LawVS - The Ladder Man
Whimsical tales from my attic regarding the world of Formula 1. I am LawVS, an F1 enthusiast of 25 years, who wishes to share my thoughts and opinions regarding the world of Formula One; all straight from the surrounds of my loft...come join me on our official Patreon to further climb the ladder @ https://patreon.com/lawvsIntro: "Ladder Man" by Suns of Fire - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S6BpPjVU2M Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Every Verstappen Denial Answers the Wrong Question
Everyone's denied part the Max-to-McLaren story...but nobody's gone all the way.
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The Max Verstappen-to-McLaren rumour has produced plenty of debate as well as denials. The likes of Zak Brown, Mark Webber, Raymond Vermeulen and Max himself have had a go...but the problem here is that what they say has nothing in common!
Nothing we've seen so far is final. Not like Oscar Piastri’s infamous Alpine tweet. Right now, so it would seem, it's best for all pa...
Ferrari Made Mercedes' Speed Too Expensive
Mercedes have the speed...but Ferrari are making every mistake hurt.
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Mercedes have taken every Grand Prix pole...yet Ferrari have won two of the last three race...and exposed how fragile the W17. Italy's response to German speed? Turn efficiency into a weapon!
The title fight now taking shape may surround against Ferrari still not being the fastest team but certainly the more reliable. Mercedes have had one mistake after another...and it might mean their nearest rivals...
The FIA President Knows Where Christian Horner's Going
Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull, but F1 never really treated him like he was gone.
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A year after his exit, Horner returned to Silverstone and was welcomed with open arms...and the media's utmost attention!
Whilst the rumours regarding Aston Martin, Alpine and even China's BYD follow the former Red Bull team boss...it does beg the question. What does it take for Formula 1 to deem someone as a persona non grata? And oh yes! He and...
Verstappen Just Unlocked The FIA Safety Card
Red Bull crashed...yet Ferrari's involved. The FIA now has the one word nobody can vote down.
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Max Verstappen’s rear wing failures in Austria and Silverstone looked like simply a Red Bull problem....but then Ferrari got dragged into the room as well. Why? Safety, that's why. The same governing body that cleared these Macarena wings before they raced is now asking whether the concept is too risky...and it might mean Ferrari gets knobbled for it...and the teams have no...
Red Bull’s Rookie Fight Is Getting Ugly
Liam Lawson's having a great year...but Arvid Lindblad's getting the promotion talk.
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Liam Lawson leads Arvid Lindblad in qualifying, races and points... so why do the seat rumours keep finding HIM?
Helmut Marko admitted the verdict on Lawson was built on a mistake, then left the building a week after signing off his final junior. Nobody at Red Bull will say who judges these drivers now...and even then, what DOES Red Bull want these days in terms...
Verstappen Hits All-Time Low At Red Bull
Max Verstappen's route to Mercedes is a no-go...the only seat left might be Oscar Piastri's...and he could jump before he's pushed.
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Verstappen's rear wing failed for the second race running at Silverstone, him calling his own car dangerous. It seems like relations between he and Red Bull are at all-time low. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri sits sixth in the championship and one journalist reports his McLaren contract carries a release clause that reads the summer break standings.
Piastri's...
The 2026 F1 British GP Winners & Losers
Kimi Antonelli had the fastest car...but a cake tin ruined his race.
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Silverstone gave us the strangest race of 2026...thanks to a software error. Leclerc ended a 37-race drought and handed Ferrari their 250th win whilst Verstappen's rear wing failed at speed for the second race running!
Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli watched a 65-point championship lead shrink to 25 because of a part most fans have never heard of.
Who else won, lost or was just plain...
Wolff Opens Fire On Ferrari. Again.
Mercedes are leading handily...so why is Toto Wolff complaining about Ferrari?
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Another F1 political war has begun! Wolff called Ferrari's spending "limitless" and it wasn't a compliment. Ferrari have declared 32 upgrades this year. Mercedes? 17. Then a team boss with two points fired back the other way. The cost cap was meant to level the sport...but all it's done now, along with the ADUO, is now call every single upgrade into question!
#f1 #formula1 #totowolff #ferrari #mercedes #britishgp...
HELP! Hulk's Trapped In F1's Strangest Car
Audi's race pace in Austria was quicker than the cars that finished ahead of them.
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But only 2 points and 9th in the constructors? Yikes...but there's one number from Friday practice in Austria AND Barcelona that shouldn't exist. On long-run pace, Hulkenberg's Audi was closer to the winner than the Racing Bulls who actually scored.
So either that number was a Friday illusion or Audi have built one of the strangest cars of this regulation cycle...a fast car...
Silverstone Will BREAK These Cars, Here's my British Top 5
Max Verstappen sat in the Silverstone simulator and started laughing.
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Three races before the summer break...and the first one happens to be the track that tests battery efficiency harder than almost anywhere else on the calendar. Red Bull's Austrian upgrade looked handy, but Silverstone doesn't have the big braking zones that aided Verstappen's lesser battery to Mercedes' superior article.
This weekend could make Suzuka look adorable by comparison. Will Ferrari's upgrades be able to do something to aid...
What Max Verstappen's McLaren Meeting Was REALLY About
Everyone's asking if Max Verstappen is going to McLaren...I'd rather ask why!
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The Daily Mail broke a story claiming Verstappen held secret talks with McLaren about a move as early as 2027...but his manager didn't leave it at a flat no.
He said Red Bull needs "a car capable of winning." And Brown instead chose to talk about banana peels rather than closed doors.
Also, 3 key pillars of the operation that won 21 out of 22 races...
The 2026 F1 Austrian Winners & Losers
The Cadillacs were on fire...as Leclerc blazed from 2nd to 8th...whilst the championship fight got all the more complex.
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As the heat of Austria laid itself down on the grid, Lewis Hamilton led the Scuderia charge and salvaged 5th but admitted he had no idea why they were so slow despite their engine upgrade. Meanwhile, George Russell won from a controversial pole that half the paddock still isn't happy about but it does mean he's closer to Kimi Antonelli...who...
George Russell Got Exactly What He Asked For
Russell's 2027 is secure...but what it cost him is the story nobody's noticing.
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George Russell confirmed at the Red Bull Ring that he's driving for Mercedes in 2027...yet he's fifty points behind Antonelli. The performance was supposed to speak for itself. Hmm.
On top of that, team orders have been confirmed for the team after Russell told the world back in October that his seat was in his own hands. What does this renewal mean for the Verstappen saga...
Ferrari Just LOST F1's Engine Race to Audi
Audi got their ADUO upgrade in BEFORE Ferrari...and nobody noticed for ten days.
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While the paddock was busy arguing about whether F1's ADUO equalisation system is fair, Audi got on with the job and became the first manufacturer to use the engine catch-up scheme in anger. Ferrari needed two more weeks for theirs.
How did that happen and will it help Audi? Well, Hulkenberg did get into Q3 for the first time and Paul Aron DID reach...
Hamilton Just Got More DANGEROUS, Here's My Austria Top 5
Mercedes' battery is looking fragile...and now Ferrari's turned up the heat!
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After seven rounds, Antonelli leads the championship but the W17 keeps stopping. They know what's causing it...but there's no timeline for a fix. This weekend's forecast? An orange heat warning. Great.
Meanwhile, Ferrari's first engine upgrade reportedly lands in Austria, giving Hamilton even more power on top of the aero step that won him Barcelona by twenty seconds. Now, Wolff's now discussing how to manage Russell...
Liam Lawson Just Exposed Red Bull’s Story
Liam Lawson reveals why Red Bull dropped him after two races. His version doesn't match theirs.
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Demoting Lawson from Verstappen's teammate to Tsunoda's seat warmer made sense at the time and I bought it. But this week Lawson described a setup experiment the team collectively agreed to on a Saturday night in Shangha which destroyed his race.
But even with that info, his career there was over anyway! It unfairly became part of the evidence used against him. Meanwhile...
Haas Just Made Ocon's Worst Fear Visible
Now MCLAREN auditioned drivers for Esteban Ocon's seat at Haas. Three giants after one tiny seat.
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Last week, McLaren's Leo Fornaroli drove a Haas at Jerez. The same week, Rafael Camara drove a Ferrari at Barcelona. With the idea of capturing the same seat!
With Andrea Stella doing everything he can to get his reserve into F1 next year, this is a surprising twist for the place alongside Bearman for 2027. To top it all off, Toyota want a Japanese...
Why Red Bull Might GIVE Max Verstappen a Team
Red Bull's rejected billionaires...but they're about to hand VCARB to Max Verstappen. Something's broken for this idea to even make sense.
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Joe Saward reported recently that "creative stories" werere circulating about Red Bull offering Max Verstappen a controlling stake in Racing Bulls/VCARB. HUH?! Now while Saward himself flags it as unlikely, the idea only exists when Red Bull Racing are facing two critical moments in its existence.
First, Verstappen won't commit to the cause after 2026 (yet) and...
Gasly Won, But Mercedes Expect to Lose Again
Gasly got his podium back...but why are Mercedes filing a case they expect to lose?
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The Monaco GP penalty mess should have ended when Pierre Gasly got his podium back. Instead, it's opened a much bigger problem. Russell, Hamilton, Piastri and Colapinto all served penalties too, but the FIA only redeemed Gasly. Why? There was no clear rule to redeem others. Now Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull are fighting through different legal routes for the same precedent...to be there when...
Alonso has 1 point. Aston can't let him leave.
Fernando Alonso has one point. Aston Martin can’t afford to lose him.
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The Alonso-to-Alpine rumours look like silly season madness at first glance...but when Flavio Briatore starts appearing around Aston Martin in Barcelona, right when Aston are at their lowest, you have to ask who benefits from all this. And no, Franco Colapinto is NOT in danger. The Gucci reveal told me that.
This story is all about about leverage, pressure and a team that needs Alonso fa...
Hamilton’s Ferrari Win Exposed Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton won for Ferrari, but Barcelona may have told us something far bigger about Mercedes.
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Mercedes still lead both championships, so no, I'm not saying they're done for. But Barcelona exposed three cracks they can’t ignore. First, a car that keeps switching itself off. Then there's Toto Wolff questioning his own “let them race” philosophy and then, of course, the ADUO. The thing which gives Ferrari its ticket to leading the F1 field for the rest of 2026. No wonder Wolff has be...
The 2026 F1 Barcelona Winners & Losers
Lewis Hamilton finally did it...and with style!
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Ferrari have won for the first time since Mexico 2024 in a race which redefined the F1 championship story for 2026. Hamilton's near 20 second victory over George Russell and the then beleaguered Kimi Antonelli showed that the Scuderia's upgrades had finally come good. As for McLaren and Red Bull, they were very much in their own battle for third. As for the Formula 1 Ferrari golden boy Charles Leclerc, it was another race to forget.
<...
Gasly Won, But Russell Still Made It Worse
F1 got the Monaco penalties wrong...and it's HUGE consequences.
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The FIA checked its own equipment after Monaco and found no abnormalities. Then three days later FOM's evidence broke that audit and by Friday morning the stewards had rescinded Gasly's penalties.
That still leaves George Russell with a five-second penalty that became a drive-through. Where did it all go wrong?? It reminding me of a Qatar 2024 echo George won't enjoy. When the referee's number is wrong in Formula 1, who...
Max Verstappen Got What He Wanted... But At What Cost?
The FIA says its 2027 engine fix won't touch the racing... so why are some Grands Prix about to get shorter?
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Yesterday the FIA announced agreement on the 2027 engine rules. There would be more combustion power and less battery. Lovely! But there's more that wasn't spoken about as much.
For starters, Overtake Mode is unchanged and the package is understood to trim laps off the thirstiest races, just so some cars can reach the end. Sure, Max Verstappen got the...
Verstappen's Engine EMBARRASSED The FIA, Here's My Barcelona Top 5
With Antonelli dominating Monaco, can Ferrari's upgrade turn things around?
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The FIA handled the engine verdicts to the teams on Monaco race day...and as I record this, the official numbers STILL haven't surfaced thanks to the backlash that ensued. So this week's predictions come with a political forecast attached. How does Red Bull handle things now?
Alpine's Thursday scrap to win Gasly's podium back is also for consideration as well as my Monaco scorecard. Finally, who do I...
F1 Froze Red Bull’s Engine, Not Mercedes!
Mercedes got help from F1 while Red Bull’s engine is frozen.
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F1’s new ADUO engine rule was meant to stop one manufacturer running away with the 2026 season. Instead, the first ruling has handed Mercedes an upgrade after all! Meanwhile, Red Bull-Ford, judged the benchmark on the combustion side...gets nothing...and they're winning nothing also! So how does a team winning every race qualify for help? Is this scheme as fair as it would seem? Sure Ferrari and Audi and Hond...
The 2026 F1 Monaco Winners & Losers
You know what? For Monaco? That was not too bad!
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In what was the best Monaco Grand Prix in a while, Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli upset expectations and pulled a fast one Ferrari...literally. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen had races to forget whilst Pierre Gasly was crushed by the FIA's chaotic pitlane speed trap! All in all, it was an F1 race around Monte Carlo which interested us more than expected.
Who else won, lost or were...
Williams Are Stalling And Calling It A Plan
Audi and Williams both pointed at 2030 this week but only one of them sounded like they meant it.
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Mattia Binotto's Audi has its own engine to work on and claims 2030 will be their year. Meanwhile, James Vowles is four years into the Williams rebuild, running the best power unit on the grid and pointing at the exact same year...but his read is not being received as favourably. Why is that though?
Even Carlos Sainz admitted his faith got...
Ferrari Settled Nothing By Re-Signing Leclerc
In committing to Charles, Ferrari's solved NOTHING.
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Scuderia Ferrari gave Leclerc his THIRD deal with them, keeping him with the F1 team possibly into the 2030s...or 2028. Nobody really knows. And I don't think Ferrari knows where it's at right now. It's gone long-term with their Formula 1 hero but there's Lewis Hamilton eschewing their own simulator and getting results too. What does this Formula One force do with their present situation?
One thing is for sure, giving the man...
F1 NERFS Monaco's Engines, Here's My Top 5
This weekend was made for Ferrari, almost literally.
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As the 2027 regulations fall over themselves, Ferrari's found itself in a situation where the conditions for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix in terms of the controversial F1 engines for this year COULD be to their advantage. Mercedes are nerfed for one night only and this could be a chance for either Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton might get one over their rivals before the ADUO comes to help them...or not.
Let's...
Toto Wolff Just Trapped His Own Driver
I'm not calling a full-on intra-team drama yet...but the contract might hint toward it.
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Mercedes re-signed both drivers last October and everyone read it the same way. Russell the senior man, Antonelli the project...but for only 2026...Now the reporting since suggests two very different deals in the same garage.
Whilst the Verstappen door everyone watched looks shut, the leverage that door created is still sitting right there in the Mercedes paperwork. What does Toto do with a...
The Williams Owner Nobody's Allowed To Name
A New York court spent two years trying to work out who actually runs Williams.
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The official story is simple, folks. Dorilton Capital bought the team in 2020 and saved it from dissolution. Its lead man Matthew Savage has been the public face...but then a court record started using very different words about that...and now there might have been MORE figures in charge.
Now F1 has a test built to vet exactly this kind of situation...but did...
FIA Boss Wants To DELETE The Rule That Removes Him
The FIA boss says he was unopposed...but now he wants to rule forever.
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You heard me, folks. Ben Sulayem wants to SCRAP the limit of the presidency he occupies...already! However, there are two more changes tabled too...ones which make opposing him that much harder to pull off...so why are the people with the most to lose, the drivers, the teams, F1 itself not shouting out loud about this?
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Bottas AXED From Cadillac After Five Races?? (Not Quite)
Really? Valtteri Bottas is getting axed from Cadillac after five races?
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Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are yet to score...and yet only one of them is at risk of losing their seat...ALREADY. Colton Herta is the named replacement...but he's still short of the FIA superlicense points required to race in Formula 1.
And if Herta doesn't get there, the answer may already be in the building...and Ferrari might want to get in on it with not...
Papaya Rules Are Eating McLaren In 2026
McLaren backed Lando Norris and got the trophy. Then Oscar Piastri said Red Bull interest is 'flattering.'
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McLaren's 2025 settlement is now costing them as the team is not winning...at all. Norris said in Melbourne he'd retire from Formula 1 rather than leave McLaren. Then Piastri called Red Bull interest 'flattering' before Canada. And Zak Brown's 'contracts aside' answer to The Athletic does more work than anyone noticed...that perhaps the bill from last year isn't fulfilling the deal made with number 81. <...
Red Bull Just SHATTERED McLaren's Playbook
Welcome to the new McLaren-Red Bull war.
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So Red Bull's team principal, Laurent Mekies, sat next to Stella at the FIA press conference in Canada and repeated the Lambiase team principal claim. Again. Three weeks after he'd already said it in Miami. So much for peace between teams then...why did he do that?
Well, this encounter tells me that how Mekies duels with McLaren and how Horner duelled with McLaren are two very different things. Andrea Stella and...
The 2026 F1 Canada Winners and Losers
What happens when the gods get involved with George Russell?
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George Russell's chances of a world title took a major blow thanks to his F1 car's battery conking out on him whilst Kimi Antonelli secured a record-making fourth win in a row. Meanwhile, the old titans Hamilton and Verstappen duked it out for second in polished fashion whilst Franco Colapinto NAILED another points finish for Alpine...and as for McLaren? The less said about them the better
Who else wo...
Hamilton's Reading Ferrari Right
Lewis Hamilton walked into Canada this week and said people are trying to retire him.
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Esteban Ocon's denial and Lewis Hamilton's pushback may be reactions to the same situation...and all the while, Oliver Bearman's patience is forcing Ferrari's hand. Why do I think this? Well, when you look back to Mattia Binotto's February 2020 statements about Sebastian Vettel and then dismissal three months later? It tells us about how Ferrari handles champions who don't deliver fast enough.
Drivers don't...
Mercedes Just Walked Away From Max Verstappen
Mercedes' Bradley Lord tried to retire the Max Verstappen story...but Max himself said did that already.
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At the same time as the N24, Toto Wolff's deputy Bradley Lord went on a German channel and tried to retire the Max Verstappen story (arguably Toto's successor-in-training). He said Max's anger about the 2026 regulations is fading because Red Bull's getting better. Problem is that, Max himself said the opposite back around Miami... that doesn't happen by accident. So why did the comms guy do...
F1's Silence At The Ring Just Told Us Everything
352,000 people watched Max Verstappen's team lead for 20 hours straight.
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When Max tested out the Nurburgring, F1 thought it was cute and mliked it. Now? They said nothing across the whole weekend and then pivoted into "why F1 is great" IMMEDIATELY after the 24 hours. What does that silence actually mean? What can Formula 1 DO after this monumental racing event?
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