The drama didn't stop at the checkered flag. Leclerc spun on the final lap, hit the wall, and then got slapped with a 20-second post-race penalty for leaving the track repeatedly — dropping him from sixth to eighth. Verstappen spun at the start, recovered to fifth, but picked up his own five-second penalty for crossing the pit exit line. Russell collected fourth after collisions with both Leclerc and Verstappen that sent multiple drivers to the stewards. It was the kind of race where the post-race document pile was thicker than the race itself. 

Then there's the off-track drama that might be even juicier. Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies told Sky Sports that Gianpiero Lambiase — Verstappen's longtime race engineer — is leaving to become McLaren's team principal. McLaren CEO Zak Brown immediately fired back: "He knows something I don't, apparently." The two camps met in Miami to clear the air, but the implication is clear — Red Bull is either telling the truth or deliberately trying to destabilize McLaren from the inside. Either way, it's incredible paddock theater.

We'll break down all of it — the race, the penalties, the regulation tweaks in action, the Lambiase chess match, and whether Antonelli is genuinely running away with this championship or if McLaren is about to close the gap. Welcome back to The Fast Ones.

We'll also dig into who Jonathan Wheatley actually is — from Benetton mechanic in the '90s to the voice in Michael Masi's ear during Abu Dhabi 2021 — and what his move to Aston Martin means for both Audi and the wider paddock. Kimi Antonelli enters Miami as the youngest championship leader in F1 history, holding that title through the entire calendar break because George Russell couldn't do anything about it from his couch.

And we'll take a moment to remember Juha Miettinen, a 66-year-old Finnish privateer who lost his life in a seven-car crash during the Nürburgring 24 Hours qualifying race this weekend. A man who raced a BMW 325i around the Nordschleife for nearly a decade, won class championships, and loved that track more than most. Motorsport reminds us sometimes that the risks are real at every level.

Racing comes back in two weeks. There's a lot to process before it does.

Then we get into the rumor mill: is NASCAR actually trying to recruit Daniel Ricciardo? The idea alone is enough to send our group chat into overdrive, and we've got thoughts on whether the Honey Badger would thrive in stock cars, whether it makes any kind of business sense, and what his NASCAR livery would absolutely have to look like.

And because it wouldn't be a Fast Ones episode without it, we're circling back to our favorite pastime — dunking on George Russell. There's always something. There will always be something.

No lights out this week, just good vibes, side tangents, and the kind of off-week hangout that reminds you why you subscribed in the first place.

But the bigger story might be what's happening off track. Ollie Bearman's huge crash at Spoon — caused by a 45 km/h speed differential from energy deployment timing — has reignited the debate over whether these 2026 cars are actually safe. Damon Hill called them "highly dangerous." And then there's Max Verstappen, who told BBC at Suzuka that he's genuinely considering quitting Formula 1 at the end of the season, calling the new regulations "anti-driving" and saying he'd rather be home with his family than race in what he's described as "Formula E on steroids."

He's not alone. Norris called the cars the worst F1 has ever produced. Alonso dubbed it "the battery world championship." Leclerc said qualifying is "a f---ing joke." Martin Brundle told Max to either leave or stop talking. And behind the scenes, F1 is already discussing 2031 engine regulations with V8 turbos on the table. Could Max take a three-year sabbatical and come back when the sport returns to what he loves?

We're breaking all of it down — the Suzuka race, the championship shakeup, the safety debate, the quit threats, the rules revolt, and what it all means heading into the Miami Grand Prix at the end of April.

One race, a hundred storylines.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen dominated a four-hour race at the Nürburgring in a Mercedes GT3 — only to get disqualified two hours later because his team used seven sets of tyres instead of six. McLaren's title defense hit rock bottom in China with a double DNS after both cars suffered electrical failures, Pérez somehow made his Cadillac debut even worse by spinning into his own teammate on lap one, and the calendar just lost Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to geopolitics.

Then we look ahead to the race every driver dreams about. Suzuka — the figure-of-eight, the S-curves, 130R at 300 km/h, and the most passionate fans in motorsport. Vettel said it was designed by the gods. Hamilton says every lap feels like driving through history. And for one episode, we're going to tell you why it's the greatest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar and why this Japanese Grand Prix might be where the 2026 season truly reveals itself.

It's race week, zero filter, all the chaos.

But Shanghai wasn't just the Kimi show. The Ferraris put on an absolute spectacle — Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc went wheel to wheel for lap after lap in a battle that was fierce, fair, and genuinely thrilling to watch. We'll break down how that fight played out and what it says about the dynamic inside the Scuderia right now.

Then there's the sprint race: Russell extending his perfect start to 2026, Hamilton charging from fourth to lead, and the chaos of trying to set up these brand new cars on a sprint weekend with barely any practice. Ollie Bearman drove the wheels off the Haas for a stunning P5 in the race, Carlos Sainz dragged the Williams into the points, and Pierre Gasly continues his quietly excellent form at Alpine.

And yes — we have to talk about McLaren. Both cars failed to even start the race after separate electrical failures on the Mercedes power units. Piastri hasn't started a Grand Prix in 2026. That's a crisis. We'll cover it.

Two races in, and this season is already delivering drama we didn't expect this early. Let's get into it.

The Australian Grand Prix delivered unbelievable wheel-to-wheel racing in its opening weekend under the new regulations, but the strategy calls from the pit wall in Maranello proved once again that the boys in red have a gift for turning good days into painful ones. We'll break down the full race from start to finish, including the home race curse that continues to haunt Australian drivers and the tension between George Russell and Charles Leclerc that's already bubbling over before we've even left Melbourne.

Then there's the elephant on the grid: Max Verstappen has been vocal about his frustrations with the new regulations, and he's no longer singing solo. A growing chorus of drivers are joining him in questioning whether this rule set is actually delivering what it promised. Is the criticism fair this early, or are they just adjusting to a car they haven't figured out yet? We'll talk about it.

First race in the books, plenty already on fire. Welcome to 2026.

This week we're kicking off the 2026 season with everything that's been swirling around the paddock heading into Melbourne. Charles Leclerc got married, and we have thoughts. Drive to Survive dropped its eighth season, and the internet is split on whether the show still matters or whether it's run its course — we're breaking that debate down with our most reliable chat regulars. Then we get into the racing: Aston Martin swears they've turned a corner, Mercedes has been suspiciously quiet in a way that either means they're cooking or they've burned the kitchen down, and Max Verstappen's already told us the Red Bull will show up with the same colors and not much else.

What can we actually expect when these brand new cars hit Albert Park for real? We'll speculate, we'll overreact, and we'll probably lose focus at least twice. Welcome to 2026.

We'll talk about the endless poker game that is pre-season — who's bluffing, who's panicking behind closed doors, and who's just hoping nobody notices how lost they are. The gap between testing and lights out is shrinking, and every team is holding their cards a little tighter.

And as always, we'll find something to roast. We always do.

This week we break down our increasingly skeptical takes on the 2026 pecking order after a chaotic round of pre-season running. Between odd new starting procedures, Aston Martin’s gearbox headaches, and a paddock full of “it’s just testing” coping mechanisms, we’re trying to separate real red flags from strategic sandbagging.

We’ll talk about the early bad news stories, who looks genuinely comfortable with the new regulations, and who might already be scrambling behind the scenes. And yes… we have to address the elephant in the room:

Are we staring down a George Russell championship season?

Can anything be done to stop it? Should anything be done to stop it? And are we emotionally prepared for what that would mean?

It’s testing overreactions, early-season paranoia, and the usual Fast Ones detours as we inch closer to lights out in 2026.

In our season-opening episode, we break down the latest livery reveals, react to early shakedown footage, and talk about which teams might already have an edge before a single real lap has been turned. We’ll read the tea leaves, wildly speculate, and absolutely overreact to things we’re pretending aren’t indicators — because that’s pre-season tradition.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Fast Ones without detours. We’ll hit the gossip circuit (yes, that Lewis and Kim Kardashian chatter), catch up on paddock buzz, and set the tone for what we’re watching as this new regulation era gets underway. It’s casual, it’s chaotic, and it’s the start of another long season of losing focus together.

Welcome to 2026. Let’s do this.

We’re finally handing out the 2025 Fast Ones Awards — Driver of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and all the other totally serious categories that may or may not devolve into arguing. We’ll zoom out on the full season now that the dust has settled, talk about Lando Norris’s championship run, the three-way title fight that went all the way to the final race, and why this ended up being a fitting send-off for the current regulations.

On top of that, we’ll catch up on the latest news from around the F1 world, revisit moments we somehow skipped over during race-by-race chaos, and inevitably lose focus along the way. If you were waiting for the actual season recap — this is the one.

Same Fast Ones energy. Just… delayed gratification.

We’re handing out the Fast Ones end-of-year awards: Rookie of the Year, Driver of the Year, Surprise of the Year, and probably some categories we invent mid-stream because we lose focus like it’s our job. We’ll talk championship context, who over-performed, who quietly leveled up, and who needs to take a long walk and think about what they did (don’t worry, George — we remember).

Then we zoom out: what has to change to replace Abu Dhabi as the finale (just give it back to Brazil already), and what we’re hoping for heading into 2026. Expect celebration, mild chaos, and a lot of detours on the road to a good laugh.

Max Verstappen stays right in the title fight because, of course he does. McLaren… well, “papaya rules” are looking more like papaya problems right now, and we unpack how that floundering weekend could change the championship math heading into Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile Carlos Sainz continues his world tour of being criminally underrated, Ferrari is already emotionally living in 2026, and Haas might’ve had a rough one — but somehow the American B-team is starting to look like the most stable Ferrari on the grid.

Qatar gave us drama, confusion, and just enough chaos to keep the season spicy. Let’s talk about all of it.

And then… we get into that race. Max Verstappen takes the win on the Strip, but the story of the night is the post-race plot twist: both McLarens disqualified after failing plank wear checks, nuking the results and sending the championship math into full panic mode.

We break down what the double DSQ means for Oscar vs. Lando, how the stewards got there, and whether Vegas just became the moment the title fight cracked wide open. Plus: our favorite sights, sounds, and “how is this a real place?” Vegas weekend highlights — with the usual detours, roasting, and love for the madness that keeps this sport addictive.

Like, subscribe, and bring a tire blanket… because this one’s a rollercoaster.

We’ll check in with the chat, get the engines warmed for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, talk expectations, drama, and whatever chaos the strip has in store for the grid.

Short stream, low pressure, full Fast Ones energy.

Hop in, say hi, and let’s get ready for the neon madness of Vegas.

We’ll also react to Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s spicy new quote that “drivers who talk too much need to focus on driving and talk less,” and what that says about the state of the Scuderia. Then, it’s on to Vegas and the home stretch of the championship — predictions, chaos, and whatever’s left of our sanity as we head into the final rounds of 2025.

It’s The Fast Ones — equal parts speed, sarcasm, and serious F1 talk.

We’ll preview the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, where rain, chaos, and safety cars are practically guaranteed, and, because it’s that time of year, we’ll even wander into a little World Series talk. Expect off-topic detours, on-brand banter, and just enough actual analysis to justify the title of The Fast Ones.

We’ll break down the Turn 1 shuffle — who cut the corner, who got penalized, and who somehow didn’t — and celebrate Haas hero Ollie Bearman for delivering his best result yet: P4, matching the team’s all-time high. It’s a weekend of papaya heartbreak, British radio whine, and one of the best Mexican GPs we’ve had in years.

Buckle up. The energy in Mexico City was electric, and we’re bringing all of it straight to your ears.

We’ll break down Charles Leclerc’s standout performance, the suspicious dip in pace from Oscar Piastri, and the growing tension inside McLaren after a brutal double DNF in the sprint. Plus, we celebrate Haas hero Ollie Bearman for somehow finishing in the points despite an off-track adventure while trying to pass Tsunoda.

Redemption arcs, papaya implosions, and Verstappen’s shadow looming large — it’s another week of high drama, low grip, and classic Fast Ones energy.

Then it’s all eyes on Austin as F1 heads to the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. We’ll preview what to expect under the Texas sun, from tire temps to team tempers, and look at some standout stats from the season — including the year’s biggest repair bills, lightning-fast pit stops, and how Haas has evolved (or devolved?) over the past five years.

So saddle up, grab your cowboy hats, and get ready for a little law, a lot of laps, and the kind of chaos only The Fast Ones can deliver.

This week on The Fast Ones, Max and Mike unpack the so-called Papaya Rules, McLaren’s one-sided culture of “team balance,” and why it’s looking a lot more like favoritism for Lando — the guy not leading the championship. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen reminded everyone he’s not done yet, beating both papayas to keep his title hopes alive (and make George Russell’s win feel that much worse).

We’ll celebrate Haas heroics (Ollie, you legend — two points in Singapore!), question McLaren’s definition of teamwork, and pretend we’ve already forgotten who won the race. Because, let’s be honest, it’s more fun that way.

We’ll also take a moment to acknowledge Roscoe Hamilton, Lewis’s beloved bulldog and a true icon of the paddock, before turning our attention to what lies ahead under the lights of Singapore. Expect bold predictions, overreactions, and plenty of comedic detours along the way.

The Nürburgring brought trophies, Haas might bring surprises, Singapore will bring chaos — and as always — we’re here for all of it.

From the sharp end of the title fight to the mid-grid mayhem, we break down who came out ahead, who got humbled, and which drivers are still picking carbon fiber out of their overalls. Expect the usual mix of questionable predictions, comedic detours, and maybe a little roasting — because it wouldn’t be The Fast Ones without it.

Baku gave us walls, wrecks, and wildcards… and we’re here for all of it.

Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez is scheduled to throw the first pitch at Dodger Stadium, so we’ll speculate on his form off the track (and on the mound). And of course, we’ll preview one of F1’s wildest circuits as the championship heads to the streets of Baku.

From GT3 to baseball diamonds to concrete canyons, this episode covers a lot of ground — and speed.

From McLaren’s team orders drama between Norris and Piastri, to Ferrari’s latest misadventures at home, and the podium shakeups that kept the tifosi on edge, we cover it all. Expect strong takes, questionable predictions, and the usual detours into comedy that make this podcast feel less like punditry and more like hanging out with your F1 friends.

The drama at McLaren may have stolen the headlines, but Monza proved once again why it’s the Temple of Speed — and why nothing ever goes quietly in Formula 1.

Max and Mike break down Piastri’s seventh win of the season, Verstappen’s home podium, Ferrari’s spectacular double DNF, and what it all means for the championship picture. Plus: bold takes, a little roasting, and the usual detours you’ve come to expect.

The grid resets, the title fight twists, and the summer break hangover is officially over.

It’s the return of racing, a reset of the grid, and a reminder that while IndyCar is fun, it just can’t quite fill the Formula 1–shaped hole in our hearts.

It’s part casual hangout, part motorsport therapy session—perfect for fans needing a fix before lights go out again.

The episode opens with an ode to Toto—yes, the band—followed by a deep dive into their hidden connection to Michael Jackson's Thriller, and the math-rock genius of 80s studio bands. From there, things take a sharp turn as Max reveals his "book of the week": Overtake My Heart, a Daniel Ricciardo-themed erotic novel that's somehow both hilarious and unsettling—and might just have been written by the Honey Badger himself.

When the tire smoke clears, the guys break down the Hungarian GP: Lando’s redemption win, Oscar’s quiet dominance, Charles Leclerc’s cryptic radio messages, George Russell’s whiny post-race meltdown, and Aston Martin’s mysterious return to form. There’s also love for Ollie Bearman, speculation about Lewis Hamilton’s future (is he retiring or just dropping merch?), and a passionate defense of Haas—the only F1 team you really need to root for.

It's part racing analysis, part fever dream, and all gas, no brakes.

Then, it's all about Spa. From Oscar Piastri’s gritty opening move to Lando Norris’s cautious driving, they break down the wet-and-wild F1 weekend, the sprint drama, and Lewis Hamilton’s fierce critique of Ferrari—plus what it means for the Scuderia’s future. The episode also spotlights Yuki Tsunoda’s surprise performance, Nico Rosberg’s spicy gridwalk burns, and Kimmy Antonelli’s moment with Lewis.

A passionate, hilarious, and insightful ride from start to finish—don't miss it.

https://www.tiktok.com/@thehaaschap

Watch the full episode

Max Tears Visor Away

Kimi gets the smoke:

Miami GP's fake water

Laguna Seca Corkscrew

Massive false start from drivers cheating, see it here

The 1981 Las Vegas GP 

Onboard Alain Prost footage @ Caesar’s 

Google maps circuit

Vettel switching pylons

Methanol car fire during the 1981 Indianapolis 500, as narrated by one of the world’s top most British man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku7TdLeEGsQ

Pictures: https://imgur.com/gallery/gA4Zwwu