Motorsport Marty

Of all the driver and team changes in 2025, the one I find hardest to adjust to is Esteban Ocon in a Haas. Every time I see him I think "oh that's right". #F1 #SaudiArabianGP

Excited to see #F1 cars back on track, but someone at F1 headquarters desperately needs to fix the colour balance button on the TV coverage. Support events have been broadcast fine.

I tuned into the F1 launch as a curiosity & ended up watching most of it, so to that end it was a success. I wish they'd also had a public demo, maybe show cars on streets outside to create some hype like MotoGP, but I think a focussed event worked better than smearing the reveals over a few weeks.

Excellent MotoGP race so far. I feel that Jorge Martin fell victim to thinking about winning this race instead of winning the championship. With a 26 point lead he could afford to just cover Pecco Bagnaia. Thinking of the bigger picture might’ve kept him on track. #MotoGP

I can't get used to the look of Monza after the 2023 storms took down so many trees. It's like one of those early F1 video games where the graphics just aren't right. #F1

Can't help but notice a lot of empty grandstands at Silverstone this weekend. #MotoGP

Add the bad strategy call at Silverstone into the mix and Lando Norris could be just 13 points behind Verstappen. He is 84 behind.

F1 is 'if' spelt backwards, but consider if...
...Lando Norris wins Imola (Max doesn't get Q3 tow), Canada (SC pitstop), Spain (better start), plus Austria Sprint & GP (gets ahead and stays ahead) he'd be 26 points behind Max and we'd have a title fight on our hands.
In reality he is 81 points down.

Michael Schumacher in his spare car driving past his own crashed car after the red flag in the 2001 German Grand Prix

An unusual sight never to be repeated. Michael Schumacher (in his spare car) driving past his own crashed car after the red flag in the 2001 German Grand Prix.

Cracking fight up front at Le Mans with the top 4 running nose-to-tail after the first hour. Great to see a competitive race against different manufacturers in the Hypercar class which is a far cry from the LMP1 days.

Can't help but feel this will be a weekend where Red Bull struggles for raw pace but the weather will bring Verstappen back into contention.

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I like that overtaking is impossible at Monaco because it creates unusual strategies and unusual races, and 1 of those out of 24 on the calendar is OK with me.

Whenever they talk about Charles Leclerc trying to emulate Louis Chiron (Monegasque driver who won there in 1931) it's worth remembering Chiron was also considered 'cursed' at Monaco after he lost wins there in 30, 32, 34 and 36 (including one on the very last lap).

This thread has been a joy so thank you. A trip down memory lane that has stirred subjective opinions that have sat dormant for 20 years, so it has been great fun. I always thought Jarno Trulli was criminally underrated so glad to see he got a mention!

Pecco Bagnaia has never looked as much of a champion as he did today. What a mega performance. Clinical racecraft, stunning pace when it mattered, and brutal aggression against the 8x champ. Surely his best MotoGP win.

Yeah, software that wasn't uninstalled is a familiar excuse. Wonder if a 'junior employee' will also remove the filter from the refuelling rig later in the year...

Didn't know about the Toyota GT-One homologation story so looked it up. Love it!

Haha, some of those old stories are incredible. Extra fuel in the frames, 7/8 scale bodywork, acid baths, swapping decals between cars in scrutineering. Penske has always been proud to push the boundaries so it should be no surprise the organisation still steps over them.

In the last 12 months, Team Penske has been hit with a record fine for cheating in Formula E, penalised for cheating in NASCAR, & now a DSQ for cheating in Indycar. Also got a record fine for cheating in Supercars in 2019. That organisation has a broken culture & no slap on the wrist will change it.

Ah, that makes sense.

Random unimportant observation, but the wording on the Red Bull's rear wing is almost unreadable from every camera angle and I'm surprised they haven't changed that. #F1 #ChineseGP

I've always thought that Red Bull felt justified in burning through dozens of brilliant drivers if it helped them find a superstar like Vettel or Verstappen. They don't care how many sink if they can find one every 6-7 years who swims.

Agree 100%. It can be tough to pick the right time to promote a youngster into F1, but even in cases where they are ready to make the jump, an extra season of F2 isn't going to make them a worse driver is it.

IMHO the challenges Williams are having with Logan Sargeant are a direct result of moving him up from F2 to F1 too early. He needed at least 1 more season in F2 to learn to win consistently and drive near but not above the limits of cars.

I'd be interested to learn how these are calculated, or where the timing lines are, because it does seem odd that Tsunoda is faster coming out of the final chicane, and into Turn 1, but not down the straight in-between. #F1

And there doesn't seem to be anything F1 can really do about it.

Will be interesting to see if that stops or otherwise impacts this deal too.

An unpopular opinion maybe (?) but I think Liberty Media has been great for F1 and would be great for MotoGP. Even ignoring the Drive to Survive hype, the sport is better promoted and more engaging than it ever was before. MotoGP is a great product so I'd love to see what they can do.

Quite enjoyed that. It was refreshing to watch almost the whole 58 laps knowing a different winner was on the way. Also good to see a two-stop race. Ferrari genuinely competitive this weekend too. Leclerc is a mega driver but Sainz is the guy delivering when opportunities arise. #F1

Lmao