Kimi or Lewis - who will the tifosi cheer in Italy? | #F1 2025 LOOONG NAME Imola GP Preview

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[00:00:31] Das ist ein Problem, ich kann nicht answer. Und wir haben live. Aber eine große Frage, die alle von Ihnen können, weil wir live, auf der Inside Line F1 Podcast YouTube-page und auch zu allen auf Twitter-aufsicht ist, kann Ferrari- ...break this home race jinx of sorts that they have. Because there's a common narrative that goes around everywhere, Kunal, that Ferrari only win their home races. It's always Monza and it's always Leclerc's home race. At least that's the narrative that's been going around since last year.

[00:00:58] But they haven't won Imola since it came back. And that I find to be a very interesting story. One that I get a feeling probably might continue this weekend. Yes, and when you said interesting question, I actually thought you're going to play what you've been playing since 2020, which is asking everyone the full name of Imola Grand Prix. So can you do it though? Can you do it though?

[00:01:20] You know, truth be told, I was on the Pod Position podcast, which is very popular in Norway, one hour ago. I was asked the same question. It's Formula One, Grand Prix, Formula One AWS, Grand Prix made in Italy, Dell Emilia Romagna, Grand Prix. No, it can't be Grand Prix again because I say Grand Prix 2025, something.

[00:01:45] Yeah, close by. It's Formula One AWS Grand Prix made in Italy, Dell Emilia Romagna, 2025. The name's probably longer than Jack too and still in Alpine, Sundaram. Oh, you're already starting with Alpine, right? No, but... We have to. We have to, but the one question I get thrown a lot is, is this the longest race title in all of Formula One?

[00:02:11] And every single year, I bring it back. Now the thing is, I can't remember the exact... I remember which race it is, which is the very first race in Formula One, the inaugural world championship race back in 1950. But I have to pull it up just to remember it. So the longest, the officially longest race title in all of Formula One is the 1950 British Grand Prix. The actual name is the Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix, the Europe incorporating the British Grand Prix.

[00:02:41] So how many words do we have? Because this current race is... That's around 83 letters. That's around 83 letters. 83, 82. My goodness. And 12 words for this race. 12? I get a feeling... I mean, they don't really like anything that goes beyond 5 or 6 in Alpine, it seems. Because the big story from this race, which is the Imola Grand Prix, which is what we're going to call it for simplicity now, is the fact that Alpine have a driver change.

[00:03:08] Red Bull Racing have upgrades. Ferrari are back at home, but can't seem to find their winning ways. And there's lots of fun stuff going on at McLaren. But I want to tackle Alpine first. And this is crazy, right? We're calling things on the spot here because we literally haven't gotten the chance to plan this episode. So we're making it up on the fly. But I particularly am most excited about Colopinto Sundaram, more than anything else. More than the drivers, more than the upgrades. Because we've got to find out now how much has he gotten in him.

[00:03:37] Like, has he lost any of that pace that he showed in the Williams? Or was that pace that he showed purely Williams specific? Or has he got something special really? It's going to be an interesting contest that way. Because even last year, he was chucked in at the very last moment. And right now, he's chucked in at the very beginning of a triple header. And the middle race of which is Monaco. So it's going to be very tricky for him to get up to speed with the car as well. Yes, he's done a couple of private tests in as well.

[00:04:05] But it's still a very tricky situation to be in. There's going to be lots of upgrades as well. So he's going to be giving a lot of feedback as well on the new upgrades coming on the car, as well as trying to learning the car. So it's going to be a very tricky situation. But from what it seems in his career, he's always been in this sort of a situation where he doesn't really know if he's going to be racing the next race. Imagine Franco Colopinto's story at a time when not really having sponsors to have a long enough season in the junior categories.

[00:04:35] He's been flooded by sponsors ever since he's come into F1. So I really love how the story around Colopinto has gone around over the last several years. And he's the only driver to have won in Emola, in Formula 2 and in Formula 3. So he's got a great history with this track, great performance at this track already.

[00:05:00] And frankly, we were the ones who called this out, if you guys remember, on the Gearbox podcast for Fancourt, right? Where we said, if there is a driver change happening at Alpine, it has to happen before the triple header and not after five races. Anyway, we know from France Toste on our episode a few weeks ago that it's too little time. But it's how Flavio does things. He's looking for the next superstar at Alpine. He's going to see what they want to do.

[00:05:25] Flavio is the new team principal, even though he's not registered with the FIA as a team principal, as shady as it can get. And Alpine, in fact, have lost a car on the first lap of the last two races, if I remember. Jack Doohan went out in Miami, wasn't it? And the race before in Jeddah, it was Pierre Gasly as well. So let's see what Alpine eventually does and if they have any magic that they can do.

[00:05:55] Flavio magic, as we call it. And we're coming to Flavio land and he's pulling the Flavio strings already. He's already made a driver swap. And now we're going to find out what this is all about. And I love it, you know, because as a football fan and as a Man United fan in particular, sometimes I'm just left wondering, can we just chuck out all the players and give all the young players five races or five matches in a row to see how good they are? And then we can figure out who to play for next season. And Flavio is bringing the dream of every fantasy sports fan into reality.

[00:06:24] Like, let's just give them five races and figure it out. I mean, if only Ferrari could do that with their team and their car, because now they walk in in such a tough circumstance. And speaking to all the Ferrari fans around me, Sundaram, there is such a lack of hope. And I laugh when I say this, because we walked into this season with so many incredible aura building photo shoots and everything around it, the marketing, the hype, the PR, Lewis.

[00:06:52] Lewis being voted as the best dressed person at the Met Gala as well. But it's just not working out on the track. And I'm not entirely sure if Imola will give them complete respite, but it should be easier for them because it's a track where you don't really have lots of heavy curbs. So you can probably run the car low, a smoother surface. This helps them out a little bit. So it won't be as bad as the other races, but still going to be a tough ordeal, especially when the McLarens and Red Bull racing cars are around.

[00:07:19] I mean, Ferrari really need a quick, quick turnaround because, yeah, I mean, look at the way how it's transpired. It's only been six races into the season and we're already starting to lose hope that Ferrari is going to be out of the title challenge. They're nearly 150 points away. But this is where they really have to step things up. All the teams are bringing in upgrades. They really need to come in with a major upgrade that gives them the sort of pace advantage or pace benefit compared to the others.

[00:07:47] And time is literally running out for Ferrari in the constructors title. It's possible that they might be out of the running even before the midseason. So they really have to turn things up this weekend. It's their first home race of two this season and it's one where they don't have the best of records. The last time they won there was back in 2006. Charles Leclerc was at the time karting and Lewis Hamilton had not yet made his Formula One debut.

[00:08:13] So if there's a way of a Ferrari, if there's a place where Ferrari should make a turnaround, it should be Imola. And they were even beaten in the pits in Miami by Sauber, who actually pulled out the fastest pit stop. But truth be told, why don't I just shoot this question to you guys. For the Tifosi, the big question is who will they be cheering? Will they cheer an Italian driver in Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who showing a lot of promise was on pole in Miami?

[00:08:41] Or will they cheer or continue to cheer for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc? Big, big questions to ask. And maybe we don't know. But also, will Ferrari continue to battle with Williams? Because Alexander Albert was battling with the two Ferraris in Miami on pure pace. So, and I think, you know, Carlos Sainz is, of course, outqualified at least one Ferrari in three, two out of the last three races, etc.

[00:09:10] So, it's a good old Ferrari versus Williams. It's just not what Ferrari wants. But I think it's fantastic for Williams as well. But, yeah, the big question is who will the driver cheer for? Because, you know, what we saw last time was actually terrible. Carlos Sainz being passed by Lewis Hamilton. And me being a Carlos Sainz fan, I was almost about to cry in the commentary box. Because I had to say the lines, Lewis has taken Carlos's position and his seat. Which is so true. And I don't want to see a repeat. I want to see revenge this time.

[00:09:38] So, I'm backing Williams for that one. But it's going to be tough. I think this is one of those races where qualifying is going to be very interesting, I feel. Because given the whole nature of the circuit and how tough it's going to be to pass around here, I genuinely feel that every last bit of performance must be extracted from here. Because you just can't go around and make moves. We've seen how messy turn one can also be. So, that's also less of an opportunity compared to a Saudi Arabia or a Miami or a Bahrain.

[00:10:08] And here, this is a circuit where we've got lots of fast-flowing corners. It's a short pit lane as well. And track position is super important as we saw last year. McLaren were the quicker car. But because Max Verstappen held on at the very end and he had track position, he just won by around a tenth or something when Landon Norris was hounding him down. And that is going to be so, so important. And that brings me back to Red Bull Racing now, Kunal. Because they're bringing a new upgrade. Dr. Marco was very excited about it.

[00:10:37] He said that if there's a game changer for the season, paraphrasing, it would be this upgrade. And Max has now come to the media and said that I don't expect anything special. Which is probably the best way to lower expectations. Which clearly means something goes coming. For sure. I'll put it this way. If ever we could get a Max Verstappen special, putting it on pole, leading the race, not letting the McLarens overtake. This is yet one of those races.

[00:11:06] We've seen this happen in Suzuka. You know, one single TRS zone. Lots of emphasis on track position, inability or difficulty in overtaking. Even though, you know, these cars are super quick. I love this circuit. So track position is vital. I think all the races here have been won from the top five positions. And in fact, nine out of the 12 races have been won from the front row itself. So lots of emphasis on that.

[00:11:34] And all the teams are going to bring upgrades. Of course, the eyes are even more on Red Bull. There are rumors around Christian Horner. And if his position is under scrutiny, always rumors around, will Max Verstappen get tired of Red Bull bringing upgrades that don't bring lap time eventually? So a lot hinges on this triple header. A lot hinges on the upgrades through the triple header. Because teams would want to give the upgrades enough time to understand them, find a sweeter spot in their setup.

[00:12:04] And sort of deliver what the upgrades should at least deliver in real life. So, I mean, how important is qualifying? You also emphasize the top three finished in the same order in 2024. And for you guys, what do you think is going to happen at turn one? Let's be honest. Is it going to be another Verstappen versus Piastri with Norris somewhere in the mix? Or is it going to be Verstappen Norris where Piastri is in the mix?

[00:12:32] Could Andrea Kimi Antonelli do things? Because that turn one is either going to make or break the race, I get a feeling. It's going to be one of those things where if Verstappen picks up a penalty, boom, that's it. The race is going to get boring for us, for example. Or if he keeps it there, he maintains track position with the faster cars around him. Then we are game on. So my eyes will be on lap one, turn one, most specifically.

[00:12:57] I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for Yuki Sundaram because what happened in Jada still pains me. Like that crash with Pierre Gasly, he's had such tough luck. And then the penalty in Miami. Luckily, he got 10th place. He was able to hold on. But I just look at the history of Imola and the kind of crashes that have happened here. Russell bought us, Riccardo and what he had with, I think one of the Ferraris it was back in 2021 as well. And I just go, it's a tough place to qualify P10 to P12 or something like that.

[00:13:25] Like imagine if you're 8th to 14th to 15th somewhere. That is a chaos zone, Tamburello, because it's so tight and narrow and it just bends inwards and there's no space on the outside. It's not, it's not tarmac. It's actual proper grass. And if, if the weather is slightly volatile, if one wheel goes there, boom, that's race over, which could be great if you're a NASCAR fan, because you like to see big ones. But as a Formula One fan, that's a bit scary because as Kunal mentioned, what if it's

[00:13:55] one of, one of the best drivers, one of the most entertaining drivers that gets taken out? And at Imola, there's a genuine fear. If there's a yellow flag, it's, it could be tough for other people to gamble upon. Yeah. And I think that's, that's what makes this, this whole race weekend that much more exciting. The fact that it's one of those classic circuits. You take a look at the circuit itself. You don't see any hairpins and you straight away know it's not really built by Herman Tilke. So it's one of the old school circuits that we all tend to love.

[00:14:22] It's very narrow and that's why it's, it's that much more flowing. And for Yuki Tsunoda in that, in that regard specifically, it's time that he's really able to put the car higher up in qualifying because in the race, it's going to be that much more difficult. But the also fact that in qualifying, we have an additional challenge in the fact that we have a new tire compound in Pirelli's C6 for this weekend, which debuts and which is going to be used in Monaco and also in Montreal two races later.

[00:14:51] So it's going to be a good testing bed to see how everyone really adapts to that tire and how it's pretty much not going to be used in the race. But it's going to see, it's, it's going to, it's going to be a very good platform for us to see if teams can really go the two-stop way in this, this weekend. You actually said it's a short, short pit lane. In fact, it's not. Imola has one of the longest pit lanes on the calendar. It's, it's, you lose literally around 28 seconds going to change your tires.

[00:15:20] So in that regard, teams would rather prefer having a one-stopper than a two-stopper and they would really not go a two-stop way unless it's absolutely necessary for them to do. So it's going to be very tricky in terms of strategy as well. And also terms of on race day. Which is what we saw last year with Max as well, didn't it? Like they were able to stay on the one-stopper, make sure they maintain track position. And a lot of it came down to conservation on the hard tires, which is what they did very well, but it's not the same Red Bull racing. It's not the same car.

[00:15:50] Max is not super confident about the upgrades and a big challenge. For all the teams has been trying to unlock balance from their race cars. That I feel Imola should help out with because it's one of the smoother surfaces out there. Like Formula One's bringing in C6, which is clearly a sign that they can push harder and they can go faster around here. And Imola has been a very fast circuit naturally.

[00:16:15] Like it may not have the same average high speeds as Monza because you have a lot of corners here, but drivers are constantly flat out. And the tire loads that they put on, that is incredible. So conservation, as you mentioned, is going to be super important. And that's what I'm intrigued to see Ferrari particularly. Like they've made leaps and bounds. Cheddar was a great race that way. So was Bahrain. Miami, less said about it, the better. But cooler temperatures, this could be an opportunity for sure. Yeah, it's cooler temperatures.

[00:16:45] And the fact that Pirelli is bringing the C6 tire means that this is one of those circuits where tire degradation or even abrasion is not of the highest level, despite the fact that it's not a street circuit. So at a proper race circuit, they've brought in the softest tire components of the season, which goes to say that you're not going to have teams struggling a lot with temperatures, track temperatures than what you've seen in Miami or even in Jeddah.

[00:17:09] That might still allow teams to have a better balance or a better operating window. So you can probably see teams like Mercedes is also coming back into the fray. McLaren actually prefer being in races where the temperatures are more hotter. So you can actually see teams coming a little bit more bunched up this weekend than usual. C6, is that what you guys are talking about? I got kicked out only to come back. We are, we are, yeah.

[00:17:36] You know, this obsession to go softer is great because it drivers would love it. But will the tire even last a full qualifying lap, for example? Okay. And then I don't think it's a race tire either way, which then begs me, you know, it's the longest pit lane on the calendar, almost half a kilometer long, 25 watt seconds you'll spend. So it is a one stopper. Or we remember last year, Lando Norris was chasing Max Verstappen at the end of the race.

[00:18:03] I think it's going to be an interesting race either way with strategy and so on. And, you know, again, before I get kicked out, my internet seems patchy. But, you know, what is, what is, what is his obsession with trying to get two pit stops at a race? Okay. Because you can't have overtaking on track. You want to try and spice things up in the pit lane. So I think that, and we've said this before, I think the tires are actually very good for racing. Trivers are able to attack, cool down, go attack again, defend, attack, attack, attack.

[00:18:34] We've sort of found at least what I think is a decent tire than last year. And then suddenly we're like, okay, now can we, you know, reduce the pit lane speed limit and make sure that you use both compounds to race and whatnot. But just saying, let's see how the C6 goes. Yeah. I mean, you can't fix the cars. So you fix all these artificial gimmicks or whatever. Yeah. We can't solve the real problem. It's like the dish has already been cooked. So you just try to add some salt to it or some pepper.

[00:19:04] It doesn't solve it. Like if you've made the dal, you can't add water on it and be like, hey, yeah. I mean, now it's a dal that you can have with rice, but ultimately you've cooked it for roti. So it doesn't work that way, Zindram. It's not the same. I don't mind it. I don't mind it because otherwise they're just going to sit and crib about races not being exciting enough. You're not seeing enough wheel-to-wheel battles. So if there's any way we can see a shakeup in the pecking order, in the running order, be it through strategy.

[00:19:32] I mean, we saw Max Verstappen colliding with Kimi Antonelli. If more pit stops actually ensures that we see more of those actions, even in the pit lane or even in the track, I really don't mind it. That's a very interesting way to look at it because yes, we are a sport, but before that we are an entertainment. And before all of that, we are a business. And for the business of Formula One, we need it to be entertaining enough so that our friends don't think we are geeks who are just watching cars go round and round without it making sense.

[00:20:01] But I think the DNA of the sport has already been tampered with the moment you include stuff like DRS and the likes. Like if you're anyway tampering it and if you're anyway living a cyborg life, just choose more things that make you go. I think I'm nearing that age in my life where I'm starting to think Bernie Eccleston's idea of having sprinklers around the track is not a bad idea actually. I wasn't wrong. I wasn't wrong. It's a great idea. Just give it a shot.

[00:20:29] I mean, we're not far away from the day where we probably entertain ideas like a reverse grid or some sort of gimmick based qualifying. But again, I'm of the same opinion. If we can't solve the cars for now and Formula One doesn't seem to want to solve the cars for a long time because even the 26 regulations are now under a lot of jeopardy, let's just find other ways to make it work or let's go to better circuits. And this is the best quality of circuit you can come to. Like I know we're 20 minutes into the episode and it's the first time we're now properly

[00:20:58] talking about the place. But what a place to come to. It might be the last time we talk about the place. It might be the last time we talk about the place. Actually, Imala might not be on the calendar next year. I'm pretty sure we're having a street circuit come in its place. I'm sorry, Formula One. That's just not the way to do it. You've got to stay grounded. You've got to stay close to your roots. Yeah. They're saying America can have three or maybe five races, but not Italy for all the passion that they show.

[00:21:29] For all that Italy is given to Formula One, the first world champion, the most successful team in history. The passion, the spirit, the color, the stories. Yeah. The stories. And I'm going to have a short monologue because I'm going to have to leave you guys to it. But I'm looking forward to Kimi Antonelli this weekend. Home race. He's got his classmates for a tour around the paddock, showing them around Formula One.

[00:21:54] I think that's a pretty cool classmate to have in there. But he's had a great run in Miami, pole position. What can that momentum do? He knows this circuit. It's his hometown and so on. And he's finished sixth in the last four out of five races or something. So can he go better? Can he become that driver on the podium? You know, we were looking for a new driver on the podium. We got last race weekend.

[00:22:22] Can we get Kimi Antonelli? So that's one. Second is McLaren. I have nine pole positions of all of them. Last year, Norris and Piastri for once were very, very close. I think less than a tenth between them. Norris and Outqualified, Piastri in Miami. Can Piastri strike back? And I think the qualifying gaps are anyway so small. I'd love to see that.

[00:22:47] Another interesting record, which I'm sure Sundaram has, is Ayrton Senna has a seven consecutive pole position record at Imola from 1985 to 1991. And that actually is a standalone consecutive pole position record at the same. That still stands. That still stands. And it still stands. Yeah. And you guys, and Somali mentioned qualifying. Yes, track position is vital. Even more so in Q1 because there's always been traffic.

[00:23:15] Last year, I think Piastri was second but got a three-place grid penalty for impeding someone. So your favorite driver could well end up impeding someone on their slow lap. So that's one thing to look out for. And the last one from me, Q1 this year has been very interesting. Of course, you know, very small gaps as we know. But in five out of the six races, we've had double Q1 eliminations, which means that at least one team has had both cars be eliminated. Will that continue this race weekend in Imola?

[00:23:45] So that's what I'm going to look for. Red Bulls 400 Grand Prix, what can they do? And will Max add one more pole position to his list? I'll leave you guys to it. Thank you for having me for this short period. I look forward to hearing you guys later. And he's just going to bounce like that. I was hoping... He's just going to bounce like that, Kunal. I'm still here, but I'm going to say bye. I was hoping I could squeeze in a nice touch, but okay. No, go for it. What is the stat? Tell us.

[00:24:14] No, if Kunal's still here, I'll leave it to the silly stat. So I was doing a little bit of research over the last week, trying to find the social media numbers of all the teams. And I stumbled upon this very weird instance. Turns out Formula 1 doesn't follow one of the current drivers on the grid. There are 20 drivers on the grid. Formula does not follow one of them. Who would that be? Take a very random guess.

[00:24:43] I didn't catch you, Kunal. Franco Colbinto. Antonelli, if I could guess. No. Lance Troll. Okay. Oh, they don't. They don't follow him. High five Formula 1. I don't do. On that note, I will let you guys be because this episode just got very interesting. Thank you. Yeah, I mean, Lance Troll doesn't need a lot of followers, clearly. Because he's the one following more often than not.

[00:25:12] And that's what Aston Martin are also facing. Because Adrian Newey has come in. He's obviously bashed the team a lot. But now they've come back and they're going to be bringing in their first real upgrades of the season. So it's also a very important time for the team this way. And also for Fernando Alonso too, right? Tough in his life to lose his trainer who's been with him since the Minardi days. So it's a weekend of comebacks for that team. And I just am so intrigued to see if they can get at least one car out of Q1.

[00:25:41] Because that's been such a struggle for them lately. Yeah, absolutely. And I think everyone's going to keep their eyes on Aston Martin. And I'm sure maybe even Max Verstappen is going to be seeing very cleanly on what Aston Martin are able to do with their upgrades. Because no matter having arguably the best facility on the grid, that's what Adrian Newey said. They have the best facility in all of Formula 1. And no matter having a very good wind tunnel, no matter having all that money being thrown in to get in the best of the talent from across all the teams.

[00:26:11] Ultimately, if that's not able to translate into pace, that's not able to translate into good upgrades for the team, then it's really not going to help. Because that's been their Achilles heel over the last 18 to 24 months. They've not been able to bring in upgrades that makes the car go quicker. In fact, if you actually compare the qualifying lap times between Aston Martin from 2025 and 2023, they're actually slower than 2023. So it just goes to show that they've tailed off massively while the rest of the teams have

[00:26:40] progressed, especially the likes of Alpine and Williams. So it's a big, big weekend for Aston Martin to show that they are able to produce the sort of upgrades that translates into a plus sign and not a negative sign when it comes to a lap time. Exactly. Oh, it's so tough. Oh, wait, we've got comments. Sarika, thank you for sending in your comments. Sarika is saying,

[00:27:24] That's true. I think the essence of the sport has been long gone in a way. Like we've seen it change so much. Just the Bernie days and everything that it stood for is all gone. We now have fashion partners. We now have a trophy partner. We now go to so many more countries and we now have split races and we now have a documentary and so much more around it. Formula One has indeed embraced the lifestyle of becoming a circus.

[00:27:53] And the ring, like when we had Bruce Buffer as well, right, in the USA announcing drivers as if they were fighters coming into the ring or something, we've truly embraced it. And I don't think there's a point where you can now go, Hey, have we come too far? Because it's a slow burn and inevitably we are going to get there. But it's circuits like Imola that keep us grounded and keep us at the root of what we truly love Formula One for. And that's what I'm most excited for this weekend. The fact that we come to a circuit, that's a pure racing circuit.

[00:28:23] And sure, we might have complaints about not being able to pass and it might be a bit boring and strategy might be too important. But for pure racing fans like you and me and for all of you watching as well, just the simple joy of seeing a race car around Imola and qualifying and then the others complaining on the radio saying things like, Oh, it's a traffic paradise and whatnot. That is still such a big part of racing. And that's going to be so entertaining this weekend. It's a big part of racing and the history of it,

[00:28:53] the history side of it is also that much important on a race weekend and we're celebrating Formula One's 75th anniversary. It just goes to show how much of history is attached to the sport, the sort of circuits, the sort of legends that have been a part of this wonderful sport. So I don't want to go to new street circuits where we barely have two to three years of history and we don't bring up the names like Jim Clark, Etten, Senna, Alan, Prost. The new generation definitely needs to know them. And the more we go to these sort of circuits,

[00:29:22] the more they'll get to know about their heroics on these sort of tracks. So in that regard, if this is Imola's last race, I'm disheartened. If Spa is going to be on a rotational basis, I'm disheartened. If you're going to newer, newer. So yeah, I'm genuinely disheartened that we don't have tracks like Sepang and we don't have Istanbul Park. And I also understand the other side of it that it's also a business and it also has to be financially viable for those circuits and for those countries as well. We don't have Nürburgring, we don't have Hockenheim.

[00:29:52] And it's not because Formula One is not choosing them. A lot of these circuits have themselves pulled out because it's not financially feasible for them. So ultimately, as long as we have these sort of tracks like Imola for this weekend, enjoy it till it lasts and then really hope you find a good alternative. Yeah. And this weekend, drivers would want to swear out of excitement.

[00:30:20] And they can do that now on the radio. Like the racetrack, you won't be fine. So Sebastian Vettel's work has finally paid off. Drivers will be allowed to have that leeway.

[00:30:48] But yeah, I mean, I get a feeling a lot of drivers will be on the toes. And Alex Albon will feel the most relieved after something like this. Because he's been given a leeway now. It's an easy way out. And they finally acknowledge that yes, drivers are human beings under immense pressure. And they should be given their space, which I think is going to be great. So yeah, Team Radio is going to be fun this time. Team Radio is going to be fun, but you're going to wait and see if teams, if the drivers adapt to it that quickly. And sure, the fines have been reduced.

[00:31:18] And some over-penalties have been put in place if you speak harshly against the stewards as well. And I think, you know, to some extent, I think that's fair. Because we also see that in other sports when you are overly critical or overly showing dissent to the empires, the referees or the stewards, you do get handed a fine for that. So I'm not really particularly concerned about that. But a lot of other rules that came into play the last couple of years, yes, that was very surprising as well.

[00:31:47] But some relaxation in those rules is probably a good thing to go forward with. Exactly. It's going to be the first weekend of a new era for all the teams and drivers. I love it. I love it. Okay, we have comments in the chat. Panket is like, Russell might be the dark horse in this race. Won't be surprised if they lock out the front row. And that is a genuine possibility because the Mercs have looked amazing in qualifying, especially Russell. And I think there was a point in the season where he had the same number of front row starts

[00:32:17] as Max Verstappen. And then Max one-upped him, I think, in the last couple of races. But it's been great to see George right there. And even Kimi has now taken it up. And do this stuff. So I'm super excited about that. And hit that. There are two stats that are related to Kimi Antonelli because we've now seen that he can't put the car on pole position when it has the sort of balance and the pace.

[00:32:45] And if he actually puts it on pole this weekend, he's of course going to take the record for the youngest ever pole sitter. He has time till the end of 2027 to do it. But if he does it this year, even at any point, he's going to do it at the age of 18, which is incredible. But there's also another record of Lance Stroll that's on the verge of being broken because Lance Stroll holds the record for the youngest front row sitter. And if Kimi Antonelli does it before the Austrian Grand Prix,

[00:33:14] he takes that record as well. No way. No way. And there's a possibility. You're right. I mean, Pankaj is absolutely right. The most important thing in qualifying is confidence. And once the drivers know that they can do something like this and they can create a performance where they can be on the front row, it unlocks a different, different set of emotions within them. It's like they can push that 10th harder knowing that they can do this.

[00:33:42] And you saw this with Russell in China as well. After that, he got even more confident. And even last year, in the last couple of races, he came to Las Vegas with this confidence booming because his qualifying results leading up to it were that good. So when the opportunity arose for him, he was there to take it mentally and also in terms of confidence with the car. So, I mean, you're right. Mercedes can't be counted out. And Kimi has got great experience here. He's raced in Formula 4 here. He's tested GT cars here. He's done Formula 3 here. Not Formula 3. Formula 2 here as well.

[00:34:11] So there's a lot of experience that he brings in. And there are small little things like the kind of racing lines you pick in or knowing how the curves behave or knowing what the drainage is like or knowing which patch of grass you can put your wheel on and which patch of grass you can't or which patch of paint you can put your wheels on and you can't. And all of that is so, so important when you're hunting for that last thousands of seconds in a qualifying. So I think he's going to be a one to watch for, for sure. I'm betting on him getting in the top four, at least in qualifying. Oh, absolutely.

[00:34:41] And I think so as well. But you should also remember there is rain forecast for this weekend. Anywhere between 20 to 40% days across all three days. Even during, on race day as well. So if that happens around Imola, we've seen how that can actually turn out in the last couple of seasons. So definitely something for the rookies also to learn around the stack. Yeah, exactly. More comments. We've got a comment from the best name that I've seen on our live streams. It's the Hitman.

[00:35:12] And I'm going to make a Bret Hart reference. It's, yeah, that's what, that's what the, Sean Michaels actually called Bret Hart a Hitman with an S missing at the front. So it's, it's, it's a, it's, I can't say your name officially. We'll get banned in Black Flag. I don't want to do that. But I love your name. It's with love, you're back as the boss at Endstone. I think either Alonso or Max buys steak at Alpine and drives for them. So I see, I see two names. I see Alpine and steak. What are you talking about? No, but just kidding.

[00:35:41] It's, you never know with Alpine Sundaram. It's like we could walk in tomorrow and be the owners of that team. Or hell, we might even become team principals. They keep on wanting to change one after the other anyway. And now we've had an Alpine team principal being caught for criminal affairs or protecting criminal property. So it's possible. We'll probably be the nicest guys to become Alpine employees by that logic. Yeah, and I think the surprising one was not Franco Colopinto getting the race seat. I think we all pretty much knew that

[00:36:10] because when you sign a Franco Colopinto on a multi-year deal, you are just waiting to put him in that car at some point in time. So I think we all kind of anticipated the driver change. But Oliver Oaks resigning, that too with immediate effect was something that actually shocked us. He's a team principal that has shown potential. He's actually done very well even in the junior ranks with high tech. So he was someone that was earmarked for the future or potentially still can be earmarked for the future because there's rumors around him replacing Christian Horner at Red Bull.

[00:36:40] But clearly something is not right at Alpine. And it just comes back to stability. When you don't have stability, you really don't see results. So is this the last of their changes that you're going to see in Alpine for the foreseeable future? And I don't think so. Flavio's gone with the team principal for a longer period of time. So surely someone is going to come in for that position full time. And I hope that's the last of those changes. But it still baffles me that Alpine has lost the likes of

[00:37:10] Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, and Esteban Ocon from just barely three years ago. What's even happened to this team in all these years? And on that fact, since I mentioned Oscar Piastri, I must mention, he's on the verge of equaling a McLaren record. So he's won three races in a row. If he wins one more race, if he wins this weekend, he's going to equal the longest race winning streak by a McLaren driver in all of their history

[00:37:39] in Formula 1. So Ayrton Senna has won four in a row back in 1988 and 1991. No way. Is Oscar Piastri going to join Senna at the very top of the McLaren leaderboard? It's very baffling. McLaren has not done more than four in a row. I mean, that would be. But then they've also had two good drivers at all points. They've had Senna and Prost. They've had Mika and David. They've had Lewis and Jenson.

[00:38:08] It was Lewis and Heike, but then, of course, they were competing with Philippe and Kimi at that time. So it was very hard for them to get a move on. But you're right about that. And that'll happen against Lando Norris. That, to me, seems even more shocking because, I mean, just a little, a couple of months ago, Lando Norris was the one actually leading and shepherding this team all around. So, I'll be intrigued to see how he reacts to it. And

[00:38:37] the kind of feeling and momentum that Lando Norris needs, I wonder if it's back in because you can tell he's a very momentum-based driver and it depends a lot on how he's feeling on the day and if he's got that confidence and that last stent that he's hunting for. Imola will be so important because we know that Oscar is more determined at the start. We know he's cooler in these pressure moments and Imola is all down to those moments, that one qualifying lap or that one race start or that one crucial strategy call. And in those moments, if I had to pick someone, I'd probably back Oscar.

[00:39:08] Absolutely. And the fact that you should remember it's a triple header as well. So, you would want to start the triple header on a good note and not really be down on the dumps or on a downward spiral, especially going into Monaco where confidence is also so much so important, especially in qualifying. So, you really want to have a good result in Imola, carry that momentum forward into Monaco and then into Spain as well because the whole triple header in general is going to be that much more challenging. So, I really hope Landon Orris is in a good space,

[00:39:38] a two-week break. I hope that's run him well but it's time that he's able to battle with Oscar on a more consistent basis and I hope this weekend is that weekend. So, do you hope that's the case? What's the prediction? I hope. Predictions, Oscar Piastri, Antonelli on the podium. Third place,

[00:40:07] Max Verstappen. Ooh. I'm going to go Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. I genuinely have hope in Red Bull. And C6, what if Max is able to unlock the maximum performance from it? He's a driving genius. He's normally the one who's able to pick things up fastest and I am so excited to see how he fares in qualifying. Like that, with him,

[00:40:37] with a new set of tyres, I'm so excited to see how he picks it up and if he gets track position, he's not going to get past unless he's being chased by a significantly faster Oscar Piastri. I'm not sure if Lando's going to have it that easy in Imola. Let's see. Who do you think is going to take Paul? Because I think Max is going to take Paul and Oscar's going to win the race. Okay. I think Max takes Paul but yeah, strategy and I think Oscar just gets past. That's what I'm backing. Yeah.

[00:41:06] What do you guys think though? Let us know down in the comments and we can still see your comments by the way. So it's amazing that so many of you have taken out the time at 11.40 on a weekday evening to be able to discuss Formula 1 with us. So we greatly appreciate the support. But yeah, reach out to us. Send your comments, send your texts and opinions and everything that you feel about the sport with us and we'd love to discuss it on all of our episodes. Next time we'll be back. It will be on Sunday. There will be a post-race show.

[00:41:36] A lot of analysis after that and let's see if our predictions are going to be validated back then. So it'll be fun. But thank you for watching everyone. This has been the Imola GP preview on the Inside Line F1 podcast. See you on Sunday. Bye-bye.