Best & Weird F1 2023 Stats

How will one remember the 2023 Formula 1 season? We suspect that it will be more about the stats than the competition itself - that's for Formula 1, the category that Max Verstappen competed in.

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If you're the type who participates in Formula 1 quizzes, the stats from the 2023 Formula 1 season could either be very easy (which driver won most races?) or very weird (which driver has led more laps in Abu Dhabi than Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc combined?). 

This is why Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah recorded the best and weird stats from the 2023 Formula 1 season for the Inside Line F1 Podcast.

It's off-season for Formula 1 but we've got tons of content lined up, including an interview with Otmar Szafnauer. Look out for our specials, subscribe, tune in and of course, review and recommend us.

(Season 2023, Episode 65)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Mercedes

* **Max Verstappen's Dominance:**

* 19 wins in a 22-race season, the most in F1 history.
* 1000 laps led, the first driver to achieve this in a single season.
* Only one race (Singapore GP) where he finished off the podium.
* Completed all races, the only driver to do so in 2023.

* **Close Competition in Formula 1.5:**

* Seven different race winners after the mid-season break in 11 races, excluding Verstappen.
* Constructors' Championship decided by just 3 points between Ferrari and Mercedes.
* Intense battle for P4 in the Drivers' Championship, with Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, and Lando Norris all in contention.

* **McLaren's Resurgence:**

* Scored 302 points after the Austrian GP upgrade, compared to just 17 points before.
* Finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, ahead of Aston Martin and Alpine.

* **Mercedes' Unique Runner-Up Finish:**

* Finished second in the Constructors' Championship without winning a single race.
* Third team in F1 history to achieve this, after BAR Honda (2004) and BMW Sauber (2007).

* **Sergio Perez's Underwhelming Season:**

* Scored only 34% of Red Bull's total points, compared to Verstappen's 66%.
* Despite finishing second in the Drivers' Championship, his performance was overshadowed by Verstappen's dominance. **Inside Line F1 Podcast: Episode 65 - Best and Weird Stats from the 2023 Formula 1 Season**

The Inside Line F1 Podcast delves into the captivating world of Formula 1, exploring the remarkable statistics and unusual occurrences that defined the 2023 season. Hosts Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru, and Kunal Shah engage in lively discussions, sharing insights and perspectives on the sport's most intriguing aspects.

**Key Points:**

* **Sergio Perez's Points Tally:** Sergio Perez's tally of 285 points in the 2023 season stands as the second-lowest points total for a runner-up in the hybrid era, highlighting his underwhelming performance despite having the fastest car on the grid.

* **Red Bull's Dominance and Lack of Front Row Lockouts:** Despite Red Bull's dominance in 2023, they managed only one front row lockout and six race 1-2 finishes, significantly lower than Mercedes' achievements in previous seasons.

* **Oscar Piastri's Sprint Win:** Oscar Piastri secured one sprint win in his rookie season, joining an exclusive group of five drivers to have achieved sprint victories in Formula One history.

* **McLaren's Revival:** McLaren achieved a significant milestone by scoring over 300 points for the first time since 2012, marking a resurgence for the team.

* **Wild and Crazy Stats:** The 2023 season witnessed several unusual occurrences, including 1200 track limit investigations, 14 changes in final classification, and the infamous Las Vegas manhole cover incident that affected Ferrari's race.

* **Max Verstappen's Wins and Lewis Hamilton's Race Number:** An intriguing coincidence emerged as Max Verstappen's race wins in his last three championship-winning campaigns totaled 44, matching Lewis Hamilton's race number. Conversely, Hamilton's wins in his last three title-winning seasons amounted to 33, corresponding with Verstappen's previous race number.

**Overall Message:**

The 2023 Formula 1 season produced a plethora of memorable moments and intriguing statistics, showcasing the sport's unpredictable nature and captivating storylines. The Inside Line F1 Podcast captures the essence of these events, providing an entertaining and informative analysis for Formula One enthusiasts.

[00:00.000 -> 00:07.280] Before we begin, I wanted to give a huge shout out to the folks at Amazon Music for partnering
[00:07.280 -> 00:10.800] with us on this episode of the InsideLine F1 podcast.
[00:10.800 -> 00:12.500] But more on this later.
[00:12.500 -> 00:39.880] Right then, let's get right into today's episode. So then folks, Formula 1 is over and done with, so we can talk about all the other things
[00:39.880 -> 00:41.720] in life that don't really matter.
[00:41.720 -> 00:44.480] And the first thing of those is Math tests.
[00:44.480 -> 00:45.680] Sundaram, what's your
[00:45.680 -> 00:54.560] worst ever score in a math test? Be honest. I think that's going to be me scoring 59 in my 12th grade
[00:55.200 -> 00:59.920] doing chapters that probably never are of any use to me right now but yeah that's probably the
[00:59.920 -> 01:10.600] lowest I've got. Thankfully I've not flunked in maths, otherwise it would look very bad on me but yeah 59 in 12th grade. For me Kunal, the worst I ever got was a 35%. I failed the
[01:10.600 -> 01:15.120] test that day and part of the reason why is because I slept in the middle of a paper and
[01:15.120 -> 01:19.960] that tells you how much I love numbers. But what about you? You know, now I'm in a bit
[01:19.960 -> 01:25.680] of a pressure because I have flunked in maths the only time ever that I actually
[01:25.680 -> 01:31.920] have flunked in anything I've done. Well okay, academically was in engineering
[01:31.920 -> 01:35.880] mathematics. I think it was engineering mathematics 3, so it was in the semester
[01:35.880 -> 01:42.280] 3 and you know I scored 37 points I think and here's the funny thing in
[01:42.280 -> 01:51.240] India in engineering 40s needed to pass right if you get 38 or 39 they just push you over the edge saying okay
[01:51.240 -> 01:55.120] you may have worked hard enough so 40s comes if you get 40 means dude you
[01:55.120 -> 01:59.680] actually were gonna fail but they passed you hypothetically if you get 37 means
[01:59.680 -> 02:04.440] you were too bad we couldn't have given you 10% marks more which and this is
[02:04.440 -> 02:13.920] where it gets fun if you scored 41 41, they would say, you know what, you actually scored because you actually scored 41 marks to be given 41 marks.
[02:15.880 -> 02:26.240] Yeah, that that grace mark system happens. But what I'm trying to tell you here, folks, is that we have three most competent people in the entire world to talk about a special episode with only
[02:26.240 -> 02:31.600] numbers of Formula One. That's right, three math failures to talk about numbers. But this is
[02:31.600 -> 02:36.720] generally going to be so much fun because normally when we talk about Formula One, I mean, we can talk
[02:36.720 -> 02:41.360] about the stories in so many different ways. But we were thinking, why tell you the story of the
[02:41.360 -> 02:47.400] season that you already know in a way that you've already seen it? Words. Why don't we tell you that in terms of numbers?
[02:47.440 -> 02:53.400] Which is why we're all trying to dissect the really fun numbers of the 2023 F1 season.
[02:53.760 -> 03:00.760] Starting firstly with the man himself, F1 stats guru. The man who is the king of the stats. To whom numbers come up and speak
[03:01.000 -> 03:05.520] automatically in their head. Sundaram, what's the weirdest stat of 2023 for you?
[03:06.320 -> 03:11.840] It's actually very very recent. Yuki Tsunoda going on to lead five laps around Abu Dhabi.
[03:11.840 -> 03:17.200] That's the most an Asian driver has led in all of Formula One. There's only been one other country
[03:17.200 -> 03:22.880] apart from Japan that's led a lap which is Thailand, courtesy of Alex Alvon. And the fact
[03:22.880 -> 03:30.400] that he actually led five laps around Abu Dhabi is the most, it's more than what Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc have combined at this
[03:30.400 -> 03:31.800] track. Take that in.
[03:31.800 -> 03:41.160] And wait, wait, wait, does that also not make Japan the country with the most laps led in
[03:41.160 -> 03:46.480] all of Asia? Wait, no, no, no, hang on. That makes... It does. Takuma Sato also led,
[03:46.480 -> 03:52.000] I think, two or three, two laps, he led two laps. So it's only Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda who've
[03:52.000 -> 03:58.160] led laps from Japan. Interesting. So that's your weird stat. What about your one, Kunal?
[03:58.160 -> 04:03.840] From 2023, there have been so many, actually, we're trying to cut it down to three or four,
[04:03.840 -> 04:05.760] but we've had ten really
[04:05.760 -> 04:09.480] weird stats which one pops up for you first? The one that really pops up for me
[04:09.480 -> 04:13.920] and I have to slightly explain it for context right and this I love to see the
[04:13.920 -> 04:20.880] evolution in the drivers championship right so in the race one which was in
[04:20.880 -> 04:26.240] Bahrain the top ten actually had Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albens, 7th, 8th and 9th.
[04:26.240 -> 04:31.560] Okay, Race 2, Kevin McNusen entered the top 10 of the Drivers' Championship.
[04:31.560 -> 04:35.560] In fact, there were 12 drivers who were in the top 10, lots of drivers on the same points.
[04:35.560 -> 04:49.000] The fun part here is Race 3, Nico Hulkenberg was in the top 10 in the Drivers' Championship. A driver who finally finished closer, I think he was 16th or 17th in Abu Dhabi,
[04:49.000 -> 04:51.000] was actually in the top 10.
[04:51.000 -> 04:56.000] He was ahead of Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, the two Alpine drivers,
[04:56.000 -> 05:03.000] after Race 3. Can you imagine? Haas and Nico Hulkenberg, the whole return to, you know,
[05:03.000 -> 05:06.000] glory story in Race 3 actually hit peak.
[05:06.000 -> 05:11.460] And from there it's only gone one way it's clearly not to the podium
[05:11.460 -> 05:16.260] unfortunately still for Nico Hulkenberg it's only gone I don't think it's gone
[05:16.260 -> 05:20.280] down because it's harsh it never goes down from I mean how low can it go right
[05:20.280 -> 05:24.320] I'm seriously how low can it go it's just where it was but actually good on
[05:24.320 -> 05:32.080] them with 12 points that actually the team that have scored the highest as a last place finisher in how many
[05:32.080 -> 05:39.040] years Sundaram? It's been what six seven? In this points in this point system since 2010. Oh not
[05:39.040 -> 05:48.360] bad actually not bad good on them but I'll go for my weirdest stat of the year. And I know Logan Sargent has been a very, very good driver towards the second half of
[05:48.360 -> 05:49.360] the season.
[05:49.360 -> 05:51.800] Probably not good enough to match many others.
[05:51.800 -> 05:55.440] Yes, he's been outclassed by Alex Albon in qualifying.
[05:55.440 -> 05:59.520] 22 and 0, which means the Undertaker streak is still ongoing.
[05:59.520 -> 06:01.360] But that's not the weird stat for me.
[06:01.360 -> 06:06.080] The weird stat is that Logan Sargent has finished 21st in a 20 driver
[06:06.080 -> 06:11.280] championship or at least a championship that's supposed to be 20 drivers and with that he's
[06:11.280 -> 06:17.840] also done something that Nicholas Latifi has never done. It's an achievement, it is. I mean we all
[06:17.840 -> 06:23.520] claim him to be the successor of Latifi. For all you know Kunal, he's just one better, always. Well
[06:26.080 -> 06:33.240] you know Kunal, he's just one better, always. Well I'm gonna add another weird stat to this and we cannot forget track limits in Austria because when the race
[06:33.240 -> 06:36.200] was running I was running through the race control time zone and I said you
[06:36.200 -> 06:40.000] know what race control is actually on lap 8 while the drivers are racing on
[06:40.000 -> 06:50.800] lap 13 and 15 and whatever. At the end of the day we realized that there were over 1,200 track limit violations, investigations, whatever you call it,
[06:50.800 -> 06:57.120] close to 150 penalties. Esteban Ocon of course had to, you know, he's the king of
[06:57.120 -> 07:01.480] all time penalties. Maybe that's another weird stat or rather that's a pub quiz
[07:01.480 -> 07:04.520] stat. Who is driver has most time penalties ever? You just have to say
[07:04.520 -> 07:06.120] Esteban Ocon whether you're drunk or not.
[07:06.120 -> 07:12.760] But anyway, Austria, 1,200 track limit investigations, 150 odd penalties,
[07:12.760 -> 07:15.240] time penalties, whatever that were given out.
[07:15.680 -> 07:19.440] 14 changes in the final classification of the race order.
[07:19.440 -> 07:24.800] So imagine this, out of a possible 20 drivers who finish a race, who can finish a race,
[07:25.680 -> 07:30.560] 14 changes were made and the changes came five or seven hours later. But here's the
[07:30.560 -> 07:36.680] best thing, one massive huge embarrassment for the FIA, which
[07:36.680 -> 07:40.400] technically you can say they've had one every quarter or sometimes one every
[07:40.400 -> 07:49.040] other month. This was for that time the big embarrassment. So that happened that happened in Austria where the classification was finalized roughly
[07:49.040 -> 07:52.420] five hours later. I think the same happened after the race in Austin as
[07:52.420 -> 07:56.560] well right? Because I remember waking up in the morning and seeing that Lewis
[07:56.560 -> 07:59.280] Hamilton and Charlotte Clerk had lost their positions, they had been
[07:59.280 -> 08:03.400] disqualified. So like you said correctly it happens once in a quarter or at least
[08:03.400 -> 08:05.560] once in six months.
[08:05.560 -> 08:10.160] I think these days, they're actually making it faster because after Austin, the season
[08:10.160 -> 08:15.280] has just ended and they've issued the most generic statement in the world.
[08:15.280 -> 08:17.880] If you're suppose you're unaware about Formula One, right?
[08:17.880 -> 08:19.880] Suppose you don't read the articles.
[08:19.880 -> 08:26.000] What if one fine day you wake up to a statement that says the FIA are investigating someone who was in
[08:26.000 -> 08:30.720] contact with also someone for leaking some confidential information at some point in time.
[08:31.360 -> 08:35.360] What do you mean by that? What are you even investigating? Who are you even talking about?
[08:35.360 -> 08:41.200] And why? And what's the subject? The FIA, well, let's be honest, they are great at what they do,
[08:41.200 -> 08:45.520] but sometimes things do slip over. But these are the weird stats.
[08:45.520 -> 08:47.240] That's just one part of it, folks.
[08:47.240 -> 08:50.680] Now, on the Inside Line F1 podcast, that's our aim.
[08:50.680 -> 08:53.920] We tend to bring in all these weird and crazy things that we tend to miss.
[08:54.280 -> 08:58.760] And yes, while in all of our years of covering motorsport,
[08:58.760 -> 09:03.000] myself doing lots of MotoGP, by the way, my name is Somalur Roa, in case you missed it.
[09:03.320 -> 09:06.040] Joined by F1 stats guru and Kunal Shah, the former marketing
[09:06.040 -> 09:07.120] head of Force India.
[09:07.120 -> 09:10.520] Now, an FYA accredited F1 journalist for the Viaplay
[09:10.520 -> 09:11.600] network in Norway.
[09:11.600 -> 09:14.000] We folks normally tend to cover so much of motorsport
[09:14.000 -> 09:15.800] during the year that we just need
[09:15.800 -> 09:18.080] some sort of break at the end where we
[09:18.080 -> 09:20.400] can cover all the missed stats.
[09:20.400 -> 09:22.660] But I think now that we've covered the weird and stupid
[09:22.660 -> 09:26.480] ones, I think we should really go to the point...
[09:27.080 -> 09:32.920] Actually, what do we... See, when it comes to Max, I am left speechless. It's very very clear, isn't it Sundaram?
[09:32.920 -> 09:38.720] I just can't find the right words whenever I have to talk about Max, which is why on this podcast this year
[09:38.720 -> 09:42.880] I just haven't spoken about him. So I'll leave the two of you to talk about Max now.
[09:43.600 -> 09:46.240] I just can't do it.
[09:46.240 -> 09:52.280] It's the typical 2023 season where I think we've not seen much of him on
[09:52.280 -> 09:57.440] track as well. So there's a lot of other drivers who've actually hogged all the
[09:57.440 -> 10:00.440] limelight when it comes to on-air broadcast. We've not seen much of Max as
[10:00.440 -> 10:04.320] well but I think what we'll definitely remember Max this year is for the
[10:04.320 -> 10:09.600] numbers. And for a driver who's often said that he doesn't really care about numbers as much,
[10:09.600 -> 10:16.480] I'm just wondering, 19 wins in a season, a thousand laps led, does that add really any
[10:16.480 -> 10:22.320] significance to them? Because I think in Abu Dhabi, Max was really going for that record,
[10:22.320 -> 10:25.520] thousand laps in a single season. And I'm just wondering,
[10:25.520 -> 10:31.840] does that give a psychological advantage to them? Or does it make them feel like invincibles? Because
[10:32.560 -> 10:37.360] we've, I think Manchester City is the only team to ever have ever scored 100 points in a single
[10:37.360 -> 10:42.480] season. Whenever we talk about cricket teams, scoring 400 plus, it probably just gives them
[10:42.480 -> 10:45.360] that little of an advantage over their rivals.
[10:46.000 -> 10:50.880] Is that what he was trying to prove? That, you know, thousand laps is going to be spoken
[10:51.440 -> 10:55.520] about forever and ever. And that's what I'm out to prove.
[10:55.520 -> 11:01.280] Yeah, who knows, maybe like Sachin's 100-100. Or maybe like Aslam's invincibles in a way.
[11:01.280 -> 11:07.040] It doesn't mean much, but just it's a good flex to have. But that the thousand laps
[11:07.040 -> 11:14.960] is just one of the many flexes. 19 wins Kunal. Let's start with the headline ones. 19. For context,
[11:14.960 -> 11:20.640] we had 22 Grand Prix this year. Lewis Hamilton, the best he's ever done in a season is 11.
[11:21.440 -> 11:26.880] The best Sebastian Vettel could do was 13. And yes, at that time, we had only 18 odd races,
[11:26.880 -> 11:32.640] whatever, call it what you want, but 19 wins! You've got to go wrong on some days, right? Like,
[11:32.640 -> 11:37.840] how do you not? And fun fact, out of those 22 races, there's only been one Grand Prix where
[11:37.840 -> 11:46.400] Verstappen has not finished on the podium, and that is Singapore. The other races, every single one of them, he's been on the podium.
[11:46.400 -> 11:48.080] And 19 of those, he's won.
[11:49.280 -> 11:55.120] What word, I mean, what do you, you sense the confusion in my mind, Sundaram.
[11:55.120 -> 11:59.760] It's just, no, no, just throwing a little question to the both of you.
[11:59.760 -> 12:04.800] In the last three seasons, when has Max Verstappen not finished on the podium whenever he's finished?
[12:04.800 -> 12:05.880] Hungry 2021. So's finished? Hungary 2021.
[12:05.880 -> 12:09.120] So, there's Hungary 2021.
[12:09.120 -> 12:10.120] This year?
[12:10.120 -> 12:11.120] 2023.
[12:11.120 -> 12:13.240] Singapore last year and this year?
[12:13.240 -> 12:14.240] Last year and this year?
[12:14.240 -> 12:15.240] Who won Brazil last year?
[12:15.240 -> 12:16.240] George Russell.
[12:16.240 -> 12:17.240] Oh, oh, Russell.
[12:17.240 -> 12:18.240] Brazil, Brazil, yes.
[12:18.240 -> 12:23.600] So, there are very few instances in the last three seasons where he's actually finished
[12:23.600 -> 12:28.360] and not finished on the podium. This goes to speak how consistent he's actually been
[12:28.360 -> 12:33.200] over the last couple of years. I'm gonna add some context here right and
[12:33.200 -> 12:37.480] if you're a Max Verstappen fan, hello Netherlands, we know it's you know our
[12:37.480 -> 12:42.000] podcast is one of the biggest podcasts in that market, English-speaking podcasts
[12:42.000 -> 12:52.480] in your market. If you're a Lewis Hamilton fan, please don't go away because there are chances you will go to a pub quiz, Formula 1 pub quiz
[12:52.480 -> 12:59.360] in the future, in the near future, in the distant future. And 2023 is advanced season which is
[13:00.000 -> 13:05.200] there for pub quizzes. You know, literally Max Wishtap and all his numbers, you will be asked, you will be puzzled. Well, the good thing is, it's very easy to just, you know, literally Max Wischtappen, all his numbers, you will be asked,
[13:05.200 -> 13:09.920] you will be puzzled. Well, the good thing is, it's very easy to just, you remember most of the
[13:09.920 -> 13:14.480] answers, who won most races, who won most races on the trot, who had most, you know, race conversions,
[13:14.480 -> 13:18.800] who had most this, most that, yes, it's Max Wischtappen. Who won Singapore, remember,
[13:18.800 -> 13:24.320] it's not Max Wischtappen. Singapore was at one break between all Red Bull wins that happened
[13:24.320 -> 13:29.640] in a season, but truly 2023, for all theants, you may hate the driver, hate the team, you
[13:29.640 -> 13:34.640] may be LH44, Ham4C, you may be whatever, you may be Max Verstappen fans,
[13:34.640 -> 13:41.440] Orange Army, whatever you call it, this is that season for pub quizzes. And my
[13:41.440 -> 13:52.000] favorite Max stat and you know comes from what I normally tell a lot of junior drivers, consistency is what gets you championships.
[13:52.000 -> 14:08.080] Of course, he's had consistent consistencies on the podium because he missed the podium once, which we know was in Singapore, right? But he was the only driver to complete all the races
[14:08.080 -> 14:13.120] this season, right? I know Carlos Sainz did it a couple of years ago, if I remember that, right?
[14:14.000 -> 14:18.720] And then of course, we know the 10 races in a win, and then he's currently on
[14:19.520 -> 14:26.480] seven race wins on the trot again. So his consistency is literally just the top step of the podium.
[14:26.480 -> 14:34.160] Max Verstappen has just given us a stats overdose in 2023. And speaking of his consistency, along
[14:34.160 -> 14:39.600] with the InsideLine F1 podcast, we had a rival podcast as well being very consistent. It was
[14:39.600 -> 14:51.000] Cool Down Room with Max. And that tells you so much more about our consistency. We've been having episodes for every single week of the year and also in the winter. So stay
[14:51.000 -> 14:54.560] tuned folks, lots of really fun guests are gonna come to the podcast shortly
[14:54.560 -> 14:58.600] and even in the winter we don't shut shop but we'll be back after a short
[14:58.600 -> 15:04.040] break. Stay right here. Welcome back folks to the InsideLine F1 podcast and this is
[15:04.040 -> 15:06.120] our stats special.
[15:06.120 -> 15:10.600] Now yes, while we all might agree that Verstappen is the one who's dominated proceedings and
[15:10.600 -> 15:15.760] also the stats for this year, there are other things as well that we need to touch upon,
[15:15.760 -> 15:18.720] including just how close Formula 1 has been this year.
[15:18.720 -> 15:22.960] Now yes, we might look at Formula 1 in 2023 and be like, Drab.
[15:22.960 -> 15:26.080] Yes Verstappen has won every single thing. But let me tell you
[15:26.080 -> 15:31.200] something about how close Formula 1 has actually been this year. Discount Max Verstappen and look
[15:31.200 -> 15:37.520] at Formula 1.5. After the midweek, sorry, I'll put it this way, after the mid-season break,
[15:37.520 -> 15:46.640] after Hungary, we've had 11 different races, we have seven different Formula 1.5 race winners after Hungary in 11 races. That's
[15:46.640 -> 15:52.480] not counting Max, that's counting Sergio Perez. Now, remove Max from the equation. Can you
[15:52.480 -> 15:57.640] imagine seven different race winners in 11 different races? That is the stuff why we
[15:57.640 -> 16:04.160] watch the sport and eventually the championship was decided by how many points Sundaram? Three?
[16:04.160 -> 16:06.560] Formula 1.5 constructors?
[16:06.560 -> 16:07.800] Are you asking F1.5?
[16:07.800 -> 16:09.400] I can tell you what happened in F1.
[16:09.400 -> 16:10.080] 290 points.
[16:12.920 -> 16:14.280] But F1.5, right?
[16:14.280 -> 16:17.240] Three points separating the constructors champions
[16:17.240 -> 16:20.360] in the series to Ferrari.
[16:20.360 -> 16:21.960] That is why we watch Formula 1.
[16:21.960 -> 16:23.960] That is unbelievably good.
[16:23.960 -> 16:31.440] Yeah. And talking of Ferrari, talking of F1.5, of course,
[16:31.440 -> 16:34.800] the battle for P4 went all the way down
[16:34.800 -> 16:37.080] to the wire in Abu Dhabi.
[16:37.080 -> 16:41.840] Again, Carlos Sainz actually lost three places
[16:41.840 -> 16:42.920] in that one race.
[16:42.920 -> 16:46.480] Leclerc gained two, Alonso of course gained one,
[16:46.480 -> 16:52.240] he was finally eventually P4 after the count back and whatever happened with Leclerc. But
[16:52.240 -> 16:57.920] the battle for P4 was pretty fantastic. I know Williams and Alfa Tauri were stuck in a battle
[16:57.920 -> 17:05.680] for P7 in the in the Constructors' Championship and Mercedes I think just finished three points ahead of
[17:05.680 -> 17:11.720] Ferrari in the battle for P2 or since it's Formula 1.5, Sommel's favorite
[17:11.720 -> 17:17.160] classification in the sport. I think Mercedes' three points ahead of Ferrari
[17:17.160 -> 17:28.220] was the smallest margin for a runner-up since 2013 when Mercedes actually finished ahead of Ferrari for P2 by just 6 points that
[17:28.220 -> 17:37.000] year. So Formula 1.5 of course was absolutely epic in every way that we consider, even more
[17:37.000 -> 17:43.560] so for stats right. And just goes to show that everyone was hard, Formula 1 is not competitive,
[17:43.560 -> 17:50.280] it's max only winning. Let's remember by race three or race four all the ten teams had scored points in the
[17:50.280 -> 17:55.120] championship yet this was the first time ever in the history that all teams had
[17:55.120 -> 18:00.280] scored a point in the championship if I remember correctly. So you know there are
[18:00.280 -> 18:04.720] there are these markers which show that Formula One was close, competitive etc
[18:04.720 -> 18:05.400] and while Max was winning the sport was actually doing well but yes there are There are these markers which show that Formula One was close, competitive, etc.
[18:08.480 -> 18:08.800] And while Max was winning, the sport was actually doing well.
[18:13.520 -> 18:19.600] But yes, there are these markers that also show, like we said, in the Max Verstappen segment, where he just dominated so much that you probably believe nobody else was even racing in 2023.
[18:20.080 -> 18:21.480] Yeah, that's a brilliant point.
[18:21.480 -> 18:26.160] And while Max Verstappen was literally making everyone
[18:26.160 -> 18:30.640] believe that this was a very one-sided season, sure it was, but then if you look at the rest
[18:30.640 -> 18:35.200] of the teams, like we've already mentioned over here, it was much, much closer. And what stands
[18:35.200 -> 18:40.560] out for me is the fact that Haas has scored 12 points. We've had several seasons over the past
[18:40.560 -> 18:46.560] several years where the last place team has finished on zero points. So this season
[18:46.560 -> 18:52.000] has really given teams like Haas and Alpha Tauri, Alpha Tauri scored 20 points in the last five
[18:52.000 -> 18:57.920] races. It really, so it's really given them sort of provision to be able to score points, maybe not
[18:57.920 -> 19:01.920] throughout the season, but then upgrades just kick in at some point of time, or you just have the
[19:01.920 -> 19:08.080] regulations working for you, maybe in the first half of the season like what happened with Aston Martin they were really good in the first half of
[19:08.080 -> 19:13.040] the season and then they went really down in the dumps in the second half so it's good that we're
[19:13.040 -> 19:18.400] seeing these little swings in momentum and in terms of performance and I really like that I
[19:18.400 -> 19:24.000] really like that we had in Abu Dhabi we had what a four-way battle in the drivers championship we had
[19:23.680 -> 19:27.040] We had what a four-way battle in the drivers championship. We had two teams fighting it out for P2.
[19:27.040 -> 19:30.560] We had two teams fighting it out for P4 and for P7
[19:30.560 -> 19:31.440] in the constructors.
[19:31.440 -> 19:33.600] So keeping aside Vastapan's dominance,
[19:33.600 -> 19:36.640] I think there were definitely some positive signs.
[19:36.640 -> 19:38.040] Otherwise, I'm going to wait.
[19:38.040 -> 19:43.480] Actually, now that you mention about that four-way driver
[19:43.480 -> 19:45.960] fight, Norris, had he got one more
[19:45.960 -> 19:48.680] point, it would have been very crazy, wouldn't have been Sundaram.
[19:48.680 -> 19:52.560] I think it would have been what, a three-way tie with Alonso and Leclerc?
[19:52.560 -> 19:53.760] Yes, a three-way tie.
[19:53.760 -> 19:58.720] Are we going back to 2007?
[19:58.720 -> 20:04.360] But yes, it was, it would have been a three-way tie with Norris and Norris then would have
[20:04.360 -> 20:05.640] been P4 in the championship.
[20:05.640 -> 20:09.600] Only because he had more P2s than anyone else.
[20:09.600 -> 20:14.240] I think Lando Norris had more P2s than any driver this season.
[20:14.240 -> 20:15.920] Even more than Checo Perez.
[20:15.920 -> 20:22.560] Isn't McLaren's recovery by far the story of 2023?
[20:22.560 -> 20:26.160] Max's dominance followed by McLaren's recovery. Again, let's break it down
[20:26.160 -> 20:31.440] in numbers. Since we've said we will explain this in numbers and this is where it gets extremely fun.
[20:31.440 -> 20:38.880] McLaren, we will remember them for their epic Austria upgrade. That was a team that started
[20:38.880 -> 20:46.360] with James Key leaving or was asked to go. He went to Alfa Romeo Sauber. McLaren was still figuring out their,
[20:46.360 -> 20:48.520] they had a new team principal, et cetera, et cetera.
[20:48.520 -> 20:50.800] Everything fall in place at the start of the season.
[20:50.800 -> 20:54.000] Before Austria, before they got their big upgrade,
[20:54.000 -> 20:55.760] there was six in the Constructors Championship
[20:55.760 -> 20:59.080] with only 17 points.
[20:59.080 -> 21:02.920] Alfa Romeo was seventh, only eight points away.
[21:02.920 -> 21:04.720] Okay, it gets more fun.
[21:04.720 -> 21:08.480] Alpine was ahead of McLaren by 24
[21:08.480 -> 21:13.480] points, right? So that's how bad McLaren's season was till Austria. Remember, that
[21:13.480 -> 21:16.880] was a time when everyone said, oh my god, what's happened to them? They've gone
[21:16.880 -> 21:22.320] backwards. Should Lando Norris even look to leave and is he gonna be a free agent
[21:22.320 -> 21:25.200] if McLaren don't do enough etc. Then guess what
[21:25.200 -> 21:29.120] happened? They got the upgrades in Austria. They were gonna split it over three race weekends.
[21:29.760 -> 21:36.560] And after Austria, so firstly McLaren finished fourth ahead of Aston Martin. They scored 302
[21:36.560 -> 21:46.480] points, 22 points ahead of Aston Martin. Then they finished 182 points ahead of Alpine.
[21:46.480 -> 21:52.320] So while being 24 points away from Alpine, they literally scored 200 odd points, more
[21:52.320 -> 21:54.920] than Alpine after Austria.
[21:54.920 -> 22:09.280] And in all of this time, while McLaren went from 17 to 302 points, which is almost 300 points. Let's put it as that. Alpine went from, I think it was nine points to 16 points.
[22:10.200 -> 22:15.360] It's not Alpine, Alfa Romeo went from nine points to 16 points, right?
[22:15.720 -> 22:18.760] That's how incredible was McLaren.
[22:19.320 -> 22:20.880] That's such a good point.
[22:20.880 -> 22:24.360] Alfa Romeo literally crept all the way through.
[22:24.360 -> 22:26.800] And that one McLaren upgrade tells you so much.
[22:26.800 -> 22:31.840] So many teams complain right and also that brings up Mercedes in mind.
[22:31.840 -> 22:38.240] About how it's so tricky to make that leap up from going where they are up towards competing with the likes of Red Bull.
[22:38.240 -> 22:43.120] But McLaren have showed that with the right sort of car concept, you can make it happen.
[22:43.120 -> 22:48.800] But on Alpine as well, I really want to touch up upon that actually let's get to Alpine in a
[22:48.800 -> 22:51.400] second because that's more banter we need to focus on the really interesting
[22:51.400 -> 22:56.840] part Mercedes. No let's do it let's do it let's let's do Alpine okay because the
[22:56.840 -> 23:02.080] thing that that really amuses me is in Abu Dhabi literally every team had
[23:02.080 -> 23:05.360] something to fight for Red Bull were working towards Max Verstappen
[23:05.360 -> 23:06.400] getting his thousandth lap.
[23:06.400 -> 23:08.560] And like I said, there was a battle for P2,
[23:08.560 -> 23:10.360] for P4 and P7.
[23:10.360 -> 23:12.440] And the one team that didn't have any challenge
[23:12.440 -> 23:16.080] or any milestone or anything to look forward to was Alpine.
[23:16.080 -> 23:19.200] Because they're placed in the championship
[23:19.200 -> 23:20.680] so strategically by McLaren.
[23:20.680 -> 23:23.880] So McLaren really left them hanging at the end.
[23:23.880 -> 23:26.000] Like, yeah, you're there in a championship with 120 points.
[23:26.000 -> 23:28.000] You can't go lower. You can't go higher.
[23:28.000 -> 23:31.000] That was one team without any challenge towards the latter part of the season.
[23:31.000 -> 23:35.000] Only because McLaren got that much faster through the season.
[23:35.000 -> 23:39.000] Wait, are you talking about a Formula One team with nothing to fight for,
[23:39.000 -> 23:44.000] no ambition and they just are where they were for a very, very long time
[23:44.000 -> 23:46.360] and they don't even plan to move anywhere.
[23:46.360 -> 23:47.760] That sounds like Alpine to me.
[23:47.760 -> 23:54.560] I think the really, really interesting stat, Kunal,
[23:54.560 -> 23:56.920] I think they're the team with the most number of team owners
[23:56.920 -> 23:58.240] now, are they not?
[23:58.240 -> 24:02.800] Rory McIlroy, Jwan Mata, Michael B. Jordan,
[24:02.800 -> 24:07.280] if I'm not mistaken, the Deadpool guy Ryan Reynolds and his
[24:07.280 -> 24:14.400] partner was also in Bexham, couple of NFL footballers, one NBA guy as well, your mom,
[24:14.400 -> 24:21.240] my neighbor, Sundaram's puppy, so many people own Alpine. And most number of
[24:21.240 -> 24:26.360] owners you know and I see so which team had the most number of owners. You know, and I see. So which team had the most number of celebrity radio messages in 2023?
[24:26.600 -> 24:28.720] Obviously, the answer is Alpine.
[24:28.720 -> 24:29.080] Alpine.
[24:33.920 -> 24:38.200] But ladies and gentlemen, guys and girls, we now have a confirmation.
[24:38.240 -> 24:42.120] I'm going to announce it at almost the 23rd mark of this episode or whatever.
[24:42.800 -> 24:48.520] But the former Alpine team principal was also the former team principal of
[24:49.000 -> 24:53.340] Aston Martin Formula One team and the former team principal of Racing Point F1
[24:53.340 -> 24:57.600] team and the former team principal of the Force India Formula One team, my
[24:57.600 -> 25:04.140] former boss, Otmar Safnauer is going to be on the podcast as a guest before
[25:04.140 -> 25:05.000] Christmas, we will a guest before Christmas.
[25:05.440 -> 25:07.120] We will be recording before Christmas.
[25:07.120 -> 25:10.240] The episode is out in the new year,
[25:10.240 -> 25:14.160] but we will release snippets of that recording
[25:14.160 -> 25:17.120] on social media, you know, in the off season,
[25:17.120 -> 25:19.080] look out for it, subscribe.
[25:19.080 -> 25:21.760] We promise you it's gonna be a banger,
[25:21.760 -> 25:23.560] if that's the word I can use.
[25:23.560 -> 25:27.200] Yeah, I think banger is fair and the banger question
[25:27.200 -> 25:33.120] that we really want to put to him is also why are some teams regardless of who they're managed by or
[25:33.120 -> 25:38.720] who they own by or what they're called or what power unit they have somehow always manage to be
[25:38.720 -> 25:44.320] where they are. Wink wink, nudge nudge, we're talking about a French team. Which one? Prost,
[25:44.320 -> 25:47.240] of course, we're talking about Prost and Ligier, not some team called
[25:47.240 -> 25:48.400] Renault.
[25:48.400 -> 25:50.320] We should talk about Mercedes, guys.
[25:50.320 -> 25:54.200] Sundaram, Mercedes is an interesting thing, right?
[25:54.200 -> 25:58.360] Because yes, Mercedes are our Formula 1.5 constructors
[25:58.360 -> 25:59.480] champions.
[25:59.480 -> 26:01.920] The way they did that was quite interesting this year,
[26:01.920 -> 26:02.680] was it not?
[26:02.680 -> 26:04.200] It really was very interesting.
[26:04.200 -> 26:07.560] It really was, because they finished runner-up in the championship
[26:07.560 -> 26:11.700] but they didn't win a single race. Ferrari won a race and they were P3 in
[26:11.700 -> 26:16.760] the championship and that led me to do a little bit of digging to see when has a
[26:16.760 -> 26:20.700] team finished runner-up and not won a race. I mean that you've had a team
[26:20.700 -> 26:24.560] finishing P3 in the championship and not win a race that was Williams a
[26:24.560 -> 26:26.120] couple of years ago.
[26:26.120 -> 26:27.640] The early years of the hybrid era,
[26:27.640 -> 26:30.480] the competitive years of Williams in the hybrid era.
[26:30.480 -> 26:33.240] But Mercedes is actually the third team
[26:33.240 -> 26:36.880] to finish runner-up without winning a single race.
[26:36.880 -> 26:40.240] And the first one was BAR Honda in 2004.
[26:40.240 -> 26:44.640] And then we had BMW Saab in a very interesting case in 2007
[26:44.640 -> 26:45.580] because they
[26:45.580 -> 26:50.120] finished third actually but McLaren got disqualified for a very little
[26:50.120 -> 26:56.680] interesting piece of spine and then Saab was bumped up to P2 and then we have
[26:56.680 -> 27:01.480] Mercedes. Interesting, interesting, crazy how it's all worked out eventually and
[27:01.480 -> 27:05.560] for Mercedes now I wonder where this sort of stack up.
[27:05.560 -> 27:09.560] Do we carry on with the sort of mediocrity that we've seen in the last few years?
[27:09.920 -> 27:12.800] But guys, I have a question.
[27:13.360 -> 27:14.560] What is your question, Kunal?
[27:15.160 -> 27:24.880] My question is which team had no side pods, then half a side pod, and now it's back to full side pod?
[27:25.000 -> 27:28.000] That could be a pub question 20 years down the line as well.
[27:28.000 -> 27:32.000] Bad one? Daddy question? Was it?
[27:32.000 -> 27:34.000] Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
[27:34.000 -> 27:36.000] Do you want it in that order?
[27:36.000 -> 27:38.000] Because then technically even Red Bull could count.
[27:38.000 -> 27:40.000] Do you remember? In the middle they all said...
[27:40.000 -> 27:42.000] I was just going to say that. I was just going to say that.
[27:42.000 -> 27:44.000] I was just going to say that.
[27:44.000 -> 27:50.360] So Verstappen had half a a pod side pod in Baku whereas I literally no side pods in in spa and
[27:50.360 -> 27:56.160] then it came back to yeah full side pods Wow I know what sort of pods I prefer
[27:56.160 -> 28:03.400] inside line f1 pods Wow thank you we're not we're not talking about any other
[28:03.400 -> 28:05.440] type of podsz whatsoever.
[28:05.440 -> 28:07.360] It's meant to be a family-friendly podcast.
[28:07.360 -> 28:13.120] But which is why we should also talk about Sergio Perez in slightly minced words.
[28:13.120 -> 28:16.880] Guys, Sergio Perez, let's not mince our words, right?
[28:18.000 -> 28:20.320] He wasn't the best this year, very clearly.
[28:20.320 -> 28:23.040] And unfortunately, we didn't quite see the best of himself.
[28:23.040 -> 28:26.000] I mean, compared to Max, really, there was no competition.
[28:26.000 -> 28:33.000] But the part that aches the most for me is seeing Sergio Perez himself not being able to perform at the level where we know he can perform.
[28:33.000 -> 28:35.000] So, I want to bring this to you, Kunal.
[28:35.000 -> 28:40.000] What is the one Sergio Perez stat that stands out the most for you this year?
[28:40.000 -> 28:44.000] Any good thing, any bad thing, any sort of surprise that the numbers show?
[28:44.000 -> 28:48.500] So, firstly, the stats will show that he made progression, right?
[28:48.500 -> 28:51.500] He finished third in the championship last year, he finished second this year.
[28:51.500 -> 28:57.000] How he got there is not what history will remember or specifically, right?
[28:57.000 -> 29:10.080] But the one stat that really stands out for me was he scored 285 points in total, which is just 34% of Red Bull's overall points. So
[29:10.080 -> 29:15.280] literally Max Verstappen single-handedly could have won Drivers' Championship and Constructors'
[29:15.280 -> 29:18.800] Championship, something we've seen. I think Sebastian Vettel is the only other driver to
[29:18.800 -> 29:26.960] have done that in recent history as well. But Sergio Perez's tally of 285 points, so I should say just 285
[29:26.960 -> 29:33.440] points is the second lowest points tally for a runner-up in the hybrid era.
[29:33.440 -> 29:39.560] It's actually not very tough to guess who was the lowest.
[29:39.560 -> 29:47.160] Valtteri Bottas actually scored fewer than that in that season that was impacted by COVID.
[29:47.160 -> 29:48.680] He scored just 223 points.
[29:48.680 -> 29:53.720] So yes, I think COVID impacted season was just 17 races, right, if I can remember.
[29:53.720 -> 29:56.760] But either way, that's just the Checo math.
[29:56.760 -> 29:59.040] And I know we've got a lot of listeners in Mexico.
[29:59.040 -> 30:01.280] We really hope Checo is back with a bang.
[30:01.280 -> 30:09.760] He said just a few days ago, I was third two years ago, I was second this year. This is one step I need to make forward and that's finishing
[30:09.760 -> 30:13.160] first. That's gonna be my target next year. You know for me this was
[30:13.160 -> 30:17.000] probably a season where it was a very good opportunity for Checo Perez because
[30:17.000 -> 30:22.480] he had the fastest car on the grid and not many other drivers or teams were
[30:22.480 -> 30:25.200] really battling it out for P2.
[30:25.200 -> 30:31.680] So P2 was largely just his for the taking and he's kind of just dropped it because if
[30:31.680 -> 30:35.360] you see they've had only one front row lockout this year Red Bull and that's astonishing.
[30:35.360 -> 30:39.400] When you talk about a season where Red Bull and Max Verstappen had dominated so much,
[30:39.400 -> 30:45.700] Red Bull have had only just one front row lockout and they've had only six race 1-2s
[30:45.700 -> 30:52.020] which is far far fewer or lesser than what Mercedes had say for example in 2015.
[30:52.020 -> 30:57.940] In 2015 Mercedes had 15 front row lockouts and 12 1-2s.
[30:57.940 -> 31:02.900] It just goes to show so much how that team in general both their drivers were doing so
[31:02.900 -> 31:06.620] well and and consistently and kudos to Nico
[31:06.620 -> 31:10.820] Rosberg or Valtteri Bottas what they were doing at that time in Mercedes, apart from
[31:10.820 -> 31:16.380] Lewis Hamilton racking up all the wins, the second driver was also doing his fair job
[31:16.380 -> 31:23.380] of getting as much points as possible and Checo Perez didn't do as much a good job as
[31:23.380 -> 31:26.480] he would have liked to. Yeah I mean in terms of
[31:26.480 -> 31:32.600] the exact numbers it feels so so absurd to see. Now Williams obviously they had a
[31:32.600 -> 31:38.440] 96% to 4% point split. Albon scoring the majority. Aston Martin, Alonso
[31:38.440 -> 31:43.620] scoring 73%, Stroll scoring 27. These are two drivers Stroll and Sargent we
[31:43.620 -> 31:45.000] always talk about in
[31:45.000 -> 31:50.000] that sort of a negative light. McLaren, yes, Norris scored 67% of their points in Piastri
[31:50.000 -> 31:54.440] 33, but also that's partially skewed because Piastri normally did very well in the sprints
[31:54.440 -> 31:59.560] and not very well in the GPs. But Sergio Perez, only scoring 34% of Red Bull's points this
[31:59.560 -> 32:06.200] year. I know it was a phenomenal year by Max, but to make it happen, it also took a really bad
[32:06.200 -> 32:07.400] one from Sergio as well.
[32:07.400 -> 32:11.960] Here's to hoping that he's a lot lot better next year as it goes on.
[32:11.960 -> 32:16.800] Now, the last few things that we have to talk about folks, what really comes to mind now?
[32:16.800 -> 32:21.440] So, you spoke of sprints and Oscar Piastri, right?
[32:21.440 -> 32:25.920] Oscar Piastri actually, I like that whole thing that he was learning how to
[32:25.920 -> 32:30.400] drive a Formula One car slow that's what Max Mark Webber kept saying all the time
[32:30.400 -> 32:34.880] I don't know why I said Max but either way. So Oscar's tally of 97 points is the
[32:34.880 -> 32:40.120] highest for any rookie again in the hybrid era, surpassing Alexander Albin
[32:40.120 -> 32:47.500] who scored 92 in 2019 with Toro Rosso and Red Bull. So that's a bit of a skewed point there.
[32:47.500 -> 32:52.400] But we spoke of sprints and there are just five drivers
[32:52.400 -> 32:55.060] who have won sprints in the history of Formula One.
[32:55.060 -> 32:57.060] Max Verstappen, seven wins.
[32:57.060 -> 32:59.580] Valtteri Bottas with two wins.
[32:59.580 -> 33:01.940] George Russell with one, Checo Perez with one
[33:01.940 -> 33:06.300] and Oscar Piastri with one win. Can you imagine no
[33:06.300 -> 33:11.880] Ferrari driver in this, nor Leclerc, no Carlos Sainz and of course no Lewis
[33:11.880 -> 33:16.080] Hamilton but we know that he isn't really the best or he doesn't have the
[33:16.080 -> 33:21.360] best kind of stats in sprints as he does in the Grand Prix format right which is
[33:21.360 -> 33:28.120] something we've all grown up to seeing which is the Grand Prix formatformat. Yeah exactly and we're now gonna have more and more and
[33:28.120 -> 33:32.400] more and more of sprints as well at more and more circuits designed not for
[33:32.400 -> 33:37.000] sprints including Miami. Yeah. Why don't we have a sprint in Miami? I think they're
[33:37.000 -> 33:41.120] paying for it, they want more celebrities, more action, I don't know they and you
[33:41.120 -> 33:46.560] know I gotta say this, I'm gonna read out that stat. So
[33:46.560 -> 33:53.280] Formula One when they confirmed sprints and you know they said sprints are
[33:53.280 -> 33:58.800] actually great way to go seeing a great jump in viewership. They were comparing
[33:58.800 -> 34:07.920] FP2 viewership with qualifying viewership. Obviously, that's not a fair comparison to make ever.
[34:07.920 -> 34:10.040] Nobody's ever going to watch FP2 more
[34:10.040 -> 34:11.560] than they'll watch qualifying.
[34:11.560 -> 34:13.000] But we were on McLaren.
[34:13.000 -> 34:16.440] McLaren, for the first time since 2012,
[34:16.440 -> 34:20.760] have scored 300 points, if my memory is correct,
[34:20.760 -> 34:23.720] which is another great stat for the McLaren fans.
[34:23.720 -> 34:26.800] McLaren has renewed with Mercedes, which is always great stat for the McLaren fans. McLaren has renewed with Mercedes,
[34:26.800 -> 34:31.760] which is always a bit of a surprise. It's, you know, how did McLaren not get a partnership
[34:32.480 -> 34:41.600] in any way possible? But that's just down to McLaren. But yeah, I think I'm pretty excited
[34:41.600 -> 34:49.080] to see how much, how many of these stats will we actually remember when we sit down to decode them it's so much fun but my goodness these
[34:49.080 -> 34:57.040] are like stats overdoses and everywhere. 100% so let's end on a few really wild
[34:57.040 -> 35:04.320] and crazy ones again Sundaram what's your really really wild stat to end on?
[35:04.320 -> 35:08.360] I think 1200 track limit investigations has to be one.
[35:08.360 -> 35:11.120] 14 changes in final classification has to be one.
[35:11.120 -> 35:14.280] But in Las Vegas, we achieved something amazing
[35:14.280 -> 35:15.320] with the manholes.
[35:15.320 -> 35:17.320] I think I'll put it this way.
[35:17.320 -> 35:19.360] I have a question for all of you.
[35:19.360 -> 35:22.160] How many manhole covers does it take?
[35:22.160 -> 35:24.240] I know we're going back to manhole covers again.
[35:24.240 -> 35:25.000] We did 30 minutes of it in the Las Vegas episode. But how many manhole covers does it take? I know we're going back to manhole covers again. We did 30
[35:25.000 -> 35:29.240] minutes of it in the last Vegas episode. But how many manhole covers does it take
[35:29.240 -> 35:34.280] to disappoint a team full of thousand Italians and a million people watching
[35:34.280 -> 35:43.480] worldwide? Know the answer? One. One. Exactly. One manhole cover. It's the most
[35:43.480 -> 35:45.680] crazy scenario that we've had in 2023.
[35:45.680 -> 35:48.280] But that's just another wild number.
[35:48.280 -> 35:51.200] But guys, speaking of other headline numbers as well,
[35:51.200 -> 35:54.040] Formula 1 this year has seen the rise
[35:54.040 -> 35:55.320] of an incredible champion in Max.
[35:55.320 -> 35:57.880] We've seen new markets breached out.
[35:57.880 -> 36:01.520] We've seen Formula 1 invest $500 million into a pit building.
[36:01.520 -> 36:03.600] We've seen Jacques Villeneuve getting married.
[36:03.600 -> 36:10.740] We have seen, what else, Sundaram? punch no I was one punch up two punches actually
[36:10.740 -> 36:18.920] one punch was it one or was it two a punch and a shove one one plus one free
[36:21.720 -> 36:25.520] and a mullet and a Gauthier as well.
[36:25.520 -> 36:28.040] Anna Mullet, Anna Gauthier, Anna...
[36:28.040 -> 36:29.800] Yeah, all of that.
[36:29.800 -> 36:33.840] But just coming back to the wild stats, something just popped up in my mind.
[36:33.840 -> 36:39.160] Max Verstappen has won 44 races in his last three championship winning campaigns.
[36:39.160 -> 36:41.960] 44 is Lewis Hamilton's race number.
[36:41.960 -> 36:47.040] And I looked at Lewis Hamilton's recent stats in his last three championship winning seasons.
[36:47.360 -> 36:48.920] He scored 33 wins,
[36:49.200 -> 36:51.000] which is Max Verstappen's race number
[36:51.000 -> 36:52.400] before he took on number one.
[36:52.520 -> 36:53.360] Just putting it out there.
[36:53.880 -> 36:54.760] Doesn't mean a thing.
[36:54.880 -> 36:55.600] Doesn't mean a thing.
[36:55.600 -> 36:57.160] Yeah, but just thought I'll put it out.
[36:57.520 -> 36:58.240] Fun. A fun one.
[36:58.240 -> 37:01.520] And I hope you had as much fun in this episode
[37:01.520 -> 37:02.640] as we did, folks,
[37:02.640 -> 37:04.560] because clearly we've all been just laughing
[37:04.560 -> 37:05.120] and smiling all the way through. But yes, as we did, folks, because clearly we've all been just laughing and smiling
[37:05.120 -> 37:06.080] all the way through.
[37:06.080 -> 37:08.400] But yes, as we all mentioned, big things
[37:08.400 -> 37:10.600] coming from the Inside Line F1 podcast.
[37:10.600 -> 37:12.080] We have so much more.
[37:12.080 -> 37:13.720] Otmar Safnaur is coming.
[37:13.720 -> 37:16.040] We're going to do more live events in Mumbai.
[37:16.040 -> 37:19.880] There's going to be our Inside Line F1 Parody Awards as well.
[37:19.880 -> 37:23.200] And in case you like the banter and, I like to say,
[37:23.200 -> 37:26.400] banter and BS, and normally, but that's what it all is.
[37:26.400 -> 37:30.000] And we have so many more fun banter and BS awards coming up for you.
[37:30.320 -> 37:35.000] Categories like the worst driver, the most forgettable moment of the year,
[37:35.240 -> 37:37.200] the most stupidest penalty, stuff like that.
[37:37.200 -> 37:39.920] Not the conventional, who do you think is your best driver?
[37:39.920 -> 37:41.200] Not that sort of gaga.
[37:41.360 -> 37:49.920] So we're going to have that next week, along with many, many more exciting episodes. So subscribe to the InsideLineF1 podcast folks. It's been a pleasure doing
[37:49.920 -> 37:53.920] these episodes for you and I hope that you reciprocate the same energy. See you folks.
[37:53.920 -> 38:18.760] Bye bye. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the Inside Line F1 podcast.
[38:18.760 -> 38:24.120] Before we ended, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Amazon Music once again for partnering
[38:24.120 -> 38:26.160] with us on this episode of the podcast.
[38:24.300 -> 38:27.740] I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Amazon Music once again
[38:27.900 -> 38:30.540] for partnering with us on this episode of the podcast.