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2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Long-Term Review: Addressing All Your Inquiries
Jerry Perez

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It’s been around three weeks since the last entry in the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Long-Term Test series, so it’s time for an update. Unfortunately, it’s not the tale I envisioned, which was meant to recount a 2,000-mile family road trip for my birthday. Everything was set for a drive to Missouri to camp with my friend and colleague, Caleb Jacobs, but I had to cancel at the last moment. Then, life happened. Bummer.

Instead, I will bring forward a segment that I’ve been looking forward to, where I address all the questions you’ve left in the comments of previous posts and do my best to provide answers.
Formerly incarcerated diesel tuner granted federal pardon.
The Wyoming diesel tuner who was sentenced to prison after being convicted on numerous counts of violating EPA emissions regulations was granted an unconditional pardon by President Trump last week. Troy Lake, the previous (and possibly future?) owner of Elite Diesel near Cheyenne, was initially given a one-year prison sentence and a $52,000 fine after being found guilty of over 300 counts of disabling emissions devices in diesel trucks. He has been under house arrest since September.

In a statement shared on the American truck drivers group Facebook page (embedded below), Lake expressed that he cried when he received the news.

“I don’t suppose men are expected to do that,” Lake told the Cowboy State Daily. “But it’s wonderful — it’s news that reminds you that good things still exist in the world.
The 800-HP Renault Espace F1 Is Making Its Comeback in Gran Turismo.
Sony Interactive Entertainment via YouTube

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Which Gran Turismo title do you prefer? Personally, I fluctuate between GT2 and GT4. The latter probably has the advantage as it was exceptionally polished, making it easier to revisit today compared to the rough PS1 versions. However, GT2 was remarkably expansive for its time and had some unique elements, featuring several cars that haven't appeared in the series since, making it hard to overlook. One of those vehicles, the Renault Espace F1, has become a popular request among long-time fans, and it's confirmed to return in Gran Turismo 7.
The 2027 Kia Telluride resembles a cost-effective Range Rover that lacks a front design.
Kia

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It's always thrilling when an automaker sends an email featuring images of a vehicle you haven't seen before. It's particularly exciting when the vehicle in question is the next-generation Telluride, especially given Kia's recent expressive design language. However, I wasn't quite prepared for the new SUV's face when I first encountered it a few days ago, and even now, it leaves me feeling somewhat uneasy.

The renders released by Kia showcase the new SUV in X-Pro and SXP trims, and they certainly make an impression.
Verstappen: We didn't lose the title in this race
Max Verstappen finished third in Interlagos and is pleased that he was able to recover after a difficult qualifying…

Question: Max, what an incredible race for you and your team! On Sunday the car clearly looked better than on Saturday…
Max Verstappen: Yes, much better than in qualifying. We had a very strong race. We were much faster. Maybe the cooler weather helped. The car became more responsive. Even with the puncture I got on the Hard tyres when I dropped back before fighting my way back on the Mediums.

I think we chose the right strategy. When I overtook George, the tyres were a bit worn, and when I closed in on Kimi they started overheating and I lost most of the grip. In that respect the Softs are trickier than the Mediums. But overall we had a very strong race.
At Interlagos Lewis Hamilton was asked when he would start negotiations to extend his contract with Ferrari, but the seven-time world champion replied that there is no reason to do so yet…

Lewis Hamilton: "I have a long-term contract. We usually start discussing an extension a year before it expires, but that's still a long way off.
Many drivers are surprised that in Mexico I was the only one penalized for going off track at turn one. The problem is that there is a lack of clarity on this matter.
Stewards' decisions should be understandable and transparent — that's not the case now, so questions arise. In addition, these decisions are taken behind the scenes, in an atmosphere of secrecy. But why? This definitely needs to be looked into.
I don't know whether the stewards appreciate the consequences of their decisions, because ultimately such decisions can determine the outcome of the championship, as we've seen in the past."
São Paulo Grand Prix: Interesting statistics
A few curious statistical takeaways from the São Paulo Grand Prix…

Qualifying
By winning qualifying at Interlagos, Lando Norris claimed the 15th pole of his career and the sixth of the season. For the first time this season Norris started from pole in two consecutive Grands Prix.
Kimi Antonelli qualified second and became the third-youngest driver in history to start on the front row in a Grand Prix, at 19 years, 2 months and 15 days. Only Max Verstappen (18 years, 10 months and 29 days) and Lance Stroll (18 years, 10 months and 5 days) were younger.
The front row at the Grand Prix start was the same as in the sprint.
Charles Leclerc set the third-best time, starting in the top three in a Grand Prix for the third consecutive time.
McLaren has questions for the FIA about Max's engine.
Before the São Paulo race, Red Bull Racing changed the aerodynamic settings on Max’s car in breach of parc fermé rules, which caused the driver to start from the pit lane. But in addition to that, the team replaced the power unit, and McLaren had questions for the FIA about it.

Power units in Formula 1 are expensive. Teams agreed that if they are changed because of reliability issues, the cost of the engine does not count toward the cost cap, so that if teams run out of money and engines fail, they can still finish the season. But if a team voluntarily changes an engine solely to gain more power, that falls under the cost cap, which is meant to deter teams from swapping engines at every round.
McLaren Racing announced today that Matteo De Palo has joined its young driver programme, while three drivers — Ugo Ugochukwu, Martinius Stenshorne and Brando Badoer — will leave it at the end of the year.
The 18-year-old Matteo began karting in 2016, progressing successfully through junior championships and achieving podium finishes in the WSK Super Master Series and the FIA Karting Academy Trophy.
In 2023 the Rome-born Italian made his single-seater debut in Spanish, Italian and British F4, and this season he has competed successfully in the FRECA series with Trident Motorsport, winning four races and claiming a further seven podiums. He is set to take part in the 2025 Macau Grand Prix, and in 2026 he will compete in Formula 3.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Commercial Director of McLaren Racing: "McLaren's young driver programme is pleased to welcome Matteo. He is a promising young talent who has made significant progress in recent years, demonstrating adaptability, consistency and growth. We look forward to supporting his development on track, as well as in the broader aspects of a professional racing career."
Matteo De Palo: "Being part of McLaren's young driver programme is a huge honour for me. The team has a fantastic track record in developing talent, so I am very excited about the opportunity to grow in all aspects of my racing craft. I am grateful to Zak, Alessandro and the whole McLaren team. I look forward to getting on track in papaya colours."
Vasseur supports Hamilton amid his 'nightmare' season.
"This is a nightmare - I’ve been living it for a while."

Lewis Hamilton has referred to his inaugural year with Ferrari as "a nightmare" after another frustrating weekend in Brazil concluded with his retirement and continued disappointment.

The seven-time world champion faced a challenging couple of days at Interlagos, receiving another penalty, battling with the car's balance, and ultimately having to retire his damaged SF-25 while racing near the back of the pack. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc also did not finish, leaving the team without any points and dropping to fourth in the constructors' championship standings.

"Mate, I’m going to crash out here," Hamilton voiced over the radio during the race. "The car is incredibly unstable."

Upon exiting the car, he did not conceal his frustration.
Bortoleto stated that Verstappen also made rookie errors.
"I intended to surprise Albon, but..."

Gabriel Bortoleto emerged unscathed from what Germany's Auto Motor und Sport referred to as "the worst Formula 1 crash in years" following a frightening accident at 339 kph that overshadowed his inaugural home Brazilian GP. On the last lap of Saturday’s sprint, the 20-year-old Sauber rookie lost control at the end of the main straight, with his car abruptly veering left before colliding with both the pit and tyre barriers, experiencing forces of up to 57g. Amazingly, Bortoleto exited the car on his own—bruised but otherwise uninjured. "I wanted to surprise Albon, but I still had DRS active when I hit a bump," he explained. "Suddenly, the car was gone. I was fortunate to escape without any injuries.
Kimi Antonelli: Managed to bring everything together
Finishing second in São Paulo, Kimi Antonelli achieved the best result of his career…
Question: Kimi, great job. How tense were the final laps when Max was pressuring you?
Kimi Antonelli: Very tense. When Max did his final pit stop and Bono (Peter Bonnington, Mercedes' chief race engineer) told me the gap, I thought…
I can't literally say what I thought — I'd get fined for that — but roughly something like, "I might be in trouble," because Max was only nine seconds behind on new Soft tyres and was very quick.
Max did an incredible job getting back into the fight, and at the end of the race he put huge pressure on me. I really had to get the absolute maximum from the tyres, and that wasn't easy. But I did everything I could, and I'm very pleased with the result.
Question: It could all have been decided on lap six, after the restart.
Martin Brundle on the results of the São Paulo Grand Prix
Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle summed up the São Paulo Grand Prix…
The São Paulo Grand Prix was stunning in every respect: battles, incidents, overtakes — and it didn’t even need rain.
Apart from good asphalt, new kerbs and a drainage system, fortunately nothing has changed at the Brazilian track since I first raced there in 1984. The magic of this short anti-clockwise circuit has always worked well, even though over the decades we have witnessed a few serious incidents.
The king of the weekend was Lando Norris, who led every session, won the sprint, the qualifying and the main race, though not with the same dominance as two weeks ago in Mexico.
For me the most striking moment of the weekend was his decisive attempt in the final qualifying run after he ruined a set of new tyres by locking up into Turn 1.
Oscar Piastri: A lot is going wrong right now
Oscar Piastri regrets that the Brazilian weekend turned out to be unsuccessful for him...

Oscar Piastri: "A tough weekend. At certain moments it felt like things were coming together well — practice seemed to be going OK — but that feeling disappeared over the course of the weekend.
Compared to Friday's practice the pace dropped, and in setting up the car we went in a direction I didn't really like. We did everything to get it into the optimal operating window, but the crash in the sprint made the situation even more complicated.
Unfortunately, a lot is going wrong at the moment, although there are occasional flashes of really strong pace — we need to make that consistent.
A certain trend has emerged over the last three weekends. In Austin I had to drive very differently from what I'm used to, then in Mexico.
We reported that Swiss racer Lora Villars, who had sought to stand in the FIA presidential election, filed a lawsuit against the federation in the Paris court. The aim of the lawsuit is to challenge the current rules that effectively prevent her from mounting a real challenge to the incumbent president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Villars applied to the Paris Court of First Instance to "suspend the FIA presidential election until a decision on the merits of the dispute is rendered." The first hearing took place on November 10, at which a date for the final decision was set.

The Paris court will announce its verdict in the case on December 3. The FIA presidential election will take place on December 12 in Tashkent.
In recent days Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc made several critical remarks about the team, to which Ferrari president John Elkann said on Sky Italia that they "need to think more about driving and talk less." The drivers responded with messages of support for the team on social media.
Lewis Hamilton: "I support my team. I support myself. I will not give up. Not now, not then, never. Thank you, Brazil."
Charles Leclerc: "The weekend in São Paulo was difficult. It's frustrating to come away with virtually no points for the team at a critical moment of the season, when we need to fight for second place in the Constructors' Championship. An intense battle lies ahead, in which only unity can help us turn things around in the last three races. We, as always, will do everything we can."
Former driver and F1 TV pundit Jolyon Palmer believes McLaren will run into difficulties at the next round in Las Vegas…
Jolyon Palmer: "If I were in Norris's shoes I wouldn't want the next round to be in Las Vegas. It's a completely different kind of circuit, where McLaren could have problems. It's cold there, the asphalt is very smooth — those kinds of tracks suit Mercedes more, and Ferrari's cars will surely be quick there.
In Qatar, Abu Dhabi or any other track it's hard to beat Lando when he's in good form, but in Vegas he will be behind, and that could knock him off his stride. He won't be at his best there."
After Sebastian Vettel's departure from Formula 1, rumors periodically appeared in the press about his possible return in a new capacity. The most likely scenario was thought to be that Vettel would replace Helmut Marko as head of the youth programme.

On British Sky Sports, Sebastian Vettel commented on these rumors: "I don't know. Of course, I've read that this scenario is being talked about a lot. And I even discussed it a little with Helmut, but it didn't lead to anything, it didn't spark any interest. I'm happy with my current life. At the very beginning, when I had just left, I doubted whether I should continue to follow what was happening in Formula 1, because I wanted to distance myself. But I still kept watching the races, because I love the sport. I know the guys well, I have good relationships with many of them. Right now I can't say whether I'll have any prospects or opportunities. Maybe a role will come up that I'll be happy to take on, but only time will tell."

He also commented on Christian Horner's dismissal from Red Bull Racing: "Of course, I was surprised by that decision. Christian has been with the team for so long, since its founding, and he knows it inside out. I think everything at Red Bull was in its place this year. I also know Laurent Mekies, I worked with him, and he's a really great guy. Christian left a big mark. Not only because of the successes he achieved with the team, but also because he was its central figure. He understood what was going on. I'm not fully informed about the team's organizational structure and plans for the future. So let's wait and see what comes of it."
On Thursday Franco Colapinto said that the main thing this weekend is to please Argentine fans...

Franco Colapinto: "I don't know whether my contract will be extended or what awaits me in the future. I am moving forward from race to race, concentrating on the next round. I really like this round, the circuit and the venue. It's very important to me that I'm taking part in the Grand Prix in Brazil. I'm looking forward to getting out on track. There are a lot of Argentines here; I want to enjoy the weekend with them.

Last year the event wasn't as positive as I would have liked. This time I want to have a good weekend and enjoy spending time with the fans. They did everything to come to Brazil, and I want to give them something nice."
Mark Webber: Piastri is going through a difficult period right now
Over the last five rounds Oscar Piastri has scored only 42 points, while his teammate Lando Norris — 97, and he has lost the lead in the individual standings. The Australian driver's manager, Mark Webber, said he plans to help Oscar ahead of the next round in Las Vegas.
"We need to help him get back on the right track," Mark Webber shared on Channel 4. "I don't think his motivation has dropped. He's going through a tough spell right now, but it's all about the character needed to get back into the fight. He's only in his third year in Formula 1, and he needs to find the strength to turn things around.
It's just incredible that Oscar is already fighting for the title so early in his career. I suppose only Lewis Hamilton achieved something similar at such an early stage.
McLaren raises concerns about Red Bull's engine strategy in Brazil.
"If it was replaced for performance reasons..."

McLaren has raised concerns regarding whether Red Bull violated the spirit of Formula 1's cost cap regulations by equipping Max Verstappen with a brand-new engine prior to Sunday’s Brazilian GP. Following a poor qualifying session, Red Bull altered Verstappen's suspension setup, resulting in a pitlane start, and seized the opportunity to fit a new Honda power unit, which included a new combustion engine, turbo, MGU-K, MGU-H, battery, and control electronics. This decision took many rivals, particularly McLaren, by surprise as Verstappen was still in pursuit of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris with three races remaining after Brazil.

"Honestly, these types of powertrain swaps defy the rules," stated McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.