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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 04/10/2026

If ever there was an example to illustrate Ferrari’s operational deficiencies compared to Mercedes and Red Bull, this is it. Absolutely baffling.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 04/10/2026

This is absolutely bizarre. Must be some kind of rain mapping issue causing the cars to crawl around under the Safety Car. Not the best look for F1…

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 03/10/2026

Verstappen and Hamilton, front row. Blockbuster. 🍿

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 26/09/2026

I get Norris’ frustration, but saying Colapinto deserves a race ban feels excessive. He locked up into T1 at a restart and made a bad mistake which deserves criticism and a penalty. But a race ban? If anything, comments like that just pour more fuel on the fire.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 26/09/2026

Whatever happens in the final few laps, this has been a tenacious drive from Verstappen. Opportunistic at the restarts, relentless on Russell, and doing everything he can in the slower car.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 26/09/2026

If I'm Franco Colapinto I'm going straight back to the hotel. Avoid Flavio at all costs.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 26/09/2026

If Red Bull decide to swap the cars, good luck to whoever has to make that call to Max.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 26/09/2026

Hadjar looks the faster Red Bull right now. He just can’t get out of the final corner well enough to give himself a real chance into T1.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 16/09/2026

Monaco: famously a circuit with “great overtaking potential”. That’s not only me being sarcastic, by the way. It’s from F1’s official Sprint explainer.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 15/09/2026

Maybe the Madring is the fix Monaco has needed for years. Suddenly it looks like an overtaking paradise.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 15/09/2026

Think they already put a lot of money in that haha. Seems they’ve got some good ideas of how improve racing without too much structural change. Not ready to give up on the Madring yet.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 14/09/2026

The Madring is already looking at changes to improve the racing. Which does make you wonder how nobody spotted the obvious problems before signing a 10-year deal.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 13/09/2026

Don’t worry, only another 9 years of F1 at the Madring to enjoy. Valencia 2.0

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 13/09/2026

Maybe the “Mad”ring isn’t so mad after all… #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 13/09/2026

Either Leclerc is driving like a man possessed, or Antonelli has some kind of issue. The gap is up to 3.5 seconds.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 13/09/2026

Leclerc is sitting pretty in fourth on the hard tyres. He’s comfortably matching Verstappen’s pace ahead, and with the tyre offset he could be one to watch later on. A podium is very much on.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 12/09/2026

People love to hate Lando Norris, but there’s no denying he’s operating at a seriously high level right now. That second lap was stunning.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 12/09/2026

Just seen the clip of Hamilton’s crash and return to the pits in FP3. What a storm in a teacup.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 09/09/2026

This is absolutely insane from Kimi Antonelli. Sits millimetres off Russell in the slipstream, keeps it pinned, then goes around the outside. The bravery and car control is absurd. #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 07/09/2026

19th on the grid. 1st on the podium. Kimi Antonelli showcased his champion mentality in Monza. He's wiping the floor with his more experienced teammate - and Monza surely broke George Russell mentally. First Italian F1 champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953? It's on.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 06/09/2026

Instead, race after race, Antonelli has raised his level and asserted absolute dominance within the team. Winning from 19th on the grid - stoppages or not - is just absurd.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 06/09/2026

Antonelli’s development is absolutely stunning. He showed flashes of brilliance last year, but George Russell was clearly the stronger driver. When Mercedes arrived in 2026 with the quickest car, most people assumed the title was George’s to lose. Few expected Kimi to even make it much of a fight.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 06/09/2026

Mercedes 1-2 on lap 16. Yeah, didn’t have that on the bingo card.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 06/09/2026

Imagine being George Russell and getting told the car behind is your teammate… who started last.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 06/09/2026

Although I don’t think Leclerc did much wrong in the T1/2 incident with Hamilton - Lewis found himself in a disappearing wedge and Charles was always going to shut the door - it was still pretty aggressive defending against your own teammate at Ferrari’s home race.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 03/09/2026

New rule idea: ban media training for F1 drivers. Bring back the personality and chaos.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 03/09/2026

F1 is reportedly planning to shorten races by 5% from 2027, from 305km to 290km. I blame Big Tech for destroying our attention spans.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 01/09/2026

Absolutely. They’re slowly improving under Vasseur, but still not operating at the level of Merc/RB/McLaren.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 01/09/2026

You’re probably right. I think Max is biding his time, assessing the competitive landscape, and a move is on the cards if Red Bull can’t compete next year.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 31/08/2026

My view: this isn't a case of loyalty to Red Bull, it's the safest deal available to him - money, internal status and freedom now, an escape route later. Best of both worlds. For him, not necessarily for Red Bull. Full piece on BackmarkerSPORTS 👇 backmarkersports.com/a-new-contra...

backmarkersports.com

OPINION: A New Contract, But Not a True Commitment - BackmarkerSPORTS

Only six athletes on Earth out-earn Verstappen's new Red Bull deal. But is it really the commitment it looks like?

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 31/08/2026

But Red Bull's form still gives that exit clause real teeth. Newey, Marko, Horner, Lambiase - all gone. Still frontrunners, but clearly behind on pace. If they recover, he stays. If they don't, I think 2028 is far more live than a record-length deal suggests.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 31/08/2026

In any case, he barely had anywhere else to go. Mercedes were already locked into Russell, and Antonelli is going nowhere. McLaren means signing next to Norris, his fiercest rival. Staying wasn't just the safe choice, it may have been the only real one.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 31/08/2026

Reported performance-based exit clauses mean Verstappen can walk if Red Bull can't deliver a title-winning car. His father Jos has all but confirmed it. Verstappen is afforded the freedom to participate outside F1, without fully committing.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 31/08/2026

The numbers are absurd - a reported $100m base salary, up to $120m with bonuses. But money isn't the real story here. The real story is what's in the fine print.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 31/08/2026

Max Verstappen has just signed a deal with Red Bull running to 2030. Only six athletes on Earth reportedly earn more. Everyone's calling it loyalty. I don't buy it. A thread 🧵

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 26/08/2026

I’m still unconvinced it actually cost Ferrari the podium - without the VSC, I think Hamilton probably sweeps past Russell anyway. But Ferrari’s leadership needs to be stronger in those situations. Once one car is clearly quicker and a podium is on the table, there shouldn’t be hesitation.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 26/08/2026

It’s been a few days, so how are we feeling about Ferrari’s strategy in Zandvoort? Once Hamilton caught Leclerc, Ferrari chose not to make the switch immediately. Did that hesitation cost them a podium? #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 25/08/2026

Another 8 points clawed back by Norris at Zandvoort. The gap to Antonelli is now 83 points - and McLaren secured back-to-back wins. Is the title fight genuinely back on? Or is Antonelli's advantage simply too big to overturn? #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 24/08/2026

Verstappen fans: despite the heartbreak at Zandvoort, how are you feeling about his new Red Bull contract? Was it the right decision to commit until 2030 - or a case of misplaced loyalty? 👀 #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 23/08/2026

Something something borderline violence.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 23/08/2026

George Russell is a very lucky boy. That VSC has almost certainly saved him a podium.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 23/08/2026

Alonso running in P9 - Aston Martin are slowly but surely getting their act together. #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 23/08/2026

Could Hamilton be thinking about going to the end on this set? It feels ambitious with such a long way to go, but it must be crossing his mind.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 23/08/2026

I understand Leclerc’s frustration at being asked to let Hamilton through, but Lewis is on a different strategy and will run much longer in this stint. He’s played the team game for Charles before, I think Charles should have returned the favour there. #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 23/08/2026

Leclerc deep in discussion on the team radio. Meanwhile, Kimi Räikkönen in 2009.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 23/08/2026

That final corner is absolutely treacherous right now. I get the feeling Max won’t be the last driver to visit that wall today. #F1

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 22/08/2026

Operationally they’re a far better run team under Vasseur. Next year could well be red.

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 22/08/2026

Of course the rain arrives now. We needed it five minutes earlier…

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BackmarkerSPORTS @backmarkersports.com · 22/08/2026

Close on pace, but ultimately another uneventful Sprint. I’m still not convinced F1 needs more of these.

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