Antonelli's worst weekend of 2026 was still an F1 champion's drive
Kimi Antonelli called Baku his worst weekend by far, yet fifth place and a 66-point lead suggest it may have shown him at his best
Formula 1 returns to Singapore in 11 days, so now seems as good a time as any to look back at one of the sport’s great forgotten street circuits: Long Beach.
After a successful Formula 5000 race in 1975, the Californian city held its first Grand Prix in 1976. The venue became a firm favourite – especially after 1977 when Mario Andretti scored the first home win for an American driver – but increasing financial pressures meant that Formula 1 last visited in 1983, being replaced by CART and IndyCar races that continue to this day.
This video of Patrick Depailler is from 1978, a year in which he was particularly on form. In the new Tyrrell 008 he vied for the championship lead in the early stages of the season until being plagued with reliability issues down the stretch. Depailler was reportedly not a fan of the Long Beach circuit, but that didn’t stop him from throwing the car around the place in his usual wild style.
Kimi Antonelli called Baku his worst weekend by far, yet fifth place and a 66-point lead suggest it may have shown him at his best
George Russell had it his way for most of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, thanks to an underwhelming McLaren and rare error from Kimi Antonelli. But then came the late safety car
Christian Horner has a theory for Red Bull's slide and Ferrari's stagnation. Both appear to lead back to him
2026 Azerbaijan GP practice sessions were dominated by analysis of the frontrunners and Arvid Lindblad's spectacular crash. But under the radar, writes Mark Hughes, one driver is shaking up the midfield with sensational lap times