Part 1: 2024 F1 Mid-season Review (funny takes only)

[00:00:19] Ladies and gentlemen, they say that an average human being today has an attention span on an average of only 7 seconds. Do you know what 7 seconds is? How long are things that are 7 seconds long? An example would be Saabar's pit stops this year that have been 7 seconds long. But the interesting thing is, we're devoting this top part of this entire show for them for a reason. Because 7 seconds is all the attention they've got in this entire season so far. They have been pointless.

[00:00:48] And in the mid-season review episode Kunal, that is always about banter. There could be nothing more banter-filled than Saabar so far this year.

[00:00:57] Well, no, no, no. Even when it comes to banter, their airtime, whether it's on the official feed or on our feed, podcast, whatever you call it, it's pretty much down to zero unless you talk about Audi.

[00:01:09] You see, everyone's interested in Audi and talking about Audi, but nobody wants to talk about Saabar. Okay. Unless, of course, it's Ravi Shastri who was a guest of Saabar and hence was on our podcast a couple of races ago.

[00:01:21] But yes, it's the mid-season review. It is one of our most awaited episodes. If you're looking for serious stuff, you got to change why you've tuned in this episode.

[00:01:31] It is funny takes only because we've literally had three calls, guys, I remember.

[00:01:37] And we've dug through hours and hours of information, news, data, whatever we track to come up with what we think is going to be absolute banterful of an episode.

[00:01:46] But before we go on and before I hand it over to Sundaram, here's a question for the two of you.

[00:01:53] How long do you think this episode is going to go on for in minutes?

[00:01:59] Come on.

[00:01:59] I'm going with 46. I'm going with the doctor.

[00:02:02] I thought somewhere around 60 odd minutes, 58, something around those lines.

[00:02:08] I was going more with Oscar Piastri, like 81 minutes.

[00:02:12] There's no way we're doing this less than hour.

[00:02:15] In fact, if we don't hit a one and a half hour mark, I'll be very, very pleased.

[00:02:20] Just given how much we've packed for literally every team.

[00:02:24] I know we're going to go team by team, but why don't I just let you guys tell us what you all want.

[00:02:29] You all have in mind.

[00:02:30] No, but that's a very interesting point that you made because we've been prepping a lot for this episode.

[00:02:36] And see, first of all, if it's only going to be banter, then seriously, there's not much I can offer here.

[00:02:40] But I am going to run home with a lot of stats that I've actually picked through from this first half of the season.

[00:02:46] But like you said, I really could not recollect who was the last race.

[00:02:51] Forget whatever happened through the first half of the season.

[00:02:54] I was just entering the house 20 minutes before this episode started.

[00:02:58] And I was finding it.

[00:02:59] I was having a difficult time trying to recollect who won the last race.

[00:03:03] And I was like, it wasn't Verstappen.

[00:03:05] It was definitely not Piastri who won Hungary, who won in Belgium.

[00:03:09] And then I realized, yeah, it was Lewis Hamilton.

[00:03:11] Yeah, a bit embarrassing for someone who's supposed to be a statistician.

[00:03:15] But yes, I'm definitely tuned out from the season already.

[00:03:19] It's crazy how much we tend to miss it.

[00:03:22] Because I remember while I was watching the Olympics, again, which has been a phenomenal experience so far.

[00:03:28] A great break away from Formula One.

[00:03:30] Where Vinesh Fogart was wrestling, beat an opponent who had never lost, in fact, only two times in the last 13 years.

[00:03:37] Beat her and eventually made it to the final and she was 0.1 kgs overweight.

[00:03:42] And it's crazy how much I miss the sport.

[00:03:44] Because at that very moment, I wasn't thinking about the heartbreak or the disappointment.

[00:03:48] I was thinking, oh, the same happened to George Russell.

[00:03:51] But I knew it.

[00:03:53] It's crazy.

[00:03:54] These are things that make you remember you really love the sport and miss it so much now.

[00:03:57] Yeah, all our life, work, every possible point of reference is all down to Formula One.

[00:04:07] I wouldn't say motorsport.

[00:04:08] I would say Formula One.

[00:04:10] And while Formula One is a sport in itself, we got to remember motorsport is the biggest sport and Formula One is the series, the pinnacle of motorsport, as we call it.

[00:04:18] But so, what are we going with first, Somal?

[00:04:22] Since we know this is not going to be 90 minutes, since we know this is probably closer to 81 minutes, since I was the one who made that guess.

[00:04:29] But let's get on with it.

[00:04:30] 55 minutes should be perfect.

[00:04:31] Carlos Sainz, that's his number.

[00:04:33] But we should go for the introduction first.

[00:04:34] Folks, this is the Inside Line F1 podcast.

[00:04:38] The three people you're hearing, well, we could be stand-up comics in a different life.

[00:04:41] But here we are.

[00:04:42] My name is Somal Arora.

[00:04:44] I'm the commentator for the MotoGP Indian Grand Prix and for the Indian Racing League that's also coming up very shortly.

[00:04:50] Joined, of course, by the co-founder of this podcast, Kunal Shah.

[00:04:54] The man who started it way back in 2011.

[00:04:56] Former marketing head for Force India and now works as an F1 expert on the Wireplay Network.

[00:05:01] And F1 stats guru as well.

[00:05:03] The most followed statistician in all of sports.

[00:05:07] So stats have been used on F1 TV very recently by Crofty quite often on so many popular motorsport websites.

[00:05:14] He's the man in the house as well.

[00:05:15] So what team do we begin with, guys, now?

[00:05:19] We begin with the Sky Sports F1 team.

[00:05:22] And I'll tell you why.

[00:05:23] They used Sundaram's stat very conveniently without giving him credit on air or credit in his bank.

[00:05:33] And I don't think that's right.

[00:05:36] Sundaram's going to take the diplomatic answer here, I know.

[00:05:39] But yeah, I'm just...

[00:05:40] No, it's not a diplomatic answer.

[00:05:43] It's kind of the thing is that sometimes you reach a certain stage where you don't really care anymore.

[00:05:48] And I've been through that phase where I've literally reached out to people saying, you know, a little bit of a little small credit wouldn't really hurt as much.

[00:05:56] But I've reached the stage where, you know, it's yeah, whatever it is.

[00:06:00] If it's there on the broadcast, I'm just happy.

[00:06:02] I know that it's my stat.

[00:06:04] But it's okay.

[00:06:05] Man, that's...

[00:06:07] Silence.

[00:06:08] Exactly.

[00:06:09] Yeah.

[00:06:09] And credits are the most basic thing.

[00:06:12] Seriously.

[00:06:13] But I think Sabo would credit us for calling them out very quickly.

[00:06:17] We need to start off with them before we move to all the other teams.

[00:06:21] And remember, we're doing all the championship teams one by one.

[00:06:24] We just don't know in what order because that's what this season has been like.

[00:06:27] Like, there has been no law and order up front.

[00:06:30] Law, yeah, maybe a bit better since we didn't have a thousand corner cuts in Austria.

[00:06:36] That was an improvement in a way.

[00:06:38] That is one moment we probably don't even remember that happened this year.

[00:06:42] Yeah.

[00:06:43] So, since we're on to Sauber, like I said, are we talking Sauber?

[00:06:46] Are we talking Audi?

[00:06:47] I don't know.

[00:06:48] I think the biggest news, of course, was their pit stops.

[00:06:52] I'm sure there is data that Sundaram has always tracked on how long their pit stops have been, haven't been.

[00:06:58] But they were probably just waiting.

[00:07:01] They're all just waiting to become Audi.

[00:07:03] And everyone thinks the minute we just change the name to Audi, we're going to start winning, which is probably what's not going to happen.

[00:07:10] But I would say that the loyalty of the year, if I was to talk of loyalty, goes to Sauber just for one reason.

[00:07:17] They have an Italian wine that they are partners with since several years.

[00:07:23] And the wine is also Ferrari Trento.

[00:07:27] And that's why I call it loyalty, because Sauber's most loyal partnership for years, ever since they stopped using Mercedes engines and whatever, has been Ferrari.

[00:07:37] Yeah.

[00:07:38] Boring fact.

[00:07:39] It's a crazy one, you know.

[00:07:41] It's a crazy one when you think about it.

[00:07:43] But if they really want to get interesting, they could just hire Kevin MacNuson and do what Haas did.

[00:07:49] They will just have a Haas lineup at Sauber, right?

[00:07:53] But I'm sure this is where Sundaram's waiting, saying, can I just throw in some pit stop data to spice things up?

[00:07:58] I'm waiting.

[00:07:58] I'm waiting for that.

[00:07:59] No, but I mean, in all honesty, Samuel's right.

[00:08:02] Sauber has been extremely slow in the pit stops.

[00:08:06] I mean, five of the seven slowest pit stops do go to Sauber.

[00:08:10] And the slowest one, once again, is Valtteri Bottas with 52 seconds.

[00:08:14] Not sure where that happened, but yeah, feels like an eternity.

[00:08:18] And it happened to him a couple of years ago in Monaco as well.

[00:08:21] But if you say the slowest team on average, it's not Sauber, surprisingly.

[00:08:27] It's actually Haas.

[00:08:29] Amongst all the 10 teams, nine of them have done pit stops under two and a half seconds.

[00:08:36] Haas has not done even a single one this season.

[00:08:39] In fact, 70% of all of their pit stops are over three seconds long.

[00:08:46] Wow.

[00:08:47] And for comparison, we see Red Bull sometimes dip into 1.9s, 1.8s.

[00:08:55] And that is how far they are.

[00:08:57] And it's not even poor practice.

[00:08:59] I feel it could be poor equipment for all you know.

[00:09:02] Yeah, it's pretty much.

[00:09:03] Of course.

[00:09:03] Yeah.

[00:09:03] Yeah.

[00:09:04] Always down to that.

[00:09:05] But does this officially mean that we've finished one team and we moved on to Haas?

[00:09:11] Is there anything about Sauber?

[00:09:13] That's all we have about.

[00:09:14] Is there anything?

[00:09:15] Well, they've been pointless.

[00:09:17] At least we've had two points on them.

[00:09:20] That's better than what they've done in this year, unfortunately.

[00:09:23] Wow, I'm being rude today.

[00:09:24] But Samil, I thought you'll have a lot more because your favorite team principal, Mathia Binotto, has taken charge of Sauber 11 days ago.

[00:09:33] Is he your favorite team principal?

[00:09:35] He has the same accuracy of predictions as I do.

[00:09:38] I always predict a Carlos Sainz win.

[00:09:41] It only happens three times in a year or so.

[00:09:43] But yeah, but you're right, Kunal, because this is the same person again.

[00:09:48] Great engine engineer, led Ferrari's department for years.

[00:09:51] But then when it came to team management, I think the impact of Ferrari sometimes hits you back into delusion.

[00:09:57] Where he once said that in 10…

[00:09:59] I mean, I see no reason why Ferrari won't win the next 10 races in 2022 mid-season.

[00:10:04] Since then, Verstappen has done everything.

[00:10:06] So, I'm…

[00:10:07] And the interesting thing is…

[00:10:09] And I like what Audi are doing here.

[00:10:11] They're not making him the main man now that he's come back.

[00:10:14] He's becoming a…

[00:10:16] He's a part-team principal.

[00:10:18] There's another person alongside with him.

[00:10:20] So, I'm imagining one side…

[00:10:22] Is it not?

[00:10:23] No.

[00:10:23] They have two people in leadership roles, right?

[00:10:26] No, Mattia Bonotto, if I'm not wrong, is he not the CEO?

[00:10:29] He's replaced Andrea Seidel.

[00:10:30] Correct.

[00:10:31] He is the CEO.

[00:10:32] And the team principal is…

[00:10:34] Jonathan Wheatley.

[00:10:35] So, that's better because they're putting him in a position where he's not there in a day-to-day rule.

[00:10:40] So, he can look back at more of the factory, more of the operations.

[00:10:43] Which at Ferrari wasn't the case.

[00:10:44] He was everything and everyone.

[00:10:46] So, I'm glad.

[00:10:48] But including the chief spokesperson or the chief clown person, if that's the word.

[00:10:54] That very big…

[00:10:55] You know, suddenly his persona became what Samuel said.

[00:10:58] The context is there were 10 races left and he said, why can't Ferrari just win the next 10 races?

[00:11:04] So, the context was not only 10 races or wins.

[00:11:07] It was winning 10 out of 10.

[00:11:08] That was the context.

[00:11:09] But…

[00:11:10] Whew.

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

[00:11:12] Sauber.

[00:11:12] Audi.

[00:11:13] But who is Sauber going…

[00:11:16] I mean, who's going to be the second driver?

[00:11:17] Who do you think is going to be the second driver?

[00:11:19] Well, who do you think so?

[00:11:21] I really have to think right now.

[00:11:24] Maybe…

[00:11:27] Maybe…

[00:11:27] A Sergio Perez.

[00:11:28] Maybe.

[00:11:29] I would back that.

[00:11:30] Really?

[00:11:30] Yeah.

[00:11:31] I would…

[00:11:31] I actually said it on the Wireplay broadcast that…

[00:11:34] And I said it maybe six races ago that if Checo Perez wants to stay on the grid next year, okay, he has to move teams.

[00:11:43] If Red Bull lose the Constructors' Championship this year, which seems more and more likely with as many passing races, not saying he cannot recover, but I think Checo Perez just needs a change in environment.

[00:11:59] And, you know, a midfield team trying to fight back, find its place in the, you know, pecking order, etc. would be great.

[00:12:05] He and Nico Halkenberg have done great before.

[00:12:07] Brings a lot of money from Mexico, a lot of sponsors, fathers of politicians.

[00:12:11] So, they're going to try and do everything to stay in Formula 1.

[00:12:15] And Red Bull, even though he has a contract, has made it very clear there are no driver lineup changes till the end of 2024.

[00:12:23] Despite Sergio Perez having a contract till the end of 2026.

[00:12:28] So, that's going to be pretty interesting.

[00:12:29] But that means Valtteri Bottas is left without a seat.

[00:12:33] Wow.

[00:12:35] Unfortunate.

[00:12:36] That's a terrible piece to lose from the shuffle, no?

[00:12:39] Like, not having Bottas would hurt.

[00:12:42] Indeed.

[00:12:43] No, but since we were speaking about pit stops and even Jonathan Wheatley, I think…

[00:12:49] Looking at one thing which people really realize is that, yes, he is the sporting director.

[00:12:53] And he really is the person who negotiates or debates with the stewards about said penalties and everything.

[00:13:01] But one of his biggest influences within the Red Bull team has also been their pit stops.

[00:13:06] And they have been the fastest team in the pits in the last seven seasons.

[00:13:11] So, that's something which I feel they don't get enough credit for.

[00:13:16] We always speak about the car and the driver and the designer.

[00:13:19] But I feel Jonathan Wheatley in specific doesn't get enough credit for what he's done in the pit stops.

[00:13:26] Sure, he's put up all the processes and everything.

[00:13:29] But not having him on the pit wall might make Red Bull a little slow in the long run.

[00:13:37] Because if…

[00:13:38] Yeah, go on, go on, go on.

[00:13:39] Because if you talk about the numbers, if you see there are 36 sub-two second pit stops in Formula 1.

[00:13:46] And 26 of those have gone to Red Bull.

[00:13:49] Mercedes is not on that list.

[00:13:51] Mercedes, if I tell you exactly, in the list of quickest pit stops this season, Mercedes sits 24th.

[00:14:01] Pit stops or going quickest in pit stops was really never Mercedes' focus.

[00:14:07] They needed to be consistent.

[00:14:09] Yeah, it was just a bit over two seconds.

[00:14:11] But they never really went full force like Red Bull into being the fastest team in the pits.

[00:14:18] But I think it's worked fairly well for them.

[00:14:21] Interesting.

[00:14:21] So, if there's one thing that Sauber will have hopefully from next year on or whenever Jonathan Wheatley joins them,

[00:14:28] will be fast pit stops.

[00:14:30] Yeah.

[00:14:30] At least.

[00:14:31] So, at least in the pits.

[00:14:32] Faster.

[00:14:33] Faster pit stops.

[00:14:34] Yeah.

[00:14:35] So, of course, they want a faster car as well.

[00:14:38] But at least they'll have faster pit stops.

[00:14:40] Yeah.

[00:14:41] But since this is only funny takes, which is the next team we're going to have a funny take on?

[00:14:46] Or do we still have more on Sauber?

[00:14:49] No.

[00:14:49] We can come back to a bit.

[00:14:51] Let's just mention one small thing there.

[00:14:53] Valtteri Bottas' crazy Australian advertisement.

[00:14:57] The one where he came in as the second driver with the second car.

[00:15:01] That was lovely.

[00:15:03] Then Ravi Shastri who came to the podcast, as Kunal mentioned.

[00:15:06] And then Valtteri Bottas making it very clear that Audi made it clear to me that they want a German driver.

[00:15:12] So, Sauber would have had some random stuff.

[00:15:14] Oh, no.

[00:15:15] Let's not forget.

[00:15:16] Guys, I have a problem.

[00:15:19] I may sound a little jingostic when I say this.

[00:15:21] But, you know, if we're doing a trend of home drivers getting a parade for having an average race,

[00:15:29] I demand one for Naren Karthikian.

[00:15:31] We had him on the grid in India for a couple of years, which is a mad achievement in itself.

[00:15:37] Just to be there.

[00:15:39] Man, if Joe can get it, I don't know.

[00:15:42] I am so mad at Formula 1 for not giving that sort of an honor to Logan Sargent at the Miami County.

[00:15:50] And I'm going to still keep an eye on what they do in Austin and in Las Vegas.

[00:15:55] If Joe deserved it, then Logan Sargent definitely deserves it.

[00:15:57] And what you are alluding to is…

[00:16:00] Logan actually outqualified Alex Albin in a sprint qualifying.

[00:16:03] So, he definitely needs that to happen after one of the US races this year.

[00:16:08] Yeah.

[00:16:09] You were saying, Kunal?

[00:16:11] Incredible.

[00:16:11] Incredible.

[00:16:12] No, just joke on you for that.

[00:16:15] I mean, I don't remember last when a driver was applauded and heralded and cheered on and made a hero out of just for racing in Formula 1.

[00:16:27] And this is, in all probability, his last racing season in Formula 1.

[00:16:33] That's my feeling.

[00:16:35] Although he's saying he may be a reserve driver elsewhere, etc., etc.

[00:16:38] But the truth is, I think it's probably came over for Joe unless the whole Chinese market is what comes back into play for him.

[00:16:48] Much like we're hoping there's an Indian market play that comes for an Indian driver like Kushmany or how the American market has come into play for Logan Sargent or whoever the next American driver is coming.

[00:17:01] I mean, if we're just doing funny takes only.

[00:17:03] I think we just saw Chinese propaganda make its first wave into Formula 1.

[00:17:07] Because before this, we've seen the Chinese bullishness with their establishment of Shanghai and then having so many races there consistently.

[00:17:16] But this is the first time we've seen Chinese propaganda come to F1 through a driver.

[00:17:19] So it's crazy how we're getting to witness it.

[00:17:23] But I think that's enough of Sauber, honestly.

[00:17:24] We should talk more about a team that has been...

[00:17:28] Oh, wait, you have more on Sauber.

[00:17:30] Yeah, I have more.

[00:17:33] No, it's on the Chinese propaganda.

[00:17:36] Andretti, which is an American team, has been refused entry in Formula 1, as we know.

[00:17:42] What if a Chinese carmaker actually wants to race in Formula 1 and put Joe Kuan Yu in there?

[00:17:47] Do you think Formula 1 will be able to say no to the Chinese carmaker as well?

[00:17:53] Like a BYD or something?

[00:17:56] Or...

[00:17:56] Oh, boy.

[00:17:59] Many of them.

[00:18:00] But I think we...

[00:18:02] This is where we're busting even a one and a half hour long episode.

[00:18:06] We need to move on.

[00:18:07] If we've gone 20 minutes on...

[00:18:08] How long have we gone?

[00:18:10] 20...

[00:18:11] Oh, goodness.

[00:18:12] If we've gone 21 minutes, I'm definitely losing the bet then.

[00:18:15] It's got to be longer than...

[00:18:16] Okay, okay, okay.

[00:18:16] Okay.

[00:18:18] Or is this where we decide?

[00:18:20] Take a call on the strategy?

[00:18:21] Saying, let's just split this episode in two.

[00:18:24] Two.

[00:18:24] It's a good idea, you know.

[00:18:25] It's a good idea.

[00:18:26] But regardless, we should move on very quickly to either of two teams.

[00:18:31] Your call, guys.

[00:18:32] We can go either top team, bottom team.

[00:18:34] Which would mean we would go with the Real Madrid of Formula 1, Red Bull.

[00:18:38] Or the bottom team and then further bottom.

[00:18:40] Which would mean Haas in seventh.

[00:18:42] Which is crazy.

[00:18:44] Haas have been seventh this year.

[00:18:45] Which is incredible.

[00:18:47] They targeted eighth.

[00:18:48] So, this is quite a big leap for them.

[00:18:50] But maybe we go for Red Bull, Sundaram.

[00:18:51] What do you think?

[00:18:52] I would love to.

[00:18:53] I would love to talk about Sergio Perez more and more.

[00:18:56] But I think we've done enough in that regard for Sergio Perez.

[00:19:02] But should I really bring out more stats?

[00:19:04] No, what Kunal, you were saying.

[00:19:05] I think I'm done with Checo Perez.

[00:19:08] Because I have so many points on Red Bull, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner.

[00:19:14] And I'm not going to mention his pre-season, was it pre-season, early season controversy.

[00:19:21] Which now has been two times over.

[00:19:24] Yeah, the WhatsApp gate, right?

[00:19:25] Two times over, he's been exonerated.

[00:19:28] Fair enough.

[00:19:29] We need to move on from that.

[00:19:30] But my things about Red Bull, not thing, is, you know, I remember so many moments which I had to write down.

[00:19:40] And one fallout of the WhatsApp gate.

[00:19:43] And you guys have to be dead honest with me, okay?

[00:19:46] And including all you millions of listeners, okay?

[00:19:49] Did you guys know when the whole Adrian Newey conversation was happening?

[00:19:54] And when it came out that he's going and whatever.

[00:19:57] Honestly, did you guys know that Eddie Jordan was his manager?

[00:20:01] That's the first time when I got to know him.

[00:20:03] When those rumors were circulating.

[00:20:06] That was the first time I knew that Eddie Jordan of all people was his manager.

[00:20:09] Of Adrian Newey?

[00:20:10] Oh, Eddie.

[00:20:12] Are you getting to know now, Sami?

[00:20:15] Wow.

[00:20:15] Nobody strikes a deal quite like him, no?

[00:20:18] Wow.

[00:20:19] Wait, did he become the manager for this?

[00:20:23] Or did he have...

[00:20:23] No, no.

[00:20:24] He's always been close.

[00:20:26] He's always been close.

[00:20:27] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:20:27] They've been friends and he's been managing Adrian and Adrian Trust Trust.

[00:20:31] Can you imagine Adrian Newey as a manager that we almost never knew or thought of for all those 25 world championships?

[00:20:40] But here's one more thing.

[00:20:43] Adrian Newey is designing a yacht, buying a yacht.

[00:20:45] So I think to get the yacht for cheap or for free, he said, I'll be your ambassador.

[00:20:49] Oyster yachts, okay?

[00:20:51] And one of the first interactions Newey and Jordan had was for an Oyster yacht conference in Monaco.

[00:20:58] And Eddie Jordan almost led it through, saying, when we get the deal from Zach or anybody else, we're going to ask for a bike or something.

[00:21:08] So was that a hint that just subtly got dropped?

[00:21:12] Or was it on purpose?

[00:21:13] Eddie's such a player, like you said, Somal, that you'd almost never...

[00:21:17] Man.

[00:21:19] But do we have more on WhatsApp, on Christian Horner?

[00:21:22] We would, no, Sundaram?

[00:21:23] Christian Horner?

[00:21:24] No.

[00:21:25] I'm steering away from that whole discussion, from that whole...

[00:21:29] It's...

[00:21:30] Yeah.

[00:21:30] Okay.

[00:21:31] Okay, I'm going to pick the queue up.

[00:21:35] Just how powerful is Christian Horner in Red Bull Racing?

[00:21:40] Right?

[00:21:40] That's something come out.

[00:21:44] Sebastian Vettel was to drive the RB8 at the Goodwood Festival.

[00:21:49] And guess who decided to replace him?

[00:21:53] Christian Horner.

[00:21:54] Why himself?

[00:21:56] Because Vettel was...

[00:21:58] I think he was on holiday in Norway, as far as I remember.

[00:22:01] So Christian Horner decided to promote himself to become a Formula 1 driver for Red Bull.

[00:22:07] Because he's also, of course, the team principal.

[00:22:10] Right?

[00:22:10] So that's what happened.

[00:22:11] And then, of course, Horner...

[00:22:12] And he supposedly blocked someone else driving a former...

[00:22:17] I can't remember who was it.

[00:22:18] He blocked yours, which happened.

[00:22:20] And into driving at the Legends Parade.

[00:22:22] Right?

[00:22:23] And very interesting play.

[00:22:25] And then, of course, another big play, especially in the whole WhatsApp gate was it was this nicely choreographed moment of Jerry Halliburl and Christian Horner kissing in public.

[00:22:37] Just when all the cameras zoomed in and sort of looked at them.

[00:22:40] It was their way of saying, we are strong through this and whatever has happened and stuff like that.

[00:22:45] But that's all the WhatsApp gate.

[00:22:46] Another gate which Red Bull opened up this year.

[00:22:51] And I think a lot of teams are either going to open up the same gate or Formula 1 is just going to block it.

[00:22:56] Is the TPC or the Testing Previous Car Program gate.

[00:23:00] Of course, in-season testing is banned in Formula 1.

[00:23:03] But Red Bull used the TPC gate or the Testing Previous Cars, like I said, to give Max Verstappen a reference of the 2022 car.

[00:23:14] Right?

[00:23:15] Because you can drive a two-year-old car and it's only this year onwards that you can drive the same era of cars.

[00:23:21] So they, of course, did that.

[00:23:23] So that's how cheeky they always are.

[00:23:26] Trying to get that edge, trying to get that reference point, trying to make sure that they are the ones beating car manufacturers in a race, in a car racing sport.

[00:23:36] Now that you speak about car manufacturers, should we speak about other manufacturers not wanting to be a manufacturer anymore?

[00:23:42] Not just yet.

[00:23:43] Not just yet.

[00:23:44] Not just yet.

[00:23:44] Yeah, but you know, I...

[00:23:45] Subtle hint.

[00:23:46] Yeah, subtle hint.

[00:23:46] But I wish Alpine actually took on Red Bull powertrains.

[00:23:49] It would be such a circle of life.

[00:23:53] From Red Bull being powered by Renault engines to win world championships, to a Renault Formula 1 car being powered by Red Bull engines.

[00:24:01] Okay.

[00:24:02] Can you imagine?

[00:24:03] I just remember what Cyril Abitable said to Christian Horner.

[00:24:07] You need a driver and an engine.

[00:24:09] In the French accent.

[00:24:11] You need a driver and an engine.

[00:24:12] And then it's gone haywire since then.

[00:24:15] How...

[00:24:16] Age like milk.

[00:24:18] Seriously.

[00:24:20] Wow.

[00:24:23] But since you said...

[00:24:25] Since you brought such a beautiful reference, one of the reasons why we should speak a little longer for Red Bull is also because of the very fact that we've had 14 races.

[00:24:36] Seven of them won on the trot by Red Bull.

[00:24:39] And like a lot of people now have pointed out to me on Twitter, one of my favorite examples to cite this year is ever since Max Wishtappen hit that bollard in Miami, Formula 1 2024 has never been the same again.

[00:24:51] Okay.

[00:24:52] What do you think was that key moment since it's a mid-season review?

[00:24:56] It can be a funny one.

[00:24:57] It can be a serious one.

[00:24:58] It can be a stats-driven one.

[00:25:00] When was that moment that you all thought, oh my goodness, it's all not working out too well for Red Bull?

[00:25:06] And I don't mean WhatsApp gate.

[00:25:07] For once, let's talk about on-track stuff.

[00:25:09] I would probably say maybe Monaco or...

[00:25:16] No, maybe later.

[00:25:18] I mean, if you really feel that if they were not as dominant, yeah, maybe after Monaco when George Russell put it on pole in Canada.

[00:25:29] I know the answer.

[00:25:31] I think this one has to be slightly later.

[00:25:35] British GP is when it really kicked in properly.

[00:25:40] Because when they saw Mercedes have a 1-2 and they were absolutely nowhere, I think that's a big moment.

[00:25:45] But it just makes me realize that this is the Braun GP year at last.

[00:25:49] We were all looking for it, right?

[00:25:52] We were all thinking, oh, 2022, can it be immediately?

[00:25:55] Like the year after the regulations have changed, which was the case with Braun.

[00:25:58] Didn't happen.

[00:25:59] And 2023, we thought, oh, budget cap and sliding scale, this will be the year Red Bull will fall.

[00:26:04] And they had a penalty too, but they didn't.

[00:26:06] They're finally facing a moment where the concept is expiring.

[00:26:10] And there's nothing they can do about it.

[00:26:12] And the others have closed up.

[00:26:13] And then to have Lando Norris get pole in Spain, Kunal, with that bare minimum of margin,

[00:26:19] being, oh, Imola, only two-tenths away from the finish.

[00:26:22] That's a great moment when they must have thought, yikes.

[00:26:25] I think it's going south now.

[00:26:26] Yeah, for me, maybe it was also Austria.

[00:26:29] Of course, several moments that we all pick up and think, okay, it's not working.

[00:26:33] Or for me, it was Austria because Red Bull did well to keep all the lead.

[00:26:37] And then whatever Lando Norris did, he was just eating into that gap.

[00:26:42] And that overtake would have happened at some point or not.

[00:26:45] Doesn't matter.

[00:26:46] But the fact, that's when I genuinely felt it.

[00:26:49] Okay, this is it.

[00:26:50] You know, this is where it's all sort of going a little downhill for Red Bull.

[00:26:55] It's getting tougher.

[00:26:56] Because I think I remember correctly, last year, Max Verstappen became the first driver

[00:27:01] to win all races in July, which is usually when you have four or five races,

[00:27:06] depending on how the, at least four races.

[00:27:08] This year, he's gone the whole of July 2024 without a win.

[00:27:14] Okay.

[00:27:16] And, you know, it's sim racing, not racing, whatever racing.

[00:27:21] He's still in great spirits.

[00:27:22] But somehow something tells me that this is not going to be as hunky-dory in the second

[00:27:28] half of the year.

[00:27:29] And I think this is also going to be one of those stories I'd love to look forward to

[00:27:32] in the second half.

[00:27:33] Does Red Bull pull away?

[00:27:34] Do they bring in upgrades which help it?

[00:27:36] You know, they all want to widen the sweet spot of the car or the operating window of

[00:27:42] the car.

[00:27:42] That's what's become narrow for Red Bull.

[00:27:44] So will they be caught or will they actually still dig deeper and get faster?

[00:27:50] Because typically, you know, you'd still, trust me, we do the Sanford preview and we're

[00:27:55] going to choose Red Bull for win.

[00:27:56] We do the Monza preview and we're going to, that's the perception they've all drilled into

[00:28:00] us that you cannot rule us out till we actually drive a lap in anger.

[00:28:06] Well, that's a very interesting point that you make because I think 2024 in that sense

[00:28:12] has been very different to any other season of the hybrid era.

[00:28:16] Because even if you see the dominant errors of Mercedes, you would often say Mercedes are going to be quick

[00:28:23] around the fast circuits, the engine specific circuits.

[00:28:27] Whereas Red Bull are going to be quicker around Hungary, Monaco.

[00:28:30] That's where you would see a Verstappen or a Ricciardo winning around one or two races

[00:28:34] through the season.

[00:28:34] And that was basically just it.

[00:28:37] But in this year, it's a case of weather conditions and operating windows.

[00:28:43] And the team that has everything going right in their operating window, that team is going

[00:28:47] to win.

[00:28:48] It's not just a Red Bull.

[00:28:49] It's not just a McLaren.

[00:28:50] It could be a Ferrari at Monaco.

[00:28:53] It could be a Mercedes at the British Grand Prix.

[00:28:55] It has put so much of focus on track conditions and weather conditions if it's hot, if it's

[00:29:03] cold and the operating window of how the car performs.

[00:29:06] So in that sense, I think like Somal exactly said, this is one of the most exciting seasons

[00:29:11] in the last few years.

[00:29:12] I love those years when the concepts come to an extreme where there's nowhere more to

[00:29:18] go.

[00:29:18] The engineering brains have finished thinking about it and they're now looking for the

[00:29:22] minutest of details like we are seeing in 2024 and also hopefully into 2025 as well.

[00:29:28] As Red Bull, they've reached the ceiling and others are catching up.

[00:29:32] But the thing is, they're on the decline and McLaren maybe have more to do.

[00:29:36] But we should come to McLaren in a second maybe after we wrap off some of Max Verstappen's

[00:29:41] craziest moments.

[00:29:42] Because this year, guys, Verstappen has been childish.

[00:29:46] And I get it.

[00:29:47] When you become an adult, that's where you reach a point, I've heard at least, where you

[00:29:51] want to be like, hey, I want to be like a child at least.

[00:29:54] This is what I want from my life.

[00:29:56] And Verstappen has been doing so much.

[00:29:58] Late night gaming, moms wouldn't like that.

[00:30:00] Red Bull ended up being the mom and ended up banning it.

[00:30:03] Smart on her part.

[00:30:05] And then eventually there was complaining on the radio, which GP labelled to be childish

[00:30:10] in Hungary after Verstappen went over on about the stewards.

[00:30:14] And then also, I think the naughty things he's done in Austria and Hungary also stand out.

[00:30:20] Remember, like when Lando Norris eventually saw Max Verstappen getting that puncture in

[00:30:26] Austria, Verstappen knew that, hey, if I'm not going to finish, I better make sure my rival

[00:30:30] doesn't as well.

[00:30:31] And so he ended up punting him somewhat subtly.

[00:30:34] He's very smart.

[00:30:35] And taking him out of the contention as well.

[00:30:38] So there's a lot of naughtiness going around.

[00:30:41] The kid is back again.

[00:30:42] You're opening a can of worms, Samuel.

[00:30:45] Don't go into worms.

[00:30:46] Andrea Stella has brought out the worms.

[00:30:49] No, but you're actually right.

[00:30:51] And I think this perception has been there if Verstappen finds himself in a very difficult

[00:30:56] position.

[00:30:56] And if he knows he's not going to win the race, he is going to be very attacking to his

[00:31:01] immediate rival.

[00:31:02] It happened in 2021.

[00:31:03] And I would say a very classic case of that was Monza.

[00:31:06] He knew that he was going to be outscored in Monza compared to Lewis Hamilton.

[00:31:12] And he went for a very, what was the right way of putting it?

[00:31:16] Ambitious.

[00:31:17] Over ambitious.

[00:31:17] Ambitious is what, yeah.

[00:31:19] A very ambitious move.

[00:31:20] I can see the live trend.

[00:31:22] All the Dutch viewers are going away.

[00:31:24] Guys, please stay.

[00:31:25] We've got a lot more fun stuff about Max Verstappen.

[00:31:27] It's so good that this rarely comes out.

[00:31:30] It's like the king who was once sort of a naughty child then becoming so great that his rare side

[00:31:37] rarely ever comes out.

[00:31:38] He's such a great driver.

[00:31:40] He rarely has to bring that side out of him because he's so, so good.

[00:31:44] Great save.

[00:31:45] No, no.

[00:31:45] Seriously.

[00:31:46] I can see the Dutchies still saying that.

[00:31:47] And think about it, right?

[00:31:48] Austria.

[00:31:49] Why did it go sour for him?

[00:31:50] It wasn't even meant to be.

[00:31:52] A small pit stop error that made his pit stop a couple of seconds longer.

[00:31:57] Called that Verstappen out.

[00:31:58] Otherwise, he was untouched.

[00:32:00] That Verstappen would have been calm, cool, said nice things in the media.

[00:32:03] Wouldn't have taken his rival out after knowing that his race was done.

[00:32:06] Yeah.

[00:32:07] But talking over Verstappen and said nice things in the media, here's a big tribute to a good

[00:32:13] friend of ours, Mr. Lollipop Man.

[00:32:15] And because in Miami, I think Max Verstappen actually being the Gen Z that he is said,

[00:32:21] lol on the radio.

[00:32:23] Instead of just pressing the radio and laughing, he felt like saying lol.

[00:32:28] He actually did that.

[00:32:28] And I still remember that graphic of LOL, you know, when FOM sort of transcribes radio messages

[00:32:35] for us.

[00:32:36] Then I remember him saying, Monaco was so easy.

[00:32:39] I could have had a, I need a pillow in the car.

[00:32:41] And then, you know, George and I should go for a run to feel like it was a workout.

[00:32:45] But I think my best Max Verstappen moment was in Australia when Williams gave Alexander

[00:32:52] Albin Logan Sargent's chassis.

[00:32:55] Max was asked, what would he do?

[00:32:57] What did he think?

[00:32:57] He said, I would just flatten my car so nobody could ever drive it.

[00:33:04] I love that, right?

[00:33:05] He's like, my car is my car.

[00:33:07] And then he, of course, turned around at some point and said, I invite anybody in the paddock

[00:33:12] to drive my car faster than me.

[00:33:14] Like, you know, I love that gut sees God.

[00:33:17] And those guts were also seen in DTM, right?

[00:33:19] Because the DTM engineers were literally like, within one lap, he was doing things that nobody

[00:33:25] else had done in the DTM car.

[00:33:27] And I'm pretty sure the way I see it, and pardon me, anyone big DTM fans, DTM doesn't see

[00:33:33] biggest of racing talent in their peak.

[00:33:36] They see it after, you know, especially if you say F1 has the biggest of racing talents

[00:33:41] that races, goes to race in DTM.

[00:33:43] They do it after they retire.

[00:33:45] So imagine DTM engineers being shocked in itself.

[00:33:49] But since we all spoke of convergence and Red Bull this whole era, there are two things

[00:33:57] that could happen second half of the season.

[00:33:59] First is we might all just regret why 2026 is happening when, you know, suddenly all teams

[00:34:04] are fighting.

[00:34:05] Because when there's a rules reset, there will be a larger divergence in performance.

[00:34:09] And at the start of the season, we would have probably all thought that Red Bull would love

[00:34:13] for this rule era to continue for the next 10 years.

[00:34:16] But probably they might just be the first one saying, my goodness, 2026 cannot come soon

[00:34:21] enough.

[00:34:21] We need to hit reset.

[00:34:23] But they don't have Adrian Newell.

[00:34:24] That's what, that's going to be an interesting challenge because now they have four engines

[00:34:28] and it's not always the easiest to have a new engine supplier coming in and delivering

[00:34:34] results.

[00:34:35] I think there was a lot of doubt even when Honda moved to first order or so and then

[00:34:40] moved to Red Bull.

[00:34:41] That's also one of the reasons why Daniel Ricciardo jumped ship.

[00:34:44] But what they've been able to make of that partnership is excellent, winning multiple championships

[00:34:51] and being so dominant.

[00:34:53] I know Fernando Alonso and McLaren might have been regretting or it kind of put focus towards

[00:34:59] McLaren that it was not just the engine, but also the chassis and how the team operates.

[00:35:03] Now that Ford is going to come in, how does Red Bull handle this?

[00:35:07] And it's also, I think, one of the considerations that Carlos Sainz took into when not choosing

[00:35:13] Audi.

[00:35:14] When a new engine manufacturer comes in, it's not always going to be the easiest.

[00:35:18] What's your reference?

[00:35:19] Do you have any reference to look at and compare and learn from?

[00:35:22] Not really.

[00:35:23] So it's going to be very, very interesting.

[00:35:25] And I think that's also why people say Mercedes is going to have the upper hand come 2026.

[00:35:30] It's a strong commitment from many people, including Carlos Sainz himself, to go down the Mercedes

[00:35:36] route.

[00:35:36] Even Alpine feel the same way.

[00:35:38] There's a reason behind that confidence.

[00:35:40] Because think about it.

[00:35:40] Mercedes and Ferrari are the only two people who will carry forward the same engines and

[00:35:45] a similar process entirely heading into 2026.

[00:35:48] And Mercedes feels so secure about George Russell, who, by the way, has been winning races this

[00:35:53] year, that he is their number one driver.

[00:35:56] That project George Russell is complete where they can now cycle off Lewis because they have

[00:36:00] a driver who has shown all the qualities to be a number one.

[00:36:04] That's where they feel.

[00:36:05] Now the Mercedes fans are going.

[00:36:07] But it's a good part.

[00:36:10] Hamilton fans.

[00:36:11] Think about it.

[00:36:11] Russell has got to that level.

[00:36:13] His quality record is also insane.

[00:36:15] I think he's beat Hamilton 10-3, if I'm not mistaken.

[00:36:18] And the margins have been less, yes.

[00:36:20] But they also.

[00:36:21] Yeah.

[00:36:22] The margins are the closest between.

[00:36:24] I think it's a tenth of a second or thereabouts.

[00:36:27] But they feel so confident.

[00:36:29] But I'm going to make one more prediction here.

[00:36:32] From next year, Sundaram, someone's no longer going to cheer for Carlos Sainz because clearly

[00:36:36] he's going to be in the Williams, right?

[00:36:38] His next driver to cheer for is going to be this George Russell, number 63.

[00:36:44] I'm telling you, that's where you're going.

[00:36:46] Maybe Kimi.

[00:36:47] Maybe Kimi.

[00:36:48] Who knows?

[00:36:48] Kimi.

[00:36:49] Kimi could be good.

[00:36:50] Like, he can be really good, I feel.

[00:36:52] What will it take for you guys to speak a few good words about Fernando Nanto?

[00:36:56] What is it going to take?

[00:36:57] A couple of beers, I'll gladly do that.

[00:37:01] But on the George Russell bit, in all seriousness, he has been the better driver in qualifying.

[00:37:07] And even when...

[00:37:09] No, I would say that.

[00:37:10] I would say he...

[00:37:11] Because, yes, Lewis Hamilton has won several championships.

[00:37:15] And I think George Russell has not received enough credit for how he's driven this season.

[00:37:21] It's been a bit unfortunate for him the last couple of races, especially after he won.

[00:37:26] But I think he's been the better driver overall.

[00:37:30] And in qualifying, especially at a time when the car wasn't at the best, but when it really started doing much better towards the last couple of races, that's when both of them started to deliver.

[00:37:41] But the other thing is, George Russell has driven 98% of his laps in the points-paying positions this year.

[00:37:49] Wow.

[00:37:50] That's a mega stat.

[00:37:52] George Russell, 98% of his laps in the top 10.

[00:37:56] Max Verstappen, 99%.

[00:37:58] Lando Norris is the only one to do 100% of all his laps in the top 10.

[00:38:02] What about Lewis?

[00:38:04] Quick trivia, who's not done a single lap in the top 10.

[00:38:07] Single lap with Logan Sargent?

[00:38:10] Hey!

[00:38:11] Logan Sargent.

[00:38:11] Here we go.

[00:38:13] Lewis Hamilton, 94%.

[00:38:15] He's 5th on that list.

[00:38:17] But maybe quickly diverting to this list.

[00:38:19] The one person that truly amazed me here on this list is Yuki Tsunoda.

[00:38:25] 54% of his laps are in the top 10.

[00:38:28] And that's the highest among the bottom 5 teams.

[00:38:31] Wow.

[00:38:32] And that's more than Daniel Ricciardo.

[00:38:33] Daniel Ricciardo has done just 15% of all his laps in the top 10.

[00:38:38] And I say from the bottom 5 teams, Yuki Tsunoda, 54%.

[00:38:42] Next is Nico Hulkenberg, 38%.

[00:38:46] And actually, Tsunoda has done more laps in the top 10 than Lance Troll.

[00:38:50] I was just going to ask you.

[00:38:51] Yeah.

[00:38:51] That's like 50% of the laps in the top 10 occupied by one of 12 drivers.

[00:38:58] 11 actually.

[00:38:59] Because he is the 11th one.

[00:39:01] But one of 12 small team drivers can have this domination.

[00:39:06] And he's the one.

[00:39:09] And Yuki Tsunoda has actually scored in 50% of the races this season.

[00:39:13] He scored in 7 of them.

[00:39:15] Wow.

[00:39:15] Amazing.

[00:39:16] So exciting.

[00:39:17] I love these stats.

[00:39:18] Thank you.

[00:39:20] But let's go back to Red Bull.

[00:39:22] Or were we done with Red Bull and Max Wichita?

[00:39:25] Clearly, we've not...

[00:39:26] I think we were at George Russell.

[00:39:28] Yeah.

[00:39:28] We sort of moved on.

[00:39:29] Well, I just have one thing to say about Perez.

[00:39:31] You know, as the season progressed, you know, Checo Perez just went from doing well

[00:39:40] to clearly not doing well at all, as we know.

[00:39:44] His big highlight was one of the races he actually hit.

[00:39:48] He hit a bird.

[00:39:50] And then he went and told his engineer, Sam Bird, saying, I hit a bird.

[00:39:54] Ha ha.

[00:39:55] It was your brother.

[00:39:56] And clearly, it was a very British joke.

[00:39:58] But Perez hit a lot of things.

[00:40:00] Isn't Sam Bird in Formula E?

[00:40:02] Yeah.

[00:40:03] Hugh Bird.

[00:40:04] Sorry.

[00:40:04] Yeah.

[00:40:05] You're right.

[00:40:05] Hugh Bird.

[00:40:06] Yeah.

[00:40:06] Hugh Bird.

[00:40:06] The birds in fly.

[00:40:07] Thank you.

[00:40:11] Wait, Sam Bird is in Formula E?

[00:40:13] Yeah, you're right.

[00:40:13] Yeah, Sam Bird in Formula E.

[00:40:14] Yeah, correct.

[00:40:14] Yeah.

[00:40:15] And then, you know, like I said, Perez hit a lot of things in the first four to six races,

[00:40:18] including podiums and points.

[00:40:20] And also, lots of tear-off visors.

[00:40:23] He had the most number of tear-off visors stuck in his brake ducts and radiators and whatever.

[00:40:31] I think four out of the first six races or...

[00:40:33] I mean, that's what happens when you're in the midfield.

[00:40:35] More brake, more visors in your brake ducts.

[00:40:39] Clearly.

[00:40:39] Wow, that is one way of telling a subtle thing.

[00:40:42] Wow.

[00:40:45] But maybe, I mean, if you were...

[00:40:48] I mean, if you were Christian Horner, you would obviously have Sergio Perez in the team.

[00:40:52] But would you have Sergio Perez in the team for the rest of the season?

[00:40:57] I wouldn't.

[00:40:58] Liam Lawson for me, no?

[00:41:00] What do you think?

[00:41:01] It'll have to be Liam Lawson.

[00:41:02] What do you think?

[00:41:04] No one else, right?

[00:41:05] I think I would leave him till the rest of the season.

[00:41:10] I would...

[00:41:11] See, like I've kept saying, and this is where I'm getting a little serious,

[00:41:14] I don't think Perez's contract is as straightforward as what Albin and Gasly's were.

[00:41:18] Yeah.

[00:41:18] Okay.

[00:41:19] Albin and Gasly were junior drivers through the system, brought up through the ranks.

[00:41:23] They could be hired and fired at Red Bull's will.

[00:41:26] With Checo Perez, he's been hired externally.

[00:41:29] Yeah.

[00:41:29] I'm sure Perez, very, very smooth operator, cheeky operator as well in Formula One,

[00:41:34] knew all along that he had to safeguard himself from Red Bull and their hire and fire ways.

[00:41:40] Plus, he gets a lot of money from Mexico, lots of sponsors.

[00:41:43] So, getting rid of him is also a big financial decision to make.

[00:41:48] But having said that, Red Bull, having read out the riot act to him,

[00:41:52] assuming they've done that on the Monday after the Belgian Grand Prix,

[00:41:58] if he's unable to help them keep P2 in the Constructors' Championship,

[00:42:03] clearly there's reason to make the change.

[00:42:04] And I would put Yuki Tsunoda in that car, not Liam Lawson just yet.

[00:42:08] I think for all the stats that we've said, Yuki needs a shot in that Red Bull.

[00:42:14] He deserves that.

[00:42:15] He's been, you know, it's like all along these years,

[00:42:19] ever since Red Bull and Honda have been together,

[00:42:22] Yuki was a part of the junior driver program at Honda, hence adopted by Red Bull.

[00:42:26] He was always dangled this carrot of Red Bull.

[00:42:30] Always.

[00:42:31] Franz Toss said, we need to give him three years.

[00:42:33] They gave him those three years and look at what he's done.

[00:42:37] And now to not give him that carrot would be unfair, would be brutal.

[00:42:41] And Liam Lawson, great driver.

[00:42:44] He's been a year out.

[00:42:46] He needs a drive.

[00:42:47] He has not said, I need a Red Bull.

[00:42:49] Of course, everyone wants a Red Bull, including Daniel Ricciardo.

[00:42:52] But Lawson could still be given racing bulls.

[00:42:55] And Yuki should be given that shot alongside Max Verstappen in Red Bull Racing.

[00:43:02] And we should see how that goes.

[00:43:03] And I think that's a change.

[00:43:05] Until the end of 2025, you mean?

[00:43:07] No, until 2024.

[00:43:09] And then if Red Bull lose P2, I think Perez needs to go.

[00:43:13] Definitely.

[00:43:14] Then they would have also told him, dude, you're supposed to give us a P2.

[00:43:18] And, you know, the number of points away from Max,

[00:43:20] number of points that he's anywhere not scored anywhere else.

[00:43:23] To be eighth, you know, eighth, which is the last of all the top four teams, would be absolutely ridiculous when Max would have probably won the Drivers' Championship in itself.

[00:43:35] Do you think there's someone at Red Bull calculating those number of points lost?

[00:43:39] Surely, right?

[00:43:40] Just to present to him that Checo, wait.

[00:43:43] They have all these.

[00:43:44] Of course.

[00:43:45] Yeah.

[00:43:45] 73 points or whatever it might be.

[00:43:47] Oh, yeah.

[00:43:48] Checo.

[00:43:48] I mean, absolutely.

[00:43:51] There's no...

[00:43:52] They have all these models.

[00:43:53] They're in the business of points.

[00:43:55] Let's remember.

[00:43:56] They know where every point is earned and every point is lost and what the cost per point is and what they earn per point and all of that.

[00:44:04] That's what the business and the model of Formula One is built on, right?

[00:44:08] So they know all of this.

[00:44:10] And I'm pretty sure they have very ruthless conversations with their drivers at all times.

[00:44:15] Madness.

[00:44:16] Yes.

[00:44:16] And then before we move to another team, one thing that I do have to specify is Red Bull's lead at the mid-season break last year was 256.

[00:44:28] That was after 12 races.

[00:44:29] This year, it's only 42, which is why it's so much more crucial for Sergio Perez to bring in the results and try and hold on to...

[00:44:39] Try and make Red Bull hold on to that P1 spot in the constructors.

[00:44:42] Otherwise, it's very likely that McLaren is going to be taking that.

[00:44:46] It's like a player who only has one wing working.

[00:44:49] One engine working, rather.

[00:44:51] But, I mean, although Red Bull are bleeding in the constructors title, it's not quite the case in the Drivers' Championship.

[00:44:59] Because Verstappen's not won the last four races.

[00:45:01] He's actually managed to increase his lead by nine points over Lando Norris.

[00:45:05] So, in that aspect, it's fine.

[00:45:06] But in the constructors' championship, they're really going...

[00:45:09] They're really losing a lot of points in the last couple of races.

[00:45:12] Wow.

[00:45:13] Which is known.

[00:45:13] And one thing very cheeky Red Bull did in Austria, which was, of course, their home race.

[00:45:19] They had this livery, which they called the stallion red.

[00:45:23] You know, it reminded me of when, of course, Ferrari is known for its scarlet red thing.

[00:45:27] But I think it was one of those cheeky subliminal ways of Red Bull to say, you know, what Bernie Eccleston has said all along in the new era of Formula One.

[00:45:35] That Red Bull is the new Ferrari to Formula One.

[00:45:38] And I so believe that.

[00:45:40] I think if Red Bull were to ever threaten to pull out and so on, the way Red Bull has taken Formula One by storm,

[00:45:48] on-track performances, the way they marketed it, the junior driver program, the number of circuits they own and they sort of sponsor and so on.

[00:45:57] I believe they're fantastic.

[00:45:59] What a lovely, brilliant brand for Formula One to have.

[00:46:02] Yep.

[00:46:02] And Max as well to have with it.

[00:46:05] It's...

[00:46:06] Do you think he's staying though?

[00:46:08] We have to ask the question.

[00:46:09] Oh, here we go.

[00:46:10] When do you think will...

[00:46:11] That's such a difficult question.

[00:46:13] Such a difficult question.

[00:46:14] Let me flip it.

[00:46:15] When do you guys think will Max Verstappen leave Red Bull Racing?

[00:46:19] Assuming he's going to leave at some point because everyone's leaving.

[00:46:22] I don't think he will, you know.

[00:46:24] I really feel he's one of those people that's...

[00:46:28] I think he'll jump the ship the last.

[00:46:31] Same with Marc Marquez in MotoGP.

[00:46:33] If you've noticed.

[00:46:35] Both similar in their story.

[00:46:37] Prodigal talent...

[00:46:38] Prodigal?

[00:46:39] What's the word?

[00:46:41] Prodigal?

[00:46:42] Yeah, yeah.

[00:46:43] Verstappen and Marc Marquez.

[00:46:44] Both prodigal talents in their own right.

[00:46:47] One with bikes.

[00:46:47] One with the cars.

[00:46:48] Both fast-tracked up.

[00:46:50] Marquez won everything in his part.

[00:46:51] Same with Max Verstappen as well.

[00:46:53] And everyone knew that these people are going to be special talents later on.

[00:46:57] And look at what happened with Marc Marquez.

[00:46:59] I think the brutality of Honda not being good enough

[00:47:03] and especially not being good enough because he wasn't around.

[00:47:07] Honda depended so much on Marc Marquez that when Marquez was injured,

[00:47:11] they just had nowhere to go, no direction.

[00:47:14] And it hinged on Verstappen or in this case Marquez

[00:47:18] to do what he could for the car

[00:47:20] because nobody else could ever drive the machine

[00:47:23] that made those same people fast.

[00:47:25] Verstappen and Marquez are both extreme in their styles.

[00:47:28] So, in this matter, I feel Red Bull's performance hinges on Max.

[00:47:34] It's going to get increasingly tougher for a driver to come in and fill in those boots

[00:47:38] because as you need to maximize the gains,

[00:47:40] you go more towards Max's way of driving the car

[00:47:43] which is more and more extreme.

[00:47:45] But that's what keeps you alive.

[00:47:47] And there will be a point where they'll dip over.

[00:47:49] Maybe go in the midfield.

[00:47:50] Maybe not have that same magic because there's only one driver

[00:47:52] and the car is not at that same level.

[00:47:55] And that could potentially be the time when Verstappen himself leaves

[00:47:59] because that's what the team needs.

[00:48:01] I feel he's one of those sort of drivers at the end.

[00:48:04] And there's too much baggage to leaving as well.

[00:48:06] I actually have a different view.

[00:48:07] I think given that his father, who's anyway not so much in good books with Christian Horner,

[00:48:15] they keep arguing publicly.

[00:48:17] At some point, that argument is going to boil over.

[00:48:19] At some point, that argument is going to be with Max saying,

[00:48:22] I'm going to choose what my dad says.

[00:48:24] And that, if that sort of crossover is, you know,

[00:48:28] crosses over with Red Bull anyway losing performance

[00:48:30] and everyone else getting quicker,

[00:48:32] will that be where he has to make this calculated move of

[00:48:35] where does he want to sort of dive in next with?

[00:48:39] If you remember one of the early season controversies

[00:48:44] or conversations was also Red Bull.

[00:48:47] Sorry, Max wants to leave Red Bull

[00:48:48] because he doesn't believe in the Red Bull Powertrains project.

[00:48:50] It's the first time Red Bull's taken on something.

[00:48:52] They were all talking of how they would need to downshift

[00:48:55] in the middle of the straights to charge up the generator, battery, whatever, something.

[00:49:00] So I think if Red Bull's mess goes in a way that they don't win the next four races as well,

[00:49:11] even though they continue to, you know, sort of build in on the constructors,

[00:49:15] maybe Max is going to say, I'm going to go in 2025 itself

[00:49:19] and see if he's able to build that momentum.

[00:49:21] Because Max is one of those types who's probably be like,

[00:49:25] even if I trade one championship away for winning five after that with Mercedes.

[00:49:32] And that's what Toto Wolff is probably talking to him on the table about,

[00:49:36] saying, you don't join me in 2026.

[00:49:38] You want to come?

[00:49:38] You come in 2025.

[00:49:40] Okay.

[00:49:40] I'll figure what I have to do with Antonelli.

[00:49:42] Yeah.

[00:49:42] Okay.

[00:49:44] Would you come and join me in 2025?

[00:49:46] I don't need, because if Max is saying I'll come in 2026,

[00:49:48] who's leaving at the end of 2025?

[00:49:51] Is it George Ross?

[00:49:53] No, but that's it.

[00:49:54] But I think just like Samuel mentioned, Mark Marquez,

[00:49:57] and correct me if I'm wrong,

[00:49:58] I think Marquez had the luxury that if he's on the market,

[00:50:02] a top team would pick him up.

[00:50:04] Yes, he was a year with Grissini,

[00:50:06] but now he's been given a factory team.

[00:50:08] So in 2026, I think, that's what I think.

[00:50:10] Max Verstappen is just going to gauge and see

[00:50:12] which is the best team to join.

[00:50:13] He says, now I'm on the market.

[00:50:15] And just like how Sainz was booted out

[00:50:17] just because Hamilton was available,

[00:50:20] Mercedes may have to take the tough call of

[00:50:22] probably removing George Russell.

[00:50:23] Think about it.

[00:50:24] That's what I think.

[00:50:24] Think about the kind of drivers we have here.

[00:50:27] Who's going to drop?

[00:50:29] Kimi Antonelli?

[00:50:30] I don't think so.

[00:50:31] He's going to be good.

[00:50:31] George Russell from Mercedes?

[00:50:33] I don't think so.

[00:50:33] That's their number one.

[00:50:35] You can't take...

[00:50:36] That's a big call.

[00:50:37] That's going to be worse than Riccardo being dropped

[00:50:38] for Verstappen, honestly.

[00:50:39] Because Russell is complete.

[00:50:41] And then on top of that,

[00:50:43] Shaz Leclerc, a generational talent,

[00:50:45] many claim.

[00:50:46] Can he be booted out?

[00:50:47] Will Lewis Hamilton go?

[00:50:48] Because there's not much in Ferrari.

[00:50:50] There's such a wide range of things

[00:50:52] that could happen in the future.

[00:50:54] Maybe not as to Red Bull Racing.

[00:50:56] And Oscar Piastri partnering up with Verstappen.

[00:51:00] Maybe then science can go to Red Bull.

[00:51:02] Science is not a 7-0 bull.

[00:51:04] This is where our friends at Aston Martin are saying,

[00:51:06] we've let so many clickbait rumors about hiring Newey

[00:51:10] and then getting Max.

[00:51:11] And you guys are not even mentioning Max coming to us

[00:51:14] at one point.

[00:51:15] I won't treat them as a proper team

[00:51:16] until they have launched rule driving that car.

[00:51:19] I'm honestly...

[00:51:19] We're not even being rude here.

[00:51:21] If you want to win championships...

[00:51:23] And actually, you know what?

[00:51:24] I'm confused.

[00:51:25] Should we go to Williams now or Aston Martin?

[00:51:26] Because this is a fun point.

[00:51:29] Let's...

[00:51:30] Let's do Aston Martin, please.

[00:51:32] But please.

[00:51:33] So, this is that point of the race or the episode

[00:51:36] where Somal, Sudaram and I have decided

[00:51:39] we're going to just split this episode into two.

[00:51:42] So, we took it into consideration

[00:51:43] or split the entire mid-season review into two.

[00:51:46] We're almost 53-odd minutes in.

[00:51:49] I got my expectations totally wrong.

[00:51:51] We all did.

[00:51:53] But we're going to split it into two.

[00:51:54] So, this is the end or nearing the end of the first one

[00:51:57] after we talk of Aston Martin,

[00:51:59] which is probably another 20 minutes.

[00:52:00] And then we will have another one for...

[00:52:03] Yes, we will.

[00:52:05] Part two.

[00:52:06] There we go.

[00:52:07] Aston Martin, it is.

[00:52:08] Okay.

[00:52:08] I have a thing.

[00:52:10] To describe what the season has been like,

[00:52:14] I will tell you one story.

[00:52:17] At the launch of the new Aston Martin car,

[00:52:20] Dan Fallows, who had seen the team he has just joined,

[00:52:25] win a lot of things, right?

[00:52:26] They got a few podiums.

[00:52:27] They were consistent in the top two

[00:52:29] and the top three as well to a certain extent.

[00:52:31] Almost could have won in Monaco.

[00:52:33] And he obviously had gotten the injection

[00:52:35] of the Lance Stroll money.

[00:52:39] Eventually, once he got that money,

[00:52:41] you all tend to see optimism.

[00:52:42] It's a bit like ecstasy, right?

[00:52:43] Whenever you get hired by Aston Martin,

[00:52:45] you see optimism and optimism only.

[00:52:47] And then you have to settle with the negative PR comments.

[00:52:50] So when Dan Fallows came in,

[00:52:52] he said this car could potentially be a Red Bull beater.

[00:52:56] He said that Red Bull is absolutely beatable.

[00:52:59] He didn't say the first part.

[00:53:00] I paraphrase it.

[00:53:01] But yeah, he said Red Bull is absolutely beatable.

[00:53:04] I'm sure he meant by his own team

[00:53:07] because the way those comments are framed,

[00:53:09] of course, he said it that way.

[00:53:11] But Fernando Alonso, immediately after that launch,

[00:53:14] said,

[00:53:15] it's a good thing he says that.

[00:53:16] It puts a smile on my face.

[00:53:18] We have to be optimistic in this part about the season.

[00:53:21] And in Bahrain, when they finish sixth,

[00:53:23] Fernando also celebrates.

[00:53:24] He says,

[00:53:25] I'm extremely delighted to qualify P6.

[00:53:27] This is the level of our car.

[00:53:31] How does it work?

[00:53:32] Well, the one thing I've learned

[00:53:34] as a Fernando Alonso fan for two decades,

[00:53:37] the one thing I've really learned over the last decade

[00:53:39] is to never really believe

[00:53:41] what Fernando says about the progress of the team

[00:53:45] or the car or what even the team says

[00:53:47] because there's no point in hyping it up.

[00:53:51] If you see the results, yes, be happy.

[00:53:53] Otherwise, I really don't go by this.

[00:53:55] Even if Nui is joining Aston Martin,

[00:53:57] I will not celebrate until he puts his car in P1,

[00:54:00] not even on the podium.

[00:54:01] I say, unless he wins the race,

[00:54:03] I'm not going to believe that.

[00:54:05] Mission 33.

[00:54:06] Aren't we all hopeful of that, right?

[00:54:09] But talking of Lance Stroll

[00:54:11] and the whole Nui and Max Verstappen thing,

[00:54:14] I'll tell you one of the reasons

[00:54:15] why I think Max could actually go to Aston Martin.

[00:54:18] Aston Martin has one very clear philosophy.

[00:54:22] They want to hire a world champion

[00:54:24] to just show how close Lance Stroll can race them.

[00:54:29] They've had Vettel.

[00:54:31] They have Alonso.

[00:54:32] Of course, Lewis is now with Ferrari.

[00:54:34] So the next bet that they can get

[00:54:37] is Max Verstappen.

[00:54:40] This is going to be one of the most odd pairings

[00:54:43] if Verstappen is going to be teamed up with Lance Stroll.

[00:54:46] But I'll tell you the oddest thing.

[00:54:50] Okay.

[00:54:51] And here's a question for all you guys,

[00:54:53] but first you two.

[00:54:55] What do you think is the end date

[00:54:57] on Lance Stroll's driver contract?

[00:54:58] I think the day Ferrari win a world championship.

[00:55:02] Because if you look at it,

[00:55:03] his only mission has been to eliminate

[00:55:06] almost every Ferrari failure.

[00:55:08] Actually, every Ferrari failure

[00:55:10] since Kimi Raikkonen.

[00:55:12] He's eliminated Felipe Massa from Formula 1.

[00:55:15] He has eliminated almost Fernando Alonso

[00:55:18] from Formula 1.

[00:55:19] He eliminated Sebastian Vettel

[00:55:20] from Formula 1 as well.

[00:55:21] Because again, that's just what Lance Stroll does.

[00:55:25] And the day Ferrari wins a championship.

[00:55:27] Trust me.

[00:55:28] The next best thing would be

[00:55:30] Carlos Sainz joining Aston Martin

[00:55:32] at some point.

[00:55:33] And even him getting eliminated by Lance Stroll.

[00:55:35] That would be...

[00:55:36] He's not a world champion.

[00:55:38] Oops.

[00:55:38] Oh, wait.

[00:55:39] Are we talking about only world champions?

[00:55:40] Felipe Massa...

[00:55:41] Felipe Massa...

[00:55:42] Yeah, I mean...

[00:55:42] No, but see that philosophy is nice.

[00:55:44] See, if you can't become a world champion,

[00:55:46] you beat a world champion.

[00:55:48] That's Lance Stroll's case.

[00:55:49] If he doesn't have a car that can win a championship

[00:55:51] for himself,

[00:55:52] he can at least go and say that

[00:55:53] I beat Sebastian Vettel in his last year

[00:55:56] or I beat Fernando Alonso.

[00:55:57] Which by the way, he didn't.

[00:55:59] He didn't.

[00:55:59] Apart from a few races, he didn't.

[00:56:01] He's never done that.

[00:56:02] No, in terms of points.

[00:56:04] If you just look at it at that...

[00:56:05] Even in terms of points, right?

[00:56:06] Because the only teammate who he ever beat

[00:56:10] in the championship

[00:56:12] was Sergei Sirotkin.

[00:56:14] I remember this.

[00:56:15] I don't even need to check.

[00:56:17] Okay.

[00:56:17] I'm such a big Lance Stroll fan.

[00:56:19] Yeah.

[00:56:20] I'm such a big Lance Stroll fan.

[00:56:22] But either way,

[00:56:24] the oddest thing, like I said...

[00:56:26] So, thank you, Somal.

[00:56:28] That was a very long answer

[00:56:30] to what I thought would just be a date

[00:56:32] or a name to the date.

[00:56:33] I think Otmar Schaffnauer actually mentioned it

[00:56:36] even on our podcast

[00:56:37] that there's an indefinite date

[00:56:40] on Lance Stroll's driver contract

[00:56:42] with Aston Martin, right?

[00:56:44] But despite this,

[00:56:45] Mike Crack said

[00:56:46] that we assessed the driver market

[00:56:48] before reconfirming Lance's services

[00:56:51] with the Aston Martin Formula 1.

[00:56:54] Who did they assess?

[00:56:56] Who did they assess?

[00:56:58] Logan Sargent?

[00:56:59] Was it?

[00:57:00] Nikita Bazapin?

[00:57:01] Nicholas Latifi?

[00:57:03] Who did they assess?

[00:57:04] Who was the last Ferrari World Champion

[00:57:06] who didn't win?

[00:57:07] Vettel...

[00:57:07] No, Vettel.

[00:57:08] Vettel's gone.

[00:57:09] Vettel is not here.

[00:57:11] So, that would mean...

[00:57:13] Oh.

[00:57:15] You're going to see...

[00:57:16] Are we going to see Lewis Hamilton

[00:57:17] at Aston Martin at some point?

[00:57:20] I hope Leclerc's not coming.

[00:57:22] He's not a World Champion.

[00:57:23] No, again, in the future.

[00:57:24] That's why.

[00:57:25] That's why.

[00:57:26] Oh, man.

[00:57:27] Yeah.

[00:57:27] But talking of World Champion,

[00:57:30] Fernando Alonso went from zero penalty points

[00:57:33] to six penalty points

[00:57:35] in the first five races of the season.

[00:57:37] And those five races,

[00:57:39] he was the most delightful driver

[00:57:41] to watch in qualifying

[00:57:43] because he was putting that car

[00:57:45] in places it shouldn't have been.

[00:57:48] And every session,

[00:57:49] he would get out and say,

[00:57:50] my goodness,

[00:57:51] I'm taking too much risk in qualifying.

[00:57:53] And this is not always going to turn out this way.

[00:57:55] And then guess what happened in the next seven races?

[00:57:57] He was all over the place in qualifying.

[00:58:00] But that's just how it is, I guess.

[00:58:02] You know, when you don't have a car

[00:58:03] and you're overdriving it

[00:58:05] or trying to drive it very hard.

[00:58:06] Fernando is actually very good

[00:58:08] at putting any race car in places

[00:58:10] it doesn't deserve to be.

[00:58:11] He's now doing that with Aston Martin.

[00:58:14] But there we go.

[00:58:16] Some funny moments with Landstroll.

[00:58:19] I remember some Landstroll.

[00:58:21] Fernando Alonso touched the wall

[00:58:22] in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

[00:58:23] Didn't crash.

[00:58:25] No damage.

[00:58:25] Landstroll also touched the wall.

[00:58:27] Damaged the, I think, the steering wheel.

[00:58:29] Went straight into the barriers.

[00:58:30] And his race engineer asks him,

[00:58:32] can you bring it back, Lars?

[00:58:35] Okay.

[00:58:36] Landstroll was literally like,

[00:58:38] guys, I'm in the wall.

[00:58:39] Okay.

[00:58:39] And then, of course, in Hungary,

[00:58:42] which became a massive team order thing

[00:58:45] with the McLaren drivers for the race win,

[00:58:49] Landstroll defied team orders for P10.

[00:58:53] And he defied team orders against,

[00:58:55] of course, Fernando Alonso,

[00:58:56] who gave him position to go up there.

[00:58:59] And then Landstroll also said something

[00:59:01] very interesting.

[00:59:02] He said, every update we've had as a team

[00:59:04] in the last 12 months

[00:59:05] hasn't delivered performance.

[00:59:08] Oof.

[00:59:09] He actually said that.

[00:59:11] And here's my final Landstroll thing.

[00:59:12] Lance or Fernando?

[00:59:14] Fernando said the same thing?

[00:59:15] No, who said that?

[00:59:16] Was it Lance?

[00:59:17] Yeah, this is all Lance.

[00:59:18] Yeah.

[00:59:19] Yeah.

[00:59:19] I can't, unfortunately,

[00:59:21] can't have many funny takes on Fernando.

[00:59:22] I just think he's brilliant.

[00:59:24] Unless he goes out and says something like,

[00:59:26] Lance is my hero.

[00:59:27] Then, of course, it's one of those.

[00:59:29] Which he has, I suppose.

[00:59:30] He has.

[00:59:31] And he also said that,

[00:59:32] Lance, we lead the team

[00:59:33] after I'm done with my driving,

[00:59:34] which is obvious.

[00:59:35] But hey, old man,

[00:59:37] you didn't have to say this, bro.

[00:59:38] You don't have to do this.

[00:59:40] We know.

[00:59:41] But let's assume that Aston Martin is around

[00:59:46] to exaggerate Lance Stroll's abilities in the car.

[00:59:51] Let's assume, right?

[00:59:52] They've been hiring former world champions

[00:59:54] and whatever.

[00:59:55] And Lance by himself has not been doing great.

[00:59:57] We all know that.

[00:59:59] And yes, the Canadian fans will probably agree.

[01:00:01] This is where they don't go away.

[01:00:03] But Lance Stroll's biggest compliment

[01:00:07] came in Monaco.

[01:00:08] If you remember, he pitted towards the end,

[01:00:11] made a few overtakes.

[01:00:12] His biggest compliment came from

[01:00:14] the reigning world champion team's

[01:00:16] team principal, Christian Horner.

[01:00:18] He said, thank God for Lance Stroll.

[01:00:21] And of course, he meant for these overtakes

[01:00:23] and for not making the Monaco Grand Prix

[01:00:25] a snooze fest,

[01:00:26] which it absolutely was.

[01:00:29] But of all people, Lance Stroll.

[01:00:31] Because I think Lance made a mistake

[01:00:33] in that race, if I remember correctly.

[01:00:34] He was ahead.

[01:00:36] I think Alonso Fernando was building a huge gap

[01:00:39] so that Lance could pit

[01:00:41] onto a different set of tyres.

[01:00:43] And I think he really dumped that.

[01:00:45] Yeah.

[01:00:46] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[01:00:47] That's correct.

[01:00:48] But we've got to remember,

[01:00:50] we've always got to have propaganda

[01:00:52] on Lance.

[01:00:54] So should we just move on to Alonso?

[01:00:55] Since he's definitely the more liked,

[01:00:57] one of the most liked drivers.

[01:00:59] And he said a lot of things this year.

[01:01:00] You obviously heard what he said

[01:01:02] during the Red Bull,

[01:01:04] the Aston Martin car launch,

[01:01:06] which is that I'm glad

[01:01:08] that Dan Fallows is optimistic.

[01:01:10] But he also said more on,

[01:01:12] Stroll will lead Aston Martin

[01:01:13] after I stop driving.

[01:01:15] Retirement is not an option.

[01:01:16] Japan was one of my best weekends,

[01:01:18] but everyone will forget it tomorrow.

[01:01:20] Which is true.

[01:01:21] We have.

[01:01:22] What an amazing weekend that was.

[01:01:24] And also that past drivers in Formula 1

[01:01:26] were more genuine.

[01:01:27] They were not shy in front of the media.

[01:01:30] This Fernando Alonso,

[01:01:31] I love how real he is.

[01:01:33] He just tells you what it is.

[01:01:34] He just doesn't care about it.

[01:01:36] I absolutely love that.

[01:01:37] If there is,

[01:01:38] there are three people

[01:01:39] who should always have a microphone around them.

[01:01:42] It is definitely Roach Sharma,

[01:01:43] Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.

[01:01:45] I would never restrict them

[01:01:46] from speaking their mind,

[01:01:48] especially when they are in a race situation,

[01:01:50] battling with other cars.

[01:01:52] Please do not restrict them

[01:01:54] from being open

[01:01:56] and honest about their thoughts.

[01:01:58] And I'll tell you,

[01:01:59] talking about Fernando Alonso,

[01:02:00] who's had a shady run in qualifying

[01:02:02] after they upgraded the car and the likes.

[01:02:04] One thing it's done

[01:02:06] is it's actually skewed

[01:02:07] the head-to-head qualifying details.

[01:02:09] I think Stroll is just two tenths slower

[01:02:10] than Fernando Alonso.

[01:02:12] But if I'm sure we were to look

[01:02:13] at the first five races

[01:02:15] versus the next nine races,

[01:02:17] the numbers would be vastly different.

[01:02:19] Pretty much even if we look at last year,

[01:02:21] because Fernando for once

[01:02:22] actually struggled in qualifying

[01:02:24] this year more than I can literally ever remember.

[01:02:27] Yeah.

[01:02:29] Has to be.

[01:02:30] Has to be.

[01:02:31] So one hour in,

[01:02:32] little more than an hour,

[01:02:33] 63 minutes

[01:02:34] since it's Somal's new favorite driver

[01:02:36] from next year.

[01:02:37] We've done three teams,

[01:02:39] I guess.

[01:02:39] We've done Sauber.

[01:02:40] We've done Red Bull Racing.

[01:02:43] We've done Mercedes in a way.

[01:02:45] In a way.

[01:02:45] In a way.

[01:02:46] There's more.

[01:02:46] There's more.

[01:02:47] Yeah.

[01:02:48] There's more.

[01:02:49] In the next one?

[01:02:50] In the next episode,

[01:02:51] I guess?

[01:02:52] Not a bad idea.

[01:02:53] Okay.

[01:02:54] Let's wrap this

[01:02:55] and then start the next one.

[01:02:56] Thank you for listening, folks.

[01:02:58] Stay tuned.