Last Sunday marked the return of invigorating high-speed motor sport after an almost four-week hiatus. While everyone is markedly elated to have racing back, the typical gossip-worthy driver moves that come over this break were almost completely absent this summer. The Formula One world calls it silly season, a period “when the mass media often focus on trivial or frivolous matters for lack of major news stories.” Unlike last summer, most driver lineups had already been determined for the 2026 season before break.
While the tabloids may have been mostly dry, the emergence of Cadillac into the sport was the spotlight of attention. For the past decade, F1 has consisted of 10 teams, each with two drivers. The existence of two new seats caused the rumor mill to swirl. On August 26, 2025, Cadillac announced Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their drivers – both seasoned pilots, with a combined number of podiums exceeding 100. A few weeks prior, rumors had been circulating that former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner would be taking over the role at Cadillac. However, the team dismissed this, claiming they never participated in any talks with the recently fired Horner.
This may have seemed like a solid start for the new team, but there was constant speculation that Bottas may have to serve a five-place grid penalty upon his return. The penalty was awarded in a prior season due to causing a collision. It hasn’t been served because he is a reserve driver this year. Bottas fans must have felt a small sigh of relief when news broke that due to the new regulations in 2026, he would not be plagued by this grid drop. Yet, shortly after, the governing body of F1 (FIA) clarified their rules and Bottas’ grid penalty was confirmed.
On a lighter note, with the silly season came the yearly release of Grill the Grid, a game-show like trivia series featuring the drivers. Last year's champion Oscar Piastri returned and attacked the questions fiercely to defend his title. Episodes are released periodically during the break to fill the empty space that no racing leaves, and add some comedy to the dull weeks.
Some of this year's fun challenges included identifying drivers based on a collage of different drivers’ facial features combined into one larger face. Other challenges included naming race tracks from zoomed in photos relevant to the circuit, and a spot-the-mistake game that tested observational skills. The competition culminated with a game where drivers identified past Grand Prixs that went poorly based off of a few key words. After scoring this trophy, Piastri can claim a second title this year in the World Drivers’ Championship.
The twenty men driving in glorified circles took to the circuit in Zandvoort, Netherlands last weekend. The Netherlands is the home of four time World Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen, who has won the title four years in a row, starting in 2021. As it was his home race, Verstappen was under pressure to perform to the best of his abilities. The Red Bull Racing team has seen themselves slipping down the Constructors’ Championship leaderboard, and were sitting in fourth before the race, with the majority of their points scored by Verstappen – in other words, only one of their two drivers.
Qualifying Saturday saw the Dutchman starting in third position, with the two McLarens locking out the front row. The fierce battle between the McLarens continued over the weekend, with both drivers proving to be the fastest during different sessions. It is well known that Lando Norris struggles with race starts, and once again he lost a position during the opening lap to Verstappen. The Brit later managed to overtake and regain second place, and spent the majority of the race chasing his Australian teammate. An engine problem caused Norris to retire early, cueing the third safety car of the race, after both Ferraris had crashed.
Rookie Isack Hadjar proved he belongs on the grid with a fourth place qualifying position, and ended in third with his first podium in his Formula 1 career. Joining him on the podium was Verstappen in second and Piastri, who claimed the title. The eventful Sunday proved to be worth the month-long wait. The drivers must now turn their attention to preparing for the Italian Grand Prix next week.
