The hangover after the Indy 500 is here and it’s the final Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle after a 30 year run! And in it, it was a return to the top of the mountain for Will Power as he took revenge on last year’s cruel finish and took a narrow strategic fight for the win!

He duked it out with a return to form for Alexander Rossi, who 3-stopped his way and drove hard to turn it into a one second finale at the end of the race. Listen to us break down the most intense strategic fight of the season so far!

We also talk about Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing struggles as Graham Rahal was the first DNF in a race where the entire team struggled. Is there regret over the team’s expansion to three cars? We discuss!

We also discuss Rossi’s future – The worst kept secret in IndyCar got revealed as his McLaren move was made official as the second man in a likely three car team going forward. What do we make of it? And is Felix doing enough to get another year? Or do we go Rinus Veekay instead? And do we really think Alex Palou’s on the table?

All that and more on Motorsport101!

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The Italian Grand Prix for MotoGP at Mugello was overshadowed by a bombshell bit of news – Marc Marquez is going to take an extended hiatus from bike racing to have a FOURTH surgery on his right arm. It turns out, his humerus as it healed, actually turned 30 degrees as he was riding, giving the 8-time World Champion in a considerable amount of pain while he was riding. He’s off the Mayo Clinic in the USA to hopefully, get it fixed. We wish him well and discuss it all in MotoGP.

There was also a GP, and is was Francesco Bagnaia who came through a topsy turvy grid (Yes, Fabio Di Giannantonio really was on pole), as Fabio Quartararo continues to drag a Yamaha into contention with 2nd! We also talk about the VR46 gang challenging for the podium!

We also talk the questionable attendance, with only 44,000 showing up for the race, at a venue that can easily take over 100k. Is it the effects of a lack of Valentino Rossi? The expensive tickets? Or something else? All that and more on MotoGP in Italy, on Motorsport101!

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Oh Ferrari, not again.

The boys sit down to discuss one of the classic staples of Formula 1 – A Ferrari startegic screw up. From pole, they had the Monaco GP at their mercy with Charles Leclerc in a dominant position. But they let Sergio Perez rack up a critical undercut on the Intermediate tyres on a rapidly drying track, and a late double stack call put turned a possible 1-2, into a 2-4, as Checo would steal the Monaco GP, AND get himself a sweet new 2-year contract! We discuss it all in depth.

We also discuss the standards of race direction here. We had the race start delayed due to a sudden deluge of rain, a power outage, and a mandatory Safety Car start that pissed off so many people watching. We also had Alex Albon ignore roughly 17 blue flags without punishment, and a protest over Max Verstappen crossing a pit entry line that had the wrong line of text in the notes. Eduardo Freitas came under fire, but how much of it was justiifed?

And finally, we discuss Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren struggles as he limped home out of the points after a practise wreck on Friday. Will Zak Brown pull the plug on his McLaren deal a year early? Should he? And if so, for who? We take some guesses in this, our Monaco GP episode!

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Well, that was a surprise. Even if it perhaps shouldn’t have been. But that’s the beauty of the Indy 500 and how these incredible races can play out. Scott Dixon and Alex Palou, two of Chip Ganassi’s strongest cars and drivers, the former history making all week. Lead 132 laps. Neither won. Marcus Ericsson snuck in, nailed a hot lap, got the front of the queue, and then survived a final 2 lap sprint to win it all. We discuss a superb 500 here, and the new chapter in the story of Marcus’ career. F1 backmarker, he is not.

We also talk about some of the guys who lost out. We had Scott Dixon who blew a golden chance at the win with 20 laps left, via speeding in the pitlane. We had Alex Palou get caught out with an emergency stop right as a yellow came out for Callum Illot putting it in the wall. And hell, Jimmie Johnson, the big meal ticket, made the biggest error of the race and smashed the Turn 2 wall. It nearly cost chip the W. Ooft.

Speaking of Jimmie, we also talk about the controversy over his winning of the Rookie of the Year award. Despite his DNF, he won it based on practise speed and fan interaction. We talk about how David Malukas felt he might have been hard done by, the journalist who stirred the pot… and well, just how screwy the award actually is.

All that and more on a loaded, Indy 500 special edition, of Motorsport101!

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We’re catching up with shows over the next few days, and first up, the 2022 Spanish grand Prix for Formula 1, and it was a newsworthy and actually somewhat interesting edition of the series at Catalunya.

At the front, it was a war of attrition. A massivbe gust of wind (No, Nico Rosberg), blew over the track and put Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen in the gravel early doors. But Max would climb back to 3rd, until a DRS wing failure caused him to be stuck behind George Russell for multiple laps… until Charles Leclerc’s power unit fails from a 14 second lead. Ouch.

Max would then win but not via a controversial and maybe somewhat unnecessary team orders call from Red Bull to swap him, and then race leader Sergio Perez. Right call? Wrong call? We debate that and the Ferrari’s shortcomings in depth.

We also talk Mercedes and their upgrades. Porpoising be gone, but they still aren’t that fast. We think. It doesn’t help that Lewis Hamilton was put in the gravel on the opening lap thanks to a marginal clash between him and Kevin Magnussen. Can the Mercs make a comeback? We discuss that too!

And we also give credit to guys like Fernando Alonso coming from the back to 9th. Even if its concerning that they’re taking engine penalties 6 rounds into a 22 race season.

All that and more on Motorsport101, the Indy 500 is next!

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Episode #364 takes us to Berlin and one of our favourite rounds at Templehof Airport. And for all the chaos that this series tends to provide, this was… a different affair. A calm, energy saving tactical pair of races. And the story of the weekend… was off the track.

In Formula E’s worst kept secret, McLaren made it official that they’re joining the series in Mercedes place as we head towards Gen 3 of Formula E. We talk about the structure of the new team after just moving into Brackley themselves, as well as their potential driver lineup in the future. We know Stoffel’s heading to DS Penske, but will Nyck De Vries stick around with Williams rumours persisting? Is Rene Rast, or maybe someone else joining?

Also, we talk Edo Mortara. He took nearly 60 points out of Berlin and brought himself right back into contention for the title. But was this a blip for a power-dominant track or a genuine push for Mortara and Venturi?

And we had to break down a unique situation in Qualifying and the duels, with Alex Sims and Jean-Eric Vergne having a TIE in qualifying. JEV called it the stupidest rule he’s ever seen in his life? But was it, and was there a fairer way?

All that and a game of who we piss off the most, on the latest Motorsport101!

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