What to watch this Weekend (Sept 24th - Sept 29th)

• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Practice 1. Friday @ 4:25am - 5:30am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Practice 2. Friday @ 7:55am - 9am (ESPNU) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Practice 3. Saturday @ 4:55am - 6am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Qualifying. Saturday @ 7:55am - 9am (ESPN2) live
• WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. IMSA action at the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. Saturday @ 5pm - 7pm (NBCSN) live
• Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix; from the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia. Race. Sunday @ 7:55am - 10am (ESPN2) live
• Garage Squad. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 4pm - 5pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 5pm - 6pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Hot Rod Garage. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Bitchin Rides. Wednesday @ 8pm - 9pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Top Gear America. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10:30pm (MotorTrend) 

Monza was another crazy race with championship implications. Hams had a bad start and finish in the sprint race, putting him a bit out of position in the race and while trying to pass Max early, they touch tires and he looses a spot or two. Fast forward to the first round of pit stops, Max has a stinker (10sec) and homes out no longer in the effective lead. He goes nuts on his out-lap to ensure Hamilton doesn't get the undercut on his stop, but Hams comes out of the pit a bit ahead of Max. They both came to turn one at about the same time and more wheel on wheel crime took place. This time around, however, they tangle rear tires. Verstappen was dinged by the stewards for this accident, which ended with a rear tire on Hamiltons helmet in a very worrisome scene resulting in a red flag. Verstappen got a 5-grid spot penalty primarily because Hamilton was there first and neither yielded coming out of the chicane -- not surprising based on what they're fighting for. Even though these two took each other out of the race, the race leader at the time was neither of them. Ricciardo, after all these ups and downs in the McLaren found his groove on a track that suited the McLaren better than the front runners had anticipated. Daniel looked comfortable and it showed during the sprint and during the actual race. Norris was in position to pickup where Max and Lewis left off, getting behind his teammate as the challenges chased after them. The points grab commenced and the newly announced 2022 Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas worked his way through the field after his grid penalty to take the final podium spot. Ferrari raced well, taking 4th and 6th, Perez snagged 5th to help with damage control in the Constructors' and Alpine took 8th and 10th. George Russell piloted his Williams to 9th for even more points this year and Lance got his Aston into 7th. Congrats to McLaren and Daniel for the race win and having all the hard work and rough years finally pay off. I'm sure this won't be the last time they content for a race win this season. Russia, this weekend, should be another interesting race; Red Bull typically isn't super strong in Sochi, but they'll be doing all they can to gain points in the Drivers' and Constructors' chips. This Driver's Championship is as competitive as it's been is years and I'm enjoying, although I'd like them both to finish the races.

Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Videos courtesy of peterwindsor.

Watch the Formula 1 Race Recap here.

What to watch this F1 Weekend (Sept 10th - Sept 15th)

• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Italy; from Autodromo di Monza, Italy. Practice 1. Friday @ 8:25am - 9:30am (ESPNU) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Italy; from Autodromo di Monza, Italy. Qualifying. Friday @ 11:55am - 1pm (ESPN) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Italy; from Autodromo di Monza, Italy. Practice 2. Saturday @ 5:55am - 7am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Italy; from Autodromo di Monza, Italy. Sprint Qualifying. Saturday @ 10:25am - 11:30am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Italy; from Autodromo di Monza, Italy. Race. Sunday @ 8:55am - 11am (ESPN2) live
• WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Race. Action from Laguna Seca Raceway. Sunday @ 4pm - 7pm (NBCSN) live 
• Garage Squad. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 4pm - 5pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 5pm - 6pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Wheeler Dealers. Tuesday @12pm - 3pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Bitchin Rides. Wednesday @ 8pm - 9pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Top Gear America. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10:30pm (MotorTrend) new

Short week again, rolling into the final race of a F1 triple header, post-summer break. The Sprint Qualifying rules are back again for Monza, but before that, lets review Max's homecoming in Zandvoort. Max was everything we thought he'd be, over the weekend, in front of his home fans with all the pressure of trying to take the lead in the Driver's Championship back after a run of bad luck. Hamilton showed poise getting within a few hundredths of Max's pole time in Q3, but Max and the Red Bull was the superior package last weekend -- with a commendation going to the ability of the Ferrari to change direction very well and outperform their nearest rivals in papaya for another weekend. Gasly in his Alfa Tauri raced outstanding as well, finishing fourth in a generally quiet race with no one near him. Perez has more trouble on Saturday which lead to him racing from the backpack to points, but his Sunday skill was on display, finishing in 8th on a track where passing is no easy feat. Alonso had another solid race, taking 6th late in the race over his countryman, Sainz, with his tires going off. Bottas continued to play the team game despite what he wanted to do, get the fastest lap after a late stop by the team to cover off potential tire failure. He took 3rd, right behind Hams which has been typical of recent memory. Valtteri announced, post-race, that he'd be going to Alfa Romeo, replacing his countryman, Kimi, with a multi-year deal starting with the 2022 regulation change over. So this would point to George Russell making the leap to Merc, however, all should be revealed shortly (probably as I type). With the checkered flag dropped Max is in the lead of the Driver's, Mercedes remains in the lead of the Constructors and everyone looks forward to the power-friendly circuit of Monza. The scene of Zandvoort was incredible, the track design was old school, wildly banked, narrow and quick; most everyone enjoyed the track and I too look forward to the next race in Holland.

Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of peterwindsor.

Watch Formula1's race recap here.

What to watch this Weekend (Aug 7th - Aug 11th)

• IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship - From Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Qualifying. Saturday @ 2:45pm - 4:20pm (IMSA.TV) live
• IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship - From Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Race. Sunday @ 8pm - 11pm (NBCSN) same-day delay
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 6pm - 7pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Garage Squad. Mon/Wed @ 7pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Wheeler Dealers. Tuesday @11pm - 12am (MotorTrend) replay
• Chasing Classic Cars. Wednesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new

 Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of FifthGear.

What to watch this F1 Weekend (July 16th - July 21st)

• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Practice 1. Friday @ 9:25am - 10:30am (ESPNU) live
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Qualifying. Friday @ 12:55pm - 2pm (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Practice 2. Saturday @ 6:55am - 8am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Sprint Qualifying. Saturday @ 11:25am - 12pm (ESPN2) live 
• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship - From Lime Rock Park. Saturday @ 5:30pm - 8:30pm (NBCSN) same-day delayed airing
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Race. Sunday @ 9:55am - 12pm (ESPN) live
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 4pm - 5pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Chasing Classic Cars. Wednesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new

An exciting race in Austria last time around and it almost wrapped up the way I thought it would, with a few interesting wrinkles thrown in. The fans have been back in the last few races and it's been noticeably better for it. This season has been outstanding; I think it's what many have been looking forward to for years -- someone other than Merc taking the podium, some mid-field teams competing for podiums more regularly and for Max to have a car good enough to compete. Well it's all happening right now and it's been pretty intriguing. Max took another win on RBR's home track, Lando is showing how strong he truly is in the McLaren and Bottas did good to help fight for his seat in 2022 after news of Hamilton signing a two year deal. Hamilton helped his hopes by limiting damage, finishing in fourth. Perez did another solid job for the constructors and his own place in the championship by taking 6th. The controversy of this race really came down to the penalties for overtaking on turn 10. That'll be addressed in the second vid below, but it raises questions about the stewards letting the drivers race -- or not. Merc still has issues to sort out, but the good news is they maximized points and didn't worry about which driver took second in order to do so. Ricciardo did a good job making up for a terrible Saturday to snag some good points on Sunday, taking 7th. And next to Lando, going for the win and coming up a bit short Sunday, the next driver which was a pleasure to root for was George Russell, who got into Q3 with his Williams, again, but missed out on taking 10th on Sunday due to a pressing Alonso on newer tires, late in the race. Hopefully he'll be rewarded sooner than later, but in the meantime the buzz is on whether he'll have a seat next to Hamilton in 2022 or if he'll be back at Williams for the first year of the new regulations. Ferrari also did a good job snagging points against their rival McLaren, taking 4th and 8th, Sainz taking the prior. Silverstone is going to be an interesting race. Red Bull has turned into the Merc of old, where you think they have the edge in every race. Meanwhile Merc has been tweaking the package to close the gap some; Silverstone is a race where Merc has been dominant, especially Hamilton, loving to show up in front of his home fans. The RBR package is just better at this point so it'll be interesting to see who has the edge over a single lap and race pace come Saturday afternoon. It'll also be nice to see if Hamilton, but more importantly Norris and Russell, can deliver some magic in front of their home fans. Also, there will be a different race weekend format with sprint qualifying; Silverstone is one of three races this year with this format. This will mean teams will only have an hour to get ready for qualy, so it should be interesting.

Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of peterwindsor.

Video courtesy of ChainBear.

Watch race recap here courtesy of Formula1.

What to watch this 4th of July Weekend (July 2nd - July 7th)

• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Practice 1. Friday @ 5:25am - 6:30am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Practice 2. Friday @ 8:55am - 10am (ESPNU) live
• WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. WeatherTech 240. From Watkins Glen International Raceway in New York. Friday @ 6pm - 9pm (NBCSN) live
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Practice 3. Saturday @ 5:55am - 7am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8:55am - 10am (ESPN2) live 
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Race. Sunday @ 9:05am - 11am (ESPN) live
• Speed Is The New Black. Tuesday @ 3pm - 4pm MotorTrend) replays
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 4pm - 5pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replays

Busy and short week again, but Max is on a roll. Merc held on to the other two podium spots and took fastest lap late, but going back to the same track doesn't bode well unless they figured something out with race pace. Red Bull Leads in both championships for another week, Lando is strong again, Ferrari recovered a bit last weekend and made up ground on McLaren, Alonso is looking more and more comfortable in the Alpine and Ricciardo is still struggling for now. George and Pierre had some bad luck. This GP triple-header will wrap this weekend then we'll have a short break before heading to Silverstone.

Enjoy your holiday motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of peterwindsor.

Watch race recap courtesy of Formula1.

What to watch this Weekend (June 12th - June 16th)

• IndyCar Series - Detroit Indy Grand Prix, Race #1. From Belle Island Park in Detroit, MI. Saturday @ 2pm - 4pm (NBC) live
• WeatherTech Sports Car Championship - Detroit Belle Island Grand Prix. From Belle Island Park in Detroit, MI. Saturday @ 5pm - 7pm (NBCSN) live
• IndyCar Series - Detroit Indy Grand Prix, Race #2. From Belle Island Park in Detroit, MI. Sunday @ 12pm - 3pm (NBC) live
• Garage Squad. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 4pm - 5pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 6pm - 7pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend)
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) 

Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of HeelandToeBlog.

What to watch this Weekend (May 14th - May 19th)

• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship - Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. Sunday @ 2:30pm - 5:30pm (NBCSN) live
• Garage Squad. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 4pm - 5pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Hot Rod Garage. Mon/Tues/Wed @ 5pm - 6pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Wed @ 7pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Wheeler Dealers. Mini-marathon. Monday @ 8 - 11pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Restoration Garage. Marathon. Tues @ 10am - 4pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend)
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) 

Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of EvolveAutomotive.

What to watch this 24 Hours of Daytona Weekend (Jan 29th - Feb 3rd)

• The Grand Tour. Season 4 Ep.2 - A Massive Hunt. (Amazon Prime) 
• Rolex 24hrs of Daytona. 58th Running of this legendary endurance race. Race. Saturday @ 3:30pm - 4:30pm (NBC), 5pm - 10pm (NBCSN) live. Sunday @ 1am - 3am (NBCSN), 3am - 6am (NBCSportsApp), 6am - 2pm (NBCSN), Race Finish 2pm - 4pm (NBC) live
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tue/Wed @ 6pm - 7pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend)
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) 
• Wheeler Dealers. Tuesday @ 9pm - 10pm (MotorTrend) new
• Bitchin Rides. Wednesday @ 8pm - 10pm (MotorTrend) replays
• Restoration Garage. Wednesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new
  

The 2021 Motorsport Season begins with the 58th Running of the 24 Hours of Daytona. 

 Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of NOBチャンネル.

What to watch this F1 Weekend (Oct 9th - Oct 14th)

• Formula 1 - Eifel (German) Grand Prix; from the Nuerburgring in Nuerburg, Germany. Practice 1. Friday @ 4:55am - 6:30am (ESPN2)) live 
• Formula 1 - Eifel (German) Grand Prix; from the Nuerburgring in Nuerburg, Germany. Practice 2. Friday @ 8:55am -10:30am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Eifel (German) Grand Prix; from the Nuerburgring in Nuerburg, Germany. Practice 3. Saturday @ 5:55am - 7am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Eifel (German) Grand Prix; from the Nuerburgring in Nuerburg, Germany. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8:55am - 10am (ESPN2) live 
• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Racing action from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Saturday @ 8pm - 10pm (NBCSN) live
• Formula 1 - Eifel (German) Grand Prix; from the Nuerburgring in Nuerburg, Germany. Race. Sunday @ 8am - 10:30am (ESPN2) live, replay @ 4pm - 6:30pm (ESPNNEWS) same-day delay
  
• DTM. 2020 Action from Zolder. Sunday @ 9pm - 11pm (CBSSN) same-day delay
• Bitchin Rides. Mon/Tues/Wed @ 4pm - 5pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Garage Squad. Mon/Tues/Wed @ 6pm - 7pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Auto Mundial. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) 
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) 
• Garage Squad. Tuesday @ 9pm - 10pm (MotorTrend) new
• Wheeler Dealers. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (MotorTrend) new

Russia was another interesting race with some unexpected results for unexpected reasons. Hamilton took pole again and was poised to taking his 91st GP win, starting from the front and getting clear of Bottas who qualified third behind a very quick Verstappen. However, things didn't quite shake out that way once FIA handed him not one but two 5sec penalties (and two points on his super license which were later withdrawn) were applied to Hams after he did some practice starts too far out of the pitlane after his pit told him he was good to do so. This effectively put him in mid-field after the penalty was served, which was even rougher since he had to qualify on softs in Q2 after losing his lap time on his first run for going beyond the line on the final corner then Seb putting his car into a wall bringing a red flag with two minutes to go and Hamilton on a flyer. He barely made the cutoff to start a qualy lap and already had too much distance on his mediums since they would be race tires. In other Merc news, Bottas was an opportunist and used this chance to get as many points as he could over Lewis, which ended up being a delta of 11 points; he managed fastest lap and Hams finished 3rd behind Verstappen. Outside of this top three there were some important result and critical news. Renault looked extremely strong, with Ricciardo taking 5th after getting a 5sec penalty himself and Ocon taking 7th. Sergio took 4th in this installment of the 'give me a seat for 2021' tour. Leclerc took 6th, performing much better than anyone from Maranello expected, but notably, positions 8 through 10 were two AlfaTauri's and Albon brining up the rear, in tenth. The reason this is important is because these three cars, along with P2 Verstappen, are all Honda powered -- Honda just announced they were pulling out of F1 after the 2021 season. This is going to have big implications as Red Bull and Alfa Tauri will need to either get Renault power-plants again or go Ferrari on either one or both teams. Red Bull and Renault are like Alonso and McLaren in some ways. With the smoke cleared, the Driver's Championship standings are as follows: Hamilton, Bottas (-44), Verstappen (-77), Norris (-140), Albon (-141), Ricciardo (-142). Bottas' and Verstappen's point delta to the driver they're behind is quite the coincidence and there's a virtual free for all from 4th back.

This weekend we're heading back to the Nurburgring for the first time since the early 2010's and you know Merc is looking to show out at home. Bottas is feeling good about himself and Hamilton is trying to correct the blemish that was Sochi, so I'm sure he'll be on it to finally match Schumi and get this milestone behind him. Ricciardo is still trying to get a tattoo on Cyril and McLaren is looking to bounce back after an awful weekend in Sochi.

Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of Formula1.

Video courtesy of Autosport.

What to watch this 24hrs of Daytona Weekend (Jan 24th - Jan 29th)

• Rolex 24hrs of Daytona. Qualifying. Thursday @ 4pm - 5:20pm (NBCSN) live
• The Grand Tour. Season 4 - Seamen. (Amazon Prime) new
• Rolex 24hrs of Daytona. 57th Running of this legendary endurance race. Race. Saturday @ 1:30pm - 2:30pm (NBC), 2pm - 6pm, 11pm - 12am (NBCSN), 6pm - 11pm (NBCSportsLive). Sunday @ 12am - 3am (NBCSN), 3am - 6am (NBCSportsLive), 6am - 12:30pm (NBCSN), Race Finish 12pm - 2pm (NBC) live
• Garage Squad. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Bitchin Rides. Wednesday @ 8pm - 10pm (MotorTrend)

The 2020 race season begins with the 24 Hours of Daytona. Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of EvolveAutomotive.

What to watch this Weekend (Nov 8th - Nov 13th)

• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Sebring. Sunday @ 11:55am - 4:05pm (IMSA.TV) live
• Garage Squad. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Wheeler Dealers. Tuesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new
• Bitchin Rides. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (MotorTrend) new
• Garage Squad. Season 6 Ep 9. Wednesday @ 11pm - 12am (MotorTrend)

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of VolkswagenNews.

What to watch this Petit Le Mans Weekend (Oct 10th - Oct 16th)

• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Practice 1. Thursday @ 8:55pm - 10:30pm (ESPNNEWS) live
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Practice 2. Friday @ 12:55am - 2:30am (ESPN2) live
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Practice 3. Friday @ 10:55pm - 12am (ESPNU) live
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Qualifying. Saturday @ 1:55am - 3am (ESPN2) live
• WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Petit Le Mans, from Road Atlanta. Saturday @ 5:30pm - 11pm (NBCSN) live
• Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix; from the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Race. Sunday @ 1:05am - 3:05am (ESPN) live
• Garage Squad. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Wheeler Dealers. Tuesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new
• Bitchin Rides. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (MotorTrend) new
• Garage Squad. Season 6 Ep 8. Wednesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new

We're loaded this weekend with the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship race season finale at Road Atlanta this weekend, the Petit Le Mans, and the first of six remaining races in the F1 season. The last race in Russia shows you why Merc has a strangle hold on the Manufacturers and Driver's Championships this year -- consistent, even-keeled, strong performances. A signature Mercedes 1-2 finish, again, after Ferrari took pole (Leclerc's 4th) and looked to have even or better race pace during simulations. Ferrari had some bad luck with what appeared to be a kinetic component failure, on Vettel's car, while he was in the net lead of the gp. Leclerc's strategy was a little off when Vettel's DNF brought the virtual safety car out, Ferrari choosing to play the new tire game rather than sticking with track position given the low deg of the circuit. This turned out to be a 3rd place strategy as Merc, while not as fast as Ferrari, are fast enough to stay ahead of a Ferrari. Leclerc also learned what Webber learned back at Red Bull in terms of Vettel's mean streak, as he has a rich history of not sticking to team orders when it doesn't serve his own interests -- something just about every winning racing driver has, but the real issue is this occurring between teammates, at Ferrari, while Ferrari is trying to continue building momentum late this season after resolving its aerodynamic correlation issues. Leclerc seems to adjust to every challenge Plenty of DNFs this race, it wasn't just Seb (wishing the N/A V12s was the F1 powerplant again), it was also both Williams (albeit Russell with a front axel failure), Grosjean/Haas and Ricciardo/Renault. Meanwhile in the top ten, McLaren continues to be at the front of the mid-field with another double points finish, Hulkenberg takes the final point in 10th, Perez performs well again taking 7th and Albon comes from the last spot to finish behind Vertstappen in 5th, earning his keep after putting his car in a wall during Q1. With the race over the current driver standings are as follows: Hamilton, Bottas (-73), Leclerc (-107), Verstappen (-110), Vettel (-128),  Gasly (-253). Notables here are Leclerc taking over third (well ahead of Vettel) and Gasly still hanging on to 6th -- Albon or Sainz will likely take 6th sooner than later. This weekend the very technical Suzuka circuit should be another great showcase for where things have progressed across the field.

Enjoy your motorsport weekends.

Video courtesy of Autosport.

What to watch this Weekend (Sept 15th - Sept 18th)

• DTM. 2019 action from the Nurburgring. Sunday @ 12pm - 2pm (CBSSN) same-day delayed airing
• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Laguna Seca. Sunday @ 3pm - 6pm (NBCSN) live
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend) replay
• Wheeler Dealers. 2004 BMW M3. Tuesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new
• Garage Squad. Season 6 Ep4. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (MotorTrend) new

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of EvolveAutomotive.

What to watch this Weekend (Aug 23rd - Aug 28th)

• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship - From VIR in Alton, Virginia. Sunday @ 1:30pm - 4:30pm (NBCSN) live
• DTM. Action from Lausitzring. Sunday @ 6pm - 8pm (CBSSN) same-day delay
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 6pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) 
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend)
• Garage Squad. Wednesday @ 10pm - 11pm (MotorTrend) new

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of PapadakisRacing.

What to watch this Weekend (Aug 2nd - Aug 7th)

• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Hungary; from the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary. Practice 1. Friday @ 4:55am - 6:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Hungary; from the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary. Practice 2. Friday @ 8:55am - 10:30am (ESPNU(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Hungary; from the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary. Practice 3. Friday @ 5:55am - 7am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Hungary; from the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8:55am - 10am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Grand Prix of Hungary; from the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary. Race. Sunday @ 9:05am - 11am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship - From Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Sunday @ 6pm - 9pm (NBCSN(HD)) same-day delay, live @ 2:25pm on imsa.tv & nbcsportsgold
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrend) 
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrend)
• Bitchin Rides. Tuesday @ 8pm - 9pm (MotorTrend) replay

Just when I said Silverstone was the best race of the 2019 season so far, the German Grand Prix has a swan song of epic proportions. It's a short week so I won't run too long here, but it was nothing short of a victory for those looking for a different podium, action on the race track and hell, even for those looking for a different top ten. Hockenheim delivered everywhere. Hams took pole Saturday, but finished 9th -- with the help of technical regulation compliance fault on both Alfa Romeos (vid below). Kubica scored the final point, in 10th, with this same help! Sainz finished 5th with another strong weekend after nearly collecting himself into the barrier early (drag strip victim #245); his teammate Norris wasn't so lucky and ended with a DNF. Kvyat finished on the podium in 3rd! Lance Stroll took 4th! Bottas, Hulkenburg and Leclerc all crashed out in different ways on the skating rink/drag strip area, late in the race. Vettel had car troubles in Qualy that made him start from 20th and he took 2nd! Max Vertstappen stopped 6 times in this race, spun 360* in the wet and not only took the checkered flag, but the fastest lap. What a magical, rainy, safety-car laden race this was. There were more victims of the DNF bug too, Gasly (a bit too eager to pass Albon and broke the front of the car), Perez (lost the car in the rain off the racing line on lap 2, hitting a barrier) and Ricciardo (engine #1 of the season went up in smoke) couldn't make it out unscathed. The result? Everyone on the podium was elated to be there, the small teams off the podium celebrated like they were on it; quite the scene. I was on vacation watching this race off DVR on my phone and I can't count how many times I put my hand of my head, saying 'holy crap' as unpredictable things happened time and time again. Amazing. Anyways, with the smoke cleared, Merc had one of their worst weekends ever, Ferrari split the difference with one car getting 18pts vs Mercs 2pt haul for Hams. Meanwhile Red Bull chipped even deeper into Ferrari's lead in the Constructors Championship. With the Hungarian Grand Prix around the corner, the drivers standings are as follows: Hamilton, Bottas (-41), Vertstappen (-63), Vettel (-84), Leclerc (-105), Gasly (-170). Hungary will be the last race before the summer break. There's a ton of talk about multiple drivers that may be losing their seats this year, but time will tell how this will shake out. The Hungaroring will be the next battle ground for who stays and goes; most of those team decisions will likely be determined afterwards.

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of Autosport.

What to watch this Weekend (July 20th - July 24th)

• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship - From Lime Rock Park. Saturday @ 9:30pm - 12:30am (NBCSN(HD) same-day delayed airing
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Bitchin Rides. Tuesday @ 8pm - 9pm (MotorTrendHD) replay

 Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of NovitecGroup.

What to watch this Weekend (July 12th - July 17th)

• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Practice 1. Friday @ 4:55am - 6:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Practice 2. Friday @ 8:55am - 10:30am (ESPNU(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Practice 3. Saturday @ 5:55am - 7am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8:55am - 10am (ESPNNEWS(HD)) live 
• Formula 1 - British Grand Prix; from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. Race. Sunday @ 9:05am - 11:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Bitchin Rides. Tuesday @ 8pm - 9pm (MotorTrendHD) replay

Austria was a revelation in multiple ways. Merc didn't win for the first time this season. A Red Bull won a race this year, a great result at their home track. Max Verstappen took the checkered flag despite a stewards review of tire contact during a late race pass, after crawling back from 9th at the start of the GP to chase down Leclerc, on the hard tires. Verstappen had a issue with the start, then worked doubletime from that point forward to get back. The primary talking point was the pass he pulled off on Leclerc, which was a point of significant debate based on the recent stewards decisions on rejoining the track -- what was unique here was that no track rejoining was in play and what it really came down to was an aggressive pass and how much room was allotted to Leclerc, by Verstappen, during the move itself. after review, the stewards let it stand as a racing incident as Verstappen took enough ownership over the corner and wasn't deemed to force Leclerc off the road as much as take a natural line based on the move. Regardless of the side you're on, it made the race exiting and pointed out how much worse Ferrari was on its tires than Red Bull was in Austria. While there was a ten lap delta in tire age, Verstappen arguably worked his front tires very hard chasing down Leclerc for multiple laps trying to get the pass done.

In other action on track Merc had temperature issues which really hampered them; managing that all race nearly got Bottas nipped of the final podium spot and left Hams on an island in 5th. I'm sure they'll look at this vulnerability before returning to Hamilton's home track this weekend. In other news, McLaren scored points with both cars again, Alfa Romeo looked competitive again in qualy, but just managed to snag 9th and 10th in the race, unable to topple the McLarens. What this means is that the Renault, Racing Point, Toro Rosso and Haas all fell short of points, once again. The Red Bull Ring looked to be one of the best tracks for the Ferrari powertrain, so think may or may not even out as we go to the technical Silverstone circuit which Hams and Merc has owned in recent years. With the checkered flag dropped, the Drivers' Championship standings are as follows: Hamilton, Bottas (-31), Verstappen (-71), Vettel (-74), Leclerc (-92), Gasly (-154). Silverstone should be another great race with RBR coming on form, joining Ferrari and Merc at the front.

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of peterwindsor.

What to watch this Weekend (June 28th - July 3rd)

• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Practice 1. Friday @ 4:55am - 7am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Practice 2. Friday @ 8:55am - 11am (ESPNU(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Practice 3. Saturday @ 5:55am - 7:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8:55am - 10:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live 
• WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Six hours of the Glen. From Watkins Glen International Raceway in New York. Sunday @ 9:30am - 4pm (IMSA.com) live; 7pm (NBCSN(HD)) same-day delay
• Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix; from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Race. Sunday @ 9:05am - 11:30am (ESPN2(HD)) live
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 10pm - 10:30pm (VelocityHD) new

It's been a short week so here's a quicky. The French GP was kind of predictable. Hams took another win after taking pole, he just missed the fastest lap because Vettel was in no mans land in 5th and put on softs with two laps left. Verstappen had another strong drive, Gasly did pretty well in his home grand prix. Ricciardo got a little spicy out there with overtakes, got dinged for one of them but still finished in the top ten. Leclerc raced a strong race and almost nipped Bottas at the end for second place as Valteri was managing an issue. Norris had a great drive, even after a hydraulic problem almost ruined his entire race, but he still took points home. His teammate Sainz stayed ahead of him the entire race despite Norris being legitimately held up for a period of time (tire management and all). So another Merc 1-2 in the books, the French fans gave Leclerc a hearty applause and Ferrari is still scratching their heads on pace as they apparently figured a few things out with their front wing upgrade. Haas looked no better than Williams in France, they have work to do -- Grosjean had to retire in his home GP. We're back in Austria, which is a technical track that rewards aero, but still requires power; hopefully Ferrari can bring something to the table and Red Bull can finally bring a result in a home race. Merc is concerned with some reliability concerns with their latest powerplant revision, there may be a chance for someone to get within striking distance of breaking their GP win streak this season.

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of savagegeese.

What to watch this Weekend (May 30th - June 5th)

• The Grand Tour. Season 3. Episodes on demand. Friday (Amazon Prime) 
• WeatherTech Sports Car Championship - Detroit Belle Island Grand Prix. From Belle Island Park in Detroit, MI. Saturday @ 12:30pm - 2:30pm (NBCSN(HD)) live
• IndyCar Series - Detroit Indy Grand Prix, Race #1. From Belle Island Park in Detroit, MI. Saturday @ 3:30pm - 6pm (NBC(HD)) live
• Isle of Man TT. 2019 action from the Isle. Saturday @ 11pm - 12am (VelocityHD) new
• IndyCar Series - Detroit Indy Grand Prix, Race #2. From Belle Island Park in Detroit, MI. Sunday @ 3:30pm - 6pm (NBC(HD)) live
• Isle of Man TT. 2019 action from the Isle. Sunday @ 11pm - 12am (VelocityHD) new
• Isle of Man TT. 2019 action from the Isle. Monday @ 11pm - 12am (VelocityHD) new
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (VelocityHD) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (VelocityHD) replay 
• Isle of Man TT. 2019 action from the Isle. Tuesday @ 11pm - 12am (VelocityHD) new
• Wheeler Dealers. Wednesday @ 8pm - 9pm (MotorTrendHD) 
• Isle of Man TT. 2019 action from the Isle. Wednesday @ 11pm - 12am (VelocityHD) new

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of PCAHQ.

What to watch this Weekend (May 3rd - May 8th)

• The Grand Tour. Season 3. Episodes on demand. Friday (Amazon Prime) 
• FIA World Endurance Championship. Spa. Saturday @ 7am - 8:30am, 12:30pm - 2pm (MotorTrendHD) live  
• IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship - Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. Sunday @ 1:30pm - 4:30pm (NBCSN(HD)) live
• Chasing Classic Cars. Tuesday @ 7pm - 7:30pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Motorweek. Tuesday @ 7:30pm - 8pm (MotorTrendHD) replay
• Wheeler Dealers. 1985 Mazda RX7. Wednesday @ 9pm - 10pm (MotorTrendHD) new

Enjoy your weekends.

Video courtesy of LivingLifeFast.