...or so does the street (in this case: two drivers who can't keep a secret to save their life) says.
a tweet going viral on twitter is claiming that they've heard Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar in one of their cheeky gossip shesh say that these two grand prixs would be cancelled. Or more specifically Isack Hadjar said "it's two less races to win" to Kimi Antonelli.
the rumours of cancellation were swirling around the paddock way before the season had even officially started because of the on-going conflict between Iran-Isreal/US.
if cancelled, these races are likely to not be replaced. we'd be going the whole month of April without any cars on track.
You've seen countless posts about the sport, explaining it, the race weekends, ect ect.
But, no one tells you why you should watch it. Why should you spend so much time in front of a screen just to watch cars go round for two hours? And you can't even see the drivers' faces!
Well, apart from the sport actually being really interesting, it actually teaches a lot of things. Now, I can't say the other sports don't because I'm not a big sports fan and everyone has their own perspective, and this is mine!
When I was a naive little kid who hated cars and anything fast, I was far away from the world of motorsports.
One Charles Leclerc edit changed it all.
It immediately hooked me in and I went crazy. I talked my family's ears off for days about it. I watched old races, caught up memes, and soon my feed was filled with du du du du max verstappen 🎶
During the time I was catching up, it was the peak of the winter shutdown. The world was shaken up by the breaking news of Lewis Hamilton switching teams. Even though I wasn't familiar with the drivers at that time, it still got me wondering what will happen with Carlos Sainz's career then.
When the season started, I felt like a child in a candy store. There was just so much to see! My first full Grand Prix was Australia '24 and ever since then, Carlos Sainz has been my #1 driver.
But the thing that kept me hooked throughout the season (because I change my obsession faster than an F1 driver changes the gears), wasn't the cars on track. It was the off track drama. And pit stops.
You're telling me that tyres can be changed within seconds? One blink and your driver is on a different tyre compound. It blew my mind. I find it fascinating how the pit stops work. One second delay resulted in loss of points and position.
Every second mattered.
The crew worked so fast, so smoothly, it seems almost inhuman. And in those rare moments when someone messes up a pit stop, the driver drops.
To think that just one millisecond can cost someone a whole championship is scary. You can't mess up anything, you can't afford mistakes, you can't risk anything but perfection.
And when the driver had left the pit lane, they're at the mercy of the tyres and quick reflexes.
If there is one group of people on this earth that aren't human, then it's the F1 drivers. They drive over 300 km/h, can withstand extremely high g-forces, and if you challenge one to race around an F1 circuit blindfolded, they'd definitely beat you.
These people have trained to win a grand prix, especially their home grand prix, their whole life. They can guess the track just by the sound of their cars on it. I'm 101% convinced those people aren't humans.
On track, they're going so fast, and they're fully dependent on their reflexes.
But what makes it impossible to look away isn't just the speed. It's the fact that behind the helmet, the tinted visors and sponsor logos are people who feel everything.
From the pressure of being watched by an entire nation to the anticipation of hitting the brakes at the right time for the next turn and the frustration of a strategy call ruining a race.
And yet, they still go back out there the next weekend.
Formula one isn't just cars going in circles.
It's money.
It's politics.
It's the pressure of leaving a legacy while not ruining someone else's.
On track, everyone's on their own.
You can't control the weather, the safety car or your teammate.
It's just you and your car against expectations, against rumours, against everything.
A lot of emotions are associated with this sport; adrenaline for speed, fear when your driver spins out, overjoyed when your driver wins, dread when you see Max Verstappen is behind your driver (who happens to be leading).
My favourite is hope, for when the Tifosi says “next year is our year.” it also makes me realise i’m not delusional enough.
F1 also has a way of making the audience, even the ones watching from a screen, feel involved through pre-season testing, radios and obviously the vcarb social media.
You can hear the frustration in the driver's voice through the radio when they crash, or because of the papaya rules team orders. Or the tears when they win the world championship. Or the disappointment when everyone in the team gives all they had and still end just seconds away from a single point.
So, the next time someone tells you F1 is just cars going around in circles, tell them it's much more than that. It's chasing perfection at 300 km/h, not blinking like a human (don't even get me started on this) and coming out of a crash that could've killed a normal human but somehow didn't do anything to the driver.
Formula 1 is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel, single-seater formula racing cars. 11 teams, 22 drivers, nail-biting drama.
The reason it's called 'formula 1' is because the 'formula' in this refers to a set of rules and regulations that all teams must follow. The 'one' means that this is the highest and most advanced class of formula racing in the world, the highest category compared to f2, f3 and f4.
Though the actual race is on sundays, the typical race weekend starts on thursdays.
Thursday: media day
Friday: free practices 1 and 2*
Saturday: free practice 3 and qualifying*
Sunday: race day
(*if it's a sprint weekend, the sprint qualifying is on friday after one free practice session and sprint race on saturday before the actual qualifying sessions.)
What happens on media day?
No cars on track. interviews, press conferences and lots of gossip. Drivers and team principals are paired together to answer questions and address rumours.
A lot of iconic moments and memes were the results of media days. A couple of my favourites was when Lewis Hamilton wore four necklaces, four rings on each hand, three watches, earrings and nose ring when he was protesting against the FIA jewellery ban in 2021 and then said,
"I couldn't get any more jewellery on today."
And in 2024, during the Singapore Grand Prix, when Max Verstappen held his own press conference outside with all the journalists. He gave one word answers to the media after being mandated to do community service after swearing. He assured the journalists his straightforward and one word answers wasn't anything personal against anyone. Later, he held his own press conference outside.
What happens on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays?
Friday kicks off with free practice (fp) session 1.
fp sessions are 60 minutes long, and they're non scoring. Meaning whatever the result is, it does not affect the main race on sunday. These sessions allow the team to optimize car setups, and figure out how to improve the car more for qualifying/race. There should be clear communication between the team and the driver.
Two fp sessions on friday and the third one on saturday+qualifying.
Sometimes, the qualifying is more exciting and thrilling than the actual race (Azerbaijan gp 2025, the qualifying went upto 1h, 58m! longest ever qualifying and it outlasted every other race on the calendar). Like free practice sessions, the qualifying is also divided into three parts:
Q1: The first session is 18 minutes long. All 22 cars on the track and then the six slowest cars are eliminated at the end.
Q2: This one is 15 minutes long and the slowest cars from the remaining 16 are eliminated, locking in the grid positions.
Q3: The last session is 12 minutes long. The remaining 10 cars take on the track one last time on a Saturday and fight for pole position (1st) and secure the rest of 2nd-10th positions.
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Sunday brings anticipation and a nervous kind of excitement in the paddock. The day starts off with the driver's parade. Drivers give interviews and go around the track (sometimes together, sometimes separately). Two hours later, they slip in their cars and exit the garages.
The race starts with a formation lap where the drivers weave their cars to warm up the tires, and when the cars are all ready on the grid, the lights go out and away we go 🏎️
Each race has a specific amount of laps with its own twists and turns to make the circuit (track) challenging and exciting and the race goes on for two hours.
But, the main question is, why should you watch it?
Rumour has it that Helmut Marko is going to leave Oracle Red Bull Racing.
Nothing has been officially confirmed by F1, Red Bull Racing or Helmut Marko himself though word is going around that it would be announced soon.
Helmut Marko has been an advisor to all Formula 1 teams owned by Red Bull since 2005 and has made many controversial comments.
Before, it might have been a bit unbelievable that he's leaving but F1 fans know to expect the unexpected and it seems very likely, especially with Christian Horner being fired from Red Bull earlier this season.
Helmut Marko has raced in 10 Grand Prix from 1971 to 1972. He won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1971 with Martini. In 1989, he founded RSM Marko and has been an advisor to Red Bull Racing and its sister team in Formula 1 since 2005 and won six World Constructions' Championship titles between 2010 to 2013.
What do you think this means for Red Bull's future— real or nonsense? 👀
