Your go-to blog for post-race driver praise posts! Tries to post race analyses and some technical insights. F1, focused on the pit wall, not the gossip. I have my favorite drivers, but I'm a fan of the sport first. Here for the racing, the strategy, the memes, and the silly season chaos—not the judgment. Not an anti blog (unless it's the FOM or FIA lol), just a pro-racing one.
Here is my customary posting after every Grand Prix (if I've been able to watch it live), going over what each driver did well, at least briefly, since I can't touch on everything. Please feel free to add your own praises. But try to avoid disparaging other drivers at the same time, this is a Praise Post! Good intentions only!
General race notes: Sprint weekend means less time to get the cars right, but more racing for us, so I'll take it! Lando's grandstand turnout was incredible. The Lego race wasn't quite as chaotic as last year's, but it was still entertaining. No idea why Mohammed Ben Sulayem needed to be included in it, but here we are.
Qualifying was wild. Huge kudos to George's garage for rebuilding his car after the Q1 crash and getting him back out in time. Kimi grabs yet another pole, home hero Lewis lines up alongside him... cinema.
Also, no chance of rain at Silverstone?? I refuse to believe it. The weather must have accidentally wandered over to Spa for the weekend. I do wish more of the grandstands had shade though. Those poor British fans were slowly being converted into lobsters. We wouldn't need quite so many umbrellas trying to achieve liftoff onto the circuit if the stands had some cover!
And then that finish... Silverstone really refuses to have a boring race. Shame it ended under the Safety Car, but the Kimi drama in those closing laps had me glued to the screen.
P1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Front row start! Really did a great job maintaining P1 in the first half of the race. No errors, no pressure, no mistakes. Just taking full advantage of clean air and executing perfectly. After all the rotten luck he's had this season... he finally gets his win.
Literally no notes. Peak Charles.
P2 George Russell (Mercedes) – Great launch despite the shift problems. George and Max both complaining about their gearboxes while racing each other was oddly hilarious. "May the least broken gearbox win."
His battle with Lewis on laps 30-32 was brilliant, then he hunted Max before the puncture ruined what looked like a very strong finish. That pit stop sequence almost looked like George was trying to hand Max over to Lewis like, "Here, your problem now."
And finally... first home podium!
P3 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – Lewis having his whole family there made me smile before the race even started.
Fantastic getaway to make it a Ferrari 1-2. The investigation gave me approximately three heart attacks before turning into only a five-second penalty. The fight with George was excellent, although these regulations really punished both of them for racing hard. Lewis backed out at the right time, let George deal with the puncture, then immediately switched into hunting mode. I know he was disappointed in P3 but this was a really great result for Ferrari! And the applause when he got his trophy was incredible!
P4 Lando Norris (McLaren) – "Wow... that's a lot of yellow." Poor guy probably felt like he accidentally scheduled a meet-and-greet during a Grand Prix. He really wanted to put on a show for his fans and he absolutely did, charging up into P3 for a while and giving them plenty to cheer about with a P4 finish.
P5 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – Strong qualifying, excellent launch, and really solid overtakes after the pit stop. I know this is a positive post... but I am filing a formal complaint with the Red Bull #6 garage pit crew.
P6 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – These Racing Bulls absolutely fly over one lap. Great start and I love that Liam keeps proving exactly how talented he is. Between him and Arvid putting pressure on Max on lap one, I was fully entertained. Also... if the rumors are true and Red Bull offered Max stake in VCARB... maybe they're just trying to impress their potential future boss?
P7 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – I loved seeing Arvid during the Lego Parade. Hopefully he got to soak up his first home Grand Prix because that's something you'll remember forever. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing an Arvid Grandstand in the next couple of years. Great start too, immediately putting pressure on Max in lap 1. Plus, really good double points for VCARB.
P8 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – Max handing Gabi his Red Bull before the Lego Parade was adorable. Did Gabi ask for it? Did Max simply decide he didn't want to hold it anymore? We'll never know.
Whatever happened, Gabi clearly found some pace afterwards! Up into P10 by lap 8 after passing both Alpines. Where did that come from?! His mentality is one of my favorite things about him. Doesn't matter if the other car is objectively faster, he’s going to defend his position like a Bull! "It's one thing to catch me... it's another thing to pass me." Getting Audi's BEST finishing position of the season!
P9 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – Like Pierre, his move on Carlos was excellent. Maybe slightly more optimistic... but still beautifully committed. Then defended really well afterwards too. From P19 to P9, WOW, what a great job! Great race overall, I’m really enjoying watching him race.
P10 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – Very smooth move on Carlos...Pun absolutely intended. Double points for Alpine!
P11 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – Stuck it out despite his damage at the start of the race that pushed him down the field. I love seeing the resiliency, but I wish he would have better luck this season. Granted he did say that even starting a race is good for McLaren lol. Good overtake on Bearman later in the race.
P12 Ollie Bearman (Haas) – The fact that Ollie kept going after the contact with Alex says a lot about his determination.
P13 Esteban Ocon (Haas) – Didn't get much TV time, but quietly brought the Haas home.
P14 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – Checo was making some really nice progress early before the race settled down.
P15 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Another pole position! One of the reasons I enjoy watching Kimi so much is because he is absolutely relentless. When he's chasing someone, he just sits there applying pressure lap after lap until something gives. His driving style reminds me so much of early Red Bull Max. Maximum commitment, occasionally maximum chaos.
Getting back to the pits with the damaged wheel fairing, then continuing after repairs, really summed up his attitude. Toto's (frankly very Max coded) radio message afterwards, although it was Meme worthy and I will be using that in the future (someone make a gif for me!), probably contributed to Kimi's emotional response at the end of the race. And keeping the helmet on while being weighed afterwards... you could tell how devastated he was. He wears every emotion on his sleeve.
P16 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – Listen... the Cadillac survived lap one. That's progress.
*P17 Carlos Sainz (Williams) – Carlando fans absolutely feasting after Carlos hitched a ride on the back of Lando's Lego car. Nature is healing. Somehow invented a new type of penalty by passing the safety car when he wasn't meant to? Creative King!
P18 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – Even after stopping on the formation lap he still got the car going again. Very Fernando to want to add drama everywhere he can.
P19 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Didn't get much coverage today, but sometimes no news is good news.
DNF-P20 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – Started only seventh because Red Bull chose to keep the suspect engine rather than change it. Still immediately started carving through the field because of course he did.
The opening laps were classic Max. Aggressive but calculated, finding opportunities that somehow only he seems to notice. Then immediately caught George before pitting, which honestly felt like he just wanted to remind George he was there. The defense against Lewis was brilliant.
Unfortunately, the reliability gremlins struck again. This season just refuses to let him have nice things. He needs to start wearing skinny jeans again to get some luck back.
DNF Alex Albon (Williams) – Pretty sure Williams used Alex to gather as much information as possible. Definitely felt like they were in full engineering mode today and I applaud their efforts.
DNF Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – Another frustrating retirement after looking solid early on. Such a shame after finally getting that podium last season.
Despite the safety car ending, this was a really great race. It is obvious that battery deployment was the key player for gaining positions today (and losing them just as quickly). Most of the places gained were because of the DNFs or reliability problems. If you noticed something awesome that I missed, add it in the tags/comments/reblogs!
The Positive Debrief: Austrian GP 2026 Praise Post
General race notes: Wasn’t that an eventful (and controversial) final few minutes of qualifying! And honestly this race had me on the edge of my seat! The overtakes, the tyre degradation, the strategies, the heat, the threat of rain… oh, I love Austria! This is exactly the kind of racing I wanted to see with the new regulations. I do wish we got more of the midfield battles on broadcast instead of just “look, the leaders exist.”
Traffic near the end of the race was doing Olympic-level strategy gymnastics. Short tracks always turn into chaos math: where is everyone, why is someone suddenly in your overtake window, and how did a car you lapped 8 seconds ago reappear in your mirrors?
Tyre degradation was the main character here. Some teams played it safe, some said “send it.”
Mercedes certainly got their strategy correct throughout the race. Ferrari did Ferrari™ things, and Cadillac was Cadilacking. But overall, it was a great race with a lot of action at the front.
P1 George Russell (Mercedes) – After a controversial pole grab in Qualifying, it was honestly such a strong “in control” race. He did that thing George and Carlos do where they are simultaneously racing and doing live strategy consulting for the team at 300 km/h. It works though. Clean air management, smart decisions, and no unnecessary chaos. Very George victory energy. Back-to-back wins must make him feel so good after his rough start to the season!
P2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – Wow, beautiful overtake on Kimi AND Charles in the same move on lap 2. I will be dreaming about that move for the remainder of the season. I wasn’t expecting it, which is why I love watching him race. All three gave each other space, which somehow made it even more impressive. Then it just turned into a masterclass in “fine, I’ll do it myself” racing.
The fight with Lewis was peak rivalry once again, like they briefly remembered 2021 and went “yeah, let’s run that back for nostalgia.” The final laps with Kimi behind him felt like a preview of a future rivalry we are all going to be very tired of (in a good way). Almost a mirror to Max-Lewis.
Max making fun of his previous bad race starts while in the cool-down room is so funny. His pessimistic humor really tickles me.
Also, Toto please get up, you’re embarrassing yourself hahaha. I literally can’t with this man, his interactions with Max are just so funny, I love it.
P3 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Kimi was in full “no thoughts, only attack” mode this race. Three off-track excursions in the first two laps is honestly impressive commitment to the bit. “A bit too excited” is possibly the most polite way to describe launching yourself into every available corner. But Toto said that’s how he wants his drivers “Full attack all the time”, so I don’t think he’ll get reprimanded for it 😊
He basically raced this track like it owed him money. Technically his first proper F1 race here too after last year’s… early exit, so we’ll call it a redemption arc with extra throttle. The VSC timing didn’t help him, but he still sent a very confident move on Charles later in the race. And went hunting for Max at the end of the race. Maximum attack energy, minimum hesitation.
P4 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – Calm. Controlled. Slightly terrifying in how unbothered he stays. The defense against Isack was really strong, and that Ferrari battle later on was very clean and very close. He just quietly shows up, does the job, and leaves without emotional turbulence. Which is honestly so rude in a sport this chaotic haha!
P5 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – The Lewis vs Charles opening phase was excellent, and then the Lewis vs Max sections were basically premium subscription content. I love that we still get this rivalry energy years later, just with more experience and fewer (but not zero) sparks.
The radio exchanges with his engineer are also continuing their run as unexpected comedy highlight of the season. Unfortunately, I think his race result could be thanks to Ferrari™ “Strategy” once again. But considering this track tends to not look favorably on him, this was a good result!
P6 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – I really hope Isack was able to enjoy his little battle with his childhood hero. And his fight with Charles on lap 56 was amazing! Very opportunistic after maybe stressing Charles into a lock-up on tyres that Charles didn’t really like. Gaining two positions throughout the race is amazing for the team.
P7 Lando Norris (McLaren) – I think that overtake on Lance in the pit lane was completely reasonable. I mean, Lance was coming in to retire the car, Lando had no clue what issues Lance had and looked like he was going very slowly into the pitlane anyway. Good overtake on Charles on lap 59 to take 7th place. It seems like Lando is habitually the type of driver to make bigger moves later in the race vs at the start of the race.
P8 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – His defense against Kimi was really admirable, a really good representation of great wheel-to-wheel racing. It also shows how much the battery energy deployment influences the racing this year. What Charles has found out is that if he goes wider into a turn, he can recharge the battery just a little bit more than the car following him, and that gives him an edge on the exit of the turn. Brilliant to use it in defense but also a risk. I love that Ferrari is allowing their drivers to race each other, its such good entertainment.
Unfortunately, his performance started to lag near the end of the race but I think that was due to the minor front-wing damage he got with his fight with Oscar or it could be that the tyres just weren’t working for him like he complained about on the radio. But the early and mid-race pace was very strong.
P9 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – “My car is on fire” and still continues to battle in the midfield. Love that energy. Double VCARB points!
P10 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – The VCARBros buddy system is genuinely one of the healthiest team dynamics on the grid right now. I think Liam is taking on a mentor role a little bit. They race close, they don’t implode, and they somehow always end up both in points. Also, whoever runs their social media deserves a raise.
P11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – Clean, confident racecraft. Nice overtake on Esteban early, and another smooth one on Franco later. Audi looks like it’s slowly figuring out how to turn “existing on track” into “racing on track.” Also, I love that Gabico stuck together this race <3
P12 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – Solid move on Esteban as well. Audi upgrades actually showing some promise here, which is a rare sentence that deserves celebration.
P13 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – Smart pit timing during the VSC window. That alone can be the difference between “meh” and “points-adjacent chaos survivor,” and Alpine chose survival.
P14 Ollie Bearman (Haas) – Clean execution and kept ahead of his teammate. After last race, just getting a stable, non-dramatic finish feels like progress.
P15 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – Strong late-race move on Esteban. Quietly building momentum through the race rather than just surviving it.
P16 Esteban Ocon (Haas) – Very clean, very steady, still found time to fight. Haas consistency arc continues.
P17 Alex Albon (Williams) – Not much broadcast attention, but finishing is still progress for Williams this season. Sometimes survival is the stat that matters.
P18 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – Listen, I love Fernando for his entertainment value, and although he really wasn’t shown racing in the actual broadcast, I giggle every time I see his name in the FIA investigation banners during the race. My tiny old man chaos gremlin.
DNF Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Not much to add beyond early retirement, but Aston Martin’s “will we finish today?” storyline continues.
DNF Carlos Sainz (Williams) – Quiet race until it wasn’t. Shame we didn’t get more coverage given how strong Williams has been in patches this season.
DNF Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – Lap 2 smoke is never ideal, but Cadillac will take anything resembling early data at this point. At least it happened fast?
DNF Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – Brake issues again, which is starting to feel like an unfortunate recurring character arc. Still, more laps would’ve meant more learning, so early retirement hurts here.
If you noticed something awesome that I missed, add it in the tags/comments/reblogs!
SkySports F1 needs to have Nico Rosberg on as a commentator for EVERY race. This man is so knowledgeable, so straightforward, and not afraid to correct his fellow commentators when they say something wrong or biased. He has great input and experiential knowledge. He's also fully aware of the mechanical/engineering aspect of these modern cars. He is incredibly smart in EVERY facet of this sport. I just love when he is on the broadcast.
Plus he is completely unhinged and I love the chaos.
The Positive Debrief: Spanish (Barcelona-Catalunya) GP 2026 Praise Post
Here is my customary posting after every Grand Prix (if I've been able to watch it live), going over what each driver did well, at least briefly, since I can't touch on everything. Please feel free to add your own praises. But try to avoid disparaging other drivers at the same time, this is a Praise Post! Good intentions only!
General race notes: And we are back at the track that exposes the cars’ weaknesses! It has a little bit of everything: long straights, different speed corners, low grip, and a constantly evolving track surface. For the cars that aren't competitive, this is the perfect GP to gather data. Bring the best setup you have, get laps on the board, and learn as much as possible for the next upgrade package.
This circuit has roughly a 50% chance of a safety car, and we expected high tyre degradation. A 3+ stop race was definitely on the radar and it delivered! But once again, seven cars (should we count Alex?) retired from the Grand Prix, all due to reliability issues. Only 15 cars finished. These new regulations are brutal. I’ll make a separate post about my cemented opinions on the regs, so keep an eye out for that. But the ending with a First Ferrari Win (FFW) for Lewis Hamilton was pure entertainment and a rare occurrence of Ferrari making good strategy calls that line up perfectly with luck!
As a side note: I love when the broadcast has Nico Rosberg on as a commentator. He is completely unhinged with his questions and needling to his fellow commentators AND the people he interviews. This man has zero filter and his media training from his time at Mercedes is completely thrown out the window. Its also funny because Lewis always either does great or has a horrible weekend when Nico is there.
P1 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – Once again, a fantastic launch off the line. Ferrari's strategy team absolutely nailed the timing of his stops, consistently releasing him into clean air instead of traffic. His overtake on Oscar after the second pit stop was beautiful, and the VSC timing could not have worked out more perfectly. You could hear it in his voice after that first VSC. He knew the win was possible. I also think he is clicking much better with his new race engineer this year.
His first Ferrari victory! THIS is why he moved to Ferrari. Every racing driver dreams of becoming a Ferrari race winner. As a wise man once said, “Everyone is a Ferrari Fan, even if they say they’re not, they are Ferrari Fans”. And if I’m counting correctly, that's his eighth victory at this circuit. The irony of having his former teammate, ex-BFF, and former Spanish GP collision partner from ten years ago interviewing him after his first Ferrari win is peak Formula 1 storytelling.
P2 George Russell (Mercedes) – Honestly, George did almost everything right this weekend. Fantastic first lap, immediately building a gap despite being on the harder compound. Strong defense against his teammate, excellent attacking moves against Charles, and good pace throughout. He fought hard but raced cleanly.
P3 Lando Norris (McLaren) – Lando said before the race that he didn't want to overwork the car, and that patience paid off. He stayed disciplined, managed the tyres, avoided unnecessary risks, and quietly put himself in podium contention. Sometimes the smartest race is the least dramatic one. His efforts were rewarded and he rounded off an all-british podium.
P4 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – The Red Bulls still seem to be struggling with launches compared to the cars around them, but Max did a great job defending against Oscar early and Charles later on. Those battles were excellent racing. You can tell all three drivers genuinely enjoy racing each other because nobody backs down but everybody keeps it respectful. Considering the tyre strategy and the painfully slow second stop, I think Max extracted pretty much everything available. He is a tyre management wizard!
P5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – That first-lap fight with Max was gorgeous wheel-to-wheel racing. Firm, fair, and committed from both drivers. Oscar continues to have that calm, methodical style that somehow makes even aggressive racing look effortless.
P6 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – Beautiful overtakes on the Alpines early in the race. Yes, he lost places at the start, but he fought back aggressively all afternoon. Every time he lost ground, he seemed determined to win it back.
P7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – One thing I really appreciate about Pierre is how opportunistic he is. The moment he sees two cars fighting ahead, he starts calculating how he can benefit from it. He always seems alert to opportunities that other drivers miss.
P8 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – Followed team orders but still advocated for himself when he felt strongly about strategy. I like seeing that balance. Respect the team, but don't be afraid to speak up.
P9 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – Liam actually got quite a bit of screen time this race, usually because he was somehow involved in the middle of every fight happening around him. Another double-points finish for Racing Bulls and another solid result for Liam.
P10 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – I love Arvid's mentality. Even with a Red Bull looming in his mirrors, he still defends and makes the overtake happen properly. Considering he's often been qualifying close to the Red Bull drivers, I think he's earned the right to make them work for every position.
P11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – Nice midfield battle with Ollie near the end of the race. He's steadily gaining experience and becoming more comfortable racing wheel-to-wheel.
P12 Carlos Sainz (Williams) – We didn't see much of Carlos today, which is a shame at his home race. But I was glad they showed that late overtake on Ocon. The crowd still gave him huge support all weekend, and it was nice to see him bring the car home.
P13 Esteban Ocon (Haas) – Quiet race from Esteban, but getting a car to the finish in 2026 seems like an achievement all by itself.
P14 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – Not much coverage, but Cadillac continues to collect valuable data. These are the kinds of weekends that help teams understand where the weaknesses really are.
P15-DNF Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Wow! His charge up the grid from 10th was impressive! What I find funny about F1 teams is how different they treat their drivers during the race. For example, Ferrari makes strategy decisions halfway with their drivers and halfway pulling strategy calls out of a hat. Versus Red Bull who just tell their drivers what to do and not really consult them on strategy during the race. Charles’s luck this season needs to be studied.
P16-DNF Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Another good launch, which suggests he may have solved some of the start issues from earlier in the year. I love how fearless he is. Every move is committed. Every battle is all-in. He hasn't yet learned the championship contender lesson of occasionally accepting second-best. That lesson may come eventually. For now, he's still racing like every position is the last lap of the championship finale. Also, what is happening with Mercedes engines immediately after teammates battle each other? Is there a secret "stop fighting your teammate" button on the FIA pit wall?
P17-DNF Ollie Bearman (Haas) – Great overtake on Gabi near the end before being told to retire the car. Another frustrating reliability retirement.
P18 Alex Albon (Williams) – Didn’t see much of Alex but did see that he had a 2.1 sec pitstop which was amazing for the team! Then I saw that he was “Out” and then He was back on the timing tower as +3 laps behind, then +2 laps behind, then +8 laps behind, and he finished +11 laps behind. So weird.
DNF Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – I am genuinely sad for Fernando. According to him, this was his final Spanish GP. That almost feels like a curse in Formula 1. Last races, home races, farewell races... somehow the luck always seems to disappear. Before retiring, he was still gathering valuable data for the team. And as I've said before, I really admire Fernando's resilience. Somehow Honda reliability finds him no matter what decade we're in.
DNF Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – The fight with Liam was chef's kiss. A shame the engine gave up because he looked set for a strong result based on how qualifying went.
DNF Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – Another frustrating retirement, but this was exactly the sort of circuit that would expose weaknesses in newer projects. Every lap completed was valuable information for Cadillac.
DNF Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – First retirement of the race, unfortunately. But I am genuinely happy to see him outqualify Fernando for the first time in 42 races. That's a statistic worth celebrating.
Despite the reliability chaos, there were still plenty of strong drives, fun battles, and examples of drivers maximizing what they had. If you noticed something awesome that I missed, add it in the tags/comments/reblogs!
So it seems that everyone is in agreement, no matter who you are a fan of or who you hate, we ALL got upset seeing Kim K ignore Martin Brundle on the grid walk.
I have not been murdered by my date! Thank you all for your patience :)
So here is my customary posting after every Grand Prix (if I've been able to watch it live), going over what each driver did well, at least briefly, since I can't touch on everything. Please feel free to add your own praises. But try to avoid disparaging other drivers at the same time, this is a Praise Post! Good intentions only!
General race notes: Qualifying is King in Monaco and Mercedes really pulled through. RedBull improved their qualifying positions from previous races for both Max and Isack, and Ferrari remains where they’re expected at the front of the grid. But with every Monaco GP, it’s not qualifying without some ✨Drama ✨.
Monaco brings it’s own ups and downs. People say that it’s a boring race because its so difficult to pass with these cars. They say that the race order is essentially decided in qualifying, after the first lap, after the mandatory pit stop. And in some ways that is correct, but there is something special about the Monaco GP. Is it the history? Is it the prestige? Is it that anything can happen to shake things up? Is it that this is the race where Martin Brundle is most likely to be snubbed by celebrities (and comes with the cringe interactions or hilarious one liners by Martin)? Who knows! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I certainly don't!
7 drivers out of the race…like I know it’s new regs and everything but by this point in the season, most of the issues should be fixed or at least bandaged. Especially since there were an extra 3 weeks to fix problems from the first few races. It wasn't this bad in 2014 or 2022.
P1 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Had a really great start and pulled out a respectable gap to the Ferrari’s behind him. Just completely checked out for the race, excellent race by Kimi, just another Sunday drive for him. Very cute exchange with Bono about the possibility of a safety car and their pit stop window. It’s a good reminder that miscommunication is common between the drivers and the pitwall, and it’s important for the race engineers to reassure their drivers and corroborate strategy plans. LOL he is so funny “something wrong with the engine” and then sets the fastest lap! He nails the restart and just drives off into the distance. Pole, lead every lap, win, and fastest lap. It really was a perfect race for him. Excellent job!
P2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – Every GP, those Ferrari’s are rocket ships off the start! He’s really showed his experience as a Monaco GP winner. Calm, cool, and collected. Lewis in the cooldown room with Kimi and Isack is so great, two young drivers – rookies last year - on the podium with one of their idols.
P3 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – Did an excellent job defending against George in the first 31 laps, while also managing gear problems. He got to enjoy that third place podium, even if he knew he might lose it due to the incident investigations. And I’m glad he’s gotten to keep it! Standing on the podium with his racing Idol must have been incredible, so happy for him.
P4 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – Oscar was pretty much running his own race this Sunday. An untroubled king!
P5 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – Both RBs in the points! After the risk of not going to be able to start the race, wow! Those mechanics deserve a round of applause. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is his best finishing position so far in F1?!
P6 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – Excellent overtake on Alex during William’s enforced team-strategy call. He’s opportunistic and I love to see it! Both RBs in the points! Definitely his best finishing position so far!
P7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – Like Isack, Pierre also did a great job keeping Lando behind him. Pierre did a great job gaining over Isack at the restart too!
P8 Alex Albon (Williams) – Williams was definitely playing the team game this race, and I really respect Alex’s self-advocacy with the pit wall. He was right, and now the team is reminded that they should listen to their drivers a bit more.
P9 Esteban Ocon (Haas) – Didn’t see much of Esteban and he still made it into the points! You go Este beste! So much better than Montreal.
P10 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – An Aston Martin 1) finishing the race and 2) GETTING THEIR FIRST POINTS OF THE SEASON!
P11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – Listen, a finished race is a good race. Didn’t see much of Gabi on screen.
P12 George Russell (Mercedes) – Wow George isn’t getting any easy races this season, All Focus All the Time! He did a great job chasing Isack relentlessly. We have to remember that because passing is so difficult in Monaco, strategy plays a key role. This is a team sport, sometimes places are gained/lost through strategy and execution at the pit stops, sometimes they’re gained/lost through driver skill or errors, and sometimes it’s just simple luck and timing.
P13 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – Today’s Tyre Whisperer.
P14 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – Didn’t see much from Franco, he was doing well in the middle of the pack for most of the race.
P15 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – *whispers* you did great Checo, its those dirty penalties fault.
DNF Carlos Sainz (Williams) – Was doing the team game and being very amiable this race, just bad luck near the end.
DNF Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Applause to his mechanics getting his car ready for the race today after his little touch in Q3. He did a great job of avoiding Max at the start. What I like about Charles is that he pushes the limit, always trying to find those extra milliseconds. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out and today, that was due to bad luck and a faulty track.
DNF Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Didn’t see Lance at all before his crash. Apparently, like Charles, it seems there was some issue with the track that caused his crash (source: Jolyon Palmer).
DNF Lando Norris (McLaren) – Lando was doing a great job by hunting Pierre down. It’s disappointing that the PU and McLaren/Mercedes reliability is still an issue, but his maturity with the situation over the radio is very commendable. Same goes for when he was defending against George until he had to retire the car on lap 45.
DNF Ollie Bearman (Haas) – I really respect Ollie’s resiliency, he keeps pushing himself and always does his best, even when things don’t go his way.
DNF Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – Another retirement for Cadillac, hopefully they come back stronger in Spain. At this point, I think Cadillac may be taking turns with who gets to finish the race.
DNF Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – Switch this man back into skinny jeans! His luck has been so bad since he switched to straight legged jeans. I respect his maturity about the situation in the media pen. I too would have just gone home.
So much speeding in the pitlane! Do you think it was because the drivers were bored during the race and once they see clean air, they just subconsciously go for it? Haha. Is it because this is the only place where they can gain a time advantage so they push the line? Was there a sensor issue? Either way, I find it funny how crazy Monaco makes everyone. If you caught something great that I missed, add it in the tags/comments/reblog!
Once again, due to all the time penalties and investigations, I will be delaying my "Praise Post" for the GP.
When the finishing results are confirmed (and after I get back from my date that I will luckily not be late for due to the red flag pushing the GP longer than expected), I will post.
I've been thinking. Maybe it isn't the Red Bull Curse or the #3. Maybe it's because Max stopped wearing skinny jeans. Ever since he stopped wearing skinny jeans his luck has been horrible!
The Positive Debrief: Canadian GP 2026 Praise Post
My customary posting after every Grand Prix (if I've been able to watch it live), going over what each driver did well, at least briefly, since I can't touch on everything. Please feel free to add your own praises. But try to avoid disparaging other drivers at the same time, this is a Praise Post! Good intentions only!
General race notes: Qualifying weather conditions were very different to the conditions during this race. Going into the race, the rain wasn’t as much a concern as the wind and gusts. Of course, the track is changeable due to the moisture, but the wind can change every lap. Very strange race start, two extra formation laps, but better than someone getting hurt because of Arvid’s car stalling.
The flags were heavily waving, the trees were dancing, and the cars were just trying to get some grip. Now that I think about it, our next windy race, each driver should be given a sail to deploy, that would be peak entertainment for sure. So many cars retired from this race, and only one because of a collision. Then, once again, we had many investigations. I guarantee that we are going to see photos of this podium for years to come as Kimi gains WDCs. “There are [blank number] WDCs in this photo”.
I really enjoy seeing the top 3 having fun in parc ferme and on the podium. But I also want to point out that everyone except the top 4 WERE LAPPED by Kimi! Racers want to race, these new regs are meant to tighten the whole field, not just the midfield. Let’s see how the season progresses and how the upgrade packages play into the season. Mclaren should be back to fighting at the next GP and that may mix things up again.
P1 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Great job getting in front of George at the start. Like the commentators were saying, Kimi vs George is definitely giving me flashbacks to Max vs Daniel. I’m certainly seeing a lot of parallels between Kimi’s and Max’s mentalities on track. But he and George were reportedly (from Toto himself) told to ask themselves, “what would Max do?” lol! Both mercs seemed to be affected by either the wind or the tyre temps because why were they having so many lock-ups? Kimi must have been able to breathe easily in the second half of the race. But like he said on the radio, not how we like to see a race being won. We don’t want cars to retire because of mechanical issues. Making history once again, taking 4 wins in a row after his first win.
P2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – Every race I’m going to say that Ferrari does so good at the start this season! A rocket ship! Great fighting with Max, may have been having 2021 flash backs. He was doing such a good job following Max and waiting for a moment to pounce on lap 62! I love to see that both Lewis and Max were happy to be brawling and smiled as they recalled the fight.
P3 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – Both Red Bulls are still having troubles launching at the start but not nearly as bad as the beginning of the season! That move on Lewis on lap 9 was unexpected but beautiful to see that late breaking is still a tool the drivers can use effectively with these regulations. Max always puts up a great defense and he showed that once again with Lewis even on his cold tyres. I’m glad to see him smiling as he talked about his fight with Lewis.
P4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Had a good launch of the line at the start, then just tried to do his own race. Then came back to attack Isack in the middle, using all of his experience to fight and overtake Isack. He had a little Alonso moment with his race engineer on the radio telling him to stop talking to him haha.
P5 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – It looked like he had a better start than Max, he did a great job to keep clear of trouble and keep up with the top 5 at the beginning of the race. Very strong defense against Charles in the middle of the race, very bold, very illegal, but I applaud the enthusiasm. His best placement so far in his career!
P6 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – I think Franco is going to be getting the “fastest of the midfielders” experience this season. He’s essentially in the middle of the race but in mostly open air, no fighting in with anyone in front of him and the drivers behind him aren’t able to fight with him. He’s doing an excellent job in qualifying and that really shows in the race itself. Also, his wing was “waving” to the spectators as he drove around! I think this is his best placement so far!
P7 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – How did he get those soft tyres to last that long?! While also defending, Amazing!
P8 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – Simply lacking pace but never giving up, peak Pierre. Love to see the resiliency. Nice little fight with Liam near the end.
P9 Carlos Sainz (Williams) – In the middle of the field but we didn’t really see Carlos on screen. But I’m really glad to see him in the points.
P10 Ollie Bearman (Haas) – I know stuff happened with Ollie, but I didn’t see him at all! But I am so happy to see him in the points.
P11 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – I love that Oscar is trying to speak up for himself. We know he is a good racer; he has enough years under his belt now that the team should trust his judgement. He really didn’t give up throughout this race, he went from dead last to P11.
P12 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – Other than Nico’s speeding in the pitlane investigation, I didn’t see much of him. I did notice that he and Gabi may have been competing between themselves to see who could keep their medium tyres longer.
P13 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – Great overtake on Esteban on lap 29, like that was beautiful to see in the small screen, so smooth!
P14 Esteban Ocon (Haas) – Esteban put up such a good fight against Gabi and Checo.
P15 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Listen, the fact that Lance finished his home race is a win of itself.
P16 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – Once again Valtteri and Checo are Cadillac’s data-gathering Guinea Pigs! But I’m glad they’re so chill about it.
DNF Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – Once again Checo and Valtteri are Cadillac’s data-gathering Guinea Pigs! But I’m glad they’re so chill about it. Such a weird retirement!
DNF Lando Norris (McLaren) – Excellent launch off the line! Bad team strategy. And bad luck due to reliability once again.
DNF George Russell (Mercedes) – Very brave move by George on Kimi on lap 7. Pretty sure both garages were clenching on that move. He’s given a lot of trust to his young teammate this race. One thing I have to ask is why BOTH mercs were having so many lock-ups? Would this be a tyre temp issue, the wind, or simply the pressure of racing their teammate? Such bad luck that he had to retire with battery failure. Ironic that Toto then went on to praise the current 50/50 split on the battery unit regulations. Ironic in that their drivers had 50% ‘all’ and 50% ‘nothing’ outcomes for this race BECAUSE of the battery failure.
DNF Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – No luck this season. Another DNF, this time because of the seat?
DNF Alex Albon (Williams) – That groundhog was haunting Alex via Oscar Piastri.
DNS Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – Oh man such a bummer for Arvid. He did so well in qualifying too!
Despite the tense inter-team battles and questionable strategy, there were a lot of strong drives, good fights, and signs of progress across the grid. If you caught something great that I missed, add it in the tags/comments/reblog!
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