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A software glitch nearly brought Formula One to a standstill in Malaysia, delaying the race more than 90 minutes while teams scrambled to reboot their cars. Once the action started, Max Verstappen grabbed his first win of the year, Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead, and Lewis Hamilton delivered one of the best comeback drives of the season. Plus, IMSA wraps up at Petit Le Mans, Kyle Larson sounds off on stage racing, and Keelan Harvick's development path picks up speed.
The Malaysian Grand Prix was supposed to be a welcome return to a fan-favourite circuit after Bahrain was relocated. Instead, a software fault in the new engine formula left multiple cars unable to operate in wet, low-speed conditions. Teams had to create and distribute a fix before the race could begin, a process that took more than an hour and a half. Once it got going, the racing was worth the wait.
Kimi Antonelli passed pole-sitter Verstappen at the start, Verstappen reclaimed the lead later, and Hamilton's Ferrari crew sent him out on dry tyres in the wet, a disastrous call that dropped him down the order. The track dried, Hamilton clawed his way back to the podium, and George Russell's car gave out with a handful of laps remaining. Post-race, Fernando Alonso argued that cars forced to stop by the glitch shouldn't have been allowed to continue. It's an interesting position, but when the failure sits with the FIA's own regulations, penalizing the teams caught up in it is a tough sell.
IMSA closed its season at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta with 16 full-course yellows in the 10-hour endurance race. Pfaff Motorsports finished second overall in the championship in what was their final IMSA season. Pfaff arrived a few years ago with a plaid-liveried car and built one of the most genuine fan connections in the paddock, proof that personality and authenticity beat manufactured content every time. AO Racing and their Rexy dinosaur mascot are another example.
Kyle Larson leads the NASCAR championship at the halfway mark after muscling a damaged car to the finish in Vegas. He offered a pointed quote about stage racing: "We're the only series that gives out those little participation awards mid-competition." IndyCar is still sitting on the second half of its 2026 schedule, reportedly held up by discussions about a flyaway race. Keelan Harvick will compete at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend and will run a partial ARCA season in 2027, continuing his path toward NASCAR's top level.
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