Podcast: Grid Walk
Published Date:
Thu, 08 Jun 2023 07:00:39 GMT
Duration:
3411
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.
Grid Walk is celebrating this week because MERCEDES IS BACK!!!!!! At least we hope so…but until proven otherwise Briana and Nicole are reeling in the success that Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team had at the Spanish F1 Grand Prix. It was absolutely amazing seeing Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finish P2 and P3! Briana brings us deep into the data from the weekend at the Spanish F1 Grand Prix to reveal how hopeful Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team fans should allow themselves to be for the rest of the Formula 1 season. What do the numbers from Saturday’s qualifying session reveal? What can we learn from the top race paces from the Spanish F1 Grand Prix? Why do Briana and Nicole hope for warm weather at the rest of the upcoming F1 races (hint: it has to do with tires)?
Welcome back to a segment that can only be described as a rollercoaster of emotions, Red Flag! Briana takes Nicole through several hypothetical events for driver Charles Leclerc to endure. Nicole must decide at what point (if any) would Charles Leclerc walk away from his seat at Scuderia Ferrari. Will we see Charles Leclerc on another podium this year? Will Scuderia Ferrari pursue other F1 drivers on the grid? In what ways could the F1 Monaco Grand Prix become even worse for Charles Leclerc?
The Spanish F1 Grand Prix was really trying to show up the Monaco F1 Grand Prix with the number of celebrities in attendance! Nicole takes you through everything you need to know about F1 and pop culture this week. What brand new designer collaboration was Shakira wearing on the grid? Which famous couple and friends of the Stroll family were back in the paddock? Why were there so many soccer players (or footballers) at this race? Why was Neymar sitting in the W-14? What superhero movie partnered with BWT Alpine F1 Team driver Pierre Gasly? What did the Paddock Fit King, Lewis Hamilton wear in Barcelona?
There were so many moments at the Spanish F1 Grand Prix that Briana and Nicole could not wait to talk about. Briana and Nicole have created several podiums of their favorite parts of the weekend in Barcelona. What were the top F1 team radios from the Spanish F1 Grand Prix? What is Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team’s driver Lance Stroll most looking forward to at his home race, the Canadian F1 Grand Prix? What did Scuderia Ferrari communicate to Carlos Sainz about his race pace in Barcelona? What were the highlights of media conferences and in the media pen? What happened during Lewis Hamilton’s post-race interview? How did Lance Stroll respond when being asked about his teammate, Fernando Alonso’s, comments on the team radio?
00:00 Celebrating a Great Mercedes Spanish Grand Prix
00:48 On Today's Episode of Grid Walk
03:06 Mercedes is Back!
19:27 Red Flag: Should Charles Leclerc Leave Ferrari?
37:17 Gossip Grid: F1 in Pop Culture
41:59 Our Podiums of the F1 Race Weekend
52:13 Yellow Sector Notes
Grid Walk is a weekly Formula 1 show that releases every Thursday. For daily F1 content follow @gridwalkshow on all social media platforms.
**Grid Walk: Mercedes Is Back and Red Flag for Charles Leclerc**
* **Mercedes' Resurgence:**
* Positive signs emerged for Mercedes at the Spanish Grand Prix, indicating their return to competitiveness.
* Lewis Hamilton's P2 finish and George Russell's P3 result were encouraging.
* Data analysis showed that Mercedes had the second-fastest car on track, behind Max Verstappen's Red Bull.
* Mercedes' strength lies in tire management and kinder treatment of tires compared to other teams.
* There is cautious optimism about Mercedes' potential to close the gap to Red Bull, especially on certain tracks.
* **Red Flag for Charles Leclerc:**
* Charles Leclerc's struggles continued at the Spanish Grand Prix, raising concerns about his future at Ferrari.
* A series of unfortunate events and strategic errors have marred Leclerc's season.
* Nicole Katz plays a game of "Red Flag" to determine what would push Leclerc to leave Ferrari.
* Potential scenarios include Ferrari publicly flirting with other drivers, missing out on a win due to team orders, and Fernando Alonso's return to Ferrari.
* Katz believes Leclerc would push through most of these challenges and remain at Ferrari for the 2024 season.
* However, the possibility of Leclerc leaving Ferrari remains open, particularly if he is offered a seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen.
* **Gossip Grid:**
* Various international soccer players attended the Spanish Grand Prix, adding to the star-studded atmosphere.
* Nicole Katz discusses the ongoing rumors and speculation surrounding driver transfers and team strategies.
**Podium of Radios:**
* **P3:** George Russell mistaking sweat for rain, leading to a humorous exchange with his race engineer.
* **P2:** Max Verstappen's frustration with receiving a black and white flag for a potential penalty, despite his commanding lead.
* **P1:** Carlos Sainz's entertaining back-and-forth with his race engineer over whether he should pit due to degrading pace.
**Favorite Moments from Press Conference/Media Pen:**
* **Nico Rosberg's Abrupt Departure:** Nico Rosberg's post-race interview with Lewis Hamilton was cut short when Rosberg abruptly thanked Hamilton and walked away, leaving Hamilton amused.
* **Lance Stroll's Annoyance:** Lance Stroll's annoyed response to a reporter's question about Fernando Alonso's in-race interview, stating that he didn't know and that the reporter should ask Alonso directly.
* **Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon's Friendly Exchange:** Stroll and Ocon's friendly greeting and congratulations to each other in the media pen, despite their previous rivalry.
* **Lewis Hamilton's Contract Extension Hint:** Hamilton's use of the phrase "next year" in a post-race interview, hinting at a possible contract extension with Mercedes.
**Other Notable News:**
* **Bridgestone's Tire Application:** Bridgestone has officially applied to become the official tire provider for Formula 1, potentially replacing Pirelli.
* **Tire Testing:** Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Mick Schumacher participated in tire testing in Barcelona to help Pirelli prepare for the new tires to be introduced at the British GP.
* **Aston Martin's Surprise:** Aston Martin expressed surprise at Mercedes' pace during the Barcelona testing, suggesting that the team may be a threat in the upcoming races.
* **Gunther Steiner's Reprimand:** Haas team principal Gunther Steiner was reprimanded by the FIA for criticizing the stewards, specifically for suggesting that they should be paid for their work.
* **McLaren's Triple Crown Livery:** McLaren's special Triple Crown livery, used for the Monaco GP, was praised by fans and media alike, leading to calls for the team to retain it for the rest of the season.
* **Williams' Gulf Livery Vote:** Williams is encouraging fans to vote for their special Gulf livery for the Singapore GP, which is currently in the second round of voting.
* **Alfa Romeo in Apple Presentation:** Alfa Romeo's F1 car was featured in Apple's presentation introducing their new augmented reality headset, showcasing the use of AR in design meetings.
[00:00.000 -> 00:09.000] Woo! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. It's the real podium. Let's go. Mercedes is back, baby.
[00:21.000 -> 00:23.000] Watch out, Max.
[00:27.000 -> 00:34.000] Watch out Max! Mercedes is back! They never left! They took a break!
[00:34.000 -> 00:47.000] Less sadness! Less sadness! Cole and Brianna are lined up on the grid, it's lights out and away we go on this week's grid walk.
[00:47.000 -> 00:51.000] Oh my god, episode 20!
[00:51.000 -> 00:55.000] Yeah, it's the Kevin Magnusson episode of grid walk.
[00:55.000 -> 00:59.000] That's... less exciting than-
[00:59.000 -> 01:05.200] Are we gonna crash into Lewis Hamilton? Maybe.
[01:05.200 -> 01:09.560] There was a really hysterical radio from Nico
[01:09.560 -> 01:11.080] and saying how there was no safety car,
[01:11.080 -> 01:12.840] like they don't get safety cars anymore.
[01:12.840 -> 01:15.120] And I'm just like, yeah,
[01:15.120 -> 01:17.340] cause you guys haven't caused them.
[01:20.260 -> 01:21.100] Like, I'm like, was that-
[01:21.100 -> 01:21.940] That's unfair.
[01:21.940 -> 01:22.760] Joe?
[01:22.760 -> 01:24.400] But yes.
[01:24.400 -> 01:26.000] Okay.
[01:26.000 -> 01:28.000] I think we're going to get more safety cars
[01:28.000 -> 01:30.000] when we're not on street
[01:30.000 -> 01:32.000] tracks, like as we enter
[01:32.000 -> 01:34.000] real circuits. But I know
[01:34.000 -> 01:36.000] you weren't bringing that up for like a serious answer.
[01:36.000 -> 01:38.000] You were just like wanting to take a
[01:38.000 -> 01:40.000] stab at us.
[01:40.000 -> 01:42.000] 100%. I love your thought.
[01:42.000 -> 01:44.000] Well, it is
[01:44.000 -> 01:47.080] episode 20 of Gridwalk today.
[01:47.080 -> 01:52.120] We have, honestly, the Spanish Grand Prix gave us a lot more to talk about than I thought
[01:52.120 -> 01:53.680] there was going to be.
[01:53.680 -> 01:54.880] I agree.
[01:54.880 -> 01:59.240] Obviously, we are starting with Mercedes is back.
[01:59.240 -> 02:04.040] We're going to lay out the full case to why they're back.
[02:04.040 -> 02:06.240] Celebrate the little wins that we can right now.
[02:06.240 -> 02:07.120] Woo!
[02:10.640 -> 02:10.880] Then-
[02:10.880 -> 02:18.800] Fucking pack, baby. The W14 is black and they're fast. I'm going back to the pre-season delusion.
[02:20.080 -> 02:21.920] Call back to a past episode.
[02:23.840 -> 02:26.900] After we get out all of our Mercedes excitement,
[02:27.300 -> 02:30.700] we're going to also bring back a segment we did in the preseason
[02:30.700 -> 02:34.800] called Red Flag, and I'm going to figure out what
[02:34.800 -> 02:38.600] Charles Leclerc's tipping point is by putting Nicole in his
[02:38.600 -> 02:41.700] shoes of whether or not he will leave Ferrari.
[02:41.700 -> 02:42.700] What will it take?
[02:42.900 -> 02:46.240] Because, ooh, this weekend was another rough one.
[02:46.800 -> 02:51.600] Nicole has a gossip grid because it seems like every soccer international soccer player,
[02:51.600 -> 02:58.640] football player, was at the Spanish GP this weekend. Again, I've spent too long talking
[02:58.640 -> 03:02.640] about the things later in the episode. We have to get into Mercedes is back!
[03:02.000 -> 03:04.000] We have to get into it. Mercedes is back!
[03:04.000 -> 03:06.000] Mercedes is back!
[03:06.000 -> 03:10.000] So first disclaimer of that lovely celebration.
[03:10.000 -> 03:14.000] We are over the age of 21 and please celebrate responsibly.
[03:14.000 -> 03:17.000] So that is the first disclaimer.
[03:17.000 -> 03:21.000] Now, we love Mercedes. It was a wonderful weekend for Mercedes.
[03:21.000 -> 03:25.620] And obviously we are thriving in a P2, P3 finish.
[03:25.620 -> 03:27.120] It was just wonderful.
[03:27.120 -> 03:32.120] But how realistic can this hope really be?
[03:32.740 -> 03:34.400] Can it continue?
[03:34.400 -> 03:35.560] Is there data there?
[03:35.560 -> 03:37.840] Is there numbers there for us to hold on to?
[03:37.840 -> 03:38.960] Please say yes.
[03:40.040 -> 03:40.880] Yes.
[03:41.880 -> 03:42.720] Yay, great.
[03:42.720 -> 03:43.920] Next.
[03:43.920 -> 03:46.160] I think it depends.
[03:46.160 -> 03:47.240] I'll lay the case.
[03:47.240 -> 03:48.640] I'm going to lay out the case.
[03:48.640 -> 03:51.480] I'm going to give you both sides of this,
[03:51.480 -> 03:53.480] of what I'm actually seeing.
[03:53.480 -> 03:58.120] But I think it's all about where the expectations are.
[03:58.120 -> 04:00.920] So I thought it was worth celebrating the way
[04:00.920 -> 04:03.320] we did because Louis said he had fun driving
[04:03.320 -> 04:09.520] the car this weekend.
[04:16.000 -> 04:22.640] Beyond the P2, the vibes are happier, the Christian Horner is now hornering again, like the amount of quotes. We're recording this Tuesday evening after the race weekend. Between
[04:22.640 -> 04:29.920] the end of the race and now, there's's three different quotes about Horner, like cautioning Mercedes and, and like, there's lots, he's
[04:29.920 -> 04:33.760] talking a lot about Mercedes again, which is always a good barometer to me for whether
[04:33.760 -> 04:38.480] Red Bull feels a little threatened. So, always want to be part of the conversation. Right.
[04:38.480 -> 04:43.640] Yeah, like Horner thought George Russell was like a really bad driver this weekend. And
[04:43.640 -> 04:45.200] he was warning Toto about that
[04:45.200 -> 04:51.760] cost cap and bringing big upgrades and what that means. So all the intangibles, great.
[04:52.960 -> 05:02.240] Let's go look at the tangibles. First thing is QALY. Want to start at QALY? Sure. All right.
[05:01.000 -> 05:02.000] Sure. All right.
[05:02.000 -> 05:11.560] Lewis was P5, but I ran all of the top drivers' best quali times.
[05:11.560 -> 05:18.760] So what I did is I took their best sector times, and then I added that up to make what
[05:18.760 -> 05:23.320] would have been their optimum best lap possible.
[05:23.320 -> 05:31.240] And that put Lewis clear in P2. So that's like when you probably heard
[05:31.240 -> 05:35.960] a lot over the weekend of people saying like, oh, if Lewis just put that final lap together,
[05:35.960 -> 05:40.800] Mercedes would have been in P2. Now, of course, the driver has to put the lap together and
[05:40.800 -> 05:46.880] he didn't. But if we are just trying to distill this down to like pure pace of
[05:46.880 -> 05:54.400] the car in quality trim, I think looking at all the drivers best laps compared to each other is a
[05:54.400 -> 06:04.880] good barometer of what that is. So that's, you know, notch on the pro side. Yeah, I hear that as
[06:02.000 -> 06:08.000] notch on the pro side. Yeah, I hear that as full optimism, full possibilities,
[06:08.000 -> 06:12.000] and Lewis pulled out the P2 when it really mattered.
[06:12.000 -> 06:16.000] Right, right, exactly.
[06:16.000 -> 06:22.000] Now, the con of the quali time
[06:22.000 -> 06:25.000] is that the optimum Lewis lap
[06:26.880 -> 06:31.880] was still four and a half tenths behind the optimum Max lap.
[06:32.560 -> 06:35.460] And he actually abandoned his fastest lap at the end
[06:35.460 -> 06:40.040] because he just got over the radio that he already had pull.
[06:40.040 -> 06:43.600] So he just was like, okay.
[06:43.600 -> 06:46.120] So we have his best sector one, best sector two,
[06:46.120 -> 06:47.760] and then what would have probably
[06:47.760 -> 06:50.080] been his second best sector three.
[06:50.080 -> 06:51.080] Right.
[06:51.080 -> 06:55.200] For this optimum lap.
[06:55.200 -> 06:58.400] But if you told me, so that's the con.
[06:58.400 -> 07:00.840] The con is there's still this big gap to Red Bull,
[07:00.840 -> 07:02.120] but we knew that.
[07:02.120 -> 07:03.200] But that's for everyone.
[07:03.200 -> 07:05.240] That's not just a Mercedes issue.
[07:05.240 -> 07:07.640] That's an everyone issue.
[07:07.640 -> 07:09.480] And if you told me coming into it
[07:09.480 -> 07:12.600] that if I was looking at optimum quality lap time
[07:12.600 -> 07:14.600] and that Lewis would only be 4 and 1⁄2 tenths
[07:14.600 -> 07:18.400] behind Max in the Red Bull, I would be like, I'll take it.
[07:18.400 -> 07:20.120] So it does all get back to, you're
[07:20.120 -> 07:22.320] going to hear me say this through this whole segment,
[07:22.320 -> 07:24.640] what are your expectations for right now
[07:24.640 -> 07:25.960] at this point in the season?
[07:25.960 -> 07:29.120] And my personal expectations and hopes and dreams
[07:29.120 -> 07:32.200] for this upgrade was become clearly
[07:32.200 -> 07:35.000] the second fastest team, get closer.
[07:35.000 -> 07:36.920] That's it, get closer.
[07:36.920 -> 07:39.480] And I think it's gonna be late in the season
[07:39.480 -> 07:41.920] before anyone would have even,
[07:41.920 -> 07:44.680] even has the potential to close that gap.
[07:44.680 -> 07:45.000] Yeah, and we're only starting to see the beginnings one would have even has the potential to close that gap. Yeah.
[07:45.000 -> 07:51.800] And we're only starting to see the beginnings or what some of the B-spec cars can actually
[07:51.800 -> 07:52.800] do.
[07:52.800 -> 07:59.400] And, I mean, Red Bull is so ahead in development that if I have to pick, if the conversation
[07:59.400 -> 08:06.080] is Red Bull and someone, my best bet or my best pick would be that it would be Mercedes. And then I'm like,
[08:06.080 -> 08:10.560] okay, because obviously if Red Bull's all the way over here, and that's like, no one's going to
[08:10.560 -> 08:18.720] reach them right, right now, not never, right now, I want then that next in line, that to be Mercedes.
[08:19.600 -> 08:24.080] Right. And that's, that's how I'm, that's why that was worthy of the celebration
[08:24.800 -> 08:27.680] And that's why it was worthy of the celebration of the great weekend we had.
[08:27.680 -> 08:31.920] Some other interesting, I'll swing back, qualifying positive,
[08:31.920 -> 08:35.240] that even when you're comparing this optimum lap times,
[08:35.240 -> 08:37.920] the Mercedes is still a tenth and a half
[08:37.920 -> 08:41.120] faster than Carlos's optimum lap time,
[08:41.120 -> 08:48.920] and a three-tenths faster than Alonso's broken floor lap time.
[08:48.920 -> 08:55.320] I really do think that's the asterisk in the entire weekend is Alonso's broken car.
[08:55.320 -> 09:01.680] But as of Monday morning, or Tuesday morning, Tuesday morning, as of Tuesday morning, post-race
[09:01.680 -> 09:10.400] weekend, the quotes coming out of the Aston Camp is that they were really shocked at the pace of the Mercedes. And that they didn't expect, even,
[09:10.400 -> 09:16.160] and they were qualifying it, were like, yeah, Alonso had the broken floor, but they clearly
[09:16.160 -> 09:21.200] felt like they still should have been able to stay in front. Yeah, they didn't anticipate the
[09:21.200 -> 09:28.680] development and progress that Mercedes had made.. I don't know if they just, again, because Monaco was not like the greatest tell
[09:28.680 -> 09:35.000] of like what the new upgrades could have done and just how ahead Aston has been.
[09:35.720 -> 09:39.760] That, you know, the little bit of floor damage or anything, it was, I feel like,
[09:40.040 -> 09:43.840] you know, justified or understanding as to why they expected that.
[09:43.840 -> 09:45.520] But currently in all of my
[09:45.520 -> 09:53.360] attire I say, haha, you were wrong. I will also point out something that makes me sad as a Lance
[09:53.360 -> 10:01.360] Troll fan, but an interesting thing in the data is there is a lot being made about Alonso's floor
[10:01.360 -> 10:07.400] damage, but I think the big thing that the floor damage did for his qualifying
[10:07.400 -> 10:14.320] times was make the car unpredictable for him because his fastest optimum lap when I put
[10:14.320 -> 10:23.960] it, optimum lap by a 10th and a half.
[10:23.960 -> 10:27.640] So Lance was able to just put together the quali lap and Alonso
[10:27.640 -> 10:33.320] couldn't, but theoretically, even with the broken floor, Alonso should have qualified
[10:33.320 -> 10:41.200] higher than Lance. I just, I've seen a lot about like, oh, well, it's not Alonso's fault
[10:41.200 -> 10:45.720] because he had a damaged floor. And I'm just gonna throw out here, who damaged the floor?
[10:45.720 -> 10:53.200] No, there was a lot of, I don't know any other word besides like, peace in Alonso's voice
[10:53.200 -> 10:59.960] on the radio that felt like, mysterious, like, I don't know, mysterious, like he wasn't gonna
[10:59.960 -> 11:06.800] fight Lance, he wasn't gonna battle, and even in the last lap, he's just waving to all of the fans
[11:06.800 -> 11:13.360] and in his home race, and could've tried to race his teammate, but was flat out like,
[11:13.360 -> 11:19.520] I'm not going to, so I don't know if it was just he got to a point where he accepted that this was
[11:19.520 -> 11:24.560] currently happening, or just like, it was so not Alonzo. He couldn't do it.
[11:23.000 -> 11:24.000] happening or just like, it was so not Alonzo. He couldn't do it.
[11:24.000 -> 11:25.000] Right.
[11:25.000 -> 11:29.240] What is gonna make Alonzo look worse?
[11:29.240 -> 11:31.720] Trying to pass Lance and being unable to?
[11:31.720 -> 11:35.760] Or saying, oh, you know what, I'm just gonna let Lance, I'm not gonna challenge Lance at
[11:35.760 -> 11:37.320] all, don't worry.
[11:37.320 -> 11:40.480] And I'm not even saying, like, I'm saying it's because of the floor.
[11:40.480 -> 11:44.920] Like I know Alonzo would beat Lance, but like, nothing, everything Alonzo does is to make
[11:44.920 -> 11:47.520] Alonzo look better like it's just
[11:48.200 -> 11:53.160] Yeah, and it just like there were so much conversation and I don't mean to go off on this tangent
[11:53.160 -> 11:56.680] We'll get back to the Mercedes or race. Yes
[11:57.720 -> 12:01.980] But like there was so much like oh good guy Alonso
[12:02.240 -> 12:04.280] All he did was make Lance look bad
[12:02.740 -> 12:04.960] So much like, oh, good guy Alonzo. All he did was make Lance look bad.
[12:04.960 -> 12:06.960] Like there's nothing good guy Alonzo
[12:06.960 -> 12:08.640] about what he was doing there.
[12:08.640 -> 12:10.200] Like he was doing a favor.
[12:10.200 -> 12:12.800] It's like, oh, tell him not to worry.
[12:12.800 -> 12:16.260] I'm just trying to close the gap in case it rains.
[12:16.260 -> 12:20.960] And it was like very off-brand.
[12:20.960 -> 12:22.720] All of the commentators were like,
[12:22.720 -> 12:25.000] wow, that's so nice of Alonso being nice to his teammate.
[12:25.000 -> 12:27.200] Oh, it's because his teammate's dad owns the...
[12:27.200 -> 12:30.280] Like, no, he made Lance look awful.
[12:30.280 -> 12:31.280] So that's not...
[12:31.280 -> 12:39.360] If that's nice guy Alonso is making his teammate look like a chump, like, I don't like...
[12:39.360 -> 12:42.080] Come on, guys, we got to rework our expectations.
[12:42.080 -> 12:45.640] But getting back to positive Mercedes land,
[12:45.640 -> 12:46.680] let's move on to the race.
[12:46.680 -> 12:49.840] Because I think this era Mercedes
[12:49.840 -> 12:55.200] has a very unique trend where Friday everyone's frustrated.
[12:55.200 -> 12:56.960] Well, and I think part of that, they
[12:56.960 -> 12:58.400] were the least frustrated this Friday.
[12:58.400 -> 13:00.160] They've been a while because they actually
[13:00.160 -> 13:02.040] know how to set up this car instantly.
[13:02.040 -> 13:06.840] Haven't been able to set up the previous concept for a year and a half with this car.
[13:06.840 -> 13:07.680] Instantly.
[13:07.680 -> 13:08.520] Got it.
[13:08.520 -> 13:10.080] Thank you, Marco.
[13:10.080 -> 13:10.920] Right.
[13:10.920 -> 13:15.160] Then they have a mediocre to okay quality,
[13:15.160 -> 13:17.480] and then it comes alive on race day.
[13:17.480 -> 13:19.380] This weekend was no exception to that.
[13:20.400 -> 13:23.520] I'm gonna look at two different data points.
[13:23.520 -> 13:25.920] I'll talk about the first one at the beginning.
[13:25.920 -> 13:30.800] So all of the front-running cars that were not a Red Bull
[13:30.800 -> 13:33.880] started on softs, which means that they're
[13:33.880 -> 13:36.120] on the same fuel load.
[13:36.120 -> 13:38.760] They're all on those tires at the same time.
[13:38.760 -> 13:42.080] We can average out their pace and compare them.
[13:42.080 -> 13:47.520] Clarifying that Charles is not included in this? Oh yeah, yeah no.
[13:47.520 -> 13:53.520] I was- I mean we'll get into enough Charles later in the episode, but just as a caveat of
[13:54.160 -> 14:00.480] Charles wasn't part of this, that data set this time. It's not representative, he's behind all
[14:00.480 -> 14:07.600] the cars. And he was on hards and then switched to softs again. Right. So I'm
[14:07.600 -> 14:14.080] looking at Hamilton, Russell, Alonzo, Stroll, and Sainz. The five drivers towards the front
[14:14.080 -> 14:21.760] who all started on softs. So I'm going to put this up on the screen on the YouTube video
[14:21.760 -> 14:30.620] so you guys can visualize the numbers I'm about to give, but I've then compared all of their soft times to the average pace that
[14:30.620 -> 14:37.440] Max was doing on the mediums. Now you should know that the mediums, normally, at least
[14:37.440 -> 14:48.800] this weekend, all of the same fuel adjusted would be about 0.7 to a second a lap slower. Okay?
[14:51.280 -> 14:59.600] Now, Lewis's pace on the softs compared to Max's mediums was only four tenths a lap down.
[15:01.920 -> 15:09.200] Yeah, yeah. So slower than Max on the mediums, but not that bad.
[15:09.200 -> 15:11.160] It's less than half a second, less than a second.
[15:11.160 -> 15:15.600] The second fastest was Carlos on the soft, and he was nearly six tenths a lap slower
[15:15.600 -> 15:17.500] than Max on his mediums.
[15:17.500 -> 15:21.480] So he was two tenths slower than Lewis.
[15:21.480 -> 15:28.320] Then there was Russell, and he was 7 tenths slower. And then you get the Alpines where Stroll is a full second
[15:28.320 -> 15:32.520] a lap slower on his softs than Max is on his mediums.
[15:32.520 -> 15:36.400] And then Alonzo is 1.1 seconds a lap slower.
[15:36.400 -> 15:39.200] And by Alpines, she means Aston Martin.
[15:40.360 -> 15:43.200] Wow. Okay, I'm going to put the champagne down.
[15:43.200 -> 15:46.000] I had like four sips.
[15:46.000 -> 15:48.000] It has nothing to do with that.
[15:48.000 -> 15:50.000] It's just been a long day.
[15:50.000 -> 15:52.000] What do all these numbers I'm saying mean?
[15:52.000 -> 15:55.000] What it means is that the Mercedes was,
[15:55.000 -> 15:58.000] the Mercedes in Lewis's hands was the fastest car on track
[15:58.000 -> 16:01.000] not named Max Verstappen for the first stint of the race.
[16:01.000 -> 16:06.720] Applause Positive, positive things. for the first stint of the race. Applause
[16:08.720 -> 16:12.320] Positive, positive things. Right, right. And if we're going on this scale of
[16:12.320 -> 16:15.320] we just want to get closer to Red Bull,
[16:15.320 -> 16:17.320] this is a positive sign.
[16:17.320 -> 16:22.920] Why, besides the upgrades, is a normal next question.
[16:22.920 -> 16:26.920] I do think that Barcelona is just a track that favors
[16:26.920 -> 16:35.280] the Mercedes car. It was also hot. You looked like you were about to hit a button. That's
[16:35.280 -> 16:40.840] why I paused. No, I just my brain was like, I don't want to hear things that, you know,
[16:40.840 -> 16:48.080] I mean, because the next race being Canada, I just feel like it's usually not
[16:48.080 -> 16:51.440] necessarily hot and potentially wet.
[16:51.440 -> 16:52.440] Yes.
[16:52.440 -> 16:54.840] Canada in June feels like a...
[16:54.840 -> 16:56.960] Oh, could be either.
[16:56.960 -> 17:01.560] The Mercedes car has really struggled with tire warm up.
[17:01.560 -> 17:11.200] And whenever there's a race that's rough on the tires, which is like a Barcelona or a Silverstone, or it's very hot, the Mercedes is kind to its tires and much
[17:11.200 -> 17:16.640] kinder than all the cars, and therefore they get into the working window well, and then
[17:16.640 -> 17:22.560] they don't degrade. And you could see that in like how quickly they pit the Ferraris.
[17:22.560 -> 17:26.920] And then, but like, Lewis and Russell went so much further on
[17:26.920 -> 17:32.720] the softs than anyone thought they would in the race. And their pace really took until
[17:32.720 -> 17:39.600] lap like 22, 23 to really start to take a dive. It was unbelievably impressive. They
[17:39.600 -> 17:45.780] were, yeah, they were not falling back dramatically to max, essentially.
[17:45.780 -> 17:49.240] Now part of that is that Red Bull was managing its pace and was like, yeah, sure, whatever,
[17:49.240 -> 17:53.800] just keep, yep, done, moving on.
[17:53.800 -> 18:00.920] So that's the circuit-specific nature of this.
[18:00.920 -> 18:02.560] This could be a little bit of a mirage.
[18:02.560 -> 18:05.600] So that's the check and the negative.
[18:08.440 -> 18:12.000] My brain here's like, but Silverstone, of course I hear everything else that you're saying,
[18:12.000 -> 18:15.060] but of course my brain's like, okay, but Silverstone.
[18:15.060 -> 18:18.520] So like, so great, I'll just get through Canada
[18:18.520 -> 18:20.280] and I'll just be like waiting.
[18:20.280 -> 18:23.160] But no, I believe that there could still potentially be hope
[18:23.160 -> 18:24.520] but my brain is now just like,
[18:24.520 -> 18:29.000] okay, Silverstone, no matter what happens in Canada, just Silverstone can be better.
[18:29.000 -> 18:41.000] I will end this with a check on the positive column, which is comparing Max, Louis and George's average lap time on the final stint, which was the softs.
[18:41.000 -> 18:45.700] And they were all on softs together.
[18:49.760 -> 18:53.560] Louis's average lap time was six tenths behind Max, and George's was eight.
[18:53.560 -> 18:54.840] I'm rounding up a little.
[18:54.840 -> 18:56.640] Less than a second!
[18:56.640 -> 18:57.600] Which is less than a second,
[18:57.600 -> 19:00.520] and was much better than everyone else
[19:00.520 -> 19:02.120] on track at that time.
[19:02.120 -> 19:06.840] So I'm giving all these numbers and all this context to say,
[19:08.280 -> 19:10.040] I think Mercedes is back.
[19:11.520 -> 19:12.720] Cheers to that.
[19:12.720 -> 19:16.600] ♪♪
[19:16.600 -> 19:20.080] Cheers to less sad weekends.
[19:20.080 -> 19:21.760] The new W14.
[19:21.760 -> 19:24.320] May I hate you less than the W13.
[19:24.320 -> 19:25.440] The season starts now.
[19:28.940 -> 19:32.880] We played a game in the preseason called Red Flex,
[19:32.880 -> 19:35.800] where, Nicole, I asked you a series of questions
[19:35.800 -> 19:37.920] and I put you in the shoes of Charlotte Clare
[19:37.920 -> 19:41.800] and you had to determine if that event,
[19:41.800 -> 19:48.640] this theoretical event, would push you, Charlotte Clare, over the edge and leave Ferrari.
[19:48.640 -> 19:56.480] And you had to determine what would it take. And I think the 2023 season was far worse than the
[19:56.480 -> 20:04.160] things I outlined for the 2023 season and we're what, seven races in? Which is, yeah, crazy. Yeah, um,
[20:09.720 -> 20:09.920] races in, which is yeah, crazy. Yeah. Um, I don't feel great. I
[20:14.320 -> 20:19.440] kind of wrote off after quali like after like Saturday, I was like, you know what? Just not it's just not the time. It's
[20:19.440 -> 20:26.880] just not the time for Ferrari. It's just p 19. And then then was, I understand, like, okay, now we're going
[20:26.880 -> 20:31.760] to just make other upgrades or make some changes, start from the pit lane. It's just, it's bad luck,
[20:31.760 -> 20:37.280] city. Monaco wasn't great. One race after another, there's always something else, either with him,
[20:37.280 -> 20:46.160] with Ferrari. And then Puma did a better collaboration with Carlos than with Charles. So it stinks to be Charles right now.
[20:46.160 -> 20:52.560] That was Charles's fault. Charles designed his race suit and like his collaboration thing. He
[20:52.560 -> 20:58.320] was very proud of the white and the diamonds and that was Charles's fault. So, and we know that
[20:58.320 -> 21:03.760] Carlos doesn't design anything and that he just told the designers just do something cool.
[21:07.000 -> 21:11.000] anything and that he just told the designers just do something cool. I'm not saying all of his sadness is externally caused.
[21:11.000 -> 21:16.000] Okay, okay, I just wanted to clarify.
[21:16.000 -> 21:25.360] Yeah, so, it's a sad time for Charles. I don't fully remember all of the previous red flags that we went in during the preseason, I just remember
[21:25.360 -> 21:32.880] feeling really sad for all of them. But that's how I feel every weekend for him.
[21:32.880 -> 21:38.240] Yeah, and for some context, because I'm not going... So we're going to play this game
[21:38.240 -> 21:45.760] again, essentially. And I've, you know, there might be some surprises in here. But
[21:48.640 -> 21:52.880] in a sense, how it works is all of these things I'm about to say stack on top of each other.
[21:54.560 -> 21:59.680] And so if something happens, it happens. Nicole is either going to push this lap.
[21:59.680 -> 22:03.520] So she's going to keep going. Just keep pushing on as a Ferrari driver.
[22:02.680 -> 22:03.680] She's gonna keep going, just keep pushing on as a Ferrari driver.
[22:05.080 -> 22:07.780] Or she's going to decide it's time to box,
[22:07.780 -> 22:10.440] throw up that red flag, the race is over,
[22:10.440 -> 22:13.560] Charles is out at Ferrari, I've been through too much.
[22:13.560 -> 22:14.660] All right, box, box.
[22:16.440 -> 22:18.320] Oh, I get nervous every time we try
[22:18.320 -> 22:20.140] to control Charles's fate.
[22:21.240 -> 22:28.800] Well, so here are the things that in my previous version of this game that I said would have
[22:28.800 -> 22:34.160] already happened in the 2023 season, and I think what's actually happened are worse.
[22:34.160 -> 22:39.960] So I said that the Ferrari would top the timesheets at preseason testing, but by week two, it
[22:39.960 -> 22:42.720] was clear that Red Bull was still the fastest team.
[22:42.720 -> 22:47.000] Like, yes, Red Bull's still the fastest team, but I don't think Ferrari topped a single time sheet.
[22:47.000 -> 22:48.540] Like, there was no delusions
[22:48.540 -> 22:50.680] that the Ferrari was going to be good.
[22:50.680 -> 22:51.520] No.
[22:52.680 -> 22:55.600] Then I also said that Max would continue to talk to you
[22:55.600 -> 22:57.720] in every cool-down room about how much backing
[22:57.720 -> 23:00.220] he's getting from Red Bull as the number one driver.
[23:00.220 -> 23:02.440] Charles isn't spending a lot of time in cool-down rooms
[23:02.440 -> 23:04.160] for this to happen.
[23:04.160 -> 23:09.600] You gotta be in the cool down room to hear Max complain about things in the cool down room.
[23:11.840 -> 23:16.880] And then I had a line about Ferrari's power unit, which has strikingly not been a headline
[23:16.880 -> 23:20.240] of this season so far, but there's still there's still ways to go. We'll see.
[23:22.080 -> 23:27.200] So we're going to jump right into this. We We're gonna go with the rest of the season here.
[23:29.200 -> 23:32.320] And we're going to start with,
[23:33.760 -> 23:35.560] we're nearing the end of the season.
[23:35.560 -> 23:38.160] Let's say it's around CODA time.
[23:38.160 -> 23:40.540] Red Bull has wrapped up the championship.
[23:42.040 -> 23:45.000] And you have yet to podium again this season.
[23:47.300 -> 23:48.900] Like at all?
[23:48.900 -> 23:52.140] Yeah, Charles hasn't been on the podium since Australia,
[23:52.140 -> 23:53.560] I think was his podium.
[23:56.260 -> 23:57.100] It's October.
[23:59.060 -> 24:02.180] I do think this would cause like a lot
[24:02.180 -> 24:05.920] of emotional distress.
[24:07.880 -> 24:12.240] But I'm not boxing just yet. But honestly, I do feel like if this was reality, reality,
[24:12.240 -> 24:15.880] I'd hesitate, but no, I'm not.
[24:15.880 -> 24:19.940] There's still that Ferrari pride that's on fire in him
[24:19.940 -> 24:21.840] that he wants to do the thing.
[24:21.840 -> 24:22.680] Push the slack.
[24:22.680 -> 24:23.520] I'm gonna push.
[24:23.520 -> 24:24.960] Still wearing the bracelet.
[24:24.960 -> 24:32.560] Yeah. I think, to be fair, I think both him and Carlos have recalibrated on the season.
[24:32.560 -> 24:38.560] So speaking about recalibration, my last thing for this season is, do you remember that in
[24:38.560 -> 24:42.840] the preseason they were very clear that their goal for this year was to compete for the
[24:42.840 -> 24:43.840] championships again?
[24:43.840 -> 24:50.240] How have we all forgotten that just seven races in? So it's Brazil, it's Abu Dhabi,
[24:50.240 -> 24:56.880] it's the end of the season, and you're having to do so much press about how the plan was actually
[24:56.880 -> 25:01.120] year two with Fred Risser all along. That was actually the target for competing in the
[25:01.120 -> 25:05.320] championship. This was never, this year was always meant to go this way.
[25:05.320 -> 25:07.760] Those are the talking points he's given.
[25:07.760 -> 25:10.120] This is gonna happen.
[25:10.120 -> 25:11.560] Especially coming from him,
[25:11.560 -> 25:14.200] because he's like, I have a long history with him,
[25:14.200 -> 25:17.200] and this is, you know, building a new foundation.
[25:17.200 -> 25:19.040] Oh my gosh, it's gonna,
[25:19.040 -> 25:22.400] I, Nicole Katz would want to box,
[25:22.400 -> 25:23.360] but Charles-
[25:23.360 -> 25:24.480] Push the slap.
[25:24.480 -> 25:25.520] Push the slap, but Charles would push the slap.
[25:25.520 -> 25:28.960] But that is so gonna happen.
[25:28.960 -> 25:34.080] So essentially you don't have Charlotte Claire leaving the Ferrari team going into the 2024
[25:34.080 -> 25:35.080] season.
[25:35.080 -> 25:36.080] I do not.
[25:36.080 -> 25:37.400] He's gonna be a Ferrari driver next year.
[25:37.400 -> 25:38.400] Yes.
[25:38.400 -> 25:42.360] Well, going into... unless you have... you're gonna pull some preseason stuff.
[25:42.360 -> 25:48.240] So like now... okay, yes. So they're going into the next 2024 season,
[25:48.240 -> 25:49.880] he's still with Ferrari.
[25:51.200 -> 25:55.000] So he's still with Ferrari, driving out that contract.
[25:55.000 -> 25:56.440] It's the beginning of the season.
[25:56.440 -> 25:59.320] And Ferrari is flirting with a different driver on the grid
[25:59.320 -> 26:01.640] just a bit too publicly
[26:01.640 -> 26:03.600] when you're supposed to be Mr. Ferrari.
[26:06.080 -> 26:09.960] Is there like, like the driver changes my opinion
[26:09.960 -> 26:13.840] or is it just like general, it's just another driver?
[26:13.840 -> 26:16.080] What driver would change your opinion?
[26:16.080 -> 26:16.960] I don't know.
[26:16.960 -> 26:18.920] There's also just everyone who's still going on
[26:18.920 -> 26:21.960] about the discourse of like, oh, if Lewis went to Ferrari
[26:21.960 -> 26:23.080] and I like don't have,
[26:23.080 -> 26:26.440] including right now do not have time for that discourse.
[26:26.440 -> 26:29.440] So like, I more just want to make sure that that's
[26:29.440 -> 26:33.280] not the like hysterics that we're currently.
[26:33.280 -> 26:35.960] Let's make the driver Lando Norris.
[26:35.960 -> 26:37.560] Ferrari's publicly flirting,
[26:37.560 -> 26:40.360] trying to see if they can get Lando Norris in the seat.
[26:50.000 -> 26:55.000] This is like a borderline, it's very disrespectful. I'm gonna push.
[26:55.000 -> 26:57.000] Push the slap.
[26:57.000 -> 27:07.080] Okay. Okay. I don't, obviously we don't know the schedule for next season, but let's pretend for the
[27:07.080 -> 27:12.240] sake of the 2024 season that Silverstone is the race before summer break, before the driver
[27:12.240 -> 27:14.520] market really kicks off.
[27:14.520 -> 27:15.520] Okay.
[27:15.520 -> 27:17.640] So it's Silverstone.
[27:17.640 -> 27:20.720] Ferrari's having a better year.
[27:20.720 -> 27:22.640] They're a little more competitive.
[27:22.640 -> 27:28.000] Definitely could still be in the conversation for the constructors in this vague theoretical land.
[27:28.000 -> 27:36.000] And for the first time in a long time, Charles is in position to potentially win a race.
[27:36.000 -> 27:39.000] But Ferrari doesn't call team orders. That would help that.
[27:42.000 -> 27:44.000] Oh!
[27:41.000 -> 27:49.840] Oh! And he hasn't, he still hasn't won a race.
[27:49.840 -> 27:50.840] Like.
[27:50.840 -> 27:51.840] No.
[27:51.840 -> 27:52.840] Right?
[27:52.840 -> 27:56.160] Well because there's no way, like something weird would have to happen this year.
[27:56.160 -> 28:00.120] Something super weird would have to happen.
[28:00.120 -> 28:01.120] Oh.
[28:01.120 -> 28:06.440] He didn't call team borders.
[28:06.440 -> 28:12.160] I will point out that in this theoretical land, that it was just a chance to win the
[28:12.160 -> 28:13.160] race.
[28:13.160 -> 28:14.160] It wasn't a guarantee.
[28:14.160 -> 28:16.760] But like, let's just pretend Max crashed or something.
[28:16.760 -> 28:22.160] Or yeah, Max crashed or like it's a conversation of P2, which is a different type of winning.
[28:22.160 -> 28:23.160] Right.
[28:23.160 -> 28:25.120] Oh, I'm stuck here.
[28:25.120 -> 28:29.400] I'm really considering to box because this is just,
[28:29.400 -> 28:31.200] can I ask how many things are left?
[28:31.200 -> 28:32.840] I know everything is stacking on top of each other.
[28:32.840 -> 28:36.520] I'm just trying to determine the chaos.
[28:36.520 -> 28:37.800] I know you'll share, I hope.
[28:37.800 -> 28:39.680] I will share with you and the audience
[28:39.680 -> 28:42.080] the ones I didn't read, of course.
[28:42.080 -> 28:45.440] There's going to be one more in 2024.
[28:45.440 -> 28:47.880] And then in 2025, I have three.
[28:49.000 -> 28:50.600] Okay.
[28:50.600 -> 28:51.840] I'm getting really close,
[28:51.840 -> 28:55.280] but let's see what happens after it's a late season.
[28:55.280 -> 28:56.120] Okay.
[28:58.020 -> 29:01.900] A seat opens up at Red Bull, dramatically.
[29:03.280 -> 29:04.680] Christian Horner calls you,
[29:04.680 -> 29:06.920] sees if you want to be teammates with Max.
[29:09.900 -> 29:11.320] I have to leave.
[29:11.320 -> 29:12.320] I just want to be very clear,
[29:12.320 -> 29:15.080] I don't think there's ever a chance that Christian Horner
[29:15.080 -> 29:17.120] will put Charlotte Claire in a seat next to Max.
[29:17.120 -> 29:19.080] I immediately had.
[29:19.080 -> 29:20.680] The game is more fun this way.
[29:21.680 -> 29:23.640] A zillion follow-up questions,
[29:23.640 -> 29:28.000] which now there's also, Did you see quotes from this
[29:28.000 -> 29:32.560] weekend about how they had to like pay Christian Horner like millions of more dollars this year
[29:32.560 -> 29:38.800] to stop him from going to Ferrari after Mattia left? Oh, I mean, good. As much as I hate Christian
[29:38.800 -> 29:44.160] Horner, he's annoyingly good at his job. Yeah, yeah. I was like, I'm like, I can't believe
[29:44.160 -> 29:45.320] that you even had to
[29:45.320 -> 29:50.080] be upset about that. Anyway. I also don't think Christian Horner would have ever left.
[29:50.080 -> 29:57.560] I think he just went, Ooh, fun leverage. Yeah, of course. Oh my gosh. So what are you doing?
[29:57.560 -> 30:06.720] So my brain is debating. You have to be teammates with Max. I know that's my big hang-up here is I like there's a lot of drivers that I think would be
[30:06.720 -> 30:18.160] okay with being second to Max and I really don't think Charles would and unless yeah
[30:18.160 -> 30:25.160] unless like the dramatic fashion is that like Max left I do not think this would make him wish he slept.
[30:26.160 -> 30:29.720] Yeah, I think Charles and Lando are both
[30:29.720 -> 30:31.720] in this really weird position right now,
[30:31.720 -> 30:34.800] just where would they go?
[30:34.800 -> 30:36.720] Like, I think whenever Charles leaves Ferrari,
[30:36.720 -> 30:38.520] I do think they're gonna give Lando that seat
[30:38.520 -> 30:40.420] because that's Ferrari's MO, but like,
[30:42.000 -> 30:44.640] that's my long-term prediction that Lando
[30:44.640 -> 30:46.240] will be a Ferrari driver at some point.
[30:46.240 -> 30:52.400] I have him so aligned with the McLaren brand, it's so hard to imagine him in the red.
[30:52.400 -> 30:59.480] It's such a strong association of him in orange, so it's really confusing my brain.
[30:59.480 -> 31:07.000] No, I mean, this is what happens, like, Fernando, you get the big Ferrari check, you go.
[31:07.000 -> 31:12.480] But, and so everyone keeps attaching these drivers to when Lewis retires, that second
[31:12.480 -> 31:16.240] Mercedes seat, but do they really want to be on a team?
[31:16.240 -> 31:17.240] I don't know, I'm tangenting.
[31:17.240 -> 31:22.320] It's like George Russell's being set up as the number one driver there, so it's weird.
[31:22.320 -> 31:23.320] It's definitely weird.
[31:23.320 -> 31:26.800] All right, you're moving into the 2025 season.
[31:27.680 -> 31:31.760] This would theoretically be the last year on his contract, I believe.
[31:31.760 -> 31:32.960] Yeah.
[31:32.960 -> 31:34.880] On his current contract, if he doesn't leave early.
[31:38.640 -> 31:49.120] After a stunning 2023 and 2024 season, with still no plan to retire, Ferrari is publicly discussing
[31:49.120 -> 31:56.720] re-signing Fernando Alonso. You don't know what's going to happen. But, you know, they're starting
[31:56.720 -> 32:02.240] the season with some early silly season gossip of, you know, like Honda is becoming the Aston
[32:02.240 -> 32:05.360] Martin partner. Honda doesn't really want Fernando in that seat.
[32:05.360 -> 32:06.440] Fernando needs a ride.
[32:06.440 -> 32:07.880] He's had great seasons.
[32:07.880 -> 32:09.240] Yeah, come back to Ferrari.
[32:10.280 -> 32:11.800] That's the chatter.
[32:13.360 -> 32:16.100] So now my brain's trying to determine
[32:16.100 -> 32:19.500] like if Charles would be like, oh no, I got a dip.
[32:19.500 -> 32:22.320] Or like, he would be like, oh no, that's for Carlos.
[32:22.320 -> 32:24.600] Like, that's like, I'm fine.
[32:24.600 -> 32:27.480] It's gonna be me and Fernando. And, that's like, I'm fine. It's gonna be me and Fernando and then him.
[32:27.480 -> 32:30.040] Like, I'm trying to, the man I don't know,
[32:30.040 -> 32:32.160] be in his brain and-
[32:32.160 -> 32:33.160] This is a fun game.
[32:33.160 -> 32:36.320] I really like being on this side of this game.
[32:36.320 -> 32:38.160] So stressed.
[32:40.080 -> 32:42.240] Yeah, I mean, but it's the same question.
[32:42.240 -> 32:48.120] Do you really wanna be teammates with Fernando? I mean, no, I don't want to sit next to him on a plane.
[32:49.160 -> 32:51.200] But I.
[32:52.800 -> 32:56.200] Oh, God, and there's also the part of my brain that believes that, like,
[32:56.360 -> 32:59.280] Charles is going to end up being like,
[32:59.280 -> 33:02.280] thanks, bye from Ferrari, like and.
[33:04.120 -> 33:06.960] I'm going to push because think and as much and I would
[33:06.960 -> 33:13.320] be screaming leave but I don't think he was just like I have two more here but I
[33:13.320 -> 33:16.660] do want to point out that in the preseason I wrote about Fernando having
[33:16.660 -> 33:21.560] a stunning 2023 and 2024 season so apparently some part of me like really
[33:21.560 -> 33:25.740] predicted what was going on this year and I will take credit for that. This is Norfolk!
[33:25.740 -> 33:26.740] Right, apparently.
[33:26.740 -> 33:30.420] Alright, second to last one in the 2025 season.
[33:30.420 -> 33:35.300] At this point, he's in his lame duck season, determining whether or not to resign.
[33:35.300 -> 33:39.020] He gets pull at Monaco, which, you know, even though the car has a deficit, you can still
[33:39.020 -> 33:40.020] do.
[33:40.020 -> 33:43.540] But Ferrari forgot the fourth tire and messed up the pit stop.
[33:43.540 -> 33:44.940] Alright, box, box.
[33:44.940 -> 33:45.200] No, I'm done. I can't. I can't, I forgot the fourth tire. I messed up the pit stop. All right, box, box.
[33:45.200 -> 33:46.120] No, I'm done.
[33:46.120 -> 33:48.480] I can't, I can't, I cannot.
[33:48.480 -> 33:50.880] I would hope that he would just walk home.
[33:50.880 -> 33:53.240] I hope he'd pull a Senna, I'd hope he'd pull a Kimmy,
[33:53.240 -> 33:54.640] I hope he'd end up on a yacht
[33:54.640 -> 33:56.720] or just go home and call later.
[33:56.720 -> 33:59.360] Oh my goodness, no, I can't.
[33:59.360 -> 34:00.480] That's my breaking point.
[34:00.480 -> 34:02.760] And it might really not be Charles, but I want it to be,
[34:02.760 -> 34:10.000] so I'm calling it, I can't do that. Done, walk away. The interesting thing is that's when you boxed the first time we did this so even though
[34:10.000 -> 34:16.480] the start of the 2020 season, 2023 season has been harder than we even predicted for Charles
[34:16.480 -> 34:22.000] you still, you fundamentally believe that he's gonna hold on and I agree with you I think that
[34:22.000 -> 34:32.160] Charles is gonna hold on until the last possible drop of hope escapes his body. The game is not when I think he should it is when I think he will
[34:32.160 -> 34:38.240] and part of me thinks that he would still hold on in this but I need to put an end to it because
[34:38.240 -> 34:45.680] that is such Ferrari screw-up that I would need to like turn off and like take a walk.
[34:45.680 -> 34:49.280] I would not be able to handle that.
[34:49.280 -> 34:50.120] Well, what's the, all right.
[34:50.120 -> 34:52.040] So what was the, what could have been
[34:52.040 -> 34:55.240] the actual final straw of 2025?
[34:56.160 -> 34:58.080] Fred is fired right before the start
[34:58.080 -> 35:00.280] of the new regulation set and a new team principal
[35:00.280 -> 35:02.480] is brought in to solve all the problems again.
[35:02.480 -> 35:09.000] Oh, I definitely would have boxed if I didn't box emotionally at Monaco.
[35:09.000 -> 35:14.000] That one is like if you that that has too much written on it of like,
[35:14.000 -> 35:16.000] oh Fred's gone like oh who's next?
[35:16.000 -> 35:16.500] Yeah.
[35:16.500 -> 35:17.500] Yeah, who's the next?
[35:17.500 -> 35:20.000] Not Rhys Kine, it's a bye-bye.
[35:21.500 -> 35:35.000] I think whenever he does leave Ferrari, whether it's too late or whether it's soon or too late or like whatever the circumstances, the quotes we're going to get from him, he's like, wow, things are so much easier on other teams.
[35:35.000 -> 35:38.000] It's going to be wild.
[35:38.000 -> 35:48.840] Not screwing up a pit stop, a tire strategy that makes like somewhat sense. The lack of internal politics, and not that they don't exist in other teams, but Ferrari
[35:48.840 -> 35:51.600] seems to be at a whole crazy level.
[35:51.600 -> 35:55.440] Just screaming to the void. I just imagine all of their meetings is everyone standing
[35:55.440 -> 36:00.900] around and just yelling. And I've explained this bit before, and it's all Italian accents.
[36:00.900 -> 36:06.240] And I literally that is what I imagined Every debrief, every meeting is everyone yelling and loud.
[36:06.240 -> 36:08.600] And Charles and Carlos just sitting there like.
[36:10.080 -> 36:12.000] I just imagined the exact opposite, actually.
[36:12.000 -> 36:14.400] I imagined everyone being too afraid to say
[36:14.400 -> 36:16.000] that there's a problem.
[36:16.000 -> 36:19.120] And then it's just Charles and Carlos in the room like,
[36:19.120 -> 36:21.880] guys, what is going on?
[36:21.880 -> 36:22.800] And they're like, what are you talking about?
[36:22.800 -> 36:24.000] That went great.
[36:24.000 -> 36:26.840] And you're, and they're just like looking at each other like,
[36:27.640 -> 36:30.280] I guess everything's OK.
[36:30.280 -> 36:32.840] Just being gaslit into everything being fine.
[36:34.000 -> 36:37.880] And it's just incredible because it is it's I mean, it's Ferrari.
[36:37.960 -> 36:41.200] And like everything about that, it's like everything should be tied up
[36:41.200 -> 36:42.240] and so put together.
[36:42.240 -> 36:44.720] And it's so just not what my brain thinks of.
[36:44.720 -> 36:49.140] And I love and hate them for it all at the same time.
[36:50.340 -> 36:55.040] Well, let us know what prompt should be our next red flag.
[36:55.480 -> 36:59.920] So I think we've done this before for should Lando leave McLaren.
[36:59.920 -> 37:02.420] We probably need to bring that one back as well.
[37:02.420 -> 37:06.460] But if there's another big question looming over an F1 personality,
[37:06.460 -> 37:08.720] let us know and we'll play red flag
[37:08.720 -> 37:10.940] and see what Nicole would do.
[37:10.940 -> 37:14.400] Will Alex Albon dye his hair another color?
[37:14.400 -> 37:15.320] Who knows?
[37:15.320 -> 37:16.160] Big question.
[37:16.160 -> 37:17.980] Yes, tomorrow, please.
[37:20.080 -> 37:23.240] Hey, podcast listeners, Gossip Grid here,
[37:23.240 -> 37:25.520] your guide to F1's paddock elites. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Gossip Grid here, your guide to F1's paddock elites.
[37:27.160 -> 37:28.160] Hello, everyone.
[37:28.160 -> 37:29.840] Welcome back to Gossip Grid.
[37:29.840 -> 37:34.760] I am so happy to be back with more of a voice and more of my immune system.
[37:35.640 -> 37:39.120] Spanish GP again, surprise, gave us a lot to talk about
[37:39.120 -> 37:42.600] because we've been talking about it all day, but particularly when it comes to F1
[37:42.600 -> 37:43.800] and pop culture.
[37:43.800 -> 37:46.240] So I'm here to give you everything that you need to know from this weekend.
[37:46.240 -> 37:52.060] But first, I have to start with a happy belated 21st birthday to Joe, who celebrated last
[37:52.060 -> 37:56.120] week and received a very special decorated driver's room, and I really hope that Dior
[37:56.120 -> 37:58.080] sent him something nice.
[37:58.080 -> 38:04.340] Now, the long list of celebrities that were at this race is kind of insane.
[38:04.340 -> 38:06.840] You would think that it was basically Monaco all over again,
[38:06.840 -> 38:11.520] but Shakira back at another F1 race, rocking the brand new Dua Lipa
[38:11.520 -> 38:13.960] and Versace collab, covered in butterflies.
[38:14.240 -> 38:16.120] She looks fantastic as always.
[38:16.120 -> 38:20.680] Rosalia, Nikki Nicole, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas at another race.
[38:20.680 -> 38:26.920] They're really, really stroll family groupies, hardcore. And I mean, if I could
[38:26.920 -> 38:35.160] go to multiple F1 races, I would. Then we had our DJ mix, Martin Garrix, Calvin Harris,
[38:35.160 -> 38:39.880] and then we had so many footballers, soccer players, depending on where you are in the
[38:39.880 -> 38:45.000] world is what you will call them, but it was basically Footballer Central this past weekend.
[38:45.000 -> 38:51.000] Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Mason Mount, who gave the Preli-Pole Award to Max,
[38:51.000 -> 38:55.000] he's currently with Chelsea FC, had a really funny interaction with Martin Brundle
[38:55.000 -> 38:59.000] during Martin Brundle's gridwalk about if the footballer will be making a switch
[38:59.000 -> 39:10.640] from Chelsea to Manchester United. And I know that meant a lot of things to a lot of people. Then we had a couple of other people from Chelsea FC, then Chilwell, Zuwell Felix and
[39:10.640 -> 39:18.240] then from Liverpool we had Trent Alexander-Arnold, Barcelona pair of Sergio Busquets and Robert
[39:18.240 -> 39:23.200] Lewandowski and Real Madrid's manager Rafa Benitez.
[39:23.200 -> 39:25.400] So sorry if I missed some of your favorites,
[39:25.400 -> 39:26.840] but football was definitely,
[39:26.840 -> 39:30.160] soccer was definitely showing up this week on the grid.
[39:30.160 -> 39:34.120] Puma was taking major advantage of the athletes
[39:34.120 -> 39:36.320] that they work with, that they're partnered with,
[39:36.320 -> 39:38.360] and having them all in one place.
[39:38.360 -> 39:40.200] So the Puma Motorsports account
[39:40.200 -> 39:43.000] featured Neymar with almost everybody.
[39:43.000 -> 39:46.200] Neymar was with Joe, Neymar was with Charles and Carlos, Neymar was with Luis. Neymar was with Joe, Neymar was with Charles and Carlos,
[39:46.200 -> 39:49.200] Neymar was with Louis, Neymar was with George.
[39:49.200 -> 39:50.920] So he was all over the paddock,
[39:50.920 -> 39:52.760] he was in all different garages,
[39:52.760 -> 39:55.720] he was filming a lot of really hysterical videos
[39:55.720 -> 40:00.400] of drivers imitating each other or drivers imitating Neymar,
[40:00.400 -> 40:02.760] some weird straw challenge with Joe,
[40:02.760 -> 40:06.920] and Neymar even hopped into the W14 for quick seat fitting as
[40:07.480 -> 40:09.480] literally what Lewis said and
[40:09.840 -> 40:16.600] Also, if you're interested that Puma Motorsports account is currently giving away a Neymar branded and signed race suit
[40:16.800 -> 40:20.520] so if you're interested go check that out really really cool and
[40:21.640 -> 40:25.720] Pierre had a special deal with Warner Brothers this past weekend.
[40:25.720 -> 40:29.800] His helmet was branded for the upcoming movie The Flash, which actually comes out on June
[40:29.800 -> 40:30.800] 16th.
[40:30.800 -> 40:34.980] I'm not telling you that because this is a sponsored segment, literally at all, but this
[40:34.980 -> 40:37.960] was the last race before that movie is released.
[40:37.960 -> 40:39.860] So who knows what happens.
[40:39.860 -> 40:43.920] Maybe we'll see Pierre do any sort of brand placement before that, maybe catch him in
[40:43.920 -> 40:44.920] the Flash suit.
[40:44.920 -> 40:45.320] I don't know. That's thinking big. We'll see Pierre do any sort of brand placement before that, maybe catch him in the Flash suit.
[40:45.320 -> 40:46.320] I don't know, that's thinking big.
[40:46.320 -> 40:51.720] But, he's coming out with a really sick design, completely DC branded, logos from Flash, Superman,
[40:51.720 -> 40:56.040] and Batman, and I always appreciate any superhero callout.
[40:56.040 -> 41:01.480] And have to end this week's Gossip Grid with the Paddock Fit King, as always, because Louis
[41:01.480 -> 41:06.600] continues to impress me every single weekend with how he turns the paddock basically into a runway.
[41:06.600 -> 41:12.900] His outfits were unbelievably sick this weekend. Really, really big fan of his Valentino red pattern number.
[41:12.900 -> 41:20.180] I want to steal his Celine sunglasses. He had multiple custom suit pieces from Unet Benite.
[41:20.860 -> 41:25.420] Unet Benite, sorry. And Prada sneakers, which I also would love to steal, but his
[41:25.420 -> 41:30.160] absolute show-stopping number of the entire weekend and my personal favorite was a fluorescent
[41:30.160 -> 41:35.240] green matching Versace set. And gosh, is he really just putting every other driver to
[41:35.240 -> 41:41.280] shame. Even when Fernando Alonso shows up in a patterned polo, Lewis is like, sit down.
[41:41.280 -> 41:47.080] This is for me. That is your F1 and pop culture gossip grid this week.
[41:47.080 -> 41:49.760] And I can't wait to see what I have for you next week
[41:49.760 -> 41:52.680] or maybe when we get back from Canada.
[41:52.680 -> 41:57.640] You really broke me when you dropped the transfer rumor.
[41:57.640 -> 41:58.920] I was like, Nicole,
[41:58.920 -> 42:01.660] where is this soccer knowledge coming from?
[42:02.720 -> 42:03.800] It was a race weekend.
[42:03.800 -> 42:06.000] And even though we haven't talked a ton about the race
[42:06.560 -> 42:13.040] we both have some podiums of the race weekend that I think we should do. I think we both have radios
[42:13.040 -> 42:20.800] of the week. Oh yes I have. I have a podium of radios and I have two honorary mentions.
[42:22.640 -> 42:27.920] I only have a podium so I think we should do your two honorable mentions
[42:27.920 -> 42:31.000] and then P3, P3, P2, like, well, let's alternate.
[42:31.000 -> 42:33.160] Yeah, great.
[42:33.160 -> 42:38.160] Okay, so my two honorary mentions of a,
[42:38.880 -> 42:40.520] oops, sorry, I'm getting in the way.
[42:40.520 -> 42:44.320] Radio's of the week, radio's of the week.
[42:44.320 -> 42:47.840] Okay, so for my two honorary mentions,
[42:48.960 -> 42:53.960] the first one is Alonzo's Tell Lance Not to Worry.
[42:55.140 -> 42:59.560] It was, it's not on the podium,
[42:59.560 -> 43:02.000] it's an honorary mention because it was
[43:02.000 -> 43:04.220] an interesting moment of the week of something to discuss
[43:04.220 -> 43:08.680] and we have already discussed it at length and that's where I'll leave it.
[43:08.680 -> 43:16.980] My other honorary mention, George constantly talking about, is it raining on the radio?
[43:16.980 -> 43:21.840] Is anyone else reporting rain? I think it is sweat from the inside of my helmet. And
[43:21.840 -> 43:25.080] then it's like, nope, sounds like it's literally just you so I
[43:25.080 -> 43:30.120] think yeah those are my honorary mentions just really stood out and were
[43:30.120 -> 43:35.960] consistent throughout the race so it made them self-known. That leads
[43:35.960 -> 43:51.520] perfectly into my p3 which is George Russell mistaking sweat for rain. And it was specifically the one where he had to tell the team that he thinks he did that,
[43:51.520 -> 43:54.880] where he asked, did anyone else report rain?
[43:54.880 -> 43:55.880] And they were like, no.
[43:55.880 -> 43:58.600] And he was like, ah, and then he goes into this long dissertation.
[43:58.600 -> 44:03.360] I think it's the sweat on the inside of my visor.
[44:03.360 -> 44:04.840] It's like, yeah, it is.
[44:04.840 -> 44:07.200] I think I'd love that. Yeah, it sounds
[44:07.200 -> 44:08.440] like it's just you.
[44:09.840 -> 44:11.640] I'm constantly amazed that they can have these full
[44:11.640 -> 44:13.840] conversations driving cars that fast.
[44:14.400 -> 44:16.440] Think about that literally every single time.
[44:16.480 -> 44:18.680] Every week. All right, what's your P3?
[44:18.960 -> 44:29.280] My P3 is the last race of the last lap of the race, Max's radio, okay, now you can bring it home
[44:29.280 -> 44:36.680] within the white lines. And yeah, he just goes, yeah, yeah. It's like, but stay inside
[44:36.680 -> 44:37.680] the lines.
[44:37.680 -> 44:48.920] Yeah, that's the stress of his engineer. He was like, could you just go slower? And Max was essentially saying the entire race, I don't want to.
[44:48.920 -> 44:49.920] That's no fun.
[44:49.920 -> 44:56.080] Which does lead, again, you are transitioning very nicely into my P2 here.
[44:56.080 -> 45:01.360] It's not exactly that, but it was specifically the Max radio where he was mad about the black
[45:01.360 -> 45:06.120] and white flag that he got when a five second penalty could not
[45:06.120 -> 45:11.760] matter less for that man, but he still was angry at the principle of potentially getting
[45:11.760 -> 45:12.760] a penalty.
[45:12.760 -> 45:19.880] You could have gotten like three five second penalties and still won, right?
[45:19.880 -> 45:20.880] It's something like ridiculous.
[45:20.880 -> 45:29.880] I can't remember what the final timing was, but I know during the race when we were talking about this, it's like, you can get multiple. It's okay.
[45:29.880 -> 45:35.000] I think he was at that point 25 seconds ahead and the Red Bull had pace in hand. If he really
[45:35.000 -> 45:42.400] needed to speed up, he could have. Yeah. Yep. But it did give me a good chuckle. He cared
[45:42.400 -> 45:45.000] still. Of course, of course.
[45:45.000 -> 45:54.000] My P2 is a post-race radio, and it's just because I'm wholesome and happy, and it was
[45:54.000 -> 45:58.000] my P1, and then I just found my favorite radio of the entire weekend.
[45:58.000 -> 46:04.000] Lewis's mega job, guys. Mega. His use of the word mega is so great.
[46:04.000 -> 46:05.260] And then, of of course he goes into
[46:05.260 -> 46:11.400] his long list and I always just admire and respect how almost the first thing out of
[46:11.400 -> 46:15.280] his mouth is thanking everyone back at the factory and the team and the work that they
[46:15.280 -> 46:25.960] did. He even thanked, did a shout out to George for doing a mega job, his words. Go, yeah.
[46:28.400 -> 46:29.560] Mega job, mega job, guys. Gotta keep pushing.
[46:33.160 -> 46:38.160] All right, my P1 is the back and forth interaction
[46:38.360 -> 46:41.240] between Carlos and his race engineer,
[46:41.240 -> 46:43.440] where the team said that he should box
[46:43.440 -> 46:45.000] because his pace is degrading. And he's like, what are you talking about? My pace is great. And the team essentially that he should box because his pace is degrading.
[46:45.000 -> 46:46.700] And he's like, what are you talking about? My pace is great.
[46:46.700 -> 46:50.300] And the team essentially had to tell him, no, you are going too slow.
[46:54.500 -> 46:55.800] Although that felt...
[46:55.800 -> 47:04.500] It was such a fantastic back and forth, though.
[47:04.700 -> 47:05.800] He's like, what are you talking about?
[47:05.800 -> 47:06.680] My pace is great.
[47:06.680 -> 47:10.880] And the team was like, politely like, oh.
[47:10.880 -> 47:14.720] That's giving a lot of the vibes last week from Nico.
[47:14.720 -> 47:15.920] It was like, yeah, baby.
[47:15.920 -> 47:17.600] It was like, box, box, we have a puncture.
[47:17.600 -> 47:18.400] OK.
[47:18.400 -> 47:19.200] OK.
[47:19.200 -> 47:20.000] Oh.
[47:20.000 -> 47:20.800] Oh.
[47:20.800 -> 47:21.600] Oh.
[47:21.600 -> 47:22.400] Oh.
[47:22.400 -> 47:23.200] Oh.
[47:23.200 -> 47:24.000] Oh.
[47:24.000 -> 47:25.000] All right, what's your P1?
[47:25.000 -> 47:30.000] My P1 is potentially my favorite radio of the season.
[47:30.000 -> 47:46.360] It is post, I know, but as soon as I say it, you'll be like, yeah, this would be a Nicole favorite radio, but you'll also enjoy it because it is a post race radio from Lance Stroll. And it's commending him and all the work that he's doing and that next
[47:46.360 -> 47:51.080] and they're like next race, Canada, home race, something to look forward to. And his response
[47:51.080 -> 48:09.640] is, yeah, looking forward to maple syrup on my pancakes. And that is the real radio that exist and I laughed so hard. It was just so matter-of-fact like yeah looking
[48:09.640 -> 48:18.800] forward to maple syrup on my pancakes and just Canadian boy. I don't know how
[48:18.800 -> 48:25.400] people don't like Lance Stroll. I don't get it. I really don't. He does everything he does.
[48:25.400 -> 48:26.960] Well, speaking of Lance Stroll though,
[48:26.960 -> 48:31.320] I do have my favorite, one more podium of this weekend.
[48:31.320 -> 48:33.200] So I think it's worth going through,
[48:33.200 -> 48:36.800] which is things that were said
[48:36.800 -> 48:39.600] in either the press conference or the media pen
[48:40.760 -> 48:44.080] that just, I don't even know what the right adjective is,
[48:44.080 -> 48:45.820] but just things that I liked. Like things that just made me happy all weekend. I laughed, I don't even know what the right adjective is, but just things that I liked.
[48:45.820 -> 48:48.000] Like things that just made me happy all weekend.
[48:48.000 -> 48:51.640] I laughed, I watched the clip over, et cetera, et cetera.
[48:51.640 -> 48:53.600] Yeah, there was some good ones, I'm excited.
[48:53.600 -> 48:54.600] Honorable mention.
[48:55.920 -> 48:58.840] And it is the moment post-race
[48:58.840 -> 49:02.680] where they got Nico Rosberg to do the post-race interviews.
[49:02.680 -> 49:05.480] And Nico's about to say something additional to Louis,
[49:05.480 -> 49:08.480] and he just goes, thank you, goodbye, and walks away.
[49:08.480 -> 49:09.800] Nico getting cut off.
[49:14.280 -> 49:17.440] It was literally the cosmos aligned.
[49:17.440 -> 49:19.480] I couldn't, when I realized what was happening,
[49:19.480 -> 49:21.680] I cannot believe we have gone through this whole episode
[49:21.680 -> 49:23.680] and like haven't discussed this yet.
[49:23.680 -> 49:25.640] I was, it was was like I was watching
[49:26.280 -> 49:28.640] standing up and like staring at my screen of like
[49:29.360 -> 49:32.760] What and then he was like, thank you walk. Bye. Bye
[49:34.120 -> 49:35.360] I rewatched it
[49:35.360 -> 49:37.900] I can't figure out what Nico was going to say
[49:38.000 -> 49:44.440] But whatever it was Louis identified that it wasn't going to just be the professional interview and he said nope. Goodbye
[49:42.800 -> 49:45.060] that it wasn't going to just be the professional interview and he said, nope, goodbye.
[49:46.520 -> 49:48.040] Incredible.
[49:48.040 -> 49:50.040] And that's just my honorable mention.
[49:50.040 -> 49:51.720] I know, oh my gosh.
[49:52.840 -> 49:57.840] Okay, so P3 is Lance after the race
[50:01.400 -> 50:07.840] when he was asked about Fernando Alonso's in-race interview and he just gave the most
[50:07.840 -> 50:12.680] annoyed stare I've ever seen him give to a reporter and just said, I don't know, he's
[50:12.680 -> 50:16.000] over there, go ask him. Incredible.
[50:16.000 -> 50:17.000] Iconic.
[50:17.000 -> 50:28.080] Yv2 is the moment in the media pen where Lance and Esteban like say hi to each other and
[50:28.080 -> 50:29.720] like congratulate each other on the race.
[50:29.720 -> 50:32.880] He walks over to the interviewer and the interviewer goes, what's that about?
[50:32.880 -> 50:35.760] He goes, I don't know, we're friends?
[50:35.760 -> 50:40.080] Like, he just the disbelief that ran over this man's face.
[50:40.080 -> 50:43.680] And he just said, I was saying hi to my friend.
[50:43.680 -> 50:46.040] And I I've watched that clip so many times.
[50:46.040 -> 50:48.160] It's incredible.
[50:48.160 -> 50:49.040] What was that about?
[50:49.040 -> 50:50.000] Yeah, yeah.
[50:50.000 -> 50:51.280] Again, he's just like, we're friends.
[50:51.280 -> 50:51.600] Bye.
[50:51.600 -> 50:52.040] Next.
[50:52.040 -> 50:52.720] What do you want?
[50:52.720 -> 50:53.280] Saying hi.
[50:53.280 -> 50:54.640] Yeah.
[50:54.640 -> 50:56.360] Is this just a Lance podium?
[50:56.360 -> 50:58.400] No, because P1 is Lewis.
[50:58.400 -> 50:59.600] OK.
[50:59.600 -> 51:01.960] So I guess it's a Lewis and Lance podium, which
[51:01.960 -> 51:03.880] I just needed a Carlos, and then it would be.
[51:03.880 -> 51:04.600] But you know what?
[51:04.600 -> 51:08.560] These are things that happened in media situations that I enjoyed this weekend.
[51:08.560 -> 51:14.560] That's essentially what this podium was. It was when Lewis in the post race interview
[51:14.560 -> 51:16.720] used the phrase next year.
[51:16.720 -> 51:27.000] Give us a contract, announce it now.
[51:27.000 -> 51:28.000] Thank you.
[51:28.000 -> 51:29.000] There's a future.
[51:29.000 -> 51:30.000] He said it.
[51:30.000 -> 51:34.000] He said next year, even though there's no official answer, but he said that.
[51:34.000 -> 51:35.000] Right.
[51:35.000 -> 51:40.000] And him and Toto all weekend were just like, yep, we just need to sit down and do it.
[51:40.000 -> 51:47.880] But for my personal sanity, can you just announce it tomorrow or the day after that or at least
[51:47.880 -> 51:49.520] before Canada starts?
[51:49.520 -> 51:55.960] I just, like, I know it's going to happen, but please, please, thank you.
[51:55.960 -> 51:58.420] Hi Louis and Toto.
[51:58.420 -> 52:08.280] My birthday is June 15th, happens to be a Thursday. Sounds like a great media day to give me a gift
[52:08.280 -> 52:11.200] and announce the contract extension.
[52:11.200 -> 52:12.640] Thank you.
[52:12.640 -> 52:14.480] It's not my birthday, but please.
[52:14.480 -> 52:19.480] Welcome back to Yellow Sector Notes,
[52:19.520 -> 52:21.320] not the fastest walk around F1,
[52:21.320 -> 52:24.600] but we will complete a full lap around the F1 paddock,
[52:24.600 -> 52:29.780] hitting every F1 garage, because there's interesting stories up and down the grid.
[52:29.780 -> 52:34.940] Starting with the story with F1 this week, Bridgestone has officially applied to be the
[52:34.940 -> 52:39.860] official tire provider of F1, so they are going head-to-head in their application with
[52:39.860 -> 52:43.960] Pirelli's application to stay on as the tire provider.
[52:43.960 -> 52:45.400] So will they beIA switch up?
[52:45.400 -> 52:49.000] We know that Bridgestone has at least applied to do that.
[52:50.480 -> 52:51.960] On to Red Bull, Christian Horner
[52:51.960 -> 52:53.780] is very worried about Mercedes.
[52:55.400 -> 52:58.360] Carlos and Charles both did a day of tire testing
[52:58.360 -> 53:00.540] this week in Barcelona to help Pirelli prep
[53:00.540 -> 53:02.320] for the new tires that are gonna be introduced
[53:02.320 -> 53:03.840] at the British GP.
[53:03.840 -> 53:09.120] George Russell and Mick Schumacher also did a day each of tire testing this week in Barcelona for the same reason.
[53:09.120 -> 53:16.560] I will note that it's Mick's first time in the W14. I'm realizing right now in this recording
[53:16.560 -> 53:20.880] that I forgot to write out my note for Alpine, so I'm actually going to throw it to Nicole because
[53:20.880 -> 53:31.680] she's probably going to remember what it was. Yeah, so Alcoon this weekend actually they found a fan who was celebrating his birthday at the race and they
[53:31.680 -> 53:35.600] brought him in, they gave him VIP paddock passes and like brought him into the garage and got to
[53:35.600 -> 53:39.440] do a whole bunch of cool stuff. There's an adorable wholesome video on their socials,
[53:39.440 -> 53:45.220] definitely go check it out. Thank you Nicole for coming in clutch, both with finding that yellow sector note
[53:45.220 -> 53:46.400] and then saying it on the pod,
[53:46.400 -> 53:48.060] because I forgot to write it out.
[53:49.500 -> 53:51.520] Autosport is reporting that Aston Martin
[53:51.520 -> 53:53.560] is really surprised by Mercedes pace
[53:53.560 -> 53:55.940] in Barcelona this past week.
[53:55.940 -> 53:59.120] Gunther Steiner was reprimanded by the FIA
[53:59.120 -> 54:00.800] for criticizing the FIA.
[54:00.800 -> 54:02.280] I think he hurt their feelings,
[54:02.280 -> 54:04.360] but really all he said was that the steward
[54:04.360 -> 54:07.040] should be paid for their work.
[54:07.040 -> 54:09.440] Like most people should do.
[54:09.440 -> 54:12.680] When you're putting in work, you should get paid for it.
[54:12.680 -> 54:20.560] So moving on, join me in collectively mourning the end of McLaren's Triple Crown livery.
[54:20.560 -> 54:26.460] It was so much better than their livery they've been running for the rest of the year. Maybe they won't get rid of it.
[54:28.700 -> 54:30.700] Thank you for your moment of silence.
[54:33.060 -> 54:38.260] Williams, remember to vote for the Williams Special Gulf Livery for the Singapore GP.
[54:38.420 -> 54:41.200] It's currently in round two. Please vote for Heritage.
[54:41.900 -> 54:44.560] Vote for Visionary. It's more fun.
[54:50.840 -> 54:56.360] Heritage, Heritage, heritage. And last but not least, the Alfa Romeo F1 car was in the presentation this week that
[54:56.360 -> 55:04.520] introduced Apple's new augmented reality headset. They showed the fact that you could do design
[55:04.520 -> 55:07.000] meetings in augmented reality and see flow
[55:07.000 -> 55:08.000] going for the car.
[55:08.000 -> 55:12.000] But it was really cool to see an F1 car appear in such a big presentation.
[55:12.000 -> 55:13.000] That's it.
[55:13.000 -> 55:16.000] That's the grid walk for June 8th, 2023 completed.
[55:16.000 -> 55:19.000] How was my sector time today, Nicole?
[55:19.000 -> 55:26.240] Definitely faster than I was able to pop that bottle of champagne at the start of the episode. I'm not a hundred percent sure,
[55:26.240 -> 55:27.840] considering I, you know,
[55:27.840 -> 55:30.520] I think I hit a gravel trap in the middle there
[55:30.520 -> 55:31.740] with the LP note.
[55:33.160 -> 55:35.340] And I hit a gravel trap,
[55:35.340 -> 55:36.840] literally out of fear,
[55:36.840 -> 55:38.440] opening the bottle of champagne.
[55:39.320 -> 55:41.360] If you are not watching on YouTube,
[55:41.360 -> 55:43.800] that is your call to go over and do that.
[55:43.800 -> 55:45.200] This is your week to do it. You're
[55:45.200 -> 55:51.360] really missing out on some fun. So thank you to everyone watching on YouTube. Thank you to
[55:51.360 -> 55:58.480] VoiceOverMan. Thank you Shakira. Thank you to our four-legged executive producers. Make sure you
[55:58.480 -> 56:03.680] have auto downloads turn on. Take two seconds to rate and review the pod. Those two seconds will
[56:03.680 -> 56:06.280] literally make our entire year.
[56:06.280 -> 56:07.580] It'll really help us out,
[56:07.580 -> 56:09.800] especially if you're listening on Apple Podcasts,
[56:09.800 -> 56:11.180] that really pretty purple app
[56:11.180 -> 56:13.160] that matches our pretty purple hats.
[56:13.160 -> 56:14.560] Take two seconds, leave us a review,
[56:14.560 -> 56:15.800] let us know what you like about the show.
[56:15.800 -> 56:17.320] Let us know if there's something that you'd like to try out.
[56:17.320 -> 56:19.640] Maybe there's a driver that you'd like to see us
[56:19.640 -> 56:21.400] do some red flag for.
[56:21.400 -> 56:23.260] Pretty, pretty please, let us know.
[56:23.260 -> 56:25.520] Also, follow us on every
[56:25.520 -> 56:29.920] social media platform whatever you use at Gridwalk Show for daily gridwalks and
[56:29.920 -> 56:34.840] we will be back every Thursday and we sincerely hope that you join us. Today
[56:34.840 -> 56:39.680] for sure just felt like a grid celebration and not a gridwalk. As it
[56:39.680 -> 56:41.000] should be.
[56:41.000 -> None] Mercedes back!