FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX IN MALAYSIA 2026

Not sure if Azerbaijan was a good race or if it was an average race on the heels of a bad race. There was excitement on Friday (qualifying day) and we genuinely didn't know who was going to come across the line first for most of the race.

The big story was teammate clashes. Colapinto is getting a lot of heat for his ill-conceived dive down the inside in turn one. And, rightly so. However, If I had a nickel for every time someone had done that (Dive down the inside completely out of control) I wouldn't be able to afford to buy an F1 team, but I certainly could afford to buy VIP tickets to the Austin weekend. Was it dumb? Was it dangerous? Was it disastrous? Is he going to face some serious backlash within the team? Should he be suspended for a week? Should he be banned for life? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Could go either way. Not even a consideration. Colapinto is going to be fine, he'll be racing at Ferrari in a few years and this will only be remembered and referenced by pedantic fans who like to make obscure references. Linblad's move was, arguably, a worse infraction. But, since he only took out Lawson, no one cares. (Except Lawson)

In non-contact teammate wars, Hadjar's return can only be classified as triumphant. He dominated Max in Qualifying and during the race, tire choice was the deciding factor on pace. When Isack was on the softs, he was faster than Max and when Max was on the softs, he was faster than Isack. I do wonder if the Frenchman could have attacked Russell during that first stint, IF he had insisted to the team that he be let off the leash.

We're being treated to an unusual phenomenon for the rest of the year. Esteban Ocon is a free agent. And we got some really good, unfiltered comments in Baku from the Frenchman. He also gave us a "No F***s Given" drive on the track with a good result for him and the team. I don't see a seat opening up for him next year, but it'll be fun to watch him approach the rest of the year with nothing to lose.

In the championship battle, Antonelli played it safe and worked his way up to decent points. Russell only clawed back 15 points on the day and Kimi showed us that he can recover from a big mistake to put in a mature drive.

The teams head to Bahrain this week. And the race is on at 3 am. The good news is I've found a place willing to open up for us at that time and we can watch the race live!

Just kidding. I'll be hosting a delayed viewing and we'll start at 9. Address will be sent out on Saturday. Hope to see you there.