Analysis on

Imola is going to tell us a lot

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Imola is the first European race of the season and traditionally the moment teams unveil their first major upgrade package. The track is also a useful diagnostic tool for car balance.

Why Imola matters

Three things make Imola distinctive:

Slow chicanes paired with fast esses — tests whether a car can be made to work in a wide aero window
Heavy braking zones with low-grip exits — tests rear-end stability
Long full-throttle section through Tamburello — tests low-drag efficiency

A car that can do all three is a championship car. A car that can do two of three is a podium-fighting car. A car that can only do one is a midfield car.

Championship math after three rounds

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Three races in, the championship is genuinely competitive. Let’s break down where things stand.

Drivers’ Championship

Pos	Driver	Points	Wins
1	Verstappen	71	2
2	Norris	56	1
3	Piastri	41	0
4	Leclerc	39	0
5	Hamilton	31	0

Max leads by 15 points. That sounds comfortable until you remember that’s barely more than one DNF away from being level.

What history tells us

Looking at the last decade of openings:

Hamilton at Ferrari — the 2026 reality check

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hamilton’s first race weekend in Ferrari red is now behind us, and the talk about what this move means is finally grounded in actual data instead of speculation.

What we expected

When the move was announced in 2024, everyone projected: Hamilton wins championships at Ferrari, ends the drought, retires as the most decorated F1 driver on the grandest team. Or alternatively: Hamilton struggles with a car that doesn’t suit him and finishes Vettel-style.

Why McLaren keeps getting faster

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

McLaren’s last two seasons have been a slow-motion turnaround. From 2022’s slow start to 2025’s championship contention. There are several reasons this happened, and most of them have nothing to do with the car.

Wind tunnel

The MTC opened a new full-scale wind tunnel in late 2023. Before that, McLaren had been using the Toyota Cologne facility on a contract basis — which meant limited tunnel time and travel costs eating budget. Owning their tunnel changed everything: more correlation runs, faster development cycle, better confidence in design decisions.

Predictions for 2026 season

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Time for the annual self-humiliation: writing predictions in January that I’ll have to face in December.

Drivers’ Champion

Verstappen. He’s won four in a row and the regulations are stable. Until McLaren shows they can beat him over a full season instead of in flashes, betting against Max is a bad gamble.

But: there’s a real chance Norris takes the title if McLaren hits the new regs better than Red Bull. I’d put it at 35% Norris, 50% Verstappen, 15% other.