F1Pitwall

P1 Lando Norris (McLaren) – First non-Mercedes driver (still a Mercedes engine) to get pole so far this year! Drove really well, made great clean moves, and finally brought in a win from pole at the Hungaroring! The teasing on the podium was very cute 😊

P2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – Max spent the opening laps driving a Red Bull that was somehow two car widths wider than the regulations allow. He really took the saying “it’s one thing to catch, but another thing to pass” to heart. Wow, ambitious overtake on Lewis on lap 16. I always love to see Max pull these things; he’s always on the limit. He has a lot to contemplate during summer break.

P3 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Briefly a race leader and kept out of trouble even with the track limit warnings haha. Then immediately started hunting Charles and mentally calculating how to steal P1 from everyone involved. I love his mindset of fighting literally everyone literally all the time, even if it hurts his strategy. Kimi seems completely unaware that "championship management" is a thing. His solution continues to be "attack." Very 2016 Max. I know people might be angry about Mercedes bringing him in for a second stop, but we have seen that a degraded tyre can blow up on the last lap, it’s safest to pit and fight back to position.

P4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – I love that Charles tries to save his race by asking for a different strategy. That really shows that he doesn’t have a victim or defeatist attitude. “Which Rhythm!” lololol I can’t with this man’s radio messages. Charles Leclerc radio compilations continue writing themselves.

P5 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – Showed that experience is a huge benefit here. Every time Lewis and Max race each other I briefly forget what year it is. But they sure do get my heart rate up! Ferrari attempted and successfully pulled off the undercut on Max on lap 14. And he looked more aggressive after that stop, love to see the fire!

P6 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – Very good start for Isack! And him holding back the McLarens on lap 18 after they had made their first pitstop was so amazing, super helpful to everyone behind the McLarens, then let his teammate through. He keeps proving exactly why Red Bull wanted him. Quick enough to score his own points, disciplined enough to help the team's overall strategy when needed. Great defenses for Max, what a legend!

P7 George Russell (Mercedes) – I may be in the minority here, but I enjoy recovery drives almost as much as victories. Especially in a well-performing car. His fight back up through the field after a bad start, shows that he has heart! Did amazing before his first pit stop, getting up to P7 and that dropped him out still in the points at P9 then got into P7. This was a GREAT recovery drive!

P8 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – Made some really good moves at the start and managed to gain a few positions. Then his fight with Arvid, pure cinema! Excellent racing and such a great camaraderie between the two.

P9 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – Nico spent several laps watching the two Racing Bulls argue over the same piece of asphalt before a wild Max Verstappen suddenly appeared! The mix of top runners and mid-fielders definitely helped him make some moves. And got his first points of the year!

P10 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – Arvid kept his head when dealing with a very aggressive Lewis on lap 14. These two Racing Bulls give me so much entertainment. These boys switch back and forth so much that I never know who is going to finish ahead!

P11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – Max is apparently Gabi's official Red Bull supplier during the driver parade. They even SHARE the can. I don't know why I find that so funny, but I do. I love that Gabi has such healthy relationships with veteran F1 drivers.

P12 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – Didn’t really see on the broadcast.

P13 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Lance was...well...strolling around the back of the midfield. I'll see myself out. Best finishing position so far! “Please get me an ice cream!” Oh the radio messages this race were peak!

P14 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – The first time his son has attended a race weekend and the first time he got into Q2 this year. Honestly, the upgrades must have done SOMETHING because he was actually able to fight someone other than Lance at the end of the midfield!

P15 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – Didn’t really see on the broadcast, but after his exciting race last week, he deserves a little break in action.

P16 Esteban Ocon (Haas) – Didn’t really see on the broadcast.

P17 Ollie Bearman (Haas) – Didn’t really see on the broadcast.

P18 Alex Albon (Williams) – 100th race start for Williams! Such a huge accomplishment.

P19 Carlos Sainz (Williams) – To be fair, he was fighting an Aston Martin for position.

DNF Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – The upgrades McLaren are bringing are certainly working! That start was perfect for Oscar and he kept that lead essentially throughout the race. That radio message was incredible. You all know exactly which one I'm talking about haha. Just really bad luck with the back markers. Such bad luck about his gearbox! But he did win me a small non-monetary bet that there would be a VSC or SC this race!

DNF Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – Did a great job getting back to the pits to retire the car.

DNF Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – Listen...using the pit wall to slow yourself down because the brakes have failed is certainly one way to solve the problem. Quick thinking from Valtteri.

P1 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Yet another Pole position to P1 conversion for Kimi! Had a really great start. And his overtake on Lando was very well done in the middle of the race. The overtake on Charles was also excellent, he bided his time and minded Bono’s advice, then made the move. Kimi continues his long-running negotiations with track limits, he will learn. Pretty hard to top "Happy Birthday, Dad. Here's a Formula 1 win." He even wrote a birthday message to his dad on the champagne! I hope this win erases the bad memories he has from last year.

P2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Charles saw Max's battery percentage drop and immediately thought, "Mine." Very smart of him. Great strategy to get Charles into the pits under the safety car. His defense against Kimi was masterful. Got driver of the day too!

P3 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – One of Red Bull's better starts of the season, but like he said yesterday, even though he tried to overtake – and did overtake – Kimi on the first lap, the Red Bull’s speed isn’t close to their competitor’s and his main business today was to keep everyone behind him. Good overtake on Charles on lap 6, actually got it to stick. I think he was very motivated to get away from Oscar’s epic moves up the field! Even when he hates the tyres he’s on, he still makes gutsy moves and fights like heck! A podium after a DNF at the last race, he should keep that rear wing. I imagine Isack earned himself at least one free dinner from Max this weekend. Btw...I TOLD YOU THAT SKINNY JEANS WERE THE SOLUTION!

P4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – Several overtakes on Oscar at the beginning of the race. Drama in the pitlane under the safety car but gained some seconds, even with his stop, very good strategy from Ferrari (slightly poorly executed). The fear in Lewis's voice when he asked if the mechanic was okay... priorities immediately in the right place. Even with the penalty and possible penalty after the race, he kept pushing. World champion mindset. I love seeing that kind of resilience from both the drivers and the teams.

P5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – Very pretty overtake on Lewis on lap 5 after the safety car restart. He was carving his way back through the field and I loved every minute of it.

P6 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – Did an amazing job helping Max with the tow in qualifying! Took a 30-place penalty for components and started P21. Very good pace and made it back into the points after the grid place penalty AND 3 pitstops! Isack really played his part in Red Bull strategy this weekend. That's the kind of teammate work that rarely gets remembered six months later, but absolutely matters.

P7 Lando Norris (McLaren) – Qualified P10 but had a 10-place grid penalty due to switching components. We will be seeing a lot of that this season. Made some really great moves at the start of the race. Great job holding off Kimi in the middle of the race, even on ancient Hard tyres. Holding off Kimi seems to be becoming a full-time job for half the grid. He did a great job recovering from his P13 start position.

P8 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – P8! Highest Audi start this season, also where he finished last week. Had really good defense against Lando’s faster Mclaren. Gabi did a good job having a little fight with Arvid and did manage to overtake him at the end of the race. Audi is improving so much this season!

P9 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – Arvid received the VCARB upgrades (apparently the team was rather democratic on deciding 1) if they would bring upgrades to this race and 2) who would get them). Did a very good job holding off Lando. Apparently, he was having a good fight with Gabi too.

P10 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – He’s very excited for the World Cup match later today and also did well to keep his teammate behind him during the race. OMG that move on lap 30 on both Pierre AND Liam, amazing! Franco is driving me crazy (in a good way) this season! Every weekend he seems to pull one move that makes me rewind the broadcast.

P11 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – didn’t see much of Pierre but I know he was having a good fight with Liam throughout the race.

P12 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – Held off Lando very well at the start of the race. Once Liam gets the upgrades, everyone else may have a new problem. Such a good move to evade becoming the filling in an Alpine sandwich. Very nice overtake on Pierre.

P13 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – Nice overtake on Alex! He finished the race! Already an improvement over recent weeks.

P14 Ollie Bearman (Haas) – We didn’t see it on the broadcast, but Ollie must have made some moves on the Williams’ during the race. Wish we could have seen those, even if the positions were gained by pitting strategies/timing.

P15 Alex Albon (Williams) – Not much coverage of either Williams.

P16 Carlos Sainz (Williams) – Took a grid penalty for components.

P17 Esteban Ocon (Haas) – Not much coverage of Esteban.

P18 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – Best start position of the season, P17! It’s also where he finished last week.

P19 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – Didn't really see Fernando, but maybe he was conserving energy for the World Cup later. Efficient use of resources.

DNF Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Didn’t really see Lance before he retired which is a shame because this is sort of a home race for him too since he’s half Belgian.

DNF Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – Retired due to suspension issue so we didn’t get to see much of him at all.

DNF George Russell (Mercedes) – George's 2026 season and good luck continue to maintain a strict no-contact policy. A gutsy move (something I like to see) considering the track was in slightly changeable conditions – and Lewis’s reputation at that corner – but he gave room like the rules say to do.

I'm going to be completely honest: I'm getting tired of hearing "battery" every five seconds. Half the overtakes feel like they're happening because someone's battery percentage hit the right number rather than because someone simply out-drove the other car. I'm still hoping the teams and drivers figure these regulations out because the racing talent is absolutely there. I just wish the batteries would stop trying to take the lead role.

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.

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.

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.

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.