Latest news with #MadelineColeman
New York Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
F1 takes on the Indy 500? Yikes. Plus, meet Red Bull's top prospect
Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic's twice-weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday. Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we're ready to watch some groundhogs not play chicken with Formula One cars. Seriously, little fellas. Just stay inside this year. I'm Patrick, and Madeline Coleman will be along shortly. Let's dive in. F1 revealed its 2026 schedule today! So much is different. Just kidding. Only a few things are. But they're meaningful things! We'll get to those in a second. (Here's our story on the schedule release to get you started.) The sport's social-media accounts have a glossy version of the calendar, but I prefer this one from @Manny_JKim on X, because it shows off the real breadth of the diary. Advertisement So, we have some takeaways on the site. Here's one: The 2026 F1 season will last 273 days. 2026 F1 Season Calender – spacing visualized — Manny ⁸¹ (@Manny_JKim) June 10, 2025 More? More: Eep. Of course, I love F1. I write a newsletter about it. But eep. Some storylines from the schedule: Madrid's debut. Will the new semi-street track stand out from the pack of street circuits, and what will the growing pains be like? Remember that both Miami and Las Vegas didn't enjoy smooth debuts. Imola's absence and Zandvoort's farewell. Imola exits the calendar, in part to make room for Madrid. And we already know Zandvoort is on its way out, too. The inertia from traditional European circuits to street circuits will be a big storyline next year. Fatigue. That second half is just brutal. The stretch from September to December looks like one of the most intense closing runs in recent memory: 10 races in 13 weeks, with two tripleheaders to finish the season. For more takeaways from our experts, head here! And now to Madeline in the paddock… The 2026 F1 calendar was released today with some changes we knew were coming for months, like Monaco moving to June. This meant Canada shifting to May, and it would have been logical to assume Montreal and Miami would be close to each other for logistical reasons (though there are weather concerns when it comes to how early in the year the Canadian GP can be). Instead, two weekends separate those races, and now, Montreal will clash with the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. While some have taken issue with this, a more glaring change to the schedule caught my eye: it ends on a double tripleheader — six grands prix in seven weeks. That run, which includes Austin, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, features the only tripleheaders of the season, which is an improvement. The 2025 schedule features three: Japan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; Emilia-Romagna, Monaco and Spain; and Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Advertisement It is great for racing fans, particularly if a championship battle unfolds under the new regulations, but those stretches are brutal on those working inside the sport and the paddock. While Austin, in Texas, and Mexico City are relatively close (around 750 miles by air), Mexico City and Sao Paulo, Brazil, are separated by 7,433 kilometers (4,614.79 miles) by air. Then there's the case of switching from Las Vegas hours and flying out to Qatar — both of which are night races with time differences of 10 hours. While teams do rotate crew members to help with sustainability and well-being during different portions of the calendar, it doesn't make the stretch any less difficult. While efforts are being made to regionalize the calendar, it is getting busier. The demands on race weekends are also increasing as the sport's popularity continues to grow, and it's a tricky balance to land. As healthy as F1 is right now, it can't come at the cost of the people of the sport's well-being. We'll have to wait and see how this goes, and hopefully, the conversations about F1's future will continue. — Madeline Coleman I'm burying the lede here a bit: The biggest news out of the F1 2026 calendar is that the Canadian GP is running on May 24. In the United States, that's Memorial Day. What runs on Memorial Day in the United States, every year? The Indy 500. Whoops. Yes, the times will probably overlap: This weekend's Canadian GP starts at 2 p.m. ET. The Indy 500 usually starts at 12:45 p.m. ET. Again, whoops. I knew my colleague, Jeff Gluck, would have some strong thoughts about this, so I asked him to write a column. He didn't hold back, calling it 'a breathtakingly disrespectful move' for F1 to schedule a North American race at the same time as the Indy 500, arguably the most important North American race: 'Instead of weighing the optics, too, F1 never hit the brakes on its quest for motorsports domination and plowed right into a head-to-head battle with one of the most cherished traditions on the international racing calendar.' Advertisement I appreciated Jeff's viewpoint here, as someone who watched NASCAR grow to great heights and suddenly fall out of the cultural discussion in the span of 10 years in the 2000s. 'This is the exact type of thing that happens when a racing series begins to fly too close to the sun,' Jeff writes about F1's Indy 500 clash. Read the rest of his column here. 🔥 Oh, and FWIW: IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin weighed in today. Congrats to @f1 who single handedly ruined Motorsport Xmas. Indy 500 will be a scene next year. As well as the Coke 600. Good luck — Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) June 10, 2025 Look. I want to be fair to F1's decision-makers. It's quite possible this overlap with the Indy 500 wasn't deeply considered, considering the other constraints and priorities — take a long look at that stretch of the calendar, factor in ease of travel and weather, and it becomes a difficult puzzle to solve if you want to make everyone happy. But as an American racing fan? Yeah, I'd feel a little stepped-on here. There's nothing like the Indy 500 in motorsports — certainly not the Canadian GP, which, while one of my favorite F1 circuits, is probably mid-tier in terms of prestige at best. It's never a big draw for American audiences anyway and will likely be lapped by Indy's viewership that weekend. So: The disrespected feelings? I get it. F1's scheduling knot? I get it. Where I land, though, is a line from Jeff's column: 'Each series offers something unique, and the racing world isn't big enough to tear itself apart.' Motorsports fans shouldn't have to choose. Stop me if you've heard this before: A 17-year-old up-and-comer just got his super license (qualification to compete in F1) after his team asked for it to be approved early. That happened last year with Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli. (He didn't get his driver's license until this year. Motorsports are strange). It just happened again with Red Bull prospect Arvid Lindblad. Advertisement So it's time for a proper introduction. Lindblad is Red Bull's latest fast-track project. The Brit/Swede is in his debut FIA F2 season with Campos Racing, sitting third in the standings and just eight points off the lead. He's already notched two race wins (including becoming the youngest-ever F2 race winner in Saudi Arabia) and claimed feature-race pole (and win) in Barcelona just over a week ago. Before that, he dominated the 2025 Formula Regional Oceania series —six wins en route to the title. Back in 2024, he was fourth in F3. With the super license acquired, Lindblad is available for F1 reserve duties, FP1 outings or even a seat call-up — even though he'll only turn 18 on August 8. Red Bull doesn't do this for everybody. But Lindblad isn't just another name in the junior ladder — his is one the paddock has had circled for a while. And now you know who Arvid Lindblad is. The Austrian Grand Prix (June 29) will have some fun with the upcoming F1 movie: One of the APXGP cars that Brad Pitt drives in the film will join the legends parade that race weekend. Other cars from films including 'Rush' (a personal favorite of mine) will also be involved — check out the list. Finally, Haas is running a special livery in Canada for its 200th grand prix. You'll never believe what red, white and black colors it i… oh no, I've given it away. 📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
F1 Monaco Grand Prix live updates: Follow latest from today's race with McLaren's Lando Norris on pole
Good morning everyone and welcome along to Monte Carlo, where today it's the culmination of this Formula One race weekend with the Monaco Grand Prix. We are here in this tiny principality as the fastest drivers on the planet battle it out to triumph in one of the glitziest and most iconic races on the F1 calendar. Our correspondents Luke Smith and Madeline Coleman are trackside for every session and media conference today, with the rest of The Athletic 's F1 writers and editors getting involved in our coverage too. So strap yourselves in! It's going to be a big one.
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Reaction to Monaco GP's move away from Indy 500 date: ‘Motorsports Christmas' is canceled
Santa Claus is not coming to town. After this year, race fans will find themselves on the permanent naughty list as the tripleheader Memorial Day Weekend tradition affectionately known by some as 'Motorsports Christmas' will end. Formula One's Monaco Grand Prix is moving to June, separating it from the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 — all of which are typically contested on the same Sunday. American motorsports fans are fond of getting up early to watch Monaco with a cup of coffee, gluing themselves to the Indy 500 while grilling and settling in for NASCAR's longest race at night with an adult beverage or two. Advertisement But after Sunday, our 'Motorsports Christmas' stockings will be filled with coal. Before we bid farewell to the greatest day in racing, here's a group discussion among our four motorsports writers, all covering one of the races in question: Luke Smith and Madeline Coleman (both in Monaco this week), Jeff Gluck (Indy 500) and Jordan Bianchi (Coke 600). For anyone new to the idea, what makes Monaco, Indy and the Coca‑Cola 600 sharing one Sunday so special? Coleman: The Monaco Grand Prix embodies what F1 represents, capturing the glitz, glamour and history of the sport. Meanwhile, the Indy 500 showcases the capabilities of IndyCar, illustrating the fine line of where the limits lie. The Coca-Cola 600 serves as NASCAR's Memorial Day tribute and holds a significant place for me, as it was my first NASCAR race in person (and the first motorsport race I ever covered). With a full day of racing, motorsport fans can experience a variety of driving disciplines and strategies, including Kyle Larson attempting to do the 'Double' by racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Gluck: It depends on whether you're an American reading this or someone overseas. I'm guessing the NASCAR part of the tripleheader is not at all special to fans outside the U.S., but many NASCAR fans I know will watch all three as part of the tradition. In some ways, it's been a gift to expose other forms of racing to an often-insular group (everyone thinks their series is the best, after all). As mentioned above, Monaco and the Indy 500 may be the only non-NASCAR races some stock car fans watch all year. Smith: Any of these races would be a significant event. The fact they all fall on the same day, allowing fans to enjoy back-to-back racing, is exciting. Monaco and the Indy 500 are crown jewel events in the F1 and IndyCar seasons, respectively, forming two-thirds of the 'Triple Crown of Motorsport' alongside the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both events feature a level of pomp and ceremony not found in other races. To immerse yourself in motorsport history in just 12 hours, there's no better way than these three events. Advertisement Bianchi: These are races that are proudly noted by the winning driver when looking back at their career. So when you have all three held on the same day, consecutively, it creates a sense of celebration where instead of fans of each series throwing their noses up at the other, they take an increased interest in what is happening that they otherwise wouldn't. For those who might not be as familiar with the intricacies of each series, why is it so hard for someone in today's era to be successful in multiple disciplines? After all, isn't racing just racing? Coleman: Something I thoroughly enjoy about working in motorsports is talking about this topic with drivers and team personnel because these disciplines are so different, from the cars to the tracks to training to the technology and data. It isn't simple. Plus, as Jenson Button told me last year, 'I don't think you can class yourself as the best driver in the world unless you've raced in other categories and been competitive. Driving an F1 car is very specific compared to driving a rally car, compared to driving even a GT car.' Gluck: It's all so specialized in the modern era, and it's borderline impossible to jump from one series to another and expect success. The cars drive differently, the racing standards are different, the race procedures are different. An F1 driver simply isn't going to jump into an oval race and expect to win, just like a NASCAR driver would never be up to speed in an F1 car without extensive seat time. What Larson is doing with the 'Double' on Sunday has captured so many imaginations because being successful in two different cars is extremely challenging. Smith: It's very, very different, being able to race around a street circuit like Monaco versus a superspeedway like Indianapolis in an Indy car versus Charlotte in a stock car. Each requires a very different set of skills, but the common theme is bravery. It's why seeing Robert Shwartzman score pole for his debut in the Indy 500 is such a big deal, given he's spent the entirety of his career racing in single-seaters on road and street courses — and never before on an oval. The skills are completely different. The other big limiting factor is time: The hectic schedule for each series makes it impossible to prepare for a shot at any other discipline properly. Bianchi: There is also the issue of manufacturer and sponsor conflicts that often interfere with a driver from jumping to a different series. This wasn't such a hurdle decades ago — at least not insurmountable, but it too frequently acts as a blockade. The sponsorship money required to support top-flight racing has increased to such a level that many teams don't feel the financial risk is worth allowing their drivers to go 'play' elsewhere. Advertisement Based on their comments, it sounds like most F1 drivers have no interest in running the Indy 500. What's your take on why that is? Coleman: Part of it likely is the risk versus reward aspect as well as the speed. Racing in the Indy 500 takes a lot of preparation because ovals are dangerous and require focus and skill. That is significant banking, the walls are fairly close, and the speeds are quicker than F1's top speeds. Yes, one may argue that street circuits could prepare F1 drivers for close proximity, but there's a reason F1 doesn't have a lot of banking anymore. They respect the race; however, many don't sound like they want to try it. Oscar Piastri recently discussed it, ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. Gluck: From what I've read, it's a safety concern. The F1 guys think Indy 500 drivers are nuts. But let's have IndyCar driver Colton Herta chime in on this one: 'It's more dangerous than most stuff that they do (in F1). There's no doubt about that. … But it's not that much worse than crashing at some other places in an IndyCar. So I think they have a bit of a misunderstanding. And I bet they have never been here in person and just don't understand it, because I think if they saw everything (with 350,000 people in attendance), they'd be willing to give up their gripe with it being unsafe.' Smith: If you ask the majority of the F1 grid, they'll admit that even watching the Indy 500 is a scary experience for them, given the speeds and impacts involved. Daniel Ricciardo was always pretty clear in saying it was a step too far for him to consider trying his hand at it for that reason. It's often only when drivers make the switch from F1 to IndyCar that they start to get a better understanding of it. Alexander Rossi and Marcus Ericsson are two drivers who have both gone on to win at the Brickyard post-F1, but neither would have likely given thought to doing the Indy 500 while still part of the grand prix racing world. Bianchi: If someone who's never previously raced on an oval, let alone at such high speeds with other cars close, doesn't feel comfortable doing so, it's hard to criticize their decision. If an F1 driver did cross over next year and run Indy, who would you be most excited to see try it? Coleman: I'd like to see Max Verstappen or Valtteri Bottas, the latter of whom I think would be most likely to try. Verstappen's skill level and adaptability are arguably unmatched, and if he were ever open to trying ovals, it would be interesting to see how he'd adjust to IndyCar. It's highly unlikely, but it would be exciting. Meanwhile, Bottas has had conversations with IndyCar teams before, and he's admitted to having his eye on the Indy 500 before. Gluck: I'd want to see someone with a chance of adapting quickly and winning, so definitely Verstappen. You'd think the adaptability of Verstappen and his sim-racing experience would help him get up to speed quickly. But three years ago, he was among those who said Indy is too dangerous, and he had no desire to do it, so that probably will never happen. Smith: I want to see Alonso go back to the Indy 500. Back in 2017, Alonso got permission to miss Monaco and race at Indianapolis, famously leading a big chunk of the race before an engine failure forced him to retire late on. He failed to qualify in 2019 and barely registered on the radar in 2020. Alonso is the closest active driver to completing the 'triple crown,' having won at Monaco and Le Mans. I'd love to see him take a shot at achieving racing history. Advertisement Bianchi: Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen are the obvious choices. Especially Hamilton, just because an Indy 500 win would elevate him to an even higher plane, which is hard to fathom considering he already has a case for being F1's greatest driver. Imagine the build-up to the month of May and race day itself if Hamilton or Verstappen filed an entry. Juan Pablo Montoya is the only driver who has raced all three in his career. Do you ever see another driver doing that? Coleman: One day, someone will race all three again. There are barriers to consider — reaching F1 means eventually joining the European ladder. Multiple IndyCar drivers are ex-F1 drivers, and some F1 drivers have crossed over into the NASCAR world, such as Kimi Räikkönen with Trackhouse's Project 91. So it's not impossible to do all three. Gluck: I don't see any viable candidates, but it'll happen again someday. We have to rule out NASCAR drivers, because they'd never get a superlicense to race F1, so it would have to be an F1 castoff who ended up in IndyCar for a few years and then decided to try NASCAR. Maybe if someone like a Logan Sargeant rediscovers his passion for racing and runs IndyCar for a bit, then gets curious about NASCAR and tries to run a couple of seasons there. It's possible, just not anytime soon. Smith: It'll take a very special type of driver and a unique career path for that to happen again. My best bet is that it would be a driver who makes it to F1, races in Monaco, doesn't hang around too long, makes the move over to IndyCar, spends time in the U.S., and then thinks, 'Hey, let's give NASCAR a go.' Nowadays, multidisciplinarians are rare, especially when considering the demands of the F1 schedule. So for now, I don't see it happening again. Bianchi: It will definitely happen again. The likeliest scenario is a driver whose opportunity in F1 has concluded, who then comes to the United States to continue their racing career. Maybe Kimi Räikkönen will get bored in retirement and give it a go; after all, he does have experience racing a stock car at Charlotte. Can you tell us how much the drivers in the series you cover care about or follow the other races on this day? Coleman: It is probably more likely that F1 drivers will tune in for the Indy 500, at least some of them. The time zones don't help, considering Monaco is six hours ahead of the East Coast. It'll be midnight when the Coca-Cola 600 begins. Verstappen has stayed up to watch a NASCAR race before (when Shane van Gisbergen competed), but I believe the Indy 500 is more likely. Gluck: Most NASCAR drivers will keep an eye on Monaco and watch as much of the Indy 500 as they can while going through their pre-race appearances and obligations at the Coke 600. IndyCar drivers will be getting busy around Monaco time, but might watch a bit of it during breakfast. Anyway, go ahead, Madeline and Luke, hurt the NASCAR drivers' feelings by telling them no one in F1 watches the 600. Smith: Sorry, Jeff, but I don't think many F1 drivers will be watching the 600 — partly because it won't start until midnight in Monaco! A lot of them will tune in to the Indy 500 once they're through everything in Monaco after the race. McLaren has a natural interest given its involvement there and how much it emphasises the crossover between its teams, but others will also be trying to find somewhere to watch it. Advertisement Bianchi: Although F1 drivers may not watch NASCAR's longest race, the reality is that of the three races, the Coca-Cola 600 may be the most competitive from green flag to checkered flag than any of the three races on Sunday. If you were a race fan with an unlimited budget and could only do one of these races on Sunday, which would you pick? Coleman: I'd pick Monaco every time. Legends have raced the same streets locals take to work and school, and Monaco has become synonymous with F1. The racing product is an issue, and I am intrigued to learn how this year's changes will impact it. It's not a given that Monaco will always be on the F1 calendar, a question that the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 do not face. It's best to enjoy the moment while it lasts. Gluck: This is so tough, because Monaco is absolutely on my bucket list just for the glamorous and gorgeous setting. Still, there's nothing like the Indy 500. I truly believe it's the world's greatest race, as do every one of its competitors. It's the largest single-day attendance on the planet (a sold-out crowd of 350,000), and if it were up to me, I'd never miss another one for the rest of my life. Smith: A bit like Alonso is out to complete his 'Triple Crown' of Le Mans, Monaco and Indy, I'm also just one race shy of having covered those three events — and it's the Indy 500 that's missing. When F1 announced earlier this year that Monaco would be moving date to try and help the calendar make more sense, my first thought was, 'Does this mean I can do the 500!?' I love how much ceremony goes into the race, the traditions involved, and how it stands as so much more than just another round of the season. I adore Monaco, and I really want to cover a NASCAR race someday. But the Indy 500 would be a bucket list event for me. Bianchi: Sitting on a yacht docked alongside Monaco's famed circuit while sipping overly expensive champagne sounds absolutely delightful. Yes, please. Top photo of Charles Leclerc and the 2024 Indianapolis 500: Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula, Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
A Q&A with the fan who made Oscar Piastri out of pizza. Plus: Can Ferrari rebound?
Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic's twice-weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday. Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we hope you're hungry. It's never too early to eat a life-sized pizza version of a Formula One driver. (More on that in a bit.) It's Monaco week, but we're barely going to talk about Monaco today. (But you can check out the schedule here.) Busy times! I'm Patrick, and Madeline Coleman will be along shortly. Let's get to it. Max Verstappen won on Sunday in Imola — his second win of the season, bringing him within 22 points of the championship lead yada yada yada. Let's talk about that Verstappen pass at Tamburello. That 'how did he do that?' first-lap move around the outside of Oscar Piastri, which Luke Smith broke down on Sunday. Advertisement When Verstappen pulled off that move, seasoned F1 staff in our live blog left their seats. It struck me later, though, that some casual fans might've gone, 'That just looks like a normal pass to me.' No judgment! I get it. But I'll emphasize: What we witnessed was the racing equivalent of a basketball player dunking from the free-throw line, or a golfer hitting a 250-yard shot that stops dead on the green. It looks simple. It is emphatically not simple. A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) Here's why that pass was Something Else™️: Most drivers would have settled for P2 at that point. Most drivers are not Max Verstappen. Let's toss it to Madeline in the paddock, answering a question from a reader that didn't quite make our mailbag (coming on Wednesday). There is still a chance, though it may be more difficult considering how much of the car was changed compared to the 2024 challenger and how the regulations are changing next year. Ferrari endured a similar start last season (though this year, the pace is arguably a touch worse), and it turned around its form, storming back to finish second in the constructors' championship and only 14 points off of McLaren. But after seven race weekends, it is clear that Ferrari is still struggling with performance, particularly with extracting potential from the car on Saturdays. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc faced a recovery drive to finish in points, and even team principal Fred Vasseur mentioned their Saturday struggles after Imola. And this isn't a new topic, either. After Leclerc secured the team's first podium this year in Saudi Arabia, I wrote about the team's untapped potential, specifically where Saturday hampers Sunday. Advertisement There is a gap between qualifying and race pace, and it may not be a simple fix with upgrades across the season. When Vasseur was asked Sunday about whether the team has to wait for parts to improve the issue, the team principal said he felt 'it's more related to the (tire) compound and to the preparation.' He was pressed again later on in his post-race media session about whether the potential in the car is accessible or whether small changes are needed. 'It's not that we have to bring parts,' Vasseur said. 'It's that we have to understand how we can do better with what we have, because that was the same cars we are able to perform on Sunday that we need to do a better job with the car that we have on Saturday.' please win this weekend oscar. this can't have been for nothing — aj (@adfreebrowsing) May 18, 2025 Over the weekend, that photo above made the rounds: AJ, an Oscar Piastri fan from Australia, had posted on X that he'd make a life-sized version of Piastri out of pizza if Piastri won pole. Folks: Piastri won pole, and AJ made the Pizzastri. I had to reach out to him and ask about this. Here's my Q&A with AJ. Bon appétit. Let's start with the obvious: what on earth possessed you to make this promise? (Asked with deep respect and admiration, of course.) I started making dumb promises to my (much smaller at the time) X following before each race. They were all phrased as 'incentives' for Oscar, but I'd tweet them knowing full well (and praying) he'd never see them. Oscar hadn't been on pole yet, so when China rolled around, I tweeted something like 'Oscar, if you qualify on pole for China, I'll never say anything bad about you ever again.' And, lo and behold, he did. Advertisement After that, my circle of closer mates on X started egging me on to keep making promises because they seemed to be working. For Jeddah, I said I'd buy his newly released hat if he won. (Ed. note: He did.) I promised to buy this crazy-looking Redbubble blanket with his face printed on it, my mate found on the depths of the internet, if he won in Miami — and he did. I figured I needed to go bigger for a potential fourth win in a row when Imola rolled around this week, hence the life-sized pizza. Can you tell I ran out of ideas? Have you made pizza before? It seems like you'd have to love cooking to commit to this. I used to work in an Italian restaurant, so I knew a little bit, but I've never made this much. Only the occasional homemade pizza here or there. It probably didn't count as pizza by the end of making it. It was more like sparsely decorated bread. To the entire nation of Italy, I am so deeply sorry. But why pizza? Don't get me wrong, I love pizza. But it could've been anything. Why not cake? Or a giant Oscar lasagna? I'm going to be totally honest. I couldn't think of another thing to offer, and when in Rome (or Emilia-Romagna), why not suggest a life-sized pizza? A giant Oscar lasagna is definitely beyond my cooking skills. I think a cake might be on the cards for the future, though. Maybe I'll promise that for a Monaco win. (Ed. note: He did.) Walk us through the Pizzastri assembly line — dough to oven to table. How long did the whole epic operation take? I am not a maths guy. I can barely handle friends of ten. I was not whipping out a tape measure for this, so I got my 6-foot-tall brother to lie down on a big sheet of paper and traced out his outline. Turns out cheating gets you very far in life. I made the dough and got the ingredients ready, and the rest of the genius I need to attribute to my girlfriend. I have a pretty regular-sized oven, so she divided up the body into parts that would fit in the oven and labelled them all. We traced out parts of the hands and legs and whatnot onto baking paper, and then I rolled and cut out dough to match. That part took hours. I think I started at 4 p.m., and when we were up to the decorating stage, it must have been 7 or 8 p.m. Honestly, it really looks like Oscar Piastri. The hair! The belt! Take me inside the mind of an artist — how did you nail the accuracy using nothing but dough and toppings? This is the best compliment I've ever gotten in my entire life — but again, this project was all the mastery of my girlfriend. I really can't take credit for anything. I did the face, but she sketched out the suit and then told me where to put the olives and everything else. She's incredibly creative and a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to this stuff, so she wanted to get the sponsors as accurate as we could while only using salami and ham and bocconcini and more olives. What was the most stressful moment? A collapsing dough bicep? A tragic olive shortage at the knee? We did actually run out of olives. I bought the tiniest jar, and when we loaded up the image of his race suit and remembered how much black there is, we started panicking. I spread them out pretty sparsely, but we got two or so pieces done and had to run to the shops. I probably looked pretty weird, sprinting through the aisles with a one-kilogram jar of olives under my arm. Advertisement How did it taste? And what do you think Gordon Ramsay would say if you presented this to him in the paddock? Gordon Ramsay would nuke me if he tasted it…. It's edible. It's food. It is not appetizing enough to want to eat a life-sized portion of it. Did you or your friends and family finish the whole thing? Or are you preserving it for a museum? (You should preserve it for a museum.) We really haven't eaten anything at all… I think my girlfriend ate the left hip. I had the face for lunch today. The rest is in a squillion tupperware containers in the fridge. There is absolutely no way I'm getting through all of this. When did you know this was going viral? Did you get that 'oh no, this is blowing up' feeling? Or were you just vibing until the internet caught on? When Verstappen's last sector came through and Oscar stayed P1, I tweeted something like 'how am I supposed to make this,' because I hadn't really thought it through. How the hell do you make a life-sized pizza of someone? Qualifying finished around 1:30 a.m. my time, so I conked out for the night. When I woke up, the official Australian Grand Prix account was tweeting about how they couldn't wait to see it, and so had QuadLock (one of Oscar's sponsors), MDM Designs (his helmet design team), and Baz, one of the mechanics from his side of the McLaren garage. I figured I couldn't really back out after that. I once tweeted that I'd eat my hat if the Dallas Stars lost. I did not eat my hat (because I value my internal organs). You, however, followed through on your viral bet. Was there ever a moment you considered backing out? Absolutely not. Go big or go home. I was more worried about accidentally somehow ruining his race if I didn't make it. I guess it didn't matter in the end, because the McLaren strategy team screwed his chances all on their own. I can send them some sustenance for the debrief if they'd like. I have plenty. How did you get into F1, and what keeps you coming back? Have you ever been to a race? My best mates invited me over for a study session one afternoon and had a race on in the background. Needless to say, I did not get any study done. I've been hooked ever since. I was lucky enough to go to Melbourne this year. One of my mates and I drove down from NSW. We experienced every season in one weekend, but it was an incredible experience, and I wouldn't change it for the world. So incredible to see F1 racing in person — and to watch Oscar's recovery. Advertisement I'd love to go again, but this hobby is stupidly expensive. We'll see. I'd hate to miss the first Aussie winning on home soil, though, so I may just have to break the bank again next year. Finally, what is it about Oscar that makes you such a fan? Do you think he'll win the title this year? He's taking the title this year. I don't know what to promise when he does, but I'd better think of something I can do, because it's happening. This year, and many others, if McLaren can continue riding this good development wave. I think I naturally gravitated towards him as a fellow Australian, but I reckon he's just an all-around great guy, as parasocial as that sounds, considering I don't really know him at all besides what we see on TV. He comes across really genuine and respectful, whilst still being incredibly competitive and bloodthirsty. Mostly, I like supporting him because he's so talented. His racecraft has always been jaw-droppingly impressive. Watching his overtakes was the most fun I had last year. He's also so committed to improving and honing his skill — and when he says he'll fix his mistakes, he does. His biggest issue in the 2024 season was obviously his qualifying, but he recognised it needed to be worked on and came back over the winter break with his Q3 problem pretty much sorted. Three poles and four wins in seven races. You can't not want to support that. Thanks, AJ. Happy cooking 🫡 While most F1 fans will be focused on the Monaco Grand Prix, another legendary race is taking place on Sunday: the Indianapolis 500. And McLaren's Pato O'Ward (who is also the F1 team's reserve driver) is looking to turn his heartbreak into a victory celebration after narrowly missing out on the win last year. He qualified third and will start on the front row Sunday for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.' Madeline's profile on IndyCar's biggest star ran this morning. For our newsletter audience, she passed along what O'Ward wants you to take away from hearing his story: 💬 'Number one, never put a timeline on things. And I will say, simply never put a timeline on your dreams. If you want it, if you love it, keep doing it. Two, nothing will ever go to plan. And three, don't forget to enjoy it. Because I feel like there's so many moments where I look back on and it's like, wow, I could have enjoyed that a little bit more instead of stressing about it, but I just think it's part of life. Advertisement 'You try and balance it out as you can, but there'll be big waves, there'll be small ways. You just have to make sure that you're either heading towards them or heading with them. You can't get hit sideways, or you're gonna flip over.' My favorite thing about the profile is that every other quote from him is full of charisma. (There's a reason we put 'rock star' in the headline.) Also that he's not into heavy sauces on pasta. Give it a read today. 📆 F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has capped the calendar at 24 races while introducing venue rotation and eyeing Thailand for 2028, because apparently we haven't quite maxed out the sport's air miles yet. 🏎️ And, finally, Williams and Alex Albon are quietly building the feel-good story of 2025 as F1's surprisingly competent 'best of the rest.' 📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
