Finally, a race at Spa? 2022 Belgian GP Preview

There's just so much to look forward to this weekend. For starters, a race at Spa? After last year's debacle, all it takes to worry fans & Formula 1 alike is a few drops of rain. Also, will drivers approve of the changes made to make the Spa Francorchamps safer? Let's hope that some of the iconic corner haven't lost their character.

Piasco (or Piasco-gate) will hog headlines in the build-up to the weekend. The other talking points will be the changes enforced to control porpoising (or vertical oscillations) & flexi-floors. Will this bring Mercedes in the fight?

Join our race watchalong sessions with the legendary British Formula 1 commentator Steve Slater (ex-Sky TV, ESPN, Star Sports).

On the live stream, you can discuss with Steve & our hosts various race-related topics - strategies, performances, insights & more. Join us to enhance your real-time race viewing experience!

Get your access pass: Paytm Insider & Inside Line F1 Podcast - Race Watchalong with Steve Slater.

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil, Sundaram (aka @f1statsguru) and Kunal bring to you the 2022 Belgian GP preview. Can Charles Leclerc take pole & win? That's the question on everyone's minds. The Dutch/Belgian fans will be out in force to support their favourite driver & championship leader, Max Verstappen.

But seriously, will the technical changes bring Mercedes in the fight? Since the last race in Hungary, the reigning Constructors' Champions definitely have momentum on their side. There's a lot to look forward to - including the stats preview segment & why elevation changes are most-talked about when the Formula 1 circus visits the legendary Spa Francorchamps. Tune in!

(Season 2022, Episode 50)

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

Image courtesy: Mercedes

**Navigating the Belgian Grand Prix: A Comprehensive Preview**

- The Belgian Grand Prix returns after a long hiatus, and fans are eagerly anticipating the race weekend.

- This episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast features hosts Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah discussing various aspects of the upcoming race.

- Kunal highlights the intrigue surrounding the "Piyashree" controversy, involving Oscar Piastri's contract situation with Alpine and McLaren.

- Soumil expresses his excitement for the race itself, given the unpredictable weather conditions and the possibility of a rain-affected event.

- Steve Slater, a legendary Formula One commentator, shares his insights on the race, emphasizing the importance of avoiding rain and expressing his hope for a full-fledged Grand Prix.

- The hosts discuss the technical changes implemented to control porpoising and flexi-floors, and whether these changes will bring Mercedes back into contention.

- A special race watchalong session is announced, allowing fans to engage with Steve Slater and the podcast hosts during the live broadcast.

- The stats preview segment highlights interesting facts about the Belgian Grand Prix, including its status as the fifth fastest circuit and Mercedes' strong record at the venue.

- Ferrari's mixed record at Spa is discussed, with the team having won only 5 poles in the last 45 races.

- The importance of qualifying well is emphasized, as 38% of races at Spa have been won from pole position.

- The hosts acknowledge the potential for a long gap between Spa races in the future due to the rotation of historical races.

- The 2026 Formula 1 regulations are briefly discussed, with a focus on sustainability and the potential interest from Audi and Porsche.

- The driver market is a hot topic, with speculation about remaining seats and potential driver changes.

- Antonio Giovinazzi's FP1 sessions with Haas are mentioned, as well as the possibility of him serving as a benchmark for Magnussen and Schumacher.

- Kunal shares his favorite Spa memory, recalling Sebastian Vettel's surge at the start of the 2018 race.

- The hosts express their excitement for the race weekend and the unpredictable nature of the Belgian Grand Prix.

# Inside Line F1 Podcast: 2022 Belgian GP Preview

---
## Introduction:

- The 2022 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps is highly anticipated, especially after last year's debacle.
- The podcast discusses the safety changes made to the track and whether they will affect the iconic corners' character.
- The "Piasco-gate" controversy and the new regulations to control porpoising and flexi-floors are also key talking points.

---
## Spa-Francorchamps Changes and Safety:

- The podcast team expresses hope that the iconic corners of Spa-Francorchamps have retained their character despite the safety modifications.
- The changes aim to improve safety, particularly at Eau Rouge and Radillon, which have witnessed several accidents in the past.
- The new layout is expected to make the track safer without compromising its thrilling nature.

---
## Mercedes' Chances with New Regulations:

- The podcast discusses the potential impact of the new regulations on Mercedes' performance.
- The team has shown momentum since the last race in Hungary and could potentially challenge for the win at Spa.
- The technical changes may favor Mercedes, bringing them closer to the front of the grid.

---
## Ferrari's Fightback and Leclerc's Prospects:

- The podcast predicts a fightback from Ferrari and Charles Leclerc in the championship battle.
- Leclerc is expected to perform well at Spa, aiming to delay Max Verstappen's title win for as long as possible.
- The team hopes to claw back points and maintain a competitive position in the championship.

---
## Mercedes' Lobbying and Journey Back to the Top:

- The podcast highlights Mercedes' successful lobbying efforts to influence the new regulations.
- The team is seen as uniquely positioned, having been the dominant force for so long.
- Their journey back to the top is seen as an intriguing storyline to follow.

---
## Watchalong with Steve Slater:

- The podcast team invites listeners to join their race watchalong sessions with legendary Formula 1 commentator Steve Slater.
- The watchalong will provide insights, discussions, and strategies during the race.
- The link to join the watchalong is provided in the podcast description.

---
## Conclusion:

- The podcast team encourages listeners to rate, subscribe, and leave feedback.
- They express excitement for the upcoming race and look forward to engaging with listeners during the watchalong.

[00:00.000 -> 00:26.160] Hi there folks, welcome back to the InsideLineF1 Podcast and we missed you Formula 1, we really
[00:26.160 -> 00:31.080] did. What is it, three and a half weeks but it's felt like an eternity and there's so
[00:31.080 -> 00:35.560] much that we miss about Formula 1 that we're just going to have an emotional outpouring
[00:35.560 -> 00:39.780] in this particular episode and we will tell you about all the things that we're excited
[00:39.780 -> 00:45.760] about for the Belgian GP but first I must introduce myself. My name is Somal Arora. I'm the host of
[00:45.760 -> 00:51.080] the Driving Force on Disney Plus Hotstar and luckily in the same city as me right now is
[00:51.080 -> 00:56.840] Kunal Shah, the former marketing head of the Force India F1 team, who's also an FIA accredited Formula
[00:56.840 -> 01:03.720] One journalist working for the Viaplay network. And first off Kunal, I know that it feels like a
[01:03.720 -> 01:06.640] long, long time and I know that there's so much to look forward to.
[01:06.640 -> 01:09.240] But if you had to pick one particular aspect
[01:09.240 -> 01:11.560] that you'd really love to see at this year's Belgian Grand
[01:11.560 -> 01:13.120] Prix, just what would it be for you?
[01:13.120 -> 01:14.620] Firstly, thank you very much, Samuel.
[01:14.620 -> 01:17.240] It's fantastic to be back.
[01:17.240 -> 01:20.640] Although we've been around pretty much every week,
[01:20.640 -> 01:22.720] even through the summer break.
[01:22.720 -> 01:24.560] But yes, it's great Formula 1 is back.
[01:24.560 -> 01:27.840] It's great Formula 1 joins the fun that we've been having through the summer break but yes it's great Formula One is back it's great Formula One joins the fun that we've been having through the summer
[01:27.840 -> 01:33.240] break. The one thing that I am really looking forward to this weekend in Spa
[01:33.240 -> 01:40.200] is not the rain, it's Piasco but with a different twist, with a twist. Okay so
[01:40.200 -> 01:45.840] this is how I see it right Now the ideal FIA press conference lineup
[01:45.840 -> 01:48.480] would be Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso,
[01:48.480 -> 01:51.680] Oscar Piastri, Mark Weber, Zach Brown,
[01:51.680 -> 01:54.960] Otmar Safnauer and Flavio Briatore.
[01:54.960 -> 01:58.520] But of course we are not going to have the ideal setup,
[01:58.520 -> 01:59.360] right?
[01:59.360 -> 02:02.600] But the thing is, let's take Oscar Piastri.
[02:02.600 -> 02:04.100] Everybody else will have their own way
[02:04.100 -> 02:07.680] of getting their official words out because they are members of teams, they'll be in the
[02:07.680 -> 02:13.620] official conference etc etc but Oscar Piastri, will he actually have an
[02:13.620 -> 02:18.980] official word out at all apart from Twitter and if he does have his official
[02:18.980 -> 02:23.640] word out, will he sit in Alpine's motorhome and say hey I'm not racing for
[02:23.640 -> 02:29.840] Alpine, didn't I just tweet that or will he actually sit in McLpine's motorhome and say, hey, I'm not racing for Alpine, didn't I just tweet that? Or will he actually sit in McLaren's motorhome to say, you guys know where I'm
[02:29.840 -> 02:34.880] going to be racing next season. So interesting to see how his message is going to be delivered
[02:34.880 -> 02:40.120] just as much as we're interested in knowing what that message is going to be somehow.
[02:40.120 -> 02:44.120] It's like you've read my mind because that's the same question I had in my mind as well.
[02:44.120 -> 02:46.080] Well, will he be in the Paroch now?
[02:46.080 -> 02:51.140] Because officially, he's still under contract as an Alpine Reserve driver for this year.
[02:51.140 -> 02:52.820] So technically, he should be there.
[02:52.820 -> 02:56.540] So I was just wondering, if he's in the Paroch, what colour will he wear?
[02:56.540 -> 03:00.860] But apart from Piyashree as well, I think we should also be grateful that we may just
[03:00.860 -> 03:05.300] end up getting a race in Belgium for the first time in what, two years?
[03:05.300 -> 03:08.880] And we still don't know if we actually are going to get one because apparently for Sunday
[03:08.880 -> 03:13.520] there is rain on the radar. So the first thing that I'm looking forward to is a race in the
[03:13.520 -> 03:17.840] first place, just like Steve Slater mentioned. But speaking of Steve Slater, here's a quick
[03:17.840 -> 03:23.880] message from him that we want to deliver to all of you. We'll be back here in a second.
[03:23.880 -> 03:29.760] Welcome back in folks to the Inside Line F1 podcast and I know you'd love to join in for this with this
[03:29.760 -> 03:34.680] Sunday's watch along on Paytm Insider and we'd so love you to have you over
[03:34.680 -> 03:38.800] there because imagine watching a race with an expert like Steve Slater
[03:38.800 -> 03:44.520] who spent over two decades working for brands like ESPN, Starsports and Fox
[03:44.520 -> 03:45.300] Sports just to understand how he looks at the race in real time. I think it's over two decades working for brands like ESPN, Starsports and Fox Sports,
[03:45.300 -> 03:48.820] just to understand how he looks at the race in real time.
[03:48.820 -> 03:50.340] I think it's gonna be something else.
[03:50.340 -> 03:52.900] For me Kunal, it's literally like a childhood dream
[03:52.900 -> 03:55.260] come true because there's only so much that you can say
[03:55.260 -> 03:57.240] on a live TV broadcast,
[03:57.240 -> 03:59.500] but with the access of a platform like Insider,
[03:59.500 -> 04:02.220] that's global and where people like anywhere in the world
[04:02.220 -> 04:03.180] can join in.
[04:03.180 -> 04:04.900] It'll be more fun to chat with Steve
[04:04.900 -> 04:06.720] and with all of you folks as well joining in.
[04:06.720 -> 04:08.360] You can send in your questions live
[04:08.360 -> 04:09.920] and we also have quizzes and polls
[04:09.920 -> 04:12.200] and competitions as well, don't we?
[04:12.200 -> 04:13.960] We do, and you know, this is actually,
[04:13.960 -> 04:15.000] it's good to talk about it
[04:15.000 -> 04:18.240] because after the piasco twist that I just spoke about,
[04:18.240 -> 04:23.120] this is our effort to sort of add another dimension
[04:23.120 -> 04:26.400] to everyone's race viewing experience.
[04:26.400 -> 04:28.460] And when I say everyone, I mean global,
[04:28.460 -> 04:31.660] because we have successfully built a global community
[04:31.660 -> 04:33.700] on the InsideLine F1 podcast.
[04:33.700 -> 04:36.260] And there are so many times I've been asked,
[04:36.260 -> 04:37.860] hey, would you watch a race in a pub?
[04:37.860 -> 04:39.120] And I'm like, yes.
[04:39.120 -> 04:42.300] Would you like to sit in a cafe with a few friends
[04:42.300 -> 04:43.120] and watch a race?
[04:43.120 -> 04:43.960] And I'm like, yes.
[04:43.960 -> 04:50.000] And I land up with all of my five screens and feeds to sort of, you know, tell people how many dimensions I sit and
[04:50.000 -> 04:54.560] watch the race with, you know, and here's another dimension, like imagine there's something about
[04:54.560 -> 04:59.920] strategy that Ferrari are doing right, or don't do right, or what Mercedes are doing, or what's
[04:59.920 -> 05:10.360] actually happening throughout the field. And it's like getting a chance to see how an expert like Steve Slater with you know two decades of experience like you
[05:10.360 -> 05:14.920] know you just said you know the what are the data points he picks up how is
[05:14.920 -> 05:20.380] it that he watches a race because hey even though the demography of Formula
[05:20.380 -> 05:29.240] One has only become younger thanks to Netflix and Drive to Survive and all the other efforts that Formula One has put in place, the way in which
[05:29.240 -> 05:33.800] you should watch a race and enjoy it is still like the good old days. You know
[05:33.800 -> 05:37.400] you have strategy, high-speed, you know, game of chess as we call it. We have all
[05:37.400 -> 05:41.960] the wheel-to-wheel action as we call it. There's lifetiming which I'm pretty much
[05:41.960 -> 05:50.360] you know glued on to all the time. There is race control messages and just so many messages, just so many feeds that are
[05:50.360 -> 05:51.640] being thrown to us.
[05:51.640 -> 05:53.200] And how do you make sense of all of that?
[05:53.200 -> 05:58.960] And that's why we are trialing such community engaging sessions with a legend like Steve
[05:58.960 -> 05:59.960] Slater-Sommel.
[05:59.960 -> 06:00.960] Exactly.
[06:00.960 -> 06:06.160] And the best part is, it's completely open for everyone who joins in to ask questions
[06:06.160 -> 06:10.480] as well, because otherwise you're kind of very dependent on what the commentator ends
[06:10.480 -> 06:12.160] up saying on the broadcast.
[06:12.160 -> 06:14.400] But here you can throw in your question very easily.
[06:14.400 -> 06:18.200] So at some point in the race, you might be wondering, well, yes, but has the commentator
[06:18.200 -> 06:20.880] talked about Pierre Gasly's stop on lap 25?
[06:20.880 -> 06:22.680] I really want to know about that.
[06:22.680 -> 06:29.680] But the commentators might not focus on that. Here, you can ask your questions anytime, anywhere, while taking part in quizzes and
[06:29.680 -> 06:33.600] polls. So I think it's going to be very, very exciting. And if you want to know more about
[06:33.600 -> 06:38.320] it and how you can join in, check out the link in the description of this particular
[06:38.320 -> 06:44.160] episode. But speaking of Steve Kunal, he had a very amazing thing that he shared with us
[06:44.160 -> 06:45.120] in the last episode of the
[06:45.120 -> 06:49.000] podcast which was F1 Explained where he was talking about what to look forward to for
[06:49.000 -> 06:53.140] the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend. So why don't we hear from Steve what he actually
[06:53.140 -> 06:55.840] really is looking forward to this time out.
[06:55.840 -> 07:00.440] Well the first thing on my list in Belgium is we're a thousand meters up in the mountains
[07:00.440 -> 07:05.840] above Liège on the German-Belgian border. Let's not have any rain like we had last
[07:05.840 -> 07:10.400] year. I mean Britain and Europe over the last two to three weeks have been
[07:10.400 -> 07:13.600] suffering almost drought conditions, exceptionally high temperatures and
[07:13.600 -> 07:19.920] sadly in some areas in France and Spain have had desperate forest fires and we
[07:19.920 -> 07:23.240] certainly don't want those to continue but I do not want the cloud bursts that
[07:23.240 -> 07:28.720] we had in the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. In fact, I hesitate to even call it a Grand Prix. Four
[07:28.720 -> 07:33.680] laps behind a safety car and then call Max Verstappen the winner is not a Grand Prix
[07:33.680 -> 07:41.600] in my book. I'm still amazed at the cynicism that allowed that race to be run. But, so
[07:41.600 -> 07:45.600] let's first of all say fair weather or the odd shower that will make things interesting
[07:45.840 -> 07:50.160] But let's not have the downpours that we had last year. Next thing after that is
[07:50.760 -> 07:53.680] Ferrari, it's a track that can work for Ferrari
[07:55.280 -> 07:59.040] 2018 Vettel won for them here Charles Leclerc won in 2019
[08:00.000 -> 08:02.560] It probably plays to the strength of the Ferrari
[08:03.840 -> 08:11.440] It's a track that you don't need huge amounts of downforce, but it's it's got slopes medium and slow corners as well as the
[08:11.440 -> 08:13.440] really long straights and
[08:14.200 -> 08:17.340] It could be a track where Mercedes could recover their form as well
[08:17.440 -> 08:22.760] But Ferrari is it's just so frustrating because we know they've got a car that can win races
[08:22.760 -> 08:26.560] And it's almost as if a combination of reliability and strategy
[08:26.560 -> 08:30.400] sometimes just they shoot themselves in the foot
[08:30.400 -> 08:34.560] and I really do, I mean at the moment they've demonstrated they've got
[08:34.560 -> 08:37.760] a car and drivers that can win individual Grands Prix but they yet
[08:37.760 -> 08:42.400] don't have an infrastructure to go head to head with the Mercedes or
[08:42.400 -> 08:46.160] a Red Bull and fight for a World Championship, which is a great
[08:46.160 -> 08:50.320] pity because I think Max now, I wouldn't say he's home and dry, but it would have to be a disaster
[08:50.320 -> 08:57.200] for Red Bull for Max Verstappen not to be World Champion this year. So then, are we genuinely
[08:57.200 -> 09:03.040] going to get a three-way fight, Kunal? Because we've all flirted with the idea of it a couple
[09:03.040 -> 09:09.320] of times earlier in the season, but I'm really not sure because it's so it's been so long since we saw the last
[09:09.320 -> 09:12.960] race it's hard to really connect the dots and to feel like okay Mercedes are
[09:12.960 -> 09:16.140] genuinely in there but you see it happening or is it just a hoax once
[09:16.140 -> 09:19.720] again. It all depends how you want to see it right because you know there were
[09:19.720 -> 09:23.680] suddenly races where we arrived saying oh it's a smooth surface high-speed
[09:23.680 -> 09:26.880] corners Mercedes will be in the fight, and suddenly they weren't.
[09:26.880 -> 09:27.720] Right?
[09:27.720 -> 09:30.440] And now it's down to the fact
[09:30.440 -> 09:32.720] that there are two very crucial changes
[09:32.720 -> 09:35.460] that are being enabled from the Belgian Grand Prix.
[09:35.460 -> 09:36.880] This is a little technical,
[09:36.880 -> 09:38.560] you will see Formula One talk about it,
[09:38.560 -> 09:39.840] put out videos and the likes,
[09:39.840 -> 09:41.920] but the first changes, the poppicing
[09:41.920 -> 09:43.040] that people were talking about,
[09:43.040 -> 09:45.640] or the vertical oscillations
[09:45.640 -> 09:47.520] that we've seen drivers and teams,
[09:47.520 -> 09:48.560] and especially Mercedes,
[09:48.560 -> 09:50.240] and everybody at Mercedes,
[09:50.240 -> 09:52.120] including the social media admin
[09:52.120 -> 09:53.720] who has never felt porpoising,
[09:53.720 -> 09:56.020] has gone on and on about porpoising,
[09:56.020 -> 09:57.640] for all the right or wrong reasons,
[09:57.640 -> 09:59.160] it's for you to judge, right?
[09:59.160 -> 10:02.920] But those measurements have been taken
[10:02.920 -> 10:04.600] over the last three or four races,
[10:04.600 -> 10:06.480] and now they will be implemented.
[10:06.480 -> 10:12.080] Every team will have to be within a certain limit of the vertical oscillations
[10:12.080 -> 10:17.200] that the cars are going to be suffering through a Grand Prix weekend.
[10:17.200 -> 10:22.280] And if you exceed the limit, you can actually get disqualified or get a penalty.
[10:22.280 -> 10:27.280] So that's going to be that teams will have to find a comfort factor
[10:27.280 -> 10:32.480] within the metric that comes. And the comfort I don't mean when it comes to the drivers driving,
[10:32.480 -> 10:37.920] I mean a comfort within their setup because they still need to make sure, at least the teams would
[10:37.920 -> 10:43.360] never want to sacrifice performance over anything else, right. So that's one. And the second is,
[10:43.360 -> 10:49.320] you know, we've seen flexi front wings and flexi rear wings last year and now you know the Mercedes
[10:49.320 -> 10:54.800] team has successfully lobbied to get flexi floors out of the way and the
[10:54.800 -> 11:00.400] general assumption is that Red Bull and Ferrari actually had more flexi
[11:00.400 -> 11:03.120] floors than some of the other teams at least some of the other teams that
[11:03.120 -> 11:10.520] Mercedes cared about right and hence there are going to be more stringent tests towards those flexing
[11:10.520 -> 11:17.620] and that everyone assumes will just get Mercedes closer to the top two, you know, than any
[11:17.620 -> 11:21.980] of the previous 13 races we've had in the season. So the question is, will this turn
[11:21.980 -> 11:27.440] out to be another hoax of a three-way battle? Or will we actually have a three-way battle?
[11:27.440 -> 11:29.760] And the bigger question is, to me, Somal,
[11:29.760 -> 11:31.920] if it is not a three-way battle, could it
[11:31.920 -> 11:35.080] be that Ferrari actually drops out like they did in Hungary?
[11:35.080 -> 11:37.580] Because you know, Mercedes is coming with a lot of momentum.
[11:37.580 -> 11:40.080] George Russell's first pole position,
[11:40.080 -> 11:43.640] after scoring three and four, three and four finishes
[11:43.640 -> 11:45.520] for Mercedes, suddenly they're doing two and three,
[11:45.520 -> 11:46.360] two and three.
[11:46.360 -> 11:50.840] So lots of momentum coming in and then there's Ferrari.
[11:50.840 -> 11:52.360] I just have one thing to say,
[11:53.560 -> 11:56.600] Spa is a very, very long lap.
[11:56.600 -> 11:59.760] If you actually end up messing your strategy,
[11:59.760 -> 12:01.480] the penalty is that much more
[12:01.480 -> 12:09.360] because you really have to drive seven kilometers before you sort of can go back into the pit. So it's a really long lap and hence
[12:09.360 -> 12:15.200] the penalty for getting strategy wrong can be that much more. Perhaps it's more
[12:15.200 -> 12:19.560] of a challenge for them. Okay how can we get things even more wrong because I'm
[12:19.560 -> 12:23.440] genuinely intrigued by that idea because what Matija Binotto said at the end of
[12:23.440 -> 12:28.360] the Hungarian Grand Prix was even if we had put Charles Leclerc on the right tyres, it wouldn't
[12:28.360 -> 12:29.960] have guaranteed a win.
[12:29.960 -> 12:33.860] Now that reasoning seems sort of flawed until you look at what happened to Carlos Sainz
[12:33.860 -> 12:36.860] who was on a similar strategy to Lewis Hamilton.
[12:36.860 -> 12:41.140] In fact the same one if I'm not mistaken, but he just could not get his soft tyres warmed
[12:41.140 -> 12:42.140] up at the end.
[12:42.140 -> 12:45.520] So are we perhaps seeing Ferrari's car and their
[12:45.520 -> 12:50.320] abilities to actually play with the tyres going down a little bit or was that very condition
[12:50.320 -> 12:55.160] specific? I think this Belgian Grand Prix should reveal a little bit more about that
[12:55.160 -> 12:59.520] as we of course see the weekend progress but what I'm really excited to see Kunal is the
[12:59.520 -> 13:06.560] rain as well because for all of our chatter about oh can Mercedes join in, will it be a fair 3 way fight,
[13:06.560 -> 13:12.240] for all we know it could all be skewed by the rain coming in on Saturday and Sunday as is of course
[13:12.240 -> 13:16.400] projected to be the case according to Google and I am not sure if it is the most trusted source in
[13:16.400 -> 13:20.640] the world but again the best way is to only put your arm outside and check if it is raining or
[13:20.640 -> 13:26.280] not but still it could add a layer of volatility. This could just end up becoming a very exciting weekend
[13:26.280 -> 13:28.920] if of course we get a race at the end.
[13:28.920 -> 13:30.260] And that's what everyone's hoping, right?
[13:30.260 -> 13:33.440] If you guys actually go back to Wikipedia
[13:33.440 -> 13:36.880] and just check the race results from last year,
[13:36.880 -> 13:39.480] and this is actually fun, it's meme worthy, right?
[13:39.480 -> 13:43.800] Max Verstappen was a judged race winner, as we all know.
[13:43.800 -> 13:46.200] He did one racing lap, which was of course behind the safety car, which is as we all know. He did one racing lap which was of
[13:46.200 -> 13:50.080] course behind the safety car which is also what we know and the total race
[13:50.080 -> 13:55.760] time was 3 minutes and 27 seconds which is without even checking the shortest
[13:55.760 -> 14:00.040] race duration ever in the history of Formula One. So I'm really hoping that
[14:00.040 -> 14:05.800] the rain comes in, brings the grid in closer, separates the men from the boys and
[14:05.800 -> 14:10.100] all those, you know, philosophies that everyone brings to the table. But eventually, I'm really
[14:10.100 -> 14:16.120] hoping that it keeps delivering what we hope is delivered around the Spa Francochamps,
[14:16.120 -> 14:22.600] which pretty much every driver absolutely loves driving at. And, you know, just having
[14:22.600 -> 14:25.100] a race in itself would be progression from what we
[14:25.100 -> 14:30.440] had last year Sawmill. Exactly that so the benchmark is pretty low but I'll
[14:30.440 -> 14:34.800] tell you why the benchmark is really high the stats preview. Here's F1 stats
[14:34.800 -> 14:39.280] guru back in after what three and a half weeks of having a last stats preview
[14:39.280 -> 14:42.760] here's him coming up with some of the best stats about the Belgian Grand Prix
[14:42.760 -> 14:46.880] hey folks it's time to do the stats preview of the Belgian Grand Prix. My name is Sundaram,
[14:46.880 -> 14:52.160] also known as the F1 Stats Guru. Like always, let's talk numbers. Now, Spa-Francorchamps is
[14:52.160 -> 14:56.960] one fast circuit. It's in fact the fifth fastest circuit of all time in Formula 1,
[14:56.960 -> 15:02.960] after Monza, Jeddah, Silverstone and Mugello. The average speed here is 249 km per hour,
[15:02.960 -> 15:09.200] which is very quick. We also know there's a technical directive in place and rumour has it that it could catapult
[15:09.200 -> 15:12.920] Mercedes back into the championship fight if things go well for them.
[15:12.920 -> 15:15.900] And what better venue to make a statement than Belgium.
[15:15.900 -> 15:18.560] Because Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton love this venue.
[15:18.560 -> 15:22.980] Hamilton has 7 consecutive podiums at Spa while Mercedes have been on the podium in
[15:22.980 -> 15:25.360] every Belgian Grand Prix since 2013.
[15:25.360 -> 15:29.280] Definitely should keep an eye out for this team this weekend. Ferrari have also been trying to
[15:29.280 -> 15:34.640] get their title campaign back on track, but they are the most successful team around this venue
[15:34.640 -> 15:39.120] and no a thing or two about winning around this track. But they would definitely want to improve
[15:39.120 -> 15:44.720] their pole record here because they have taken just 5 poles in the last 45 Belgian Grand Prix.
[15:44.720 -> 15:45.680] And qualifying up
[15:45.680 -> 15:51.200] front is very important because San Jose percentage of all the races at Spa in the hybrid era have
[15:51.200 -> 15:57.200] been won from pole. Interestingly, the last 8 races here have all been won from the front row.
[15:57.200 -> 16:02.320] And the last stat of today is that this venue hasn't been very kind to Spanish drivers.
[16:02.320 -> 16:05.600] Spa is actually a bogie track for our Spaniards
[16:05.600 -> 16:11.140] over here. Ferrando Alonso has been in Formula 1 a long time and in 16 appearances at Spa,
[16:11.140 -> 16:17.280] he's accumulated just 61 points, no wins, no poles and just 3 podiums to his name. And
[16:17.280 -> 16:24.440] as for the other Spaniard, Carlos Sainz has just 1.5 points at Spa in 7 outings. Now they're
[16:24.440 -> 16:26.480] definitely going to be hoping and praying
[16:26.480 -> 16:32.160] for a huge haul of points this time out. Well that was the stats preview, I hope you guys enjoyed that.
[16:32.160 -> 16:36.320] Do keep an eye out for more such stats and facts on my Twitter and Instagram under the name
[16:36.320 -> 16:42.640] F1StatsGuru. I'll see you guys later. Now then, on that subject, Ferrari might be pretty happy
[16:42.640 -> 16:45.540] Kunal because of course Sundaram mentioned this
[16:45.540 -> 16:50.860] really interesting stat that only 38% of all the races at Spa have been won by the pole
[16:50.860 -> 16:55.020] sitter and they might not be happy actually, I've ended up using the wrong word for that
[16:55.020 -> 16:59.940] because it kind of is pretty much a reflection of what's happening for Leclerc and his season
[16:59.940 -> 17:00.940] overall.
[17:00.940 -> 17:04.300] I just want to chat about him for a second because if you look at it all the way through,
[17:04.300 -> 17:08.400] I think he's one of the drivers to really watch for this weekend because if anything, he's the
[17:08.400 -> 17:14.240] one who actually has to go out there and consistently put out, what is it, nine ultra-human performances
[17:14.240 -> 17:19.360] if you can put it that way because as it stands, the title battle is just sinking away and as
[17:19.360 -> 17:24.320] Sundaram mentioned in our mid-season review episode, it could well be done by Japan if things
[17:24.320 -> 17:25.560] play out in Max's favor. If if things play out in Max's favour.
[17:25.560 -> 17:29.680] If they do play out in Max's favour, you can actually win it by Singapore, which would
[17:29.680 -> 17:36.800] mean Max scoring 26-26-26-26 and Leclerc not scoring at all.
[17:36.800 -> 17:43.160] And to put it this way, Ferrari actually haven't scored a pole or they have actually scored
[17:43.160 -> 17:51.880] just five pole positions in the last 45 Belgian Grands Prix right and the pole sitter however has finished
[17:51.880 -> 17:57.720] on the podium in every Belgian GP since 2007 so you know it's it's like can
[17:57.720 -> 18:03.000] Leclerc score their sixth pole position out of 46 Grands Prix probably
[18:03.000 -> 18:08.640] the chance is high but hey he needs to be on the better side of the pole sitter finishing on the podium stat he needs to
[18:08.640 -> 18:13.560] be on the top step of the podium and there's another interesting stat again
[18:13.560 -> 18:21.880] courtesy our F1 stats guru there has been no repeat winner since 2007 the
[18:21.880 -> 18:25.760] last driver to actually have a repeat winner was Kimi Raikkonen who
[18:25.760 -> 18:31.760] coincidentally had his NASCAR debut last weekend and that was fairly disastrous
[18:31.760 -> 18:35.880] right but Kimi, king of Spa as he's always known will be missed this this
[18:35.880 -> 18:42.400] weekend and I am you know at the end of the day just really hoping that Spa
[18:42.400 -> 18:46.600] delivers what it always does which is a classic Grand Prix.
[18:46.600 -> 18:52.880] Yeah and for all we know it could be a long time until we see Spa consistently
[18:52.880 -> 18:57.040] on the F1 calendar and we might just have to get used to these one-year gaps
[18:57.040 -> 19:02.080] here and there which is not what we really want but again it might be
[19:02.080 -> 19:09.280] something that we have to get used to as Thiestley mentioned in a previous episode of the podcast, that perhaps rotating the historical races might make them
[19:09.280 -> 19:13.760] feel more valuable. But you can certainly feel the value in the air for this particular race canal,
[19:13.760 -> 19:18.160] because when it's sparred, there's always an excitement, not just about the race,
[19:18.160 -> 19:24.160] not just about the driver market per se, but also of all the new changes that Formula One introduces
[19:24.160 -> 19:25.200] at around this time for
[19:25.200 -> 19:30.880] the coming years. And that means we get to talk about the 2026 Formula 1 regulations briefly as
[19:30.880 -> 19:38.880] well, because the goals are ambitious, 100% sustainability, totally on biodegradable fuel.
[19:38.880 -> 19:43.920] And it's of course designed in a way that Audi and Porsche might be interested. But in general,
[19:43.920 -> 19:45.040] it seems like F1 is
[19:46.080 -> 19:50.160] moving a step forward, looking towards being more carbon neutral, but wouldn't that mean
[19:50.160 -> 19:54.480] trying to make sure that the freight and cargo, which is I think contributing to around 70% of
[19:54.480 -> 20:00.000] F1's entire emissions, gets cut down? So it's only carbon neutral in name perhaps? No?
[20:01.040 -> 20:05.000] You know, frankly speaking, I'm sure F1 will keep working
[20:05.380 -> 20:08.200] towards making themselves more sustainable.
[20:08.200 -> 20:11.560] There's a 2030 net carbon zero target they've taken
[20:11.560 -> 20:14.480] and so on, but the very fact that they're moving
[20:14.480 -> 20:19.480] towards biodegradable non-fossil fuel,
[20:20.860 -> 20:22.960] is a massive step in itself.
[20:22.960 -> 20:27.680] Could it open up another dimension for combustion vehicles
[20:27.680 -> 20:31.680] around the world, right? Because suddenly there is this whole thing of, hey, everybody needs to go
[20:31.680 -> 20:37.600] electric, right? But let's see how it all opens because frankly, the biggest excitement around
[20:37.600 -> 20:47.000] the 2026 regulations is, hey, now that they're confirmed, when will Porsche and even Audi come ahead
[20:47.000 -> 20:48.760] and disclose their plans, right?
[20:48.760 -> 20:51.100] Now for Porsche, everyone was hoping
[20:51.100 -> 20:52.880] it's gonna be the Austrian Grand Prix,
[20:52.880 -> 20:54.960] which was a couple of races ago,
[20:54.960 -> 20:56.120] home race of Red Bull,
[20:56.120 -> 20:59.040] what better time to announce that?
[20:59.040 -> 21:01.600] But after Spa, we have Sunfoot,
[21:01.600 -> 21:04.600] could the announcement come to Sunfoot, right?
[21:04.600 -> 21:09.040] And there have been lots of papers that have been officially filed
[21:09.040 -> 21:14.720] for Porsche to enter Formula One with Red Bull they've also you know
[21:14.720 -> 21:21.380] copyrighted finally where I is replaced with a one towards their entry into
[21:21.380 -> 21:27.400] Formula One so you know it's it's now more a question of, hey, when are you guys actually gonna tell us
[21:27.400 -> 21:28.800] what we already know?
[21:28.800 -> 21:30.480] That's where we are looking at.
[21:30.480 -> 21:34.640] And that's all the excitement around the 2026 regulations,
[21:34.640 -> 21:38.120] at least from a non-technical fan point of views.
[21:38.120 -> 21:40.320] And also around this time in the summer break,
[21:40.320 -> 21:42.840] there has been a bit of news about Andretti
[21:42.840 -> 21:48.900] trying to improve and build a new base in Indiana for other future racing exercises.
[21:48.900 -> 21:51.240] Now you get an idea about what that is.
[21:51.240 -> 21:53.200] We're not speculating about anything.
[21:53.200 -> 21:58.280] Could be Formula One, could be some other sport whatsoever, but a hundred million plus
[21:58.280 -> 22:01.440] base for other future racing exercises.
[22:01.440 -> 22:10.640] I don't know which other motorsport kind of compares with a similar budget, but that's this.. But that's something else that we can speculate about later on as we get more news. But the
[22:10.640 -> 22:15.280] driver market is welcome. I mentioned earlier on that there's an air of excitement surrounding
[22:15.280 -> 22:20.440] it every time we come to Spa, this time more so than ever with the Piasco. But I suppose
[22:20.440 -> 22:24.060] we've spoken about it enough on the podcast. Let's speak about the other remaining seats
[22:24.060 -> 22:26.360] because there's only one at Alpine now that
[22:26.360 -> 22:29.880] I can really think of that will be valued per se.
[22:29.880 -> 22:33.960] And are we counting Yuki Sonoda to be a certainty for next year too?
[22:33.960 -> 22:39.040] Because nothing's there officially, but I see no reason why they will change, right?
[22:39.040 -> 22:42.920] Liam Lawson's actually in the car for Alpha Tauri this weekend, even though he's not been
[22:42.920 -> 22:45.040] the best performing Red Bull Junior
[22:45.040 -> 22:49.840] this season right he started off as a favorite like Helmut Marko said but you know the others
[22:49.840 -> 22:58.480] have actually outshone him by a large margin. Will Yuki Sonoda get a renewal? Well we'll all
[22:58.480 -> 23:03.120] keep wondering and then you know Franz Storst will just sit in a press conference one day and slip it
[23:03.120 -> 23:09.600] out saying Yuki will drive for us in 23 and then pretty much everyone who was building all the hype will be shocked saying
[23:09.600 -> 23:13.840] oh my god we didn't even release a social media creative and now he's gone and revealed it that's
[23:13.840 -> 23:20.480] what Franz Storst did with Pierre Gasly and with his renewal and then Liam Lawson's much awaited
[23:20.480 -> 23:25.040] Formula One FP1 debut as well so that's something to look forward to.
[23:25.040 -> 23:27.460] Another interesting development that actually happened
[23:27.460 -> 23:31.800] in the summer break was Antonio Giovinazzi was announced
[23:31.800 -> 23:36.800] that he would drive two FP1 sessions for Haas this year,
[23:37.560 -> 23:39.760] one of them being Monza, the Italian Grand Prix,
[23:39.760 -> 23:41.760] which is also his home race, right?
[23:41.760 -> 23:44.440] Now, there are two interesting things about this.
[23:44.440 -> 23:50.040] First is, Giovinazzi is a Ferrari test driver or a reserve driver and he's been doing a
[23:50.040 -> 23:54.140] lot of simulator work but he's never actually driven the 2022 spec car so
[23:54.140 -> 24:00.500] this test with Haas is to actually get Giovinazzi up to speed or up to you know
[24:00.500 -> 24:06.200] real-world liking of what a 22 car is apart from just in the simulator, right?
[24:06.200 -> 24:08.360] But the other interesting part for Haas at least
[24:08.360 -> 24:12.020] is to see how Giovinazzi actually is a benchmark
[24:12.020 -> 24:14.500] when it comes to Magnussen and even Mick Schumacher
[24:14.500 -> 24:16.240] because Mick Schumacher is without a contract,
[24:16.240 -> 24:18.840] rumors around him leaving the Ferrari Driver Academy
[24:18.840 -> 24:20.480] and whatever else and stuff
[24:20.480 -> 24:22.120] that's been doing the rounds as well.
[24:22.120 -> 24:32.160] So could it be that Giovinazzi is one of those several drivers that Haas will again want to explore a relationship with for 2023? I mean,
[24:32.160 -> 24:36.640] Haas has always been, you know, a hot spot where could an experienced driver actually go there and
[24:36.640 -> 24:42.640] Nico Hülkenberg was always rumored to join there after he left and nobody never did. So Haas will
[24:42.640 -> 24:50.400] be doing their evaluations as well. There's a seat at Williams, there's a seat at Aston. Oh, Aston Martin is now fulfilled because they slipped in a
[24:50.400 -> 24:55.760] Landstroll announcement as well. So I don't expect things to happen immediately, but I normally get
[24:55.760 -> 24:59.760] this wrong. I mean, you know, we are recording this on the Tuesday, Wednesday before the race.
[24:59.760 -> 25:04.000] Suddenly when we publish this on a Thursday, there'll be five more driver announcements that
[25:04.000 -> 25:07.260] would come up, but you know, you never know, Somal.
[25:07.260 -> 25:08.100] Exactly.
[25:08.100 -> 25:10.460] It might just happen that when we publish this episode,
[25:10.460 -> 25:13.180] an hour later, McClaren sent out a press release saying,
[25:13.180 -> 25:15.140] oh yeah, Daniel Ricciardo, heard of him?
[25:15.140 -> 25:16.940] Yeah, he's not gonna be driving for us next year.
[25:16.940 -> 25:19.700] Something or the other like that always tends to happen.
[25:19.700 -> 25:21.620] And that's just the thing with this time of the year,
[25:21.620 -> 25:24.980] with Spa Francorchamps, which leads me to ask you Kunal
[25:24.980 -> 25:25.200] about your favorite spa memory. just a thing with this time of the year with Spa Francorchamps which leads me to ask you Kunal about
[25:25.200 -> 25:31.040] your favorite spa memory but I suppose I always end up not saying my memory in this in this case
[25:31.040 -> 25:36.640] so I think I'll start off in this particular one. It's hard to really choose out of so many great
[25:36.640 -> 25:43.280] races that we've had in the past but 2018 just the opening lap when Sebastian Vettel came here
[25:43.280 -> 25:45.280] comes Sebastian Vettel the famous line of course Vettel, the famous line of course.
[25:45.280 -> 25:49.960] I wanted to say that aloud. But yeah, that was quite something where you just saw a surge
[25:49.960 -> 25:55.800] and it felt almost for a second like a transformation that oh my god, Ferrari have really overtaken
[25:55.800 -> 25:59.760] Mercedes and then there's a team like Force India also coming in the background. But false
[25:59.760 -> 26:04.280] dawn for what it was. Yeah, that was a bad one. But there's been there's been so many
[26:04.280 -> 26:08.040] other races that I just can't recall at the tip of my finger right now. But if
[26:08.040 -> 26:12.880] you had to pick one Kunal, which one would it be? Oh I know already. Is it the
[26:12.880 -> 26:16.200] double pass that Hakanen made on Schumacher and the back marker? I don't
[26:16.200 -> 26:22.960] remember. Yes Ricardo Zonta. Hakanen, Ricardo Zonta and Michael Schumacher and
[26:22.960 -> 26:28.700] then we all know how that played out and you expect that to be played out several times over this weekend as well but lots
[26:28.700 -> 26:32.620] of personal memories because normally this would be a race I would travel to
[26:32.620 -> 26:37.220] every season because of the very fact that it's power driver changes and you
[26:37.220 -> 26:40.500] know one of one memory that really stands out was when Pierre Gasly was
[26:40.500 -> 26:45.000] demoted mid-season Alex Albon was suddenly promoted.
[26:45.000 -> 26:46.600] I had the opportunity to sit through
[26:46.600 -> 26:48.600] both their media sessions.
[26:48.600 -> 26:50.440] And poor Gus Lee, you know, he was sitting
[26:50.440 -> 26:51.600] the way I'm sitting in this chair
[26:51.600 -> 26:53.440] and there were like 300 of us,
[26:53.440 -> 26:56.520] maybe more post, you know, pre-COVID times
[26:56.520 -> 26:59.400] just staring him down, asking him all the questions,
[26:59.400 -> 27:00.720] trying and poor Pierre, you know,
[27:00.720 -> 27:03.160] he was just trying to keep a straight face,
[27:03.160 -> 27:05.120] not show too much emotion and
[27:05.120 -> 27:09.840] so on. And of course, on the other side of the garage or at the other side of the motorhome,
[27:09.840 -> 27:14.640] since Red Bull and Alfa Tauri share their motorhome, there was Albin who was like,
[27:14.640 -> 27:20.640] oh my God, you know, I've gone from Formula E to Alfa Tauri to Formula One. And then we all know
[27:20.640 -> 27:26.600] how that whole story panned out. But lots of personal stories, I would say,
[27:26.600 -> 27:28.760] I actually ended up at the circuit
[27:28.760 -> 27:31.920] with my accreditation not being found.
[27:31.920 -> 27:33.800] And Formula One actually said,
[27:33.800 -> 27:36.960] oh, it was, I think Liberty Media
[27:36.960 -> 27:38.280] had just sort of taken over.
[27:38.280 -> 27:39.560] And typically it's like,
[27:39.560 -> 27:41.160] you don't have an accreditation,
[27:41.160 -> 27:42.720] even though you applied for it in time,
[27:42.720 -> 27:44.880] even though you have an email saying it's approved,
[27:44.880 -> 27:45.960] that's your problem.
[27:45.960 -> 27:50.900] But here, they couldn't find it and they're like, oh my God, we're sorry, we'll fix it.
[27:50.900 -> 27:51.960] Can you anyway please enter?
[27:51.960 -> 27:58.980] So I was walking around the paddock without an accreditation and all my friends who work
[27:58.980 -> 28:02.020] with Formula One teams actually said, but hey, where's your pass?
[28:02.020 -> 28:03.320] And I said, guess what?
[28:03.320 -> 28:05.000] It's coming at five in the evening.
[28:05.000 -> 28:07.080] And they're like, how on earth are you even in the paddock?
[28:07.080 -> 28:11.160] And you know, that's, you know, it signified the change
[28:11.160 -> 28:15.000] in attitude towards Formula One, towards media,
[28:15.000 -> 28:18.440] towards us journalists, between the Ecclestone era
[28:18.440 -> 28:22.080] and then the Liberty Media era, more friendly, et cetera.
[28:22.080 -> 28:24.240] But yeah, lots of stories.
[28:24.240 -> 28:25.920] You know, we actually drove down
[28:25.920 -> 28:33.280] the old circuit layout with Norwegian commentators Stein Pettersen and Henning Isdal, and then we
[28:33.280 -> 28:39.920] went and ate the famous frits, as they call it, just outside of Malmedy, was it? I can't remember.
[28:39.920 -> 28:48.040] But yeah, lots of exciting stories, lots of memories. What a historic circuit. I mean, we are celebrating Spa today for what it is now.
[28:48.040 -> 28:50.360] But actually what we are celebrating Spa for
[28:50.360 -> 28:54.000] is what it was all the way back from 1925,
[28:54.000 -> 28:56.680] all the history that it comes with.
[28:56.680 -> 28:57.400] It does.
[28:57.400 -> 29:00.160] And it's got 12 different configurations
[29:00.160 -> 29:02.520] over the course of its entire history, Kunal.
[29:02.520 -> 29:03.560] 12.
[29:03.560 -> 29:04.840] 12 is a ridiculous number.
[29:04.840 -> 29:06.080] It's changed so much
[29:06.080 -> 29:11.920] and we've also got a new one starting off this weekend. So just what is this new change to
[29:11.920 -> 29:16.000] Spa-Francorchamps all about? Actually it's not just one change, there are so many of them. So
[29:16.000 -> 29:22.800] to explain that we've got F1 stats coming right up. Formula One drivers undergo several highs and
[29:22.800 -> 29:28.440] lows throughout their career. Now I don't mean in terms of performance this time, but in terms of elevation.
[29:28.440 -> 29:33.940] It's the Belgian Grand Prix weekend at Spa-Francorchamps and we can't help but talk about its grass
[29:33.940 -> 29:34.940] and troughs.
[29:34.940 -> 29:38.780] Spa is a true rollercoaster off a track, quite literally.
[29:38.780 -> 29:41.480] It has the biggest elevation change in Formula 1.
[29:41.480 -> 29:45.600] I'm sure you're probably thinking of Eau Rouge or rather Radion which is
[29:45.600 -> 29:51.280] the correct name of that corner, but yes that corner has a sharp incline and F1 says the rise
[29:51.280 -> 29:58.000] in elevation of the whole section is 40.8 meters which is equivalent to a 12 story building. Yes
[29:58.000 -> 30:06.020] that's how steep it is, but wait that's not all. You see the highest point on the track is further up Radeon after the Kemmel straight
[30:06.020 -> 30:11.060] at turn 7, which is called Malmedy, whereas the lowest section of the circuit is right
[30:11.060 -> 30:16.220] before the long and curvy back straight at turn 15, which is also called Stavelot.
[30:16.220 -> 30:22.140] The overall elevation change between these two corners is a whopping 102 meters or 335
[30:22.140 -> 30:25.960] feet, that's even taller than London's Elizabeth Tower.
[30:25.960 -> 30:30.720] If that doesn't ring a bell, it's more commonly referred to as the Big Ben and that
[30:30.720 -> 30:33.520] whole structure is 96 meters in height.
[30:33.520 -> 30:38.700] You could also stack up a 100 F1 cars from 2022 to better understand how big that elevation
[30:38.700 -> 30:40.040] difference is.
[30:40.040 -> 30:42.400] And that's the charm of Spa-Francorchamps.
[30:42.400 -> 30:45.520] I mean imagine this circuit without any elevation change at all.
[30:45.520 -> 30:47.560] Nah, it just takes away all the fun.
[30:47.560 -> 30:49.480] We love Spa the way it is.
[30:49.480 -> 30:52.840] And hopefully we'll continue to see this track on the calendar in the next years as
[30:52.840 -> 30:53.840] well.
[30:53.840 -> 30:57.720] I hope you liked this little bite on the Spa circuit and to hear more such stories, stay
[30:57.720 -> 30:59.680] tuned to the InsideLineF1 podcast.
[30:59.680 -> 31:04.640] Wowee, so to make it safer, that's the interesting part and Spa-Francorchamps, unfortunately,
[31:04.640 -> 31:07.840] we all know that the history of safety here, not just because of the circuit, because they've
[31:07.840 -> 31:10.720] usually been very proactive, but it's racing, right?
[31:10.720 -> 31:14.220] Stuff happens, unfortunately, over here and it's good to see the organizers going a step
[31:14.220 -> 31:18.020] beyond, but will Ferrari go that one step beyond?
[31:18.020 -> 31:21.440] That's the major question that I'm really looking forward to, or will they slip back
[31:21.440 -> 31:24.720] down, which is my prediction for this weekend.
[31:24.720 -> 31:28.880] I'm only saying for Leclerc because as you guys already know the running joke on the podcast,
[31:28.880 -> 31:33.400] I'm always going to bet on a Carlos Sainz win and it's only come off correctly once.
[31:33.400 -> 31:35.480] But that's my prediction over there.
[31:35.480 -> 31:36.880] But what about you, Kunal?
[31:36.880 -> 31:38.480] Are Mercedes in the mix?
[31:38.480 -> 31:41.280] Are you just kind of hoping for a secret Hamilton win here or there?
[31:41.280 -> 31:46.040] First thing about the whole safety and the changes that have been made,
[31:46.040 -> 31:48.120] it's like the halo, you know, we all were like,
[31:48.120 -> 31:51.200] oh my God, the cars look atrocious, et cetera, et cetera.
[31:51.200 -> 31:53.000] And then all it took was one crash and be like,
[31:53.000 -> 31:56.400] okay, wow, the halo saved Charles Leclerc
[31:56.400 -> 31:59.800] at the Belgian Grand Prix when he was racing for Sauber,
[31:59.800 -> 32:02.440] Alfa Romeo, whatever the team name was back then, right?
[32:02.440 -> 32:04.600] So it's gonna be the same with Eau Rouge,
[32:04.600 -> 32:05.200] Radilion
[32:05.200 -> 32:06.800] and all the changes they've made.
[32:06.800 -> 32:07.760] People are going to be like,
[32:07.760 -> 32:10.040] it's taken the charm away, et cetera, et cetera.
[32:10.040 -> 32:12.240] But eventually it's just been made safer.
[32:12.240 -> 32:15.120] And sometimes it's a bit of a trade-off that comes.
[32:15.120 -> 32:16.960] So I'm pretty positive about the changes,
[32:16.960 -> 32:19.200] even without actually having seen, you know,
[32:19.200 -> 32:20.560] cars being driven up in anger,
[32:20.560 -> 32:23.640] but Red Bull Racing actually put out, have put out,
[32:24.640 -> 32:25.100] you know, Red Bull Racing actually put out have put out you know Red Bull
[32:25.100 -> 32:28.860] Racing actually put out an on-board video with one of their show cars going
[32:28.860 -> 32:33.740] up Eau Rouge and Radilion and so on so go ahead and check that out but talking
[32:33.740 -> 32:40.400] of a win I will go for a Leclerc win I think we're gonna see a fight back I
[32:40.400 -> 32:47.560] don't think it's gonna be a fight back to win the championship but I definitely think it's gonna be a fight back to win the championship, but I definitely think it's gonna be a fight back
[32:47.560 -> 32:53.420] We will see some of Ferrari trying to claw back what it is and just trying to delay a Max Verstappen
[32:53.820 -> 32:56.940] title win to as later in the season as possible
[32:56.940 -> 33:00.640] And I think that's gonna be a lot of joy for us and will Mercedes be in the mix?
[33:00.640 -> 33:05.680] I definitely think so, you know lobbying is such a crucial part of Formula One
[33:05.680 -> 33:14.400] and Mercedes have successfully lobbied this one, Sabal. They finally have and they just are in this
[33:14.400 -> 33:18.800] unique position of not being the number one after so long and just seeing their journey, climbing
[33:18.800 -> 33:23.920] their way back up to the top is so interesting. And why don't you join us in watching all of that?
[33:23.920 -> 33:28.500] So link in the description as I mentioned previously in this episode and as Steve also
[33:28.500 -> 33:31.100] mentioned to join us for the watchalong starting this Sunday.
[33:31.100 -> 33:35.240] I mean it'll be fun to watch the race along with Steve Slater, know his insights, ask
[33:35.240 -> 33:38.660] him questions, discuss the start, discuss the strategies.
[33:38.660 -> 33:40.460] I'm already pumped up for that.
[33:40.460 -> 33:45.600] So if you want to join us, check out the link in the description below and it'll be fun that's
[33:45.600 -> 33:50.160] for sure. So there's that and I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. If you did you know
[33:50.160 -> 33:55.520] what to do folks leave a good rating, subscribe to the podcast, leave a like if you can if the
[33:55.520 -> None] platform allows for it but that's all the other good stuff that I know you're going to do. So So see you there folks, join us for the watch along and we shall be back rather soon. Bye Bye. you