Welcome to Sunday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.
Comment of the day
@RBAlonso offers a thoughtful perspective on how Formula 1 has evolved over the decades and how many of the elements now criticised were either deliberate choices or inevitable results of technological progress:
Up to the mid-eighties, the rules and finances were so open and the technologies so basic that teams could gain seconds from week to week. Even with teams becoming more professional in the nineties, reliability remained a major concern, adding to the drama. It wasn’t just outright retirements — brake or gear selection problems could create big swings in performance. From the start of the 2000s racing became noticeably duller as data collection, testing and financial resources improved. Even so, cars still had frailties, were light and looked impressive on TV and at the track. Circuits were proper tracks lined with gravel, which introduced visible risk. There was also a tyre war and even a spy scandal.
My view has long been that the sport has been chasing the wrong metrics: cars that are too heavy, rules that are too restrictive and circuits designed for the wrong reasons. Many of these tracks are now tied into long-term contracts and the sport has become locked in. We need to make the cars exciting again with variables that offset the dampening effect of technical progress.
So it’s not accurate to call this a return to how F1 once was — time has eroded many of the things that made F1 special, and over the years we’ve compounded that by making consistently poor choices.
@RBAlonso
Social media and links
Carlos assesses his Miami Saturday (Williams)
Sainz Jr: “Definitely good to have both cars again in Q2. That shows progress compared to the first few races where we were stuck in Q1. Today we got both cars into Q2 and were only a tenth off P11. A few races ago that gap would have been six or seven tenths, so this is clear progress. I’m still not entirely happy because we haven’t maximised everything — I feel we’re leaving a tenth or two on the table in places. But I’d rather be P14 and just a tenth from P11 than do perfect laps and be six or seven tenths off. We’re on the right track. We need to keep refining and improving the car. Hopefully this is the start of our recovery plan and we’ll keep becoming more competitive.”
Miami Grand Prix: Sprint race / qualifying recap (Haas)
“Unfortunately I hit the wall a little bit so the steering wasn’t quite straight. I could have gained a couple more positions as I lost time into the last corner. It’s a shame, but we’re pushing the limits and that’s something that can happen.”
Haas team principal Komatsu: ‘We shouldn’t be fourth. We’re the smallest F1 team’ (The Guardian)
“Part of the frustration I felt in Japan was this culture of not being different. If you do something outside the government’s mainstream, you can be marginalised and overlooked. I never accepted that kind of normalisation.”
‘Reinvent it’ – Controversial racing series which Izzy Hammond crashed in (Formula E) will change in future, confirms sport chiefs (The Sun)
“Putting the crash aside, we probably won’t run Evo Sessions in the same format going forward. We will rethink how we work with creators and influencers because they’re an important way to reach new fans. But safety remains the number one priority in anything we do.”
Several teams, including McLaren, are carrying tribute to Alex Zanardi. #F1 #MiamiGP #RaceFans
— RaceFans (@racefans.net) 2026-05-02T21:50:01.533Z
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to J. Danzig!
On this day in motorsport
- 45 years ago today Nelson Piquet won the San Marino Grand Prix after the leading Ferraris dropped back on a drying track. Carlos Reutemann finished third behind Riccardo Patrese to keep his championship lead.
- Born on this day in 1924: Ken Tyrrell
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