Podcast: F1 Fanfiction
Published Date:
Tue, 07 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000
Duration:
1904
Explicit:
False
Guests:
MP3 Audio:
Please note that the summary is generated based on the transcript and may not capture all the nuances or details discussed in the podcast episode.
Join us as us as we break down the first race of the 2023 F1 season in Bahrain, where Max Verstappen showed everyone who’s boss and Fernando Alonso proved that age is just a number. While it was a boring race for the most part, Alonso came to the rescue and gave us some good action.
In this episode we discuss:
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Music
Intro: Howling (Sting) - Gunnar Olsen
Outro: Your Intro by Audionautix
**Summary of the Podcast Episode Transcript**
* **Introduction:**
* The hosts, Akash and Sarang, express their surprise at the dominance of Max Verstappen in the first race of the 2023 Formula One season in Bahrain, likening it to the previous year's race.
* They mention that the race was boring for the most part, except for Fernando Alonso's exciting performance.
* **Main Discussion Points:**
* **Aston Martin's Surprising Performance:**
* Aston Martin, which is theoretically Mercedes' B-team, has shown unexpected pace, leading to speculation that it may actually be Red Bull's C-team.
* The hosts propose a theory that Red Bull has transferred engineers to Aston Martin to sell Alpha Tauri and deliver a symbolic slap in the face to Mercedes.
* **Mercedes' Struggles:**
* Mercedes has had a poor start to the season, with Toto Wolff admitting that they are nowhere near where they expected to be.
* The team is reportedly planning significant changes to their car and engines to improve performance.
* **Alonso's Resurgence:**
* Fernando Alonso had a brilliant race, fighting through the field and delivering some stunning overtakes, including a memorable move on Lewis Hamilton.
* The hosts praise Alonso's skill and determination, especially considering his age and the criticism he has faced in recent years.
* **McLaren's Troubles:**
* McLaren had a disastrous race, with Lando Norris making five pit stops and suffering from various issues, including a bizarre incident where his car's steering wheel had to be replaced.
* The hosts speculate that McLaren may be the new Williams, referring to their decline in performance.
* **Other Notable Performances:**
* Esteban Ocon had a strong race, gaining 11 positions and finishing in the points.
* Logan Sargent, a rookie driver for Williams, had a commendable debut, holding his position and finishing in the top 12.
* Valtteri Bottas also had a solid race, finishing in eighth place for Alfa Romeo.
* **Mildly Wild Predictions:**
* Akash predicts that Lance Stroll will finish in the top five, while Sarang predicts that Logan Sargent could be the best rookie of the season and possibly finish near the top 10.
* **Conclusion:**
* The hosts wrap up the podcast by expressing their hope for a more exciting season, with less dominance from Red Bull and more competitive racing.
* They also mention the upcoming race in Saudi Arabia in two weeks. **F1 Fanfiction Podcast Episode Summary: Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 Review**
The podcast delves into the exhilarating and dramatic events of the 2023 Formula One season opener in Bahrain, where Max Verstappen asserted his dominance, and Fernando Alonso defied the limitations of age. Despite a relatively uneventful race, Alonso's spirited performance provided much-needed excitement.
**Key Discussion Points:**
* **Aston Martin's Transformation:** The podcast explores the significant changes within Aston Martin, as it transitions into Red Bull's new C team, signaling a shift in dynamics within the F1 landscape.
* **Mercedes' Ongoing Struggles:** Mercedes continues to face challenges, with pundits expressing concern over the team's apparent lack of progress, raising questions about their ability to compete at the highest level.
* **The Aston Martin Hype Train:** The podcast examines the immense hype surrounding Aston Martin's impressive performance, particularly in light of their historic struggles.
* **Fernando Alonso's Resurgence:** Alonso's remarkable performance in Bahrain is a testament to his enduring talent and unwavering determination, silencing critics who questioned his relevance in the sport.
* **Ferrari Fans Seek Solace:** Ferrari's disappointing start to the season has left their passionate fanbase seeking solace, as they grapple with the reality of another challenging year.
* **Gasly's Redemption:** Pierre Gasly's strong showing in Bahrain is seen as a form of redemption for his past struggles, proving his worth as a capable and competitive driver.
* **McLaren's Technical Woes:** McLaren's struggles with their car, particularly the recurring issue of chrome peeling off, have hindered their performance, leaving them vulnerable to challenges from their midfield rivals.
* **McLaren's Decline:** The podcast suggests that McLaren's current predicament bears similarities to Williams' recent struggles, raising concerns about their long-term competitiveness.
* **Predictions for the Season:** The podcast concludes with a segment where the hosts share their predictions for the remainder of the season, offering their insights into potential storylines and title contenders.
**Overall Message:**
The podcast captures the essence of the Bahrain Grand Prix, highlighting the key moments, controversies, and talking points that emerged from the race. It provides an engaging and informative analysis of the unfolding events, offering insights into the strategies, performances, and implications for the rest of the season.
[00:00.000 -> 00:06.800] You know how your computer just crashes if you have ram overload. I think that's exactly what
[00:06.800 -> 00:13.440] happened with McLaren. They forgot that they have Google as their title sponsor or Chrome rather.
[00:15.440 -> 00:20.320] And they have too many tabs open which led to like a system reboot, forced reboot.
[00:37.160 -> 00:47.280] Hello, hello. Welcome back to F1 Fan Fiction, a show about race weekend reviews and community interviews. And we are into the first race Bahrain GP. Wait, what year are we in by the way?
[00:47.280 -> 00:48.280] Is it 2022, 2023?
[00:48.280 -> 00:52.120] I don't know because everything seems the same I think to me.
[00:52.120 -> 00:56.240] Someone started the race and fucked off and like never saw back what happened.
[00:56.240 -> 00:57.240] Sure.
[00:57.240 -> 00:58.240] Yeah, exactly.
[00:58.240 -> 01:01.480] In this episode, we speak about what was happening with Red Bull.
[01:01.480 -> 01:03.840] Aston Martin circle jerking themselves.
[01:03.840 -> 01:08.280] DeBakel is at Mercedes and McLaren, Ocon is
[01:08.280 -> 01:11.700] a better driver than Alonzo and some stats.
[01:11.700 -> 01:14.080] And we refuse to talk about Ferrari by the way this time.
[01:14.080 -> 01:15.080] Yeah we refuse.
[01:15.080 -> 01:16.080] True.
[01:16.080 -> 01:17.800] Now we are your hosts, I am Akash.
[01:17.800 -> 01:19.120] And I am Sarang.
[01:19.120 -> 01:20.600] And let's get into it.
[01:20.600 -> 01:23.040] Sarang, raw thoughts, let's start there.
[01:23.040 -> 01:25.600] Raw thoughts, well I mean when I started
[01:25.600 -> 01:29.840] watching the race yesterday, for a bit I was really confused like as I said you
[01:29.840 -> 01:34.320] know what year it is because it was exactly a flashback from last year that
[01:34.320 -> 01:39.280] West Hampton just fucked off that's it and like there was no competition at all
[01:39.280 -> 01:46.480] but I think the only redeeming factor for me for the race honestly was Alonso and man that guy delivered.
[01:46.480 -> 01:56.480] Yeah, yeah, yeah true man. I feel like it was pretty much a super boring race all the way to the two thirds of what the race was.
[01:56.480 -> 02:08.800] And then I don't know what happened to Alonso. He just started picking up that pace overtaking folks and was just right and left. And there was one possibility of a safety car, but unfortunately,
[02:08.800 -> 02:14.200] Laklak was being too good and he parked his car at the right place.
[02:14.200 -> 02:17.200] I wish he had parked it right in the middle of the road or something.
[02:17.200 -> 02:22.000] But that's understandable, right? Like, I feel like with VASIAR coming in,
[02:22.000 -> 02:27.520] they are doing some sort of training on how to exit a race because that's going to be a theme
[02:28.240 -> 02:32.160] that probably Ferrari knows it's going to happen in multiple races.
[02:32.160 -> 02:36.640] So it's part of their training now how and where to park on on what tracks.
[02:37.840 -> 02:39.040] Sure.
[02:39.040 -> 02:44.500] He has a lot of experience from this thing Alfa Romeo. So, you know, he got that experience here. Exactly. Exactly.
[02:45.920 -> 02:52.720] from this thing, Alfa Romeo, so you know he got that experience here. Exactly, exactly. So their driver debrief also contains a half an hour section on these are the spots to stop your car.
[02:52.720 -> 02:59.840] But he wasn't having that bad of a start, you know, because there are these AWS stats and his
[02:59.840 -> 03:07.640] reaction time and by his, like we obviously mean Leclaire. Laclaire's reaction time was way better than Max.
[03:07.920 -> 03:10.560] His zero to a hundred was better than Max.
[03:11.360 -> 03:14.480] The car was obviously better than Max. And that's why he parked.
[03:17.280 -> 03:20.080] That's it. He was just letting him win, you know, he's like, take this,
[03:20.080 -> 03:21.840] take this win for now.
[03:23.440 -> 03:30.520] Or, or was it all a planned strategy to avoid the curse of
[03:30.520 -> 03:35.880] winning the first race in the season? There it is, see yeah that could be it
[03:35.880 -> 03:40.280] exactly yeah they're hoping that the curse hits max so yeah exactly exactly
[03:40.280 -> 03:46.000] now since you know engineering didn't work, they're, you know, resorting to voodoo magic now.
[03:46.000 -> 03:54.000] So, exactly. But, yeah, man, RBR having a flawless Sunday, right?
[03:54.000 -> 03:58.000] Like no sandbagging through the testing, no nothing whatsoever.
[03:58.000 -> 04:02.000] And I think, I forget who said this, and I completely agree.
[04:02.000 -> 04:05.480] It's like, why do teams even choose to sign back?
[04:05.480 -> 04:11.200] Because I don't know how it matters. Everyone already has too many eyes on each other and
[04:11.200 -> 04:14.400] like everyone's seeing and monitoring. So it makes no difference.
[04:14.400 -> 04:18.600] And it's not like they're going to come up with a new part in two days, right?
[04:18.600 -> 04:20.480] Exactly. Exactly.
[04:20.480 -> 04:26.000] So I don't understand how that matters. But yeah, I guess it's just part of, you know, the mind games that they like to play.
[04:26.000 -> 04:32.000] But, you know, talking about mind games, let's talk about Dr. Marco a little.
[04:32.000 -> 04:33.000] Sure.
[04:33.000 -> 04:39.000] I hear that he has been saying some things about engineers leaving to Aston Martin.
[04:39.000 -> 04:40.000] Yeah.
[04:40.000 -> 04:47.200] What's going on? Yeah. No, it's interesting, right? Like, on paper, Aston Martin is supposed to be B-team for Mercedes.
[04:47.200 -> 04:54.080] But in theory, Aston Martin is Red Bull's B-team. So, here's F1 fan-fiction's theory.
[04:54.080 -> 04:59.880] But before we go there, let's sort of shed light on what Sarang was just saying.
[04:59.880 -> 05:05.000] So, Dan Fallow has left Red Bull to go to Aston Martin.
[05:06.400 -> 05:09.860] And Marco, Dr. Marco claims that he's taken
[05:09.860 -> 05:12.720] some of the engineers with him.
[05:12.720 -> 05:15.680] So technically, and also sort of claims
[05:15.680 -> 05:17.520] that they have some good memory.
[05:17.520 -> 05:20.720] And that's sort of like the reason behind
[05:20.720 -> 05:22.960] Aston Martin's newfound pace.
[05:22.960 -> 05:31.360] But now what we feel at F1 Fan Fiction is, actually, Dan Fallow didn't leave Red Bull.
[05:31.360 -> 05:38.280] But it is an internal transfer. And it's all part of a calculated move, A, to sell Alpha Tauri.
[05:38.280 -> 05:48.120] Because they don't want a sister team that's not performing well. Send some of their good engineers to Aston Martin and do a perfect slap in the face for Mercedes
[05:48.120 -> 05:49.920] that we don't just take your title,
[05:49.920 -> 05:54.360] but we take your B team and make that into our C team.
[05:54.360 -> 05:58.080] And we take P1, P2, P3 all at once.
[05:58.080 -> 05:59.880] Wow.
[05:59.880 -> 06:02.920] That would be like a masterstroke, right?
[06:02.920 -> 06:04.520] Exactly, right?
[06:04.520 -> 06:06.000] First take their safety cars
[06:06.000 -> 06:08.000] then take their actual cars as well.
[06:08.000 -> 06:10.000] Exactly.
[06:10.000 -> 06:12.000] Yeah, that's our point there.
[06:14.000 -> 06:16.000] I also hear Paris said something
[06:16.000 -> 06:18.000] about there were three Red Bull cars
[06:18.000 -> 06:20.000] on the podium yesterday.
[06:20.000 -> 06:22.000] Yeah, his
[06:22.000 -> 06:24.000] I don't know when he said this but
[06:24.000 -> 06:27.920] he said that it was good to see three Red Bull cars on the podium.
[06:29.400 -> 06:33.600] But you know, really like the car does look a lot like Red Bull, especially the side parts.
[06:33.600 -> 06:39.000] Like Red Bull has this very muscular looking side parts, you know, almost like a bull.
[06:39.240 -> 06:45.680] Very honest. But yeah, either ways, Aston Martin too kind of has adopted a similar approach this time.
[06:45.680 -> 06:50.240] It's it seems like that is the winning design and a lot other
[06:51.480 -> 06:54.760] manufacturers have also kind of started moving their design in that direction.
[06:56.480 -> 07:01.720] Yeah, exactly. Like Ferrari and Mercedes are probably the only other teams which
[07:02.080 -> 07:06.800] have a different design and I think even Ha, because Haas basically just copies Ferrari.
[07:06.800 -> 07:12.360] So, yeah. But speaking of Mercedes also sort of like copying that, right, like
[07:13.400 -> 07:18.120] or doing something different rather is along the lines of what Toto was saying,
[07:18.120 -> 07:22.000] that they are going to have a completely new revamp
[07:22.000 -> 07:27.040] and drastic changes to their body and like aero and like even engines to that matter
[07:27.040 -> 07:35.000] whatever they can within the rules, regulations and stuff to now get Lewis the 8th title that he's promised
[07:35.000 -> 07:41.680] and on the other side they've also cried like we were nowhere near what we should have been or what we thought we'll be
[07:41.680 -> 07:46.960] and they weren't sandbagging. Yeah, exactly they weren't sandbagging. Yeah exactly they weren't sandbagging
[07:46.960 -> 07:54.560] yet again another year and I think even Toto Wolf was crying that Aston Martin like even if they're
[07:54.560 -> 08:01.520] using the same engine they're clearly much faster so like Mercedes has a lot to do and lot of room
[08:01.520 -> 08:12.000] to go. Yeah let's see I think this year is going to be again going to be very painful, likely like last year where possibly like Hamilton will experiment with parts and stuff
[08:12.000 -> 08:19.200] try to get ahead. It's good though in the sense that you know, I'm kind of happy to see Mercedes
[08:19.200 -> 08:26.080] kind of struggling after their sheer dominance but we are kind of getting Mercedes dominance
[08:26.080 -> 08:29.320] part two. That's the bad part about it, unfortunately.
[08:29.320 -> 08:36.120] Yeah, man, I for one, it's fine. They've dominated for way too long and sure, whatever. I don't
[08:36.120 -> 08:41.340] care much at this point. Also, like it would be very hurtful, right? Like there was this
[08:41.340 -> 08:45.000] awesome battle between Alonzo and Hamilton.
[08:45.000 -> 08:50.000] And then there was this radio message where Russell was trying to gauge how Hamilton's doing.
[08:50.000 -> 08:54.000] Or more like both of them are doing at that same time.
[08:54.000 -> 09:00.000] But there was a clear struggle that both of them were having.
[09:00.000 -> 09:04.000] And there was no going around it for that matter.
[09:04.000 -> 09:08.000] There wasn't much defense that they could have put up.
[09:08.000 -> 09:10.000] There's not much that they could have done.
[09:10.000 -> 09:13.000] I think even Russell was asking on Radio 2's Engineer that,
[09:13.000 -> 09:17.000] is Hamilton really slow or is he maintaining his pace?
[09:17.000 -> 09:22.000] Because I think he too was struggling with Alonso right behind him,
[09:22.000 -> 09:23.000] breathing down his neck.
[09:23.000 -> 09:27.800] And he was like, Russell was literally fighting for his life on the track.
[09:27.800 -> 09:30.540] That's what it seemed like. He tried his best.
[09:30.540 -> 09:34.200] But yeah, Alonso was just too quick and just went ahead.
[09:34.200 -> 09:41.600] And I think very honestly, the only reason Alonso had to like fight through all of these teams
[09:41.600 -> 09:45.760] was because of the slight love tap that school gave him.
[09:47.760 -> 09:53.120] Imagine being confused through half the race not knowing what ended up happening only to realize it
[09:53.120 -> 09:59.840] was a friendly fire. Yeah, in fact, Alonso wasn't sure. He was like, you know, he was like, he's
[09:59.840 -> 10:05.080] referring to him as they because he didn't know who they were actually. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
[10:05.080 -> 10:05.600] Exactly.
[10:07.720 -> 10:10.200] But let's talk about Aston Martin, man.
[10:10.880 -> 10:11.800] What's going on there?
[10:11.800 -> 10:12.560] Like I...
[10:12.560 -> 10:13.240] Forget that.
[10:13.480 -> 10:17.640] Like before we go there, what the fuck was their problem with circle jerking each other?
[10:17.640 -> 10:22.840] Like, oh yeah, I'm so happy with stroll driving this way.
[10:23.080 -> 10:26.440] Papa stroll hugging Alonzo, Hamilton coming.
[10:26.440 -> 10:29.240] Like what was happening in Aston Martin?
[10:29.240 -> 10:36.000] It was all of a sudden like Williams from 2019, where we knew they were going to lose by hundreds of points.
[10:36.000 -> 10:38.280] And all of a sudden they are on podium sort of situation.
[10:39.320 -> 10:40.800] Yeah, I don't know. It was all weird.
[10:40.800 -> 10:45.600] Like first of all, Lawrence hugging Alonzo,, that itself was a bit, I don't know.
[10:45.600 -> 10:49.600] And that too before the race. I think he forgot his son is also there on the track or something.
[10:49.600 -> 11:00.000] And he's probably adopted him now, Alonso, after the podium. So, you know, there might be changes in the team.
[11:00.000 -> 11:06.560] Yeah, it was super weird. Like even when Alonso like came onto the interview, you know, he was like praising Lance.
[11:06.560 -> 11:12.000] The first thing he said was, you know, first of all, I want to congratulate Lance about his performance,
[11:12.000 -> 11:19.360] especially after the surgery and everything. And even like Lance was like going on and on about praising Alonso.
[11:20.000 -> 11:27.120] It seems a little weird. Like it seems almost as if, you know, they have been instructed to say that about each other.
[11:27.120 -> 11:29.840] I don't know what's going on. It's all very sus.
[11:29.840 -> 11:33.960] Very... I mean, beyond sus, it's all unnecessary at this point, right? Like it's...
[11:33.960 -> 11:34.560] Yeah.
[11:34.840 -> 11:36.560] I mean, talk about your race.
[11:37.640 -> 11:39.680] Anyways, it's just annoying.
[11:41.240 -> 11:49.840] But either ways, man, Alonso was on fire. And like, I think he has proved to all of his critics that, you know, he's not an old man.
[11:49.840 -> 11:52.000] He's not there just because of his name.
[11:52.000 -> 11:56.080] Yeah. He's there on merit and he completely deserves to be there.
[11:56.080 -> 11:58.760] And it's obvious what we saw yesterday.
[11:58.760 -> 12:06.600] Yeah. And especially like with all the cribbing and complaining that he's been doing for all these years.
[12:06.600 -> 12:11.720] Right. I mean, GP2 engine, be it or like Alpine troubles or whatever it is.
[12:11.720 -> 12:20.480] Right. But he did show a glimpse of it last year when he was racing and fighting some of these better cars than a podium yesterday.
[12:20.480 -> 12:29.000] It's still race one, but we are seeing at least some, you know, mouth shutting behavior and race from Alonzo.
[12:29.000 -> 12:32.000] So, I mean, at the end of the day, that's what matters.
[12:32.000 -> 12:40.000] So, it's good to see a 41-year-old beating down like almost half his age folks.
[12:40.000 -> 12:45.740] Yeah, definitely. Yeah. And also, like, all of his overtakes were so clean and awesome, man.
[12:45.740 -> 12:50.300] All three of them were superb. There was nothing dirty about it.
[12:50.300 -> 12:56.120] And he always does that, you know, always leave the space as he says it.
[12:56.120 -> 12:59.320] Yeah. He did come close on some instances.
[12:59.320 -> 13:03.980] But then, at one instance when he thought he was too close to Hamilton,
[13:03.980 -> 13:06.040] he even sort of waved away too much.
[13:06.240 -> 13:07.640] Like I'll get him in the next lap.
[13:08.120 -> 13:10.920] Like there was some brilliant confidence.
[13:11.040 -> 13:13.720] But his overtake on Hamilton was awesome.
[13:13.720 -> 13:14.880] The switcheroo that he did.
[13:14.880 -> 13:15.800] Super brilliant, right?
[13:15.800 -> 13:18.720] Like tricking and toying with Hamilton at that point.
[13:19.360 -> 13:20.120] Yeah, totally.
[13:20.480 -> 13:24.920] Like he went on to the inside and just, yeah, just went away after that.
[13:24.920 -> 13:26.000] It was brilliant.
[13:26.000 -> 13:35.000] And oh we can't forget the highlight of the race which was yes bye bye.
[13:35.000 -> 13:39.000] Yes bye bye.
[13:39.000 -> 13:47.000] On science. Right. On science. It was on science. It was for like after he got P3.
[13:47.000 -> 13:48.000] Yeah.
[13:48.000 -> 13:50.000] Again, yet another, you know, epic radio.
[13:50.000 -> 13:53.000] It would have been a better burn if he did it in Spanish.
[13:53.000 -> 13:54.000] On science.
[13:54.000 -> 13:55.000] Like pot.
[13:55.000 -> 13:58.000] Yeah, that would have been awesome.
[13:58.000 -> 14:04.000] Like for both of these situations that we spoke about the Mercedes and Aston Martin,
[14:04.000 -> 14:05.680] like there are two memes that stuck
[14:05.680 -> 14:10.640] with me which is one is that Captain Philip meme which is I am the captain now sort of thing
[14:10.640 -> 14:16.640] where Aston Martin is looking into Mercedes and saying I am your rival now and then there's this
[14:16.640 -> 14:21.440] toy story I don't know how many fans of toy story in the audience but there's this toy story meme
[14:21.440 -> 14:27.560] where once the kid grows up he throws throws away his old Oodie doll,
[14:28.160 -> 14:30.560] saying, I don't want to play with you anymore because he's grown up.
[14:30.880 -> 14:32.880] And that's what it is like with science.
[14:32.880 -> 14:37.480] Like basically the toy is science and he's dropping him and saying, I don't want to play with you anymore.
[14:37.800 -> 14:40.560] I'm going to start playing with Alonzo now.
[14:43.520 -> 14:54.500] But at least science finished the race. That's good for him. Charles, yet again, just feel bad for him, man, at this point.
[14:54.500 -> 14:58.620] I don't know how Ferrari fans are coping with all of this.
[14:58.620 -> 15:06.400] I don't think they are. That's their other strategy. They've also sort of gotten into this groove of not giving a f**k anymore.
[15:06.400 -> 15:13.760] Maybe. Or they hold therapy sessions after the race.
[15:13.760 -> 15:15.360] Group therapy sessions.
[15:15.360 -> 15:17.520] So one of those two things.
[15:17.520 -> 15:26.360] Some stats before we get into the penultimate section of the podcast is
[15:26.360 -> 15:33.800] there's this interesting stats about some speed trap situations where the top
[15:33.800 -> 15:48.320] three were Hamilton Perez and Ocon at 333, 330 and 329 and, Max is last on that list at P20 with like 303 KMPH.
[15:50.080 -> 15:54.160] And another interesting one that at least I saw, which is lesser spoken about,
[15:54.720 -> 16:01.600] is Gasly having a brilliant drive and gaining 11 positions.
[16:02.720 -> 16:05.280] And I think ending up in P10, was it?
[16:06.280 -> 16:10.080] I think, yeah, he got into points. I think P9 in fact, as a matter of fact.
[16:10.480 -> 16:14.560] Yeah. And it was awesome. Like, especially considering like where he started the
[16:14.560 -> 16:16.800] race at like head last P20.
[16:18.640 -> 16:22.560] Especially after qualification, like everybody was so confused, like what
[16:22.560 -> 16:30.400] happened exactly with him. Because Gassily is he's a good driver and yeah definitely never has been P20
[16:30.400 -> 16:35.320] without like you know any engine failure or something like that so yeah brilliant
[16:35.320 -> 16:40.560] drive though like he recovered everything in the race and some yeah any
[16:40.560 -> 16:54.000] stat that stuck with you Saram? oh, I think I saw something on Reddit where they had done this comparison about the mean race pace of teams like last year versus this year.
[16:54.000 -> 17:03.000] And I think what turns out is like McLaren apparently had the best improvement in the race pace.
[17:03.000 -> 17:08.560] But of course, the results don't speak for it, as we saw.
[17:08.560 -> 17:13.280] And also, Norris had to take five pit stops. I don't know why.
[17:13.280 -> 17:16.160] What was going on there? Do you know anything about that?
[17:16.160 -> 17:20.400] Oh, God knows, man. I think McLaren was just having a debacle of a day.
[17:20.400 -> 17:25.680] I don't know why. And he was the only one who also went on to mediums.
[17:30.240 -> 17:31.680] He tried, like, I think he had the shortest stint on hards.
[17:34.280 -> 17:37.760] A very, a very weird pit stop, to be honest, man. Like, I don't know why and what and, you know, what was going on.
[17:38.280 -> 17:41.360] But yeah, five pit stops is, or maybe six, I don't know.
[17:41.360 -> 17:44.720] But like at least five pit stops is really weird. Very weird.
[17:44.960 -> 17:48.280] Yeah. Yeah. Well, either way, it's like other than McLaren,
[17:48.280 -> 17:53.280] I think the other top other teams that, you know, like gained a pace,
[17:53.360 -> 17:57.200] the most were like Aston Martin and Williams, which was clear.
[17:57.240 -> 17:59.960] Like we could see that in the results as well.
[18:00.400 -> 18:06.320] And the team that lost the most was none other than Ferrari, of course.
[18:06.320 -> 18:10.440] And right after that, Mercedes. Even Mercedes, exactly.
[18:10.440 -> 18:13.600] Mercedes, we are going to have to do some big revamps.
[18:13.600 -> 18:20.280] I mean, it's let alone one thing for Toto to make a bold statement about them not performing well.
[18:20.280 -> 18:33.560] I think I even saw somewhere that Russell made a statement saying he's betting that RBR has the title sewn up for the season and then they are going to win every race this season.
[18:33.560 -> 18:34.120] And that's...
[18:34.120 -> 18:35.560] Please, I hope not.
[18:35.560 -> 18:37.800] I bet my money on it is what he said.
[18:37.800 -> 18:41.000] I really hope not. We might have to just pack up then.
[18:41.000 -> 18:50.200] Yeah, I... Sarang, let me put it out there. I think I'm going to stop doing this podcast because I'm going to go back to 2017-18,
[18:50.400 -> 18:53.560] where I was just too bored to watch these races because Hamilton was winning.
[18:53.760 -> 18:55.160] Yeah.
[18:55.360 -> 18:59.680] It's going to be boring just watching Max win.
[18:59.880 -> 19:04.520] I really hope that I hope like I have hope on Alonso now.
[19:04.720 -> 19:05.160] That's all.
[19:05.160 -> 19:13.560] Yeah. All of a sudden, like forget everything. It's Alonso versus Max out of nowhere, right?
[19:13.560 -> 19:20.240] Yeah, right. I mean, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he would be like, you know, fighting for P2
[19:20.240 -> 19:25.240] if it wasn't for like the initial tap that he got in the first lap because he
[19:25.240 -> 19:30.320] lost a few positions then and also lost some pace there. So let's see I don't
[19:30.320 -> 19:34.720] know maybe it's just a fluke I mean not a fluke but like maybe it's just like
[19:34.720 -> 19:38.480] Bahrain was you know more suitable for their car it also could be that because
[19:38.480 -> 19:42.800] it's just the first race. We don't know what's gonna happen of course but
[19:42.800 -> 19:49.000] yeah let's see at least for now it seems like Aston Martin are the second best car on track.
[19:49.000 -> 19:51.000] True, true, true.
[19:51.000 -> 19:55.000] Anyways, on the other side of the spectrum,
[19:55.000 -> 20:03.000] you know how your computer just crashes if you have RAM overload?
[20:03.000 -> 20:06.800] I think that's exactly what happened with McLaren.
[20:06.800 -> 20:11.280] They forgot that they have Google as their title sponsor, Chrome rather.
[20:11.280 -> 20:13.280] Chrome rather, exactly.
[20:13.280 -> 20:18.560] And they have too many tabs open, which led to like a system reboot, forced reboot.
[20:18.560 -> 20:21.800] Yeah, man, what was going on?
[20:21.800 -> 20:31.000] Like he went on to the pits, like changed the steering wheel and then I could see like his boot screen and everything. It was loading and then it crashed and then they had to just shut off the car.
[20:31.000 -> 20:35.000] Oh, man, he had too many tabs open on his chrome, I guess.
[20:35.000 -> 20:38.000] Right. Perfect marketing for Google. Wink wink.
[20:38.000 -> 20:47.200] Of course. Wink wink. Yeah. It's... Imagine his mindset, right? Like, he's coming into the pits thinking this is his first race. He's gonna pull a Lewis Hamilton.
[20:47.200 -> 20:53.700] He's gonna go in, switch around his, you know, steering wheel and just gonna go back to the racing.
[20:53.700 -> 20:58.200] I'll beat he was like last position or something, doesn't matter. But he still do that.
[20:58.200 -> 21:07.440] Goes in, plugs in, like, welcome to McLaren.
[21:08.800 -> 21:10.560] Welcome and now bye bye.
[21:11.960 -> 21:12.120] No, no, sorry. Yes, bye bye.
[21:15.440 -> 21:16.800] Yes, bye bye. That should be a t-shirt, man. That's another t-shirt. Yes, bye bye.
[21:16.840 -> 21:18.080] Yeah, that should be a t-shirt.
[21:18.520 -> 21:21.560] Alonso is probably like a meme generator, very honestly.
[21:22.560 -> 21:28.000] Yeah. But Piastry wasn't the only McLaren having, I mean we've already said
[21:28.640 -> 21:33.840] Lando's having troubles with long pit stops, too many pit stops, blah blah blah. There's some
[21:33.840 -> 21:38.640] another issue and we're gonna, folks we're gonna put some time into figuring out what the
[21:38.640 -> 21:45.520] pressurization issue was, but one of his pit stop was slower because they had to wait to build the right amount
[21:45.520 -> 21:51.480] of pressure into whatever that system is of those hydraulics and pneumatic valves that
[21:51.480 -> 21:56.880] go on into the system. But tires were changed just that the pressurization valve wasn't
[21:56.880 -> 22:03.280] off his left side part, which caused a slower pit stop for Lando. Overall, I don't know
[22:03.280 -> 22:07.480] what's happening with McLaren. It feels like McLaren is the new Williams at this point.
[22:09.320 -> 22:12.800] Yeah, man, it seems like they're going back to their older McLaren days.
[22:13.200 -> 22:14.720] I think they were longing for those.
[22:15.360 -> 22:16.920] GP2 engine is back.
[22:16.920 -> 22:19.200] GP2 engine is back. Yes.
[22:19.400 -> 22:22.520] Well, I guess we have to talk about one person.
[22:22.960 -> 22:26.240] That's Okon, because he's been throwing around a lot of shade.
[22:26.240 -> 22:31.160] And at the same time, he's also collecting penalties.
[22:31.160 -> 22:35.640] How dare you? He said he's a better driver than Alonzo and I stand by it.
[22:35.640 -> 22:39.000] Of course, he is.
[22:39.000 -> 22:39.800] He is.
[22:39.800 -> 22:45.000] But how many penalties did he get eventually? Three, four?
[22:45.000 -> 22:46.000] How many was it?
[22:46.000 -> 22:47.000] I don't know man. I lost count.
[22:47.000 -> 22:49.000] Let's count. What was his first one?
[22:50.000 -> 22:53.000] First was I think for the incorrect grid position.
[22:54.000 -> 22:55.000] I don't know what he was doing.
[22:55.000 -> 22:59.000] He just rolled his car ahead and went across the white light.
[22:59.000 -> 23:04.000] By the way, on that he claims that there were four other unnamed drivers
[23:04.000 -> 23:06.880] that also did the same thing and got away with penalty.
[23:06.880 -> 23:09.880] So, that's what he claims. So that's number one.
[23:10.280 -> 23:10.800] What's number two?
[23:10.800 -> 23:14.800] That's number one. Number two was, okay, that was a little ridiculous and harsh.
[23:14.800 -> 23:19.040] I don't know whether it like the race directors like had something against him,
[23:19.480 -> 23:27.000] but he got another penalty for speeding in pit lane by 0.1 kmph.
[23:27.000 -> 23:29.000] That's gonna hurt.
[23:29.000 -> 23:31.000] That's really gonna hurt.
[23:31.000 -> 23:36.000] I don't even understand how because I don't think the steering wheel shows in decimals at all.
[23:36.000 -> 23:38.000] Yeah, I don't know.
[23:38.000 -> 23:40.000] What was the third one?
[23:40.000 -> 23:41.000] That was the second one.
[23:41.000 -> 23:45.000] The third one was of course for serving the first penalty wrong,
[23:45.000 -> 23:49.360] because the mechanic started working on the car as soon as he got there.
[23:49.800 -> 23:52.080] So, yeah, they didn't basically...
[23:52.640 -> 23:59.360] So tell me this, can't they just wait, like can't they serve the car and then serve the five seconds after they finish servicing the car?
[24:00.320 -> 24:13.600] No. So basically, the rules state that they cannot touch the car at all, like up to the point that even if like the brakes are on fire or like they're smoking, I can't even use the like the cooling gun that they usually use.
[24:13.600 -> 24:14.100] Seriously?
[24:14.100 -> 24:15.100] Yeah.
[24:15.100 -> 24:16.100] Yeah.
[24:16.100 -> 24:19.600] So like fuck the driver five seconds is five seconds.
[24:19.600 -> 24:26.240] Exactly. I mean, I guess if something's really wrong, they would anyways have to retire the car
[24:26.240 -> 24:27.240] anyways.
[24:27.240 -> 24:31.680] So, in that case, like the driver might just get out or they can like stop.
[24:31.680 -> 24:32.680] Okay.
[24:32.680 -> 24:36.400] So, their trade off is like, we'll take the five seconds, but save the driver if he's
[24:36.400 -> 24:38.600] burning on fire.
[24:38.600 -> 24:39.600] Exactly.
[24:39.600 -> 24:48.760] I don't know. I think maybe they might have some, uh, like leniency, not leniency to
[24:48.760 -> 24:54.080] others, some exception for like some safety related things. I'm not sure about that, but
[24:54.080 -> 24:58.520] at least from like what Crofty was saying, uh, was that like, they, they can't even like
[24:58.520 -> 25:08.800] basically use the cooling guns on the breaks to cool it down. Uh, which is fair, I guess, because it's a penalty after all. It's not like they're just there.
[25:08.800 -> 25:13.200] But then did he at the end of the day just get bored and he's like, anyways, I have too many penalties.
[25:13.200 -> 25:18.400] Yeah, they say that they had a mechanical issue, but I am like press X for doubt.
[25:18.400 -> 25:25.440] Did they at least give some hint towards what could those mechanical issues be?
[25:25.440 -> 25:26.440] Nope. Nothing.
[25:26.440 -> 25:31.360] Right. So it's like he's just bored and he wants to.
[25:31.360 -> 25:34.520] Like, yeah, forget it. There's no point racing anymore.
[25:34.520 -> 25:36.880] Yeah. Fair enough.
[25:36.880 -> 25:41.360] And also he would have been proven wrong, right, then that he's not a better driver
[25:41.360 -> 25:45.800] than Alonso. So he wanted to avoid that too. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. True that.
[25:45.800 -> 25:51.080] Well, overall, some lesser known names that we actually didn't mention.
[25:51.440 -> 25:56.680] I feel like Botas had a brilliant day putting his Alpha Romeo up in P8,
[25:56.680 -> 25:58.880] to be honest, like a brilliant drive from him.
[25:58.880 -> 26:00.880] Nobody paid attention, but sure.
[26:00.880 -> 26:02.600] Yeah, somehow nobody talked about him.
[26:02.600 -> 26:07.040] I mean, even I forgot about him while watching the race. But like when I saw the standings,
[26:07.040 -> 26:08.800] I'm like, Oh wait, he did really well.
[26:09.120 -> 26:12.480] Where was he the entire race because I didn't see him on the track at all.
[26:12.560 -> 26:17.040] Exactly. Exactly. Oh, I mean, I guess like at the end of the day,
[26:17.040 -> 26:20.560] Bahrain is a very annoying track, at least for me,
[26:20.560 -> 26:23.120] cause it's like very wide. It has too much runoff areas.
[26:23.480 -> 26:29.760] And it is a boring drive for a driver and I think Alonso said it during one of the ending
[26:29.760 -> 26:33.280] laps of the race that hey it's very lonely out here how is Troll doing and he
[26:33.280 -> 26:36.980] was bored he was asking about how's Trolls doing what's happening in the race
[26:36.980 -> 26:43.880] around him and all of that but anywho yeah I think one more name that we need
[26:43.880 -> 26:46.000] to mention is Logan Sargent because I think he more name that we need to mention is Logan Sajan.
[26:46.000 -> 26:51.000] Because I think this was his first race and I mean he didn't get any points or anything.
[26:51.000 -> 26:55.000] But I think he held his position pretty well through the race.
[26:55.000 -> 26:58.000] Of course, he lost a few to it later on.
[26:58.000 -> 27:02.000] But I think at least in the first half of the race, him and Albon were doing so well.
[27:02.000 -> 27:05.600] And commendable that he was able to perform.
[27:05.800 -> 27:10.240] Yeah. And putting that Williams in P12 is very nice.
[27:10.320 -> 27:14.640] On his rookie debut season, rookie, whatever, whatever, whatever.
[27:16.040 -> 27:22.160] And I've also heard like a lot that like he was also basically in Prema racing
[27:22.160 -> 27:25.760] in F2 and his engineers basically kind of compare him
[27:25.760 -> 27:33.560] to Leclerc saying that like at least in F2 he was if not better you know as good as Leclerc
[27:33.560 -> 27:39.840] was in F2 so you know there's some some hope there let's see how well he does how well
[27:39.840 -> 27:45.800] he adjusts to F1 and yeah hoping William also seems like a faster car this year
[27:45.800 -> 27:50.680] right like I think they might gain some points through the season.
[27:50.680 -> 27:54.680] Yeah better than at least so far it's been better but again as we've been
[27:54.680 -> 27:58.520] saying it's still just the first race of the season so we'll see how that sort of
[27:58.520 -> 28:05.000] like progresses as we go ahead. One question by the way, what was Haas doing?
[28:06.000 -> 28:07.000] Chilling, enjoying.
[28:09.500 -> 28:10.500] I mean, they came on a Sunday, drove their car,
[28:11.500 -> 28:12.000] did something.
[28:12.000 -> 28:13.500] They came, they saw, they drove.
[28:13.500 -> 28:14.000] Yeah.
[28:15.000 -> 28:16.500] They even thought like,
[28:16.500 -> 28:18.500] let's just go outside track limit,
[28:18.500 -> 28:20.500] see if Okon is the only one.
[28:20.500 -> 28:21.500] Oh, yes.
[28:21.500 -> 28:22.500] Okon is the only one getting.
[28:22.500 -> 28:23.500] Right, Nico got a penalty for that.
[28:23.500 -> 28:25.080] Yeah, Nico got a penalty for that. So. Yeah, Okon is having all the. Okon is the only one getting... Niko got a penalty for that. Yeah, Niko got a penalty for that.
[28:25.080 -> 28:26.080] So...
[28:26.080 -> 28:29.080] Yeah, Okon is having all the fun, you know.
[28:29.080 -> 28:31.280] So, they should join in. Yeah, sure.
[28:31.280 -> 28:35.080] But, I mean, on the qualifying side, they did a...
[28:35.080 -> 28:39.080] They had a good qualifying. I think, like, Niko ended up being P10.
[28:39.080 -> 28:44.280] Getting into Q3 on his, quote-unquote, debut after some gap, sort of thing.
[28:44.280 -> 28:46.160] So... Yeah. Haas was also up there somewhere. We will see where. three on his quote unquote debut after some gap sort of thing. So yeah,
[28:46.720 -> 28:48.920] Hass is also up there somewhere. We'll see where.
[28:48.920 -> 28:53.000] Hass is also up there. I think it's, uh, but I don't know, like, uh,
[28:53.040 -> 28:56.360] yesterday's TV, I don't know whether it was the TV direction or I think it was
[28:56.360 -> 28:59.320] just that there was nothing happening. I think that was the, yeah,
[28:59.440 -> 29:03.880] basically it was just that. So most drivers, like we missed actually,
[29:03.880 -> 29:07.740] what happened, they were basically like Alonzo was the only person who was showing some actions.
[29:07.740 -> 29:09.580] So like the TV directors were showing.
[29:09.580 -> 29:11.740] Jauh was also nowhere on there. Like, yeah,
[29:11.740 -> 29:15.580] some of these cars were not having any action. So yeah,
[29:15.620 -> 29:16.460] why care about it?
[29:17.580 -> 29:18.420] Yeah, true.
[29:19.700 -> 29:24.420] But yeah, man, overall a boring race turned into a splendid nail
[29:24.420 -> 29:26.960] biter with Alonso on the podium.
[29:26.960 -> 29:36.480] Man, I had flashbacks from my childhood when I was seeing the youngster Alonso race and overtake and fight for podium finishes and stuff.
[29:36.480 -> 29:39.680] So, what a Sunday and what a season.
[29:39.680 -> 29:44.160] First, what a season to not start with, like such a boring thing.
[29:44.160 -> 29:46.800] And then, what a season to start with him on the podium.
[29:46.800 -> 29:48.200] Yeah, sure.
[29:48.200 -> 29:54.800] It's just the first race. Hopefully, there's no curse of commentators and no curse of winning the first race for some of these teams.
[29:54.800 -> 29:57.200] We'll see how this progresses and where this goes.
[29:57.200 -> 30:07.360] I think the next one is in Saudi in two weeks. Oh well Akash you know before before we end this let's let's do
[30:07.360 -> 30:14.360] this let's do wild predictions for 2023 what do you think what what's your wild
[30:14.360 -> 30:26.440] prediction? I don't know if it's that wild or not but I feel I feel, I feel Stroll will end up being in top five.
[30:26.440 -> 30:29.680] Yeah, I think that's a possibility.
[30:29.680 -> 30:34.880] And then Papa Stroll will give him half the inheritance that was promised if he does good in his life.
[30:34.880 -> 30:45.560] So, yeah, it's you know, what I love about this prediction is that it has the right mix of wild and sane because A it is stroll so you know
[30:45.560 -> 30:50.800] exactly what he is going to do. The car has the potential but then you have
[30:50.800 -> 30:58.840] stroll so you know you don't know where this is going. Yeah yeah exactly. So yeah
[30:58.840 -> 31:13.320] I like this one. What's yours? It's mildly wild. Yeah what's yours? What's yours? It's mildly wide. Yeah. What's yours? Mine is... I predict that Logan Sargent might like possibly be the best rookie of the season.
[31:13.320 -> 31:21.040] And yeah, possibly might end up in... maybe not top 10 but somewhere just nearby there.
[31:21.040 -> 31:23.880] My follow-up question is on talent or US money?
[31:23.880 -> 31:25.880] That's the real question. just nearby there. My follow up question is on talent or US money?
[31:28.360 -> 31:29.080] That's the real question.
[31:32.240 -> 31:35.440] We'll see and find out in December what ended up happening.
[31:36.720 -> 31:37.280] And on that bombshell.
[31:39.120 -> None] Yes. Bye bye. you