2021 Spanish GP Race Discussion

As the battle for the championship heats up, we had another good race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which held the 2021 Spanish GP. This race was a battle of strategies and Mercedes came out at the top.Visit us at f1fanfiction.comIn this episode we discuss:1. Gianpiero Lambiase vs Pete Bonnington - The Battle of strategies2. Toto talks to Micheal Masi3. Red bull strategists caught snoozing4. HAM complains about tires yet again!5. Giovinazzi has a tea break at pitstop.6. Alonso, Vettle and Raikonnen have a Sunday roadtrip7. Ferrari back with a vengence!8. Ricciardo steals lando's car9. Stroll proves his worth10. Bottas being bullied in the school backyard11. FIA listens to F1Fanfiction12. F1 bought to you by Toto WolffJoin us at Socials:Twitter: @f1fanfictionInstagram: @f1fanfictionMusic:Intro: Howling (Sting) - Gunnar OlsenOutro: Your Intro by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Artist: http://audionautix.com/FanFiction By Anirudh Mendiratta @MontanaDesi on Twitter

1. **Strategic Masterclass:** The Spanish Grand Prix was a battle of strategies, with Mercedes coming out on top. Jean-Pierre Lambiase and Pete Bonnington, the race engineers for Verstappen and Hamilton, respectively, played a crucial role in making key decisions that determined the outcome of the race.


2. **Toto Wolff and Michael Masi's Radio Communication:** For the first time, viewers witnessed a graphic displaying radio communication between Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, and Michael Masi, the race director. This provided a unique insight into the high-stakes decision-making process during the race.


3. **Red Bull's Pit Stop Mishap:** Red Bull's usually reliable pit stop strategy faltered during the second pit stop for Max Verstappen. The team lost valuable time, allowing Mercedes to gain an advantage and ultimately win the race.


4. **Hamilton's Tire Complaints:** Lewis Hamilton once again voiced his concerns about tire wear over the team radio, but his complaints were met with skepticism, as he has a history of making similar remarks even when his tires were performing well.


5. **Giovinazzi's Pit Stop Blunder:** Antonio Giovinazzi's pit stop was marred by a tire puncture, costing him valuable time and dropping him down the order.


6. **Alonso, Vettel, and Raikkonen's Sunday Drive:** Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and Kimi Raikkonen engaged in a light-hearted battle on track, reminiscent of a leisurely Sunday drive among friends.


7. **Ferrari's Resurgence:** Ferrari showed signs of improvement, with Charles Leclerc consistently finishing in the top six in recent races. Carlos Sainz also had a strong race, overtaking Lando Norris on track.


8. **Ricciardo's Redemption:** Daniel Ricciardo had a solid race, finishing sixth and showing signs of regaining his confidence in the car after a difficult start to the season.


9. **Stroll Proves His Worth:** Lance Stroll silenced his critics with a mature and controlled race, conceding a position to Pierre Gasly after going off track, demonstrating his growth as a driver.


10. **Bottas's Struggles:** Valtteri Bottas faced difficulties throughout the race, getting stuck in a midfield battle and being unable to challenge for higher positions.


11. **FIA Listens to F1 Fanfiction:** The podcast speculates that the FIA may have taken note of their suggestion for picture-in-picture coverage of multiple battles on track, as Sky Sports implemented this during the Spanish Grand Prix.


12. **Toto Wolff's Financial Dominance:** The episode ends with a humorous remark about Toto Wolff's financial influence in Formula One, suggesting that he is the ultimate winner regardless of who wins the championship.

**Additional Points:**

* The episode highlights the importance of strategy and pit stop execution in Formula One, emphasizing the role of race engineers in making crucial decisions that can impact the outcome of the race.


* The discussion touches on the growing rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen, with both drivers pushing each other to their limits and setting the stage for an exciting championship battle.


* The podcast acknowledges the improved performance of Ferrari and the resurgence of Fernando Alonso, adding an element of unpredictability to the midfield battles.



- **Toto Wolff's Conversation with Michael Masi:** The Mercedes team principal engaged in a discussion with FIA race director Michael Masi, expressing concerns about the inconsistent application of track limits regulations.

- **Red Bull's Strategic Lapse:** Red Bull strategists faced criticism for their delayed reaction to changing track conditions, costing Sergio Perez a potential podium finish.

- **Hamilton's Tire Complaints:** Hamilton voiced his dissatisfaction with the tires, reiterating his preference for the previous generation of tires used in Formula 1.

- **Giovinazzi's Unique Pit Stop:** Antonio Giovinazzi experienced an unusual pit stop, with the Alfa Romeo crew taking an extended time to change his tires, leading to a significant loss of track position.

- **Alonso, Vettel, and Raikkonen's Sunday Drive:** Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and Kimi Raikkonen engaged in a thrilling battle for positions, reminiscent of their past rivalries.

- **Ferrari's Resurgence:** Ferrari demonstrated improved performance, with Carlos Sainz Jr. securing a podium finish, signaling the team's potential to challenge for victories in the upcoming races.

- **Ricciardo's Car Mix-Up:** Daniel Ricciardo accidentally entered Lando Norris's car during the formation lap, leading to a humorous moment before the race start.

- **Stroll's Impressive Performance:** Lance Stroll showcased his racing prowess, securing points for Aston Martin and proving his worth as a capable driver.

- **Bottas's Struggles:** Valtteri Bottas faced difficulties throughout the race, struggling to match the pace of his teammate Hamilton and enduring bullying tactics from other drivers.

- **FIA's Response to F1 Fan Fiction:** The podcast acknowledges that the FIA has taken notice of the F1 Fan Fiction podcast and its discussions, highlighting the impact of fan engagement on Formula 1.

- **Toto Wolff's Dominance:** The hosts emphasize Toto Wolff's growing influence in Formula 1, with his involvement in multiple teams and drivers, leading to a potential conflict of interest.

## Conclusion:

The Spanish Grand Prix delivered excitement and strategic intrigue, with Mercedes emerging victorious. The podcast provides a comprehensive analysis of the key moments, controversies, and driver performances, offering insights into the dynamics of Formula 1 racing.

[00:00.000 -> 00:02.800] Hey man, Toto has money everywhere now.
[00:02.800 -> 00:07.200] I think anybody, whoever wins, Toto always wins.
[00:07.200 -> 00:10.000] That's basically the formula for F1.
[00:10.000 -> 00:13.400] FIA F1, sponsored by Toto Wolf.
[00:19.000 -> 00:21.000] Hello and welcome to another episode.
[00:21.000 -> 00:23.600] You are listening to F1 Fan Fiction.
[00:23.600 -> 00:24.800] We are your hosts.
[00:24.800 -> 00:26.160] I am Akash.
[00:26.160 -> 00:32.480] And this is Sarang. And this is a podcast where we deconstruct the race weekend that was and wasn't.
[00:33.440 -> 00:40.800] This week, the Spanish Grand Prix, according to me at least, was a weekend where the race was between
[00:40.800 -> 00:45.040] Jean-Pierre Lambiez and Pete Bonington? What do you say, Sarang?
[00:45.040 -> 00:47.140] Just so people who don't know,
[00:47.960 -> 00:50.880] Jean-Pierre Lambiez and Pete Bonington
[00:50.880 -> 00:54.660] are basically race engineers for Verstappen and Lewis.
[00:55.520 -> 00:58.400] And yeah, I agree that, you know,
[00:58.400 -> 01:01.680] even though these amazing drivers were, you know,
[01:01.680 -> 01:03.800] battling it out on the track,
[01:03.800 -> 01:08.560] the real race was, you know was pretty much on the strategy side,
[01:08.560 -> 01:11.560] on the pit wall where the strategists basically
[01:12.960 -> 01:15.720] made the big decisions and yeah,
[01:15.720 -> 01:17.440] that's how this race was won.
[01:17.440 -> 01:21.600] And I think it was kind of unique in this season in general,
[01:21.600 -> 01:24.360] this race that strategy has not been
[01:24.360 -> 01:25.720] a very big factor till now and
[01:25.720 -> 01:29.320] I think this race was pretty unique in that sense.
[01:29.320 -> 01:30.320] Totally.
[01:30.320 -> 01:37.120] Usually, we never get to see Spanish Grand Prix being this exciting because the track's
[01:37.120 -> 01:44.440] thin, the designers are sadist, he's basically broken points where you could have overtake
[01:44.440 -> 01:45.200] moments.
[01:45.200 -> 01:46.200] Yep.
[01:46.200 -> 01:49.040] And that's what makes it boring.
[01:49.040 -> 01:53.600] I mean, the grid position and maybe an initial overtake is what decides who's going to win.
[01:53.600 -> 01:59.000] But this one was slightly different because there were smarter people sitting behind pit
[01:59.000 -> 02:03.440] walls and deciding what needs to happen, which is what we saw during the weekend.
[02:03.440 -> 02:08.060] And not just that, though. I mean, even if, you know, this track is comparatively
[02:08.360 -> 02:10.860] narrower as compared to a lot of the tracks.
[02:10.860 -> 02:14.360] And as you said, like, you know, a lot of overtakes don't happen.
[02:14.640 -> 02:19.340] But it speaks to how all of these teams have, you know, kind of are matching
[02:19.340 -> 02:23.160] in performance now that we did see a lot of overtakes on track.
[02:23.160 -> 02:26.560] Like it wasn't that it was just a train that was going by.
[02:26.560 -> 02:31.040] Everybody had to really fight for their positions and hold on to them with their daily lives.
[02:31.040 -> 02:36.000] While not much shuffling, there was definitely shuffling happening on that leaderboard.
[02:36.000 -> 02:48.640] It was a good weekend. It was a good weekend for me, though I didn't like the result as usual, Hamburg bot. Kudos to Hamilton for that 100th pole. It's not an
[02:48.640 -> 02:54.960] easy feat. It's a big achievement and the victory with obviously because of his race
[02:54.960 -> 02:57.800] engineers help, but his victory nonetheless.
[02:57.800 -> 03:06.440] Yeah, definitely. I mean, it just, I mean, it was inevitable that he was going to get that hundred pull now or
[03:06.440 -> 03:07.440] the next race.
[03:07.440 -> 03:10.720] And yeah, it's, it's, it's just amazing.
[03:10.720 -> 03:15.760] I mean, first of all, the track itself is quite challenging.
[03:15.760 -> 03:23.360] Like I was driving on the track just a couple of days ago on my simulator rig, but yeah.
[03:23.360 -> 03:27.000] And the track is, you know, it know, it's really good in the sense that
[03:27.000 -> 03:32.800] it has really nice straights. It has a couple of them, three of them. And then it also has
[03:32.800 -> 03:39.920] really technical corners, and which are really punishing on your tires. And yeah, Hamilton
[03:39.920 -> 03:45.240] is a very technical driver. And yeah, he basically proved his worth and got that pole position.
[03:45.240 -> 03:52.880] No doubt all teams have their car testings done on this track. This track is good nonetheless.
[03:52.880 -> 04:06.400] But that first lap start was just so aggressive if we were to go back to the race. Honestly, I was super excited as soon as Max
[04:06.400 -> 04:10.560] showed that aggression, got that overtake.
[04:10.560 -> 04:13.520] The interesting part was they didn't crash into,
[04:13.520 -> 04:16.240] I would have accepted that result as well.
[04:18.180 -> 04:19.600] They never do crash though, you know,
[04:19.600 -> 04:21.180] that's one thing about them.
[04:21.180 -> 04:22.960] And in fact, I think in the last race,
[04:22.960 -> 04:24.960] both of them had actually kind of mentioned this
[04:24.960 -> 04:28.440] in one form or another that the fact that they
[04:28.440 -> 04:32.680] have so much trust in each other that they will not you know just run into
[04:32.680 -> 04:37.280] each other they can really push their cars to the limit and still you know
[04:37.280 -> 04:43.280] come out of it unscathed. Right, right but it was it was a very aggressive and an
[04:43.280 -> 04:50.200] amazing you know experienced legend move or whatever adjectives you can put in there.
[04:51.720 -> 04:57.720] And to me, that sort of was, hey, this is the new race result because you're not going to see much happening from now.
[04:58.200 -> 05:03.400] And you could see Max, you know, going ahead, creating that gap with Hamilton.
[05:03.440 -> 05:05.760] So it's like, yeah, this is pretty much a done deal.
[05:05.760 -> 05:07.880] And at that time, the other exciting part was Leclerc
[05:07.880 -> 05:11.080] was also position three, because he had had an amazing start
[05:11.080 -> 05:12.240] as well.
[05:12.240 -> 05:17.440] Yeah, and Potas, as expected in this season,
[05:17.440 -> 05:20.320] at least from what I can see, yeah, he had a bad start.
[05:20.320 -> 05:27.840] He was stuck behind Schalls for a very long time. And yeah, it was it was kind of weird to see, you know,
[05:27.840 -> 05:31.280] Warham Shalek, right?
[05:31.280 -> 05:33.880] Yes, that's right.
[05:33.880 -> 05:36.400] Yeah, I was pretty stoked for it.
[05:36.400 -> 05:38.200] And yeah, that's pretty awesome.
[05:38.200 -> 05:49.480] And like, Botas though, like, he still was, in a way, still better still better than Perez I would say because if you see
[05:49.480 -> 05:57.460] the whole strategy battle between Max and Lewis, the fact that Perez was not present
[05:57.460 -> 06:00.880] where he was supposed to be played into the hands of Mercedes.
[06:00.880 -> 06:06.160] So you know, Bottas, even though whatever people say, he still is the perfect
[06:06.160 -> 06:11.360] candidate for the number two driver that they require for Lewis.
[06:11.360 -> 06:18.840] Agree. And Perez sort of not having that weekend. I'm still confused, actually, to be honest
[06:18.840 -> 06:27.840] about Perez, because Perez is performing better than the last two experiments that Red Bull has had.
[06:27.840 -> 06:30.760] But he's sort of still a hit and a miss.
[06:30.760 -> 06:32.920] He's had a few spins.
[06:32.920 -> 06:36.120] Benefit of doubt, I mean, he's still figuring out the cockpit.
[06:36.120 -> 06:39.640] But I mean, you're a world class racer.
[06:39.640 -> 06:43.200] It doesn't take this much time to figure out the seat.
[06:43.200 -> 06:45.520] Although I think Perez will get there eventually.
[06:45.520 -> 06:47.640] He's still better than the last two experiments.
[06:48.160 -> 06:54.760] And it is good to see Botas being Perez this race because he was out on those tires forever.
[06:57.480 -> 07:06.780] No, Botas, I was having fun watching Botas to be honest because I think he's finally proving to have his in quotes,
[07:06.780 -> 07:14.340] proving my point filter on, because he was out there forever on those tires, which eventually
[07:14.340 -> 07:21.140] played good for him. I think post interview when he was blocking Hamilton, if he was blocking,
[07:21.140 -> 07:22.140] he said,
[07:22.140 -> 07:23.140] He tried to block.
[07:23.140 -> 07:27.160] He tried to block right oh he tried to he just did a
[07:27.160 -> 07:33.840] gentle notch like try to but then Hamilton was like I'm not dealing with
[07:33.840 -> 07:38.480] which which makes me wonder right because it's it's interesting how
[07:38.480 -> 07:45.000] Mercedes gets so anxious flustered whatever, whatever, you know,
[07:45.200 -> 07:49.280] those sort of mindset attitudes, adjectives are again,
[07:49.280 -> 07:51.280] because Mazipin, I mean, yeah,
[07:51.280 -> 07:54.700] he was being Mazipin for sure and just stupid.
[07:55.680 -> 07:59.240] But Toto was on the radio, that's a first for me.
[07:59.240 -> 08:02.360] And then as soon as Hamilton was getting closer to Botez,
[08:02.360 -> 08:05.760] again, Bono was on the radio, don't hold back Hamilton. I'm
[08:05.760 -> 08:12.800] like, what the fuck? Yeah, I mean, that, that was actually new, right? That graphic, we have never
[08:12.800 -> 08:18.400] seen that graphic, like the radio between the team principal and Michael Massey, who's the race
[08:18.400 -> 08:24.320] director. That's pretty awesome. I mean, I'm glad we got to see that. It was something I think this
[08:24.320 -> 08:26.320] is something new that they are trying.
[08:26.320 -> 08:28.000] And there are lots of other things.
[08:28.120 -> 08:30.920] It seems like these are these guys are trying these days.
[08:31.640 -> 08:35.640] Although I don't know how much time did he lose back there with Mazipin.
[08:36.120 -> 08:38.320] Shouldn't have been much. I mean, yes, blue flag.
[08:38.320 -> 08:39.720] He let you go in one corner.
[08:39.720 -> 08:42.880] But no, I think I think Tutu was just, you know,
[08:43.440 -> 08:50.220] tense that Mazipin might just spin in right front of Hamilton and take him out or something.
[08:50.220 -> 08:55.820] Like an instant spin. Something like a Beyblade, dude.
[09:00.820 -> 09:05.040] Hey, but because of that incident, I'm starting to like Mazepin, he well just
[09:05.040 -> 09:18.560] could have become my favorite driver on track. Yeah, I think the thing about that
[09:18.560 -> 09:22.080] is you know as you mentioned that that Mercedes probably gets a little anxious
[09:22.080 -> 09:26.080] is primarily because the fact that Mercedes
[09:26.080 -> 09:29.040] are not used to following cars in general,
[09:29.040 -> 09:33.520] they are, I feel, more fine-tuned towards
[09:33.520 -> 09:36.320] just leading the lap and driving in clean air.
[09:36.320 -> 09:38.760] That's what they are best at.
[09:38.760 -> 09:40.960] And if you've noticed this,
[09:40.960 -> 09:46.960] anytime Hamilton kind of is stuck behind anyone he kind of starts
[09:46.960 -> 09:52.480] backing up a lot until and unless he knows that he can like you know overtake
[09:52.480 -> 09:57.800] the person instantly because I feel that Mercedes does not deal with the hot air
[09:57.800 -> 10:02.280] coming out from the back of the car that's ahead of him and that's why they
[10:02.280 -> 10:10.080] have to account for that every time when they are stuck behind anybody else. Nor do I think they handle pressure well too
[10:10.080 -> 10:14.820] because we saw we saw what happened with Hamilton as he crashed out when he
[10:14.820 -> 10:20.860] wasn't doing so well. Yeah and I think like this is probably a result of them
[10:20.860 -> 10:26.940] being leaders so much that they don't know how to deal with being midfield.
[10:26.940 -> 10:33.900] I also sort of have negative thoughts about Mercedes here because the way they behave
[10:33.900 -> 10:39.940] it shows super favoritism towards Hamilton and that sort of plays against Botas's confidence
[10:39.940 -> 10:42.740] as well right like I mean what the f**k.
[10:42.740 -> 10:53.840] I think Botas's contract already has a very small fine print there that you are you are hired as a wingman so I think he
[10:53.840 -> 11:06.640] expects that. True. The other thing that the other annoying bit that is consistent now is Hamilton complaining about tires man.
[11:06.640 -> 11:17.280] Again like towards that chase when he was chasing Max down, he came back on radio saying he's not gonna have tires towards the end.
[11:17.280 -> 11:20.080] And what three laps, four laps and he overtakes Max.
[11:20.080 -> 11:25.520] I'm like dude if I was there I would have just slapped you right now. Yeah, that's a bit annoying these days.
[11:25.520 -> 11:32.000] I mean, I, uh, last year I, he did come on the radio sometimes, but I mean, again, you know,
[11:32.000 -> 11:37.040] most of the times he would be ahead, like 30 seconds ahead of Max or something like that.
[11:37.040 -> 11:41.680] And, uh, he would like come up on the radio once or twice, like, you know,
[11:41.680 -> 11:49.860] in two or three races saying that my tires are gone and then the fastest flap. But these days, I think it's getting a lot more annoying that he pretty
[11:49.860 -> 11:55.060] much does that every race. And right after that, clearly his tires are not gone. Clearly
[11:55.060 -> 12:01.100] he's playing some mind games to, you know, just discourage or rather like mislead other
[12:01.100 -> 12:07.000] teams. Yeah. I mean, nobody's buying it. Come on. Yeah, now nobody's buying it. Definitely.
[12:07.000 -> 12:11.000] It's become the thing of, you know, crying wolf at this point.
[12:11.000 -> 12:17.000] Also, I don't know if it's just to gain sympathy, if that's the sentiment, right?
[12:17.000 -> 12:30.500] Because, oh, look how well I've won even after the adversary that I might have run into with these guys. Anyways, I mean on the other side of the competition, Red Bull, they were sort of having not a good day as well
[12:30.500 -> 12:35.500] because they usually have that DHL fastest pit stop.
[12:35.500 -> 12:40.500] This one time, I think they didn't get much love from DHL this time.
[12:40.500 -> 12:45.000] Yeah, I think that RBR basically has a season pass for that award.
[12:45.000 -> 12:54.000] I think DHL probably just gives it at the start of the year that you take the award for the fastest pit stops for the season.
[12:54.000 -> 12:57.000] I think they probably didn't pay DHL enough money this time.
[12:57.000 -> 13:06.480] Yeah, man, I think like that pitch, that 4.2 second pit stop, the first pit stop with Max.
[13:06.480 -> 13:11.400] And it's still, I still haven't gotten my thoughts completely around it yet.
[13:11.400 -> 13:16.880] But if they would have immediately pitted him after Hamilton came inside,
[13:16.880 -> 13:23.440] probably they could have still had a chance to that first position.
[13:23.440 -> 13:25.960] Actually, the 4.2 second pit stop,
[13:25.960 -> 13:27.560] which was the first pit stop,
[13:27.560 -> 13:29.440] I was a little tensed at that point,
[13:29.440 -> 13:32.400] but Max pulled it off pretty well.
[13:32.400 -> 13:35.000] I think he was the first person to pit, right,
[13:35.000 -> 13:36.460] during the first stint.
[13:36.460 -> 13:41.240] And he pitted, and I think Hamilton pitted the next lap,
[13:41.240 -> 13:44.600] and Verstappen was still able to pull off a nice gap
[13:44.600 -> 13:46.460] and still kind of stay
[13:46.460 -> 13:47.460] ahead of Hamilton.
[13:47.460 -> 13:51.880] But yeah, the second pit stop that Hamilton did, I don't know what, what Red Bull was
[13:51.880 -> 13:52.960] thinking.
[13:52.960 -> 13:54.720] It was just weird.
[13:54.720 -> 14:01.200] They could had, I feel they, it feels to me that Red Bull lost the race rather than Mercedes
[14:01.200 -> 14:06.000] winning it in the sense that they that they could have easily won the race
[14:06.000 -> 14:09.000] if they could have just mimicked Hamilton's strategy.
[14:09.000 -> 14:11.000] That's all they had to do.
[14:11.000 -> 14:13.000] Probably out of practice at this point
[14:13.000 -> 14:18.000] because it's been 7 years since they won it with Vettel.
[14:18.000 -> 14:21.000] They're like, oh wow, this could happen.
[14:21.000 -> 14:23.000] We don't know how to handle this.
[14:23.000 -> 14:26.480] Let's start learning. Credit to
[14:26.480 -> 14:31.340] Mursi's strategy though you know I was a little shocked when he had put it so if
[14:31.340 -> 14:35.660] you remember like there was no radio message at all so usually you hear these
[14:35.660 -> 14:40.700] box box box radio messages right right before the pit I I haven't actually gone
[14:40.700 -> 14:45.320] back and heard the like radio of Hamilton, but I don't
[14:45.360 -> 14:49.760] think there was any message because they do usually feature that on TV.
[14:50.120 -> 14:52.520] So probably that was a very smart move.
[14:52.520 -> 14:57.080] They probably had some coded message somewhere in the radio, which indicated
[14:57.080 -> 14:59.960] to him that you need to pit and they pitted.
[15:00.040 -> 15:03.160] And at that point I was really shocked that, you know, this is either going to
[15:03.160 -> 15:08.080] be a, like a master move or a complete disaster kind of a situation.
[15:08.800 -> 15:10.000] But yeah, they pulled it off.
[15:10.000 -> 15:15.600] And if you remember the like Bono, his race engineer came onto the radio and said, you know, we have done this before.
[15:15.600 -> 15:15.800] Yeah.
[15:16.280 -> 15:17.400] Again, I'll go for it.
[15:18.360 -> 15:24.200] Yeah. I think this was a, a plan mode decided on the table before the race as a, as a
[15:24.080 -> 15:25.020] a plan more to decided on the table before there is as a as a
[15:30.960 -> 15:32.480] Contingency if things fell into the zone and it did and it worked out perfectly well, so kudos to that
[15:34.480 -> 15:34.880] Fiction
[15:41.620 -> 15:42.040] Hey folks, you're listening to f1 fanfiction if you haven't already checked us out on our social media
[15:46.000 -> 15:51.440] Go right now follow us on our insta and twitter both of our handles are at the rate f1 fanfiction. There's some amazing polls,
[15:51.440 -> 15:57.560] contests, posts coming out on those so be a part of the community and join us
[15:57.560 -> 16:04.720] there. Also be a part of the community with f1 fantasy codes for which are also
[16:04.720 -> 16:05.680] up on our social
[16:05.680 -> 16:10.400] media so come follow us on our social media if you haven't yet checked us out
[16:10.400 -> 16:16.120] on our website go check us out on f1fanfiction.com reach out to us at
[16:16.120 -> 16:22.440] contact us at the rate f1fanfiction.com write to us to what you want to see in
[16:22.440 -> 16:26.720] the next episode what you don't want to see in what we do
[16:26.720 -> 16:31.720] and just be brutal to us because yeah, honesty is what we want.
[16:31.720 -> 16:33.480] Yeah, let's get back to the episode.
[16:33.480 -> 16:43.520] Talking about pit stops, Giovinazzi was having an amazing and a brilliant pit stop.
[16:43.520 -> 16:47.800] What was that? They got a tire which was punctured.
[16:49.040 -> 16:51.600] How the hell was the tire punctured in their pits, man?
[16:52.160 -> 16:56.440] I mean, good, good spotting on the gun guy because he saw that it was it was
[16:56.440 -> 16:59.800] punctured. But yeah, a bunch of...
[16:59.800 -> 17:03.840] Reminded me of that race in Germany with Mercedes.
[17:03.840 -> 17:08.500] If you remember, they had come up in that classic costumes where Hamilton.
[17:08.500 -> 17:10.700] Was it Hamilton or was it Bottas?
[17:10.700 -> 17:14.700] What a terrible like 50 second pit stop or something like that.
[17:14.700 -> 17:17.000] And they were just running around the field.
[17:17.000 -> 17:21.500] I mean, I didn't realize they had a puncture.
[17:21.500 -> 17:29.780] And I was like, why is this guy running with a tire into the garage again are they retiring his car what is happening but the clock
[17:29.780 -> 17:35.840] was still on so I was like what is happening but a one-minute pit stop man
[17:35.840 -> 17:41.000] what was nothing nothing bad happened which is the good part he was having a
[17:41.000 -> 17:51.680] good day which is a good part it is just this one moment that was hilarious just yeah but what got interesting after that was because
[17:51.680 -> 17:58.560] of that pit stop Alonzo and Gio came into a striking distance and Alonzo had
[17:58.560 -> 18:05.520] a good overtake on Gio Alonzo was Alonzo was in a different genre too.
[18:05.520 -> 18:15.320] I think he's starting to like that Alpine, that Alpine's performing better, that Alpine's
[18:15.320 -> 18:17.400] starting to grow on Alonzo.
[18:17.400 -> 18:20.760] He's starting to fit better into that cockpit.
[18:20.760 -> 18:23.560] Yeah, just a good weekend by Alonzo.
[18:23.560 -> 18:27.260] Yeah, though he ended up pretty low on the board, I'm kind of confused.
[18:27.260 -> 18:30.400] It seemed as if they were good on pace.
[18:31.040 -> 18:33.960] Ocon seemed to be flying through as well as Alonso as well.
[18:34.400 -> 18:37.720] And then I don't know, I probably need to revisit.
[18:37.720 -> 18:41.960] But yeah, something terrible happened that he ended up 17th on the board.
[18:43.880 -> 18:50.400] Oh, yeah. I mean, at one at one point the hilarious part was I think lap 29 or whatever.
[18:50.400 -> 18:56.900] He came on to the radio saying the car is not perfect, the engine isn't performing as well as it should
[18:56.900 -> 19:08.060] and I'm like GP2 engine just say those words and I'll... But it was good to see him.
[19:08.060 -> 19:11.680] I think at some point he was up there.
[19:11.680 -> 19:15.000] There was a good battle happening on the track.
[19:15.000 -> 19:21.800] He was chasing Vettel and they came close a couple of moments, but he never got a chance
[19:21.800 -> 19:27.480] to get past him. Yeah, I think there was a point where it was basically
[19:28.160 -> 19:31.600] Vettel followed by Alonso followed by Raikkonen.
[19:31.960 -> 19:33.880] And that really reminded me.
[19:35.480 -> 19:35.920] Is it?
[19:35.920 -> 19:36.440] I was.
[19:37.040 -> 19:41.760] Isn't that more like a road trip that probably you and I would take like on a stroll
[19:42.040 -> 19:43.120] on a Sunday?
[19:43.320 -> 19:45.600] Let's just drive behind each other so that, you know,
[19:45.600 -> 19:47.920] we are together and we'll go somewhere.
[19:48.120 -> 19:52.400] It seemed like old friends out on a drive.
[19:54.440 -> 19:59.200] Exactly. And, and, and it was really funny. Like Alonso was like, uh,
[19:59.240 -> 20:03.560] back trying to overtake Vettel on track and then they pitted on the same lap
[20:03.560 -> 20:06.520] itself. And, uh, overtake Vettel on track and then they pitted on the same lap itself and Alonso got a better
[20:06.520 -> 20:11.360] pit stop than Vettel and he overtook him on the pit lane.
[20:11.360 -> 20:12.360] That's really awesome.
[20:12.360 -> 20:17.000] It was just a free overtake handed off to Alonso.
[20:17.000 -> 20:20.880] That to me sounds like, oh yeah man, I gotta take a restroom break.
[20:20.880 -> 20:22.640] Okay, let's all stop.
[20:22.640 -> 20:23.640] I'm done.
[20:23.640 -> 20:26.400] So I'm going gonna start going ahead
[20:27.800 -> 20:35.440] that reminds me of you know on top gear whenever one of those guys like messes
[20:35.440 -> 20:46.000] up the rest you just leave oh man yeah these three are the Top Gear hosts.
[20:46.000 -> 20:51.000] Who do you think is Jeremy Clarkson out of this?
[20:51.000 -> 20:52.000] Jeremy?
[20:52.000 -> 20:55.000] Alonzo man, I think like he's the creepiest.
[20:55.000 -> 20:59.000] That's exactly what I was thinking about.
[20:59.000 -> 21:04.000] James May is Raikkonen, the oldest dude there.
[21:04.000 -> 21:05.280] That makes sense.
[21:06.640 -> 21:08.160] What is the Richard Hammond?
[21:11.000 -> 21:13.240] Anyways, let's get back to F1.
[21:14.800 -> 21:15.120] Yeah.
[21:15.120 -> 21:20.320] So yeah, but overall, I think Alpine has improved the performance since the
[21:20.320 -> 21:22.040] season, like start of the season.
[21:22.640 -> 21:27.000] And, uh, it, it and it seems like they are gaining some
[21:27.000 -> 21:32.480] ground overall. I'm hoping to see them in the top 10 more often than what they
[21:32.480 -> 21:38.920] were till now and Ocon is just you know he's brilliant this year and I think he
[21:38.920 -> 21:47.600] is doing so good. I think he has learned his lessons from his previous stints in Racing Point, no, Force India at that time.
[21:47.600 -> 21:51.600] And also observing Mercedes sitting in the garage.
[21:52.240 -> 21:56.400] Yeah, definitely. And yeah, again, ninth position, that's really good.
[21:56.400 -> 21:56.800] Yeah.
[21:56.800 -> 21:59.120] Got some two points. So, awesome work.
[21:59.120 -> 22:03.760] The other surprising team on the track has been Ferrari, because
[22:04.880 -> 22:06.680] that it, I think they just messed
[22:06.680 -> 22:11.360] up that one year to fuck up with Vettel's career.
[22:11.360 -> 22:15.560] Oh man that's some vengeance right?
[22:15.560 -> 22:19.560] We are gonna fuck up our entire season?
[22:19.560 -> 22:22.560] Because now they are back.
[22:22.560 -> 22:23.560] Just to mess with you.
[22:23.560 -> 22:34.000] They are finishing amazing on quali. Charles has had an amazing 4 race. I think he has finished what 6th, 4th, 6th, 4th or something like that.
[22:34.000 -> 22:46.800] 4th, 6th, 4th, 6th. Science is fitting well into that car. Science and Lando were at it. Lando who's running third in the championship table at the moment.
[22:46.800 -> 22:53.840] So Ferrari is definitely getting some good change from what they had last year.
[22:53.840 -> 23:01.200] What is interesting to me was to see how Lando's statement has grown over the year.
[23:01.200 -> 23:02.960] If you remember that statement, Saran.
[23:02.960 -> 23:09.280] Sorry, which one? So last year I think when Lando and Carlos were gonna part
[23:09.280 -> 23:14.320] one of the press interviews someone asked Lando are you gonna miss him and he says no
[23:14.320 -> 23:18.960] I think I'll just wave at him as I go past the straight and overtake the Ferrari
[23:18.960 -> 23:20.000] That one
[23:20.000 -> 23:24.800] And how the positions and the tables have reversed now where
[23:24.800 -> 23:28.960] where Carlos had a smooth and simple overtake on Lando.
[23:28.960 -> 23:30.960] No waving I am pretty sure.
[23:30.960 -> 23:34.480] Yeah that's true actually right.
[23:34.480 -> 23:40.240] But the thing is, did you notice the constructors table?
[23:40.240 -> 23:46.240] McLaren is still number 3 and they are the only team who have had consistent
[23:46.240 -> 23:51.240] points finishes among all midfield teams in all races till now. And it's, it's basically
[23:51.240 -> 23:57.160] a repeat of last year, as yet, as we had mentioned, you know, sometime earlier in a previous episode,
[23:57.160 -> 24:03.200] that the secret behind McLaren's good performance pretty much is consistency. And the fact that
[24:03.200 -> 24:10.680] the culture and the team is pretty good, that I have not seen any friction between both drivers in the
[24:10.680 -> 24:16.560] previous years as well as this year as well till now. Yeah although did it I feel
[24:16.560 -> 24:22.240] like they swapped cars between Lando and Ricardo this weekend because what was
[24:22.240 -> 24:27.200] Lando doing and then with those same words what was Ricardo doing wow
[24:28.160 -> 24:34.320] yeah that's true he had a brilliant race I think he gained some positions at the start of the race
[24:34.320 -> 24:41.440] itself and then he held on to it and yeah finished sixth that's just awesome like I think this
[24:41.440 -> 24:46.280] probably was the race where he like regained his confidence in the car,
[24:46.280 -> 24:47.680] I guess.
[24:47.680 -> 24:51.040] And look where Lando ended up and where Daniel is.
[24:51.040 -> 24:53.840] So yeah, that shows he had a brilliant race.
[24:53.840 -> 24:59.120] Something seems off from Lando's side in this race.
[24:59.120 -> 25:08.800] But it also the fact that, you know, he is still third in the leaderboard and I think expectations for Lando have significantly
[25:08.800 -> 25:15.760] increased this season from everyone and it feels like you know he did terribly but he actually
[25:15.760 -> 25:21.520] ended up eighth which is not too bad either. Yeah probably one of those off races,
[25:27.360 -> 25:33.760] off races, Ricardo stealing his car or whatever happened in the garages. I think in the midnight like Ricardo just sneaked into the garage and like switched the labels or something.
[25:33.760 -> 25:39.520] Let's see how this car feels.
[25:39.520 -> 25:42.720] I can imagine this now. I understand what happened.
[25:42.720 -> 25:47.040] Okay, so basically he changed the cars and Lando is much shorter than Ricardo.
[25:47.040 -> 25:50.140] So Lando wasn't able to fit in the seat very well.
[25:50.140 -> 25:52.140] And that threw him off.
[25:52.140 -> 25:56.140] He probably had to use like heels or something just to push the pedals.
[25:56.140 -> 26:00.140] And that threw him off. Yeah.
[26:00.140 -> 26:07.300] I don't think this strategy works with Mercedes though because I mean at the end of the day, Botas will still remain Botas.
[26:07.300 -> 26:09.000] So, even if they swapped cars.
[26:09.000 -> 26:19.700] Yeah, I think Hamilton carries the advantage with him, that is him himself.
[26:19.700 -> 26:25.000] The other place this can't work is also with Haas.
[26:25.000 -> 26:29.000] Right, because Mazipin needs to maintain his reputation.
[26:29.000 -> 26:34.000] Yeah, Haas, I'm not worried about Haas.
[26:34.000 -> 26:37.000] So, they have made such a shit card.
[26:37.000 -> 26:40.000] Only Gene Haas is worried about Haas. No one is worried about Haas.
[26:40.000 -> 26:49.360] Gene Haas too probably has been like, you know know I don't get about this and I think
[26:49.360 -> 26:54.320] anytime gene goes out into the public what's your name I'm Jean what's your
[26:54.320 -> 27:06.000] last name I don't have one no talk about them. Anyways, let's move on. No, but thinking about Haas,
[27:06.000 -> 27:11.000] the only comparison point that comes to mind after this race is
[27:11.000 -> 27:14.000] Nikita versus Stroll.
[27:14.000 -> 27:21.000] Because in a more direct words, they both bought seats into the table.
[27:21.000 -> 27:27.560] But Stroll has this experience, if you you will that shows on the track right
[27:27.560 -> 27:31.400] because I think towards the end of the race they were having Stroll was going
[27:31.400 -> 27:36.440] at it with Gasly there could have been a Haas moment I'll keep it in general not
[27:36.440 -> 27:45.760] to name any formal drivers but there could have been out, right? Or a Grosjean. Grosjean.
[27:45.760 -> 27:46.760] Grosjean.
[27:46.760 -> 27:51.760] Where both cars could have been out.
[27:51.760 -> 27:57.760] But I think Stroll just realized that he did go out of the track, onto the chicane,
[27:57.760 -> 28:00.760] and conceded the position back to Gasly.
[28:00.760 -> 28:02.760] And that shows, right?
[28:02.760 -> 28:06.800] That's the experience versus pure outright buying out the seat.
[28:07.680 -> 28:15.120] Yep, no definitely. I think Stroll has you know shut the mouths of all his critics by now. He has
[28:15.120 -> 28:31.000] completely proven that he totally deserves that seat even if he has bought it and honestly speaking, you know, F1 is a sport which requires a lot of funds and talent is not all that you require, right?
[28:31.000 -> 28:39.000] Like, after all, you need money to build those cars and to do research and, you know, improve upon the car and everything.
[28:39.000 -> 28:47.840] So, yeah, money is a very big factor in this car, I mean, in this sport. So I think people, and if we think about it, right,
[28:47.840 -> 28:52.720] like even a lot of older drivers were paid drivers to think about it.
[28:52.720 -> 28:53.840] Like think about Nikilada.
[28:54.240 -> 28:58.320] He too was a paid driver, like though he had kind of funded it himself,
[28:58.320 -> 29:00.560] but he pretty much got the loans on his family's name.
[29:01.480 -> 29:06.480] So yeah, there have been legends in the sport who bought their way in.
[29:06.480 -> 29:12.680] But, you know, it's basically like this. The money can get you the foot in the door.
[29:12.680 -> 29:18.880] But to stay inside, you need talent. And Shtol has got it.
[29:18.880 -> 29:25.600] And to get appreciation too, right? Like, at this point, the only person appreciating Nikita Mazepin is his father.
[29:25.600 -> 29:37.100] Yeah, and you know, ton of bots that I see on Twitter, we're constantly defending him.
[29:37.100 -> 29:48.480] Yeah, because I think the budget was split by Papa Mazepin, half went to Haas and half went to the internet. So, someone could save his ass after this.
[29:48.480 -> 30:00.240] No, but the money factor is really awesome and in the sense that you can see it on the track
[30:00.240 -> 30:09.000] because even after the points table, all of these drivers, it's adrenaline mixed with money.
[30:09.000 -> 30:12.240] Because it still gets you on the championship table somewhere.
[30:12.240 -> 30:15.800] That there are battles all the way to the end, right.
[30:15.800 -> 30:20.240] Because Latifi was going at it with Mekshamakar.
[30:20.240 -> 30:23.520] Russell's been proving himself at that Williams.
[30:23.520 -> 30:27.440] I think he finished quite up than the usual Williams, right?
[30:27.440 -> 30:28.720] He was, oh yeah, 14.
[30:28.720 -> 30:30.960] So that's quite up for a Williams.
[30:30.960 -> 30:33.840] It's just this fire to get your team up
[30:33.840 -> 30:37.680] and to prove yourself that these 19 drivers
[30:37.680 -> 30:39.360] have shown on track.
[30:41.720 -> 30:54.720] And the exciting part for me was like towards the fag end of the race right after points there was a battle for 11th and that was amazing right.
[30:54.720 -> 30:56.320] It's so good to see that.
[30:56.320 -> 30:56.960] That was simply awesome.
[30:56.960 -> 30:57.600] Yup, yup, yup.
[30:57.600 -> 30:58.320] I remember that.
[30:58.320 -> 31:02.320] I saw, I was seeing that and I was really confused what is going on.
[31:02.320 -> 31:08.800] It seemed like like everybody was crowding Bottas for some reason. It seemed like you know the playground in
[31:08.800 -> 31:17.200] in a school like in lunchtime. Everybody was surrounding Bottas and bullying him. He was basically stuck in the battle for 10th I think.
[31:17.200 -> 31:24.640] I think it was Troll, Ghastly, someone else. Okon I think was also in the mix.
[31:24.640 -> 31:25.040] Yeah Okon and one more driver somebodyon I think was also in the mix.
[31:25.040 -> 31:29.360] Yeah, Okon and one more driver somebody and I think basically these were five cars which
[31:29.360 -> 31:34.440] is traveling together and put us in the center.
[31:34.440 -> 31:38.440] That was really entertaining to watch and the really awesome fact about this race in
[31:38.440 -> 31:43.680] general was we did get to see all of that on TV like it's not just the battles in the
[31:43.680 -> 31:45.260] front and I think
[31:45.260 -> 31:50.560] probably FIA is listening to our podcast. Yeah, I definitely want to take complete I think F1
[31:50.560 -> 31:56.300] fanfiction takes complete credit to this weekend's Sky Sports Telecast in some
[31:56.300 -> 32:05.000] sense. Yeah, because they basically started showing these picture in picture battles this time as we had mentioned in the previous episode.
[32:05.000 -> 32:11.500] Right. Yeah, I think like someone at FIA is a follower.
[32:11.500 -> 32:15.700] He's heard us. He's seen that we like F1 TV more.
[32:15.700 -> 32:18.800] So, why not have Sky Sports also show it that way.
[32:18.800 -> 32:24.800] And it was good to see. I was following the science versus Ricardo battle.
[32:24.800 -> 32:26.720] And I didn't want to miss out on Hamilton
[32:26.720 -> 32:31.200] because he was closing in the gap and they showed that picture in picture so yeah.
[32:31.200 -> 32:36.560] Yep that was I feel that's the perfect way of showing multiple actions going on in the track
[32:37.120 -> 32:41.840] so yeah that's really awesome because this is a unique sport in that sense because there's no
[32:41.840 -> 32:45.360] center of attention for the race right like the
[32:45.360 -> 32:49.920] center of attention is pretty much every driver so yeah any battle yeah any
[32:49.920 -> 32:54.640] battle is a center of attention because some of these overtakes are so brilliant
[32:54.640 -> 32:59.340] and I wouldn't want to miss out even if it's Mekshamacker overtaking Nikita
[32:59.340 -> 33:07.080] Mazepin for that fight. Which we, we probably will be seeing throughout the season.
[33:07.480 -> 33:07.980] Yeah.
[33:11.020 -> 33:11.260] Yeah.
[33:11.300 -> 33:17.860] Anyways, though, I think this race was yet another good race and falls in the,
[33:18.120 -> 33:23.340] you know, same team as the other races where pretty much, we know that this is
[33:23.340 -> 33:26.540] going to turn up into a battle for the
[33:26.540 -> 33:32.720] championship though Hamilton is really leading on the battle right now but it is clear that
[33:32.720 -> 33:38.520] both of these drivers are kind of at their peak right now and just you know going at
[33:38.520 -> 33:44.740] it and this is just the fourth race but yeah I think this is the start so we can expect
[33:44.740 -> 33:46.160] a lot more from them
[33:46.160 -> 33:47.160] too.
[33:47.160 -> 33:53.480] Yeah and you raise a very amazing point as well which is we're not just gonna see that
[33:53.480 -> 33:58.440] battle for that driver championship between Hamilton and Max.
[33:58.440 -> 34:06.140] I think the third spot is also gonna be very interesting with Lando, Leclerc and Potaz.
[34:06.140 -> 34:09.480] Yeah, that's true. And it's really interesting, right?
[34:09.480 -> 34:14.760] Lando is third. Potaz is somewhere down the line.
[34:14.760 -> 34:15.260] Yeah.
[34:15.260 -> 34:22.660] So, I think also would affect the drivers, I mean, like the Constructors' Championship.
[34:22.660 -> 34:26.160] Because it kind of all depends on how Perez performs
[34:26.160 -> 34:33.440] and if he's able to end up ahead of Bottas, that could drastically change the plans that
[34:33.440 -> 34:41.480] Mercedes has for next year because that might just make them lose the constructors championship.
[34:41.480 -> 34:46.000] And I don't think the people at Mercedes are going to be happy about that at all.
[34:46.000 -> 34:50.000] Yeah, I mean, Toto has now his own money into Mercedes.
[34:50.000 -> 34:52.000] So he's going to be more anxious talking to...
[34:52.000 -> 34:55.000] Hey man, Toto has money everywhere now.
[34:55.000 -> 34:56.000] That's true too.
[34:56.000 -> 35:01.000] I think anybody, whoever wins, Toto always wins.
[35:01.000 -> 35:04.000] That's basically the formula for F1.
[35:04.000 -> 35:05.320] FIA F1 sponsored by Toto always wins. That's, that's basically the formula for F1.
[35:08.880 -> 35:14.080] FIA F1 sponsored by Toto Wolf.
[35:17.800 -> 35:17.960] Man, imagine if like, like basically, so see, see,
[35:21.360 -> 35:32.440] he owns Mercedes. He has, I think part share of Mercedes. He partly owns Aston Martin too. And he, I think he is the manager for Botas, for George Russell and one another guy.
[35:32.440 -> 35:42.160] I think I forget who that was another person who Toto was manager of, but basically he's forming this multi-team conglomerate.
[35:48.400 -> 35:56.640] multi-team conglomerate. So for folks who are somewhat interested into finance this is what we call vested interest. Man, this is such a conflict of interest. I don't
[35:56.640 -> 36:02.040] understand how is this allowed at all. Like yeah just doesn't make sense to me.
[36:02.040 -> 36:08.840] All in all a good weekend. I think we take a week's break before we come back this time
[36:08.840 -> 36:10.600] around to Monaco.
[36:10.600 -> 36:12.800] It's going to be interesting to see Monaco,
[36:12.800 -> 36:16.440] because while Ferrari doesn't have a straight line pace,
[36:16.440 -> 36:20.520] I think it's still got the pace to challenge the top teams
[36:20.520 -> 36:23.960] if it's not those fast tracks.
[36:23.960 -> 36:25.840] And Monaco is just right there
[36:25.840 -> 36:32.880] but historically Red Bulls have always had an advantage at Monaco
[36:32.880 -> 36:38.640] Hamilton's at his peak of the career since seven years now
[36:38.640 -> 36:50.000] His peak has turned into a plateau now you know. A plateau mount Everest yeah.
[36:51.000 -> 36:57.800] So it's gonna be an interesting race a week in from now and and folks we'll see
[36:57.800 -> 37:03.480] you there until until the next episode this is f1 fanfiction signing off bye
[37:03.480 -> 37:05.680] bye
[37:04.240 -> 37:15.360] This is F1 Fan Fiction signing off. Bye-bye.