How will Lando Norris respond to Max Verstappen? Sergio Perez's last F1 race? 2024 Mexico City GP Preview

[00:00:19] It's that time of the year again. We are back in Mexico City for the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Circuit Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Circuit Autodromo two times in a row? Yeah, I don't know what that is. That's just an invention that I've made. But welcome along to the Inside Line F1 Podcast, folks. This is our Mexican GP preview episode.

[00:00:38] We have a ton of talking points for this weekend and lots and lots of bold predictions that are going to be coming your way. It's race week, guys. And the Mexico City GP race week creative features three Mexican home heroes. I don't get why Formula 1 has got Colapinto and Fernando Alonso. Like, I get the Spanish connection, Sundaram. But like, that's adopting them totally on their own.

[00:01:03] I think there's no other reference to it. They all speak Spanish and these are the closest that they could actually, closest personalities that they could actually get on their graphics. So yes, unless Kunal has a different take to that.

[00:01:17] Where's Carlos Sainz then? I'm feeling bad as a Carlos Sainz fan. They ignored him. Is he not Spanish anymore?

[00:01:23] Well, Ferrari's ignored him. And as has Red Bull, as has Mercedes, as has Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico, as you end up saying. But I think, of course, so Checo Perez home hero could be his last home race. We don't know. We'll discuss that.

[00:01:41] But Franco Colapinto has been so excited about racing in the American continent and time zones. And he's saying there are lots of Argentinian fans traveling to these races because closer proximity.

[00:01:55] He, in fact, said some fans were crazy enough to fly all the way to Singapore to watch him race as well.

[00:02:01] But Fernando Alonso, so Naram, I thought you were going to pick this up, but it's his 400th.

[00:02:06] Honestly, totally forgot.

[00:02:09] Yes, 400th race weekend. Goodness me, that's almost 36% of all Formula 1 races. Isn't it some 1121, 122 races that have happened or something?

[00:02:24] So that's why Fernando Alonso, that's why you don't have a Leclerc who won the last race.

[00:02:28] That's why you don't have Max Verstappen who's leading the Drivers' Championship.

[00:02:32] That's why you don't have Lando Norris who's attacking Max for the Drivers' Championship.

[00:02:36] That's why you don't have Lewis Hamilton because he's Lewis Hamilton.

[00:02:39] And that's why you have Alonso, Colapinto and Checo Perez.

[00:02:44] I'm still annoyed though. I'm still annoyed by the fact that they didn't have Carlos Sainz, who was the most impressive Spanish-speaking driver in the US GP.

[00:02:52] Maybe they made the creative a bit too long ago.

[00:02:54] But come on, guys. Don't ignore my hero like that.

[00:02:57] I mean, we've all ignored him.

[00:02:59] But you too, Mexico GP?

[00:03:00] I'm annoyed with you.

[00:03:01] I'm not buying tickets for next year.

[00:03:02] Not that I have for the last 10 years or whatever that's been going along.

[00:03:07] But that's our complaints with them.

[00:03:09] But guys, before we begin to talk about what you should expect in this race and the big talking points,

[00:03:15] here is something interesting.

[00:03:17] And if you're watching us on YouTube, you can see what's on screen as well.

[00:03:21] Send in your questions and predictions on the Inside Line F1 podcast social media page.

[00:03:25] We would love to hear what you have in mind.

[00:03:27] And we would love to answer so many questions that you have about the racing and about Formula 1 as well.

[00:03:33] That does not mean you ask questions like, hey, who's Carlos Sainz's girlfriend, even though she's very pretty.

[00:03:39] But you can ask more questions around what's happening on the track or on the driver market.

[00:03:43] Or even questions about us and our motorsport journeys.

[00:03:45] And we'd be more than happy to answer them for you.

[00:03:48] And not just questions.

[00:03:49] We want your predictions as well.

[00:03:52] Which means, Kunal and Sundaram, they want our predictions as well.

[00:03:56] Before we go ahead, poll predictions for the Mexico City GP.

[00:04:00] What are we doing, guys?

[00:04:02] Who's going first?

[00:04:04] If there's silence...

[00:04:06] Go ahead, Kunal.

[00:04:07] I can go first.

[00:04:09] So, of course, you know, we're all going to play up Norris, Verstappen.

[00:04:14] And, you know, will the Ferraris take away more points from McLaren, which is great for Max Verstappen.

[00:04:19] But if Lando Norris puts it on poll, and mind you, he's been in great form with poll positions.

[00:04:26] But if he puts it on poll, he's going to lose that lead on the opening lap, on that start.

[00:04:33] Because that start-finish trade is incredibly long, as we know.

[00:04:38] It's one of the longest you can find.

[00:04:40] Even though the circuit is like the third shortest circuit on the calendar, the start-finish trade from poll position to turn one is 767 meters.

[00:04:52] It's an interesting number to remember because I'm a fan of Boeing.

[00:04:55] And Boeing 767 was almost never as popular as the Boeing 747 or the 777.

[00:05:02] But that's probably what's going to happen.

[00:05:05] Even though, you know, I think what could happen is if the Ferraris again take second row like they did in Kota, I think three out of the last four races have been won from P3.

[00:05:17] So that's bold prediction that Lando Norris will take poll but will get overtaken again on that opening lap.

[00:05:24] And he'll keep adding to that tally that just once in his Formula 1 career has he managed to keep the lead at the end of the opening lap of a race.

[00:05:33] Okay.

[00:05:35] That's interesting.

[00:05:37] That's interesting.

[00:05:39] I follow something similar mentally but for the sake of change, I'm going to go for something that's more related to the back of the grid.

[00:05:47] I feel Williams are scoring points this time.

[00:05:49] They've been incredible here the last couple of years.

[00:05:52] They've gotten points in 23 as well with Alex Albon.

[00:05:56] And this is that kind of circuit that suits them very, very well.

[00:06:00] Again, it's high downforce because we're at a high altitude.

[00:06:04] But it's similar to Monza in many regards in that there's not many corners, not many high-speed corners, lots of low-speed ones.

[00:06:12] And that sort of goes down the line of what this Williams car has proven to be very good at consistently.

[00:06:17] I'm not saying they're getting points.

[00:06:19] I'm saying they're getting points with both cars, Colopinto and Albon.

[00:06:23] If you're going bold, I think there's nothing bolder than that.

[00:06:27] So Sundaram, is it a Fernando Alonso win this time?

[00:06:31] I would love that.

[00:06:32] 400 Grand Prixs in Formula 1.

[00:06:35] No one's actually reached that landmark.

[00:06:38] But no, I'm actually going to go for a prediction that wasn't as bold or was the easiest prediction a year ago.

[00:06:46] Or probably even six months ago.

[00:06:48] But I'm actually going to say that Max Verstappen is actually going to win this race.

[00:06:51] For a couple of reasons.

[00:06:53] First of all, he is the most successful driver around this track.

[00:06:57] He's won here five times.

[00:07:00] And the fact is that he's the only driver to win here on back-to-back occasions.

[00:07:05] No one's done that in the 24 years of having the Mexican Grand Prix.

[00:07:11] He's the only driver to do consecutive race wins in this country.

[00:07:15] And he's done that twice.

[00:07:16] But also the fact that if you look at the United States Grand Prix,

[00:07:20] Red Bull were exceptionally strong around the slow speed corners.

[00:07:25] And this circuit, you see a fair bit of them along with some medium speed corners as well.

[00:07:30] Along with straights.

[00:07:31] Not a lot of high-speed stuff.

[00:07:33] Which is where the likes of who was better at that last time.

[00:07:38] McLaren and Ferrari.

[00:07:39] But I'm not sure if Mercedes is going to be doing particularly well.

[00:07:43] But I have a feeling because of all those things.

[00:07:46] I just feel maybe Max Verstappen is going to add win number what?

[00:07:50] Eight.

[00:07:50] Finally, win number eight this season.

[00:07:53] Okay.

[00:07:53] I'll make another bold prediction.

[00:07:56] Actually, this is a drinking game prediction.

[00:07:59] Every time we hear high altitude, you should drink.

[00:08:05] But even more so if you hear Monaco levels of downforce but Monza levels of speed.

[00:08:12] Because that is something every broadcaster in the world is going to use this weekend.

[00:08:17] Because that is the uniqueness of this circuit.

[00:08:20] That's what the altitude does do to us.

[00:08:24] You'll see full levels of downforce.

[00:08:27] A lot of teams will bring the Monaco wings.

[00:08:29] But they will still be achieving some of the highest top speeds you can see.

[00:08:33] In fact, with a tow, you can almost cross 360 kilometers per hour on that 1.2 kilometer long start finish straight.

[00:08:42] And I think it was 2016 when it was Valtteri Bottas who got 373 kilometers per hour on that mega long straight.

[00:08:55] And I actually love this circuit because it's got a long straight.

[00:08:59] Then some of those Mickey Mouse corners.

[00:09:01] Another long straight.

[00:09:02] Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse.

[00:09:03] Some S's.

[00:09:03] And then you're in that stadium section.

[00:09:05] Which, trust me, looks extremely gorgeous.

[00:09:08] You know, that basketball stadium that they convert into.

[00:09:11] Basketball?

[00:09:12] Oh, sorry.

[00:09:13] Baseball.

[00:09:13] Baseball.

[00:09:14] If basketball are this big of a stadium, I swear.

[00:09:17] But no, you're right.

[00:09:19] And they've still kept it.

[00:09:20] And they have concerts there.

[00:09:21] They have festivals there.

[00:09:23] It's mind-blowing.

[00:09:24] I think it's one of the wisest ideas that they had.

[00:09:27] Because previously, Formula 1 used to go around it.

[00:09:30] So you see Turn 12 on our presentation.

[00:09:31] If you can see it.

[00:09:33] They used to have this long right-hander called the Foro Soul over there.

[00:09:36] Which used to be daunting.

[00:09:38] Because on the left-hand side was no runoff.

[00:09:41] There was a wall.

[00:09:42] And if you walk into that wall, which still exists in part at the final corner, that is your car over and done with.

[00:09:48] And some of the fastest accidents in Formula 1 history have actually happened over there.

[00:09:52] Scariest ones as well.

[00:09:53] I remember, what was it?

[00:09:54] Gerhard Berger who rolled his car around there and got a life?

[00:09:57] Back in the day.

[00:09:58] Yeah, it's a crazy circuit that way.

[00:10:01] And even now, that one corner is one of the most critical corners to get right.

[00:10:07] Because you go through that stadium section, all the Mickey Mouse stuff.

[00:10:10] And mind you, these cars are difficult to roll in and out of slow corners.

[00:10:14] Which is where every time a car does well in slow corners, they're actually gaining time.

[00:10:19] Because that's where you can find time, right?

[00:10:20] That corner, even in qualifying, is one of the most critical corners to get a good lap.

[00:10:26] And in the race, to make sure you don't get overtaken into turn 1, you have to nail that one particular corner.

[00:10:32] There's such interesting history about that last corner that Somal just mentioned right now.

[00:10:37] It used to be a long, sweeping right-hander, which is extremely quick and extremely dangerous as well.

[00:10:43] And it was called Periltada.

[00:10:46] Periltada.

[00:10:47] Periltada.

[00:10:48] But do you know what's that corner named now?

[00:10:51] Honorarily named after a driver.

[00:10:53] Do you know who's named after?

[00:10:55] The Sergio Perez corner?

[00:10:56] No.

[00:10:58] Take a guess.

[00:11:00] Okay.

[00:11:01] Mexican drivers.

[00:11:03] Not Mexican drivers.

[00:11:04] Historic drivers.

[00:11:05] Legendary drivers.

[00:11:06] World champions.

[00:11:07] World champions.

[00:11:08] World champions from where?

[00:11:10] That's going to give it away.

[00:11:12] But Great Britain.

[00:11:14] The Hamilton corner.

[00:11:18] No.

[00:11:19] Kunal, you want to take a corner?

[00:11:20] You want to give it a go?

[00:11:21] Oh my goodness.

[00:11:23] Nico Rosberg?

[00:11:25] It's called the Nigel Mansell corner.

[00:11:28] It's valid.

[00:11:30] It's absolutely valid because Nigel Mansell was a beast around here.

[00:11:36] Exactly.

[00:11:37] Yeah.

[00:11:37] Just watching those footages.

[00:11:40] Yeah.

[00:11:40] Just watching the footage from back in the day of Fim driving around with Williams firstly,

[00:11:45] then with Ferrari here and just the kind of driving that you need to do.

[00:11:50] And back in the day, remember this, they used to have manual gearboxes.

[00:11:53] Yes.

[00:11:54] So, that was even more crazy to see them with those big heavy V12s around there.

[00:12:00] It's one of my best past times, honestly.

[00:12:03] Yeah, but you're absolutely right.

[00:12:05] But to even speak about the circuit, like Kunal mentioned, we'll be mentioning high altitude

[00:12:10] around.

[00:12:11] Just to give you a little bit more context about how high this circuit actually is.

[00:12:16] You know, the Burj Khalifa is around 830 meters.

[00:12:19] And if you stand in front of it, you might realize that it is extremely tall.

[00:12:24] Multiply that by three.

[00:12:26] And that's how high the track is actually situated.

[00:12:29] So, that would mean that the density of air is a lot lesser than you would see at maybe a

[00:12:35] Zanvoort or a Monza.

[00:12:36] Which means that molecules of air are much, much lesser at that track.

[00:12:42] So, you might assume that the effect of DRS is going to be high.

[00:12:46] No, it's not going to be.

[00:12:47] You don't have enough molecules to hit against your rear wing.

[00:12:50] Which means, although your cars will be fast around the straights, which is why Kunal said

[00:12:54] the highest top speeds of the season, you would usually see them around this particular

[00:12:58] track.

[00:12:59] Cars will go extremely quick on that main straight or even on the back straight.

[00:13:04] But the effect of DRS is going to be much lesser.

[00:13:07] Overtaking is going to be lesser because you don't have that sort of pace advantage on the

[00:13:11] straight.

[00:13:12] But the other problem or the other challenge of having less air is you don't have enough

[00:13:17] downforce around the circuits.

[00:13:19] Which is why you will see teams going full Monaco level rear wings and still maintaining

[00:13:26] the high speeds of like a Monza.

[00:13:29] So, Monaco level rear wings but Monza like speeds.

[00:13:32] Hey, drinking game.

[00:13:33] I need to take a sip of water.

[00:13:34] You've mentioned it already.

[00:13:36] Come on.

[00:13:36] Now, that's where it is, right?

[00:13:38] That's where it is.

[00:13:39] We need to take a sip of that.

[00:13:40] But to continue on that, I just remember the other issue of having lesser air is there

[00:13:47] is lesser air that enters the cars through the radiators and the ducts and everything.

[00:13:52] So, you might see teams going with more open, what do you call it, vanes on their car.

[00:13:58] And it affects cooling.

[00:14:00] It affects braking.

[00:14:01] It affects temperatures.

[00:14:03] So, you might see a lot of drivers locking up their brakes on the first corner as well.

[00:14:08] Which is what Sergio Perez did last year.

[00:14:10] So, it's going to be a very taxing weekend not just for the drivers but the car in general,

[00:14:15] the engine in general.

[00:14:16] The turbocharger is going to be maxed out trying to compensate for the lesser air that's available.

[00:14:22] So, there's going to be a lot of technical chatter that happens throughout this weekend

[00:14:26] and you might see one team struggling than others.

[00:14:28] On that, before we go and talk about Sergio Perez and introduce ourselves as well in the meantime,

[00:14:34] we need to talk a little bit about the way the tyres will actually make a difference this time out.

[00:14:39] Because Mexico City, it's a circuit that's not really very high in terms of tyre load.

[00:14:45] Remember, there's not a lot of high-speed corners.

[00:14:48] And that means that you can extend your stints quite a fair bit.

[00:14:54] Drivers will be doing almost half the race on the hard compound tyres

[00:14:57] and there's a very good chance that the softs might be pretty much useless apart from qualifying

[00:15:01] because why would you want to do that when the mediums and hards are giving you enough pace in life already?

[00:15:06] And that's going to be interesting.

[00:15:07] This is where I'll give my prediction in slightly.

[00:15:11] You might see Ferrari be very good in the race, particularly

[00:15:15] because they have been adapting their car for races just like this.

[00:15:19] At the start of the year, they mentioned that we want to be able to do better at increasing our tyre life

[00:15:24] to make sure that they are more gentle.

[00:15:26] So, even the smallest gains and the smallest advantages you get to see in that regard

[00:15:30] will play out even further at a race like this.

[00:15:34] Because if you're using your tyres lesser than a McLaren or a Mercedes

[00:15:38] at a race when tyre wear is already less, it means you can push a lot more.

[00:15:42] And Ferrari have proven to be very good at the extreme low-speed corners this year

[00:15:46] and their engine is normally pretty fast as well.

[00:15:48] So, watch out for them this time.

[00:15:50] They are going to be really interesting.

[00:15:51] Interesting.

[00:15:52] And also, interesting that Pirelli and their tyre wear graphic canal have mentioned track evolution to be a big point.

[00:15:58] So, qualifying is going to be fun because normally in qualifying,

[00:16:01] I've noticed that there's at least one or two drivers putting their cars in the wall,

[00:16:05] depending on the sessions.

[00:16:06] Sometimes we've seen it in Q1.

[00:16:08] But if it does happen in Q3, which is a possibility, and track evolution is so big,

[00:16:13] so much of it could be down to when you time your qualifying run ultimately.

[00:16:17] It is.

[00:16:18] And, you know, the tow is actually very valuable.

[00:16:20] Three DRS zones out here.

[00:16:23] Even more so in qualifying, you have to manage your braking into the, you know, turn one

[00:16:27] and the other long braking heavy zones that are there because you're decelerating quick.

[00:16:32] You're also going to need to keep your tyres alive because by the time you get to the end of the lap,

[00:16:38] you're pretty much running out of tyre life because that's just how the nature of the current tyres is.

[00:16:43] And could we see teammates giving each other a tow?

[00:16:47] Could Oscar Piastri be tasked with giving a tow to Lando Norris so that they get track position?

[00:16:52] A very interesting strategy at play all the way from qualifying itself.

[00:16:57] And we're going to finally go back to having three practice sessions as well.

[00:17:02] The FP1s are going to see some rookies, which will be interesting.

[00:17:06] All eyes again on Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

[00:17:10] Because I, like I said in the previous episode as well, previous several episodes,

[00:17:16] Mercedes need to just or should have managed him better in that FP1 in Monza.

[00:17:21] They probably didn't do that.

[00:17:23] So, you know, in FP1, in Mexico, the one thing he really needs to do is keep it on the track.

[00:17:28] The one thing Mercedes need to do is mentor him into saying, just go around, put in a lap time,

[00:17:34] get some belt, miles on your belt, etc.

[00:17:37] But, you know, don't go try and chase Lando Norris's lap time or a Leclerc or even a Max Verstappen's lap time.

[00:17:46] Because I think there's time in Kimi Antonelli's life when he can go and chase that lap time.

[00:17:52] Now it's just about getting through a real-life programme in the 2024 Formula 1 season without putting it in the wall.

[00:18:00] So, and there is a Monza connection here because it is, drinking game again, Monaco levels of downforce, but Monza levels of top speed.

[00:18:11] Nicely done.

[00:18:13] I should have had my drinks ready.

[00:18:16] No, but Kunal, see, the thing is, in a sprint, we have one free practice session.

[00:18:21] In a normal race weekend, we have three practice sessions.

[00:18:24] This weekend, we have actually just two practice sessions.

[00:18:27] The thing is, Pirelli has a very interesting tire test coming up in FP2,

[00:18:34] which is entirely allocated or entirely for Pirelli to test their 2025 soft-to-compounds.

[00:18:41] So, FP2 is going to be extended by 30 minutes, where Pirelli will define what fuel loads each car has to run

[00:18:50] and what other parameters have to be set according to it.

[00:18:54] So, Pirelli will be providing two additional set of tyres, which will not be marked,

[00:18:58] but they will be defining the run plan and everyone will be on the same level of fuel load

[00:19:04] and they'll be running the same number of laps.

[00:19:06] They'll be doing a performance run.

[00:19:07] They'll be doing a long run to assess if these tyres can be used for next year.

[00:19:13] So, FP2 in that regard is going to be solely defined by Pirelli.

[00:19:17] Now, you must be wondering, there are a couple of drivers who are actually relinquishing their seat to the rookie drivers in FP1.

[00:19:24] They get a little bit of an exception.

[00:19:25] In FP2, they get 30 minutes to try and get up to speed and collect some data for the Grand Prix.

[00:19:32] But FP2 is otherwise going to be allocated to Pirelli and their run plans for next year's tyres.

[00:19:39] Wait, so do we have only four cars running in that 30-minute practice session then separately?

[00:19:44] 90 minutes.

[00:19:45] So, 90 minutes of that session, 60 minutes is going to be allocated to doing Pirelli's tests

[00:19:50] and 30 minutes for themselves to get some data for the race weekend.

[00:19:54] So, teams have to get their setups done largely in FP1 and in FP3, more or less.

[00:20:00] So, wait, if I am, for instance, Lewis Hamilton, who hasn't done FP1, and then 60 minutes of FP2 is spent with Pirelli,

[00:20:08] and I have only 30 minutes of FP2 separately on my normal tyres, that's it for me.

[00:20:14] Like, only 30 minutes of practice with my proper tyres.

[00:20:17] And FP3.

[00:20:19] And FP3, yeah, exactly.

[00:20:22] But that shouldn't be that much of a problem, to be honest, if you're someone like Lewis who's done so much.

[00:20:29] But for the other drivers in the background, yeah, that's going to be interesting, especially at Saabert.

[00:20:35] And isn't Schwarzman replacing Bonnard?

[00:20:37] If I'm not...

[00:20:38] No, Joe Guanyu.

[00:20:39] Yeah, well, good luck to him.

[00:20:42] Seriously.

[00:20:44] Oh, wait.

[00:20:45] Now that we're talking about Joe Guanyu, the only thing I can remember about him this year is him getting a salute at the Chinese Grand Prix.

[00:20:54] We're at the Mexican Grand Prix.

[00:20:56] This could well be the last ever Mexican Grand Prix for Sergio Perez.

[00:21:00] Salute, guys?

[00:21:01] We need a tribute or something like that on a main straight ride.

[00:21:03] Or do you believe that it's not going to be the last Mexican GP for Sergio Perez?

[00:21:07] Who's going first?

[00:21:08] Who's going first?

[00:21:09] Yeah, I think it's going to be the last Mexican Grand Prix for Sergio Perez, unfortunately.

[00:21:14] I know we've got lots of listeners in Mexico.

[00:21:16] Please do not hate me for saying this.

[00:21:18] But my reading is if Red Bull loses P2 in the Constructors' Championship, which literally seems inevitable.

[00:21:26] And that inevitable was seemingly inevitable since a couple of years ago when Max was just winning everything for them in the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championships, right?

[00:21:36] But if they do that, I think they'll be pressured into making a change even more so for next year.

[00:21:44] I think they've given Checo enough chances.

[00:21:46] They've worked enough to try and get him up to pace, etc.

[00:21:50] Contracts coming into play.

[00:21:51] Lots of money from Mexico coming into play.

[00:21:54] And Checo's already said he's going to end his career at Red Bulls.

[00:21:57] So whether it's 24 or 25 or 26 or even 28, at least one thing we know is Checo will not, at least based on what he said in the last week,

[00:22:05] he's not going to take up an option with the likes of an Audi or with the likes of whichever other team, including Racing Bulls.

[00:22:14] Which means it's either the last race this year or the last race next year.

[00:22:19] But it seems increasingly likely that it's going to be this year.

[00:22:22] And guys, if you'll remember, we said this for Daniel Ricciardo in Singapore and it happened.

[00:22:28] Yeah.

[00:22:28] Okay.

[00:22:29] I really hope Red Bull tells Checo Perez.

[00:22:32] Checo, it's your last race.

[00:22:33] Enjoy it.

[00:22:34] With your fans, make the most of it.

[00:22:37] Ceremonial, whatever.

[00:22:37] Do not announce you're leaving.

[00:22:39] If you're not leaving, that's fine.

[00:22:40] But make the most of it.

[00:22:43] Let you enjoy it.

[00:22:43] Let the fans enjoy you, etc.

[00:22:45] Because at least with one driver, they'll have a proper send-off that's going.

[00:22:49] Because another series of rumors have come in that Liam Lawson, just after one race that he's had in Cota,

[00:22:56] is rumored to take Perez's place in Red Bull Racing next year.

[00:23:01] And Franco Colapinto might take up that seat in Racing Bulls next year, apparently.

[00:23:07] In fact, it seems like there's nothing Colapinto can't do.

[00:23:09] Of course, he drives a fast car really quick.

[00:23:11] Then he said he forced or rather convinced Williams to give him the hard tire strategy.

[00:23:16] So he said, if I don't race next year, I'll do strategy next year.

[00:23:19] Apparently, somebody has just tweeted saying, did you know Franco Colapinto has a very high level of technical feedback?

[00:23:26] So there's one more thing that he can do.

[00:23:28] Of course, he's humorous.

[00:23:29] He gives great answers.

[00:23:30] He's already building up a personality in front of the media.

[00:23:35] And this is where I'm also hoping that Argentinian fans come in and start listening to the Inside Line F1 podcast.

[00:23:42] Because that's a market we are yet to crack.

[00:23:45] And we'll crack that on the back of Colapinto.

[00:23:47] I'm a Messi fan.

[00:23:49] You're a Messi fan as well, Sundaram.

[00:23:50] You're a Messi fan as well, Kunal.

[00:23:52] Of course, we are.

[00:23:53] I'm a Colapinto fan, of course.

[00:23:57] But that actually means that Isaac Hajar is not going to be in that second RB seat.

[00:24:03] Wow.

[00:24:03] I mean, these are all rumors.

[00:24:06] But yeah, possibly.

[00:24:07] Even if that happens, isn't he leading the F2 championship at this point?

[00:24:11] But he's second.

[00:24:12] He's second to Bortoleto.

[00:24:14] Yeah, he's second.

[00:24:15] Let's for once assume this rumor is true.

[00:24:17] That, you know, that, what's his name?

[00:24:22] Colapinto is going to take Racing Bulls.

[00:24:24] Then it means that there is a higher chance Mick Schumacher is actually returning to Formula 1 with Audi as well.

[00:24:30] Because there isn't anyone else who's going to end up taking that seat.

[00:24:33] And I love the fact that everyone's saying Bortoleto can do really well.

[00:24:37] Mick Schumacher can do really well, etc.

[00:24:40] But I love the fact that Colapinto has stepped in and actually done well.

[00:24:45] So not only is he confidence-inspiring for his own self,

[00:24:49] but the way Colapinto and Behrman have gone about doing their thing in 2024 with the limited options they had,

[00:24:54] and now even Liam Lawson,

[00:24:56] it's confidence-inspiring for the next generation of drivers as well.

[00:25:00] That they're coming so well-prepared.

[00:25:01] Just put them in the car and hope for the best.

[00:25:04] And, you know, they're hungry as ever.

[00:25:05] I don't get what Sauber would get by putting Mick Schumacher in that car.

[00:25:11] Keep Valtteri Bottas.

[00:25:13] You need one more experienced voice to guide you at a time when there's not much happening in the team.

[00:25:18] And imagine if you change both your drivers at a time when you're going through so much turbulence behind the scenes.

[00:25:23] You need a voice of continuity as well as a voice of experience in that car.

[00:25:29] Putting in Mick Schumacher just...

[00:25:32] I don't know what you're trying to achieve.

[00:25:34] Is marketing that important to you?

[00:25:37] I'll tell you what.

[00:25:38] I'm actually eager to see Mick Schumacher back.

[00:25:41] Okay.

[00:25:42] F3 champion, F2 champion.

[00:25:45] Let's agree with what Christian Danner said on our podcast a couple of months ago,

[00:25:50] that he didn't make the step up.

[00:25:51] Maybe he's realized that.

[00:25:53] I mean, look at Colapinto.

[00:25:55] He was fourth, fifth in the Formula 2 championship.

[00:25:58] Look at Oliver Behrman, 17th, 16th, whatever, in the Formula 2 championship.

[00:26:01] If Mick can come back and show a similar promise that the other juniors have shown, why not?

[00:26:07] And I still agree.

[00:26:09] I still believe Haas and Ferrari and Gunter Steiner didn't manage Mick's career as well as they should have.

[00:26:17] That's absolutely valid.

[00:26:19] But at the cost of lacking any continuity driver-wise, that is a big step.

[00:26:24] If I'm Audi at the moment, I want someone to be there from the lows to take me to the highs

[00:26:30] because the technical feedback that they would have on these cars is vital,

[00:26:33] especially for 2025 more than anything else.

[00:26:37] Drop them in 2026 if you want to.

[00:26:38] Fair enough.

[00:26:39] Start afresh in that year if you want to.

[00:26:41] But 2025 is a year when you're at the last year of these regulations.

[00:26:45] You need the driver who's...

[00:26:46] I actually think the other way.

[00:26:49] The 2025 is anyway a washout.

[00:26:51] Whatever you do, you're not going to put your money on the 25 car and recovering it.

[00:26:55] You'd rather put all your resources saying,

[00:26:56] screw it, we did really bad in this era.

[00:26:59] 2026 era, we've got to nail it.

[00:27:01] You get a driver in 25 who you will continue with in 26.

[00:27:05] I mean, at the moment, even though Valtteri Bottas has shown great speed in whatever,

[00:27:11] you know, in parts.

[00:27:13] He's still 23rd in the driver's championship.

[00:27:17] And maybe this is where they realize they need new fresh blood,

[00:27:21] whatever you call it, coming in.

[00:27:22] I mean, Haas, despite having such a quick car,

[00:27:25] he's not going to have driver continuity next year.

[00:27:26] But they've got Oliver Behrman and Esteban Ocon going in there, right?

[00:27:32] So it's just how it goes.

[00:27:34] But anyway, on to the Mexican...

[00:27:37] A sense of continuity with Behrman, for sure.

[00:27:40] Because you get...

[00:27:41] But I suppose it's a changing team structure, right?

[00:27:45] In that regard also with Haas,

[00:27:47] and then they've got everything going right over there.

[00:27:50] I just feel Audi needs some sensibility.

[00:27:53] If you want new, why do you want to go back to the old?

[00:27:56] I suppose.

[00:27:58] That's a question I have.

[00:27:59] But we'll see.

[00:28:00] Hey, we diverted away from Sergio Perez quite quickly, actually.

[00:28:04] We forgot to get our opinions on this as well, Sundaram,

[00:28:08] about Sergio Perez and how things are going.

[00:28:10] Because I suppose we were all waiting for the time

[00:28:14] when Perez's performance or lack of

[00:28:17] would end up costing Red Bull financially

[00:28:18] in the Drivers' Championship,

[00:28:20] rather Constructors' Championship.

[00:28:21] Now that the time is here,

[00:28:22] as Kunal mentioned,

[00:28:23] I suppose it's inevitable now, isn't it?

[00:28:25] Absolutely.

[00:28:26] And Kunal's mentioned this several times

[00:28:28] that there are always performance clauses and everything.

[00:28:31] But I feel Sergio Perez has kind of

[00:28:35] stayed longer than anticipated.

[00:28:37] And as you can see on the right side

[00:28:39] of that graphic over there,

[00:28:40] Sergio Perez has not finished in the top five

[00:28:42] even the last 15 races.

[00:28:45] Max Verstappen has done it in 13 of those 15.

[00:28:47] And if Red Bull slips further to third,

[00:28:50] that's going to hit them really hard

[00:28:52] in the Constructors' Championship

[00:28:53] and also in terms of prize money.

[00:28:55] There's possibly no other reason

[00:28:57] why would you want to keep a Sergio Perez in the team

[00:28:59] if all the heavy lifting

[00:29:01] comes from Max Verstappen's car.

[00:29:03] So I feel there will be a change of driver happening

[00:29:08] at the end of the season.

[00:29:09] And this might be Checo's last Mexican race.

[00:29:12] Okay, what's up next, guys?

[00:29:14] I feel we should go and talk about the top three very quickly.

[00:29:18] Even though we have given our bold predictions briefly,

[00:29:22] let's just go for it immediately, right?

[00:29:25] For the win, I'm going Carlos Sainz

[00:29:29] because of what we mentioned about Ferrari

[00:29:31] and how good they can be

[00:29:32] at a circuit that has lots of low-speed corners

[00:29:35] and lots of high but low downforce,

[00:29:38] if you know what I mean.

[00:29:40] And interestingly enough, Kunal,

[00:29:43] Andrea Stella came to the media last week

[00:29:45] and said that we might be bad in Mexico City

[00:29:48] because it has a lot of...

[00:29:50] Actually, he said particularly about the USGP

[00:29:52] that we're not going to be very good here

[00:29:54] because it has lots of low-speed corners

[00:29:57] and lots of very high-speed corners

[00:29:59] and our car isn't really the best at both.

[00:30:01] If that same theory is applied here to Mexico City,

[00:30:06] lots of very low-speed corners

[00:30:07] and lots of long straights where McLaren

[00:30:09] aren't really the best.

[00:30:10] And that is going to be an interesting circumstance,

[00:30:13] especially when they want more points

[00:30:14] to eat into Red Bull Racing's Championship League.

[00:30:17] What are the Max's Championship League?

[00:30:19] I would say that McLaren will still be

[00:30:21] the class of the field.

[00:30:22] The quota was an outlier for them

[00:30:24] because of their package

[00:30:25] and how they have to balance out

[00:30:27] between the high-speed and the slow-speed stuff.

[00:30:30] You remember, in Monaco,

[00:30:31] they were really quick with Oscar Piastri.

[00:30:34] In Monza, they actually...

[00:30:36] Baku as well, Monza as well.

[00:30:40] And I get a feeling

[00:30:42] altitude will play a big difference

[00:30:44] in how teams are competitive or not.

[00:30:47] But Formula 1 has been here several years now

[00:30:49] for teams to know what's it like.

[00:30:51] Tire prep, tire...

[00:30:53] Getting the tires in the right window,

[00:30:55] tire management will be key moments.

[00:30:57] I get a feeling McLaren are going to be back

[00:30:59] up at the top.

[00:31:01] Red Bull will be almost there in...

[00:31:04] Red Bull will be the ones chasing McLaren.

[00:31:07] Okay?

[00:31:08] But Ferrari will be the one

[00:31:09] that will be spoiling the McLaren party.

[00:31:12] That's my feeling.

[00:31:13] So, if McLaren have to pull out big points

[00:31:16] on not just Red Bull,

[00:31:19] Max Verstappen,

[00:31:19] but even on Leclerc and Ferrari,

[00:31:21] because it is a close fight

[00:31:23] even in the Constructors' Championship,

[00:31:25] this is going to be a key race

[00:31:27] for them as well.

[00:31:28] Absolutely.

[00:31:29] And there's one question we need to answer

[00:31:30] right before we end this episode.

[00:31:34] It's the question of what's going to happen

[00:31:36] to a lot of people's favourite team.

[00:31:39] What's happening with Mercedes here?

[00:31:42] I suppose the answer to that question

[00:31:45] depends a lot on the car characteristics

[00:31:47] and also the upgrade cycles, really.

[00:31:50] Because Mercedes did well in the middle

[00:31:53] because their upgrades worked at a time

[00:31:55] where it didn't.

[00:31:56] And they also got lucky with a couple of races.

[00:31:58] Case in point, Silverstone and Hungary.

[00:32:01] Not Hungary, I'm sorry.

[00:32:02] Anyway, Silverstone and Austria.

[00:32:05] Yeah, even Spa as well.

[00:32:07] Spa, they were just very good.

[00:32:09] Spa, they were incredible

[00:32:10] with the tire management.

[00:32:11] But their upgrades worked

[00:32:12] at a time when the upgrades

[00:32:14] for Ferrari weren't working.

[00:32:15] At a time when Red Bull

[00:32:16] had a bit of a dip.

[00:32:18] And at a time where McLaren

[00:32:19] just had a couple of bad races.

[00:32:21] One that got taken out of their hand.

[00:32:23] One where they had bad tire strategy calls

[00:32:26] with Piastri they should have won in Silverstone.

[00:32:29] And one in Spa

[00:32:30] where they just didn't get things working out.

[00:32:33] And Red Bull had a penalty with Max Verstappen.

[00:32:35] And Landon Orris messed up turn one exit.

[00:32:37] Turn one, exactly.

[00:32:39] Exactly.

[00:32:39] So Mercedes' performance has been inflated by that.

[00:32:42] But generally,

[00:32:43] they have been where they are.

[00:32:44] I don't think anything has changed with them.

[00:32:47] It's just that this car is,

[00:32:49] as Toto Will keeps on saying,

[00:32:50] very tough to find the balance with.

[00:32:52] And we were seeing the same example of that

[00:32:54] in Austin as well.

[00:32:55] So I don't think they've changed anywhere.

[00:32:57] They are just where they were consistently.

[00:32:59] I think so.

[00:33:00] And I believe what's happened is,

[00:33:02] like we've said,

[00:33:02] upgrades don't mean upgrades.

[00:33:04] If it takes the car

[00:33:06] out of the comfort window of driving it.

[00:33:10] That's what a lot of drivers say.

[00:33:12] Every time Max says,

[00:33:12] I don't want upgrades to make me faster.

[00:33:14] I want it to make the car more comfortable for me.

[00:33:17] But what he means is,

[00:33:19] he wants it more predictable

[00:33:23] at every speed spec of corner

[00:33:27] as you'd go to slow, medium, high speed, etc.

[00:33:30] And that's where Mercedes has just been

[00:33:33] because the interesting fact here is,

[00:33:37] Mercedes, despite all those races,

[00:33:39] have scored almost 100 points less

[00:33:41] than McLaren since that summer break

[00:33:45] that has happened.

[00:33:45] And wow.

[00:33:47] McLaren 178 points since the summer break.

[00:33:50] Ferrari 151, Red Bull with 96,

[00:33:54] and Mercedes with 78.

[00:33:57] And I remember I did a similar math as well.

[00:34:00] I believe in the last,

[00:34:02] since Sandford,

[00:34:03] I think Max Verstappen has been

[00:34:06] the fourth highest scorer.

[00:34:08] The two McLarens and Leclerc

[00:34:09] have actually scored more than him.

[00:34:12] That's how well the others have been going

[00:34:15] while Red Bull and Verstappen

[00:34:17] have been losing ground

[00:34:18] in the Constructor and the Drivers' Championship as well.

[00:34:22] But my eyes will also be on Oscar Piastri

[00:34:25] because he had the largest gap ever

[00:34:29] this season in qualifying to Lando Norris.

[00:34:31] Yes, track limits,

[00:34:32] lap time got taken out, etc.

[00:34:34] Six tenths.

[00:34:35] And he was literally nowhere.

[00:34:37] And it is time to ask,

[00:34:38] can Oscar Piastri bounce back?

[00:34:40] And why are we saying bounce back?

[00:34:41] Is because he's never had such a low performance in a race.

[00:34:46] Where, you know,

[00:34:47] of course he finished where he did,

[00:34:49] which was, I think he was fifth, right?

[00:34:51] But I think it's not a performance

[00:34:53] we would normally associate with Oscar Piastri.

[00:34:57] So I'd love to see what Piastri's response

[00:35:00] will be on track to Lando Norris and to McLaren.

[00:35:03] And lastly,

[00:35:04] what is Lando Norris' game plan moving forward?

[00:35:07] Because now,

[00:35:08] we're at a stage where Lando is fighting,

[00:35:11] or at least we think he is,

[00:35:12] for the Championship for the very first time.

[00:35:15] And now Max realises that

[00:35:17] he can now take the fight to Lando directly.

[00:35:19] So for the first time in Austin,

[00:35:21] we saw Max directly

[00:35:23] take action on Lando Norris

[00:35:24] in terms of the Championship.

[00:35:26] That's what we saw at the start, remember.

[00:35:28] He was particularly focused

[00:35:30] on taking Lando away from P1

[00:35:32] because that's all he needs to do.

[00:35:34] If Lando is not first,

[00:35:35] there's no way in which Lando

[00:35:36] can beat Max to the Championship.

[00:35:38] This version of Verstappen

[00:35:40] is one that Lando has not competed with.

[00:35:43] It took prime Lewis Hamilton

[00:35:46] to his absolute level

[00:35:48] to go and compete with Max

[00:35:49] for that Championship in 2021.

[00:35:51] He's a different beast altogether.

[00:35:53] Now we find out

[00:35:54] if Lando Norris has that mental toughness,

[00:35:58] A,

[00:35:58] that Helmut Marko has been talking about,

[00:36:00] and B,

[00:36:01] that's sort of advantage over Max

[00:36:03] that he can end up winning a race

[00:36:05] because if he doesn't Sundaram,

[00:36:06] statistically,

[00:36:07] there's no way in which it's not happening.

[00:36:08] There's no way in which

[00:36:09] it's actually happening for him.

[00:36:10] Indeed.

[00:36:11] And that's why I feel

[00:36:11] it's going to be very, very difficult

[00:36:13] for Lando.

[00:36:14] He really needs to step up

[00:36:16] in these last couple of rounds

[00:36:18] because he needs to

[00:36:21] surpass or outscore

[00:36:22] Verstappen by literally 12 points

[00:36:24] in every race.

[00:36:25] And if it continues this way

[00:36:26] and if he ends up

[00:36:27] in a tight battle with him

[00:36:30] and he ends up losing points,

[00:36:31] it's not going to bode well

[00:36:32] for his Championship.

[00:36:33] So he really needs to add

[00:36:35] more to his armory,

[00:36:36] especially when he's going up

[00:36:37] against someone like

[00:36:38] Max Verstappen

[00:36:38] because that's the sort of benchmark,

[00:36:41] that's the sort of level

[00:36:42] at which Verstappen operates.

[00:36:43] So he'll need to do

[00:36:44] a little bit more

[00:36:45] or a lot more than this

[00:36:46] to go up against

[00:36:48] Max Verstappen.

[00:36:49] And if he accidentally

[00:36:50] finds himself on the outside

[00:36:51] of Max Verstappen,

[00:36:53] good luck.

[00:36:55] I know how that ends up working.

[00:36:57] I'm going to end up

[00:36:58] adding that

[00:36:59] to the drinking game.

[00:37:00] The number of conversations

[00:37:01] around driving guidelines

[00:37:03] and rules

[00:37:04] is going to come up

[00:37:04] this race weekend,

[00:37:06] especially on media day,

[00:37:07] free practice day,

[00:37:08] etc.

[00:37:08] It's going to be a lot.

[00:37:11] And whatever Max did,

[00:37:12] whatever Lando did,

[00:37:14] I think Lando will also

[00:37:15] need to keep in mind

[00:37:16] that apart from just

[00:37:17] chasing Max.

[00:37:18] There's also Leclerc

[00:37:19] chasing him.

[00:37:20] And there is 20%

[00:37:22] of the season

[00:37:23] still available.

[00:37:24] So that top three

[00:37:25] is looking extremely

[00:37:26] interesting as well.

[00:37:28] And before we end this,

[00:37:31] we have to keep our eyes out

[00:37:32] on both the Haas cars

[00:37:34] as well because

[00:37:35] boy oh boy,

[00:37:37] they are doing

[00:37:37] fabulously well.

[00:37:39] And Nico Hulkenberg,

[00:37:41] can we ever not bet on him?

[00:37:43] He's my outside bet

[00:37:44] for this weekend's

[00:37:45] 2024 Mexico City

[00:37:46] Grand Prix.

[00:37:47] So outside bet for

[00:37:48] Kunal,

[00:37:49] Nico Hulkenberg,

[00:37:49] for me,

[00:37:50] it's going to be

[00:37:51] Franco Colopinto.

[00:37:52] Sundaram,

[00:37:52] one word answer

[00:37:53] very quickly.

[00:37:54] You can pick one of

[00:37:55] the Alpines,

[00:37:56] you know,

[00:37:56] because they were

[00:37:57] quite decent in Monaco

[00:37:58] and Monza,

[00:38:00] they were right

[00:38:00] outside the points as well.

[00:38:01] So I'm expecting

[00:38:02] him to be all right.

[00:38:05] And they've had

[00:38:05] an encouraging weekend

[00:38:06] with Gasly as well

[00:38:07] in parts.

[00:38:08] I'm not sure.

[00:38:09] Alpine's not been

[00:38:10] very inspiring for me.

[00:38:11] So I would rather go

[00:38:13] with the Colopinto

[00:38:14] or I'd probably go

[00:38:15] with one of the Haas cars.

[00:38:16] Let's see.

[00:38:17] And you folks

[00:38:18] can let us know

[00:38:19] your predictions as well.

[00:38:20] In fact,

[00:38:20] not just can,

[00:38:21] you must let us know

[00:38:23] what you think about this

[00:38:24] on our social media platforms

[00:38:25] and send in your questions.

[00:38:27] We will answer them

[00:38:28] after the race as well.

[00:38:30] And that's one thing

[00:38:31] that our social media team

[00:38:33] now is handling

[00:38:34] in very well.

[00:38:34] They are going out

[00:38:36] to ask you your opinions.

[00:38:38] So make sure you do respond

[00:38:39] because we would love

[00:38:40] to hear your questions

[00:38:41] and answer them for you

[00:38:42] on our episodes as well.

[00:38:44] But thank you.

[00:38:45] Thank you so much

[00:38:45] for listening and watching

[00:38:46] this episode, guys.

[00:38:48] We'll be back

[00:38:48] for the race review

[00:38:49] on Monday.

[00:38:50] Bye-bye.

[00:38:51] And hey,

[00:38:51] also not just the race review,

[00:38:52] follow us on social media

[00:38:53] because we'll be answering

[00:38:54] questions after qualifying

[00:38:56] as well.

[00:38:56] So stay tuned

[00:38:56] for that one as well.

[00:38:57] We're going to be with you

[00:38:58] all throughout the week.

[00:39:00] Thanks for watching

[00:39:00] and listening, guys.