P1 with Matt and Tommy - Reaction to Miami GP sprint qualifying

Episode Date: May 2, 2025

Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest ever pole sitter in F1 history! (we’re going to count it, right?)He’s something special. But can he keep the McLarens behind him in the Sprint?Let’s dive into it!You can listen to an extended version of every Race Review podcast 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. And well, well, well, Miami, you got something. You did it, didn't you? You're locked and loaded something. Obviously, the Lando victory last year. And they've started strong, well, especially for you, Tommy. You are buzzing right now, aren't you, my friend? I know, yeah.

What a Sprint quality kept changing throughout the whole session as well, which was a big surprise. Yes, and who else was a big surprise was Kimi Antonelli. All right, mate, relax yourself. Could still flop from there. But we'll get into that a little bit later on. Let's start with SQ1, shall we, with a bottom five, stroll, Duhin, Sonoda, Bortoletto and Bearman. Let's go straight into a question as well.

P1 on Patreon member 1007, How did so many teams end up with drivers getting caught up so badly in traffic at the end of SQ1? It feels like especially Yuki and Jack just got massively screwed over by their own teams. It's, I, I don't really understand the full frustration that Dewan was showing. It felt slightly mismatched with the situation and the actual scenario at hand of it being a sprint quali. And it was utterly chaotic in that pit lane.

Like someone was going to fall foul of that. Doing as well coming out of the pits from what I understand and what I've seen. Yeah, that's my understanding. He missed the turn. He had to then be rolled out. Some more drivers got through. Now, I'm sure there were other reasons and very fair reasons for him to be upset. But for me, I was just sat there going, why is he so upset about this?

Is it because something else is going on in the background? Obviously, we've spoken about it the entire season. But it felt as if maybe something has happened. Yeah, because he was more animated than probably he should be. like you alluded to, sprint qualifying, are you going to score a point anyway? Is it entirely pointless for these teams? That's one kind of argument to be had.

But yeah, it looked like he kind of missed the turn which dropped him back. You know, my question is, why the drivers, obviously we mentioned doing and why that happened, but doing Sonoda, Bortoletto and Bermann were basically the four drivers that missed the line and were the four in the drop zone, why would you not be sitting at the end of that pit lane to make sure you're out to make sure you definitely get a lap and you don't get held up in traffic?

Because there was always going to be a mad rush. There was a mad rush literally at the start of qualifying to even get out there. So there's always going to be this mad rush that you run the risk. And that obviously happened with Yuki as well. Weirdly, Yuki kind of slowed down for Max as well and then missed the line. Yeah, that was a bizarre situation. I think out of all of those drivers in the bottom five, my question would be for Red Bull in particular.

You know, they can afford to put, well, you would think they can afford to put Yuki wherever in the queue. It doesn't matter if he doesn't need to be last over the line. It's not like he's lacking, well, maybe he's lacking speed this weekend, but he's in a Red Bull. You just want him to get over the line and to start the lap. Yeah, the Max thing was a bit strange because Max was sort of tuddling into the pits. And yeah, it just, it was weird, wasn't it, to see four,

of the five drivers, I think it was, out before we even had the last flying laps. So yeah, one to forget, I'd say for a bearman as well, crashed in free practice, starts last. I'm sat there. He's my biggest good surprise of the season.

I'm going, one weekend, I'm like, yes, he's brilliant, he's scoring points, and then he just has these absolute stinkers come out of nowhere as well, and I hope for his sake he'll be able to bounce back tomorrow. And of course, Lance Stroll. I mean, Lance Stroll out of SQ1, are we surprised?

No, we are not. Well, he did get blocked, didn't he, by Max? Yeah, that would have changed everything, I think. So, anyway, that's SQ1 done and dusted. We now move, no, actually, I lie. There is another question. P1PATRIM member, Cap Ted Obvious 3420. How did Max not get a penalty for the SQ1 shenanigans?

He didn't get a penalty because none of the other drivers were on a lap. So that's the difference. Straw was. Oh. Lancy Boy. But that was, was he fully blocked, though, realistically? Well, yeah. He was there.

He was in the first sector, right? If I remember incorrectly. No, no, no. This was the final heavy breaking zone corner where Lance had to go round Max. So Max was basically going down the main straight and Lance had to basically go offline and go around him. Okay. So basically Max had the Lando Norris incident, which Lando reported, but then you can argue that, you know, Landos already made it through, so they sometimes allow that, and they don't really care too much.

But the Stroll one, yeah, he's going down the main straight and basically had to... Yeah, I can see a screenshot now. He's gone offline to overtake him into the hairpin. This is after a breaking marker as well. So I'm surprised, because Stroll was trying to get a lap completed and be enough to basically make it through. and you've got to say you're losing time there basically having to go offline while Max wasn't so surprised that there's no

nothing even not even investigated by the sound of it yeah SQ1 was so chaotic I miss that one but now I remember it happening and also the TV direction was terrible but we're getting to that at the end TV direction if you are wanting a rant TV direction stay tuned

but I think that is on reflection, a slam dunk penalty because Max is sat on the racing line he's forced a driver that's on a flying lap to go onto the dirt to then come back to the racing line for the braking zone which isn't even that far away

so why has he not been investigated I actually have no idea maybe the TV direction the TV directors and the stewards are just on the fake marina having a party Perfect insight. That's what everybody signs up for the P1 podcast. But yes, very strange. And I wonder if there will be more questions raised going into tomorrow as to why Max wasn't even investigated for that one. Maybe it's, you know, congratulations, Max. You're a dad now.

You get one free pass. You get one free. Yeah. You're thinking about the kid. I get it. I get it. SQ2, the bottom five in this session were Holkenberg-Ockon, Gassley, Lawson and Signs. P-1 Patriot member, Taito Hardy asks, is the gap between Lawson and Hajjar starting to become concerning? In this day and age of Formula One, absolutely. I think Hadjar is doing a phenomenal job after the heartbreak that was Australia. He is rapid, especially in qualifying. He is so quick.

And this is exactly the kind of potential that teams want to see. Lawson, on the other hand, all I saw on the team radio that was at least broadcast was him saying, oh, that was so bad. You can't be qualifying six-tenths behind your rookie teammate. I know Lawson obviously still has not a lot of experience either, but he has more. And I was expecting more from him so far since his demotion, promotion, whatever you want to call him, call it to V-Carb, because he had shown signs of promise. And that's the reason why he got the call-up for Red Bull.

but perhaps that whole experience for him has really rocked the boat so far. Yeah, he's not had that bounce back like Pierre Gassley, for example, when he got demoted and then ended up just straight back into the kind of lower team and delivering great performances. And we thought that might be a big boost of confidence for Lawson, but it's kind of been the opposite. He had a better race last time out and was more, you know, and close to Hadja at the end.

but yeah disappointing qualifying again and very impressive from from Hadjar to make it into P9 and Hadjar's only

going to get better and better exactly as well I think as well Carlos Sein's worth mentioning he made a big mistake on the brakes that poor tyre wow the amount of smoke

that came out of that I was almost wincing I was really feeling sorry for that tire you didn't normally see a lockup that huge yeah you're like oh it's almost like chalk down a board

you know it was almost like But yeah, signs, no time. Another mistake. He has been looking decent, at least the start of this weekend in practice. He looked fast. And he has been seeming as if he's getting on top of that Williams finally. But a very costly mistake because with how short these sessions are, you make a mistake like that.

You're out. It's as simple as that. Yeah. Yeah. Shocking for science, especially after he had a really good performance last time out. And we're like, okay, Carlos is back. This is the Carlos week.

but a big error from him and I think another guy that has to get a shout at is Nika Holkenberg to put the the green wheelie bin that now has an even more kind of yeah yeah sick whatever you want to call it still looks still looks better than the Ferrari but um okay all right it's true okay that's fine but you don't have to constantly say that straight after you did it on the watch along and you've done it again now on the podcast any other time it's gonna crawl into It's just awful. It's just awful. It needs to be in the bin. Fair enough. But Holkenberg, shout out. What a performance. You also didn't decline my bed offer. But yeah, Holkenberg, that was...

Why would I? You've got a medal. This medal? What was that for? That is from the London... Anyway, Yeah, Holcombberg did a phenomenal job. He was so close to getting through to SQ3. Ocon, a settler of a performance in qualifying for P12, considering he... He's had some shockers so far on a Saturday. So, yeah, decent job for Mokon.

And then Gassley, very, very middle of the road. And this is another thing, right, where I'm like, Gassley qualified 13th, Jack Dewan. Relax yourself, bro. He's literally four positions ahead of you. And his head has come fully off of his shoulders as if Alpine could have got pole. Yeah, and they're not getting, they're not got pace. Yeah, it's very weird.

It's not as if he was going to really out-qualify Gassley or, you know, be much further ahead if he did. Okay. Let's go to SQ3 and the top 10 where Antonelli, Piastri, Norris, Vestappan, Russell, LeClair, Hamilton, Albon, Hadjar and Alonzo. It has to be Kimmy Antonelli. We got to talk about it, straight out the blocks. Wow.

What a lap. He has been on it since lap one around here. It's been the first time where you genuinely sat there and went, okay, he's on George's pace going into qualifying course we only have one practice session but you saw it immediately and George said it in his post

sprint quality interview he said Kimmy's been quick and he's had some some serious confidence that I don't think we've seen so far and it's only race what number six now or weekend number six so phenomenal job

from Kimmy. It's not like it came out of nowhere he looked great in SQ1, SQ2 and then in the final session as well and to deliver it with just one lap beautiful yeah yeah really good from from Antonelli the yeah he's he obviously went into the season so hyped up by me included um but i think that over hype you were the conductor of the hype train well i was actually the conductor of the the he got hyped up so much that then people were kind of like slating him saying he was really overrated and and shouldn't have been there

and it's too early and stuff so i was kind of as saying like no I think he will do well and it's the right decision and yeah what what a way to basically like deliver to to to Mercedes for making that huge kind of taking that massive risk to go for him and he's had a good season as well up until this point not not been you know unbelievable and matching like a like george but to go into this already and and we know now how difficult it is to overtake at Miami and how difficult it is to overtake full stop in 2025, he genuinely has a great chance to win the sprint as well because it's difficult to pass. He's, you know, the tyres you don't have that problem of like having to take tyres really long, for example. And he's also

your biggest, well, I guess so in the heat. Sprints are worse. Sprints are worse for that because you have to go the whole stint length, even if it is longer than what you would do. And it's the softest compound attire as well this weekend. So I know that your Kimmy sort of hype train brains gone like, yeah, everything locked, sign sealed, the limit, easiest win of his life. Thank you. I don't think it would be that easy.

But I meant more like the strategy chaos and stuff. But yeah, I guess you're right, yeah, because he had the problems in Bahrain. He has to whisper those tires. He does have to whisper those tires. But, oh my word, yeah, what a thing is, though, as well, it's an amazing performance when a lot of people were struggling put three tenths on George and we'll discuss later.

George maybe missed a great opportunity to get a poll for himself. But yeah, what a huge statement to be in P1 already at 18 years old. Absolutely. Yeah. Some people calling him the youngest poll sitter. I'm not sure it quite counts as that. I know that you can say the youngest sprint, whatever. I don't know how you want to call it. The youngest person to be P1 in a qualifying session.

Yeah. Sprints have kind of ruined all stats forever now. But it really has. So it does, yeah. It's kind of like Oscar with his first win, wasn't it? Of like, is he a race winner or is he a race winner but not a Grand Prix winner? But hey, hey. M.G Piper asks, does a poll from Kimmy prove that the hype around him was correct?

Yes. It's done. It's done now. He's had a really decent start to his rookie season. And now he's taking it to another level where you go, oh, wow, he's special. Because to do that on a sprint weekend with one. practice session. He's never driven round this track before in his life.

Yeah. Yes. That is as simple as that. Because sprints a lot of the time, we kind of give rookies a bit of a benefit of the doubt that they don't get as much practice time like we normally get where you get three qualifying sessions. So for him to deliver it then, just superb. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

Next question. P.1. Patreon member Alan Enderpe. Is Russell regretting not going out for a second flying lap? could have possibly gotten poll with it. So I was hoping he was going to be asked this after Quali when I mentioned previously what he had said about just generally his feelings after Sprint Quali. Sadly, I haven't seen his answer if he has, and he will, I'm sure the media will ask him.

It seemed like an easy decision to make. It's not as if he had to go in and use another set of tyres. Max Verstappen went out there, did his lap really early with George, and then toood around for a couple of, couple of double, I think he did a double call to then push one more time and gain four tents. I know some of that was just probably due to his, his poor last sector that he did on his first lap. But it seems like a bit of a misstep from Mercedes and George, not to at least

give yourself a try, even if you are two seconds off because your tyres are cooked. Just keep yourself in the, in the mix to give it a go. Yeah, a strange one. I could have understood it if, well, It's just weird because I get why him and why Russell and Vostappen went for it because we've seen traffic issues. We discussed it in, you know, SQ1. And equally we were saying during the watch long, weren't we, that if we get a red flag, that's Russell and Vestappen won too, and they have to work out the rest based on SQ2 or something.

So it was kind of a, it made sense to do it, but why you wouldn't then have another go like Max did to try and improve. of your time, particularly when your rookie teammate is basically taken pole and you're three tenths behind when you've been the one that's normally quite a way ahead of Antonelli has to be said in a lot of the qualifying sessions this year. So missed opportunity for George for sure, but I guess as we always say with Sprint, you'd much rather happen in this one than the main run. That's the only kind of silver lining of a Doug Cloud if you like Mercedes.

That was definitely deliberate. You are quality, you are. Right, okay, let's go and just chat quickly about Oscar Piastri, who qualified second. And again, I'd love to tot up all of the qualifying gaps this year because it is absolutely obscene. Piaastri, less than half a tenth behind pole. And if you remember again in Suzuki, he was about 700th off pole and started third. So Oscar is just on the wrong side of. whole position a few times so far this season.

But once again, out qualifying his teammate by the smallest of margins, but getting the getting ahead of Lando. But I'm excited to see those two finally be on track together around a track that you might be able to overtake. I'm going in with Hopium rather than sadness. We will get on to Ferrari. You never know. The tyres are softer.

The tyres are softer. So it's going to be definitely a tire management race. And we mentioned that with Kimmy. There's no better place to start than on pole and having clean air to be able to manage that. Question from people on picture. Remember, C.C. Hollister. What is happening with the TV direction?

All right. You know what? I'm putting the medal on. Because TV direction don't deserve a medal. They don't deserve anything close to this. Because what on earth are they doing? I don't think I've shouted during a qualifying session as much as I did during that

and not just because, you know, Ferrari was on pole or excitement shouting, just frustration. Like, what are they doing? We had, and I know that sometimes they do stick with a driver because they're the first over the line to start their lap and then they feed their way back. Albon had started his lap.

We're looking at people on the pit wall. We had that, I think, in SQ2 as well, where towards the end of that session, we're looking at people in the garage. I'm like, there are people on laps. I am here to watch Formula One cars go round really quickly. But SQ3 just took the biscuit. You watched Hamilton's entire lap

when everybody else is on a lap and it is a one-shot quali, essentially, for most, just not Russell. Why are we watching Hamilton who has no hope in hell of getting pole? You have Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, right behind, follow him. And then what about Lando Norris? he's trying to catch up. He's trying to bounce back and win another. No, we're not going to watch him.

What about Max Rastaf and improving and going purple on his second or however many laps he'd done at that point on his soft time? No, we chose Hamilton who went second at the time. Whoopty-do. Everybody is flying out there. And as well, we had that weird like drone shot thing of the start line. Again, when Albon was on a lap, we were waiting for Hamilton to start his lap. Albon was there doing a per cent.

purple middle sector at the time, may I add. And we did not see a sniff of him. Just, and that's just some. I'm sure there are many more Tommy that you're going to add to. But it's just not good enough because it's not the first time we've complained about the TV direction. And I can sure as hell bet it won't be the last. It feels like it is getting worse. It's insane.

We've just witnessed Kimmy Antonelli as an 18-year-old rookie getting a, you know, a poll. And we saw about 0.2 seconds of his. lap as he crossed the line. Why there's no, you know, we have this conversation after seemingly every race at the moment where we go. They just need a bit of wheel knowledge to know when to cut to things because you can see how the race is unfolding.

The same needs to be said in qualifying. They need someone that goes, you know what? We're not showing Hamilton. It's nowhere. Let's cut to someone else because we want to see their laps and have, you know, Kimmy Antonelli was setting amazing sectors. and we saw none of his lap. Was the mini box utilised in the slightest?

I don't know. Yeah, they were showing Lando or Oscar, one of the McLaren's, I think. Right. But they're not racing Hamilton for polls, so it makes no sense, so you've not got like the dual thing there. So that doesn't make sense to me. Why you're showing Hamilton?

You can't even say it's the first guy across the line thing because Albin, like you say, had already gone, and they decided not to show him. They'd much rather show people, on their mobile phones in the crowd or people in the garage just sat waiting. Probably, I feel like the people in the garage just sat there watching the monitors going,

I really wish you'd show the blooming track. Please stop showing my face. I'm trying to watch the Formula One. Please stop zooming in on me and linger for about five seconds that becomes awkward. It should absolutely be illegal, especially in qualifying when they are going at the absolute limit of the car

to show anything other than, okay, the crowd a few times, I'll allow it. Fine. That's it. I don't need to see someone sat at a pit wall trying to watch the qualifying. There's nothing. It doesn't add anything for our experience.

It doesn't. And it's so bizarre as well why they choose to pick these shots because it's not like the mechanics or anything are doing something particularly crazy or, you know, if they're in IndyCar, for example, and I find it annoying that they're cutting to the crowd but in a way they're like they cut to people in the audience say it was like Kimmy Antonelli's dad or something

and he's going for pole and they're like cutting to him and his like facial Timmy Anthony's dad's going for pole Antonelli going for pole and you're kind of watching his dad's reaction at least there's kind of a reason to show something because it's emotion but watching bored people in the garage

that just want to watch because they're watching the monitor of what's live as well and they want to see what's going on on track. I'd love it if at one point someone's being filmed in the garage and they're going, that happened once. I remember that happening once. Back in 1974.

It was, yeah, it was. But no, I remember watching that thinking the same thing, that, you know, you had this amazing battle on track. They cut to a garage member and he was going, show the actual racing. What is their obsession with it? It's a proper, like, it's all right having all these camera angles.

and all these different things that they can do, but sometimes too many cooks, well, the broth, do you know what I mean? Like, we don't need, just because you've got a nose cam, we don't need to see it for an onboard overtake, just because you've got people filming the garage all the time. Yes, if something crazy happens, you know. Yeah, I'd like to see the pit wall if there's rain coming down and they are having to make a strategic decision

and it's all getting a bit chaotic. Fine, it has to have context. I feel like they just go, well, we can't just constantly. show the cars. Let's show something else because I don't think everybody just wants to watch the cars. Oh, let's look at this flag. Oh, lovely. And okay, now let's go to the... Just no, no, thank you. Anyway, I think that's popped off rather enough on the TV direction, but it's not enough. Bring on tomorrow when we see... Yeah, bring on tomorrow where we'll have another segment. We may even just have a TV direction segment from here on in. How was it? And we rate it out of

10. It could be in F1 driver ratings, maybe. Anyway, that's an idea for another time. TV ratings. They're always bottom of the list. And it takes up half the podcast. Right, that is it. We are done. Sprint, Qualley, in the locker. Tomorrow we have the sprint race and main quali. Can Antonelli, clean sweep it?

Wow, goodness gracious me. That's not a sentence. I thought I was going to be saying today. Tommy, what are your final thoughts? And please don't get too excited. Just bring it on because, yeah, the fact that we've somehow again ended up with, oh, it's the McLaren's, they're miles clear. And again, you know, they're not.

they're not on pole position and yeah, it's exciting. And also we didn't even mention the fact that I'd flopped Antonelli but that can still come in. It can. Maybe. My flop this year is an absolute disaster. But people are enjoying it.

It's quite fun. And there you go. So I'll be flopping LeClaire next week again or the week after, sorry. But I feel like he'll be the only person that won't have the anti-flop. It's just disgusting. I can't be bothered anymore with predictions. We're sacking it off filling. Right, thank you, everybody.

We'll see you soon. Lots, love to take care. Bye. Bye. My chore, mature. What is? My chore is to polish your medal. If you have a medal, go and polish it.

Okay. Tommy, do you have something to polish? Sake. That was you. You said that. Right. Go and polish your medals, says Tommy. But not that one.

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