F1Weekly Podcast # 1145

ON TODAYS PROGRAM…

MIAMI IS THE REAL 2026 SEASON OPENER!!
TURKEY GP RETURNS FOR 2027!
JEAN ALESI CRASHES HIS 1969 312 FERRARI AT THE MONACO HISTORIQUES!
TOTO KEEPING HIS CARDS CLOSE TO HIS CHEST!
BYD ARE TALKING WITH DOMINICALI!!…..AND….
FERNANDO’S VICTORY OVER THE RED BARRON WAS 20 YEARS AGO! AND…

THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: JEROME D’AMBROSIO AND LANDO NORRIS AT DONINGTON 2015!!

On 24 April 2005, the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola became one of the defining races of Fernando Alonso’s first championship season. He won for Renault, but the result is remembered above all for the final laps, when Michael Schumacher brought the Ferrari close enough to make every corner matter.
Alonso had started second. Schumacher had started 13th on the grid after a difficult qualifying session, yet as his pace came alive, it transformed the afternoon. Kimi Räikkönen had led early for McLaren before retiring with a driveshaft problem, and Alonso inherited a race that soon became a test of control as much as speed.

In the closing phase, Schumacher was the faster driver. He had the Ferrari underneath him, the experience of seven world titles behind him, and a circuit where passing was difficult. Alonso had track position, a Renault R25 to protect, and no margin for error. For lap after lap, he placed the car exactly where it needed to be.
Alonso crossed the line just 0.215 seconds ahead of Schumacher. After the later BAR-Honda disqualifications, Alexander Wurz was classified third for McLaren Mercedes.
Imola 2005 remains a clean piece of Formula 1 memory: pressure, restraint, and two drivers at different points of their stories meeting at the edge of a changing era. Machismo!

We spoke with former World Drivers' Champion Nigel Mansell after the regulation refinements were announced and he shared his views.

Here's a summary of what he said:

It's fabulous that everyone's talking and this is a massive change

"I think the fabulous thing is that everyone's talking. It's been a massive change in regulations, both with the car and the engine. I think there's going to be improvements with the harvesting of power. Hopefully, they won't be slowing down too much into some of the corners now.”

"I think it is so vitally important for the drivers to be able to drive the cars to the maximum, as opposed to having a computer telling them when they can brake or can't brake. Fernando Alonso made us all laugh by saying that his chef could drive the car better than he could at the moment.”

"We have to get back to normality. Formula One is the grand stallion of all racing worldwide and we mustn't lose sight of that. And as technology gathers pace, they can do these other tweaks to do 50/50 later but they just need to give more power to the cars at the moment to go racing.”

I'd like to see more power to the elbows of the drivers

"In engineering terms, if it's not broken, you don't try to fix it. People don't understand that there's major changes which have been in place for some time. It takes a lot of time for all the teams and manufacturers to put it all together.”
 
"So the complexity of the rules is enormous and if you don't get it right, along with the combination of the power units, harvesting of electrical power, and so on and so forth. It's a minefield.”
 
"Drivers can fall foul of so many regulations and yet it's the computers doing it all. I'd just like to see more power to the elbow of the drivers, as opposed to computers doing it.”
 
"Going back to the 70s and 80s, 90+ percent of the engines were Cosworth DFV. Everyone had the same engines pretty much and we had fantastic racing. You knew the cars, the drivers, the tyres, the mechanics and the engineers made a huge difference.”
 
"Yes we're in the computer age but racing should be as stable as it can be, for everyone to be able to catch up to compete. Everyone's mooting it would be great to have the V10s back for the noise. If you're a purist, the answer is yes. Everybody makes their own V10 and it'll sound fantastic because it's the pinnacle of motorsport.”
Challenge for F1 is to balance technological advancement and "racing"

"I have tremendous sympathy, and support the drivers one hundred percent with what they're saying. They need to be listened to. They've got a job to do and they do a fantastic job, all of them.”
 

"It's all well and good, coming up with new ideas and regulations. All I'd say to the powers that be is that they've done a fantastic job but they have to work and they have to be able to be implemented safely and properly.”
 
"When they've tweaked it enough that it works, it's fantastic. But until it does work properly for everybody, we need to keep tweaking it, I think urgently now so that we get the show on the road.”
 
"As long as it doesn't carry on for much longer they'll be fine. They're all doing a great job. What the manufacturers have done, the FIA, the governing body and Liberty Media themselves.”
 
"They mustn't lose sight of the fact that the cars need to race properly. It has some growing pains but it has been the most difficult start of any year because they've had three races and then this month or so off. And now we've got Miami so I think everyone's excited about that at the end of next week as we can get racing again.”
Mercedes still have the advantage despite regulation refinements

"If you're Mercedes you must be incredibly frustrated because you could have gotten a big lead in the championship.”
 
"The people who are struggling, they'd go 'oh, thank you!'. They get a bit more time to sort things out and get ready for the next race.”
 
"It's on both ends of the spectrum. Some people are going to feel very comfortable with it and some will feel frustrated. It's racing anyway. There's always something going on.”
 
"I don't think so (Mercedes and Toto Wolff being disappointed) because we haven't had a proper race yet, if you're a purist. Mercedes have done such a fantastic job, they'll have an advantage all through the year. Their engine is better than anybody else's.”
 
"We're talking purely here about harvesting power and drivers being able to race the cars on the track and at every corner as much as they can. So it's a different thing altogether".
 
"I still think Mercedes will have an advantage all through the year but it's a big development. It's a big development with the cars, with the engines. A month is a very long time and we could see a lot of changes in Miami. Once we get racing properly, everything can stay stable again. It's just that everybody is not racing properly at the moment".
 
These regulation refinements make Miami GP the first pivotal race of the season
 
"I hope everything settles down and we have a great race in Miami.”
 
"I think Miami, because the focus is on it, could be one of the pivotal races this year with all the new tweaks. I think Miami's got hype because obviously without going into the negativity of what's happening in the war, with this month off, everybody's hungry to go racing again. So Miami's going to be under the microscope, and I think it's going to be a fantastic race down there.”
 
"Well, I'll let you know firsthand I'm gonna be there this year for one of the days, so I'm gonna go and have a look. This is my first time in Miami. I haven't been there but Miami is a great spectacle. I think every year when any race returns, there's improvements.”
 
"I'm very optimistic that Miami will be a much better presentation.”

Stovebolt Special Returns to Pebble Beach Decades after Historic Run in Last Road Race

 

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA (April 22, 2026) — At the drop of the green flag, in what was to be the very last road race at Pebble Beach although no one knew that then, two-time past winner Bill Pollack jumped into the lead in a much-modified car that would come to be known as the “Stovebolt Special”—a 1950 HWM fitted with experimental disc brakes and the very first Chevy V8 to be used in road racing. The date was April 22, 1956.

For a brief time, the car led the Ferraris of Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby, and Ernie McAfee as well as every other car in the race. It was powered to win—and might have done so but for the many tight corners of the tree-lined course, which the just-completed special struggled to navigate since its handling was not yet dialed in.

Ultimately it finished sixth overall—a fine achievement in a field comprising the top sports racing cars and drivers of the day. 

Although the Stovebolt Special now resides in England with renowned auto journalist and current owner Simon Taylor, it will return to Pebble Beach this August for the 75th celebration of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an event that began in tandem with the Pebble Beach Road Races in 1950. 

The HWM had already lived a long and storied life when it raced at Pebble Beach. In original form, as a works race car bearing a four-cylinder two-liter Alta engine, it served as the steed for Stirling Moss in his first paid competition. He raced the car for HWM throughout much of the 1950 season, recording several fine results including a third-place finish behind the Alfas of Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio in the Bari Grand Prix. With Johnny Claes at the wheel, the HWM won the Grand Prix des Frontieres. It was also driven by Rudi Fischer and Raymond Sommer. 

A few years later, the car was sold to 20th Century Fox to be used in the film “The Racers,” starring Kirk Douglas—and was crashed in accord with the script. 

It was Tom Carstens who bought the wreck and resurrected it for Pebble Beach, not simply rebuilding it, but doing all that he could to improve the chassis, transmission, and body. The new Chevy V8 engine was bored and stroked to just under five liters by Bobby Meeks at Vic Edelbrock’s shop and then was fitted in the car by Eddie Kuzma, who managed that task by repositioning the firewall and fabricating new rear bodywork. Ted Halibrand’s shop added a quick-change rear axle and the disc brakes. 

The finished creation was called the Stovebolt Special by “Sports Cars Illustrated” magazine—and the name stuck.

The return of the Stovebolt Special to Pebble Beach is made possible thanks to Simon Taylor as well as the American Hot Rod Foundation (ahrf.com), particularly founder Steve Memishian and foundation manager David Steele.The “Stovebolt Special” among several race cars in competition at the very last road race through the tree-lined course in Pebble Beach.
Photo Credit: Julian P. Graham / Pebble Beach Company Lagorio ArchivesThe 75th Concours will pay tribute to its historic ties in racing as well as the many “first-ever” gatherings of cars that have made it famous. The former road racers will be showcased in two special classes, one focusing on cars that raced in close-to-original form as made by their manufacturers and the other focusing on specials that were much modified.

The event will also feature cars ranging from early American Speedsters to Ferraris and Japanese race cars, and the latest new creations and dream cars will be displayed on the Concept Lawn. 

ZHENRUI CHI JOINS THE ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO FORMULA ONE™ TEAM DRIVER ACADEMY

22 April 2026, AMRTC, Silverstone, UK: The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team is pleased to announce that Zhenrui Chi has joined its Driver Academy. The 17-year-old, regarded as one of China’s most promising young drivers, becomes the latest addition to the Academy’s expanding roster as the team continues to strengthen its long-term pathway for developing emerging talent from across the global motorsport landscape.

As a member of the team’s Driver Academy, Zhenrui will race in an Aston Martin Aramco-liveried car, introducing the marque’s iconic green to the Formula Regional grid.

Zhenrui’s signing follows a comprehensive selection process carried out by the team’s Driver Academy programme, which first saw him driving at its evaluation day in Mugello before tracking his impressive 2025 campaign. Over the course of the season, he demonstrated consistent front-running pace and racecraft across European and Middle East F4 categories, delivering a series of standout performances that underlined his talent.

As part of the Aston Martin Aramco Driver Academy, Zhenrui will take part in a tailored development programme designed to support every aspect of his motorsport progression. The programme includes racecraft mentorship from experienced team personnel both trackside and at the AMR Technology Campus, physical conditioning, and a dedicated media and communications training to prepare him for the demands of professional motorsport.

Zhenrui Chi, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team Driver Academy: “Joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team family is a huge honour for me. It’s a great responsibility, but also an incredible opportunity and motivation to keep pushing myself to the next level. Knowing that I have the support of such an iconic team, with all its experience and expertise, gives me a lot of confidence for the journey ahead. I know the road will require hard work and dedication, and I’m fully aware that I have to continue to prove I deserve this opportunity. I’m ready to give everything I have and I can’t wait to start this journey with Aston Martin Aramco.”

Nuno Pinto, Racing Director, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team Driver Academy: “Zhenrui is exactly the kind of talent our Academy exists to find. We first saw him at an evaluation test in Mugello and were immediately impressed by his ability and approach. We then followed his progress through the rest of the 2025 season, where he showed not only pace but also strong consistency in one of the most competitive junior categories in racing, Italian F4. We are delighted to welcome him to the Academy and to support his development through our programme at Silverstone. With the resources of the AMR Technology Campus and the environment we have built around our drivers, we believe we can help him to continue to grow. This is a long-term partnership, and we are looking forward to the journey ahead together.”