Buckle up, gearheads — the weekend of June 25–28, 2026 served up a little bit of everything: a Mercedes resurgence in the Austrian hills, a Kiwi steamrolling a road course in California, and an endurance classic that turned into a demolition derby before the first hour was even up. Two of the big six were dark this weekend, but the ones that ran absolutely delivered. Here’s your fast-paced rundown of who won, who wrecked, and who’s sweating the championship math.
Formula 1: Russell Cold-Bloodedly Robs Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring
George Russell finally woke up. The Mercedes man grabbed pole after Max Verstappen crashed late in qualifying, then converted it into his first win since the season opener in Australia — a 1.6-second victory over Verstappen, with teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli completing the podium just 0.3s further back. It was, in Toto Wolff’s words, a “cold-blooded” drive, and exactly the kind of statement Russell needed after a sleepy start to 2026.
The race itself was a strategy chess match. Red Bull gambled by leaving Verstappen out five laps longer than Russell at the second stops — and it backfired hard, dropping Max 10 seconds back with fresher-shod Russell sailing away. Behind the leaders, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton staged a gloriously old-school wheel-to-wheel scrap, trading the Turn 3 hairpin and Turn 5 multiple times before Max finally made it stick. Hamilton hung on for fifth as Ferrari, again, chewed up its tires and faded into a midfield brawl.
Crashes and controversy: Verstappen’s qualifying shunt was the big talking point — and Red Bull publicly apologized, admitting a technical issue on the car caused it. Antonelli had a scrappy afternoon, running wide at Turns 1 and 3 on the opening laps and copping criticism for a qualifying yellow-flag blunder that Fred Vasseur argued sent the wrong message. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, was investigated but escaped punishment, bringing his McLaren home fourth. Carlos Sainz (power loss), Lance Stroll, and both Cadillacs of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas all failed to finish.
Championship implications: Antonelli still leads on 171 points, but Russell’s 25 hauled him up to second on 131, leapfrogging Hamilton (125). The teenager’s lead is now 40 points — healthy, but no longer untouchable with a charging teammate in the other Mercedes. In the Constructors’, Mercedes (302) is romping clear of Ferrari (204) and McLaren (159).
NASCAR: Van Gisbergen Dominates Sonoma (And Sunday’s Cup Race Is Still to Come)
Road-course wizard Shane van Gisbergen did SVG things on Saturday, leading from pole to flag in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series race at Sonoma. It was his sixth career win in the series, his 13th as a NASCAR driver overall, and his third trophy at Sonoma across the O’Reilly Series and Cup. He even had gas left for a celebratory burnout. JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch fought back from a mid-race speeding penalty to make it a 1-2 for the team, with Brent Crews third.
Crashes and controversy: It was a spin-fest — Blaine Perkins, Brandon Jones, Lavar Scott, Kyle Sieg, Dean Thompson, Jeb Burton and even points leader Justin Allgaier all got loose at some point. Ross Chastain’s day ended when a mechanical failure sent him sliding down the dragstrip. The flashpoint, though, came at the line: Taylor Gray ran out of fuel on the final lap and was pushed across by teammate Brandon Jones, but NASCAR ruled the assisted finish wouldn’t count. Add in Austin Green’s scary brake-failure crash through the barrier earlier in the weekend, and Sonoma kept the safety crews busy.
The headline act — the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma — runs Sunday afternoon, with Ty Gibbs on pole (his third career Busch Light Pole) and Van Gisbergen lining up sixth as he hunts a weekend sweep and a defense of his 2025 Sonoma Cup win. Bubba Wallace’s crash into the wall during qualifying was an early reminder of how unforgiving this place is. We’ll update with the Cup result once the checkered flag flies.
IMSA: Watkins Glen Six Hours Turns Into a Wrecking Yard
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen got underway with Jack Aitken on pole for Cadillac, and it went sideways — literally — in a hurry. The race had barely cleared its first hour when a stack-up in the esses produced a genuinely ugly crash: the #23 Aston Martin GTP, driven by Roman De Angelis, piled into the back of slowing cars as the field checked up, obliterating the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura (the defending winner of this race) and tearing up the #81 DragonSpeed entry as well. The wild part? It happened under caution, with debris already scattered, and officials drew criticism for running the field through the mess rather than throwing a red flag.
Penalties were already flying early too: the #21 AF Corse Ferrari served a pass-through for jumping the start, and the #64 Ford Mustang got a drive-through for leaving equipment unattended. As of this writing the race is still live with the #31 Cadillac out front — so the winner is TBD. We’ll update once the six hours are in the books.
NHRA: Records Smashed at Norwalk, Eliminations Underway
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio — round 10 of the Mission Foods season and the halfway point of the year — saw track records fall on Saturday before cooler, very different conditions greeted the racers for Sunday eliminations. Qualifying leaders were Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle), while Dallas Glenn banked $40,000 by winning the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout.
Round one of Sunday’s eliminations delivered fireworks. In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta edged Billy Torrence in a barn-burner (3.745 to 3.804), Tony Schumacher used his experience to win a pedal-fest over Will Smith, and Langdon flexed with a 3.736 at a booming 337 mph on his bye. Funny Car saw Matt Hagan get sideways and cross the centerline past the 1,000-foot mark, handing Daniel Wilkerson the win. Pro Stock was a holeshot bonanza — Kenny Delco beat six-time champ Greg Anderson off the line despite a slower ET, and Troy Coughlin Jr. red-lit by a single thousandth. The Wallys are still up for grabs, so check back for final-round winners.
IndyCar & WEC: On the Sidelines This Weekend
Both IndyCar and the FIA World Endurance Championship were off this weekend. IndyCar’s most recent outing was the thriller at Road America, where Christian Lundgaard scored the win the previous Sunday — the series next heads to Washington, D.C. for the Freedom 250. WEC, meanwhile, is still basking in the afterglow of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the #7 Toyota beat BMW and Cadillac for its first overall Le Mans win in four years; the championship resumes later in the calendar. So if you were refreshing timing screens for those two — save your data.
The Bottom LineRussell reminded everyone he’s still a title threat, SVG reminded everyone road courses are his playground, and The Glen reminded everyone that endurance racing can unravel in seconds. With the NASCAR Cup race, the IMSA finish, and NHRA’s final rounds still to be decided as we publish, the weekend isn’t even fully written yet — stay tuned for the updates.
Related Links
F1 Austrian GP race report (Motorsport.com): https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-austrian-gp-race-report-/10834500/
F1 Austrian GP full results & standings: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/all-the-results-and-standings-from-the-2026-f1-austrian-grand-prix/10834535/
Van Gisbergen wins NASCAR O’Reilly at Sonoma: https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-os/news/shane-van-gisbergen-dominant-nascar-oreilly-win-sonoma/10834244/
IMSA Six Hours of The Glen live updates: https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/live-text/live-sahlens-six-hours-of-watkins-glen-glen-lap-by-lap-commentary-and-race-updates/1127205/
NHRA Norwalk Sunday news and notes: https://www.nhra.com/news/2026/sunday-news-and-notes-summit-racing-equipment-nhra-nationals
Join The Conversation
Russell hauls himself to second, 40 points back of teen teammate Antonelli — is that lead actually safe with Mercedes this dominant? Meanwhile NASCAR voided Taylor Gray’s pushed-across-the-line finish AND IMSA ran the field through a wreck under caution instead of throwing a red. Which call this weekend made you angriest — and who’s your pick for the Sonoma Cup race?
About the Author
