The Late Braking F1 Podcast - A game-changing update to Audi's F1 entry?

Episode Date: February 9, 2025

The LB boys discuss the latest major update to the Audi F1 project and whether this instills more confidence in the team's 2026 entry to the sport. They also cover Netflix's rumoured bid for F1's US broadcast rights, Zhou Guanyu's Ferrari return, and the 2025 race start times. They finish with a game of Alphabetti... FOLLOW us on socials! You can find us on YouTube, Instagram, X (Twitter) and TikTok SUPPORT our Patreon for bonus episodes JOIN our Discord community JOIN our F1 Fantasy League EMAIL us at [e-mail]   & SUBSCRIBE to our podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Plus, get $1,000 Nissan bonus on kicks models. This Black Friday, you've got a whole month to catch all the exclusive offers waiting for you. See your local Nissan dealer or nissan.ca for details. Conditions apply. Thank you for listening to the late-breaking F-1 podcast. Make sure to check out new episodes every Wednesday and every Sunday. Welcome to the late-breaking F-1 podcast presented by Harry Ead, Sam Sage, and me, Ben Hocking, on this. I mean, at least here,

lovely and bright Sunday morning that I'm completely masking with all of my curtains. Wonderful. Have you got lovely sunny weather in your part of the world, Ben? Yes, I do. Because I don't.

Ben, Sam hasn't looked. I haven't looked outside again. It's wet. It's raining wet here. Yeah, same. Well, Cornwall doing us proud. Yeah, thank you, Cornwall. As mentioned, I'm really taking advantage of it

by not letting any of it in. You have got the Holy Glow around your blind, though, which is... The Holy Glow. The YouTube watches can see, begs Holy Glow. No, thank you. It's a real tourist attraction that's Holy Glow. I mean, that's enough British talk about the weather. Let's move on.

Let's start today's episode with a little bit on Audi and Salwood, because Salba are to open a UK base, year as owner Audi gets ready for its official entry into F1 in 2026. A statement said that the new technical centre would be in the so-called motorsport Valley in the southeast of England so Audi can tap into the engineering talent there. The statement also said the base would provide the team with access to the world's largest motorsport expertise and talent pool and establish a platform to collaborate with top experts and attract local engineering talent for the Audi F1 project. Salba has historically struggled to recruit engineers due to its

Swiss location, whereas most teams, except Ferrari, have some sort of presence in the UK. The new base will integrate with the team's design department, which remains in Switzerland, while Audi's engine operations continue in Germany. Sam, do you think this is a particularly smart move, or is it more of a necessary one that had to happen? It really makes me laugh at the idea that someone might be offering a job at Salba, and they'll decline it. You go, why? I just don't wish to move.

I get the head office, they go, gosh darn, that Swiss location. That this has become such a problem for them that how do you've gone? We're going to have to build the entire. I pick Milton Keynes. You're right? Switzerland said no one ever. One of the most gorgeous places in all of earth, Milton Keynes. Very similar, actually.

Very similar. Love around about. And Spurs is roundabout. Murray Hill. You decide which wings. Yeah, I mean, this is very sensible, I think. think it is a bit of an infamous problem that Saabre of encounter over the years that because they are nestled deep within Switzerland and it's almost excluded from the rest of the motorsport world

when you have got such a breadth of talent that does live within the UK when it comes to motorsport and their engineering when it comes to development all forms really and most of the teams sit within kind of about 10 miles from the next one for a reason it does make total sense to bring yourself to where the talent is rather than expecting all of the talent to come to you and uproot their whole lives. So putting almost a satellite base that is going to have a speciality, deep within an area that you know you can start to, you could burgle the talent from the direct rivals around you. What Red Bull did with Mercedes, for example, a few years ago and worked out bringing, Aston Martin very much now doing it from Red Bull themselves. It makes total sense to have

that development elsewhere and then you pick up that talent and bring it in-house. If how do you want to be a successful F1 base so they want to thrive for many years to come and do what Salman ever really could in Formula One, which is get past that kind of mid-table level, then yeah, they're going to have to make sure that they are pulling out all the stops and bringing as much talent up and down the areas of expertise that they need as they can. So I think this is a very smart move. I think they've done it at the right time because it avoids the cost cap for them because they're building it outside of when they enter into Formula One, which is a good point to do it out. You don't want to be waiting a couple of years and think, ah, in hindsight, we should have built this three years ago

and now we spent 50 million on a building. That's not ideal. So, yeah, this is smart, this is sensible and hopefully it keeps them in the game for longer and ensures that they are a major employer in the UK. If we're going to be very British bias, then having a, whee, having another, boy, you love it with a building, bright. Yeah, I mean, this makes sense all around for a business that's been part of Formula One. And also, it's great to see that we're going to have more employment here. in the F1 sphere within the UK. Harry, what are your thoughts?

Is this a clever move from Audi? Yeah, I think it is. And it also, you know, we've spoken before about, well, the rumors of their commitment to F1. And I think this helps shut them up a little bit if they're now deciding to build a base here in the UK as well. Yeah, like Sam says, I think it's a very, very sensible move to have them to have a base here. It is F1. F1 Motorsport Valley. It does exist in the UK.

And I think it is sensible to set up a base set up. And as you say, Sam, be able to poach the talent that is around. Because there are lots of, there are lots of people who work in F1 who don't want to move away. They don't want to move to the mountains of Switzerland. They love Milton Keynes.

But it is a fact. I think people, they don't want to. A lot of them have families. They don't want to uproot their lives. It could have been a strong contender for why Adrian Newey didn't go to Ferrari. So you hear it with Ferrari, right? It's Ferrari.

All that talent history. Yeah, they still even struggle to get people to come from the UK to Marangelo. And it's Ferrari. Yeah. And even when they do, you often have situations in Ferrari where they have people who work for them who don't go and live in Italy. And it's just a trickier situation to have. So I think it's this very sensible move from Audi.

And will allow them to just, yeah, approach the talent they want to. Obviously, they've already got Jonathan. a weekly who's going to be in charge. He is British. I mean, he can't just stay in the UK, obviously. But he clearly recognises that. And, you know, Rebel have been so successful, despite being an Austrian team,

rebel had been so successful being based out of Milton Keynes, that maybe that's a bit of his influence there coming on board. But, yeah, overall, very good call. And like I said, I think it's good to see that that is, they are committed to this. This isn't a, Nigo Hoggaberg's delighted. Thank God. They are committed.

Yeah, I think overall good call. Yeah, this feels like an obvious move, a sensible move, logical move for sure. I can't lie. This isn't fair of me to say this about Audi and Salba. It's a slightly disappointing move, just in that F1 should be and somewhat is a global sport. And having all of the talent concentrated in one small area, of the world to me has never quite felt right. It's logical, so I can't blame them for just joining what others have already done.

But it's a move that ever so slightly takes away from talent pools all around the world and concentrates it into this very small area of the UK. Again, it's not fair of me to just criticize Audi for this because they're only joining what others have done. But yeah, a small part of me just would like to maintain. the global element of the sport. They have, as already mentioned, struggle to find the best talent available because of their location in Switzerland.

So that's where the logical part of this comes in. And people matter. It sounds like an obvious thing to say, but a lot of the time, because we're so focused on what is happening out on track between, you know, drivers very specifically that we forget to focus on everything behind the scenes that gives them the necessary tools to, to fight for these championships. If we think back to Red Bull and Mercedes and the dominance going from Mercedes to Red Bull,

so much attention goes on to Vestappan versus Hamilton, Christian Horner versus Toto Wolf. People forget one of the major reasons that dominance switched was because what did Red Bull do? They pinched all the Mercedes employees that were winning them all the titles. So people batter and putting yourself in a position to poach some of that talent,

is absolutely a clever thing to do. Sam, you've already referenced that whenever people talk about Audi's big upcoming season, they talk about 2026, but it's 2025. That's the big year. That's the year they can make all of these infrastructure changes, upgrades, new bases, without falling under the cost cap.

Yes, Bonotto might be there. Yes, Wheatley might be coming. But they need to bolster the ranks significantly. They can't just go ahead with their. the same team that has got them to where they are right now because where they are right now is a long way off where they need to be. So, yes, it doesn't guarantee success for sure. I'm not saying that.

Toyota is a good example of a team that put in a UK base and it didn't pay off for them. But certainly having the combination of a UK base plus more of a household name of Audi compared to Salber in the sort of motorsport industry, in the sort of manufacturing. industry, I guess he could say, that will bolster them as a prospect compared to what they were before this move. Do you think, Ben, there's on a wider level, having this motorsport Valley is in some way a deterrent from Formula One becoming a fully global sport because it makes something like a team from Australia or somewhere from East Asia, Rodriguez got Haarsing America, much less viable because they can't share that talent as easily? Yeah, 100%. I do think it is.

especially like you could say oh well Australia if no other team is operating in Australia then they've got a massive talent pool to work with but then you consider how spread out people are like motorsport Valley is it covers about 50 miles as a radius you you know just being based in Australia let's say you're based in Melbourne doesn't mean you immediately have all of the talent available to you in Australia like that doesn't no path is absolutely miles and miles away and same with the US as well like You might be able to, as Hasse have done, they're based in North Carolina. You might have talent in and around there, but that doesn't mean you're easily accessible

for talent in Los Angeles. So I understand how the talent has all sort of got into one small sphere in the UK. But yeah, I do think it's a deterrent for others, or at least a deterrent in that if you don't set up a UK base, you're going to be at a disadvantage. Harry, how much of a game changer could it be? this will just allow them to almost catch up to the others or do you think it could be a bigger move than that?

I think in the initial, in the short term, I think this allows them to at least be on more of a level playing field than they are now. Salber, or steak or whatever you want to call them, have obviously always been operated out of Switzerland. They've had different guys over the years, obviously the Alpha Romeo livery effectively. They didn't really do much before that was BMW.

So they had the mighty BMW behind them. But Salba themselves have always been operated out of Switzerland. And without sounding too cruel, they've never had really any success. They've had a bit of minor success here and there. They picked up the one winner's BMW Salwa. But for the rest of the time, not much. So I think this, at least for the short term, allows them to be on that level playing field with the rest of the teams.

And then from there, who knows, it could be, it could be what helps them, helps them, you know, make the jump. As you say, if they are stealing, studying members of, that's not going to happen straight away. If they are starting to poach members from other teams, then that could be the game changer.

And you reference, Red Bull and Mercedes, it could be the, you know, that sort of situation there. So, yeah, I don't think straight away, it's going to, it's going to make a huge difference. But I think it will just allow them to be able to, now we can fight. to quote Fernando Onzo.

I think that will allow them to do that in the short term and then it's a good basis to go from there. Yeah, I would agree. I mean, the expansion of the pool is absolutely critical for them and it can lead to a domino effect as well. You know, I'm not saying it's like a Cornish fishing village in the southeast of England, but people talk and if one person goes from everyone knows everyone, right?

As long as one person goes, then that could lead to another three people. people going, those three people going could lead to another 10. Like, just being involved in the fight is critical for them. Even with them moving to the southeast of England, Sam, it increases the talent pool available, but it also increases the competition. We've already mentioned that Audi is a bit of a household name, but what is the pitch for Sauba slash Audi to these engineers, to these individuals to say,

you should leave the team you're at now that are having more, success than us, but you should come because of X, Y and Z. What's the pitch? I think Audi have the ability to use the household name element, right? They are a global manufacturer. They are known across multiple different championships and have success in so many different areas. And I think that is a key part of a door that they can open, which someone like Williams, for example, who they will be in direct competition with when they enter the sport, can't do. Williams have the history. They have the heritage within Formula One. That doesn't mean that Audi isn't going to go on to win championships first. There's every way that

You have more money than Williams. They have more of a talent pool outside of this immediate UK hub. You know, they have their, was it, Hillwell in Switzerland? They have their base in Germany as well that do their engines. So if you're massively into engines, you think, oh, well, why can I go and do six months in Germany and then do six months in the UK and I can learn far more. I can further my trade. Instead of if you're at Williams and you're working on engines, and you go, that's just Mercedes.

I don't have to say how to say I just have to say. I just have to accept an engine here, and I might get to tink with it a little bit to make it work for our car. There's a lot of opportunity at Audi being completely in-house. And because they are also their own manufacturer, both with engines and with the car, Bruce McClara, for example, he found in McLaren. It's obviously from New Zealand. And he came all the way to the UK, right? The hub is here, and the UK is in Woking. You know, it's not in New Zealand. There's a reason why you bring it here, and they've been so successful. But again, the difference between McLaren and Audi is Audi's 100% in-house. They don't have to buy any parts in. They're not working with other teams to make sure they

get their resources from them, which includes those engines, those gearboxes. The breadth of opportunity within a place like Audi, very much like Mercedes, allows for so much more growth, so much more opportunity, and so much more development. As an individual, if you are someone who's in aerodynamics or if you're someone who is in engines, you think, I love F1, I don't want it to be my career for the next 50 years. I know we're going to 10 years in Formula One. Okay, fine, you join Audi. Okay, what else has Audi got going on?

Well, maybe they're moving into insurance. maybe they're going into some form of GT3 racing. Okay, well, I love those things. Now, can I transition to there? Or vice versa. And it just means that Audi will almost have its own talent pool that could be shared and grown

that a lot of these teams won't have. If you look at your Williams, you look at your McLaren, who, despite being very successful right now, haven't broken the ceiling into the dominance that Mercedes and Red Bull have for a very long time. And I guess that's where Salbringishly have struggled because they were essentially,

a Williams. They were a McLaren. They came into Formula One in 1993, so later they're both Williams and McLaren, but they've had enough years now to mount some kind of challenge to create a successful push, and they've never done it.

That being because they've never had that groundwork in being in Motorsport Valley where they can pick up that talent. They've never had the direct investment, as we've already mentioned on the Alpha Romeo's side, but being W so wasn't there long enough. They've always had to legal someone fully to make sure that they are going to be successful.

It's never paid off. But now, they could be a real force to be reckoned with. And surely if you want to jump on early, see yourself in that opportunity early where you can really thrive in a growing enterprise. Now's the time to do it. Now seems like if you're looking for a new opportunity,

that could be very exciting. And you're having to travel half a continent away to do it anymore. Harry, with three locations in the mix, potential for inefficiencies if it's not managed well enough. Yeah, I'm thinking McClara and Honda type issues potentially. we've seen that Honda are going to, you know, have some sort of base over here for one there with Aston Martin. It, it, the, the potential's there. Having said that, Honda and Red Bull worked pretty well.

So it doesn't mean it has to be a disaster. But, you know, there is that, there is that worry. And, you know, Mercedes, Mercedes have their, their engine factory in Brexworth. So that's also, also in the UK, you look at Red Bull when they're, what they're going to do with Ford or their own power trains, rebel power trains, four power trains. That's based in the UK too. So there is that worry if you spread out over various locations. But they're Audi.

You suspect they'd be okay in managing that sort of thing. They've been here, not an F1, but they've been here before in motor racing, obviously with WBC. And you'd hope they'd be okay to cover, okay to cover ground over three. locations we also live in a different one I know made the reference to McLaren and Honda we live in a different world to we did in 2015 2014 you know we've had we had COVID we all we all like Zoom now so I think those are things issues at the past so don't push that too far liking zoom yeah I mean on the

flip side a modern example of it completely failing is is Alpine right somewhere I was going yeah yeah the Engstone base and then right it just doesn't work they've had to fold their entire English I can sell it off to get Mercedes, but there was also a long of chat about how the French contingent and the UK contingent don't particularly see eye to eye even when they're working together, and they sit separately inside their pit garage. So there can be a real clash of her cultures going on there if they don't get it right. Yeah.

100%. Yeah, Alpine was exactly where I was going as well. And that's, I appreciate Alpine are experts in managing to mess up literally anything. But that's two locations. how are you going to have one more to contend with? And with the greatest respect, Matea Bonotto, I still have my doubts.

Like, until I see it happen in front of me where the communication is perfect between the three locations, based on his time at Ferrari, am I full to the brim with confidence that Bonotto is going to manage this situation? I can't wait to be proven wrong,

but no, I don't have that confidence yet until I see it. So I think it's right. right to at least have some doubts about whether this is going to work. And yeah, Coms is going to be critical because they can't afford any, they can't afford for this to go wrong. Even early on, they can't afford this to go wrong. Let's take our first break on this episode.

On the other side, we're talking Netflix. Oh, chill. Without the chill. It's week three of Canadian tires early Black Friday sale. These prices won't go lower this year. Maybe too long. Freezing. Save up to 50% November 20th to 27.

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Okay. Okay, okay. Try the season's hottest flavors from the PC Holiday Insiders Report. Please feast responsibly. Welcome back, everyone. Netflix is emerging as a potential new home for Formula One in the United States, as the bidding process for live broadcast rights from 2026 begins. The streaming service has been key in growing the championship with the upcoming release of Drive to Survive's seventh season. Autosport understands Netflix is considering a bid for F1's live

streaming rights as ESPN's exclusivity period has expired. ESPN is expected to not renew its deal with Liberty Media, which currently pays $90 million annually. Drive to Survive, which premiered in 2019, became a big hit, of course, during the COVID lockdowns. The upcoming season may be the last that Netflix has a contract for, while a new docu-series on the F-1 Academy will also debut later this year. Harry, do you think this is a good move for F-1? one and for Netflix? Well, yes. For F1's exposure,

yes, I think it is a good move because you're going to expose it to people who, I don't know the figures, but there must be a lot of people who have Netflix who don't subscribe or buy ESPN in the US. Don't come at me if people do, if that's not true. The entirety of the US.

America is coming down with you know. But I would have hazard, I guess that's the way it is. So I think from an exposure point of view, I can see why F1 will be considering this. For Netflix, it's a win, obviously, to stream F1. They don't do a huge amount of streaming sport. There's been a bit, but it's not been massive. So this would be a coup, certainly,

if they can secure the rights to that. My only concern would be, and look, I'm sure Netflix would do a good job, but they're not they're not a sports channel and I worry how F1 might begin to be presented by a Netflix streaming service I'm not saying it will become like Drive to Survive which is you know sometimes bends the truth or exaggerates the truth you what somewhat ends the truth

come on I mean really bends the truth but I would I would and I'm not suggesting they would do this and I don't the F1 would let them, but I would hate for it that to seep into any sort of, and that drive to vibe is his own entity. It does a job. Streaming F1, it needs to be, it needs to stay as it is in terms of what is presented is what's happening. And I wouldn't want them to do anything to jeopardize that.

I'm not suggesting they would, but that would be my only concern. But overall, that's, it's the sign of the growth of the sport. It continues. I mean, to say this sentence. five years ago would be like, what, mad? But now it seems like quite a viable option. So overall, a good call. I just hope if it does happen,

they don't start playing random team radios over random bits of footage as they do in Dutters, drive sometimes, but I don't think they will. And put V8 engines over the top of the cars. Welcome to 2005. We're back. Kimmy Reikening will get flashbacks. It's like, oh, I'm up.

Take me in, boss. I'm in. Take me in. Yeah, it's bold, that's for sure, if this does come off. I think it would be a net positive with a couple of question marks. And to be honest, I think the question marks that you raise, Harry, are the same ones that I have. Drive to Survive has massively boosted visibility in the United States and indeed all around the globe. And it has, I think, more than just increased visibility.

It's really encapsured. a demographic that F1 has really struggled with over the last 20 years or so, which is this younger demographic. If you think back, let's say 10 years to like 2015, 2016, there was really like, remember like F1's social media presence or rather don't remember it because there wasn't any? Like they just did a horrible job or didn't even try capturing these younger fans. Drive to Survivors absolutely filled in that gap.

So the potential for an increase in reach from having it on Netflix is definite. There's also the potential, I guess, of different viewing experiences just based on, yes, Netflix is not experienced in the sports game, but they are experienced overall. There might be some added insights. There might be some added camera views, whatever it might be that Netflix could help provide. But I agree with you, the quality of coverage is definitely going to be the biggest question mark here. They are still new to this sports live streaming game.

I mean, they've got a couple of Women's World Cups coming up in 2027 and 2031, but of course that's not going to help them if this comes in in 2026. They had the, if you remember, the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight last year. But they had streaming issues with that. I don't say that went really badly, didn't you? Yeah. It ended up being like the most dreamed something of all time. And yet it had so many issues.

And then I guess in terms of a long-term deal, the most significant one is the WWE, more recently signing up to a 10-year deal. So that's only kicked off, I think, a month ago. So in theory, maybe 2026 would be the right time. If Netflix has a full year of producing weekly live-streaming television as a result of that programming, maybe that they can iron out the issues in those 12 months that remains to be seen. Sam, good move for F-1. Yeah, I think so.

I think so. I say that with some trepidation. ESPN weren't doing a bad job. They were averaging about 1.2 million viewers per race over 2024. That was an increase on 2023. I think they were on 1.1. So there is an audience there. But when you think about the population of America, what, over 350 million people living

in America and live in just the United States. That's a very large audience and you are missing a huge part of it. So I bet you there's more people that have a Netflix subscription, then watch Formula One on ESPN. And if you can market yourselves on the platform and go, give it a go, you like sport, you like other sport, well, it's here now, why you try it out? You have this access to a huge wealth of viewers that might have never tried Formula One in America. They might have even seen Drive to Survive advertised or gone,

oh yeah, I'll watch Drive to Survive, but I've got nowhere to watch the full season because I don't watch ESPN or I don't watch ABC or ESPN2. And therefore I go, oh, actually it's right there. I've watched Drive to Survive. And now it's streaming live. Next door to the thing I'm already watching. I just go over to that now.

But they have to maintain a lot of key things. The energy level has to be the same. People will be expecting a product, I think. If you come from Drive to Survive and go straight into Live Formula One on Netflix, you're expecting a tone of voice. you're expecting a certain presentation. It cannot be three 60 plus white men from the UK going, well, it wasn't like this in the 80s,

as much as veterans of the sport like us go, okay, there's some value there. We enjoy some of that. It also gets very boring, very quick. And you listening to this show, there's a reason why you're listening to this and got some other podcasts, because there are some that go,

because you're lost. It's clicked on the wrong thing. Well, I dig Formula One in the 70s. I'm like, I respect you for that. Also, it can be dull. So they have to present it in the right manner. You're right, Ben, to bring up the WWE and the fight that they has. You can't be having a streaming service.

Actually, Ben, you are quite a good advocate for this. You recently moved from NowTV to Sky, and you're going to be watching F1 on Sky TV. They cannot have a delay in that streaming service. Because of the implementation that social media now has on live. sport and the way group chats happen, the way our Discord happens, you can't be three, four minutes behind on a streaming service. You need to be within the second to make sure that someone watching your platform can see the action unfold within a second or two as to what the live stream on Sky, or whatever it might be around the world is watching it, because you can't be

two minutes later, a big crash. You imagine if you saw the 2021 Abidami Dammit moment, four minutes behind everyone else. Everyone was like, oh, we've really talked about it, mate. We've moved done. We're at the right end of the race. You're still at the safety car. That could break a person's experience of watching live sport unfold. So there's a lot of issues they can have to overcome. There's a lot of problems they can have to try and work out. But I do think from an overall consumer experience in America for growing Formula One, it feels like a very, very natural place for it to live. But I think ESPN is a mistake. I really do think they have a good chance to build something there and I think they've missed out. Give it to NBC.

and get Lee Diffy. There we go. Dan's sort of. And have that breaks every 30 seconds. True. That's where Tom Gamel comes in, of course. Or Tom Geymore. Harry, do you think Liberty will only be focused with the bottom line of how much they can get from this deal?

I mean, we're talking Netflix here, but there's likely to be other names in the mix as well. Are they just going to go all out, try and secure the absolute best possible deal from a monetary perspective? Or will they actually consider? where their product is going and the value of that. I think, I know cash is king in this business, but I think Liberty, the job they've done hasn't just been, I mean, it's made them money, obviously,

but it's been about the quality of the products that's made the money, not just, if you wanted to just make money, you do what Bernie and CVC were doing beforehand and just, you just make money from, you use it as a cash cow, and, you know, you go to circuits

that pay money extraordinary amounts of money to be there for a few years Valencia looking at you Yielnam you set it out to TV you know

pay-per-view TV channels there was no sign of streaming at that point it was just going behind payables and I know streaming is but it's different

isn't it because people are already paying for that service so if they wanted to do I believe Liberty would would do what's in there in the best interest to promote the sport. Yes, it will still make them a huge amount of mula,

but I don't just think they're going to do it for the money. So I think they'll do it based on what will expand our reach the most. And I suspect the Netflix deal will do that and also make them a lot of money along the way. So it's probably a win-win for them. But I don't believe that given all the work they've done so far, I don't believe Liberty will just going to take the best. monetary deal. Yeah, I'm choosing to be a bit less skeptical on this as well. I do actually think they will consider where their product goes and not just the number of the deal. The long-term

balance of the sport is really in the picture with this. It does matter. We don't know how long this next deal will last, but we are getting to the point of almost consolidating after some of the growth that the sport has had. So it's critical that whatever the next broadcast partner is, is able to continue the momentum that we've already got. And Liberty have proven in the past with ESPN that they are willing to sacrifice a bit in terms of initial fees for long-term gain. When ESPN returned to broadcast the sport in 2018, F1 waived all of the traditional broadcast fees for the first year, which is unusual, but something that's definitely worked out because that deal has just increased over time. It went from nothing in 2018 to $5 million a year from 2019 to 2022. And it's now sitting

this three-year stretch from 23 to 25 at $90 million per year. So theoretically, that number's going to be even bigger when it comes to 2026. And you want to go back to Netflix and back to the WWE example, that is a deal that works out of $500 million per year. So Netflix have deep pockets. If they see a product and they like it, they will likely get on board with it. Sam, your thoughts? Yeah, I think they're not stupid, are they at Liberty?

They kind of know what they're wrong about. They seem to be planning as of the future. When Liberty came in and actually picked up Formula One as a product, we were a little skeptical. there were lots of talks of make every event a Super Bowl, turn every event into a show, you know, it's a big touring circus they call it,

to go to every event. And then we were like, well, how do they replicate that online through us watching it who are at home? And you have things like the, the mariachi band playing the F-1 theme tune in that Mexican style, which is always fantastic, right?

We had the Dallas cheerleaguers, who were at Cota, for example, this season, they are really reaching out. And I think that is also showing reflect of how the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricardo, and our investors in America football, for example, and are known athletes. And when was the last time a Formula One driver

was really almost a global name in America, where people would put them up there with your Tiger Woods, your Michael Jordans. Lewis Hamilton has reached that level. Max Verstappen is reaching that level. It is that long-term planning is paying off for them. And if they can get more bums on seats and more eyes on the screen,

watching a Formula One product, well, that translates into people buying merch, people following social media channels, people buying tickets to events, whether that be races or not, and subscriptions lasting longer. And in turn, they go, well, you've got more people paying for Netflix. So that means more money coming our way, because our product's better. So I do think that they, as very much they did with ESPN, they would almost be willing to say, if Netflix, you can forecast that we're going to end up having 10 million average viewers a year, a race, rather than the 1.2 we've currently got now in 10 years' time, we will let you pay 90 million a year for five years, and then we're going to ramp it up because you're making more money off that as well. And if that grows Formula One,

I'm all for it because that means more listeners for us. It means more of people to talk to about F1, and we bloody love that. So keep being clever, Liberty, because it's worked for you so far. There's the added thing here of, you know, Netflix, if they were to bid for the 2026 rights in the United States, that could open the door for them bidding for the global rights in 2029. And traditionally, ESPN, apart from the three home races that they do, they just take whatever Sky Sports do and they don't produce their own, own version of the broadcast. regardless of who it is, Harry, whether it's Netflix or someone else, do you think the next partner will continue that model of,

for the most part, taking what Sky do? Or do you think they'll look to bring in their own team? I think they'll bring in their own team. I think if they're serious about this and that I suspect they would be. They don't want to put their own spin on it. So having crofty

coming out of your commentary during a race on Netflix just isn't what they're, I don't suspect that's going to be their style. So if they get this, I think they'll be committed. They'll be committed properly and do it. And for ESPN, I get it because it's the cost-efficient version of doing things. And it's, you know, you still get a good broadcast with it.

But I suspect Netflix will want to do this properly and get their own team together. And if they do end up going to go for the global rights, that would be interesting because who they might poach in that. would be interesting to see. Yeah, definitely. I mean, Netflix showed that with the couple of Christmas Day NFL games that they're not afraid to pay up for serious talent on the broadcast. Like they, I can't remember how many exactly,

but they got a lot of big names from the NFL media world to do those couple of games. They brought in their own team. And I feel like you're right that even if it's not Netflix and it's someone else, there might be a bigger push to do it their way rather than just follow whatever Sky have done. We are available. Yes. Well, that goes against my next point.

Would they not go for some American talent given it's for the US, which rules us out? But having said that, no. We are the largest podcasting American. Howdy y'all? Slats out of the way we go. I promise I won't do an American accent. just a question actually listeners

comment everywhere where you live your five-star reviews how assimilated to Crofty are you in America because obviously Drive to Survive do use a lot of his commentary across the race clips so I'd be interested in to know

because you guys listen to F1 TV so you've had different commentators for a lot of the races but I do wonder how much Crofty is in the subconscious too much maybe Well, I think they've got the option. So if you are signed up to F1 TV, then you've got Alex Jakes and the team.

But if you are watching on ESPN, I believe that's just the exact copy of what we've got in the UK. So that would be Croftian Brundle. Very curious to know how many people are like, that's the voice of F1 as a new watcher. I still think the voice is James Allen. It is. Murray, can we see an AI Murray Walker, please? The thing is about that. Do you know Netflix should get?

Who's that? Jonathan Ledyard. Ah, the Big Legard. He was terrible. Sorry, John. He listens to the show. Big John. Yeah, you can't say that.

He listens. Big fan. Sorry, John. I didn't realize you were such a big fan of a podcast. Apparently. All right. Shall we take our second break on this episode? On the other side, we're giving our thoughts on Shoguan you,

joining Ferrari as a reserve driver. This Giving Tuesday, Cam H is counting on your support. Together, we can forge a better path for mental health by creating a future where Canadians can get the help they need, when they need it, no matter who or where they are. From November 25th to December 2nd, your donation will be doubled. That means every dollar goes twice as far to help build a future where no one's seeking help is left behind.

Donate today at camh.ca.cage slash giving Tuesday. We know you love the thought of a vacation to Europe, but this time, why not look a little further? To Dubai, a city that everyone talks about and has absolutely everything you could want from a vacation destination. From world-class hotels, record-breaking skyscrapers, and epic desert adventures, to museums that showcase the future, not just the past. Choose from 14 flights per week between Canada and Dubai. Book on emirates.ca.ca. Today. Welcome back, everyone. Joganyu has joined or rejoined Ferrari, I guess you could say. He was previously a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

He's rejoined Ferrari as a reserve driver for the upcoming 2025 season. He'll perform the role alongside Antonio Germanazzi. Of course, we know that Oliver Behrman last year stood in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. But maybe if that was happened again this year, it would be Jouguan U in that situation. instead, of course, with Bearman now racing an F1 full-time with Hasse. He has been, I'm very open that he wants to return to F1 in 2026. Does this help him out in any way at all?

I mean, it makes sense to keep him semi-relevant, but unfortunately, I can't think of what Joe Guangyu can offer a team that they can't get elsewhere anymore. The only niche opportunity that he can provide will be sales of cars in mainland China, of course. He's a superstar across China. Obviously, if you haven't noticed, haven't done your geography recently. They've got a lot of people in China.

Quite a few live there. Great point. There's a lot of customers available to you. So if you want to sell cars, a lot of people do be driving, then maybe that makes sense to have. But unfortunately, gone other days of paid drivers

where they bring in some kind of outside marketing point of view, Williams don't seem to need it with Dorotin Capital taking over, Salber are now Audi and they have their own funds. McLaren are flying when it comes to cash injections with the Middle East being a big part of that. As are Aston Martin, of course. There's a lot of teams as well that are now just their own manufacturers. So, Joguan can't effectively buy his way onto the grid.

And I don't think he's got the raw talent to outclass anyone on the grid. And if you were going to pick up a driver, I feel like you'd rather take a punt on youth. and some of who maybe is a bit like what Bearman managed to do for them at Saudi when he came in, he stepped in for that one race and give him a go and see what that talent could do

rather than have a pair of hands that was all right, it was a never brilliant. So I feel like his endeavours back into F1 are very, very unlikely. But just like what I mentioned with Aldi in the previous point, Ferrari had those similar connections. If he still wants to go racing, if he still wants to be a part of a racing family

that holds a long of heritage, a long of history, can pay him quite handsome. I'm sure, and allows him meaning an opportunity. Ferrari are a great choice of that. They've got their hypercar program. They've got their insurance team that runs as well. Being a Ferrari ambassador, I'm sure, does you quite handsomely across the globe if you ever turn up in a Ferrari show or the team behind you. So opportunities are there. He will have a very cushy career, I'm sure, that revolving around racing for a long time. But I cannot see him getting back on this F-1 grid anytime soon.

Harry, would you agree with that? Or do you think the Ferrari move could help him out? I'm just going to say, Jankala, physicala. Oh, that's what those rinks of. No, I mean,

in a good way. Look, for Shrugan, you, he's clearly, he's, why, why wouldn't his aim

still be to get an F1? It's the reason why Bottas is a reserve for Mercedes is, it keeps you, keeps you front of mind for, for, for teams. And as you mentioned, if there are opportunities where they need,

you know, their main drivers out, out for, any reason. These reserve drivers are the ones that get in the car. And often that's all it takes. Nick to freeze, again, had one race and they gave him a drive. So sometimes that's all you need.

So it's sensible in that regard. But I'm, yeah, I'm with you, Sam. Even if this doesn't end up with an F1 drive, which I would see, I think probably quite unlikely, this is good for him, for the remainder of his racing career. I mentioned Fizzarela because, you know, he did those last few races at Ferrari in 2009 and then just became like driver slash ambassador slash reserve driver slash he became the prancing horse effectively. And has been racing, you know, Ferraris and GTs and WEC and stuff, you know, since that point. So this is a good move for the rest of his career.

I'm sure to be associated with Ferrari. And who knows, maybe there will be an odd race this year where he has to fill in. And that's not a bad thing at all. but to make it back on the F-1 grid, I find unlikely, but overall, sensible move. And for Ferrari, yeah, as you mentioned, they've got a representative that can help them sell cars in the China market. So it's a win-win. Yeah, I have to agree. I don't think this helps him get back on the 2026 grid.

No disrespect to Joe, who I really like as a person, but I just don't think that with the competition for seats, the way that it is now, he's up to scratch. I think based on the three seasons that we saw of him, he's not up to scratch. So if someone wants to pick him up for 2026, they'll do so as a result of his backing. And being part or not part of the Ferrari program as a reserve driver,

that doesn't influence the backing that Zhou Guan Yu has. So the reason someone would take him is unaffected. So I don't think this really changes anything. And rightly or wrongly, if another Saudi Arabia of last year happened, and it probably should, because Saudi Arabia has reinvested a lot. If you think back to that Grand Prix,

if he does the same job as Oliver Behrman, does he get the same praise? Because let's just say he does exactly the same job as Berman. He qualifies 11, finishes 8, 4, 7, for whatever it ended up being. He would get a pat on the back. He'd get, ah, good job. but I feel like most people would probably say he's recently been an F1

okay he did a job. Sykes would have done better. Yeah. And I mean that, and I'm not even saying that's right. Maybe he should receive more credit for that if he, if he were to do something like that. But I feel like that's the way it would go rather than Oliver Berman,

who's never done an F1 race before the credit he received that it really helped his case for a 2025 seat. So, yeah. And in terms of getting on-track experience as well, it is getting trickier for non-Rookies to get free practice sessions just based on the requirements increasing this year, isn't it, for the number of sessions that a rookie needs to replace a driver for. Last year, it was one per driver this year. It's going to be two. So it's difficult to say to one of your usual drivers, you know, you've got 24 races in a season, six of them. a sprint so you can discount those because you only get one practice session. Of the other 18,

you already need to give two of them up. Hey, do you fancy giving up another two for Jo Guanyu or a driver that's not a rookie? It's going to be hard to convince them of that. So, yeah, I'm not sure how valuable this is going to be. I do win the Best Dressed Team Award, though. Lewis, Lecler, Joguan Yew and the Italian Jesus. I mean, that's a mighty looking team. They tag up to any show. They bring in the house down boots, I think, the LGBTQ plus community. would say. I shall take your word for that. Good.

I'll round myself for that. With the move here, Joguanu obviously has very recent F1 experience, Sam. How, if we're not thinking about F1 for 2026 and anything like that, and just looking at the role, how important do you think it could be for Ferrari that they've got someone in that spot who has been racing as soon as last year? I'd like to say it's a good thing,

but he was driving an absolute pile of crap for the last two or three season. So it's not like he's left Reg Bull and he's now become the reserve driver and he can give you direct experience of a car that was good. I guess he can tell you everything that was bad and what not to do. Hey, see that green thing over there don't put that on your car because last time you put green on the car, it was rubbish. Yeah, I'd like to think it is valuable. He'll understand the aerodynamics how a car should feel. There will be elements of it to that.

But unless I'm completely mistaken, I've not heard. brilliant about his feedback. I've not heard that he's one of these drivers that in kind of testing period, he gives incredible feedback to cars and he's able to help the team develop the car and allow it to grow. So I think, yeah, it's fine.

I think this is more of a name pickup. I don't think they picked him up for his testing prowess and the ability to develop a car when it's not on the racetrack. That's okay. They've got other people, Ferrari and Ferrari. They have a whole roster of drivers that they can go, can you drive it, please.

Fizzy, back in the car. I actually, if you really zoom me on the prancing pony, it's actually his face. Yeah. With his papers

trying to get the Tanzania Grand Prix. Holding the flag up for Tanzania. Still my favorite random thing of the last couple of years. Anyway,

yeah, Joguan Yu. I think he's a great ambassador for them. I don't think he's going to be bringing too much valuable insight

into the development for that Ferrari. But if they were a championship, put it all down the show. I like that. Yeah, I think he'll be beneficial in the role. Having recent F1 experience is really useful for that reserve driver role. There's a reason that I don't want to say there's a time limit for drivers that have left the sport, but generally speaking, the further detached you are from the current cars, the more difficult it is to do your job. So, Giovannazzi, of course,

has somewhat recent experience, but not as recent as show. So I think it's a good. pick up in that regard. Harry, any thoughts on that? Yeah, the the recency of his, of his F1 career will help, but I'm with Sam in terms of, I think this is a marketing, more of a marketing pickup than it is anything else.

But like you say, Ben, he will still have some knowledge that he can impart, but especially versus giovanni or Italian Jesus, if everyone didn't get what Sam was talking about there. Oh, yeah, sorry. he will have, you know, he's got more knowledge versus that. So it will be useful in that regard.

But I think overall, I think this is more, it's been more of a marketing, marketing employed than anything else. Let's move on to the 2025 season start times. They've been announced. They've been announced? Yeah, yeah. I didn't know that. Whoa.

Oh my God. News. Breaking news. It dropped, I should say. If we say breaking news enough on this show, it will feel exciting. Whoa. We need like explosion sound effects.

Like a Rosberg style. Oh, God, yeah. That was great. We used to do that on YouTube. You'll like this next bit then, Harry. Oh, God, I'm just going to buckle in. Go. Start times have been announced for the 2025 season.

23 of them are exactly the same as last year. Oh, man. No change. But there is one. One change. Shut the front. Get out of town. The change.

One change is all it takes. Oh, Vegas. Why, what are they done? So last year and the year before, the Las Vegas Grand Prix started at 10pm local time, which is 6 a.m. in the UK. They're moving it back two hours. So it's going to be an 8 p.m. start time local, which is 4 a.m. in the UK. Anyone want to complain? I don't, but I just want to.

to, you sure? Can I make a point? I didn't make it up for the 6am last year, so this is, I've got no hope in hell. I forgot you weren't awake. Oh, that's a disaster. Remembering your story from last year, I think you went to sleep at like 4 a.m.

I was working, but why then that might work. Oh yeah, that's good. Perfect. Stay awake. Yeah. I don't want to complain, but that sucks. Is it a good or bad move?

I understand why. The reason it was at this time was because of the, of the, they wanted to cater for all audiences here. But they weren't really catering for anyone, to be honest, because it was still pretty early for the,

for Europe. It was pretty poor still for people who even lived in America. It's what 1 a.m. on the East Coast, something like that? Yeah, which is, that's crap. To start a race at 1 a.m. is rough. So at least, at least this gives that side of the world

a fighting chance without being 11pm start time rather than 1am and look I think

they obviously want Vegas to be the biggest race ever known to man every year but I think with at some point

they've got to admit defeat and you know it's a race in the US let's all litigated to that to that audience

in the same way that all European races cater to European audiences and I know it's always been that way but I think

it's just the way it has been we seem with like Australia. Australia, when we used to have the Australian world break, it used to be like 1, 2 a.m. back in the day. Now it's more,

it's more like 4, 5 or maybe 6 a.m. Because they're trying to cater to the audiences. But often we're like, it's pretty sunset-y by the time the race finishes there. And that's just a reflection of what they've been trying to do. But I think sometimes you've got to admit defeat and just cater to the country that you're racing in and leave it at that. So I think it's a good thing, even if we will now complain for the next 10 months about this.

Who's we? Me, grown up. I'm saying nothing. We've got it really tough. You, can you change the asterisk? You. I'm using the royal wee. One has it very tough.

Do other countries have a royal wee? Well, I don't know. Does it only count if you have a royal family in the scut, in the country? Or is it just a literary choice? I don't know. Does it relate to the royal family or does it... Ben's furious. So dumb.

Please, write it, let us know. In America, do you have the royal wee or is it the independent we or something like that? I'm confident in saying I don't know. I can lie the four. You killed Sam off as well. everyone. Is this how you thought this segment would go, Ben? Yeah, to be honest. All right.

Constitutional Hill, Wee. I plead the Wii. What's your Wii? Oh, that's why Nintendo I've got the Wii, isn't it? Yeah, they had to plead it for... Fair enough, you can sell it worldwide. Anyway, do I think it's a good idea? Yeah, I think this is a fantastic idea.

and for many reasons, not just for where you're watching it. Yeah, it is tough for a UK viewer. It's tough for a European viewer. But you know what? We ain't the center of the world. And I know that that is a bizarre thought when it comes to Formula One, but we're not. And we get it easy a lot of the time. We want Formula One to growing America.

We want the people of Las Vegas to like Formula One because winding up, an entire city is not good. So if we can make their lives more palatable, that's great. But the viewership needs to be increasingly. It needs to be sustainable. We can't be having a, what is seeing as a global event, a Super Bowl, as they've already mentioned, being broadcast at one of the most unpalatable hours of the day. And it's not just the broadcast side of things. We've already seen issues when it comes to what if there's a track problem, what if there's

a repair issue, what if staffing needs to be accounting for, what if people need to get to and from the racetrack? Well, having it earlier means a lot of these issues go away. you give yourself more of a bracket to get stuff done. If there is a grain problem, if someone collides into the barrier, you've got a repair at a tech pro or something like that, it means that you have the ability to get it done

and you don't send home fans in between sessions and they can't watch it, you get an empty stadium. A lot of this is rectified. We'll still get a fantastic race put on there. It will still look amazing. Yes, it's going to be a couple of hours earlier in the UK, but Australia will be happy, a lot of Asia are going to be happy, all of the Americas are going to be happy,

it's just the UK and Europe that are going to look at this with a frowny face. But that's okay because 90% of the other Grand Prix typically are in a pretty nice spot for us. So I'll make it an occasion. Maybe I'll put on a copy version of the US offices casino night that they do. And we can then watch Vegas together like that. What do you think? Nice.

Well, that would mean Harry would have to be awake. so I'm not sure about that, but... Unlikely. In the interest of wrapping up this segment, I won't say too much here because I agree that the old times just don't never really work for anyone, whereas the new times do.

It's still a night race, so you still get that element. And you don't have the risk of, I know talking about practice here, but like, remember what happened at FP2 a couple of years ago and how fans, were kicked out because I can't remember the exact reason, but they had to legally.

Because they were running everything so late into the night. And you, I don't know, the risk of that is reduced by having things two hours earlier. So yeah, it's a better time for both sides of the United States, better time for Australia. And it's not a significantly worse time for Europe. It's still early in the morning. Who cares? Still got to feel rough. Yeah.

It is tough. We'll take our final break on this episode. On the other side, we play an F1 alphabet. At Desjardin Insurance, we put the care in taking care of business. Your business, to be exact. Our agents take the time to understand your company, so you get the right coverage at the right price. Whether you rent out your building,

represent a condo corporation, or own a cleaning company, we make insurance easy to understand, so you can focus on the big stuff. Like your small business. Get insurance that's really big on care. Find an agent today at Dejardin.com slash business coverage. Black Friday is here at IKEA

and the clock is ticking on savings you won't want to miss. Join IKEA family for free today and unlock deals on everything from holiday must-havs to cozy at-home essentials, all the little and big things you need to make this season shine.

But don't wait. Like leftovers at midnight, our Black Friday offers won't last. Shop now at IKEA.ca.ca slash Black Friday. IKEA, bring home to life. Back, everyone. It's time for F1 Alphabeti. Slap. That raid does slap.

It's a real shame that you don't like this game, folks. That theme song, Slaps. Yeah, us playing this is like our version of force feeding. Like, you will like F1 Alphabet. We'll just play it at a time. You sing the song. You sing the jingle to yourselves. You'll love it.

You guys like rock? We like rock. Let's rock. Rock. There are eight questions in the alphabet from A to H today. All you have to do is pick a letter and there will be a question with a category with something to do with a word of that letter. Get it right. You get a point.

Don't get a right. You don't get a point. Fair simple. Blamey. Sam, what letter would you like to start us off with? J. G. G. G. Go for G. Goffa. Gawd Giffa. Good job.

Sorry, mate. You've picked the true or false question. Go on goals. True or false. 2025 will be the first season George Russell in F1 has been older than his teammate. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't like this question. Must think about all the teammates he's had. Robert Kubitsa was indeed older and Donald Russell.

So has he had any rogue stepping teammates that he's had to go off against? I'm going to say it's true. You're right, it is true. I actually had a look at this because it goes further back into his junior career as well in his F3 and his F2 season, he was still younger than his teammates.

So the last time he had a teammate that he was older than was in 2016 in European Formula 3. Can you guess who it was that he was older than? Roberto Mary. Esteban Alcon. No. Nikita Mazepin. Oh.

We were teammates. Which, yeah, they were teammates in Euro F3 in 2016. And surprisingly, it was fairly close. George Russell finished with 200. 64 points and Nikita Mazepin finished with 10. Oh, that's surprisingly close. What I thought he'd get? A whisper.

You could have gone either way. End-to-end stuff. God. Right, one-n-n-all. Sam. Harry, what letter would you like? I'll go for H. Yeah, get that.

Yeah. Okay, H is for Hockenheim. This is a difficult question, mate. Not going to lie. Can I change my letter? No. He'll have a brainwave and get it. writing about two minutes, it's fine.

I'm going to give you five drivers. Okay. You have to tell me which of them has won at Hockenheim before. Show me the options. I could have written down five names that have all won, and you need to say all five. Oh. Maybe I've done the opposite, and none of them have won there. Oh, Ben, that's naughty.

Ben. Yeah. I hate you. I'm really glad I think I can pick this one. This is hell. Go, go on then. Thank you for hell. It's just for hell.

You've got Kimmy Reichenen. Yeah. Sebastian Vettel. Yeah. David Coulthard. One everything. Mark Weber. And Nika Rosberg.

Oh, they're all such maybe answers. That is horrible. Okay. You can do it. I'm with you. You can do it. I'm giving you my one brain cell for this answer. Vettel never did

so I'm going to rule him out um Rikin and never win at Hockenheim I'm going to go with no on that one too and there are the others DC Rosberg at Weber yeah I

I think the only one that has is Nico Rosberg I'm very impressed well done what did I say by the way thanks well I know that he He, 2014. 14, yeah. Rosboe won 2014.

Weber and Vettel both won at the Nureberg ring. Yeah. I can't immediately remember if the other two did or not. Rikinen or Koulthard. Cool time. Wanted everything with his 13 race wins. He won it all. Original 513 races.

He won the biggest. rival to Michael Schumacher Award. Famously. Sounds like something Totham Hotsper would acclaim. Oh! Sorry, thanks,

for Totten. Yeah. One all. I'm a football reference. I don't understand. I go for D. D stands for these nuts. Can him.

I'm going to be getting this right now. D stands for Drive to Survive. What's season was the first to be covered by Drive to Survive. I don't remember. Move on. 2018. Absolutely right. Boom.

I wasn't sure if that one was going to catch you out because the first season of Drive to Survive came out in 2019. But it was about the 2018 season. I understand how seasons works. Well done. How time works. Harry, that's you. I'll go for a, please. Simple one for you.

I've come off both hands A is for Abu Dhabi Okay Which driver has won the Abidabie Grand Prix the most times David Coulthard I don't usually do this I want to give you a hint

It's not David Coulthard That's a shame Who has won it the most Hmm Um Oh God it's quite a mixed bag because no one really cares about it,

did they? I feel like even the great drivers get there and then they don't really, whatever. Petrov is the only one that's ever cared about it. They really cared. I will go with, I'll go with Hamilton.

It is Hamilton, you're right. I can't, I couldn't name any of his Abu Dhabi wins. He's got five of them. You're absolutely right. 17, 18, 19, 19. 15 and 16

That sounds about right Because 20 he didn't 21 When something happened Yeah 22 he didn't win it 23 he didn't win it 24 he didn't win it

He won one of the He won from a 2011 Oh yeah he did it 2011 Yeah Yeah he won it five times Vestappen has won it four times

Vettel won it three times And then Coulthard hasn't won it He'll get you Yeah well it too all all four questions answered correctly, stand back to you.

I'll have bu, please, beg, beg, but for Ben. B.A. B.A.R. Oh, no, we're going to get our first question. It comes to B.A.R. famously. Chocolate B.A.

Who did the most races for B.A.R? Ooh. Harry, you're screaming his brain right now. This could be, that's a tricky question. Ooh. Clint some bustam. Button is second on the line. It's going to be Vilnav, isn't it?

It is Vilna. 82. Is it, is it, he did them, for the team he did the most, but it wasn't called BAR. Oh no, recount. Have you counted Honda? I haven't accounted Honda. That's what I mean. Like, J.B. would have been in the team for longer, though, no?

Oh, for all of Honda. Oh, yeah. And all of Braun. I'm just talking when it was called B.A.R. Yeah. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense, yeah. Harry, that's you.

C. I love that. It's like what was the last one we talk about. Butara. Sarah. Car. I'm not going to phonetically spell out constructors with beer all night. Who won a constructors championship first?

Mercedes Ferrari or McLaren? Oh, that's a fun question. A bit of history. Mercedes. It's not Mercedes, no. It's Ferrari. It's Ferrari. So Ferrari first won the Constructors' Championship in 1961.

McLaren first won it in 1974. You're unlucky with Mercedes because they would have had enough points to win the Constructors' Championship a couple of times in the 1950s, but it didn't exist. So, oh, Corolla, Ben. 2014 is the first time they won the Contructeds Championship. That's annoying. You've had your panks pulled down there, right?

I've had absolutely mud. Get exchange of underwear. Sam, what letter would you like? Free! I can't get it in this question. F stands for Fernando Alonzo. Yes, how big is his neck in diameter? 12 Cs.

F's, yeah, Fernando Alonzo. Alonzo has only finished third in the driver's championship once. What year? Oh, grow out, beg. What year? What year? To pick a year is to pick a moment in time. Wow, that is profound.

I might give you a point for that. Yeah. That's really, really deep. 2013. It's not 2013. Any idea, Harry? He finished third? He said.

Um, 2010? No. 2011. Nope. There was a year. We are doing this. Eight.

Seven. Jimmy Reichen won the championship. Oh, seven. Oh, yeah. He beat him on count back to finish second. Therefore, Alonso finished third. Put a seven points. Yeah.

Hamilton must love that he never lost your long. So in the same thing, or is true. That's real really good. Now we come to the most difficult question of all. Harry, what letter would you like? E! Yes. Pick number E, my lord.

E stands for Enzo Ferrari. Finish the Enzo Ferrari quote. Aerodynamics are for people who can't what? You're absolutely right. Yes. Enzoferrari said aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines. Finish this quote. That's a new feature for this. Pleasing ever, ever provide me with that question. Which means it was a close run thing, but Harry takes a three to win.

I feel like the Hockenheim question is the tiebreaker. That's fair. No, you deserve to win that one. Thank you. I really thought Ben had gone for a no one to want it. I was tempted. I was really tempted. Name of one of these drivers who won it.

None of them. Yeah. Oh, dear. All right. That's going to do it for this episode. We're going to have a Q&A episode coming up very shortly. So I think that will be in one week's time, so next Sunday's episode. So wherever the question exists on social and the like, please let us know.

And we'll get round to answering as many as we can. We like to do these Q&A episodes a couple of times a year or so. You don't have until Sunday to submit your answers because we're not recording it on Sunday. To be safe, get your questions in by Tuesday. Be propped. You can ask anything, right, Ben? You can ask absolutely anything if it's to do with our thoughts on the upcoming season, maybe a previous season, or you'd like to know what Sam puts on his toast.

It doesn't matter. That would be a good question. I'll give away the answer, because I'm going to say, careful. It's a spicy one. What would you put it on there? Well, not the topic, just a question. It's a fast. With pure alipinos.

by the thought by the of Hocu Manga listening to pick up the answer. Please let it tend to, get us out of it. Don't thanks for listening, of course. You can join in the conversation. Even more if you'd like to chat with a Discord over 3,000 people chatting there. Or you can join Patreon where you can get this episode, others, extras, bill of breaking, historic reviews and power rankings, what we're back into the season, all for the price of a couple of cups of coffee a month.

And it massively supports the show. Everything is ag-free over there as well. So check it out. You can cancel after a month if it isn't. you, you go, ah, I don't want this, but it massively helps us out. For us on social media, make breaking F1, watch us on YouTube, like breaking F1, and we will see you, uh, midweek for some more chit-chat in the F1 off-season. So right out of ways to phrase that. In the meantime, I've been Samuel and Sage. I've been Ben Hocking and I'm in Harry Ead. And remember,

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