Tim (under) Cook-ed the Chequered Flag - 2022 United States GP Review

For a Grand Prix that was well-cooked, Apple's Tim Cook definitely under-cooked the chequered flag at the Circuit of the Americas for the 2022 United States Grand Prix.

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast: Soumil and Kunal review the 10th anniversary edition of the United States Grand Prix - a race that gave us Versappen vs. Leclerc, Verstappen vs. Hamilton, Hamilton vs. Vettel AND Vettel vs. lots of others. And of course, this was the most-Alonso-esque race for Fernando Alonso...who then lost a great result in the typical Alonso fashion. Smartly played by Haas? Tune in!

(Season 2022, Episode 64)

Follow our hosts: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Alpine

**Inside Line F1 Podcast Episode 64: United States Grand Prix Review**

**Hosts:** Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

**Summary:**

* The 2022 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas was a thrilling race full of drama and excitement.
* The race featured several captivating battles, including Verstappen vs. Leclerc, Verstappen vs. Hamilton, Hamilton vs. Vettel, and Vettel vs. Magnussen.
* Fernando Alonso had a particularly eventful race, crashing and receiving a penalty, but still managing to recover and finish in the points.
* Max Verstappen won the race, securing his second victory in the USA in the same year and tying Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for the most wins in a season (13).
* Charles Leclerc finished in third place, extending his streak of consecutive podium finishes to five.
* Lewis Hamilton finished in second place, marking his first podium finish since the summer break.
* Carlos Sainz had a disappointing race, retiring on the first lap after a collision with George Russell.
* Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen had contrasting fortunes, with Magnussen scoring points and Schumacher finishing outside the points due to a strategic error by his team.
* Logan Sargent was announced as a Williams Formula 1 driver for 2023, but the announcement lacked fanfare.
* The Constructors' Championship battle is heating up, with Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, and Haas all vying for positions in the top six.
* The FIA's decision on the budget cap breach is expected to be announced before the Mexican Grand Prix.

**Key Insights and Perspectives:**

* Vettel's overtake on Magnussen was a highlight of the race, demonstrating his skill and experience.
* Verstappen's victory showcases his dominance and his ability to overcome challenges.
* Leclerc's podium finish highlights his consistency and his potential to challenge for the championship in the future.
* Hamilton's return to the podium is a positive sign for Mercedes, who have struggled for pace this season.
* Sainz's retirement is a reminder of the unpredictable nature of Formula 1.
* The Constructors' Championship battle is poised to be a close and exciting one.
* The FIA's decision on the budget cap breach will have significant implications for Red Bull and the other teams involved.

**Overall, the 2022 United States Grand Prix was a thrilling and entertaining race that provided plenty of talking points and storylines for fans and pundits alike.**

[00:00.000 -> 00:23.120] Welcome folks to the review of the last lap pass Grand Prix.
[00:23.120 -> 00:27.440] Oh well, it's the United States Grand Prix at Texas, but it always produces a dramatic
[00:27.440 -> 00:28.440] last lap pass.
[00:28.440 -> 00:32.320] And that is one of the big stories that we're going to discuss this week on this review
[00:32.320 -> 00:34.120] episode of the USGP.
[00:34.120 -> 00:36.420] But firstly, I must introduce myself.
[00:36.420 -> 00:37.420] My name is Tomal Arora.
[00:37.420 -> 00:40.560] I'm the host of Driving Force on Disney Plus Hotstar.
[00:40.560 -> 00:45.360] And joining me is Kunal Shah, the former marketing head of the Force India F1 team, who now works
[00:45.360 -> 00:49.480] as an FIA accredited Formula 1 journalist for the Viaplay network.
[00:49.480 -> 00:54.240] And this weekend, I just have one major question on my mind.
[00:54.240 -> 00:57.720] Sebastian Vettel, why are you leaving Formula 1?
[00:57.720 -> 01:00.880] Have you had a look at what you've done over the course of the last couple of weeks?
[01:00.880 -> 01:03.120] Kunal, this is just brilliant.
[01:03.120 -> 01:05.520] Do you have a chance to watch the replay of that movie
[01:05.520 -> 01:10.240] made on Kevin Magnussen at the last lap? That just has to be the moment of the race. Nothing else
[01:10.240 -> 01:15.200] comes close, not even the giant limousine for the Red Bull mechanics, not even Shaq holding the
[01:15.200 -> 01:21.040] trophy or the hundreds of cheerleaders or Max's pass on Hamilton at the end. Vettel's move on
[01:21.040 -> 01:25.540] Magnussen, I think they should just frame it and put it on the wall. What a move.
[01:25.540 -> 01:26.700] It was fantastic.
[01:26.700 -> 01:31.020] As Vettel said, you know, Kevin Magnussen is one of the hardest drivers to overtake.
[01:31.020 -> 01:35.140] He said he left just enough room, but it was enough to survive.
[01:35.140 -> 01:39.940] And then Kevin said, you know, the way, you know, the way Seb pulled off the move was
[01:39.940 -> 01:42.760] hallmark of him being a four times world champion.
[01:42.760 -> 01:47.780] It was epic last minute stuff, but it all was an anti-climax to be somehow.
[01:47.780 -> 01:51.320] When we saw Tim Cook, who we of course know
[01:51.320 -> 01:56.320] because of Apple, I mean, was he even waving a flag?
[01:57.480 -> 02:01.000] Or maybe the flag was too analog
[02:01.000 -> 02:04.520] given that he builds digital products, or I don't know.
[02:04.520 -> 02:06.320] I mean, I was lost for words.
[02:06.960 -> 02:13.920] Twitter was abuzz should the FIA and Formula One train dignitary celebrities on how to wave a flag
[02:13.920 -> 02:20.560] I think yes they do and LEGP one of my favorite handles on Twitter turned around and said
[02:21.360 -> 02:26.780] Tim Cook has promised to come back to quota next year and he'll wave
[02:26.780 -> 02:31.380] the flag a little better than he did this year only that he'll charge you a
[02:31.380 -> 02:38.140] $1,500 for an upgrade or something so that pretty much seems like it to me
[02:38.820 -> 02:44.580] classic Apple stuff no it's just weird back in the day we used to have those
[02:44.580 -> 02:46.960] big people in suits just standing
[02:46.960 -> 02:51.360] by the racetrack jumping with excitement and then there's Tim Cook just putting the flag outside like
[02:51.360 -> 02:57.120] yeah the race might be over and done with but what a race though. Let's not see him dampen
[02:57.120 -> 03:02.080] the excitement around it because generally this race canal, it had patches of dullness
[03:02.080 -> 03:05.880] but how would you rate it because, we saw just so many crazy incidents
[03:05.880 -> 03:08.000] that we should dissect, including, firstly,
[03:08.000 -> 03:10.680] that first-lap incident between Sainz and Russell.
[03:10.680 -> 03:12.880] Then we have that ginormous accident
[03:12.880 -> 03:14.920] between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll,
[03:14.920 -> 03:16.480] Verstappen passing Hamilton,
[03:16.480 -> 03:18.720] and, well, the Constructors' Championship
[03:18.720 -> 03:20.880] just being topsy-turvy in the bottom half of the field.
[03:20.880 -> 03:22.760] But how would you rate it all over again?
[03:22.760 -> 03:24.760] For me, it's a solid seven.
[03:24.760 -> 03:29.120] Not bad, right? A handy race for all the 400,000 people who just came
[03:29.120 -> 03:33.520] into the circuit this weekend. 440,000 people nearing the half a
[03:33.520 -> 03:38.620] million mark apparently but I mean I say apparently I mean yes they've done a
[03:38.620 -> 03:46.420] round off I'm sure somewhere before they've sort of said, unless they sent the 440,001 person home saying,
[03:47.660 -> 03:51.300] no, that's it, the TV mark says 440,000 people, no.
[03:51.300 -> 03:53.640] But in all seriousness,
[03:53.640 -> 03:57.480] taking the checkered flag fiasco away
[03:57.480 -> 03:59.900] from Mr. Tim Cook and Formula One,
[03:59.900 -> 04:02.820] by the way, Esteban Ocon almost didn't see
[04:02.820 -> 04:03.660] the checkered flag.
[04:03.660 -> 04:08.560] He went onto the radio asking the team, is that a checkered flag? I didn't really get to see it. So that could be courtesy
[04:08.560 -> 04:19.920] of Mr. Tim Cook. But I would rate the race 15 on 10 for me because what last race did we have
[04:24.200 -> 04:27.520] a Leclerc versus a Max Verstappen. That was several tens of races ago, right?
[04:27.520 -> 04:32.520] What last race had a Verstappen versus Hamilton
[04:33.760 -> 04:36.120] in the same race when we actually had
[04:36.120 -> 04:38.400] a Verstappen versus Leclerc, what I just spoke of?
[04:38.400 -> 04:42.480] And then what last race had a Hamilton versus a Vettel
[04:42.480 -> 04:44.080] for the lead of the race?
[04:44.080 -> 04:48.820] So imagine all these three legendary epic battles
[04:48.820 -> 04:52.420] in one race, and that's what the 2022 US Grand Prix was.
[04:52.420 -> 04:55.660] And to top it all, we just spoke of Vettel racing.
[04:55.660 -> 04:59.300] What last race did we see Vettel pull off such moves?
[04:59.300 -> 05:02.660] And then we had the most Alonso-esque race
[05:02.660 -> 05:08.320] driven by Mr. Fernando Alonso ever since that three-wheeled race or whatever,
[05:08.320 -> 05:10.360] three wheels on his wagon in Baku.
[05:10.360 -> 05:13.020] Or maybe this even takes the cake from there, right?
[05:13.960 -> 05:17.200] Only to be dismissed in the most Alonzo-esque fashion
[05:17.200 -> 05:18.080] post-race as well.
[05:18.080 -> 05:19.440] So to me, this was epic.
[05:19.440 -> 05:22.320] Yes, there were instances when it got dull,
[05:22.320 -> 05:27.280] we were waiting for strategies to play out and whatever, but that's always Formula One. I mean you're never gonna have
[05:27.280 -> 05:31.240] action every single lap. You will have moments of action, then you'll wait for
[05:31.240 -> 05:34.000] strategy to play out, then you'll have moments of action and then you'll wait
[05:34.000 -> 05:37.040] strategy to play out and then you'll have moments of action, then you'll wait
[05:37.040 -> 05:40.840] for the end of the race and then you hope that the end of the race is where
[05:40.840 -> 05:50.320] the official results are. You hope that the FIA are adjudicating as they should in real time and you know where I'm going with this. Yep, yep, we should come to that on a second
[05:50.320 -> 05:53.840] and we should actually get to Max in a second but I actually want to come to the first point that
[05:53.840 -> 06:00.880] you mentioned about Alonzo because when have you ever seen a driver do a wheelie, take off, land,
[06:00.880 -> 06:06.800] brush the sidewalls, go to the pit lane, race, get more positions and then get sent to the
[06:06.800 -> 06:11.280] back of the grid all over again just in the matter of an hour. It's just the most Fernando Alonso
[06:11.280 -> 06:15.920] race ever. I mean he literally took off. For a second I thought oh my god this is going to be
[06:15.920 -> 06:22.000] a Mark Webber like accident from Valencia in 2010 but I just don't get it. Is that Alpine a tank?
[06:22.000 -> 06:25.000] How is it still continuing on to race and race fast?
[06:25.000 -> 06:31.000] Because I think at the end of the race, he did make up a few positions before losing P6 to Landon Norris at the very end.
[06:31.000 -> 06:33.000] Who we should also come to in a little bit briefly.
[06:33.000 -> 06:36.000] But Fernando Alonso just lost it in the most crazy fashion as well Kunal.
[06:36.000 -> 06:39.000] Because Haas were infuriated.
[06:39.000 -> 06:40.000] And I want to know your take on this.
[06:40.000 -> 06:48.800] Because they were like, hey, we got three black and orange flags in the season for a sticky little end plate and Fernando Alonso gets to race with a loose mirror.
[06:48.800 -> 06:50.400] And I think that's why they got penalized, right?
[06:50.400 -> 06:52.860] But why was Sergio Perez not penalized at the end?
[06:52.860 -> 06:56.680] Because Haas also raised a complaint against him saying, well, he's lost his front wing
[06:56.680 -> 06:58.160] and he's been allowed to race.
[06:58.160 -> 06:59.160] What is it?
[06:59.160 -> 07:00.960] Is it some sort of conspiracy against Haas?
[07:00.960 -> 07:01.960] Very interesting.
[07:01.960 -> 07:06.640] Talking of Fernando Alonso, I know it's completely unrelated to what you said,
[07:06.640 -> 07:13.080] but interesting. He was very calm, composed in his criticism of Lance Stroll, because of course,
[07:13.080 -> 07:18.440] Lance's father's going to pay him all the money, big bucks next year to raise for Aston Martin.
[07:18.440 -> 07:24.160] Seeing Aston Martin's performance at Kota, where clearly they were best of the rest,
[07:24.160 -> 07:25.280] they were quicker than the Alpines
[07:25.280 -> 07:31.440] and the McLarens. I think it's for once, hopefully, that trajectory that Alonso is able to catch where
[07:31.440 -> 07:36.560] the team is on the upswing and when he joins them as opposed to them being on the downswing.
[07:37.120 -> 07:42.400] So it was clearly Lance's mistake. He's got a penalty for Mexico, much deserved. Doesn't matter
[07:42.400 -> 07:51.280] whatever Lance says. He said there was enough room on his left. Fernando moved too late, blah, blah, blah, doesn't matter. But I think Haas had a point there
[07:51.280 -> 07:57.760] because, you know, they were really undone by all their black and orange flags that sort of came out.
[07:57.760 -> 08:10.260] Pérez's was a little more easier to understand for me. The flap just fell off and then there was nothing hanging. So that to me was okay. Fernandes I completely agree with but
[08:10.260 -> 08:13.920] there are two points to what they said. First was the loose hanging mirror which
[08:13.920 -> 08:20.380] was dangerous on track on safety grounds that I agree with. The second part which
[08:20.380 -> 08:27.800] I still have to dissect was to say that a car in itself without a rear-wing mirror is a danger on track,
[08:27.800 -> 08:35.160] which technically means that if you, if Alpine was to even remove the hanging mirror and send the driver out,
[08:35.160 -> 08:42.000] Haas's protest was that that is still dangerous because you still need both mirrors on track to have a safe race
[08:42.000 -> 08:44.880] and be safe for yourself and your competitors and so on.
[08:44.880 -> 08:49.600] And I hope that this doesn't become a precedent going forward, where you've lost a mirror,
[08:49.600 -> 08:52.880] the car is running fine, you're leading the race, but you've got to retire because, hey,
[08:52.880 -> 08:58.560] the mirror is an important vital part of safety. Just my thoughts. But above all else,
[08:59.520 -> 09:06.840] just Fernando Alonso driving the way he did, my goodness. On one hand, we started with Vettel not retiring.
[09:06.840 -> 09:10.600] I really hope Fernando Alonso doesn't retire for a few years as well.
[09:10.600 -> 09:13.600] I mean, he's the oldest of the block.
[09:13.600 -> 09:20.520] There's no driver on track who Alonso is afraid going up against and
[09:20.520 -> 09:24.520] who's probably, I would say, if I could put it this way,
[09:24.520 -> 09:26.600] I would love to see Alonso versus Verstappen.
[09:26.600 -> 09:30.600] That's the one battle I would pay money for in 2023.
[09:30.600 -> 09:32.600] Green Red Bull versus Blue Red Bull.
[09:32.600 -> 09:33.600] That'll be fun as well.
[09:33.600 -> 09:36.600] I really want to see how that materializes eventually.
[09:36.600 -> 09:38.600] But it's such a Fernando Alonso race.
[09:38.600 -> 09:41.600] But there's more to this race than Fernando Alonso,
[09:41.600 -> 09:43.600] which is hard to really think of.
[09:43.600 -> 09:48.560] But let's actually talk about Max Verstappen for a second, because he has now just done
[09:48.560 -> 09:50.040] something really crazy.
[09:50.040 -> 09:55.800] He's now become the first driver since Alan Jones in 1981 to win two races in the USA
[09:55.800 -> 09:57.060] in the same year.
[09:57.060 -> 10:03.080] He's now tied Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for 13 wins in a season, the most ever,
[10:03.080 -> 10:06.320] which also makes me wonder. Michael did it in 2004,
[10:06.320 -> 10:12.240] Vettel did it in 2013, Mac did it in 2022. So the next time we're going to have a driver match it,
[10:12.240 -> 10:17.600] is it going to be in 2031? But that aside, is also now, I think, Kunal,
[10:17.600 -> 10:22.080] you serve Fernando Alonso, because he now has the same number of world championships as Fernando
[10:22.080 -> 10:30.080] Alonso, but he now has one more race win than Alonso. 33 to his 32. Now could we be on that debate? Is Max better than Alonso?
[10:30.080 -> 10:35.320] I think we'll keep it for the end of the season. But we should also talk about how a 10 second
[10:35.320 -> 10:40.240] pit stop, a delayed 10 second pit stop, it's just no big deal anymore. I suppose when you
[10:40.240 -> 10:44.020] win from P14 and you spin and then you win and then you go to the gravel and then you
[10:44.020 -> 10:45.440] win and then do so many other gravel and then you win and then
[10:51.600 -> 10:52.240] do so many other weird things. I think a 10 second delayed pit stop is just fair game, right? Normal stuff happens every other day.
[10:58.240 -> 10:59.040] Yeah, it's like, hey, how much more can we challenge our world champion driver? And how much more can we
[11:04.960 -> 11:05.400] sort of make him work harder for his win? And what I loved absolutely was despite winning the title,
[11:05.400 -> 11:09.960] he was upset about a botched race execution.
[11:09.960 -> 11:12.360] Doesn't matter if the title is in the bag,
[11:12.360 -> 11:14.720] we need to be perfect in execution.
[11:14.720 -> 11:18.000] And I think that's what I really love about Max Verstappen.
[11:18.000 -> 11:20.520] And a word about slow pit stops,
[11:20.520 -> 11:22.400] because Vettel had a slow pit stop,
[11:22.400 -> 11:24.400] Verstappen had a slow pit stop.
[11:24.400 -> 11:27.100] I believe it was one of the Haas drivers also with a slow pit stop, Verstappen had a slow pit stop. I believe it was one of the Haas drivers
[11:27.100 -> 11:28.160] also with a slow pit stop.
[11:28.160 -> 11:30.120] I can't remember, but that was purely down
[11:30.120 -> 11:32.480] to the heat in Austin.
[11:32.480 -> 11:33.600] That probably cost them,
[11:33.600 -> 11:36.400] but that just added to the joy for us, right?
[11:36.400 -> 11:38.640] Because Max then had to overtake Leclerc
[11:38.640 -> 11:40.920] and then had to save his tires
[11:40.920 -> 11:43.080] while still extracting his raw speed
[11:43.080 -> 11:45.000] to go and battle with Lewis Hamilton.
[11:45.000 -> 11:56.400] And to me, this record of 13 wins is something that even Lewis Hamilton doesn't have in through
[11:56.400 -> 12:00.200] all the years of dominance he's had at Mercedes.
[12:00.200 -> 12:05.280] So even if we are entering a cycle of Max Verstappen's dominance,
[12:05.920 -> 12:12.160] it's just a different way he is scripting his own dominance in Formula One, for me at least.
[12:12.160 -> 12:16.080] And to analyze how he actually is going about that, what is his driving style,
[12:16.080 -> 12:20.160] what makes him so special, along with other things as well, don't forget to join us for
[12:20.160 -> 12:25.600] the live race watch along at the Brazilian GP with Peter Winsor. The tickets are now open
[12:25.600 -> 12:30.560] for everyone to register for. Remember, it's for free and you can join the race with us live and
[12:30.560 -> 12:35.680] send in your questions, interact with Peter, ask him everything about driver styles, race strategies
[12:35.680 -> 12:39.680] and so on and so forth. It's going to be a ton of fun so don't forget to register by clicking the
[12:39.680 -> 12:45.200] link in the description. And now let's also talk about other interesting things including the cycle of
[12:45.200 -> 12:51.520] dominance for Charles Leclerc because believe it or not Kunal, this is I think the first time ever
[12:51.520 -> 12:55.920] that he's gone with five consecutive podium finishes in his entire career. He's getting
[12:55.920 -> 13:00.080] better. We're seeing a streak of dominance of Charles Leclerc as well but joke aside,
[13:00.080 -> 13:05.360] the real fun part is he was disappointed with P3 at the end. He said that we could have done better.
[13:05.360 -> 13:10.320] Now, he capitalized on the safety car. That's how he eventually jumped quite a few cars and then
[13:10.320 -> 13:14.320] ended up being in the position that he was in. But I think he's kind of right because at the
[13:14.320 -> 13:18.160] end they were lacking pace to Sergio Perez who had they had a couple of more laps, they would
[13:18.160 -> 13:22.400] have potentially been passed by. So you think Leclerc is being a bit too harsh by saying that
[13:22.400 -> 13:25.680] he was disappointed with P3 or is it kind of a fair analysis?
[13:25.680 -> 13:28.160] I would say it's a fair analysis.
[13:28.160 -> 13:30.760] I mean, as a driver, he's always wanting more.
[13:30.760 -> 13:34.120] If Max could come from behind him, overtake two cars,
[13:34.120 -> 13:38.200] and then sort of go and win the race, he probably
[13:38.200 -> 13:40.680] believes he was quicker than the Mercedes.
[13:40.680 -> 13:44.400] But the truth is, maybe the Ferrari was the third quickest car in race conditions
[13:44.400 -> 13:48.520] because the Mercedes was quick for a long, long time
[13:48.520 -> 13:50.720] till literally maybe three or five laps till the end,
[13:50.720 -> 13:54.400] we believed that the Mercedes could have actually won
[13:54.400 -> 13:57.680] with Lewis Hamilton, who was driving impeccable.
[13:57.680 -> 14:00.840] After a long time, we heard, Lewis, it's hammer time.
[14:00.840 -> 14:03.240] We heard that radio message, which is of course,
[14:04.640 -> 14:06.240] very nostalgic for at
[14:06.240 -> 14:11.920] least Lewis Hamilton fans and those who really love watching a driver drive a car on the limit,
[14:11.920 -> 14:17.920] which is like me, for example. But, you know, it of course started off with a bit of ease because
[14:17.920 -> 14:23.440] George Russell had his start line shenanigans. You know, George seems a little bit under pressure.
[14:23.440 -> 14:30.400] There are some mistakes that have crept in in his racecraft. He's not had the cleanest of races. I would say the first half
[14:30.400 -> 14:35.360] of the season, he was very, very impressive. The last few races, yes, he is impressive, but,
[14:35.360 -> 14:39.760] you know, Lewis has upped his game a little bit. The car has probably come to Lewis a little more.
[14:39.760 -> 14:44.880] That's why Lewis has sort of outqualified him. And hence, Russell's probably finding,
[14:44.880 -> 14:48.440] you know, feeling some pressure to, you pressure to strike back or at least hold his
[14:48.440 -> 14:54.720] ground against Lewis Hamilton because that move on Carlos Sainz at the opening lap, turn
[14:54.720 -> 14:58.740] one, was a little too amateurish, if I may say so.
[14:58.740 -> 15:06.300] And of course, Sainz, who had a brilliant pole position, saw his race literally be ruined on the first
[15:06.300 -> 15:07.300] corner itself.
[15:07.300 -> 15:12.140] You know, I think it was his second first corner retirement consecutively and maybe
[15:12.140 -> 15:13.960] his third of the season.
[15:13.960 -> 15:20.220] So a little unfortunate because I think now he is in danger of being, I mean, Lewis Hamilton
[15:20.220 -> 15:23.180] is very close to him in the Drivers' Championship as well, I think.
[15:23.180 -> 15:24.940] So just a bit of that.
[15:24.940 -> 15:27.240] But could Hamilton have won?
[15:27.240 -> 15:32.200] I mean, had Leclerc versus Verstappen been a little longer, maybe Hamilton would have
[15:32.200 -> 15:33.500] had a better shot at winning.
[15:33.500 -> 15:36.760] But truth be told, Hamilton was very candid post-race.
[15:36.760 -> 15:42.560] He said, listen, we missed a few 10s to the guys at the front, but most crucially, we
[15:42.560 -> 15:45.600] missed one extra set of mediums, which is what the Ferrari and the Red
[15:45.600 -> 15:52.640] Bull drivers had saved. So Lewis Hamilton, he just didn't have a set of mediums remaining for his
[15:52.640 -> 15:59.760] race strategy, and that's where he believes his race was undone. But great to see him back on the
[15:59.760 -> 16:06.480] podium for the first time after the summer break, and that too in P2 in America and
[16:06.480 -> 16:10.480] and that's that's a good recovery for Mercedes who believe that their upgrades
[16:10.480 -> 16:15.360] are actually delivering what they want them to deliver. Yep and but Lewis was
[16:15.360 -> 16:19.280] still very I wouldn't say critical but he's still very descriptive of how
[16:19.280 -> 16:22.240] tricky it is to drive this car so I don't know what they're going to do for
[16:22.240 -> 16:28.280] 2023. Are they going to stick with this concept? Are they going to try going down the more conventional route? It's very
[16:28.280 -> 16:33.400] interesting because we are seeing Mercedes get closer bit by bit, but is it enough? And
[16:33.400 -> 16:37.540] what a fun race we saw at the very end with Hamilton battling around with Max Verstappen.
[16:37.540 -> 16:41.260] And it just gave us that little glimmer of hope. But that hope was just killed off for
[16:41.260 -> 16:47.160] Carlos Sainz. And now guys, I think I'm just going to borrow an idea from the race, the Formula One reporting
[16:47.160 -> 16:52.080] website and we should now genuinely start a Carlos Sainz sympathy club.
[16:52.080 -> 16:54.720] We would need more members for that because what is it?
[16:54.720 -> 16:58.120] I think he's only completed one lap in the last couple of races, as you mentioned.
[16:58.120 -> 17:01.960] And he's had that situation twice in the season because he had that at Imola.
[17:01.960 -> 17:02.960] And what was the race before Imola?
[17:02.960 -> 17:03.960] I don't remember.
[17:03.960 -> 17:07.000] But yeah, Melbourne and Imola, he did the same thing over there as well.
[17:07.000 -> 17:10.000] So we should start a Carlos Sainz sympathy club now.
[17:10.000 -> 17:28.280] We should and you know I loved his interactions with the media on Thursday before the race where he said the difference between Leclerc, Verstappen and myself is less than a hundred in qualifying. Right. And that's true. I think it's been four, uh, four times this season already there, especially in
[17:28.280 -> 17:31.200] the last few races where it's been less than a hundred.
[17:31.200 -> 17:34.800] Then he said, unfortunately, the hundred has never fallen in my favor.
[17:35.320 -> 17:38.680] This time he made it fall in his favor and that's how it worked.
[17:38.720 -> 17:44.800] But going back to all the non-racing stuff, you know, second race in America,
[17:46.040 -> 17:51.480] one of the things that I really was looking forward to were more celebrities.
[17:51.480 -> 17:57.040] We had Brad Pitt everywhere, every hour, wherever Brad Pitt was, the camera crew would find
[17:57.040 -> 18:01.840] him, they would show him, and then they would fire a graphic reminding us that in case Brad
[18:01.840 -> 18:08.000] Pitt has aged in the last hour and you don't recognize him, you know he's Brad Pitt, he's an Academy Award winner,
[18:08.000 -> 18:09.800] or whatever that came up with it.
[18:09.800 -> 18:13.680] But the key part was when he was in the pit lane
[18:13.680 -> 18:16.440] and they had that pit bib for him,
[18:16.440 -> 18:19.480] which said, pit wall, which was P-I-T-T wall.
[18:19.480 -> 18:22.540] I think that was really, really amazing stuff.
[18:22.540 -> 18:27.560] I love such ways of sort of integrating celebrities
[18:27.880 -> 18:29.200] with the sport rather than saying,
[18:29.200 -> 18:31.680] hey, go cook the checkered flag
[18:31.680 -> 18:33.080] and you probably undercooked it.
[18:33.080 -> 18:34.240] That's what he did.
[18:34.240 -> 18:37.120] He undercooked the checkered flag moment, right?
[18:37.120 -> 18:41.040] And we also had a return to driver introductions
[18:41.040 -> 18:44.440] before the drivers got onto the parade, right?
[18:44.440 -> 18:47.240] And I remember Joe Guan Yu's was the toughest,
[18:47.240 -> 18:49.300] whereas Daniel Ricciardo was referred to
[18:49.300 -> 18:52.080] as an eight times Formula One world champion.
[18:52.080 -> 18:57.080] So just some America things, and even more America things.
[18:57.500 -> 19:00.000] Mick Schumacher, after the race, turned around and said,
[19:00.000 -> 19:02.120] I felt like a punching bag,
[19:02.120 -> 19:04.240] given just how many times he was hit in the race.
[19:04.240 -> 19:05.120] And then he had sort of, he was carrying, how many times he was hit in the race and then he had sort
[19:05.120 -> 19:10.640] of he was carrying uh you know he was carrying damage he said there's a reason why they call it
[19:10.640 -> 19:18.720] the wild west. Yeah he was hit so many times and it's just a harsh thing right they just become
[19:18.720 -> 19:23.280] the national punching bags of Formula One person like everyone just goes in there and brushes them
[19:23.280 -> 19:28.500] off but Kevin Magnuson actually scored points this, which is amazing. I think it's the first time since
[19:28.500 -> 19:34.100] 2016 that Haas have actually scored points at home. And they now have a new sponsor as
[19:34.100 -> 19:39.780] well. And they might now have a new driver coming in. But the most anticlimactic announcement
[19:39.780 -> 19:43.580] of this weekend, Kunal, I thought they would make a little more of a fuss with it. Was
[19:43.580 -> 19:48.640] Logan Sargent being announced as a Williams Formula 1 driver? I mean with an asterisk of course, depending on
[19:48.640 -> 19:53.760] the super license points, but he was announced as Williams driver for 2023. But where was all
[19:53.760 -> 19:59.120] the fanfare? There's nothing, isn't it? Yeah, Logan Sargent is going to be our 2023 driver.
[19:59.120 -> 20:03.600] Just like the FIA announced that Max Verstappen was the 2022 world champion. Are they taking a
[20:03.600 -> 20:09.040] cue? I thought being in the US, they should have hired the same cheerleaders that performed at the start of the
[20:09.040 -> 20:13.200] race and had some sort of drama, some sort of action. Maybe get Shaquille O'Neal to present
[20:13.200 -> 20:19.200] Logan Sargent as the new hero or something. There's nothing. This bland, eh, just happened at the end.
[20:19.200 -> 20:25.200] And in fact, just to add to the Logan Sargent announcement, Jos Capito was not supposed to be
[20:25.200 -> 20:27.280] in the team principals press conference.
[20:27.280 -> 20:28.800] It was supposed to be Mattia Binotto
[20:28.800 -> 20:30.760] with Zach Brown and Christian Horner,
[20:30.760 -> 20:32.740] which would have been the perfect,
[20:32.740 -> 20:35.540] you know, perfect cooking storm out there, right?
[20:35.540 -> 20:38.160] But Binotto was in the hotel down with flu.
[20:38.160 -> 20:39.600] That's why we probably didn't see him
[20:39.600 -> 20:41.080] on the circuit as well.
[20:41.080 -> 20:43.960] And then Jos Capito was a last minute stand in.
[20:43.960 -> 20:46.000] So imagine if he wasn't called in for a
[20:46.000 -> 20:52.080] stand in, maybe he wouldn't have ever made the Logan Sargent announcement. But that's just how
[20:52.080 -> 20:57.520] it goes. And quick word on Kevin Mark Newson, he was the only driver who made a one stop strategy
[20:57.520 -> 21:05.960] work. And that's how it actually fell in Kevin's lap. Also, Mick Schumacher was ahead of Kevin Magnussen
[21:05.960 -> 21:09.560] just behind Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda.
[21:09.560 -> 21:12.520] And of course, Mick was put on a two-stop strategy.
[21:12.520 -> 21:15.120] And you know, when we dissect the race like this
[21:15.120 -> 21:18.200] a little bit, okay, it just goes to show
[21:18.200 -> 21:21.440] that Mick should have actually been higher up in the points,
[21:21.440 -> 21:23.760] just that the team chose a strategy for him
[21:23.760 -> 21:29.360] that didn't work, but their gamble for Magnussen actually worked. So now we look back in history saying, oh,
[21:29.360 -> 21:33.800] but Magnussen scored, why didn't Schumacher score? But the truth lies in these details
[21:33.800 -> 21:34.800] to me, Samul.
[21:34.800 -> 21:38.720] Yep, tricky little weekend for him, but I think overall his performance was pretty decent.
[21:38.720 -> 21:47.600] I think much like Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon, who respectively went from P19 and P20 to P9 and P10 in the
[21:47.600 -> 21:48.600] race.
[21:48.600 -> 21:52.800] Now, admittedly, there were lots of retirements all the way through, but that is quite some
[21:52.800 -> 21:53.800] performance going on.
[21:53.800 -> 21:57.800] They really capitalized on the couple of safety cars extremely well and were able to carve
[21:57.800 -> 21:58.800] their way up.
[21:58.800 -> 22:04.400] And that too, after getting major grip penalty positions in the grid position penalties in
[22:04.400 -> 22:05.840] the qualifying. Wow, I'm just really
[22:05.840 -> 22:10.480] flustered on this Monday morning, actually. But that was a crazy race for them. And Alpha Tauri
[22:10.480 -> 22:14.880] now finally, well, it seems like they're there, but they aren't there. Same with Alpine. It's just
[22:14.880 -> 22:19.040] turning out to be an interesting fight because now in the constructors, after Aston Martin have
[22:19.040 -> 22:23.120] really clawed their way back, it's now just I think one point of a difference between,
[22:25.040 -> 22:30.480] way back. It's now just I think one point of a difference between what is it I think as AlphaTauri is one point behind Haas for P8 and we are seeing Aston
[22:30.480 -> 22:36.040] Martin one point behind Alfa Romeo for P6. It's just like all the battles are
[22:36.040 -> 22:39.480] all coming together and also for P5 in the championship Lewis is just four
[22:39.480 -> 22:42.680] points behind Carlos Sainz and look like is only two points ahead of Sergio
[22:42.680 -> 22:46.280] Perez. So championship might be sealed but we have a lot of fun stuff to look forward to for
[22:46.280 -> 22:47.280] Mexico.
[22:47.280 -> 22:52.760] We do and it's soon going to be the Mexican Grand Prix which we will preview on the Thursday
[22:52.760 -> 22:53.760] before the race.
[22:53.760 -> 22:58.840] We'll be hearing some decisions from the FIA on the budget cap breach.
[22:58.840 -> 22:59.840] We assume so.
[22:59.840 -> 23:00.840] It's been put on hold.
[23:00.840 -> 23:10.800] Apparently, rumours say that there has been an agreement reached on the penalty just that because of Dietrich Mateschitz passing away, they've not made the announcement
[23:10.800 -> 23:16.200] out of respect and so on. So hopefully there will be more on the budget cap breach that
[23:16.200 -> 23:19.280] will come out between now and the Mexican Grand Prix.
[23:19.280 -> 23:23.380] Yep, let's wait and see how that happens. But folks, remember, if you want to join us
[23:23.380 -> 23:26.720] for a live race, watch along with Peter Winstead for the Brazilian GP.
[23:26.720 -> 23:28.600] You can check out the link in the description
[23:28.600 -> 23:31.080] to know more about the event, how you can join us,
[23:31.080 -> 23:32.120] when you can join us.
[23:32.120 -> 23:33.920] And remember, it's all for free.
[23:33.920 -> 23:36.400] So you stand a chance to send in all of your questions
[23:36.400 -> 23:38.760] and queries about Formula 1 in real time
[23:38.760 -> 23:40.400] while watching the Brazilian GP with us.
[23:40.400 -> 23:42.200] So don't forget to register for that.
[23:42.200 -> 23:43.880] But thanks for listening, folks.
[23:43.880 -> 23:44.840] Have a good weekend.
[23:44.840 -> 23:55.840] Enjoy the festivities, and see you on thursday bye
[24:02.470 -> 24:04.470] you