FIA and Liberty at Odds | F1 Tire Testing Taboo | Grid Walk Jan 26, 2023

On the first official episode of Grid Walk, Nicole and Briana attempt to contain their excitement about the upcoming 2023 Formula 1 season. Just because it is still the F1 off-season doesn’t mean they don’t have any F1 topics to discuss!

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) President Mohammed Ben Sulayem tweets his thoughts about a potential $20 Billion evaluation of F1 and Formula One Group/Liberty Media wasn’t pleased.

Nicole brings us “Gossip Grid”; Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, and Esteban Ocon were all spotted during Paris Fashion Week. What does this tell us about the status and importance of Formula 1 drivers? Alex Albon can’t live without Chipotle or his Crocs and Lando Norris was on the cover of British GQ Hype. It seems like Shakira is a fan of the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team!

There are few things Briana loves more than talking tires. Nicole gives her a challenge when discussing the upcoming Pirelli tire testing (with teams Mercedes AMG F1, Aston Martin F1, and Alpha Tauri) without using a few crucial words (such as “Test” and “Soft”).

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team finally announced their livery launch date! Nicole and Briana speculate what will the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team livery look like and why did it take MoneyGram Haas F1 Team so long to announce their launch.

Lastly, Briana gives “Yellow Sector Notes,” so we can complete a full lap around the paddock making a pitstop at every F1 teams’ garage. Max Verstappen installed WHAT on his private plane? Who does George Russell want to skydive with? What’s the status of the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Principal? Why was it a disappointing Sunday for an Aston Martin driver?

Grid Walk is a weekly Formula 1 show that releases every Thursday. For daily F1 content follow @gridwalkshow on all social media platforms.

**FIA-FOM Rivalry and Saudi Investment Controversy:**

* The podcast begins by discussing the ongoing feud between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Formula One Management (FOM), the commercial rights holder of Formula One.

* President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, caused a stir by tweeting that the estimated $20 billion valuation of Formula One is inflated and that interested buyers should apply common sense when making offers.

* FOM responded by sending a letter to Mohammed, expressing their displeasure at his interference in their commercial rights.

* The podcast delves into the complex relationship between the FIA, FOM, and the 10 Formula One teams, highlighting the checks and balances in place to ensure fair governance of the sport.

**FIA President's Controversial Tweets:**

* The podcast reviews a series of recent tweets by Mohammed that have raised eyebrows, including his comments on the 2023 calendar, driver rules, the potential addition of new teams, and the Andretti Cadillac bid.

* The hosts express their concerns about the FIA president's public statements, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a clear separation between the sporting and commercial aspects of Formula One.

**Paris Fashion Week and Driver Appearances:**

* The podcast shifts gears to discuss the presence of Formula One drivers at Paris Fashion Week, highlighting the growing popularity of the sport and its drivers beyond the racetrack.

* Drivers such as Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly were spotted at various fashion shows, showcasing their personal style and expanding their reach into the fashion world.

**Alex Albon's 10 Things He Can't Live Without:**

* The podcast covers Alex Albon's recent appearance in GQ Sports, where he shared 10 things he can't live without, including his Oculus Rift, Chipotle celebrity VIP card, and skincare routine.

**Lando Norris' GQ Cover and Mental Health Advocacy:**

* Lando Norris' feature on the cover of British GQ is discussed, with a focus on his candid discussion about the pressures and mental health challenges faced by Formula One drivers.

**Shakira's New Song and Ferrari Reference:**

* The podcast touches on Shakira's latest song, "BizRap Music Sessions number 53," which contains lyrics that reference Ferrari and Rolex, major sponsors of Formula One.

**Tire Testing and Pirelli's Role:**

* The podcast concludes with a segment on tire testing, explaining why Pirelli conducts test days and the importance of selecting tires that degrade at a good rate to enhance the excitement of races.

* The hosts engage in a game where they discuss tire testing without using specific words like "soft," "test," "time," and "grip." **Tire Testing:**

* Pirelli-sponsored off-season tire testing is not mandatory.
* Teams can participate in group events in December, January, and February leading up to the season.
* Mercedes and Alfa Romeo are testing dry tires next week, February 1st through 2nd.
* Alfa Romeo will test the new wet tires on February 3rd and 4th.
* Mercedes and Alfa Romeo will test dry tires together on February 7th and 8th.

**Car Usage:**

* Teams are using 2022 cars for testing, not the upcoming 2023 cars.
* An FIA representative ensures that parts on the car were run at some point in 2022.
* Teams can use parts that were not used in a race but were run in a free practice session or qualifying.

**Benefits of Participation:**

* Data gathering on the 2022 car's reaction to the 2023 tires can help teams set up correlation models ahead of time.
* Teams can gain information on how the tires will perform with their 2023 car's evolution.
* Pirelli is making changes to the tires based on data and feedback from the 2022 season.

**Haas Car Launch:**

* Haas' car launch is expected to be a tweet unveiling the livery and a photo of the car.
* The team may have waited to announce their launch date to ensure they would be the first reveal of the season.
* A matte, charcoal-gray livery with red font is a possibility for the Haas car.

**Yellow Sector Notes:**

* In-helmet cameras will be mandatory for all drivers in the 2023 season.
* Max Verstappen has installed a racing simulator on his private plane.
* Ferrari claims that the 2023 Ferrari is fast.
* George Russell wants to go skydiving with Lewis Hamilton.
* Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are trying to dispel rumors of a rift between them.
* Lance Stroll praised the recovery of the Aston Martin team in 2022.
* Pietro Fittipaldi is back as the Haas Reserve Driver.
* Yuki Tsunoda tested the 2021 AT02 car at the Imola track.
* Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant gave interviews discussing their underwear preferences.

[00:00.000 -> 00:11.840] I've got my new favorite Ferrari fun fact, which I actually found really surprising.
[00:11.840 -> 00:12.840] Yes, please.
[00:12.840 -> 00:18.920] So I started, first we'll talk about it's Carlos finally got his Ferrari that he ordered
[00:18.920 -> 00:24.040] almost two years ago and he has to wait for it just like every other person does because
[00:24.040 -> 00:26.640] Ferrari is of course an exclusive brand.
[00:26.640 -> 00:32.800] They only make 8,000 cars a year. There's a very, very long waiting list of all of the things.
[00:32.800 -> 00:39.040] So I was just curious of, you know, does he get any exclusive privileges or anything like that?
[00:39.040 -> 00:47.520] Caused me to find out, Ferrari does not allow Ferrari employees to purchase a Ferrari. They are not allowed to buy
[00:47.520 -> 00:52.240] one, they cannot own one, even if they have enough money to buy one, Ferrari doesn't let them.
[00:53.600 -> 00:58.240] Like it's a, here is your contract, you are now a Ferrari engineer, but you will never own one,
[00:58.240 -> 01:05.680] like it's like, this is not some unspoken- No, this is like a rule at Ferrari part of contracts. Basically, they say it's
[01:05.680 -> 01:12.960] they want to prioritize their clients and not, you know, they think that since there is such a long
[01:12.960 -> 01:18.000] wait for their cars anyway, if they were to be allowing their employees to be purchasing Ferraris,
[01:18.000 -> 01:23.760] it would just make it longer for their clients to not get the Ferraris because Ferrari still
[01:23.760 -> 01:26.080] wants to maintain their exclusivity,
[01:26.080 -> 01:30.700] the luxury of their car, and that there's only a certain amount. So they just exonate
[01:30.700 -> 01:34.840] their entire population of employees, like, nope, you can't buy one because our customers
[01:34.840 -> 01:38.640] are what's important. I hate how good of a point that is, but I'm
[01:38.640 -> 01:44.020] just, I'm upset on behalf of all the people who like spend all their life working on it,
[01:44.020 -> 01:47.280] and then they have to quit their jobs so they can buy the Ferrari that they want.
[01:47.280 -> 01:51.360] Right. So also going back to, because I'm now sure thinking,
[01:51.360 -> 01:54.080] well aren't technically Charles and-
[01:54.080 -> 01:58.720] Not technically, they are- wait, wait, Charles and Carlos and previously like Fernando,
[01:58.720 -> 02:02.880] like they're all- they were- explain.
[02:02.880 -> 02:05.600] They are Ferrari employees.
[02:05.600 -> 02:09.800] But also going on to since obviously Ferrari is so passionate about their brand perception
[02:09.800 -> 02:16.240] and everything, imagine how horrible it would be to have your Formula One driver, you are
[02:16.240 -> 02:19.660] a Ferrari driver, not driving a Ferrari.
[02:19.660 -> 02:27.000] Especially since Carlos was still driving his Golf that his parents got him when he was like a teenager.
[02:27.000 -> 02:32.000] So there is an exception to the rule specifically for their Formula One drivers
[02:32.000 -> 02:35.000] that they are allowed to purchase a Ferrari.
[02:35.000 -> 02:38.000] They do not get a discount. They still have to wait just as long.
[02:38.000 -> 02:42.000] But they get to buy one.
[02:42.000 -> 02:44.000] Okay, follow-up question.
[02:44.000 -> 02:46.880] Because I'm thinking about other high profile people
[02:46.880 -> 02:49.120] where it'd be really bad if they weren't driving a Ferrari.
[02:49.120 -> 02:50.280] Like team principles,
[02:50.280 -> 02:53.240] like was Mattia Bonotto driving around in his free time
[02:53.240 -> 02:54.480] in a car that was not a Ferrari
[02:54.480 -> 02:55.680] because he wasn't allowed to have one?
[02:55.680 -> 02:57.200] I assume so.
[02:57.200 -> 02:59.400] I can't fact check that.
[02:59.400 -> 03:02.120] I mean, like I did not fact check that.
[03:02.120 -> 03:03.800] If I start googling it now,
[03:03.800 -> 03:06.160] but I just like the idea of,
[03:06.160 -> 03:07.000] it's all a brand.
[03:07.000 -> 03:10.040] So me speculating, had to take a guess.
[03:10.040 -> 03:13.960] If you drive a race car for Ferrari, you can buy a Ferrari.
[03:13.960 -> 03:16.600] We did get a very interesting tweet recently
[03:16.600 -> 03:19.140] from President of the FAA, Mohammed,
[03:19.140 -> 03:21.440] about an alleged rumor
[03:21.440 -> 03:24.720] about the Saudi Arabian investment firm,
[03:24.720 -> 03:29.280] potentially buying F1 for an estimated value
[03:29.280 -> 03:31.900] of $20 billion, which just feels like how much
[03:31.900 -> 03:33.520] I've spent on Formula One.
[03:33.520 -> 03:37.760] The Mohammed's tweet was saying how $20 billion
[03:37.760 -> 03:42.360] is a very inflated overvalue of F1
[03:42.360 -> 03:44.560] and that any interested shoppers
[03:44.560 -> 03:47.520] could be, should be applying common sense
[03:47.520 -> 03:50.720] to their price that they're willing to spend on this
[03:50.720 -> 03:54.880] and think about what is best for the sport.
[03:54.880 -> 03:59.000] Obviously F1, not too jazzed about this,
[03:59.000 -> 04:02.160] just to get their quote exactly,
[04:03.360 -> 04:05.000] F1 sent a letter directly to Mohammed,
[04:06.560 -> 04:09.680] letting him know that they felt he was interfering
[04:09.680 -> 04:14.680] with their commercial right in an unacceptable manner.
[04:15.840 -> 04:18.080] This is obviously not the first time we've seen
[04:18.080 -> 04:21.480] a little bit of back and forth with the FIA,
[04:21.480 -> 04:25.000] with Mohammed, with F1, with FOM,
[04:25.640 -> 04:28.920] with Liberty Media, and now I've said a whole lot
[04:28.920 -> 04:30.720] of different parties that are involved in this.
[04:30.720 -> 04:33.200] It probably is a little bit confusing to some people
[04:33.200 -> 04:35.560] because I know I get confused with it sometimes.
[04:35.560 -> 04:38.000] So before we get thoughts in this,
[04:38.000 -> 04:40.320] can Brianna, you give us a little bit of a breakdown
[04:40.320 -> 04:44.880] of what's the difference of FIA, FOM, Liberty Media,
[04:44.880 -> 04:47.040] all of the people involved in this.
[04:47.040 -> 04:49.000] Mohammed is the president of the FIA,
[04:49.000 -> 04:52.960] and the FIA is in charge of everything around rules
[04:52.960 -> 04:56.040] and regulation and sporting in F1.
[04:56.040 -> 04:59.960] So they are the people who are the stewards on the track,
[04:59.960 -> 05:02.840] who will they hire them, they're the race directors,
[05:02.840 -> 05:06.160] they set regulations for the sport. So they're also
[05:06.160 -> 05:11.360] the people in charge of monitoring the cost cap. They basically steward the sport and they make
[05:11.360 -> 05:17.920] sure everything is safe. So for racetracks, it's their job to make sure the racetrack is safety
[05:17.920 -> 05:25.000] legal, among their regulations. They basically, rules is the sport running.
[05:25.060 -> 05:27.420] And that is purposely kept separate
[05:27.420 -> 05:29.980] from what a lot of people refer to as Liberty Media,
[05:29.980 -> 05:32.820] which is the company that owns and runs FOM,
[05:32.820 -> 05:34.860] which is Formula One Management.
[05:34.860 -> 05:36.980] And Formula One Management is in charge
[05:36.980 -> 05:40.640] of all of the things around commercial rights.
[05:40.640 -> 05:42.780] So they're the ones who negotiate with promoters,
[05:42.780 -> 05:44.460] they set the race schedule,
[05:44.460 -> 05:47.680] which is a whole thing I'll get into in a minute.
[05:47.680 -> 05:49.320] They sell the rights.
[05:49.320 -> 05:51.960] So we heard a lot about how ESPN and ABC
[05:51.960 -> 05:54.840] bought the rights in America to show F1.
[05:54.840 -> 05:58.600] And that happened through FOM.
[05:58.600 -> 06:00.280] They're in charge of that rights.
[06:00.280 -> 06:02.480] And these two things are kept separately
[06:02.480 -> 06:05.520] because imagine if the people who were in charge of
[06:05.520 -> 06:11.000] the marketing and the enjoyment and getting people interested in F1 were the same people
[06:11.000 -> 06:13.840] stewarding the races and applying penalties.
[06:13.840 -> 06:17.240] Wild things would happen if things like that happened.
[06:17.240 -> 06:22.200] So these two things are kept separate intentionally as checks and balances for each other.
[06:22.200 -> 06:25.980] And then there's a third party in every political discussion we talk about,
[06:25.980 -> 06:27.500] and that's the 10 teams.
[06:27.500 -> 06:30.200] And all three of these groups are
[06:30.200 -> 06:33.340] in every single political situation that we see,
[06:33.340 -> 06:36.060] fallout and F1 are always involved,
[06:36.060 -> 06:37.460] and they probably have three point of views.
[06:37.460 -> 06:39.380] And that's intentional because theoretically
[06:39.380 -> 06:41.140] for something to happen, you need three votes
[06:41.140 -> 06:44.300] and everyone handles their own things.
[06:44.300 -> 06:52.800] So that background, aside, this whole thing is happening, knowing that he's just, that's
[06:52.800 -> 06:53.800] not his job.
[06:53.800 -> 06:55.240] And he is right.
[06:55.240 -> 07:01.440] I personally, me personally as a fan and observer, I don't think F1 is worth 20 billion.
[07:01.440 -> 07:05.900] I also don't think they should sell
[07:05.900 -> 07:07.480] to the Saudi investment group.
[07:07.480 -> 07:12.480] Yeah, that definitely gave me a little bit of a red flag.
[07:12.720 -> 07:14.260] Right, that would not be something
[07:14.260 -> 07:16.160] I would personally be in favor of.
[07:17.680 -> 07:21.940] But I would be really mad if I was an investor,
[07:21.940 -> 07:24.660] because by the way, you can buy stock in Liberty Media,
[07:24.660 -> 07:27.240] which means you're basically buying stock in F1. But if I was an investor, because by the way, you can buy stock in Liberty Media, which means you're basically buying stock in F1.
[07:27.240 -> 07:32.080] But if I was an investor or Liberty Media, and I was running Formula One, and it is in
[07:32.080 -> 07:38.640] my interest for the value of my asset to be as high as possible, and then for someone
[07:38.640 -> 07:48.120] who is not involved in this at all to come out and devalue my asset? Like, you can be right and dumb simultaneously.
[07:48.120 -> 07:50.320] Yep, it was really unbelievable.
[07:50.320 -> 07:54.440] And especially because probably certain people
[07:54.440 -> 07:59.440] that are looking to purchase Formula One, whatever,
[07:59.800 -> 08:03.640] maybe not necessarily like the biggest F1 fans.
[08:03.640 -> 08:05.800] Maybe they don't know the differences of all the parties
[08:05.800 -> 08:07.840] that you just said, but if they hear the president
[08:07.840 -> 08:11.140] of the FIA and they're just like, that's Formula One,
[08:11.140 -> 08:12.960] and he's saying that I'm overpaying
[08:12.960 -> 08:15.160] for the offer that I'm making,
[08:16.120 -> 08:18.120] in the letter that he received, they said,
[08:18.960 -> 08:21.120] if we were to receive less based on whatever
[08:21.120 -> 08:23.720] we are saying that F1 is worth
[08:23.720 -> 08:25.560] or what we're trying to get for it, it
[08:25.560 -> 08:31.200] is your fault if we do not get that. So there's like, not the knowledge, but people just see
[08:31.200 -> 08:34.080] it's a money machine. There's so much money there, which there is.
[08:34.080 -> 08:38.240] Right. And I don't even think Liberty Media is interested in selling at all right now.
[08:38.240 -> 08:44.040] But this is something, this is a public tweet and statement that 20 years down the line,
[08:44.040 -> 08:45.200] let's say Liberty Media decides
[08:45.200 -> 08:49.840] they do want to sell, that tweet could come back. Crazy part of all of this to
[08:49.840 -> 08:55.240] me, Liberty Media wrote up a formal legal document basically asking the FIA
[08:55.240 -> 09:01.320] president to stop tweeting your feelings. And I have read a lot of responses to
[09:01.320 -> 09:10.080] this like, well it's his personal account. He can do whatever he wants. And while that is true to a degree, it is also completely an FOM's
[09:10.080 -> 09:16.160] right to go say, well, you doing whatever you want is having consequences. So you can
[09:16.160 -> 09:20.400] say whatever you want, but you also have to accept the consequences of it, right?
[09:20.400 -> 09:28.600] I also think so my bias in this is that Formula One management has been dealing with a whole
[09:28.600 -> 09:35.080] run up of things here that they very clearly have been trying to manage behind closed doors.
[09:35.080 -> 09:38.360] And then this is like the impact of that.
[09:38.360 -> 09:42.840] So I did pull together a list of the most recent timelines, because I will disclaimer
[09:42.840 -> 09:50.840] for anyone who is new to the sport and hasn't dug into history or anything like that, FOM and FIA have fought for years.
[09:50.840 -> 09:57.960] Right. This isn't anything new. Right. This is just the, we are at a new peak
[09:57.960 -> 10:03.480] for this iteration of the FIA and FOM because Mohammed's only been president for a year
[10:03.480 -> 10:06.500] now of the FIA and Liberty Media
[10:06.500 -> 10:12.700] has only had the rights for about five years. So this is a crescendo that could keep crescendoing.
[10:12.700 -> 10:19.220] It's a lot of buildup, but I know and everything that we'll go over is so recent, but it's
[10:19.220 -> 10:22.420] still so relevant. And not even a complete list. Like I didn't
[10:22.420 -> 10:30.660] have to think hard or deep or dig around for this. So I'm referencing my notes here. For starters, the 2023 calendar was
[10:30.660 -> 10:34.840] just tweeted out by the FIA when the people who are in charge of putting the calendar
[10:34.840 -> 10:40.160] together is FOM. Then there's the new driver rules and oversight for what drivers can say
[10:40.160 -> 10:46.000] that the FIA, which the FIA is in their rights to change the rules for what drivers can do with
[10:46.000 -> 10:52.000] their super license, but that has been something that FOM seems to not be so happy about because
[10:52.000 -> 10:58.320] they were not consulted. And what drivers can say and do affects their FOM's ability to market the
[10:58.320 -> 11:05.120] sport. It's a not gray area, but it gets likegy because everything starts to overlap and affect.
[11:05.120 -> 11:10.400] Right. So FOM likes to be able to say, look how great our drivers are and look at all the good
[11:10.400 -> 11:14.160] they're doing in the world. But if they need to, for any good they're doing in the world,
[11:14.160 -> 11:19.040] run it by the FIA, that will affect FOM. And it is supposed to be a collaborative partnership.
[11:20.400 -> 11:25.920] So then the FIA president tweeted that the FIA are gonna open up to get new teams, which
[11:25.920 -> 11:31.960] again is well within the jurisdiction of the FIA to open up that process, except the FOM
[11:31.960 -> 11:36.960] and the 10 teams have made it very clear they're not interested in an 11th team, and their
[11:36.960 -> 11:38.480] vote does matter.
[11:38.480 -> 11:43.000] So again, we're just seeing points of them choosing not to communicate with each other.
[11:43.000 -> 11:49.160] Then the Mohammed again tweeted, because he's really liked to tweet, that he's seen
[11:49.160 -> 11:53.480] a lot of negative reactions to the Andretti Cadillac bid.
[11:53.480 -> 11:56.920] And my favorite part of this is we didn't see any.
[11:56.920 -> 12:03.280] So clearly FOM and the teams, privately behind the scenes in discussions, said something
[12:03.280 -> 12:05.040] about how they weren't excited about the bid
[12:05.040 -> 12:07.300] or they weren't looking for an 11th team.
[12:07.300 -> 12:10.800] And President Mohammed bin Salman tweeted
[12:10.800 -> 12:12.560] that people were really negative about it,
[12:12.560 -> 12:14.920] but we didn't see any of the negativeness.
[12:14.920 -> 12:17.480] I feel like it was a confirmation bias moment
[12:17.480 -> 12:18.800] of I wanna be upset.
[12:18.800 -> 12:20.200] It's like getting a response
[12:20.200 -> 12:21.880] without getting the introduction
[12:21.880 -> 12:23.640] is kind of what we got with that tweet.
[12:23.640 -> 12:25.600] And then we have what we
[12:25.600 -> 12:31.600] were talking about that's happened this week. I have no idea where this goes from here, because
[12:31.600 -> 12:36.960] we are witnessing as fans the outside of the power struggle. Personally interested if the
[12:36.960 -> 12:43.200] legal action that FOM took, like is he going to tweet less? I'm 50-50 on this. I think if
[12:48.520 -> 12:56.160] I'm 50-50 on this. I think if the legal letter has merit and I think if there was a stern enough advisement from probably FIA legal counsel of like, man, just not tweet a little
[12:56.160 -> 13:02.000] bit, or maybe just hold off for right now and hold back, or he'll be like, nope, my
[13:02.000 -> 13:05.700] Twitter, I'll tweet it, I'll do what I want.
[13:05.700 -> 13:07.900] I can see it going either way,
[13:07.900 -> 13:10.660] I don't necessarily personally see it going.
[13:10.660 -> 13:13.900] So what I want is I want the FIA
[13:13.900 -> 13:16.660] to keep their side of the street clean,
[13:16.660 -> 13:19.260] like until the stewarding and the safety of races
[13:19.260 -> 13:23.100] gets better, why are you commenting on commercial things?
[13:23.100 -> 13:25.820] So even if he could tweet a string of things commercially
[13:25.820 -> 13:28.980] that I agree with, and I don't care,
[13:28.980 -> 13:31.940] just like, why are we yelling about penalties?
[13:31.940 -> 13:35.220] Why are we still not knowing information during races?
[13:35.220 -> 13:37.260] Like, there are so many things that I could list right now
[13:37.260 -> 13:40.880] that are in the purview of the FIA that aren't going well.
[13:40.880 -> 13:42.380] And they did all these new hires
[13:42.380 -> 13:43.740] that are supposed to help it.
[13:43.740 -> 13:49.440] So I'm excited at the prospect of all of that getting better. But for right now, I'm like, can you tweet all
[13:49.440 -> 13:54.240] the ways you're going to improve stewarding next year? Or maybe tweet all the ways you're going to
[13:54.240 -> 13:59.360] fix the driver penalty system. Or maybe tweet all the ways in which we're not going to have
[13:59.360 -> 14:03.520] tractors on track anymore and recovery vehicles. Why are you tweeting about something that's not
[14:03.520 -> 14:06.860] in your purview when things are bad on your side right now?
[14:06.860 -> 14:08.440] I feel like he thinks it's like an out of sight,
[14:08.440 -> 14:10.080] out of mind, because it is the off season
[14:10.080 -> 14:12.120] and maybe people aren't thinking of the reaction
[14:12.120 -> 14:14.680] to penalty times or whatever's, or just,
[14:14.680 -> 14:17.920] but I mean, I can't get the entire tractor
[14:17.920 -> 14:19.200] on track in Japan.
[14:19.200 -> 14:23.560] Out of my brain, I keep hearing Pierre so furious on radio
[14:23.560 -> 14:25.480] and I get it, I mean, it is a very
[14:25.480 -> 14:30.360] dangerous sport, and these are really great PR moments that they could have to properly
[14:30.360 -> 14:37.720] address these obvious issues that I feel like would just be, give you good PR, address these,
[14:37.720 -> 14:40.200] make the sport safer, a better place.
[14:40.200 -> 14:44.040] You know what would make me forget in the offseason more about all the issues with the
[14:44.040 -> 14:45.200] FIA? If he wasn't tweeting about things that I off season more about all the issues with the FIA?
[14:50.560 -> 14:51.120] If he wasn't tweeting about things that I had to talk about at the start of the episode of Grimlock! There you go!
[14:51.120 -> 14:54.960] Like it was not my dream to start today's episode with,
[14:54.960 -> 14:57.920] hey let's talk about how the FIA and the FOM are fighting again!
[14:57.920 -> 14:59.440] Woo! This is so fun!
[15:00.160 -> 15:03.600] And then of course then I need to bring up all the things that the FIA is doing wrong,
[15:03.600 -> 15:07.640] like I would much rather not talk about this right now and talk about livery launches.
[15:07.640 -> 15:09.280] We love livery launches.
[15:09.280 -> 15:10.280] Right.
[15:10.280 -> 15:11.600] A lot of details on that later.
[15:11.600 -> 15:17.200] But, and I think there's part of being an F1 fan, where if you're not talking about,
[15:17.200 -> 15:22.640] you know, the ups and downs of the FIA and how it works, it's part of the crazy circus
[15:22.640 -> 15:27.280] that is F1 and all motorsports in general. But it's,
[15:27.280 -> 15:30.960] you know, history repeats itself or, you know, history rhymes.
[15:32.240 -> 15:37.600] Hey podcast listeners, Gossip Grid here, your guide to F1's paddock elites.
[15:38.160 -> 15:51.320] I obviously have to start with Paris Fashion Week because we saw Formula One drivers all over the place. We saw and no one is allowed to make fun of me for how I mispronounce designer names.
[15:51.360 -> 15:52.560] I'm trying my best.
[15:53.320 -> 15:54.400] Not allowed to make fun of me.
[15:54.800 -> 15:55.560] I'm going to do my best.
[15:56.040 -> 16:00.200] So first we saw lovely Charles at the Namias.
[16:00.280 -> 16:00.880] Namias?
[16:01.000 -> 16:02.400] One of those is correct.
[16:02.440 -> 16:03.480] Did better than I would have.
[16:04.760 -> 16:06.840] N-A-H-M-I-A-S.
[16:06.840 -> 16:08.100] Which is really cool because it was started
[16:08.100 -> 16:11.180] by a friend of his, it was a pretty young brand.
[16:11.180 -> 16:12.860] It was at that fashion show,
[16:12.860 -> 16:16.740] and then we also got to see Estee Bestie,
[16:16.740 -> 16:20.740] my new bestie, at the Givenchy fashion show
[16:20.740 -> 16:22.900] with his beautiful girlfriend.
[16:22.900 -> 16:25.480] I absolutely loved her outfit as well. And we got to see Pierre at the Louis Vuitton fashion show with his beautiful girlfriend. I absolutely loved her outfit as well.
[16:25.480 -> 16:29.040] And we got to see Pierre at the Louis Vuitton fashion show.
[16:29.040 -> 16:31.240] There was an entire behind the scenes video
[16:31.240 -> 16:34.400] done with Vanity Fair, where he speaks entirely in French
[16:34.400 -> 16:35.960] and it's him getting ready with the stylist
[16:35.960 -> 16:36.800] and getting dressed.
[16:36.800 -> 16:37.880] It's so, so great.
[16:37.880 -> 16:40.520] He gives an absolutely wonderful recap
[16:40.520 -> 16:42.760] about the entire fashion show
[16:42.760 -> 16:44.680] and how much he loves it and adores it.
[16:44.680 -> 16:48.240] And he said that Rosalia's performance was the highlight of the show besides the
[16:48.240 -> 16:52.120] incredible clothes which I can definitely guarantee. And then all three
[16:52.120 -> 16:57.480] of them got to team up together and go to the NBA Paris game which is a lot of
[16:57.480 -> 17:01.320] fun. They got to sit courtside, we got some really great selfies, we even got to
[17:01.320 -> 17:05.000] see some videos of Charles and Pierre playing basketball.
[17:05.000 -> 17:09.000] I think they should stick to driving.
[17:09.000 -> 17:15.000] But I really liked seeing Formula One drivers being posted by these brands.
[17:15.000 -> 17:21.000] These really large fashion brands are using them as a face or an ambassador or promoting their clothes.
[17:21.000 -> 17:25.600] And it's seeing drivers as an area that's not necessarily
[17:25.600 -> 17:30.160] driver related. Really powerful. This is a lot about kind of their growth and
[17:30.160 -> 17:33.680] expansion and their effects in the fashion industry of all places.
[17:33.680 -> 17:35.440] How do they get invites to this?
[17:35.440 -> 17:39.440] It's a great question. I wish I could tell you from personal experience from
[17:39.440 -> 17:42.440] all the fashion shows that I've been invited to, which is none, so obviously
[17:42.440 -> 17:48.560] none, one day, maybe hopefully. I will leave from what I consume on the internet.
[17:48.560 -> 17:50.520] I think a little bit a mix of both.
[17:50.520 -> 17:53.400] I think it's a lot of working with publicists and teams.
[17:53.400 -> 17:56.820] I think depending on the drivers,
[17:56.820 -> 18:00.080] I can definitely see for Paris Fashion Week
[18:00.080 -> 18:04.960] and with the rise of Formula One's popularity everywhere,
[18:04.960 -> 18:06.120] it was a really good idea for them to be like,
[18:06.120 -> 18:07.960] hey, there's French drivers
[18:07.960 -> 18:09.600] and we should have them at our shows.
[18:09.600 -> 18:13.800] And I think also as the photos of drivers
[18:13.800 -> 18:16.440] arriving to the paddock in outfits
[18:16.440 -> 18:19.760] that aren't necessarily, you know,
[18:19.760 -> 18:22.360] driver t-polos or anything like that,
[18:22.360 -> 18:23.760] it's more opportunities for these brands
[18:23.760 -> 18:25.640] to create a fashion moment.
[18:25.640 -> 18:26.880] I mean, I'm always a pussy,
[18:26.880 -> 18:29.920] which drivers are showing up wearing to the paddock
[18:29.920 -> 18:31.320] or for any race week.
[18:31.320 -> 18:33.360] So I think it's a little bit of both.
[18:33.360 -> 18:35.360] I wouldn't be surprised if there's a couple of this
[18:35.360 -> 18:36.560] reaching out and saying like,
[18:36.560 -> 18:38.320] hey, this could be really good
[18:38.320 -> 18:40.720] and brands taking advantage of that.
[18:40.720 -> 18:42.560] It's a win-win across the board.
[18:42.560 -> 18:45.640] So I'm sure it varies and it's different.
[18:45.640 -> 18:47.520] I think at least in Charles' case,
[18:47.520 -> 18:49.040] it's like a supporting of a friend
[18:49.040 -> 18:50.880] and that whole type of thing.
[18:50.880 -> 18:54.800] But at least in terms of NBA, Parage game,
[18:54.800 -> 18:56.240] I'm assuming it's pretty similar,
[18:56.240 -> 18:59.240] especially since all three of them were seated together
[18:59.240 -> 19:03.440] court side, participating in brand activation things there.
[19:03.440 -> 19:04.280] It was huge.
[19:04.280 -> 19:09.040] So I definitely don't see that going away in the fashion sense, in the sports sense.
[19:09.040 -> 19:14.000] So this is my call out for next year, for the NFL games that will be happening.
[19:14.000 -> 19:19.200] I would love to see British F1 drivers at a game in London,
[19:19.200 -> 19:22.160] or when they play in Germany, see some German drivers there.
[19:22.160 -> 19:25.760] But particularly, hey, you know, the Bills playing
[19:25.760 -> 19:31.760] in London could be on a Sunday, though, or during a race weekend, which is pretty unfortunate.
[19:31.760 -> 19:39.520] But if only that there was an F1 driver that might not have to drive a certain day and is a big Bills
[19:39.520 -> 19:48.160] fan. So, huh, Danny Rick, maybe? I would love to see him at an NFL game entirely in London.
[19:48.600 -> 19:51.120] Do we know that the date is a race weekend?
[19:51.120 -> 19:54.000] I do not know the specific date off the top of my head.
[19:54.000 -> 19:54.840] If someone does know.
[19:54.840 -> 19:56.320] I don't think they've announced them yet.
[19:56.320 -> 19:57.600] Yeah, I don't think so either,
[19:57.600 -> 19:59.080] especially since they don't have
[19:59.080 -> 20:01.000] who they're playing just yet.
[20:01.000 -> 20:02.960] I just know that those were really hyped
[20:02.960 -> 20:04.140] about playing in London.
[20:04.140 -> 20:05.440] And then my brain thought,
[20:05.440 -> 20:11.520] huh, you know, Danny Rick wants to be doing fun things and I foresee if he was willing to go to
[20:11.520 -> 20:17.200] East Rutherford, New Jersey to see the Bills play, I think he would definitely enjoy seeing them play
[20:17.200 -> 20:22.560] in Europe. Well, he can just, you know, do a simulation set at the Milton Keynes factory
[20:23.200 -> 20:25.720] and then just like take a train to London.
[20:25.720 -> 20:28.120] Like that's, that's actually probably an easier commute.
[20:28.120 -> 20:29.640] Josh Allen will be upset
[20:29.640 -> 20:32.200] if he does not see Ricardo there.
[20:32.200 -> 20:33.040] It's just-
[20:33.040 -> 20:34.360] Do you think that's why the bill's lost?
[20:34.360 -> 20:36.040] Because Ricardo didn't show up?
[20:36.040 -> 20:39.280] Maybe, probably, I, you know, I think so.
[20:39.280 -> 20:40.760] Maybe it's because Josh Allen
[20:40.760 -> 20:43.160] didn't wear his Rick Rodeo merch that day.
[20:43.160 -> 20:44.000] Oh, well, you know what?
[20:44.000 -> 20:47.520] He lost when, he lost to the Jets.
[20:47.520 -> 20:51.320] No, actually, they might not want him there.
[20:51.320 -> 20:53.120] I was just remembering all this back.
[20:53.120 -> 20:55.280] OK, see, now I want to do a whole thing
[20:55.280 -> 20:57.880] and see, like, every time an F1 driver has attended a game,
[20:57.880 -> 20:58.960] like, did they win or lose?
[20:58.960 -> 21:02.160] Because so Louis is a part owner of the Broncos.
[21:02.160 -> 21:04.280] And when he attended that game, I mean, the Denver Broncos
[21:04.280 -> 21:05.600] were so bad this year,
[21:05.600 -> 21:06.680] so they lost.
[21:06.680 -> 21:07.520] And now I don't know,
[21:07.520 -> 21:09.240] when Lance went to the Giants game this year,
[21:09.240 -> 21:10.440] did they win or lose?
[21:10.440 -> 21:11.920] Do you know?
[21:11.920 -> 21:12.760] I don't remember,
[21:12.760 -> 21:16.680] but Pierre did go to the World Cup when France lost.
[21:17.600 -> 21:20.560] So now it's like a Drake curse,
[21:20.560 -> 21:21.760] but for all Jordanians.
[21:21.760 -> 21:24.520] But if I have to look up every single sporting event
[21:24.520 -> 21:27.000] and F1 driver has attended to see if they won or lost,
[21:27.000 -> 21:27.840] that's too much work.
[21:27.840 -> 21:29.720] So I'm gonna keep it contained to the NFL
[21:29.720 -> 21:32.440] and I'll report back on the Lance one
[21:32.440 -> 21:33.960] because I now wanna know.
[21:33.960 -> 21:34.800] I'm curious.
[21:34.800 -> 21:36.340] Because I think everything else, at least this year,
[21:36.340 -> 21:38.480] that an F1 driver did with the NFL,
[21:38.480 -> 21:40.000] because Logan went to that Dolphins game
[21:40.000 -> 21:41.440] and I think they lost that game too.
[21:41.440 -> 21:44.440] This is a live conspiracy that we have just developed
[21:44.440 -> 21:46.160] and have not fact-checked any of
[21:46.160 -> 21:50.960] those scores, but know for sure, those loss from Ricardo was there.
[21:50.960 -> 21:56.160] The Broncos are the Broncos right now, the way they are after Lewis has come on board.
[21:56.160 -> 21:57.160] Let's ride.
[21:57.160 -> 22:00.680] Which is a reference you'll only know if you're actually in a...
[22:00.680 -> 22:05.000] This is an F1 podcast and I just made an NFL reference, but let's ride.
[22:05.000 -> 22:11.000] Okay, that's a lot of sports talk we got from Paris Fashion Week to all of this.
[22:11.000 -> 22:14.000] I'm not done with my gossip grid. We are going to keep going.
[22:14.000 -> 22:18.000] So now I'm going to talk about Alex Albon. Love Alex.
[22:18.000 -> 22:22.000] 10 things Alex Albon can't live without that he's done with GQ Sports.
[22:22.000 -> 22:25.720] I absolutely love watching people do these 10 things
[22:25.720 -> 22:26.560] they can't live without,
[22:26.560 -> 22:28.440] because you always learn so much about them.
[22:28.440 -> 22:29.880] And it's always more than 10 things.
[22:29.880 -> 22:31.640] You get a lot of stuff.
[22:31.640 -> 22:34.960] So just to give some of the highlights that he showed us,
[22:34.960 -> 22:37.000] he can't live without his Oculus Rift,
[22:37.000 -> 22:38.760] which I really wanted to make fun of him for
[22:38.760 -> 22:39.600] when he showed that.
[22:39.600 -> 22:42.360] I felt like it was a very lame boy pic.
[22:42.360 -> 22:46.120] But then he said that he bought a golf club handle for the
[22:46.120 -> 22:49.960] controller so that him and Lily could do long distance golf dates.
[22:49.960 -> 22:51.920] I'm like, stop, that's so cute.
[22:51.920 -> 22:54.160] We also got to give shout out the skincare routine.
[22:54.160 -> 22:57.320] And when I say skincare routine, I mean SPF.
[22:57.320 -> 23:03.340] And if that's enough, what I'm really jealous of is he has a Chipotle celebrity VIP card.
[23:03.340 -> 23:05.500] And it's my ultimate goal in life is to get one of these.
[23:05.500 -> 23:07.000] It comes in a wooden box.
[23:07.000 -> 23:10.000] It's personalized, and you can just walk into a Chipotle
[23:10.000 -> 23:13.000] and show your card, and you get free Chipotle.
[23:13.000 -> 23:14.500] They have to renew it every year,
[23:14.500 -> 23:17.000] so you need to be re-indoctrinated,
[23:17.000 -> 23:20.000] re-kept into the Chipotle Celebrity Club.
[23:20.000 -> 23:23.000] We also had some more GQ fun.
[23:23.000 -> 23:27.000] We had Lando on the cover of the British GQ.
[23:27.000 -> 23:30.000] He was spotting several different designers.
[23:30.000 -> 23:33.000] The easiest ones that I'm able to say that he was wearing was
[23:33.000 -> 23:35.000] Hermes and Louis Vuitton.
[23:35.000 -> 23:38.000] He talked a lot about the stresses that he gets
[23:38.000 -> 23:41.000] and the pressure that he feels from fans and media
[23:41.000 -> 23:43.000] and how it affects his mental health.
[23:43.000 -> 23:51.680] He talked about his passions of golf and photography as we see on Lando.jpg and what he sees in
[23:51.680 -> 23:56.760] his future career as a driver with F1. And finally the piece that I have been
[23:56.760 -> 24:01.080] absolutely dying to talk about and I will definitely press relate this to F1
[24:01.080 -> 24:09.440] but hot topic and I don't know who doesn't know about this, the Queen Shakira. So if you're living under a rock, which I know you're
[24:09.440 -> 24:15.640] not, but because we've already discussed this because we love Shakira, Shakira has
[24:15.640 -> 24:22.600] recently released a new song, BizRap Music Sessions number 53. So the song is
[24:22.600 -> 24:28.000] basically an entire tearing apart of her ex-husband Gerard Piquet.
[24:28.000 -> 24:29.000] He deserves it.
[24:29.000 -> 24:31.000] He cheats on Shakira.
[24:31.000 -> 24:32.000] I can't believe it.
[24:32.000 -> 24:35.000] But there's a ton of Easter eggs in it.
[24:35.000 -> 24:38.000] I absolutely love when people utilize Easter eggs.
[24:38.000 -> 24:41.000] And boy, we could talk about them forever and ever and ever.
[24:41.000 -> 24:50.040] Between the Easter eggs of eating Shakira's jam, Gerard's parents being their neighbors still, the claramente emphasis on the
[24:50.040 -> 24:55.320] clara, and reading the lyrics specifically, she says, I'm worth two 22
[24:55.320 -> 25:01.040] year olds. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo. You traded a Rolex for a Casio.
[25:01.040 -> 25:06.080] So, Ferrari, we love Ferrari, shout out to the Prince and Horse, and Rolex,
[25:06.080 -> 25:11.000] major sponsor for F1. And shout out to Shakira for being Shakira. And that's all
[25:11.000 -> 25:13.240] I got for this week's Gossip Grid.
[25:13.240 -> 25:18.480] We've talked about drama with the FIA and FOM. We talked about pop culture.
[25:18.480 -> 25:22.780] And now we're moving on to something that's actually about a car, Nicole. We
[25:22.780 -> 25:26.060] get to talk about tire testing. I'm so excited.
[25:26.060 -> 25:28.800] Never did I think I'd be so excited about tire testing.
[25:28.800 -> 25:33.800] And of course, I would love to learn more about tire testing.
[25:35.100 -> 25:37.500] I know like basics.
[25:37.500 -> 25:40.380] So I have a fun little challenge for you.
[25:40.380 -> 25:44.700] So we have, we're gonna play a game
[25:45.720 -> 25:49.900] where you have to answer questions about tire testing.
[25:49.900 -> 25:52.060] Maybe, you know, we can teach our audience some,
[25:52.060 -> 25:53.860] teach me some a little bit,
[25:53.860 -> 25:57.960] except I'm going to give you certain words
[25:57.960 -> 26:02.160] that you were not allowed to say in your answer.
[26:02.160 -> 26:04.480] Okay, you could make this really hard
[26:04.480 -> 26:06.080] or like just normal difficult. Oh no could make this really hard or like just normal
[26:06.080 -> 26:12.200] difficult. Oh no it's very hard. Okay okay. So when I ask you a couple
[26:12.200 -> 26:26.000] questions about tire testing you cannot say the following in your response. Soft. Uh-huh.
[26:26.000 -> 26:28.000] Test.
[26:28.000 -> 26:32.000] Not starting now. I can say test right now, right?
[26:32.000 -> 26:34.000] Okay.
[26:34.000 -> 26:36.000] Okay, that's right. After the questions.
[26:36.000 -> 26:38.000] Time.
[26:38.000 -> 26:40.000] And grip.
[26:40.000 -> 26:42.000] Okay, okay.
[26:42.000 -> 26:45.840] So I'm going to get situated and pull those up really large on the screen in front of
[26:45.840 -> 26:50.760] me so I can try to, to, cause that's a lot of words, and then we'll get started with
[26:50.760 -> 26:51.760] the game.
[26:51.760 -> 26:56.560] I'd like to make your enjoyable conversations a little bit more difficult.
[26:56.560 -> 26:57.560] Okay, I'm set up.
[26:57.560 -> 26:59.160] I have the words in front of me.
[26:59.160 -> 27:02.280] Let's see if I can talk about this without messing up.
[27:02.280 -> 27:07.280] Okay, I'm ready. Okay, your first question.
[27:11.920 -> 27:12.960] Why does Pirelli do test days? What are they even testing for?
[27:14.880 -> 27:18.880] You used one of the words even in the question. No, I will use the words in the question just to bug you.
[27:18.880 -> 27:21.200] So I can't even repeat the question back. Okay.
[27:22.800 -> 27:29.080] Pirelli gives different tire compounds every year. And what a compound
[27:29.080 -> 27:34.560] is, is all the science-y makeup of the rubber. So there's not just one type of rubber in
[27:34.560 -> 27:40.040] the world, there's tons of types of rubber. And because Pirelli is the single tire supplier
[27:40.040 -> 27:47.600] for F1, it's part of their job to make tires that increase the enjoyment of the races.
[27:47.600 -> 27:52.220] So when they do their tire selections, they want to be able to get tires that will degrade
[27:52.220 -> 27:53.220] at a good rate.
[27:53.220 -> 27:59.500] So they actually have to do pit stops because races are more fun when they do pit stops.
[27:59.500 -> 28:08.840] And the tires can only be changed so much in season. So they hold events at racetracks with teams
[28:11.300 -> 28:16.300] where the cars go around and they determine
[28:19.080 -> 28:23.740] if the tires will achieve what they want to achieve.
[28:23.740 -> 28:26.580] And right now in the off season is a big time
[28:26.580 -> 28:29.520] for these types of on-track events
[28:29.520 -> 28:34.140] because they want to make sure that the tires
[28:34.140 -> 28:37.340] they bring to the 2023 season are set up
[28:37.340 -> 28:41.920] for peak enjoyment for the viewers and the race.
[28:41.920 -> 28:43.780] I can't even imagine a race without pit stops.
[28:43.780 -> 28:45.600] That would make it.
[28:45.600 -> 28:46.240] So boring.
[28:46.240 -> 28:47.160] So boring.
[28:47.160 -> 28:50.240] And under the rules of an F1 race,
[28:50.240 -> 28:52.960] you have to make at least one pit stop.
[28:52.960 -> 28:55.840] But the better races are always the races
[28:55.840 -> 29:00.160] when teams are forced to decide between a one stop or a two
[29:00.160 -> 29:08.240] stop, because that way they're, wow, my brain just sputtered out. The best races are
[29:08.240 -> 29:13.320] when you have to decide between a one stop or a two stop. And if they have to do like
[29:13.320 -> 29:14.780] a soft, hard strategy.
[29:14.780 -> 29:17.640] You said soft and hard.
[29:17.640 -> 29:18.640] Yes.
[29:18.640 -> 29:19.640] Minus two points. You are a negative two.
[29:19.640 -> 29:20.640] Hey, I should, I, I found out.
[29:20.640 -> 29:21.640] There's no points.
[29:21.640 -> 29:25.680] Yes. I was like, I was kept calling this thing an event.
[29:25.680 -> 29:28.100] I did very well up until that point.
[29:29.440 -> 29:32.560] So if a team has to decide and it's on the edge
[29:32.560 -> 29:34.560] of a one stopper or a two stopper,
[29:34.560 -> 29:36.420] that's the most interesting thing for a race
[29:36.420 -> 29:38.560] because someone's going to get it wrong.
[29:38.560 -> 29:43.560] And so really the tires are designed to be well drivable
[29:43.960 -> 29:46.600] and stack some of the testing, but it's also just
[29:46.600 -> 29:50.300] can we make them better for the sport is the general.
[29:50.300 -> 29:52.800] That is why they hold these events.
[29:52.800 -> 29:55.300] I would have been disappointed if you didn't mess up in the first question
[29:55.300 -> 29:57.600] or else I would have felt like I didn't make this hard enough for you.
[29:57.600 -> 29:59.700] So thank you for at least giving me one.
[29:59.700 -> 30:01.100] Your next question.
[30:01.100 -> 30:02.500] Tire testing is starting next week.
[30:02.500 -> 30:04.500] Who is testing next week?
[30:04.500 -> 30:07.040] Okay. Who has tested already?
[30:08.160 -> 30:15.520] Do all teams have to test? All really good questions that I now need that again use
[30:15.520 -> 30:26.240] one of the words in the question. So to answer your last question first, testing isn't a requirement for... **whistle**
[30:26.240 -> 30:31.120] Okay, to answer your question, participating in this Pirelli-sponsored occasion
[30:32.400 -> 30:39.840] is not a requirement. Pirelli did say that for their off-season tests, their off-season program,
[30:41.120 -> 30:46.840] for their off-season program, they emailed all the teams, and anyone who responded that
[30:46.840 -> 30:52.340] they wanted to participate, Pirelli put them on the schedule to participate.
[30:52.340 -> 30:57.400] So if a team is not participating in this, that is their choice.
[30:57.400 -> 30:58.400] Interesting.
[30:58.400 -> 30:59.400] Right.
[30:59.400 -> 31:04.120] So, they did a group of events in December.
[31:04.120 -> 31:07.080] I'm just going to keep using the word event.
[31:07.080 -> 31:09.600] And then they're doing a group of them
[31:09.600 -> 31:13.580] in January, February to lead up to the season.
[31:13.580 -> 31:15.720] So I'm making an assumption here.
[31:15.720 -> 31:17.160] They probably had an idea
[31:17.160 -> 31:19.260] of what they were gonna make their 2023 tire.
[31:19.260 -> 31:21.680] And that is what they did in December.
[31:21.680 -> 31:23.280] And then they've probably gone back and revised
[31:23.280 -> 31:24.600] based on those.
[31:24.600 -> 31:27.240] And now they're running different ones in the lead up to the season.
[31:27.240 -> 31:28.240] Interesting.
[31:28.240 -> 31:34.540] Um, I will also point out that if you remember last season, there were, there were different
[31:34.540 -> 31:39.200] sessions in the schedule where they had to run the 2023 tires.
[31:39.200 -> 31:42.320] Oh yes. We still have the Zekoda.
[31:42.320 -> 31:45.760] Exactly. So that was an in-season version of this.
[31:45.760 -> 31:48.360] And then they'll also do non-race weekend.
[31:48.360 -> 31:51.280] Like they develop the tires all year.
[31:51.280 -> 31:53.440] This is, we're talking about their specific off-season program.
[31:53.440 -> 31:55.920] And it's exciting because we get to see cars on track,
[31:55.920 -> 31:58.720] even if it's through just like people posting videos.
[32:00.000 -> 32:03.560] So I do have a list here of what's happening next week.
[32:03.560 -> 32:07.980] So from February 1st through 2nd, Mercedes is doing dry running.
[32:09.120 -> 32:14.080] Then from February 3rd, 4th, so right after Mercedes, then Alfatari is going
[32:14.080 -> 32:17.460] to do some testing of the new wet tire, which I'm particularly excited about
[32:17.620 -> 32:21.140] because we all know that like none of the teams even wanted to run the wet tires.
[32:21.140 -> 32:26.360] So Pirelli is putting a big focus this year on, we got to fix the wet tires. So Pirelli is putting a big focus this year on, we gotta fix the wet tire.
[32:26.360 -> 32:31.140] Sidebar to this, you know that testing the wet tires,
[32:32.820 -> 32:34.800] one of the ways they do that,
[32:34.800 -> 32:36.600] because you can't predict the rain,
[32:37.680 -> 32:39.220] they just, they wet the track.
[32:39.220 -> 32:40.460] They have sprinklers on the track.
[32:40.460 -> 32:41.360] It's really fun.
[32:41.360 -> 32:43.560] It's incredible watching the facilities
[32:43.560 -> 32:44.440] that they have for this.
[32:44.440 -> 32:49.600] And it's just like, yeah If only they could fake what the
[32:49.600 -> 32:52.880] Monaco conditions were like to see if you know they could really drive in that
[32:52.880 -> 32:58.200] but anyway. February 7th through 8th we know that Mercedes and Alfa Rtari are
[32:58.200 -> 33:03.520] gonna both be together testing the dry tires. So I don't know if I answered all
[33:03.520 -> 33:10.400] of your questions. I was wondering and maybe you don't know off the top of your head, if what teams had
[33:10.400 -> 33:14.600] already done testing? I don't know off the top of my head, but I
[33:14.600 -> 33:17.520] can check. It's actually really easy for me to do check.
[33:17.520 -> 33:27.680] Live check, live check. We live in a world of technology and we can get this answer. So in December the teams that participated were Alfa
[33:27.680 -> 33:34.400] Romeo, Ferrari, and Alfa Tauri. And I believe if I remember correctly all three of those were wet
[33:34.400 -> 33:40.480] sessions. And then I think Mercedes next week on February 1st, so it's Wednesday is the first day
[33:40.480 -> 33:48.220] of testing. Wow, and did you know when you put that on the list that that was the one I was gonna slip up on? I anticipated it mostly because I knew I
[33:48.220 -> 33:51.660] was also going to be putting it in my questions so it was already in your
[33:51.660 -> 33:56.300] brain. And it's also we're literally talking about tired testing. So it's like
[33:56.300 -> 34:07.680] how many ways can you say not testing? And tired would have been too mean. I believe, don't quote me on this, that Mercedes tests,
[34:08.640 -> 34:13.680] Mercedes on Wednesday is going to be the first dry running of the compounds, but there might have
[34:13.680 -> 34:21.440] been one before. What car are teams using to run these tests? Is it last year's car? Is it
[34:21.440 -> 34:30.240] this year's car? Does that mean we're going to get to see it before a car launch? What car are they using? So the regulations are so strict
[34:30.240 -> 34:48.000] around upcoming cars testing. The amount of time you can put an upcoming season's car on track is...
[34:48.000 -> 34:50.000] You said time.
[34:50.000 -> 34:58.000] ...is limited and regulated between the teams.
[34:58.000 -> 35:05.640] So, none of the cars are the 2023 cars, because that would be unfair. Now I would argue that all the
[35:05.640 -> 35:09.800] teams could just be participating in tire testing and then they could do it
[35:09.800 -> 35:15.480] I'm just gonna... I know I know I wouldn't. I can't see a reason why you wouldn't
[35:15.480 -> 35:21.080] want to participate as a team I think that's wild to me but the answer to your
[35:21.080 -> 35:27.080] question is they're all using 2022 cars. And there's actually an FIA representative there
[35:27.080 -> 35:30.120] who's making sure that no part on the car
[35:30.120 -> 35:33.960] wasn't run on the car at some point in 2022.
[35:33.960 -> 35:35.760] So this is where the gray area comes in
[35:35.760 -> 35:36.760] that I find really interesting
[35:36.760 -> 35:38.440] because a lot of F1 is gray area
[35:38.440 -> 35:41.000] and like, how can you get an advantage?
[35:41.000 -> 35:45.000] The cars in 2022 were not the same the whole time.
[35:45.000 -> 35:48.440] And the only rules are if a part is on the car
[35:48.440 -> 35:52.360] for Pirelli's on-track session,
[35:52.360 -> 35:55.820] then it needed to be run on the car in 2022,
[35:55.820 -> 35:58.180] but it didn't need to be all run the same way.
[35:58.180 -> 36:01.120] So I am sure that some of the parts
[36:01.120 -> 36:03.380] that certain teams ran at the end of the season,
[36:03.380 -> 36:05.680] that maybe they didn't actually
[36:05.680 -> 36:12.800] end up using in the 2022 race but they ran it in a free practice session they could for some reason
[36:12.800 -> 36:20.240] that we can't foresee right now put it on the car because they want to get data in some way around
[36:20.240 -> 36:26.960] that. So it doesn't need to be used in a race it could have been fp1 quali. It just needed
[36:26.960 -> 36:33.360] to get the fancy sticker in the pit lane of you participated. Right exactly you participated.
[36:35.280 -> 36:48.280] So which is why I go back to there's no reason to me and I would love someone please explain this to me, why you wouldn't participate. Because to me, I just envision,
[36:48.280 -> 36:51.480] okay, you have all this data on your 2022 car.
[36:51.480 -> 36:54.720] Then you're developing your 2023 car based on that data.
[36:54.720 -> 36:58.320] The 2023, we're not in a brand new regulation set.
[36:58.320 -> 36:59.920] So this is an evolution set.
[36:59.920 -> 37:01.460] So you're evolving.
[37:01.460 -> 37:09.960] So getting data on your 2022 car, on how the tires will react in 2023 to that,
[37:10.520 -> 37:14.440] just means you can set up correlation models ahead of time
[37:14.440 -> 37:16.420] and don't need to wait for the first day of testing
[37:16.420 -> 37:17.960] in Bahrain for that.
[37:17.960 -> 37:20.520] We were doing so well.
[37:20.520 -> 37:22.680] That was a lot of talking without a whistle.
[37:22.680 -> 37:23.520] Right, it was.
[37:23.520 -> 37:25.620] And then I was like, wow, she really has just come up
[37:25.620 -> 37:27.280] with every other way not to say test.
[37:27.280 -> 37:30.200] Okay, last part of, last question of this,
[37:30.200 -> 37:32.720] because I did fairly well.
[37:32.720 -> 37:34.160] I'm very impressed.
[37:34.160 -> 37:36.440] But I am glad that testing was very difficult.
[37:36.440 -> 37:38.140] That was my intention.
[37:38.140 -> 37:40.520] So you're talking about data.
[37:43.480 -> 37:51.040] What do teams learn from this? What can they use moving forward with this? Is
[37:51.040 -> 37:56.520] there a competitive advantage they get for participating in this? Maybe?
[37:56.520 -> 38:02.880] Definitely a maybe. So we're entering Brianna starts to speculate territory here. And it
[38:02.880 -> 38:07.560] would be really interesting to hear this confirmed or denied. I'm sure
[38:07.560 -> 38:13.660] that there is not enough of an advantage, because if it was such a huge advantage, then
[38:13.660 -> 38:19.820] every team would have responded to that email and chosen to participate. There would be
[38:19.820 -> 38:27.920] no reason why Red Bull wouldn't be running their car out there. But I envision that there has to be
[38:27.920 -> 38:33.440] some kind of information gleamed in a sport where it's all about how much data can I pull and how
[38:33.440 -> 38:40.080] much information can I have. Having information even if it's with the 2022 car can only benefit
[38:40.640 -> 38:45.960] the team in my opinion. There is no, doesn't seem to be a drawback.
[38:48.280 -> 38:49.440] I wasn't able to figure out, so again, if someone out there in the universe
[38:49.440 -> 38:51.680] wants to tell me this information,
[38:51.680 -> 38:53.560] please, please communicate this to me.
[38:53.560 -> 38:55.920] I don't know who pays for these track sessions.
[38:55.920 -> 38:57.020] That's what I was about to say,
[38:57.020 -> 38:58.920] is maybe it's a cost thing,
[38:58.920 -> 39:00.760] and especially with cost cap and budgeting
[39:00.760 -> 39:02.160] and all these different types of things
[39:02.160 -> 39:05.600] that I could see a smaller budgeted team
[39:06.400 -> 39:12.560] not wanting to do that. I doubt it's under the cost cap but not all teams are at the cost cap
[39:12.560 -> 39:16.080] so they just might not have the money to ship their car there so even if they don't have to
[39:16.080 -> 39:21.440] pay for the fuel or maybe there's some subsidy from Pirelli you still need to get a car there
[39:21.440 -> 39:27.240] you need to have members set up the car there you need to have drivers be able to drive the car there.
[39:27.240 -> 39:33.080] Like, it is a logistics thing and that it's time where people are away from the factory,
[39:33.080 -> 39:36.480] maybe it just doesn't fit in your schedule, like, there's so many reasons why you couldn't.
[39:36.480 -> 39:39.880] But from a strictly, I am gathering information,
[39:39.880 -> 39:47.120] like, having been one of the people to drive a developmental version of the 2023 tires,
[39:47.120 -> 39:52.000] which we know are going to be different because Pirelli's talked a lot about, uh, all the
[39:52.000 -> 39:56.920] ways that they think they need to change the tires for this regulation set.
[39:56.920 -> 40:03.200] They made a lot of decisions last year, like based on data that wasn't on track data, because
[40:03.200 -> 40:06.120] they saw the regulations and how they thought the cars were going to perform
[40:06.120 -> 40:08.080] and develop tires for that.
[40:08.080 -> 40:10.480] And then throughout the season, they realized,
[40:10.480 -> 40:12.840] oh no, we can do this even better.
[40:12.840 -> 40:15.880] So a lot of people talk about how Pirelli's designing
[40:15.880 -> 40:18.840] the tires to make them less understeery for next year.
[40:19.920 -> 40:22.800] We're also, we know we're getting another compound.
[40:22.800 -> 40:27.720] We spent all year complaining about the white tires.
[40:28.320 -> 40:30.200] Thank you, thank you.
[40:30.200 -> 40:32.360] The ones that are colored white,
[40:32.360 -> 40:34.560] because I can't say that word.
[40:34.560 -> 40:37.280] And this new compound is supposed to give Pirelli
[40:37.280 -> 40:39.440] more choices so we complain less about it.
[40:39.440 -> 40:43.080] And it's all the same way the teams develop the cars
[40:43.080 -> 40:47.340] and the FIA develops the regulations, Pirelli is developing the tires.
[40:47.340 -> 40:53.440] And that is why I am so excited that this is all happening, because to me it feels like the season's starting
[40:53.440 -> 40:57.940] and we're going to have tech stuff to talk about again, which is tires.
[40:57.940 -> 41:05.440] And I'm so excited. So even though you gave me a challenge, thank you for indulging me and letting me discuss all of this.
[41:05.440 -> 41:06.440] No, this is, that was great.
[41:06.440 -> 41:08.160] You did a really, really good job.
[41:08.160 -> 41:09.160] I had a great time with it.
[41:09.160 -> 41:10.680] It was a really, really fun segment.
[41:10.680 -> 41:14.600] I think I might just do this all the time whenever we're talking tech stuff.
[41:14.600 -> 41:16.080] This is a great fun.
[41:16.080 -> 41:18.320] Tech taboo, so much fun.
[41:18.320 -> 41:24.400] We're going to fully dive into car livery, season launches, like car launches next week
[41:24.400 -> 41:26.640] because every Thursday, gridwalk.
[41:26.640 -> 41:29.360] Haas finally gave us the date of theirs.
[41:29.360 -> 41:31.120] It is before we record next.
[41:31.120 -> 41:33.400] Last year, Haas' car launch.
[41:33.400 -> 41:35.600] Haas tweeted us a photo of their car.
[41:35.600 -> 41:37.920] So my question to you is,
[41:37.920 -> 41:40.240] is Haas gonna do more than a tweet this year?
[41:40.240 -> 41:44.040] What are you expecting for the Haas car launch this year?
[41:44.040 -> 41:48.000] I am expecting a tweet basically.
[41:48.000 -> 41:52.560] I had anticipated because of the new big deal
[41:52.560 -> 41:57.280] with MoneyGram that there would be a whole big launch
[41:57.280 -> 41:59.680] because there's a new big brand,
[41:59.680 -> 42:02.880] a $55 million sponsorship big brand.
[42:02.880 -> 42:04.960] And if I was MoneyGram, I would be like,
[42:04.960 -> 42:07.560] yeah, you better be doing a car launch
[42:07.560 -> 42:10.160] because social media, all of the things.
[42:10.160 -> 42:11.560] And they could be, I'm just talking about
[42:11.560 -> 42:14.040] what they did last year and earlier than everyone else.
[42:14.040 -> 42:17.120] So I'm just like, will it be more than a tweet?
[42:17.120 -> 42:20.640] So part of, I am starting to believe it's a tweet
[42:20.640 -> 42:24.160] and this is my speculation of why I think
[42:24.160 -> 42:25.620] they waited so long and all of these
[42:25.620 -> 42:29.340] types of things. So we've been saying, will we even get an announcement from Haas? Will
[42:29.340 -> 42:34.300] there be any sort of car launch? So finally we get one after every other team has announced
[42:34.300 -> 42:39.220] their season launch, car launch, whatever they're doing. And then suddenly Haas is like,
[42:39.220 -> 42:47.600] surprise, here we go, January 31st. I am now under the impression that since it is the first launch,
[42:47.600 -> 42:52.680] first reveal of whatever, before any other team, I think Haas is seeing a way that they
[42:52.680 -> 42:57.480] can easily tweet a picture of their car, tweet a picture of delivery, what it's going to
[42:57.480 -> 43:03.160] look like, everything like that. Since there's nothing else going on, get all of the media
[43:03.160 -> 43:05.680] outlets will pick up, report on it.
[43:05.680 -> 43:06.680] First car of the 2022 season.
[43:06.680 -> 43:07.680] Exactly.
[43:07.680 -> 43:08.680] 2023 season.
[43:08.680 -> 43:09.680] 2023, yeah.
[43:09.680 -> 43:16.160] Get all of that press, have spent so much less, and then everyone else can start announcing
[43:16.160 -> 43:17.160] their car launches.
[43:17.160 -> 43:21.720] So that's why I think they waited so long to see when everybody else goes, they can
[43:21.720 -> 43:25.280] go first, do their tiny little launch, but it becomes such a bigger deal because
[43:26.120 -> 43:33.400] We need content. I'm very very excited. I also did love when they posted the hashtag moneygram drives you so way to go for it
[43:33.400 -> 43:34.840] It's a good hashtag in my opinion
[43:34.840 -> 43:40.300] It's just cheesy enough like for a hashtag to catch on it needs to be cheesy and memeable in my opinion
[43:40.300 -> 43:42.840] But yeah, I think I'm in the same boat
[43:42.840 -> 43:45.360] I don't I think whatever they, it will definitely be smaller than
[43:45.360 -> 43:50.600] most teams. And your whole theory that they announced it last, because if everyone else
[43:50.600 -> 43:56.120] is at least doing a show, then they've already booked things. They can't move it earlier.
[43:56.120 -> 44:00.920] So Haas definitely guaranteed, if they're not doing any of that, that they're the first.
[44:00.920 -> 44:04.560] Because Red Bull can't be like, damn it, we tried to be first and we're going to move
[44:04.560 -> 44:08.360] whatever event they're having in New York. So we're going to get a livery. It's
[44:08.360 -> 44:12.960] going to be our first livery of the 2022 season. What do you think it's going to be?
[44:12.960 -> 44:17.480] So with all of the MoneyGram announcements and everything, they've been posting, we see
[44:17.480 -> 44:23.880] Haas red, white, gray, but they've been doing a lot of this dark gray. And maybe it's because
[44:23.880 -> 44:26.440] of Carlos's Don't Blink episode
[44:26.440 -> 44:29.800] where he shows us his Ferrari, just to make a reference back.
[44:29.800 -> 44:33.640] He has this dark matte gray color of his car.
[44:33.640 -> 44:36.420] And now I'm just seeing that on a Haas livery.
[44:36.420 -> 44:40.960] So I'm hoping for a matte, charcoal-y gray
[44:40.960 -> 44:43.880] with red font on top of it.
[44:43.880 -> 44:48.000] That is incredibly left field. I was not expecting you to say that.
[44:48.000 -> 44:58.120] I mean that sounds amazing. If Haas does that, no notes. Great. I think we're gonna get the same
[44:58.120 -> 45:06.920] liveries. Maybe it was like more more red. I would be happy with more red. Like they're very white cars.
[45:06.920 -> 45:08.920] They are very, very white cars
[45:08.920 -> 45:10.760] with their very white race suits.
[45:10.760 -> 45:13.560] Right, some more accents there.
[45:13.560 -> 45:16.360] Cause right now I feel like the accents are sponsors
[45:16.360 -> 45:18.240] and the Haas in all red.
[45:18.240 -> 45:19.920] I think you can do a lot with that red
[45:19.920 -> 45:22.020] and make it a less boring car.
[45:22.020 -> 45:23.360] Yeah, a hundred percent.
[45:23.360 -> 45:25.680] I'm also realizing when I just said the word boring,
[45:25.680 -> 45:30.800] I really don't understand why in real life Haas is the most boring team on the grid.
[45:31.520 -> 45:36.560] And like, Drive to Survive makes Haas into like the most exciting, dramatic, and like they have
[45:36.560 -> 45:42.720] Gunther doing his Gunther thing. And I'm sure Gunther's like that, but the team personality,
[45:42.720 -> 45:46.560] right? So if you're taking a brand personality as a conglomerate,
[45:46.560 -> 45:51.440] so boring. You just gave a great livery idea and my instant reaction was, no way Haas does that.
[45:51.440 -> 45:57.920] Right. It doesn't make sense. I don't know. They demonstrate so much personality and even like the
[45:57.920 -> 46:02.640] merch that they do is fun. They really lean into things on social media and they're very active
[46:02.640 -> 46:10.840] with their fans and have a very fun presence, but then just don't do it car-wise. I mean, they had the limited,
[46:10.840 -> 46:16.800] I cannot remember, and if you remember, please remind me, they had their previous very large
[46:16.800 -> 46:19.000] sponsor and their- Racing with Rich Energy!
[46:19.000 -> 46:21.880] Yes, Racing with Rich Energy. Yeah, it was a black car, and it was gold
[46:21.880 -> 46:25.760] options, and it was a shady sponsor, and they shouldn't go back to that livery car and it was gold options and it was a shady sponsor and they shouldn't go back to
[46:25.760 -> 46:31.440] that livery but like it was at least fun. But just in general the black and gold was such a surprise
[46:31.440 -> 46:39.120] take. Yeah. That I think they have done in the past. People love them in certain ways due to
[46:39.120 -> 46:42.880] Drive to Survive and all the insights that we get to see. They should embrace it. Do something fun.
[46:42.880 -> 46:45.260] Do something a little bit different.
[46:45.260 -> 46:46.420] Yellow sector notes,
[46:46.420 -> 46:48.380] not the fastest walk around Formula One,
[46:48.380 -> 46:51.020] but we are gonna complete a full lap around the paddock,
[46:51.020 -> 46:52.500] making sure to hit every single team
[46:52.500 -> 46:53.660] before we end the show.
[46:53.660 -> 46:55.780] Starting at the F1 FIA Garage,
[46:55.780 -> 46:58.500] we found out that all helmets for the 2023 season
[46:58.500 -> 47:00.540] are going to be getting in-helmet cams.
[47:00.540 -> 47:03.580] Max put a racing simulator on his private plane,
[47:03.580 -> 47:05.080] which sounds awesome.
[47:05.080 -> 47:07.400] Ferrari leaked that according to Ferrari,
[47:07.400 -> 47:09.680] the 2023 Ferrari is fast.
[47:09.680 -> 47:12.240] George wants to go skydiving with Louis.
[47:12.240 -> 47:14.480] Esteban and Pierre are doing a really bad job,
[47:14.480 -> 47:16.740] in my opinion, of trying to prove to all of us
[47:16.740 -> 47:19.920] that there is no beef and they're really good friends.
[47:19.920 -> 47:21.920] Kind of looks like there's a Charles in the middle of them.
[47:21.920 -> 47:22.920] If you don't get the reference,
[47:22.920 -> 47:24.560] go look at the Alpine Instagram.
[47:24.560 -> 47:28.640] Clarence 2023 Indy car liveries are sexy. Alvaro Romeo still hasn't
[47:28.640 -> 47:33.840] told us who their team principal is going to be. The Eagles beat the Giants in the playoffs.
[47:33.840 -> 47:37.760] Okay, my actual yellow sector notes for Aston Martin is that Lance gave a great interview
[47:37.760 -> 47:43.200] praising the recovery of the Aston Martin team in 2022, but just a reminder that the Philadelphia
[47:43.200 -> 47:47.720] Eagles smashed the New York Giants in the playoffs on Sunday.
[47:47.720 -> 47:48.800] Flat Eagles, flat.
[47:48.800 -> 47:51.280] Pietro Filippati is back as the Haas Reserve driver.
[47:51.280 -> 47:53.520] Yuki was testing the AT02,
[47:53.520 -> 47:56.760] which is the 2021 car on Tuesday at the Imola track.
[47:56.760 -> 47:58.480] And last but not least, Williams.
[47:58.480 -> 48:00.480] Alex did a GQ interview.
[48:00.480 -> 48:05.000] Logan did an interview with the Miami GP Instagram account,
[48:05.000 -> 48:07.000] and both gave us too much information
[48:07.000 -> 48:08.000] about their underwear tendencies,
[48:08.000 -> 48:10.000] which I didn't need to know.
[48:10.000 -> 48:12.000] So on that note, that was the grid walk
[48:12.000 -> 48:14.000] for January 26, 2023 completed.
[48:14.000 -> 48:16.000] How was my sector time today, Nicole?
[48:16.000 -> 48:18.000] That was definitely a P1 worthy performance.
[48:18.000 -> 48:19.000] Thank you.
[48:20.000 -> 48:24.000] We want to give a huge thank you to Voice Over Man,
[48:24.000 -> 48:26.440] Bryce from Apple, and our four-legged
[48:26.440 -> 48:27.440] executive producers.
[48:27.440 -> 48:28.440] Follow, rate, and review the pod.
[48:28.440 -> 48:29.440] Please give us five stars.
[48:29.440 -> 48:30.440] Be our friend.
[48:30.440 -> 48:31.440] Follow us everywhere, TikTok, Twitter, social media.
[48:31.440 -> 48:32.440] We are at Gridwalk Show.
[48:32.440 -> 48:53.120] We will see you next Thursday and every Thursday after.