Motorsport Monday: From Hollywood to Le Mans

F1 the movie premiere

No Formula One race weekend this weekend, which may be a great break for the drivers but not for us fans who now have to find something interesting to do with our weekends. The bright side of this is we were able to actually sleep in on a sunday, rather than get up at the crack of dawn just to watch 20 cars race around in a funny circle.

Even with no F1 race to keep us entertained this weekend, we still have some fun motorsport news from this last week. First on the list this week is the F1 movie. Which I am sure you’re either excited about or you are waiting for all this propaganda to be over with.

The F1 movie premiere was this last week, and was held in the heart of New York City. The drivers meet the glitz and glam of the red carpet…grey carpet. I am still bitter that they didn’t commit to a red carpet since red is literally a signature F1 colour. It is the colour of the logo! Regardless they went with this sad ugly grey colour for the carpet.

Most of the driver’s were there, minus Max Verstappen, but we will get into that later on. The actors in the movie were also there to celebrate alongside the fans that attended the event. Taking the time to greet them, take photos, and to sign autographs. Just like any other public event, the media was also there with several different media outlets to cover the event and interview actors and drivers that walked the carpet.

We must take a moment to mourn the loss of 90s and early 2000s movie premiere red carpets. This carpet event didn’t have that same feeling as premieres once had. The outfits were minimal and not over the top, only a few outfits really stood out, one of them being Lewis Hamilton’s. It was overall a very calm environment. Which granted if you’re a driver getting thrown into this world or a longtime actor, the environment must have been less stressful and overall pleasant. I am beading around the bush a bit but movie premiers used to be a bit chaotic and over the top glamorous. The cars they arrived in, the outfits that had you talking about it for weeks, the amount of flashes from cameras, and ohh yeah…the carpet actually being red. I feel that era of Hollywood is over . One cool thing I can admit that the F1 movie carpet did was have the carpet full of F1 cars. A special touch that I did like. Hopefully the movie will still be good. The movie critics did give it a high rating after the premier which should be a good sign. Rotten tomatoes rating it at a high 89%

“Driven by Brad Pitt’s laidback magnetism and sporting a souped-up engine courtesy of Joseph Kosinski’s kinetic direction, F1 The Movie brings vintage cool across the finish line.”-Critics Consensus

Max Verstappen skipped the glitz and glam of the carpet, which nobody is surprised. That man will do anything to get out of media events. He is simply there to race and go home. Respect.

Instead of going to the movie premier, he decided to head to the famous track of Spa, which is located in Belgium, to test the Aston Martin GT3 race car. Not only that but to also spend time with his newborn daughter, as he expressed many times before, that family comes first.

Moving on from F1, the famous 24 hour Le Mans happened this past weekend. For the third year in a row, Ferrari claimed victory. Ferrari winning everything but F1. AF Corse-entered Ferrari 499P driven by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson completed the grueling 24 hour race with 387 laps. Just barely beating the no.6 Porsche Penske by 14 seconds.

Ferrari returned to the endurance race in 2023, and each year they had a different driver lineup and chassis. This victory is memorable on many accounts because Kubica also becomes the first Polish driver to win the event, and driver Ye is the first Chinese victor. Another round of applause, cheers, and champagne are in order for this year's 24h of Le Mans.

In Nascar news, Nascar plans for a 2026 street race in San Diego. This will be the first time. There are current talks with the city, planning and creating the layout for the course. Which is supposed to either be through the downtown area or alongside the waterfront. An official amount is to be expected as soon as July.

This move comes after the closure of the well known Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, and is meant to serve as a replacement. With moving to San Diego, Nascar hopes to gain new fans and the city hopes to boost local tourism.

Lastly, our news circles back to Ferrari. They released a teaser to social media. Something is releasing June 25th.

Teaser from Ferrari's social media

That concludes this week’s Motorsport Monday, see you next week!

Canadian Grand Prix Highlights

Formula 1 returned this weekend after a week-long break for the Canada Grand Prix, held in Montreal. A beautiful track on the calendar that is held on a man-made island, visually it is a gorgeous track surrounded by water plus a dense amount of trees alongside the track, making it seem like you are racing through a forest. A great return to F1 as we come back after that triple header. So here is your recap of the Canadian Grand Prix!

Qualifying led to Mercede’s George Russell placing at the front of the grid, starting the race from pole position.

1st lap, driver Alex Albon left the track and ended up in an offroad situation, transporting us into thinking we were watching a rally race. He later ended up retiring early from the race due to a mechanical issue with the car. A very unlucky weekend for him and his team through the entire weekend, however I wonder if something happened with the car when he hit the grass at the start of the race that caused it to have issues later on in the race. When you watch the highlights in slow motion that car was basically launched into the air, which an F1 car is not designed to do. They may reach up to speeds that make it seem like they are flying, but they can’t actually fly.

Speaking of early race retirements, Albon was not alone. Rookie Liam Lawson also retired on lap 57 due to mechanical issues.

In Lance Stroll news, it was his first race back after he suffered pain and issues from an old injury flaring up in his wrist, which caused him to miss the last race. Alas, he returned for the Canadian GP, and it was his home race. Unfortunately he did gain himself a 10 second penalty after he pushed Alpine’s driver Pierre Gasly off track.

Lap 67. A lap that everyone has been talking about. We all knew a Mclaren battle was coming, however I think we were expecting it to be later on in the season.

Lando Norris had a strong race pace the entire race, earning the fastest lap again and again. Moving up the grid fast, regardless of starting 7th on the grid. There was hope of a Mclaren on the podium, maybe even a double Mclaren podium, like we have seen so many times this season so far. However, during the last stretch of the race, Lando began putting pressure on his teammate Oscar Piastri. That pressure turned into a battle and while entering a corner, Lando overestimated the space between the wall and Piastri and after almost taking out his teammate, Norris found his way into the wall, ending his race and losing the 10 points he would have earned if he finished in 5th place.

What I would give to be a fly on the wall of the Mclaren garage after that. Jokes aside, it was a heartbreaking mistake, however not all was lost, Mclaren still earned some decent points since Piastri was able to finish 4th position. It was not the podium finish they may have hoped to achieve, but still a decent finish.

So who were the top drivers on the podium?

1. GeorgeRussell (Mercedes)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

A great weekend for the Mercedes team. George Russell has yet to secure a seat for the 2026 season so his race win this weekend will be something for Mercedes and even other teams to consider when choosing their drivers for next season. Russell was also able to get the fastest lap of the day.

Kimi Anotonelli got on the podium!!! The cheers from the stands could be heard from far and wide. Not only is he a rookie but he is also now the 3rd youngest driver to ever be on the podium. He is old enough to be sprayed with the celebratory champagne but can't actually drink it.

Kimi Antonelli on the 2025 Canadian GP podium. Photo courtesy of F1 official Instagram

That concludes this year's Canadian GP, until next year! Next on the F1 calendar is the Austrian Grand Prix.

Easter Fashion Guide

Easter is here!

This Sunday will welcome many different festivities, from Easter brunch, egg hunts, special church services, and other fun or unique holiday traditions. So what's the dress code?

Traditionally, Easter fashion brings lighter colours. Such as pastels, florals, and light airy silhouette designs. If it looks like you're dressed for a magical garden party you're on the right track.

With religious traditions attached to the holiday, white is often worn as it symbolizes purity and the resurrection. Other people even buy new clothes as a sign of good luck and new beginnings.

Regardless of the route you take, the most important part is dressing comfortably. Especially if you'll be outside hunting for eggs or if you're the one helping the Easter bunny hide the eggs. Comfort is key.

So here are some examples.

If you're taking the traditional route, opt for some type of white, with or without florals. It could be a dress, white blouse, or white trousers. Whatever your personal style calls for. Here are some examples to get your creative fashion senses going.

You can also take on the pastel route. Making your outfits colourful and bright with different colours and shades. A popular option are lavender and buttery yellows.

Though fashion can be attached to the holiday, don't let it distract you from enjoying the holiday with friends and/or family.