Okay, now we’ve gotten the Liam Lawson section out of the way, let’s see how we can tackle all the other questions we got in the inbox, as promised! So here’s the rest of your Ask Dre questions for March 2025!
What did you make of Sophia Floresch quitting Indy NXT? – James
Disappointed but not surprised. It turns out that the day before I hit publish on this, Sophia addressed her departure on her Facebook page. Credit to friend Jens for the translation:
Dear fans, it is once again becoming apparent how slanted and ignorant the motorsport press and portals are in reporting. Here are the facts: I have terminated the contract. And I’m not badmouthing my team. I can’t justify paying 160,000€ every weekend if it only results in P12.
It makes no sense and cannot be refinanced. If there are no sponsors in the USA and a lot of it is just hot air, then the question of whether to pay 2 million a year or quit is answered pretty quickly. The spin, caused by a locked brake, cost me 23,000€. The expenses are 25,000€. The risk of being stuck in midfield is extremely expensive. The next crash bill is coming. There is no question of guilt in racing.
To all the writers, just think about the fact that we drivers pay millions so that you have something to write about. It’s not just me, but all drivers who invest this amount. Whoever pays more wins. It’s as simple as that. If someone has something to say, they should transfer the next 200,000€. Then we can talk as equals.
Oh buddy. Forgive this ignorant Motorsport writer, Sophia, but I have to talk about it, please forgive me.
I for one, did not realise just how expensive Indy NXT was. If her numbers are true, and I haven’t got a reason to think she’s lying, that’s £1.9m (€2.25m) for the year, not including the repair bills she’s mentioned. That’s super-expensive, up to par with low to mid-level F2 spending which, given she came from F3, isn’t ideal.
But this also begs the question – Did Sophia do her homework before signing the dotted line, or did she just see that NXT was going to be on TV via FOX and just took the best option available for the clout? Did she think she was going to kerbstomp the competition to justify the spending? Surely not right? HMD sponsors half the field for a reason. She’d already done three years of F3, with one Top 10 finish to her name, and the field contained Dennis Hauger, who won the same series she was just in. Sophia mentioned in her statement that she wasn’t there to finish midfield, so it suggests she was thinking bigger.
The whole thing reeks of a lack of due diligence. Which makes it frustrating, given that her overall points are valid. Motorsport is ludicrously expensive. Drivers have to find millions of dollars in funding just to take part in junior-level series. It skews for the rich and privileged, and it makes getting to the highest level a game of bank hustling, not a meritocracy.
I’ve been harsh in some of my criticisms of the W Series that came and went and the F1 Academy we have now. The W Series business model was doomed to fail from the start, because raising sponsors and investments for what was effectively an F4 grid was always pie-in-the-sky thinking. It failed the diversity test when it replaced Claire Cottingham on commentary with Alex Jacques. (No disrespect to the latter, he’s awesome, but it’s not a good look.)
The W Series didn’t know what it wanted to be, stuck in-between a ladder series for F1 via Superlicense points, and being a cash generator for women to get into other series, which caused a conflict of those objectives when Jamie Chadwick kept coming back to win another $500k year-on-year, even though it’s still shit she never got the last cheque she was owed.
F1 Academy has done some things very well, but others poorly. It’s a cheaper barrier of entry, the teams are flipping some of the bill, we eventually got consistent coverage that fans can watch, and there’s a guaranteed seat at the end of it, even if it’s gone down from FRECA (Backed by Renault and others), to GB3. But from what I’ve been told, a lot more girls have taken up karting due to its coverage, which is excellent news for the future.
But it still has issues. A two-year cycle might be too aggressive for the lack of depth in Women’s Motorsport right now and what comes after that if you don’t win? The broadcasting has come off a little condescending at times, in the vein of “Aren’t women just great!”. Plus, it feels at times like the F1 Academy is more about generating unique brand activations like Charlotte Tilbury and American Express to generate cash than a genuine attempt at creating a rung on the ladder for the “Road to F1”.
Sophia has been against all of this from the moment the W Series went public, back when she was a teenager. She’s always believed that segregated women’s series are a bad thing and that the women involved are being exploited. Sophia’s always pushed to do things the “conventional” way via brute force, ala F3, Macau, and now a cup of coffee in Indy NXT. So much so, she’s criticised other women like Chadwick on social media for being a believer in said series.
Part of me respects her for making a sincere effort to do things her way. But her attitude of chopping down others comes off more like “pick me” energy. (And I haven’t forgotten the “premium” Instagram account pushes and fake OnlyFans teases. Nothing against sex work, get your bread, but it’s clear she craves the attention of social media more than most.) There’s no getting around it; it will not win her as much sympathy in the court of public opinion when many other women believe in pushing each other up, rather than stepping on each other.
The state of Women’s Motorsport is a dysfunctional mess, and the sincere efforts being made to fix things won’t likely make a huge impact for another decade at least. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have a segregated all-women’s series to encourage participation, but no one has come up with a better idea, and until someone is prepared to lose millions of dollars behind the scenes to make big infrastructural changes over a lengthy period of time, this is what we have to make do with. I hope Sophia understands that and sincerely wish her the best with whatever comes next.
Where/When will Alex Marquez win his first (Sunday) MotoGP Grand Prix? Surely it’s due soon? – Mark Jackson
Mark, I’m in full agreement with you, it has to be soon, right? If the first two weekends of the season were anything to go by, this is an Alex Marquez that’s finally realising his full potential in the sport. We saw flashes of this when he was at Repsol Honda but with Gresini this year, he’s excelled on the Desmo GP24.
If you had to target the obvious race weekend, it’s Sepang. Alex has always loved that place; he was fastest overall there in pre-season testing, he’s gone well there before with a Sprint win and finishing second to Enea Bastianini there in 2023. The problem is, brother Marc has just been so good, it’s almost like the best version of himself as a rider has landed at the worst possible time. But I’m sure Marc will accidentally end up gifting his brother one in there somewhere via a mistake at some point… right?
Do you think Lundgaard is going to put serious pressure on O’Ward this year? Do you think this could help McLaren trouble the Big 2 at all (apart from Palou for obvious reasons)? – Geoff
I mean, maybe? I’m a little down on this line of thinking (And that takes a lot as leader of the Christian Lundgaard clubhouse), but The Thermal Club was as good an opportunity as Lundgaard got to establish himself against Pato straight up… and the Mexican whooped his ass by 12 and a half seconds.
But overall, Lundgaard is only three points behind O’Ward in the outright standings as one of the few men in the field who’s had two decent weekends to start the season. That’s all Lundgaard needs to be. Pato O’Ward is an elite driver in the series, a genuine three-tool threat, and he will headline this team as long as he’s there. But the positive spin angle on Lundgaard’s Thermal weekend was, it was the best weekend a non-Pato driver has had for McLaren since Alex Rossi’s fourth at the 500 last year. That’s what McLaren needs more than anything else: depth. Lundgaard gives them a second bullet in the chamber, they’ve never really had outside of the 500 when Rosenqvist and Rossi have had strong cameos.
Still very early days for this season as a whole yet. Talk to me in June.
How cooked is IndyCar if Honda really leaves the series in 2026? – Narendra
Like how Patrick Mahomes likes his steaks, well done.
IndyCar’s never been able to attract a third engine supplier to its series as long as I’ve been alive, and if Honda bails, the multi-million dollar question becomes, does Chevrolet/Ilmor have enough resources or has enough incentive to supply the entire 27-car grid? Because I can’t see what the plus is in suddenly having to double your production costs of an engine that’s a dozen years old, and then being forced to develop and produce another new engine for 2028 when the series is finally expected to move on from the Dallara DW12.
And Honda’s being very coy about whether they’re still going to be on the grid with time ticking down for them to make a firm decision on their future. They’ve made it clear they want to feel like it’s worth their while financially, which might be a tougher sell given HRC wants to expand into the World Endurance Championship and NASCAR is also a potential option as an engine supplier there too. This all costs money, and in terms of recency and road relevance, IndyCar looks like the elephant in the room.
Remember, we don’t even know what IndyCar’s next engine formula even looks like yet, and we’re 30 months away (at the earliest) from a new regulation set. Honda wants a two-year notice. None of this screams ideal to me.
Are there any drivers in the current feeder series ladder who you see making it to F1, Formula E, Indycar, WEC and MotoGP? – Kieran
Not a huge WEC watcher, so will have to ignore that one, forgive me. And well, Formula E doesn’t have an intentional feeder series, they just tend to pick up the scraps of the Red Bull driver programme. But here’s my honest thoughts:
F1 – This is going to sound so cynical, but I don’t see anyone graduating for 2026. Partly because we have six drivers on the grid with 11 starts or less, a miraculous turnover of talent given F1 standards. The other is, no one left in F2 massively impresses me, and the series makes it hard for me to believe in who is there because the series is such a mess due to Mechachrome. I don’t think F1 teams take the results in that series seriously anymore and go more off simulator times and off F4 and FRECA. See Kimi Antonelli for more on that one.
Arvid Lindblad has a chance purely because of how top-heavy the Red Bull academy is at the moment. Not much else stands out. Maybe someone makes a move for Gabriele Mini if he keeps up his promising form.
MotoGP – Looks like the David Alonso masterplan is on hold for a year, that dislocated shoulder as predicted, messed his pre-season up to the point where he’s mid right now. I’d have no qualms if someone took a punt on Manuel Gonzalez, Aron Canet or Jake Dixon for 2026, but their ages might be off-putting to teams thinking bigger. Of the younger riders, Diogo Moreira, Senna Aigus, and maybe Dani Holgado could be interesting prospects.
IndyCar – Dennis Hauger was the favourite going in, given he was F3 Champion and an F2 race winner, and if he dominates, he’s going to get picked up by one of the smaller teams, I think. Beyond that, Lochie Hughes shocked a lot of people by finishing second in St Pete as a fellow rookie, and I’ve always been high on Salvador de Alba, especially on Ovals. IndyCar would LOVE another Mexican on the grid, too. Keep your eyes peeled.
Should we actually encourage more billionaires sending penis extensions into space if it means fewer Thermal GPs? – Colonel Nutz
Do you think there’s any way IndyCar can improve the race at the Thermal Club? – Victoria
Decided to group these because they’re essentially asking the same thing, only one in a far more serious tone, even if I can’t help but endorse the idea of sending Elon Musk himself into space.
I’ve never liked The Thermal Club. I’ve been saying for a while that it feels more blatantly like a B2B marketing event than an actual race, in a facility that isn’t running very many events, and certainly not at a National Championship level, and this year’s race on FOX, having 10 missed laps only cemented that belief for me. It’s a great test facility where its technical layout, I’m sure, would be great for the teams to practise around, but for a race… a maze in the desert isn’t doing it for me.
The owners of the club are engaging in meetings with the series for a potential race next year and Racer.com reported that one possibility is changing the layout to make the track a bit more free-flowing and a bit quicker. That might aid overtaking and make the race a bit more watchable if we’re back for 2026, and I’d be inclined to give it another chance. But for me, the Thermal Club’s problems are beyond the racing quality. The broadcast was janky, the vibes are non-existent with just 5,000 fans in attendance (Lusail gets more for its racing), and the whole thing just feels soulless.
Favourite Active Wrestlers right now? – Conor
Oh man, I wish I had more time to actively watch the WWE and AEW, it’s still a vague outside interest, but it’s more a “I’ll catch the highlights when I can” kinda thing for me.
Some of my favourites over the years I’ll quickly reel off – John Cena’s always been superb at what he does, and has been for 20 years now. His recent heel turn has been brilliant so far in that the same elements that have made him the super babyface we’ve all come around on in recent years, and flipping it on his head to be selfish, self-centered and releasing frustrations of when crowds used to hate him. It’s simple and it’s genius. I was afraid they were being too protective of Cody Rhodes at first, but London’s RAW show last night did a very good job of letting Cena get his shots off on Rhodes directly, but giving Cody enough to give back a bit too. Not sure I’d have ended the segment with a Cross Rhodes to make Cody look strong, but loving what I’ve seen so far.
I loved the mid-late 2000s era of TNA Wrestling, so AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels were brilliant over there, week in and week out. Styles is one of the greatest of all-time for in-ring work, longevity and entertainment value. Joe in particular is so great, brilliant athleticism for a big man, he makes shit look so good in the ring, an excellent intense promo cutter and again, has been great for 20 years now.
A couple more favourites of mine – Gunther. I love him because his character has been so good. A heel Champion who brings so much authenticity to the game as “The Ring General”, beating people with just hard-hitting unpredictable offense, hard chops and being able to get a great match out of anyone. But also a wrestler who takes so much pride in being a Champion. I loved it when he feuded with Randy Orton, they shook hands afterwards because he respects the challenge and the honour of the belt. It’s brilliant.
And finally, Christian. Quite possibly the most underrated talent of the last 20 years. Could do it heel or face. His TNA run was brilliant and proved he could be a big star, was excellent in the ring, whether it was a chicken-shit or manipulative Champion, or as a babyface getting people behind him (And I haven’t forgotten how important he was carrying ECW in its final years). His heel work in AEW was also outstanding. Shoutout to the Peeps.
(If) Verstappen’s performance clause becomeds active – Has he screwed himself out of a move? – Carlton
I don’t think it’s too bad a situation… yet. Red Bull probably has the fourth-best team on paper right now, mostly because of its disjointedness. Max will more than hold up his end of the deal, but they need a more consistent second scorer. If Yuki Tsunoda can bring that to the table, they should be fine. We don’t know how far off the top Verstappen falls for that clause to kick in, mind you.
If Max falls into that range, I don’t think they’ll immediately be pushing for the exit door because the bigger question for me is, who is blowing their team up and spending a boatload of money to bring Max in? Ferrari would likely have to wait for Hamilton to retire, and he’s showing zero sign of that happening when he’s spitting “I’m built different” on main. McLaren has the ideal pairing in Norris and Piastri right now, and they’re both locked in until the end of 2027. Mercedes has openly tried to court Verstappen, offering over £120m to snare him, but the chats never went anywhere, and is George Russell too good to move on from now? Sincere question. And I don’t think you want to push Kimi Antonelli – A super-prospect that’s lived up to the hype so far- out onto the open market?
And that only really leaves Aston Martin, whose only pull factor here, is maybe the potential of what Adrian Newey could bring to the table, and cold hard cash, which Lawrence Stroll would no doubt bring if he knew he had a shot at Max, even if it wasn’t the BILLION DOLLARS that some in the press spitballed out.
Ultimately, it boils down to the age-old question of how big a pull Verstappen would be if he genuinely wanted to explore the open market.
Do you think Pecco going back to GP24.0 will in any way help him get close to Marc? – Viandra
Well, you can officially rule out that option at least for now – Pecco Bagnaia himself addressed this very question during COTA’s media day. The man himself said he needs to find the feeling of his GP24 again, not revert in specification. I suspect it was lost in translation – remember, English is the man’s second language, and sometimes that context is missing.
I think the reason why the media and some fans interpreted things differently was because of Alex Marquez riding so well on the GP24, a bike that he loves and has taken a big step up with so far this season. Combine that with the genuine struggle Ducati had in the pre-season of trying (and arguably failing) to improve what was already one of the most successful single-season MotoGP bikes ever, and the talk all season so far has revolved around specs of Ducati GP24.X and which one might work best, especially with Bagnaia sitting 31 points behind Marquez already.
Some added nuance here – Believe it or not, this is the best start to a MotoGP season that Pecco Bagnaia has had in his career. He’s traditionally always been a slow starter or has made early mistakes getting used to a new bike. Last year, Bagnaia struggled with rear-end chatter for the first few races, despite winning in Qatar. This isn’t a new thing, and this year he’s finished every GP and Sprint in the Top 4. It’s just that Marc Marquez had been perfect until his crash in Texas and his brother Alex has been the most consistent rider in the field so far.
Bagnaia can go back in spec if he wants, but it begs the question – What does that say about what Marc’s doing if the supposedly inferior “new spec” is still beating the old one?
Here’s a non-Liam question – racing series you think will throw up the biggest surprise this year? – Ciara
Well… out of the big ones I watch… *sees tumbleweed*… erm… Oscar Piastri might be a genuine title contender?
It’s not an ideal situation if you’re looking for surprises. In F1, McLaren’s been the favourites since pre-season testing, and so far, that’s held up. In MotoGP, Marc Marquez might be even better than we thought he might be, because, in shocking news, putting the best rider on the best bike can work wonders for winning races. And in IndyCar, Alex Palou has driven out of his skin and already has 40 points on the field after two races, both of which he won.
So if we’re looking for a surprise, Liam Lawson might have already given you your big one? Hell, even my original suggestion of Oscar Piastri as a title threat isn’t that big of a surprise if you ask some of his fans, who have always had the idea about his upside being bigger. Now, I’ve never really subscribed to that mentality. In my opinion, having a higher floor is what generally wins you titles, and let’s not forget, seven days before he dominated China, he was referencing Clarkson’s Farm while reversing out of a wet grass patch. Swings and roundabouts.
But that’s the beauty of surprises. You never know when the next one’s due…
That’ll do it for this edition of Ask Dre as a 2-part special. I hope you enjoyed it, and I’ll be back at the end of April for the next one! Thanks for reading!
