F1 has taken some very interesting turns in the last week, and we don’t mean hairpins. 

As we transit from Bahrain to Saudi, we have seen three of the leading drivers - Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris - admitting they are a bit lost, leaving the super-consistent Oscar Piastri and George Russell to hoover up the big points. Verstappen’s mentor at Red Bull has suggested they may struggle to hold onto him if things don’t improve soon. 

Meanwhile the FIA president made his first appearance of the season in Bahrain, after a tumultuous week of resignations and accusations. He had a chat with F1 teams and manufacturers about V10 engines, but the idea of going back to the future was thrown out. 

With James in the studio to analyse the behind-the-scenes intrigues and decode why some top drivers need relationship counselling with their cars are our F1 writers Ronald Vording and Jake Boxall-Legge. 

It’s your last chance to take part in the Global F1 Fan Survey, which we are running together with F1. Make your voice heard about F1; what you like, what you don’t and who your favourite teams and drivers are. It closes soon. Go to https://fansurvey2025-formula1.motorsportnetwork.com/

And don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X/Twitter or [email protected].

Producer: Dre Harrison

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport