166 Comments
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Jack Baruth's avatar

Now, I know a lot of you were on the edge of your seats about this, but: Matt and Jonny finished dead last in class among cars that were running at the end of the race, and 11th of the 20 cars in class that managed to turn laps at all during the race. They were 16 laps behind the winners in class.

As far as I can tell, Jonny's stint was near the end. He put in a non-robust 25 laps that were between 14 and 25 seconds a lap off the team pace. This caused the team to drop 5 places overall so someone finally decided to stop the bleeding at that point.

To put it in perspective, the other drivers did between 35 and 42 laps.

Matt Farah was generally about 6 seconds a lap off team pace during his stint.

Given that Jonny spent the days before the race driving a new Ferrari in Portugal, maybe he was just frustrated at the non-exoticness of his BMW M235i race car?

On a more positive note, it looks like the car only went off track seriously once.

More exciting results tomorrow!

Speed's avatar

14 to 25 secs per lap is retarded. ive never driven on track and im fairly sure i could do better

Stan Galat's avatar

I speak only for myself, but I never read TTAC or The Autopian, and care very little about Motor Trend and nothing at all about Jonny Liebermann.

It's too bad somebody "important" in the autopress is a terrible driver, but this isn't anything new. If he's grifting on the auto company dime and pimping crappy product, that's something I want to know. That he's a bad driver? Meh. I assume they all are.

You and a few others (from the "old" C&D I grew up with) are the only guys I ever felt were real drivers in the autopress. I subscribed to R&T while you and Sam were there, because it seemed like you (both of you) could write, work on a car, and drive. I never got the sense that Zach Bowman could drive, but he seemed like a serviceable wrench. I never cared for his literary style or voice. I never assumed Eddie Alderman could drive, nor anybody at R&T or C&D since.

I'm way more interested in exactly what sort of double-dealing and incest is occurring between the autopress and manufacturers. I'm an innocent at heart, and so this is still new enough to me that I have a hard time digesting how deeply the rot goes. The world really needs neutral and fair reporting of how cars actually drive in the real world -- something for enthusiasts. That it isn't happening is the real story -- not that Jonny Liebermann is slow or corpulent (honestly, he's probably no fatter than me).

I subscribed to no less than 4 monthly car magazines 10 years ago, and none today... primarily because it very much seemed like almost nobody could write a clear paragraph any more, and even fewer people on staff even like cars. Grrrl Power (Elana Scheer, et al) writers and Sharon Freaking Silke Carty as Editor in Chief at C&D sealed the deal for me. I was done after 35+ years as a continual subscriber. Knowing they're unreliable is the real story.

I followed you from R&T to Haggerty, then lost you until I found you here. I honestly don't care about TTAC or The Autopian because I ever read them and you've written at length about the death of TTAC (and I've read it all in the archives). Jonny Liebermann is a complete nobody to me.

Am I missing something?

ScaryLarryPants's avatar

"He put in a non-robust 25 laps that were between 14 and 25 seconds a lap off the team pace. This caused the team to drop 5 places overall so someone finally decided to stop the bleeding at that point."

I read somewhere else that Jonny was otherwise engaged mentally in building both a metaphorical and literal house of cards on a modified card table straddling the center console, thus the relaxed pace, and he apparently had built a playing card French Chateau (with three accompanying outbuildings) by the end of his stint.

Matt Farah? That's easier to explain, he was winning a bet in order by completing a game of pick-up sticks before his round was complete.

Jack Baruth's avatar

Late breaking news -- the #62 M235i won their class today!

I've asked Matt to clarify who did the driving -- from what I can see, it was a lot of Tommy Kendall, a lot of Mateo Whatshisname, a little Matt, and no Jonny at all. They also got lucky with some retirements and other problems for their competitors. That being said, you gotta finish a race to win it!

Wyatt LCB's avatar

Did Matt ever get back to you on this?

EDIT: I've caught up to the Wednesday ORT now and I'm glad to see you guys are speaking again

Jack Baruth's avatar

What a frustrating race, and what an AWFUL effort from Yuki.

Gianni's avatar

Derek Warwick made sure Yuki got the penalty and Blando walked.

Jack Baruth's avatar

Turns out you CAN go around track limits.

You just have to be British.

Gianni's avatar

But if you are Spanish and driving for an Italian team and a loose manhole trashes the chassis of your car and damages the power unit, you get a 10 place grid penalty for a power unit change, cuz rule are rules, and we are powerless to suspend them.

Jack Baruth's avatar

That was easily the worst FIA penalty in a very long time. Made zero sense. Act of God.

Jacob Chamblee's avatar

I was hoping to see Yuki Banzai into Lando NoRizz but sadly, he couldn't replicate the Mexican Minister of Disgrace. Shamefur dispray Yuki-san.

Jack Baruth's avatar

"Leave me alone, I know what to do"

NARRATOR: he did not know what to do

Speed's avatar

he never did it for the emperor

could have handed the wdc right to max then and there

unsafe release's avatar

Yeah, that sucked. Too bad after such a great season.

Ice Nine's avatar

The presser with the top three was hilarious. I'm assuming we are all talking about the one where not a single worthwhile question was asked by any of the assembled motoring press. Crofty started off the round with something inane that I already forgot. My favorite was when they were asked "who do you think will win", and all three exchanged looks before Norris picked up the microphone to say "well of course we all will say ourselves", then dropping the microphone in what can only be described as "with contempt". Haha they should have flashed the name of the guy on the screen who asked the stupid question so he could be more roundly mocked.

Max is so totally competing off the track as well, he's mindfucking the other two mercilessly. The math says that Norris will have to screw up pretty badly for Max to get enough points to win the WDC, but its certainly a possibility. Will be an interesting race.

Jack Baruth's avatar

The most interesting possibility is if Norris out qualifies Piastri. Something WILL happen.

Scott A's avatar

Max wrecking with blando at the start would be funny. Blando has to know this and will pussy out cause he just needs third.

Stan Galat's avatar

Well... he did. I guess we'll see what happens.

Scott A's avatar

Nothing. Nothing happened.

Amelius Moss's avatar

Lando taking out Max would have just gifted the championship to Piastri. At this point I wouldn't be at all surprised if Lando sees this as his only possible Championship and bows out like Nico Rosberg.

Stan Galat's avatar

I would strongly suspect that as well. He is the least competitive world champion "anything" that I've ever witnessed.

Gianni's avatar

I’m guessing he will Jenson Button and bumble around for a couple of years more with middling results.

Amelius Moss's avatar

Perhaps. Jenson is from a racing family however and Lando is of the Lizards.

Shortest Circuit's avatar

You know I think with this final Q1 elimination in the season, the Sky Sports guys are beginning to let go of Hamilton's chances for an 8th WDC.

Jack Baruth's avatar

The F1 TV team managed to retain hope through the first 19 minutes of Q1

Gianni's avatar

It’s strange how the Sky guys are such homers for Blando and Luigi, but barely give Princess George the time of day.

It must be a hard choice for Ted Kravitz every morning deciding whether to wear the Hamilton or Norris fan gear.

Chairworthiness's avatar

Yookay drivers vs a British driver

Speed's avatar

theyll be saying it even after he leaves f1 lol

Stan Galat's avatar

No. The eternal flame is still lit.

Stan Galat's avatar

I watched the interview. Observations:

1) Lando is way too nice for this gig. WAY too nice.

2) Oscar has a will to win, in a system where deference to one's teammate is expected

3) Max confirms yet again that he is an absolute assassin. He's a MAN among porcelain princesses.

"My family is not like that". "They don't need to motivate me". "Dad will be rallying in Africa".

Excellence is ABSOLUTELY expected in the Verstappen household. There will be no participation trophies in their cabinet.

I have a hard time envisioning a scenario when he doesn't come out on top.

win359's avatar

My favorite Max Moment was early in his career he had made some (overly?) aggressive move on a competitor and some "journalist" asked him why he had raced so ruthlessly.

Max's response was immediate - "Because my Dad would have kicked me in the nuts if I hadn't!".

His delivery, straight faced with a slight shrug made it plain that that was no empty statement.

Gianni's avatar

I’m tired of seeing Blando’s mom. She looks like the kind that made sure Blando got a participation trophy and went straight to the principal if anyone was teasing Blando at school.

win359's avatar

LOL Too true! I would much rather look at Charles Le Clerc's squeeze. Or Max's, or Sainz', or.....I might be crossing a legal limit if it is Antonelli's girl friend?

Gianni's avatar

Does Blando even have a girlfriend?

win359's avatar

At COTA there were brief shots of a stunning blond girl that the commenters lead me to believe was his honey.

FWIW - my wife insists he is gay. I refuse to go along with that.

Stan Galat's avatar

Magui Corceiro

Scott A's avatar

He’s not gay. Hes just British. Lewis on the other hand…

Gianni's avatar

+1 on your wife’s theory. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

seatosky's avatar

Why are the guys in that photo trying to dress like 23-year-olds?

Jack Baruth's avatar

Good question.

CJinSD's avatar

During FP3, Bernie the Unintelligible stated that any of the 22 drivers could win next year's WDC due to the 'rules reset' just as Lewis Hamilton sent his Ferrari into the wall. I can think of one of those 22 drivers who can't win next year's WDC.

Jack Baruth's avatar

Don't forget whoever is in the Cadillacs. They also can't win. Because I'm not aware of any time in history GM has won a major series where the series didn't put their thumb on the scale (World Challenge with CTS-V, ALMS with C5/6/7/8R, and so on.)

smitherfield's avatar

GM has plenty of NASCAR wins (w/ Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, etc).

Drunkonunleaded's avatar

He said a series where they DIDN’T put their thumb on the scale in favor of GM.

Jack Baruth's avatar

I also said...

*twirls mustache*

a MAJOR series

ScaryLarryPants's avatar

Having spent a bit of time covering that series for nobody important in particular (to the point where I simply gave up and went full-satire with my NASCAR content), GM has done a bit of scale-thumbing for the last 30 years, I'm having trouble recalling a single mega-team (Hendrick) winning 50% of all the championships in a 30-year period, regardless of which professional sport it might be, including stick-and-ball sports.

Not only that, it's been heavily-General Motors-tilted since the 1969 season, the last of the Ford Total Performance era. It's been so ridiculous with that series that I'm actually having a bit of trouble counting all of Ford's NASCAR championship wins on two hands. Dodge won 6 (including the most mutant of all Dodge champeenship wins in 2012 with Penske of all people, an almost-40-year-gap between the last two Dodge championships), Ford had a gap from 1969 to 1988 with David Pearson's 1968-1969 two-fer and Bill Elliott's win in 1988, with Ford somehow only getting nine championship wins out of 56 seasons (1970-2025), which means NASCAR was perfectly okay with General Motors winning 41 out of 56 championships since the 1970 season, with 28 of those championship wins going to only three GM team owners.

And to think that the press and fans were howling when Penske dared to win three championships in a row from 2022-2024, with the NASCAR AntiChrist Joey Logano winning two of those.

Gianni's avatar

They should put Charles little brother in the second car. He couldn’t be any worse.

unsafe release's avatar

Bearman should go into that car.

Gianni's avatar

HAAS should want to keep him for constructor points. Kids got talent to bring the scrappy little team results. Things are looking up for HAAS with Bear-man and 86-ing Steiner.

unsafe release's avatar

Yep, Gunther is always good for an amusing f-bomb littered sound bite, but his long overdue firing appears to be the best decision that Gene has made over the last couple of years.

Komatsu is the real deal.

Jack Baruth's avatar

He really is.

Chairworthiness's avatar

Only if his dream job in ±2030 is a WEC ride. Lewis getting the Ferrari seat over him was the best break he could ever get and it's paid off bigly.

Shooter's avatar

I would really like a breakdown of how Lieberman makes his money.

Jack Baruth's avatar

This drive is surely free. You or I would pay six grand for it, although I wouldn’t because I have the luxury of driving real race cars in a real race series.

Shooter's avatar

Jack, I get that this race is a promo gimme, I am just curious about how much of his lifestyle is just free promo shit, vs. income.

Jack Baruth's avatar

One of his co workers told me what he got paid as a contractor after MT dropped him from full time. Its not great. I think you'd make more running a Chik Fil A

Shooter's avatar

I’m just a working slob in bumfuck nowhere, and watching him on Spike’s Car Radio makes me reconsider my life choices.

Jack Baruth's avatar

Would you want your wife to work as a literal circus clown at a burlesque show and give handjobs to pay your rent?

I think your life choices have been better than that.

ScaryLarryPants's avatar

"Would you want your wife to work as a literal circus clown at a burlesque show and give handjobs to pay your rent? I think your life choices have been better than that."

The wife is currently sick in bed after having received the amazing gift of illness from a coughing registered nurse who spends most of her time sobbing and hiding from her job...across the street in a business that's tied to the one my wife runs, but she doesn't work for the wife...in my wife's office, and after also having received exactly 16 mind-numbing phone calls in the last five hours from legendarily stupid employees this morning, she saw this job listing of yours and might be interested in a change of career, so if you have the contact information...

Shooter's avatar

Shots fired! Alright! THAT is what I’m talking about! I’m here for this.

Thank you, Jack.

Merry Christmas!

“My life is good” as Randy Newman once sang.

Scott A's avatar

Just under 300k?

Speed's avatar

and i bet his current job doesnt give him free burgers either

actually maybe that do at his size

Wyatt LCB's avatar

He does appear smaller than I remember. He may even be smaller than me now! (very low standard of course)

ScaryLarryPants's avatar

That's a rabbit hole I don't want to go down, because I'll start throwing that question around like a confetti-tossing Rip Taylor suddenly grabbing the wrong end of a 220V dryer cord.

Drunkonunleaded's avatar

So I promised myself that I’d actually get up before Noon on a weekend so I could watch the race. My alarm was set for 8.

I woke up at 9:30, just in time to watch the checkered flag. Maybe next year.

unsafe release's avatar

There are these new things called PVRs….

Scott A's avatar

I had my alarm set and the baby woke up at 5am. I tried to watch in real time but i needed a nap

Scott A's avatar

Piastri goes for p1 at the start. Max obviously beats norris at the line. The orange crashes. This will be fun

Jack Baruth's avatar

That's my hope.

unsafe release's avatar

So far, it’s the Lando and Max show through FP1 and FP2. looking forward to qually tomorrow!

ScaryLarryPants's avatar

I've got a weird vibe that Max either wins it by two points or loses it by three.

ScaryLarryPants's avatar

He lost it by two points? Hey, I can't get everything right.

Gianni's avatar

Oscar is on the back foot this weekend with his obligatory miss of FP1.

unsafe release's avatar

I’m still pulling for Oscar, but there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that he’s gonna get the title. It will take a miracle considering who his competition is.

With that said, I’m pretty pleased with whoever pulls it off out of the three, although Max deserves it the most for his brilliant drives with obviously inferior machinery, and dogged season long pursuit of the kids in the McLarens.

Vamos!

win359's avatar

Yup - unless Max and Lando take each other off in T1.

Oscar would be one cool snowball !

Amelius Moss's avatar

While I was rooting for Max I'm delighted to see Zak Brown move his career from an also ran competitor in Indy Lights to taking over a 9th place F1 team and returning it to glory with first a Constructor's Title and now a Driver's Championship. Well done, Sir.

Jack Baruth's avatar

I spent an hour yesterday with the fellow who was Zak's team boss in his Indy Lights career, and later bought the 2007 Alonso McLaren from him.

CJinSD's avatar

Why did Lando's mother choose to spend her moment on the world stage looking like she was about to finger-paint with five-year-olds?

Jack Baruth's avatar

When you have $200 million you can dress as you like.

Scott A's avatar

The man is 26 years old and the first one to greet him is his mom? It’s just weird. Love my mom, you can celebrate the karting shit while uour adult son celebrates with supermodels

Jack Baruth's avatar

Well, if my parents had funded me all the way to F2, I'd want to thank them -- but compared to Jenson Button, who made the press wait while he banged it out with Jessica Michibata in the cool down room, I'd say this lacks a certain flair.

200 MPH Runner's avatar

I'm 54. I won one of the most significant races of my career in September. After a moment of taking it all in before I exited the cockpit, I walked away from a throng of well wishers to call my dad. I would have done nearly anything to have my dad waiting there when I got out of the car.

May lack flair, but I'm not in it for flair.

Peter Collins's avatar

Off piste a bit, but an astonishing demonstration of the Great Beshittening of Life…I had to verify my age (er, 70 next birthday) just to read this owing to some crapulous “content restrictions in your territory” nonsense. I have yet to see what they were objecting to but, hey, I need saving from myself!

Jack Baruth's avatar

Well, we definitely don't want a 17 year old reading about F1. Unless he is also competing in F1, which has happened twice!

Peter Collins's avatar

I am beginning to wonder if some algorithm has decided that your views on Lieberman constitute a "non-crime hate incident" in the UK. This is the device that disables our police by requiring them to do anything but solve real crime.

Jack Baruth's avatar

You would be correct, save for the fact that:

0. Lieberman is a non practicing Jew while

1. I wore the star and crescent of Islam during my time driving for the Pakistan Express, and continue to support Islamic motorsports throughout Michigan.

Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

"Islamic motorsports".

Do they pull over when it's time to pray?

Jack Baruth's avatar

To be fair, the Islamic fellows I've raced with aren't super churchgoing types of dudes.

Speed's avatar

i just assume they schedule their pit stops around that

Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Where are you located?

Peter Collins's avatar

England…er, land of Magna Carta!

Peter Collins's avatar

Luckily my "special purposes" VPN relocates me to Argentina in two seconds to save me from my own Government...

Acd's avatar

We’d love to send you back your future king’s idiot brother and his pain in the ass wife anytime you’d like them back.

Peter Collins's avatar

That's an offer...that I find strangely resistible!

Stan Galat's avatar

Qualifying Results:

Position Driver Team Time

1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:22.207

2 Lando Norris McLaren +0.201s

3 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.230s

4 George Russell Mercedes +0.438s

5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.523s

6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.695s

7 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber +0.697s

8 Esteban Ocon Haas +0.706s

9 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +0.865s

10 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull No time set (Q3)

Discuss

unsafe release's avatar

Yuki will get his first f1 win tomorrow.

Stan Galat's avatar

Bold. It would be ironic, but seems... unlikely.

Gianni's avatar

Sainz P12, Al-bomb P17, knocked out in first round.

Speed's avatar

beat me to it

both mclarens up front makes this norris race to lose i guess as even if max wins he still needs lando to finish 4th or worse

makes you wonder if piastri will take one for the team regardless of team orders

Stan Galat's avatar

If Horn Dog were still TP at RBR, I'd suspect possible chicanery would be on the table (to take out Lando). All Norris has to do is run a clean race and it's his. It's hard to imagine Max losing here, but it's equally hard to imagine Norris finishing P4. He has the car to beat.

First half of the year, I was pulling hard for McLaren. Then Zach Brown tried to be cute with all the "papaya rules" nonsense and idiotic team orders/strategy. Once Horn Dog was gone, RBR just put their head down and did what Max told them to do, and the results have spoken for themselves.

The best development of 2025 has been Horn Dog's removal from (1st) RBR, (2nd) F1, and (3rd) discussion -- he's rightly relegated to the dustbin of "has been" F1 TPs. We'll see if he stays dead (rumors are he won't) in '26, but for now, half of the non-racing drama/distraction (sir Lewis being the other half) is gone.

Speed's avatar

"it's equally hard to imagine Norris finishing P4"

exactly this

barring some kind of accident or pit mishap or postrace dsq norris probably has this

as much as i hate to say it

Chairworthiness's avatar

Bad start->Russell passes him and can't make up the position

Gianni's avatar

He also has to contend with Charles, who seems to start well and has nothing to lose.

Gianni's avatar

Makes you wonder why Piastri was sent out just before Blando. A distant tow perhaps?