Kimi Antonelli’s Home Race Miracle!

Kimi Antonelli overcame the odds & the Seattle Seahawks got the best of the New England Patriots again.

Whiskey’s Garage

Sports Talk 

Volume 17

10/09/2026

Kimi Antonelli’s Home Race Miracle

F1 

Mercedes is back in the win column! At the Italian GP this past weekend, 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli picked up his 7th win of the season and his 11th podium. Antonelli, who is from Bologna, Italy, claimed victory at his home race for the first time, beating out Mercedes’ teammate, George Russell, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen. Kimi drove a phenomenal race, starting all the way back at second-to-last (19th) on the grid, and powering his way through to take home the win. A miraculous drive from the young star, after many had shot down any chance of him even getting a podium position, at this event. Antonelli had to serve a 30-place grid penalty because his car was fitted with new power units before the race, exceeding his seasonal limit. Essentially, there is a set number of replacements allowed for each power unit component per season, and if you exceed that limit, the driver is given a grid penalty. The first time a specific component type exceeds the allotted number, it equals a 10-place grid drop, and for any subsequent time an extra component is used, it is a 5-place grid drop. If a driver's penalties exceed 15 grid spots, the driver must start at the back of the grid. This penalty really stems from poor mechanical engineering done by the Mercedes engineers. The car was forced to be replaced with a new power unit component, which sent Kimi Antonelli over the allotted number, causing him to serve the penalty. Thankfully for Mercedes, Kimi somehow overcame this to keep himself in contention for the Drivers’ Championship. If Kimi had failed to score points at this event and McLaren’s Lando Norris had secured his third straight win, it would have made the Drivers’ Championship standings much closer, reducing Kimi Antonelli's lead to only about 40 points. Unfortunately for Norris, he failed to podium at this event, finishing just outside the podium in 4th place. Although Lando Norris still secured 12 points with his 4th place finish, Kimi is still 66 points ahead of all drivers, and 96 points ahead of Lando Norris. Max Verstappen bounced back after a DNF at the last GP, with a podium finish in 3rd place. After 8 GP victories last season, Max Verstappen has yet to find 1st place this season. Sitting in 6th place, at 127 points, Max is pretty much out of contention for winning the Drivers’ Championship this year, but has only had one winless season in his entire Formula 1 career! All the way back in 2015, during Max Verstappen’s rookie season, was the last and only time he went an entire season without a 1st place finish. However, with only 10 races remaining and the differences between Red Bull’s car and Mercedes', McLaren's, or Ferrari's, the chances of Max claiming a victory this season are getting slimmer and slimmer. But if anyone can overcome the odds against him, it would be Max Verstappen. 

The next and 14th race of the season will be the Spanish Grand Prix, taking place this Sunday, September 13th. Beginning at 6:00 AM PST, the race is being held at the Madring Circuit in Madrid, Spain. The current betting odds are below.  

ODDS: 

Kimi Antonelli +175 (Fav)

Lando Norris +333

George Russell +450 

Lewis Hamilton +700

Charles Leclerc +800

Max Verstappen +1000

NFL 

The 2026-2027 NFL season opener was a battle between the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and the runner-up New England Patriots. The Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29-13 back in February at Super Bowl LX, winning their second-ever Super Bowl title. This time around, the Seahawks once again got the best of the Patriots, erasing a 10-0 lead and storming back to score 13 straight points, hanging on to win 13-10. The biggest storyline of the game was the Seahawks' starting quarterback, Sam Darnold. Darnold left the game after the very first drive, suffering an apparent hip injury. Darnold was seen limping off to the sideline, and although he waved off medical staff at first, he was shortly after taken into the blue tent, and then back to the locker room. He did not return to the game. After the game, head coach Mike Macdonald stated, “We got some great news back” regarding Darnold’s injury. We will wait to see what the extent of the injury is. Drew Lock came in for the Seahawks, throwing 16/22 for 187 YDS, and 1 TD. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the sole touchdown scorer for the Seahawks, catching a quick pass and breaking through for a 45-yard touchdown. The reigning OPOY (Offensive Player of the Year) had 8 receptions on 11 targets, with 122 yards and 1 touchdown. Rookie running back Jadarion Price looked explosive in the first touches of his career, taking 10 carries for 52 yards. On the other side of the match, Drake Maye, who came 2nd in MVP voting last season, had a rough start to his season. Maye came out in the first half looking good, but threw 3 INT, going 23/33 for 178 YDS and 1 TD. A brutal interception came at the end of the game, when Maye launched the ball up under pressure, looking for Mack Hollins in the end zone, and Seattle’s Josh Jobe intercepted it to end the game. The Patriots were well inside field goal range, which would have tied the game and most likely forced overtime. A poor decision by Maye, who ultimately looked much sloppier in the 2nd half. A.J. Brown, the Patriots' new WR1 who was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles, went down with an ankle injury in the 3rd quarter, and did not return to the game. It is reported to be a high-ankle sprain, but the extent of the injury is unknown, and they are currently running more tests. The Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday, September 20th, at 10:00 AM, while the Seahawks are in Arizona, taking on the Cardinals on Sunday, September 20th, at 1:25 PM. 

The Atlanta Falcons have named the recently signed Tua Tagovailoa as their week 1 starting quarterback. Tagovailoa, who was acquired by the Falcons from the Miami Dolphins over the offseason, is looking to have a bounce-back year after a rough season. Michael Penix Jr., who is heading into his 3rd year in the league, is still recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee that he had repaired over the offseason. Penix Jr. says he’s “really close” but not quite 100% ready yet. It’s unclear who the primary QB will be when Penix Jr. returns  

UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 11TH,

Tua Tagovailoa has been injured at practice, and Cooper Rush has been named the starting QB of the Atlanta Falcons for week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The San Francisco 49ers are in Melbourne, Australia, facing the Super Bowl favourites, the Los Angeles Rams. This is the first game of the International series this season. 

Kickoff is at 5:35 tonight, Thursday, September 10th.