OPEN SEASON

If you know me, you know I'm a bit of a sentimentalist. I still believe the 1990s were the peak of automotive civilisation.

- ADITYA UPADHYAULA @heelntoe

This nostalgia extends to Formula 1, too. I grew up watching Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard fight off Michael Schumacher in their McLarens. So, when the 2025 season kicked off, and it became clear that the papaya cars weren't just fast but dominant, I felt a stir of that old excitement. We were promised a fight. We were promised the end of Red Bull's dominance. And for a glorious, fleeting middle chapter of this season, we got it. The RB21 looked undriveable, Max Verstappen sounded frustrated on the radio, and McLaren had the fastest car on the grid. It should have been a slam dunk. Instead, I have spent the last couple of months screaming at my television.