"All talent, little luck" in Max Verstappen's P17 to P1 win at Interlagos - 2024 São Paulo GP Review

[00:00:18] Because this podcast is Indian, let's give you a taste of what life in India is somewhat like. Whenever we start any journey, we take out the name of our Lord, we chant His name, we say Ganbari Bappa Moria. You start of course with the name of someone who you love the most and someone whose guidance you want and someone who can change the world for you.

[00:00:37] In Formula 1, I don't think we worship our God as much, but yet again today, in fact over the entire weekend, He stepped in and influenced the world of Formula 1 to a colossal effect on Saturday and Sunday.

[00:00:51] Guys, we're starting off with Lance Stroll. I feel this weekend would have been so much worse had it not been for Lance Stroll. So I think we should start off with a moment of gratitude for him. I think genuinely Lance, thank you.

[00:01:04] Where do we begin guys? Lance Stroll, Driver of the Weekend.

[00:01:08] Driver of the Weekend. And I think I know the next picture actually makes more sense. If you're allowed to play a video, I would have played this video. I should have probably said let's play the video even with copyright issues because this is a video of ladies and gentlemen Lance Stroll.

[00:01:25] Of course, he caught his car with a bit of a nudge in the barriers, etc. And then he realized he actually did have drive because he was not on the gravel. He was on the tarmac. And then guess what he does? He turns and he decides to drive onto the gravel. This is wet gravel. Maybe he thought wet gravel might hold because dry gravel genuinely doesn't.

[00:01:50] But we can already see that there is more tarmac he could have just used. He could have found another way to get back in the race. Anyway, it was the formation lap. They would have waited if he would have continued, etc. Or they would have figured something.

[00:02:03] But no, something told him, I have to drive through a wet gravel trap. And then guess what? He says, oh, I'm stuck in the gravel. No, my dear friend, you actually went there to get stuck.

[00:02:17] Isn't that the most Lance thing to do? Because I mean, the moment the yellow flags went up, and all the commentators said it's Lance Stroll and then taking a look back at the crash, it is he basically did a Romain Grigion at Baku. And this directly steered into the into the wall. And that while that was still okay, like you said, getting himself beached on his own was the more amusing thing.

[00:02:43] So probably the most Lance way of starting a Grand Prix. And also a very good omen considering how the rest of the next three hours went.

[00:02:51] Yeah, I think this was the most random race we have seen in Formula One this year. Anything happened. And to name it, we saw Williams getting their budget cap punctured twice.

[00:03:03] And they couldn't even start the race with Alex Albon. We saw the Haases be incredibly qualified, but eventually dipped down to God knows where.

[00:03:10] And Nico Hulkenberg got flat, flat. I think the first time in so many years we've seen that happen. We saw Kevin Maddison miss the race through illness.

[00:03:19] We saw a driver win from 17th, a driver on pole lose the race to someone who was 17th. We saw Leclerc making mistakes. We saw Sainz crashing twice.

[00:03:29] Behrman overshooting. What have we just seen this weekend, guys? How can we digest all of this?

[00:03:34] And I'm not even coming to the big stories now, Sundaram.

[00:03:36] We also saw qualifying and the race on the same day. Qualifying and the race on the same day.

[00:03:42] It was also a sprint weekend. There was so much happening also in the background.

[00:03:46] I mean, I'm not sure if, I mean, our usual episodes are like a good 40-45 minutes.

[00:03:50] I'm not sure we'll cover every single topic in those 45 minutes.

[00:03:54] It's probably going to be a two-segment video, but I don't think so we should be doing that.

[00:03:58] I think the most important way to talk about or the most important thing to talk about is how does a driver start from P17 and win the race?

[00:04:07] And I know we made, I know I made a prediction before the race, before the race weekend that Max Verstappen is going to be winning in the wet.

[00:04:15] I did not predict that he's going to be winning from P17.

[00:04:17] You don't get to see that a lot in Formula 1 because in over a thousand races, 1-1-2-1 races to be precise,

[00:04:27] there have been only five instances previously of a driver winning from 17th or lower.

[00:04:31] And I imagine Max Verstappen is going to be starting from P6 and winning, not from P17.

[00:04:36] But if there's anyone who could do it, it had to be Max Verstappen.

[00:04:40] But wait, you're saying he basically had a 0.something percent chance.

[00:04:45] Yeah.

[00:04:45] This is like one of the 0.something wins in Formula 1.

[00:04:50] Indeed.

[00:04:51] And the first one, first driver in nearly 20 years to win from P17 or lower.

[00:04:56] And the person who interviewed him after the race was Rubens Barrichello.

[00:05:00] He also is the person who holds the record for the most positions or the furthest back starting position to win a debut race.

[00:05:08] He started from P18 at the 2000 German Grand Prix.

[00:05:10] So it all just came together.

[00:05:12] I remember that 2000 German Grand Prix was in Hockenheim.

[00:05:17] It was half wet and half dry.

[00:05:19] Half wet and half dry, yes.

[00:05:20] Yeah.

[00:05:21] And he was on the slicks.

[00:05:23] And he was super quick on the dry part and then sliding and slipping around.

[00:05:27] And then he won the race.

[00:05:28] I still remember that epic race.

[00:05:30] But similarly, I'm not going to forget this epic race that we've just seen.

[00:05:35] We saw the FIA fumble.

[00:05:37] We saw a double podium with Alpine.

[00:05:39] We saw Oscar Piastri picking up a penalty.

[00:05:42] We saw a very strange aborted start, which didn't get a penalty, a sporting penalty, which we will talk about as well.

[00:05:50] We saw Fernando Alonso arriving a day late because he was sick.

[00:05:54] We saw Fernando Alonso crash.

[00:05:55] I can't remember when last did we see him crash in conditions like this.

[00:05:59] We saw Williams not give Alexander Albon the priority of starting a race.

[00:06:08] That's something new as well.

[00:06:09] Yeah, that's actually true.

[00:06:11] Just so much has happened that we've got to pick and choose our talking point.

[00:06:15] Six minutes in.

[00:06:16] What's coming up next, Samuel?

[00:06:18] I think we should come up to one thing.

[00:06:21] That is firstly, the fact that we really want to hear your thoughts and opinions of this race.

[00:06:28] And for all of this, folks, you can, of course, reach out to us on that inside line F1 part.

[00:06:34] That's our social media handle.

[00:06:35] And on that social media handle, we've been doing some really fun prediction competitions.

[00:06:41] And Sundaram's prediction was that Verstappen would win in the wet.

[00:06:46] He has nailed it.

[00:06:48] Again, some of you could have had that same prediction.

[00:06:52] But we'd love to hear it if that's the case.

[00:06:54] Just share it out.

[00:06:55] And it'll be so much fun to talk about all of that at the end of this race.

[00:06:59] And that's at InsideLineF1Pod where you can reach out to us.

[00:07:02] We are the InsideLineF1Podcast.

[00:07:04] We'll introduce ourselves in a second.

[00:07:07] Because we should firstly get to talking about the biggest story.

[00:07:12] How does someone win from P17 on the grid

[00:07:16] when their biggest championship rival started on pole but couldn't do it?

[00:07:20] I know.

[00:07:21] Part of it is down to luck.

[00:07:23] Part of it is down to the fact that they eventually got a red flag, Verstappen and Alpine,

[00:07:29] when a safety car, which was seeming like the norm at that point,

[00:07:33] would have eventually put them down to somewhere in the bottom of the top 10.

[00:07:37] And then they had to fight back.

[00:07:37] That would have been an unlikely win.

[00:07:39] Yes, luck helped.

[00:07:40] But luck only helps the people who help themselves, Kunal.

[00:07:43] And in that first stint, Max Verstappen was on fire.

[00:07:46] I remember five minutes into the race and I was looking at it like,

[00:07:50] P17?

[00:07:51] Did he start 17th?

[00:07:52] How did he gain 10 places in five minutes?

[00:07:54] And then he won by over a 15-second gap.

[00:07:57] And fortune favors the brave.

[00:07:59] And you make your own luck.

[00:08:00] And so many other management and life philosophies that come to the fore when you think of what Max Verstappen pulled out.

[00:08:13] And like you said, Samuel, there was an element of luck.

[00:08:16] But there is an element of luck in every race win that happens with a race interruption.

[00:08:22] There is literally an element of luck to extrapolate.

[00:08:26] There is an element of luck needed for a driver to race in Formula 1 to get that debut chance.

[00:08:30] There is an element of luck for the driver to get a top team.

[00:08:33] There is an element of luck for a driver to get a podium and then a win and then a championship win.

[00:08:38] But you always make your luck.

[00:08:40] And that decisive driving that was now called, it's not talent, it's luck.

[00:08:47] I know I'm taking only a part of the court, but that was talent.

[00:08:51] That was talent that was recognized several, several years ago across multiple conditions.

[00:08:57] But if there's one condition you want to bet your race win on, on a driver on, it is the wet.

[00:09:03] It is Max Verstappen.

[00:09:05] I mean, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg,

[00:09:09] they all complemented the masterclass that we saw in Brazil.

[00:09:15] Yes, there was luck, but they made their luck.

[00:09:18] Max, by driving the way he did and putting his car, not chewing his tires up,

[00:09:23] despite making all those overtakes.

[00:09:25] And Red Bull, by deciding to wait because their experience said,

[00:09:29] if the tires are still running okay, Max is running fine, not dropping performance,

[00:09:33] why don't we just wait and see what comes up?

[00:09:35] And guess what came up?

[00:09:36] That beautiful red flag.

[00:09:38] I don't think that's totally down to Red Bull, Kunal,

[00:09:41] because only one driver in that pack was actually able to make it work.

[00:09:46] Max.

[00:09:47] Russell and Lando both were losing tires.

[00:09:49] Lando even called out and said, I want to box.

[00:09:51] So this is Red Bull having the luxury of Max and them knowing how to use someone like Max very well.

[00:09:57] Like just him being unleashed.

[00:09:59] And then Sundaram, come to think about it,

[00:10:01] this has to be one of the most impressive Formula One wins of all time,

[00:10:04] because we say this about Senna coming from the back of the grid and winning,

[00:10:09] Schumacher doing it, Vettel doing it, Barrichello doing it.

[00:10:12] We've seen it right before our very eyes.

[00:10:14] I think sometimes we have a historical bias.

[00:10:16] We should just stay there for a moment and realize,

[00:10:19] wow, someone's won for P17.

[00:10:21] They say that the rain is a great equalizer.

[00:10:24] And you usually tend to see some drivers who tend to excel in these sort of conditions,

[00:10:28] Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton.

[00:10:30] I mean, those were the sort of drivers I was going to look forward to ahead of qualifying and in the race.

[00:10:34] And I knew that they would do something special.

[00:10:36] But if you have the likes of a Lewis Hamilton struggling with the car in general,

[00:10:40] but then also struggling in the rain.

[00:10:41] Fernando Alonso crashing, going off track in qualifying and in the race.

[00:10:46] And literally every other driver making some error or the other.

[00:10:50] I know there was also, I believe there was a certain element of luck involved.

[00:10:54] But I think the three drivers who made it to the podium

[00:10:57] were the only three drivers who did not make a mistake.

[00:11:00] And they deservedly belong on the podium for that.

[00:11:04] They did not make a single mistake, luck or not.

[00:11:07] They really did not make any mistake through qualifying and in the race.

[00:11:10] And they truly deserve that.

[00:11:12] Sure, what I believe is the red flag coming.

[00:11:16] Anytime the FI is involved, it's also a case of luck.

[00:11:18] You don't really know when are they calling out the virtual safety car.

[00:11:21] When are they going to call out the safety car?

[00:11:23] When are they going to call out the red flag?

[00:11:24] In that case, it was a little dicey.

[00:11:27] But it also meant putting themselves in that position so that you are able to get the advantage of that free stop when you're in that red flag situation.

[00:11:35] In that sense, it's great.

[00:11:37] And I would really love to say that this is one of the best races that I've seen in terms of wet races that I've seen.

[00:11:44] Or wet race masterclass from Max right up there amongst his best races of his career.

[00:11:49] You know, life is funny because luck can have such an impact on it.

[00:11:54] And luck can sometimes go in your favor, sometimes against you.

[00:11:58] We were just speaking about it this morning, I suppose, when Verstappen was hard done by Lance Stroll's crash, then bringing the red flag out.

[00:12:06] That was a case of bad luck.

[00:12:07] And Red Bull went bonkers on the FIA for calling it out at the wrong time.

[00:12:13] But sometimes luck plays in their favor too because I believe they called out the red flag, I think, 30-40 seconds after the crash happened in this case.

[00:12:22] And initially, it seemed like they were going to be damaged by that safety carcadal.

[00:12:26] Then it got converted into a red flag, which was just luck.

[00:12:28] It's amazing how sometimes it can be on your side.

[00:12:31] And within hours, it can go away from you in the case of McLaren.

[00:12:34] Yeah, and what you're clearly talking of is the two instances when the FIA sort of went a little tricky, if that's the question.

[00:12:45] Because what happened was in the sprint race specifically, there was a VSE that was to come out.

[00:12:53] And just before that, McLaren swapped cars.

[00:12:56] And it was literally, of course, the global view is that the FIA waited till the McLaren cars were swapped before calling out the VSC.

[00:13:06] And, of course, Max also said the timing, or was it Liam Lawson who said the timing was incredibly weird or something.

[00:13:13] And then, of course, in qualifying, where they waited till a few drivers finished the laps and then put out the red flag, which saw Max remain P11 or whatever he was at.

[00:13:24] And my belief is that the FIA is not biased.

[00:13:28] It's just that we have a very recency bias, all of us, to find these trends and find the controversies after Abu Dhabi 2021.

[00:13:37] And sometimes it just feels that just like Abu Dhabi 2021, it just felt like the FIA wanted entertainment.

[00:13:44] And maybe a portion of them thought, we want a new winner.

[00:13:48] We want to spice things up.

[00:13:50] And the FIA is realizing that, hey, we can spice things up.

[00:13:53] I don't really think that that's really what's happening.

[00:13:57] But like I said, we've got a recency bias.

[00:13:59] But it just does seem strange, right, that two times out of two, Red Bull were caught unawares or caught luck again, as you would say.

[00:14:10] And then, of course, the red flag just played in their favor in the main Grand Prix.

[00:14:15] So I don't know if I would have still called it evens out.

[00:14:17] I just wish that it wasn't controversial because that's the one thing we'll always remember, you know, controversy.

[00:14:25] I think since we're talking of the FIA and controversy and we just spoke of just luck, not talent, whatever.

[00:14:32] Lando Norris, that aborted start.

[00:14:34] Are we talking about that now or the penalty that he got?

[00:14:37] Or do we need to wait before I unleash myself?

[00:14:40] I literally, I'm enraged by that.

[00:14:42] I have an idea.

[00:14:44] I think we should wait for it.

[00:14:47] We should come back and abort this idea of talking about Lando.

[00:14:53] And then knowing how enraged you are, you can just butt in and start the conversation and you'll not get a sporting fine, Kunal.

[00:14:59] You'll only get like a financial penalty for it.

[00:15:02] 5,000 euros, that's all.

[00:15:03] We could do that.

[00:15:04] But I mean, to me, and I'll tell you why I'm enraged.

[00:15:08] The FIA's job is to keep Formula One safe, first and foremost.

[00:15:14] Yes, they are supposed to keep the sport running as a sport and not a circus or an entertainment and all of that.

[00:15:20] And if there is any area where the FIA has done unquestionably awesome work, it's making the sport safe.

[00:15:28] Have they made the sport more consistent with penalties?

[00:15:32] No.

[00:15:32] Have they made the sport more consistent with how they adjudicate wheel-to-wheel situations?

[00:15:37] No.

[00:15:37] We all know that.

[00:15:38] They also know that.

[00:15:39] They're trying really hard.

[00:15:40] But the one area they've done extremely well at is making the sport safe.

[00:15:45] If they tell the whole grid it's an aborted start and you do not cross that yellow, the start-finish line because there are yellow lights on the gantry.

[00:15:54] If the race leader, in this case, a driver starting from P1, Lando Norris actually makes the start and takes 19 other drivers with him.

[00:16:03] Because after a point, imagine Max Verstappen's awareness.

[00:16:08] He said, but why?

[00:16:08] There's a lot of procedures breached here.

[00:16:10] Why did he leave when it was yellow?

[00:16:11] He was one of the first drivers to say that, right?

[00:16:14] For him, in this case, Lando Norris, to get just a financial penalty is ridiculous.

[00:16:21] This should have been a sporting penalty of its highest order.

[00:16:25] I would have said he should have been disqualified from the race.

[00:16:28] And I'll tell you why.

[00:16:29] There was a recovery track, a recovery vehicle on track.

[00:16:33] There was Lance Stroll who was instructed to wait for a medical car to pick him up.

[00:16:38] So the circuit action was live while somebody was trying to be gotten out of safety.

[00:16:45] And I think these kind of intrusion, these kind of transgressions shouldn't go away with a financial penalty.

[00:16:53] Because what's to say tomorrow, Samuel, you're told don't drive on the circuit.

[00:16:58] And you're like, hey, guess what?

[00:16:58] I just got to pay a 5,000 euro fine, right?

[00:17:00] Let me just drive away anyway.

[00:17:03] Because these are millionaires we're talking of.

[00:17:05] I mean, Lando Norris is not even going to remember where that 5,000 euro came and went from and which bank account he paid from or which card did he pay from.

[00:17:14] So I'm incensed that this was not a sporting penalty.

[00:17:18] And was it just Lando who got it?

[00:17:21] No, it was Lando.

[00:17:22] It was Liam.

[00:17:22] It was George Russell.

[00:17:23] It was Yuki Tsunoda.

[00:17:24] It was a lot of drivers.

[00:17:25] But the FIA document clearly states that because Lando left, there was a reactionary effect from a lot of other drivers.

[00:17:35] In fact, I remember when Max and some of the other drivers didn't leave the grid, the commentators were like, oh, have they stalled on the grid?

[00:17:43] Have so many drivers just stalled on the grid, right?

[00:17:45] So there were drivers who probably thought something's up, something's not.

[00:17:48] The drivers clearly have instructions.

[00:17:51] And, you know, it doesn't matter what the weather is.

[00:17:53] Guys, in fact, in such kind of weather, the safety protocol has to work to its ultimate best.

[00:18:01] Not when it's a dry, bright race with the sun shining and everything is okay.

[00:18:05] I agree.

[00:18:06] A sporting penalty would have been the rightful thing.

[00:18:09] You can't infringe on a rule as dangerous as that.

[00:18:12] And you might just be saying, oh, they're drivers.

[00:18:14] They know what they're doing.

[00:18:15] But you never know.

[00:18:16] I mean, cases like Japan 2014 come in mind.

[00:18:18] Where you can have absolute control.

[00:18:20] Why not have absolute control over things like these?

[00:18:23] But I'm not sure what that sporting penalty should be, Sundaram.

[00:18:29] I'm confused.

[00:18:30] Maybe because there's no precedent to this, right?

[00:18:33] So it's like a very weird spot with no real guideline on just how bad the penalty for this should be.

[00:18:41] Because Alonso, not Alonso, Perez in Mexico, for being over the yellow line, Perez got five extra seconds.

[00:18:49] That's not dangerous.

[00:18:50] That's not a real competitive advantage.

[00:18:52] That's like a slap on the wrist basically saying, don't do it again.

[00:18:56] How do you rank this in your tier of penalties that way?

[00:18:59] Anything that is safety related is probably above a minor infringement.

[00:19:05] Sure, you can speed in the pit lane or you can do a jump start.

[00:19:09] Those are, you can say, advantages that they earn on track.

[00:19:12] All right.

[00:19:13] But the moment safety is involved, it has to be a serious penalty.

[00:19:16] And if there is no precedent, this has to be the precedent.

[00:19:19] The Sao Paulo Grand Prix should have been the precedent that if a driver does not have the presence of mind in such wet conditions,

[00:19:28] to look at what lights are actually present on the gantry.

[00:19:30] It was yellow rather than green.

[00:19:32] They all went for it.

[00:19:34] That presence of mind was there with very few drivers like Kunal said.

[00:19:38] And that should be, they should have set a precedent.

[00:19:41] And I would have, I was very surprised that they actually waited till the end of the race to eventually give a financial penalty of 5,000 euros.

[00:19:48] Shah Lukhler got 10,000 euros for swearing in the press conference.

[00:19:51] All right.

[00:19:52] So it doesn't really make sense.

[00:19:53] The least I was expecting was a 10 second penalty or a 20 second penalty in the final classification.

[00:19:59] But then just getting away with the 5,000 penalties, they're very lucky in that regard.

[00:20:03] I think there's a fair bit of luck that went Lando Norris' way as well.

[00:20:07] No talent there, but a lot of luck.

[00:20:10] In fact, lack of talent there.

[00:20:13] Lack of talent.

[00:20:14] Full of nerves, poor chap.

[00:20:16] I'm not trying to lash out on him.

[00:20:18] He's trying to win his first and probably only world championship, which of course has gone away from him even more so in Brazil.

[00:20:24] But, you know, and I get incensed about safety because not a lot of you know, but apart from driving cars, I've also, and I still sail boats.

[00:20:32] And it's, you know, whether it's fair weather or whether it's rough weather in the seas, you always follow the same protocol.

[00:20:44] There is a way you secure your life jacket.

[00:20:46] There is a way you secure your boat and your sails and your mast and your boom and your anchor and your mooring and everything.

[00:20:52] It doesn't change.

[00:20:55] You can't be like, oh, when it's Tommy, I will do something.

[00:20:58] And when it's, it's just how it goes.

[00:21:00] And anyway, that's just Lando Norris.

[00:21:03] Nothing against him, but just against what the hell the FIA was thinking when they just had such a lenient penalty to give.

[00:21:11] And this is why the questions then get asked.

[00:21:13] Do the FIA just want a different winner?

[00:21:14] So many people in my Twitter mentions are like, well, why are you supporting Max?

[00:21:19] And I said, I'm not supporting Max.

[00:21:20] I just want the best driver to win.

[00:21:22] Clearly, it seems like it's Max Verstappen, right?

[00:21:25] But, oh, no, we just want a new driver to win.

[00:21:28] We just want to, but that's not how it goes in sport.

[00:21:30] I mean, that's not how it should be.

[00:21:32] Just because you want a new winner doesn't mean you get a new winner.

[00:21:36] The best man win.

[00:21:37] May the best man win.

[00:21:38] That's the way to settle this.

[00:21:41] Go watch Big Brother if you want to.

[00:21:43] Don't come here.

[00:21:44] If you want to, you want to go there.

[00:21:46] And people are very furious with the penalty that they dished out for Max Verstappen in the sprint as well.

[00:21:51] This is the thing that Formula One is such a complex sport at times that you really need to read the document to understand what the explanation is.

[00:21:59] And it was a valid penalty.

[00:22:01] They said a lot of things have to be black and white.

[00:22:03] There was nothing more black and white than that infringement that Max Verstappen did in the sprint.

[00:22:09] He has to stay below a certain or he has to be above a certain delta time.

[00:22:13] And he wasn't.

[00:22:14] He had less than a second of an advantage.

[00:22:16] But then you get penalized for a lot lesser in Formula One.

[00:22:20] It's all about margins.

[00:22:23] How many millimeters did Lewis Hamilton have of the rear wing in Sao Paulo 2021?

[00:22:29] 0.2 or 0.02 millimeters?

[00:22:31] He was penalized.

[00:22:33] You get penalized even for the smallest of margins.

[00:22:36] And sometimes the FIA does get it right.

[00:22:38] I think they got it right in Mexico in terms of the penalties they gave.

[00:22:41] They got it right in the sprint.

[00:22:43] But then they went four places back.

[00:22:45] Four steps back with all the delays that they did with the timing of the VSCs, the SCs, maybe the red flag.

[00:22:50] Like, it's not a case of the FIA not being efficient.

[00:22:54] Rather inconsistent more than anything else.

[00:22:57] Wait.

[00:22:58] I need to step in and be the FIA of this podcast.

[00:23:01] We haven't introduced ourselves, guys.

[00:23:03] And we still need to talk a lot about Alpine and all the craziness that's happened below them.

[00:23:09] Particularly about McLaren.

[00:23:10] Particularly about Ferrari.

[00:23:12] And just what the hell happened to them this weekend?

[00:23:15] Like, where were they?

[00:23:16] We will get to that.

[00:23:18] We will also sympathize with Haas.

[00:23:20] But this is us on the Inside Line F1 podcast.

[00:23:22] There's Kunal, Mithila, myself and F1 Stats Guru.

[00:23:27] We need to do a very quick round of introductions, guys.

[00:23:30] Quick because there are big stories to cover.

[00:23:33] But I think, yeah, which one are we starting out with first?

[00:23:36] There's Kunal.

[00:23:36] I'll keep it short.

[00:23:38] But this guy is going to be on your TV screens if you're in Norway.

[00:23:41] Or if you use a VPN.

[00:23:42] And try to watch the Formula 1 coverage there.

[00:23:45] He's the F1 expert for ViPlay.

[00:23:46] And was the former marketing head of Force India.

[00:23:49] The man who started the podcast.

[00:23:51] Okay, who's next?

[00:23:52] Next is Somal.

[00:23:53] So, the main host of the Inside Line podcast for the last 300 episodes.

[00:23:58] And he's been the mainstay of the podcast for a very, very long time.

[00:24:02] And I can finally rephrase myself.

[00:24:04] Somal Arora is not 20 anymore.

[00:24:06] He's just celebrating his birthday today.

[00:24:08] So, happy birthday, Somal.

[00:24:09] He's finally turned 21.

[00:24:11] Legal drinking age in India.

[00:24:13] But yes, he's done a lot of work in motorsport.

[00:24:16] Especially in MotoGP, Formula E as well.

[00:24:18] And he's also with me in the comms room at the Indian Racing League and the Indian F4 Championship.

[00:24:23] If you want to talk about talented motorsport commentators, Somal's name ranks at the very top over there.

[00:24:28] Next is...

[00:24:30] Oi!

[00:24:31] Yeah, there we go.

[00:24:32] So, from working with talented drivers to talented broadcasters like Somal to talented creators like Sundaram.

[00:24:40] Who, of course, we all know as F1 Stats Crew.

[00:24:42] One of the best and the most engaged stats profile on the internet.

[00:24:49] And my favorite line to introduce you, Sundaram, is everyone's consumed your stats either officially, legally, or illegally.

[00:24:56] A lot of people steal your stats and then just paste them as their own.

[00:25:01] But Sundaram's stats have been consumed by viewers on Sky Sports, BBC, Rides for the Race, Motorsport.com, Motorsport and the likes.

[00:25:13] And along with Somal and Sundaram, I'm very privileged that the next gen wave of motorsport talents in India, I get to work closely with them as well.

[00:25:23] Thank you.

[00:25:23] Okay, then.

[00:25:25] Okay, then, guys.

[00:25:26] We have a lot to get to.

[00:25:29] That's us.

[00:25:31] And here's what we are going to talk about.

[00:25:34] Okay, one sec.

[00:25:35] Let me think about what's the bigger story here.

[00:25:38] Is it Ferrari?

[00:25:39] While you get there, I think Sundaram has a trivia he wants to ask.

[00:25:43] So, while you search for your next point, why don't we just let the floor for Sundaram?

[00:25:48] Okay, so I think this is one of those races where...

[00:25:51] I know Max Verstappen's come into those races with a lot of questioning about his ethics and his driving style.

[00:25:57] But then he's actually kind of come back with a race which would demand respect regardless of what your fan base is.

[00:26:04] It's been one of those races that you can't ignore and say that it was all luck.

[00:26:09] But it's one of those races that you really, really have to respect.

[00:26:12] And for that respect, I think people did give him the driver of the day.

[00:26:16] All right.

[00:26:17] Can you remember the last time Max Verstappen was the driver of the day?

[00:26:21] Oh, Spanish GP or...

[00:26:25] Wait a minute.

[00:26:26] Take your guesses.

[00:26:27] Take your guesses.

[00:26:29] 2021?

[00:26:30] That's a long time.

[00:26:30] No, no.

[00:26:30] He's been the driver of the day after that as well.

[00:26:35] Suzuka 2022?

[00:26:36] No, surely not, man.

[00:26:37] Surely not.

[00:26:38] Okay.

[00:26:39] So this is the first driver of the day for Max Verstappen in 31 races.

[00:26:44] In 434 days.

[00:26:47] And in that span, he's won 17 races.

[00:26:50] He's never been the driver of the day in the last year, year and a half.

[00:26:54] And finally, when he wins from P17 to P1, he kind of says, you know, you can't give it to anyone else.

[00:27:00] It has to be me.

[00:27:02] So yes, the driver of the day, Max Verstappen, finally got a driver of the day.

[00:27:06] He'll be very, very happy with that.

[00:27:07] But then also the triple header.

[00:27:09] So Max Verstappen win.

[00:27:10] We've had 12 triple headers in Formula 1.

[00:27:13] And all of them have had at least a Hamilton win or a Verstappen win.

[00:27:18] We've never had a triple header without either of those two drivers winning.

[00:27:21] And the next three set of races are also a triple header.

[00:27:25] So my prediction in the preview was based on that fact as well.

[00:27:29] That I just feel Verstappen is going to be winning this.

[00:27:32] And yeah, he's managed to maintain that streak.

[00:27:34] Let's see if we can do that in the next three races as well.

[00:27:37] That's insane, man.

[00:27:38] That's insane.

[00:27:39] But there's some numerology at work.

[00:27:41] I think the red flag that came out was on lap 33 for driver number 33.

[00:27:46] Wasn't it?

[00:27:47] If I remember correctly.

[00:27:49] How many fastest laps did Max Verstappen have right now?

[00:27:52] 33.

[00:27:53] Ah, there we go.

[00:27:58] Crazy.

[00:27:58] What is next?

[00:28:00] What is next?

[00:28:02] I think next up is probably going to be the most painful day possible ever for Haas.

[00:28:11] I think it's going to be worse than those days when Haas saw both of their cars in P5 and P6 and then suddenly both Krojorn and Magnussen bottled it.

[00:28:20] I think it's going to be worse than the days when Schumacher and Mazepin used to trash their car on the first couple of laps.

[00:28:27] This one's going to hurt quite a lot.

[00:28:29] Particularly because there's lots of good happening before the bad has struck them.

[00:28:34] Up until this race, I think they were running P6 for almost half the season.

[00:28:39] They had accumulated so many incredible performances and very consistent results to get one or sometimes both of their cars in their points.

[00:28:48] And then they were running 6th for the first time in ages.

[00:28:51] I think 2018 was the last time they were as high up.

[00:28:55] Incredible, right?

[00:28:56] After a first year of a management change.

[00:28:58] Then on one day, Sudaram, one day, they end up seeing Alpine jump them and two other teams by just one crazy memorable performance.

[00:29:09] And in that one day, the impact on the Constructors' Championship prize pool,

[00:29:14] Alpine, are earning provisionally, they need to keep it, an extra $26 million.

[00:29:20] That's 19% of your budget cap.

[00:29:23] 19 or 13 somewhere.

[00:29:25] My math is somewhere wrong.

[00:29:26] But yeah, what an incredible performance that is.

[00:29:28] That's a massive upswing because Alpine were P9 in the championship before Sunday.

[00:29:36] They had 14 points and they scored a total of 35 points in this race weekend itself.

[00:29:41] They leapfrogged the likes of, they leapfrogged, of course, Williams, RB and Haas.

[00:29:49] And they've made the way up to P6 and they have a very slight advantage of three points.

[00:29:54] But that's the thing.

[00:29:55] When I was, I attended the Barrington Grand Prix this season, both these cars, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly,

[00:30:01] they qualified P19 and P20, the back of the grid.

[00:30:05] They finished the race P17 and P18.

[00:30:08] That's how the season started.

[00:30:10] I don't know, we've taken lots and lots of digs at Alpine for the management shuffles and not being consistent.

[00:30:16] The works team that did not do well.

[00:30:18] Surprisingly, this works team has a double podium.

[00:30:21] The only works team to not have a podium this year is Mercedes.

[00:30:28] The customer team has a double podium.

[00:30:30] Mercedes as a works team does not have a double podium.

[00:30:33] So Alpine, I'm sure, has been listening into our podcast and saying, you know, Somal and Sundaram,

[00:30:37] they keep saying that we are probably not utilizing our works team status properly.

[00:30:42] And, you know, we're going to come back with a double podium.

[00:30:46] But in all seriousness, it's not a case where the weather just benefited them.

[00:30:53] I think they really, really put themselves in a very good position.

[00:30:56] They had the right sort of car setup for the wet.

[00:30:59] And Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly has been in incredible form the last four races, putting it in the points.

[00:31:05] Esteban Ocon literally had the pace to be on the front row or even put the car on pole position if Lando or Oscar had made a mistake.

[00:31:12] But it was impressive.

[00:31:15] So you can't say that this was a chance double podium.

[00:31:18] They truly earned it, put themselves in the right place, did not make a mistake.

[00:31:23] And they rightly go home with 35 points.

[00:31:26] And hopefully they'll take more than a couple of millions that they were initially expected.

[00:31:30] More than a couple?

[00:31:31] That's like more than a couple of tens of millions.

[00:31:35] But I love that we are able to showcase why the Constructors Championship is called the business of the championship.

[00:31:44] Okay.

[00:31:44] Of course, like Somal said, it's provisional because they need to hold on to P6.

[00:31:50] I get a feeling Haas with their consistency is just going to pull those points away.

[00:31:55] And this was one of those Tukka results that they got.

[00:31:59] And it's a massive one.

[00:32:00] And I think Alpine left Sao Paulo as the team with maximum points in the Constructors Championship.

[00:32:08] They outscored all the other nine teams.

[00:32:11] I think 35 points to Alpine, Red Bull had 32 and McLaren had 27.

[00:32:16] Yeah.

[00:32:16] So that's how well Alpine went this weekend.

[00:32:20] And great story for Alpine, for Flavio Briatore, for Esteban, who's leaving the team, of course, and for Pierre as well.

[00:32:28] Because, you know, these are the kind of days that the minnows of Formula 1, and I'm going to call them a minnow this time.

[00:32:36] These are the kind of days the minnows of Formula 1 actually continue to race around, even if they are, like you said, Sundaram 19th and 18th and 17th or whatever,

[00:32:45] with that hope that there will be that one race where Rain plays the equalizer.

[00:32:50] And they will just suddenly be able to grab a result which will, you know, help them, help the team, help Formula 1.

[00:32:58] And I know we say Rain is an equalizer, but so long as Max Verstappen races, I think the Rain is not an equalizer.

[00:33:05] I think Max Verstappen just takes half a step ahead of the rest when it comes to these kind of conditions.

[00:33:12] And I'm just sort of like I tweeted.

[00:33:14] Max Verstappen needs to be celebrated for what he's doing in Formula 1.

[00:33:18] He's not going to be around for the next 20 years doing this.

[00:33:21] So let's celebrate while the driver races.

[00:33:26] Exactly.

[00:33:26] And it's such a good look for Esteban's career as well, because there's also been a lot of fingers pointed at him for what he did in Monaco.

[00:33:34] Aggressive driving, not being the team player with Pierre Gasly and having a slump of results as well in the last couple of races.

[00:33:41] Pierre Gasly has quite clearly overshadowed him.

[00:33:43] But if he's gone on to show that, you know, I can definitely race in the rain.

[00:33:47] And he'll probably take one of my stats along with him too for future presentations with other Formula 1 teams.

[00:33:53] You know, after 21 races of the 2024 Championship, I have led more laps this season than Sergio Perez.

[00:33:59] Then you need to give me a drive in that car, sir.

[00:34:02] He's definitely going to take that and use it in one of his PBTs.

[00:34:05] But it's good to see him ending on a high with Alpine.

[00:34:09] And probably, hopefully the next couple of seasons are a lot more positive for him.

[00:34:13] I want to bring out two stories before we move to something else.

[00:34:17] First thing, Sundaram, I want you to dig up on a stat.

[00:34:20] It's going to be very hard to find.

[00:34:22] But has any team in Formula 1 history ever gained three positions in the Constructors' Championship in one day,

[00:34:29] this late in the Championship?

[00:34:31] Like around 21 or whatever it might be.

[00:34:33] Or proportionately in 87 or 86% of the season being done.

[00:34:36] Whatever the number might be.

[00:34:38] I doubt it.

[00:34:39] I don't think that must have ever happened.

[00:34:41] That you get three big positions in just one race.

[00:34:45] That's insane.

[00:34:46] That's one.

[00:34:47] But secondly, there's a beautiful interview that's doing the rounds.

[00:34:51] Esteban O'Connor and Pierre Gasly both were called upon to an interview.

[00:34:55] In fact, Esteban called Pierre to come with him.

[00:34:59] And they just started talking and cheering about the race that just went by.

[00:35:03] And it's such a beautiful story.

[00:35:04] They finally, I wouldn't say became friends, but they shared such an emotional moment with each other

[00:35:10] where they were genuinely proud of their journey.

[00:35:12] Because you could see that.

[00:35:14] They've been coming together from the same place at the same time.

[00:35:17] And they're almost always competing for the same thing.

[00:35:20] So naturally, there's meant to be some degree of animosity against each other,

[00:35:23] even though you're now teammates in the same team.

[00:35:25] But then that one final joint effort, even though they might be the biggest rivals, Kunal,

[00:35:30] the fact that they are so similar in their journeys and they get to share such a wonderful podium together.

[00:35:35] I think it's a genuinely special story in Formula 1, especially for France,

[00:35:40] who have barely had any drivers in Formula 1 recently.

[00:35:42] Barely had any drivers.

[00:35:44] The French Ferrari has been a failure more than anything.

[00:35:47] Now they've got an Italian leading the team.

[00:35:48] I mean, Pierre Gasly in that interview, the joint interview they did on Wireplay,

[00:35:53] Netherlands actually.

[00:35:54] It's my colleagues from Netherlands who had him there.

[00:35:56] And Pierre Gasly actually said, I hope Flavio seeing this sitting at home is going to be proud of what we've done.

[00:36:01] So clearly, everyone knows who the boss there in that team is.

[00:36:06] But it's always beautiful to see such stories come out from any sport.

[00:36:12] And given what these two guys have shared together, their friendship, their rivalry,

[00:36:16] then back to force to being teammates,

[00:36:19] and now lovingly sharing a podium, it couldn't have,

[00:36:23] the culmination of the story couldn't have been better.

[00:36:26] And, you know, I'm sure on one hand, Esteban is really looking forward to racing that Haas,

[00:36:31] which he in fact does just after Abu Dhabi in the Pirelli tire test.

[00:36:35] He doesn't have to wait till next year to get into the car,

[00:36:38] say like Carlos Sainz or Lewis Hamilton because of commercial reasons.

[00:36:41] But to see Esteban Ocon do so well in these conditions,

[00:36:47] and he's always gone well in these conditions,

[00:36:50] is yet more proof that, you know,

[00:36:53] when you're looking for a driver to cheer for,

[00:36:55] look even outside of the top teams because there are drivers in other teams,

[00:36:58] they're just there because they, like we spoke of luck,

[00:37:01] they just weren't lucky enough to get a break.

[00:37:03] And Esteban's case of luck is interesting.

[00:37:05] He's managed by Gwen Legrue, the talent development manager for Mercedes,

[00:37:12] which technically means he is a Mercedes junior,

[00:37:14] and he was a Mercedes junior.

[00:37:16] It's just that when he was up for a promotion,

[00:37:19] there was both us and Lewis Hamilton there.

[00:37:22] And then by the time they had to, you know,

[00:37:24] give him a place somewhere else,

[00:37:26] there was George Russell ready to join the wings,

[00:37:29] and he just didn't get a shot at Mercedes.

[00:37:31] So things can always go one way or the other,

[00:37:33] and the way they just persevere and still continue to race in Formula One

[00:37:37] is the beautiful story here.

[00:37:40] And probably extending from that point,

[00:37:42] you know, the first feelings of emotion that I had after the race yesterday

[00:37:46] is, and this was very instinctive,

[00:37:48] I felt this is probably the best season of the hybrid era,

[00:37:52] not for the championship battle,

[00:37:54] because in the hybrid era,

[00:37:57] the seasons or the best seasons have always been about the championship battle,

[00:38:00] Hamilton-Rosberg, Hamilton-Sebaston battle,

[00:38:03] Max and Leclerc 2022,

[00:38:05] whatever little championship battle it was,

[00:38:08] and of course 2021,

[00:38:09] one of the all-time great seasons.

[00:38:11] But I think 2024 in that regard

[00:38:15] is not the best championship battle,

[00:38:16] but it has been a very good season in that regard.

[00:38:19] And it's given something for every single fan base.

[00:38:23] It's a world championship, of course,

[00:38:24] and it's a world series,

[00:38:26] but it's given something for the Britishers,

[00:38:28] it's given something for the Italians,

[00:38:30] for the French now,

[00:38:31] for the Americans.

[00:38:33] Five to six different teams having their highs,

[00:38:35] five to six different teams having their lows,

[00:38:37] coming back,

[00:38:38] and giving everyone so much to celebrate about the sport.

[00:38:41] I definitely feel this is one of the best seasons in the last decade,

[00:38:44] or probably the best.

[00:38:46] I'm forced to come back to China 2024,

[00:38:48] which means that F1 in advance knew

[00:38:50] that that's the only thing they're going to get to celebrate,

[00:38:53] which is why they gave Zhou the applause.

[00:38:55] I'm still not over it.

[00:38:57] I don't...

[00:38:58] Because you're right,

[00:38:59] every team has had something to celebrate,

[00:39:02] barring them.

[00:39:03] Yes, exactly.

[00:39:04] That is the only thing they celebrated.

[00:39:05] You're right.

[00:39:06] I was wondering what did Sauber celebrate.

[00:39:07] That is the only thing they celebrated this year.

[00:39:10] The racing gods have been unkind to them, Kunal.

[00:39:13] Like, whatever they give it to everyone else,

[00:39:15] it's like they've taken it from Sauber.

[00:39:17] All of it.

[00:39:19] But this weekend has something more to celebrate, though.

[00:39:21] Bottas 13th in one of the qualifierings.

[00:39:23] He was running very high up until everything happened.

[00:39:27] But another thing to celebrate,

[00:39:29] Zhou Goanyu kept on being...

[00:39:30] Kept on getting multiple overtakes in the sprint and the main race.

[00:39:34] Because Bear just kept on going behind him.

[00:39:36] And they just kept on coming back.

[00:39:38] And they just kept on going back.

[00:39:40] I saw that happening three or four times.

[00:39:42] But that reminds me,

[00:39:43] I also got my prediction right.

[00:39:45] If not on Sunday,

[00:39:46] it was on the Friday.

[00:39:47] Because I said,

[00:39:48] Zhou will be the last in qualifying,

[00:39:50] which he was.

[00:39:51] And then I also said,

[00:39:52] Oscar Piastri will finish out of Lando Norris.

[00:39:54] Which, by the way,

[00:39:55] in the sprint,

[00:39:56] he almost did.

[00:39:58] Till he was forced to give DRS to Lando

[00:40:01] and then swap positions

[00:40:02] and whatever else to Lando Norris.

[00:40:05] But anyway,

[00:40:06] that's just how it goes with McLaren.

[00:40:07] I'm sure he's the one who's glad that

[00:40:09] finally Max is one

[00:40:11] and this whole drama

[00:40:15] around

[00:40:17] Piastri needing to help Lando Norris

[00:40:19] each time he's out on track.

[00:40:21] And then he gets to just drive his race.

[00:40:24] Because this takes me on to

[00:40:25] one of the other things

[00:40:26] Max Verstappen needs to be celebrated for,

[00:40:28] which is

[00:40:30] the whole take

[00:40:32] on the British

[00:40:33] bias

[00:40:34] in the media.

[00:40:36] We've seen Sebastian Vettel

[00:40:37] say this.

[00:40:38] We've seen Fernando Alonso say this.

[00:40:42] But nobody has been more vocal about this

[00:40:46] than Max Verstappen.

[00:40:47] Right?

[00:40:48] And I saw Will Buxton

[00:40:49] coming to his support

[00:40:51] and whatever.

[00:40:52] Not his,

[00:40:52] but support of the British journalists.

[00:40:54] And I mean,

[00:40:55] you know,

[00:40:55] is there a bias?

[00:40:56] I don't think so.

[00:40:57] But let's remember,

[00:40:59] writing stories about Max Verstappen

[00:41:00] is not going to get the British readers

[00:41:02] to come.

[00:41:02] Right?

[00:41:04] It is writing stories

[00:41:05] about the British rivals

[00:41:06] that is going to get them to come.

[00:41:07] So it's how it works

[00:41:09] both ways,

[00:41:09] I guess.

[00:41:10] Didn't we have Max Verstappen

[00:41:12] also asking

[00:41:13] at the post-race press conference

[00:41:14] where all the British journalists were?

[00:41:16] Because there was no British driver

[00:41:18] on the podium?

[00:41:19] Is that true, Kunal?

[00:41:21] Were there no British journalists there?

[00:41:23] I mean,

[00:41:24] it's difficult to say

[00:41:25] because they don't pan the camera there.

[00:41:27] But seemingly,

[00:41:29] Pierre Gasly

[00:41:29] tend to agree with Max

[00:41:32] at that time.

[00:41:33] Yeah,

[00:41:33] saying,

[00:41:33] where are those guys?

[00:41:34] Which is,

[00:41:34] I mean,

[00:41:35] I know how it also works.

[00:41:38] Like,

[00:41:38] every time

[00:41:39] a press conference happens,

[00:41:41] you just get

[00:41:42] a fully transcribed

[00:41:44] press conference interview

[00:41:46] which you can use

[00:41:47] in your official quotes.

[00:41:48] Okay?

[00:41:49] So this means that

[00:41:50] if you're running

[00:41:51] after the British drivers

[00:41:52] who are not in the press conference

[00:41:54] but are in the driver's pen

[00:41:55] or the,

[00:41:55] you know,

[00:41:56] team principals

[00:41:57] in the media pen,

[00:41:59] you just have to choose.

[00:42:00] Like,

[00:42:00] where will you go?

[00:42:01] Or sometimes,

[00:42:02] you know,

[00:42:02] even journalists

[00:42:04] have a group

[00:42:04] saying,

[00:42:05] okay,

[00:42:05] Samuel,

[00:42:05] why don't you go meet Toto

[00:42:06] and I'll go meet Christian

[00:42:07] and Sundaram,

[00:42:08] you go meet Frederick Basu

[00:42:10] because they all don't

[00:42:11] sync up saying,

[00:42:12] okay,

[00:42:12] if Toto is speaking now,

[00:42:13] I will not speak.

[00:42:14] And if,

[00:42:15] you know,

[00:42:15] they all just decide,

[00:42:17] okay,

[00:42:17] I'm ready to speak.

[00:42:18] And,

[00:42:18] you know,

[00:42:19] they just go from one

[00:42:21] media scribe

[00:42:22] or media pen

[00:42:23] or media gathering

[00:42:24] to another.

[00:42:24] So then journalists

[00:42:26] just team up.

[00:42:26] But yeah,

[00:42:27] seemingly,

[00:42:27] Max would know

[00:42:28] who his British journalists

[00:42:29] are for him

[00:42:30] to take target on them.

[00:42:32] I mean,

[00:42:32] if he knew

[00:42:33] which driver was where

[00:42:34] in that rain

[00:42:35] and that foggy weather

[00:42:37] and lack of visibility

[00:42:39] on the track

[00:42:40] in Interlagos,

[00:42:41] he pretty well knew

[00:42:42] where those British journalists

[00:42:43] were or were not

[00:42:44] in that press conference room.

[00:42:47] And he also knew

[00:42:48] that you can't go

[00:42:49] on an aborted start.

[00:42:51] And he also knew

[00:42:52] how much you can push

[00:42:53] someone at the apex.

[00:42:55] He also knew

[00:42:55] which team to choose initially,

[00:42:57] Red Bull or Mercedes.

[00:42:58] In his development part.

[00:42:59] This guy's too smart, man.

[00:43:02] This is,

[00:43:03] Max is something else.

[00:43:04] He is something else.

[00:43:06] He is.

[00:43:07] And just to go back

[00:43:08] to Sundaram's message

[00:43:10] about,

[00:43:11] this is why I love 2024.

[00:43:13] And when last was

[00:43:14] Formula 1 so unpredictable?

[00:43:16] We all thought,

[00:43:17] oh, Ferrari's on a triple

[00:43:19] race winning streak

[00:43:20] and guess what?

[00:43:21] Ferrari was nowhere.

[00:43:22] Carlos signs in the barrier

[00:43:24] two times over.

[00:43:25] No, no, no, no.

[00:43:26] Yeah,

[00:43:27] that was your prediction.

[00:43:28] We're not talking about this.

[00:43:29] We're not talking about this.

[00:43:31] Come on.

[00:43:31] Then we thought,

[00:43:31] look, even Williams

[00:43:32] had a bad day.

[00:43:33] You don't bring them up.

[00:43:34] Don't bring Carlos.

[00:43:35] I did.

[00:43:35] Anyway,

[00:43:36] then we said,

[00:43:37] oh, Mercedes has gone well

[00:43:38] here in 22 and 23.

[00:43:39] They'll do well.

[00:43:40] Mercedes was horrible.

[00:43:41] And I don't know

[00:43:42] if you guys saw this,

[00:43:43] but the only car

[00:43:44] from which I could see

[00:43:46] sparks while they were racing

[00:43:48] was Mercedes.

[00:43:49] Yeah.

[00:43:49] Yeah.

[00:43:50] And there we go.

[00:43:51] Carlos signs in the barrier

[00:43:52] two times.

[00:43:53] Poor lad.

[00:43:54] Costing Ferrari

[00:43:56] the constructors

[00:43:57] gap to McLaren.

[00:43:59] But anyway,

[00:44:00] I think Mercedes

[00:44:01] was just not in the window

[00:44:03] didn't have the balance,

[00:44:03] but they were also

[00:44:04] running extremely low.

[00:44:05] And in terms of setup,

[00:44:07] what you normally do

[00:44:08] in wet conditions

[00:44:10] is you raise the car up

[00:44:11] because it is water

[00:44:12] and not air

[00:44:13] that you're also contending with.

[00:44:15] But Mercedes

[00:44:16] was the only car.

[00:44:17] I remember when they were

[00:44:19] showing the cars

[00:44:20] going up the hill

[00:44:21] into turn one,

[00:44:22] I could see sparks.

[00:44:23] And that was the only car

[00:44:24] I saw sparks from.

[00:44:26] And now that I think of it,

[00:44:27] maybe we should also check

[00:44:28] if Fernando Alonso's car

[00:44:29] was sparking

[00:44:30] because he poor lad

[00:44:31] had back issues

[00:44:33] and he said,

[00:44:34] I'm going to just finish

[00:44:35] the race for the boys

[00:44:36] and girls

[00:44:36] and the mechanics.

[00:44:37] They've done a very hard job,

[00:44:38] et cetera.

[00:44:39] But he had to be helped

[00:44:41] out of the car

[00:44:42] after the race.

[00:44:44] It's not a good look,

[00:44:45] especially because

[00:44:46] being a Fernando Alonso fan,

[00:44:49] I knew at the moment

[00:44:50] he actually slipped out

[00:44:51] of the top 10.

[00:44:52] He's actually going to get

[00:44:53] back into the pits

[00:44:54] and just retire the car.

[00:44:55] This is typical Fernando.

[00:44:57] If he can't fight for points,

[00:44:58] he's not going to fight at all.

[00:44:59] But then still,

[00:45:00] he came out with

[00:45:01] a very heartwarming message

[00:45:02] saying that I'm going to do this

[00:45:03] for the mechanics,

[00:45:04] for all the hard work

[00:45:05] and effort that they put in

[00:45:07] to make sure

[00:45:07] that we have a racing car.

[00:45:09] But yes,

[00:45:10] it was not a good look

[00:45:11] at the end

[00:45:12] that he had to be helped

[00:45:12] out of the car

[00:45:13] because he had

[00:45:14] severe back issues

[00:45:15] and that's something

[00:45:16] which even Hamilton

[00:45:16] has been complaining about.

[00:45:18] In fact,

[00:45:19] that slide you just put up,

[00:45:21] Yuki Tsunoda

[00:45:22] and Racing Bulls,

[00:45:23] Liam Lawson,

[00:45:24] Yuki was also P3

[00:45:27] in qualifying,

[00:45:28] sprint qualifying,

[00:45:29] wasn't he?

[00:45:29] I think that was fantastic.

[00:45:32] He was what?

[00:45:33] Third?

[00:45:33] Yeah,

[00:45:34] third in main GP qualifying.

[00:45:35] Not even the sprint race.

[00:45:37] Yeah,

[00:45:37] yeah,

[00:45:37] yeah.

[00:45:38] Yeah,

[00:45:38] exactly.

[00:45:39] Yeah.

[00:45:40] So,

[00:45:41] he was definitely there.

[00:45:44] And are we bashing Lando

[00:45:46] for what he's actually spoken

[00:45:48] to about Max

[00:45:50] with that whole

[00:45:50] just luck,

[00:45:52] no talent

[00:45:52] or have we done?

[00:45:53] I think we've done that.

[00:45:55] Because,

[00:45:56] because,

[00:45:57] I mean,

[00:45:58] even in terms of the championship,

[00:45:59] it's very bitter

[00:46:00] because I think he realized

[00:46:01] that he's lost the championship

[00:46:02] from,

[00:46:03] I think,

[00:46:04] a 47 point lead

[00:46:05] or 44 point lead

[00:46:06] after the sprint.

[00:46:08] It's not gone to 62.

[00:46:10] So,

[00:46:11] he really just needs to,

[00:46:12] he has to outscore Max

[00:46:14] by three points

[00:46:15] in the next race.

[00:46:16] Otherwise,

[00:46:17] Max Verstappen

[00:46:18] is going to be

[00:46:19] crowned world champion

[00:46:19] in Las Vegas

[00:46:20] of all places.

[00:46:22] Yeah.

[00:46:23] Las Vegas,

[00:46:24] right?

[00:46:24] The best place

[00:46:24] to probably get,

[00:46:27] have a party,

[00:46:28] have an after party.

[00:46:30] Yeah.

[00:46:30] But we should,

[00:46:31] we should,

[00:46:31] Samuel,

[00:46:32] if you just show

[00:46:32] slide 13,

[00:46:34] this is,

[00:46:35] let's just put

[00:46:37] no talent

[00:46:38] on the table here.

[00:46:40] This is that picture

[00:46:41] which defines

[00:46:41] the world championship.

[00:46:43] Okay.

[00:46:43] This is at the restart.

[00:46:46] Max Verstappen,

[00:46:47] everyone else

[00:46:47] and Lando Norris

[00:46:48] is off track.

[00:46:51] He's,

[00:46:51] he's out there.

[00:46:52] Outbraked himself

[00:46:53] in the wet.

[00:46:54] He's had that mistake

[00:46:55] fighting Charles

[00:46:56] or whatever.

[00:46:57] And,

[00:46:57] and that picture,

[00:46:58] Lando's off track.

[00:47:00] This,

[00:47:00] you know,

[00:47:01] whoever talks of

[00:47:02] no talent

[00:47:02] in these conditions

[00:47:04] should show Lando

[00:47:05] this picture.

[00:47:06] Okay.

[00:47:07] That,

[00:47:08] Kunal's not holding back

[00:47:09] today.

[00:47:10] He's not holding back

[00:47:11] at all.

[00:47:13] Yeah.

[00:47:13] I think that whole

[00:47:14] bitterness,

[00:47:15] you know,

[00:47:16] I don't know.

[00:47:17] I mean,

[00:47:17] he's,

[00:47:17] he's always a very

[00:47:18] cocky-ish,

[00:47:19] like always a funny chap.

[00:47:21] But I think he's

[00:47:22] going to have to come

[00:47:23] out of the next few days

[00:47:24] and clarify himself.

[00:47:25] And I love that there

[00:47:26] are those two Alpines

[00:47:27] there,

[00:47:27] which by the way,

[00:47:28] if y'all,

[00:47:28] if y'all saw Esteban Ocon,

[00:47:30] he put an alarm for

[00:47:31] 431.

[00:47:32] So that's what actually

[00:47:33] worked in his favor,

[00:47:34] that extra one that he

[00:47:36] put for Shagun or

[00:47:38] good omen,

[00:47:39] as we say in India.

[00:47:40] That's what actually

[00:47:41] got him the great

[00:47:42] qualifying and then

[00:47:44] the massive race

[00:47:45] result as well.

[00:47:46] But to end,

[00:47:47] guys,

[00:47:47] I think we need to

[00:47:49] just talk about

[00:47:50] Ferrari and what

[00:47:51] happened here.

[00:47:52] Because it's genuinely

[00:47:54] such a big thing,

[00:47:54] right?

[00:47:55] I know it doesn't

[00:47:56] come out as a very

[00:47:56] surprising story if

[00:47:57] you've watched the

[00:47:58] entire weekend.

[00:47:59] Because by the time

[00:48:00] we came to Friday

[00:48:01] evening,

[00:48:01] you kind of accepted

[00:48:02] what was happening

[00:48:03] after we saw

[00:48:05] sprint and then

[00:48:05] sprint qualifying

[00:48:07] and then sprint.

[00:48:07] You kind of accepted

[00:48:08] that Ferrari weren't

[00:48:09] good here.

[00:48:10] But let's get down to

[00:48:11] why they weren't

[00:48:12] particularly good.

[00:48:13] It seemed to me,

[00:48:14] Sundaram,

[00:48:15] like a mix of

[00:48:16] so many things.

[00:48:16] Like firstly,

[00:48:18] when it was dry,

[00:48:20] I'm not sure if it

[00:48:21] was the deck,

[00:48:21] but Leclerc was

[00:48:22] making so many

[00:48:22] mistakes compared to

[00:48:23] Max and Sainz was

[00:48:24] just nowhere all in

[00:48:25] all.

[00:48:26] Maybe something in

[00:48:26] the balance of the

[00:48:27] car changing.

[00:48:28] Maybe it just doesn't

[00:48:29] work within Delargos.

[00:48:30] That was one.

[00:48:31] And then in the wet

[00:48:32] they were nowhere,

[00:48:32] all of them.

[00:48:33] Maybe they just

[00:48:34] don't have that

[00:48:34] high downforce

[00:48:35] package like a

[00:48:37] Red Bull or a

[00:48:37] McLaren have in

[00:48:39] these conditions.

[00:48:39] Just hypothetically

[00:48:40] assuming, but

[00:48:41] could be anything.

[00:48:42] Yeah, no, but at

[00:48:42] least after Friday

[00:48:44] what it looked like

[00:48:45] that McLaren was

[00:48:46] the fastest in

[00:48:47] all areas.

[00:48:48] Ferrari was just

[00:48:48] about there,

[00:48:49] there or there

[00:48:49] about, and they

[00:48:50] were going to be

[00:48:51] the closest rival

[00:48:51] for them in the

[00:48:53] race.

[00:48:53] That's what everyone

[00:48:54] felt.

[00:48:54] But also because

[00:48:56] the track had been

[00:48:56] resurfaced, it was

[00:48:57] a lot more abrasive

[00:48:58] than previously.

[00:49:00] So there was a

[00:49:01] considerable amount

[00:49:01] of tire deck for

[00:49:03] not just Ferrari,

[00:49:04] but also the

[00:49:04] horse cars.

[00:49:05] You know, similar

[00:49:06] issues creeping back

[00:49:07] up all of a sudden.

[00:49:08] So there was

[00:49:09] definitely a lot of

[00:49:09] tire deck and not a

[00:49:11] lot of pace, which

[00:49:12] Charles himself

[00:49:12] said.

[00:49:13] But in the wet, it

[00:49:13] was ultimately who

[00:49:14] had the best setup

[00:49:16] for those conditions.

[00:49:17] As in McLaren, what

[00:49:18] they did is actually

[00:49:19] I think they got rid

[00:49:20] of their rear wing.

[00:49:22] They actually went

[00:49:23] with different wing

[00:49:25] setup for the race.

[00:49:26] And although they

[00:49:27] had so much of pace

[00:49:28] during the sprint,

[00:49:29] they didn't have a

[00:49:29] lot of pace in the

[00:49:31] rain, which is also

[00:49:31] why they could not

[00:49:33] overtake George

[00:49:34] Russell.

[00:49:34] George Russell had

[00:49:35] much better speed

[00:49:38] on the straights.

[00:49:39] McLaren did not.

[00:49:40] So ultimately, it's a

[00:49:41] case of having the

[00:49:42] right setup and

[00:49:43] making as few

[00:49:44] mistakes.

[00:49:45] And Leclerc was

[00:49:45] making a lot of

[00:49:46] mistakes in the dry

[00:49:47] and in the wet.

[00:49:48] Not a very good

[00:49:49] weekend for them in

[00:49:51] any way.

[00:49:51] Leclerc was making

[00:49:52] so many mistakes that

[00:49:54] Max had to go on

[00:49:55] his radio and point

[00:49:56] it out and say,

[00:49:58] come on, man,

[00:49:58] Charles, that's a

[00:49:59] lot of mistakes

[00:50:00] under braking.

[00:50:01] And in particular,

[00:50:02] what dogged

[00:50:04] Ferrari was that

[00:50:06] their rears were

[00:50:07] starting to open up.

[00:50:08] And that's what

[00:50:09] happened to a lot

[00:50:09] of teams.

[00:50:10] And I remember

[00:50:11] after Friday,

[00:50:12] Helmut Marko

[00:50:13] actually said,

[00:50:14] we've set up the

[00:50:14] car for the rain.

[00:50:15] And I said,

[00:50:15] what?

[00:50:16] What are you

[00:50:16] talking about?

[00:50:17] They were

[00:50:17] literally almost

[00:50:18] seemingly nowhere

[00:50:19] there.

[00:50:20] But guess what?

[00:50:21] The old man knew

[00:50:22] what he was

[00:50:22] talking about.

[00:50:23] He knew exactly

[00:50:24] that he was

[00:50:25] setting it up

[00:50:26] for the rain.

[00:50:27] And when you

[00:50:28] go to Ferrari,

[00:50:29] the interesting

[00:50:29] part was Carlos

[00:50:31] Sainz was pulled

[00:50:32] up for dangerous

[00:50:34] driving.

[00:50:36] when he was

[00:50:37] not even

[00:50:37] driving the

[00:50:38] car.

[00:50:39] He was in

[00:50:40] the car.

[00:50:41] Yeah,

[00:50:41] he was in

[00:50:42] the car.

[00:50:42] He removed

[00:50:43] his steering

[00:50:43] wheels.

[00:50:44] The marshals

[00:50:44] came to

[00:50:44] attend to

[00:50:45] him.

[00:50:45] Then the

[00:50:47] radio message

[00:50:48] on the team

[00:50:48] radio said,

[00:50:49] actually,

[00:50:50] the car is

[00:50:50] drivable.

[00:50:50] So he put

[00:50:51] the steering

[00:50:51] wheel back

[00:50:52] on and he

[00:50:52] tried to

[00:50:52] drive the

[00:50:53] car.

[00:50:55] Safety.

[00:50:55] Again,

[00:50:56] he's gotten

[00:50:57] a reprimand

[00:50:58] for it.

[00:50:59] But the fact

[00:51:00] is the driver

[00:51:01] moved the car

[00:51:02] while marshals

[00:51:03] were attempting

[00:51:03] recovery.

[00:51:04] This is what

[00:51:05] the official

[00:51:05] document states.

[00:51:07] They were

[00:51:08] getting ready

[00:51:08] to lift the

[00:51:09] car.

[00:51:09] They were

[00:51:09] getting ready

[00:51:10] to lift the

[00:51:10] car and

[00:51:10] signs without

[00:51:11] any communication

[00:51:12] to the marshals

[00:51:13] supposedly actually

[00:51:14] put the steering

[00:51:15] wheel in place

[00:51:16] and actually

[00:51:16] tried to turn

[00:51:17] on the car

[00:51:17] and get going.

[00:51:19] The interesting

[00:51:20] thing is they've

[00:51:21] given him a

[00:51:22] financial reprimand

[00:51:23] or a reprimand

[00:51:24] in general.

[00:51:25] And if you have

[00:51:25] four reprimands

[00:51:26] in a season,

[00:51:27] it then results

[00:51:27] in a 10-place

[00:51:28] great penalty

[00:51:29] for the next

[00:51:30] race.

[00:51:30] Which is again

[00:51:32] something really

[00:51:33] baffles me.

[00:51:33] When there is

[00:51:34] safety involved,

[00:51:35] you need to

[00:51:36] penalize the

[00:51:37] person in that

[00:51:38] very race.

[00:51:39] Not after four

[00:51:40] reprimands or

[00:51:41] in the next

[00:51:41] race.

[00:51:42] It's very

[00:51:42] baffling.

[00:51:43] But I think

[00:51:44] we've covered

[00:51:44] that enough

[00:51:45] earlier on.

[00:51:46] Okay then.

[00:51:47] One last note

[00:51:48] to end on.

[00:51:49] Sundaram,

[00:51:50] you had something

[00:51:51] in mind.

[00:51:51] It's a fun

[00:51:52] stat I'm hearing.

[00:51:54] Yeah,

[00:51:55] because Max,

[00:51:56] there was this

[00:51:57] one stat and

[00:51:58] I think it's a

[00:51:58] major stat.

[00:52:00] It totally got

[00:52:01] overshadowed amongst

[00:52:02] all that was

[00:52:03] happening on

[00:52:03] Saturday,

[00:52:04] Sunday,

[00:52:04] qualifying,

[00:52:05] lots of rain,

[00:52:06] lots of controversy

[00:52:07] about what the

[00:52:07] FIO was doing

[00:52:08] in terms of

[00:52:09] penalties.

[00:52:09] But Max

[00:52:10] Verstappen broke

[00:52:11] a huge record

[00:52:12] on Sunday.

[00:52:13] He broke

[00:52:13] Michael Schumacher's

[00:52:14] all-time record

[00:52:15] of most days

[00:52:17] as the

[00:52:18] championship

[00:52:19] leader.

[00:52:19] Most days

[00:52:20] at the top

[00:52:21] of the championship

[00:52:23] 897 days.

[00:52:24] Michael Schumacher

[00:52:25] did 896 days

[00:52:27] somewhere in the

[00:52:27] early 2000s.

[00:52:29] And Max has

[00:52:30] done that.

[00:52:30] And most likely

[00:52:31] he's going to

[00:52:31] extend that,

[00:52:32] win the championship,

[00:52:33] hold on to it

[00:52:34] at least till the

[00:52:34] very first race

[00:52:35] of the season.

[00:52:37] And it looks

[00:52:38] unbeatable.

[00:52:39] It looks

[00:52:39] unbeatable.

[00:52:41] How many is it

[00:52:42] for Lewis?

[00:52:45] Worth checking

[00:52:45] but not a lot.

[00:52:46] See,

[00:52:47] the thing with

[00:52:48] this stat is

[00:52:48] a lot of things

[00:52:49] have to go your way.

[00:52:50] You really need

[00:52:50] to have a car

[00:52:51] that is

[00:52:52] dominant enough

[00:52:53] over a couple

[00:52:54] of seasons.

[00:52:55] You need,

[00:52:56] I mean,

[00:52:56] 896 is nearly

[00:52:57] two and a half,

[00:52:59] three years.

[00:52:59] Okay,

[00:53:00] you need to

[00:53:00] have a dominant

[00:53:01] car,

[00:53:01] you need to

[00:53:02] have a teammate

[00:53:02] that's not as

[00:53:03] dominant,

[00:53:04] and you need

[00:53:05] to win the

[00:53:05] first race

[00:53:06] of the season

[00:53:06] so that you

[00:53:07] have maximum

[00:53:08] points in

[00:53:09] race one.

[00:53:09] Otherwise,

[00:53:10] someone else

[00:53:10] goes on to

[00:53:11] lead the championship.

[00:53:12] But surely

[00:53:13] it must be the

[00:53:14] case for Lewis

[00:53:14] and Seb also,

[00:53:15] right?

[00:53:15] Seb maybe

[00:53:16] not,

[00:53:17] because there

[00:53:17] was lots of...

[00:53:19] But Lewis,

[00:53:20] I'm pretty sure

[00:53:21] from

[00:53:22] 2014,

[00:53:24] 15,

[00:53:24] late 2015,

[00:53:25] there's that

[00:53:25] period where

[00:53:26] he was good.

[00:53:28] The thing with

[00:53:29] Lewis is,

[00:53:30] the thing with

[00:53:32] Lewis is,

[00:53:32] he and

[00:53:33] Rosberg,

[00:53:34] they kept

[00:53:34] exchanging the

[00:53:35] championship lead

[00:53:36] throughout,

[00:53:37] between 2014

[00:53:38] and 2016.

[00:53:39] So that was,

[00:53:40] like I said,

[00:53:40] you need to have

[00:53:42] a teammate that

[00:53:43] is not as

[00:53:44] strong.

[00:53:45] Valtteri

[00:53:46] Bottas was

[00:53:46] always good

[00:53:47] in the early

[00:53:47] races of a

[00:53:48] season.

[00:53:48] He would

[00:53:48] always turn

[00:53:49] up at a

[00:53:50] season opener,

[00:53:51] win the

[00:53:51] race and

[00:53:52] then lead

[00:53:52] the championship.

[00:53:53] So in that

[00:53:53] case,

[00:53:53] it never

[00:53:54] worked in

[00:53:55] Hamilton's

[00:53:55] way.

[00:53:56] Probably

[00:53:56] after that,

[00:53:58] even then,

[00:53:59] Valtteri

[00:53:59] Bottas won

[00:53:59] the first

[00:54:00] race in

[00:54:00] 2020.

[00:54:01] Valtteri

[00:54:01] Bottas was

[00:54:02] leading the

[00:54:02] championship

[00:54:02] in 2019.

[00:54:03] So he's

[00:54:04] never really

[00:54:04] had that

[00:54:05] long a

[00:54:05] run.

[00:54:07] He's

[00:54:07] punctured

[00:54:08] Lewis'

[00:54:08] chances for

[00:54:09] just this

[00:54:09] one record.

[00:54:10] I remember,

[00:54:10] he always

[00:54:11] used to be

[00:54:11] good at

[00:54:12] Australia or

[00:54:13] Japan or

[00:54:14] Russia.

[00:54:15] Russia,

[00:54:16] exactly.

[00:54:17] Or Austria

[00:54:18] for that

[00:54:18] matter,

[00:54:18] always.

[00:54:21] I remember

[00:54:21] at one

[00:54:22] point we

[00:54:22] had the

[00:54:22] VTB

[00:54:23] Russian

[00:54:24] Grand Prix

[00:54:24] and it

[00:54:24] just for

[00:54:25] the Valtteri

[00:54:25] Bottas

[00:54:26] Grand Prix

[00:54:26] because he's

[00:54:27] just incredible

[00:54:28] only there.

[00:54:29] Wow.

[00:54:30] Okay.

[00:54:31] It's such a

[00:54:32] random weekend.

[00:54:33] Okay.

[00:54:35] We still

[00:54:36] missed out on

[00:54:36] Franco.

[00:54:37] We're still

[00:54:37] missing out on

[00:54:38] Hulkenberg's

[00:54:39] black flag.

[00:54:40] We're still

[00:54:40] missing out on

[00:54:41] a lot but I

[00:54:42] suppose we have

[00:54:42] to call it an

[00:54:43] end, guys.

[00:54:44] Because it's

[00:54:45] been a lengthy

[00:54:46] episode.

[00:54:47] And yeah,

[00:54:48] Sundaram,

[00:54:48] what's the

[00:54:49] best way to

[00:54:49] end this

[00:54:50] episode then?

[00:54:50] Sorry,

[00:54:51] I just found

[00:54:51] the stat.

[00:54:52] Lewis Hamilton

[00:54:52] 546 days.

[00:54:54] That's

[00:54:55] over 300

[00:54:56] days,

[00:54:57] less than

[00:54:57] 300 days.

[00:54:58] Lewis Hamilton

[00:54:59] 546 days.

[00:55:00] You know,

[00:55:01] who's on top

[00:55:01] of him?

[00:55:02] Fernando Alonso

[00:55:03] 560 days.

[00:55:05] No!

[00:55:05] He's going to

[00:55:06] be happy with

[00:55:06] that.

[00:55:07] So a

[00:55:08] seven-time

[00:55:08] world champion

[00:55:09] has lesser

[00:55:10] days led in

[00:55:11] the championship

[00:55:12] than Fernando.

[00:55:13] And he's

[00:55:13] only won

[00:55:14] two.

[00:55:14] Holy

[00:55:17] This shows

[00:55:18] you the

[00:55:18] extent of

[00:55:19] his bad

[00:55:19] luck, man.

[00:55:20] This is

[00:55:20] kind of like

[00:55:21] an expected

[00:55:21] goals kind

[00:55:22] of metric

[00:55:22] for Formula

[00:55:24] One championships

[00:55:25] in a way.

[00:55:25] Indeed.

[00:55:27] I want to

[00:55:28] look at this

[00:55:28] list later,

[00:55:29] but we

[00:55:29] should do

[00:55:30] that after

[00:55:30] this episode

[00:55:30] has ended.

[00:55:31] If you

[00:55:32] have some

[00:55:32] fun opinions

[00:55:33] and predictions

[00:55:33] and questions

[00:55:34] guys,

[00:55:34] send them

[00:55:34] in at

[00:55:35] inside line

[00:55:35] F1 bond.

[00:55:36] And even

[00:55:36] though Formula

[00:55:37] One might be

[00:55:37] on a short

[00:55:38] break,

[00:55:38] we'll be

[00:55:39] back with

[00:55:39] more fun

[00:55:39] episodes.

[00:55:40] Make sure

[00:55:40] you subscribe.

[00:55:41] Thank you

[00:55:41] for watching

[00:55:42] and listening.

[00:55:42] We'll be

[00:55:43] back soon.