Andretti used Cadillac to get to F1 (or reverse?) & other stories for Lusail - 2024 Qatar GP Preview

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[00:01:24] F1 has taken a U-turn. We are going to have an 11th team in Formula 1, which is Andretti, but it's not really Andretti. What's happening here? Plus, what to expect from this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix in terms of the circuit, the characteristics of it, the weather, which is going to be a big part, the fun statistics that could influence or rather predict the outcomes of this race. And also, what is the scenario in the Constructors' World Championship? And we discuss, which team has the strongest

[00:01:54] rival line-up? Is it McLaren or is it Ferrari? But before we get to Andretti, before we get to Qatar, before we get to everything, Sundaram, can you show the people watching the video the size of the shawarma you were holding?

[00:02:07] And that's not the shawarma you get in Navibu by now, is it?

[00:02:12] Definitely not. So, I was pretty hungry today and ordered a big shawarma. That's what they said on the app. So, I didn't really buy into what they meant in terms of big.

[00:02:21] But then when I got two of them, just to satisfy my hunger, this is how big one is, if you can see. And I ended up buying two of this. This is equally a foot long.

[00:02:31] So, I've barely gone halfway into the first one. So, it's going to take quite some time to finish this today.

[00:02:37] Where do you get shawarma?

[00:02:39] This is how long the shawarmas are in Qatar.

[00:02:43] Have you given away the fact that you're at the race?

[00:02:45] Is that a plant-based?

[00:02:48] Yes. Yes, I am at the race. Couple of more days to go and enjoy the night racing in Qatar.

[00:02:59] So, looking forward to the race weekend.

[00:03:04] I still can't get over how you guys say Qatar and I'm always Qatar. I don't know why.

[00:03:10] It's Qatar.

[00:03:13] I'll take the vote for it.

[00:03:14] You'll hear a different version on the broadcast this time. You'll hear Qatar on the broadcast.

[00:03:19] But it's nowhere close to what it's actually supposed to be called.

[00:03:25] Qatar. The Qatar Grand Prix.

[00:03:27] The Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail.

[00:03:30] At the Lusail International Circuit.

[00:03:32] Which reminds me, this is the same place where they hosted the World Cup final in 2022.

[00:03:36] At the Lusail Iconic Circuit.

[00:03:39] Stadium Circuit. Look at me.

[00:03:41] It's weird because they self-proclaimed the stadium to be iconic.

[00:03:45] Which is a very, very clever strategy.

[00:03:48] So, welcome everyone to the Inside Line Phenomenal F1 Podcast.

[00:03:52] This is where we talk about all things Formula 1 with a bit of humour.

[00:03:55] And lots of stats, numbers and perspective on what's going to happen in the season.

[00:04:00] This, of course, is the show where we're going to talk about the Qatar GP and what to expect.

[00:04:05] But before we get to the racing, I mean, I am amazed at what's happening around the sport.

[00:04:11] That's all four of us in case you're watching the video.

[00:04:14] That's Mithila Kunal.

[00:04:16] Myself, Somal Arora.

[00:04:17] Somal Arora is, of course, on a bike ride to the south of India.

[00:04:23] So, he's been on the bike for several days.

[00:04:26] Taking stops while trying to reach the southern part.

[00:04:30] And clearly, his internet is off.

[00:04:34] But I will then take the liberty to actually just do a quick round of introductions.

[00:04:40] So, Somal, who just dropped off, of course, as you guys know, is the voice of motorsport in India.

[00:04:46] With MotoGP, with Formula E and several other Indian racing series that he ends up hosting time and again.

[00:04:55] And for those of you who think it's only motorsport that he talks, well, no.

[00:04:58] He also talks cricket.

[00:04:59] He talks Kabaddi and football as well.

[00:05:02] So, he's an all-round sports broadcaster.

[00:05:04] The other person who is in Qatar for the race this weekend, although I should say Qatar, right, is F1 stats guru Sundaram.

[00:05:14] Who is the official stats provider for the F1 Academy and to several accredited media outlets in the world of Formula 1 and motorsport.

[00:05:26] And clearly, he is one of the most engaged handles on Instagram.

[00:05:31] And that's me, Kunal Shah.

[00:05:33] I have just been a big fan of Formula 1 for over two decades now.

[00:05:38] I love talking about the sport on the Inside Line F1 podcast and on Viaplay for all of those who watch me there.

[00:05:46] And I write for several other media outlets as well.

[00:05:52] But while we wait for Somal, we should actually take forward his agenda, Sundaram.

[00:05:58] The 11th team in Formula 1.

[00:06:02] Something we almost never imagined would have happened.

[00:06:08] At least if you go back and see the timeline of how decision-making has happened.

[00:06:14] Are you surprised?

[00:06:15] I'm a little surprised that it's happened.

[00:06:18] But I eventually felt it was going to happen.

[00:06:21] You know, despite Formula 1 giving a clear no to the Andretti team saying that we're not going to be getting 11th team on because it doesn't...

[00:06:30] The prospects don't benefit us monetarily or in any other aspect.

[00:06:34] So we don't see any benefits of having 11th team.

[00:06:36] But we still know that Andretti went ahead with their operations.

[00:06:40] They recruited a lot of people, some high-profile names as well.

[00:06:43] And still continued with their operations, set up base in the UK.

[00:06:46] So it looked like eventually it would happen at some point, maybe next year or something of that sort.

[00:06:51] But it's nice to hear that within just, I think, barely six months into their rejection, they've been able to make a move.

[00:06:58] But I think the dynamics is slightly different from what it was before.

[00:07:03] So maybe you can explain that better, Kunal.

[00:07:04] Actually, that's true.

[00:07:06] Because, you know, the key question that I have been flooded with is, is it Cadillac?

[00:07:11] Is it Andretti?

[00:07:13] Is it Cadillac-Andretti?

[00:07:15] Is it Andretti-Cadillac?

[00:07:16] Because if we just look at the timelines of how it actually happened, the FIA just put out a tender.

[00:07:23] And there were three teams that actually put in the tender.

[00:07:27] There was Andretti, there was Hitek, and there was somebody else.

[00:07:29] Hitek, of course, is the same company that Alpine's new team principal, Oliver Oak, still owns and runs.

[00:07:38] Even though he is the Alpine team principal, he still runs the Hitek Grand Prix as well.

[00:07:44] Andretti got through with the 11th team bid.

[00:07:48] And that's where the classic FIA versus Liberty Media, one of the many battles that happened.

[00:07:54] Because the FIA said on the sporting side, we think an 11th team is ready.

[00:07:57] And they should come.

[00:07:59] And Liberty Media said, well, guess what?

[00:08:01] Who's paying for it?

[00:08:02] And how do we distribute the funds?

[00:08:03] Because the current Concord Agreement is split between the current 10 teams, which means if an 11th team comes in, the current 10 teams actually stand to earn lesser money.

[00:08:14] And then suddenly this term came up, which was the dilution fee, which in the previous agreements used to be around $200 million, which then quoted as some of the teams and, of course, Liberty Media saying as high as a billion dollars to enter.

[00:08:31] And this dilution fee was introduced.

[00:08:34] Yeah, it was introduced to, what do we say?

[00:08:37] It was introduced to help the 10 teams who would face a reduction in earnings.

[00:08:44] So it was one of those things that we'll just pay up front.

[00:08:46] It's like a club membership, you know, but a very expensive one.

[00:08:48] And but the fun part for me here, OK, is the politics of this 11th team, the politics of F1's win, the U-turn, as you called it, Somal.

[00:09:03] Because Greg Maffey, the Liberty Media top boss, actually said this just a few months ago.

[00:09:08] And I'm going to read out his quote.

[00:09:10] Mario, and that's Mario Andretti, the former Formula One world champion, the American driver.

[00:09:15] Mario, I want to tell you that I will do everything in my power to see that Michael never enters Formula One.

[00:09:23] OK, and this, of course, happened because a lot of people believed Michael Andretti's way of trying to get himself in Formula One was controversial, aggressive, confrontational.

[00:09:35] He used the media.

[00:09:36] Heck, he even used the U.S. Congress.

[00:09:37] He got the politics of the land involved in trying to get himself in Formula One.

[00:09:44] And that's when I think he pissed off Liberty Media.

[00:09:47] And then we know that the U.S. Congress actually put a case on Formula One, lots of anti-competition conversations, etc.

[00:09:56] So if you guys actually tell me what's happened here is Formula One said, if you get rid of the Andretti name and you give us GM and Cadillac, we will let you in.

[00:10:06] And if you see F1's official press release where everyone is quoted, there's not a single mention of the family name of the Andretti's.

[00:10:17] Not a single mention.

[00:10:19] They are saying GM is joining.

[00:10:21] Cadillac Racing is joining.

[00:10:23] But the truth is, the back end of this, the running of the team will be done by Andretti.

[00:10:31] Just that Andretti now has a Formula One team in Formula One, not with their name on it.

[00:10:36] That was a long answer to what is actually the politics of F1's win and the U-turn that we've seen in Formula One.

[00:10:43] But there's a catch to it because Greg Maffei is actually still partly correct because Michael Andretti is not in Formula One.

[00:10:51] He stepped away from his primary operational duties at Andretti Global.

[00:10:55] He is no longer the man running the Formula One team per se.

[00:10:59] It's his business partner doing that.

[00:11:01] And that, in my eyes, seems to be a big factor of why this bid has also been accepted.

[00:11:06] Apart from the fact that it is GM, it is Cadillac, it is an American manufacturer, and it is a proper American team coming in.

[00:11:13] Because Haas, it's a privateer American team that has a NASCAR team but is based in Banbury.

[00:11:18] It's not, it's American, but it's not as American as a proper Cadillac outfit will ever be.

[00:11:23] And that is the crazy part about it all.

[00:11:26] That it has taken the sacrifice of Michael Andretti to make sure that an Andretti team per se is in Formula One.

[00:11:34] And I think, I think it's very evident where the teams and where the sport stands on this.

[00:11:41] It just was very clear, and now it has rather become very clear, Sundaram, that they felt that Michael Andretti was the problem all along.

[00:11:49] And they've been very, very open to have more manufacturers come in.

[00:11:52] This is, I mean, pretty much what we all want, right?

[00:11:54] We all reminisce the golden age of the 2000s where we had so many manufacturers.

[00:11:59] We are there.

[00:12:00] We are finally there.

[00:12:01] We finally have 11th team on the grid.

[00:12:04] And I'm not sure, I might be the first person to say this.

[00:12:06] Because, you know, when Audi decided to come back to the sport or decided to enter the sport,

[00:12:12] they went with an experienced hand and an experienced local driver.

[00:12:17] I'm just wondering if GM Cadillac chooses to go back to Logan Sargent because he has some experience in Formula One.

[00:12:23] Is this time for the comeback of Logan Sargent into Formula One?

[00:12:28] But I must add something.

[00:12:30] It's a critical wish list.

[00:12:30] Scott Speed.

[00:12:32] Well, yeah.

[00:12:34] Colton Hurtout definitely is going to have it if he gets a super license going.

[00:12:38] But I must add here, is it really an American team?

[00:12:42] Because the promoters are actually from Italian descent.

[00:12:45] The Andretti family actually is.

[00:12:47] Yes.

[00:12:48] And I liked how they put pressure here.

[00:12:52] Like, the question here is, and yes, you know, we're talking about the 10 teams.

[00:12:56] Well, Sportico released business data.

[00:12:58] All 10 teams in Formula One are worth at least a billion dollars.

[00:13:03] Ferrari is worth 4.78 more than anyone else.

[00:13:07] Mercedes is 3.94.

[00:13:08] Red Bull is 3.5.

[00:13:10] So that's a massive, massive business.

[00:13:13] Liberty Media has helped these Formula Ones create.

[00:13:15] And I remember back in my time of working in Formula One, Formula One teams were sold as distress.

[00:13:23] Here's a team needing cash flow.

[00:13:25] Can somebody come in, put in the cash flow, invest all the money and run the team?

[00:13:28] They were never sold as profit-making businesses.

[00:13:32] So it was always in distress.

[00:13:33] So if you see the Jordans, if you see what Malia sold, etc., or was forced to sell, you know, it's all down to distress.

[00:13:42] But the question here is, could we actually have a coup?

[00:13:46] Is this what it takes to get into Formula One?

[00:13:50] Pressurize Ben Sulayem to put in a tender for the 12th team, get people to bid.

[00:13:56] There will be people who will bid.

[00:13:57] You know, some billionaire sitting in Hong Kong who kept bidding via multiple entries, entities.

[00:14:03] We go to Tata Racing.

[00:14:05] We make Naren the brand ambassador.

[00:14:07] Okay.

[00:14:08] We get JK Tire.

[00:14:10] We get MRF.

[00:14:10] We get the Indian, you know, automotive companies involved.

[00:14:13] Just put up a facility outside of Silverstone.

[00:14:16] And then get the BJP to say, we're going to put a, we're going to sanction you guys and run a, and, you know, call it the Lotus Formula One team for all I care.

[00:14:28] You know, whatever.

[00:14:31] Can you imagine the politics behind all of this?

[00:14:35] Of course, there's a lot of money.

[00:14:36] And I know Sundaram has raised his finger three times.

[00:14:38] I'm going to just let him be.

[00:14:39] Well, is this the way a Chinese manufacturer could get in?

[00:14:43] Is this the way an Indian manufacturer could get in at some point?

[00:14:46] I think those prospects look good in that regard, because now you know how it's possible.

[00:14:52] And just like how you summarized it.

[00:14:54] But I have two different questions.

[00:14:57] Something that's really been bothering me for a while.

[00:14:59] The first one, obviously, is going back to the slide.

[00:15:02] So it showed that Aston Martin had a 2023 operating revenue of minus 27 million and Williams minus 100 million.

[00:15:11] So I'm supposing that's because they've spent a lot of money over the last year.

[00:15:16] What do you say?

[00:15:17] Developing their infrastructure.

[00:15:19] Would that be right?

[00:15:20] I would assume so.

[00:15:22] That it's gone towards a capital, yeah, CapEx expenditure.

[00:15:25] The capital expenditure, investing in the facilities and so on.

[00:15:28] Because there is a cap there as well.

[00:15:30] And Williams, for the longest, has been wanting or is pushing the case to increase the capital expenditure to get better infrastructure and so on to happen.

[00:15:44] Yeah, because I remember James Owls saying that he needed at least 150 million as CapEx to kind of bring Williams to the level that the other teams are.

[00:15:55] And I think he had roughly around 100 or 80 to work with.

[00:15:59] But the second question is, there's been so much of politics happening and it's probably also because of the Andretti name.

[00:16:06] But the simple question is, why can't Formula One just increase the cash pot and distribute it more evenly to all the teams?

[00:16:14] Because that's how the IPL does.

[00:16:15] When you have more teams, you have more revenue and there's possibly more that can be shared.

[00:16:21] How is that not the same in F1?

[00:16:23] That is because...

[00:16:26] There's a difference here though, because matches.

[00:16:30] The IPL will have more matches if there are more teams.

[00:16:33] The Indian Premier League in cricket, that is.

[00:16:35] So when we had eight teams at the start and then it came to 10, suddenly instead of having 64 games, we had 9 into 9 or whatever.

[00:16:43] I'm bad at math.

[00:16:44] You can figure out the idea.

[00:16:45] More games means more revenue.

[00:16:46] But for Formula One, it's weird, right?

[00:16:48] Because this theoretical question, and I know we're spending a lot of time on this, but we should.

[00:16:53] This theoretical question of, is the pot actually getting bigger, is so hard to answer, isn't it, Kunal?

[00:16:59] Because how do you tell if a GM was actually going to increase the pot?

[00:17:04] At this stage, we're just assuming that more American people will come in and watch Formula One because there's a proper American team.

[00:17:10] And that's the hypothesis on the basis of which we are getting here.

[00:17:14] Or maybe something to complement it would be the fact that another engine manufacturer coming in can support more teams, so on and so forth.

[00:17:21] But it's such a hard one to answer.

[00:17:23] Will it really increase revenue?

[00:17:25] Well, that's what they're hoping, right?

[00:17:27] That there will be more viewers coming in, that there will be more sponsors, there will be more ticket sales, etc.

[00:17:33] That will happen because there is an 11th team on the grid.

[00:17:36] There is a GM, there is a Cadillac, whatever brand that they've decided to put there.

[00:17:40] So that's the hope that there is an increase in the size of the pie, even if they've given up their share of the pie.

[00:17:50] And the other point here is Formula One, if it earns 100 rupees or $100, if I was to just use a generalized global currency,

[00:18:02] $50 is kept by Formula One and $50 is split by the teams, rough and ready.

[00:18:07] So don't hold me to it.

[00:18:08] It keeps changing.

[00:18:10] Now here, interestingly, it's the 50 that is left for the teams is what?

[00:18:15] Is split instead of 10, it'll be split 11 ways from 2026.

[00:18:20] But at almost no point has there been a conversation saying,

[00:18:24] Hey, but you know, the other 50 that you keep to run the sport and administer and sell and everything else,

[00:18:29] could you sort of let go of that?

[00:18:31] So that's definitely not been a part of the conversations.

[00:18:34] But very interesting questions, very interesting discussion on Andretti.

[00:18:41] Just make it 55.

[00:18:42] If it's 50 amongst 10 teams, just make it 55 amongst 11.

[00:18:46] I feel better.

[00:18:47] But if you have any questions, any predictions about the Qatar Grand Prix,

[00:18:52] I just started saying Qatar now.

[00:18:53] But if you have questions, follow us on social media.

[00:18:56] We are at InsideLineF1Pod.

[00:18:58] We'd love to answer them.

[00:19:01] We get lots of questions.

[00:19:02] We also get lots of reviews and comments.

[00:19:05] Thank you to everyone who's been consuming us on every possible platform,

[00:19:10] including video, including audio as well.

[00:19:13] And actually, we will host a race screening meet for the Qatar Grand Prix in Mumbai, in Bandra.

[00:19:21] So please check out our social media handles for all the details on where you can actually watch us.

[00:19:29] But guys, I think it's time to also remember that eventually it is what we love to call...

[00:19:39] What do we love to call it?

[00:19:41] We love to call it.

[00:19:43] It's race week.

[00:19:44] It's race week for Qatar Grand Prix.

[00:19:46] There's a sprint race weekend, the final sprint of the season.

[00:19:50] And battle for the Constructors' Championship is on.

[00:19:54] Battle for P2 in the Drivers' Championship.

[00:19:57] Battle for P6 in the Drivers' Championship with the Mercedes drivers.

[00:20:00] And I think my favorite is the battle for P6 in the Constructors' Championship as well.

[00:20:05] But do you know, Kunal, the Qatar Grand Prix or the Qatar Grand Prix event in general is a milestone event for Formula 1.

[00:20:13] There is so much.

[00:20:14] Do you know what I'm talking about?

[00:20:16] Not really now.

[00:20:18] Something's happening for the very first time this weekend.

[00:20:21] Somal?

[00:20:24] Okay.

[00:20:25] So, I'll give out the answer.

[00:20:27] This is the first time Formula 1 is hosting a 23rd race.

[00:20:31] This is the longest season in Formula 1.

[00:20:34] 24 races.

[00:20:35] We've never gone beyond 22 before.

[00:20:38] So, this is the first time Formula 1 is hosting its 23rd race in a season.

[00:20:44] My goodness.

[00:20:45] Really?

[00:20:46] We've never had longer than 22, even though we've had 24.

[00:20:48] Because China's been off.

[00:20:50] Imola last year was off as well.

[00:20:53] Hmm.

[00:20:54] Yep.

[00:20:55] Interesting.

[00:20:56] Yeah.

[00:20:57] So, the longest season in history ever.

[00:20:59] Right?

[00:21:00] And that's also giving us a Constructors' Championship.

[00:21:04] Right?

[00:21:05] That's the most critical part.

[00:21:07] Because McLaren literally can win the Constructors' Championship in Qatar.

[00:21:15] And they need a 1-2 in the sprint race.

[00:21:18] They need a 1-2 in the Grand Prix.

[00:21:20] And they need the fastest lap.

[00:21:22] Basically, they need a weekend.

[00:21:25] They've never had before.

[00:21:26] They need to maximize every single point that they can score with both the drivers.

[00:21:34] But I'm a little confused here.

[00:21:36] Because I don't think this is the only scenario by which they can actually win the title.

[00:21:41] This is probably the outright way of winning the Championship.

[00:21:44] If they do a 1-2 in the sprint, a 1-2 in the Grand Prix.

[00:21:47] And the fastest lap.

[00:21:48] They don't have to look at what Ferrari and Red Bull are doing.

[00:21:51] Because the Constructors' standings is such that McLaren have a 24-point lead over Ferrari.

[00:21:57] And a 53-point lead over Red Bull.

[00:21:59] And in the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi, you can score at most 44 points.

[00:22:06] So what McLaren has to do is score or increase that margin from 24 to 44 over both the teams Ferrari and Red Bull.

[00:22:15] And that's it.

[00:22:16] That's all they have to really care about.

[00:22:17] Which I feel sounds a lot more doable than actually doing a 1-2 in every single race that they take a part of.

[00:22:23] But it's going to be very interesting in that regard.

[00:22:27] Because the Qatar Grand Prix in general is a very tricky weekend that we go into.

[00:22:33] Because there's no historical data that you can go to.

[00:22:37] The last two races were held in very difficult situations.

[00:22:41] In 2021, we were in the previous era of cars.

[00:22:45] Although the race was still run in December.

[00:22:48] In 2023, the race was run in October when it was a lot more hotter, a lot more humid.

[00:22:54] So in terms of weather conditions, I know even in terms of car philosophy, we are into a completely different area right now.

[00:23:02] So it's going to be very tricky in that regard.

[00:23:04] But anyone remembers how last year's race went?

[00:23:08] Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:23:09] Yes, I was on mute.

[00:23:10] Sorry.

[00:23:11] Last year's race is the reason why we actually have air conditioning being trialed in Formula 1.

[00:23:17] So it's not going to be in the cars from this race.

[00:23:21] But the cooling systems, there will be extra ducts to help more airflow within the cockpit and so on.

[00:23:27] But also a later date in November was chosen so that it's not as hot.

[00:23:32] But there is going to be hot weather, as you guys can see.

[00:23:37] And the weather keeps changing.

[00:23:38] But it's going to be as high as 24 degrees.

[00:23:41] This is air temperature, which means track temperature is always higher.

[00:23:45] Humidity of almost 60% out there.

[00:23:48] But the most interesting part here is we've, of course, had four constructors winning multiple races in 2024.

[00:23:58] Right.

[00:23:58] Right.

[00:23:59] And when it's been, you know, if I can take Austria out of the equation for Mercedes, because, you know, clearly Lando and Verstappen went there.

[00:24:09] When it's been 20 degrees or lesser, Mercedes has really kicked in.

[00:24:13] And, you know, case in point being Las Vegas, where it was 15 degrees and they were there.

[00:24:17] When it's been, you know, I would say taking Red Bull out of the equation is also important because the first seven races they had, they just had a better car.

[00:24:27] And then Brazil was a Max Verstappen masterclass.

[00:24:29] But if you were to look at Ferrari and McLaren, okay, I would say if it's within the early 20s, it's Ferrari that's got the advantage.

[00:24:42] Again, Monza being an outlier, which is almost 31 degrees, but Monza is always an outlier for Ferrari.

[00:24:47] They make a Monza spec car, whereas a lot of other teams don't.

[00:24:51] But McLaren has actually done better when it's been closer to 30 or sometimes even higher than 30 degrees centigrade.

[00:25:00] Again, in their case, also, they have, you know, Sanfout as an outlier, which was just 18 degrees.

[00:25:05] So the fan who put this piece of data together, thank you very much.

[00:25:08] This is very, very interesting, very exciting.

[00:25:12] But I get a feeling, knowing the circuit characteristics this weekend, right, it's impossible to bet against McLaren.

[00:25:24] This circuit is actually designed for McLaren, those medium to high-speed corners, one overtaking zone that's there.

[00:25:32] And I think they will want to bounce back in, I think, in the season.

[00:25:37] Because if we were to look at the last three or, say, let's say last five races, right?

[00:25:43] Lando Norris won in Singapore, Piastri was third.

[00:25:46] But then, sort of, if you see Las Vegas and Sao Paulo, Norris was just sixth in both the races, whereas Piastri was seventh and eighth.

[00:25:55] In Mexico, Piastri was eighth.

[00:25:57] In Austin, he was fifth.

[00:25:59] So, I think McLaren's had a bit of a dip of form.

[00:26:02] And I would say even more so in McLaren, it's been Oscar Piastri, who's had an even bigger dip in form.

[00:26:11] And, you know, for all the lack of experience he has had, I would love to see how he digs himself out of this rut.

[00:26:20] Because that is definitely going to happen.

[00:26:22] It's a matter of just when, not a matter of if, in my view.

[00:26:27] No, absolutely.

[00:26:29] And it's so true because McLaren had a consecutive streak of 14 races on the podium.

[00:26:36] And they've taken now just one podium in their last four rounds.

[00:26:40] So, quite clearly, they're not at the same level that they were operating at before.

[00:26:45] But in the case of Oscar Piastri in specific, he's one of the key areas where he's probably not, I would say, struggling, but he still needs to improve on is his qualifying.

[00:26:54] Because, many times, if you have a bad qualifying, you really can't make up as many places to still put in a good result.

[00:27:01] And that's also been the case of Sergio Perez.

[00:27:04] He might sometimes qualify beyond 15, but the most that he can salvage is a P7, maybe a P8, maybe a P10.

[00:27:10] So, you need to have a good qualifying session to put yourself in a good position so that you can fight for the top five or maybe within the podium positions.

[00:27:20] That's not quite been happening for Oscar Piastri.

[00:27:23] You know, tire degradation or tire management, sorry, the more apt word is an area that he's also trying to improve.

[00:27:31] But qualifying is also there.

[00:27:33] And that will probably come with more experience.

[00:27:35] He might still continue to get better with that.

[00:27:39] Yeah, and I would say that I think Oscar Piastri has been outqualified by Lando Norris for five races on the trot.

[00:27:49] And it's probably why Oscar Piastri is the one driver I'm looking forward to bouncing back.

[00:27:56] The other driver, I have to say, is Franco Colapinto because he had a very impressive run when he just started off.

[00:28:03] And then he's, of course, Williams themselves just had to have had a lot of crashes.

[00:28:08] Brazil then followed by Las Vegas as well.

[00:28:11] And in, I hope Williams doesn't crash because, you know, there are always these rumors of they're just not going to have the money to be a part of it anymore.

[00:28:20] That's typically what everyone keeps talking of.

[00:28:23] But Colapinto needs to get in a clean result, a decent result.

[00:28:28] He's got the pace.

[00:28:29] He's just been crashing more than, well, he's been crashing just as pretty much every rookie who's been quick has done so in their first few seasons in Formula One.

[00:28:45] Okay.

[00:28:46] So while we wonder what this result is going to be like, I think it's important to also get to some of the stats that Mr. F1 Stats Guru has for the Qatar Grand Prix.

[00:29:00] My favorite one already being that this is the first time Formula One has a 23rd Grand Prix in the history of Formula One.

[00:29:07] Yet another reason why we will remember 2024 for time to come.

[00:29:13] Yes, time for a little bit of trivia.

[00:29:15] So, Kural and Somville, George Russell won the last race.

[00:29:19] And I want to ask, when was the last time a driver that was not named Max Verstappen has taken back-to-back wins in Formula One?

[00:29:27] Do you remember that?

[00:29:29] Ooh.

[00:29:30] When was the last time that happened?

[00:29:33] Because we've had six different drivers winning in the last six races.

[00:29:37] But it's going to take you a little bit of time to really remember and recollect when was the last time.

[00:29:43] Hamilton 2021?

[00:29:45] Correct.

[00:29:47] Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

[00:29:48] 2021.

[00:29:51] Yes.

[00:29:52] It's been three years since any other driver has taken back-to-back wins.

[00:29:57] And George Russell has the opportunity to do that.

[00:30:00] And we just saw from the graph or from the chart earlier on that it's not perfect.

[00:30:07] It's not the right territory for most cities to actually have that sort of performance this year.

[00:30:11] Because I'm the weatherman, live weatherman from Qatar.

[00:30:14] And it's nowhere lower than 20 degrees in terms of temperature.

[00:30:17] It's somewhere in the mid-20s.

[00:30:19] It's also a little hot for me to actually wear a sweatshirt and go out.

[00:30:23] And I definitely do sweat.

[00:30:24] But it's not cold by any means.

[00:30:26] So there's that to look out for.

[00:30:30] But it's a night race.

[00:30:32] It's a night race and it's a race in the Middle East.

[00:30:34] So the last eight races in the Middle East have all been won by a certain Red Bull.

[00:30:42] Now, there's so many different characteristics to look forward to.

[00:30:44] If you say the temperatures, yeah, they don't suit Mercedes.

[00:30:48] Maybe they're not going to be winning.

[00:30:49] Okay.

[00:30:50] Then you have to look at the circuit.

[00:30:52] Because this circuit has curbs.

[00:30:54] And this is why I want to talk about Red Bull.

[00:30:56] See, last year, the curbs were the main problem around this track.

[00:31:00] Which is why Pirelli and the FIA had to kind of mandate teams to doing just 18 laps with each stint.

[00:31:09] And the thing is that this is predominantly a MotoGP circuit.

[00:31:13] That's why there's a lot of medium to high speed corners.

[00:31:16] There's not a lot of braking zones.

[00:31:17] So this track does have those pyramid curbs still.

[00:31:22] But that's still going to be problematic to some extent.

[00:31:25] Because now to kind of mitigate that issue that they had last year,

[00:31:29] they've kind of rounded off a couple of those pyramid-shaped curbs.

[00:31:34] And not all of them.

[00:31:34] There are 16 corners around this track.

[00:31:37] They've done it to just 7.

[00:31:38] So Pirelli has been running a lot of tests in the background

[00:31:41] to try and understand if that is going to be replicated this year,

[00:31:45] if they're going to have the same sort of issues this year.

[00:31:47] So you definitely have to keep a very close eye on what happens in free practice.

[00:31:52] And to see if Pirelli comes back saying that, you know,

[00:31:56] the sort of lacerations that they had last year are not there this year as well.

[00:31:59] So keep a very close eye on what is being spoken about in terms of conditions.

[00:32:04] And also how the curbs are affecting or not affecting the tyres this time around.

[00:32:09] Yeah.

[00:32:10] And what I love about the circuit is that just one corner is, you know,

[00:32:13] just about 100 kilometres per hour, which is turn 6.

[00:32:17] 16 corners, 10 to the right, 6 to the left.

[00:32:22] And there are no heavy braking events for the cars to tackle,

[00:32:27] which is also a unique occurrence for the 2024 calendar.

[00:32:32] So I have a feeling...

[00:32:34] It's an out-and-out McLaren track, I have a feeling.

[00:32:37] Yeah.

[00:32:38] Samuel, you have something on McLaren.

[00:32:40] My thing about McLaren is that in this whole Constructors Championship battle with Ferrari,

[00:32:46] I feel the weakest link for them going ahead in this part of the season seems to be their drivers,

[00:32:51] not their car.

[00:32:52] Because their car is performing at every given circumstance,

[00:32:55] every occasion, more or less.

[00:32:57] Barring Las Vegas, which is a significant outlier.

[00:33:00] Coming into Qatar, as you guys have explained so beautifully,

[00:33:03] it is a McLaren circuit.

[00:33:04] I just want to know if their drivers are in the right headspace.

[00:33:07] Because this is not the same Lando Norris we saw a few months ago,

[00:33:12] especially after Sao Paulo.

[00:33:14] This is not the same Oscar Piastri that we saw around Austria or Simmerston.

[00:33:17] It's clearly a drop in confidence and performance.

[00:33:20] The car is doing well.

[00:33:22] The team is calling things well.

[00:33:24] Where is the missing link?

[00:33:25] Which is where the whole discussion comes around.

[00:33:28] Who has the better package heading into the final couple of races of the season

[00:33:32] in the Constructors' Championship.

[00:33:34] I, even though I see Ferrari being way, way off in terms of the points,

[00:33:39] genuinely believe the runoff form is with them.

[00:33:41] They're executing things well.

[00:33:43] The drivers are doing good.

[00:33:45] Qatar, if they can do damage limitation and just work things out in a way,

[00:33:50] it generally is a chance to not put away.

[00:33:52] I don't think it's done just yet.

[00:33:54] I really don't.

[00:33:54] And which is why Qatar is going to be such a big story.

[00:33:57] To find out how the tyres work, how the weather works out,

[00:34:00] how McLaren are able to do what they can.

[00:34:02] Because if they fumble it up here,

[00:34:05] that'll be like Mercedes not getting a 1-2 in Las Vegas.

[00:34:08] That's how big it's going to be, in my opinion.

[00:34:10] On to Aston Martin, who has actually had no score for four races in a row.

[00:34:16] Or did they score in Las Vegas?

[00:34:18] No, they didn't score, right?

[00:34:20] They didn't score.

[00:34:21] Yeah.

[00:34:21] Four races without a point.

[00:34:24] Incredible.

[00:34:25] And I think even Pierre Gasly is now...

[00:34:28] I know, rather, Pierre Gasly has overtaken Lance Troll

[00:34:32] in the Drivers' Championship, if that bothered anyone.

[00:34:36] No, that's a good point that you mentioned Lance Troll.

[00:34:39] Because there's a possibility that Lance Troll could be breaking his own record this weekend.

[00:34:44] So Lance has not scored even once since the mid-season break.

[00:34:48] I think he last scored in Hungary.

[00:34:51] So he's not scored thereafter.

[00:34:53] It's been nine races in a row.

[00:34:55] And that's the joint longest he's actually gone without scoring a single point in his career.

[00:35:00] So if he doesn't score this weekend as well,

[00:35:02] he's breaking an unwanted personal record.

[00:35:05] So there's a little bit of focus in Aston Martin for Lance Troll at least,

[00:35:09] but also for Fernando Alonso because now he's making his 400th Grand Prix start in Formula 1.

[00:35:15] So in Mexico, it was his 400th Grand Prix appearance or entry.

[00:35:21] He's entered a lot more races, Grand Prixs,

[00:35:24] but not started a couple of them due to whatever issues,

[00:35:27] technical issues or crashes for that matter.

[00:35:29] But he's finally set to make his 400th Grand Prix start.

[00:35:33] And I am in the perfect place to be witnessing all of that life.

[00:35:37] So yes, I've come for his 400th Grand Prix race start.

[00:35:40] Yeah, and they've gone pointless for the last four race weekends.

[00:35:44] I believe I was just quickly checking on Wikipedia.

[00:35:47] Their longest pointless streak has been a five race run across 21-22,

[00:35:53] if you were to just sort of overlap that.

[00:35:55] And Lance Troll has made it to Q3 once in the last seven races.

[00:36:01] Things not looking great for Aston Martin because even in the sprint format,

[00:36:07] we have a sprint this weekend, even in the sprint,

[00:36:10] the last time Aston Martin scored in a sprint was in last year's Qatar sprint.

[00:36:16] They've not scored in any of the sprint events after that.

[00:36:20] So despite even having...

[00:36:22] I mean, now we have an 18-0 coming in next year,

[00:36:25] so they'll be heavily relying on him and his upgrades more importantly through the season

[00:36:30] because it looks like a terrible season for Aston Martin,

[00:36:33] especially how they were last year.

[00:36:35] Wow. Lance Troll has not completed a single lap in the points in the last five Grand Prix.

[00:36:43] Again, for all you Lance Troll fans, please write to us.

[00:36:46] Tell us why you are a Lance Troll fan.

[00:36:50] But can we move on to bold predictions?

[00:36:54] Who do you think...

[00:36:55] I guess Somal is still here.

[00:36:57] Somal, who do you think is going to win this weekend, apart from Carlos Sainz?

[00:37:02] It better be Lando Norris.

[00:37:05] It better be.

[00:37:06] No excuses now.

[00:37:08] I know that a victory won't change anything,

[00:37:12] but it's a statement that you genuinely were a part of the championship battle.

[00:37:16] Even though we're down in the history books,

[00:37:18] it will always say Lando Norris second in the world championship,

[00:37:22] maybe even third, who all knows.

[00:37:24] But you need to win for confidence and to establish that you are a top driver.

[00:37:28] Because in the last year, that has come under a lot of doubt in a lot of circumstances,

[00:37:34] especially in the last few weeks.

[00:37:36] Has he got the mentality of a top driver?

[00:37:38] Some people say,

[00:37:39] is he too honest about his own mistakes for being a top driver?

[00:37:42] Is he not ruthless enough?

[00:37:44] For his sake,

[00:37:45] and for McLaren's sake,

[00:37:47] I think I'm going to go him winning.

[00:37:49] It better be him.

[00:37:50] What do you think, Sundaram?

[00:37:52] No, it better be him because

[00:37:54] there's no guarantee that he has this same car next year as well.

[00:37:58] You're right.

[00:37:58] We've seen teams make a promise,

[00:38:01] show a lot of promise and then fall back the next year.

[00:38:04] Because, I mean, theoretically, if you're talking,

[00:38:06] this is supposed to be an evolution of every preceding car.

[00:38:09] That's how we think.

[00:38:10] You go forward.

[00:38:11] But then several teams like Renault,

[00:38:13] they've come as far as P4 and then they've dropped back to P6 or P7 the next year.

[00:38:18] And the same as Aston Martin,

[00:38:19] they did exceptionally well in terms of how they started last year.

[00:38:22] But then if your upgrades are not working,

[00:38:24] all of the other teams are able to cut or shave a lot more tents through their upgrades compared to you,

[00:38:30] then you further fall back.

[00:38:32] So in that regard,

[00:38:33] this might be the last two races that Landon Norris and Oscar PST have

[00:38:37] with a theoretically faster or fastest car of the season.

[00:38:41] So in that regard, they should make a statement.

[00:38:44] If anyone who has the right sort of tools and the right sort of situation,

[00:38:49] I think it is going to be Landon Norris.

[00:38:51] The pressure is off.

[00:38:52] I think he should be the person winning this weekend.

[00:38:54] But is that even a bold prediction?

[00:38:57] That's a logical prediction that we're making.

[00:38:59] It could be called as one though.

[00:39:00] Okay, I'll go with a bold one.

[00:39:02] It is going to be Oscar.

[00:39:03] You know what?

[00:39:04] I'm going...

[00:39:06] I'm saying bold prediction.

[00:39:07] My bold prediction,

[00:39:09] Charles Nettler.

[00:39:09] After that outburst,

[00:39:11] I would love to see Charles Nettler on the top step of the podium.

[00:39:16] I get a feeling Mercedes is not going to be all that bad.

[00:39:19] Because, you know,

[00:39:21] they went well in Silverstone when, you know,

[00:39:24] they had fast and flowy corners.

[00:39:28] Lewis Hamilton definitely loves them.

[00:39:30] And I get a feeling that maybe Ferrari is going to be

[00:39:36] better prepared for the weekend.

[00:39:38] There is something that maybe McLaren has probably just lost psychologically,

[00:39:42] saying, you know, especially in the drivers.

[00:39:45] Maybe that's wrong to say because they are still leading the constructors.

[00:39:47] They still need to win it for the first time since over two decades.

[00:39:51] But, okay, why don't I start with some positive stuff?

[00:39:53] Because if Landon Norris gets a pole position,

[00:39:56] it'll be the eighth of the year,

[00:39:58] which means he and Max will then have tied for maximum poles.

[00:40:01] And if I read the data correctly,

[00:40:05] Max, sorry,

[00:40:06] Landon Norris is actually the best qualifier on the grid now

[00:40:09] with an average start of 3.5,

[00:40:13] which is also there.

[00:40:15] And Las Vegas was Norris's 100th point scoring finish

[00:40:20] for McLaren and in Formula One

[00:40:24] with 126 starts.

[00:40:26] So not too bad.

[00:40:27] But I guess the bold prediction,

[00:40:29] apart from this,

[00:40:30] is going to be,

[00:40:31] I would say,

[00:40:32] both the Haases

[00:40:34] will be scoring points this weekend.

[00:40:37] I again get a feeling that

[00:40:39] this,

[00:40:40] you know,

[00:40:41] in Austin,

[00:40:42] if we remember,

[00:40:42] they were really quick with that upgrade.

[00:40:45] Right?

[00:40:45] And the fast flowy stuff

[00:40:47] that was there in the first half

[00:40:49] of the circuit again.

[00:40:51] So both Haases will score.

[00:40:52] And I have a feeling Racing Bulls,

[00:40:55] while they may not overtake Alpine this weekend,

[00:40:59] they will be the ones to watch out for Abu Dhabi.

[00:41:03] But that's for the Abu Dhabi preview,

[00:41:04] I guess.

[00:41:05] Exactly.

[00:41:06] Actually,

[00:41:06] the Racing Bulls could be interesting,

[00:41:09] to say the least.

[00:41:12] They've been a bit on and off.

[00:41:13] It's hard to really find a trend

[00:41:14] where they've been good.

[00:41:16] But this will be interesting

[00:41:18] to see how things work out.

[00:41:19] And also,

[00:41:20] just how can Yuki Tsunoda make a statement?

[00:41:22] For the last couple of races.

[00:41:24] Because that second Red Bull seat

[00:41:26] is still up on offer.

[00:41:28] And we don't know

[00:41:29] who's going to get up there

[00:41:30] and take it.

[00:41:31] But,

[00:41:32] I suppose we're at the end of the episode, guys.

[00:41:34] Any closing notes?

[00:41:35] Anything else that we have to

[00:41:37] sign off on

[00:41:38] before we end the episode?

[00:41:40] I have one point,

[00:41:41] which is

[00:41:43] Checo Perez.

[00:41:44] And

[00:41:46] the point is,

[00:41:47] you know,

[00:41:48] Helmut Marko said

[00:41:49] that the shareholders

[00:41:52] will do with the driver scenario

[00:41:54] for next year.

[00:41:54] When last

[00:41:55] was the shareholder meeting

[00:41:57] deciding driver

[00:41:59] seats at

[00:42:00] Red Bull Racing?

[00:42:01] So,

[00:42:01] clearly,

[00:42:01] it's not just a sporting,

[00:42:02] but a sporting and a business decision

[00:42:04] they need to take.

[00:42:05] But,

[00:42:08] Checo Perez

[00:42:09] has been eliminated

[00:42:09] in Q1

[00:42:10] six times

[00:42:11] this year.

[00:42:12] If anything,

[00:42:13] he needs

[00:42:14] this weekend

[00:42:15] and the next

[00:42:15] to be

[00:42:17] banger of a weekend

[00:42:19] both times.

[00:42:19] because he needs to show

[00:42:20] he's a Checo

[00:42:21] of the previous era

[00:42:23] as we know him

[00:42:24] because he's had these

[00:42:25] down moments

[00:42:26] with Formula 1,

[00:42:28] especially with Red Bull,

[00:42:29] but he's bounced back.

[00:42:30] Right?

[00:42:31] And this time,

[00:42:32] it just seems that

[00:42:32] is it really just done

[00:42:34] for good for him?

[00:42:35] Right?

[00:42:36] And that's probably,

[00:42:37] I think,

[00:42:38] where Checo goes

[00:42:38] because if we look at

[00:42:39] his last five races,

[00:42:41] Singapore 10th,

[00:42:42] Austin 7th,

[00:42:43] Mexico 17th,

[00:42:45] Sao Paulo 11th,

[00:42:46] Las Vegas 10th.

[00:42:47] Clearly not worthy of,

[00:42:50] I would say,

[00:42:51] apart from the Austin result,

[00:42:52] which if you were to say

[00:42:53] Red Bull is the third

[00:42:54] or the fourth fastest car,

[00:42:56] none of these

[00:42:57] have resulted

[00:42:59] in what we would say

[00:43:01] is a worthy performance

[00:43:03] for somebody

[00:43:03] racing for Red Bull.

[00:43:05] Yeah,

[00:43:05] they would definitely

[00:43:06] not want to see

[00:43:07] my stats

[00:43:07] during the round

[00:43:09] on social media

[00:43:09] right now

[00:43:10] because

[00:43:11] those shareholders

[00:43:12] are not going to be happy.

[00:43:13] If you look at

[00:43:14] Sergio Perez,

[00:43:15] in the second half

[00:43:16] of this season,

[00:43:17] he scored only 21 points.

[00:43:20] How much has Max Verstappen

[00:43:21] scored?

[00:43:22] 126.

[00:43:23] Five times,

[00:43:24] more than five times,

[00:43:25] six times actually,

[00:43:26] more than six times

[00:43:27] the amount of numbers

[00:43:29] that Perez,

[00:43:29] points that Perez has scored.

[00:43:31] And if you look at

[00:43:33] his race results,

[00:43:34] his sprints included,

[00:43:35] it's been 18 consecutive races

[00:43:38] that he's not made it

[00:43:39] to the top five.

[00:43:40] 18 races

[00:43:41] for a driver

[00:43:42] that's driving

[00:43:43] a car

[00:43:44] that's supposed to be

[00:43:45] the constructors champion.

[00:43:46] So,

[00:43:47] not looking good

[00:43:48] for Sergio Perez

[00:43:49] in any way

[00:43:50] whatsoever.

[00:43:52] In fact,

[00:43:53] if you remember,

[00:43:54] Max Verstappen

[00:43:55] won the world championship

[00:43:56] on the Saturday

[00:43:58] in Qatar

[00:43:58] last year

[00:43:59] after the sprint race

[00:44:01] that was there.

[00:44:02] And I remember

[00:44:03] last year

[00:44:03] there was just

[00:44:05] one driver

[00:44:06] who could actually

[00:44:07] stop Max

[00:44:07] from winning

[00:44:08] the championship.

[00:44:09] Obviously,

[00:44:09] it was Checo Perez.

[00:44:10] So,

[00:44:10] that's how powerful

[00:44:11] and strong

[00:44:12] he's been in the car

[00:44:13] up until last year.

[00:44:15] But it's just that

[00:44:16] somehow everything's

[00:44:18] just been

[00:44:18] falling apart

[00:44:19] for him

[00:44:19] this year.

[00:44:20] So,

[00:44:20] let's see how that all goes.

[00:44:22] But,

[00:44:23] any other closing notes

[00:44:24] before we end this episode?

[00:44:25] I'm good.

[00:44:26] You should look

[00:44:27] as a venue.

[00:44:31] I'm waiting

[00:44:32] to step out tomorrow,

[00:44:33] explore the city,

[00:44:34] see what it has to offer

[00:44:35] and probably try

[00:44:37] and make my way

[00:44:38] into the paddock tomorrow.

[00:44:39] Let's see.

[00:44:40] Fantastic.

[00:44:40] The only point I have

[00:44:42] is Monza is now

[00:44:43] extended till 2031.

[00:44:45] So,

[00:44:45] we're going to have

[00:44:45] that classic circuit

[00:44:46] and Ferrari will have

[00:44:48] the Tifosi

[00:44:49] and they will continue

[00:44:50] to build a Monza

[00:44:51] spec car

[00:44:52] at least till 2031

[00:44:53] and maybe

[00:44:54] Red Bull might

[00:44:55] still choose

[00:44:55] to not have

[00:44:57] a Monza spec rear wing

[00:44:59] till 2031.

[00:45:01] But,

[00:45:01] Samuel,

[00:45:01] are you doing

[00:45:02] the closing note

[00:45:02] since you always do?

[00:45:04] I'm so unsure

[00:45:06] if he's there

[00:45:06] or if he's frozen

[00:45:07] in that frame.

[00:45:08] It's weird.

[00:45:08] It's weird.

[00:45:09] Tech issues.

[00:45:10] I'm recording

[00:45:10] on my tablet

[00:45:11] for the first time

[00:45:12] for context.

[00:45:13] It's weird.

[00:45:14] I mean,

[00:45:14] I wish I was there

[00:45:15] with my proper setup

[00:45:17] but these are the perks

[00:45:18] or rather the disadvantages

[00:45:20] of being on the road.

[00:45:21] But it's a minor thing.

[00:45:23] I get to ride bikes

[00:45:24] for nine to ten hours a day

[00:45:25] on an incredible twisty.

[00:45:27] So,

[00:45:27] it's all right.

[00:45:28] But,

[00:45:29] in case you're watching

[00:45:30] or listening folks,

[00:45:31] thank you.

[00:45:32] It's been a crazy episode.

[00:45:33] I've been as much

[00:45:34] as a viewer

[00:45:34] and listener

[00:45:35] as you guys

[00:45:36] have been this time out.

[00:45:38] And in case

[00:45:39] you want to reach out

[00:45:40] to us,

[00:45:40] share any questions,

[00:45:41] thoughts,

[00:45:41] not in case,

[00:45:42] in fact,

[00:45:42] do do that.

[00:45:43] We would love to hear

[00:45:44] what you think about

[00:45:45] the episode

[00:45:45] and the race weekend

[00:45:46] in general.

[00:45:47] Reach out to us

[00:45:48] on that

[00:45:48] inside line

[00:45:48] F1 board

[00:45:49] and particularly

[00:45:50] to Sundaram

[00:45:51] who's going to show you

[00:45:52] lots of the

[00:45:53] behind the scenes stuff

[00:45:54] at the Qatar Grand Prix

[00:45:55] this weekend

[00:45:55] on his social media channels

[00:45:57] as well.

[00:45:58] But that's all

[00:45:58] from us now.

[00:45:59] We will see you

[00:46:00] on Monday.

[00:46:02] Are you traveling

[00:46:02] on Monday,

[00:46:03] Sundaram?

[00:46:03] What's the scene like?

[00:46:04] When are you back

[00:46:05] in Mumbai?

[00:46:07] I'm traveling

[00:46:08] Monday morning.

[00:46:08] I get back to India

[00:46:10] in the evening.

[00:46:11] Let's see.

[00:46:12] Hopefully we have you

[00:46:12] there to share

[00:46:13] some of your experiences.

[00:46:14] But that's all

[00:46:15] from us guys.

[00:46:16] Thank you for watching

[00:46:17] and listening.

[00:46:17] We'll be back.