Pump the Brakes!

Interlagos delivered the chaos. Lando Norris mastered the changing conditions, Max Verstappen charged from P21 to P2, and Mercedes secured the Constructors’ Championship despite spins for both drivers. We cover Red Bull’s double podium, Ferrari’s frustrating weekend, Liam Lawson’s standout drive, and Rafael Câmara’s home debut. Then it’s Cadillac: Checo fought the cars around him, but a stuck wheel nut ended Bottas’s race before it began.

Kimi Antonelli is world champion, but the racing isn’t done. We review Max Verstappen’s Mexico City win, Ferrari’s opening-lap drama, George Russell’s frustrating weekend, and Cadillac’s difficult outing in front of Checo Pérez’s home crowd. Then it’s on to Interlagos: Rafael Câmara makes his F1 debut in Brazil, the fight behind Kimi heats up, and Cadillac looks to bounce back.

Kimi Antonelli dominated in Austin and now needs just two points to become world champion. We review Ferrari’s growing pace, Red Bull’s missed opportunity, George Russell’s struggles, and the tightening fight for second.

Then we head to Mexico City, where thin air and a long run to Turn 1 could shake up the order. Checo Pérez makes his 300th Grand Prix start in front of his home crowd—and arrives with a new Cadillac contract through at least 2029

Welcome, race fans! We’re heading to Austin for one of my favorite tracks on the calendar. COTA brings together brilliant corners from around the world and makes them feel right at home in Texas. We’ll break down the biggest stories heading into the United States Grand Prix, then turn to Cadillac’s home race: its western-inspired livery, realistic hopes for the weekend, and Colton Herta’s FP1 return to the track where he won his first IndyCar race. Plus, why I think another F2 season is unlikely for Colton.

Max Verstappen finally conquers Singapore, sweeping the Sprint and Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton misses a crucial pit entry and loses a podium, Kimi Antonelli moves closer to the title, and the McLarens collide. Then we check in on Cadillac’s chaotic Sprint, its first double finish since Monza, and Valtteri Bottas’s 420-kilometre bike ride to the track.

Max Verstappen finally gets his first win of 2026 at a rain-soaked Sepang, while George Russell’s late engine failure turns a likely podium into another painful DNF. Kimi Antonelli stretches his championship lead, Ferrari fights back from a disastrous tyre call, and McLaren has some uncomfortable questions to answer.

We also check in on Cadillac after Valtteri Bottas’s spin and Checo Pérez’s chaotic race—then address Valtteri’s decision to bike to Singapore. Yes, really.

To finish this double episode of Pump the Brakes!, we preview Singapore’s first Sprint weekend: George’s back-of-grid penalty, Max’s momentum, and whether Cadillac can find a better result under the Marina Bay lights.

George Russell showed some fight in Baku, but is one win enough to put pressure on Kimi Antonelli? We cover Red Bull’s double podium, what McLaren and Ferrari need to answer, and Cadillac’s encouraging pace with Checo alongside another frustrating retirement for Bottas.

Then we head to Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix… in Malaysia. F1 is back at this demanding track for the first time since 2017, with heat, possible rain, and a fresh test for the teams making gains under the new regulations. We preview the big stories and what a good weekend would look like for Cadillac.

It’s a double episode of Pump the Brakes

Baku is one of my favorite tracks on the calendar. It opens up, squeezes down to barely more than a car’s width, and punishes mistakes like a proper street track. This week, we’re looking at what makes the Azerbaijan Grand Prix so much fun—and the biggest stories heading into race weekend.

Kimi Antonelli arrives with all the momentum. Can George Russell answer after Monza and Madrid? And who’s best placed to make the most of a circuit where one mistake can change everything?

Then it’s time for our Cadillac update: a quick Madrid recap, Marcin Budkowski’s shift toward 2027, and what Checo Pérez and Valtteri Bottas can do at a track they’ve won three times between them.

Pump the Brakes is back every Wednesday, no matter what.

Formula One’s first weekend at the Madring ends with Kimi Antonelli claiming his eighth victory of the season and extending his championship lead to 81 points—but Lando Norris may have been the driver who truly deserved the win.

This week, we break down Norris losing control of the race through brutal Virtual Safety Car timing, George Russell effectively conceding the championship, Ferrari’s missed opportunity, Max Verstappen’s quiet resurgence, and whether Madrid built a spectacular event without building a great race track.

Then we turn to Team Cadillac. Checo Pérez showed legitimate progress by racing with Williams and Racing Bulls before a mechanical failure ended his afternoon, while Valtteri Bottas finished P18 after a difficult weekend managing the car’s limitations.

The Madrid result was poor—but underneath it, Cadillac may finally be getting closer to the fight.

Pump the Brakes! is the Cadillac of Formula One podcasts: race reviews, major F1 headlines and the honest story of Cadillac’s first season on the grid.

In this episode: Spanish GP review, Madrid Grand Prix, Madring, Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, George Russell, F1 championship, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac F1

Ugo Ugochukwu is the 2026 FIA Formula 3 champion—and the first American ever to do it.

McLaren dropped him after a difficult rookie season. The championship nearly slipped away at Monza. Then Ugo arrived in Madrid, erased a 15-point deficit to Freddie Slater, and delivered when everything was on the line.

In this emergency episode:

• How Ugo responded after being dropped by McLaren
• The Monza mistake that nearly ended his championship
• His nearly flawless title-winning weekend in Madrid
• Why Euro 4, Macau and Formula 3 make his résumé unprecedented for an American
• Why Cadillac must make Ugo its future American F1 prospect

A New Yorker just won Formula 3. This is history. This is our guy—and Cadillac cannot afford to miss him.

Pump the Brakes is the Cadillac of F1 podcasts—built for new fans, American fans and anyone getting in early on Formula 1’s newest team.