FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2026

Another race weekend, another late posting from your coordinator.

Zandvoort gave us one of the most boring sprint races and one of the most interesting main races of the year. I think it's safe to say that the sprint format really does nothing for the spectacle of F1 race weekends. Passing is nonexistent without pit strategies and no one near the front is willing to take a flyer on tires to try to squeak out something unexpected.

There was drama both on and off the track. Ferrari strategizing in typical Ferrari fashion. Mercedes strategizing in typical Mercedes fashion and Max strategizing in a decidedly UN-Max fashion. The Red Bull drivers' dance produced some interesting but ultimately inconclusive data. Max didn't race, so we don't know how Lawson did. Yuki and Arvid were on completely different strategies, so we don't know how Yuki did. We'll get another chance to see what the actual pecking order is this weekend because Hadjar is sitting this one out too.

The Aston Martin upgrades were effective in the Netherlands, with Alonso collecting points in the main race on merit. Their qualifying was still very bad, but not the worst. This week doesn't look good for cars down on horsepower, so I don't expect a repeat.

McLaren has now won two races on the bounce, and Norris is looking relaxed for the first time this year. Antonelli might be miles ahead right now, but the Ferraris, McLarens and Maxs are all fast, and there's a lot of season left to go.

This week, the teams head to Monza. Top speed and good aero are going to be the key factors. Mercedes has a chance to put a stamp on the season here and demoralize the field.

We'll be at Dohetry's in Apex. Hope to see you all there.