P1 with Matt and Tommy - Miami GP Race Review

Episode Date: May 4, 2025

Wait, the Miami GP was actually pretty entertaining? And WAIT, we completely disagree with each other around crucial parts of the race? Let’s dive in!We also get to plenty of intriguing questions: is Lando decisive enough? Has the Championship favourite changed? And should all F1 cars be made out of Lego? You can listen to an extended version of this episode - and every Race Review this season - over on our Patreon! Sign up to also get every P1 episode ad-free, early access to live tickets and merch, and access to our Discord server where you can chat with us and other F1 fans! Click here to sign up now!Follow us on socials! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everybody and welcome back to the P1 podcast with Matt and Tommy. A lot to talk about, Tom Belliam. A lot to discuss. Disagreements to be hatched out. The Gallagher versus Bellingham Chronicles begins here. But it's not just yet, we will discuss it. But of course, we're off the back of the Miami Grand Prix. it was a pretty fun one, wasn't it?

Of course, by the end, McLaren were literally in another universe, but that first sort of 15, 20 laps, goodness, gracious me, I wanted more, and that's, that is quite selfish of me and quite, you know, I was asking for a little bit too much from Formula One. I was like, oh, first 15 laps, it's dry, chaotic, a lot of drama, a lot of controversial, I'd like that large rain, Wayne, uh, rain cloud, rain cloud to come in, and then just, you know, make that a bit more cut. It just, it was too much to ask, but we still had a lot to be excited about.

I think we did as well. It's always more disappointing, isn't it, when you get the really good excitement at the start of a race and then less so at the end. If you flip it the other way, we basically say, oh my God, this is the greatest race ever. This is so exciting. And you're kind of on a massive high. But all the action really came at the start. I really enjoyed it. I did. Miami doesn't always produce the best racing, but I think we got a lot of nice battles at the start, plenty of entertainment, and even for a race where it was very

much like, it's going to rain, it's going to rain, it's going to rain, it's going to rain, and then didn't rain. I'm not by any stretch disappointed at what we saw out there. I believe, and this might well be a universal opinion, that teams should be deducted championship points, if they say rain is coming and it doesn't happen. So like a rain in five minutes, rain's going to hit a turn 17. If it doesn't happen, that's one point gone. So George Russell would be on minus 100 points.

George's finished because it's raining all the time in his visor because he's just a bit emotional and is coming out of his eyes or whatever it might be. But I hate getting baited by weather forecasts because that weather forecast looks so slam dunk rain and then it didn't happen. Anyway, before we get into everything, a quick shout out to our wonderful patrons

who will be getting extra chat in every single one of our race review podcast this season where we go into a few more questions from you wonderful lot over on the Patreon Discord. You get early access to live tickets, you get ad-free listening, as well as many other perks. So thank you if you already support us over on Patreon. And if not, go and check it out. Right, Tommy, hit us with your most memorable moment. Just hit us right in the face with it. What's it going to be?

I will. And it has to be the Stappen versus Norris. Oh, he's done it. is straight away. And speaking of straight away, it happened, didn't it straight away? It did. I did a very unhinged prediction in our little graphic that we do of the top five. I put Antonelli for the win, which was very wrong. I did get album P5, a bit of respect for that, please.

But the reason I did it was because one, I thought it was going to rain. And of course, I didn't put Vestappen or Norris in my top five because I thought they were going to collide or have an incident. And I said, there's absolutely no way there's not some kind of incident because it's Max Verstappen and Lande in Norris. And sure enough, they obviously both stayed in the race. And sure enough, we had an incident, a very contentious incident. And like you said on the podcast, we rarely have such huge disagreements. But we saw a different side to it, essentially, in the incident, of course, the one being on lap 1, where Max and Lando went side by side into that corner.

Lando believe he was pushed off, and they chose no further action in the end. I don't know if you said, as we said on the podcast, or you meant the watch along. The watch along is what I meant. I was going to cut it because Tommy just randomly says words that just have no relation to what actually means, like when he tries to say 20, 22. Oh, don't. Not that again. Anyway, yeah, we of course disagree on this one.

Now, it is a contentious one, and I've seen. I don't think I've seen a more divided opinion on this particular incident. And I think I stand on it in two ways, right? So initially, when I score it now. No, no, let me finish. Initially, I thought slam dunk penalty. Max is out of control. He's push Landau off the track.

And I still believe, you know, because I'm looking at it in two different angles. From the letter of the law, I can understand why Max wasn't given a penalty. by the way in which the F1 rules are currently. However, in the spirit of racing and fairness and what I want to see from Formula One, I, and I think this is more putting the power in my own hands, would have given Max a penalty for that. He was out of control on the, obviously locked up into term one,

put himself on the back foot, and then just, he didn't have full control of his car through those next couple of corners, which is what then ultimately led to Lando being pushed off the track. it's so touch and go. I do understand both sides. But I think for me it was just such a shame and obviously penalties aren't handed out

or taken into consideration the outcome of whatever's happened. It's just where the cars were on track. Nothing after. But it just felt like, I just felt a bit sorry for Lando because he'd done everything he needed to do in those first couple of corners to get a good opportunity on Max.

And because of Max's slight loss of car control, Landos lost four or five positions. I didn't think it was a penalty at all. And I know I can hear everyone already typing out, well, of course you don't. You're a match Vastappen fan. But, you know, I can admit when Vostappan has done something wrong, aka the last race that I thought he definitely deserved a penalty.

Equally, you know, kind of moments in Mexico and things like that. I don't like that side of Maxis driving. For me, it's funny you mention about the, for the good of racing. I also think it's for the good of rating that he didn't get a penalty because they, otherwise, like, you just, why can't we have drivers going side by side into corners, you know? Max, Lando's never fully ahead of the Stappen going into that corner. He's on the outside. Your honour, he had a nose ahead out of the corner, for sure. He's the tiniest bit ahead.

He's the tiniest bit ahead. Oh, there you go. He was never ahead or he was a tiny bit ahead. I just watched the onboard. I'm watching the onboard right now. Yeah, I'm watching the O'SLOMO. Okay, yeah, he's got the tiniest nose ahead. Yeah, but he's on the outside. He's on the outside of a corner. So, so, so, so, so basically based on on Max in the last race, he's on the outside,

Lando is never making that round the outside. These Formula One cars, you never see anyone go side by side into that corner. And don't get me wrong. I don't think it's a stupid move from Lando. He's just unlucky because he's gone for the switchback. Max has got a poor exit on the corner, but he's just run out of room. I don't think Max has pushed him off there. And I think for the good of racing that it's good that that incident is just chalked off and it's a racing incident because otherwise we get into this ridiculous situation where no one ever races each other and you don't see aggressive, defensive driving.

Because equally, you know, I think Formula One has got far too, soft with its racing rules and things with DRS passes and Martin Brundell was going on about oh Vestappen's defending way too hard from Lando and stuff when they were racing later which I think is absolutely ridiculous we want to I think it was both of them potentially but they we we want to see drivers go wheel to wheel and actually race hard and I don't want to see people just have these boring passes and just everyone just go after do you. I do get the fact that, you know, and this is something I've said about, Max just happens driving, that you want to see people leave room, but on that corner, he's got

every right to just go into that corner and take the line because he's on the inside. Okay. But, but like you, I will say, I wouldn't want to be the stewards in that situation because I can understand why this one's so contentious. The one in Saudi, I did not understand why so many people, and Max himself, were so annoyed by that move. I never thought it was anything other than a penalty for Max in Saudi. This one, I think you even look at Zach Brown and the way his reaction to it when they spoke to him afterwards

and he was like, yeah, you know, he wasn't going, oh, this is classic Max, he's a really dirty driver, which he kind of would say in something like a Mexico. I don't think it's a penalty. Okay, fair enough. Agreed to disagree. Yeah, agree to disagree. Which is allowed, by the way.

No, yeah, it's allowed. And as I said, kind of at the beginning, I do understand why it also wasn't. I think it's just more, I'm a bit conflicted as to what I want to see in Formula One when it comes to side-by-side racing. Of course, this has existed since the beginning of time where drivers just run other drivers out of road. And that is seen as racing in a lot of ways. So, yeah, I just didn't like to see it just because. it was on lap one and Lando lost that a lot as I say but it's a contentious one and I know for sure we're going to be having a lot of comments about what people think and where they sit on but at least

we've both disagreed so like people would take sides and that's absolutely fine you're allowed your opinion on what it was and like I say this one I absolutely get why people see it from both sides because it is one of those contentious racing incident I just don't think this time it was because I don't think he needs to jump out of the way he's accelerating yes he's you know he's spun his wheels round and stuff but he wants to stay in the lead of the Grand Prix which I think you have every right to do and I want to see that I want to see defensive driving

okay defensive driving when you push other drivers okay dokey let's move on to a question people on pitch remember Zingy 13 do you think max pushes it close to the wire and fights with Lando because he knows that Lando won't go for a lunge move on him It was slightly frustrating, once again, to watch Lando and Max go, well, not wheel to will to will. I was just urging Lando to just go for a move again, just send something different than going for what kind of feels like a Lewis Hamilton special of an up and under. Like Hamilton's not, we don't tend to see as many sort of dive bombs from Hamilton. He's very measured in his approach, which is, you know, is won him multiple championships.

But with Lando versus Oscar, you could see very easily the tenacity of Oscar Piastri that he just goes for a move and essentially said, all right, Max, what are you going to do to me? He literally just looked him right in the eyes and said, let's go wheel to will. Whereas Lando, he was more measured. Maybe he's thinking about the championship. I don't know. But it's what cost him nine seconds in the race.

It was the hesitation slightly to just go for it. an audacious move. I want to see that from Lando because that's what's going to, in my opinion, turn him into a championship protagonist, a championship winner, potentially at the end of the season. He is still in the championship fight, but Oscar's won three on the bounce now. Oscar obviously lost a huge amount of points in Australia due to that rather unlucky instant for him. He's still in a shot now, but he can't just sit and rest on his laurels, Lando, because his teammate is firing on pretty much all cylinders. Yeah, Lando can't just know that he's got the best car

and is very quick and sometimes quicker than Oscar. You know, he caught him up from that deficit. But again, it comes to Lando not being decisive enough. I said this before we even got to the incident where Lando was trying to pass Max, but the incident that we've just been discussing about was it or was it not a penalty, I think I said on the watch along, how many times have we had an incident between

Vestappan and Norris? And Norris never comes out kind of on top, even if it's Max pushing him off. Whereas the last race you go to Saudi and Vestappan tried his tactics there, but Oscar, you know, did the right thing. Max got a penalty. And then when we get to the bit where the McLaurans are coming through the pack, Oscar pretty much straight away, I think it was, I believe, just gets it done. And I know some people were jumping on going, oh, well, Max made a mistake, he locked up.

But it's no coincidence that, like, Oscar's forced that mistake by placing his car in the right places. And I think it's no, well, it's no surprise it was, we saw Oscar being much more forceful than Lando. It was a surprise just how long it took Lando again. because it just went on and on and on and I feel like we've said this and I've said this many times on the podcast before that we're going back to so many races

where I'm watching Lando behind Maxis Tappan going how was Lando not got past? I think you could quote that from Austria and I know that that was a controversial one and it happened in an incident again but he should have easily got past and even when he did finally get

passed. He went off the track and he's not putting his car in the right place. And he really needs to get this kind of monkey office back with racing Vastappen and actually coming out on top because there has been so many incidents now and Lando has never been the one that's just just gone, yeah, you know, stick it on him. Because the move he did, and I've said this before, he needs to get his elbows out. And he did with Max, that one move. where he did kind of push him wide, but he didn't say on the track. And, oh, it's painful to watch because he's a really quick driver, but he just can't seem to get past him.

And maybe he gets in his own head about it or something, but he just needs to be so much more decisive. Let's not also, you know, we need to point out the fact that Max Verstappen, albeit does sometimes go over the limits of the rules. He is the best defender on the grid, and he will do everything he possibly can to keep you at bay within the rules and sometimes slightly pushing the line. The defence of him, you know, we've argued about the one at turn one, but the defence of

Lando when they were battling to later in the race, Max was absolutely superb there, the way him placing his car at every moment, basically. Exactly. And sadly, yeah, as we said, Lando's hesitation to get through cost him a lot of seconds and at the end of the day he was quicker in that last stint but had far too much to claw back and

I guess Lando is wondering what if sadly once again at the end of this Miami Grand Prix weekend next question people on Patreon member Alan Enderpe will Norris's lack of aggression be his downfall on a possible championship it is hard

because you look at races individually like today we're going yes absolutely but in the future Lando might go for a move ends up in the side of Vastappan and scores zero points and we're saying going

He's too aggressive He's lost three races worth of finishing second behind Oscar If you count it that way So at this stage We can't really jump to conclusions because we are not even a quarter of the way That we're a quarter of the way

Yeah, I think we're quarter the way through the season now. There are so many races to go. I do still think it's better for him to have taken a slightly more aggressive style and stance against Max in particular, but he is still within a race win. I still believe he's got a little bit more innate raw pace. We saw that in this stint. Not that Oscar probably was pushing all too hard,

knowing that the race win was pretty much sign-sealed delivered. But he is in the championship hunt. but as I say, you can't just keep finishing second to Oscar, you're behind in the championship now. It could so easily, yeah, go the other way, like you say, if there's a collision. You look back to kind of Lewis Hamilton, and you're just talking about then how you never see Lewis Hamilton

go for an absolute dive bomb. When he's winning championships, you go, well, Lewis, you know, it's genius from him because he's picking, he's thinking about a whole championship. He's lost a championship, you know, early in his career, when he's kind of been a bit too aggressive and think about like, you know, marathon not sprint and all that kind of stuff. So someone just said marathon?

That was good. But the fact that, yeah, that Hamilton does those kind of, yeah, a bit more sensible with it, when he wins the championship, it looks great. But then, you know, say we get to the end of the championship, and Lando is a race win behind or, or, or, you know, Orlando doesn't do this. We will look back at these moments and go, oh my God, why did you take nine laps to pass Max Vastapa?

I don't know how many it was. It may have been less. It felt like a lot. And yeah, it's kind of that balance. And we said, and this is kind of going more on Oscar Piastri at the moment, that at the back end of last season, Oscar Piastri, his racecraft has been insane. You know, the move he did around the outside of Landau, Monsor,

whether it was the right thing to do for McLaren's championship, you can't deny it was an insane and brilliant overtake and ballsy. And we said if Oscar, if you had the combination of Oscar's aggression and his great wheel-to-wheel and his kind of mental strength, but give him the pace of Lando, Oscar's going to be unbelievable. And now Oscar's got that pace as well, which is making it, which is, I think, is exposing kind of Norris's flaws a bit more. He's still a fantastic driver, Norris. But, yeah, I think that that's the key thing here is that Lando can't just hope to be finishing second all the time because Piastri's got three on the bounce now.

Certainly does. P1 on Patreon member OK Wayfer 523. Is Oscar the champion? Should we just crown him now? He looks dominant every weekend. No, we all know what can happen in a championship. Hark back to Hamilton versus Rosberg, where Rosberg clinched it with a couple of DNFs and things to throw in the mix. It can change a championship and turn it on its head in one weekend.

We could go to Imola. Oscar has a stinker, has a reliability issue, whatever it might be, Lando wins and he's then the championship leader. It can change so quickly. and we also see that the Mercedes, the Red Bull, maybe once Ferrari, have actually been in the mix

for winning races as well. So there's plenty of twists, I believe, still left in this championship. However, as you said, Tommy, Oscar has taken another step up into his third season,

his third season. This man is not the finished package yet and he's won three on the bounce. It's like he's playing the Formula One game. He does not care, doesn't seem that like he feels nerves and he is just delivering at a level that is highly impressive.

He started fourth today and he was just like, you know what, I'm going to keep this record going that you haven't won from the front row of the grid in Miami and he's done that. Starting fourth behind Lando,

Lando gets caught up in the whole Max incident, Oscar keeps his head and once again we're talking about him winning again. I would disagree with the helix dominant every weekend he's not dominant. He's just delivering at a really high level where just small mistakes have crept in with his competitors or perhaps just lack of performance if we're talking about Max.

Yeah, he's not he's not dominating in the same way that Mattis Verstapp and Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel has done where they get pole, they win the race by a mile and you never feels like the winner's ever in doubt. At the end of the day he did qualify fourth. but it's not to take away from how unbelievably impressive he's been. You know, he would have won the sprint as well without that bit of fortune from the safety car for Lando. So he'd be looking at kind of four races on the bouts. Australia is where he's lost most of his points. Japan is one of those races where, you know, it all came down to qualifying and he was incredibly close again. but he's just been driving so, so well. It's so impressive what he's doing.

There's been a lot of talk and questions of like, is it too much pressure on these young drivers or uncertain drivers going for a championship and how difficult it is? We're yet to see because it is early days, six races out of 24, like you say, only a quarter of the way through. Can he keep that consistency?

but he does not seem phased one bit about potentially being in the run and the favourite for the world championship. There's a huge pressure on your shoulders and he does not look like he will crack at all. At this stage, obviously, it's very early. But at this stage right now, he just looks ice cold about the whole thing. It's crazy. I'm starting to believe that F1 is just a side quest for Oscar. He doesn't actually care that much about it.

it. Like, it just seems unfazed. He's winning the champion. It's a good way to be, though, isn't it? Yeah, he's chill. Whereas, you know, we've questioned the kind of mental side of the sport and Lando in his interview kind of made a little dig again, didn't he, about like, oh, people moan at me when I do this, people minding me when I do that. Please, Lando, just stop caring what people on Twitter think is what he kind of needs to do. It's healthier for everybody if you do that, I promise you. But yeah, Oscar just looks so unfazed and is driving just in amazing form. Like how good is he going to be?

And he's showing you already. Right. Tom Bellingham's finished glazing Oscar Piastri like a donut. We now move on to my most memorable moment. And obviously it's got to do with Ferrari. Hamilton's team radio. How is the only source of joy I am having with Ferrari? is from the team radios this year. Obviously, Hamilton's sprint win was an awesome moment

followed by a double DSQ. But we've had some great, you know, Charlotte Claire must be the water, yada, yari, yardier, a lot of memes. Today was Lewis Hamilton's day, but not for the way that he would have wanted by having the sassiest, most witty team radios I've ever heard, to be honest with you.

We genuinely burst out loud laughing, didn't we, Tommy? Yeah. just I couldn't believe it was Hamilton. It was just the final one that he said, I'm just getting the quote up here. Signs 1.4 behind, he was told. He went,

you want me to let him pass as well? That one was absolutely brilliant. Just 10 out of 10, chef's kiss. The way that he delivered that was beautiful. But that was obviously, after all of the other discussions that had gone on, he's on the fresh mediums or fresher mediums behind,

shawl on hard tires, obviously you make the switch. They're seventh and eighth. There's no issues. Ferrari, you know, dilly dally for three laps as they always do when it comes to strategic decisions. And then by that time, Hamilton's cooked his tires a little bit, doesn't manage to clear Shal.

And then the awkward swap positions comes on the radio again to Hamilton, who obviously probably didn't enjoy that either, but at that point his tires had gone. And he didn't have the freshness that he was. wanted to utilize. It was such a hilarious moment from Hamilton, obviously, at their expense, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't a joyous, joyous laughter. It was laughing at the pain of the, the situation, how ridiculous it was, of course, that, you know, they're, they are literally

fighting the guy that got demoted from Ferrari to make way for Hamilton in a Williams that finished ninth in the Constructors last, last season, and that's who they're fighting at the moment. And yeah, we've seen Charler LeClaire have these moments. At the start of his Ferrari career, we question that, you know, too much of a nice guy, he needs to kind of bite back. We're seeing that more of Shah now where he's said these things like add that to the words of wisdom and he's shouted back at Ferrari a few times. But this is Hamilton's sixth race with Ferrari and he's already losing his beep over it and just can't take it anymore. And it's kind of, being sassy back.

And I know they had this kind of they had it in Australia, didn't they? They had a field day playing all his radio and going, oh, this is, you know, it's a big thing and he kind of dismissed it. But it is a thing because

he had that amazing relationship with Mercedes and Bono and they were just so in sync with everything. This is the opposite where Hamilton's going, you know, what are you guys doing? Hurry up. Make the decision. Taking far too long and then, yeah,

just getting sassy with them. It's just ridiculous place for Ferrari to be, isn't it? It's ridiculous. Hamilton did have some good fun before the race started, as I've just literally seen pop up on my feed, Hamilton posting the video of his POV of the driver's parade with the Lego cars. Oh my God, the driver's parade.

And just seeing the Alpine's front wing disintegrate from his POV. It's just absolutely. amazing. So I feel like that does definitely need a shout out as well. Big up to Lego. 40,000, was it 40,000 or 400,000? I can't remember. I think it was 400,000 pieces per car. So it was four million pieces on the track and actually made them work. And that was the best drivers parade I've ever seen. But Hamilton definitely had the most fun, I think, doing that. And not so much all had the most fun. I've never seen

the 20 Formula One drivers all just beaming with laughter and smiling and just having the best time ever. They're just awesome. They are just big kids. And we mention about, you know, dirty air. I put this on my Twitter. I mentioned about it. Dirty air, wheel to wheel, cars are too wide, cars too fast.

We had the best wheel to wheel racing in Formula One that we've seen in years. He had four wide down the straight. Neck and neck. This is what we need. Formula One needs to be 20 KPH Lego cars and Formula is fixed. Done.

There's no dirty air at that speed. I can tell you that for free. Only slip stream, although probably not pretty weak. Question from

At Them Zero Zero. From 1 to 10, how much of a circus is Ferrari at this point? Now, and obviously we're joking about the team radio, joking about this,

that and the other. What I want to touch upon in terms of the circus is the pace. The pace is just non-existent and I have just seen a quote Oh no.

Where Fred Fassur Fred Fassur believes that the balance, they didn't get the balance right yesterday and that there is still potential in the car. If I hear that one more time that there is potential in the car, honestly, just get me as CEO of the Ferrari Formula One team, I will just tell everyone to stop working.

Just save every penny and put it into next year. Okay. No more. Done. There's potential... Come on. Yeah.

As Fred... I'd urge Fred to go on Formula 1.com slash results slash 2025 slash races slash Miami. They were 60 seconds off the lead. That is not potential in the car. Yeah, but there is potential

that hasn't been unlocked, mate. That's... Okay. So, yeah. That's a lot of potential, 60 seconds. of pace over a race win. They finished behind a Williams.

They finished behind a Williams. They're racing the other Williams. It's an absolute joke. I mean, the only thing, in terms of the incident, the only kind of thing here is the fact that it took so long for them to let Hamilton through. That was disastrous. We know Ferrari spent far too long with the We Are checking or rather than making these bold, big decisions straight away,

always been their downfall. I can feel a little sorry for them the way it worked out that Hamilton was quick on the mediums and then as soon as he actually got past, his mediums went off, so then LeCleur was quicker. And that is a difficult kind of position to manage. But they just needed to be more decisive and quick with it. And that's why the drivers got so frustrated and Hamilton in particular that he didn't get to make the most of his medium tyres and then he dropped back. But it's just, you're absolutely right. The, the search. as part of Ferrari is the pace. They are so slow.

You know, we joke as a meme. This year's our year. Next year's our year. Next year's our year. At this point, I'm really struggling to see how Ferrari haven't. Well, actually, you know, I can see quite clearly why they haven't.

But it's a bitter pill to swallow. And, you know, I've just said about, you know, let's spin it off and go to 2026. I've just read that there will be upgrades for Imola, a small step in Imola, and then another step in Barcelona. We're spending all the money. We're spending all the money for 2025

to beat Williams and the constructors. The fight's on. The fight is on. The fight is absolutely on between... Let's roll into the next question from P1 Patreon member, Captain Obs 3-420. Is the Williams hype real? I have said from day...

I'm wearing a Williams top right now to celebrate just how awesome they have been this race. But I've said from day one the minute James Vowls went in, for those of you that watch on the watch long, he's known as Daddy Vowls. He...

I saw... I just saw something in him that just screamed leader. That screams a potential goat team principle in 20 years. Yeah, I think he's just got so much, because it's not necessarily, he's got the technical brain, but he's also got the people brain as well. He knows how to manage people.

He knows how to make people feel important. I felt important when I met him. He went round the room, years ago when I met him, and he shook every single person's hand in the room. And it's little things like that that can piece together a team to push forward in one direction. I know it sounds a little bit like, really, Matt, you know, you just look at people in the eyes and shaking them around.

No, that's what a leader does. They bring a whole team together. They get the motivation up. And this is exactly what we're seeing in terms of the results now. He's been there long enough that he's been able to rip out of the roots of Williams, all these old bits that have been there for ages. He's moved the factory forward massively as well. And it's no surprise that they're doing much better now.

And not just that. The drivers, they've got Albon, of course, has been around Williams for a little while, but for them to have signed Carlos Sines, that just tells you in itself, again, what James Vals brings to that team at the helm to sign a driver like Sines, who's come from Ferrari.

So they're looking very good indeed. They are. This is a team three years ago that were just the biggest meme on the grid. They comfortably last in the Constructors' Championship three seasons ago. Not a prayer of scoring a point pretty much all the time. And they have finished the race in P5 and P9. Alex Album, by the way. Oh my word, he needs a huge amount of credit.

my driver of the day. And also, Alex was one safety car infringement away from getting a P4 in the sprint as well. Huge credit to Alex Albin, but back to Williams, yeah. The James Vow's effect really is coming in. And you're right. That team must have been just awful to go into every race and just so downbeat and thinking, we're never going to score a point. what even is the point.

Now they're on Cloud 9 with two great drivers. What must be, because there'll be a lot of employees there that were, you know, there during that absolute awful phase where they were absolutely rubbish. And now they're watching them. I know that they're, you know, Mars off the leap, but they're never going to be fighting for the win in the midfield. Fighting Ferrari. It's crazy.

And a Mercedes as well, finishing ahead of Mercedes in Albin. Absolutely. So well done Williams. The hype is real and I hope they continue to do well. I really do. Next question, P1 Patreon member 12. Aston were years behind everyone else. What has happened to them this year? Look, we are just seeing, like I said with Ferrari that they should do, tools down, let Adrian Newey cook. That's the only thing. That'll be two things on their whiteboard and those are the things. Just a little Adrian Newey is cooking. just let it, don't spoil anything, not too many chefs in the kit, just, just Nui. And fair enough, right? You know, they finish lower in the championship standings. Doesn't matter.

More wind tunnel time. Thank you very much. We'll have a bit more of that into the new regs. Thank you. Genuinely, it does seem that way that they've just given up on this year. And Alonzo, I mean, it's a waste of a season for him. Don't get me wrong, he's still on zero points. And again, I'm going to bring it up, Tommy.

is Lance Stroll the number one driver there. Stop baiting me. As we go through the season, it's a question you've got to really be asking. Lance scores points in the sprint. Alonzo's in the wall. Yeah, I know he got heated by Lawson. Yeah, and why was he in the wall?

Yes, Alonzo was on his way to some points. And why did he not get points here? I'm kidding. I'm obviously just baiting me. Yeah, I know. I'm baiting me. And I will, I will bite the whole rod off. I will eat that bait every time.

Yeah, it's, it's painful to watch how. Aston Martin when you think, you know, we're just talking about Williams and how, well, they've swapped really, haven't they? That Aston Martin were best of the rest behind essentially Max Stape and Alonto getting all these podiums just two seasons ago. And now they are plummeted to pretty much look like they are racing the green wheelie bins in Salba at the back. No, they are the snotty wheelie bins as well now. There's four green wheelie bins in Salban and up Martin. Okay, the snotty ones and the... The sneeze bins and then...

The dark green bin, the recycle bins. And yeah, they are so bad, but it is all about... It is all about next season, but what is depressing, like you kind of mentioned there, is that Fernando Alonzo, I want to see him get win again. I want to see him get podiums and things before he retires from Formula One. and he it's amazing what he's doing but he doesn't have much time left although we joke that he'll go forever and and this stuff but he doesn't have much time left and it's just a waste of a year watching him

who you know he know he's got got the talent and he shared that in 2023 in particular and even though he obviously is getting roasting now and I know we said that you know you're abating me and stuff but whatever but you know it's not because he's been terrible. He's been incredibly unlucky and Strould's had those good chaotic races where he picks up points but yeah it's a shame to see

Aston Martin but I mean I absolutely called it in the predictions that they would be useless and the 50 point prediction is looking very much on at the moment particularly if they're going to even give it up even more Yeah but tell me you know mathematically speaking they are on it's going to be close If they can get 13 points or so

over the next three quarters of the season, mate, it is looking like it's going to go down to the wire. I will be cheering on for Lance Stroll P8 in Abu Dhabi if they need four points. You just know, don't you? Yeah, Lance has a miraculous drive to get 50 points on the board. I will knee slide across my room

if that happens just so that your prediction doesn't come true. Next question, and it's more of a statement, but we'll put it in. Patreon member Waffles Risa. Good TV direction. Honestly, I bow down to the TV direction of this race. Apart from one point where they're trying to transition. I know exactly what you're going to say. The F1 transition. What was the overtake that was about to happen? So they did, they did, they did it right, actually, where I think it was maybe one of the McLaren's overtaking, maybe Antonelli, I think it was. And then they, realized that the Stappan and Oscar were going to go side by side. So they went for the mini box, but then they obviously realized, oh, this is a move for the lead. So we need to go to the main feed.

But then, of course, they have their swizzy fancy graphics, which lingered for a couple of seconds. I understand. I'll let them off because they could not have done a hard cut when they had a mini box and then a main box. They would have had to have done a wipe. So it's fine. If that's the only thing we have a gripe about TV direction, sign me up. Whatever you have done, F1 TV direction for this weekend, keep it. It was beautiful. It was terrible yesterday, but it was really good today. Literally today.

So whoever you fired from yesterday. But no, in all seriousness, I love the fact there were replays and then mini boxes. We had just everything felt correctly selected. Like they just went, let's get a will knowledge higher just real quick. Anybody, anybody you got some will knowledge. Come in. Right. So where do we move to?

It was brilliant. So there you go. Keep it up. We go to Imola in a couple of weeks' time. And, well, to be fair, you won't have much action to have to cut from. So I'm kidding. Please watch everything that Formula One do and also what B1 does. But it was better, wasn't it?

Oh, it was a lot better. We were very impressed. And, you know, we've raced TV direction a lot. So when it's good, we need to give them credit. And hopefully, it lasts throughout the season. The only slight gripe and a weird one was the timing tower again, which isn't TV direction, this is the timing. Slightly had a bit of a meltdown again. We weren't seeing the tyres throughout, which was a bit confusing because I hadn't clocked that George was on the hard tires at the start of the race.

And, you know, it shows how important it is to have that kind of data to see. I'm surprised, you know, considering talking about George, who did a miraculous drive to finish third, considering he didn't have pace. the whole weekend, of course, got slightly lucky with the virtual safety car. Surprised you haven't mentioned that Kimmy Anznelli nearly took the lead at the start. I thought you would have maybe just been singing from the hilltops because it felt as though like Kimmy got into second, but everything started, and then it just felt like he just started shaking for a couple of laps. It was like, oh, that was crazy, wasn't it?

Yeah, he was just so, you know, very much Antonelli and the way that he kind drives like super aggressive and I think even commentary said like Antone just needs to settle down a little bit. Just here just in the nose out through the mouth. Exactly because he was kind of all over the place at the start. He was defending a lot of fresh air but yeah it's a shame for Antonelli because he dropped back from Russell. He did get screwed over by the the the USC a bit compared to his teammate. Do I you know even as an Antonelly fan I can admit that George. did look quicker during the race.

That probably comes with, you know, the experience of the tyres and looking after the tyres. Antinelli this weekend has shown that he is absolutely rapid. Flopped it. Wait, what? That he is absolutely rapid, that once he gets, I'm not, you know, a little bit like Oscar Piastri, actually, that kind of when he first started, he looked mega, mega quick, but he could not for the life of him look after his tires.

And I think that is probably one of the big. biggest things that these rookies have to deal with. And it looks kind of very similar. And he will learn that. He's only 18. He's only going to get better. And yeah, it's still an impressive performance from Kimmy Antoni.

Yeah, the understanding of the Pirelli tyres is a difficult job. It's so different Formula 2, isn't it? So that's like such a big step. Considering we're still talking about lap 1, before we get into predictions, I feel like it's obviously worth mentioning the Lawson-Douin incident as well.

or of course, Duan sticks a nose in. I think it was battling for around 14th place. And then sadly for him picks up a front left puncture, which means you can't even get round and back to the pits. So doing just getting involved in an incident that you just think, I know he's trying to really impress. And there is obviously an element of quite a lot of cars going into term one, especially in that part of the pack.

but my sort of overarching feeling is keep your nose clean doing and have a have something that doesn't put a black mark against your name because there have been

a little bit too many of them already this year but sadly for doing didn't even finish a lap he didn't and I know I think to be fair to him is one of those kind of first corner it gets very tight

he's alongside Liam Lawson who's a very aggressive driver as well. But yeah, I think there is a time and a place where you need to think maybe I just saved my car here for turn one and not do a huge amount of risk because doing, after such an impressive quality, he's added another kind of another crash

and, oh, it's not looking good for him because it's a shame because he has shown a little bit of something. thing, but it's just too many, too many errors. Certainly is. It did show some, again, there's like small windows of promise. And I think if he didn't have the whole colapinto thing over him. Yeah, you'd be, you'd go, okay, he's outqualified Gasly. Let's give him more time.

Hopefully by the end of the season, he'll be up to speed. But we don't feel as though that's actually an option for him. Fingers crossed, he still gets a few more races for Jack doing, but we'll wait and see on that one. Okay, let's go, if we have to, to the predictions. Currently it's 1311 to Tom Bellingham. Let's go to a good surprise, where I have gone for Lando Norris. It was pretty surprisingly good, the sprint, there wasn't it, won the sprint in the, in the pits, and then finished behind his teammate.

No, you can't have it for that. I know, I know. A first and a second, and I don't get a good surprise. I did see, I didn't see to be fair to you. A lot of people were like, you can't have Landon Ores for a good surprise because he's in the best car. But if he'd have won everything, of course it had been a good surprise. Like, you can't just, you just can't count out those drivers.

I had to clean sweep the weekend. Yeah. And if he'd have won the race, you know, you'd have got it because he'd won the sprint. And Oscar was off the back of two wins on the truck going into Miami. Exactly. If he wins the race and. and wins the sprint, that is a good surprise. So yeah.

Speaking of a good surprise, Antonelli, and I'm taking it. I've bottled it in the sprint. Bottled it? What do you mean bottled it? He got crushed into your buying stuff. I have never seen a bite like it until today.

Wow. Goodness gracious me. He nearly swallowed his microphone, Tom Belligan. I know. I'm taking that. That's a point. Yeah,

no, you do. Yeah, for sure. I will allow it. I've never seen so many people, you know, from what is essentially a, it's the statement poll position, isn't it? And he's not had the best of luck in the two races. But the definition of a surprise, I think this is the weekend where people are gone.

Oh, wow, Antonelli's good. I will allow it. Because, yeah, if he hadn't got sprint pole, I might have argued it. Yeah, yeah, I think so. Okay, a big flop. I went for Antonelli point. So he was on pole for the sprints, didn't win the race. We can get close.

and then finish 15 seconds behind his teammate after starting ahead of him. So I think it's a point for both. I don't think it is. But it is hilarious, isn't it? How it's happened again, your flop. We posted a little cheeky little edit of it where it's kind of you going,

Lewis Hamilton, and then we're like, Lewis Hamilton wins. And it's like, Maxis Osteppen, Maxisthapent, Paul. And then Antonelli happened again, crazy. Oh, I literally was like, okay, I'm just going to stop going for the big dogs. I'll go for a rookie, Antonelli, and he gets sprint pole.

It's an absolute joke. So yeah, no points of me. I went for Red Bull, and I thought they were going to be terrible, but Max put it on pole. They're still rubbish in the race, really, and don't have the pace of the Clarence, but it's definitely not a flop.

Not a flop. Let's go to Sprint Pole, where I went for Lando Norris, which is incorrect. Indeed. And I went for George Russell. Imagine if either of us had gone for Antonelli is just like the rogue shout.

then we would have had comments going. I mean, you had rogue shouts, but you just didn't do it for... No, exactly. I went for a Mercedes. Half a point. No, I'm joking. Sprint winner. I went for Lando Norris.

Get in there. A bit of luck. And that's... I needed some luck because I was not on for much. And I went for George Russell, which did not happen. He was actually very off colour this weekend compared to... I mean, still finished there. Which is mad they got paid in.

And you kind of feel like it's kind of a bit of a disappointing week. can for George, but he's still got a podium, which is showing what great form he's in this year. Poll position, I went for Lando Norris. Incorrect. And I went for Oscar Piastri, as if we went for two McLarence and neither of us got a right. We did. And our top three, in third position, I went for Charlotte Clare. That went well. That went really well. That went so well. I went for George Russell, which was correct. Oh, you. You thought I hadn't scored anything then.

in second I went for Oscar Piastri and that was a no and I went for Antonelli and uh no and then first place I went for because I was forced to change it Max for Stappen and I thought wow

we actually could be on for something but no sadly not and I went for Landon Norris which was wrong we go to one crazy prediction where I said and got through this through the net pretty beautifully McClaren not on pole which theoretically

it is the fastest car on the grid it's closer in qualifying it's not like an absolute rule break this one but you allowed it I'm actually I'm actually gonna say something here

and I'm annoyed at myself and I think you deserve a point because I'm an idiot and I can't believe I know I deserve a point because of manipulation You deserve a point because how did I not know my own favourite drive?

I got two poles and then I could have got because I just was like, oh yeah, one pole and then I was kind of on the fly thinking about it. And I think if we'd have actually gone through it and gone, is that really a crazy prediction because it's been 50-50? But I was stupid and allowed it. I mean, I've got to take my pain. Yeah, I mean, Lando was one corner of. away from getting pole at the literal last corner where he rode the curb too hard.

So yes, it was close, but I get a point. And my one crazy prediction was for Stappen finish his seventh or lower in the race. And it happened in the sprint race. Yeah, well, that's not true. Get zero points. That is, you know exactly what you meant. What is, I know, and what's so annoying, that is peak me, though, because that, if that happened in the main race, because we said, didn't he,

he'd not finished a race of any form outside the top seven since 2020. And I think it was the first time he's ever finished a race in any form outside, where he's been outside the points since 2016. I think it was or something. Insane. But I am an idiot and specified in the race. Wow. That is madness.

That is a serious crazy prediction. And it didn't come in. our Patreon prediction. So I went for no teams outside the top four teams score points in the sprint. And that did not happen because Sonoda got knocked out in Q1. Indeed. Fun. And I went for Lorone's rookie podiums in either the sprint or the race.

And how did that not come true? By a Red Bull traffic light. You had two opportunities and both of them failed. And today was so good this weekend as well. I can't believe it didn't happen. Well, you know, I would have had bot us. the podium to drink the champagne for him. I was conflicted because obviously I want Anthony to do well.

It's a great story as rookies, but I also don't want you to do well. So I was very conflicted as to what I wanted from this race. Anyway, let's go another family top three. It's currently 4-1 to the Bellingham's. They are dominating proceedings. In third position, my dad went for Piastri, so that is wrong. My wife went for Landon-orris, wrong. No.

Second place. My dad went for Vastappen, no. And Katie went for Russell No And then first place My dad went for Lano Norris

That is obviously incorrect And Katie went for Oscar Piastri Which is correct So it's 5-1 I think

Katie almost got the top three Exactly right She went Piastri Russell Norris Yeah It could have been

An absolute Masterclass Now I said this joke on the Watchalong And that I would get my three Don't confuse me

I'm getting old I'm 36 but I'd get my three-year-old daughter to do the next family top three to make it close because the belly is running away with it. I'm actually going to print out a sheet for and get to point three. That is going to be absolute gold in the next predictions episode. I will do it for the good of the championship. You're welcome. She's going to imagine she gets all three right.

Imagine the scenes. Well, she's definitely just going to point at the Alpines because they're pink. So if it's a do-in, ghastly one, two, we're cooking. So what is the actual predictions championship as well? So how many I scored? Predictions championship, you scored one. Two. We scored two each, I believe.

Two each? Okay, so 1513. So the same. The social graphic will go out to confirm everything. So two points in it between myself and Tommy. Tommy leads that one. But the bellings are clear in the family top three at the moment. So that is it.

A big shout out to our patrons who are now going to get a little bit more of premium waffle from us to answer a few more questions from you guys about the race and things like that. But for those of you listening on just the normal platforms,

thank you so much for everybody, for everybody, for everyone, for listening, everybody. It's tired. It's tired. I'm tired. Tommy,

what are your final thoughts? My final thoughts are I can't believe it is 10 past midnight and maybe it's just because I enjoyed the race quite a lot that I'm feeling quite awake for the 10 past midnight. Normally I'm absolutely destroyed. I'm cooked.

Nothing to do with Ferrari being. Maybe the depression of it all is just. Just stop bringing them up for once in your life. You know, just kicking him out when he's down, aren't you? I'm a Williams fan anyway, as I said, as you can see with my merch. Well done, Williams. And so there you go. Thank you, everybody, for tuning in, as always.

We'll be back for our next race review in a couple of weeks time for him. similar but of course more podcasts coming your way between now and then see you soon lots of love take care bye bye bye b1 is a stack production and part of the acast creator network