Plank Gate, High Altitude & Rookies - 2023 Mexico GP Preview

Will 'plank gate' continue to be a thing as Formula 1 reaches Mexico City for this weekend's 2023 Mexico Grand Prix? Yes, we think so - and it should be so.

Is Formula 1 too complex for FIA to police it fairly? And 'fairly' is the word, especially with 50% of the cars scrutineered post-race in Austin failed the test. Does this system need to evolve, and if so, what's the most fair way to do so given Formula 1's logistical schedules?

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah discuss what sets the Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez apart - and why 'altitude' will be the buzzword this weekend. 

The race to finish in P2 behind Max Verstappen is heating up. In the last 6 races, 4 different drivers have finished in P2. If Lewis Hamilton hadn't been disqualified in the 2023 United States Grand Prix, the number would've been 5.

Also, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the 2023 Mexico Grand Prix weekend are landmark days in Formula 1 history. Btw, this will be the 1099th Grand Prix in the history of the sport. 

Will Ferrari's struggles in Mexico continue? Will Red Bull-Max Verstappen's dominance continue? They've won four out of the last five races. Will we see a new pole sitter for the eight year in succession? And of course, will Logan Sargeant celebrate his first Formula 1 point in Mexico? Lots to look forward to this weekend and in our 2023 Mexico Grand Prix preview podcast. 

Tune in!

(Season 2023, Episode 57)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

**Summary: Inside Line F1 Podcast, Episode 57 - Mexico Grand Prix Preview**

The Inside Line F1 Podcast's hosts, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah, discuss the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix and various related topics.

**Plankgate Controversy:**

1. The recent "Plankgate" controversy, involving the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for technical infringements, is a major talking point.
2. The fairness of the system for scrutinizing cars, given that only a small percentage are checked post-race, is questioned.
3. The logistical challenges of checking every car in a timely manner are acknowledged.
4. The need for a more equitable solution that ensures fairness and addresses fan concerns is emphasized.

**Altitude's Impact on Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez:**

1. The high altitude of Mexico City (2,200 meters above sea level) significantly affects the performance of Formula 1 cars.
2. The thinner air results in reduced downforce, even with high-downforce configurations.
3. Teams employ various strategies to compensate, such as opening up the rear of the cars for better cooling and adjusting setups.
4. The unique characteristics of the circuit, including the stadium section and the long run from P1 to the braking zone, make for exciting racing.

**Battle for P2:**

1. With Max Verstappen's dominance, the focus shifts to the battle for P2 in the drivers' championship.
2. Four different drivers have won the last six races, highlighting the competitiveness of the midfield.
3. Sergio Perez, as the home driver, will be looking to capitalize on the momentum and challenge for a podium finish.

**Ferrari's Struggles at High Altitude:**

1. Ferrari has historically struggled at the Mexican Grand Prix due to the high altitude.
2. The team experienced poor performance and reliability issues in 2022, finishing well behind the leaders.
3. The effectiveness of Ferrari's solutions to address these problems remains to be seen.

**Young Drivers in FP1:**

1. Four teams will field young drivers in FP1, including Logan Sargeant, Jack Doohan, Vesti, and Hadjar.
2. The timing screen abbreviations for these drivers' names provide some amusing quirks.
3. The significance of the Mexican Grand Prix as a venue for young drivers to gain experience is discussed.

**Landmark Occasions:**

1. The weekend marks several significant anniversaries: 10 years since the last Indian Grand Prix, 5 years since Lewis Hamilton's 5th title in Mexico, and 6 years since his 6th title in Mexico.
2. The tight battle between Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri for 8th place in the Constructors' Championship is also highlighted.

**No Track Limit Penalties:**

1. The Mexican Grand Prix is unique in having minimal track limits, with the walls serving as the primary boundary.
2. This eliminates the need for track limit penalties, ensuring that results are determined solely by on-track performance.

The podcast concludes with a reminder of the upcoming episodes: a review of the Mexican Grand Prix and a preview of the following race in Brazil.

[00:00.000 -> 00:24.820] Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Mexican GP preview on the InsideLine F1 podcast.
[00:24.820 -> 00:28.660] On this episode, we're going to be talking about the big stories to look forward to heading
[00:28.660 -> 00:29.660] into this weekend.
[00:29.660 -> 00:32.800] And a lot of it revolves around Sergio Perez.
[00:32.800 -> 00:37.860] And the big question is, is he really in the fight for F1 or F1.5?
[00:37.860 -> 00:43.400] Because in F1.5, we've had a grand total of four different winners in the last six races,
[00:43.400 -> 00:46.600] which would have been five if Lewis Hamilton wasn't quite disqualified.
[00:46.900 -> 00:48.200] It's a big fight out there.
[00:48.400 -> 00:51.300] And we're going to be talking all about that on this episode,
[00:51.300 -> 00:55.100] along with other major stories, like the young drivers taking part in FP1,
[00:55.300 -> 01:01.000] Ferrari's problems in the altitude, and also the big fat elephant in the room,
[01:01.200 -> 01:02.000] Plankgate.
[01:02.700 -> 01:03.900] Let's dive right in actually.
[01:04.000 -> 01:06.000] Welcome to the InsideLine F1 Podcast folks.
[01:06.000 -> 01:08.000] My name is Somal Adora. I'm the voice
[01:08.000 -> 01:10.000] of MotoGP's Indian Grand Prix
[01:10.000 -> 01:12.000] and also the host and commentator of the
[01:12.000 -> 01:14.000] Indian Racing League on Starsports.
[01:14.000 -> 01:16.000] And joining me as always is Kunal Shah,
[01:16.000 -> 01:18.000] the former marketing head of the Force India
[01:18.000 -> 01:20.000] Formula 1 team, who is also
[01:20.000 -> 01:22.000] an FIA accredited F1 journalist
[01:22.000 -> 01:24.000] for the Viaplay Network in Norway.
[01:24.000 -> 01:27.360] So, the big stories. let's get into it.
[01:27.920 -> 01:29.520] Do we talk about Plankgate?
[01:29.520 -> 01:31.280] Sorry, I can't say it with a straight face.
[01:32.560 -> 01:34.240] It's a gate now, Kunal.
[01:34.240 -> 01:35.280] It's a Plankgate.
[01:36.000 -> 01:40.320] I mean, you could also call it a blanket and it'll still sound like a Plankgate.
[01:42.320 -> 01:48.160] I think, yeah, we should talk about Plank Gate because it is going to be a controversy
[01:48.160 -> 01:54.320] that will be addressed. And it's not so much so about whether Lewis and Charles should have been
[01:54.320 -> 02:01.040] disqualified or not. It's going to be more about should the FIA have run more checks or can they
[02:01.040 -> 02:07.560] run more checks if they find such irregularities? Because the general feeling amongst the fans,
[02:07.560 -> 02:10.400] and that's probably not the best feeling to have,
[02:10.400 -> 02:12.560] the general feeling among the fans is that
[02:12.560 -> 02:16.720] the other drivers got away scot-free,
[02:16.720 -> 02:18.040] other 16 of them,
[02:18.040 -> 02:20.760] especially if you consider Carlos Sainz
[02:20.760 -> 02:22.040] and George Russell included.
[02:22.040 -> 02:25.720] So there's gonna be some way of how the FIA wants to,
[02:25.720 -> 02:27.520] should find a solution.
[02:27.520 -> 02:30.520] And I, you know, like we've been saying time and time again,
[02:30.520 -> 02:33.720] the sport has only gotten so much more complex
[02:33.720 -> 02:36.840] every passing year that the FIA by themselves
[02:36.840 -> 02:39.200] cannot just police it well enough.
[02:39.200 -> 02:41.240] Yeah, it's kind of, it's kind of strange, isn't it?
[02:41.240 -> 02:43.640] Because in the world of manufacturing,
[02:43.640 -> 02:45.920] and I've been luckily,
[02:51.920 -> 02:56.720] have luckily had the fortune of being a part of a company that manufactures t-shirts at a big scale, touch wood, internship over there. But from what I saw there, Kunal, if you pick up a lot,
[02:56.720 -> 03:02.160] and if one or two or three pieces in the lot are not fine, you pull up the entire lot. Clearly,
[03:02.160 -> 03:05.520] that doesn't happen in Formula One, because only Leclerc and
[03:05.520 -> 03:10.640] Hamilton got pulled up. Now, in our last episode, we explained the system of how that goes about.
[03:10.640 -> 03:15.200] But even though it's a system, doesn't mean it's the correct system. And in the past, we've had
[03:15.200 -> 03:19.920] cases where drivers have also cried about the same thing. I think, early 1970s, 80s, they used to cry
[03:19.920 -> 03:23.520] about the same thing that, hey, why do you pull up only one or two cars? Why not the entire one?
[03:23.520 -> 03:27.200] I know it's a complicated procedure. We only have so many scrutineers.
[03:27.200 -> 03:30.880] It's a very time consuming job. I mean, they have flights to catch the next morning.
[03:30.880 -> 03:34.560] Even though they fly out on Monday afternoon, most people, the scrutineers, it still is
[03:34.560 -> 03:39.680] a very demanding task, because you don't just need the scrutineers. You also need the team manager,
[03:39.680 -> 03:43.840] the engineers and the packaging people to also pack the car and make sure the shipment is sent
[03:43.840 -> 03:47.560] across to the next country, which is in this case, next week.
[03:47.560 -> 03:51.380] So logistically, it's a very, very difficult task to do.
[03:51.380 -> 03:56.440] But still, I mean, in terms of fairness, it's a very good theoretical question to ask, isn't
[03:56.440 -> 03:57.440] it?
[03:57.440 -> 04:00.600] Why aren't every single, why isn't every single car pulled up in that regard?
[04:00.600 -> 04:02.400] That's actually very well summed up.
[04:02.400 -> 04:06.300] Because yes, it's, it yes, it's something about fairness, but how
[04:06.300 -> 04:12.540] does fairness fit into F1's ambitions of hosting 24, 25 races every year, especially we are
[04:12.540 -> 04:14.240] right in the middle of a triple header.
[04:14.240 -> 04:19.920] Imagine if the cars just go up a little later and they land up in Mexico a couple of days
[04:19.920 -> 04:20.920] later.
[04:20.920 -> 04:24.900] All of this is planned so well in advance that the scrutineering has to happen within
[04:24.900 -> 04:25.200] a certain
[04:25.200 -> 04:30.720] time period. And right now, the algorithm works this way. You pick up those cars, if they're not
[04:30.720 -> 04:34.560] conforming to the regulations, you disqualify them and then everybody else goes scot-free,
[04:34.560 -> 04:41.520] or at least that's the trust that the FIA has in the systems. It's like in the Nordics,
[04:41.520 -> 04:45.680] nobody's there to check your train tickets in public transport. They just trust
[04:45.680 -> 04:52.080] that you have it. And when they do check you and you don't have it, it's a 50x fine that you end up
[04:52.080 -> 04:59.600] paying. And actually, Samuel, it's more expensive for the government to run daily checks in the
[04:59.600 -> 05:04.720] public transport system. So you'd rather let those people go scot-free if they've not got a ticket,
[05:04.720 -> 05:05.040] but the day you're caught, it's a 50x fine. And maybe that's probably why Formula 1 is also doing transport system. So you'd rather let those people go scot-free if they've not got a ticket,
[05:05.040 -> 05:09.000] but the day you're caught, you it's a 50x fine. And maybe that's probably why Formula
[05:09.000 -> 05:14.160] One is also doing what it is. And like I said, actually, you're right. It's about fairness.
[05:14.160 -> 05:20.800] What's the fair way of approaching this, if there are regularities and the fair ways of
[05:20.800 -> 05:26.340] what fans would understand and accept, because that's who we are ultimately racing for.
[05:26.340 -> 05:28.960] Wait, that's a good point.
[05:28.960 -> 05:30.800] In India, we have a similar system,
[05:30.800 -> 05:33.000] but it's a fair compromise to make
[05:33.000 -> 05:34.760] because the fines are so limited
[05:34.760 -> 05:35.840] that when you do get caught,
[05:35.840 -> 05:39.600] and genuinely, there is a group of people in this country
[05:39.600 -> 05:42.320] who have almost forced me to look at that regard,
[05:42.320 -> 05:45.520] but if you don't get caught for three months
[05:45.520 -> 05:50.640] and the fine is equivalent of only one month of traveling on a train, it's a fair investment
[05:50.640 -> 05:53.800] to make, right? Because the odds are always going to be in your favor. I mean, in any
[05:53.800 -> 05:57.000] case, even if you do get fined, you only get fined one third of the cost that you would
[05:57.000 -> 06:00.600] originally have to pay. In this case, a Formula One teams, I wouldn't say it's the same logic
[06:00.600 -> 06:05.840] because a P2 taken away for Lewis Hamilton hurts hard. Even though at the moment,
[06:05.840 -> 06:11.280] he's not really directly in a fight anywhere. Maybe Sergio Perez will force him to be in the
[06:11.280 -> 06:15.360] fight for P2 in the championship. But even though he isn't, I mean, that's a lot of points that get
[06:15.360 -> 06:20.320] taken down. And drivers have points bonuses, teams have points bonuses, employees have points bonuses
[06:20.320 -> 06:25.860] as well. That hurts heavily. I don't know. Maybe, maybe there is a good reason
[06:25.860 -> 06:30.520] for all the teams and drivers to scream loud and hard about blanket. What do you reckon?
[06:30.520 -> 06:36.520] Yeah, there is a good reason. There just has to be a solution that is a just solution.
[06:36.520 -> 06:47.200] But let's move on. It's Sergio Perez's home race and it's at the circuit Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Altitude is
[06:47.200 -> 06:52.320] gonna be the one buzzword this weekend I reckon. In fact it should be a
[06:52.320 -> 06:56.320] Friday and Saturday night drinking game for those who probably like to drink on
[06:56.320 -> 07:02.440] Sunday as well. Why not? Because this circuit the Mexico City in
[07:02.440 -> 07:08.400] itself actually it's 2,200 meters above sea level which means that
[07:08.400 -> 07:15.480] the air is thinner which means actually it's thinner by 78% and this thin air
[07:15.480 -> 07:18.720] the most beautiful thing and you're going to hear this through the weekend
[07:18.720 -> 07:27.760] at least once every session you will use a Monaco high downforce configuration setup on the car only to get
[07:27.760 -> 07:34.080] a low downforce configuration of Monza as an actual output on the car.
[07:34.080 -> 07:35.920] I think it's a beautiful comparison.
[07:35.920 -> 07:40.040] You run the biggest wings you can, but you'll still get the lowest downforce possible.
[07:40.040 -> 07:42.040] Yeah, and that setup is insane.
[07:42.040 -> 07:43.920] I mean, the way saving they do.
[07:43.920 -> 07:52.240] In fact, we see a lot of the teams open up the rear end of their cars as well, to make sure that they get as much cooling possible for their engines, which is going to be interesting to watch.
[07:52.240 -> 08:06.560] Because the solutions they come up with make you go, huh, are you going to go that extreme? That to me is honestly the most fun part of the weekend, leading up to the main race, obviously, which hopefully is going to be fun because unfortunately, Kunal, Mexico never delivers.
[08:06.560 -> 08:09.680] I don't remember a good Mexico Grand Prix for a long time.
[08:09.680 -> 08:15.280] Actually, I don't remember a good Mexican GP for a long while because we haven't had a Mexican GP for a long while.
[08:15.280 -> 08:18.400] Officially, it's the Mexico City Grand Prix.
[08:18.400 -> 08:22.000] That's a fun quirk. I don't know why, but here we are.
[08:22.000 -> 08:28.340] I would never take this to my pub quiz question because it's so confusing. It's like
[08:28.340 -> 08:33.740] Monaco's the city and the country that fits in within somewhere that's that kind of a
[08:33.740 -> 08:38.860] chat but either way I'll tell you why I actually have a good feeling it's going to be an interesting
[08:38.860 -> 08:47.120] race in parts because at the end of the day, first corner, it's the third shortest circuit,
[08:47.120 -> 08:54.960] but the first corner, the longest run from P1 to the breaking, my mind goes back to, was it 2019?
[08:56.480 -> 09:01.760] Max Verstappen starting from third, Scott Potthast, Scott Hamilton took the front,
[09:02.320 -> 09:06.640] took the first place and sort of ran away with it. We saw Daniel Ricardo
[09:06.640 -> 09:12.640] actually spin here last year, if I remember correctly as well. But I think I'm pretty
[09:12.640 -> 09:19.840] excited because, you know, if you look at the numbers, one out of the 50% of the last 12 races
[09:19.840 -> 09:26.800] have been won from pole position in Mexico, but it actually gets better. One out of the last five
[09:26.800 -> 09:32.080] races have been won from pole. The other two or rather the other four were split equally between
[09:32.080 -> 09:39.280] three wins from third place and three wins from second place. So it doesn't necessarily, I mean,
[09:39.280 -> 09:52.560] we're going to have a fight in some way or the other, although last year, Max Verstappen won by I think what 15 or 16 seconds. Max and Red Bull have maximum wins in this race in Mexico, and they've actually won
[09:52.560 -> 09:58.880] four out of the last five races in Mexico. But Samuel, you said something very interesting.
[09:59.440 -> 10:04.320] A battle for P2 is what we're going to look forward to even in Mexico. Clearly,
[10:04.320 -> 10:06.000] if we were to just go by the stats.
[10:06.000 -> 10:11.040] Yeah, four different F1.5 winners in the last six races. I mean, since the summer break ended and
[10:11.040 -> 10:17.360] restarted, and since Formula One restarted. Isn't that insane that we talk about Formula One being
[10:17.360 -> 10:22.640] very, very boring and there being only one winner. All you have to do is eliminate Max Verstappen.
[10:22.640 -> 10:29.600] Literally, I mean, not literally, I'm not saying go drive into Max Verstappen. It's too unsafe. But maybe if you do it in a safe, gentle manner,
[10:29.600 -> 10:34.320] I wouldn't mind. But take him out of the race, take him out of the equation, and then watch.
[10:34.320 -> 10:39.680] Because in the last few races, Kunal, counting, I'm assuming Hamilton's not disqualified,
[10:39.680 -> 10:43.120] just for the sake of the argument. Five different race winners in six races.
[10:43.120 -> 10:45.040] That is the sign of an incredibly
[10:45.040 -> 10:49.600] close sport. And we all know the qualifying gaps, right? The entire grid, more often than not,
[10:49.600 -> 10:54.560] is within one or 1.2 seconds of each other. In qualifying three, the gaps are barely just a
[10:54.560 -> 10:59.520] couple of tenths here and there, summing up the entire Q3 order. That to me is the sign of a
[10:59.520 -> 11:04.240] healthy sport where teams are profitable, drivers are close and competitive. The sport is booming,
[11:04.240 -> 11:08.500] getting into new markets, having more races, and having a more quality product than ever before.
[11:08.500 -> 11:13.000] All you need to do is eliminate Max Verstappen and then the fight opens up.
[11:13.000 -> 11:17.000] But I'm not saying eliminate him literally, just take him out of the equation for one second.
[11:17.000 -> 11:29.200] Last time out, for P1, Loris versus Hamilton, a battle that literally went on to the last five or laps of the race, where there was volatility all the way through a big strategic masterclass in terms of just
[11:29.200 -> 11:32.840] watching how the race goes on in terms of tyre choices and everything.
[11:32.840 -> 11:36.240] If anything, if that's a precursor of what to expect this weekend, I think we're going
[11:36.240 -> 11:37.560] to be having a ton of fun.
[11:37.560 -> 11:40.680] Softest compounds of tyres as well this time out in Mexico City.
[11:40.680 -> 11:46.000] So hopefully tyre wear and tyre conservation is not as big a factor as we hope it will be.
[11:46.000 -> 11:54.000] I mean, as we, as we like it to be, because if the drivers can go all out and we have a close fight for P2, game on, I think it'll be a lot of fun.
[11:54.000 -> 11:58.000] Yeah. And the circuit itself, you know, brings fans closer to racing.
[11:58.000 -> 12:06.000] There's that stadium section that's pretty beautiful in itself, has a lovely podium for ceremonies, a DJ ends
[12:06.000 -> 12:11.480] up playing there most of the times. And just to add more context, I think in the
[12:11.480 -> 12:17.480] last seven years, seven different drivers have taken pole position despite Max and
[12:17.480 -> 12:20.160] Red Bull winning four out of five. Literally, if you were to look at the last
[12:20.160 -> 12:26.360] poles, there was Verstappen, before that Bottas, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Vettel, Hamilton,
[12:26.360 -> 12:32.400] Rosberg. So lots of indicators, including what you've just said about the battle for
[12:32.400 -> 12:39.120] P2, lots of indicators for us to get a great race. I think Max will win his 51st, which
[12:39.120 -> 12:47.700] by the way, will match Alan Prost's all-time wins record. And interestingly, I think it was 1990 when Alan
[12:47.700 -> 12:55.000] Prost won in Mexico from 13th place. So depending on who actually ends up, uh, yeah, who ends
[12:55.000 -> 13:01.680] up on 13, they will have Alan Prost for some sort of, uh, motivation or inspiration. And
[13:01.680 -> 13:07.200] if Max also wins or let's consider he's he's winning, it'll be 16th race win
[13:07.200 -> 13:14.000] in a season, which is bettering his record from last year of 15 race wins. It's so interesting.
[13:14.000 -> 13:18.320] It's Checo Perez's home race. We should be talking about how Checo will have the Mexican fans
[13:18.320 -> 13:22.960] backing him, but it's going to eventually be all about Max Verstappen up front, although you will
[13:22.960 -> 13:25.080] still predict Carlos Sainz for win.
[13:25.080 -> 13:26.080] I will.
[13:26.080 -> 13:30.640] You know, I actually, I will from the emotional standpoint, because mentally, like from a
[13:30.640 -> 13:35.800] proper educated, sane discussion point of view, I don't think they have a chance at
[13:35.800 -> 13:36.800] all.
[13:36.800 -> 13:37.800] Last year, Ferrari were torrid.
[13:37.800 -> 13:41.200] I mean, fifth and seventh in qualifying, they had a terrible, terrible race all the way
[13:41.200 -> 13:42.200] through as well.
[13:42.200 -> 13:45.000] Lots of issues managing the heating of their
[13:45.000 -> 13:48.200] engine and just the tyre wear and everything and all that. Sainz was fifth, Leclerc was
[13:48.200 -> 13:52.400] sixth in the main race and they were a minute behind the eventual winner Max Verstappen.
[13:52.400 -> 13:58.720] Fifth and sixth is something, a minute behind is something completely else. So that to me
[13:58.720 -> 14:03.880] seems scary and the fun part is, it wasn't just Ferrari who were bad. Haas and Alfa Romeo
[14:03.880 -> 14:05.840] also had very average weekends,
[14:05.840 -> 14:08.060] bogged down by the same power unit problems.
[14:08.060 -> 14:10.480] And the teams haven't been able to change much.
[14:10.480 -> 14:12.500] Some components to make sure that the reliability
[14:12.500 -> 14:13.980] of the engine is maintained,
[14:13.980 -> 14:16.320] and Ferrari have of course done that over the winter,
[14:16.320 -> 14:17.840] but that's still not a lot, Kunal.
[14:17.840 -> 14:20.540] And I'm very keen to see if that problem persists
[14:20.540 -> 14:22.480] for them this year, because if it does,
[14:22.480 -> 14:23.520] I think let's just rule them out.
[14:23.520 -> 14:24.840] Let's just simply put Oscar Piaggio,
[14:24.840 -> 14:27.600] Landon Norris as our F1.5 winner over there.
[14:27.600 -> 14:32.960] Let's see. Let's see. Or could it be Mercedes' floor running at the correct ride height?
[14:32.960 -> 14:37.760] How will that turn out? Because Mercedes was fairly strong here last year with the zero
[14:37.760 -> 14:43.360] powered concepts that they ran as well. But, you know, talking of power units, power units
[14:43.360 -> 14:45.680] actually have to work harder in thin air.
[14:45.680 -> 14:49.520] Cooling solutions is something that you spoke of, they'll open up the back of the car.
[14:49.520 -> 14:54.320] But the interesting part, and this is what I love about the engineering of Formula 1,
[14:54.320 -> 15:07.800] is despite running Monaco-style wings, the cars will still get closer to or exceed the 350 km per hour mark on the streets of
[15:07.800 -> 15:08.800] Mexico.
[15:08.800 -> 15:10.520] There are two DRS zones, etc.
[15:10.520 -> 15:13.480] I guess that makes the DRS efficiency lower as well.
[15:13.480 -> 15:17.400] So qualifying, especially for Max Verstappen, needs to be higher up.
[15:17.400 -> 15:22.120] I mean, unless he wants to have another joyful Sunday of fighting his way through to the
[15:22.120 -> 15:26.800] win. But you mentioned FP1, at least four
[15:26.800 -> 15:34.160] teams to have junior rookie drivers driving in Formula 1. Kushmaini was announced as an
[15:34.160 -> 15:40.320] Alpine F1 team Academy member just a couple of days before we recorded this episode. So
[15:40.320 -> 15:45.040] congratulations to Kushmaini, but his fellow Alpine Academy member Jack
[15:45.040 -> 15:51.880] Dewan is gonna drive for Alpine. There is Veshti for Mercedes. There is Isaac
[15:51.880 -> 15:57.720] Hartjar for Alfa Tauri and Oliver Behrman for Haas. And I'll tell you the
[15:57.720 -> 16:03.400] most interesting part about everyone Samuel is gonna be to read their names
[16:03.400 -> 16:06.440] on the timing board in the abbreviations.
[16:06.440 -> 16:11.720] It's going to be D-O-O-D depending on what languages you know, it can mean a lot of things.
[16:11.720 -> 16:15.320] And for Bear Man, it's going to be B-E-A.
[16:15.320 -> 16:21.120] Right? And guess what? My favorite is Hardjar is going to be H-A-D-H-A-D.
[16:21.120 -> 16:28.080] So, interesting, funny quirks, but that's that's the FB1. Also into my mind, you know, I
[16:28.080 -> 16:34.400] don't know how Mexican fans are going to treat Helmut Marko after all the comments he's made
[16:34.400 -> 16:41.440] about Mexico being in South America, and Mexico and Checo Perez and you know, the likes, I'm not
[16:41.440 -> 16:48.000] going to repeat most of them. But let's see what kind of welcome he gets from the Mexican fans.
[16:48.000 -> 16:52.480] So wait, are you telling me if Jack Doon is P2 and Sergio Perez is P3,
[16:52.480 -> 16:55.120] the timing screen will say, Do Per.
[16:55.120 -> 16:56.800] Like where's the Super?
[16:56.800 -> 16:59.280] Bad one, let's move on to something else.
[16:59.280 -> 17:00.720] I have a better one.
[17:00.720 -> 17:01.760] Oh, go for it.
[17:01.760 -> 17:04.680] If Richtapin is first,
[17:04.680 -> 17:08.240] Hartjorn is second second and Perez is third,
[17:08.240 -> 17:15.600] it'll read where had purr. Or where had ham for lunch because that's what he did in 2022.
[17:15.600 -> 17:22.160] He just ate everyone up. And 21. Anyway. Oh no let's not go down that route shall we. Let's go
[17:22.160 -> 17:27.400] down the route of 2022 because I have a small pop quiz for you, Kunal,
[17:27.560 -> 17:28.560] this time last year.
[17:28.800 -> 17:30.960] Actually, not just for you, Kunal, all the listeners listening in as well.
[17:31.280 -> 17:34.720] I will give a 10 second pause for you to think about the answer for this one.
[17:35.040 -> 17:38.920] But Mexico City is always the place where we have new drivers coming in for FP1
[17:39.040 -> 17:40.960] because the teams have to do it two times a year.
[17:41.320 -> 17:43.680] Why not do it in the most inconsequential race of them all?
[17:44.400 -> 17:48.640] Okay, Mexico City is the one to go to. But in consequence, in terms of championship,
[17:48.640 -> 17:52.800] because it's all mostly sealed up by that point. And then they're also doing the Pirelli tire
[17:52.800 -> 17:57.360] tests over there anyway, which they're also going to be doing this time out, if I'm not mistaken.
[17:57.360 -> 18:07.280] So it's an ideal place to put a young driver in there. But this time last year, we had a few young drivers in the free practice one
[18:07.280 -> 18:12.400] session. Who were they? Can you name them? Haas had one, Mercedes had one, Williams had one, and
[18:13.440 -> 18:21.280] I think Alphardtowry also had one. Yeah. Liam Lawson was Alphardtowry. Correct.
[18:22.160 -> 18:26.000] Haas could have been Pietro Fittipaldi.
[18:26.000 -> 18:27.560] Nobody else drives for Haas anyway.
[18:27.560 -> 18:28.560] So that's fair.
[18:28.560 -> 18:32.520] But that could change because Pietro is now given, now been given a full-time IndyCar
[18:32.520 -> 18:33.520] seat.
[18:33.520 -> 18:34.520] So he's vacated that.
[18:34.520 -> 18:40.040] Could Oliver Behrman become Haas's reserve driver for next year onwards?
[18:40.040 -> 18:41.040] Anyway, that's one.
[18:41.040 -> 18:44.280] Knowing Haas, they'll probably bring back someone from the past because they don't like
[18:44.280 -> 18:45.280] to do new things. Future. That's okay. Knowing Haas, they'll probably bring back someone from the past because they don't like to do new things.
[18:45.280 -> 18:46.280] That's okay.
[18:46.280 -> 18:47.280] Yeah, you never know.
[18:47.280 -> 18:48.280] But yeah, okay.
[18:48.280 -> 18:49.280] Was it Nick de Vries for Mercedes?
[18:49.280 -> 18:50.280] Bang on.
[18:50.280 -> 18:51.280] Which was the other team?
[18:51.280 -> 18:52.280] Williams.
[18:52.280 -> 18:53.280] Wow.
[18:53.280 -> 19:04.280] Williams was also, no, can't be Nick de Vries, even though he's done so many.
[19:04.280 -> 19:05.120] They were in their trial and error phase. Let's put it that way. Jack Aitken. was also, no can't be Nick to face even though he's done so many.
[19:05.120 -> 19:06.880] They were in their trial and error phase.
[19:06.880 -> 19:07.880] Let's put it that way.
[19:07.880 -> 19:08.880] Jack Aitken.
[19:08.880 -> 19:11.320] No, not trial and error phase.
[19:11.320 -> 19:14.880] They were in the, we have to make this work phase.
[19:14.880 -> 19:15.880] Jack Aitken was it?
[19:15.880 -> 19:18.320] No, it was Logan Sargent, believe it or not.
[19:18.320 -> 19:22.880] Logan Sargent actually drove a Formula 1 car for the first time properly here in FPV.
[19:22.880 -> 19:24.920] No, no, no, no, it was in Kota last year.
[19:24.920 -> 19:27.320] He drove first time and then immediately Mexico.
[19:27.320 -> 19:28.320] Wasn't it?
[19:28.320 -> 19:29.960] Yeah, because he got announced in Cota.
[19:29.960 -> 19:35.840] But anyway, but talking of Sargent, he is going to be celebrating his first points score
[19:35.840 -> 19:38.820] in Formula One ever in Mexico.
[19:38.820 -> 19:42.880] And I think that's of course Donald Trump's nightmare that an American does something
[19:42.880 -> 19:45.760] in America and then goes and celebrates it in Mexico.
[19:45.760 -> 19:47.120] But yeah, he's going to celebrate that.
[19:47.120 -> 19:48.120] Well earned.
[19:48.120 -> 19:49.120] Congratulations, Logan.
[19:49.120 -> 19:51.580] Mexico has cheaper booze, right?
[19:51.580 -> 19:53.600] Because they don't have to export it.
[19:53.600 -> 19:57.380] I have no clue about booze, but you have something fun.
[19:57.380 -> 20:02.220] We are going to remember Friday, Saturday and Sunday for several landmark occasions
[20:02.220 -> 20:07.520] that happened because it's the latter part of the of the year drivers when their titles etc so.
[20:08.260 -> 20:12.740] I'm gonna get one out of the way landstroll who went from pit lane.
[20:12.880 -> 20:22.480] Two points in kota is gonna celebrate his birthday on sunday so let's hope he gets a good birthday present someone remember to not roast him in the.
[20:27.440 -> 20:32.800] roast him in the review the Mexico race review on Monday. I'm going to remind you. Okay, he's going to be a year older, but that just happens to all of us. Okay, but on Friday,
[20:32.800 -> 20:37.440] it's going to be 10 years since the last Indian Grand Prix 2013, which means it's 10 years
[20:37.440 -> 20:45.920] since Sebastian Vettel won his last and final world championship in Formula 1. So that's what we're going to remember Friday for.
[20:54.160 -> 20:54.960] Saturday will be 5 years since Lewis Hamilton won his 5th title in Mexico in 2018.
[21:08.120 -> 21:13.560] And Sunday is going to be 6 years since again Hamilton won his 6th title or was it his fourth title? I can't remember in Mexico in 2017. So we have fertile Hamilton, Hamilton memories to look forward to this weekend.
[21:13.560 -> 21:18.800] Absolutely. Lots and lots of fun things. And the last couple of points to really watch
[21:18.800 -> 21:24.520] this weekend is that only six points are covering Alfa Romeo in eighth to Alfa Tauri at the
[21:24.520 -> 21:25.320] bottom of the
[21:25.320 -> 21:29.520] Constructors' Championship. The turtle race is getting spicy, so you better watch out
[21:29.520 -> 21:33.560] for that one at the very, very end. And after Yuki Tsunoda having a good couple of weekends
[21:33.560 -> 21:37.720] in terms of the performance, at least last time out, it'll be fun to watch what he can
[21:37.720 -> 21:42.400] do because Alfa Tauri last year were decent enough. They were somewhere around the mid-top
[21:42.400 -> 21:49.600] tens thereabouts. So let's wait and see what's cooking over there. And the one final good point to watch for this weekend. And let's
[21:49.600 -> 21:53.740] end it on a positive note. It'll be a weekend without track limit penalties because Mexico
[21:53.740 -> 21:56.760] City has barely any track limits. The wall is the limit.
[21:56.760 -> 22:01.920] Yes, that's it. No track limits. Nothing that we have to worry about. Results will be declared
[22:01.920 -> 22:07.120] as it is, unless there are more blank gate issues that come up.
[22:07.120 -> 22:11.440] But thank you very much for tuning in, ladies and gentlemen. It's a triple header, which means
[22:11.440 -> 22:16.640] it's a bonus for our listeners. You get two episodes every week. We had the preview for
[22:16.640 -> 22:23.040] KOTA a couple of days ago. We will have the review for Mexico going up anytime now. And then Monday,
[22:23.040 -> 22:25.880] we will also have the review for Mexico.
[22:25.880 -> 22:27.040] You know the drill.
[22:27.040 -> 22:30.200] We will see you after the race on Sunday.
[22:30.200 -> 22:31.200] Thank you very much.
[22:31.200 -> 22:32.200] Enjoy the lovely weekend.
[22:32.200 -> 22:33.200] Stay safe.
[22:33.200 -> None] Bye bye. you