The Late Braking F1 Podcast - How valid is Domenicali's defence of the 2026 regs?

Episode Date: April 19, 2026

Ben and Sam break down recent comments from F1's CEO on the state of the sport, cover the latest shake up at Red Bull, and speculate on today's cancelled Saudi Arabian GP. They finish with a Top 3 of the most overrated and underrated tracks on the calendar... Get involved in F1 Fantasy this season! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Late Braking league⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and see if you can beat us... LEAGUE CODE: C6Y6R4ZUY02 Want more Late Braking? Support the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get:Ad-free listeningFull-length bonus episodesPower Rankings after every raceHistorical race reviews& more exclusive extras!Don't forget! You can also gift a Late Braking Patreon subscription—perfect for loved ones or your own wish list. Choose anything from 1 month up to a full year of top-notch F1 content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/latebrakingf1/gift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Late Braking:You can find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Come hang out with us and thousands of fellow F1 fans in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ server and get involved in lively everyday & race weekend chats!Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠F1 Fantasy League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and see if you can beat us!Get in touch any time at [e-mail]  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thank you for listening to the late-breaking F-1 podcast. Make sure to check out new episodes every Wednesday and every Sunday. Oh, and a very warm welcome to the late-breaking F-1 podcast presented by Sam Sage and me, Ben Hocking, here on this non-F-1 Sunday, something I've become far too accustomed to saying. Sam, how was your breakfast, mate? Just with that intro, you just want to cut to you like black and white. They say, they ask if you're fine, you say you're fine, but really you're not fine, because you have just been missing Formula One for that long.

Yeah, I have a lovely breakfast, thanks, mate. I have a sausage roll, heating up in the air fryer, of course, as well, to re-chrisp that lovely pastry. And then I had these little hash-brown tater tots on the side. It was, honestly, I'm living the dream out here. It's great time. Being an adult is fun. The hash and the brown.

Wow. You know it. Put them together. You get a tater-top. Love that. Well, yeah, today should have been the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but we've got a lovely episode for you anyway. Before we started, Sam said,

we're going to have a lovely recording today. We are. We have a nice recording. So we're going to do everything we can to ensure that is the case. We're going to do a bit of an underrated, overrated circuit edition later on in the show. A bit of a reshuffle at Red Bull. But we're going to start with our dear leader, Stefano Domenicali, because the F1 CEO and president believes the championship will make the necessary changes

to strengthen the 26 regs, while maintaining that the sport is heading in the right direction amid increasing global interest. He said, I can see an incredible result in terms of positivity from the bigger fan base on what is the effect on racing. Definitely, I take on board the criticism related to certain situations that we have to manage related mainly to qualifying. If I see the survey of what is going on all around the world, with new fans of Formula One, the result is magnificent. Generally speaking, when we're talking about something, it's great because that generates a constructive discussion. What I don't like is people who love to criticize. Criticizing to criticize doesn't help anyone,

and it has really zero effect. And speaking about a particular criticism related to overtakes, he said, what is artificial? Overtaking is overtaking. People have a short memory because in the turbo age in the 80s, you had to save fuel in the race because otherwise the fuel tank was too small and it's just part of the game. Plenty to go out there, Sam. But let's start with his positivity around the racing aspects that we have right now, but also his willingness to maybe have rule changes related to qualifying. Yeah, it's a really interesting take from Stefano.

He's once again playing Mr. Propaganda, it feels like, where he's deciding to put out a lot of big key words such as survey and new fangs and things like that. And I don't see any of it written down anywhere. And I don't remember being part of a survey myself as an existing fan if I enjoy what's going on. Have you seen one, Ben? We're important. We deserve to be asked these things. I'm actually just a normal bloat the watchers the telly.

And I quite like to also be involved in what's good and what isn't good for the sport that I've grown up watching. No, I think they just had an exclusion list. These people will not be sent this survey under any circumstances. And it's just late breaking audience. Late breaking audience and hosts only. Yeah. The thing about new fans is, if you ask only exclusively new fangs, which I have again, I don't know how you're only exclusively asking new fangs this situation as well.

What about old fangs? It was for every one fan that joins as a new fang leave. How do you know if your audience is actually growing at this point? It's a really tricky situation. He is right, though, that there is a split specifically between racing and qualifying, where while racing isn't perfect, qualifying is by far the biggest impacting area of our sport since these new regulations of coming. The DNA, if you want to use that phrase, which I'm not particularly keen on, but I understand where it comes from of qualifying, is that you are meant to have

these drivers who are supposed to be, you know, as theory has once said, the 20 best drivers, now 22 best drivers in the world go flat out for one lap at a time with the car at its absolute best, and they put in the absolute best lap time around a racetrack that can be given. Right now, we're not getting that. We are not getting that. We're not seeing these drivers at full chat, full throttle, full anger, and it's a shame. We're missing something. It is losing the excitement of what was a Saturday because qualifying itself is a spectacle. And there are many moments that we've spoken about on this show throughout history where sometimes the race weekend will be memorable for the qualifying lap. Monaco is a big one, you know, for that example,

right? Might appear in those top three of a rating, underrated tracks later wrong. Who knows? It ain't a period underrated for you, is it? Spoilers. You know, we get to Singapore, right, where we've had some dad races there, but Hamilton's lap, for example, is really idolised. Saudi Arabia's had a couple already, where qualifying laps seem to come out more than the actual race itself. And qualifying as a spectacle is meant to be this one-off, adrenaline-filled, what a lap moment.

And we're not getting that anymore. And I'm glad that he has mentioned that in his speech. I'm glad that that's come up as a topic. But I do think he's also been quite flattering to what the race situation is currently. And when he brought up this whole old nostalgia thing, 80s thing, it's always been the same, you know, artificial, what's artificial? I've made this point that in Formula One,

we have always had some kind of an element of artificiality. That's what creating a racing program is. It's going to be a way to overtake. You have to do that. But when you talk about fuel saving in the 80s is your primary example, I'd argue that fuel saving, which has been around since, you know, daughter of man, because those two things happen at the same time.

Yes, yeah. leave men with fuel. We managed to walk on two legs and then we decided we also need to save petroleum. Very, very similar. My point here is that if you're going to pick up an instance of where we need to save or manage or do something in the car,

the fuel saving is not why I would have gone for, gone for curs at the start of the 12, 13th, when they started to really come in. DRS is the most recent example that people can fully understand. These things will have made actual sense to a current audience. You're picking up.

something that actually, whilst many of this have gone back and watched, you know, parents or people listen to this show will have been present for, I don't think fuel saving in the 80s era is even remotely relevant to what we see right now. When you do also have some fuel saving at times in Formula One. So it's a real mixed part of a statement. I don't think he's been particularly clear in what he's trying to achieve. And I do think he's saying a lot of positive things without a lot of backing to them in order to try and make the picture seem prettier than it actually is. In terms of the qualifying element of what he's saying, because I do agree that there is, to an extent, a bit of a qualifying is not very good at the moment, but look at all the racing.

Look at all of this. But I am at least glad that he's identified qualifying as the area to improve maybe the most. I know it's something that not only today, have you just referenced, but it's something we've spoken about a lot that there is something missing from a Saturday at the moment. And I think with Domenicali agreeing with that, at least in principle, and being open to rule changes, perhaps in the not too distant future, that gives me hope because I just don't think there's anyone left on the other side of the debate here. Like, I think there's a pretty wide reaching consensus that, you know, us as fans, probably old and new, F1, the FIA, the drivers.

It feels like everyone is on the side of we need to fix qualifying as soon as is conceivably possible. So that gives me some encouragement. From the racing perspective, though, to your point on surveys, fan interest, somewhere up in the clouds with the Father Christmas of birthdays, possibly. They're all from the same place. It's, it is a bit vague. It's not the first time, Stefano Domenicalia's reference day survey that I cannot, despite a lot of research, find any evidence of. He does at least have some proof in that viewership numbers, he cites both viewership and race attendance. I'll get to race attendance in a moment. But he does cite viewership as something that has increased in these first few races, which is good. Don't get me wrong. I don't think

he should just use that, though, because there are limitations to it. Firstly, it's three races. It's a pretty small sample size. There was always going to be a lot of intrigue around a new set of regulations. There's no proof yet that will be sustainable. It might be, and I hope it is, but we don't know that yet. So I think he needs to proceed with caution in that regard. Secondly, it's not all of their top markets that are seeing a viewership increase. There have been some key European markets that have struggled, particularly the Japanese GP. Now, if you look at some of those markets, it's the German market, it's France, it's Spain. And you can certainly look at a few of those and say,

Germany and Austria seem to be struggling a little bit more. Max Verstappen not as competitive, might play into that. Spain really struggling. Fernando Alonzo is languishing down in 22nd. So you can start to put together that it's not just the regulations that are feeding into viewership increases and decreases. I mean, for example, Italy,

Italy's doing very well at the moment. That is a shock. I wonder why, Kimmy Antonelli. So... Hang on, what do you mean that France aren't getting behind? Lord and Savior, Pierre Gasly. I think you managed to mispronounce Esteban Ockon horribly there, but okay. I don't think he's from anywhere in France.

Slander. He's actually from the Channel Islands. Wow, I didn't know that. Thank you for informing me. And the third point about viewership as well is that the US has obviously gone on to Apple TV, which don't participate in the Nielsen sort of rating system, like ESPN before did. So with ESPN, we could say

this many people are watching a Grand Prix. With Apple TV, I think Stefano, after the first race, said we had more people watching it on Apple TV than ESPN last year. It's like, great. We kind of just have to believe you, I guess. We don't have any.

Just subscribe a number you've been given by Apple, surely. Yeah, there's no real way to prove it or disprove it. And then final point on this is related to race attendants. I don't know why he's talking about this, It has absolutely no relevance to this discussion at all. Race tickets aren't sold based on the last month of F1. Like, they're sold based on what happened last year, sure. What do you mean?

You turn up at the turnstiles outside for Suzuki. You go, one ticket, please. The last two races were great. That's how they're sold. You cannot say, wow, Australian GP attendance is doing really well this year. Thank goodness for the new regulations. No one had seen any of it. Those tickets are sold a year before.

Come on. Come on, man. Look at next year's attendance if you want any kind of inclination. Also, more than three races is a good place to start. Yes, indeed. You mentioned a little bit there about the comparison of overtakes now to the 1980s and talking a little bit about how there has always been an artificial element of F1. If we're looking more at maybe a management side of things,

because fuel management, tire management, these things have existed. Energy management is also another form. of that. Do you therefore at least somewhat see where he's coming from? That's a degree of it. But my issue here is when you talk about fuel as a product to be managed, you mentioned these categories. It's got like we've lost fuel as an option here in Formula One, right? We're still using a set limit of fuel. There will be some cars that will maybe burn through it slightly faster that they do lifting coast. There's a whole story last year that we went on about with Ferrari having to Lyco everywhere because of the way

the car works. It's not like they're flat out on the actual combustion engine. engine 100% of the Grand Prix now and all they're doing is managing energy instead. You're now getting both. So you haven't taken away what was seen as a problem in the 80s, which he's identified. You've just added another thing on the top of it, which is also management. It's amazing that Formula One manager isn't carrying on because it seems like it'd be a pretty realistic game right now with Ty. Too realistic.

That's the problem. Yeah, you don't want that. Games are meant to be fun. I just think he hasn't, I tweeted this. I don't think he's fully grasped what the, the, the, consumer's problem is with the sport. I mean, we'll get on to driver's opinions later on, but as a consumer, we're not here to watch people go around at 65, 70%. We're here to see people go racing at full capacity. I don't want to hear I'm having to LICO for fuel next lap,

I'm having to likeo to make sure that my boost is charged. Oh, I've got 100% press, but I only get it for a lap and then I lose it again. And actually my tyres have now gone off. So I can't push anymore. You think, oh, you get about three laps. of actual hardcore, full-on racing at this point. And it is a frustrating scenario to find yourself in. And I don't think Define this really clit, that that's what the problem is. If you're going to add one,

you've got to take away the other one realistically. I disagree with that in that I think he does know what the issue is. I just think he doesn't want to think about it. That's even worse. Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm not saying it's a good thing. But he's a smart guy. I think he knows the issues of older fans.

Like, I just think he's got a job to do. and like to be able to manage the narrative here. I do, when it comes to race management, I have always said that not everyone agrees with me on this. Like it is a really important and also entertaining part of motorsport. And that goes beyond F1, but it is an important form, an important part of racing. I think the problem here is,

I look back to like 2012, for example, just as a reference point. 2012, we often cite as being one of, if not the great, season in the history of this sport. Holy grail. Right. And why is it that entertaining? At least one of the reasons is because every single Grand Prix, you had someone trying a two stop, someone trying a one stop, someone trying a three stop, and you had varying degrees of management. Like some people's strategy was to manage as much as they possibly can and try and only stop once. And then you had other people go, we're not going to do a lot of management whatsoever, but we're going to stop three times as a result of that. And that difference in strategy created really entertaining Grand Prix. Management

helped the entertainment. The problem we have at the moment, I think is twofold. Number one, there's a limit. There is a limit to how much management I think you should be able to do in a Grand Prix. And at the moment, it's not a part of race. It feels like the main event at the moment, which is not what we need. And secondly, when you go back to particularly tire management, but maybe fuel management as well. What made it so entertaining is you had as a driver and as a team control. Like, you had control over what strategy you want to do on the tires. Fuel-wise, you had a bit of strategy to work out how fast you're going to go at the beginning of the Grand Prix to then maybe take a bit of punishment towards the end of the race. It was within your control as a driver

and as a team. With energy management, it's not quite the same. I know some teams are maybe a little bit more efficient over a lap on how they use that battery. But for the most part, everyone's got the same amount to use. And that's why we're seeing so much yo-yoing in terms of these position swaps, because no one can... But on that, the point about what you're making, which is very valid, about it's self-control. I can push the tire, or I can choose to conserve the tire, I can decide to push the throttle, or I can lift off earlier to make sure that the car has got better access later onto fuel. With the battery, we're hearing stories so regularly about how a driver is going, I didn't actually plan to use my battery

there, but the car's deciding for me that we're going to burn battery, so I'm off, I've got to go for it. But I think Landon Norris came out and spoke about it. He was going to attack Lewis Hamilton at one point in Suzuki. And he was like, well, I wasn't planning on doing it that lap. I was going to conserve, but the battery was pushing. So I had to go with it. And at that point, the decision had been made for me.

I wasn't ready for it. That's taken the control away from the drivers, which is even more frustrating that the conservation is being done internally by the car and is not driving control. Yeah, indeed. Let's take a quick break, but we've got a few other points to hit on this one when we come back. Welcome back, everyone.

A few drivers have been quite critical of the regulations to this point, and Stefano Domenicali has spoken about this as part of the interview that he did, particularly focusing on Max Verstappen, saying that Vastappen's voice needs to be listened to. Do you think it will? It's interesting, isn't it? I think there's many voices that should be listened to, and whether they do get listened to or not is a very big question. I think internally, they will hear his grumbles.

But I also think that Formula One has had huge stars and they've recovered from not having those huge stars anymore, whether it be for a number of instances through, you know, a fatality, someone like Senna, unfortunately, who was a huge moment for us in Formula One that we lost sadly all the way through to the likes of Schemacher, who decided to step aside when they got old enough that they decide they didn't want to do it anymore.

And of course, we now know where Schumacher is. And then you've got Hamilton, who's maybe on his way out. And maybe people are thinking, should he still be listening to? The Stappen is the next iteration of that, where you have a leading personality within the sport. And your stars, when you've only got 22 of them, can really have a massive impact. It's not like it's football, for example. And I'm talking about UK football, soccer, you know, European soccer, where in a league, you'll have, say, 20 teams.

and there's 11 starting players for each of those, and then they have like seven players on the bench every single time. So you're talking hundreds of potential stars that might come out and say one thing. And you go, well, the percentage of argument there is 0.1%. You know, we can deal with that. That's not a problem. But when it's for Stappen that comes out and says something,

that's immediately like 5% of your entire star base has come out and said something. And you know it's not 5% of... It's not actually 5% that aren't saying it. There's people that will agree with him on the grid as well. And internally, we'll go. I agree with what Max is saying, actually. that's a real problem for Formula One. They know that with TV numbers, for example, as fans,

we will still sit down on a Sunday. We will continue to turn up to qualifying. And those numbers will fluctuate. There were some people who will be casual who go, I don't want to wake up at 1 a.m. It's not important to me this year. It's not good enough. I won't wake up at 1 a.

But I'll still watch the 2 PM races. Those people will exist, and that always exist. And Formula 1 are aware of that. But if you lose someone as captivating as a Hamilton, it's a Vastapen, as an Alonzo, a Lecler, someone like that, because of the frustration around the sport, I think you would be surprised just how powerful their voice is internally.

Whether it is actually listened to, and they do see the other side of, we should pay attention to what these guys are saying who are driving the cars. That's a different question because, like I said, new sensations will turn up and they will take their place. I think his voice will be listened to somewhat in that F1 doesn't want to lose drivers unnecessarily.

Like, there's no point in them losing drivers just for the sake of it. But honestly, how many drivers do I think could leave the sport almost overnight and F1 feel a tangible, longer-lasting impact? How many drivers do I think that is? Three. Vastappen, Hamilton, and Norris. And the only reason Norris is on that list is because he's got the label of world champion.

As soon as he doesn't have that label, I think that list goes down to two. And that's no disrespect to the other drivers, but that's just the way F1, like, F1 is bigger than the teams and the drivers that are in it. I've always said that about the teams as well. People often say, I don't know, F1 needs Ferrari more than Ferrari needs F1. Rubbish. Ferrari needs F1. I think Ferrari would crumble a little bit affecting that F1.

It's their main brand. I'm not saying it's a good thing that it exists this way, but it is the way that it exists. So whilst I think Domenicali will listen to the likes of Vestappen, the compromises, I think, will be smaller. I don't think it's a case of a driver is like, and I'm this bit visual here, but like on the full on the right side of the argument, Domenicali's full on the left side of the argument, and they're going to meet in the middle. That's not happening.

Like, Domenicali will almost have this box of this is what we're willing to compromise on and we'll listen to the drivers and tweak accordingly, but we're not going outside of this box because that box is what's best for F1. Yeah, they're not going to tear up the regulation just for Max Verstappen because he came out and said, I don't like something. Or any other drivers. I just, I don't think that's the way that it will work. The other thing that he said about,

well, he didn't say this about Vastap, and he said it more generally. He said that the paraphrasing here, the top guys aren't complaining much, those that are struggling more are complaining more. I understand what he's saying here, and you can use that argument to an extent on the likes of Vestappan and Norris,

who of course have just come from a championship battle a year ago and are now very much not in a championship battle. How does that work for someone like Olly Beerman, who has been one of the most critical, like quietly, has been one of the most critical guys on the grid about these regs? He hasn't been at the top. He hasn't been winning races. He hasn't had a podium yet. You argue with Charles Leclair is the same.

Sure. You know, who's more competitive than he was last year in theory. He's already had more chances at podiums than he did last year. You're right. It immediately falls down the moment you provide one example, although unfortunately, for the likes of Vestappen, science, those people who are struggling further down who rightfully and fairly have a problem with the regulations. You have quotes from the likes of George Russell, who has won Grand Prix this season that

come out and went, you know, I didn't enjoy Formula One when we were in Porpoisting here in my backer, but they weren't complaining when they were winning. This is so stupid, man, by the way, this is so stupid. Because, like, why wasn't Vestappan complaining about porpoising a couple of years ago? Because he wasn't porpoising. He can't complain about it. He's not suffering from it. The car was legitimately working, unlike yours, George, where your back actually hurt.

It would be like, you know, everyone complaining about the battery and being like, well, why are I saying he's complaining about the battery? That's because they haven't got battery in their car this year. Because I got to do battery this year. Sam, I've got the sun coming in through the window into my eyes and it's really actually not very nice. Why aren't you complaining about that? Why aren't you complaining about that? There's no song in my eyes.

It's fine. The sun is a perfect and wonderful thing. Stop, stop mowing thing. Why are you, it's affecting me, but you should be complaining about it. I know, it's just have some, a little bit of common sense about why some things might be subjective more than others. Final thing that Domenicali said is about the next set of engine regulations and being like, we need to decide that this year. Why do you think that is the case and do you agree with him? Oh, I think this year is a little rash to start with.

I do think that, again, with only three Grand Prix, I do think there's still plenty of room to tweak. what we've got. I know it's been a big of a PR disaster for Formula One at the start of this era, but that doesn't mean that the basis of what we're doing is good or bad. I'd like to see more actual evidence on track with some tweaks at the FIA are supposedly bringing in. I'd like to see how that works. I think this is another PR stunt. I think this is more words out in the media that tries to bring people on board to make sure they can commit long-term time to Formula One by going, they're not happy, they're not happy. Let's promise them a better future in three or four years' time

and make it all good. There are so many things that actually balance on changing engine regulations. Look at the teams we've brought in. Because of these supposing engine regulations that are coming now, Audi have decided to join Cadillac are here. We've got Toyota who are heavily investing in Haas. There were rumors of the likes of Porsche who wanted to be involved. You know, it's not like this has done nothing for us as a sport.

There are some positives. So a rash change is not as simple as it might sound of just changing the words like a bigger paper. I do agree that there need to be some tweaks. I don't think it should be discussed, only three races into a brand new set of regulations. I'm fine with the discussion because it is for years in the future. And they can almost work alongside each. You can try and fix the current regulations as they are right now, whilst also thinking about the next set of regulations in that it might be something completely different

that they think is going to be, I hate this term, road relevant by 2030. The next thing. Yeah, right. So I'm fine with them discussing it and even making a decision this year. I think Domenicali just doesn't want to get stuck in the same situation as what we've got now in that even if you, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with a lot of the regs as they are today, one thing that I think we can agree on that is not good is that we are

having to talk about quite significant changes just a few races into this new era. Like, they've had years to prepare for this. They've had so much time to the point where, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be tweaks when we actually get cars on track and we realize things aren't exactly the way that they were intended. Like, sure, tweaks need to be made. But we're looking at quite wholesale changes to the regulations. That should never happen after having years to prepare for it. And I don't think Domenicali wants to get stuck in the same situation again.

I think he wants to be like, whatever it is, we're doing next. We want to be on top of it like straight away. And manufacturers and teams know if they want to still be involved in F1 at that point, what they're getting. I think that's fair. You brought up that phrase, which I think is an important phrase to use, because Formula One constantly tries to be this.

We're at the cutting edge of car development, and that's how they almost like pretend that they're secretly relevant to the everyday person driving around. I hate that. I don't care if you're road. relevant at all. I don't care if my car on the driveway outside has a mild similarity to a Formula one car on the racetrack. I'm not naive enough to think that there needs to be similarities between the two. I just want to see 22 cars go racing in an exciting way. That's all I'm here for. So if that means

having 100% sustainable fuels or making 50% battery power work, I don't care if it feels good, it looks good, and we get some great side-by-side racing. I think it's more about the teams, to be honest, and whether they want to be invested in something that isn't as road relevant. Like, Audi, for example, one of the main reasons they listed as being in F1 is that they can transfer and translate a lot of what they're doing in F1 over to their cars. And if they were to leave as a result of that, maybe Mercedes would be the same, then we have to think what would F1 look like. And I'm not even saying like that's a bad path to go down.

It's just something we need to think about because there are teams like Red Bull, where road relevancy is an absolute non-factor. because as far as I'm aware, no Red Bull cans are on the roads. I think I see one of those minis with a massive Red Bull in the back of it driving around the other day. Ah, that was me. Oh, was that you? I forgot a show you.

Whip? That leads us quite nicely on to our second topic, actually, because it is about Red Bull. They have recruited a senior figure from Racing Bulls as part of a reshuffle in its Formula One technical department. While the team continues to back Technical Director, Pierre Vashe. it is introducing a series of organizational changes within its technical department aimed at reinforcing its focus on performance and innovation. As part of this, Head of Performance Engineering, Ben Waterhouse has been promoted to Chief Performance and Design Engineer, overseeing Design and Vehicle Performance. And he will be joined by new hire Andrea Landy, who arrives as Head of Performance after serving as Racing Bulls deputy technical director in charge of car design.

So a bit of a bit of a shuffle up here after some other departures recently from Red Bull. What do you make of it? It's really interesting, isn't it? Red Bull was going through such a turmoil, such tumultuous times that I'm not surprised that we've seen some internal movement, especially with the GP announcement that obviously he might be going. We've seen so many departures over the last 12 to 18 months, especially in the technical area, the aerodynamicist technical area.

So it makes sense that we see reporting of people being shifting around the department or brought in. Unfortunately for Red Bull, it's a really tricky time to make new hires, and especially new hires that can have a direct impact. We're at the start of new regulation. If you're going to try and get anyone directly from a new team that is outside of the Red Bull family, there's going to be gardening leave. There's going to be, you know, notice periods. There's going to be time where you can't transition from one to another.

So going out to the, exactly. So go out to like Mercedes and saying, we want to pick up your heck of aerodynamics. Well, yeah, you can have him in two years when it's no longer relevant to the current spec. Well, what are Red Bull going to do there? It's not relevant to them right now. It's quite useful.

Hence the conversation that we had about GP may be going to McLaren sooner if they can try and make it work for both parties. You end up with just kind of having dead weight in both teams. So what they've done here is promote internally. Obviously, I think Waterhouse has been a key part of the Toro-Rosso Red Bull family for quite a long time. now was previously with BMW Salba.

Again, that's a really good career in Formula One. And I do think that because he's so embedding in the wider family of Red Bull, this makes sense to give them a chance. They don't lose anything here. He's already working within the team. He's already clearly a key contributor to what's going on in the team. And maybe has some fresh ideas that haven't been developed yet because he's coming from a slightly different viewpoint.

So I'm glad that they've done something and that they've not just left this open vacancy available. And it does allow them to basically give Waterhouse like a year at least before they start to look at this isn't working, this is working, do we need to go and getting outside high and out from another team? That's possible there. With Landy, it's slightly different in the sense. I know that he's had some more external experience. I think he was previously at Ferrari as well, which is nice because it wasn't too long ago. Previously with DTM as well, I think it was as well. So working outside of Formula One, it'll be interesting to see if these are new names

that have been around motorsport for a long time that we start talking about as our regular view points in Red Bull. The way we've spoken about, you know, Kowngauer, Ashton Martin, for example, and Newee, for example, like that. These games that are so regularly appearing in this aerodynamic engine design chat, are these the next two superstars that we see in 10 years' time? It's nice to see Red Bull actually giving them a chance to shine. Whether that comes to fruition, we don't know. Yeah, I think it was necessary, this kind of a shake-up because Red Bull does, as you kind of put it at the end there, need to create a new generation of team members that can thrive in a way that may be the likes

of Adrian Newey and Christian Horner and Jonathan Wheatley, big up Rob Marshall, those guys did. I think maybe the issue there is that whilst I don't necessarily think they can't do that, they're not like 25, 30 years old, new into the sport. These are guys that have been around for quite a while. Maybe they just need this, I don't know, better. or opportunity to show what they're worth to Red Bull. But maybe the chances of being another Adrian Nui or another Jonathan Wheatley, that may be pushing it.

I'm not sure we'll get that from these two hires specifically. But it was time to do a bit of a shuffle because the 26 car has been a disappointment. And I say that about the chassis in particular because whilst I think we maybe expected the power unit to be slightly behind, you could argue that's definitely not the case. Like the power unit has kind of that side of Red Bull has shown up

to the point where there are rumours right now that when we have this first performance review and we spoke about this on a recent episode, if you're more than 2% behind the leader, the perceived leader in terms of power unit, you will get additional upgrades. And of course at that point, yes. And of course at that point, we're like,

that will be Mercedes and everyone else is trailing them. There are rumors suggesting that Red Bull might, actually have the best power unit at the moment. So even if they don't, maybe they're second, but even if they are second, they're doing an all right job on that. It's actually the chassis that is the bigger problem. It's Hadjar's had a lot of complaints about it. It's not the Williams, but it's pretty weighty. It's not a good car at the moment. It's really unbalanced, isn't it? It's really unbalanced a drive. You hear complaints about overskere and underskir in the same event from both drivers, the fact they've got no balance that when they go to shift, the car feels really

unbalanced are confused with itself. But big up, you know, the ladies in general over in the States, you guys at Ford go like to put some horses into that power. Damn right. Doing a straight line is the old US. So let's hope that they can actually create something aerodynamically that suits the amount of horsepower in the back. You mentioned the advantages to there being no gardening leave for these two hires. So obviously one of them is just a true internal promotion from Red Bull. The other one is coming directly from their sister team racing balls, so they're not going to serve any gardening leave either. That's definitely the advantage that you can get this done very quickly. Is there a bit of a

disadvantage in, if you're looking for newer, fresher ideas from someone, you're maybe not as likely to get it from these two? Yeah, that is definitely part of the cost of doing an internal hire. You have to have belief that maybe part of your culture with the fact that you lost so many high ranking seeing your members was suppressing maybe some of these ideas that weren't able to filter up because you were so relying on the big names that we've mentioned so many times on this show. Now, you look at Meckis, for example, who of course was previously Ferrari, then was racing balls and now is Red Bull. Landy's done the same journey pretty much, right? He's gone from Ferrari to racing balls to Red Bulls. They'll have a really good relationship. And if Meckis thought,

hey, he was a key person that I looked to when it came to creating success at each of my departments in those previous areas. And now he's building a team for himself slowly. And Mandy is one of those people that he can rely on, you pair that with Waterhouse who understands the Red Bull Inns and Out. He knows the aerodynamic journeys. He knows what has been a positive and a negative, but now he's able to actually create ideas for himself

and he's not reliant on someone above him, maybe saying, I actually think this might be the direction we should go in. Or maybe, oh, I don't love that idea. Let's try this. He's got the freedom to make those calls. We might see a very different looking Red Bull. But you are right. There's a real risk that by not going and getting someone from

a McLaren, a Ferrari, and Mercedes, or whatever it might be, you do risk an idea that might be huge in another team, never even being thought of in Red Bull. But that's the beauty of Formula One that one idea could spark somewhere and it could revolutionise your entire season like the double diffuser at Braun, right?

You have one thought and it changes your whole year. I think Landy, despite being the junior of the two here, is perhaps the more interesting one coming from Racing Bulls because a comment of Racing Bulls, particularly in the last couple of years, especially last year, I'd say, was that the racing balls, whilst not the quickest car on the grid, was pretty easy to drive, at least relative.

Whether that translates over to the Red Bull now will be really interesting because that could help whoever's in the second seat, that of course being agile who would have been racing balls last year, but also when it comes to Vestappen, like Vestappen has been used to a car that is typically very difficult to drive, but at its absolute peak, a really quick car.

This is almost maybe a venture away from that a little bit. Oh, it's not surprising, though, is it? If there is a genuine risk that someone like Stappan steps away from the sport, then you do have to start to mitigate the direction you're going in in the future. And now whether that is even, we're in taking 10% off of our Vastappan direction, and it's still 80% for Stappan, 20% Hajjar. I mean, that is understandable from a business direction.

There were many comments last year, I remember us saying where you can put for stabbing on racing balls as a chance that maybe he could get a podium out of that car because it felt so stable and so capable. And in qualifying especially, you saw what Hageau was able to do. The amount of times he had a Q3 appearance last year, it shows that there was some raw pace. And even this year, once it hasn't got the outright ability to score points in the same way we think Red Bull probably could, it is looking like a much more comfortable car. Lawson and Limbler together are able to both produce. very consistent results, unlike Red Bull, who are very much top and tail of the grid so far. Yeah, very much so.

I do have to make a customary comment as well on this gardening leave and how they won't serve any. It is a joke. It is a joke. And to be clear, I'm not saying that about Red Bull or Racing Bulls. The teams, they're just playing the game. Like, they will do what they need to do. No shade on them whatsoever. It's just the rules and what they are at the moment,

that Racing Bulls are so attached to Red Bull that they have this agreement. And before anyone shout to me, by the way, I know that it's not just these two. It's happened before with the likes of James Vowles. I don't think he served any gardening leaves when he left Mercedes to go to William. So it's not just a comment on Red Bull and Racing Bulls, but it's maybe the most extreme example of it. This concept of the Thistka team, it really does break, you know, 11 individual teams all going for glory. We know that one of these teams, and we've mentioned it so many times, is never going to win a championship. That's not the point of why they're there.

And it is a shame. And I've had a few conversations with casual fans who heard the rumours of, for example, Toto Wolf potentially wanting to buy part of Alpine. The big question was, oh, that's a bit weird. Isn't that going to be two teams on the same grid? Does that not mean there'll be some kind of conflicting bias going on there?

And he owned part of Williams before. Exactly. It's a great comment. And it's a very fair coming. So, you know, these are very fair questions that should be made. That is what happens at Redbourne Racing Bulls. That is what's going on. Final question on this one.

Yeah, Vashe. Is he in trouble at all? It's not looking good for Vashe, is it? I mean, he's been around a long time. He's a very, very well-respecting individual within the Formula One paddock, but you would argue that when this new system comes into play, and if you do mention that the engine is as powerful as it may seem, there's a real risk that this individual might not be as successful as Red Bull family hangout of hope.

What are your thoughts? It feels a bit like they are... The clock is kicking? A little bit. It's almost like they're killing two birds of one stone in that they've brought in support for Vashe to maybe get a better, maybe do a better job of all this. So if it works, great. And if it doesn't work, they've got more of a, I don't know, backup plan than they had before this reshuffle. So it's like, if it goes well, great. And if it doesn't go well, we've actually got these pieces in place that we can make a move maybe quicker than we could have done beforehand. It kind of feels a bit like that. this is the biggest trouble Red Bullers been in since it became successful for the first time in, you know, 2010. This is the toughest period. I think they found themselves since that point. Yes, we saw some downfall in the start of the hybrid era.

Yes. But that's mostly because of the saying his engine power. They still had Horner and Newey at that point. Like, you knew that it was going to turn around. They had direction. They had a long-term plan. The driver base, it took a little minute, but it got there and it was good. This genuinely feels like at every corner.

for Red Bull, there is something that could potentially break. And I'm a little worried that we might see a longer rebuild than we were expecting. Yeah, maybe so. I mean, maybe the Nui exit and other exits have helped Vashe maybe cement his place in the team for now because, I mean, last year, obviously, Christian Horner took the fall for what happened and I can't say shed any tears at it. But it could have been Vashe, like it could have been him instead with what. what that car was looking like halfway through 2025.

And it wasn't. Yeah, we don't see too many firings from Red Bull. Like, you know, you might see team taking a driver or taking a team member off their hands. You don't often hear about too many public, you're out. Like, you just haven't been good enough. We'll see how the next few months go for the team. Let's take our next quick break.

And on the other side, we're actually going to get into what happened at the Saudi Arabian GP. I can't wait. I loved it. Best one yet. Welcome back, everyone. One week removed from that incredible front row of Holkenberg and Bottas at the Bahrain GP. And of course, the rather unusual events that saw the two Williams drivers get in the same car and operated together.

I can't believe more aren't reporting on it. Arguably, Saudi Arabia today that we're reviewing was even wilder. A crazy, crazy race. There's a lot going on in the world. It was great just to hunker down and really just watch some true Formula One. racing. What was your favorite bit? Oh, I did enjoy the Bortoletto overtake on George Russell for the race win. I just didn't appreciate George Russell after the Grand Prix, calling him a fun vacuum.

Yeah, I've heard this about George. He loved to get out the vacuum. That was harsh, you know. Yeah. I didn't enjoy, though, the retaliation from Audi, of course, German team on German team. They went over and they did a big dance outside the garage and then they made the fourth. rings out of human beings and blocked in the lorry so it couldn't leave. Yeah, but when the guy who was making up the bottom right of the third like ring fell over, that was fast-like. Very funny. Very good.

You know, Aldi's got some good bans. Good win for Border Telephone. You can see his legs going. It's a tough pose to hold by that. Yeah, yeah. It's really tricky. Did you see Ocon cut half the course? You know, he's a cheeky boy, that little nip bit through the middle.

I didn't see that. I think it was legal. That's why he came fifth, sensational result for Ocom. Man, I'm better one. was still on the podium, so he beat him. God, even a fake Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Ocock can't win. In more serious news, who do you think this track might have benefited if it went ahead? I'd like to have seen what McLaren could have done here properly.

They were better in Japan. And Japan is kind of a power track, but also very aerodynamically important. And they did have better pace overall in comparison to where we thought they might sit. They were much more competitive with Ferrari, where I think the imaginary Bahrain Grand Prix much more suited Ferrari, the imaginary Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, I think is a much better fit for McLaren.

And I think it'll be a shame that they didn't get more running time here because I think they could have been really competitive. I think the saying is still a bit comfortable. I still think this suits their car. There seem to be very good, absolutely everywhere. But I do think that fight for the podium spot between those two teams will have been much closer.

It's a very different circuit to Bahrain that, of course, we also didn't go to. But we were speaking about this last week and who that might have favoured. Very different circuit at Jeddah. It's 27 corners, so the most corners that you've got on a track in what would have been the 26th calendar. And there's no real straits outside of the start-finished straight, really.

You've still, you've got areas that should, in theory, be full throttle, but the only true straight is that. They're all curved, don't you? Yeah, yeah, exactly. There are similarities to Suzuki in that if you think our maybe main gripe with Suzuki was almost that you had quite a few overtakes going into the Casio triangle and then you kind of knew that it was just going to be repasses again going into term one. There aren't that many overtaking spots at Suzuki.

I think we could have had the same situation at Jenner. Turn 27, turn one. Yeah, fully agree. There aren't many areas outside of that on the track where you can foresee an overtake happening. So I think we could have, I mean, we kind of did see it a few years ago with Lecler and Vestappen playing DRS chicken at that point. And I don't know, maybe to an extent I think it was entertaining.

But yeah, I think we could have seen the same thing if we went to Jeddah this weekend. Yeah, I fully agree. I do think that in terms of battery management, which I hate that we have to bring this up all the time, I think it would have been a nightmare for Formula One. There's so much of that lap that's on half or full throttle that the actual recharging capabilities are, if I only think are within, basically turns 27 and turn one for full heavy braking. everywhere else is very much a kind of half throttle come down to maybe third or fourth gear at lowest,

which means that recharging is going to be an absolute nightmare. I would have put it on par, maybe worse than Australia. Now Australia had the benefit of being the first race of the season. Didn't know what we were getting, didn't know what we were looking at. Was it good? Was it bad? I don't know. I think with hindsight and now knowing what we're doing about the regulations, I think Saudi would have been a big of a PR nightmare.

I think this could have been atrocious. And I think even outside of the global context here, it might be a very good thing. We're not racing here because I think it would have been the trickiest race yet. I think if we're looking at the entire calendar, I think you mentioned Qatar a few weeks ago as probably being another problem track. I agree with that. Monza is going to be an interesting one as well. I think Saudi Arabia is part of that group and worse than Melbourne.

like turn four to turn 12 like that sort of very usually fast sort of left right sequence that's half throttle I think with these cars during the grombray yeah I'd sit between what fifth and seventh gear for a lot of that don't you because where are you recovering this energy like if you think of the rest of the lap as well you have to be that way through the first sector because if you're not like from turn 13 I think it is which is like the curved left hand And from there, all the way to turn 27. I went back and watched Vestappen's poll app from here last year. You are not in a gear lower than fifth.

Yeah. You got the DRS straight, straight after that section, of course, as well, which you think is full throttle. Now you've got the really quick left-right hand of the chican, which leads you down to what is essentially the straight, but isn't the straight. You're right. You are pelting it through that second half of the lap.

Or you should be at least. But if you want to be pelting it through that part, of the lap, you are going to have to be so slow through that first sector, which is why, again, I'm maybe quite glad we're not racing, because I don't think it would have created something entertaining. No, I fully agree. Entertaining in the wrong way, in a way that makes our sport look like a joke. Maybe. I agree with being intrigued about what McLaren could have done here, though, because it could have worked in a similar way to Suzuki, in that Piaastri has a great start and is able to kind of hold off Russell as a result of there not being too many

passing opportunities could have got the same thing. The only problem is that run down to term one is far shorter. So in theory, a Mercedes bad start maybe wouldn't have been capitalized on in the same way or it would have been more difficult to capitalize on it versus Suzuki. But I think McLaren could have been all right. If you had to go with a pole one, two, three, what would you've gone for? Poll, George Russell, wing, Russell, second place, Santageli, third piastri.

I was going to go with Paul Russell, win Russell, second Norris, third piastri. Oh, what happened to Kimmy? Well, he's had a lot of bad starts.

And I think at some point, if he doesn't sort that out, he might get punished for it. Now, I said that he, when we did this for Bahrain, last week, I said he'd win that Grand Prix because I think there's enough

opportunity there to get it back. But he seems to be struggling a bit more at the starts compared to Russell. I think that might cost him unless he solves it. I wonder how much sim practice they'll be doing with Kimmy overstarts for this next two or three weeks as we finally get closer to Miami.

The 87 years are nearly over. It feels like a good place to focus on. The other thing I want to mention in terms of midfield teams and who might have done well here, I was having a look at the first three races we've had so far, Australia, Shanghai, Suzuki, and there is something that connects all three of them. They're Formula One tracks. Apart from that they're all Formula One tracks. They all have quite lengthy runs down to term one.

like maybe Japan and China a bit longer maybe the Melbourne but they're both like not short run down to term one Jedda really and Bahrain would have been the same of course Jedder is almost the first one where there isn't a lot of room between the grid. Similar to Miami actually which we're coming up to. Very true, very true. Audi, who have had horrible starts all year,

they might have actually quite like to have gone to Jeddah because there just isn't as much room to lose spots off the grid. Four spots instead of seven. And that might be enough for a point or two, which isn't what they're getting with regularity so far this year. Yeah, take that George Russell. That's why Bortoletto beat you. And that is why Bortoletto won.

Before we go to our next break, Sam, I've heard Patreon's a good place to be. You know what? When you're just sunning around, you've got 87 years before a Grand Prix, you think, where should I retire to? Where should I relax in? Patreon City's the place.

Put your feet up. There's a lovely weather light today. Always 21 degrees Celsius. and, you know, and light breeze. I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit. Sorry. You know, just a dapple cloud in the sky. You know, the sun's beaming, birds are tweeting.

It's a gorgeous place. Your electricity is free. The rent is low. It's about $8, you know, and quid a month. Come and check it out. You know, come on in. We're always about. We're looking for a mayor, town mayor.

We're looking for a bin man still, I've heard. So there's plenty of jobs. Yeah, but we need to pay them more, apparently, because I've gone through about seven. been men. I keep getting promoted to other jobs. Keep moving on. Yeah.

I think actually realize I talk about a single benefit you get from Patreon City there, which is great, important. You get loads of race reviews that we've done in terms of classic reviews. So if you're looking for something a bit different that isn't about the current Grand Prix, think, oh God, I'm sick to death of battery management or something like that. We do loads of classics over there. So this month again, we're doing the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, which is a megast of wet weather and crashes and overtakes and dramas.

So, you know, get excited for that one. We've got plenty of hours ranging from the 80s all the way through to basically the modern day. Then we've got things like power rankings to come out after every single race. We've got beer with breaking. Beer breaking is where the three of us sit down over a beer and we just talk silly stuff. We get some of your questions in. We play some silly games. We revisit old school late breaking.

It is just farcical. And if you've got to laugh at us, that's the place to do it. And many other great things as well in there. So please check out. And that's, of course, assuming you don't laugh at us when we do the regular. podcast because we are informed individuals that don't deserve mockery. We are experts in the subject of Formula One and we only bring you the best. Sure thing. With that, let's go to our final break. On the other side, we're going through

our most overrated and underrated circuits on the calendar right now. Where's me list? Welcome back, everyone, to the final part of today's episode. We're going to run through our top three overrated and underrated circuits on the grid. On the grid, grid on the calendar, I mean. Shame that Mr. Harry Ead can't be with us today because no doubt number one on his list for underrated would have been Monaco.

We'll see if it makes an appearance on either of our lists, but of course plenty other options as well. Should we start negative so we can end positively? Oh, yeah. So we'll start with top three overrated calendars. Oh, my God, words. Jeez. You can tell you ain't like a race with you for a while, man.

overrated circuits on the calendar. Number three, Sam. I've gone with Mexico as my third most overrated track on the calendar, is how it's meant to be said. I do just think it gets a lot of hype, does the old autodromo, harmonas, Carlos, Pache. Ah, no. No?

That's Inglars, my man. Oh, yeah. Well, you started Mexico and you went to Interlagos. Mexico City Yeah I just think It gets another hype with its whole Oh really long run down to turn one Then immediately overtaking to turn four

And it's got high altitude So the engines are very different The middle sector is garbage You cannot do anything in that middle sector at all And unfortunately You make one DRS pass Which was DRS which is still DRS Because with two fluffy wings now

Halfway down the start-finish trade And it's game over So I just think it was a Red Bull playground a while ago, and it doesn't produce anything specifically exciting. Insane opinion. Number three on my list, Mexico City. The Otodromo Amanos Rodriguez. Oh, it's Rodriguez. It's got Carlos Pache. Go on.

Nah, not quite Carlos Pache. He's a bit further south of where you're at the moment. Big up by Carlos Pachshay. Stadium tax, run to turn one tax. That's Mexico. Like, the run to turn one is great. It happens once. so it probably shouldn't be factored in all that much. The stadium is cool. From an aesthetic perspective, it is cool.

The corners are not good. No, they suck. I love the crowd in there. The Mexican fans, amazing group of people. We meet a lot of them in Austin. They frequently sit around us and they are fantastic crowd participants. But that is really boring going through there. Yeah.

The first sector's fine. I actually think the first sector, you still get some side by sides, like as you go through to the end of the first sector, which can be quite cool. But as soon as you get into that middle and final sector, I just don't think there's much there. Entertainment-wise.

We actually had a very good Mexican Grand Prix last year as well to say. Like, it was one of the better races in 25. A caveat with this list is that it doesn't mean that these are always bad races, or that we dislike these places. It's just that the hype is maybe a bit more than the track generally gives out. What's number two on your list? This one might raffles and feathers. I've gone with Suzuki.

Because whilst a track to drive, it might be number one. It might be the best racetrack to sitting a race car and go round it. You know what? If Max Verstappas said to me, hey, Sam, hop in the passenger seat. I'll take you for a whiz, which is I imagine how he talks. Then I would go, yes, sir. Thank you very much, sir. Three bags full, sir.

And I have a great time. But if I have to watch a Grand Prix, especially at 4 a.m. Not complaining. Then regularly, it provides a very, very boring processional Grand Prix, specifically last year,

where I think what, the top 10 were exactly the same as they were when they qualified, which is the first time it has ever happened. And that's including Monaco, which is craziness. So it's a gorgeous place. The venue is stunning.

The Japanese fans are mega. The track itself is amazing to go around at full speed, but as a Formula 1 race right now, it does not deliver what it once did. It's not on my list, but yeah, you're right. It just annoys me because it is a

great circuit. And if you want to watch Super Formula there or something like that, it's really cool. It just doesn't actually create many great F1 races. And it annoys me that it doesn't. So it hasn't appeared on my list, but I understand why it has for you. Number two for you, Ben?

This is where Monaco makes an appearance. It's tough with Monaco because some people have a great opinion of it. And some people don't. So it's tough to say whether it's overrated or not. For me, it's the best quality of the year. It's the worst race of the year and it's just not suitable for modern F1. I will say at least, I am interested in what it will be like with the new regulations. There is a chance that this is actually the race where it will be least affected. Like you might see a Monaco Grand Prix this year that doesn't actually look much different

to what we've had in the last few years. That's not a good thing. The problem is we want something better. than what we've had in the last few years. So, well, I'll give it a chance in May, but... We kind of have to give it a chance in May. Yeah. I've got to do the review show on it. It's in June this year, actually. Oh, I might.

Yeah, they swapped it around Canada, haven't they? Yeah. But it's... If you like it, I understand why, but the qualifying... The spectacle of qualifying isn't enough for me to put it, not in an overrated category. what leads your list we know what needs the list

the Mongo Grand Prix it is one of the most amazing spectacles the heritage the fans that go the place is incredible qualifying is a marvel to watch it really is but 78 laps

of absolutely nothing happening and even when someone hits the wall which you know is not what we should be hoping for on a Formula One race to make something exciting even that just stops the race because you can't do anything with that. It's either a full-course safety car or it's a red flag. And then we go again. It's just not fit for purpose. And I've said it so many times,

I'd rather rather, you know, a one-lap shootout celebrity style charity event worth, I know, $10 million that goes to a charity of that. That's a beer we're breaking topic. If we had to put 20 celebrities in a Monaco charity Grand Prix, who would we pick? That's, that's basically the Rumble, but actually Formula One based. I just think, in a bygone area, it will be one of those places that we dream and fantasize of, remember when we used to race there? Remember the days when they used to go around the Monaco Grand Prix in the city?

Incredible. It is incredible as a spectacle, but it just does not produce interesting racing anymore. Number one on my list is Albert Park, Melbourne. Far off mine. Bit of a first race tax. I wouldn't. I mean, Adelaide was pretty cool. We haven't been there in quite a long time. Do you think it's better or worse with the recent changes?

I think it's better. I do think it's better with the recent changes, but it's still, it just doesn't quite do it for me. And in fairness, I've never been to the track and maybe I'll need to go one day for it to prove me wrong. Like, maybe that needs to happen. Let us know. Should we go? For now, I'm going to have to put this at number one on my last. list. It's a shame. Maybe we'll just have to take you, Ben, to make sure that you change your heart. Maybe one day, maybe.

Top three underrated now, Sam. Underrated because of how new it is. I don't think it's fully embedding in the minds of F1 fans. I think this is produced not the best ever Grand Prix races, but pretty good. And the fanfare overshadows how good I think the racing is. I've called me Vegas. I really enjoyed the races we've had at Vegas. had the stupidness of it being so badly organized. I can't put that on the racing. That's got nothing

to do with the racing, but we had the drain cover coming out. We had the changing staff that were temp staff that weren't allowed to work after midnight because of their shift patterns and the law that was there. That was all farcical. The tickets that weren't fully embursed in the fangs, only got like a gift voucher to the shop, weren't allowed back. That was all ridiculous and stupid and awful. But as a racing, I actually really do look forward to it. I think it's good fun. And I've enjoyed the last couple of years that we've been there. The weather is really interesting. Different teams seem to come out on top.

We've had a runaway winner, sure. But I think the battle's going on further back. I've been more exciting than in a lot of race tracks. I'm glad it's around. I don't need to have a lifelong contract, but I am glad that it is on the calendar. Number three on my top underrated circuits on the current calendar, Barcelona, Spain.

Fourth on my list. I like turn one at Spain. I think it is a good turn one that you can... We know. I do genuinely think it because you can go both inside and outside of that corner, and that can, if played right, that battle can continue all the way through that, that long sort of curve all the way to turn number four? Yeah, maybe four.

But I think it's a great first sector. And obviously, the final sector is much improved since they got rid of that awful chican. and now it's just flat out, which I think is great. Last sort of five or six years, it has produced a consistently good race. I think it's the biggest improver since the 2021 regulations came in. 100%. Because 10 years ago, we were talking about this. Is this the worst one on the grid?

Like, it could be. But I, yeah, I think it's great now. I think it's right up there. I agree. I hang it forth. I was on that I was debating whether to put on the list on that. I really think it's really. be quite good now. Number two.

I've got with Hungary. Budapest or the Hungara ring. Just east of the water park. I think you'll find it on the lap. I believe it's raining over the water park. I think so. I've heard this. I quietly delivers banger after banger. A lot of weird events seem to take place at Hungary. You'll have cars that were dominant elsewhere that aren't so. You know, you have Max Verstappen, struggling to get into the top 10 very recently, for example. We had that event where it was just Lewis Hamilton lining up on the start, finish grid on his own when everyone else is in the pit lane. That's what Ockon got his one and only victory, your boy. So it does produce a really interesting grand prix, you know, Jackson Button's first ever win there. We've really had some big

moments throughout that racetrack. And yet people look at it and go a bit narrow, a bit like Monaco without the walls, in it. Oh, and I just don't think it is. I think it's got a lot more to it. The heat especially provides some really interesting tireware issues that come up. I think it's quite a good race. I find Hungary to be, not with equal amounts, but a bit hit and miss sometimes. Like when you have a bad Hungarian Grand Prix, it's pretty bad. It is bad, yeah. But you do also get some very good Grand Prix there as well.

No surprise it's made a way onto one of our lists. Number two for me is Bahrain. I was thinking about this when creating this list. The first sector in Bahrain, I think it might be the best. best first sec the Rinn F1. I think it genuinely could be because the turn 1 all the way up to turn 4 battles always really good because you have a decision as a driver to either go for that move straight away into turn 1 or to hang back a bit and then try and make that move around turn four. But of course, and that's a really good corner as well because you can try and go around

the outside of term 4 but you have the possibility that you're just going to be run out of room by the guy you're fighting and it isn't like you're not slammed on the brakes there it's quite a good corner and then of course you get into the rest of the lap is also very good as well uh i've often thought this one is definitely a top 10 track definitely a top 10 track but uh it's it's a lot of fun number one on your list i didn't comment because that is my number one on my list it might be the perfect first sector in Formula One. And apart from about three corners around the Bahrain Grand Prix, I think you could do the whole race wheel to wheel.

I think it's wide enough that the cars can go wheel to wheel. The corners are open enough with enough breaking zones that you can outbreak someone or cut back down the inside or try and go for a lunge and the space is there. I think what will improve it is maybe having a bit more jeopardy when you come off the track. So a little bit more gravel would be nice to have there or maybe a wall a little closer just for a little bit of jeopardy.

That would be great. But I do think it delivers every single year. I can't remember where we get a Bahrain Grand Prix, where I leave it and think nothing happened. That was really boring. That was a waste of two hours of my Sunday. And now I've got to talk about it on the podcast and try and make it exciting for a certain reason. It doesn't ever really happen.

The worst one was the international layout that I think Fernando Alonso is the only fan of. Yeah, the endurance layout. The endurance layout, thank you. I think it's a really fantastic racetrack and I would, I don't think I'd put it in my top five, but you're right, I think it would definitely sit in that five to five. Yeah, and that five to ten comfortably inside that group.

I think it's a really brilliant race track. Number one might be a surprise for some because it is viewed to be pretty good. In fact, it's viewed to be very good by a lot of people, but I think it's even better than very good, which is why I've got the Red Bullring. I've got Austria. Interesting.

I think if I was putting together a top four, circuits, it would be in that list. I think so. I think maybe sometimes people view maybe the best three as Silverstone, Interlagos and Monza. And whilst I would just about take Silverstone and Interlagos over the Red Bull Ring, Red Bull Ring or Monza, I'm taking the Red Bull Ring. It's a conversation I would happily listen to. I wouldn't laugh at you for taking one on the other. And to be clear, I've probably got Monza like fourth or fifth on my list anyway. So it's not like, I think Mons is terrible. I genuinely think it belongs in that top echelon of European circuits.

And I don't think it's quite viewed that way. I think people will often go to Silverstone. They'll say Spa before they say the Red Bull Ring. But you look at the amount of good races that track has delivered over the last 10 years. Plentiful. Spa was kind of close to my overrated list. I think it was probably fourth on my list. And again, this is because I hate Spar, Spar's brilliant.

I think it gets a lot of love and the races we've had there recently have not been very good. Yes. Well, there we go. Some similarities in the overrated category, but quite unique in terms of the underrated category there. Let us know, of course, what your top three is for both of those. Well, Sam, I don't think there's any F1 next week, I'm afraid, but we'll be back on Wednesday. It's a real shame. I have our first week in a long time

where we don't have to talk anything race-related which is a difficult one for us. So hopefully you skip with us so you get through it because Miami is just on the horizon now. Do join the Patreon. You can always cancel after a month and it really won't cost you a lot and it massively supports the show.

Join the Discord. Ben, you just did your quiz. I heard it was a roaring success of many varied topics. Yes. A very close run thing as well. I think there were maybe seven points separating the top three in the end. so it was a closely fought contest and fun had by most.

Fun had by all. Great. Follow our social media, late breaking F1 everywhere. If you want to see silly clips, question of the week, of course, is very important there as well. And make sure that you subscribe on YouTube, please, because we're on that path now. We're off the road.

We're taking a left. We're going down a pathway to 10K because we're quite near our destination. We've had to. had to get out the car. I can see it. There it is. Oh, it's quite close on the map. Anyway, thanks for Leskin.

We'll be back midweek and can't wait to talk all more things, everyone. In the meantime, I've been Sam and Sedge. And I've been Ben Hocking. And remember, keep breaking late.