Are you not entertained? These Ferrari starts are just too good. Every time the lights go out, I see Lewis Hamilton’s McDonald’s-themed outfit fire to the front, and in those few seconds, I am taken all the way back to 2018. I’ve waited since 2022 to see Hamilton at full flow. I bought the dip, and my returns have arrived. (Ignore that Hamilton chewed through his tires during the sprint race, and how good he was during the Red Bull reign of terror in 2023).

I must know what Mercedes puts in its engine. Every time the drivers are chasing the car in front, the hawk down is something out of a movie. If you’ve read the Bible, the other cars are Jonah, and the Mercedes cars are the big fish.

This leads me to some technical talk. Four drivers did not take the lights for the grand prix due to engine or deployment-related issues (Oscar Piastri has yet to take part in a grand prix this season). Is this a great indicator for reliability throughout the season? No. But honestly, womp womp. Formula One is an engineering competition, and unfortunately, in competition, there must always be losers. I wonder if we will actually get to see all 22 drivers on track at the same time this season. I’ve also seen a lot of discourse about the overtaking being manufactured by battery power. To quote Tame Impala, “I know that you think it’s fake, maybe fake’s what I like.” This is the most exciting racing we’ve had for a long time. The previous regulations did not have us on the edge of our seats every lap. I know, I remember complaining about it many times last season. I can assure you the beautiful battle between Hamilton and Charles Leclerc was not just battery related. It was skill. It was box office stuff, and it’s the best wheel-to-wheel action I’ve seen since 2021.

Back to the Mercedes rocket ship, I will quote the ABBA-inspired fan chant: “Kimi, Kimi, Kimi, a win out in Shanghai! Won’t you turn the heat up, keep George Russell at bay!” The Russell-Leclerc-Hamilton battle let the Italian teenager scamper off into the distance. Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished six seconds ahead of his teammate, who in turn finished 20 seconds ahead of Hamilton (yikes). Antonelli becomes the first Italian to win a grand prix since Giancarlo Fisichella took victory at the Malaysian grand prix in 2006 (five months before Antonelli’s birth).

My favorite part of this whole weekend was seeing Hamilton and Peter “Bono” Bonnington on the podium together again.

Now for the rest.

Franco Colapinto’s defense against pretty much the whole field was so good that he should be called up to the Argentine team for the World Cup to play center back. He held them up for the love of the game, and I have to respect it.

Oliver Bearman and Pierre Gasly continue to be the best of the rest. I’ve definitely said this before, and I’ll continue to say it until they prove me wrong.

Let’s talk about Max Verstappen, who is spending so much time in the midfield that he might have to replace Casemiro at the end of the season. He seems to be the driver struggling the most with the new starting procedure. He lost several places at the start in both races and isbeing matched by Isack Hadjar (LOL) in a way he hasn’t been since Daniel Ricciardo. To quote Christian Horner (ew), “If you’ve got a problem, change your BLEEP car!”

Anyway, I had a blast and I’m excited for Suzuka. We are so back!