Home victory with the tifosi for Ferrari? F1 Sprint + 5 things to watch for - 2022 Emilia Romagna GP Preview

Ferrari's first home race of the season - the tifosi will be out in full force. Will they be celebrating a Ferrari win? Or will Red Bull Racing have found an answer to their pace and reliability woes? Also, it's AlphaTauri's home race, too.

It's also time for the first F1 Sprint of the 2022 Formula 1 season. The drama has only peaked each time we had a Sprint last season. What's to expect this year? Also, new rules for Sprint from 2022.

The Spaniards, Germans and Canadians need a change of performance in Imola for the 'Formula 1 Rolex Gran Premio Del Made in Italy e Dell'Emilia Romagna 2022' race (bwoy, that's a mouthful!). And of course, Ferrari needs to be challenged, too. Who will it be? 

Join Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah on this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast as they preview the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Tune in!

(Season 2022, Episode 23)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Ferrari

# Inside Line F1 Podcast: Preview of the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

## Introduction

- The excitement builds as Formula One returns to Imola, Italy, the home of the passionate Tifosi, for the "Formula 1 Rolex Gran Premio Del Made in Italy e Dell'Emilia Romagna 2022" race.
- The anticipation is heightened by the introduction of the first F1 Sprint of the season, which has consistently delivered dramatic moments in the past.
- The spotlight is on the underperforming teams from Spain, Germany, and Canada, who are eager to turn their fortunes around at Imola.
- Ferrari's dominance has been the talk of the season, but can Red Bull Racing find a solution to their pace and reliability issues to challenge the Prancing Horse?

## Sprint Race and New Rules

- The F1 Sprint makes its return, adding an extra layer of excitement to the weekend.
- The sprint winner will be awarded pole position for the main race, and points will be given to the top eight finishers.
- Teams face a strategic dilemma: bring upgrades for the sprint or focus on data collection for future races?

## Track Characteristics and Team Performance

- The historic Imola circuit, with its fast-flowing and punishing layout, poses a unique challenge for the drivers and teams.
- Overtakes are expected to be difficult due to the circuit's narrowness, but the elevation changes and constant curb changes promise an entertaining spectacle.
- The weather forecast predicts rain, which could further spice up the race and test the limits of the new cars.

## Driver and Team Struggles

- Several drivers and teams are under pressure to deliver strong performances at Imola.
- Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Mick Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Nicholas Latifi, and Lance Stroll need to step up their game and score points.
- McLaren's performance in Australia raises questions about whether their improvement was track-specific or a genuine solution to their pace issues.
- Aston Martin remains the only team yet to score a point this season, and Sebastian Vettel's lack of success at Imola in recent years adds to their concerns.

## Predictions

- Kunal Shah predicts Max Verstappen for pole position and the race win, while Soumil Arora goes with Carlos Sainz for the pole and Verstappen for the victory.

## Conclusion

- The 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix promises to be a thrilling event, with the Tifosi cheering on Ferrari, the introduction of the F1 Sprint, and the potential for rain adding to the drama.
- The midfield battle is expected to be intense, with several teams and drivers looking to make their mark.
- The outcome of the race could have significant implications for the championship standings, making it a crucial weekend for all involved.

[00:00.000 -> 00:26.840] So, finally back in the home of the Tifosi, back with the fans and wow, feels like almost
[00:26.840 -> 00:32.520] a decade, maybe more, since we've come to Italy and Ferrari seemingly are the favourites.
[00:32.520 -> 00:36.440] Folks, this is going to be a fun race at Emula for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix and that
[00:36.440 -> 00:40.580] is exactly what we're going to discuss right here on the Inside Line F1 Podcast and Pits
[00:40.580 -> 00:41.580] the Podium.
[00:41.580 -> 00:50.440] My name is Somal Arora, joined by Kunal Shah, the former marketing head of the Force India F1 team. And this Kunal is going to be literally one of the
[00:50.440 -> 00:55.080] most look forward to weekends in years, especially for me. I mean, maybe I should say at least
[00:55.080 -> 00:59.120] for me, because just the thought of the Tifosi, just the thought of Leclerc or maybe even
[00:59.120 -> 01:06.120] Sainz potentially winning, it's just is normal. It is what Formula One is all about the fans and
[01:06.120 -> 01:10.520] just the way they come out and probably a chance of a really good race happening
[01:10.520 -> 01:13.120] as well so I think it's just learning how to be really great weekend all
[01:13.120 -> 01:20.080] around. It's gonna be a great weekend all around but I have to ask you the
[01:20.080 -> 01:26.660] question I ask you each time Formula One One races in Imola, what is the
[01:26.660 -> 01:33.860] actual official full name of the Grand Prix Samuel? Is it the Emilia Romagna
[01:33.860 -> 01:38.540] Grand Prix and with the title sponsor or something like that up there? Not sure.
[01:38.540 -> 01:45.040] I'm gonna read it out to you there are lots of brand names. Okay. So Formula One, Pirelli, Grand, Premio,
[01:45.040 -> 01:55.520] Dell, Made in Italy, Dell, Emilia, Romagna, 2022 or whatever yeah but there we have it that's the
[01:55.520 -> 02:02.640] actual name of the the Grand Prix. Give me a break come on and that's just almost on the same level as
[02:02.640 -> 02:06.240] Aston Martin, Aramco, Cogn racing point force in your BWV Formula 1
[02:06.240 -> 02:07.860] deal, or something like that, whatever.
[02:07.860 -> 02:09.040] You get the point.
[02:09.040 -> 02:12.120] But I suppose the name kind of can
[02:12.120 -> 02:14.520] be glanced over when you've got so many exciting things
[02:14.520 -> 02:18.040] to look forward to, Kunal, especially sprint,
[02:18.040 -> 02:19.400] especially upgrades.
[02:19.400 -> 02:20.400] Where do you want to begin, actually,
[02:20.400 -> 02:23.360] because there's so much to talk about?
[02:23.360 -> 02:25.440] I think I want to first begin with
[02:25.440 -> 02:30.160] what you said Aston Martin although that's like not the place to begin with
[02:30.160 -> 02:36.120] aren't they the only team yet to score a point this weekend? I think you'd be
[02:36.120 -> 02:41.480] right. Yes they are. They're the only team to have not scored a point in all of
[02:41.480 -> 02:46.800] 2022 and I was pulling up some stats and Sebastian Vettel is yet to
[02:46.800 -> 02:51.520] score a point at Imola himself over the last two years that Formula One's been
[02:51.520 -> 02:56.200] racing here but yeah before we actually jump into teams and drivers let's just
[02:56.200 -> 03:00.840] celebrate the fact that we are at a historic circuit this weekend right it
[03:00.840 -> 03:05.760] seems like a long time since we were actually at a really great historic circuit
[03:05.760 -> 03:11.440] that comes with its own set of stories and narratives over the years because you know 2021
[03:11.440 -> 03:16.000] ended like pretty much every season ends with a lot of races in the Middle East. 2022 started with
[03:16.000 -> 03:21.600] a lot of races in the Middle East of course and we went to Australia another iconic venue in itself
[03:21.600 -> 03:26.800] and you know Bahrain, Saudi good circuits offer good entertainment, they don't
[03:26.800 -> 03:31.680] pay us to say all the right things that they'd want us to, but the truth is, at least for me,
[03:31.680 -> 03:38.240] is you know, it doesn't seem like the locals have really caught on to the Formula One fever,
[03:38.240 -> 03:45.840] drive to survive or no drive to survive. Vettel, Hamilton, you know Verstappen all the rivalries that
[03:45.840 -> 03:48.680] they've sort of witnessed there I don't really think they've picked on there
[03:48.680 -> 03:54.680] right so it's just great to be back at a circuit where Formula One is genuinely
[03:54.680 -> 04:00.760] celebrated as a religion Samuel. Yep 100% and I just want to see what the
[04:00.760 -> 04:03.800] crowd or rather how can you see the crowd noise but I just want to hear the
[04:03.800 -> 04:06.800] crowd noise because the because F1 have recently been ramping it
[04:06.800 -> 04:09.920] up and many people think it's fake but it's not they just turn it up a little
[04:09.920 -> 04:14.080] bit when the overtakes happen and this weekend when Leclerc or Sainz gets
[04:14.080 -> 04:17.640] pole again I've given you my prediction that is just gonna be something else
[04:17.640 -> 04:21.000] right all together that's gonna be tremendous but I just want to talk about
[04:21.000 -> 04:24.280] Red Bull initially because I've constantly been rambling about the
[04:24.280 -> 04:29.040] possibility of a Ferrari win over here and the reason why I do that Kunal is because Red Bull
[04:29.040 -> 04:32.720] they just came out and said after last weekend that their issues with reliability are more
[04:32.720 -> 04:36.880] complex than they thought. The fuel pump thing has been done I mean what they face in Australia
[04:36.880 -> 04:41.920] has gone but not Australia oh sorry Bahrain sorry old habits I just think that Australia is always
[04:41.920 -> 04:45.920] a season opener but the problem from Australia isn't quite sorted yet.
[04:45.920 -> 04:47.840] And Helmut Marko says that it could take time.
[04:48.720 -> 04:50.640] That's just the worst thing possible to hear, isn't it?
[04:52.400 -> 04:56.560] Well, from very simply put, they are assuming that
[04:56.560 -> 05:00.080] porpoising or porpoising, depending what part of the world you're from,
[05:00.080 -> 05:04.720] could be one of the reasons why Red Bull had the issues as they did.
[05:04.720 -> 05:06.060] And, you know, again, Red Bull is one of the reasons why Red Bull had the issues as they did and you know
[05:06.060 -> 05:09.540] again Red Bull is one of those teams where parposing is actually under much
[05:09.540 -> 05:14.260] control than some of the other teams out there but you know it's gonna be
[05:14.260 -> 05:18.900] interesting the big question this weekend is always gonna be will Red Bull
[05:18.900 -> 05:24.000] be able to take the fight to Ferrari of course the question is will they be
[05:24.000 -> 05:29.280] able to finish a race like we've been asking every other race weekend, right? But the truth is, even if they end up
[05:29.280 -> 05:34.560] finishing a race, you know, we saw in Australia, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari were up there
[05:34.560 -> 05:40.400] dominating untouched pretty much, unless there was a safety car restart, which bunched up the,
[05:40.400 -> 05:47.080] you know, the grid by itself. Because, you know, Imola again, fast flowing, very punishing,
[05:47.080 -> 05:50.640] Sommel again, you know, pretty much every race we go to
[05:50.640 -> 05:53.600] is now turning to be a test for these new rules.
[05:53.600 -> 05:56.960] Can they follow, can they overtake, et cetera.
[05:56.960 -> 05:59.040] Imola is a little more difficult to overtake
[05:59.040 -> 06:01.440] because of the fact that it's a narrower circuit
[06:01.440 -> 06:04.160] than some of the other circuits we've raced on.
[06:04.160 -> 06:06.960] But also last year, Formula One has released data
[06:06.960 -> 06:11.240] that there were 90 overtakes in the Grand Prix, right?
[06:11.240 -> 06:15.320] And 13.3% were only 13.3%
[06:15.320 -> 06:18.440] for actually DRS aided overtakes, right?
[06:18.440 -> 06:20.240] And, you know, from Australia,
[06:20.240 -> 06:23.160] where we would have almost had four DRS zones
[06:23.160 -> 06:25.080] till Fernando Alonso complained, we are now at had four DRS zones till Fernando Alonso complained.
[06:25.080 -> 06:28.720] We are now at just one DRS zone
[06:28.720 -> 06:31.160] until Fernando Alonso complains again,
[06:31.160 -> 06:33.460] I guess, to get it removed.
[06:33.460 -> 06:35.080] Actually, this is one of those circuits
[06:35.080 -> 06:36.560] where you don't really need it at all,
[06:36.560 -> 06:38.960] but it's amazing the flow you get.
[06:38.960 -> 06:40.760] And this is one thing you especially see
[06:40.760 -> 06:42.080] in the e-sports races,
[06:42.080 -> 06:44.200] which I've luckily even got a chance to accommodate
[06:44.200 -> 06:48.160] on quite a fair bit. You see the cars bottoming out on quite a few of the faster corners,
[06:48.160 -> 06:52.600] especially the ones where, especially the one where Russell crashed out, the one after
[06:52.600 -> 06:57.240] that, I can't exactly remember the name, but there's this descending downhill right-hand
[06:57.240 -> 07:01.120] over the car can bottom out and with ground effect, that is just going to be tremendous
[07:01.120 -> 07:05.400] Kunal because the cars are sucked in low, I mean, they're not going to be as fast.
[07:05.400 -> 07:09.400] They won't be feeling like they're on rails, but with the elevation changes and the constant
[07:09.400 -> 07:12.520] changes in curbs and everything as well, I think it's just going to be a fun weekend
[07:12.520 -> 07:14.640] all around just to watch the cars.
[07:14.640 -> 07:19.440] And with the weather being a little bit in jeopardy, I suppose that could be elevating
[07:19.440 -> 07:22.840] the challenge of the weekend.
[07:22.840 -> 07:23.840] It should.
[07:23.840 -> 07:26.880] There's rain expected and I hope there is rain
[07:26.880 -> 07:30.680] especially you know during one of the sessions that really matter to us
[07:30.680 -> 07:36.320] because you know the 2022 cars have been driven in the wet but they've not been
[07:36.320 -> 07:40.280] raced in the wet. If you guys remember the second test one of the days was
[07:40.280 -> 07:44.400] converted into a wet track session so that the teams could just run, Pirelli
[07:44.400 -> 07:45.680] could run and so on.
[07:45.680 -> 07:52.240] So the weather hopefully gives us some, you know, just adds to the entertainment factor as well.
[07:52.240 -> 07:57.280] And you mentioned ground effects, Soumela, and Sebastian Vettel literally just made a statement,
[07:57.280 -> 08:03.360] you know, which only Sebastian Vettel would make. He said, to come to the historic circuit of Imola
[08:03.360 -> 08:05.280] in these ground effect cars
[08:08.180 -> 08:12.260] Feels like going back to the 80s altogether again And you know, it's just the more Sebastian Vettel like like statement that you know
[08:12.260 -> 08:19.240] He could make so it will be interesting to see how closely the cars are able to sort of follow each other
[08:19.560 -> 08:28.520] Through those really quick historic and legendary corners. Yeah, I think we just need V12 engines and everything will be alright because these cars look as good
[08:28.520 -> 08:33.200] but it kind of reminds me of something as well I know we have to get on that
[08:33.200 -> 08:38.000] later but even the Ferrari right looks like an 80s Ferrari you know me but I
[08:38.000 -> 08:40.880] think we'll get to Ferrari later but first we have to talk about F1 Sprint
[08:40.880 -> 08:45.700] Kanal because it's back way there's there's a bit of a drumming in the
[08:45.700 -> 08:50.260] background in my mind the all kind of like a comedian's buttocks but didn't we
[08:50.260 -> 08:54.740] miss it is there gonna be something new I mean we know for a fact that now
[08:54.740 -> 08:59.260] probably not probably but now correctly they are calling the pole sitter the
[08:59.260 -> 09:02.860] person who sets the fastest qualifying lap on Friday so the winner of the
[09:02.860 -> 09:05.680] sprint is not the pole sitter but I mean come
[09:05.680 -> 09:10.160] on there's no buzz around it seemingly I know it's our job to make it exciting but nobody kind of
[09:10.160 -> 09:18.240] missed it. You know it's like this as a fan if you were to ask me I would say yeah maybe I did or
[09:18.240 -> 09:25.760] didn't miss it but now if I think as a marketer all right? Let's remember each time Formula 1's had a sprint race,
[09:26.560 -> 09:33.120] of course three instances in 2021, we actually had a lot of drama between the championship
[09:33.760 -> 09:40.160] protagonists, okay? Also, the sprint race in Brazil was when Lewis Hamilton overtaking
[09:40.160 -> 09:46.900] master class was on display, so you you know going purely by data right the
[09:46.900 -> 09:51.580] sprint race might just add some more excitement to a Grand Prix weekend at a
[09:51.580 -> 09:57.260] historic circuit which also happens to be the home race of Ferrari and because
[09:57.260 -> 10:00.100] it's the home race of Ferrari a lot of people end up forgetting that it's the
[10:00.100 -> 10:05.000] home race for Alfa Tauri as well and Yuki Sanoda said you know he's
[10:05.000 -> 10:09.300] moved to Italy and it is like his home race too but on a more serious note you
[10:09.300 -> 10:16.040] know F1 sprint also means a massive chance for teams and drivers to score
[10:16.040 -> 10:20.680] more points because eight finishers in the sprint race actually end up scoring
[10:20.680 -> 10:26.060] points which means that for a team the maximum you can score
[10:26.060 -> 10:32.060] this weekend is up to 59 points so this includes a Grand Prix win, the point for
[10:32.060 -> 10:37.160] the fastest lap, a second-place finish, this is on Sunday and then on Saturday
[10:37.160 -> 10:42.460] you take the sprint win followed by a second place in the sprint right so
[10:42.460 -> 10:46.640] that's a lot of points that a team can actually add
[10:46.640 -> 10:47.480] to their tally.
[10:47.480 -> 10:50.080] As for a driver, you have almost,
[10:50.080 -> 10:53.640] not almost, you have 34 points that you can score as well.
[10:53.640 -> 10:57.180] So the fact that we've got sprint also means
[10:57.180 -> 10:58.920] that we could see massive changes
[10:58.920 -> 11:02.860] in the championship standing, Somal, right?
[11:02.860 -> 11:05.900] But the sprint also then complicates one big
[11:05.900 -> 11:12.380] fact will teams be bringing in upgrades right and will they have enough time to
[11:12.380 -> 11:15.700] test those upgrades because the dichotomy here is it's the first
[11:15.700 -> 11:20.780] European race of the season right which means somebody like me could just put
[11:20.780 -> 11:29.760] some put some extra bits of car upgrades in my luggage and fly to Imola in less than a couple
[11:30.440 -> 11:32.600] of hours time and be at the circuit.
[11:32.600 -> 11:37.600] So, the first race in Europe usually sees teams
[11:37.880 -> 11:40.080] bring in as many upgrades as they can,
[11:40.080 -> 11:41.920] because they can, right?
[11:41.920 -> 11:46.340] But the limited time in practice is where the teams will ask a question,
[11:46.340 -> 11:47.920] do they have enough time to test
[11:47.920 -> 11:49.080] and go through those upgrades?
[11:49.080 -> 11:50.680] Or do they just do data collection
[11:50.680 -> 11:53.440] for the weekends to come and so on, right?
[11:53.440 -> 11:55.840] Because given just the number of points available,
[11:55.840 -> 11:58.840] sometimes it's just about picking what's available
[11:58.840 -> 12:00.440] rather than trying something new.
[12:00.440 -> 12:03.440] So don't be surprised if the form factor
[12:03.440 -> 12:04.680] pretty much remains the same
[12:04.680 -> 12:08.700] from what we saw in Australia, Samil summer. Yeah but track characteristics could be one
[12:08.700 -> 12:13.080] thing which is basically making the midfield essentially a game of musical
[12:13.080 -> 12:17.120] chairs because we actually don't know who's gonna end up where and that's also
[12:17.120 -> 12:21.400] one thing on my mind because McLaren are not very confident this past weekend I
[12:21.400 -> 12:24.480] mean this weekend that they're gonna have a good one but you can't tell right
[12:24.480 -> 12:26.960] I mean it's only when you get on the track when you get a better
[12:26.960 -> 12:32.160] idea of what things are going to be, which also means that Alfa Romeo could also be in
[12:32.160 -> 12:36.600] the spotlight because it's their home race too and who knows, maybe just maybe we get
[12:36.600 -> 12:40.760] to see the repeat telecast of Russell versus Bottas from last year, I mean look at the
[12:40.760 -> 12:46.400] story right, last year they crashed at this very circuit. There's this whole dilemma about who should Mercedes pick.
[12:46.400 -> 12:47.960] Mercedes have gone for their choice.
[12:47.960 -> 12:50.240] It bought us as outqualified, drossling in a slower car.
[12:50.240 -> 12:50.880] I just love it.
[12:50.880 -> 12:54.400] Maybe that could be one story that comes up back on this year.
[12:54.400 -> 12:57.760] But otherwise, the upgrades part is very, very interesting
[12:57.760 -> 12:59.600] that you mentioned, Kunal, because usually it
[12:59.600 -> 13:02.000] tends to come in around Spain or at least
[13:02.000 -> 13:03.320] the first European race.
[13:03.320 -> 13:04.520] Imola's this first one.
[13:04.520 -> 13:07.280] But Ferrari seem to be very confident.
[13:07.280 -> 13:08.360] I mean, I like it.
[13:08.360 -> 13:10.160] Again, everyone's a Ferrari fan deep down.
[13:10.160 -> 13:13.400] But are they or are they not bringing any upgrades?
[13:13.400 -> 13:15.080] Because the last I read about it,
[13:15.080 -> 13:18.600] it said that they were bringing them in Spain and not here.
[13:18.600 -> 13:21.320] And the reasoning is kind of very similar to what you
[13:21.320 -> 13:25.400] gave for the sprint race, that is.
[13:27.300 -> 13:32.700] You know, I just love Ferrari's confidence. You're saying we have more to unlock from the baseline car we started the season with.
[13:32.700 -> 13:35.360] So they are experimenting with different setup options
[13:35.360 -> 13:39.400] and just trying to unlock performance from the existing package
[13:39.400 -> 13:44.060] before falling in this trap, you know, that teams normally end up finding themselves in,
[13:44.060 -> 13:48.000] of, you know, basically bringing on more upgrades,
[13:48.000 -> 13:49.640] hoping to unlock more performance.
[13:49.640 -> 13:54.940] So to me, I love Ferrari's, you know, confidence and approach.
[13:54.940 -> 13:57.640] And, you know, each time somebody is talking of bringing upgrades,
[13:57.640 -> 14:01.440] Ferrari is just saying, yeah, we'll add five more BHP to the car,
[14:01.440 -> 14:03.200] which means they were holding on to a reserve.
[14:03.200 -> 14:09.120] Then somebody else says, yeah, we're going to try and bring something else bring something else and they say okay we can maybe lower the car a little bit more
[14:09.120 -> 14:16.560] so it'll be interesting to see if Ferrari actually builds on further to the to the fantastic start
[14:16.560 -> 14:22.080] they've had to the season because you know yes it's a 23 race calendar and the season is really
[14:22.080 -> 14:25.300] long but teams would really want to maximize their
[14:25.300 -> 14:31.180] points advantage when they have such a dominating performance over their rivals
[14:31.180 -> 14:35.180] so that's what I think Ferrari will do and will Ferrari end up using team
[14:35.180 -> 14:39.460] orders already is Carlos Sainz going to get the Kimi Raikkonen style treatment
[14:39.460 -> 14:46.200] because the one driver who really really really needs to up his ante and nothing less than
[14:46.200 -> 14:51.200] a win would be for him is Carlos Sainz's junior sommel.
[14:51.200 -> 14:54.560] Oh yeah, oh absolutely.
[14:54.560 -> 14:59.440] It seems like a long season already, we've already had three races and for Sainz it seems
[14:59.440 -> 15:03.720] incredibly long because things are just not going his way, which is again a bit of a shame
[15:03.720 -> 15:09.680] but you're right, Ferrari could put him in the spot right now and speaking of drivers who desperately desperately
[15:09.680 -> 15:14.640] need a good race I can think of Fernando Alonso as well because he's just not had the chance to
[15:14.640 -> 15:19.680] properly establish himself so far this year and we have seen that there's space we have seen that
[15:19.680 -> 15:23.920] he can duel it up with Esteban Ocon but it's not like the fierce line that he's we expected him to
[15:23.920 -> 15:28.120] be this year Ocon has given him a tough fight but so has reliability and tyre issues.
[15:28.120 -> 15:29.120] So there's that.
[15:29.120 -> 15:34.160] And also Kunal, Mick Schumacher, there was a chance, a slight one, that he was about
[15:34.160 -> 15:36.960] to beat Magnussen in Australia but that kind of fizzled out.
[15:36.960 -> 15:41.120] I mean there are so many narrators bubbling up all the way through and what do you reckon?
[15:41.120 -> 15:43.040] I want to know your take on this one.
[15:43.040 -> 15:45.320] Can Latifi keep up his crash streak again?
[15:45.400 -> 15:47.600] It's been going on to be a really good one, isn't it?
[15:49.480 -> 15:52.840] Well, he knows just the right time to crash and then
[15:53.480 -> 15:57.920] You know turn the race around as as the memes say, but yeah truly speaking. It's
[15:58.800 -> 16:04.000] There are actually three drivers of three nationalities that need a really really good race
[16:04.000 -> 16:10.060] You pointed out the Spaniards Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz then it's the Germans you
[16:10.060 -> 16:14.460] know Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel the two drivers have not scored
[16:14.460 -> 16:19.240] points despite having a car that can score points especially in the case of
[16:19.240 -> 16:24.340] Mick Schumacher right in Australia by the way he did end up finishing ahead of
[16:24.340 -> 16:25.640] Magnussen just that neither car ended up finishing ahead of Magnussen, just
[16:25.640 -> 16:30.320] that neither car ended up finishing in the points, right. And then finally down
[16:30.320 -> 16:37.080] to the two heavily paying Canadians, Latifi and Stroll, again could you know
[16:37.080 -> 16:41.920] we've seen we've seen Albion score points so the pressure definitely is on
[16:41.920 -> 16:45.720] Latifi as well to try and see what they could do as well
[16:45.720 -> 16:49.920] But yeah drivers of three nationalities that that really need to up
[16:50.600 -> 16:55.920] Their game this weekend Samuel and then you know, the midfield battle is going to be ever interesting
[16:55.920 -> 17:02.760] We've got McLaren. The question was in Australia was their progression track specific or do they genuinely have?
[17:03.560 -> 17:04.600] something
[17:04.600 -> 17:05.000] You know, which is solved their their pace was an interesting thing again track-specific or do they genuinely have something,
[17:05.000 -> 17:08.000] you know, which has solved their pace was
[17:08.000 -> 17:11.000] an interesting thing again, you know, McLaren use their own gearbox,
[17:11.000 -> 17:16.000] whereas Williams, Aston Martin and Mercedes use the Mercedes gearbox.
[17:16.000 -> 17:22.000] So the question was, you know, are McLaren actually quicker than the other customer teams
[17:22.000 -> 17:26.640] because they have their own gearbox and hence a different assembly that goes in.
[17:26.640 -> 17:29.680] And then, you know, Alpine, you already pointed out,
[17:29.680 -> 17:32.880] Alfa Tauri, home race for them.
[17:32.880 -> 17:36.400] What can Valtteri Bottas do for Alfa Romeo?
[17:36.400 -> 17:37.280] He's turned around and said,
[17:37.280 -> 17:39.480] I'm more than just a driver in the team.
[17:39.480 -> 17:42.000] I ask for things and they actually happen.
[17:42.000 -> 17:42.820] What?
[17:42.820 -> 17:44.560] And then the-
[17:44.560 -> 17:45.480] That's a good statement.
[17:45.480 -> 17:50.680] And then, of course, the big one is going to be Aston Martin.
[17:50.680 -> 17:52.480] You know, what can they do?
[17:52.480 -> 17:59.280] Can they open their points, you know, points scoring for 2022 this weekend, Somal?
[17:59.480 -> 18:00.780] Yeah, you mean Spycar?
[18:00.880 -> 18:03.440] Because it definitely feels like Spycar for them right now.
[18:03.440 -> 18:06.920] It doesn't feel like Aston Martin, which is also one thing we discussed on a past
[18:06.920 -> 18:11.180] episode of the podcast as well about Sebastian Vettel in Monaco about what
[18:11.180 -> 18:13.960] could become of them in the next few years so don't forget to check that one
[18:13.960 -> 18:20.100] out folks but finally before we wrap Kunal predictions in one word. The
[18:20.100 -> 18:24.200] drivers will be very happy if there's a safety car this weekend but because it's
[18:24.200 -> 18:25.740] gonna be the Mercedes safety car.
[18:25.740 -> 18:27.740] So that's one prediction I would say.
[18:28.500 -> 18:33.780] I get this feeling we're going to see, we're going to see something,
[18:33.780 -> 18:37.760] some drama on track, either Leclerc versus Verstappen.
[18:37.760 -> 18:43.420] Somebody will, you know, want to stop Leclerc's charge and momentum,
[18:43.720 -> 18:46.840] or could it be Sainz versus Leclerc's charge and momentum or could it be Sainz versus Leclerc?
[18:46.840 -> 18:48.520] Will that get spicy?
[18:48.520 -> 18:54.440] Because Australia was very uncharacteristic of Sainz to get all nerved up and sort of
[18:54.440 -> 18:58.480] let it go when he's the one who actually holds things up, I would say.
[18:58.480 -> 18:59.480] Exactly.
[18:59.480 -> 19:02.800] And that's why I'm going to go for Sainz for the win.
[19:02.800 -> 19:03.800] For the pole position.
[19:03.800 -> 19:05.480] Oh, wait, I've got to turn it around, isn't it? For the pole position, I think I'm going to go Verst for the win for the pole position. Oh wait, I've got a turn it around
[19:05.480 -> 19:07.480] Isn't it for the pole position? I think I'm gonna go
[19:07.920 -> 19:09.800] Vestappen and the same for the sprint as well
[19:09.800 -> 19:16.080] But folks let us know your takes your predictions down in the comments on the YouTube version of this of course and on social media
[19:16.080 -> 19:19.080] If you listen to the podcast, but folks, thank you for watching
[19:19.080 -> 19:23.280] Thank you for listening and don't forget to join us right here on the podcast and pitch the podium
[19:23.320 -> 19:27.680] For the other coverage of this weekend as well with the sprint review and of course the main race.
[19:27.680 -> 19:30.200] But folks, thank you once again and see you rather soon.
[19:30.200 -> 19:30.700] Bye bye.
[19:44.170 -> 19:46.170] you