The Late Braking F1 Podcast - What F1’s new engine verdict means for the Top 4 teams

Episode Date: August 30, 2026

The latest ADUO results are in, and Red Bull remains F1’s benchmark engine… Ben, Sam and Harry discuss what this review means for the top teams’ development and whether the system itself is fit for purpose. They also chat through Colapinto’s contract extension at Alpine and Alonso’s uncertain F1 future, before closing with a game of Alphabetti. 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! LEAGUE CODE: C6Y6R4ZUY02Get 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 F1 podcast. Make sure to check out new episodes every Wednesday and every Sunday. A very warm welcome to the late breaking F1 podcast presented by Harry Eid, Sam Sage, and me, Ben Hocking. One more episode before we get into the week of the Italian GP, one that we are a very excited slash apprehensive about. I know we're only a week away, Sam, but you're already thinking about those. cars going through your favorite corner in F1 and a bit worried? Yeah, I mean, they've already destroyed the curbing of a scari by just flatticking it, which is horrific as it is.

But I love Monsa. I absolutely love it. It's one of my all-time favorite racetracks, and I'm already getting a little bit nervving, get a little bit shaky about what the battery regeneration down the main straits are going and look like. We'll see. Let's try to have positive, happy feelings.

We've got some good things to talk about, and it will be okay. Harry, as Chief Vibs officer, you must be feeling very good on this day. Thank you. Yeah, I've actually recently been promoted everyone to Chief Fibs Officer of Late Breaking. CVO. Yes. That's me. You're the CEO.

No, no, CVO. Oh, way better. Don't worry about it. And I took a 90% pay cut for it as well. Obviously, the best deal with anyone, can imagine. The negotiations were fierce. You have to take a 90% pay cut. Deal.

Okay. I know how to negotiate. I want you to keep thinking that for future instances. Good work, Harry. Well, it's a good thing you're bringing the vibes because I feel like this could be a banger of an episode. You'll need to bring the vibes, even though the game itself brings the vibes F1 Alphabeti.

Some might argue you don't need more vibes than just F1 Alphabeti existing, but I think we'll find a way. Well, with me in charge now, there will always be away. Are you going to do the questions, Zee? And the answers. I cannot say how much I hate this.

We've got some news about Franco Colopinto's future at Alpine, in that he'll be there. But before we get to that, let's talk a duo because Red Bull remains the only manufacturer unable to upgrade its F1 power unit after the FIA announced no change to its ranking of engines. Under F1's catch-up mechanism, manufacturers that were more than two, percent adrift of the benchmark are allowed extra development scope. If a manufacturer is more than 2% adrift, they get one upgrade this season and won the next, while anyone more than 4% off gets two upgrades this year and 2 in 2027. Following the first the duo period that ended at the Canadian GP, the FIA's measurements had concluded that Red Bull had the best internal combustion

engine with Mercedes 2% behind and everyone else at least 4% off. The FIA's new findings from the second period that ran from Monaco to Hungary, found no change to the pecking order. Sam, is there any surprise that no team has managed to catch up to Red Bull's Internal Combustion Engine? I think the worst bit is that Ferrari actually did try and still haven't managed to get any closer to Red Bull's engine, which is quite funny. I'm surprised that no one's made any progress. We've heard of several upgrades coming through.

You know, Honda brought an upgrade. Ferrari notably brought an upgrade as well. So I thought that maybe one of those are taking a step into the higher category. I thought maybe Ferrari might have joined Mercedes, for example, in that just the one category above where they get the one-on-one upgrade rather than the two and two. But no, not to be seen. But we've questioned this time and time again.

This is a duo process is focused entirely only on the ICU. It doesn't encounter anything else that relates to maybe battery power. It is very, very kind of obtuse to its way of thinking. It doesn't actually seem to read the data properly. So the fact that Red Bull probably had been sat there going, what can we do here? You know, we're just running a normal engine, normal battery. We're quite clearly not the fastest,

going to straight line everywhere we go. Can we do anything? No, it's the answer, because it's just a silly process that doesn't make a longer sense. Mercedes must be laughing with their zero budgeting ability to do anything. The fact, they still have more upgrades to come. Weak engine, no money. Please give to Mercedes.

just giving us out very soon. Oh yeah, that's coming out, don't you worry. Harry, any surprise at the ruling here? Yes, quite frankly. Shout out to our mutual friend, Kiran Shoplin, who works for Mercedes engines. He's just dabbing constantly right now. He's done it again, so well on to K-Shall.

What do you mean he's dabbing? He hasn't got the best internal combustion engine. He's got no money. Yeah, well, sure. I don't mean. it is surprising that I'm surprised Mercedes has been given another

another one like you Sam I'm surprised Ferrari maybe haven't managed to get a bit closer to the top which allegedly is Red Bull overall and you mentioned this as well and I believe someone on our

episode briefing over on Patreon made the same point it's such a flawed system this that it just measures the ICE because F-1 engines, we say F-1 engines, but actually they are power units, are they, PUs? They're so complicated. There's so many elements that go into them that just doing this based off internal combustion engine, measuring the internal combustion engine doesn't make any sense whatsoever

because clearly Red Bull don't have the best power unit, okay? Otherwise, they'd have won a race by now. They're driving a shoebox. like that's the issue. Yeah. So it's flawed in that sense. And whilst, you know, Mercedes haven't been dominant like they were at the start of the year as of late,

look at the cars that have won the last two races instead of the Mercedes engine in the back of it. So it's not like they've got a crap car. So I am surprised by this. The fact that Ferrari or Honda have the same amount as well, there's a lot of banter given where Honda are versus Ferrari. But again, it just proves that the system is not perfect. And I think it is fundamentally flawed because are we saying that Ferrari and Honda

have the same internal combustion engine? Maybe they do, but the rest of it isn't. And that's where it gets complicated. So surprised and I think this needs some review. It was a NOAA, by the way, on the episode briefing. And honestly, Harry referring to the Patreon episode briefing might be the proudest moment my life. It's really turned a whole new page with this five thing.

Yeah, well, this is what happens when the chief of vibes officer is here. You're really making your money, which is about five pound a day. Yeah, I wasn't really surprised regarding the decision with Mercedes not being any closer, because unless we've missed, I mean, they haven't actually decided to use their engine upgrade to this point. So in theory, if they were two to four percent behind in the first. six races or whatever it was, they should still be that number now. And if they had changed it in any way, the FIA, for Mercedes to either be alongside the

benchmark or further away again still, I think it would have been rather interesting what team's responses would be, because there's nothing to point to, well, that's why they're closer or that's why they're further away. We mentioned after the first review that Mercedes might well play this game of not introducing these upgrades until they absolutely need it because it serves them well to keep winning as they kind of are. I know they're not winning every race at the moment, but they're still leading the championships. And yet they are still racking up these upgrades in a way that's going to be beneficial for them, particularly next year. Red Bull's performances have been a bit stronger,

I would say, as of maybe not late, but in the second half of what we've had so far this year, with the podiums that they had at like Austria and Hungary and Belgium. But again, because they haven't been upgrading the power unit, you would probably tie that all back to the car upgrade that was made in Austria instead. I'm also not massively surprised with this decision as it pertains to Audi and Honda, because whilst we know Audi have brought an engine upgrade, that was all the way back in Barcelona, we have no info other than they are more than 4% away.

For all we know, and I say it's rather broad we, because it's pretty much everyone in F1 doesn't really know, Audi could have been 8% away, and that upgrade made them 6% away. Like, we just have no idea on that exact number. So I'm not particularly surprised on the Audi side of things. And with Honda, the engine upgrade they made at Zambor actually sits out of this review period anyway, but also, yeah.

Like 50% away. They're very so far down the scale they actually are. But you're right to bring up the fact that it's very vague. And after the 4%, it could be, it could be 90. It won't be, but it could be equally. Honda are not 4% away. They're not. They are.

They are at least probably 10% away, arguably. But Ferrari could be 3.99% away, right? 9.9. Like in theory, that could be right on the very egg. of that power load that they've been measured by. So it's very difficult to understand using these percentages what that actually equates to, what that means. And the fact that this only makes up 52% of our entire power unit anyway,

well, what's the other percentage from the other 48% doing? Because Mercedes has an absolute monster of a battery. And as we all know, McLare of won two of the last six, Mercedes of won two of the last six, and Ferrari of one, two of the last six. Well, four of those cars have that Mercedes power unit in battery. So they may not be winning every race, as Harry said, but they are winning more than enough. They're winning two-thirds of those Grand Prix and log of that down to that power unit.

And the Ferrari side of things is what surprised me the most. I thought they had the biggest chance of moving between those categories because, again, they have brought that engine upgrade. They are competitive. But maybe that engine has been further off than maybe even we were giving it credit for. after the first review, Harry, Red Bull, unsurprisingly, didn't really agree with the decision, saying based on their own data,

they didn't feel like they were the benchmark. It has apparently yielded them nothing. Are you surprised that the FIA hasn't, I don't know, taken into account, whatever data Red Bull have claimed they have? I... Well, I'm sure they have taken into account the data they have.

have and found the same result, right? Yeah. But you know, I'd be more surprised if Christian Horner was still in charge of this team. Oh, if Christian Horner was still in charge of this team, that Red Bull Power Unit would definitely be 20% down on everyone else. I just, maybe it requires a slightly stronger character to help those negotiations along. I don't know. I'm speculating there.

But, yeah, I mean, if they are the numbers, I, and. the FIA can see all the numbers. I don't think you can, there's much, much, uh, argument. And like we've already said, it just is a, it's, um, it's a hard system to understand because maybe Red Bullard saying, look, overall our power unit isn't quite clearly the, the quickest here, but if they're just measuring it on the internal combustion engine, then they could well have the best. They may well have actually made the best internal combustion engine on the grid.

but the rest of it isn't as good as everyone else. So it was always going to be a tough one to argue because you're doing it based on data and the FAA are the ones who have access to all the data. Rebel don't necessarily have access to everyone else's numbers. So it was going to be a tough one to argue, I'd say. I'd agree with that. I mean, Rebel are always going to play this card

and any other team in their position would do the same. But the FIA has more data, better data, and they're quite clear and confident that what they have is up to scratch, at least for the way in which duo works at the moment. It's not in the FIA's interest to start changing things based on the data that they don't hold and what other teams hold, because that's going to open a can of worms of, well, here's our data to go up against Red Bull's data, and it's going to leave it in a really messy position.

In terms of where this leaves Red Bull for the rest of the year, Sam, because we'd already got an indication from them that they are maybe starting, to shift focus to 2027. We now know the engine at the very earliest cannot be upgraded until after Austin. They are not going to be allowed to bring an upgrade until then. And even then, if they're still the benchmark, they won't be able to. Does it justify the decision that they made or maybe are making regarding their upgrade decisions?

It's fascinating because obviously the FAA are judging this base. I guess the flaw that Red Bull set with their benchmark the first time around, right? So they're not going to turn up and go, well, your engine can't be worse. We know that you've built an engine that could do X. And suddenly it's not going to be doing, you know, P. It hasn't gone backwards. It's going to still do at least X. And if no one else has got closer than that 2%,

well, then you can't have anything different, I'm afraid, if they have tried to fudge the numbers or do the readings differently. Now, fortunately for Red Bull, the 2027 regulations are shifting, of course, there'll be more ICU focused, right? We're having more of the engine power, slightly less of the battery power, which in theory should allow Red Bull to have a slight power advantage actually, rather than what Mercedes is relying on with that battery power,

which we know is very, very strong for them. They haven't been allowed to change anything. So it makes total sense to throw themselves fully into the chassis adjustments, into weight changes that they had at the start of the season, into potential wing adjustments and being innovative with the way that maybe the inlets work or the airfare around the wings working. And there's so many minor changes we can make that we've seen with the likes of Ferrari, where they have brought genuine upgrades.

McCrower, of course, most recently in Hungary, Zandvort, genuine upgrades that make a genuine impact. There's a lot of time to find in a new set of regulations. So not the end of the world that they can't do engine upgrades. They've hit a strong benchmark. They have to kind of bite their tongue and just do as much as they can on the actual car themselves and hope that with the 2027 changes we're about to see, it does benefit them in the long run.

Harry, you and Sam have both mentioned how this process not really looking at the battery, is arguably not fit for purpose. In terms of the future of this system, if that wasn't to become an option where the battery is included, would you rather stick with what we've got or just scrap it completely? No, I'd rather stick to what we've got because I think just letting, I think the concept of this is solid and correct, right? Because we've seen in the past,

if you look back to the start of the hybrid era where Mercedes had a massive, you know, massive engine or power unit advantage over the entire grid and nothing was really done to try and address that in terms of closing the gap in between the rest of the manufacturers. This is attempting to do that, and it's doing somewhat of a job,

although so far remains to be seen whether it has done anything this season. So if they can't do anything else to, to make this a more complete measurement, which I hope that they can, because I think that's the main floor with this, then I'd rather they still keep this part of it rather than scrap it entirely because someone could come with an advantage,

with a huge advantage next year, and there'll be no system in place to try and address that. So it needs work, but don't scrap it if they can't, you know, make it better. Yeah, I'm kind of with you on that. I mean, I think as a system, it's got potential to work, but fundamentally the system should not be giving teams who are leading the way a further advantage. So it's not fit for purpose in its current state. The way, and I agree with what you both said on it,

the way I was thinking about it earlier when I was writing down my notes is like, you remember when you were like in a language's class at like secondary school and you used to be graded on reading, on listening, on speaking and on writing? It'd be like doing that, but you cut out. half of whatever those are and just evaluate the rest. And it's, you don't get the full picture. Like, and it's the same with a duo where the battery is worth such a high percentage of it.

And it's just not included in any way. It seems, it seems daft to me. I am also, by the way, a bit sick of the FIA's approach to this, which is like, I've got to do Sam's best impression of this. Here we go. Oh, yeah. We're open to changes, but we don't know if the teams will want that.

Just make the changes. and the teams will have to adapt. You're the ones who set the rules. They're just like, well, we need support. We need the assistance of the teams in order to get this all in place. No, that's not how it works, or at least how it should work.

You set what you want and the teams, if they don't like it and they don't want to conform, they get no upgrades. Yeah, nice. It'd be like a government consulting the entire country about changing a law. Oh, why would you want to? I do that.

Yeah. Why would you ask the people, what it is that they want? Consulting the people about what they should do leaves very difficult circumstances sometimes. Like that, like that, subtle, subtle then. Should I put a bit more emphasis on leaves? Yeah, maybe do it again. It might leave us in a difficult situation sometimes. Wow.

Thank you. That's been signed off by the CVA. You can carry on. man. With that, let's go to our first break. Quickly before we do, though, one to mull over in this break. I've got a bit of a quiz question for both of you, but also for the people listening at home. Just like countdown conundrum. Right. Oh, love it. Go on that first quiz. What? Yeah, mull this one over in the break. How many drivers this season have a DNS? That's a did not start. how many drivers this season have a DNS?

The answer to that and also some discussion on Colopinto right after this. Welcome back, everyone. I know you have been like dying to know what the answer to that question was before the break. The answer is, any guesses? Seven. I was going to say seven as well. You're very close. It's six.

I'll take it run. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who both did not start in China. of course, Piastri also didn't start in Australia. Bortoletto and Albin also didn't start that Chinese Grand Prix. Lindblard in Canada and Holcomberg in Australia, those of year six who have had a did not start so far this year. Well done if you got that at home. Let's move on to Franco Colopinto because good news, everyone.

He will continue to race in F1 with Alpine next season. As the team announced, he will partner Pierre Gasly in an unchanged lineup. Executive advisor Flavio Briatore said, for me having consistency is very important. We are now settled from a driver point of view and I have said many times that while this is an important piece of the puzzle, the most significant thing we have to get right is designing and building a fast race car, which absolutely remains our number one priority.

Could have fooled me. We have seen Franco truly grow and mature into a great driver this year. His results in Miami and Montreal especially confirm what I already knew. Franco belongs in Formula One and he belongs at this team. I expect both Franco and Pierre to continue doing a fantastic job on track and for the entire team to push relentlessly until we are fighting and winning at the front end of this sport. Well, Sam, what's your reaction to the news that Colopinto is sticking alongside the sausage man, the gas man?

It's a good team, actually. And I'm not entirely shocked that Colopinto gets another year. Alping and I think another year, adjusting other year for now, is the right choice because whilst we have significant progress from the 2025 car in its relevant position up and down the grid, of course it's pretty much one of the slowest cars that we saw at the end of the most recent era, now it's been very much for the most part of the season, a midfield runner. And there was a real, oh my goodness, a real risk, that was hard to say, that Colapinto could have not have improved with the car. And actually, he could still be the driver going out in

Q1. He can still be the driver not scoring points regularly. And whilst he's still not out qualifying Pierre Gassi all that regularly, I think it's 10 to 2 in the head to head here. He is regularly quite a lot closer. He's like his best finish ever. I think it was P6 in Canada as well. He had that weekend in Miami where he finished because I bold predicted every single session competitively inside the top thing. Man's living off that for the entire year. I don't know when you catch me. Let me know. and I just think that whilst he isn't this level playing field with Gasoline this guy that can take them to the next level

I think he has standing off so far this season to show Alpine that they are getting a faster, better driver that's got another level to go to and we're seeing that more often than not we're seeing the fights that he's doing his world to world performance is better sorry are the dogs barking for Colopinto

Yeah we're having a storm I'm sorry the dogs don't like it They're not my dogs I just say, did you ask them? Excellent. Good interruption there from the hounds of hell outside with the storms rolling in. Anyway, I think this is a good signing.

I thought it's a very interesting comment, though, from Flav about how he belongs at this team. We want to keep, well, we love that he's here. You know, we're here to win. One, you're wondering more than one season away from winning. And two, if you're going to keep him a one-year deal. Sure, you're going to be a little bit more calm with the language of, he's done a great job.

He's stepped up. up from year to year. He's developing really nice thing. We're excited to see what he does next year. They form a good partnership, Pierre and Colopinto. Move on. Leave it at that. But he's kind of lording him with praise. I feel like he's gone a bit hard on it. I get your point on that because I think if you just didn't know anything about the situation and you just read, not even with the names of the drivers involved, but you just like read the language of it, you would immediately go, well, that's a multi-year extension. That's not a one-year deal. So I would agree with you on that. Harry, Flavio Briotrory must be delighted

because the man's appearing in skits now. Oh my God. If you haven't seen this, everyone listening, please go and look at Alpine's social media. It was on, well, I found out on X. It might be worse than our live show intro video. I mean, that was great. We're way better than that.

You can't bring out to go. Yeah, but Flavio, at the end of it, says, I'll be done, basically. So I think we outdo them on that. I appreciate that was the outro. Are we done, though? I left it in. Yeah, that video was terrible.

What would you rather watch 100 times? Vin Diesel's singing Dolly Parton or that video? Oh, sorry, you all need to go and watch this video. He's not singing Dolly Parton. Oh, is he not? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Is it proper COVID? Imagine all the people.

Oh, yeah. It starts off with No backing track. It's just Ben Diesel. I'm so excited to listen to this after we finish the show. To answer you a question, the Vindiesel one. But yeah, I am not necessarily surprised by this call. Look, I think Colopinto has been much better this year than he was last year. And for once, he's not been thrown in at the deep end of a team.

He's had the chance to start a season. But I do feel like this was a – they had to. Cool. They didn't really have what were the other options there for next year. I think he is somewhat of a placeholder choice for 2027, and then they'll see what else comes along for 2028. That isn't to say that Colipinto can't change their minds and have a blinding year next year.

And maybe he does carry on into the future. But I think right now they've, I think they've looked around and there aren't any other options. Flavio probably did try to get Alonzo to come and join them again, and he said no. And I think Colapinto is the solid choice to go for. So I don't want to take that away from what he's done this year,

because like I said, I think he has been better, but I do think that Alpine have done this out of necessity. Yeah, I know that Flavio Briatore has maintained, it's quite funny, like it's maintained that he was waiting to see what would happen with the Mercedes seats before making a decision like naturally naturally oh george russeruncimmie antonelli might be on their way yeah all right mate um but since max vastappen stayed at redball no apparent change in the mercedes lineup i think i think because that hasn't been much fallout elsewhere in the driver market

the stability elsewhere has kind of then helped colopinto secure that extra year um i kind of figured, and put this in my predictions, which is another one that's wrong for the 2027 lineup, I figured he might try and prize away an experienced driver from elsewhere to partner Gasly, certainly Alonzo might have been in the picture, maybe others as well. But I do understand Briatore's point about how the number one priority right now is just getting that car up to speed. And actually, maybe there isn't a major surprise that he wants to just continue with the same lineup now whilst he deep down knows that they're not yet ready to win.

They do have some junior drivers, some reserve drivers that maybe would have been looking for an opportunity. I understand why they felt it wasn't their time. Certainly, Gabrielle Minnie and F2 might have been hoping for an opportunity, but as much as I think he's very good, he's not a can't miss prospect in the same way that someone like Antonelli was. and I kind of had Colapinto rated fairly similarly to Minnie when they were at their respective points in their career. So I'm not surprised on that front.

It is tough to say because we don't know who the other options are. But Colopinto, I think to what you have both said, has proven himself to be pretty solid alongside. He's been pretty solid alongside Gassley this year. The points maybe make it look a little bit worse than what it is because the head-to-head is only Gassley seven. Collapinto 5 in race trim. I appreciate Sam, you mentioned what it was, and quality trim as well. Even that, though, it does feel smaller.

And one final point on this, and I've seen a few people say this on the likes of Twitter, and I'm not going to call out individuals. But some people have suggested this isn't a great idea because whilst Colopinto's pace is okay, he crashes the car too much. The guy hasn't had a DNF since he was at William. his last DNF was his last race in a Williams car.

I know he's had a couple of practice incidents here and there, but given he's been in the car for well over a year now, he hasn't been crashing cars. I think as a reputation, it's not warranted at all right now. But also the drivers that I guess that Flav maybe was looking at as alternatives, New Kissing owner, for example, maybe Liam Lorsing, if he's going to be kicked out, whilst those drivers are very interesting,

have their own strengths, they maybe also have the same qualities that Colapinto did that once upon a time, they were also drivers that maybe hang on reputation for having an incident or not going will to will too cleanly with someone else. The truth of the matter is, that stats a great one.

He's scored in every other Grand Prix, essentially in terms of stats so far this season. He's helping Alping have a very successful year compared to what they did last year. I don't think there's too much you can actually fold him on. Odds on Liam Lawson, losing his drive at racing balls at the end of the year and then Flavio signing him instead.

I think it's still like seven to two. Yeah. Pretty like, maybe like after race three. Pretty good. And then Jack Dund's back in the car by the end of the year. Everything comes full circle. And then Ockon comes back. Well, he wishes.

You know what, right now I'd probably speak it. But it is, Flav. In terms of this being a one-year deal, Harry, and we think it's maybe them biding their time to see what happens in the driver market next year. where the competitiveness of the car is. What can Colopinto do for the rest of this year and then of course going into next year

to prove that he can be a long-term option for Alpine? I think, I mean, firstly continue what he's doing because like we've already said, he's been solid this year. And as you pointed out, Ben, the head-to-head in terms of race performances against Gassley, you know, a pretty good considering the experience Gatsley has versus him.

he'll just, I think he'll just need to up that again, in a way that he's upped the level he was at this year versus last year, I think as he goes throughout the year, gets more experience, next year needs to just be another step up. And, you know, whilst it's going to be tough to be beating Pierre Gassad, because we know how good he is and how well he drives, just continue to be alongside him for as much as possible.

Because I think that if they end up with a pairing that, are equally as good as each other, that's going to be hard to argue for Flavio to say, let's get rid of this for someone else, unless someone like Max Verstappen decides he actually didn't like his contract after all. Oh, yeah, Alpine's where he goes first. Yeah.

Honestly, Alpine would need to be sold to Max Verstappen for him to race there. Like he would have to own the company. Well, without new contracts, maybe you could. Maybe, maybe. So, yeah. What do you think, Sam? want to see from Colapinto for the rest of

2026 and going into 2027 to convince Alpine that this shouldn't be a short-term deal where they're just waiting to see if someone better comes along and that they can properly commit their future to him as well as Gasly. Unfortunately, I feel like we're going to give quite a realistic and fair set of targets

to Colopinto, whereas I don't think someone like Flavio Torre will understand realistic and fair set targets. For me, famously a very fair amount. Very calm. Understandable man that looks at all rushing Al. I think he just needs to do more of the same, which is the biggest compliment I could give someone like Colopinto.

His raw speed on the day can be there. He does have these flashes in the pan of brilliance, where he is occasionally faster than Pierre Gaston. He will out qualify Pierre Gastle. That does get to improve as a major talking point, but it does happen. It can happen. I think it's 3-2 in the sprints and 10-2 overall in the main Grand Prix.

If at the end of the season, that can end up being something like, I don't know, 16, 8th, or whatever it is, depending on how many we've got. That's okay. You know, one in every three races, Colopino's in front of Gasley, for a guy who's got far less experience and he's qualifying pace from what we've seen hasn't been his finest moment, that shows a good step forward. If he could carry on the trend of scoring in every other Grand Prix,

and Gasoli is also doing the same, that's a good step forward. So just more of the same with qualifying in that little extra tweak, I think. I think we've seen as well from qualifying that the head's head doesn't always tell the full story. And in a lot of instances, you can make that back up in race trip. The example I immediately think of is McLaren in 2024, when Norris, and I don't know the number off the top of my head, I think Norris out qualifies Piastri about 186 or something like that. It's dominant. But the gaps weren't actually as bad as their head-to-head looked. And in a lot of instances, Piastri showed that he could he could live with Norris in terms of race trim.

And then of course they keep him and then he's a championship contender the next year. I'm not saying that's exactly the route that's going to happen with Colopinto, but I think it does show there's more to more to F1 than just that head to head. And if Colopinto can maybe prove something similar, then maybe he can stick around long term. At the moment it feels, and maybe this isn't the best comparison, it feels a little bit Bottas at Mercedes-esque where he only ever got one-year deals because it was always

Lewis Hamilton's the main guy. We're going to keep you going on one-year deals until George Russell comes along, basically, and then takes over. Now, Colopinto's at the opposite end of, even though Bottas was less experienced then than he is now, Bottas were still more experienced than Colopinto is today. But it is maybe, I don't know,

to me it kind of feels like a similar situation. Then no Gassies get there until the end of 2028. So. And why should you be, right? in like a scale-down Mercedes he is the guy that scores the majority of their points he is reliable he regularly has an issue with the car he is very well liked by the fans of the team

makes total sense Colopinto is still a very fresh talent still very up and coming and he's a bit of a turbulent start to Formula 1 but he has a lot of perks he brings a passion at fan base he's got raw speed on the race track he just needs to dial in that race goals for those points as we mentioned and if he can start higher up the grid

more often than not he will finish higher up the grade. That's what the point of qualifying is. He proved it on the two occasions where he did do that earlier. Exactly. Exactly. I appreciate, Harry. Our next topic is also going to be talking about a potential move or staying at a team in the driver market, that being Fernando Alonzo and Aston Martin. But in the last week, we've essentially had Colopinto confirmed that Alpine, we've had both Williams drivers confirmed to be staying, Vestappen confirmed to be staying. The Mercedes duo might be confirmed to be staying. I haven't seen an actual post from Mercedes,

but in F1's graphics, they seem to think that's a done deal. Same with Audi. In a year that could have brought a lot of carnage to the driver market, this is boring. Yeah. It is dull, but just patience, my friend,

and friends. I think next year it will be, we're just delaying by a year. Did we say that last year? I think we did. There was like one driver move last year. Yeah, but I mean, to be fair, Lewis Hamilton's covered us for a long time after 2025.

Yeah, he's like 15 driver moves in one. Yeah, in one. So it was always, I think it was going to be the case. I think if any dominoes were going to fall, they were all sort of waiting for Vastappen. And now we'll get onto it, but Alonzo, but I think, yeah, once Vestappen confirmed, the rest of it was going to be quite dull, I'm afraid.

So, cheers Max. Thank you for that. But next year, not to say we'll rely on him again next year, but I just think next year. We go again. We go again. At least he's doing this 100 cart thing. That's going really spicing up.

I still think Alonzo's competing in that. Oh, 100%. But on Donald. And that will be his fake name. Right, let's head to our second break. On the other side, we are talking about Fernando Alonzo and his future in F1. Welcome back, everyone.

Fernando Alonzo, yet to decide on a contract for 2027. And sometimes what we like to do on this podcast is basically intentionally discussed topics that we want to be confirmed. Because we know as soon as we chat about them, Alonzo is going to sign his deal tomorrow. So we're just getting this whole thing started. It's been a tough year for Fernando Alonzo, of course, just three points on the board. But two of them did come at the last race we had at Zonzo. Zanvort. Harry, will that race at Zanvort have given him the confidence to sign that deal?

I think yes. I think it will have done enough. And whilst it won't, I don't think it's going to happen whilst we record, or soon after we record this, I think it will have done enough. His radio message after the race for me was enough. in his mind he's like, okay. Thanks so much. Thanks so much for my P9 guys.

But I think if the chassis was still crap, he's no chance. Like he's out of there. He's gone. But if there's a car that he can enjoy driving, then it'll be enough for him to sign. But I think he will still need to see progress and promise from Honda for next year

because, you know, we know how good Adrian Ui is. and he could well end up designing the best car on this grid next year. But if the Honda engine isn't up to scratch and they can't make any more improvements, it's not going to keep Fernando happy for long. But for now, I think it will have done enough to show that at least on a circuit where power isn't that crucial, although we still saw painfully when he's trying to overtake anyone,

he has to do it in like the weirdest place imaginable. He probably likes that, though, don't he? Part of him probably loves it. A little bit, yeah, a little bit. But yeah, if he can have fun, race other cars, which for the first half this year, he had to race Lance, and that's not that enjoyable.

So I think if you do that, then that it'll be enough to keep him for how long. Who knows? But I think he'll extend into next year at a minimum. It's a lot, though. It could be a 10-year deal. Sam, will do you, think Zandvort will have changed his mind in any way?

Will that be the thing that prompts him to stay for next year? He is the epitome of I'm ready to be hurt again. It's like he goes through this really intense relationship, but it's a horrible breakup and then he's like, Anasse, I'm going to be single for a while, and something quickly catches his eyes. He's like, right, off I go, I'm ready to love again. And the same thing will happen again.

It's happened constantly to Fernando and also. So, Aston Martin, I think, have maybe about a five-day window to get this signature done if they wanted to stay. Before Monser arrives. And he quickly goes from being, guys, so good, P-9. Thank you for improving the chassis. Really enjoyed it. I had fun out there, really drivable car to Jupitou engine, which we will hear very quickly over the radio if they are going to be as slow as possible in a straight line. and they really are still 20% off what the Red Bull can do with their ICU.

I do think that it's more likely than not that he stays for another year. I also think he's benefited by the fact that actually, in their current guys, Ashton Martin aren't super competitive. I think if they were a few spots higher in the competitive field, if they were saying where racing balls are way off the top four, but hang on the midfield, I think there's a few top drivers that start saying their attention properly. to Ascom Martin.

And also, I would argue, as a clotted top driver, he doesn't have longevity on his side. And I think, well, they go, well, long as we love you, right? But we've got, what, a year, two years left with you, maybe, in your time at Formula One?

Who knows? But Oscar Piastri or George Russell or someone like that, it's just to go, I'm interested. And that wouldn't be a bad next step for Ashton Martin a pickup, but because it's still theoretical,

because they're still quite far behind, whether we still are seeing very obvious issue, with the power unit, I do think that actually there's a lot of people that are going, I might just give it another year. I'll wait until it gets a bit messy the 27 before I start evaluating Ashton Martin as an actual potential possibility for me. I'll let Fernando add this one for one more. You might well be correct on that, to be honest. I get the sense with Fernando Alonzo that he desperately doesn't want this to be his last like memory, his legacy in the

sport. Now, I know a lot of people are still going to remember him for the good times, the two championships, the multiple wins at Ferrari and all the rest. But I don't think he wants the last memory to be whatever the hell you'd call this season, even if it does get better from here, the first half of this year, as Harry put it, has been racing lance. And if I can expand on that, out surviving the Cadillacs. That has been their season so far. And whilst not every great driver gets to go out on top in a way that like Nico Rosberg did when he he called time on his career when he won the world championship. Even the likes of, you think of Sebastian Vettel, and of course his end of career also came at Aston Martin. He scored between 30 and 50 points

in each of his three seasons that he had there, and he picked up a couple of podiums. Michael Schumack has given another example, guys that Alonzo would definitely consider himself to be superior then, or at least on the same level as Schumacher. at a podium and had like 50 points in 2012. So I don't think Alonzo will want to finish his career with single digit points, having barely had the opportunity to race anyone. I think Zambor will have just about shown him enough. It's still a long way from perfect in that, I mean, he got knocked out of two Q1s at

Zambor and the sprint one in particular was pretty disastrous. But the race pace was pretty solid. and the tire wear was solid as well, which would give him a bit of encouragement going forward. And it's tough to walk away from Adrian Newey. Like, it's tough to only give Adrian Newey... Really quick on his feet. Eight months.

Come back, Adrian. He is off. The mark. Champion Speedwalker is Adrian Nui. Boof. Here we go. God's sake. He's so good at aerodynamics.

He's found a way to make himself like 100 miles an hour. He travels through the corridors throughout Martin. It is tough to walk away from an Adrian Newey designed car. Yeah, arguably, I think Ari said this. Arguably he will have more impact on the car in 2027 than he has had in 2026. And I'm not going to say many drivers have done this, But if there's a list of drivers who have walked away from an Adrian Newey designed car after a year, I'm going to imagine that's not a very successful list.

Like, in the grand scheme of things, those who have stuck with him have fared quite well. It's fair analysis. It's David Cuthard, one of those people. I mean, he was quite old at that point. No, no, no, no, no. Not from Red Bull from, from, why, in that case, he's done it twice. Williams in 95 to McLaren in 96. It's actually Adrian knew he got rid of David Coulthard

because he's such a little . Do that to David. Oh, God, God, him. It's a really nice mac. I really enjoy keeping up this whole thing against David Cawthard, but I really don't have. Unnecessary rivalry. are the engine upgrades

like not working? Is that still too much of a problem, Harry? Like you referenced the clips of him trying to overtake the Williams. Like, Zanvort shouldn't be a track where it's going to impact them too much. And yeah, it was still a struggle. It was still a struggle. I, evidently, clearly didn't work in Zanvort. But from what I've seen and read,

they couldn't unlock the full potential of what they've done with that upgrade. And I'm not going to suggest that underneath it is a Mercedes or a Red Bull engine. But from the comments they've seen, it sounded like that if they did unlock the full horsepower that they think they'd managed to fight with this car, it would have made it just, I think either gone bang or just undriveable in terms of like driveability out of corners and stuff. more to come, and again, I'm caveatting that very heavily with, that doesn't mean it's going to catapult it to the front. But hopefully, given the progress they've managed to make with it so far,

and we know there are lots of clever people at Honda, even if they apparently all left of the last year. They're doing a really good job of convincing us that they don't. But yeah, I don't know. Probably right. But, you know, they've managed it before to get back to the front. And they've, you know, despite the fact and how painful it is and it's clearly the worst engine still,

they have made a lot of progress already this yet. I think that should still be noted. So I don't think that alone is going to, that will convince Alonso. I think it's going to be the car and the performance of that. But I think there is more to be found, well, obviously more to be found. But I think there's more in that engine or in that power unit

that Honda have still not yet managed to unlock. And that will just come with, with track time. So we shall see, but it needs to continue that way and then more steps need to be made as we get towards the end of the year and throughout the winter into 27. I do get the sense that these car upgrades

that Aston Martin have brought over the last two races have begun to expose Honda a bit more because before this it was just the whole thing isn't working and the car isn't working, the engine isn't working, they're not working together. But since that car does look solid enough, at least for a midfield team now, the engine itself is looking comparatively quite a bit worse.

And I still think it won't be enough to convince Alonzo that he should do something else. But I had to look at the top speeds at the Dutch GP and I was like, should I focus on start? finish line speed, or should I focus on speed trap speed? It doesn't matter. Alonzo's last in both of them. He's like, he's 24 kilometres down on Gassley's fastest time in the speed trap, and he's also 20 kilometres down on Limbludd on the start finish straight. So there's still be work to do. I think this is why talk is cheap, and I'm not, I'm not convinced. I think we are going to see a whole

step backwards where it comes to Monsa. It's going to be really tough. And that's why I think Master Martin, Dukag have to strike while the eyeing is hot. I think he wants to be here, but I think currently they hold a bit of good will, a bit of good favour with him. Do you think that there's still maybe something trying to push him to a different motorsport series? We know he's already done and won the 24 hour of LeMont, Daytona. He's taken part in the Dakar rally before.

I can't remember what year it was, but after he was done with the F1 season, he just decided the week after the season was done, I'm going to do some random cart event in Abu Dhabi. Like, that's the kind of guy that Alonzo is. Like, he may be different to someone like Hamilton, who feels very F1 or nothing when it comes to mode sport. Alonzo has tried all of these different things. Like, he doesn't necessarily have to be here.

Is there still a bit of a, I don't know, a bit of a pool factor there? If he hadn't gone and had a little taste elsewhere, I do think it would be giggling. And I'm sure he wants to be one of those people that is like, I've won the triple ground. knows and wins the Indy 500 and has a good crack at Indy.

He can only enjoyed himself racing in Indy car. But he has done it. And I think he's very much committed to this resurgence in Formula One and hoping that he can build back up to something. I think the podiums that he picked up and what was it, 20203,

and Asim Martin had their half a season resurgence where they might have won in Monaco. Or because of a strategy call, they don't win in Monaco. He beats Hamilton, of course, in Bahrain. There were so many big moments to that first bit of the season. I think that's re-lit the first.

fire a little bit. And I think the point you make right at the start of this topic of him going out with, what is it, three points in total would be quite heartbreaking for a two-time world champ, multiple-time race winner with multiple teams. It's pretty gutting. So I do think he currently very committed to achieving something. Now, I don't think that's something necessarily has to be a world title. I'm sure in his wildest dreams, that will obviously be the goal. I think it is a regular season of on the podium, you know, in the top 10, fighting with the big boys at the front again. Actually, almost coming to the conclusion due to being proven to him on track that now is genuinely the point where he can go, I've hitting at each point. I'm not at the 100% of my game,

although I don't believe a long to ever actually believe this, I can now walk away. And whilst he's so far back and still beating someone like Lance Stroll, who he has said to himself could be a world champion someday, I do think that he's very much going, well, what more can I do until the car is there? So who knows? Question of the week, what is Lance Stroll going to be the world champion of? Because it sure as heck ain't going to be F1. Having the personality of a hand sandwich. Come on, though.

Harry is head of the Fernando Alonzo fan club. I have to direct this question to you. I know in your wildest dreams, you'd love to see Fernando Alonzo win that third title. But realistically, between now and whenever the end of his career is, what do you think realistically you'd be happy with him achieving? Is it another podium? Does it need to be another win?

Like, where are you at with that? I mean, another, the win number 33 would be, because I don't think realistically a championship is going to happen. And quite frankly, a win is looking quite far out of the question. But I think that's what he's hanging around for, right? If indeed he is hanging around. But I think that's what is driving. He's not won a Formula Warden race since 2013.

that's what he's sticking around for. I have to correct you on that. It'd be win number 34. We saw his 30 third win. Oh, of course. Sorry. He's already had it. In fact, he's not coming back. He's done it.

He won the Lego race at Silverstone. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So sorry. Yeah, look, that's going to be a tough question. That's going to be a huge turnaround for Aston Martin and Honda to make it, you know, over this. year and into next year if he's going to stick around.

But who knows? I think, yeah, regular points scoring, maybe sneaking a podium we'll do next year if things come good is probably more realistic. But for Alonzo, I think that's in his head, that final win. Also, if it does happen,

it will feed. That's the problem. He'll go, oh, I've got a podium. I think he'll go, I've got a podium. I can get a win now. I can go get a wing now. And when he wins one, I'm like, I'll get a title now. Yeah. I'm going I'm 49, but I'm going to do it. Probably.

You are right. It would feed families another win for Fernando. Like the party atmosphere on this podcast on the race review where he wins, unmatched. I'll still go out of business because I won't have to the winning shop for so long. Because he will be fed by Alonso. I'm fed by Alonso's win, of course, yeah. I'll be full up for so colossus song Alonso's win. I'm going to end this topic on the word gluttonous.

on the other side though it's F1 Alphabeti welcome back everyone it's time for F1 Alphabeti It's a theme song like Slacks Yeah I wish it was accompanied by a better game

I wish you loved the game more guys A lot of time we tend to come up with the name and the theme and then the game tends to follow Nah we love F1 alphabeti here So from Ae1 to G today. There are eight questions in front of me. The guys will take it in terms to name a letter between A and G. I will then let them know what that letter corresponds to, beginning with that letter, of course, and they'll have to answer a question on that topic.

You said there's eight letters, but... Yeah, that's seven, you're full. Seven. I'm there, literally counting on my fingers like A, B, C, D, E, F, G. The eight bit was correct. It's A to H. I've just got H not in line with the other ones, so I haven't like spotted it was there. Oh, I've been mugged off by his own writing. That's the embarrassing moment there. I ran out of space at the bottom of my page, but I didn't want to start another page,

so I just put like the H one in the bottom right-hand corner. Whatever hells you sleep at that? Harry, what letter would you like? I go for A, please, Ben. Okay, A stands for Azerbaijan. Your favourite? Famously. Which driver has scored the most points?

at the Azerbaijan GP. Lewis Hamilton. It's not Lewis Hamilton. He's third on the list. Any guesses from you, Sam? I was going to go for Perez on Vastappen. It is Sergio Perez. He has scored more points

to the Azerbaijan GP than any other driver. Vastapin. He loves it there. Vastappan is second on that list, by the way. But yeah, Perez 115 points. Vestappan 100, Hamilton 91, is the top three. And there is for the greatest of all-time list that all you need to look at.

Yeah. I mean, to be fair, like, he's 15 clearer for Stappen, and, like, he might still be at the top even with his year at Cadillight List. Like, he didn't even do last year. Right.

That's wild. He doesn't need to. He also crashed out a couple of years ago when he could have been on the podium. Oh, you're true. God. Got points to spare.

Well, one person who doesn't have points to spare is Harry Ead, it's nil-nil. Sam, over to you. I'll have H-hance, please. Oh. Let me just find it. You work out where it is. H stands for Honda.

Who has won the most races with a Honda engine? And I'll just add a little clarifying point where if it's branded as something else, I'm not counting that. Excellent. Thank you for that caveat because I will be off with the wins as that famous expression doesn't go. You and Adrian Newey. The wins have taken me. I am off with it. I'm off.

I'm going to say Senga. You would say Sennar correctly. Yes, 32 victories as a driver with a Honda engine. The reason I clarify the point, because second place on the list is Max Verstappen. If you include Red Bull, then I think you get to a little bit more than 15. I'm not sure if it still overtakes Sennar or not. But he's seconded. Mansell and Prost also in double figures there, but Sennar.

is number one. Harry, back to you. E, please, Ben. E stands for Erickson, and it is a true or false. Oh, yes. Marcus Erickson, despite racing 97 times in F1, never scored a point. True or false? False.

Shortly. It is false, yes. It never got better than an eighth place finish, but he did get quite a few 9ths and 10ths here and there randomly. A bonus point, if you could tell me when his best ever race performance was. Australia, 2016?

It's Australia 2060. Incredible. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When Salba were good once. Is that when Naza also finished like P6 or something? Yeah, I still, I think NASA still might have beaten him from memory. I think they finished in order.

But yeah, good knowledge, sir. Well done. Sam, back to you. I'll have C, please. C stands for, I love this question. C stands for compounds. In 2018, how many F1 tire compounds were there? Oh gosh.

Okay. And not just dry tires. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Ultra soft, super soft, or hypersoft, soft, medium, hard. Did we have the mega hards? I'm going to go with nine, including inches and wets.

You are absolutely correct. Yes. They were nine. Wasn't it called ultra hard rather than mega hard? Super hard. Super hard. That was a long of bad jokes that year. Well, it wasn't because I think they only used it like once.

Silverstone, I think. Yeah, I think you're right, yeah. We were only super hard once. We were only super hard once. You'll remember it. Now we're just soft. Yeah. Now we're just medium.

Yeah. If you're wondering, like, did we used to do tyres better in F1? No. Well done, Sam. It's two other two for you. Harry, back to you. I'll go for D, please, Ben.

Of course you would. Nauty boy. You've managed to find the other true or false in this. Oh, you're so much of a great episode. D stands for Dallas. True or false? Eton Sena crashed in the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix. He claimed the reason he crashed was because the wall moved.

This is one that would get me. That's for sure. So, I know that this is true, but I don't know whether it was a Dallas or not. Has he combined two things? Me? Would I do that? Sneaky bang.

Me? Ugh. I want to say false. you think so little of be mad. It's true. I thought it was Vegas. Damn it.

It was true. Not only was that statement true, Sena was also right. The wall did move. And yeah, unbelievably, that is why he crashed in that Grand Prix. It was true. Incredible to know the exact location of the wall like that.

So know that also the line that you take has got to change because the wall has moved. That is a moment. amazing. Sound by two. I will have G. A lot of rhyming letters in the first seven, isn't there? Yeah.

I'm surprised we haven't had like a C or B. I know. I just feel like it would get quite irritating for me. I thought you did just one of them rather than all of them. One or all, well, no. That's what I think. Fair enough. Okay, G is for Germany.

Germany has hosted the fifth most races in F1. name the four countries that have hosted more. Oh, for a minute, I thought you were going to say, the four countries that have hosted the German Grand Prix. And I was going to be like, luxem. Wow, yeah, you probably started to do that, yeah. Britain, or, you know,

yeah, that's fine. Thank you. Italy. Hmm. Four you say. Four. Wow. Four none, Jeremy.

What is insane? I weirdly want to say the US and I'm going to say Spain. You're on the first two, but not the last two. No points for stealing here, but Harry would you have, what might you have gone for? I actually don't know.

Brazil? No. The other two are Monaco and Belgium. Oh, Monaco, yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Been around a while that. What a moron. It's all right, you still got the lead, just about.

As we go back to Harry. F, please, Ben. You can have F, and F stands for Fizzichella. Oh, your favourite. Sweet. Very simple question. How many wins did he have in his career? Why did he think of the thing here?

There's no one who knows the answer to that. You're not even fizzy. No. Three. He did win three. Wow. I think my man can name them. Australia 05.

Oh, I've gone, I've run away. Brazil 03. Australia 05 and Malaysia 06. Incredible knowledge. I only know Fizzy knowledge and that's all. I won't game games, but someone recently in L. breaking event called me the class idiot. And I can see why that brings true,

quite frankly. You're winning. You're still winning. You've got a chance. You get, I've got it to all. If you get this, three to win a 90th minute. And then I've lost to the class idiot,

so. Well, there you go. It's happened before. I'm going to have B. God. B stands for Berman. Where did Olly Bearman

finish on his F1 debut? I don't know the answer. I just don't know the answer. I'd know. Seventh. Crossed into the middle. Shearer's jumped in the air. Rocket overheader.

Into the top corner! Shearer! Don't quite make a shear if I'd miss, please. No. That is spot on, yeah, seventh place in the Ferrari substitute appearance he had in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. You finished seven. Well, I'm happy with that. Good scoring all around that.

Three, two, or three all if I count Harry's bonus point, which I'm sure Sam will say, no. Why do I get a bonus point for? What was this you managed to do? What, naming Fizzies wins? No, I was going to give you one before that, but I don't remember what it was for now. Just for the chief officer role I answered.

That definitely wasn't the reason. Lost your point now for that? It's 10-2. That was it. That was in the contract, yeah, that you will automatically lose games as a result of this rule. He's the Erickson, knowing the raceway.

Oh, cheers, mate. But Sam takes a win, three, two. And if you wouldn't mind, Sam, your prize as ever, getting us out of here. My favourite reward. Anyway, thanks for Lesco, folks. We'll be back midweek, of course, for the Mungza preview,

one of the most special Grand Prix on the whole calendar. And it might be one of the most bizarre, controversial. The scenes could be very interesting. So make sure you come along and listen to the preview with us. And then, of course, the qualifying review, the race review, and then power rankings where we go through every driver performance over on Patreon.

And you can unlock that with a link in the description, and it helps us make this show. And it makes everything possible. And thank you all for the support on there already. Get into Discord. On Sunday, in our race review from Lue to this, we do our moment of the race where you can be involved. We hear you on the show.

So join that to get involved. And follow us on social media, late-breaking F-1, on every single channel, especially Facebook where you can follow us there. It's a lot of fun, a lot of good banter, a lot of good things going on. So get involved. In the meantime, I've been St.RSA. I've been Ben Hawking.

And I've been Harry Ead. And remember, keep breaking late.