Alonso Victory? 5 Things To Watch For - 2023 Bahrain GP Preview

Fernando Alons-ooooh! Will he take the top step of the podium this Sunday in the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix?

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil, @f1statsguru & Kunal preview the first race of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Five things to watch for:

1. 2023 cars - we will finally see them!


2. End of sandbagging


3. Fernando Alonso


4. Overtaking fest.


5. Race strategy

Tune in!

(Season 2023, Episode 8)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, Sundaram Ramaswami and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Aston Martin Formula One Team

## Inside Line F1 Podcast Episode 8: Pre-Season Analysis and Predictions for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix

### Key Points:

- The 2023 Formula 1 season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix, and there are five key aspects to watch for:
- The unveiling of the new 2023 cars.
- The end of sandbagging and the reveal of true car performance.
- Fernando Alonso's potential to make a significant impact.
- The anticipation of an overtaking fest due to the circuit's layout.
- The strategic considerations and tire degradation that will influence race strategy.


- Fernando Alonso's impressive performance in testing and practice has generated immense hype and speculation about his chances of winning the race.


- The drivers and teams will finally be able to showcase their true performance levels after the end of sandbagging, which is the practice of deliberately concealing car performance during testing.


- The race strategy will be crucial in determining the outcome, with tire degradation and pit stop strategy playing significant roles.


- The circuit layout in Bahrain is known for promoting overtaking opportunities, making it a potential "overtaking fest."


- There is a possibility of track limit violations, especially at Turn 4, which could impact the race outcome.


- The Bahrain Grand Prix has historically seen a high number of overtakes, making it an exciting race to watch.


- The reliability of the new cars and the potential for DNFs (did not finish) could also influence the race outcome.


- The teamwork and coordination between drivers and pit crews will be tested, especially for teams with new driver pairings.


- The safety car has been deployed in four out of the last five Bahrain Grands Prix, adding an element of unpredictability.


- Predictions for the race:
- Fernando Alonso is expected to perform well and potentially finish on the podium.
- Mercedes may face some disappointment due to their expected position behind Aston Martin.
- Yuki Tsunoda may struggle in his third season with Alpha Tauri, while Esteban Ocon and Oscar Piastri could have disappointing results.
- Max Verstappen is a strong contender for the race win.


- Special Announcement:
- A live F1 screening event called "Mission 33" will take place in Mumbai, India, on Sunday.
- The event will feature a live meet-up, racing simulators, quizzes, and a festive atmosphere.
- Tickets can be purchased through gigminks.com or the link provided in the episode description.

[00:00.000 -> 00:20.720] Okay, hang on a minute.
[00:20.720 -> 00:22.320] FP2 is just done.
[00:22.320 -> 00:27.200] This cannot be happening. This just cannot be happening.
[00:27.200 -> 00:32.200] If on Sunday, Fernando Alonso ends up winning, I know for a fact that F1 Stats Guru will
[00:32.200 -> 00:37.160] take a week-long holiday, and I'll be hosting an episode pretending to be Fernando Alonso.
[00:37.160 -> 00:42.900] The entirety of Spain will be shut down and yes, in the upcoming El Clasico, Real Madrid
[00:42.900 -> 00:46.240] are going to give Alonso a guard of honor.
[00:46.240 -> 00:48.360] It's happened at last seemingly.
[00:48.360 -> 00:52.040] Fernando Alonso has taken a right career decision.
[00:52.040 -> 00:53.040] What's next?
[00:53.040 -> 00:54.920] Will Michael Massey return to Formula 1?
[00:54.920 -> 00:56.520] Will Ferrari win a title?
[00:56.520 -> 00:58.640] Will Mika Hakkinen end his F1 sabbatical?
[00:58.640 -> 01:01.720] And are dinosaurs going to come back to earth?
[01:01.720 -> 01:03.200] This cannot happen.
[01:03.200 -> 01:04.440] I don't believe it.
[01:04.440 -> 01:06.920] But this is exactly what we're going
[01:06.920 -> 01:09.000] to be discussing on the Inside Line F1 podcast.
[01:09.000 -> 01:12.120] Just what are we going to do when Fernando Alonso wins
[01:12.120 -> 01:13.080] the Bahrain Grand Prix?
[01:13.080 -> 01:16.080] Because trust me, it is going to happen.
[01:16.080 -> 01:17.580] Welcome along, ladies and gentlemen,
[01:17.580 -> 01:19.760] to the Fernando Alonso Hype Train podcast,
[01:19.760 -> 01:23.200] also sometimes known as the Inside Line F1 podcast.
[01:23.200 -> 01:24.560] My name is Somal Arora.
[01:24.560 -> 01:25.600] I'm the host of the Indian
[01:25.600 -> 01:31.680] Racing League broadcasts on Star Sports and also of course I'll be joined by F1 stats guru who's
[01:31.680 -> 01:37.840] probably probably crying and shedding so many tears on Sunday and Kunal Shah who, correct me if
[01:37.840 -> 01:42.960] I'm wrong Kunal, you were a Michael fan all the way through but was there ever a soft spot for
[01:42.960 -> 01:47.480] Fernando Alonso and you'll have to say. You cannot say no at this point in time.
[01:47.480 -> 01:49.440] Thank you for that introduction.
[01:49.440 -> 01:50.600] Great to see everybody.
[01:50.600 -> 01:54.520] We are doing this first preview episode of the season.
[01:54.520 -> 01:56.480] Was I ever a Fernando Alonso fan?
[01:56.480 -> 02:04.720] Not in 2005, not in 2006, not in 2007, pretty much not in 2009.
[02:04.720 -> 02:07.960] But from 2010, when he moved to Ferrari,
[02:07.960 -> 02:10.840] and you could see just how hard he was trying.
[02:10.840 -> 02:13.640] You know, you could see, you know, that famous meme,
[02:13.640 -> 02:15.000] I think it was from 2012,
[02:15.000 -> 02:16.840] when he just about lost the championship
[02:16.840 -> 02:19.600] at the last race with some two, three points,
[02:19.600 -> 02:21.000] it's sheer disbelief.
[02:21.000 -> 02:23.640] And that's when, of course, I also grew older
[02:23.640 -> 02:26.320] and you start realizing human
[02:26.320 -> 02:31.600] perseverance, you know, realize human determination and you could see that in his eyes like oh my god
[02:31.600 -> 02:38.480] what do I need to do to win I was so close and you know so many you know there have been goodbyes
[02:38.480 -> 02:42.800] written to Fernando when he retired the first time everybody said he could have been a five
[02:42.800 -> 02:49.240] times world champion had eight points or 12 points know, moved one way or the other and various things. But
[02:49.240 -> 02:55.080] are we hyping up Fernando Alonso? Obviously, yes. Are Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and
[02:55.080 -> 03:02.280] Aston Martin hyping themselves up this weekend and hence hyping us up? Obviously, yes. I
[03:02.280 -> 03:09.200] mean, FP1, he was right up there. FP2 he was leading and I know F1 stats
[03:09.200 -> 03:15.520] guru was like the first one to throw out a stat about a driver leading FP2 and what happens hence
[03:15.520 -> 03:23.120] but it is actually best heard from Mr. F1 stats guru himself. We will get to that in one second
[03:23.120 -> 03:26.960] but what is absolutely amazing in my mind is that yes,
[03:26.960 -> 03:31.600] most people will look back at FP2 and be like, oh, it's just a practice session. But it isn't,
[03:31.600 -> 03:36.400] Sundaram, because when we all had the drivers going out there for their qualifying runs,
[03:36.400 -> 03:42.720] Alonso topped it on merit. It's not like Vistapen did a slow lap or anything. Fernando Alonso
[03:42.720 -> 03:49.760] topped it on merit. And it's not just an Alonso thing Lance Stroll with a seemingly half broken hand where he literally has to put his left hand
[03:49.760 -> 03:55.360] underneath this steering wheel and push it with his palm for extreme right hand turns he's sixth
[03:55.360 -> 04:02.560] only what half a second away this is real oh absolutely it it does look real and i think
[04:02.560 -> 04:09.920] people were really waiting to see Lance Stroll in the other car and see how quick he goes to kind of determine is this the
[04:09.920 -> 04:14.440] Fernando Alonso effect? The other Fernando Alonso effect I mean not the
[04:14.440 -> 04:18.120] one where he leaves a team and the team actually goes on and does better the
[04:18.120 -> 04:21.520] next year. I'm talking about the other Alonso effect where he kind of extracts
[04:21.520 -> 04:28.280] as much as possible down to the very last bit. And people here, people who are kind of waiting to see how Lance Stroll performs.
[04:28.280 -> 04:29.720] And it is very surprising.
[04:29.720 -> 04:34.280] A guy who's actually broken his wrists a couple of days ago.
[04:34.280 -> 04:39.440] He is half a second or less than a second slower than Alonso, especially when he's not
[04:39.440 -> 04:41.080] had any preseason test.
[04:41.080 -> 04:43.760] I mean, he's not had any preseason running as well.
[04:43.760 -> 05:05.520] So with as many as I think 30 to 40 laps up Lance Stroll or Fernando Alonso. improvement. The big question is how far up ahead in the pecking order are they?
[05:06.200 -> 05:09.320] I don't know if you were hyping up Lance Stroll or Fernando Alonso.
[05:09.360 -> 05:12.120] The truth is one of the things we're looking forward to this weekend,
[05:12.120 -> 05:16.040] five things to look forward to plus Fernando Alonso or including Fernando Alonso.
[05:16.440 -> 05:20.640] And the stat that I was referring to where you, you know, F1 stats guru said,
[05:20.960 -> 05:26.840] a driver who has topped FP2 at race one of the season actually goes on to
[05:26.840 -> 05:32.800] win the title that season. To me, that itself is bigger hype than ever before. I mean, can
[05:32.800 -> 05:41.760] we imagine Alonso versus Verstappen for the 2023 Drivers' Championship? It would be absolutely
[05:41.760 -> 05:45.200] iconic, right? But let's put things in perspective.
[05:45.200 -> 05:50.120] Sam Collins, very, very respected F1 Tech talk host,
[05:50.120 -> 05:52.280] who by the way, his co-host Craig Scarborough
[05:52.280 -> 05:57.000] or Scarbstack was on our podcast just earlier in the week.
[05:57.000 -> 06:01.520] So Sam Collins said that Aston are carrying
[06:01.520 -> 06:04.320] little less fuel than Red Bull Racing.
[06:04.320 -> 06:07.120] He said something like nine or 10 kilograms of fuel.
[06:07.120 -> 06:10.400] So fuel loads are not known.
[06:10.400 -> 06:13.320] Power unit modes for push laps are not known.
[06:13.320 -> 06:17.480] I can just hope that in qualifying tomorrow,
[06:17.480 -> 06:21.000] when Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes turn up the wick
[06:21.000 -> 06:30.180] and drive their cars in anger, and they are still as quick. Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin also have reserves to pull performance
[06:30.180 -> 06:35.220] out from because we don't want to be sitting here on Sunday or Monday you
[06:35.220 -> 06:39.560] know laughing and saying oh my god look what a joke just for 10 days of a hype
[06:39.560 -> 06:43.280] they actually went and did this to themselves but you never know I'm just
[06:43.280 -> 06:49.440] saying it up I mean you know Aston Martin has one of the biggest upgrades to their cars already, because
[06:50.240 -> 06:53.920] one of the second things to look forward to are these cars that we're now going to see this
[06:53.920 -> 07:01.040] weekend are the actual 2023 cars. Ones that we saw in testing were pretty much the baseline then,
[07:01.040 -> 07:05.800] but Haas and Aston Martin and, you know, Mercedes and McLaren,
[07:05.800 -> 07:08.540] they pretty much have come up with new cars altogether.
[07:08.540 -> 07:13.540] And this is now the new baseline of cars that we should look forward to and see
[07:13.540 -> 07:16.440] where the pecking order falls after qualifying.
[07:17.140 -> 07:17.880] Oh, absolutely.
[07:17.880 -> 07:22.080] And like we discussed during the pre-season episode, it was P for
[07:22.080 -> 07:23.940] piastri, P for pre-season.
[07:24.320 -> 07:25.960] So leading up to the first
[07:25.960 -> 07:30.240] phase I think it's going to be H for hype and the other number that I
[07:30.240 -> 07:34.160] actually want to associate with this for this whole season is the number two. If
[07:34.160 -> 07:37.440] you can actually have a season of two-time world champions pitting
[07:37.440 -> 07:41.360] against one another and giving us that sort of a season. But yeah on the point
[07:41.360 -> 07:46.080] of it being the 2023 cars that you can actually see in flesh That's actually right
[07:46.080 -> 07:50.800] because if you look at all the upgrades that teams have brought they've brought in a raft of
[07:51.000 -> 07:54.360] Upgrades and especially on that list Aston Martin again
[07:54.680 -> 07:58.040] probably how many did they bring 10 12 different upgrades and
[07:58.640 -> 08:02.680] It's actually crazy and I mean talking from Aston Martin's perspective
[08:02.680 -> 08:05.200] I think they've already done one thing that they actually wanted to
[08:05.560 -> 08:09.080] Build up this hype even if they don't have the pace in in Bahrain
[08:09.080 -> 08:12.360] They might go and say yeah, we had a little bit of an issue during the race
[08:12.360 -> 08:16.760] but still people will continue talking about them probably for the first few races and
[08:16.960 -> 08:21.520] I don't really remember the last time a midfield team was able to
[08:21.920 -> 08:25.080] Create this sort of a buzz ahead of the season.
[08:28.000 -> 08:28.040] And it's amazing all the attention, all the focus.
[08:32.480 -> 08:33.720] Everyone is talking about Alonso, about Aston Martin, but I am going to keep it to a very bare minimum.
[08:33.760 -> 08:37.440] I'm not going to be talking more about Alonso and I will do all my talking after
[08:37.520 -> 08:37.920] Sunday.
[08:38.520 -> 08:38.760] Okay.
[08:38.760 -> 08:42.840] Before we end Fernando Alonso and head elsewhere, two key points.
[08:42.840 -> 08:45.320] It's going to be almost nine years between race
[08:45.320 -> 08:48.760] wins if he does win this Sunday or the coming Sunday
[08:48.760 -> 08:50.240] or whatever.
[08:50.240 -> 08:51.920] Don't let out the stats.
[08:51.920 -> 08:53.080] Don't let out all the stats.
[08:53.080 -> 08:53.580] Yeah.
[08:53.580 -> 08:56.280] I know that.
[08:56.280 -> 08:59.200] And then the winner of the inaugural Grand Prix
[08:59.200 -> 09:02.920] has not gone on to win the World Championship for the last six
[09:02.920 -> 09:04.200] consecutive seasons.
[09:04.200 -> 09:07.480] So I think Fernando will be just happy with race wins,
[09:07.480 -> 09:08.640] much as everybody else.
[09:08.640 -> 09:11.440] And then if a title challenge does come up, he'll take it.
[09:11.440 -> 09:14.600] But on to 2023 cars, I mean, Soumil,
[09:14.600 -> 09:18.880] you had very nicely pointed out that the Alpine was very stiff
[09:18.880 -> 09:20.000] during testing.
[09:20.000 -> 09:22.200] They've actually been trying out different setups
[09:22.200 -> 09:24.760] during free practices already.
[09:24.760 -> 09:27.160] The Haas seems to be bringing a lot of upgrades.
[09:27.160 -> 09:29.160] I mean, Alpine's upgrade sheet said,
[09:29.160 -> 09:32.360] all aerodynamic surfaces for A523,
[09:32.360 -> 09:33.700] which is the number of their car
[09:33.700 -> 09:35.840] or the name of the car, are different.
[09:35.840 -> 09:37.760] McLaren has just got so many upgrades.
[09:37.760 -> 09:41.320] So all 10 teams are teams to look forward to this weekend
[09:41.320 -> 09:44.440] because, you know, up until now, is it the fuel lords?
[09:44.440 -> 09:45.920] Is it, you know, the driver? Is the fuel lords is it you know the driver
[09:45.920 -> 09:51.280] is the driver pushing is the power unit pushing all of that but come qualifying the the bullshit
[09:51.280 -> 09:56.960] has to stop the unpredictability could literally go out of the window and there will be a pecking
[09:56.960 -> 10:03.200] order for us to speculate more from so that's one of the things i'm looking forward to. I mean to be
[10:03.200 -> 10:07.320] fair if you are Williams and Alpha Tauri all the other teams are teams that you look forward to because
[10:07.320 -> 10:11.160] they really seem to be struggling after the last couple of free practice
[10:11.160 -> 10:15.640] sessions and it's funny right because every single team at least most teams
[10:15.640 -> 10:19.040] have come out from preseason testing saying that hey we've had a great year
[10:19.040 -> 10:23.700] so far it's been amazing we've taken a big step forward and you can get a
[10:23.700 -> 10:25.280] decent idea of that from the practice
[10:25.280 -> 10:30.240] times as well it's the most relevant piece of data we have right now and there are most cars
[10:30.240 -> 10:35.280] within one second i think roughly around 10 or 12 so it's not bad the gap does seem to be shrunk
[10:35.280 -> 10:39.840] down which always happens in the second year of a new formula of cars if that really makes any sense
[10:39.840 -> 10:44.720] but what i'm actually interested to see is just where do all the other teams stack up because
[10:44.720 -> 10:46.420] even mercedes for that matter,
[10:46.420 -> 10:47.680] six tenths of a second away,
[10:47.680 -> 10:49.020] they roughly expected to be there,
[10:49.020 -> 10:50.320] but they didn't quite expect
[10:50.320 -> 10:51.840] Nassim Martin to make that jump.
[10:51.840 -> 10:54.600] They didn't expect a couple of Haas cars to be around there.
[10:54.600 -> 10:57.800] They didn't expect, let's say the likes of McLaren also,
[10:57.800 -> 10:59.360] just to be a couple of tenths here or there away.
[10:59.360 -> 11:01.080] So it's probably unpredictable.
[11:01.080 -> 11:02.960] And so we will finally understand
[11:02.960 -> 11:06.120] just where are the likes of Alpine, where are the likes
[11:06.120 -> 11:09.880] of Alfa Romeo and McLaren actually placed up in the order because at this moment in
[11:09.880 -> 11:12.120] time Sundaram, it's all jelly.
[11:12.120 -> 11:16.360] There's Red Bull, I think we can comfortably put them at the top even though, yes, Alonso
[11:16.360 -> 11:17.520] has stopped a couple of runs.
[11:17.520 -> 11:21.360] We know that in terms of timings, Red Bull have an ace up their sleeve with few loads,
[11:21.360 -> 11:23.400] engine modes and just Max Verstappen as well.
[11:23.400 -> 11:25.000] So we know there's Red Bull at the top.
[11:25.000 -> 11:27.000] We know there's Williams and Al Fatauri at the bottom.
[11:27.000 -> 11:29.000] But everything in the middle is just jelly.
[11:30.000 -> 11:31.000] Oh yes, oh exactly.
[11:31.000 -> 11:34.000] And this is what the first round of the season tends to do.
[11:34.000 -> 11:36.000] It tends to throw quite a few surprises.
[11:36.000 -> 11:41.000] I mean, for example, Free Practice won last year for the season opener.
[11:41.000 -> 11:44.000] It was actually Pierre Gasly who was the table topper.
[11:44.000 -> 11:45.600] And he didn't go
[11:45.600 -> 11:51.120] on to win a race, he didn't go on to take pole position last year. So you kind of see these few
[11:51.760 -> 11:59.280] unpredictable kind of scenarios during the first race of the season and yes the likes of McLaren
[11:59.280 -> 12:03.600] and then the likes of Mercedes, you'd probably, I mean especially Mercedes, you'd probably expect
[12:03.600 -> 12:11.640] them to turn things up during qualifying and and probably finish in the top six or so. And yeah, that's how
[12:11.640 -> 12:15.600] it's going to be. I think we'll probably get to see how it actually looks like tomorrow
[12:15.600 -> 12:19.400] and in the coming days. So, yeah, let's see how it goes.
[12:19.400 -> 12:24.640] Fernando Alonso also said that his Aston Martin car will look two thirds different as the
[12:24.640 -> 12:25.520] season progresses. I think it looks two thirds different as the season progresses.
[12:25.520 -> 12:31.440] I think it looks two thirds different already at the first race of the season. But again,
[12:31.440 -> 12:35.520] you know, Samuel, you're indicating end of sandbagging. That's what's going to happen.
[12:35.520 -> 12:41.820] What I'm actually eager to see is, you know, will the Red Bull actually suit Max Verstappen
[12:41.820 -> 12:49.580] and Checo Perez equally? Because that's the statement the team has come out to make right that our car will suit both our drivers better and if
[12:49.580 -> 12:52.820] that happens will Perez be closer could he be in the fight I mean at this
[12:52.820 -> 12:56.540] moment Logan Sargent could be in the fight for the title right that's how the
[12:56.540 -> 13:02.980] hype train works so I'm excited to see how that happens and talking specifically
[13:02.980 -> 13:05.120] about Bahrain a lot of drivers have said Bahrain
[13:05.120 -> 13:11.600] is an outlier. The result of Bahrain will not reflect the pecking order for the 2023 season.
[13:11.600 -> 13:16.880] Sundaram, you pointed out to that about Pierre Gasly as well. So again, I'm eager to see what
[13:16.880 -> 13:22.880] Bahrain throws up for us and how much of Bahrain actually then remains a standard for the season
[13:22.880 -> 13:25.040] to follow. No, I agree.
[13:25.040 -> 13:26.800] We often do tend to see big shakeups.
[13:26.800 -> 13:28.320] Like I remember Haas last year being
[13:28.320 -> 13:31.480] B5 at the very, very start and then disappearing
[13:31.480 -> 13:32.840] for a big chunk as well.
[13:32.840 -> 13:35.480] So Bahrain definitely stands out in that regard
[13:35.480 -> 13:36.900] and also in terms of good racing,
[13:36.900 -> 13:39.880] because we saw an amazing race in the first race at Bahrain
[13:39.880 -> 13:41.480] and then there were many other races
[13:41.480 -> 13:43.360] where the cars weren't able to follow as well.
[13:43.360 -> 13:45.320] So I'm keen to see that.
[13:45.320 -> 13:49.280] Do the have the engineers, of course, with their own tricks and tips
[13:49.280 -> 13:52.840] to make sure that the cars create as much dirtier as possible in order
[13:52.840 -> 13:54.080] to maximize their performance.
[13:54.080 -> 13:56.120] Have the cars still got it in them to follow?
[13:56.120 -> 13:58.040] And also, track limits.
[13:58.040 -> 14:01.800] Remember 2021, Hamilton versus Verstappen going on the outside?
[14:01.800 -> 14:04.040] We haven't heard much chatter about track limits,
[14:04.040 -> 14:05.440] I think, since Austria or France chatter about track limits I think since
[14:10.160 -> 14:16.640] Austria or France last year but I think if there's any place where it pops up it is Bahrain because battling is possible here Kunal. It is, it's actually an overtaking fest most of the times
[14:16.640 -> 14:22.240] and I love the fact that there is turn ones and you know turns one and four immediately where you
[14:22.240 -> 14:30.720] can attack and then re-attack or defend and And both of them are DRS enabled. And like you rightly pointed out, Somil, that, you know, the
[14:30.720 -> 14:37.440] turn four track limits where, you know, as we remember, Verstappen overtook Hamilton, but was
[14:37.440 -> 14:42.400] controversially all four wheels of track or something or the other. Track limits came into
[14:42.400 -> 14:49.520] play and he had to give the win back to Lewis Hamilton. I mean, you know, if there are multiple teams battling, including Fernando
[14:49.520 -> 14:55.640] Alonso, who is a very tough cookie, including Max Verstappen, who is also a very tough cookie
[14:55.640 -> 15:00.860] to complete drivers. Could track limits, will track limits come into play? And I know Sundaram,
[15:00.860 -> 15:07.040] you maintain this very interesting table, most engaging table of the number of
[15:07.040 -> 15:12.480] overtakes at each circuit. And where does Bahrain lie? If I remember correctly, it lies on the top
[15:12.480 -> 15:18.720] end of the table with a lot of overtakes possible. Yeah, if you talk about the last year in specific,
[15:18.720 -> 15:27.120] Bahrain was number three in terms of overtakes, just behind Interlagos and Kota but looking at probably the last six,
[15:27.120 -> 15:32.640] seven years or considering the whole of the hybrid era, Bahrain ranks right up there as one of
[15:33.200 -> 15:37.680] those circuits that you see the most number of overtakes and that's how it is. There are just
[15:37.680 -> 15:42.720] way too many straights over here then there are so many opportunities for you to gain a place
[15:42.720 -> 15:47.840] and it's probably going to be one of those races. Another thing that could also happen is since like I mentioned
[15:47.840 -> 15:53.000] it's early in the season there could be quite a few shakeups. DNFs also are a bit
[15:53.000 -> 15:56.800] of a possibility. The last couple of races in Bahrain have seen
[15:56.800 -> 16:01.840] three to four different retirements which will also led to the likes of
[16:01.840 -> 16:05.320] Yuki Tsunoda, Joe Quan Yu scoring points on the debut not saying
[16:05.320 -> 16:08.440] that they wouldn't have done it without the DNFs but I'm saying that that could
[16:08.440 -> 16:11.960] also be a problem in the first race of the season a few teething issues here
[16:11.960 -> 16:15.520] and there in terms of reliability so I don't think so it's going to be a very
[16:15.520 -> 16:18.840] straightforward race there's going to be a lot of action on Sunday. Very
[16:18.840 -> 16:21.720] interesting you mentioned about rookies because we have three rookies and a
[16:21.720 -> 16:25.000] returning 35 year old experienced driver in Nico Halkenberg,
[16:25.000 -> 16:29.000] all wanting to prove a point and score a point or more.
[16:29.000 -> 16:34.000] And I believe there are six teams where the drivers have never worked with each other.
[16:34.000 -> 16:38.000] So teamwork will be at play on track in the cockpit,
[16:38.000 -> 16:41.000] even in the pit lane, on the pit wall, in the pit boxes,
[16:41.000 -> 16:47.040] because Bahrain is very high on tire degradation. It's normally a two-stopper.
[16:47.680 -> 16:52.400] Pirelli have of course brought new tires so we'll see how they perform in race conditions as well.
[16:52.400 -> 17:01.280] The undercut is extremely powerful, has won races in Bahrain before and Ferrari as we know has a new
[17:01.280 -> 17:06.760] chief of strategy, an Indian-born Englishman called Raveen Jain. Ferrari strategy
[17:06.760 -> 17:12.160] is always either the talk of the town or the joke of the town, depending which side of
[17:12.160 -> 17:17.380] the fence you sit on when it comes to being a Ferrari fan. And again, bringing Aston Martin
[17:17.380 -> 17:23.200] into conversation, they haven't really been fighting at the top. But if the car genuinely
[17:23.200 -> 17:27.960] is there fighting at the top, their pit wall, their strategy engineers
[17:27.960 -> 17:29.240] will be tested as well.
[17:29.240 -> 17:30.800] So that's one thing.
[17:30.800 -> 17:33.040] Another thing I'm sort of looking forward to,
[17:33.040 -> 17:35.480] four out of the last five races at Bahrain
[17:35.480 -> 17:36.640] have featured a safety car.
[17:36.640 -> 17:39.480] So again, something more in the mix.
[17:39.480 -> 17:42.240] Even though it's a long delta, when
[17:42.240 -> 17:44.200] it comes to taking a pit stop, two stoppers
[17:44.200 -> 17:45.520] are always preferred. So
[17:46.080 -> 17:53.120] lots of elements will be at play this weekend and you know, pretty much everything or something for
[17:53.120 -> 17:57.840] everyone, I would say. Just going back a little bit on the point of rookies, something just
[17:57.840 -> 18:03.360] sprung up in my head right now is the fact that Nick DeVries is actually starring in his first
[18:03.360 -> 18:05.840] full season as a rookie and he's actually
[18:05.840 -> 18:12.240] 28 years old and right now I really can't think of the last time a driver that old was just entering
[18:12.240 -> 18:16.800] his rookie season. I think I have a little bit of homework to do after this recording but yeah
[18:16.800 -> 18:22.000] maybe let's do let's do predictions let's try and see what what we can predict for the upcoming race
[18:22.000 -> 18:28.720] Samuel. Oh yeah oh yeah we're not going to go for who's going to be the winner because it's obviously going to be Fernando Alonso. No, but
[18:28.720 -> 18:35.120] jokes aside, I am fearful if we're actually going to get a race because as much as I'd love to be on
[18:35.120 -> 18:41.440] the Aston Martin hype train and I am probably at the start of it, we haven't seen the best of Red
[18:41.440 -> 18:46.600] Bull in the long runs. And so we should just leave that one prediction aside
[18:46.600 -> 18:49.000] because we just don't know what's going to happen over there.
[18:49.000 -> 18:52.400] We can probably predict Alonso being somewhere around the podium.
[18:52.400 -> 18:58.000] But what I want you guys to predict this time is what's going to be your biggest.
[18:58.000 -> 19:02.000] I think the team or the driver you expect the most disappointing result from.
[19:02.000 -> 19:05.760] For me, it's going to be Mercedes because I expect to be
[19:05.760 -> 19:09.760] expected them to be somewhere near P3. I think they're going to be from the looks of the long
[19:09.760 -> 19:15.040] run based on anything like that somewhere behind Aston Martin dropping down to P4. But what do you
[19:15.040 -> 19:19.120] think is the most disappointing result of the weekend going to be for you guys starting with
[19:19.120 -> 19:26.960] you Kunal? Wow, okay. I have a feeling it is going to be Mercedes.
[19:26.960 -> 19:31.640] I have a feeling that they have a strong baseline, which they will develop through the year,
[19:31.640 -> 19:38.000] which means if the first few races don't really give them blockbuster results, so be it.
[19:38.000 -> 19:42.560] And I believe the other disappointment, and I'm glad we don't really have that much of
[19:42.560 -> 19:46.200] an audience in Japan since we don't speak this podcast in Japanese.
[19:46.200 -> 19:48.000] But I think it's going to be Yuki Tsunoda.
[19:48.000 -> 19:51.680] I mean, third season, Alpha Tauri, Franz Stoss really wanted him.
[19:51.680 -> 19:52.480] They've gotten him.
[19:52.480 -> 20:00.560] But, you know, Nick DeVries is going to really hammer and tongs, go hammer and tongs this weekend, from this weekend itself.
[20:00.560 -> 20:05.760] But talking of qualifying, three different drivers have held pole in the last three years,
[20:05.760 -> 20:11.280] so I'm excited to see if there's a fourth that could happen. Could it be Fernando Alonso? I
[20:11.280 -> 20:16.880] don't know. Let's just add to the hype train. And I think it is going to be a Max Verstappen win
[20:16.880 -> 20:21.680] on Sunday. Either way, they've always never bothered about Saturday glory. They've made
[20:21.680 -> 20:26.720] sure they brought it home on Sunday. And since we are talking about the Fernando Alonso hype train,
[20:26.720 -> 20:31.360] his last win in Bahrain was in 2010.
[20:31.360 -> 20:35.840] That's 13 years ago.
[20:35.840 -> 20:38.520] And that was also his first race with the team
[20:38.520 -> 20:40.360] that he was representing at that time.
[20:40.360 -> 20:48.560] So this is his first race with Aston Martin and believe it or not, back in 2010
[20:48.560 -> 20:54.120] also there was a 7 time world champion at Mercedes and the same this time as well. But
[20:54.120 -> 20:58.480] yes, coming back to predictions and also mentioning, Kunal you mentioned there were 3 different
[20:58.480 -> 21:03.200] pole sitters in the last 3 years. Actually from 2016, not one driver has actually gone
[21:03.200 -> 21:10.140] on to take back to back poles in Bahrain. So the last one was Charles Leclerc in 2021 and if that pattern
[21:10.140 -> 21:15.280] continues it could be a Verstappen or a certain Spaniard. Yeah, I know I'm
[21:15.280 -> 21:20.220] talking about Carlos Sainz. But yeah, but coming back to my predictions, I think my
[21:20.220 -> 21:25.920] my disappointment would probably be Alpine or maybe Esteban Ocon in particular.
[21:27.040 -> 21:31.040] You would have probably expected them to be fighting for P4 but it doesn't really look
[21:31.040 -> 21:37.040] that like that's the case right now. So, I think one of the major disappointments would be Esteban
[21:37.040 -> 21:42.720] Ocon and maybe I'm just going a little bit bold, maybe Piastri does not score in his F1 debut.
[21:47.440 -> 21:54.160] Piazzi does not score in his F1 debut. I'm going to say Fernando Alonso's last pole position in Bahrain was 2005 and you know I was just going through the database that I track,
[21:54.160 -> 22:01.040] his lap time was 3 minutes 1.9 seconds and I thought maybe that was a typo and then I realized
[22:01.040 -> 22:07.120] that back in 2005 they used to have aggregate qualifying which was tested in qualifying
[22:07.120 -> 22:12.960] so the last time he actually took pole position he was ahead on aggregate times which was basically
[22:12.960 -> 22:19.520] q1 and q2 you add the times and then you see who's the fastest and that's how long ago so that's what
[22:19.520 -> 22:26.160] all that's like 21 years that he was last on poll here. My goodness.
[22:26.160 -> 22:30.440] You know, I actually was at that race in 2005.
[22:30.440 -> 22:33.120] I was a 15-year-old trying to understand
[22:33.120 -> 22:34.240] what the sport is all about.
[22:34.240 -> 22:37.680] And it turned out that Fernando Alonso actually won that race.
[22:37.680 -> 22:39.400] So my first ever race that I attended,
[22:39.400 -> 22:40.760] Fernando Alonso won that race.
[22:43.480 -> 22:44.800] So all coming together, guys.
[22:44.800 -> 22:47.280] It's all coming together guys it's all coming together L plan is
[22:47.280 -> 22:52.200] happening but well folks we just have to leave this episode with a special
[22:52.200 -> 22:56.360] announcement that if you are in Mumbai this Sunday we've got something special
[22:56.360 -> 23:01.200] for you that Kunal will reveal. No I'm gonna say it's no longer L plan it's
[23:01.200 -> 23:10.120] mission 33 that's what they're calling it. The Fernando Alonso fans, Pedro de la Rosa, Aston Martin, all of them.
[23:10.120 -> 23:12.920] Will it be Mission 33 this weekend?
[23:12.920 -> 23:15.440] And remember, 33 was also Max Wischtappen's number.
[23:15.440 -> 23:18.480] So it could very well be Mission 33 this Sunday.
[23:18.480 -> 23:21.080] But go on with your announcement, Samuel.
[23:21.080 -> 23:22.080] Indeed, yes.
[23:22.080 -> 23:28.120] That this Sunday, we are going to be a part of one of the biggest F1 screenings
[23:28.120 -> 23:29.720] out here in Mumbai.
[23:29.720 -> 23:34.640] It's going to be a part of the Supercar Club in Thane, where we are going to do another
[23:34.640 -> 23:38.760] live meet up with all of you to talk about the sport, to discuss the race.
[23:38.760 -> 23:40.880] And that happens before the GP.
[23:40.880 -> 23:44.040] There's also going to be lots of racing simulators over there.
[23:44.040 -> 23:45.040] Seemingly, if the word is
[23:45.040 -> 23:51.920] correct, a couple of, not a couple, but one Red Bull F1 show car is going to be lots of quizzes
[23:51.920 -> 23:56.400] hosted, of course, by F1 Stats Guru, lots of alcohol and drinks as well, and just a proper
[23:56.400 -> 24:00.560] party atmosphere. So if you are in Mumbai on Sunday, and are looking for a place to watch
[24:00.560 -> 24:08.520] the Formula One, we're going to be there at the Supercar Club. Check out gigminks.com or the link in the description to buy your tickets. But frankly, that's going
[24:08.520 -> 24:13.000] to be amazing, just as amazing as watching Fernando Alonso win this weekend. So folks,
[24:13.000 -> 24:19.320] we'll be back with the race review on Sunday where we celebrate El Plano Mission 33 coming
[24:19.320 -> None] together at the end. See you folks. Hope you enjoy this episode. Bye bye, have a good time. you