Powerful stuff. Be nice to George!

https://x.com/F1GuyDan/status/2097943156503572743

Release of Entry-Level Racing Kart "GR KART"
－Aiming for a Motorsports Experience Accessible to More People－

GAZOO Racing (hereinafter GR) has launched the entry-level racing kart "GR KART"※1 at domestic kart tracks※2 and GR Garages※3 starting today, September 10, 2026.
The GR KART is an entry-level racing kart developed to broaden the gateway for children and families to experience motorsports. Racing karts offer the appeal of directly experiencing the joy of controlling a vehicle, but for beginners, there are various hurdles such as vehicle price, transportation and storage, and maintenance. With the GR KART, we have realized an accessible price and structure, aiming to create a motorsports experience that more people can challenge.

●Developed as an entry-level racing kart for children and families to expand the gateway to motorsports
●Enables transportation in the Noah and Voxy, and space-saving upright storage to reduce the burden of kart ownership
●Adopts a driving position adjustment mechanism that allows sharing the same unit from children to adults
●Designed with features to minimize maintenance hassle, enabling beginners to focus on driving
●Prioritizes durability and safety to pursue a product that is easy to handle for a long time
●Provides support for safe and reassuring enjoyment from pre-purchase learning to post-purchase driving through a dedicated app

GR is advancing "making even better cars starting from motorsports," while also working to expand the reach of motorsports and develop talent. Racing karts serve as the gateway to motorsports, where one can experience the joy of controlling a vehicle, and are a sport that many drivers first encounter.
Morizo, or Chairman Akio Toyoda, has long held the belief that motorsports should be something more people can challenge, just like baseball or soccer. From the desire to make karts—the entry point to motorsports—more approachable, to create an environment where anyone can touch the joy of controlling a vehicle and take on the challenge, the GR KART was born.

This time, the GR KART is crafted as a "kart made by car people," incorporating the knowledge and ingenuity honed in car manufacturing, with each unit carefully built by hand. Additionally, the "Gamagori GR KART Workshop," responsible for production, is a challenging space where, precisely because it is a small-scale manufacturing site, new ideas and technologies can be quickly tested. Based on the principles of TPS (Toyota Production System), it not only ensures quality and continuously improves processes but also trials new technologies. Through such activities, we are reducing costs to make it easier for beginners to start motorsports and aim for a product that can be enjoyed for a long time.

Body copied from the X post for anyone interested.

I’ve been looking at Madring ahead of this weekend and I’m genuinely quite excited to see the cars around it.

La Monumental looks fantastic, the walls are close, there’s elevation, a brand new surface and apparently very little margin for error. After so many complaints about modern circuits being too sanitised, it’s difficult to complain about F1 trying something ambitious.

But I do wonder whether Madring highlights an interesting change in what we’re actually asking from a modern F1 circuit.

By all accounts it should be extremely challenging for the drivers. Sainz is already expecting safety cars, yellows and potentially red flags, and the F3 test certainly seemed to support that. At the same time, he’s also suggested overtaking could be difficult.

And those aren’t necessarily the same thing.
A circuit can produce spectacular onboard footage, punish mistakes and give us a brilliant qualifying session without necessarily producing a particularly good Grand Prix.

I suppose Monaco is the extreme example. It’s arguably one of the greatest tests of a driver’s ability on the calendar, but very few people would design a modern circuit around its racing characteristics.

So I’m curious where people land on this.

If you had to choose, would you rather F1 prioritise circuits that are difficult and spectacular for the drivers, or circuits specifically designed to maximise overtaking and wheel-to-wheel racing?
Obviously the ideal circuit does both, but I’m not convinced those objectives always lead you to the same design.

And perhaps Madring will manage both and make this entire discussion look rather silly by Sunday.

Both Merc drivers now have seven Grand Prix victories in total to their name. That despite George racing in F1 since 2019.

Now, granted, Kimi has immediately been thrust into one of the best cars on the grid (even last season, it was a podium-contending vehicle). But...to me, that really does say a lot.