that included eventual Indianapolis 500 winner and INDYCAR SERIES champion Tom Sneva and his brother Jerry Sneva. Hucul made 24 total USAC and CART starts between 1977-81, with eight top-10 finishes. Hucul’s best finish in the standings was 11th in 1979, when he started the season by placing fifth at Ontario Motor Speedway and a career-best fourth at Texas World Speedway. In 1996, Hucul became a paraplegic after an automobile accident when crossing black ice on a highway in British Columbia. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Hucul remained active, managing his farm and mentoring many drivers in the area. He was inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame for his lifetime contributions to auto racing. Hucul is survived by his son, Kelly, and daughter-in-law, Sylvie; daughter, Michele, and many grandchildren. 2026 BAHRAIN TESTING - WEEK 1, DAY 3 MAX VERSTAPPEN “Looking at the test overall, the Team got in a good number of laps on the first day so we were happy with that. We completed a lot of things that we wanted to test with the new Power Unit and the car in general. Today it was a continuation of that plus also trying to explore a little bit more with the car; you go through so many test items that it continues to change and evolve with everything that you are testing. In general, it is all so new that we are still learning a lot, but the car was good. We also have new tyres, so we spent some time looking at different sets and understanding what we need to improve and be better at. With the power unit, looking at the laps we got on the board, the start that we have had is good. That’s exactly what we wanted to do and it was not a given. Whether it will be enough to win races, we don’t know, we will just focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can, but there is still massive room for improvement. Finally, with the car, we learnt a lot about what worked and what didn’t. Our runs also gave us even more ideas for the afternoon with Isack and then for next week, where we can continue to try new things and different set ups.” ISACK HADJAR “The first week here in Bahrain has gone well. Of course, I had to wait a little before getting in the car after Barcelona, but once I did, we were...

…ON TODAYS PROGRAM… MAX SAYS THE NEW CARS ARE ANTI-RACING, NOT FUN TO DRIVE FORMULA E ON STEROIDS!!! LCH SAYS NEW CARS SLOWER THAN GP2!! AAAHHH! AND RIDICULOUSLY COMPLICATED!! THE FANS WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND IT!!! LANCE STROLL INSISTS ASTON MARTIN 4 SECONDS SLOWER THAN LEADERS…sorry FERNANDO… ALPINE AND AUDI DISPLAY INTERESTING APPROACH TO REAR WINGS AND SIDE PODS….AND FERNANDO…THE ASTON. MARTIN CHEF COULD DRIVE THESE CARS!! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: MIKA SALO AND PAUL VALLHAUG FROM NORWAY…! 2026 Bahrain Pre-Season Test - Day Three The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team has completed its first week of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, with Lance Stroll returning to the wheel of the AMR26. Lance headed out on track at approximately 10:30, completing running across both the morning and afternoon sessions, as the team focused on aero mapping as well as low and high fuel runs. He completed a total of 72 laps during the day. Across the three days in Bahrain, the AMR26 completed a total of 206 laps between Lance and Fernando, allowing the team to gather valuable data during the opening week of testing. The drivers will return to the cockpit next week for the second phase of testing, before final preparations begin for Melbourne. Mike Krack “After completing the shakedown in Barcelona, we have now finished our first test of the new season. We ran into some issues earlier in the week, and that’s exactly why we go testing - especially with new regulations. This whole package is very fresh, so it takes time to understand all the different elements and identify where we need to improve. A big thank you to the entire team for the hours worked across the three days of testing. We are realistic in knowing that there is a lot of performance still to unlock in this package, and it is important that we analyse all of our learnings ahead of next week. Williams F1 team 2026 Bahrain pre-season testing – Day 3 Alex Albon: We knew it was going to be a challenging three days getting up to speed and starting to understand the new car and regulations. The positive is that we got quite a few laps under our belt and the car seems reliable, which is never easy for the first week of testing. On my side, getting to grips with a new car has been a challenge, but I am enjoying the intricacies of it. There’s a lot of improvement to be done and a lot to learn to bring a better package for the next round of testing, so it will be a busy next week of really digging in to the data. Carlos Sainz: Overall, it’s been good to test the car properly these past days and be able to do as many laps as we have done. We are still playing catch up on certain things, but doing over 210 laps has given me a much better understanding of what we can expect this year. The cars feel very different and it’s going to be a challenging season, but this is nothing new and I’m up for the challenge. It’s still early days to discuss performance in detail and compare ourselves to our direct competitors, but it is clear that the gap between teams is not as tight as last year, at least not for now. What is important for me is that we have identified the main areas we want to focus on in the upcoming weeks and I hope that we can improve gradually as we get closer to Melbourne. There is a lot of work ahead of us as a team so there is no time to lose. Théophile Nael leads the way on the final day of the Barcelona F3 pre-season test Campos Racing’s Théophile Nael finished with the fastest lap on the final day of the Barcelona pre-season test, completing a 1:27.525 in the morning session when times were at their quickest. In the afternoon, it was Gerrard Xie who ended up at the top of the leaderboard with a 1:29.676 for DAMS Lucas Oil. MORNING Similar to Day 2, the teams started with Qualifying runs on old Hard tyres, but before the first set of laps could be completed, the Red Flags were out...

…ON TODAYS PROGRAM… MERCEDES CAUSE PANIC! RIVAL TEAMS LOOK FOR FIA INTERVENTION BEFORE START OF SEASON. ALL EYES ON ADRIAN NEWEY AND ASTON MARTIN’S EXTREME NEWEY DESIGN BLOWING PEOPLES MIND! WILLIAMS COULD BE SAND BAGGING... AND, FERNANDO STILL THINKING OF THE TRIPLE CROWN!! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: OLIVIER PANIS! Olivier Panis, originally from Oullins, Lyon, is a former French Formula One driver. Early in his career, Panis began with karting, progressing through several junior series before moving up to the French Formula 3 series. By 1990, he secured 4th place in the championship and achieved runner-up status the following year. After karting, Panis competed in two seasons of F3000. His initial season involved challenges with the Apamotox team’s stubborn Lola car, while the second season saw him racing for the highly viewed DAMS Equipe team. His perseverance paid off when he was crowned champion, setting the stage for his entry into Formula 1 with Ligier. At 27, Panis joined the French-based Ligier F1 team in 1994. He secured a surprise second-place finish at Hockenheim that season, ending the season 11th overall in the Drivers’ Championship. He continued to impress, securing another unexpected second place at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, despite trailing two laps behind the leader, and finished 8th in the championship. Panis’s most astonishing triumph came at the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, where he drove his way to victory in treacherously wet conditions. It marked Ligier’s first win in 15 years—their last—and was the first French victory in a French car at Monaco in 66 years. However, apart from this win, Panis failed to finish higher than fifth for the remainder of the season. In 1997, racing for Prost, who had bought Ligier, Panis showed promise, placing third in the championship standings after six races. Unfortunately, a crash in Canada broke his leg, sidelining him for eight races. He returned for the season’s last three races and finished ninth in the championship. The 1998 season was less successful for Panis, who struggled to score points under Prost’s management. He earned only a single point across the following season, leading to the end of his relationship with the team. Panis then considered an offer from Williams but opted to test for McLaren instead, which kept his presence in the paddock despite a full-time drive. He joined BAR in 2001, although the team didn’t meet his expectations, finishing 14th for two consecutive seasons. In 2003, Panis moved to the new Toyota team to provide his experience and mentor his teammate, Cristiano da Matta. Although he improved in qualifying, his overall results mirrored his previous seasons, finishing 14th once again. Panis continued with Toyota through 2004, his tenth year in Formula One. He announced his retirement in October of that year, effective after the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix. He stayed with Toyota as a test driver through 2005 and 2006, ending his F1 career at age 37, with five podiums and 76 career points from 157 starts. Olivier Panis Formula One World Championship career. F1 Career 1994–1999, 2001–2004 Teams Ligier, Prost, BAR, Toyota Entries 158 (157 starts) Championships 0 Wins 1 Podiums 5 Career points 76 Pole positions 0 Fastest laps 0 First entry 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix First win 1996 Monaco Grand Prix Last win 1996 Monaco Grand Prix Last entry 2004 Japanese Grand Prix Olivier Panis Teammates 13 Teammates Involvement First Year Last Year Eric Bernard 13 1994 Johnny Herbert 1 1994 Franck Lagorce 2 1994 Aguri Suzuki 6 1995 Martin Brundle 11 1995 Pedro Diniz 16 1996 Shinji Nakano 10 1997 Jarno Trulli 34 1998 2005 Jacques Villeneuve 34 2001 2002 Cristiano da Matta 28 2003 2004 Ricardo Zonta 16 2004 Ryan Briscoe 5 2004 Ralf Schumacher 1 2005 HSR Pistons and Props Presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network Returns to Sebring February 13-15. SEBRING, Fla. (Feb....

…ON TODAYS PROGRAM… TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER DESIGNATING INDY CAR RACE THRU THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON DC! CELEBRATING THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE USA!! WITH BARCELONA TESTING BEHIND US…WHO IS AHEAD? MERCEDES and FORD! FERNANDO SAYS…WE LEARN SOMETHING FROM ADRIAN NEWEY EVERYDAY! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: JOHN WATSON!!! John Watson’s Formula 1 debut at 1973 British Grand Prix Watson’s first F1 car was a March-Cosworth 721 which he drove on the non-championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch. A year after, he was ready to move up to F1, making his debut in the British GP where he drove a Brabham BT37, and after that competed in the US Grand Prix with Brabham BT42. He retired in both races. In 1974, he drove for Goldie Hexagon Racing team with a Brabham BT42 and BT44, scoring his first world championship point with a sixth place at Monaco. He scored a total of six points that season. He failed to score points in the following year when he drove for Team Surtees before switching to the American Penske squad. First Formula 1 victory with Penske at Austrian Grand Prix He secured his first podium with the third place at the 1976 French Grand Prix. Later that season came his first victory, driving for Penske in the Austrian Grand Prix. After the race, he shaved off his beard, the result of a bet with the team owner Roger Penske. In 1977 and 1978, Watson raced with Brabham-Alfa Romeo machinery, in the first year for Martini Racing and in the second for Parmalat Racing Team. In 1977, problems with the car, accidents and a disqualification resulted with Watson racing the full distance in only five of the 17 races. In 1978, he reached three podiums and notched up 25 points to earn sixth place in the championship. In McLaren Team since 1979 For the season of 1979, Watson moved to Marlboro McLaren Team. The next two seasons were without any victories, and finally in 1981, at British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Watson secured his second F1 win. It was a maiden victory for the trend-setting carbon fibre composite monocoque McLaren MP4 car, designed by John Barnard, and managed by the team’s new boss, Ron Dennis. New monococque saved his life. Later in the season, the strength of the carbon fibre monocoque was demonstrated when John had a fiery crash at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. He started seventh on the grid and raced for 19 laps. Watson lost control of the car, coming out of the high speed Lesmo bends and crashed backwards into the barriers. The car was halved but Watson walked away unhurt. Similar accidents had previously proven fatal, but Watson was uninjured, and that lucky break proved the strength of the new carbon fiber construction. Third place in the 1982 F1 championship His most successful year was 1982, when he finished third in the drivers’ championship, winning two Grands Prix (Zolder and Detroit). Most impressive was his victory at the first ever Detroit Grand, on a tight and twisty track that was difficult to pass through. Watson worked his way from the 17th starting position on the grid and charged through the field scoring a victory. Master-class victory at Long Beach Watson made a similar master-class victory the following year at the final Formula One race in Long Beach (USA). On the street circuit, he started from 22nd on the grid and succeeded to win the race. Watson’s final victory also included a fight for the position with his teammate Niki Lauda, who had started the race at the 23rd spot, but Watson ultimately finished 27 seconds ahead of his famous teammate. ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO COMPLETE BARCELONA SHAKEDOWN Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, 30 January 2026: The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team continued its Shakedown programme at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today, with Fernando Alonso getting behind the wheel of the AMR26 for the first time. Fernando headed out on track at approximately...

A NUMBER OF TEAMS NOT SHOWING UP FOR DAY ONE OF TESTING! WILLIAMS TO MISS THE FIRST TEST ENTIRELY! MCLAREN WIN A $12 MILLION DOLLAR JUDGEMENT AGAINST ALEX PALOU FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT. SOME TEAMS STILL NOT HAPPY WITH ENGINE LOOP HOLE AND THE FIA’S ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM! DIFFUSER ARE BACK IN THE LIME LIGHT… AND…FERNANDO SEEN GIGGLING AND ANXIOUS TO GET HIS HANDS ON THE ASTON MARTIN! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…PERFECT FOR MEDITATION WE HAVE EDDIE CHEEVER!! Eddie Cheever Jr. carved out a unique place in Formula 1 history as one of the most tenacious American drivers to compete at motorsport’s highest level. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1958, Cheever spent nine seasons racing in Formula 1 between 1978 and 1989, becoming a familiar face on circuits from Monaco to Silverstone. His career spanned multiple decades and continents, transitioning from European Formula 1 circuits to American IndyCar ovals with remarkable adaptability. Cheever’s journey represents the classic American racing dream made reality through determination, skill, and an unwavering commitment to speed. This comprehensive examination explores Cheever’s complete racing story, from his early Formula 1 breakthrough to his IndyCar triumph at the Indianapolis 500, revealing how one driver successfully navigated two distinctly different racing cultures. Early Life and Racing Genesis Edward McKay Cheever Jr. was born on 10 January 1958 in Phoenix, Arizona, into a family that understood the value of pursuing ambitious goals. His father, Eddie Cheever Sr., recognised his son’s potential early and made the crucial decision to relocate the family to Europe when Eddie was just a teenager. This move proved instrumental in shaping Cheever’s racing destiny. The Cheever family settled in Rome, Italy, where Eddie began his formal motorsport education. This European base provided access to the junior formula series that served as a stepping stone to Formula 1. Unlike many American drivers who remained focused on domestic racing series, Cheever immersed himself completely in European racing culture from the beginning. His early racing experiences in Italy taught him the fundamental skills required for road course racing. The technical precision demanded by European circuits contrasted sharply with the oval racing that dominated American motorsport. Cheever adapted quickly to this environment, developing the car control and racecraft that would serve him throughout his career. Professional Development and Character Cheever’s personality combined American determination with European sophistication. Colleagues remember him as intensely focused yet approachable, possessing the communication skills necessary to work effectively with international teams. His bilingual abilities proved advantageous when working with Italian and French teams later in his Formula 1 career. His physical conditioning reflected the professional standards expected in Formula 1. Standing at medium height with a lean build, Cheever maintained the fitness levels required for the physical demands of racing at circuits like Monaco and Spa-Francorchamps. His consistency in qualifying and race performances demonstrated the mental toughness developed through years of European competition. Theodor Racing and Formula 1 Debut Cheever’s Formula 1 journey began with Theodor Racing in 1978, a Swiss team that provided opportunities for emerging drivers. The team operated with modest resources but maintained professional standards that prepared Cheever for the demands of Grand Prix racing. His debut came at a time when Formula 1 was becoming increasingly competitive and technologically sophisticated. Working with Theodor Racing taught Cheever essential lessons about Formula 1 operations. The team’s limited budget meant every component had to be used efficiently, and drivers were expected to provide detailed technical feedback to help optimise performance. These...

RED BULL UNVEILS THEIR 2026 LIVERY….BORING NASSER AL ATTIYAH WINS HIS SIXTH DAKAR TITLE BENAVIDAS WINS THE BIKE CLASS BY ONLY 2 SECONDS FORD AND CADILLAC ALREADY EXCHANGING INSULTS AND FERNANDO…SHOWING OFF HIS CAR COLLECTION IN. MONACO! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…PERFECT FOR RELAXATION! NEXT WEEK WE HAVE EDDIE CHEEVER!! Benavides Hits Back For Historic 2026 Dakar Rally Title As Al-Attiyah Wins Again! Argentine wins maiden Bike title by just two seconds while Baciuška dominates Stock category for glory. Argentina's Luciano Benavides hit back from a 3m20s deficit at the start of the final Stage 13 to win the 2026 Dakar Rally Bike title in thrilling fashion by just two seconds - the smallest margin in Dakar history - for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing as Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška also claimed a maiden title in the Stock class and Nasser Al-Attiyah held his nerve to wrap up a sixth Ultimate class title. Here is all you need to know: - Benavides looked to have blown his chance on Friday as Honda rival Ricky Brabec overtook him in the overall standings, however the 30-year-old was in no mood to back down and rode superbly on Saturday in the final sprint to the Yanbu finish and pip the American - who made a late navigational error - to glory by just two seconds. - It is the smallest margin of title victory in Dakar history, the Salta native joining his older brother Kevin as Dakar champions on two wheels after his title wins in 2021 and then 2023 for KTM. Making Benavides' victory even more incredible in Saudi Arabia were the knee and shoulder injuries that he sustained just three months ago. - Luciano admitted: "I cannot believe it! I never stopped dreaming. To win by just two seconds is unreal. I woke up today full of motivation and energy, trusting myself to do what I can. That's the key to success at the Dakar. My brother Kevin won by 43 seconds in 2023 and that was the closest finish ever. Now I've won by two seconds. Two seconds after two weeks and over 8,000km is hard to believe." - With Spaniard Tosha Schareina rounding out the podium, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Daniel Sanders and Edgar Canet also finished after experiencing a rollercoaster two weeks in the desert. Reigning Bike champion Sanders suffered a broken collarbone on Wednesday, but dug deep to end up in fifth just over an hour behind while Spaniard Canet, 20, won three stages including the final one. - Sanders, 31, said: "At the finish I was in so much pain I just wanted to lie down. Then they told me Luciano had won, so I rushed over to congratulate him. That's the Dakar, it's never over until it's over. I'm just happy to make it to the finish line." Canet added: "I'm happy for all the KTM family. We show all the time that we have the fastest bike." - Baciuška already had three overall Dakar podium finishes in his locker - two in the SSV class and one in Challenger - however he went one better with a dominant Stock class performance over the two weeks that saw him bank seven stage victories en route to a 3hr58m victory from Defender Dakar D7X‑R teammate Sara Price with 14-time Dakar champion Stéphane Peterhansel finishing back in fourth. - Baciuška, 26, declared: "It's amazing for Defender to win in their first year. This is my fifth Dakar and I'm bringing home my first win. The team did a big job and missed out on a lot of sleep." - The Ultimate class did not go right down to the wire like many thought heading into the second week as Qatari Al-Attiyah drew on all his rally-raid experience to keep a comfortable cushion in his Dacia Sandrider from the challengers behind to win his sixth Dakar title. The Ford Raptor T1+ of Spaniard Nani Roma was second and his Swedish teammate Mattias Ekström third - just like his 2025 result. - Al-Attiyah, 55, revealed: "From the start we believed we could win this race. We started from zero with this Dacia project and we've developed the car so much. Now...

AUDI FIRST TO TEST THEIR 2026 CAR IN BARCELONA! ANOTHER MEETING SCHEDULED OVER THE ENGINE LOOP HOLE ISSUE! TOTO WOLF CONFIDENT MERCEDES HAS DONE IT AGAIN! DAKAR RALLY FIRST WEEK HAS BEEN AN EXCITING FIGHT BETWEEN FORD, DACIA AND TOYOTA…AND FERNANDO SAYS… THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEK WE HAVE PETER WINDSOR OF USF1 FAME…AND OUR BONUS…VENEZUELA’S OWN MILKA DUNO…BRAVO! Smiles for miles as Benavides brothers score historic multi-discipline double! We didn’t have to wait long for the 2026 Dakar Rally to serve up a slice of history in its second week. The fastest biker on Stage 7 was Luciano Benavides and the winner of the Challenger stage was his older brother Kevin! The siblings from Salta, Argentina were unbeatable on the 462 kilometres of dunes and fast tracks that stretched between Riyadh and Wadi Ad-Dawasir. A new chapter of the Dakar’s near 50-year history has been written, the first time a pair of brothers have won the same stage in different categories! Red Bull KTM Factory Racing biker Luciano Benavides got his second week of the Dakar off to the best possible start. Luciano is riding under his lucky number 77 and this victory on Stage 7 was the seventh stage win of his Dakar career. Things are really starting to add up for the Argentinian biker. “It’s the first time in history that two brothers win in two categories on the same day. This is something incredible!” – Luciano Benavides Luciano was waiting at the Wadi Ad-Dawasir bivouac to congratulate his brother Kevin Benavides on the family’s second victory of the day. Kevin is debuting in the Challenger class after switching from two wheels to four. The elder Benavides brother won the Dakar bike race twice. Now he’s got his first Dakar stage victory behind a steering wheel. “I never dreamed something like this could happen, I’m so happy for this moment. It was tough to get this victory. When I finished the stage they told me that Luciano had also won! It’s a proud day for our family.” – Kevin Benavides Luciano Benavides is currently third overall in the bike race, but just 15 seconds behind Honda rider Ricky Brabec in second. Top of the pile is Benavides’s KTM team-mate Daniel Sanders who is over four minutes in front of his nearest rivals. The Australian refused to get sucked into any tactical battle on Stage 7. The day’s big mover in the Ultimate class was Mattias Ekström and his Ford Raptor T1+. A stage win for the Swede saw him climb from fourth overall at the Rest Day to hold second place tonight. Ekström scored his maiden podium finish 12 months ago and his sights are firmly fixed on the Dakar's biggest prize of all this time around. “When I got to the end the gaps were bigger than I expected, but still smaller than I wished. Now we’re second in the overall and there’s a lot of racing left.” – Mattias Ekström Ultimate class leader Nasser Al-Attiyah goes into tomorrow’s 481-kilometre loop stage around the Wadi Ad-Dawasir bivouac with an advantage of 4m47s over Ekström. Al-Attiyah picked up some superficial damage to his Dacia Sandrider on Stage 7 that will need to be repaired before the next jumbo day of racing. “We hit a tree and that completely removed the left corner of our car. That will get fixed tonight.” – Nasser Al-Attiyah The most dramatic moment in the Ultimate class on Stage 7 was provided by Henk Lategan of Toyota Gazoo Racing. The South African had done enough on the way to Wadi Ad-Dawasir to take the overall lead from Al-Attiyah. Then a mechanical issue stopped Lategan in his tracks just shy of the finish line. The Toyota Hilux driver will start Stage 8 sitting fourth overall, now 7m21s behind his Dacia rival. “We were going so well today until we came to a bump and a dip. When we hit the dip it broke the damper. We had to stop to take the old one out and put the new one in.” – Henk Lategan A superb opening week for the Defender Rally Team rolled into the second week with...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!… HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHAEL SCHUMACHER…57 EVERYBODY GOING TO WANT TO KNOW WHAT MAX THINKS OF THE NEW CARS!…FOR SURE. LOGAN SARGENT BACK IN THE DRIVERS SEAT FOR THE 24 HOURS OF DAYTONA… FLAVIO BRIATORE EXPLAINS TO THE UNIVERSE WHY FERNANDO’S 2005 CHAMPIONSHIP WAS MORE THAN SPECIAL….HE BEAT SCHUMACHER TWO YEARS IN A ROW…IT WAS BIG!! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEK WE HAVE GIANCARLO FISICHELLA! BONUS INTERVIEW...MARIO ANDRETTI AT LAGUNA SECA. Flavio Briatore, the former boss of F1 legend Fernando Alonso, has explained the wider importance of the Spaniard's 2005 world championship win. Alonso is a two-time world champion, having claimed back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 with the Renault team, beating seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in both of those years. He has since gone on to compete for another 20 years - barring two seasons off for 'retirement' - and has now raced in more grands prix than any other driver in F1 history. Alonso is still going strong at the age of 44, and is hoping to once more challenge for podiums and race wins in the near future with Aston Martin. But now, his former boss has taken us all back to 2005, when Alonso became the youngest champion in F1 history at a time after a seven-win season. "He replaced a world champion and many criticised him for being young and inexperienced, but I believed in him," Briatore said in a new DAZN documentary titled Bravissimo. "I was sure he was special. Over time you realise that he wasn't just special, he was something more than that. "In 2005 we not only won a world championship, we also introduced Formula 1 to Spain. It was the moment when everyone truly got to know Fernando Alonso. Not just because he won the world championship, but because of how he won it; we did it with authority." Can Alonso win another race? Now 44 years old, Alonso's hopes of claiming a third world championship title may be fading away, but he could still claim a 33rd career grand prix victory. Alonso has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but does have a contract that runs until the end of next season, and may even go on beyond that. The Spaniard has said that, if Aston Martin provide him with a car that's fighting for race wins in 2026, he'll be happy to retire, but if they're still struggling for top 10 finishes, he may well carry on beyond that. Alonso's driving ability is still there compared to his rivals, out-qualifiying his much younger team-mate Lance Stroll ahead of a grand prix on all 24 occasions in 2025. Sharp rocks cut deep into the convoy during frantic first stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally. The 2026 Dakar Rally began to stretch it’s legs on Stage 1 with over 300km of racing over the rock fields surrounding Yanbu. Perilous terrain was waiting to take a big bite out of the convoy as they were plunged into the deep end at the world’s toughest rally. Let’s see who managed to keep their heads above water… It was Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel who put the hammer down hardest on Stage 1 of the Ultimate class battle. The duo dodged all obstacles in their path, bringing their MINI JCW Rally 3.0i back to the Yanbu Start Camp Bivouac in first place overall. It’s an incredible achievement considering their participation at this Dakar was thrown into serious doubt when Baumel was forced to have his right leg amputated last year. 'Winning a stage always feels good, but it wasn't really our strategy for the day. Tomorrow, Mathieu and I will be opening and I'm very happy about that. With Mathieu on my right, I'm not worried about opening a special.” – Guillaume de Mévius Nasser Al-Attiyah got his Dacia within 40 seconds of De Mévius’s front-running vehicle. The Qatari gave us an insight into his tactics for tomorrow’s 400-kilometre special stage that will bring the convoy to Al-Ula. “We were pushing, but then we saw Seb with two flat tyres so tried to take it easy....

TALK OF THE TOWN IS… THE FIGHT IS BETWEEN RED BULL / FORD AND MERCEDES… CAN FERRARI AFFORD TO MISS THE BOAT AGAIN?… BUT WAIT…WITH ADRIAN NEWEY IN CHARGE ISN’T ASTON MARTIN THE FAVORITE? ABSOLUTELY NO FAN FARE FOR RENAULT’S DEPARTURE FROM F1 ...SHAMEFUL…….AND…FERNANDO ALONSO EXPECTS TO SKIP ALL THE CRAP AND GO RIGHT TO THE TOP! THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEK WE HAVE RICHARD DUTTON OF FORTEC MOTORSPORT. For over 30 years Fortec Motorsport have been one of the leading lights in single seater racing, both at home and in Europe, helping develop young drivers such as Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo and Juan Pablo Montoya into future F1 stars. Under the guidance Richard (and his son Oliver), over the past three decades the team have established a proven track record of success in the junior formulas. It is owned by former racing driver Richard Dutton, who started working for the team in 1993 before buying the outfit two years later. It began racing in Formula 3000 and has grown to become one of the biggest single-seater race teams in Europe. The Daventry-based squad has vast experience in competing in Formula Renault 3.5, plus Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, FIA European Formula 3 Championship, F4 British Championship, GB3 Championship, and GB4 Championship. Since 2016 it has regularly won races in Britain’s top single-seater categories and challenged for titles, while also propelling Tom Gamble and Johnathan Hoggard to the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. Fortec Motorsports driver profile consists of many strong names and the team prides themselves on maintaining a great relationship with their drivers. The team’s most recent F1 graduates are Oliver Bearman, who made his Scuderia Ferrari debut in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and Luke Browning, who is a member of the Williams Driver Academy. With a strong pedigree in motorsport and consistent success in developing talented young racing drivers, Fortec Motorsports remains a top choice for young drivers wishing to further their motorsport career. The team takes great pride in preparing all of its drivers both mentally and physically for the demands of top-level motorsport and, as they grow and develop as part of the team, are able to rise through the ranks with ease.

HONDA HAS RELEASED THE SOUND OF THEIR 2026 MOTOR GOING THRU ALL EIGHT GEARS WHILST… MERCEDES GAVE US A GLIMPS AT HIGH RPM’S, I MUST SAY….SOUNDS GOOD!! HE WHO ADAPTS QUICKLY TO THE NEW CAR WILL SUCCEED. RED BULL WITH MERCEDES ARE UNDER SCRUTINY OVER COMPRESSION RATIO’S ... AUTOSPORTS 50 DRIVERS LIST IS BIZARRE TO SAY THE LEAST… THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEK THE GIORGIO PIOLA INTERVIEW PART2. THANK YOU. Celebrating 75 Years of Formula 1 at the Pebble Beach Concours. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance traced the full history of Formula racing — from cars representing its origins in Grand Prix racing through to cars on the starting grid today. The 1910 Benz 21/80 Prinz Heinrich Renn Wagon makes its way down Highway 1 on the Tour d’Elegance. Origins of Formula 1: Grand Prix 1906–1940 While the cars in this class were exhibited rather than judged, they were not at all static: two out of the seven cars participated in the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. These cars included the 1910 Benz 21/80 Prinz Heinrich Renn Wagon and the 1927 Delage Type 15 S8 Grand Prix. This class demonstrated the elegance and attitude that came from these racing greats that played a role in the rise of Formula 1. 75th Anniversary of Formula 1: 1950-1973 class Restored in 2010 to its 1967 Watkins Glen specification, the 1967 Lotus 49 Formula 1 took First in Class for the 75th Anniversary of Formula 1: 1950 to 1973. Its engine, the Ford Cosworth DFV, became the most successful Formula 1 engine in history, winning 155 Grand Prix. This car also drove over the ramp a second time to receive the Tony Hulman Trophy, which is awarded to the most significant open wheel race car. Another standout moment for this class was the first American-built F1 race car, the 1960 Scarab Formula 1, in motion on the Tour d’Elegance.

NORRIS HAS PICKED UP HIS TROPHY AND MAX CALLED IN SICK… THIS WEEK’S RUMORS….OSCAR TO FERRARI AND LECLERC TO MCLAREN BUT…I’M SURE THIS IS FAKE NEWS SO…LET’S GET TO… THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR HAMEED…THIS WEEK WE HAVE THE GIORGIO PIOLA INTERVIEW PART 0NE THIS WEEK AND PART 2 NEXT WEEK… FIA, Formula 1 Group and all 11 race teams officially sign the ninth Concorde Agreement, securing strength and stability for the sport in pivotal five-year agreement. - Multi-year Concorde Governance Agreement signed by the FIA, Formula 1 Group and all 11 teams, securing the World Championship through 2030 - Paves the way for a more professionalised sport and represents a new era of collaboration between the FIA and Formula 1 Group - Long-term commitment enhances sporting reliability, global reach and stability for teams, fans and broadcasters. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, and Formula 1 Group, the Commercial Rights Holder, have today announced the signing of the Concorde Governance Agreement, a crucial contract defining the regulatory framework and governance terms of the FIA Formula One World Championship until 2030. This follows the announcement in March that the 2026 Commercial Concorde Agreement had been signed by all the teams and Formula 1 Group. Together, these agreements constitute the ninth Concorde Agreement, representing a major step forward in the professionalisation and global development of the sport. First introduced in 1981, the Concorde Agreements are designed to promote sporting fairness, technological innovation and operational excellence, and align all key stakeholders around a shared vision for structured governance and continued growth of the sport. Each iteration of the Concorde Agreements has shaped the FIA Formula One World Championship into the global spectacle it is today. The ninth Concorde Agreement announced today marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration between the FIA and Formula 1 Group, who have worked together to write the next chapter in Formula 1 history, demonstrating mutual respect, transparency and shared purpose between the two organisations. It confirms the participation of all FIA Formula One World Championship teams, including the incoming Cadillac Formula 1 team, through the end of the decade, and provides a stable foundation for the sporting and technical evolution of the sport. The Concorde Agreement underscores the commitment of the FIA, Formula 1 Group and all teams to continue growing and developing the sport, and to keep driving the momentous expansion it has seen in recent years. The new contract enables the FIA to invest further in improved race regulation, race direction, stewarding and technical expertise for the benefit of the Championship, and means the sport can continue to evolve, providing exciting technological innovation and sporting action for fans, broadcasters and partners, all within a stable and structured regulatory framework. Combined with record viewership growth, a dynamic race calendar, and increasing engagement from younger audiences, the FIA Formula One World Championship enters this next chapter with unprecedented momentum. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, said: “The ninth Concorde Agreement secures the FIA Formula One World Championship’s long-term future and I am proud of the dedication that has been invested in this process. I would like to thank Stefano Domenicali and his team in what has been a strong collaboration, building a framework grounded in fairness, stability, and shared ambition. This agreement allows us to continue modernising our regulatory, technological, and operational capabilities, including supporting our race directors, officials, and the thousands of volunteers whose expertise underpin every race. We are ensuring that Formula 1 remains at the...

NORRIS IS 2025 F1 WORLD CHAMPION! MAX WINS THE FINAL RACE OF THE GROUND EFFECTS ERA CAN OSCAR PIASTRI TAKE THE F1 CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT SEASON? FERNANDO VERY HAPPY WITH P6 AND WILL ADRIAN NEWEY GIVE HIM HIS THIRD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP? SO MANY QUESTIONS SO LITTLE TIME…2026 COULD GIVE US A NEW TOP TEN! WILL MAX STILL BE ABLE TO DOMINATE? AND CAN MCLAREN KEEP THEIR CHAMPIONSHIPS?…WILL MERCEDES BE BACK? OR…WILL LCH AND FERRARI BE THE NEW DOMINATORS OF FORMULA 1…ONLY IN THEIR DREAMS?…WE SHALL SEE… THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR HAMEED…ON USF1 THE INTERVIEW IS…F1WEEKLY LISTENER FROM SWEDEN LARS KORNBRINK! LANDO: “I found a good rhythm with the car halfway through the season and I feel like I've been able to find confidence in myself, in my ability not just to win races but to go and fight for a world championship. “I've certainly had some fortune this year but I've certainly had a fair share of tough moments – especially at the beginning, [there was] a lot I struggled with and lost a little bit of belief early in the season. “More for myself at that point, it was nice to prove myself wrong in a way at times, starting off in Monaco Qualifying and a few moments after that. The second half of the season I've really been able to show to myself what I could do, what I was capable of doing.” MAX: “I’m very proud of the whole Team and I’m so proud of the incredible turnaround that we had. We never gave up and always believed we could turn things around and never stopped trying. We could have very easily just have given up, but we kept pushing, looking for improvements and always believed. This season has been a massive rollercoaster, with lots of tough moments and feelings, but I’m so proud of everyone and we have really come together as a Team. The turnaround in the second half of the season was incredible and pretty crazy that we could do that and we kept overcoming a lot of things as a Team. Today has been a lot of fun, especially winning the race in such a dominant way. We had an incredible weekend and did everything as best as we could, so ultimately I feel good today. Although not winning a championship by two points looks painful, going back to Zandvoort we were behind by over 100 points, so am very proud of what we have achieved. Of course, for Lando this is something very special and I hope he enjoys it a lot. The first Championship win is the most emotional one and it is something you dream of since you were a little kid. His family are here and I hope he enjoys tonight with his Team. Finally, I wanted to thank the whole Team in the factory and on track: we never gave up and always believed. I am very proud of the people that I work with, they are my second family. OSCAR: “Honestly, pretty good. I knew that going into today I needed the stars to align to win the championship. “Ultimately, I tried my best and put myself in the best position I could to try and win the race and give myself the best opportunity, but it wasn’t to be. I think we can be very proud of the season we’ve had. “On a personal level, it’s obviously not quite the ending that I wished for but I think when you look at the season as a whole, I’m very proud of the work that I’ve been able to put in and my team have been able to put in to make so much progress from last year. I’m looking forward to plenty more fights in the future.” FERNANDO: "It is great to finish the season with a strong P6 here in Abu Dhabi. Our race pace hasn't always matched our qualifying recently, so a solid Sunday here feels very good. It's been a challenging year, and I want to thank the whole team for their hard work all season. We'll enjoy a break, then switch our focus to preparing for the big changes next year. And congratulations to Lando on his first World Championship; it is a special moment for any young driver, and he deserves it."

MCLAREN GIVES MAX THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING! NORRIS KNEW THAT MICKEY DEE HAD JUST F…ED UP OSCAR ON THE EDGE OF TEARING UP AND, FERNANDO HAPPY TO BE IN THE POINTS! NASIR HAMEED CORNER HAS THE USUAL BANTER AND MORE ON THE USF1 FIASCO! LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - NOVEMBER 30: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on arrival in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on November 30, 2025 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) MAX: “I feel great, I am really proud of that one. We made the right call as a Team there to box: it was definitely what made us win the race today, as I felt like we were not on the same level as McLaren in terms of pace. When a safety car comes in it can shake up the grid and that was a great opportunity for us to then win the race. We did a very good job as a Team and I was very proud of us, especially as we nailed the strategy. In Abu Dhabi, we have nothing to lose and we are going to give it everything that we have. Of course, we are relying on another crazy race like we had today, but we are going in there with positive energy. We need to maximise the car and be as competitive as we can. We will stay focused, try and have a good time and hope that we start the weekend well.” LAURENT MEKIES: “We can definitely be happy with that one. The pace in the car steadily improved from Friday night when we were in a tricky position, to tonight when we could fight with the McLarens, which is a testament to the Team once again. Of course, the decisive moment was the call to come in under the Safety Car and it was another great call from our strategy team here and those working back in Milton Keynes. From there on, Max didn't put a foot wrong, drove two incredible stints, taking great care of his tyres and managed to create a solid gap to the McLarens, which drove us to this most welcome race win! Yuki managed to recover to score points and his pace was promising at the end of the race once outside of the DRS train. We'll need to perform again in Abu Dhabi and we will have absolute focus on getting the car into a position where Max can fight at the front and look ahead. What happens behind him is not something we can control." CARLOS: Extremely happy! We had a very strong start and from there we executed a perfect race with strategy, tyre management, pit stops and communication. By the end of the second stint, I saw Piastri struggled to overtake me on fresh tyres, and at that moment I realised we had to go for the podium. I was pushing to the limit of the car but 6 laps to the end something suddenly broke! I started losing a lot of lap time in sectors 1 and 3 but I managed to keep it together and bring it home for P3! Today’s result is testament to the team’s hard work; I knew we were taking the right steps and, despite some difficult race weekends along the way, I had full confidence in what we are doing. I’m extremely proud of everyone, we deserve this P5 in the Constructor’s Championship, and I look forward to finishing the season on another high in Abu Dhabi! Let’s go. JAMES VOWLES: Exceptional. Really fantastic performance from Carlos and the team when it counted and every detail adds up. Getting on the podium by milliseconds really is such a just reward for the incredible work the whole team is putting in this year. I was proud of Carlos and the team when we got our first podium in Baku; the second is a dream come true, but perhaps more importantly at a track that was almost our worst last year. And we've come back, we've reinvented ourselves and the result is there for everyone to see. For Alex, we will come back fighting in Abu Dhabi. We haven't got it all together this weekend, but I'll reiterate that his performance across the season is why we've secured fifth in the constructors' championship today. And more so than that, his pace is still there. We just need to bring it all together. Finally,...