- Monaco, Dover & Nurburgring delivered an action-packed weekend of motorsport.
- Formula E and NASCAR provided historic triumphs and chaotic drama.
- Dominant performances ended in ultimate heartbreak at the Green Hell.
Another weekend with no F1, but the motorsport world is unrelenting. This weekend, the big action was in Monaco, Dover and Nurburg.
Let’s have a quick catch-up and a look ahead to next weekend:
Formula 1: Shipping out to Montreal for a Sprint shootout
There was no F1 this past weekend, but the quiet period is already over as freight arrives across the Pond. The F1 roadshow descends on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this week for the Canadian Grand Prix (May 22–24).
- The Sprint pressure: Montreal will host the latest Sprint format, meaning teams will have just one single practice session on Friday before being thrown directly into qualifying and racing on the famous wall-lined street layout.
- Regulatory resets: Behind the scenes, the FIA, F1 Management, and team principals agreed in principle to future engine tweaks. To combat straight-line energy depletion (“harvesting”) that had troubled the drivers, internal combustion engine (ICE) power will see an increase, balanced out by a reduction in electrical deployment. Additionally, safety refinements following recent wet-weather and start tests are actively being finalised.
Formula E: Historic drama and triumphs in Monaco
The E-championship took centre stage over the weekend, illuminating the famous streets of Monte Carlo with a historic double-header that completely flipped the championship picture.
- De Vries snaps the drought: Round 9 saw the end of a four-year dry spell. Nyck de Vries flew to a magnificent, maiden GEN3 Evo victory for Mahindra Racing, navigating their pit strategy perfectly to take the chequered flag ahead of Jaguar’s Mitch Evans, who left the Principality with the World Championship lead.
- Rowland’s Round 10 masterclass: On Sunday, Nissan’s Oliver Rowland delivered a masterclass in tactical energy management. Surging through from P8 on the grid, Rowland picked off the pack to take his second career win in Monaco, leading home Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich through an unpredictable, safety-interrupted finish.
NASCAR: Ultimate endurance test looms at Charlotte
Denny Hamlin claimed a chaotic victory at the Dover Motor Speedway, where an experimental low-downforce, high-horsepower rules package delivered some dramatic tyre-wearing action. It also left drivers complaining that the lengthy format lacked old-school “All-Star sprint” energy.
- Coca-Cola 600: NASCAR now heads into its gruelling Memorial Day weekend crown jewel – the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 24). Playoff points are back on the line, forcing teams to swap short-track setups for 600 miles of attrition as day turns to night.
IndyCar: No prep time ahead of the 110th Indy 500
Rain and lightning wreaked havoc on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course timeline, which threw the paddock into a frantic scramble.
- Cancelled warm-up: The severe weather compression forced organisers to cancel the traditional warm-up session entirely, meaning the teams had to prep their cars into high-speed oval trim with virtually zero track preparation.
- The greatest spectacle in racing: In the end, Alex Palou’s blistering final run secured him P1 on the grid for the legendary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24.
MotoGP: Preparing for the speed of Mugello
Following a dramatic weekend in Spain last time out, where Jorge Martin maximised his points gap and Marc Marquez sensationally clawed through the Q1 trap, MotoGP is now on a brief one-week reset.
- Ducati backyard battle: Teams are now prepping for the super-fast Gran Premio d’Italia at Mugello (May 29–31). With a 1.1 km main straight pushing top speeds to the absolute limit, local hero Francesco Bagnaia is tipped to perform well on home-soil.
Other motorsport snippets:
- Nurburgring 24 Hours heartbreak: A record crowd of 352,000 witnessed the drama as Max Verstappen’s highly publicised debut looked set for victory as his Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 dominated. He opened up a commanding lead before a broken driveshaft shattered their hopes with four hours remaining. Maro Engel and the #80 Winward Racing crew capitalised to take the win.
- WEC Spa Breakthrough: Over in the World Endurance Championship, BMW M Team WRT ended a 27-year premier endurance drought by executing a flawless short-fueling strategy and securing an historic one-two finish at the 6 Hours of Spa. In LMGT3, Garage 59 bounced back from recent disappointment to claim the honours with their McLaren.
