Expectations In ONE Word For F1 2022, Teams & Drive to Survive - Inside Line F1 Podcast

It's RACE WEEK! In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Abhishek Takle (freelance F1 journalist for Reuters, Mid-day & others) joins Soumil and Kunal to look forward to the 2022 Formula 1 season. 

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It's going to be a loooong season & there will be multiple story lines to follow. The trio bring back their famous 'one word association' format to this discussion. The question they answer: what's the one word you would use to describe your expectations from every team in 2022?

Yes, there are 10 teams to talk about plus the overall expectations from Formula 1 and then of course, a quick review of Season 4 of Drive to Survive. 

Tune in!

(Season 2022, Episode 11)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Abhishek Takle, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Formula 1

## **2022 Formula One Season Team Expectations: A Comprehensive Summary**

### **Mercedes:**

- **Keyword:** Vengeance
- **Analysis:** Mercedes is determined to bounce back from their controversial defeat in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton, in particular, is driven to prove his dominance and reclaim the championship title. While they may face initial setbacks due to their car's porpoising issues, Mercedes has a history of overcoming challenges and developing their cars throughout the season.

### **Red Bull:**

- **Keyword:** Dominate
- **Analysis:** Red Bull, fresh off their Constructors' and Drivers' Championship victories in 2021, is poised to continue their dominance in 2022. Max Verstappen, now a world champion, is expected to elevate his performance to new heights. The team's momentum and confidence could lead them to a commanding position in the championship.

### **Ferrari:**

- **Keyword:** Win
- **Analysis:** Ferrari, after years of underperformance, is determined to return to winning ways in 2022. Their car has shown promise in testing, and they have invested heavily in development. While they may not be ready to challenge for the championship immediately, Ferrari is expected to secure race wins and lay the foundation for future success.

### **McLaren:**

- **Keyword:** Hope
- **Analysis:** McLaren has made steady progress in recent years, and they hope to continue that trajectory in 2022. Lando Norris is expected to secure his first race win, and the team aims to solidify its position as a top midfield contender. However, Daniel Ricciardo's struggles in adapting to the team may hinder their overall performance.

### **Alpine:**

- **Keyword:** Determination
- **Analysis:** Alpine, led by Fernando Alonso, is determined to make progress in 2022. Alonso, who returned to Formula One for the new regulations, is eager to compete for race wins. However, the team may face challenges in meeting Alonso's expectations, as they are still developing and may not be ready to challenge for the championship immediately.

### **AlphaTauri:**

- **Keyword:** Dark Horses
- **Analysis:** AlphaTauri has emerged as a potential dark horse in 2022. Their car has shown impressive pace in testing, and Yuki Tsunoda, in his second season, is expected to make significant improvements. The team could surprise and challenge for podium finishes or even race wins if they can maintain their strong form throughout the season.

# Inside Line F1 Podcast: Season 2022, Episode 11
---
**Transcript Summary**

## Introduction

- The podcast begins with the hosts discussing the upcoming 2022 Formula 1 season, which promises to be a long and exciting one with many storylines to follow.
- They decide to use a "one-word association" format to describe their expectations for each team.

## Team-by-Team Analysis

**AlphaTauri:**

- Abhishek Takle: "Sunoda and Top 5"
- Soumil Arora: "Hope"
- Kunal Shah: "Hope"

**Aston Martin:**

- Abhishek Takle: "Treading water"
- Soumil Arora: "Airless tires"
- Kunal Shah: "Year two"

**Williams:**

- Abhishek Takle: "Pressure"
- Soumil Arora: "Relevance"
- Kunal Shah: "2019"

**Alfa Romeo:**

- Abhishek Takle: "Question mark"
- Soumil Arora: "Sauber"
- Kunal Shah: "Bottas"

**Haas:**

- Abhishek Takle: "Relief"
- Soumil Arora: "Progress"
- Kunal Shah: "Burning Train"

## Formula 1 in General

- Abhishek Takle: "Optimism"
- Soumil Arora: "Debut"
- Kunal Shah: "Follow-up"

## Predictions for Bahrain Grand Prix

- Abhishek Takle: Verstappen (pole), Leclerc (win)
- Soumil Arora: Verstappen (pole and win)
- Kunal Shah: Verstappen (pole and win)

## Conclusion

- The hosts wrap up the episode by expressing their excitement for the upcoming season and encouraging listeners to subscribe to the podcast for more race weekend coverage.

[00:00.000 -> 00:24.280] Hi folks, welcome back to the InsideLineF1 podcast and Pitts the Podium.
[00:24.280 -> 00:27.680] Check your calendars, it's that time of the year again.
[00:27.680 -> 00:32.880] Ah, can we finally call it Raw-Seek or Ra- I don't know, let's not jump on that hype train.
[00:32.880 -> 00:38.000] It's race week once again folks, Formula 1 is back in 2022 and we thought it'd be the perfect
[00:38.000 -> 00:42.000] time to just sit down in with one of our really good friends on the Inside Line F1 Podcast and
[00:42.000 -> 00:47.720] discuss not only Drive to Survive but the upcoming season and what it could hold and we're gonna do that in
[00:47.720 -> 00:53.040] a bit of an unconventional way aren't we Kunal? Yes we are, thank you it's great to
[00:53.040 -> 00:57.800] be it's race week and we're gonna have race week, the opening race week of
[00:57.800 -> 01:02.200] the season with our friend Abhishek Thakle who is a very well-known
[01:02.200 -> 01:05.800] journalist in the Formula One paddock. He writes for Reuters.
[01:05.800 -> 01:07.320] He writes for Midday.
[01:07.320 -> 01:10.580] Abhishek, it's so lovely to have you back on the show,
[01:10.580 -> 01:12.620] although I think the introduction could have been
[01:12.620 -> 01:14.040] a couple of more minutes longer.
[01:14.040 -> 01:16.320] ABHISHEK GUPTA-RAJPAL
[01:16.320 -> 01:17.520] Yeah, that's very kind of you.
[01:17.520 -> 01:18.880] It's great to be back.
[01:18.880 -> 01:21.520] I remember doing this with you guys in the build-up
[01:21.520 -> 01:25.120] to last season's opener, and it was a lot of fun. So great to be back talking to you guys in the build-up to last season's opener and it was a lot of fun.
[01:25.120 -> 01:28.000] So great to be back talking to you guys.
[01:28.000 -> 01:33.680] Absolutely and I remember last time out Abhishek, we had this discussion about testing and whether
[01:33.680 -> 01:36.200] Red Bull would finally be able to dethrone Mercedes.
[01:36.200 -> 01:40.800] We'll get to testing again in a second but firstly, drive to survive guys.
[01:40.800 -> 01:43.000] Have you guys got the chance to watch it yet?
[01:43.000 -> 01:44.000] I know I have.
[01:44.000 -> 01:47.600] I've binged watched the whole thing and I'll go after you first I'll go after
[01:47.600 -> 01:50.520] you in terms of explaining what I really think about it what do you what do you
[01:50.520 -> 02:01.640] reckon about it Abhishek? So I watched it and I mixed mixed reactions really some
[02:01.640 -> 02:06.000] of the episodes I really enjoyed and they were everything that you know
[02:06.000 -> 02:10.040] Drive to Survive has you know over the years that they've they've been doing
[02:10.040 -> 02:14.760] the show. Those couple of episodes that I'm talking about everything that you
[02:14.760 -> 02:19.760] want from Drive to Survive like the Yuki Tsunoda episode for example or the
[02:19.760 -> 02:25.160] Haas episode you know you get actual behind-the-scenes stuff, you get, you
[02:25.160 -> 02:30.540] know, you see how Yuki Sonoda lived in Milton Keynes, you know, you get such an
[02:30.540 -> 02:36.800] insight into the character, the humans that make up the sport. But I was quite
[02:36.800 -> 02:43.960] disappointed by the controversial episodes, I say that the episodes that
[02:43.960 -> 02:47.560] focused on the controversy like the Abu Dhabi season finale,
[02:47.560 -> 02:51.240] for example, where it just felt like a highlights reel
[02:51.240 -> 02:56.720] of the race playing out with slow motion drama and all
[02:56.720 -> 02:59.400] of that, and some sort of additional comments
[02:59.400 -> 03:01.480] from Toto Wolf and Christian Horner,
[03:01.480 -> 03:04.320] and the radio conversations that we've all heard now
[03:04.320 -> 03:07.400] so many times on social media.
[03:07.400 -> 03:10.360] So it just felt like a highlights reel of,
[03:10.360 -> 03:13.640] I mean, I would have liked to have seen more behind the scenes
[03:13.640 -> 03:17.040] stuff when it came to that controversy.
[03:17.040 -> 03:18.440] What do you reckon, Kunal?
[03:18.440 -> 03:20.320] Did you miss Alonzo in the whole thing?
[03:20.320 -> 03:21.960] Because that's one thing I noticed,
[03:21.960 -> 03:24.000] that in the 10 episodes, they couldn't find space
[03:24.000 -> 03:26.420] for Fernando Alonzo apart from a two-minute clip of him playing
[03:26.420 -> 03:34.220] football. How? Well you know I totally agree with what Abhishek has just said.
[03:34.220 -> 03:39.440] The controversial parts maybe they could have done better to explain to
[03:39.440 -> 03:44.460] people why it actually wasn't as controversial as people think and when I
[03:44.460 -> 03:45.160] say that I don't mean that it wasn't a controversial as people think and when I say that I don't
[03:45.160 -> 03:49.640] mean that it wasn't a controversy but the fact is Michael Massey followed a
[03:49.640 -> 03:52.760] rule book and I'm not going down that road and explaining it that whole point
[03:52.760 -> 03:56.440] again but they now suddenly he looks like the villain in all of this
[03:56.440 -> 04:00.120] especially after he's been asked to move over but hey the truth is that he
[04:00.120 -> 04:06.160] followed the rule book to the T and then then, you know, of course, the airing of the radios
[04:06.160 -> 04:09.660] between Red Bull and Massey and Mercedes and Massey
[04:09.660 -> 04:12.480] doesn't really add to the narrative
[04:12.480 -> 04:13.520] that I'm trying to go with.
[04:13.520 -> 04:14.960] But yeah, I think they could have done better
[04:14.960 -> 04:16.040] with the controversial stuff.
[04:16.040 -> 04:17.640] But like also Abhishek said,
[04:17.640 -> 04:19.840] you know, the Yuki Sonoda episode,
[04:19.840 -> 04:21.960] the episode where Ricardo is really trying
[04:21.960 -> 04:25.520] to get himself back and so on. They
[04:25.520 -> 04:30.400] were really good. I think the angle they should try and pursue is the
[04:30.400 -> 04:35.960] human story angle behind the scenes because you know I read something
[04:35.960 -> 04:40.160] on Twitter that if you just follow YouTube, Formula One's channel on YouTube
[04:40.160 -> 04:43.080] you don't need things like drive to survive but I actually disagree with
[04:43.080 -> 04:46.900] that because the one strength that drive to survive has,
[04:46.900 -> 04:50.000] which is this ability to go beyond,
[04:51.260 -> 04:53.800] you know, sorry, go deeper into the human aspect,
[04:53.800 -> 04:55.240] the human element of Formula 1,
[04:55.240 -> 04:57.000] and which is what makes it so special.
[04:57.000 -> 04:59.340] So I really loved that part.
[04:59.340 -> 05:02.500] I hope they keep digging in more to that part.
[05:02.500 -> 05:06.220] And I must say, I loved how Christian Honor
[05:06.220 -> 05:09.480] just said Max is the only driver on the grade who can take the challenge to
[05:09.480 -> 05:13.620] Lewis Hamilton, clearly forgetting a lot of other drivers who have actually done
[05:13.620 -> 05:18.080] that only to be let down by their team or car or some of their mistakes but you
[05:18.080 -> 05:21.220] know that's what you get with Christian Honor Samuel. I think you've
[05:21.220 -> 05:24.680] picked out the perfect point because Christian Honor is one thing I think
[05:24.680 -> 05:27.000] they covered, not one thing but one person I think they
[05:27.000 -> 05:31.240] covered really well in this series because at the end of it they got me to
[05:31.240 -> 05:35.440] feel an emotion towards it. Now as I have constantly said on the podcast I'm not
[05:35.440 -> 05:39.560] really a big fan of his antics in terms of the media but at least it evokes that
[05:39.560 -> 05:42.760] emotion which is the amazing part the director's wife was able to capture in a
[05:42.760 -> 05:45.280] way. I totally agree about the controversies eventually.
[05:45.280 -> 05:48.880] Maybe they could have done a more detailed job, especially Sylvestern which
[05:50.960 -> 05:54.560] felt really glanced over. But I think that's enough on Drive to Survive, right?
[05:54.560 -> 05:58.400] Let's focus on what it's building towards, the 2022 F1 season.
[05:58.400 -> 06:00.240] And Abhishek, you were there at testing.
[06:00.240 -> 06:03.040] Just first up, what was that experience totally like?
[06:03.040 -> 06:06.160] Because these cars, at least in the pictures, they look fascinating
[06:06.160 -> 06:08.160] Are they as good in real life?
[06:09.800 -> 06:16.520] Yeah, I mean it was it was a really really amazing experience going to Bahrain and watching these cars trackside
[06:16.880 -> 06:19.440] I was saying to one of my colleagues
[06:19.440 -> 06:22.420] I said regardless of the generation of Formula One car
[06:22.440 -> 06:27.480] Even if they've been sort of the slower generation of Formula One cars, say 2014, 2015,
[06:27.760 -> 06:31.520] you know, a Formula One car still looks spectacular when you watch it trackside.
[06:32.320 -> 06:39.720] And these cars, yeah, they definitely do. I mean, they're bigger, they've obviously, there are design differences,
[06:40.600 -> 06:43.320] but they look, they look brilliant on track.
[06:43.960 -> 06:53.040] There are some sort where they started out looking a little clumsy, especially the tighter, slower corners,
[06:53.040 -> 07:01.200] but by the end of the test, the teams had ironed that out and they looked like proper Formula 1 cars.
[07:01.200 -> 07:05.080] And the liveries this year are just, I mean, everyone's been raving about the liveries this year are just I mean you know everyone's
[07:05.080 -> 07:09.840] been raving about liveries this year and I can tell you they look spectacular on
[07:09.840 -> 07:14.260] track they always look different in person than they do on camera and yeah
[07:14.260 -> 07:19.200] and the McLaren especially looks absolutely stunning. Which one is
[07:19.200 -> 07:26.080] your favorite though is it the McLaren or are you edging more towards something else? Come on say Ferrari, you can.
[07:26.080 -> 07:33.900] I think my favourite livery is the McLaren I would say and and and second
[07:33.900 -> 07:38.040] favourite would be the Alfa Romeo because they've done that cool thing
[07:38.040 -> 07:40.940] with the wheel covers as well, they've incorporated their livery into the wheel
[07:40.940 -> 07:44.680] covers, it looks really good when it's going on the track. Hmm fun stuff, now
[07:44.680 -> 07:48.160] that's that's all about the livery debate which I think we'll
[07:48.160 -> 07:51.760] factor in when we talk about the teams and their 2022 discussions but let's
[07:51.760 -> 07:54.920] actually get to that. Let's actually get to the meat of this entire episode where
[07:54.920 -> 08:00.400] we try to sum up all the teams and what we expect from them in the 2022 season
[08:00.400 -> 08:05.320] in one word. Kunal, let's start at the top in the order of last year's
[08:05.320 -> 08:10.440] Constructors World Championship of course. Mercedes, what word or phrase have
[08:10.440 -> 08:17.400] you got in mind for them? Wow, okay the word or phrase in my mind is
[08:17.400 -> 08:22.920] rocket ship because you know they've really produced a car that looks like a
[08:22.920 -> 08:25.520] rocket. I'm sure it's soon going to go like a
[08:25.520 -> 08:31.120] rocket once they solve their perposing issues. They faced it a lot with this new concept,
[08:31.120 -> 08:34.480] concept that I've been calling zero part because you almost don't see a part.
[08:35.040 -> 08:38.880] And I just love the fact that, you know, over the last three seasons, and of course,
[08:38.880 -> 08:42.480] now I'm only talking of the last three seasons, they first had the dual access steering
[08:43.040 -> 08:45.760] new innovation. In 2021, they had this
[08:45.760 -> 08:50.480] Silverstone upgrade where the car was literally lowering itself down on the straights, giving
[08:50.480 -> 08:55.840] them a performance advantage and that was all down to setup. It was not down to any tricks that
[08:55.840 -> 09:01.600] they were using and now this year they've come with these really minimal sideboards and I just
[09:01.600 -> 09:09.000] love how despite being in a championship battle all the way till Abu Dhabi, in fact even after that, you know, because they were still
[09:09.000 -> 09:14.160] figuring the legal options on what happened in Abu Dhabi, the fact is that
[09:14.160 -> 09:17.840] they still have been able to push the envelope when it comes to design,
[09:17.840 -> 09:23.360] innovation and you know, like everybody's been saying, it's only a matter of time
[09:23.360 -> 09:29.680] till they solve their progressing problems and then end up being one of the quicker cars off the field as well. And I
[09:29.680 -> 09:36.080] think if we start the season with Mercedes not being the strongest, the story to follow would be
[09:37.040 -> 09:42.400] you know, how they end up, you know, inching forward towards the top, towards the sharper
[09:42.400 -> 09:47.880] end of the grid for me, somehow. What do you you reckon Abhishek, do you seriously think that Mercedes will be
[09:47.880 -> 09:51.720] able to fight back because seems like after years of saying that oh we're
[09:51.720 -> 09:54.720] struggling we're struggling much like the story of the boy and the wolf in the
[09:54.720 -> 09:57.480] village if you've heard about that one finally seems like it's caught up to
[09:57.480 -> 10:01.320] them right so do you think it's actually inevitable that they will catch up or
[10:01.320 -> 10:05.520] are they really even down in the first place?
[10:05.520 -> 10:06.720] The boy who cried wolf.
[10:06.720 -> 10:08.720] That's the one.
[10:08.720 -> 10:13.200] Yeah and ironically the team principal is also named wolf.
[10:13.200 -> 10:21.600] I think my word for sort of my what I would associate with Mercedes is
[10:21.600 -> 10:27.080] vengeance. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic,
[10:27.080 -> 10:32.040] look, I mean, they've taken the manner of last year's defeat
[10:32.040 -> 10:34.240] in a really hard way.
[10:34.240 -> 10:38.360] And they want to come back, and they want to prove a point.
[10:38.360 -> 10:40.040] Lewis Hamilton has got an edge to him
[10:40.040 -> 10:42.280] this year in the way he's speaking at press conferences
[10:42.280 -> 10:42.760] and everything.
[10:42.760 -> 10:44.180] He's still courteous, still polite,
[10:44.180 -> 10:49.440] but you can sense that edge. The thing is, if you look at the
[10:49.440 -> 10:57.440] Bahrain test in itself, they appear to be lagging behind Red Bull and Ferrari. But like
[10:57.440 -> 11:03.160] Kunal said, you can never count Mercedes out, they are brilliant at developing their way
[11:03.160 -> 11:05.280] out of problems not even developing about
[11:05.280 -> 11:09.280] they're just very good at sort of engineering their way out of problems so
[11:09.280 -> 11:12.800] they may start the years but so I wouldn't be surprised if they're already
[11:12.800 -> 11:19.400] in the mix in Bahrain so just in a week's time yeah I don't know they just
[11:19.400 -> 11:22.840] always seem to do it for some reason but I've got something else in mind
[11:22.840 -> 11:26.560] something less focused on testing something more on the lineup which I think we've been
[11:26.560 -> 11:31.880] discussing since last August I've got my word penned down as McLaren 2007 because
[11:31.880 -> 11:34.820] if you come to think of it it's literally the same scenario in terms of
[11:34.820 -> 11:39.480] the drivers where Lewis is now facing well let's say maybe Lewis you know if
[11:39.480 -> 11:43.120] you can put it that way someone who's impressed quite a fair bit in the junior
[11:43.120 -> 11:48.200] career and of course in his early years in Formula One and now Lewis's Fernando, does it end in a sour way
[11:48.200 -> 11:49.840] is what I've really got in mind.
[11:49.840 -> 11:54.460] But I want to take on this very focus because I don't know, for some reason I'm thinking
[11:54.460 -> 11:59.040] if the car is, let's say, slow, which of course seems unlikely, but let's say if it's in midfield,
[11:59.040 -> 12:02.480] for some reason I think that George will be able to extract a bit more out of it because
[12:02.480 -> 12:04.200] Lewis tends to complain.
[12:04.200 -> 12:09.480] Of course, he gets on with the act, but he tends to be a little more noisy about it than
[12:09.480 -> 12:12.760] George who is just putting his head down for the last three years and acting on a car that's
[12:12.760 -> 12:13.760] really slow.
[12:13.760 -> 12:14.760] So what do you reckon?
[12:14.760 -> 12:17.560] Who beats the other one in this battle?
[12:17.560 -> 12:22.800] We'll start with you, Kunal.
[12:22.800 -> 12:28.200] I think it's tough to write off Lewis and vengeance is going to be on his mind
[12:28.200 -> 12:33.800] more than anybody else. I think if anybody in Formula One
[12:33.800 -> 12:38.840] felt what happened in Abu Dhabi, it was Lewis who felt it the most.
[12:38.840 -> 12:44.640] I think it's going to be Lewis who will be out on top and I also think in some
[12:44.640 -> 12:47.600] ways and I wouldn't say it's a wrong thing to do,
[12:47.600 -> 12:51.400] Mercedes will try and keep their drivers in check because, you know,
[12:51.400 -> 12:54.840] they've reached these great heights because of, of course, their engineering,
[12:54.840 -> 12:58.120] but also because of what Lewis has been able to pull off on track all these
[12:58.120 -> 13:03.640] years. So I think it will, we probably won't see a Ron Dennis of 2007.
[13:03.640 -> 13:05.360] So we might just avoid, but again of 2007, so we might just avoid.
[13:05.360 -> 13:10.860] But again, we might just avoid McLaren 2007, but at this moment, nobody knows.
[13:10.860 -> 13:14.560] Maybe Abhishek does, who knows?
[13:14.560 -> 13:22.760] I can't definitively say whether George will beat Lewis or whether Lewis will beat George.
[13:22.760 -> 13:25.440] They're coming at it from very two different sort of perspectives.
[13:25.440 -> 13:29.720] George is just grateful to be in the Mercedes. So he's going to be hungry. He's not going
[13:29.720 -> 13:33.760] to be complaining. He's like, this is a Mercedes opportunity. Whereas Lewis is used to driving
[13:34.120 -> 13:38.400] cars for certain standards. If it doesn't meet that standard, yes, I mean, yes, he would
[13:38.400 -> 13:47.600] complain. But equally, Lewis, I think, is also great at getting his head down and working his way out of a problem.
[13:47.600 -> 13:52.600] And I think where Lewis will have the edge is Lewis over since 2014 onwards, he's been
[13:52.600 -> 13:55.800] very good at managing races.
[13:55.800 -> 14:00.560] He's not just had the blinding one lap speed, but he's also been very good at managing races.
[14:00.560 -> 14:07.560] George, I feel needs to sort of up his game in that area because George in the Williams
[14:07.560 -> 14:12.920] has always qualified well, you know, exceeded the car's capabilities even.
[14:12.920 -> 14:17.360] But in the races, he's tended to fall back.
[14:17.360 -> 14:22.760] So I think Lewis will have the edge when it comes to that.
[14:22.760 -> 14:27.200] Now let's move to Red Bull because that's the series done. I've got one word
[14:27.200 -> 14:32.000] written down for Red Bull and it's pretty self-explanatory. A benchmark. Is that the same
[14:32.000 -> 14:39.680] one that you've got in mind Abhishek? I've got a bit of a dull word there. I've got momentum
[14:42.240 -> 14:48.760] because look they've come off their first title-winning season since 2013.
[14:48.760 -> 14:53.880] Yes, they didn't win the Constructors' title, but you know, Christian Horner desperately
[14:53.880 -> 15:00.760] wanted to beat Mercedes in the last rules era, basically beating them at their own game.
[15:00.760 -> 15:01.760] They've done that.
[15:01.760 -> 15:04.200] He desperately wanted to win the World Championship with Max Verstappen.
[15:04.200 -> 15:07.200] He's done that. And one of two things happen when you win a world championship.
[15:07.600 -> 15:09.400] You've got the sort of
[15:09.400 -> 15:12.600] the drivers and teams who have the mentality of you know,
[15:12.600 -> 15:17.280] okay now we've won the title, we've achieved our life's ambition and they tend to sort of back off and just enjoy the
[15:18.240 -> 15:23.800] enjoy being world champion and then there are you know, on the flip side you have guys
[15:24.080 -> 15:28.400] who sort of it unlocks a new level in them.
[15:28.400 -> 15:32.560] And they just sort of step their game up as drivers, as teams, you know.
[15:32.560 -> 15:45.700] I think Max and Red Bull fall into the latter category, where I think the sort of winning a championship is just going to unlock a whole new level of performance. You know guys we've
[15:45.700 -> 15:50.100] never discussed notes but the strange thing is the word I've written down
[15:50.100 -> 15:57.140] is dominate and it's just adding on to what Abhishek has just said you know
[15:57.140 -> 16:02.980] that the momentum that they've sort of picked up from and to me I think I
[16:02.980 -> 16:07.600] really hope they don't end up dominating because you know the pressures
[16:07.600 -> 16:13.760] of Christians beating Mercedes at their own game. Max is now world champion and he said you know like
[16:13.760 -> 16:20.320] I feel different, I want more but I feel different. I hope they don't end up dominating by any
[16:20.320 -> 16:29.440] standard because you know Red Bull Racing is a far more exciting team when they are engaged in battle, when they're engaged in a title fight than
[16:29.440 -> 16:35.080] when they are dominating. So I really hope that they don't end up dominating
[16:35.080 -> 16:39.920] in 2022. You're actually so right about that because nobody loved Red Bull from
[16:39.920 -> 16:44.320] 2010 to 2013. It's only after that people were like oh glory days come on when you
[16:44.320 -> 16:45.280] were watching at that stage
[16:45.280 -> 16:46.760] You were getting bored of Sebastian Vettel too
[16:46.760 -> 16:50.340] But there's there's an element of that that was a big part of the past day
[16:50.340 -> 16:55.480] But I think it'll surely happen with my series and hopefully who knows for the Red Bull fans with Red Bull as well considering
[16:55.480 -> 16:59.840] How good they look in testing but the other team that looks so good in testing Ferrari
[17:01.600 -> 17:05.520] You can already see you maybe even hear the smiles possibly I mean if you can
[17:05.520 -> 17:08.880] possibly do that by the tone of her voices but hallelujah is the word I've
[17:08.880 -> 17:14.940] got in mind this could finally be it what is it like I don't know a decade
[17:14.940 -> 17:20.560] and a half since they haven't won it. Kunal is this it finally for them what
[17:20.560 -> 17:27.360] word have you got in mind for them? The word I've written down the association in my mind with Ferraris is win
[17:27.780 -> 17:33.360] You know this they stopped everything in 2020 and said we're going to focus on the new regulations
[17:33.800 -> 17:40.040] They enacted they've actually done that fairly well with the livery with the car with the amount of mileage
[17:40.040 -> 17:42.160] they put in the highest for any team and
[17:42.800 -> 17:46.240] Most importantly they were the only team that actually
[17:46.240 -> 17:53.040] had more development time than the other top two or three teams that they would pretty much
[17:53.040 -> 17:59.440] end up competing. So in 2022 they got a win without excuses and I don't mean the world championship
[17:59.440 -> 18:11.200] even if they start winning races even if they are in contention, that in itself would be a massive upswing in form and expectations and hope for Ferrari in 2022. That's
[18:11.200 -> 18:16.760] the word, win. Is that something similar for you, Abhishek?
[18:16.760 -> 18:23.040] I've got expectation because you know Ferrari, when you're Ferrari, you always
[18:23.040 -> 18:26.240] carry the weight of expectation, you always have that pressure.
[18:26.240 -> 18:31.680] But yeah, but that pressure is higher than ever, knowing they haven't won for two years now.
[18:31.680 -> 18:34.880] I mean, their last win was 2019 with Vettel.
[18:34.880 -> 18:39.680] And yeah, they just, they look good out of the box.
[18:39.680 -> 18:50.720] Their car looks quick, their car looks reliable, it looks consistent. I still don't think that's a team that's ready with the driver line-up.
[18:50.720 -> 18:59.320] They're both very talented drivers, but I don't think that team and driver line-up is mature enough yet for a season-long championship battle.
[18:59.320 -> 19:03.760] But this is a year that they can lay the foundation for that, certainly.
[19:03.760 -> 19:07.380] And build on that for future years
[19:07.380 -> 19:09.380] I I don't think they're ready to win the championship
[19:09.840 -> 19:16.120] But I think this is when they they're ready to go back to winning ways in terms of races and build that foundation
[19:16.720 -> 19:20.060] From which to mount championship challenges in the future
[19:20.600 -> 19:27.680] Abhishek, can you just check your Instagram? Maybe a couple of Ferrari fans have started to unfollow you after what you've just said, that's certainly is
[19:27.680 -> 19:31.840] gonna happen. But you're right about the word though, expectations is... I'm probably not
[19:31.840 -> 19:39.120] gonna get a visa to go into Italy this year. Exactly, oh man, but you're so right about that point,
[19:39.120 -> 19:42.560] expectations is what's happening with Ferrari and I think the same can be said
[19:42.560 -> 19:47.020] for McLaren as well in a way, because we've seen them take positive strides all the way
[19:47.020 -> 19:52.420] since 2018 now they've only grown in every single year but what I think of
[19:52.420 -> 19:56.320] them for some reason is that this is the year when in sailing terms at least the
[19:56.320 -> 20:00.380] mast is down or when you don't quite get any air on the sail I think this is
[20:00.380 -> 20:03.700] where the momentum dies down do you reckon the same happens because Abhishek
[20:03.700 -> 20:05.240] the front brake has been a major issue.
[20:05.240 -> 20:07.520] OK, fine, even that can be solved out.
[20:07.520 -> 20:09.240] That may be a temporary thing, like, let's say,
[20:09.240 -> 20:10.780] Mercedes' issues with power poisoning.
[20:10.780 -> 20:13.080] But in the long run, do you see them
[20:13.080 -> 20:15.360] having the same pace or the same competitiveness
[20:15.360 -> 20:19.080] as they did in the last couple of years?
[20:19.080 -> 20:20.400] Yeah, I believe so.
[20:20.400 -> 20:27.640] I think my word for McLaren is hope. I do believe they can, I mean they had those
[20:27.640 -> 20:34.800] brake issues in Bahrain but in Barcelona the car looked pretty good and to be honest just
[20:34.800 -> 20:41.240] watching the cars out on track, the McLaren looked pretty comfortable to drive, pretty
[20:41.240 -> 20:50.560] easy to drive out on track compared to some of the other cars. So I think they've got they've got pace in that car and I think Landonautus is going to win his
[20:50.560 -> 21:01.360] first race this year. Wow that's a that's an exciting prediction yeah and especially after
[21:01.360 -> 21:07.000] what happened in Russia I think it'll be a good way to, you know, sort of get him all the experience to do that.
[21:07.000 -> 21:17.200] And I believe for me the one thing that's sort of feeling out of place even more so now in McLaren, and that's my word for them, is Ricciardo.
[21:17.200 -> 21:28.120] Because, you know, the engine's firing, the chassis is firing, the team's doing well, Lando's firing, everything. But Daniel Ricciardo, he is somehow feeling out of place.
[21:28.120 -> 21:35.320] And you know, unfortunately, even with his COVID, him missing the opening, not the opening,
[21:35.320 -> 21:39.440] the second test in Bahrain, it just keeps him on the back foot.
[21:39.440 -> 21:46.640] And you know, I can tell you with a lot of confidence, there's not a single person in all of Formula One who does not want Daniel
[21:46.640 -> 21:49.920] Ricciardo to be Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren, right?
[21:49.920 -> 21:55.120] And it feels a little more because there's a bias now because I've only, you know, three, four days ago
[21:55.120 -> 21:58.720] seen the Ricciardo episode in Netflix. You feel a little more for him.
[21:59.360 -> 22:02.560] So I really hope that he fires because,
[22:03.360 -> 22:06.120] you know, just the way there was this term that we,
[22:06.120 -> 22:10.840] you know, we've seen Bernie Ecclestone saying, you know, Formula One needs Ferrari to win
[22:10.840 -> 22:13.400] and that's the best advertisement for Formula One.
[22:13.400 -> 22:19.640] I think on the driver side of things, if I was to be a little bold, I think McLaren and
[22:19.640 -> 22:24.760] Formula One needs a driver like Daniel Ricciardo to win because, you know, when he wins, the
[22:24.760 -> 22:25.200] podium celebrations are at another level. one needs a driver like Daniel Ricciardo to win because you know when he wins the podium
[22:25.200 -> 22:31.280] celebrations are at another level and that's what you know we saw in Italy last year you know
[22:31.280 -> 22:36.960] which was a win on merit but to see them be more competitive to see them in the fight to see
[22:36.960 -> 22:42.400] Daniel Ricciardo and his late breaking moves especially you know because he's such a clean
[22:42.400 -> 22:48.780] driver as well and not everybody fighting at the top is as clean. I think that's the one word, that's the one
[22:48.780 -> 22:54.680] feeling that I have that Ricardo needs to fire in 2022 for McLaren and I hope
[22:54.680 -> 22:59.760] he's figured how to do that because in 2021 the poor chap looked as lost as
[22:59.760 -> 23:04.980] anybody would but I hope that 2022 is different for him. Not as anybody, I can
[23:04.980 -> 23:05.280] I can claim not as anybody I can
[23:05.280 -> 23:08.680] claim not as anybody there was someone who was more lost but we can't talk
[23:08.680 -> 23:11.600] about him or rather we've been given the opportunity not to talk about him
[23:11.600 -> 23:16.520] luckily but actually it starts off badly for Ikiyaro because he's already on
[23:16.520 -> 23:20.280] the back foot he's missed a couple of days of testing thanks to COVID there's
[23:20.280 -> 23:23.560] a doubt about the first race which I think is unlikely but still missing out
[23:23.560 -> 23:25.000] on so much of valuable track time
[23:25.000 -> 23:27.500] isn't quite starting in the best way, unfortunately.
[23:27.500 -> 23:28.800] But that's McLaren.
[23:28.800 -> 23:31.500] I think the team next were Alpine.
[23:31.500 -> 23:33.800] And I was really struggling to find a word for it.
[23:33.800 -> 23:35.700] So I think I'll think in the meantime.
[23:35.700 -> 23:38.700] But Abhishek, what do you have in mind with them?
[23:38.700 -> 23:40.500] I'm sure it has to be something around Alonso, right?
[23:43.000 -> 23:44.500] Yeah, determination.
[23:41.000 -> 23:42.000] Alonso, right? Yeah, determination.
[23:42.000 -> 23:54.280] Yeah, but I don't think they are quite in a position where Alonso would like them to
[23:54.280 -> 23:55.280] be.
[23:55.280 -> 24:01.400] I mean, Alonso basically came to Formula One for this set of rules.
[24:01.400 -> 24:07.500] And he would have been hoping that by 2022, Alpine would be in a position to be winning races.
[24:07.500 -> 24:13.700] Now I know they won the Hungarian Grand Prix last year, but that was obviously a strange race.
[24:13.700 -> 24:21.200] But on merit, I don't think Alpine are in a place where they can win races consistently this season.
[24:21.200 -> 24:27.400] The question is, what's that going to mean for Lonzo's future?
[24:27.400 -> 24:32.760] Because if he doesn't see the potential, he's not going to want to stay, he's not going
[24:32.760 -> 24:37.280] to want to hang around. Which is great for Oscar Piastri, who's waiting in the wings,
[24:37.280 -> 24:43.680] the Formula 2 champion. But yeah, I think they're determined, they've got Otmar Zafnar
[24:43.680 -> 24:45.920] in place, who as we know, did wonders at Force India. They've got Otmar Zafnar in place, who, as we know,
[24:45.920 -> 24:47.840] did wonders at Force India.
[24:47.840 -> 24:49.600] But for all of this to feed through,
[24:49.600 -> 24:50.640] it's going to take time.
[24:50.640 -> 24:54.560] And what's concerning for me is Alonso is pushing.
[24:54.560 -> 24:58.000] He's making bold statements about setting bold goals
[24:58.000 -> 24:59.680] for the 2022 season.
[24:59.680 -> 25:01.760] Alpine is saying, oh, we're giving ourselves
[25:01.760 -> 25:06.240] 100 races before we emerge as championship content. 100 races is
[25:06.240 -> 25:14.000] basically four or five years so there's a mismatch in expectations that I think. That's a long time
[25:14.000 -> 25:18.240] actually and well they've been in here since 2016 and there's literally nothing that's been
[25:18.240 -> 25:23.520] achieved in a way but let's hope that there can be something but Kunal speaking of Otmar right
[25:23.520 -> 25:27.200] it's funny because he left Aston Martin apparently because there was a lot of
[25:27.200 -> 25:30.680] micromanagement by Lord and Stroll. Has anyone told him that there's around six
[25:30.680 -> 25:37.640] or seven heads in Alpine? Is that kind of matching in? That's a bit absurd of a
[25:37.640 -> 25:43.360] team I mean the structure of the whole thing. Well but I'm excited you know I'm
[25:43.360 -> 25:48.160] excited to see Otmar pairing up with Fernando Alonso,
[25:48.160 -> 25:52.080] probably the most high profile driver that Otmar is going to have worked with in the
[25:52.080 -> 25:53.080] last few years.
[25:53.080 -> 25:58.060] Of course, at Vettel, but you know, Fernando is Fernando as we know, and that's my word
[25:58.060 -> 26:08.080] for Alpine because, you know, 2022 is what Alonso signed up for when he signed up to come back to race with Alpine.
[26:08.720 -> 26:14.080] And I think it's all going to be about the kind of progress they make through the season if they
[26:14.080 -> 26:19.360] don't really start it strong enough. Can they get strong enough? Because that's the
[26:19.360 -> 26:30.140] benefit of the new rules. They offer people, at least in the first year, they offer people an opportunity to catch up faster and it only takes longer once the
[26:30.140 -> 26:34.820] rules stabilize like we saw in the last era as well. So my word of course is
[26:34.820 -> 26:39.900] Alonso and just taking a cue from what Abhishek said, if Alonso
[26:39.900 -> 26:48.000] leaves I think he's going to leave Formula One for good and there's a really talented driver in the wings in Oscar Piastri.
[26:48.000 -> 26:57.000] But him coming in at the cost of Alonso doesn't sound all that right because we need somebody like an Alonso.
[26:57.000 -> 27:05.920] I mean, just to see that guy in any racing car all the way from his minority days to now just to watch him race whether it's qualifying,
[27:05.920 -> 27:11.520] whether it's a race. I think there isn't a more complete driver in Formula One than Fernando
[27:11.520 -> 27:18.960] Alonso at least in my view. Nailed it 100% and I think because of that I think I'll go for the word
[27:19.520 -> 27:24.560] pull a rabbit out of the hat because maybe that car doesn't quite seem like the best car out there
[27:24.560 -> 27:28.280] but because of Fernando I think they might just fight for a
[27:28.280 -> 27:31.480] win here or there sometime later in the season it seems unlikely at the start at
[27:31.480 -> 27:35.280] least but that's the Fernando effect right you always you always believe
[27:35.280 -> 27:39.240] when he's around but Alfa Tauri I think they were next in the Constructors
[27:39.240 -> 27:43.220] Championship what what do you think of them I've been them down as the dark
[27:43.220 -> 27:48.040] horses or maybe best of the rest if you could call it that way because it's unlikely that they're going to be as
[27:48.040 -> 27:53.840] good as Red Bull because it's not 2008 anymore but they just look fantastic not just the
[27:53.840 -> 27:57.960] way the car looks but in terms of their quick laps as well that car looks like it's darting
[27:57.960 -> 28:05.840] around the place so would you pin them in that role as well, Abhishek?
[28:07.840 -> 28:08.320] My word for them is Sunoda
[28:09.800 -> 28:14.680] because you know I think I'm really keen to see how he gets on in his second season to be honest because he is
[28:15.000 -> 28:20.640] He's a real character and he's got that typical sort of I don't know what it is about these Japanese drivers. They just have this
[28:21.560 -> 28:24.520] Flare, you know when they're driving they're just a flamboyant
[28:24.520 -> 28:25.880] They you know, you can see that in their driving and I think yes Alpha Tauret They just have this flair when they are driving. They are flamboyant.
[28:25.880 -> 28:27.560] You can see that in their driving.
[28:27.560 -> 28:30.080] And I think yes, Alpha Tauri, they had a great season last year.
[28:30.080 -> 28:32.080] Gasly was exceptional.
[28:32.080 -> 28:35.920] If Sunoda had been firing on all cylinders, they probably would have beaten Alpine to
[28:35.920 -> 28:36.920] fist.
[28:36.920 -> 28:44.080] So, yeah, I would say Sunoda and Top 5 is what I am expecting from Alpha Tauri this
[28:44.080 -> 28:45.000] year. Top 5? Are you putting them as high, Kunal? Top 5 is what I'm expecting from Alpha Tauri this year.
[28:45.000 -> 28:49.000] Top 5? Are you putting them as high, Kunal? Top 5 is good.
[28:52.000 -> 29:07.200] I am and you know my word is hope for them because Gasly has been hoping for a bigger team to go to but maybe Alpha Tauri could be that big team given you know again very they had a very no nonsensical approach to testing they
[29:07.200 -> 29:12.000] had good mileage that they put in they seemed quick so again the hope is that the pre-season
[29:12.000 -> 29:18.000] testing form is actually the form they'll carry into the season there is hope that Yuki Sunoda
[29:18.000 -> 29:23.200] is you know finally going to perform he's like you know his his his debut season didn't have
[29:23.200 -> 29:25.440] really a lot to write about apart from
[29:25.440 -> 29:27.840] some funny moments and lots of radio and stuff.
[29:27.840 -> 29:30.600] Of course, a decent amount of results as well.
[29:30.600 -> 29:36.240] But if the same season was to happen in 2022, I don't see that he's probably going to get
[29:36.240 -> 29:42.220] a renewal because I think he needs to deliver a lot more in terms of points, a lot more
[29:42.220 -> 29:48.760] in terms of maturity as well of being a Formula One driver. And then the other hope is, you know, all the other junior drivers
[29:48.760 -> 29:55.320] who are racing in junior series with hope that they get a seat in Alfa Tauri. You know,
[29:55.320 -> 29:59.840] of course, Jehan included, Dennis included, two drivers I work fairly closely with in
[29:59.840 -> 30:08.000] Formula Two as well. So hope is what I think Alfa Tauri is going to be looking for in 2022.
[30:08.000 -> 30:13.760] At least that's the one word association, one emotion that I'm associating with them
[30:13.760 -> 30:19.040] so strongly because you know seeing Gasly do what he's done in the last two seasons
[30:19.040 -> 30:28.000] was so phenomenal and I'm excited to see what that hope delivers for him in 22 as well, especially since the Red Bull seat seems out of bounds.
[30:28.000 -> 30:31.000] But I think you went a little bit too soft on Sonona.
[30:31.000 -> 30:36.000] If you said that if he had a similar year, he would not be given an extension, that's too soft a comment to the Red Bull.
[30:36.000 -> 30:38.000] He'd be sacked midway through the season.
[30:38.000 -> 30:40.000] They wouldn't even keep him.
[30:40.000 -> 30:42.000] They wouldn't even keep him beyond spa or something like that.
[30:42.000 -> 30:48.320] But I hope they do keep him because there were signs at the end of last year that he could potentially be the thing,
[30:48.320 -> 30:52.880] I think be the driver that we've all hoped for him to be. But we have to move to Aston Martin next.
[30:52.880 -> 30:58.880] And I've got a really quirky one for this one. I'm not sure if it kind of resonates the entire idea,
[30:58.880 -> 31:03.280] but I've called them airless tires because when airless tires initially came out, we were all
[31:03.280 -> 31:07.080] like, oh man, this looks beautiful. This beautiful this looks fancy amazing I want one but they turn
[31:07.080 -> 31:10.440] out to be ineffective at the end of it and that's what's happened with their
[31:10.440 -> 31:14.960] testing isn't it because they've really been quiet there's no major word about
[31:14.960 -> 31:20.000] Oh Aston Martin they look fancy they look fast so what do you reckon Abhishek
[31:20.000 -> 31:26.540] do you think they still stay in the midfield after all those expectations of them bouncing up?
[31:30.280 -> 31:34.660] Yeah, my sort of phrase for them was treading water. I don't see them making a big jump up to be honest.
[31:35.180 -> 31:39.180] I see them so and again it comes down to sort of
[31:39.620 -> 31:41.780] they obviously have a new structure in place.
[31:41.780 -> 31:45.480] They've got this is the first year that Martin Whitmarsh can properly
[31:45.480 -> 31:48.560] start having an effect, an impact on sort
[31:48.560 -> 31:50.120] of the racing side of things.
[31:50.120 -> 31:53.920] They've got Mike Crack as the former BMW Motorsports
[31:53.920 -> 31:56.000] head as their team principal.
[31:56.000 -> 31:58.320] But all of these things are going to take time to bed in.
[31:58.320 -> 32:01.280] I mean, they've got big ambitions, of course.
[32:01.280 -> 32:04.840] Laurence Stroll, as he famously says,
[32:04.840 -> 32:06.080] I've never lost at anything
[32:06.080 -> 32:10.400] that I've done. I've always been successful at everything I've done. And he's putting
[32:10.400 -> 32:13.920] the infrastructure in place. He's got the money, he's building the factory, he's building
[32:13.920 -> 32:20.040] you know, infrastructure at the Silverstone campus and everything. But all of these things
[32:20.040 -> 32:24.800] to feed through in performance terms, it's going to take time. So I think this year is
[32:24.800 -> 32:25.120] going to be about treading water I think this year is going to be
[32:25.120 -> 32:31.040] about treading water. The question then is again, what does Sebastian Vettel do? Because he's got
[32:31.040 -> 32:38.080] to decide what he's got to do with his future. And he said that basically, I want to win. So,
[32:38.080 -> 32:41.040] again, he's not saying he wants to win championships, but he wants to win races.
[32:42.000 -> 32:49.220] But then again, if he sees that even if he doesn't manage that this year, if he can see there's potential, there's genuine potential in
[32:49.220 -> 32:53.780] the team, he may hang around. But I don't think he's going to be around long
[32:53.780 -> 32:59.940] enough to win a championship for them because that's going to take time.
[32:59.940 -> 33:08.320] The year two, that's the word I've put, which is what Laurence Stroll has been going on and on about.
[33:08.640 -> 33:11.800] We're on a five-year plan, this is year two.
[33:11.800 -> 33:14.640] And again, five years, if we were to just multiply it
[33:14.640 -> 33:16.720] by an average of 20 races,
[33:16.720 -> 33:19.520] that's the same Alpine metric of we need 100 races.
[33:19.520 -> 33:24.480] And I'm pretty excited to see what they can do
[33:24.480 -> 33:26.540] with all that money because you know
[33:26.540 -> 33:31.040] at Force India when I was a part of the team we were literally known as you
[33:31.040 -> 33:36.220] know the most lean and mean team that is able to you know the best points for
[33:36.220 -> 33:42.920] per dollar spent world champion or whatever those terms were and it's
[33:42.920 -> 33:51.000] of course no longer the same team after Otmar has moved and I believe Otmar was a big part of what Force India was able to do as Force India.
[33:51.000 -> 33:58.000] You know, Mike Crack has come in and so on. So year two is treading the waters. I totally agree with that.
[33:58.000 -> 34:06.080] And it all defines how patient are they going to be and who next if not Sebastian Vettel.
[34:06.080 -> 34:12.640] Because I don't think Lance Stroll is ever going to be in for a championship challenge.
[34:12.640 -> 34:13.840] You know, and again, nothing.
[34:14.280 -> 34:16.000] Do I think greatly about his talent?
[34:16.040 -> 34:16.560] Yes, I do.
[34:16.560 -> 34:23.040] If anyone got so many thousands of miles in a Formula One car, maybe they could get as better as well.
[34:23.080 -> 34:28.240] That's the comparison I make when I compare them to other talents.
[34:28.560 -> 34:32.560] But then who's going to be the driver who's going to lead them forward?
[34:32.560 -> 34:37.360] So a lot of questions that could be answered about performance as well as
[34:37.360 -> 34:44.040] driver lineups for Aston Martin come 2022, because they need a star driver,
[34:44.360 -> 34:45.400] given that they are now a
[34:45.400 -> 34:49.140] works team as well you know they no longer can do what Force India was
[34:49.140 -> 34:53.000] doing which was pick two really good drivers but you know sort of lesser
[34:53.000 -> 34:57.080] known if that's that's what it would take so interesting to see who their
[34:57.080 -> 35:01.640] next driver could also be assuming Fernando assuming Sebastian you know
[35:01.640 -> 35:06.900] doesn't stay for throughout of you, stay for the full period of the five-year plan.
[35:08.240 -> 35:09.560] Hmm, exactly.
[35:09.560 -> 35:12.000] I've got a really silly pun in mind that's just popped up.
[35:12.000 -> 35:13.780] Maybe if the car is not good,
[35:13.780 -> 35:15.400] maybe if it's not a cracker jack,
[35:15.400 -> 35:17.360] Seb might end up leaving, but sorry.
[35:17.360 -> 35:19.120] That's enough of my humor for today.
[35:19.120 -> 35:22.000] Moving on to, that's a reference to my crack, by the way,
[35:22.000 -> 35:25.440] but Williams, surprisingly, they're higher up in the list.
[35:25.440 -> 35:29.160] I feel great to see them come up in number eight when we do this every single year.
[35:29.160 -> 35:33.800] But Williams, signs don't look very good, do they?
[35:33.800 -> 35:36.560] I've got 2019 as my world canal.
[35:36.560 -> 35:38.480] Is that something that you resonate with?
[35:38.480 -> 35:41.960] Because that looks like a beautiful car, but a beautiful car isn't always a fast car or
[35:41.960 -> 35:51.920] a reliable one for that matter. And they need a fast and reliable car to remain relevant in Formula 1. And that's my word because
[35:52.480 -> 35:59.840] new era, new rules, you know, but Williams is sort of going, you know, down the road of irrelevancy,
[35:59.840 -> 36:04.400] especially in the last five, seven years. They did well in the opening couple of years of the
[36:04.400 -> 36:07.420] hybrid turbo era with the podiums and stuff.
[36:07.420 -> 36:09.800] They scored best of the rest positions they had,
[36:09.800 -> 36:12.600] but the question Williams will keep asking,
[36:12.600 -> 36:15.420] and that's the foundation of the business
[36:15.420 -> 36:17.020] because they're a listed company as well,
[36:17.020 -> 36:20.100] is what Williams needs to do
[36:20.100 -> 36:21.740] in terms of on-track performances
[36:21.740 -> 36:27.760] to remain relevant in Formula One. And that's, you know,
[36:27.760 -> 36:32.480] again, the driver lineup. It's probably the most unexciting driver lineup, even though,
[36:32.480 -> 36:38.480] you know, I'm pretty fond of Alex Albon, not so much so about, you know, of Nicholas Latifi.
[36:38.480 -> 36:41.920] Again, the same metric, you know, if you keep getting millions of miles in a car,
[36:41.920 -> 36:45.520] you eventually will end up getting better. So
[36:50.400 -> 36:54.400] relevance is my word for Williams and I'm eager to know what you have in mind, Abhishek.
[37:02.480 -> 37:09.360] I would say pressure because I mean, well yeah, it's not the same weight of expectation as if you're Ferrari but you know, is they're under new ownership you know they've got Yosuke Kapito in place he's
[37:09.360 -> 37:15.000] been around for a year now I think it's now time to start showing signs of
[37:15.000 -> 37:20.480] progress testing so far I know it's only testing but they haven't really
[37:20.480 -> 37:26.760] impressed in testing so I mean the mean, the car looks beautiful but I would
[37:26.760 -> 37:33.200] have expected more from them in the pre-season tests. So, they need to be showing signs of
[37:33.200 -> 37:43.200] progress. I agree with Kunal when it comes to the Tifi but I think Albon is, I mean,
[37:43.200 -> 37:45.280] he's unexciting in that sense, but he's also
[37:46.020 -> 37:51.860] He comes with some Red Bull experience. He comes with knowledge of how that team operates. That stuff
[37:51.860 -> 37:56.480] He can sort of bring to Williams and I'm sure it'll be worth something to them
[37:56.600 -> 37:59.360] So and then he is a quick quick guy
[37:59.360 -> 38:01.440] I mean he's it's just you know
[38:01.440 -> 38:08.000] When you're alongside Max Verstappen, you know sort of lose confidence and you get into that downward spiral.
[38:08.000 -> 38:12.800] But he's good. He's a good driver. I think he's a good fit for the team.
[38:12.800 -> 38:16.640] But the team really needs to start showing signs of progress this year.
[38:16.640 -> 38:21.200] And in a way, for Alex Ardbon, he finally gets the chance to be team leader in a way.
[38:21.200 -> 38:29.080] So, I wonder how that dynamic also plays out because he's always been under someone's shadow of sorts but hey at least good for him
[38:29.080 -> 38:32.500] there's that team color that he can finally relate to so he won't feel too
[38:32.500 -> 38:36.480] out of place but I'm really keen to see how Williams go about this year but the
[38:36.480 -> 38:40.720] same can be said for Alfa Romeo because they have a beautiful car. We were
[38:40.720 -> 38:44.000] discussing this early on in the episode Abhishek where he said that they just
[38:44.000 -> 38:47.520] have one of the most beautiful ones with the wheel covers as well but
[38:47.520 -> 38:53.120] it's traditionally Alfa Romeo isn't it? Where the car is beautiful, fast at
[38:53.120 -> 38:57.720] times but very unreliable. So it's typical Alfa Romeo which is what the
[38:57.720 -> 39:01.960] word, which is the word I've got in mind with him. Is that what you're considering
[39:01.960 -> 39:07.680] too or maybe is there something revolving around Bottas and the kind of calmness and collectedness that he brings to the team now?
[39:11.280 -> 39:14.960] I think my word for Alfa Romeo, my phrase would be question mark.
[39:14.960 -> 39:18.320] Because I sometimes wonder what they're in Formula One for.
[39:18.320 -> 39:22.720] I mean, traditionally as Sauber, they were always a strong midfield team.
[39:22.720 -> 39:28.000] You know, a learning ground, a training ground for young drivers to come through.
[39:28.000 -> 39:31.000] And they were happy with that. I don't think they...
[39:31.000 -> 39:38.000] I mean, they weren't a top team and of course, while they may have had ambitions to be a top team, I don't think they were very...
[39:38.000 -> 39:44.000] They were happy with where they were in the midfield, finishing 4th, 5th. They were happy with that.
[39:44.000 -> 39:46.400] Is it the same for Alfa Romeo? I don't know.
[39:46.400 -> 39:52.580] They have signed Bottas obviously, which you could say is a statement of intent.
[39:52.580 -> 40:06.320] But then again, Bottas is probably now, the latter half of his career, he has had his shot with a championship winning team and now it's basically now he's turned the
[40:06.320 -> 40:11.640] page on that chapter and now it's about helping a smaller team, I don't want to say build
[40:11.640 -> 40:19.240] up because but certainly apply his trade for a smaller team now and count down the years
[40:19.240 -> 40:26.000] of time and I'm not being brutal here but I'm just that's how it feels to me. He's a very quick and talented guy
[40:26.000 -> 40:33.120] Bortas and again if he if he looked up if people thought of him thought of him unfavorably in a
[40:33.120 -> 40:37.440] Mercedes you have to remember he was up against Lewis Hamilton it's not easy going up against
[40:37.440 -> 40:45.880] Hamilton and in qualifying he did run Hamilton close quite a few times. So he's quick. But again, I don't know what Alfa Romeo's
[40:45.880 -> 40:50.160] ambitions really are in this sport.
[40:50.160 -> 40:56.760] The one ambition I really hope that they have is the word Sauber. That's literally the word
[40:56.760 -> 41:01.960] I've written because you know, Sauber was one of the most loved privateer teams and
[41:01.960 -> 41:07.280] it is still Sauber that's running Alfa Romeo right and it's
[41:07.280 -> 41:10.280] of course the naming rights and the title rights that they've got as a
[41:10.280 -> 41:15.120] sponsorship deal and the likes and I think they need to really reinvent
[41:15.120 -> 41:18.440] themselves. They've done so with a very striking livery I mean although it's
[41:18.440 -> 41:22.240] still the red and white colors but they've implemented it fairly well but
[41:22.240 -> 41:27.200] they've got to climb back up. They've got to do a Sauber in 2022
[41:27.200 -> 41:31.760] and that's what Botas has probably signed up for. That's what Raikkonen signed up for as well.
[41:31.760 -> 41:39.040] They're hoping that the whole small team but very efficient operation of Sauber helps them get closer
[41:39.040 -> 41:43.680] up to the great, especially in the midfield which I think is going to be fairly competitive.
[41:43.680 -> 41:44.640] the great athlete, especially in the midfield, which I think is going to be fairly competitive.
[41:49.760 -> 41:53.520] Hmm. Yeah, you're so right about that because that used to be the case with Sauber back in the day. But since Alvaro Emil and that name has come in, there's barely anything that's
[41:54.400 -> 42:01.600] potentially been a shining light of sorts for the team. So that's absurd to say. I hope this
[42:01.600 -> 42:06.240] turns out to be the year. But we have to wrap up with Haas.
[42:06.240 -> 42:07.240] I'll go last.
[42:07.240 -> 42:09.120] Firstly, what do you think, Abhishek?
[42:09.120 -> 42:15.080] This, I think, is going to be the most colorful one of all the other teams that we've got
[42:15.080 -> 42:16.080] right here.
[42:16.080 -> 42:20.800] A relief, I would say, probably.
[42:20.800 -> 42:28.240] And based on the fact that they've now untangled themselves, I mean, they've had like a like a they've had I think they're one of the nicest teams in the paddock
[42:28.240 -> 42:33.260] They're one of the friendliest most open teams in the paddock and everyone really wants them to sort of do well
[42:34.000 -> 42:38.840] And they've you know, they've had a turbulent two years. It's not just this whole
[42:40.200 -> 42:45.960] Sequence of events recent sequence of events, but generally the last two years have been turbulent, they've underperformed,
[42:46.440 -> 42:53.120] they got themselves into the rich energy deal and then now with whatever's happened with Ural Kali and the Mazapans.
[42:53.440 -> 42:54.580] So,
[42:54.580 -> 42:57.320] it's like they just can't catch a break and
[42:57.880 -> 43:01.940] finally when they had managed to sort of extricate themselves from the Ural Kali situation,
[43:01.940 -> 43:11.520] their freight arrived late in Bahrain, which set them back, you know, and cost them the first half of the opening day of running. So it's like they just
[43:11.520 -> 43:17.200] can't catch a break and I think, you know, I'd like to see them turn the page on all of these
[43:17.200 -> 43:24.400] troubles, focus on racing. They've got K-Mag back in the car, that's got to be a major statement of
[43:24.400 -> 43:25.880] confidence in not just the fact that the team is to be a major statement of confidence in not
[43:25.880 -> 43:29.040] just the fact that the team is financially stable because they haven't
[43:29.040 -> 43:33.760] gone for a paid driver, they haven't gone for an engine partner's driver, a second
[43:33.760 -> 43:39.280] engine part, a second driver also being from Ferrari. So they've got the money
[43:39.280 -> 43:42.760] Gene Haas is obviously, I mean I know they were looking for a title sponsor but
[43:42.760 -> 43:48.280] they were never financially in difficult straits because it was just Gene Haas saying, look, I'm looking for a title
[43:48.280 -> 43:51.400] sponsor because why should I spend money that I don't have to do?
[43:51.400 -> 43:53.880] It's just good business, right, to do that.
[43:53.880 -> 43:59.840] So but I think, yeah, and they've, you know, they've actually looked pretty good in testing.
[43:59.840 -> 44:04.560] I wouldn't be surprised to see if they are the most improved team this year.
[44:04.560 -> 44:05.440] Not saying much when you come
[44:05.440 -> 44:11.200] from that far back but yeah they've looked good in testing, they've turned the page on
[44:12.080 -> 44:18.640] all of their troubles and I think yeah I hope they have a great season.
[44:20.400 -> 44:33.200] I hope so too and that's the word I've written down, progress. You know Abhishek is very well listed down all the issues they faced, title sponsors, freight, driver, Russia, whatever you know.
[44:33.200 -> 44:40.200] And I think it's of course in the short term must have hit them hard but it's a long season.
[44:40.200 -> 44:45.100] I really hope they make some progress because I still remember there was so much
[44:50.260 -> 44:51.040] air of positivity when Haas was genuinely scoring points and you know when when they got the
[44:55.560 -> 44:56.620] P4 finishes, P6 finishes a few years ago people were loving it and
[45:03.280 -> 45:03.660] You know, I think progress is the word I'll stick with. Mick Schumacher is there. We'd love to go see him go up against
[45:05.360 -> 45:09.120] You know Kevin McNeeson and you like Mick rightfully said, it's a great benchmark
[45:09.120 -> 45:10.240] for him to have.
[45:10.240 -> 45:13.880] And everyone's talking about the whole positivity
[45:13.880 -> 45:17.120] and the excitement of having Andretti's joint Formula One
[45:17.120 -> 45:20.520] and how it will galvanize the whole American market
[45:20.520 -> 45:21.080] and so on.
[45:21.080 -> 45:26.480] But let's not forget, if Haas actually is able to perform, it doesn't
[45:26.480 -> 45:30.920] take too much for them to actually try and do what Andretti wants to do with Formula
[45:30.920 -> 45:38.520] 1 and the American audiences. So to me, I really hope that they are able to progress.
[45:38.520 -> 45:45.400] Pre-season testing seemed good. They had the most number of hours of development for any team on the grid.
[45:45.400 -> 45:54.400] And, you know, they're able to put their early setbacks aside and just focus and deliver fun performances.
[45:54.400 -> 45:58.100] Because, again, it's the youngest team on the grid, if we were to see it that way.
[45:58.100 -> 46:02.800] And to see them in the battle with the old boys will be very good fun.
[46:02.800 -> 46:07.240] Yeah, exactly. And I hope Haas delivers a
[46:07.240 -> 46:10.160] bit of an independent character because for years it's been defined by its
[46:10.160 -> 46:14.560] sponsors, Udall Kali and Rich Energy. I think that this is the time we finally
[46:14.560 -> 46:20.920] see Haas emerge as Haas in a way but I've got a bit more of a quirky word or
[46:20.920 -> 46:27.320] phrase to describe it. If you are fans of your old Bollywood movies, there's this movie called The Burning Train where there's a burning train of
[46:27.320 -> 46:31.680] course that kind of loses its brakes and keeps on burning and eventually
[46:31.680 -> 46:35.200] surprisingly enough the engine bursts off but nobody dies. It's a positive
[46:35.200 -> 46:38.420] ending. So I think that's what's happening with us. It's burning, you
[46:38.420 -> 46:41.360] know, it's all going down. It's going down really badly but in the end I think
[46:41.360 -> 46:45.200] they all survive because the car looks good. So who knows
[46:45.200 -> 46:51.760] who knows how this is going to play out. Crazy but that's the teams. Now let's go to Formula 1
[46:51.760 -> 46:56.800] in general. What do you guys reckon has to be your one word for Formula 1 in 2022 because this
[46:56.800 -> 47:01.360] has to be one of their biggest years right. New year, new revolution, there's a young generation
[47:01.360 -> 47:07.680] coming up, finally there's the promised land of good racing coming up. Abhishek, if there's one word you have to pick for F1, which one would
[47:07.680 -> 47:17.560] it be for 2020? Optimism. I think Formula 1 is in a really good place right now. I think
[47:17.560 -> 47:22.320] Liberty Media have actually now, you know, having owned the sport for a few years, you
[47:22.320 -> 47:25.160] can see they've actually done a good job.
[47:25.160 -> 47:26.980] They've obviously done well with Drive
[47:26.980 -> 47:29.320] to Survive in bringing new audiences.
[47:29.320 -> 47:32.600] But also, they seem to be cracking the American market,
[47:32.600 -> 47:36.520] finally cracking the American market.
[47:36.520 -> 47:39.160] But they've also created a healthier sport.
[47:39.160 -> 47:41.200] The new Concord Agreement, I mean, of course,
[47:41.200 -> 47:42.480] you've got the cost cap.
[47:42.480 -> 47:50.120] But you've also got a fairer revenue distribution. Teams are turning into franchises, you know, you've
[47:50.120 -> 47:54.600] seen that with Dorotan buying Williams but retaining the Williams name. Even
[47:54.600 -> 48:00.160] with Mercedes, it's now a third, the car company owns a third of it, Toto Wolf
[48:00.160 -> 48:04.360] owns a third of it and Ineos owns a third of it but the value is in the
[48:04.360 -> 48:05.520] franchise, the value is in the franchise, the value is
[48:05.520 -> 48:12.240] in the fact that they are Mercedes. So I think and also I think all 10 teams on the grid right now
[48:12.240 -> 48:19.360] are in a good place, they're in a stable place, they're in a sustainable place. They've got these
[48:19.360 -> 48:26.840] new rules which are, it's not about making the building the fastest cars ever what they want to
[48:26.840 -> 48:31.000] do is improve the racing spectacle and so they've gone about it in a very
[48:31.000 -> 48:37.040] studied scientific you know in a very measured way and from from the comments
[48:37.040 -> 48:40.760] that came out of testing also watching the cars following each other it did
[48:40.760 -> 48:44.520] seem like they were able to sort of through the corners follow each other a
[48:44.520 -> 48:46.380] lot more closely than we've seen in the
[48:46.380 -> 48:48.100] past so
[48:48.100 -> 48:51.840] And again, as you mentioned you've got lots of exciting young drivers
[48:52.660 -> 48:54.660] Coming through the ranks as well
[48:54.940 -> 49:00.180] So I think I think Formula One is and you can see that in the sponsorships that that are coming in
[49:00.180 -> 49:02.780] You've got Oracle who signed their deal with Red Bull
[49:03.380 -> 49:08.180] you know, you've got Aramco with Aston
[49:08.180 -> 49:15.400] Martin. So you've got a bunch of American and Middle Eastern sponsors coming in and
[49:15.400 -> 49:17.880] I think Formula One is in a very good place right now.
[49:17.880 -> 49:22.240] I kind of expect something similar from you Dhruv now, isn't it? Because we've spoken
[49:22.240 -> 49:29.200] about this for so much time on the podcast that this is finally when the sport is going in the right direction now.
[49:29.200 -> 49:34.760] It is and you know but the word I have written down is debut. Even though
[49:34.760 -> 49:40.800] Formula One has been around for so many decades, we've crossed thousand races,
[49:40.800 -> 49:45.760] this is Liberty Media's debut as rights holder or the commercial
[49:45.760 -> 49:51.900] interest holder, right, in terms of having a formula of Formula One that
[49:51.900 -> 49:56.440] they are completely in control of like Abhishek was explaining. Whether it's
[49:56.440 -> 50:00.600] the rules and the amount of science and you know research has gone into them or
[50:00.600 -> 50:07.240] the financial aspect of it, which was constantly troubling Formula 1 teams.
[50:07.240 -> 50:15.320] I think Liberty Media are in far more control and this is what they bought Formula 1 for,
[50:15.320 -> 50:18.400] to be able to control all these moving pieces and elements.
[50:18.400 -> 50:24.240] And hopefully 2022 is exactly what we've all been wanting Formula 1 to be over all these
[50:24.240 -> 50:26.480] years that we've been following it up as well because
[50:26.640 -> 50:31.200] there was always a loose ball somewhere or something that that would certainly go off and
[50:31.920 -> 50:34.120] you know with with all the financial
[50:34.920 -> 50:39.040] regulations in place, which I think were most critical for Formula One, I
[50:39.560 -> 50:48.100] expect Liberty Media's debut in this era to be really really strong and you know I think one of the things that we will end up talking about as the season
[50:48.100 -> 50:53.320] progresses is the whole sliding scale error and the budget gap that's in place
[50:53.320 -> 50:57.240] and to give a very simple example you know Mercedes has come with the zero
[50:57.240 -> 51:03.120] part concept can the other teams go down this road yes they can but they will of
[51:03.120 -> 51:05.680] course have limited development time. They will
[51:05.680 -> 51:11.120] have, you know, limited budgets to put on. So, they will, of course, explore it, saying, if we go
[51:11.120 -> 51:15.680] down this road, can we afford it? And if we go down the road and we realize it's not the road we want
[51:15.680 -> 51:21.200] to be on, then it's a complete disaster because, you know, then to go back on to the original
[51:21.200 -> 51:25.160] concepts they were working on, they may not be able to afford it again.
[51:25.160 -> 51:29.120] So the whole budget cap will only make,
[51:29.120 -> 51:32.240] you know, this season, this era of Formula One
[51:32.240 -> 51:33.200] far more exciting.
[51:33.200 -> 51:36.520] And I really wish Liberty Media's debut
[51:36.520 -> 51:38.520] is just as strong as, you know,
[51:38.520 -> 51:41.720] we've all wanted it to be all these seasons, Samal.
[51:41.720 -> 51:43.440] Seriously, this is the time.
[51:43.440 -> 51:47.780] And I've gone for the word follow-up because last year in terms of storytelling it couldn't have been
[51:47.780 -> 51:50.920] anything better so can you follow it up with the bigger season which of course
[51:50.920 -> 51:54.340] seems to be on the agenda considering how confused we are about the pecking
[51:54.340 -> 51:59.800] order which is amazing but guys before we end this episode we have to ask for
[51:59.800 -> 52:04.000] the one big one the predictions for Bahrain poll sitter and race winner I'll
[52:04.000 -> 52:05.280] go first I've got Max
[52:05.280 -> 52:11.600] Verstappen as my poll sitter but my winner is Karlos Sainz interestingly enough. Who's on your list Abhishek?
[52:14.640 -> 52:17.440] I have Verstappen for poll and I've got Leclerc for the win.
[52:18.720 -> 52:26.960] Aha! Oh my god you know so so all three of of us are choosing a Red Bull and a Ferrari.
[52:26.960 -> 52:29.440] Now I'm under pressure to quickly think of some other names.
[52:29.440 -> 52:35.640] I think it's going to be Verstappen for Paul and Verstappen for Wynn.
[52:35.840 -> 52:39.080] Originally, I was going to say Carlos Saenz for Wynn, but I think I'm going to go with
[52:39.080 -> 52:40.200] Verstappen for Wynn.
[52:40.520 -> 52:43.320] He's going to make that number one work on his car.
[52:47.580 -> 52:53.200] I had Saenz as well, but because Samuel saidil said signs I switched to the clerk. There was originally going to be
[52:53.200 -> 52:58.000] three of us who were predicting Vistap and Pol and signs for the win. So you
[52:58.000 -> 53:03.160] know where to put your money on folks. Wow. That's the whole deal. But folks thank you so
[53:03.160 -> 53:08.120] much for joining in and listening to this episode. Abhishek, thank you for making out the time to join us for this episode.
[53:08.120 -> 53:10.960] Seriously, amazing having you on, amazing listening to your insights.
[53:10.960 -> 53:12.440] Great stuff having you on.
[53:12.440 -> 53:17.760] And I just hope that this is the year that we all promised it and hope for it to be eventually.
[53:20.400 -> 53:22.160] Yeah, thanks for having me on.
[53:22.160 -> 53:24.120] I mean, it's always a pleasure to talk to you guys.
[53:24.120 -> 53:28.000] It's always good fun discussing the sport we all love.
[53:28.000 -> 53:39.000] It is. And you know, we've always said we're going to have you on the show sooner, but not really had you sooner. So, we will make up on that and wish you a lovely flight to Bahrain.
[53:39.000 -> 53:47.800] I know you're going to have a lovely time. That you get to travel to the races and finally be in the paddock. I'm sure all the zoom experiences were good but it's good they're coming to an end
[53:47.800 -> 53:55.080] hopefully. Yeah definitely definitely it's good to see people face to face and
[53:55.080 -> 53:59.880] hopefully I run into you at some in some paddock somewhere. Fingers crossed mate
[53:59.880 -> 54:04.560] thank you so much for joining and thank you everybody for tuning in. Thanks folks
[54:04.560 -> 54:17.700] see you have a good race weekend and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast because we've got all of our race weekend coverage coming right up, including the race review, the qualifying review and the race review right here on the Inside Line Up phone podcast and Pits the Podium.
[54:17.900 -> 54:18.300] Bye folks.
[54:18.300 -> None] Thank you. you