FIA: Touch Me, Touch Me Not - 2023 Saudi Arabian GP Review

The FIA always manages to find a way to grab the limelight every other Grand Prix. As for Fernando Alonso, he's managed to score a podium at every Grand Prix in 2023. But the one at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit wasn't without controversy.

Should the FIA install a pit lane timer for all teams serving a time penalty? Will the start grid boxes be redesigned to aid driver visibility? Will the wording for 'working on the car' (or not!) be re-written?

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil and Kunal review the talking points from the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's solid recovery from P15 to 2nd - and why he's right in being disappointed. Sergio 'Checo' Perez's solid drive from pole to flag! Mercedes' PR overdrive, Ferrari's setup problems...and Aston Martin's preparations (for the FIA penalty review).

Tune in!

(Season 2023, Epsiode 11)

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

Image courtesy: Aston Martin Formula One Team

# **Inside Line F1 Podcast: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Review**

## **Key Points:**

* **FIA's Controversial Penalties:**
* The FIA has come under fire for its inconsistent and confusing penalty decisions.
* Aston Martin successfully challenged a penalty for touching the car during a pit stop, leading to a potential rule change.
* A driver was penalized for being out of position at the start grid, highlighting the difficulty of finding the correct grid box.
* The FIA is urged to clarify and simplify the regulations to avoid further controversies.

* **Sergio Perez's Dominant Victory:**
* Sergio Perez secured a dominant victory in Saudi Arabia, leading from pole to flag.
* His teammate, Max Verstappen, recovered from a P15 start to finish second, securing the fastest lap and maintaining his championship lead.
* Red Bull Racing showcased their dominance, finishing 20 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.

* **Intra-Team Dynamics at Red Bull Racing:**
* There was tension between Perez and Verstappen during the race, with Verstappen pushing Perez to give up the lead.
* Verstappen ultimately backed off and settled for second place, securing the fastest lap for an additional point.
* The incident raises questions about Red Bull Racing's team dynamics and how they will manage the intra-team rivalry going forward.

* **Mercedes' PR Overdrive:**
* Mercedes has been engaging in extensive PR efforts, releasing a letter to fans and discussing the potential of a new car concept.
* However, the team's performance has not matched their PR efforts, leading to criticism of their over-management of tire strategy.

* **Ferrari's Setup Problems and Leclerc's Frustration:**
* Ferrari struggled with setup issues, resulting in tire degradation and a lack of pace.
* Charles Leclerc expressed frustration with his team's strategy, particularly regarding communication during the safety car period.
* Ferrari's reliability concerns continue, with Leclerc experiencing a control unit failure.

* **Aston Martin's Preparation and Podium Finish:**
* Aston Martin's thorough preparation allowed them to successfully challenge the FIA's penalty decision, resulting in Fernando Alonso's podium finish.
* Alonso praised his team's performance and highlighted their ability to control the race against Ferrari and Mercedes.

* **Alonso's Resurgence and Podium Streak:**
* Fernando Alonso secured his 100th podium finish, becoming the sixth driver to achieve this milestone.
* He is the oldest driver to achieve a podium finish, at the age of 41, and is enjoying a resurgence in his third season with Aston Martin.

* **Mercedes' Need for Positivity and Concept Car Speculation:**
* Mercedes driver George Russell has been a positive force for the team, showcasing his potential and readiness to win.
* The team's PR efforts have focused on positivity and the potential of a new concept car, but there is uncertainty about when this concept will be introduced.

* **Verstappen's Disappointment Despite Strong Performance:**
* Max Verstappen expressed disappointment despite securing second place and the fastest lap.
* He emphasized the importance of clean weekends and maximizing points, considering the potential of Mercedes' improved performance in the future.

* **FIA's Need for Clarity and Consistency:**
* The FIA is urged to provide clear and consistent regulations to avoid further controversies and confusion.

* **Aston Martin's Preparation and Podium Finish:**
* Aston Martin's thorough preparation allowed them to successfully challenge the FIA's penalty decision, resulting in Fernando Alonso's podium finish.
* Alonso praised his team's performance and highlighted their ability to control the race against Ferrari and Mercedes.

* **Mercedes' Need for Positivity and Concept Car Speculation:**
* Mercedes driver George Russell has been a positive force for the team, showcasing his potential and readiness to win.
* The team's PR efforts have focused on positivity and the potential of a new concept car, but there is uncertainty about when this concept will be introduced.

* **Verstappen's Disappointment Despite Strong Performance:**
* Max Verstappen expressed disappointment despite securing second place and the fastest lap.
* He emphasized the importance of clean weekends and maximizing points, considering the potential of Mercedes' improved performance in the future.

* **FIA's Need for Clarity and Consistency:**
* The FIA is urged to provide clear and consistent regulations to avoid further controversies and confusion.

[00:00.000 -> 00:22.240] Can you touch it or can you not?
[00:22.240 -> 00:23.240] When can you touch it?
[00:23.240 -> 00:24.880] Where can you touch it?
[00:24.880 -> 00:25.480] How can you touch it? I can you touch it? How can you touch
[00:25.480 -> 00:30.160] it? I'm not talking about anything else I'm talking about a Formula One car if
[00:30.160 -> 00:34.620] you're a Formula One mechanic just when and where can you touch a Formula One
[00:34.620 -> 00:39.280] car? Previously the drivers have had big trouble regarding what parts of Formula
[00:39.280 -> 00:43.440] One cars to touch and how much they'd have to pay to do so but now apparently
[00:43.440 -> 00:45.600] the cost of doing so in a penalty
[00:45.600 -> 00:47.200] is just a major 10-second penalty,
[00:47.200 -> 00:48.480] which will eventually get reversed
[00:48.480 -> 00:50.880] because what you touched was apparently
[00:50.880 -> 00:52.120] allowed to get touched.
[00:52.120 -> 00:53.120] What's going on here?
[00:53.120 -> 00:56.440] What is the madness behind these penalties
[00:56.440 -> 00:58.000] that we're getting to see right here?
[00:58.000 -> 01:00.000] And of course, we have to talk a lot more
[01:00.000 -> 01:01.020] about the race as well.
[01:01.020 -> 01:04.560] But look, I've incorrectly started out this episode.
[01:04.560 -> 01:07.160] Will I get a penalty for incorrectly starting out
[01:07.160 -> 01:08.000] this episode as well?
[01:08.000 -> 01:08.560] I wonder.
[01:08.560 -> 01:10.200] The FI is on a rampage lately.
[01:10.200 -> 01:13.160] So let's just talk a lot more about all of that,
[01:13.160 -> 01:16.540] and also the intra-tween drama between Red Bull Racing
[01:16.540 -> 01:19.320] that we saw at the Saudi Arabian GP.
[01:19.320 -> 01:22.120] Welcome, everyone, to the Inside Line F1 podcast.
[01:22.120 -> 01:26.520] This is a Saudi Arabian GP episode and if you are confused
[01:26.520 -> 01:30.920] about just what I said at the start, trust me everyone in the Parac is also confused
[01:30.920 -> 01:35.420] about what the FIA is doing regarding those penalties. So you're in decent company. But
[01:35.420 -> 01:40.640] my name is Somal Arora. I'm the host of the Indian Racing League broadcasts on Starsports
[01:40.640 -> 01:46.080] and joining me is I hope just as confused Kunal Shah as well, who's an FIA
[01:46.080 -> 01:49.840] accredited Formula One journalist for the Viaplay network in Norway.
[01:49.840 -> 01:51.720] Have you figured it out Kunal?
[01:51.720 -> 01:52.720] One sec.
[01:52.720 -> 01:58.880] So if the rear jack man touches the car in the middle of the pit stop, apparently now
[01:58.880 -> 02:03.280] it is not a penalty, but the FIA are coming up with a rule to make sure that it is a penalty.
[02:03.280 -> 02:04.280] What's up with these penalties?
[02:04.280 -> 02:05.680] I think the last time we had so many was during
[02:05.680 -> 02:08.960] the World Cup a couple of months ago.
[02:10.720 -> 02:15.120] I'm going to add to it before answering your question,
[02:15.120 -> 02:20.480] right, because the most interesting part in all of this apart from just how
[02:20.480 -> 02:32.220] complicated the wording of the regulations is, right? So the most interesting part is that Aston Martin already had seven such instances of
[02:32.220 -> 02:38.000] penalties in the past where the the Jackman was allowed to touch the car but
[02:38.000 -> 02:42.080] nobody else, right? So can you imagine the level of preparation that teams actually
[02:42.080 -> 02:51.240] have that they have this sort of data at their fingertips that it's mind you, I mean, not always do you get these time penalties
[02:51.240 -> 02:57.520] to serve and not always do you get time penalties served where a jack man is touching the car,
[02:57.520 -> 03:04.040] right? But imagine the level of preparation that Aston Martin came with, you know, immediately
[03:04.040 -> 03:05.720] after the race, they realized they had a penalty,
[03:05.720 -> 03:08.200] and they're like, wow, this race, that race,
[03:08.200 -> 03:09.960] this driver, that penalty, let's look.
[03:09.960 -> 03:12.040] And suddenly they had this whole database
[03:12.040 -> 03:14.040] of seven instances.
[03:14.040 -> 03:16.080] And these kind of databases are what we work with,
[03:16.080 -> 03:18.960] with stats, with what F1StatsGuru works with.
[03:18.960 -> 03:21.560] He's got a very exhaustive stats database.
[03:21.560 -> 03:23.520] That's the level, I mean,
[03:23.520 -> 03:26.640] Aston Martin's preparation of the car and the pit stops
[03:26.640 -> 03:33.440] was one thing, but this level of preparation to fight and get their P3 reinstated was the other.
[03:34.000 -> 03:41.360] And incredible stuff, I mean, you know, the FIA for one more round of the season or one more race
[03:41.360 -> 03:47.520] of the season have found a way to get themselves to keep relevant
[03:47.520 -> 03:55.840] as the narrative moves on and so on. So I think the FIA just clearly needs to do a few things
[03:55.840 -> 04:00.800] between now and Australia. First, they've said that they will come up with a wording or they
[04:00.800 -> 04:11.040] will come up with a clarification. They are reviewing what it is and it's simply put, it shouldn't just be if there's a time penalty being served, nobody touches the car. Like literally
[04:11.040 -> 04:16.560] that's all we need instead of all these jargons that you know legal documents can throw at us
[04:16.560 -> 04:22.080] because there was another thing that has actually happened for two times in two races. We had a
[04:22.080 -> 04:25.560] driver penalized for being out of position at the start box.
[04:25.560 -> 04:29.080] And this time it is the most experienced driver on the grid.
[04:29.080 -> 04:33.720] I mean, you don't tell Fernando Alonso that you don't know where to find your grid box.
[04:33.720 -> 04:42.360] And the drivers have all turned around and said that they sit so low in the cars and the cars are just designed in a way that most of the time it's guesswork.
[04:42.360 -> 04:46.920] And it's just about luck whether you find your actual start grid or not, right?
[04:46.920 -> 04:49.240] So could that be one of the other changes
[04:49.240 -> 04:50.880] that could come up?
[04:50.880 -> 04:53.160] Somil, so again, back to your point,
[04:53.160 -> 04:55.680] the FIA are just finding themselves
[04:55.680 -> 04:58.100] or finding ways to keep themselves so relevant
[04:58.100 -> 05:01.960] when they should sit back and just let the sport happen.
[05:01.960 -> 05:08.840] I mean, the Narendra Modi government has this thing, minimum government, maximum governance.
[05:08.840 -> 05:11.200] And maybe the FIA needs to learn something like that.
[05:11.200 -> 05:12.880] Come on.
[05:12.880 -> 05:14.080] Come on.
[05:14.080 -> 05:15.640] Let's not go down that route.
[05:15.640 -> 05:20.520] But I see in the last couple of years, all of us Formula One
[05:20.520 -> 05:23.920] fans were complaining that we need a little bit more drama,
[05:23.920 -> 05:28.840] something to spice up the championship. Because? Because for years it had become stagnated. We had
[05:28.840 -> 05:34.080] one driver dominating. We had so many race wins going to just one team. And suddenly,
[05:34.080 -> 05:39.400] Kunal, I love the fact that the FIA has taken up the mantle, although six years is too late,
[05:39.400 -> 05:43.120] but still they've said, right, we'll bring the entertainment to you. And it's interesting
[05:43.120 -> 05:47.680] how you need to literally be a lawyer. So I'm wondering, do the teams have
[05:47.680 -> 05:51.600] documented every single potential penalty instance
[05:51.600 -> 05:52.800] so that they then keep a vault?
[05:52.800 -> 05:55.000] And so whenever they are involved in something like,
[05:55.000 -> 05:56.920] hey, did your rear jackman touch the car?
[05:56.920 -> 05:58.960] Yes, he has seven different instances.
[05:58.960 -> 06:00.920] I wonder, what sort of vault do they
[06:00.920 -> 06:03.960] have in the background to tackle something quite like this?
[06:03.960 -> 06:08.160] But I suppose we need to talk about other stuff as well, Kunal, because it's been six
[06:08.160 -> 06:14.560] minutes into the episode and we haven't acknowledged the fact that Sergio Perez has won the race.
[06:14.560 -> 06:15.560] He has.
[06:15.560 -> 06:19.020] I suppose it would have been a big problem if he hadn't, considering his teammate was
[06:19.020 -> 06:21.280] starting from P15 all the way through.
[06:21.280 -> 06:25.280] But what really intrigues me before we get back to the FIA, because I know
[06:25.280 -> 06:30.560] there's other penalty points to discuss as well, is the fact that even this was precarious.
[06:31.600 -> 06:35.200] If you heard the team radio between Red Bull Racing and Sergio Perez at the end,
[06:35.200 -> 06:41.120] you could properly hear the terror in his voice. You could tell that, oh, am I actually going to
[06:41.120 -> 06:48.640] be allowed to keep this? And for once, Kunal, Red Bull Racing didn't, I mean, okay, they didn't really allow Checo, did they?
[06:48.920 -> 06:51.000] But they couldn't really say anything either.
[06:51.000 -> 06:53.200] It was just at Max's behest.
[06:53.560 -> 06:59.800] I mean, first things first, coming to Red Bull's dominance, they actually allowed their drivers to race.
[06:59.800 -> 07:03.120] Max was really pushing Checo while Checo wanted to back off.
[07:03.120 -> 07:04.760] And that whole drama happened.
[07:05.600 -> 07:10.960] Max was really pushing Checo while Checo wanted to back off and that whole drama happened. But I think it was sensible in the end for Max to just turn around and say, let me take
[07:10.960 -> 07:12.200] P2 in the bag.
[07:12.200 -> 07:13.540] This is my team.
[07:13.540 -> 07:22.340] Very cheekily, he got the point for the fastest lap of the race at the end, thereby sort of
[07:22.340 -> 07:27.040] keeping his world championship lead by one point in front of
[07:27.040 -> 07:32.800] Checo Perez. And at the end of the day, I'm wondering if that Bono my tires are gone was
[07:32.800 -> 07:37.040] Lewis Hamilton's message, right? And suddenly he'd say that in the next lap, he'll have the fastest
[07:37.040 -> 07:45.000] lap. I wonder if I would drive shaft problem or there are some weird noises in my driveshaft is Max Verstappen's way of saying that,
[07:45.000 -> 07:51.000] Max Verstappen's way of saying that, hey, something's not right on radio,
[07:51.000 -> 07:54.000] but still going and claiming the fastest lap of the race.
[07:54.000 -> 08:03.000] So all in all, a very dominant display by Red Bull Racing, a fantastic and probably strongest race at Red Bull Racing by Checo Perez-Sommel.
[08:03.000 -> 08:06.660] Wait, really? A good one? I mean it was
[08:06.660 -> 08:11.380] like he had to win. I was wondering right, what would really happen if Sergio
[08:11.380 -> 08:15.220] Perez didn't win today? If you've got a car that's one second faster, you just
[08:15.220 -> 08:20.460] really have to. But it was almost like the Jaws movie scene, Kunal, where you see
[08:20.460 -> 08:23.980] the shark behind you and suddenly of course you've got to show to the world
[08:23.980 -> 08:29.760] that you're strong, that you are in it and you can't outright say, hey save me, save me, but you could hear that in
[08:29.760 -> 08:36.720] Sergio Perez's voice and even now I'm so intrigued about how Red Bull Racing handled this because
[08:36.720 -> 08:41.520] they can't really have that conversation with Sergio Perez, can they? Now that he's being the
[08:41.520 -> 08:48.000] best of the rest whenever Max isn't winning, consistently taking that pole or taking that win or just being around there and troubling other
[08:48.000 -> 08:52.560] teams as well. Can you really take him to the side and say, Chekko, you're actually just our
[08:52.560 -> 08:57.360] number two driver. Every time there is a chance that you're going to win and Max is behind,
[08:57.360 -> 09:01.120] Max is going to win. Can you have that chat with the Formula One driver, Kunal?
[09:02.240 -> 09:06.560] Their mentality might get broken. This is absurd how Red Bull
[09:06.560 -> 09:11.760] have to manage this now. Exactly. And despite all this toxicity, if that's the word, I mean,
[09:11.760 -> 09:16.320] there's also Daniel Ricciardo, who's sort of waiting in the wings, you know, that, hey,
[09:16.320 -> 09:20.240] if Checo doesn't deliver, doesn't obey, could he get in the car, whatever, whatever, right?
[09:21.200 -> 09:26.640] But can you imagine that despite all of this, Checo's going out there. He was closer
[09:26.640 -> 09:34.080] to Max in qualifying, even in Saudi Arabia, right? And he's just been right up there taking
[09:34.080 -> 09:38.880] the points, taking the wins when Max is unable to do so. And to add to your point, this was the
[09:38.880 -> 09:45.220] first time that Checo Perez won and Max Verstappen finished second
[09:45.220 -> 09:46.740] on merit, right?
[09:46.740 -> 09:48.660] And of course, the on merit is something
[09:48.660 -> 09:50.980] that can be debated and discussed,
[09:50.980 -> 09:56.200] because the safety car really helped Max Verstappen sort
[09:56.200 -> 09:59.180] of close up the ranks and neutralize the race and so on.
[09:59.180 -> 10:01.580] Also, the safety car worked against Ferrari,
[10:01.580 -> 10:04.300] worked against Mercedes and their strategies.
[10:04.300 -> 10:05.840] So do we know
[10:06.400 -> 10:11.200] the pecking order? Hell yes. I mean, it is Red Bull Racing. They're going to cruise at the front.
[10:12.000 -> 10:19.120] They've had two consecutive one-two finishes, almost, you know, they finished 20 seconds ahead
[10:19.120 -> 10:29.240] of P3, who of course was eventually Fernando Alonso, right? But had the race not been neutralized by the safety car,
[10:29.440 -> 10:31.660] maybe they would have finished like 40 seconds
[10:31.660 -> 10:32.640] or something ahead.
[10:32.640 -> 10:35.520] And in the end, I get this feeling that they were,
[10:35.520 -> 10:38.880] of course, keeping their pace and reserve,
[10:38.880 -> 10:41.620] but they were also trying to push enough
[10:41.620 -> 10:44.760] to just show their strength that we can,
[10:44.760 -> 10:47.440] and we will pull away when the time is right
[10:47.440 -> 10:53.040] for us. And they did but at one stage I was really intrigued because in our pre-race preview that we
[10:53.040 -> 10:58.000] did at the other social yesterday as well and folks if any of you attended that yesterday
[10:58.000 -> 11:02.720] genuinely thank you for taking out the time to join us so late on a Sunday. It's amazing amazing
[11:02.720 -> 11:08.960] to see all of you and just chat about Formula One and also take part in that quiz with you. But when we were there Kunal, we
[11:08.960 -> 11:14.440] were also discussing about Max's intent and how he would attack and he clearly showed
[11:14.440 -> 11:19.000] it. He didn't really push very hard in the first part of the first lap, but after that
[11:19.000 -> 11:23.240] he really used the pace of his car to stretch out and that's the sign of a great racing
[11:23.240 -> 11:30.080] driver and also that selfishness at the end. You know that Verstappen is going to get going for that fastest lap,
[11:30.080 -> 11:35.440] there's no way you can stop him for that. So just watching that psychological battle play out was
[11:35.440 -> 11:40.160] also very interesting but now I'm just intrigued about what Red Bull Racing do with them, with
[11:40.160 -> 11:45.760] Sergio Perez especially, what sort of chat do they have? Because in theory, Brazil has been
[11:45.760 -> 11:51.920] avenged, but has it? We should wait and see more on that. But on those battles with Aston Martin,
[11:51.920 -> 11:56.640] Mercedes and Ferrari, Kunal, did he really say we have a pecking order? Because over there,
[11:56.640 -> 12:01.680] it just looks like jelly. Everyone's everywhere. And now I'm so intrigued, right? Fernando Alonso
[12:01.680 -> 12:06.960] was able to somewhat maintain P2, but everywhere behind with Ferrari and Mercedes,
[12:06.960 -> 12:09.000] there's just confusion.
[12:09.000 -> 12:10.040] Who's where?
[12:10.040 -> 12:11.240] Where is Charles Leclerc?
[12:11.240 -> 12:13.360] What is Carlos Sainz?
[12:13.360 -> 12:15.840] What is that whole muddle all about in terms of performance?
[12:15.840 -> 12:16.680] It's amazing.
[12:16.680 -> 12:18.640] So in the first two races of the season,
[12:18.640 -> 12:21.920] we've had only three drivers stand on the podium.
[12:21.920 -> 12:23.760] Fernando Alonso's only managed third.
[12:23.760 -> 12:27.020] So the Red Bull drivers have sort of taken one and two
[12:27.020 -> 12:29.100] in both orders, right?
[12:29.100 -> 12:31.060] Only two teams have scored podiums.
[12:31.060 -> 12:34.660] Alonso, of course, got his 100th podium.
[12:34.660 -> 12:37.460] The last time Samuel He actually got three podiums in a row,
[12:37.460 -> 12:41.480] and here now I'm manifesting a podium for Alonso in Australia,
[12:41.480 -> 12:44.140] was all the way back in 2013, when
[12:44.140 -> 12:46.520] it was Spa, Monza and Singapore
[12:46.520 -> 12:50.480] with Ferrari. That's when he got last time three podiums in a row. I'm talking of Fernando
[12:50.480 -> 12:56.160] Alonso. But the pecking order, let me just sort of dissect that here. Fernando Alonso
[12:56.160 -> 13:00.800] said after Bahrain, we've tested a car just at one race of the season. We only know how
[13:00.800 -> 13:04.920] it performs under one condition. Let's see what happens in Jeddah. We saw what happened
[13:04.920 -> 13:05.460] in Jeddah. So despite what happened in Jeddah.
[13:05.460 -> 13:08.640] So despite losing the penalty, winning the penalty back,
[13:08.640 -> 13:11.100] whatever, losing and sort of gaining P3 back,
[13:11.100 -> 13:12.820] he said the most important thing for us
[13:12.820 -> 13:14.480] was to test our car in Jeddah.
[13:14.480 -> 13:15.980] And we did that, and we were quicker
[13:15.980 -> 13:17.540] than Ferrari and Mercedes.
[13:17.540 -> 13:21.520] He said we had them under control in the race.
[13:21.520 -> 13:22.600] And these are his words.
[13:22.600 -> 13:24.140] I know a few people write in saying,
[13:24.140 -> 13:32.400] you guys have lots of opinions, because clearly we are an opinionated podcast, but we try and, you know, sort of have as many neutral conversations as possible. Right, Samuel?
[13:33.440 -> 13:45.520] Talking of, you know, Mercedes and Ferrari, Ferrari, of course, had a lot more degradation, especially on the hards, which is why Sainz and Leclerc weren't able to catch up.
[13:45.520 -> 13:48.840] Of course, they had their reliability concerns with Leclerc.
[13:48.840 -> 13:53.520] And I think Mercedes were done in by the safety car
[13:53.520 -> 13:57.040] because Lewis had to sort of get rid of his hards earlier on
[13:57.040 -> 13:59.200] and then just keep managing his mediums.
[13:59.200 -> 14:03.200] Some people asked if Lewis and George should have sort of swapped.
[14:03.200 -> 14:06.120] The truth is that at the start of the medium stint,
[14:06.120 -> 14:09.160] Lewis was quicker, but by the time the hards came in,
[14:09.160 -> 14:10.600] George was quicker again.
[14:10.600 -> 14:14.320] So sort of it nullified as it would stand, Sommel.
[14:14.320 -> 14:18.320] But to me, the Mercedes-Aston Martin-Ferrari battle,
[14:18.320 -> 14:23.000] especially in Jeddah, was decided by who qualified ahead
[14:23.000 -> 14:28.700] and hence who could sort of keep track position ahead and in this case it was Aston Martin
[14:29.440 -> 14:31.900] You know Carlos Sainz seemed a little all over the place
[14:32.880 -> 14:36.780] you know throughout the whole weekend by his own admission and
[14:37.400 -> 14:41.640] You know, I liked how Frederick was sewer said when he was asked if Leclerc's
[14:42.320 -> 14:47.060] strategy when he was asked if Leclerc's strategy and Sainz's strategy was impeded by the safety
[14:47.060 -> 14:50.960] car because they had just pitted both the drivers and then came out the safety car,
[14:50.960 -> 14:56.480] right? So he turned around and said, that's bullshit, you know, in typical Vassuer style.
[14:56.480 -> 15:00.320] I just love Fred Vasseur. Have you seen that clip of him as well, Kunal, at the start of
[15:00.320 -> 15:05.360] the season where I think it's Ted Kravitz who asks him, Fred, how do you expect
[15:05.360 -> 15:09.040] to challenge Red Bull Racing when you don't have a number one driver? And Fred Visser
[15:09.040 -> 15:14.080] simply turns around and says, because I have two good ones. He's just amazing. He is just
[15:14.080 -> 15:18.960] amazing. But the fact of the matter is that the management coming in doesn't really change
[15:18.960 -> 15:28.160] performance immediately. And there are concerns. And also on the subject of Leclerc's, I think, Leclerc's control unit
[15:28.160 -> 15:30.860] that actually failed, that's a standardized part.
[15:30.860 -> 15:35.180] And Ferrari have taken that first part to just check and do precautionary tests on it
[15:35.180 -> 15:39.120] to make sure that okay, when we bring this part back, it is 100% correct.
[15:39.120 -> 15:44.120] So it's, I think the grid penalty is not a major, major problem per se, as we made it
[15:44.120 -> 15:47.760] to be. But again, we tend to sensationalize things and that's just the way it is.
[15:47.760 -> 15:52.840] But on that subject as well, I want to loop things around back to the FIA, right?
[15:52.840 -> 15:58.720] Because we saw Logan Sargent get a penalty for putting a wheel on the purple part of
[15:58.720 -> 16:00.800] the track where he wasn't really meant to.
[16:00.800 -> 16:05.120] And the funny part is, when it was communicated, the FIA said that the penalty came in Kunal
[16:05.120 -> 16:11.760] for turn 27 and Logan Sargent clearly was confused like how can you cut turn 27? Were you
[16:11.760 -> 16:17.360] confused as well because that is just the weirdest way to put out a message. Again it's the FIA so I
[16:17.360 -> 16:21.760] know the standards are a little bit low but rules are rules but the way to communicate the rules are
[16:21.760 -> 16:25.040] also a bit absurd. Well you know all of this is
[16:25.040 -> 16:30.800] automated there are transponders there are sensors and so on so it's sort of just automated and
[16:30.800 -> 16:37.520] threw up that message. I get this feeling the FIA will continue to be challenged in their ways of
[16:37.520 -> 16:42.880] governing the sport. I mean you know this there are two times in two races there was this thing
[16:42.880 -> 16:46.200] of a penalty a time penalty not served correctly.
[16:46.540 -> 16:51.300] What would it take the FI to just install a timer at every pit garage, where you
[16:51.300 -> 16:55.040] just hit start, count down to five seconds, and then you work on the car?
[16:55.280 -> 17:01.480] Because yes, it is the team's responsibility to make sure you count down correctly.
[17:01.680 -> 17:02.120] Okay.
[17:02.400 -> 17:27.000] But it's, I mean, we are here to see motor racing and not if a team touched a car four tenths ahead of them when it should and so on. I mean, yes, it makes for the unpredictability of sport. But on one hand, we're trying to increase the entertainment on track, then why are we, you know, can we simplify these procedures and things in the pit lane? I mean, I just think the FI, I mean, you know, for one,
[17:27.000 -> 17:32.000] I mean, Rolex would be very happy because then they would just get more exposure
[17:32.000 -> 17:37.000] on track so they could just, you know, Liberty Media will just charge them more money.
[17:37.000 -> 17:43.000] But yes, I think the FI clearly has a lot of things on their, you know, on their plate
[17:43.000 -> 17:47.680] while we look forward to Australia.
[17:47.680 -> 17:50.280] I mean, could it be the same podium trio for Australia?
[17:50.280 -> 17:52.880] I would probably bet on it right away, Samal.
[17:52.880 -> 17:54.880] Yeah, I think Verstappen, Perez, and Alonso
[17:54.880 -> 17:58.280] is kind of like the new Hamilton, Bottas, and Verstappen
[17:58.280 -> 17:59.800] from back in the old days.
[17:59.800 -> 18:00.760] Wait, old days?
[18:00.760 -> 18:01.760] Did I just say old days?
[18:01.760 -> 18:03.320] It was a couple of years ago.
[18:03.320 -> 18:05.400] But well, in the meantime, in those couple of years,
[18:05.400 -> 18:09.600] we've seen the emergence of a great young driver of the name of Fernando Alonso,
[18:09.600 -> 18:12.000] who's got a podium in his only first year,
[18:12.000 -> 18:15.600] didn't really have the best rubber form in terms of reliability in his second year.
[18:15.600 -> 18:19.400] And now Kunal, third season for this young driver, and he's excelling.
[18:19.400 -> 18:23.200] But what do the fans of this young driver have to say about?
[18:23.200 -> 18:27.680] Well, there's one really amazing Fernando Alonso fan that we have as a part of our team
[18:28.000 -> 18:31.520] F1 Stats Guru and he's been buzzing the last couple of weeks
[18:31.680 -> 18:34.480] If you would have told him that Alonso would have gotten two podiums so far
[18:34.720 -> 18:41.200] He would have been ecstatic and so his motivation to dig down in the numbers to find some interesting stories has only increased
[18:41.520 -> 18:45.760] So why don't we go to F1 stats guru and find out what the numbers have to
[18:45.760 -> 18:50.560] say about the Saudi Arabian GP. Hey folks it's time to do the stats review of the Saudi Arabian
[18:50.560 -> 18:55.360] Grand Prix. My name is Sundaram also known as the F1 stats guru on the internet. Let's talk numbers
[18:55.360 -> 18:59.920] because this is going to be an exciting one. Firstly let's talk about Sergio Perez. He's
[18:59.920 -> 19:04.080] taken his fifth win in Formula One and fourth with the Red Bull team. If he actually goes on
[19:04.080 -> 19:07.200] to win six more races this year, that'll make him Red Bull's
[19:07.200 -> 19:11.320] 3rd most successful driver after Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
[19:11.320 -> 19:15.140] The other interesting fact about his wins with Red Bull is they've all come at street
[19:15.140 -> 19:16.140] circuits.
[19:16.140 -> 19:19.880] Azerbaijan, Monaco, Singapore and now Saudi Arabia.
[19:19.880 -> 19:24.080] The best part is, the next two races are also at street circuits which is Australia and
[19:24.080 -> 19:25.060] Azerbaijan.
[19:25.060 -> 19:28.720] And I'm sure, Las Vegas is also there somewhere on his checklist.
[19:28.720 -> 19:31.400] Or should I call it, the Checo list.
[19:31.400 -> 19:35.440] Max Verstappen started P15 and took his car all the way up to P2.
[19:35.440 -> 19:39.600] And he really has the knack of doing this, because ever since he's joined Red Bull in
[19:39.600 -> 19:43.800] 2016, there have been four occasions where he started P15 or lower, and he's taken that
[19:43.800 -> 19:45.040] car all the way up to
[19:45.040 -> 19:51.600] the podium spots. And thus, that was Red Bull's first consecutive 1-2 result in Formula 1
[19:51.600 -> 19:56.160] since 2009. Yes, they haven't really done that in 14 years.
[19:56.160 -> 20:00.000] But let's switch focus to the person who's received the most airtime in the last couple
[20:00.000 -> 20:08.320] of races and also during pre-season testing. Fernando Alonso, at the age of 41, in his 20th season in Formula 1, he's finally taken
[20:08.320 -> 20:13.760] his 100th podium and he's actually the 6th driver to do so, after Lewis Hamilton, Michael
[20:13.760 -> 20:17.960] Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost and Kimi Raikkonen.
[20:17.960 -> 20:21.780] The other interesting fact is, this is the first time this Silverstone squad has taken
[20:21.780 -> 20:25.280] back to back podiums in Formula 1 since 1999 when
[20:25.280 -> 20:27.560] they were racing under the Jordan Grand Prix moniker.
[20:27.560 -> 20:31.800] And it's also the first time Fernando Alonso has taken back to back podiums since 2013,
[20:31.800 -> 20:32.800] a decade ago.
[20:32.800 -> 20:36.360] And let me leave you with one final stat in this segment, which is Fernando Alonso's
[20:36.360 -> 20:40.280] milestone podiums have all come at street circuits and at night races.
[20:40.280 -> 20:47.000] 100th podium, Saudi Arabia, street circuit and night Night Race and his 50th podium in Formula One was in Singapore 2008.
[20:47.000 -> 20:50.880] Yet another Street Circuit and Night Race and a bit of a controversial one.
[20:50.880 -> 20:53.320] But that was the stats review of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
[20:53.320 -> 20:55.200] I hope you folks enjoyed it.
[20:55.200 -> 20:58.820] For more such interesting stats and facts, do follow me on my Instagram and Twitter under
[20:58.820 -> 20:59.820] the name F1StatsGuru.
[20:59.820 -> 21:02.480] I'll see you guys in the next one.
[21:02.480 -> 21:03.480] Aha!
[21:03.480 -> 21:10.000] Always lovely to hear from F1Stats stats crew about the numbers and just understanding them and how they tell a story of the entire sport.
[21:10.000 -> 21:20.000] But I think part of the story Kunal for any sport is the story of its heroes and watching Lewis Hamilton is just making it even more intriguing right now.
[21:20.000 -> 21:25.520] Because sure we've had this perfect storm of circumstances where the car isn't quite working
[21:25.520 -> 21:29.920] well, where his trainer has left him or he's left his trainer whatever it might be, I don't think
[21:29.920 -> 21:35.600] that's the whole point of the discussion at all. The point is that we saw an annoyed Lewis Hamilton
[21:35.600 -> 21:41.120] in the press conferences. He was basically in all the media interactions, he just basically said
[21:41.120 -> 21:50.720] yeah car isn't good, we've got to fix it, car isn't good, we've got to fix it, no car isn't good we've got to fix it car isn't good we've got to fix it no this isn't good simple pinpoint answers and what have we ever heard that from Lewis Kunal it's just
[21:50.720 -> 21:58.480] like he's entered this new trance of disappointment that makes sense and he's been saying the red bull
[21:58.480 -> 22:06.360] advantage is far more than when i had a dominant car so So clearly, Lewis is downbeat. It's the concept.
[22:06.360 -> 22:10.040] But I think Mercedes in general have gone on a PR overdrive.
[22:10.040 -> 22:11.900] They released a letter to fans.
[22:11.900 -> 22:16.040] Now there's this whole talk of our new concept has come.
[22:16.040 -> 22:17.840] And we are seeing a lot of gains,
[22:17.840 -> 22:20.160] and there's no word on when the concept will come,
[22:20.160 -> 22:22.300] just speculation and rumors.
[22:22.300 -> 22:24.460] I think they could probably just benefit
[22:24.460 -> 22:26.160] holding back all that talk.
[22:26.160 -> 22:28.760] Because if the new concept comes and it doesn't really
[22:28.760 -> 22:31.080] give them much more, then it's certainly
[22:31.080 -> 22:33.280] going to be like, hey, what happened to your new concept
[22:33.280 -> 22:33.780] as well?
[22:33.780 -> 22:36.480] Because there are times when Lewis has said,
[22:36.480 -> 22:39.560] Red Bull's base advantage is 1 and 1⁄2 seconds over us,
[22:39.560 -> 22:40.640] and so on, right?
[22:40.640 -> 22:41.480] No, no, no, Kunal.
[22:41.480 -> 22:42.480] You're getting it wrong.
[22:42.480 -> 22:45.000] Why do you say that the new concept won't work?
[22:45.000 -> 22:50.000] They need the support of all of us to get going. Bring the positivity, the W14 will work.
[22:50.000 -> 22:54.000] That's what Mercedes has been on about. Bring the positivity Kunal, where is it?
[22:54.000 -> 23:00.000] Yeah, and that's what they have George Russell for, right? He's been so positive. He's happy. He's beating Lewis Hamilton.
[23:00.000 -> 23:06.000] He's, you know, doing things with the car, showing that, hey, I'm ready to win when the car is ready.
[23:06.000 -> 23:13.680] And of course, Lewis is at a different part, is in a different cycle in his career in Formula 1 as well.
[23:13.680 -> 23:17.360] But yeah, clearly, I think Mercedes is just on a PR overdrive.
[23:17.360 -> 23:27.200] One of the things, actually using the word over, one of the things Toto Wolff said post-race was Mercedes maybe over-managed their tires
[23:27.200 -> 23:35.760] under guidance, which meant that the engineers were telling the drivers to manage their tires
[23:35.760 -> 23:37.560] and they probably overdid that.
[23:37.560 -> 23:39.800] And maybe they had more pace to extract as well.
[23:39.800 -> 23:43.440] But did they really have the pace to take the challenge to Aston Martin?
[23:43.440 -> 23:48.480] I don't think so, because when Fernando Alonso had to reopen the gap of five seconds, he
[23:48.480 -> 23:52.200] could do that with a lot of ease as well, right?
[23:52.200 -> 23:55.880] And one last thing, I mean, there was something about Charles Leclerc where he was annoyed
[23:55.880 -> 24:03.560] with Xavi, Javier or however you pronounce his name, you know, across different languages.
[24:03.560 -> 24:06.560] Could he be the target of the next restructure at Ferrari
[24:06.560 -> 24:11.040] because he forgot to tell Charles when Lewis was going to pit under the safety car. So,
[24:11.680 -> 24:17.200] interesting things and we're seeing lots of reliability issues. We're also seeing drivers
[24:17.200 -> 24:22.640] not being happy with their teams. Samuel, I mean, Max Verstappen was annoyed despite finishing
[24:22.640 -> 24:25.360] second and getting the fastest lap. And starting
[24:25.360 -> 24:32.000] from P15, well, it's amazing how the standards have been set so high for Red Bull Racing and for
[24:32.000 -> 24:37.120] Max Verstappen, but at one point, we were just really wondering, is the big discussion point
[24:37.120 -> 24:43.040] for Saudi Arabia going to be where Sergio Perez crashes instead of at what point does Max Verstappen
[24:43.040 -> 24:45.800] win? Because seriously, P15 to P1,
[24:45.800 -> 24:47.480] it's only ever been done once before.
[24:47.480 -> 24:50.960] And this time, clearly on merit from Max Verstappen.
[24:50.960 -> 24:53.560] But let's wait and see what happens in Australia.
[24:53.560 -> 24:57.960] But this guy, Kunal, is just the prototype racing driver.
[24:57.960 -> 25:00.520] He is, and you know, while he got P2
[25:00.520 -> 25:03.480] and he got the fastest lap and he's retained the lead
[25:03.480 -> 25:06.100] and he knows he's just up against Checo Perez.
[25:06.100 -> 25:08.180] You know, when Max was asked,
[25:08.180 -> 25:13.060] why are you so upset or disappointed?
[25:13.060 -> 25:17.220] All he said was, I want a clean weekend from the team.
[25:17.220 -> 25:20.420] And I somewhere understand where that comes from
[25:20.420 -> 25:23.140] because it's sort of easy for them right now.
[25:23.140 -> 25:25.280] So, hey, just let's have clean weekends get all the
[25:25.280 -> 25:31.360] points we can why are we making life tough for us for all we know the w14b or whatever they call it
[25:31.360 -> 25:37.200] whenever it comes out suddenly is the class of the field and then all these free points that
[25:37.200 -> 25:43.600] they're getting right now will come handy so i understand why he was disappointed but hey it's
[25:43.600 -> 25:46.720] also maxwish tapp. That's true but let's
[25:46.720 -> 25:51.920] wait and see what happens in Australia. Do Red Bull Racing actually let them fight again with
[25:51.920 -> 25:56.400] Sergio Perez be in the fight? All that and more is going to come up in a couple of weeks time but
[25:56.400 -> 26:02.080] folks thank you for listening to this episode of the InsideLine F1 podcast and trust me there will
[26:02.080 -> 26:05.760] be more before we come to Australia as well so if you like what
[26:05.760 -> 26:10.080] you're hearing subscribe to the podcast and also share it with your friends and family members
[26:10.080 -> None] who would love to listen more about Formula One as well from us so thanks for listening and we please watch out. Bye Bye. you