Max Verstappen spends a “quiet” weekend like only Max Verstappen can: by disappearing into the Eifel, muscling a GT3 car around the Nordschleife, and winning for fun. On a rare F1 off-week, the Red Bull star jumped into the latest NLS round at the Nürburgring, started third in the Pro class, and pinched the lead before Turn 1. From there, he did Verstappen things—opening a gulf of more than a minute on the field before handing over to Chris Lulham, who brought it home. A different podium, same outcome. The “Green Hell” doesn’t hand out easy days, but Verstappen made it look like a track day.
It’s the kind of outing that quietly says plenty about where his head’s at late in the season: if there’s a steering wheel, he’ll race it—and probably win with it.
Tsunoda’s safety net? Aston reserve talk gathers pace
Yuki Tsunoda’s immediate focus remains the here and now, but the 2026 driver market shadows everything. If the Red Bull door doesn’t swing his way, a softer landing may be forming elsewhere. With Felipe Drugovich moving on to Formula E with Andretti next season, a reserve role at Aston Martin could open up for Tsunoda, whose long-standing Honda ties make that a neat fit on paper.
Make no mistake: he’ll fight to keep his place on the front line first. But as the 2026 shuffle begins in earnest, having options matters—and this one looks increasingly logical.
Hamilton skips Ferrari duties to be with Roscoe
Lewis Hamilton missed Ferrari appearances in Italy this week, including Pirelli tyre running at Mugello and the Ferrari Style fashion show, choosing instead to stay by his bulldog Roscoe’s side as he recovers from illness. Hamilton called it a “gutting” decision, praising the collection from afar and congratulating the Ferrari Style team. Even via livestreams, he still manages to sound like a proud new signing.
Ferrari won’t kick up a fuss about this one. It’s Lewis being Lewis—human first, racing deity second—and the team knows there are bigger laps ahead than a catwalk cameo.
Horner surfaces post-settlement, eyes on the horizon
Christian Horner has kept a low profile since agreeing a sizeable settlement with Red Bull following his exit, but surfaced on a low-key break in Scotland with wife Geri Halliwell. The former team boss is, by all accounts, decompressing. There are suggestions he could be back in the paddock by the middle of next year, though what that looks like—and with whom—remains to be seen. For now, a pause. In F1 terms, that’s an eternity and a blink.
One year on: Ricciardo’s imprint on the modern era
Twelve months removed from his final F1 start, Daniel Ricciardo’s legacy reads like a grin you can hear. The “Honey Badger” stitched together a career of daring passes, big-day wins and an irresistible paddock presence that made him as marketable as he was quick. The highs were intoxicating, the detours instructive, and the person behind the visor is what many remember most. In a sport that doesn’t always allow room for personality, he carved one anyway.
Notebook notes
– Verstappen’s GT3 win with Chris Lulham felt almost inevitable after that first-corner lunge, but the 62-second cushion before the handover was the statement. It was controlled aggression—less highlight-reel mayhem, more metronome with bite.
– Tsunoda’s Aston Martin contingency gives him leverage at a critical time. With 2026 machinery resetting the order, drivers want both performance and stability on their side. He may just line up both.
– Hamilton missing Mugello and the fashion show won’t move any competitive needles, though it’s a reminder that even the sport’s biggest names redraw their priorities when life calls.
– Horner’s silence is doing a lot of talking. If he reappears mid-2026, the paddock’s power map will shift again.
The on-track story will swing back our way soon enough. Until then, Verstappen keeps winning in whatever he straps into, the 2026 dominoes quietly wobble, and F1’s characters—Hamilton, Horner, Ricciardo—keep reminding us that the sport’s pulse is as human as it is mechanical.
