F1 needs Lando Norris needs to fight back - 2025 Saudi Arabian GP Preview

[00:00:01] Crash-a-thon! Are you guys ready for Crash-a-thon? Guys, we're at Saudi Arabia, the circuit that has a record of coming up with a safety car in every single Formula 1 race that we've had here. We're lacking a few crashes. We got our fair share of overtakes in Bahrain. We didn't see crashes. So, I think that's what our big talking point for this weekend should be. What is going to be the number of crashes that we're going to end up with at the end of the weekend? And for you Kunal, who's going to cause the first one?

[00:00:30] The driver who causes the first crash will also be voted as the driver of the day. Mark my words. Just how random the driver of the day selection has been this year with Kimi Antonelli and then last race it was Lewis Hamilton. I get a feeling we are not far away from the fact when Formula 1 will actually put out Nikita Mazepin also as one of the drivers you can vote for even though he's probably not raced for five years or whatever.

[00:00:58] But yeah, these random things like driver of the day. But okay, who's going to crash first? I get this feeling we're going to have a crash-free race summer. I think I go with... I know Sundaram's nodding. Okay, wait till we get it. George Russell, including Franz Tost, who was on our episode last week, said this is one of the best grids in the history of Formula 1. George Russell said the same thing, one of the best grids in the history of Formula 1.

[00:01:28] Why don't we break down? Who do we think could crash? Because the F2 drivers have all driven here. I think the only driver who's not driven here is Liam Lawson, if I remember. Because when he was racing in F2, F2 wasn't racing here. And then, you know, we've seen how Liam, based on the location coordinates and based on when the stars are, he's either in or out of one of the Red Bull cars, right? So, I don't know. I don't think anyone's going to crash. Maybe Burnt Maylander, who Sundaram met cordially in Bahrain. Look at that smile.

[00:02:00] I, yeah, I did meet Burnt Maylander and very nice chap, very nice chap. Took his time to speak with me. But I'm actually going to go the more routine way. I'm actually going to go Lance Troll. He has definitely the sort of experience to crash in Jeddah. He's done it the last two times. I think he's going to make it three in a row. But I hope he doesn't, actually. I hope he doesn't because it's an important race weekend for Aston Martin in two aspects.

[00:02:27] It's their 100th race start in Formula 1, which is a big milestone for a team like Aston Martin. And also the fact that it's the home race of their title partner, Aramco. So, for their sake, I hope Lance Troll doesn't have a DNF. But I think it's going to be very unlikely that we don't see a race retirement this weekend. Just looking and talking about the track layout, which we'll cover in a bit. But I think there's definitely going to be three DNFs.

[00:02:56] Wow. Through the weekend or through the race? What do you mean? Through the race. Through the race. Three DNFs. It is a dangerous circuit, guys. It's a dangerous circuit. 27 corners. What else if we had a circuit with so many corners? I remember there never being this many. I think maximum we've come to before this. 18, 19, 20, 27 is unreal. And the drivers are constantly going flat out over here. Which means qualifying is going to be crazy.

[00:03:25] And I'm just thinking, man, this race is all about momentum. And all about the person who's able to get the best possible qualifying lap. Sure, you can pass here. And you will have a lot of DRS games to play around. As Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have done a couple of years ago. But this is all about qualifying, Sundaram. This is going to be the most important qualifying for both Lando and Oscar. Because whoever gets the jump here, momentum is clearly on their side.

[00:03:52] And during the race, it's going to be such a big talking point for them. Qualifying is going to be important around Jeddah. Also because of how narrow the track is. And also how quick it is. The fact that it is very fast flowing. And we've seen that in Australia. We've seen that in Japan. There are certain overtaking opportunities. But quite not a lot. So that's going to make overtaking very difficult on race day as well. And as you've seen over the last... How many races? The last five races.

[00:04:23] The driver who's been on pole has gone on to win. So in that regard, overtaking is going to be something that you need to keep an eye on. Saudi actually had one of the lowest number of overtakes in 2024. I think it was barely 20. So maybe that was third or fourth on the overall list. Which kind of further reaffirms the fact that qualifying is going to be a big day. Especially in the McLaren stables. Because you had an Oscar Piastri last year.

[00:04:50] They're telling that one of the key areas where he had to work on was qualifying. And look at him absolutely demolishing his past demons. Putting the car on pole in China and in Bahrain. And converting that into a race win. It's going to be, I think, a big, big race weekend for Lando Norris. I didn't think I would say this after Australia. But I think the focus comes back on the Lando Norris. Which we should talk about also very soon. You mean there's more pressure on Lando Norris? It's the one thing he can't, unfortunately, handle too well.

[00:05:20] At least that's what we all feel from the outside. Yeah, because I had a different perception of him after Australia. And it feels that he had really come and grown as a driver over the last year. And he definitely has. But for some reason, he's not seeming at one with the car over the last couple of races. And he's been very vocal about that. So, for his sake and for his championship's sake this season, it's very important that Lando Norris shows up.

[00:05:49] And stays consistent through the race weekend. And I'll actually add, even for Formula 1's sake, we really need, like Somal said, the two McLaren drivers battling without papaya rules. I think Zank Brown said that a couple of days ago. That we've actually not seen the two drivers go head-to-head. You know, despite having five races, whatever, five race starts. Or if you count the sprint race. Because that's the one area where I would love to see them go at it.

[00:06:18] Without the pit wall entering saying papaya rules and whatever. And suddenly, you know, papaya is one of our favorite fruits. But when it comes to Formula 1, I'm just like, guys, can you all just let them race and let them be? And like you said, for the sake of Lando himself. For the sake of McLaren. They've backed him all along. I mean, think of it this way. Papaya rules has often been in favor of Lando Norris.

[00:06:45] It's been in favor of him, of course, by also virtue of the fact that he was pretty much the driver on track most of the times. Driver ahead of Oscar. But one of the reasons we also don't like it is because it's Oscar who's at the receiving end. And then suddenly he's got to sort of not be the one attacking or going for it. But if Lando has to bounce back. Okay. I think this was that.

[00:07:09] This is that one circuit where Oscar Piastri has outqualified him for the last two seasons. They've been teammates at Saudi Arabia. So it's, again, going to a circuit which works in Oscar's favor, at least did in the last couple of years. And for all those wondering, Oscar Piastri has led 107 race laps. He's second in the Drivers' Championship. Whereas Lando Norris has led just 56 race laps.

[00:07:38] That moment going off in Australia, if that hadn't happened, Piastri would have been leading the Drivers' Championship. And that moment was not a driver error, mind you. But, okay, the focus is on Lando. And Oscar could end up winning the same number of races as Lando if he wins this weekend. Tied on five. And he's already tied with Carlos Sainz on four race wins. Now, a lot of you might be Lando Norris. Say that with a little bit more pain. Come on. I can't. A little bit more pain.

[00:08:07] This is what it is. I just cannot say it with any more excitement or any more pain because, ah, this feels sad. But, okay, whatever. We're not talking about Carlos Sainz here. Those days are gone. But, with Lando particularly, a lot of you might be saying, okay, you guys have completely changed your colour. You've all gone towards Oscar Piastri. Why are you giving up on Lando Norris so quickly? That's why.

[00:08:33] Because now is the point where we need that momentum to shift in Lando's side. And the last couple of race weekends have been messy. It's okay being second if you tried your best. And if things went out, let's say, just at 98%. Just not at 100%. And your rival was at 100%. Fair play. They're the better driver.

[00:08:51] But if you're making mistakes in qualifying for two races in a row, if you're not quite having, let's say, the best balance with your car and then the team's making adjustments towards it, that's not really a good sign that things are going your way. So, it suddenly feels like Lando's the one fighting from behind to try and come up with something this weekend. Which is a very interesting mental state of mind to be in as well.

[00:09:14] Because I suppose, guys, it's the first time ever that Oscar Piastri walks into a Formula One race weekend, full well knowing that he's the one with more momentum and control. Because up until this point, Lando was always the number one or the championship leader or the lead driver or the more experienced one. But now we've seen in the last couple of races that Oscar can be at the same level. So, it's a new dynamic, I'd say, Sundaram. Yes, it is a new dynamic.

[00:09:41] And as you were actually framing that question, it took me back to my days of school. Whenever I would come back from an exam and say, you know what, I had a bad paper. But I would also follow that up with saying that everyone else had a bad paper. So, Formula One is also very relative. So, if you make mistakes and if others are also making mistakes, it's fine. But if you're making mistakes and your teammate of all people is putting on a strong show, then that kind of looks bad on you.

[00:10:07] And I think apart from that little slip up in Australia, I think Oscar Piastri has been spot on throughout the entire season. And that's a big point for Norris to understand because you really can't compare cars. You really can't compare, say, it's a Red Bull, it's a faster, more dominant car. It's the same car. So, ideally speaking, you should be able to, you could be the person who actually wins those races or puts it on pole position.

[00:10:35] But like they say, this is the opportunity or this is the time when Lando really has to pull up his socks and say that and deliver the sort of performances. Because Formula One is a very unpredictable sport. They have a front-running car today. You don't know the sort of upgrades that might come up later on. You don't know what happens next year. And which is why we've said this, for F1's sake, for his sake, for McLaren's sake, this might just be his last chance in a race-winning car.

[00:11:02] We don't know what happens the next year or in the next 20 years, like Fernando Alonso. But yes, it's important that Lando Norris is able to deliver in qualifying and in the race. And is able to match up to Oscar Piastri for a change. This has always been the converse until now. And why don't I read out some stats? Because, you know, like both of you all pointed out, it was always Oscar needing to make that step up.

[00:11:30] Samuel, your favorite thing last year was Oscar still learning. Give him time. He's managing race tires. Guess what? He's managed. He's sort of made that step forward. You can see that. He's got the car. He's delivering with that car. Sundaram, like you said, Lando Norris was just, you know, a little bit, tad bit quicker in qualifying. But the numbers actually don't lie because if you look at 2024, where there were 24 races, Lando Norris was ahead in qualifying 20.

[00:11:57] And Piastri outqualified him just four times. That's embarrassing for a former Formula 3, former Formula 2 champion coming in with so much promise, etc. Like we said, Franz Tost himself said he's one of the best drivers, if not the best driver on the grid, you know, after Max Wishtabin. And he said that, of course, on our very show as well. Average qualifying position for Lando Norris last year was 3.5.

[00:12:24] Average qualifying position for Oscar Piastri was 5.4. Okay. Lando was second just after Max, whereas Oscar was, I think, fifth or sixth after Leclerc and maybe even George Russell or the likes. Okay. Then it gets even worse. In the last 10 races of 2024, Piastri outqualified Norris in only one race. That was in Azerbaijan. Okay.

[00:12:51] And Norris had eight pole positions in 2024, most of which came in the last 10 races, whereas Oscar Piastri had zero. So full marks, Oscar. But we need to see, we have to see, we're waiting to see Lando Norris bounce back. And if Lando gets pole, I know it makes life a lot easier. But even if he doesn't, there's one thing that I'd love to see from him this weekend, which is winning from any position that's not pole.

[00:13:21] Because apart from Australia, I mean, up until the Australian GP, which he won, four out of his five race wins have come from the pole position. The only one that didn't was his very first one in Miami, where McLaren and Lando were very fortunate thanks to a safety car. This is something that's, that's a dangerous situation to be in. It's a double-edged sword.

[00:13:44] The fact that you only win when you get pole is a very, it's a very tough way to conduct a world championship because then you're showing that you're pretty good in selective circumstances. And then when things go your way, that's when you're pretty fast. So can Lando actually bounce back and do well, even if he's not on pole position? That's going to be a big talking point. And I feel genuinely that there could be other drivers in the mix for pole as well. Cooler conditions. It's a very fast, high-speed track. You need tires to be warmed up. George Russell is doing excellently.

[00:14:13] So it's not like the two McLarens are the only ones fighting for pole here. I mean, I mean, George Russell has been exceptional. And I don't know if people have spoken about it enough or don't want to speak about it for whatever reasons. But credit where it's due, he has been exceptional over the past several, several days. I think it was since Baku last year that he really kind of flipped a switch and he's been very consistent.

[00:14:38] And if I'm able to pull out my stat at the right time, I think George Russell has finished in the top five in the last, I think, all the races this year. But I think in the top six in the last, I can't really find it right now. In the last 10 or 12 races as well. So it really goes to show that he's… Maybe even more. You're right, Sundaram. Yeah. And I think he's on a 14-race streak of scoring points. Or 14, yeah, definitely. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah.

[00:15:08] So he's one of the drivers you would really talk about after an Oscar or a Lando. Even in qualifying, especially, and like Samuel said, low temperatures, a track that doesn't have a lot of tire degradation, not a lot of tire wear. And something that will really help if they run low downforce as well. So one of the other drivers you definitely have to keep on, keep an eye on is George Russell. But I have to read my notes better then.

[00:15:36] Because my reading is that even in the evening time, the track temperatures are still pretty high. So I still get a feeling… Yeah. Yeah. So low temperatures, maybe you'll mean in another metric. Ambient. Eventually across… Sorry? Ambient temperature. Yeah. But track temperature is still going to be high across all the key sessions, which is where tire management, overheating, all those things that trouble the Red Bull come in.

[00:16:03] We've forgotten that Saudi is in April this year and not in March. Last year it was in lower temperatures. You're right. Yeah. And even if Lando puts it on pole, can he stick it up and not have a jumpstart? And keep the… Because he had a jumpstart in Bahrain, of course, and I think it was in Saudi last year where he almost had a jumpstart but was safe enough. So maybe he doesn't like racing in the desert or something.

[00:16:31] But another thing that might work in his favor is that the P1 slot to entry of turn one is about 200 meters or less. And we've seen him usually do well when there is a shorter run from the start to the breaking of the first corner. If it's longer, he ends up losing up… Losing his race lead within the first corner or the first lap itself. But since we are… We know… I mean, you know, all four races, including the sprint.

[00:17:00] So if you make it five, have been won from pole position. I see two scenarios that could play out. If it's a McLaren and there's a very good chance it's a McLaren on pole, the lead McLaren is going to run away with things. I get that feeling. Whereas all the battles that will… Yeah. All the battles that will happen will be in the McLaren. That's probably second, third or whatever if sort of, you know, Russell or Max sneak it in. That's what we saw in Bahrain.

[00:17:29] It was an interesting race for P2 and lower, not for P1. So similar thing could happen as well. The smallest pole margin, since pole margins are very, very small this year. Or, you know, the smallest pole margin in Saudi has actually been two hundredths of a second, which is 0.02, which was Perez beating Charles Leclerc.

[00:17:51] And my favorite stat in qualifying is that all drivers have progressed from Q1 to Q2 in 2025 already. And this is, again, one of those circuits. You know, we know we'll talk about the circuit, but there was a great insight that Kush Maini has given me from last year when he was on pole in Formula 2. Some of the other drivers is there's a lot of grip. It's fast, flowy. Things are just going.

[00:18:16] There is lap time that you leave on the track when you don't go very close to the wall. So extracting time being the quickest is also displaying who's got the biggest balls to put it as close to the barriers as we can. And as you guys would remember, Max Verstappen almost had the fastest or the most scintillating qualifying lap around the streets of Jeddah a few years. Well, 2021, wasn't it? Yeah.

[00:18:47] Almost had pole till like 20 meters before the finish line or whatever. Here come the comments. Here come the comments. Man, I'm still sad about that pole lap to this day. Like, had it gone through, it would have been just perfect. I get a feeling Max will need something like this and more this weekend.

[00:19:08] Of course, if it indeed is as high grip and as, let's say, front limited as we expect the circuit to be, maybe it could mask a little bit of the Red Bull's issues because remember Suzuka? Similar, very high grip. The weather conditions were favorable. It helped Red Bull racing out. And a lot of their balance and rideability issues were sort of hidden by that. Bahrain exposed all of them and more. Saudi, perhaps somewhere in the middle.

[00:19:38] Maybe the heat doesn't quite soothe them. We'll find out. But if that is indeed the case, you could expect the Red Bull to be somewhat better. But then again, it's also a question of the driver. Can Max Verstappen pull off that kind of pole lap that we know he can do? And has Yuki Tsunoda got that confidence? Because it's clear, Kunal, this sort of circuit with these many corners, how blind they are, how quick they are, you need confidence. It's not a circuit that you can be underconfident in. And we've seen that happen with Mick Schumacher too.

[00:20:06] If you're underconfident, you could have your car snapped in half and that's your entire season's budget vanished. So it's a tough, tough time for the Red Bulls particularly to get that confidence in their machine and to pull out those qualifying laps that they need to. You know, I think you and I definitely need to sync up on our notes because based on my reading, this is more of a real limiting circuit. Just given A, the heat, the traction zones, etc. that come.

[00:20:32] But, you know, it's definitely not towards Bahrain as limited or real limiting Bahrain was because of the high speed sections and so on. But I'm waiting to see that in case Max Verstappen doesn't do well, will the talks of him leaving Red Bull Racing intensify? And I can't imagine, I mean, in Suzuka, he won with that brilliance. And then everyone's like, ah, this is perfect.

[00:21:01] You know, they're doing fantastic. Seven days later, when he struggled, they're like, oh, but they need to, you know, is he going to go? Will they struggle to keep him? And, you know, how soon will he go? People are writing and what are the rumors? And, you know, are they real? And so on. I guess it's just the nature of his losses that matter more than him not winning. Like he already has said, I'm a participant in the Drivers' Championship. I'm not really competing. It's for the Macharan drivers.

[00:21:27] But for Red Bull Racing, I think they've finished one, two in the last two races here. So they've been very competitive when they were anyway dominant. But the key thing also is, is their pit stop lights gantry fixed? Because that was one of those, you know, strangest things we've seen happen since a long, long time to a team that's otherwise so precise as Red Bull Racing. And my way of reading it is, last year it was a car that took a beating and suddenly realized it's no longer the class of the field.

[00:21:54] Now is it time for the pit stops to realize that, okay, there are things that need to be fixed even within the pit stops. Because they've otherwise been very, very precise when it comes to their stops. Yeah, it's kind of weird to see all of these mistakes coming in from Red Bull Racing of all teams. It's been something that's really limited them down. So it's tough. They need to do all of that and more. Ferrari, of course, having an upgrade last time out in Bahrain too.

[00:22:22] Not just in terms of parts, but also in terms of performance. New floor. The whole idea, from what we know, is to be able to run the car slightly lower. So that they can unlock more mechanical grip from it. It worked to an extent, but they're still left without that one proper podium. So challenging times this week, getting into Jeddah. And it'll need a lot more confidence from Lewis too. And so far in qualifying, he hasn't gotten that yet, Kunal. Yeah, which is a bit of a surprise.

[00:22:51] You know, Ferrari with all that pre-season form that they had. They'll be title contenders, eighth coming in for Lewis. There's four races in and we still don't have a podium. And yes, he got the sprint race win. I know a lot of Hamilton fans will remind us of that. But the truth is the biggest points are available on the Sunday. The teams actually plan for everything on the Sunday, not for the Saturday or the sprints or whatever.

[00:23:17] And, you know, I know that they've been the fastest in the pit stops, which is fantastic. They've had four consecutive fastest pit stops all within two seconds. Can the fifth one come? But also, can they be quicker outside of the pit lane, which is again where all the racing happens? Leclerc has finished fourth in the last two races. Can he do better? Can he get his first podium and Ferrari's first podium? You know, this is another interesting thing, because when you look at Leclerc and when you

[00:23:45] look at Lance Stroll, Leclerc is fifth and Lance Stroll is 10. But I'm going to talk of Leclerc. Leclerc has got 32 points in the Drivers' Championship. But Russell, who's fourth, is at 63 points. So that gap where the Ferrari, of course, you know, please don't remind me of disqualifications and all that. We are all aware of that, guys. But just goes to show how large that gap already is.

[00:24:11] And Leclerc may just as well be fifth for several more races or drop down, but not climb up towards fourth place. And of course, Leclerc has been super quick in Jeddah. He's been on the front row here in the last three years. And like we guys were talking, you know, we celebrated Max Verstappen's lap at Suzuka for, you know, the driver doing better than what the car was capable of doing, etc. I think Leclerc also did that in Bahrain, just that it wasn't for pole, so we don't celebrate

[00:24:40] it as much. But that's another thing I really look forward to as well. You know, Charles Leclerc performing his single lap magic in Jeddah, in that Ferrari. And then, of course, how close can Lewis Hamilton get to Leclerc? Because the new floor they've brought in is to get Hamilton more comfortable, even though Leclerc said it doesn't really add more performance. But I'll tell you guys what I'm actually most interested with Leclerc. What is he going to give away to Pierre Gasly in Jeddah?

[00:25:12] He gave away quite a bit in Bahrain, didn't he? Yeah. Big time, I think. The whole strategy, didn't he? Before the race began. He said, we're going to try a one-stopper, which is typical of Ferraris. Usually, you know, nobody's saying we're going to pit one more time. Everyone's saying we'll try and pit one less because that's what you're trying to save more race time. But I think even last year, if I remember correctly, Gasly and Leclerc were already talking of

[00:25:41] Hamilton, was it two years ago when all the rumors were starting? So, you know, that French brotherhood means Leclerc just gives away a lot to Pierre Gasly. And for all the Netflix and all the other cameras, that's where you want to sort of put your boom mic and see where it goes. But yeah, I'd love to see what happens this time. Is he going to, you know, give away some more information? Maybe his banking password or something or how much Ferrari is paying him? I don't know.

[00:26:11] Where he gets his therapy done. But whatever. Yeah. But yeah, no, but important point is, yeah, it's going to be an important race weekend for Ferrari. And I think one of the like, one of the points that Samuel mentioned, it's going to be key how low they can run the car. And that's also something that's very confidence inducing. Yes, there have been more bumps in the previous tracks. How does Saudi turn up?

[00:26:38] You'd barely see how you barely have a lot of bumps because it's a street circuit and it's largely very flat. So in that regard, it might just go up Ferrari's alley in terms of performance or in terms of operating window. Low downforce track, minimal tire wear. So with that floor, it's at least you could say that as of now, it looks positive. But you'll have to see eventually what happens over the race weekend.

[00:27:02] But I have a feeling maybe we could finally, you're finally reaching that stage where you can see that four teams are going to be fighting for it together. And at the end, who gets their correlations right? They must have practiced this so much in the simulator. But Red Bull have been complaining that the correlations aren't quite matching. Like the stuff that we're seeing on the simulator isn't quite tallying up with what we see in real life. And there are so many problems that we see in real life that we just can't on the sim.

[00:27:30] Like dirty air, that's what's been Saabers problem. They have a fundamentally good car. But when following, that car just isn't able to get anything. There's no balance. There's no grip. There's nothing whatsoever. And you can't accurately predict in the simulator how much dirty air you're going to get. That's what their technical director said. Because they've got so many different circumstances coming in here and there. And that can really change things around. So it's going to be interesting to see how the weekend progresses.

[00:27:58] And who also is able to capitalize over it? What's... You found something, Kunal. No, yeah. You know, again, I'm sounding extremely silly. But maybe I'm still in my banter mode. Why don't teams just put two cars in the wind tunnel to understand the effects of dirty air on their car? I mean, if... I remember last year, Ferrari said our car is very wind sensitive. And then we made a big joke saying the cars are built in a wind tunnel. How can they be wind sensitive? If there's anything, you know what the wind does that.

[00:28:25] But anyway, just thought I'll put it there. But yeah, I mean, will following be easier? Will this be an overtaking fest? I know someone loves the DRS games that drivers play. I would love to see whether top three, top four teams actually in the battle and seeing where they go. Also, it's a... Do you guys still think that Liberty Media is going to market this as the fastest street race on the calendar? Or have they? Sorry?

[00:28:55] Of course. Why wouldn't they? Isn't Las Vegas almost close to that as well? But it isn't. It's still the fastest. Yeah, but I don't read it anywhere anymore. We saw it in the first four rounds. I don't read it. So maybe they are holding that back in some way. It is the fastest street race on the calendar, as far as I know. If we, in fact, have no stoppages, no yellow flags, red flags, safety cars or whatever,

[00:29:26] we could actually end up finishing the race in 70 minutes, which is usually what we get in Monza if it's run. If it's run, you know, interruption free. I think last year we had a safety car and we still finished in one hour 20 minutes. Okay, that's how quick the circuit is. That's how quickly the 50 laps go by as well. But let's see if it's still marketed as that fastest street race on the calendar. Sure. So that's largely on average pace.

[00:29:56] So I've just pulled out the numbers. So if you see Monza, it's at 263 kilometers per hour on average per lap. Poof! That's quick. And then you have Jedha, which is 254. So last year's pole lap was set at 254.0 or something. And then you have Albert Park, which is the third quickest, 250. Then comes Las Vegas at 241. And then you have a Miami at 223.

[00:30:23] So you have some quick street circuits in Formula One and Jedha is right up there. Interesting. No, this one will be fast. This one will be crazy. And in terms of tires also, I'm just very intrigued to see how it plays out. Pirelli normally brings in the three softest compounds here because of just how grippy it is. But then just seeing how that'll change, how the heat will also change things up because now we're racing in April and not in March.

[00:30:52] That is all something interesting to watch for as well. But very quickly... So they're going softer this time. They're going softer. Even softer. Yeah. So despite the rise in temperatures, Pirelli is going softer this time because they really want a lot of strategy to be at play. And you want them to have more wheel-to-wheel battles and to have more exciting racing. So that's what they're really looking to go for.

[00:31:18] So you definitely need to keep an eye on how teams plan for the race and how they really save their allocations for this race weekend. Yeah. And I think them going a step softer is also because we've got Joe Kuan Yew to blame. He took the C2 tire, if I remember, or C3 tire to some 41 laps last year after the safety car and lots of tire management happened. So they're going a step softer. I think it's going to convert itself into a two-stopper.

[00:31:47] Another reason is the pit lane is actually one of the fourth shortest or fourth longest pit lane in the calendar. But it's also the second shortest when it comes to time. It's just 15 seconds in and out. So that'll be good to see multiple stops happening. Also, you know, we hosted an event at Karls in Oslo for the Bahrain Grand Prix with Norwegian motorsport legend Henning Isdal.

[00:32:13] And some of the questions that came up were, you know, are these, and I think we also spoke about it, you know, are these the most interesting sequence or circuits for any driver to make a debut at? I think the Jetta Cornish circuit is lower drag than the four circuits before. So again, it's a step into unknown territory for a lot of teams and drivers. And by unknown, I mean, of course, they know how their cars will behave,

[00:32:39] but they've not used this particular setup specifications to sort of run in the first four races that have happened in Australia, China, Bahrain, and where else did we race? It's Suzuka. And the key is going to be how do you sort of maintain balance of the car, given that it's high speed directional changes. So you sort of be able to do that, but also keep the tires in the operating window. And, you know, these years or this year, I'm actually focusing more on McLaren in sector three,

[00:33:09] because like you pointed out before, Samuel, that's that one sector where everyone else's tires are screaming and shouting and McLarens are like, oh, we're just about getting worked now. So it's clearly where they hold all their advantage. And there's a heavy braking zone in the final corner, as we all know from Max Verstappen. You need to make sure that the tires are just about in the right temperature so that when you go braking there, you don't lock up, which is turning up to be the case for Max Verstappen in Bahrain.

[00:33:37] So many of the lockups are just down to the fact that the tires just were overworked and overheated. And so they just didn't have enough grip. Crazy. This is going to be a challenging weekend that way, which makes me even more intrigued about the midfield, because there I am totally confused. Where do we go? Racing Bulls clearly have good qualifying pace from what we know. Haas haven't quite been the best in qualifying. But then there's Oliver Behrman, who did so well here last year when replacing Carlos Sainz in Ferrari.

[00:34:07] And he can be pretty good. Williams have had a very, very balanced race car. And Alpine suddenly also showed great pace and potential last time out. Now, we haven't been able to decipher why or what exactly was it that changed. But here we are. And we have a properly convoluted field. Who's your bets on, guys, for the leading midfield driver? But I'm going. Isaac Hatcher in qualifying. Hmm.

[00:34:36] That's a very interesting pick. I will go with... I will go with, I think, Esteban Ocon in the race. Somal, I'm very surprised you've not picked Carlos Sainz and Williams. But okay, maybe you've left that first, Sundaram. Who knows? My heart's been broken. I don't think they've been able to. I think, I think, since Somal's taken Isaac, I think I'm going to go Alex. I'll go Alex.

[00:35:07] Alex. Okay, I'm going to pick one more based on F2 performances. Liam Lawson. He's actually done very well here before as well. Didn't I just say it's Lawson's first time? So maybe I missed that. Okay. But Liam Lawson's actually done very well in Formula 2 out here in Jedi in 21, 22 as well. And I'd love to see where he goes. But can you imagine the midfield is so tough to pick from?

[00:35:34] And despite the great performance in Bahrain, none of us have picked Alpine. What's up? The hardest thing in the world to tell. Where are Alpine? What are Alpine? Why are Alpine? Like, it's, it's, wasn't it here when they almost got past Valtteri Bottas for one of the podium slots a couple of years ago in the, in the pink car? No, they were fighting Alonso. Weren't they? It was Ocon versus Alonso. 23 it must have been.

[00:36:05] 22, 23. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. It's weird. And, and, and, and the pressure is on Jack Doohan. Because it doesn't seem like they are going to sack him. I think this is race number five. So, the five race number has come to a close. But we aren't quite seeing any stories of him being let go yet. Which means, clearly, he's got to turn it up a notch and double down on the fact that he's been given some more time. Ah, it's, it's going to be a good weekend. It's, it's going to be very chaotic.

[00:36:35] But for points, assuming, assuming that the top teams have a total of eight cars in the top 10, who are the other two you're backing to score? I said Isaac Hadjar in qualifying. I'm going to go Oliver Behrman in the race, scoring one of the points. Good question, this. And the other one. So, if I'm going for one house, I'm just going to follow my heart and say Carlos. Pick your two names.

[00:37:02] Carlos and Behrman. For me. Carlos and Behrman. Kunal? I will go with, so I think Fernando will continue to remain pointless in 2025. He's yet to score points. Yeah. So, that. I get a feeling it's, it's either going to be the two Haases in the points or the two Williams's. Williams has never scored in Saudi Arabia. So, history is against them. But they've also never had Albin and Sainz with themselves.

[00:37:31] So, you know, it's that. And then Haas, of course, they've got double points in two out of the four races. Oliver Behrman has scored in three consecutive races. And actually, Behrman in his seven GP long career has failed to score just two times or something, if my math is correct somewhere. So, it's either the two Williams's that will get in or the two Haases or, okay, let me just expand my net of luck. Maybe any of these four will be there. I'm going with one Williams and one Haas.

[00:38:01] So, I think it could be Albon and Ocon. Although Behrman had a good race here last year, but that was in the Ferrari. But, yeah, I'm going Albon and Ocon. Albon and Ocon. Okay. So, it's clear. A lot of us have our money on Haas. And a lot of us have our money on… It's tough to tell. It's so tricky. And let us know what you think about this as well, guys. Because we're following along everyone's comments on social media.

[00:38:29] Uttara is also doing a wonderful quiz later today about the Saudi Arabian GP. And if you win that and if you answer those questions correctly, you can be joining our Saturday live stream as a fan we honor. Because we're going to be having all of you on the stream chatting with us while we talk about the sport. And we will particularly call out your name if you end up winning that quiz as well. So, give it a shot. See what's what. Why not? Why not go for it? And Satana is back.

[00:38:56] Yes, F1 Stats Guru is back as well with stories from the paddock. It's great to have him and his numbers and his lovely voice. Jeremy is there as well on the stream saying, Love the stream, guys. Glad you guys are on YouTube now. Have been listening to the podcast for a while. Thank you. It's fantastic that you guys are here. I think, why don't we do the toughest thing? But before that, okay, can we just have a quick chat about the circuit? Because, you know, apart from all the lovely memes that it's a, it's that hairpin, literally.

[00:39:26] The hairpin clip. I think the circuit needs a bit of introduction. It's fairly new, but we've already had several memories. Like we said, you know, Verstappen's pole. Max versus Lewis 2021. Max versus Leclerc at some point. That has happened as well. But 27 corners. 16 turning right. 11 turning left. Despite 27 corners, there are just about seven breaking points.

[00:39:54] Because lots of these corners are high-speed kinks, as we call them. So you're pretty much just on the gas or lifting off to get some front directional changes. The slowest corners turn two, 80 kilometers per hour. The quickest corners are 20, 21, and 26, all over 300 kilometers per hour. And yeah, I think turn 13 has also got a gradient. So they've sort of managed to pull that in. Three DRS zones. Pole position starts on the right-hand side.

[00:40:19] And yeah, I think qualifying, like we've said, is going to be extremely crucial. The smallest race win margin here was half a second when Verstappen beat Leclerc. But guys, I am actually rooting for a new face on the podium. The podium positions have been filled only by four guys. Norris, Piastri, Russell, and Verstappen. Let's do predictions. Do you guys think there will be a new face on the podium? And what's your top three?

[00:40:50] Oof. I hope Kimi Antonelli. I hope it is him. It'll be such a fun story. But I'm going Lando, Oscar, and the mind says George. Yeah. Cover it. Oscar, George, Leclerc. Oh, my goodness. So George is gone. Leclerc is gone.

[00:41:20] Okay, Antonelli is where you're hoping. So Antonelli's qualifying has actually gotten better with each race. He was 16th, 8th, 6th, 5th. So let's see where he lands up. In F2, he's actually had two top six finishes in both the races last year as well. I get a feeling we are going to not see a new face. Because if Leclerc is there, there's definitely a new face on the podium. I don't think we're going to see a new face on the podium.

[00:41:43] I get a feeling it's going to be Oscar, Lando, and Max Wishtappen. That guy, it cannot be ruled out. He will still pull out some of the magic. And, you know, we keep saying how special he is. Trent Storst has said how special he is on our show. Max Wishtappen is yet to finish lower than his start position in 2025. That's crazy. Even after a weekend like last time. That's crazy.

[00:42:13] That's crazy. Okay, then. Tons of storylines heading into each other. Lots of really interesting battles at the top and the midfield. Let us know which one excites you the most. And make sure you take part in the quiz that Uttara is going to put up on the Inside Line F1 podcast social pages. And Inside Line F1 pod is the place to be for that. And you could be mentioned on our post-qualifying show on Saturday, which you shouldn't miss. And to make sure you don't miss it, subscribe to the Inside Line F1 podcast on YouTube

[00:42:41] and make sure that the bell notification is always on. Thank you for watching, everyone. We will catch you on Saturday. Bye-bye.