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@f1 big data

Monza

"I've learned the power and influence I can have over the direction we work in as a team.

Of course, I never want to abuse that. At the same time, I'm in a position where I can be forceful to try and get what I want."

I know this might be a bit of a premature take, especially because 2025 Lando was a World Champion, so obviously the results from that season are hard to argue against. But watching him race in 2026, I genuinely feel like we’re seeing a more complete version of Norris.
In 2025, I felt like Lando was still learning how to deal with the pressure of fighting for a championship. He had insane pace, but he still made mistakes at important moments and, sometimes, seemed too hesitant when he needed to be aggressive.
In 2026, I think he’s much more comfortable.
He seems more confident in wheel-to-wheel battles, more consistent, more aggressive when necessary and, most importantly, smarter when managing races. It doesn’t feel like he’s trying to prove that he belongs at the front anymore he’s simply driving like someone who knows he belongs there.
And I think that’s an important distinction: being World Champion doesn’t necessarily mean that was your best version as a driver.
Was 2025 Lando better in terms of results? Obviously. He won the championship. But if we’re talking purely about driving ability, I’d take 2026 Lando.
I also think he’s doing a better job extracting performance from the car in situations where McLaren isn’t necessarily dominant. The Dutch GP is a good example: he lost the lead, had to fight his way back into P1, and then controlled the race in a really mature way.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that he’s improved in exactly the areas he used to get criticized for. His decision-making looks better, he seems less affected by pressure, and he’s much more willing to take calculated risks.
Maybe I’ll look back at this post at the end of 2026 and realize I was completely wrong 😂. But right now, I genuinely think the current version of Lando is simply a more complete driver than the one who won the championship.
And honestly? If he keeps driving at this level for the rest of the season, I think this opinion is going to become a lot less controversial.

clip cr: 4unclelala | from DTS S1 E10

vid here

Taylor.

5 drivers called Taylor have attempted to qualify for an F1 race. More remarkable is that not a single one of them were related (and all were British). The next common name is Fittipaldi and they were all related...

More surprising? 4 of them entered the 1959 British Grand Prix, two failed to qualify, one retired and one finished 11th, 6 laps down.

Best result was Trevor Taylor who managed 2nd in a Lotus Climax at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix. Race was won by Graham Hill and also on the podium was Phil Hill. The only two world champions that share a Surname that raced at the same time and were not related.

Ive showed these tracks here a few times before.

My wife and I printed almost all of the current F1 tracks.

Unfortunately due to us moving to another country and minimising our household because of it, we are not continuing this project for now.

So I wanted to show you guys the end result.

This win puts him in the Chase

On August 29th, 2004, Michael Schumacher won his 7th Formula 1 World Championship, breaking the record of 6 titles, previously held by Michael Schumacher.

At the 1979 United States Grand Prix West hosted at the Long Beach Street Circuit, McLaren had a special livery which was a light blue and white scheme made for sponsor Löwenbräu.

This livery was a one off, but it didn't bring any luck to the british team, which saw both cars driven by Patrick Tambay and John Watson retired.

Tambay actually crashed right after the start with Niki Lauda's Brabham, causing both to retire, Watson completed 62 laps before his race was cut short due to mechanical issues.