El Crashico, Alonso-Swift rumours & more - 2023 Azerbaijan GP Preview

Will the 2 x Qualifying and 2 x Race sessions mean more chaos around the streets of Baku?

'Land of Fire', 'City of Winds' and the 'Home of the Street Fighters', all tags for Azerbaijan, Baku and the Baku City Circuit respectively are geared towards one goal - entertainment!

We're hosting a Motorsport carnival in Mumbai on 30th April - for Formula 1 and MotoGP fans.

Join us for a live race screening, quiz and simulator session for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Formula 1) and 2023 Spanish Grand Prix (MotoGP).

Where: Dadar SOCIAL, 3.45 pm IST onward

Get your tickets on Paytm Insider.

After a near four week gap, the questions remain the same - will anyone catch Red Bull Racing? Can Sergio Perez really challenge Max Verstappen? Will all teams bring upgrades? Will Ferrari fire (not literally!)?

And is Fernando Alonso REALLY dating Taylor Swift!?

In this banter-filled episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil and Kunal preview the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. @f1statsguru aka Sundaram shares his stats preview. We're in for a mad weekend...tune in!

(Season 2023, Episode 17)

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

Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

**Title:** Inside Line F1 Podcast: Previewing the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a Unique Perspective

**Episode:** Season 2023, Episode 17

**Hosts:**
- Soumil Arora
- Kunal Shah
- Sundaram (F1 Stats Guru)

**Key Points:**

1. **Unique Perspective:**
- The hosts discuss the anticipation for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a four-week break.
- They highlight the excitement of having two qualifying sessions and two races in one weekend.

2. **Baku's Characteristics:**
- The hosts describe Baku as the "Land of Fire," "City of Winds," and "Home of the Street Fighters."
- They mention the unique features of the circuit, including the long main straight and lack of necessity for extreme downforce.

3. **Sprint Race Format:**
- The hosts discuss the controversial sprint race format and its impact on the weekend's schedule.
- They debate the pros and cons of the format, considering fan engagement and the condensed nature of the weekend.

4. **Team and Driver Performance:**
- The hosts analyze the potential contenders for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
- They discuss Sergio Perez's strong record at street circuits and his rivalry with Max Verstappen within Red Bull Racing.
- They also highlight the possibility of Williams and Alpine performing well due to the circuit's characteristics.

5. **Aston Martin and Ferrari's Struggles:**
- The hosts predict that Aston Martin may struggle at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to the circuit's layout.
- They suggest that Ferrari could have a strong showing and potentially secure a podium finish.

6. **Alpine's Ambitions:**
- The hosts discuss Alpine's goal of challenging Mercedes for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.
- They highlight Alpine's recent upgrades and their desire to close the gap to the top teams.

7. **Alpha Tauri's Record:**
- The hosts mention Alpha Tauri's impressive record at the Baku City Circuit, with Pierre Gasly achieving top-five finishes in previous years.
- They speculate on the possibility of Nick DeVries scoring his first Formula 1 points in Baku.

8. **Baku's Unpredictability:**
- The hosts emphasize the chaotic nature of the Baku Grand Prix, citing past incidents and the potential for unexpected events.
- They discuss the mysterious "force" that seems to affect certain drivers at this circuit.

9. **Stats Preview with F1 Stats Guru:**
- Sundaram, the F1 Stats Guru, provides a statistical analysis of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
- He highlights the fact that every race in Baku has been won by a different driver, and that Red Bull has won three times without ever taking pole position.
- He also mentions Max Verstappen's potential to equal Sebastian Vettel's record as Red Bull's most successful driver.

10. **Aston Martin's Potential:**
- The hosts conclude the podcast by reiterating their belief that Aston Martin could have a strong showing at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite their recent struggles. **Inside Line F1 Podcast: Preview of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix**

The Inside Line F1 Podcast team, consisting of Soumil Arora, Kunal Shah, and Sundaram (@f1statsguru), provided an engaging preview of the upcoming 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

**Key Points:**

* The podcast began with a discussion of the unique characteristics of the Baku City Circuit, known for its high-speed straights, challenging corners, and unpredictable nature, making it a fan favorite for its entertainment value.

* The hosts acknowledged the four-week gap between races and expressed excitement for the upcoming five races in the next six weeks, emphasizing the increasing intensity of the championship battle.

* Predictions for the Baku GP were shared, with Carlos Sainz being favored by Soumil due to Ferrari's potential advantages on the circuit. Kunal, however, remained hesitant due to persistent rumors surrounding Ferrari's reliability and internal issues.

* The conversation shifted to the introduction of a new sprint format for the Azerbaijan GP, consisting of two qualifying sessions and two race sessions. The hosts discussed the potential impact of this format on the race strategy and the possibility of increased chaos and unpredictability.

* The reliability of Ferrari's power unit was brought into question, considering their poor performance in Baku last year and the limited availability of spare components. However, the hosts acknowledged the additional elements now available to teams, allowing for more aggressive power unit usage.

* The midfield battle was also analyzed, with Nick DeVries and Nico Hulkenberg being highlighted as potential point scorers. The hosts praised Hulkenberg's seamless return to Formula One and his impressive performance in Australia.

* The potential impact of limited practice time on team strategies was discussed, emphasizing the importance of optimizing every minute of practice to gain an advantage.

**Overall Message:**

The Inside Line F1 Podcast provided an informative and entertaining preview of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, discussing various aspects such as the circuit's characteristics, team predictions, the new sprint format, and the ongoing midfield battle. The podcast concluded with an invitation for listeners to join the live watch along event in Mumbai and a reminder of the upcoming Baku GP review on Monday.

[00:00.000 -> 00:20.080] Have you ever been to jail Kunal?
[00:20.080 -> 00:21.080] Ever?
[00:21.080 -> 00:22.080] What?
[00:22.080 -> 00:23.080] Jail?
[00:23.080 -> 00:24.080] Which?
[00:24.080 -> 00:25.700] No. You mean where you wear checkered flags, stripes or at least
[00:25.700 -> 00:30.120] whatever that looks like? Yeah, a proper jail where you get a bed and a meal for
[00:30.120 -> 00:34.540] what three times a day for free completely. Have you been there? No, I mean
[00:34.540 -> 00:38.980] although I must say the jails in the Nordics are like five-star luxury, not
[00:38.980 -> 00:44.080] that I intend to visit them even though I live here, but no I haven't been and I
[00:44.080 -> 00:45.960] hope never to be in jail.
[00:45.960 -> 00:50.440] I think we kind of are getting a feeling of what a jail would feel like except it's a
[00:50.440 -> 00:55.780] Formula One jail. Four weeks without a race Kunal. How have you spent all the time because
[00:55.780 -> 01:00.700] I have been scratching my head and I've been trying to do some productive stuff. We've
[01:00.700 -> 01:09.080] got some good guests on the podcast by the way which we should talk about in a second but I have been bored to death Kunal, four weeks what do
[01:09.080 -> 01:16.600] you do? Well is that really the best analogy you could come up with? Well it
[01:16.600 -> 01:21.520] was going to be worse actually I was about to say welcome back to Formula One.
[01:21.520 -> 01:25.560] I like that that is typical Samuel that's the Samuel that I know. I like that, that is typical Samuel, that's the Samuel that I
[01:25.560 -> 01:29.840] know. I think it's just that when you're away from what you love to do for such a
[01:29.840 -> 01:33.920] long time even the lowest hanging fruit feels like the best thing possible like
[01:33.920 -> 01:37.200] it does for Mercedes right now as well they'll just take anything because
[01:37.200 -> 01:41.520] they're not winning and at this moment in time. So we're back I think we are
[01:41.520 -> 01:45.840] back aren't we Kunal? Welcome back everyone to the Inside Line F1 podcast
[01:45.840 -> 01:48.520] for our Azerbaijan GP race preview.
[01:48.520 -> 01:50.200] You can tell we're rusty
[01:50.200 -> 01:53.320] because it's been such a long time without Formula One.
[01:53.320 -> 01:54.760] My name is Somul Arora.
[01:54.760 -> 01:56.560] I'm the host of the Indian Racing League
[01:56.560 -> 01:58.240] broadcast on Star Sports.
[01:58.240 -> 01:59.600] Joining me is Kunal Shah,
[01:59.600 -> 02:02.920] the former marketing head of the Force India F1 team,
[02:02.920 -> 02:05.920] who is now an FIA accredited Formula One journalist
[02:05.920 -> 02:12.800] working with the Viaplay network and seriously Kunal, we did a few meetups in India in this
[02:12.800 -> 02:18.400] break. We went to talk to the Formula One community, we had a word with everyone, had some fun quizzes,
[02:18.400 -> 02:24.000] amazing banter but even with that, even though we were able to have such a great connect with all of
[02:24.000 -> 02:29.460] you actually present at our meetups, you still at the end of the week and feel like there
[02:29.460 -> 02:30.940] was no race.
[02:30.940 -> 02:32.900] And we come back with two of them.
[02:32.900 -> 02:33.900] What on earth?
[02:33.900 -> 02:34.900] Well, you're right.
[02:34.900 -> 02:39.380] You know, we had no race, but what did I do to keep myself entertained?
[02:39.380 -> 02:46.240] Firstly, of course, it's a very shameless self-promotion plug, but I listened to the episodes that
[02:46.240 -> 02:51.080] we put out during the break. We had David Coulthard, we had the folks from Driven International
[02:51.080 -> 02:56.480] talking about circuit design, and they were the guys who basically redesigned Abu Dhabi,
[02:56.480 -> 03:01.480] have done several other tracks for MotoGP and Formula E, very interesting. And then,
[03:01.480 -> 03:05.000] of course, we had Brake, or Blake as we know him in the
[03:05.000 -> 03:06.600] world of AirFUN, a former performance
[03:06.600 -> 03:09.480] engineer, talking about Red Bull Racing,
[03:09.480 -> 03:12.120] working with Virsh Tappan, Perez, he was
[03:12.120 -> 03:13.960] also at Force India. So I pretty much
[03:13.960 -> 03:15.720] like the fact that we had the Brake and
[03:15.720 -> 03:19.400] we had this feature-driven focus on our
[03:19.400 -> 03:21.280] episodes, which usually doesn't happen
[03:21.280 -> 03:23.240] given that how, like you said, there are
[03:23.240 -> 03:26.240] two races in two days now suddenly do we even speak about
[03:26.660 -> 03:32.480] The sprint after the sprint because by the time we release that it'll be time for the main Grand Prix, right?
[03:32.480 -> 03:37.720] And then here's what I did something else very interesting. I recommend everybody to do so
[03:38.280 -> 03:43.520] We went to the Berlin E-Prix. We were there for both the races and the rookie test and
[03:43.840 -> 03:47.640] We were there for both the races and the rookie test. And we were there as accredited journalists.
[03:47.640 -> 03:50.680] Our daughter, Antara, was there as well.
[03:50.680 -> 03:54.320] And we had the most amazing access to a race weekend.
[03:54.320 -> 03:59.240] And mind you, we've done several races before, Formula 1 races.
[03:59.240 -> 04:01.880] But this time, we said, why don't we just go take a holiday
[04:01.880 -> 04:03.640] to Berlin and go and see the race?
[04:03.640 -> 04:04.480] It is incredible.
[04:04.480 -> 04:11.120] The racing, of course, is incredible. but the fan experience, the fan-centric approach of Formula E is very
[04:12.320 -> 04:17.920] refreshing, I would say. And we were there in the paddock, we were there in the garage,
[04:17.920 -> 04:23.600] listening in. Jehan Daruwala, the Indian Formula 2 driver and Mahindra's reserve driver,
[04:24.800 -> 04:27.000] he participated in the rookie test.
[04:27.000 -> 04:29.280] I was able to literally, from 30 minutes
[04:29.280 -> 04:34.280] before he got into the car till the rookie test ended,
[04:34.280 -> 04:38.960] able to follow with him, with his performance engineer,
[04:38.960 -> 04:41.520] on the Pittucah radio channel, understand
[04:41.520 -> 04:44.800] how he was building himself up to his rookie test.
[04:44.800 -> 04:45.080] It was the
[04:45.080 -> 04:51.000] first time he drove a Formula E car, first time at the Berlin E-Prix circuit as well.
[04:51.000 -> 04:58.040] So lots of fantastic learnings, which I'm hoping to, which I'm guessing will help me
[04:58.040 -> 05:04.160] report on the sport better, talk even more smartly on the podcast. And then, of course,
[05:04.160 -> 05:05.920] a great experience for Antara to also have at her race weekend. And then, of course, a great experience for Antara
[05:05.920 -> 05:07.560] to also have at her race weekend.
[05:07.560 -> 05:09.720] I mean, for her, it was the first time.
[05:09.720 -> 05:12.840] So she doesn't see the screen, but she's seen books.
[05:12.840 -> 05:16.040] So she had lots of books of motorsport or Formula One.
[05:16.040 -> 05:18.720] And I think one of the things that really surprised her
[05:18.720 -> 05:21.800] was there was a driver who got out of the car
[05:21.800 -> 05:24.880] and came to her with the helmet and spoke to her.
[05:24.880 -> 05:26.160] And up until now now I don't know
[05:26.160 -> 05:29.840] if there was that connection that she made that you could actually speak to a driver. Mind you,
[05:29.840 -> 05:34.160] she's just two years old, right, so she's still building all these associations in her head. And
[05:34.160 -> 05:39.840] she was completely blown that the day we actually left Berlin to come back to Oslo,
[05:39.840 -> 05:44.640] she said, but Papa, I want to go see Jehan bhai drive again. Let's go back to the racetrack.
[05:43.200 -> 05:44.880] She said, but Papa, I want to go see Jehan Bhai drive again. Let's go back to the racetrack.
[05:44.880 -> 05:48.640] That's more like it, right?
[05:48.640 -> 05:50.600] That's where you actually develop a connection
[05:50.600 -> 05:51.960] with the sport itself.
[05:51.960 -> 05:53.920] I was initially fearful that the moment
[05:53.920 -> 05:56.400] he said Formula E, our listens would suddenly tank.
[05:56.400 -> 05:58.120] But it's true, though.
[05:58.120 -> 06:00.880] The racing genuinely is amazing.
[06:00.880 -> 06:03.000] But this isn't a Formula E podcast.
[06:03.000 -> 06:09.200] For this, Kunal, we should have a special feature that we should talk about your entire experience. What is it like actually following a rookie test?
[06:09.200 -> 06:14.080] But on the subject of Formula One, I think if there's one circuit that should deliver just
[06:14.080 -> 06:20.240] about the same levels of Formula E chaos, it has to be Baku. And suddenly we have two races. But
[06:20.240 -> 06:25.540] in the meantime, I've just been so annoyed. Why is Formula One doing this?
[06:25.540 -> 06:29.020] Why are we pushing something down our throat that we don't really need or want or
[06:29.020 -> 06:32.100] absolutely even deserve for that matter? I mean, I don't get it.
[06:32.100 -> 06:34.860] MotoGP is hell bent on having sprint races.
[06:35.380 -> 06:37.420] Formula One is hell bent on having sprint races.
[06:37.660 -> 06:41.060] It works for bikes because you can pass in Formula One cars.
[06:41.060 -> 06:46.000] You can't really do that. So we now have two qualifyings and two races.
[06:46.000 -> 06:49.120] It's basically just like adding unnecessary vegetables
[06:49.120 -> 06:50.560] to a margarita pizza.
[06:50.560 -> 06:52.160] Do you really need to do that?
[06:52.160 -> 06:53.440] Pizza's fine as is, right?
[06:53.440 -> 06:54.800] You don't need to change things around.
[06:54.800 -> 06:58.960] So why are we being force fed something that nobody wants?
[06:58.960 -> 07:00.560] And by the way, if you do want
[07:00.560 -> 07:02.760] or rather like the new sprint format,
[07:02.760 -> 07:04.800] just let us know in the poll section down below.
[07:04.800 -> 07:10.960] We'd love to know what you think about it. But so Kunal the pulse is that it's unnecessary. Well well well
[07:10.960 -> 07:19.360] well well let me let me let me first say pineapple on a pizza is very welcome right and in the opening
[07:19.360 -> 07:31.200] sorry no it's not no we're not going to tolerate that. No chance. In the opening 8 minutes of this episode, I've spoken Formula E and I've spoken pineapple on pizzas.
[07:31.200 -> 07:34.600] And I'm pretty sure, you know, this is where listenership tanks.
[07:34.600 -> 07:37.200] They're like, dude, this guy's changed in these 4 weeks.
[07:37.200 -> 07:41.800] I don't even know why we're listening to the Inside Line F1 podcast anymore.
[07:41.800 -> 07:47.240] But okay, let's do this who is Formula One talking to and
[07:47.240 -> 07:52.360] MotoGP talking to where they're like there is a need for sprint races we need
[07:52.360 -> 07:57.040] to find those fans and we need to educate those fans on why you don't need
[07:57.040 -> 08:01.560] sprint races. Oh no Stefano Dominicali Kunal he came out in an interview and of
[08:01.560 -> 08:07.280] all the people in the world who could say this Stefano Domini, who's been running the sport for such a long time,
[08:07.280 -> 08:11.600] team principal of Ferrari, boss of Lamborghini, Formula One fan for decades now.
[08:11.600 -> 08:16.120] He says the only people who have problem with sprints are old Formula One fans.
[08:16.120 -> 08:17.520] Are we old now?
[08:17.520 -> 08:19.280] How old are you again?
[08:19.280 -> 08:20.440] I'm 19.
[08:20.440 -> 08:23.280] I'm a very old Formula One fan Kunal.
[08:23.280 -> 08:24.880] I need my walking stick to walk these days.
[08:24.880 -> 08:27.000] It's tough life.
[08:27.000 -> 08:36.000] Well, but I'll be honest. I mean, my assessment is that the new sprint format is actually a more sensible format.
[08:36.000 -> 08:45.000] Okay, it's a far busier format. I would prefer lesser practice so that teams don't really get to optimize their tools and set up.
[08:45.000 -> 08:47.760] And then there's a lot more unpredictability through the weekend.
[08:48.160 -> 08:50.160] And I would prefer more meaningful sessions.
[08:50.200 -> 08:52.000] I would prefer two starts.
[08:52.360 -> 08:54.480] I would prefer two opening laps.
[08:54.840 -> 09:01.120] Of course, now I know how qualifying is so much more closer than it is, say, in the races.
[09:01.120 -> 09:03.840] So I don't mind two qualifying sessions as well.
[09:03.880 -> 09:08.720] And, you know, to me, I'm happy to give it a try.
[09:08.720 -> 09:11.440] Will the sprint and Grand Prix format
[09:11.440 -> 09:13.240] become a standard going forward,
[09:13.240 -> 09:14.600] just the way it is in MotoGP?
[09:14.600 -> 09:16.360] One doesn't know, but let's give it a shot.
[09:16.360 -> 09:17.540] Let's see how it goes.
[09:18.440 -> 09:21.080] Like you said, Baku will add to the chaos,
[09:21.080 -> 09:23.080] will add to the entertainment,
[09:23.080 -> 09:27.040] and what better circuit than Baku to have
[09:27.040 -> 09:31.680] the sprint format. Although Baku didn't really have a lot of overtakes last year, I think
[09:31.680 -> 09:37.560] it was only 16th out of the 22 races with just 22 passes, if I remember my numbers right.
[09:37.560 -> 09:42.080] But I'm excited to see where it goes, Samuel. Call it a sprint, call it a shootout, call
[09:42.080 -> 09:46.420] it whatever you want to. But the fact is now that you actually have something
[09:46.420 -> 09:49.120] on every day of the weekend to look forward to.
[09:49.120 -> 09:51.120] And I mean, you know,
[09:51.120 -> 09:54.340] Saturday is gonna be an interesting business case
[09:54.340 -> 09:56.020] to do in the years to come.
[09:56.020 -> 09:59.300] You actually have lesser track time possible, right?
[09:59.300 -> 10:00.900] Because it's a shorter qualifying
[10:00.900 -> 10:03.020] and then a shorter race as well.
[10:03.020 -> 10:04.980] But could it be that Saturday becomes
[10:04.980 -> 10:09.840] the more expensive ticket to buy because it is the most condensed way of
[10:09.840 -> 10:14.240] looking at a Formula One weekend. I don't know I'm just throwing it out loud. So
[10:14.240 -> 10:19.160] more expense for lesser minutes served on track. God knows.
[10:19.160 -> 10:24.760] It's ridiculous and I'm also now curious, okay maybe now I am acting like an oldie
[10:24.760 -> 10:25.280] in this case,
[10:25.280 -> 10:31.200] but what happens to the person who wins the Saturday qualifying? Like, what are they called?
[10:31.200 -> 10:36.560] They're not a pole sitter, technically, because they're not winning the proper qualifying,
[10:36.560 -> 10:41.520] but they still have set a qualifying lap that's the fastest. So, are they the sprint qualifying
[10:41.520 -> 10:45.960] winner? And then it's, it's too much.
[10:45.960 -> 10:46.960] It's too much.
[10:46.960 -> 10:50.920] We, okay, maybe we should try and figure it out, but it just already seems that there's
[10:50.920 -> 10:54.840] no incentive for the drivers literally to go out and push as hard as it normally would
[10:54.840 -> 10:55.840] be.
[10:55.840 -> 11:00.480] But to the point of Baku, to the point of the sprint race, I am glad that at least this
[11:00.480 -> 11:08.240] is the best place we could start off with one Race Kunal. Because as our title for this episode literally says, this place is El Crashico.
[11:08.600 -> 11:14.040] And it's just got me wondering, right, at this stage, how will Shah Alaklai have his heart broken this weekend?
[11:14.360 -> 11:16.000] It's a game that we must play.
[11:16.560 -> 11:17.880] Will he crash out?
[11:18.280 -> 11:19.800] Will he have a gearbox penalty?
[11:20.160 -> 11:23.560] Will he have Ferrari absolutely ruin his strategy when he's on for a podium?
[11:23.600 -> 11:24.960] Or will it be all of the above?
[11:25.040 -> 11:27.840] Or will someone steal his watch? or will his girlfriend leave him?
[11:28.160 -> 11:33.120] Or will he have to wear a stupid jacket to promote a race far away later on in the season?
[11:33.360 -> 11:37.520] I wonder how is Charles Leclerc going to get his heart broken Kunal? You know, he's very smart.
[11:37.600 -> 11:41.200] He said I have a very low target. I want to just finish a race.
[11:41.680 -> 11:46.120] And guess what? He's got two chances to do that this weekend.
[11:46.120 -> 11:50.880] So let's just see how Charles Leclerc and Ferrari go
[11:50.880 -> 11:51.700] this weekend.
[11:51.700 -> 11:53.360] But wait a minute, you know,
[11:53.360 -> 11:56.000] before we move on to individual teams
[11:56.000 -> 11:58.680] and individual drivers and et cetera, et cetera,
[11:58.680 -> 12:00.080] we're almost 12 minutes in.
[12:00.960 -> 12:02.800] Very interesting, you know, I was doing some research.
[12:02.800 -> 12:05.960] So the Azerbaijan is known as the land of fire
[12:05.960 -> 12:10.760] because of various natural resources that they've got.
[12:10.760 -> 12:13.200] And because of the engine last year, obviously.
[12:13.200 -> 12:17.200] There is that.
[12:17.200 -> 12:19.920] Baku is actually the largest city in the world
[12:19.920 -> 12:21.920] that is below sea level, okay,
[12:21.920 -> 12:24.800] and is known as the city of winds, okay.
[12:24.800 -> 12:27.520] So interesting things. and to me,
[12:27.520 -> 12:31.280] the best way to describe Baku is by saying Velden Baku,
[12:31.280 -> 12:32.720] and I think that's what we're gonna say
[12:32.720 -> 12:34.860] that two times over the weekend,
[12:34.860 -> 12:36.600] given that there are two qualifyings
[12:36.600 -> 12:38.140] and two races to look forward to.
[12:38.140 -> 12:43.140] But if there's one driver that I'm most excited about
[12:44.360 -> 12:47.360] for the weirdest of reason is Fernando Alonso
[12:47.360 -> 12:52.120] and not because he's at you know he's on this run of three podiums and he's doing
[12:52.120 -> 12:56.720] what he's doing with Aston Martin and there is this whole rumor around him and
[12:56.720 -> 13:02.500] Taylor Swift right and I generally do not care about Vags or partners or
[13:02.500 -> 13:05.760] whatever but what I like is you you know, Fernando Alonso,
[13:05.760 -> 13:08.400] for being the 40 year old person that he is,
[13:08.400 -> 13:11.640] actually went on to TikTok to put up an update.
[13:11.640 -> 13:14.540] And I don't use TikTok, but, you know, I read the updates.
[13:14.540 -> 13:18.900] And in that update, he used a Taylor Swift song, right?
[13:18.900 -> 13:22.840] So here's a 40 year old man teaching, you know,
[13:22.840 -> 13:26.760] younger drivers how to have a long very successful
[13:26.760 -> 13:33.420] Formula 1 career and teaching all other Millennials, all you Millennials, Sommel or Zennials or
[13:33.420 -> 13:39.300] whatever you're called, how to also ace the whole virality game on social media.
[13:39.300 -> 13:44.040] And if you come to think about it, I don't know what credibility the news report has,
[13:44.040 -> 13:45.600] but if there's one thing for sure,
[13:45.600 -> 13:50.000] Fernando Alonso does still feel like he's 22, like that Tale of Swift song. So,
[13:51.040 -> 13:57.600] interesting, interesting, but it's, isn't that the most random news story we've ever heard, Kunal?
[13:57.600 -> 14:01.520] It's like the writers and the journalists also got bored, like, ah, what do we do right now? Oh,
[14:01.520 -> 14:06.680] Fernando Alonso, okay, he's trending these days. Who can we pair him up with? Taylor Swift.
[14:06.680 -> 14:07.520] Taylor Swift.
[14:07.520 -> 14:08.440] What?
[14:08.440 -> 14:09.280] Yeah.
[14:09.280 -> 14:12.600] I'll tell you another random, really random story.
[14:12.600 -> 14:14.640] And this is why I love Stefano Dominicali.
[14:14.640 -> 14:15.480] Okay.
[14:15.480 -> 14:20.480] F1 season is capped at 25 Grand Prix weekends.
[14:20.600 -> 14:21.480] Right.
[14:21.480 -> 14:24.840] But guess what he's delivering in 2023.
[14:24.840 -> 14:27.780] He's delivering 29 races.
[14:27.780 -> 14:34.800] By just adding more races on the existing weekends, he's like, hey, fans want more races, but the teams don't.
[14:34.800 -> 14:36.480] Here you go. You have more races.
[14:36.480 -> 14:39.960] So, technically, Red Bull has six more races.
[14:39.960 -> 14:44.700] They can win this year and have a record of, you know, whatever else that they're going to end up winning.
[14:44.700 -> 14:48.740] And I'm excited. I must say.
[14:48.740 -> 14:55.800] I mean, Baku is chaotic. We're going to have two stats that are going to be used and abused this weekend.
[14:55.800 -> 14:59.680] That in the last six years, there's been no repeat winner in Baku, etc.
[14:59.680 -> 15:00.720] So, that's going to be one.
[15:00.720 -> 15:04.480] The second stat is, Ferrari have two poles but no wins.
[15:04.480 -> 15:05.500] And Red Bull have two wins but no poles. So, that's going to be another played The second stat is Ferrari have two poles but no wins and Red Bull have
[15:05.500 -> 15:12.420] two wins but no poles. So that's going to be another played up stat as well. And I'm
[15:12.420 -> 15:17.780] just eager to see what other ways can Baku entertain us this year. Because when we speak
[15:17.780 -> 15:27.880] Baku we remember Ricardo Punting, Verstappen, the jury's still out there who was at fault. We think the magic button that Lewis had.
[15:27.880 -> 15:32.880] We think Vettel thinking that Hamilton brake-tested him.
[15:32.880 -> 15:39.040] We think, by the way, I think it was here, right, in Baku where Valtteri Bottas pipped
[15:39.040 -> 15:46.000] Lance Stroll to P2 on the podium on the final lap on the start-finish straight. Correct, correct.
[15:46.000 -> 15:51.920] That's true. So yeah lots of lots of ways Baku has entertained us and we're gonna
[15:51.920 -> 15:58.200] have to X the entertainment at least. Yeah I mean at some point at some point
[15:58.200 -> 16:02.640] I will convince myself that the sprint is a good idea. Until then let's talk
[16:02.640 -> 16:05.120] about what could make the sprint a good idea and that is
[16:05.120 -> 16:10.400] going to be a fight between Red Bull Racing, not between Red Bull Racing, rather within Red Bull
[16:10.400 -> 16:15.440] Racing for that matter Kunal, because if you look at the records, Sergio Perez is absolutely
[16:15.440 -> 16:20.000] brilliant at street circuits. Remember, this is where he got his first ever Red Bull Racing win
[16:20.000 -> 16:24.000] as well in 2021. Not to say that hey, because he won here that year, he's going to be good here
[16:24.000 -> 16:29.920] this year. No, but really, at street circuits, be it sometimes that Max has things that goes wrong
[16:29.920 -> 16:35.200] for him or that Checo Perez is just able to smartly engineer a race around street circuits,
[16:35.200 -> 16:41.600] he's just had a brilliant record around the likes of Singapore, Monaco, Baku for that matter. And
[16:41.600 -> 16:45.140] remember, why in the clock pack one year Kunal, we were talking
[16:45.140 -> 16:46.820] about the exact same thing.
[16:46.820 -> 16:51.700] Can Sergio Perez genuinely challenge Max Verstappen and since then, we haven't seen any sort of
[16:51.700 -> 16:56.600] concrete evidence apart from the Monaco GP which came after Baku but at this point in
[16:56.600 -> 17:01.600] time, same story, it repeats back up again, Red Bull Racing are now adamant that no, we
[17:01.600 -> 17:07.440] provided a more equal car, Sergio Perez is more adamant that hey, I've been setting pace and lap times that are similar
[17:07.440 -> 17:09.240] to what Max has done.
[17:09.240 -> 17:11.280] Does the ball really stop on qualifying?
[17:11.280 -> 17:15.400] Because if it does, that just gives Max Verstappen two times the opportunity to demonstrate why
[17:15.400 -> 17:17.520] he is much better and much faster.
[17:17.520 -> 17:18.520] We all know that.
[17:18.520 -> 17:20.360] I think it's an open secret.
[17:20.360 -> 17:22.000] Everybody knows that Max is the faster one.
[17:22.000 -> 17:25.560] But mind you, in the last couple of races before Australia,
[17:25.560 -> 17:27.400] Sergio's pace was right up there in the race.
[17:27.400 -> 17:31.000] So if things do go wrong, I am very intrigued to see
[17:31.000 -> 17:32.240] how this battle plays out.
[17:32.240 -> 17:34.560] Not how Red Bull manages it, because we
[17:34.560 -> 17:35.760] know how that's going to go.
[17:35.760 -> 17:37.360] But could we see a change?
[17:37.360 -> 17:38.560] Could we see a shift?
[17:38.560 -> 17:41.520] Could we see the number 11 back on the top seven of the podium?
[17:41.520 -> 17:44.400] If there's one race where it would be most likely full of chaos,
[17:44.400 -> 17:48.800] it would be this one. I'm going to say another stat that's going to be used and abused this
[17:48.800 -> 17:55.120] weekend that Baku is also I believe known as the home of the street fighters or something like
[17:55.120 -> 18:00.240] that. But anyway, Checo Perez has a better record at street circuits than Max Trish.
[18:01.760 -> 18:09.480] Hang on, hang on. Do they have gang warfare quite often? What sort of dumb nickname is that?
[18:09.480 -> 18:14.720] I don't know. I think I read it somewhere during my research. It's known as the home of the street
[18:14.720 -> 18:20.120] fighters or something to that effect. But anyway. It'll be ideal though because this the main
[18:20.120 -> 18:23.320] straight is so long the street fighters could actually fight there like the video game. It's
[18:23.320 -> 18:26.880] so open that you could kick yourself up into the orbit and then fall back down.
[18:26.880 -> 18:30.640] There'd still be enough runoff for you not to hit a wall or something like that.
[18:30.640 -> 18:31.640] Quite like a video game.
[18:31.640 -> 18:33.280] So maybe it makes sense, Kunal.
[18:33.280 -> 18:34.280] Guess what?
[18:34.280 -> 18:35.280] It is called.
[18:35.280 -> 18:36.280] I just googled it.
[18:36.280 -> 18:37.280] BakuCityCircuit.com.
[18:37.280 -> 18:38.360] That's the official one.
[18:38.360 -> 18:41.120] The home of the street fighters is ready to race.
[18:41.120 -> 18:42.760] So it is the home of the street fighters.
[18:42.760 -> 18:47.760] Yes, my memory is sharp, even though I am closer to age
[18:48.040 -> 18:50.880] with Fernando Alonso than to you, Mr. Samuel Arora.
[18:50.880 -> 18:51.900] Right, okay.
[18:51.900 -> 18:55.720] But I was talking of Perez, right?
[18:55.720 -> 18:59.400] Yes, that narrative will keep hyping up through the season,
[18:59.400 -> 19:02.320] at least till there's a mathematical chance,
[19:02.320 -> 19:07.960] because they both have been very closely matched in 2023, which is a good sign,
[19:07.960 -> 19:14.640] which is why reliability is something that Max Verstappen has been saying will come to, you know,
[19:14.640 -> 19:20.720] will be a factor in the Drivers' Championship because even though Max is known to be quicker and, you know,
[19:20.720 -> 19:25.120] all of that, all he needs is a couple of DNFs with Checo being up there and taking wins.
[19:25.120 -> 19:30.880] And suddenly, there's a deficit that Max has to catch up with. And we've seen what happened in
[19:30.880 -> 19:35.760] 2016. Even though Nico won, everybody said it was that engine failure in Malaysia that
[19:36.400 -> 19:44.400] Luis had, which gave Nico the title, etc. But Perez has had more experience or better results
[19:44.400 -> 19:45.240] at street circuits.
[19:45.240 -> 19:51.960] But that's also been due to some cheeky stuff that he's done and that the fact that Verstappen had a failure a couple of years ago, etc.
[19:51.960 -> 19:58.400] Well, let's not go into details, but Baku is Czechos most successful circuit.
[19:58.400 -> 20:27.360] He has had more podiums here than any other driver and he has had more podiums here than any other circuit right so that's that but of course in Max's case he's won 16 of the last 22 races right and I don't know how many races before we turn around and say 2022 was 22 races and Max is now won 22 races so he's literally won all of the last season, right? So let's see what Red Bull does. You know, Christian
[20:27.360 -> 20:35.240] Horner's of course said it's like to have a sprint as well as a Grand Prix weekend at Baku in itself is pretty frightening from a
[20:35.240 -> 20:42.520] budget cap perspective. You don't you know, and that's a very thin line to cross with Red Bull people right talking about the
[20:42.520 -> 20:43.160] budget cap.
[20:43.040 -> 20:44.560] with Red Bull people, right? Talking about the budget cap.
[20:49.920 -> 20:55.200] Oh goodness, the trauma is still there, but genuinely that could be a factor. And with that as well, Kunal, I'm so intrigued about what team and what driver actually has a surprise weekend,
[20:55.200 -> 21:00.640] because owing, I mean, rather judging from the last few races and judging from the car's
[21:00.640 -> 21:09.040] characteristics, I really feel that we should be watching out for Williams over here with the extremely long straight and the lack of necessity for extreme downforce
[21:09.040 -> 21:13.260] at the circuit. Maybe Alex Albon could be an interesting contender to watch for and
[21:13.260 -> 21:17.640] also the Alpines because over the last few races their speed trap figures have been amazing.
[21:17.640 -> 21:21.640] They've worked well at tracks where the downforce level has been low. Pierre Gasly from Australia
[21:21.640 -> 21:28.800] comes to mind until they took each other out. But a quirky take on that, a rather quirky take on Alpine is that they no longer will
[21:28.800 -> 21:29.960] be in the pink livery.
[21:29.960 -> 21:36.540] So Esteban Ocon's pink crash fetish sort is going to be over because normally when he's
[21:36.540 -> 21:38.880] in a pink car, he tends to collide with his teammates a lot more.
[21:38.880 -> 21:40.720] So that could be good news for Alpine.
[21:40.720 -> 21:50.160] But I'm really intrigued to see how Albon does, how the Alpines do as well because this could be a proper chaotic race and for me as well Kunal, I think this is the one weekend
[21:50.160 -> 21:55.440] where Aston Martin will really struggle and Ferrari could be genuinely there for a good podium.
[21:57.600 -> 22:03.920] Yeah, all down to circuit and car characteristics and since you've picked Williams that you're
[22:03.920 -> 22:10.320] going to watch out for, I'm going to pick Al Alpha Tauri because where are we today? In the first three races of the season,
[22:10.320 -> 22:15.760] all 10 teams have scored points. Two drivers are yet to score. One is Logan Sargent,
[22:15.760 -> 22:23.040] second is Nick DeVries. And you spoke of Pierre Gasly. Gasly has qualified ninth and finished
[22:23.040 -> 22:25.280] ninth in the two races apart from Australia,
[22:25.280 -> 22:31.200] whatever. So, you know, nine is the number out there. Now I'm throwing bits and pieces because
[22:31.200 -> 22:36.400] you mentioned Alpine, you mentioned Alpha, you know, Williams, et cetera. So going to Alpine
[22:36.400 -> 22:43.200] first, the talk of this weekend, literally from the Thursday, is going to be about all the upgrades
[22:43.200 -> 22:45.280] that teams are going to bring to the table because
[22:45.680 -> 22:48.280] Four weeks or whatever three weeks gap we've had
[22:48.720 -> 22:53.600] Has been massive but teams have been working overtime trying to fix their cars, etc
[22:53.600 -> 23:00.840] and like they said on the F1 nation podcast in in many ways the engineers actually prefer to work during these breaks because
[23:01.120 -> 23:05.200] You know racing events are like disruptions in their engineering flow,
[23:05.200 -> 23:10.000] which is a very interesting way to put it. So all down to what the upgrades are going to be,
[23:10.560 -> 23:17.840] will Mercedes have some bit of side parts or not? That's something that's either this weekend or
[23:17.840 -> 23:20.880] in Imola, we're going to find out. But very interestingly, Alpine has said that they want
[23:20.880 -> 23:25.200] to take on Mercedes with their Baku upgrade. Now the last few upgrades they brought
[23:25.200 -> 23:26.900] have actually delivered.
[23:26.900 -> 23:29.200] And I was trying to decode this.
[23:29.200 -> 23:33.360] Why does Alpine want to take Mercedes?
[23:33.360 -> 23:34.400] Let's think of that.
[23:34.400 -> 23:36.200] So we've got Red Bull, which is the fastest.
[23:36.200 -> 23:39.240] We've got Ferrari or Aston Martin, second or third.
[23:39.240 -> 23:41.160] And then Mercedes, which is fourth.
[23:41.160 -> 23:44.360] And Alpine over the last many, many years
[23:44.360 -> 23:47.340] believe fourth is their birthright.
[23:47.340 -> 23:50.160] So anyone going for fourth place,
[23:50.160 -> 23:53.220] we will attack them and them only first.
[23:53.220 -> 23:55.540] And that's probably what Alpine has said.
[23:55.540 -> 23:57.140] We want to take on Mercedes,
[23:58.460 -> 24:00.020] of course they've not finished the statement
[24:00.020 -> 24:01.660] by saying because they're in fourth place,
[24:01.660 -> 24:03.340] but hey, we want to take on Mercedes.
[24:03.340 -> 24:05.360] That's with Alpine.
[24:05.360 -> 24:06.840] I know that's a daddy joke, right?
[24:06.840 -> 24:07.960] You can say that.
[24:07.960 -> 24:12.120] But I also said Alfa Tauri.
[24:12.120 -> 24:15.480] Now, Alfa Tauri actually have a great record
[24:15.480 -> 24:18.680] at the Baku city circuit as Alfa Tauri
[24:18.680 -> 24:21.800] and as a Scuderia Toro Rosso as well.
[24:22.760 -> 24:25.160] I think Gasly was third year in 21.
[24:25.160 -> 24:28.240] He was fifth in 22.
[24:28.240 -> 24:31.640] The cars have reached Q3 here before.
[24:31.640 -> 24:35.120] And even, I think, when Daniel Kvyat was there in Toro Rosso
[24:35.120 -> 24:38.640] out here, they were scoring points in the top five,
[24:38.640 -> 24:39.760] top six positions.
[24:39.760 -> 24:41.920] And Nick DeVries, let's watch out
[24:41.920 -> 24:45.600] and see if he finally scores a point this weekend, Somil.
[24:45.600 -> 24:51.520] Yeah, seriously, we could be on to check out how these dark horses actually genuinely perform as well.
[24:51.520 -> 24:54.560] And it's all a part of the whole puzzle, right?
[24:54.560 -> 24:57.120] When you have a sprint race, when you have a race as chaotic as Baku,
[24:57.120 -> 25:01.520] I'm just waiting to see if a certain driver would also feel the force of Baku.
[25:01.520 -> 25:08.880] That is when they get hit by a car behind them without being physically hit. It's a mysterious alien action that also tends to happen
[25:08.880 -> 25:13.080] at this very circuit. I think the last time we saw it was in 2018 when a
[25:13.080 -> 25:17.120] certain driver called Romain Grosjean got hit by Marcus Ericsson but without
[25:17.120 -> 25:21.880] being hit physically. It's the force. Watch out on Baku. Again, Charlotte
[25:21.880 -> 25:28.880] Clerc has felt it a couple of times and he's gone into a wall but it's not been his mistake. It's just been the force pushing him up over there. But that's just Baku, that's
[25:28.880 -> 25:34.240] just how chaotic the race tends to get. But on a more serious note, we want to know what the numbers
[25:34.240 -> 25:38.320] say about this race as well. Because even though it's just been there for a few years, there have
[25:38.320 -> 25:44.080] been quite a few interesting trends and stats that can also define this particular race. So for that,
[25:44.080 -> 25:45.680] we've got F1 stats guru
[25:45.680 -> 25:49.920] Sundaram back in with another stats preview. Let's listen in. Hey folks it's time for the
[25:49.920 -> 25:55.040] stats preview of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. My name is Sundaram also known as the F1 stats guru.
[25:55.040 -> 26:01.040] Formula 1 is back finally and so is the F1 sprint. So let's not waste any more time let's get straight
[26:01.040 -> 26:08.400] into the numbers. So Formula 1 action returns 28 days, which is the longest gap between two races mid-season
[26:08.400 -> 26:10.240] since the last 15 years.
[26:10.240 -> 26:14.600] It last happened in 2007 and is now happening this year, unfortunately because the Chinese
[26:14.600 -> 26:17.040] Grand Prix could not be held.
[26:17.040 -> 26:22.520] The stat of the week is that every single race in Baku has been won by a different driver.
[26:22.520 -> 26:26.960] It was Nico Rosberg in 2016, Ricardo in 2017, Lewis Hamilton
[26:26.960 -> 26:34.080] in 2018, Valtteri Bottas in 2019, Sergi Perez in 2021 and Max Verstappen in 2022. The big question
[26:34.080 -> 26:37.840] is, who else is going to win it? Will this pattern continue? Will it be Carlos Sainz,
[26:37.840 -> 26:43.840] Charlotte Clerk, George Russell or could it be Fernando Alonso? We'll have to wait to see.
[26:43.840 -> 26:45.280] The other interesting fact is, Red Bull
[26:45.280 -> 26:50.360] has won on this track on 3 occasions but have never taken pole. Conversely, Ferrari has
[26:50.360 -> 26:55.080] taken 3 pole positions here but have surprisingly never won here.
[26:55.080 -> 26:58.400] Now if Max Verstappen wins one more race, he really looks like he's going to be winning
[26:58.400 -> 27:02.680] a lot this year. But if he wins one more, he'll equal Sebastian Vettel to become Red
[27:02.680 -> 27:05.060] Bull's most successful driver.
[27:05.060 -> 27:09.260] Vettel is on 38 wins with Red Bull and Verstappen is currently on 37.
[27:09.260 -> 27:13.380] But also let's talk about the sprint races because it's been a while since we saw one.
[27:13.380 -> 27:17.140] It's going to be the 7th sprint race in Formula 1 and the first time it's being held around
[27:17.140 -> 27:18.620] a street venue.
[27:18.620 -> 27:21.980] All of the previous 6 sprints have been won by Red Bull and Mercedes.
[27:21.980 -> 27:25.040] Actually Verstappen has won half of them. He's won 3 of them.
[27:25.040 -> 27:29.960] And the interesting point is, Aston Martin, Alfa Tauri and Williams have never scored
[27:29.960 -> 27:35.080] a point in a sprint race. But I'm sure Aston Martin might score more than just a few this
[27:35.080 -> 27:36.080] time.
[27:36.080 -> 27:40.120] That was the stats preview of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. I hope you folks liked it. I really
[27:40.120 -> 27:44.040] can't wait to see what happens this weekend because it's going to be a new sprint format.
[27:44.040 -> 27:45.320] I'm really excited.
[27:45.320 -> 27:48.920] But for more such interesting stats and facts, do follow me on my Twitter and Instagram under
[27:48.920 -> 27:49.920] the name F1StatsGuru.
[27:49.920 -> 27:51.960] I'll see you very soon.
[27:51.960 -> 27:55.560] Welcome back in folks to the Insideline F1 podcast.
[27:55.560 -> 28:02.160] And yeah, so far, we've just been bantering about Baku and it's just been so hard to comprehend
[28:02.160 -> 28:08.220] what this is going to feel like because suddenly after so many weeks and months away it feels like we've been hitting by a truck of Formula
[28:08.220 -> 28:12.020] One racing but I think it's good Kunal because we now have five races in the
[28:12.020 -> 28:15.660] next six weeks which means that the championship really gets properly
[28:15.660 -> 28:19.980] serious out here. So in terms of predictions who are you looking forward
[28:19.980 -> 28:25.200] to really from Baku? I have my money on Carlos Sainz, I really feel like with Ferrari's,
[28:26.080 -> 28:31.840] let's say more beneficial characteristics in comparison to Baku, I think he could be one
[28:31.840 -> 28:37.040] driver who has a genuine shot at getting a decent podium, but who stands out in your mind apart from
[28:37.040 -> 28:45.680] Carlos or is it really Carlos itself? You will never ever let go of Carlos Sainz. But before we get to Ferrari, if you're in Mumbai, if you're
[28:45.680 -> 28:53.400] a Formula One and a MotoGP fan, or a Formula One or a MotoGP fan, we are hosting a motorsport
[28:53.400 -> 29:00.600] carnival in Mumbai at Tadar Social. Check out the event description in the links below,
[29:00.600 -> 29:04.240] but we would love to have you guys there. We're going to have an interaction before
[29:04.240 -> 29:09.040] the Formula One race, and we'll have the Formula One race, then the MotoGP race and then
[29:09.040 -> 29:13.520] throughout the day there is a simulator for everybody to have a go at as well and I know
[29:13.520 -> 29:20.240] Somil you and F1Stats Guru Sundaram are going to be hosting it on this Sunday. So everybody
[29:20.240 -> 29:26.120] who's interested please do join us. I'll be joining in spirit. Like I keep telling people, I'm like
[29:26.120 -> 29:29.960] curating the event remotely or whatever you call it, right. But
[29:29.960 -> 29:34.480] the the tickets are on insider, check out the description in the
[29:34.480 -> 29:39.440] link on to Ferrari. You know, the four weeks that we were off,
[29:39.680 -> 29:41.960] again, I haven't made up my mind if you've realized if you've
[29:41.960 -> 29:44.520] stuck around till now I've said three weeks once in four weeks,
[29:44.520 -> 29:45.140] the other times I don't really know how mind if you've realized, if you've stuck around till now, I've said three weeks once and four weeks the other time.
[29:45.140 -> 29:47.240] I don't really know how long the break was,
[29:47.240 -> 29:49.820] but the time that we had off,
[29:49.820 -> 29:51.860] I'm just sort of deflecting on the fact
[29:51.860 -> 29:55.020] that I can't remember how long the break was, right?
[29:55.020 -> 29:57.920] Ferrari have gone into more rumors.
[29:57.920 -> 29:59.340] They want to get rid of Carlos Sainz
[29:59.340 -> 30:00.760] because he's complaining too much.
[30:00.760 -> 30:03.140] The other rumor is it's an open secret
[30:03.140 -> 30:08.000] that Charles Leclerc is talking to Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton, blah, blah, blah.
[30:08.000 -> 30:33.200] But I wonder if Charles Leclerc is now also in this space where, yes, he wants to finish a race, every hour to see how his standings go in terms of music, chart lists or whatever Spotify has.
[30:33.200 -> 30:37.440] Even here, Kunal, he's second to Lewis Hamilton.
[30:37.440 -> 30:38.960] Yes.
[30:38.960 -> 30:40.640] Even in music.
[30:40.640 -> 30:43.840] Yeah, so maybe they'll collab someday.
[30:43.840 -> 30:47.560] The only way they'll be teammates and best fans will follow them.
[30:47.560 -> 30:52.280] But anyway, Ferrari, actually, if I remember correctly, last year they had their worst
[30:52.280 -> 30:58.600] race in Baku because not only did Leclerc and Sainz have retirements, Joe Guan Yu and
[30:58.600 -> 31:00.840] Kevin Magnussen also had retirements.
[31:00.840 -> 31:06.480] So will the Ferrari power unit stay, you know, stay, uh, be reliable throughout the race weekend?
[31:06.480 -> 31:11.160] The good news for them and all the other teams is that there are extra elements
[31:11.160 -> 31:15.480] that are now available for them to use on the power unit side officially.
[31:15.760 -> 31:17.000] So, uh, you know,
[31:17.000 -> 31:21.680] maybe they will not take as many penalties as they would have otherwise
[31:21.680 -> 31:22.060] planned.
[31:22.060 -> 31:29.680] And they could run more power to sort of compensate for the fact that they have an extra unit to use as well. So I expect a lot of these rumors to be
[31:29.680 -> 31:36.480] addressed through this weekend when it comes to Ferrari, but do I see them challenging people?
[31:36.480 -> 31:40.880] I'll put it this way. We know Ferrari are quick, but we don't know what they can land up with. We
[31:40.880 -> 31:45.940] know Aston Martin might struggle on those long straights because that's
[31:45.940 -> 31:49.840] usually been the deterrent. But somehow there is more confidence that Aston Martin will
[31:49.840 -> 31:54.840] fix their problems or find a solution in their setup to be quicker than Ferrari. That's just
[31:54.840 -> 31:55.840] where I am.
[31:55.840 -> 32:00.640] No, wait, but you still haven't said who your prediction is. That's a fun way to dodge it.
[32:00.640 -> 32:08.040] I'll tell you who my prediction is. I would say Nick DeVries scores points, his first points in Baku.
[32:08.040 -> 32:10.800] This break would have sort of helped him.
[32:10.800 -> 32:17.320] Interestingly, you know, till Australia, Lando Norris was 20th and last in the championship
[32:17.320 -> 32:22.120] and he finished one race and now he's suddenly up to eighth in the championship.
[32:22.120 -> 32:26.920] That's just how close the whole midfield fight is.
[32:26.920 -> 32:29.040] So I'm going to bet on Nick DeVries
[32:29.040 -> 32:31.140] and the other Nico Hulkenberg.
[32:31.140 -> 32:34.640] Somehow he just seems like he almost never left Formula One.
[32:36.000 -> 32:37.080] And he settled in so well.
[32:37.080 -> 32:41.160] I think his seventh in Australia was Haas' best finish
[32:41.160 -> 32:44.120] since some 14 or 16 races or something you count.
[32:44.120 -> 32:47.840] So exciting times, I would say, for this weekend.
[32:47.840 -> 32:50.560] Drivers have two extra times to score points.
[32:51.200 -> 32:55.440] I, of course, feel that it will be Max Verstappen up front.
[32:55.440 -> 33:00.800] And I would love to see how much ahead of the field can he finish in the sprint race,
[33:00.800 -> 33:03.600] right? And there is no safety car because in the Grand Prix,
[33:03.600 -> 33:06.860] if there's a safety car, suddenly the gap is nullified.
[33:06.860 -> 33:10.360] But in the sprint race, it's gonna be that you just go
[33:10.360 -> 33:11.200] do low fuel runs.
[33:11.200 -> 33:13.080] And that's actually another interesting thing.
[33:13.080 -> 33:14.520] That's actually the Achilles heel.
[33:14.520 -> 33:18.240] Last year in Brazil, Red Bull got it all wrong
[33:18.240 -> 33:20.580] because there was one free practice session
[33:20.580 -> 33:21.960] and they did not get time.
[33:21.960 -> 33:23.280] They went the wrong way with setup
[33:23.280 -> 33:24.520] and guess who won?
[33:24.520 -> 33:29.440] Mercedes. Could that really be the game changer for Formula One and
[33:29.440 -> 33:34.080] Red Bull Racing again this weekend? Exactly that is one thing that's so
[33:34.080 -> 33:37.340] interesting to watch in with these format changes I think that's what we
[33:37.340 -> 33:41.860] should target maybe getting just less amount of practice time so that then
[33:41.860 -> 33:45.160] you're sort of forced to optimize every single minute of practice that you have and that's what they should be rewarded for considering the amount of practice time so that then you're sort of forced to optimize every
[33:45.160 -> 33:48.320] single minute of practice that you have and that's what they should be rewarded
[33:48.320 -> 33:51.800] for considering the amount of investment and engineering that goes into Formula
[33:51.800 -> 33:55.200] One cars these days not maybe two or three practice sessions and then we have
[33:55.200 -> 33:57.920] a qualifying then we have a race then we have a qualifying then we have a race
[33:57.920 -> 34:01.380] it's just a little little silly but let's wait and watch to see what
[34:01.380 -> 34:07.600] happens this weekend as well but only just finding out together and it'll be fun to see what Formula 1 actually delivers
[34:07.600 -> 34:11.760] in terms of the goods. But folks, if you have enjoyed this episode so far,
[34:11.760 -> 34:15.680] thank you so much for sticking it out to the end. We'd love to have you for our
[34:15.680 -> 34:21.360] Azerbaijan GP and MotoGP, Spanish GP live watch along in Mumbai at Dadar Social this weekend.
[34:21.360 -> 34:28.320] And so for that, as Kunal has mentioned, check out the link in the description below and also vote on the poll that we've mentioned early on in
[34:28.320 -> 34:32.280] the podcast as well. What do you think about the whole sprint race dilemma? Thank you for
[34:32.280 -> 34:37.280] listening folks. Thank you for watching and we shall be back for the Baku GP review on
[34:37.280 -> None] Monday. Bye-bye. you