Take a bow Max Verstappen, Helmets off to George Russell - 2024 Las Vegas GP Review

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[00:00:58] Max Verstappen is a four-time world champion. Let that sink in. He's in the same list as Prost, Fangio, Vettel, Schumacher and Hamilton. A four-time world champion. It's astounding. And the best part is he's got years and years to keep on adding to that list. We have finally crowned a champion. That non-existent championship battle is over and done with. But guys, we can't just start with Max because there are

[00:01:49] other things that were equally surprising. And if you think I'm going to talk about George Russell here, you're wrong. Because I'm going to talk about the fact that Carlos Sainz crossed over the pit lane white line and didn't get a penalty. That's one wacky incident.

[00:02:04] Was it not wacky enough to see Ferrari's actually box after 10 laps on the mediums, Kunal? Because that was leaving us with all of our heads scratching as well. We had so many wacky things.

[00:02:15] I don't believe that was wacky enough for me, actually. But first thing, Carlos Sainz not getting a penalty was actually within the rules.

[00:02:23] Every race, the race director actually releases the rules on how the pit entry and the racetrack are divided. Carlos Sainz was on the dividing line, but not the pit entry line.

[00:02:35] So he was well within the rules, even though it seems complicated. It's a circuit-by-circuit instruction that is released by the race director.

[00:02:44] So guys, every race, remember to read the race director's notes, because apart from just track limits, they tell you all these rules on pit entry, pit exit, dividing line.

[00:02:53] They tell you even more fun things like what are the changes the circuit has made to the Grand Prix weekend and so on.

[00:03:01] So it gives a lot of information, especially in situations like these where you're like, oh, he should have been a penalty. But guess what? He's not even being investigated.

[00:03:07] He's not even being noted. Forget being investigated. So that was that. But I think in general, Ferrari has to be commended for this weekend and this race.

[00:03:19] And I'll tell you why. Mercedes was clearly the fastest car on track. The track conditions and the track layout or the temperature conditions and the track layout really aided their package.

[00:03:31] OK. Again, one of those race weekends where we've come where it's different conditions, different variables at play.

[00:03:37] And suddenly the pecking order is different and Mercedes was unmatched. But Ferrari tried in the first stint to take it to Mercedes.

[00:03:46] Charles Leclerc tried attacking George Russell. His tyres were busted and then they just had to pit. And that triggered a lot of pit stops for everybody else.

[00:03:53] But the wacky moment, Sundaram. From this, we saw Red Bull Racing cutting out a physical hole.

[00:04:01] Rather, two holes within their rear wing. We saw Kolopinto yet again break down a Williams car after they're struggling to find spares and they still managed to repair it.

[00:04:10] That was also incredible. Perez got double overtakes. And I don't believe this.

[00:04:16] Yes, Verstappen might have been champion. But guys, you're not understanding the importance of this particular moment.

[00:04:20] Joe Guan Yu out-qualified Valtteri Bottas. He broke the Undertaker's streak.

[00:04:26] And that qualifying record is not 20-1. It's not 20-2. What a wacky weekend, Sundaram. Seriously.

[00:04:33] A true wacky weekend in every single sense. I know there's a lot of off-track stuff that happens around Las Vegas.

[00:04:39] And the spectacle is really nice. But then I think we all realized even last year,

[00:04:44] despite everyone's perceptions or opinions about the Las Vegas event in general,

[00:04:48] the racing was great last year. And I think the racing was great today as well.

[00:04:52] And there were lots of wacky moments, like you said, surrounding the event.

[00:04:55] And in general, I think it just feels like a very good race weekend overall.

[00:05:00] And if you have to talk about Max Verstappen, would anyone have guessed that he would have been on the podium today?

[00:05:05] Would anyone have guessed? No, not on the podium. I think within podium contention.

[00:05:09] Like you said, they had to drill a hole or cut their rear wing off.

[00:05:12] And finally, it still made him quick enough to still fight for the podium positions.

[00:05:16] He eventually finished P5. But it's been a good weekend overall in so many ways.

[00:05:22] Yeah, I honestly believe, Kunal, that the Las Vegas Grand Prix is, I think, perfect as a recipe for drama.

[00:05:30] Because think about it. You've got unusual weather, unusual track characteristics, unusual grip levels,

[00:05:39] a very, very weird circuit in terms of how everything is managed, in terms of times as well,

[00:05:45] because they race very late in the day, and it's in the desert, and it's windy.

[00:05:49] And because it's an outlier, you always see some team do well,

[00:05:53] where they've normally not do very well, where they normally haven't done very well throughout the season.

[00:05:58] I think it's a recipe for success, in a way, as a Formula One event.

[00:06:01] It is. And there were so many teams in podium contention, if you think of it.

[00:06:06] Mercedes, of course. And then there was Ferrari.

[00:06:09] There was, at one point, McLaren was almost going to make it. Red Bull Racing was there.

[00:06:14] There was a point of time when Nico Hülkenberg was suddenly finding himself running P3

[00:06:18] because of going longer on the tyre and so on.

[00:06:20] So I think, in general, it just seemed like a bunched-up field

[00:06:27] till such time they all really wanted to get onto the hard tyre.

[00:06:30] That medium tyre was such a bummer for most people

[00:06:35] that the minute then they got onto the hard tyre,

[00:06:38] a little more predictability came in within the greening phase and the recovery phase and so on.

[00:06:43] But I would say, unfortunately, we also saw the Ferrari of the old.

[00:06:48] What happened was they took the fight to Mercedes.

[00:06:51] They realized they do not have the tools or not the tools,

[00:06:55] but they don't have the pace to sort of take the fight.

[00:06:57] So they tried fighting with strategy.

[00:06:59] But also, even with strategy, they were very indecisive.

[00:07:02] I remember seeing this predictor which said if Carlos Sainz had pitted a lap earlier,

[00:07:07] he would have been in a position ahead, etc., etc., which was true

[00:07:10] because that undercut was extremely strong given how bad the medium tyre was.

[00:07:18] But in the end, I think hats off to George Russell

[00:07:22] because when you're a driver and you don't have the car underneath you,

[00:07:28] you keep telling yourself,

[00:07:29] I will keep getting the experience, I will sharpen my tools,

[00:07:32] I will sharpen my wisdom

[00:07:34] and all the other sensors that the human body has

[00:07:37] to be ready when the car comes.

[00:07:40] Now, of all the top four teams,

[00:07:41] who, by the way, now for the first time in history,

[00:07:43] all the top four teams have had a one-two finish this season, right?

[00:07:47] Mercedes is the one team

[00:07:49] that has had the least number of opportunities come their way

[00:07:53] when it comes to fighting up at the front.

[00:07:56] This time when the opportunity came,

[00:07:58] George Russell called it in qualifying.

[00:08:01] I want to be the last start on track.

[00:08:02] Very decisive.

[00:08:04] Bold leadership call.

[00:08:06] Okay.

[00:08:07] Even though he knew Lewis Hamilton actually had the edge on him,

[00:08:11] which he did in the free practice sessions.

[00:08:13] And, you know, Hamilton's always,

[00:08:14] when the car's there,

[00:08:15] he suddenly is able to deliver what we saw him deliver, right?

[00:08:18] But he hammered it in.

[00:08:19] He nailed the start.

[00:08:20] He won from pole,

[00:08:22] which is a rarity as well in this season.

[00:08:24] And all in all,

[00:08:25] I think, you know,

[00:08:27] I'm a bit more of a fan of George Russell

[00:08:30] because he did what very few drivers have been able to do this season

[00:08:36] just purely because of the competitiveness of the entire field.

[00:08:40] He could grab it when it came his way.

[00:08:42] And he may not have it coming his way in the next two races,

[00:08:45] but at least he knows he's maximized his result in Las Vegas.

[00:08:49] Yes.

[00:08:50] Okay.

[00:08:50] Before we analyze just how good Russell was,

[00:08:53] particularly on Sunday,

[00:08:54] because he was so good.

[00:08:55] We need to tell you who we are and what this episode is all about.

[00:08:58] We need to speak about that.

[00:08:59] We really need to speak a lot about that.

[00:09:02] I think we should do that.

[00:09:03] Oh, big time.

[00:09:03] Big time.

[00:09:04] We are the Inside Line F1 podcast.

[00:09:07] My name is Somal Arora.

[00:09:09] I am the commentator for the Indian Racing League,

[00:09:11] Indian Supercross Racing League,

[00:09:12] the MotoGP Indian Grand Prix and more.

[00:09:14] The voice you just heard right before me saying,

[00:09:17] oh, we need to talk about that.

[00:09:18] That was F1 stats guru.

[00:09:20] He is the leading stats facts page in motorsport on the internet.

[00:09:23] And his stats have been used very often on the official Formula 1 broadcasts,

[00:09:27] as well as him being the official statistician of F1 Academy.

[00:09:30] And what do I say about Kunal,

[00:09:32] the former marketing head of the Force India F1 team,

[00:09:35] who was actually cost,

[00:09:37] you actually penalized 600 kroners, Kunal, today,

[00:09:43] for taking part in a Wireplay Formula 1 broadcast,

[00:09:45] where you were a Formula 1 expert.

[00:09:48] And that 600 kroners came as a result of Max Verstappen celebrating too much.

[00:09:53] What's that story?

[00:09:55] He's burnt a hole in your pocket.

[00:09:56] Yeah, I mean, yes, he's burnt a hole in my pocket.

[00:09:59] It's not the most proud story.

[00:10:01] But yes, it is a part of celebrations.

[00:10:03] Because Max won,

[00:10:04] the broadcast went longer than planned.

[00:10:06] And I was in the broadcast.

[00:10:08] And the time that I had,

[00:10:09] the end time for my car booking went over.

[00:10:12] And I just,

[00:10:12] in the middle of the broadcast,

[00:10:14] couldn't do anything about it.

[00:10:15] Okay.

[00:10:16] So then I went over.

[00:10:17] And just when I reached the car,

[00:10:18] there was a parking inspector saying,

[00:10:19] hmm,

[00:10:20] you've actually gone over time.

[00:10:21] And I said,

[00:10:21] I'm really sorry.

[00:10:22] Can I just extend it by the 20 minutes of whatever gone over?

[00:10:26] He's like,

[00:10:27] sorry,

[00:10:27] but I've got you a ticket.

[00:10:28] You can speak to my company if you'd like.

[00:10:30] And I said,

[00:10:31] okay,

[00:10:31] there you go.

[00:10:32] That's the contribution to the Max Verstappen,

[00:10:35] you know,

[00:10:37] four-time world champion club,

[00:10:39] which is something we should talk about.

[00:10:40] Because what a season,

[00:10:43] what a championship win.

[00:10:46] We knew it was always going to be his,

[00:10:48] given how McLaren were almost going to try and not win it with Lando,

[00:10:52] or rather the other way,

[00:10:53] Lando trying to not win it with McLaren.

[00:10:55] I know I'm being harsh,

[00:10:56] but when he had the car,

[00:10:58] and again,

[00:10:59] I repeat what I said,

[00:11:00] when he had the car in the opening races,

[00:11:02] he slammed it in.

[00:11:03] He made us all believe he's going to win everything.

[00:11:06] Then came the McLaren upgrade,

[00:11:07] and then went Adrian Newey,

[00:11:09] and all the issues that happened with Red Bull.

[00:11:12] And,

[00:11:12] you know,

[00:11:13] they struggled,

[00:11:14] but he kept banking in those points,

[00:11:16] which McLaren didn't really always do with,

[00:11:19] with Lando Norris.

[00:11:20] And then he had three attempts to seal the world championship,

[00:11:24] Las Vegas,

[00:11:24] Qatar,

[00:11:25] and Abu Dhabi.

[00:11:26] It was eventually going to happen.

[00:11:27] And in typical Max fashion,

[00:11:29] he sealed it in the first attempt,

[00:11:30] saying,

[00:11:31] that's it.

[00:11:31] This conversation is not going anywhere.

[00:11:33] I'm getting my fourth title.

[00:11:35] And even though he's one of now six drivers to have four titles,

[00:11:39] I believe Alan Prost is the only one who doesn't have them consecutive.

[00:11:43] All the others,

[00:11:44] Funger,

[00:11:44] Schumacher,

[00:11:45] Vettel,

[00:11:45] and Hamilton have won them consecutive now,

[00:11:48] along with Max Verstappen.

[00:11:49] Just every driver,

[00:11:50] every driver,

[00:11:51] every driver who's won three titles,

[00:11:53] every driver to win three titles in a row has taken four in a row.

[00:11:55] So it was written last year itself.

[00:11:57] I'm not surprised.

[00:12:00] But even then,

[00:12:01] I don't think anyone's fourth title has been as dramatic as Max.

[00:12:05] Because the drop-off was insane.

[00:12:07] At a point,

[00:12:08] I remember Sundaram,

[00:12:08] both of us were tracking the pace.

[00:12:10] And Russell was over a second faster per lap at a point in Verstappen.

[00:12:16] And Red Bull Racing were nowhere in qualifying in comparison as well.

[00:12:19] But I don't know how Max does it.

[00:12:22] Even when his teammate is just struggling to score any points,

[00:12:25] he's able to put that car into podium contention,

[00:12:29] do well on merit.

[00:12:29] And yes,

[00:12:30] eventually ended up losing out to the Ferraris.

[00:12:33] But even a fifth place today was a very good way to end off the season.

[00:12:37] And that's what he's become into.

[00:12:38] We were discussing that this is the same 16-year-old kid who came into Formula 1

[00:12:42] and was crashing everything.

[00:12:43] And now look at how operationally excellent he is in his racing.

[00:12:47] It's a little...

[00:12:48] I mean,

[00:12:49] once the checkered flag dropped and we knew that he had won the championship,

[00:12:51] I was still trying to believe that we're witnessing this.

[00:12:55] Because he's all of 27.

[00:12:56] He's just the second youngest four-time champion.

[00:12:59] He's just missed the mark by around 10 months compared to Sebastian Vettel.

[00:13:03] But my goodness,

[00:13:04] the talent that he has

[00:13:06] and the way that he's able to show that it's not just the case of the car being good enough,

[00:13:11] even when the car is not there,

[00:13:13] I can still take it to a respectable position.

[00:13:15] He's...

[00:13:16] I don't think he's finished below P6 this entire season.

[00:13:19] And Sergio Perez, on the other hand,

[00:13:21] let's not get into that discussion.

[00:13:23] But he just manages to do so much damage limitation.

[00:13:27] The car is literally not there.

[00:13:29] But you still cannot rule out a Max Verstappen.

[00:13:31] At one point, he was up there.

[00:13:33] Wasn't he in P2 at some point?

[00:13:34] Yeah.

[00:13:35] Yeah.

[00:13:35] So,

[00:13:36] it's difficult to rule out a Max Verstappen.

[00:13:38] And we know that from the last race as well.

[00:13:41] P17 to P1,

[00:13:42] if anyone can do it,

[00:13:43] Max can do it.

[00:13:44] And only a little bit of chaos has to happen.

[00:13:46] But my goodness,

[00:13:48] a lot of credit does have to go to Red Bull for nurturing Max Verstappen.

[00:13:53] And I do have to say that.

[00:13:55] They're able to spot those good talents from time to time.

[00:13:58] I wouldn't say it's always,

[00:14:00] I wouldn't say it's a very consistent streak.

[00:14:02] But when they find that one driver,

[00:14:05] oh my goodness,

[00:14:06] the way they back him

[00:14:07] and the way they surround him

[00:14:09] and give him the best people,

[00:14:12] it's amazing.

[00:14:12] With Seb and with Max.

[00:14:14] I would say it's actually a very consistent streak

[00:14:17] of finding grades.

[00:14:18] They did that with Vettel.

[00:14:20] They had Daniel Ricciardo.

[00:14:22] And then they had Max Verstappen.

[00:14:23] So if you were to look at all the race winners,

[00:14:26] the prolific race winners,

[00:14:27] et cetera,

[00:14:28] in the last decade,

[00:14:29] Red Bull Racing have nailed it.

[00:14:32] And remember,

[00:14:32] I mean,

[00:14:33] it's after all a human that they sort of bet on

[00:14:36] from a very early age.

[00:14:38] In fact,

[00:14:38] there's one more thing,

[00:14:39] you know,

[00:14:39] and Max Verstappen has won the driver's championship today

[00:14:42] in what's only the third best car

[00:14:44] through the entire season.

[00:14:46] Okay.

[00:14:47] In fact,

[00:14:48] often in the last few races,

[00:14:49] it's been the fourth best car.

[00:14:51] Okay.

[00:14:51] But just the points accumulated early on in the season,

[00:14:54] keep them in good stead.

[00:14:56] And Mercedes will only finish fourth,

[00:14:57] while Red Bull might now only finish third.

[00:15:01] And it's again,

[00:15:02] Kelly Pique,

[00:15:02] Max's partner,

[00:15:05] Max's partner,

[00:15:06] her father,

[00:15:06] Nelson Pique in 1980,

[00:15:07] was again,

[00:15:08] one of the last drivers to win a driver's championship

[00:15:10] in a third best car.

[00:15:12] Also in Las Vegas.

[00:15:14] But I think also,

[00:15:16] Red Bull,

[00:15:17] 20 years to Red Bull,

[00:15:18] you know,

[00:15:18] we've spoken about this with Dr.

[00:15:20] Helmut Marko on our podcast,

[00:15:22] but Red Bull again is the only team in Formula One

[00:15:26] to have in the last decade,

[00:15:29] won over three different rules,

[00:15:31] rule sets.

[00:15:33] Okay.

[00:15:33] The one with Fettle in the blown diffuser,

[00:15:36] exhaust gases,

[00:15:37] whatever era we call it.

[00:15:39] They won in 2021,

[00:15:40] which was the previous era to the ground effects era,

[00:15:43] et cetera,

[00:15:44] with different power unit manufacturers.

[00:15:46] So,

[00:15:46] you know,

[00:15:46] to do it on an engineering level by an energy drinks company against car manufacturers,

[00:15:52] I think that again is also very commendable.

[00:15:55] I want to pick up on a point on how they back their drivers,

[00:15:58] because some people say Red Bull are ruthless.

[00:16:01] I'd say ruthlessness creates champions.

[00:16:03] And look at the drivers who Red Bull have dropped in the entire process.

[00:16:08] Your Pierre Gasly's,

[00:16:09] your Alex Albon's,

[00:16:10] your Brendan Hartley's,

[00:16:11] your Daniel Kifiad's.

[00:16:12] Put a hand on your heart and honestly ask yourself,

[00:16:14] were they ever as good as Max?

[00:16:17] I don't think they all were.

[00:16:19] In this case,

[00:16:20] I think dropping them justifies everything,

[00:16:23] because if you have a driver like that in one of your car,

[00:16:26] you want to maximize everything with him,

[00:16:28] because they know he's that good for it.

[00:16:30] The same case with Sebastian Vettel as well.

[00:16:32] They would move the entire earth to make sure that Vettel had a clear path.

[00:16:36] And the same is done with Verstappen.

[00:16:37] And when you do that,

[00:16:38] your patience and your commitment towards a certain driver gets rewarded

[00:16:42] with a season like this.

[00:16:43] I honestly feel any other driver,

[00:16:47] and we wouldn't have seen them win the championship.

[00:16:50] It's phenomenal what Red Bull and Max are doing.

[00:16:52] But we can talk about this in depth in the post-season review,

[00:16:55] because while we have to cover Max,

[00:16:58] there are other key drivers to talk about as well.

[00:17:00] And we're all forgetting,

[00:17:01] at the end of the day,

[00:17:02] driver of the day didn't go to Max.

[00:17:04] It went to Lewis Hamilton.

[00:17:05] And even though I am, in all honesty, a fan of the person,

[00:17:09] I think it's a bit unfair,

[00:17:11] because George Russell today was remarkable.

[00:17:14] I think the comeback caught the eye a little bit more than Russell's performance did.

[00:17:20] But I don't think that's fair, in my opinion, Kunal.

[00:17:22] One second faster than everyone.

[00:17:24] 17 seconds of a margin over Lewis at a point.

[00:17:27] Then just letting the tyres go easily.

[00:17:29] I mean, sublime.

[00:17:31] That is unbelievable.

[00:17:32] And Lewis actually made a point to this as well.

[00:17:34] He's like, my comeback just seems more grander.

[00:17:37] Not that that's the word he used,

[00:17:39] but that's true.

[00:17:39] You know, suddenly P10 to P1,

[00:17:41] like, oh, look at that.

[00:17:42] And lots of people on social media were joking,

[00:17:44] make Lewis Hamilton start P20.

[00:17:46] And he and George will still finish next to each other

[00:17:49] with George ahead and Lewis behind.

[00:17:51] But the truth is,

[00:17:52] George in free air actually drove a very peaceful race.

[00:17:56] He was challenged in the early stages of the race.

[00:17:59] And I was actually a little disappointed

[00:18:00] to see Ferrari's challenge fade away.

[00:18:02] But it was not that Ferrari didn't have the pace.

[00:18:05] It's just that Mercedes had extra pace to unlock.

[00:18:07] It's just that their car just came alive in these conditions, right?

[00:18:13] And George Russell, not a single step wrong.

[00:18:16] He actually showed that when the car is there,

[00:18:21] like I explained earlier on,

[00:18:22] I will be able to deliver those results.

[00:18:25] And talking of Lewis Hamilton,

[00:18:27] I think he himself admitted again

[00:18:29] that he actually lost the race in qualifying.

[00:18:32] You know, suddenly he had two attempts to put it on pole

[00:18:35] when he had the edge on George Russell

[00:18:37] over single lap pace.

[00:18:38] But both those Q3 attempts,

[00:18:40] very rare that Lewis Hamilton made a mistake

[00:18:43] on both those attempts.

[00:18:46] You know, a lot of people are going to hate me

[00:18:47] for putting the stat out there.

[00:18:49] But it's a stat.

[00:18:50] It's a fact as well.

[00:18:51] So ever since George Russell has joined Mercedes,

[00:18:55] the person with the most poles and most wins

[00:18:57] in that team is George Russell.

[00:19:01] Hamilton has two wins.

[00:19:02] Russell has three.

[00:19:03] Hamilton has one pole.

[00:19:04] Russell has four.

[00:19:06] Russell has four.

[00:19:07] If you count the Brazilian race in 2022,

[00:19:09] he started on P1 five times.

[00:19:11] And I think it does deserve a fair amount of credit

[00:19:15] because like Kunal said,

[00:19:16] when the car is in that very tricky position

[00:19:19] where everything is just going right,

[00:19:21] if there's a person delivering,

[00:19:22] there's definitely George Russell

[00:19:23] who can show that I deserve to be this number one

[00:19:26] in the team going forward.

[00:19:27] He's demanding it at this point.

[00:19:30] And yes, Hamilton's P10 to P1 does seem very grand.

[00:19:34] But just like last weekend,

[00:19:36] the person who made the least mistakes won that race.

[00:19:39] Similar to this race weekend,

[00:19:40] the person who did not make any mistake

[00:19:42] throughout the race weekend

[00:19:43] deservedly put himself in that position

[00:19:46] of winning a race.

[00:19:47] And that's how we won it.

[00:19:49] If Hamilton had not botched those two laps,

[00:19:51] he would have been higher up maybe in P3 or P2.

[00:19:53] He would have had a closer chance

[00:19:56] of fighting with Russell for the win

[00:19:57] and would have probably even claimed the victory.

[00:19:59] But deservedly,

[00:20:01] George Russell has won this round.

[00:20:02] And like you said, Somal,

[00:20:04] I think he deserves to win the driver of the day for me.

[00:20:07] But on most days, it's a popularity contest.

[00:20:09] But I believe what's happening now

[00:20:11] is that because Russell is so good,

[00:20:14] it's allowing Mercedes to experiment with Antonelli.

[00:20:17] That's the whole project for them, right?

[00:20:19] They wanted Russell to evolve into this leader

[00:20:22] who could command the team by himself.

[00:20:24] And for Kimi Antonelli,

[00:20:25] he needs a reference marker.

[00:20:27] He might be good.

[00:20:28] He might be the best driver of the entire generation.

[00:20:30] But if you don't have someone to learn from,

[00:20:34] it's like a climber plant, right?

[00:20:36] It swirls around a certain stick

[00:20:39] or a certain thing that can climb over.

[00:20:41] And that's what George Russell is going to be

[00:20:43] for Mercedes,

[00:20:44] that leader who can command everything

[00:20:46] and drive the team forward.

[00:20:48] And I want to analyze this comment

[00:20:50] before we go further.

[00:20:51] Because even though we have to talk about Ferrari,

[00:20:53] I think the comment of the entire weekend for me

[00:20:55] was Toto Wolff coming out to the media

[00:20:57] and saying that they would have dropped

[00:20:58] Lewis Hamilton anyway

[00:21:00] had he still not had the offer from Ferrari

[00:21:04] because he was not sure

[00:21:06] about the cognitive sharpness.

[00:21:09] What was that exact wording, Kunal?

[00:21:10] I was confused about...

[00:21:12] Self-life, cognitive something, ability.

[00:21:14] Well, this is a very, very particular term

[00:21:17] that Toto Wolff used.

[00:21:18] It was a very business person specific point.

[00:21:20] A very engineering term that was...

[00:21:22] You could just say he's done,

[00:21:23] but that's what he used.

[00:21:25] And I just think that's the case of him

[00:21:28] lighting it all up

[00:21:29] because he knows that he has George now.

[00:21:31] You can just throw some spark in the mix, right?

[00:21:34] I think that's wrong.

[00:21:36] If Lewis would have been there,

[00:21:36] he would have retained him for sure.

[00:21:38] Yeah.

[00:21:38] And you know, to my mind,

[00:21:39] it's like at some point of time,

[00:21:41] they've got to start saying their goodbyes.

[00:21:43] And this is how Toto Wolff has realized

[00:21:46] I want to start saying my goodbyes.

[00:21:48] And guess what?

[00:21:49] It was, you know,

[00:21:51] Lewis showing that,

[00:21:52] hey, when you give me the car,

[00:21:54] I give you the drive.

[00:21:56] As simple as that.

[00:21:57] Okay.

[00:21:58] I'm pretty sure, you know,

[00:21:59] Lewis's qualifying run,

[00:22:01] Lewis has been very vocal,

[00:22:02] even in the media.

[00:22:04] Like he said, you know,

[00:22:05] if you give me a car that stays on track,

[00:22:06] I can do my magic.

[00:22:07] Okay.

[00:22:08] Well, truth be told,

[00:22:09] on Saturday,

[00:22:09] he got a car that could be on track,

[00:22:12] but he didn't do his magic.

[00:22:13] So a bit of back and forth

[00:22:15] will continue to happen.

[00:22:17] And I believe at the end of the day,

[00:22:19] Lewis's messages will always be more amplified

[00:22:22] because he's the driver.

[00:22:23] He's the rock star.

[00:22:24] He's the seven times world champion

[00:22:26] versus Toto Wolff,

[00:22:27] who literally is just a team owner in the sport,

[00:22:31] who's not even been as long in the sport

[00:22:33] as Lewis Hamilton has been.

[00:22:35] Hey, no.

[00:22:36] Toto was once a Red Bull driver.

[00:22:39] Remember?

[00:22:40] Not in Formula One.

[00:22:42] And technically,

[00:22:43] I mean,

[00:22:44] you know,

[00:22:44] we say that

[00:22:46] pay drivers

[00:22:47] pay and get into the sport.

[00:22:49] Well,

[00:22:50] what do you think management does?

[00:22:51] Toto Wolff paid Williams,

[00:22:53] rightfully,

[00:22:54] it was a business transaction

[00:22:55] to get his entry into Formula One.

[00:22:57] I mean,

[00:22:57] he bought shares,

[00:22:58] he paid Williams when they were down.

[00:23:00] He's publicly said this as well.

[00:23:02] So,

[00:23:02] you know,

[00:23:03] eventually it's all a business.

[00:23:05] It all depends how you want to get in.

[00:23:06] Are you getting in by a talent alone,

[00:23:07] talent and money,

[00:23:08] or just money alone?

[00:23:09] But regardless of what you do,

[00:23:12] you will still be confused as hell

[00:23:14] if you have a car that beats everyone

[00:23:16] by such a big margin at one circuit

[00:23:18] and is sixth or seventh at the other one.

[00:23:21] And at the end of the race,

[00:23:23] when they had to,

[00:23:24] actually,

[00:23:24] actually,

[00:23:24] at the end of qualifying yesterday,

[00:23:26] when they had Toto Wolff for an interview,

[00:23:27] I could just see from his body language,

[00:23:30] the way his hair was put up,

[00:23:31] the way his smile

[00:23:32] was showing up on TV,

[00:23:34] that he was more frustrated than happy.

[00:23:37] Because the sentiment,

[00:23:39] in my opinion,

[00:23:40] has to be Sundaram,

[00:23:41] why can't we do this everywhere?

[00:23:42] Like,

[00:23:43] when you just look at that Mercedes

[00:23:45] on a qualifying lap

[00:23:46] compared to every other car,

[00:23:47] they look so much more planted

[00:23:48] than everyone.

[00:23:49] It's like,

[00:23:49] you're seeing a 2021 Gen F car

[00:23:51] versus 2022.

[00:23:52] That's how much faster they were.

[00:23:54] But,

[00:23:56] it's just,

[00:23:57] they can't replicate it everywhere.

[00:23:58] There's a certain nostalgia

[00:24:00] associated with this,

[00:24:02] this sort of a Mercedes

[00:24:03] because they did this literally

[00:24:04] every time

[00:24:05] between 2014 and 2021.

[00:24:07] It wasn't a case of only

[00:24:08] in qualifying

[00:24:09] and in the races.

[00:24:11] They would do it

[00:24:11] even in free practice.

[00:24:12] If I have a list of,

[00:24:13] in my database,

[00:24:15] if I show you

[00:24:15] the list of teams

[00:24:16] that have topped sessions,

[00:24:17] I can see only that

[00:24:19] teal green of Mercedes

[00:24:20] because they were that good

[00:24:22] across so many sessions

[00:24:23] and their car literally suited

[00:24:25] every single track,

[00:24:26] be it rain,

[00:24:27] be it dry,

[00:24:27] be it a street,

[00:24:29] be it a classic

[00:24:31] fast-paced track

[00:24:32] like Monza.

[00:24:33] They had that pace

[00:24:34] everywhere

[00:24:35] and I'm sure

[00:24:37] people at

[00:24:39] Brackley

[00:24:39] are very surprised

[00:24:40] and confused as well.

[00:24:41] Where did we get this pace

[00:24:42] that we were able to

[00:24:43] put the car on P1?

[00:24:44] Top every session.

[00:24:45] So they topped

[00:24:46] FP1,

[00:24:47] FP2,

[00:24:47] FP3,

[00:24:48] all the three qualifying sessions.

[00:24:50] Mercedes led

[00:24:51] every single lap.

[00:24:52] Of course,

[00:24:53] they didn't take

[00:24:53] the fastest lap

[00:24:54] because I think

[00:24:54] Landon Horace took it

[00:24:55] but

[00:24:57] this goes to show

[00:24:58] why the last 14 years

[00:24:59] were won by a Red Bull

[00:25:01] and a Mercedes.

[00:25:02] When you give them

[00:25:03] the opportunity,

[00:25:04] they don't let it drop.

[00:25:05] Is that a good note

[00:25:05] to move on to Ferrari,

[00:25:07] guys?

[00:25:07] Because today was weird.

[00:25:10] Okay,

[00:25:11] let's get back to a statement

[00:25:11] you mentioned, Kunal.

[00:25:12] Why is Ferrari

[00:25:14] boxing only after 10 laps

[00:25:16] and doing so many pit stops

[00:25:18] not wacky to you?

[00:25:20] Especially when

[00:25:22] especially when

[00:25:23] they've worked on

[00:25:24] this particular element

[00:25:25] of their car

[00:25:25] in the winter.

[00:25:26] The grading

[00:25:27] caught them out

[00:25:27] big time, right?

[00:25:28] It wasn't just them

[00:25:29] because so

[00:25:29] let's put it

[00:25:30] in context.

[00:25:31] What happened at the start?

[00:25:32] We saw George Russell,

[00:25:34] we saw Carlos Sainz

[00:25:35] blocking Pierre Gasly

[00:25:36] and Charles Leclerc

[00:25:37] went through.

[00:25:38] What was Leclerc trying to do?

[00:25:39] He was trying to chase

[00:25:40] George Russell.

[00:25:42] Mercedes actually

[00:25:42] told George Russell

[00:25:44] Charles is pushing

[00:25:45] more than he should

[00:25:46] at this stage

[00:25:46] of the race.

[00:25:48] Charles knew that

[00:25:49] if he makes

[00:25:50] the overtake

[00:25:50] happen

[00:25:51] and he gets that DRS

[00:25:53] Ferrari gave him

[00:25:54] maximum power

[00:25:54] and all of this

[00:25:55] is on the radio

[00:25:56] so it's not that

[00:25:56] I'm assuming this.

[00:25:57] It's all on the radio

[00:25:58] transcript.

[00:25:59] They told him

[00:25:59] to change modes.

[00:26:00] They told him

[00:26:01] to attack.

[00:26:02] In that phase

[00:26:03] of attacking

[00:26:04] he did not get

[00:26:05] track position

[00:26:06] and then

[00:26:06] the risk

[00:26:08] that always comes

[00:26:09] with such an attack

[00:26:10] is that you chew

[00:26:11] up your tires.

[00:26:12] He chewed his tires

[00:26:13] up which is where

[00:26:14] suddenly he lost

[00:26:15] a lot of time

[00:26:16] and he saw

[00:26:17] Carlos Sainz

[00:26:18] and Max Verstappen

[00:26:19] overtake him

[00:26:20] and Frederic Vassour

[00:26:21] said he lost

[00:26:22] almost 10 seconds

[00:26:23] over the spate

[00:26:24] of those couple

[00:26:25] of laps

[00:26:25] before he ended

[00:26:25] up pitting.

[00:26:26] Had they just

[00:26:28] settled in

[00:26:28] and driven

[00:26:29] their race?

[00:26:31] They would have

[00:26:31] still finished

[00:26:32] third and fourth.

[00:26:34] So them going

[00:26:34] on the attack

[00:26:35] actually made

[00:26:36] the race more

[00:26:37] interesting from

[00:26:38] a strategic

[00:26:38] and an entertainment

[00:26:39] and a sporting

[00:26:40] point of view.

[00:26:41] So if anything

[00:26:42] I'm glad that Ferrari

[00:26:43] tried what they did

[00:26:44] because they also

[00:26:45] believed that

[00:26:45] hey we are

[00:26:46] better on the

[00:26:47] Sunday so

[00:26:47] our Mercedes

[00:26:48] actually could

[00:26:49] the only way

[00:26:49] to find out

[00:26:50] is push them

[00:26:50] and they pushed

[00:26:51] them and they

[00:26:52] realized okay

[00:26:52] Mercedes has

[00:26:53] more in reserve

[00:26:54] but guess what

[00:26:55] trying to push

[00:26:56] them we've just

[00:26:57] busted our tires

[00:26:58] and that's

[00:26:58] what happened.

[00:26:59] But the rate

[00:27:00] at which they

[00:27:00] busted them out

[00:27:01] was phenomenal

[00:27:02] like 10 laps

[00:27:03] for a set of

[00:27:04] mediums.

[00:27:05] I was

[00:27:05] because the

[00:27:06] Pirelli data

[00:27:07] said it'll take

[00:27:07] around 14 to

[00:27:08] 15 odd laps

[00:27:09] if I'm not mistaken

[00:27:10] and then in 10

[00:27:12] and then he lost

[00:27:13] so much time

[00:27:13] like 10 odd

[00:27:14] seconds

[00:27:14] that was

[00:27:15] frightening.

[00:27:17] And Pirelli data

[00:27:17] like we've kept

[00:27:18] saying or I've

[00:27:19] kept saying on

[00:27:20] the podcast

[00:27:20] Pirelli designs

[00:27:21] tires for cars

[00:27:22] they don't use

[00:27:23] they design tires

[00:27:24] for cars

[00:27:25] somebody else

[00:27:25] uses right

[00:27:26] point number

[00:27:27] two is

[00:27:28] Pirelli's data

[00:27:29] is largely

[00:27:30] for when you

[00:27:31] are in heavy

[00:27:32] management mode

[00:27:33] as they recommend

[00:27:34] when you're

[00:27:35] running in free

[00:27:36] air which is

[00:27:37] not something

[00:27:37] everybody gets

[00:27:38] to do

[00:27:39] you know apart

[00:27:40] from the race

[00:27:40] leader and the

[00:27:41] midfield where

[00:27:41] suddenly the top

[00:27:42] four have pulled

[00:27:42] away etc.

[00:27:43] So Pirelli's

[00:27:44] data has to

[00:27:45] be taken with

[00:27:46] a pinch of

[00:27:47] salt every

[00:27:48] time.

[00:27:49] They give

[00:27:49] recommendations

[00:27:50] right but that

[00:27:51] doesn't mean that

[00:27:52] that's how the

[00:27:52] teams will

[00:27:53] eventually run

[00:27:54] their cars.

[00:27:55] And then Leclerc

[00:27:55] had a radio

[00:27:56] meltdown as

[00:27:57] well in the

[00:27:57] end.

[00:27:57] He was pissed.

[00:27:59] He said I

[00:28:00] don't want to

[00:28:00] be the nice

[00:28:01] guy anymore.

[00:28:01] I'm done being

[00:28:02] the nice guy

[00:28:02] and then Fred

[00:28:04] Visser had to

[00:28:04] come on the

[00:28:05] radio and

[00:28:05] remind him that

[00:28:06] the radio

[00:28:07] was still

[00:28:07] on.

[00:28:08] I think this

[00:28:10] is what they

[00:28:10] were alluding

[00:28:11] to the whole

[00:28:11] strategy of Leclerc

[00:28:12] having to push

[00:28:14] hard at the

[00:28:14] start.

[00:28:15] And before you

[00:28:16] knew it Leclerc

[00:28:16] was down.

[00:28:17] There was a

[00:28:17] point in the

[00:28:18] race where he

[00:28:19] was ahead then

[00:28:19] you blinked or

[00:28:20] maybe ordered

[00:28:21] your food if

[00:28:21] you were at a

[00:28:22] race screen like

[00:28:22] we were.

[00:28:23] And then before

[00:28:24] you knew it

[00:28:24] wow this guy's

[00:28:25] down.

[00:28:26] And down by a

[00:28:27] lot.

[00:28:27] It was weird.

[00:28:30] In Leclerc's

[00:28:31] case he decided to

[00:28:33] go for the

[00:28:34] charge as well.

[00:28:35] He actually

[00:28:35] apologized post

[00:28:36] racing.

[00:28:37] I was shit in

[00:28:37] the first stint.

[00:28:39] Well truth be

[00:28:39] told a lot of

[00:28:40] drivers pretty

[00:28:41] much everyone

[00:28:41] was shit on

[00:28:42] that medium.

[00:28:42] It was everyone

[00:28:43] was waiting to

[00:28:43] just get rid of

[00:28:44] that medium and

[00:28:45] go on to the

[00:28:45] hard.

[00:28:46] So that was

[00:28:46] another reason

[00:28:47] why they just

[00:28:48] did 10 laps on

[00:28:49] that medium.

[00:28:49] They did not

[00:28:50] want to stay

[00:28:51] longer on that

[00:28:52] medium tire when

[00:28:53] they realized

[00:28:53] it's just not

[00:28:54] giving them any

[00:28:54] performance.

[00:28:55] So what do

[00:28:55] you do with

[00:28:56] that compound?

[00:28:57] Chuck it out of

[00:28:57] the pin and

[00:28:58] see if the

[00:28:58] other one

[00:28:58] gives you

[00:28:59] anything.

[00:29:00] And that's

[00:29:00] essentially what

[00:29:01] happened with

[00:29:02] your end.

[00:29:03] I think the

[00:29:04] only point I'm

[00:29:05] a little surprised

[00:29:06] by is they did

[00:29:07] not swap

[00:29:07] Sainz and

[00:29:08] Leclerc on

[00:29:09] track because

[00:29:10] Leclerc wanted

[00:29:11] more points on

[00:29:12] Norris in the

[00:29:13] drivers championship

[00:29:14] and like we

[00:29:15] said in the

[00:29:16] preview could

[00:29:17] Norris go from

[00:29:17] challenging for

[00:29:18] the title to

[00:29:19] actually finishing

[00:29:20] P3 just

[00:29:21] because Charles

[00:29:22] Leclerc has had

[00:29:22] a late season

[00:29:23] surge in

[00:29:24] performances.

[00:29:25] So yes his

[00:29:26] meltdown, a lot

[00:29:27] of F-bombs on

[00:29:28] the radio but

[00:29:30] he's you know

[00:29:31] he's it's like

[00:29:32] this he if he

[00:29:33] cannot if he's

[00:29:34] not learned how

[00:29:36] to handle Carlos

[00:29:36] Sainz as a

[00:29:37] teammate God

[00:29:39] save him next

[00:29:39] year when Lewis

[00:29:41] Hamilton comes

[00:29:42] because it's not

[00:29:43] easy to have

[00:29:43] Lewis in the

[00:29:44] garage on the

[00:29:45] radio in those

[00:29:46] debriefs in the

[00:29:48] same car not

[00:29:49] because Lewis is

[00:29:50] political every

[00:29:50] driver is political

[00:29:51] but Lewis I'm you

[00:29:52] know the assumption

[00:29:53] is Lewis is just

[00:29:55] indexed a little

[00:29:56] more on every

[00:29:57] metric compared

[00:29:59] to say Carlos

[00:29:59] Sainz and that's

[00:30:00] why Ferrari has

[00:30:01] signed him on.

[00:30:02] And one of the

[00:30:02] things that I think

[00:30:04] the main reason

[00:30:04] why Leclerc was

[00:30:05] unhappy was Sainz

[00:30:06] passing him or

[00:30:07] getting the

[00:30:08] undercut and by

[00:30:09] the time Leclerc

[00:30:11] pitted Sainz had

[00:30:13] tires that were

[00:30:13] much much better.

[00:30:15] So in that way I

[00:30:17] think Leclerc felt

[00:30:18] that he was a little

[00:30:19] hard done and I

[00:30:21] kind of like the

[00:30:21] timing of this

[00:30:22] message because

[00:30:23] Lewis Hamilton is

[00:30:24] coming very very

[00:30:24] soon to Ferrari and

[00:30:25] I think he's

[00:30:26] setting out a

[00:30:27] message that I

[00:30:28] don't want to be

[00:30:28] the second driver.

[00:30:30] If that's what

[00:30:30] you're considering

[00:30:31] me to do I will

[00:30:33] fight tooth and

[00:30:33] nail to ensure that

[00:30:34] I get the priority

[00:30:35] because I've spent

[00:30:36] a lot of time here

[00:30:37] and I think that

[00:30:38] has been the case

[00:30:39] like he said

[00:30:39] whatever words

[00:30:40] that he used

[00:30:41] at times he has

[00:30:42] been hard done

[00:30:43] couple of races

[00:30:44] that come to mind

[00:30:45] Monaco 2022 where

[00:30:46] Sainz took things

[00:30:47] into his own hands

[00:30:47] and said the

[00:30:48] strategy for the

[00:30:49] race so Leclerc

[00:30:50] being I think

[00:30:52] we've all spoken

[00:30:52] about it Leclerc

[00:30:53] being nice sometimes

[00:30:54] it doesn't really

[00:30:55] help his case and

[00:30:56] I think that's what

[00:30:56] he's really voicing

[00:30:57] here.

[00:30:57] Racing drivers being

[00:30:59] insecure how cool

[00:31:00] is that answer it

[00:31:01] with performance

[00:31:01] and everything is

[00:31:02] okay which wasn't

[00:31:03] the case with

[00:31:04] McLaren by the

[00:31:04] way and this

[00:31:06] weekend I learned

[00:31:07] something very

[00:31:07] interesting that

[00:31:08] there are certain

[00:31:11] types of drivers

[00:31:12] who particularly

[00:31:12] excel in these

[00:31:13] tricky conditions

[00:31:14] because they are

[00:31:14] craftier like a

[00:31:16] Carlos Sainz like

[00:31:16] a George Russell

[00:31:17] like Max Verstappen

[00:31:18] whatever conditions

[00:31:19] there are especially

[00:31:20] if they are

[00:31:21] terrible or

[00:31:21] changing they

[00:31:22] will be better

[00:31:23] than drivers who

[00:31:24] thrive in a

[00:31:24] particular set of

[00:31:25] conditions like

[00:31:26] a Lando Norris

[00:31:27] if his preparation

[00:31:28] throughout the

[00:31:28] weekend generally

[00:31:29] is very good

[00:31:29] he will be

[00:31:30] unstoppable on a

[00:31:31] Sunday but put

[00:31:32] him in a race

[00:31:32] like this

[00:31:33] probably not your

[00:31:34] best driver

[00:31:35] by his own

[00:31:36] admission by the

[00:31:36] way he admitted

[00:31:37] this all Friday

[00:31:38] in the media

[00:31:38] where he said

[00:31:39] that these sort of

[00:31:39] races the

[00:31:40] combination of

[00:31:40] all these

[00:31:41] changing conditions

[00:31:41] that's not where

[00:31:42] I'm strongest

[00:31:43] and that was

[00:31:44] evident but more

[00:31:45] than I'm

[00:31:46] disappointed with

[00:31:46] Lando Norris

[00:31:47] I'm disappointed

[00:31:48] with Oscar

[00:31:48] Piastri-Kunal

[00:31:49] disappointed from

[00:31:50] the perspective

[00:31:52] of someone who

[00:31:52] cares because

[00:31:53] the false start

[00:31:54] didn't help

[00:31:55] the qualifying

[00:31:55] wasn't very good

[00:31:56] and this is where

[00:31:57] McLaren need points

[00:31:58] whatever they can

[00:31:59] salvage because

[00:32:00] Ferrari are now

[00:32:01] having Ferrari

[00:32:03] are now able to

[00:32:03] chew into

[00:32:04] McLaren's lead

[00:32:04] and this with

[00:32:05] only two races to

[00:32:06] go even though

[00:32:06] they favor

[00:32:07] McLaren you still

[00:32:08] need to maximize

[00:32:09] whatever you've

[00:32:09] got

[00:32:09] it's just 24

[00:32:10] points and

[00:32:11] you know

[00:32:12] McLaren actually

[00:32:14] knew coming into

[00:32:14] this weekend that

[00:32:15] Las Vegas wouldn't

[00:32:16] be as good for

[00:32:17] them because

[00:32:18] long straights

[00:32:19] short radius

[00:32:20] corners lots of

[00:32:21] traction control

[00:32:22] traction zones

[00:32:23] aren't really as

[00:32:24] favorable for them

[00:32:25] they prefer the

[00:32:26] slow to medium

[00:32:27] medium to high

[00:32:27] you know basically

[00:32:28] a little more

[00:32:29] cornering speed is

[00:32:30] where their

[00:32:31] aero efficiency

[00:32:32] helps them

[00:32:33] but yeah

[00:32:35] you know

[00:32:35] Carlos

[00:32:35] sorry not

[00:32:36] Oscar Piastri's

[00:32:38] dip in form

[00:32:40] is now

[00:32:41] continued for

[00:32:42] over three

[00:32:42] races which is

[00:32:43] a bit

[00:32:44] worrisome

[00:32:45] but you know

[00:32:46] every driver

[00:32:47] has this

[00:32:48] Carlos

[00:32:48] sorry

[00:32:49] why I don't

[00:32:49] know why I'm

[00:32:50] going to

[00:32:50] Carlos Sainz

[00:32:50] maybe you just

[00:32:51] look like

[00:32:51] Carlos Sainz

[00:32:52] to be

[00:32:52] this weekend

[00:32:53] yeah there

[00:32:53] you go

[00:32:54] you know

[00:32:55] Checo Pérez

[00:32:55] has had a

[00:32:56] dip in form

[00:32:57] for the last

[00:32:58] three seasons

[00:32:58] if you may

[00:32:59] call it that

[00:32:59] you know

[00:33:00] but I just

[00:33:01] think McLaren

[00:33:03] will be back

[00:33:05] they will be

[00:33:05] the team to

[00:33:06] watch out for

[00:33:07] in Qatar

[00:33:07] with the

[00:33:08] drivers championship

[00:33:09] now sealed

[00:33:10] I think

[00:33:11] there will

[00:33:12] just be a

[00:33:12] bit of

[00:33:13] relief

[00:33:13] that okay

[00:33:14] one way or

[00:33:14] the other

[00:33:15] we know

[00:33:15] we're no

[00:33:16] longer trying

[00:33:16] to win it

[00:33:17] we just

[00:33:17] know we

[00:33:17] can't win it

[00:33:18] so can we

[00:33:19] just focus

[00:33:20] on doing

[00:33:20] everything else

[00:33:21] that we

[00:33:21] need to

[00:33:22] yeah they

[00:33:23] need to get

[00:33:23] Las Vegas out

[00:33:24] of their

[00:33:24] system quick

[00:33:25] because this

[00:33:26] has been a

[00:33:27] terrible weekend

[00:33:27] and they are

[00:33:28] probably going to

[00:33:29] fight for the

[00:33:29] win next time

[00:33:31] but okay

[00:33:31] four minutes

[00:33:32] left to go

[00:33:32] before Kunal

[00:33:33] gets fined

[00:33:34] 600 more

[00:33:35] kroners

[00:33:35] we don't

[00:33:36] want that

[00:33:36] to happen

[00:33:37] now it's

[00:33:37] daddy duties

[00:33:38] now no

[00:33:40] more tickets

[00:33:41] or no more

[00:33:42] parking needed

[00:33:43] now it's

[00:33:43] daddy duties

[00:33:44] but you can't

[00:33:45] be late for

[00:33:46] that so we

[00:33:46] don't want to

[00:33:47] do that

[00:33:47] okay last

[00:33:48] three and a

[00:33:48] half four

[00:33:48] minutes

[00:33:49] we should

[00:33:50] very quickly

[00:33:50] cast our

[00:33:51] attention to

[00:33:51] the battle

[00:33:52] for P6

[00:33:52] P7

[00:33:53] P8 in the

[00:33:54] championship

[00:33:55] where Haas

[00:33:56] have made

[00:33:57] a leap

[00:33:57] and Nico

[00:33:58] Hulkenberg

[00:33:59] has made a

[00:33:59] leap Kunal

[00:34:00] which is

[00:34:01] exceptional

[00:34:01] which almost

[00:34:02] couldn't have

[00:34:03] been possible

[00:34:04] had it not

[00:34:06] been for a

[00:34:06] phenomenal

[00:34:06] final stint

[00:34:07] where he was

[00:34:07] able to get

[00:34:08] past Yuki

[00:34:08] Tsunoda

[00:34:09] and cemented

[00:34:10] and with

[00:34:10] that Haas

[00:34:11] are now

[00:34:11] back to

[00:34:11] 6th

[00:34:13] Alpine at

[00:34:14] 7th

[00:34:15] and RP at

[00:34:15] 8th

[00:34:16] it's four

[00:34:17] points separating

[00:34:18] three teams

[00:34:20] Haas is one

[00:34:21] point ahead of

[00:34:22] Alpine in

[00:34:23] 7th and then

[00:34:23] three points

[00:34:24] behind our

[00:34:25] racing bulls

[00:34:26] and to me

[00:34:27] if it's the

[00:34:27] top four teams

[00:34:28] that have scored

[00:34:29] all the points

[00:34:29] you know Tsunoda

[00:34:31] and Hulkenberg

[00:34:31] are another

[00:34:32] team

[00:34:32] team number

[00:34:33] five

[00:34:33] from different

[00:34:34] teams itself

[00:34:36] very consistent

[00:34:37] Q3 appearances

[00:34:38] very consistent

[00:34:39] point scoring

[00:34:40] positions

[00:34:42] Nico Hulkenberg

[00:34:43] actually made

[00:34:44] the overtake

[00:34:44] on track

[00:34:45] on Yuki

[00:34:45] Tsunoda

[00:34:46] to get track

[00:34:46] position

[00:34:47] and get more

[00:34:47] points

[00:34:48] and sort of

[00:34:49] jump Alpine

[00:34:49] and not

[00:34:51] Alpine

[00:34:51] yeah Alpine

[00:34:52] and you know

[00:34:53] pull away

[00:34:54] from racing bulls

[00:34:55] as well

[00:34:55] and I believe

[00:34:57] Alpine should have

[00:34:58] scored but you

[00:34:58] know Pierre Gasly

[00:34:59] after a

[00:35:00] phenomenal

[00:35:01] P3

[00:35:02] in qualifying

[00:35:04] you know

[00:35:05] he just had

[00:35:06] a power unit

[00:35:07] issue which

[00:35:07] well

[00:35:08] everyone wants

[00:35:09] to get rid

[00:35:10] of that Renault

[00:35:10] engine I guess

[00:35:11] but those two

[00:35:12] drivers cannot

[00:35:12] be forgotten

[00:35:14] and I hope

[00:35:16] that with all

[00:35:17] that

[00:35:17] Tsunoda

[00:35:19] has done

[00:35:19] Red Bull

[00:35:20] when they sit

[00:35:21] after Abu Dhabi

[00:35:21] to review the

[00:35:22] season with

[00:35:22] Checo Perez

[00:35:23] consider Tsunoda

[00:35:25] as P1

[00:35:25] for a replacement

[00:35:26] and not

[00:35:27] some of the

[00:35:28] others

[00:35:28] because they

[00:35:28] actually spent

[00:35:29] their time

[00:35:29] energy money

[00:35:31] grooming

[00:35:31] Yuki Tsunoda

[00:35:32] so the least

[00:35:32] they can do

[00:35:33] is give him

[00:35:33] one season

[00:35:34] you know

[00:35:35] they've given

[00:35:35] Checo a lot

[00:35:36] of seasons

[00:35:36] the challenge

[00:35:37] is I think

[00:35:38] Checo's contracts

[00:35:39] as we've spoken

[00:35:40] it's not just

[00:35:40] a sporting decision

[00:35:41] it's a sporting

[00:35:42] and a commercial

[00:35:43] decision

[00:35:44] given his popularity

[00:35:45] in Mexico

[00:35:46] what brand

[00:35:47] Red Bull

[00:35:48] as an energy

[00:35:48] drink gets

[00:35:49] as well

[00:35:50] all the other

[00:35:50] sponsors

[00:35:51] and money

[00:35:51] that he brings

[00:35:52] in from that

[00:35:53] market

[00:35:53] so it's not

[00:35:54] that easy

[00:35:55] a decision

[00:35:55] otherwise

[00:35:56] imagine

[00:35:56] you know

[00:35:56] they left

[00:35:57] Daniel Ricciardo

[00:35:58] so coldly

[00:35:59] into the

[00:35:59] into the

[00:36:00] blue

[00:36:02] what's

[00:36:02] keeping them

[00:36:03] on to

[00:36:03] Checo Perez

[00:36:04] he's not even

[00:36:04] their driver

[00:36:05] unlike Daniel

[00:36:05] Kit Kats

[00:36:06] Kit Kats

[00:36:07] are keeping

[00:36:07] in

[00:36:08] yeah

[00:36:10] yeah

[00:36:11] technically

[00:36:11] Kit Kats

[00:36:12] are keeping

[00:36:12] Sergio Perez

[00:36:13] in the sport

[00:36:13] which is

[00:36:13] which is

[00:36:14] nice

[00:36:14] which is

[00:36:15] incredible

[00:36:15] we have

[00:36:16] one last

[00:36:17] minute

[00:36:17] and we have

[00:36:18] one last

[00:36:18] stat to

[00:36:19] end this

[00:36:19] episode

[00:36:19] with

[00:36:19] Sasundaram

[00:36:20] what is

[00:36:21] it all

[00:36:21] about

[00:36:21] I mean

[00:36:22] if you

[00:36:22] have to

[00:36:23] talk about

[00:36:23] double

[00:36:23] podiums

[00:36:24] how many

[00:36:24] teams have

[00:36:24] taken double

[00:36:25] podiums

[00:36:25] now

[00:36:25] so we

[00:36:26] have

[00:36:26] Red Bull

[00:36:27] Ferrari

[00:36:27] McLaren

[00:36:29] Alpine

[00:36:31] Mercedes

[00:36:32] and all

[00:36:33] five

[00:36:34] all four

[00:36:34] works teams

[00:36:35] now have

[00:36:35] a 1-2

[00:36:36] this season

[00:36:37] I can finally

[00:36:38] say that

[00:36:38] we almost

[00:36:39] had that

[00:36:39] in Belgium

[00:36:39] but now

[00:36:40] Mercedes

[00:36:41] also

[00:36:41] officially

[00:36:41] have

[00:36:42] a 1-2

[00:36:43] this season

[00:36:44] as well

[00:36:45] and if you

[00:36:45] take a look

[00:36:46] at the

[00:36:46] construct of

[00:36:47] standings

[00:36:47] we have

[00:36:47] four teams

[00:36:48] that have

[00:36:49] crossed

[00:36:49] 400 points

[00:36:50] that's never

[00:36:51] happened

[00:36:51] ever since

[00:36:52] this point

[00:36:52] system

[00:36:53] was introduced

[00:36:54] back in 2010

[00:36:55] it just goes to

[00:36:55] show how much

[00:36:56] those four teams

[00:36:57] have excelled

[00:36:58] and performed

[00:36:59] to what level

[00:37:00] they've performed

[00:37:01] this season

[00:37:01] four teams

[00:37:02] seven different

[00:37:03] drivers

[00:37:03] taking multiple

[00:37:04] wins

[00:37:04] the first ever

[00:37:05] time

[00:37:06] that's happened

[00:37:07] in F1 history

[00:37:07] gosh

[00:37:08] 2024

[00:37:09] can't speak

[00:37:10] enough about it

[00:37:11] yeah

[00:37:11] and if you're

[00:37:12] Aston Martin

[00:37:12] you can be

[00:37:13] third in one

[00:37:13] you're dead

[00:37:14] last in the

[00:37:14] other one

[00:37:15] you don't

[00:37:16] have to do

[00:37:16] that

[00:37:16] hey but

[00:37:17] Alonzo's

[00:37:18] still in the

[00:37:18] top 10

[00:37:19] in the

[00:37:19] championship

[00:37:19] by the

[00:37:20] way

[00:37:20] weirdly

[00:37:20] I was

[00:37:21] amazed

[00:37:21] that he

[00:37:22] was ahead

[00:37:22] of

[00:37:22] Sunoda

[00:37:22] and Hulkenberg

[00:37:23] but that's

[00:37:24] a good note

[00:37:24] to end on

[00:37:25] but we need

[00:37:25] to talk more

[00:37:26] about this

[00:37:26] race and

[00:37:27] what to expect

[00:37:28] in Qatar

[00:37:28] there's so many

[00:37:29] things we're

[00:37:29] missing out

[00:37:30] because we're

[00:37:30] short on time

[00:37:31] but that means

[00:37:32] that we're

[00:37:32] going to

[00:37:33] bombard the

[00:37:34] next episode

[00:37:34] with these

[00:37:35] talking points

[00:37:35] and that's

[00:37:36] going to be

[00:37:36] the Qatar

[00:37:37] GP preview

[00:37:37] that we're

[00:37:38] going to

[00:37:38] record probably

[00:37:38] in a couple

[00:37:39] of days

[00:37:39] from now

[00:37:40] Sundaram

[00:37:41] is going

[00:37:41] to Qatar

[00:37:42] I'm going

[00:37:43] on a bike

[00:37:43] ride

[00:37:43] Kunal's

[00:37:44] going to

[00:37:45] his daughter's

[00:37:46] dance

[00:37:47] performance

[00:37:47] lesson

[00:37:47] what's it

[00:37:48] performance

[00:37:48] now

[00:37:49] yeah

[00:37:49] performance

[00:37:50] now

[00:37:50] I think

[00:37:51] you should

[00:37:51] all go

[00:37:52] off and

[00:37:52] maybe watch

[00:37:52] some race

[00:37:53] highlights

[00:37:53] or even

[00:37:53] the IPL

[00:37:54] mega auction

[00:37:54] that's going

[00:37:55] on as well

[00:37:55] we'll leave you

[00:37:56] to all of

[00:37:56] that folks

[00:37:57] and we'll

[00:37:57] see you

[00:37:57] for the

[00:37:58] Qatar GP

[00:37:58] preview

[00:37:59] in a couple

[00:37:59] of days

[00:37:59] bye