To Crib or Not to Crib? 2023 Azerbaijan GP Review

Despite 2 x Qualifying and 2 x Races, there were less than a handful of moments to review from the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's over-reaction on Saturday and then under-reaction on Sunday made it to our list, as did Fernando Alonso's radio messages and of course, the pit lane blocking incident on the last lap of the race.

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah review the Sprint and Grand Prix from Azerbaijan. @f1statsguru aka Sundaram shares his jaw-dropping stats in his segment, too.

Tune in!

(Season 2023, Episode 18)

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

Image courtesy: Mercedes

**Race Review: Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023**

* **Race:** 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
* **Location:** Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan
* **Date:** June 11-12, 2023

**Key Points:**

* Sergio Perez won the race, marking his second consecutive victory and his second win at a street circuit.
* Red Bull Racing continued their dominance, with Max Verstappen finishing second and securing the fastest lap.
* Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished fourth, behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
* Fernando Alonso had a strong performance, finishing sixth and earning Driver of the Day honors.
* The race was marred by a pit lane incident on the final lap, where several photographers and FIA personnel were caught in the path of oncoming cars.

**Detailed Summary:**

The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a highly anticipated event, and it delivered plenty of excitement and drama. Red Bull Racing continued their dominance, with Sergio Perez taking the victory and Max Verstappen finishing second. However, the race was not without its challenges.

The weekend began with two qualifying sessions and two races, due to the sprint format that was introduced this season. The sprint race on Saturday was won by Verstappen, with Perez finishing second and Leclerc third.

The main event, the Grand Prix, took place on Sunday. Perez started from pole position, but Verstappen quickly overtook him on the opening lap. The two Red Bull drivers then proceeded to build a significant lead over the rest of the field.

Leclerc was running in third place, but he was unable to keep up with the pace of the Red Bulls. Hamilton, in the Mercedes, was also struggling to match the pace of the leaders.

The race was largely uneventful until the final lap, when a bizarre incident occurred in the pit lane. Several photographers and FIA personnel were standing in the path of oncoming cars, and they had to scramble to avoid being hit. The incident brought the race to a premature end, and Perez was declared the winner.

The pit lane incident overshadowed what was otherwise a great race. Perez's victory was his second of the season, and it moved him into second place in the drivers' championship standings. Verstappen extended his lead in the standings, and Red Bull Racing further solidified their position at the top of the constructors' championship.

**Controversies and Highlights:**

* The pit lane incident on the final lap was the biggest talking point of the race. The FIA has launched an investigation into the incident, and it is likely that there will be some repercussions for those responsible.
* Fernando Alonso's performance was one of the highlights of the race. The Spaniard drove a brilliant race to finish sixth, and he was rewarded with the Driver of the Day award.
* The sprint format continued to be a topic of debate. Some fans enjoyed the additional excitement that it brought to the weekend, while others felt that it was unnecessary and detracted from the main event.

**Overall:**

The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a thrilling and controversial race. Sergio Perez took the victory, but the race will be remembered for the bizarre pit lane incident on the final lap. # Inside Line F1 Podcast: Azerbaijan Grand Prix Review

## Introduction

* The hosts discuss the lack of excitement in the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with few noteworthy moments aside from Max Verstappen's overreaction in qualifying and underreaction in the race, Fernando Alonso's radio messages, and the pit lane blocking incident on the last lap.

## Race Highlights

* Ferrari had a strong weekend, with Charles Leclerc securing pole position and delivering a solid race, despite missing out on the win.
* Leclerc had several highlight moments, including spotting a cat on track during the safety car period and sitting in Sergio Perez's seat in the cool-down room after the race.
* Sergio Perez claimed his sixth career victory and the double by winning both the sprint and the Grand Prix, becoming the third driver to achieve this feat after Max Verstappen and George Russell.
* Red Bull extended their dominance, winning 14 of the last 15 races and accumulating 180 points in the Constructors' standings, the highest tally after four rounds in Formula One history.

## Statistical Review

* F1 Stats Guru, Sundaram, provides insightful statistics from the race:
* Sergio Perez has more career wins than Charles Leclerc and is the third driver to win both the sprint and the Grand Prix in the same weekend.
* Red Bull's 180 points after four rounds is the highest in any season, although 15 points came from the sprint race.
* Charles Leclerc has a low conversion rate of poles to wins, with only 21% and seven drivers having a worse record.
* Mercedes-powered cars have always been on the podium in Baku, but Fernando Alonso came close this time, maintaining his third position in the Drivers' standings.

## Oscar Piastri's Performance

* Oscar Piastri's impressive performance despite being unwell is highlighted, with the McLaren driver surviving the weekend on just four pieces of toast.
* The float upgrades on the McLaren car have made it more competitive over a single lap, improving the overall midfield competition.

## Fan Engagement

* The hosts express their gratitude to the audience for attending their screening event in Mumbai, emphasizing the enhanced experience of watching races together.

## Conclusion

* The hosts look forward to the upcoming Miami Grand Prix and promise to deliver engaging episodes leading up to the race.

[00:00.000 -> 00:24.600] Hey Kunal, how did you enjoy the exhibition Formula 1 show run in Baku this weekend?
[00:24.600 -> 00:25.000] Was it fun? My goodness, I never thought of it that way. enjoy the exhibition Formula One show run in Baku this weekend? Was it fun?
[00:25.600 -> 00:29.300] My goodness, I never thought of it that way. That it was just a show run.
[00:29.600 -> 00:30.100] It was a show run.
[00:30.100 -> 00:32.000] There was just cars running around.
[00:32.900 -> 00:36.500] Well, technically, there were two races and two qualifying sessions.
[00:37.100 -> 00:43.200] And I know you normally do the introduction, but I'm going to try and do that my way.
[00:43.200 -> 00:44.000] Hey, go for it.
[00:44.400 -> 00:44.800] Yeah.
[00:47.440 -> 00:51.760] Hey guys, welcome to this episode of the Inside Line F1 podcast. Along with me is Samuel Arora, a broadcasting prodigy in
[00:51.760 -> 00:55.240] the world of motorsport. I'm Kunal Shah and we bring to you
[00:55.240 -> 01:01.320] the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Crib View. Right. And I mean,
[01:01.400 -> 01:05.240] Crib View. What are we going to talk about in this review episode? I mean, there are lots we gonna talk about in there in this
[01:05.240 -> 01:09.160] review episode I mean there are lots of top points lots of banter points don't
[01:09.160 -> 01:15.600] you know yet basically this is yeah yeah but literally it's gonna be a session of
[01:15.600 -> 01:22.120] a scribbing and literally just that I mean what all do we have to crib about
[01:22.120 -> 01:26.320] some will you know I I don, I don't really understand.
[01:26.320 -> 01:27.320] Okay, let me put it this way.
[01:27.320 -> 01:31.240] In the preview episode, we said this is the land of fire.
[01:31.240 -> 01:36.760] Can we crib about the fact that F1 drivers and teams actually tamed the land of fire?
[01:36.760 -> 01:42.760] Because there was no chaos where nobody ordered chaos, nobody ordered entertainment.
[01:42.760 -> 01:46.080] And mind you, it was a great race, great display of driving,
[01:46.080 -> 01:49.280] apart from Russell Verstappen for those three corners,
[01:49.280 -> 01:52.980] which Max Verstappen was sort of overreacting on.
[01:52.980 -> 01:56.520] But yeah, that's it.
[01:56.520 -> 01:58.780] Who would have thought that when we had two races
[01:58.780 -> 02:00.200] and two qualifying sessions,
[02:00.200 -> 02:02.800] the most entertaining part of the entire weekend
[02:02.800 -> 02:04.840] would be one person calling the other one
[02:04.840 -> 02:10.560] a piece of human genitalia. I didn't imagine that coming to the weekend and that wasn't on the menu basically
[02:10.560 -> 02:18.400] but hang on I'm so confused with this one. Sergio Perez has won at a street race again let's just
[02:18.400 -> 02:23.440] get it out in the air but you know it's so not surprising at this stage Kunal that Christian
[02:23.440 -> 02:25.160] Onar has come out in the media and he said,
[02:25.520 -> 02:28.920] Oh, yeah, that's great. Checo is a great driver. What a great win by Checo.
[02:29.160 -> 02:31.240] But he now needs to do it on normal circuits as well.
[02:31.880 -> 02:37.000] He's basically just echoing. He's for the first time ever, Krishnan R. has said something correct on the media.
[02:37.240 -> 02:41.000] But I don't know what to do. Should we celebrate Checo's win because it doesn't really come often?
[02:41.040 -> 02:43.240] Or should we just be like, oh, we know this happens.
[02:43.280 -> 02:47.360] Can you just do it in a normal circuit as well and give us some sort of title challenge?
[02:48.160 -> 02:57.360] Let's call up Checo Perez, his sports psychologist and tell him to help Checo visualize walls at every circuit.
[02:57.400 -> 03:02.000] Tell him, Checo, there are no runoff areas, no gravel traps, just walls everywhere.
[03:02.560 -> 03:05.760] Every corner is eventually a 90 degree corner either less than
[03:05.760 -> 03:13.920] a 90 or more than a 90 degree corner. But you know we call it a crib view but it's going to be a banter
[03:13.920 -> 03:18.640] banter view banter episode because there are lots of things to crib about. Mercedes,
[03:19.200 -> 03:23.120] I don't know why I said Mercedes just you know the minute I think dominance I'm still in that
[03:23.120 -> 03:30.640] hangover of Mercedes dominance but yeah first point to crib about Red Bull's dominance. Second point, we can crib
[03:30.640 -> 03:38.240] about how the FIA made yet another error with the whole pit lane fiasco. I don't know. I mean,
[03:38.240 -> 03:43.280] what else? Of course, we have the sprint or no sprint format to crib about as well.
[03:43.280 -> 03:48.080] Where do you want to start? Yeah, I think we should give some good time to that one because I think it's a really
[03:48.080 -> 03:50.480] fun discussion.
[03:50.480 -> 03:54.720] Let's not put Ferrari in that crib list because it's been so many years to the point where
[03:54.720 -> 03:56.380] cribbing is just now the new normal.
[03:56.380 -> 04:00.400] So if we're doing a specific crib view, let's just not go down that route.
[04:00.400 -> 04:01.400] Disappointment is fine.
[04:01.400 -> 04:02.400] It is normal.
[04:02.400 -> 04:03.400] It's okay.
[04:03.400 -> 04:07.800] But I think second is still good, by the way. Wait, okay. But I think second is still good, by the way. No, second in the sprint is still good, by the way.
[04:07.800 -> 04:11.200] For a second, I really forgot that Sunday even happened.
[04:11.200 -> 04:14.000] And I know for a fact that most of you feel the same way.
[04:14.000 -> 04:20.000] Everyone apart from the organizer of the race, who must have panicked when they saw so many photographers at the pit lane entry.
[04:20.000 -> 04:22.400] But correct me if I'm wrong here, Kunal.
[04:22.400 -> 04:28.360] It's normal practice. Photographers tend to do that on the last lap because nobody tends to really pit on
[04:28.360 -> 04:32.360] the last lap unless you're Michael Schumacher at the British GP in 1998.
[04:32.360 -> 04:37.320] But realistically, it was always meant to happen at some point a driver would have stopped
[04:37.320 -> 04:38.320] over there.
[04:38.320 -> 04:41.920] It just happened and we just saw a replay of the old Group B rally scenes where there
[04:41.920 -> 04:47.400] was just fans and photographers and every sort of person with the right ID stuck in the middle of the pit lane.
[04:47.400 -> 04:50.800] It was meant to happen at some point, but what do you even do from here?
[04:50.800 -> 04:51.800] Who do you fire?
[04:51.800 -> 04:55.320] Can you just, oh, no, I know, I know, I know.
[04:55.320 -> 05:00.600] Since it's an FIA issue, they'll come out eight months later, put out a big grand 40
[05:00.600 -> 05:04.160] page report that says, hey, it was not meant to happen.
[05:04.160 -> 05:06.600] It's not the right thing, but we won't fire the person who made it happen.
[05:07.000 -> 05:11.100] And the FIA race control actually pulled up the FIA representatives,
[05:11.600 -> 05:16.000] post-race and, you know, sort of brought them in for an inquiry and the likes.
[05:16.000 -> 05:22.300] But yeah, it's not the photographer's problem or their mistake.
[05:22.500 -> 05:23.800] This is standard practice.
[05:23.800 -> 05:24.400] They go down.
[05:24.400 -> 05:46.400] That's how we get all the celebratory photos that we sort of share. Some most of the times without giving credits to the photographer and the likes, right? So they were supposed to be there. It was just one of those fiascos again. I mean, the organizers are actually putting a barricade through the fast lane of the pit lane. Imagine Esteban Ocon driving in for a pit stop, only to realize that oh my God, I can't even cross because there's a barricade.
[05:46.400 -> 05:48.000] That could have been even...
[05:48.000 -> 05:49.680] That could have been fun for TV.
[05:49.680 -> 05:50.180] Yeah.
[05:50.180 -> 05:51.200] It would have been so.
[05:51.200 -> 05:54.560] But you mentioned Michael Schumacher last lap British Grand Prix.
[05:55.120 -> 06:02.480] Let's remember last year, Alexander Alban also did a pit stop on the last lap in Australia.
[06:03.120 -> 06:05.900] We suddenly started calling him the tire whisperer.
[06:05.900 -> 06:07.020] I don't know where that came from.
[06:07.320 -> 06:11.920] Something from the media, but at that time also, Saumil, fans were blocking the pit lane.
[06:12.480 -> 06:15.680] It is a bit disappointing that the FIA has repeated the same error.
[06:16.060 -> 06:19.560] Of course, different organizers, different representatives, et cetera, et cetera.
[06:19.600 -> 06:26.640] But they shouldn't, I mean, given their relentless pursuit of safety, they should have been fixed last year, point blank, period.
[06:26.640 -> 06:27.640] No comments.
[06:27.640 -> 06:30.320] Yeah, simply, I think it just has to end there.
[06:30.320 -> 06:32.400] What else can you say about this whole issue, right?
[06:32.400 -> 06:38.040] Basically, not that, it's just so silly when you think about it, right?
[06:38.040 -> 06:42.560] It was meant to happen at some point because photographers need to find a way to go there.
[06:42.560 -> 06:44.840] Mechanics will be mechanics, full of testosterone and adrenaline.
[06:44.840 -> 06:45.280] Wait, I've testosterone and adrenaline.
[06:45.280 -> 06:46.720] Wait, I've done it again.
[06:46.720 -> 06:47.720] Adrenaline.
[06:47.720 -> 06:50.400] I think when you're in the flow, you can't say that word properly.
[06:50.400 -> 06:51.920] It just happens with so many people.
[06:51.920 -> 06:56.760] But yeah, everyone's so full of adrenaline, hey,
[06:56.760 -> 06:59.040] nailed it, that they will eventually go to the wall.
[06:59.040 -> 06:59.720] What can you do?
[06:59.720 -> 07:02.600] The FIA put out a regulation saying don't do that.
[07:02.600 -> 07:04.440] And I remember I was the first person
[07:04.440 -> 07:07.800] to come up with a completely displeasure tweet saying what are you
[07:07.800 -> 07:10.440] gonna ban now you've even gonna ban champagnes because they can go to
[07:10.440 -> 07:16.440] someone's eye but again now that I think about it when you see it happen it makes
[07:16.440 -> 07:22.080] sense so big ups to the FIFO once big downs to the FIFO for not sort of
[07:22.080 -> 07:27.960] clamping it down in a way. But the Red Bull team wall was at the pit wall or yeah,
[07:27.960 -> 07:32.200] the Red Bull team was actually seen celebrating on that
[07:32.600 -> 07:34.480] wall, which they're not supposed to go on.
[07:34.480 -> 07:36.200] So I'm assuming something's going to come out,
[07:36.200 -> 07:39.400] some other inquiry or something and the lead up to Miami.
[07:39.640 -> 07:43.680] There are pictures that I saw that the Red Bull team was actually on the pit
[07:43.680 -> 07:45.800] wall celebrating a Checo win.
[07:46.440 -> 07:53.040] One sec, is the biggest controversy now going to be in Formula One Kunal? Did Red Bull Racing lean slightly over the wall?
[07:53.120 -> 07:58.080] Was it in the regulations? Can you only lean out of your front shoulder and not your left shoulder or something?
[07:58.080 -> 08:02.480] But it's Red Bull, they've gotten away with doing stuff that's not in the launch.
[08:03.340 -> 08:25.960] Yeah, that's true. I mean, it's seven minutes in, eight minutes in. The most interesting part of the broadcast or interesting part of the race was we actually had a fire alarm go off during our race broadcast preparations. Luckily, it was just one of those things that nothing happened. But we were just like, Oh, my God, Baku, something always happens. And it always did just that it happened before the race and not during the race
[08:25.960 -> 08:32.000] But I must say once let's maybe I think you know that that was sort of like a what do you call it a premonition of sorts?
[08:32.000 -> 08:36.040] Maybe oh, I'm forgetting the exact word for it, but it
[08:36.800 -> 08:43.560] Summarized the Baku GP in a way sort of like a fire alarm where we all expected. Hey two sprints walls chaos, but then nothing happened
[08:43.960 -> 08:45.700] Wow, that's the
[08:45.700 -> 08:51.060] perfect analogy oh my goodness we should use this fire alarm on analogy so many
[08:51.060 -> 08:55.380] times in our episodes but but I mean look at let's I'm gonna get a little
[08:55.380 -> 09:00.100] serious you know I read a lot of tweets football matches go 0-0 people still
[09:00.100 -> 09:04.180] enjoy people still crave does every race need to be an entertainment and
[09:04.180 -> 09:05.520] excitement the truth is
[09:06.240 -> 09:10.800] no, it doesn't. You know, 0-0 matches are still good. It shows the potential of attacking,
[09:10.800 -> 09:16.560] defending the quality, all of that. Like I said at the start of the episode, great driving quality,
[09:16.560 -> 09:21.040] nobody sort of made mistakes. It was literally like everybody was waiting for somebody else to
[09:21.040 -> 09:28.200] make a mistake. And guess what? It was just Nick DeFries who made the mistake. People were just slapping the walls a little bit but again nothing too
[09:28.200 -> 09:34.120] serious that that happened. It was actually great quality of driving that sort of you
[09:34.120 -> 09:37.560] know did that. I think they were held back by the tires. Pirelli brought the softest
[09:37.560 -> 09:43.400] compounds but you know the hard tire literally went 98.7% of the race or something like that
[09:43.400 -> 09:46.120] so the softest compounds are still the hardest.
[09:46.120 -> 09:48.320] Sometimes you just have a race like this
[09:48.320 -> 09:50.380] and sometimes you just have a weekend like this
[09:50.380 -> 09:53.760] where the only highlight was George Russell
[09:53.760 -> 09:56.480] being on the inside of Max Verstappen
[09:56.480 -> 09:58.800] on the opening lap of the sprint.
[09:58.800 -> 10:03.520] And Max Verstappen's overreaction to that moment
[10:03.520 -> 10:05.040] was my highlight, I would say. And then Max Verstappen's overreaction to that moment was my highlight, I would say.
[10:05.040 -> 10:12.560] And then Max Verstappen's underreaction to losing the Grand Prix to Perez because of the safety car was the other highlight.
[10:12.560 -> 10:16.720] He was like, oh my God, Max is going to be furious about this. And he was not.
[10:16.720 -> 10:21.840] And oh my God, Max, what are you furious about? And he kept going on and on and on.
[10:21.840 -> 10:25.520] And I think one of the reasons why this incident just blew up is because there
[10:25.520 -> 10:32.240] was literally nothing else of interest happening on track. Oh no, oh I disagree actually. There
[10:32.240 -> 10:37.760] were a couple of really interesting things that were happening. Esteban Ocon like not doing anything
[10:37.760 -> 10:43.120] at all basically was one thing. But what was also interesting was Lewis Hamilton having genuinely
[10:43.120 -> 10:45.840] good pace. He was comparable with,
[10:45.840 -> 10:50.400] let's say, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and we know that if one Ferrari can do such a good job,
[10:50.400 -> 10:55.040] I thought that the, again, I'm just, that's just my frustration with Carlos Sainz in general,
[10:55.040 -> 11:00.000] it's just why can the man not extract that much pace out of that car. It's very surface level,
[11:00.000 -> 11:06.880] I know there are other factors as well, but it's a glaring problem right there. You need two drivers getting the best out of the car.
[11:06.880 -> 11:11.120] So I was very excited to see Lewis Hamilton get up there, nearly get past.
[11:11.120 -> 11:12.560] And that was interesting to watch.
[11:12.560 -> 11:17.760] But I'll come back to the whole Russell Verstappen part, because we're on Mercedes sort of,
[11:18.800 -> 11:20.320] we were on that sort of tangent anyway.
[11:23.360 -> 11:28.200] You're already calling it an overreaction, Kunal, but by Max. I am and
[11:28.200 -> 11:34.680] you know I'm in this space where you know at the end of the day that it was
[11:34.680 -> 11:39.800] interesting to see Russell and you know I think when I was discussing this
[11:39.800 -> 11:47.280] incident with Mithra it was like Max and Russell had a tussle. That's how we put it. That's how we got at some point.
[11:47.280 -> 11:50.640] Well, that's a dad joke just out there, right?
[11:50.640 -> 11:53.920] But, you know, George Russell kept his helmet on
[11:53.920 -> 11:56.440] while Max was still, you know, removing his helmet.
[11:56.440 -> 11:59.960] The adrenaline, I got it right for once, was flowing.
[11:59.960 -> 12:02.320] And, you know, he was shouting, you know,
[12:02.320 -> 12:03.680] whatever we know what he shouted.
[12:03.680 -> 12:05.840] But, and then Russell was asked saying, why did you leave your helmet on? And he said, I we know what he shouted. But and then Russell was asked, saying,
[12:05.840 -> 12:07.000] why did you leave your helmet on?
[12:07.000 -> 12:09.360] And he said, I've seen what's happened with Ocon before,
[12:09.360 -> 12:10.120] with Max.
[12:10.120 -> 12:11.800] So it was one of those things.
[12:11.800 -> 12:15.600] Again, those things that should have been played up more on TV.
[12:15.600 -> 12:20.520] But anyway, talking of Mercedes, in Brazil last year,
[12:20.520 -> 12:23.000] when they won their only race of the season,
[12:23.000 -> 12:27.400] they got the one free practice session set up challenge right.
[12:27.400 -> 12:33.720] In Baku this year, Toto Wolf admitted that they did not get their set up right.
[12:33.720 -> 12:35.000] They've sort of went the wrong way.
[12:35.000 -> 12:36.520] Carlos Sainz got impacted as well.
[12:36.520 -> 12:40.360] So in a way, a lot of the performances that we were hoping to see and we didn't see were
[12:40.360 -> 12:43.200] because people didn't get their set up right.
[12:43.200 -> 12:46.200] We saw what happened with the new soft regulation
[12:46.200 -> 12:50.280] for the shootout Q3 or the SQ3 as we were calling it.
[12:50.280 -> 12:52.800] Lando Norris made it to top 10, but didn't have it.
[12:54.520 -> 12:57.760] Let's get to sprint or not to sprint, right?
[12:57.760 -> 13:01.880] And I think it's, at least my view is
[13:01.880 -> 13:04.280] it's great to have sessions where everything,
[13:04.280 -> 13:05.060] something or the other is always happening. It's wonderful. It's great for have sessions where everything, something or the other
[13:05.060 -> 13:06.980] is always happening, it's wonderful.
[13:06.980 -> 13:09.520] It's great for the fans, it's great for the broadcasters,
[13:09.520 -> 13:13.940] but let's remember, there is a reality of Formula One
[13:13.940 -> 13:16.100] which we need to keep in mind,
[13:16.100 -> 13:18.860] that it's the teams and drivers that make things happen,
[13:18.860 -> 13:22.360] make things happen, and not the rules and regulations
[13:22.360 -> 13:23.200] and the sessions.
[13:23.200 -> 13:28.000] And if the sprint rules were written in a way that they have been written,
[13:28.000 -> 13:32.000] the teams have still found a way to make it as boring as they can
[13:32.000 -> 13:35.000] because they are here to race and score points, right?
[13:35.000 -> 13:37.000] And similarly, let's look at Pirelli.
[13:37.000 -> 13:39.000] I spoke of Pirelli data and information, right?
[13:39.000 -> 13:42.000] And Pirelli makes the tires,
[13:42.000 -> 13:48.040] which is why, you know, Mario Isola always has a view on what the optimal strategy should or shouldn't be.
[13:48.040 -> 13:49.880] But the teams are the ones who use the tires.
[13:49.880 -> 13:53.880] They are the ones who have actual session information,
[13:53.880 -> 13:56.160] which is why the teams always have a different view
[13:56.160 -> 13:57.880] than what Mario Isola usually has.
[13:57.880 -> 14:01.320] So I think that the sprint needs to be written in a way
[14:01.320 -> 14:04.240] or dealt in a way where the teams feel excited enough
[14:04.240 -> 14:07.120] to say, we are gonna go give it all we can.
[14:07.120 -> 14:10.240] And something as simple as maybe there should be points awarded
[14:10.240 -> 14:12.880] for every finishing position, because then there's
[14:12.880 -> 14:15.160] something in it for everybody even outside of top eight.
[14:15.160 -> 14:18.080] But lots of things that will happen.
[14:18.080 -> 14:20.120] I don't know what the eventual future is going to be,
[14:20.120 -> 14:21.920] apart from Max Wischtappen walking away
[14:21.920 -> 14:25.040] if there are too many changes to this format.
[14:25.040 -> 14:30.080] No, but fun fact, Sundaram F1 stats guru just came up with another amazing stat that Max is
[14:30.080 -> 14:34.880] the only person to score a point in every single sprint race that's happened so far.
[14:34.880 -> 14:41.120] And I think it'll maintain as well because you have now more points finishers, but again,
[14:41.120 -> 14:45.120] the past cannot be changed. But on that front as well, I quite
[14:45.120 -> 14:51.280] liked it. Initially, I was of course against it. I still am very much against it. It's something
[14:51.280 -> 14:56.400] interesting to have here and there if I'm being very, very objective because it kind of makes a
[14:56.400 -> 15:00.800] Formula One weekend like a rally. And if you haven't really watched a rally, I think it's one
[15:00.800 -> 15:05.520] of the most rewarding experiences when you see many, when you see a big war divided
[15:05.520 -> 15:10.320] into many tiny battles. So you keep on tracking the progress. Okay, who's won battle X? Let's say
[15:10.320 -> 15:16.480] stage number one. Who's won stage two? Who's won stage three? So it feels more rewarding as a viewer
[15:16.480 -> 15:20.240] when you get to the very end, where you're like, okay, I've seen the entire battle now. I know
[15:20.240 -> 15:24.960] who's stronger in one area, who's stronger in the other one. And then you just feel a little bit more
[15:24.960 -> 15:26.480] connected to the sport in that way.
[15:26.480 -> 15:30.140] And I like that there are two qualifying sessions in two races where we got to see something
[15:30.140 -> 15:35.140] different in that front, where it was essentially the same cars going around the same circles
[15:35.140 -> 15:38.920] and similar temperatures, but there were changes here and there, which made you feel involved
[15:38.920 -> 15:43.760] as an audience member, which was fun in my opinion.
[15:43.760 -> 15:46.400] But again, the reality of it, way too many races, Kunal,
[15:46.400 -> 15:50.440] and it dilutes the final product as well, in my opinion.
[15:50.440 -> 15:52.600] So yeah, sort of like.
[15:53.600 -> 15:56.320] Toto Wolf has been very vocal against this format.
[15:56.320 -> 15:59.280] And, you know, I'm sure Formula One has learned their lessons.
[15:59.280 -> 16:02.160] Few sporting changes that'll come is on the use of soft tires,
[16:02.160 -> 16:03.720] whether it's a new or a used one.
[16:03.720 -> 16:06.120] I think points changes could also be one,
[16:06.120 -> 16:09.440] or points being awarded, for example, could also be one.
[16:09.440 -> 16:12.360] Maybe park format changes could be the other as well.
[16:12.360 -> 16:14.840] Right now, cars are locked in from Friday till Sunday,
[16:14.840 -> 16:16.800] and that's what, once you're on the back foot,
[16:16.800 -> 16:17.780] you're just on the back foot,
[16:17.780 -> 16:19.100] and then you're just sort of gone.
[16:19.100 -> 16:21.840] So not all changes, but some park format changes
[16:21.840 -> 16:25.760] could happen, but I think another very interesting highlight
[16:25.760 -> 16:28.000] since we are on this whole sprint and stuff,
[16:28.000 -> 16:30.440] and you mentioned Ferrari, Mercedes,
[16:30.440 -> 16:32.000] Aston Martin we got to still talk of,
[16:32.000 -> 16:34.920] Mercedes' pace, Ferrari's pace, and Aston Martin.
[16:34.920 -> 16:37.920] They were so closely matched in Baku
[16:37.920 -> 16:40.920] that again, their finishing positions
[16:40.920 -> 16:43.560] were all based on who had track position.
[16:43.560 -> 16:46.920] To give you an example, Lewis Hamilton had track position in the Grand Prix to finish
[16:46.920 -> 16:52.320] where he did, but in the sprint, he lost position to Sainz and Alonso at the restart, and then
[16:52.320 -> 16:54.320] he couldn't gain them back.
[16:54.320 -> 17:01.360] Similarly, when Russell overtook Stroll in the pit lane, he kept position on track, but
[17:01.360 -> 17:08.420] then he made a mistake and Stroll got him back and he couldn't get the position back. So track position in this whole battle for P2,
[17:08.420 -> 17:09.840] very, very vital.
[17:09.840 -> 17:13.540] Also highlighting overtaking is still very difficult.
[17:13.540 -> 17:15.860] And, you know, Russell's pit lane,
[17:15.860 -> 17:18.740] yeah, Russell's pit lane overtake reminded me of Fettel
[17:18.740 -> 17:20.380] from China in 2016,
[17:20.380 -> 17:23.020] when the safety car is actually on the racetrack,
[17:23.020 -> 17:24.420] but not in the pit lane.
[17:24.420 -> 17:29.740] So pit lane is standard racing conditions. So interesting to see you know
[17:29.740 -> 17:32.900] you know drivers know the rule book and doing what they are doing.
[17:32.900 -> 17:37.460] Yeah I agree but nothing hides the fact that the cars are still not there yet.
[17:37.460 -> 17:42.660] Oh absolutely. Yeah it's such a such a pain point because when you have
[17:42.660 -> 17:45.200] MotoGP just five minutes after Formula One ends and they're's such a pain point because when you have MotoGP just five minutes after Formula 1 ends...
[17:45.600 -> 17:50.160] And they're delivering such a cracking product when all the MotoGP insiders by the way will tell you...
[17:50.400 -> 17:55.040] Oh, this is the worst that MotoGP has ever been in, the bikes are so aerodynamic you can't pass but...
[17:55.440 -> 18:00.080] You're still having 40 good passes every single race, competitive close racing.
[18:00.320 -> 18:04.960] I'm not saying that Formula 1 should be like MotoGP, it's never been like MotoGP, it can't be like MotoGP...
[18:04.960 -> 18:08.160] The core ethos of the series is completely different.
[18:08.160 -> 18:13.760] But essentially, even if a circuit like Baku ends up struggling for making passes, when
[18:13.760 -> 18:17.520] you've sort of come up with the best possible aerodynamic concept, I think then something's
[18:17.520 -> 18:22.420] also going wrong because you can't physically get a track much wider than this.
[18:22.420 -> 18:24.280] So what are you going to do?
[18:24.280 -> 18:25.880] Essentially, that's what's on my mind.
[18:25.880 -> 18:29.800] But I'm in this space where if they really want to pursue
[18:29.800 -> 18:32.800] an interesting sprint solution on Saturday,
[18:32.800 -> 18:36.040] why don't you just give everybody the same car
[18:36.040 -> 18:38.240] and the same engines and the same tires and say,
[18:38.240 -> 18:41.640] go, like treat the Grand Prix as a Friday, Sunday
[18:41.640 -> 18:44.960] and on a Saturday, like give everybody the equal machinery
[18:44.960 -> 18:52.400] that everybody would love to sort in Formula One. Let the driver make the difference. Detach
[18:52.400 -> 18:57.040] the Saturday completely from the Sunday outcomes. Because so many drivers are scared. You crash
[18:57.040 -> 19:01.520] and there's a financial penalty that the team will pay. You'll crash, maybe your car won't
[19:01.520 -> 19:06.400] be ready, whatever that happens. But enough of this format, we can't really change it.
[19:06.400 -> 19:10.040] Although now we know how Formula One will sort of change it.
[19:10.040 -> 19:13.280] I'm going to go on that actually on the sprint format.
[19:13.280 -> 19:16.600] I want to talk a little bit about the Russell Verstappen point.
[19:16.600 -> 19:18.720] I know we touched upon it a second ago.
[19:18.720 -> 19:22.600] I know what you think about it in calling Max's thing an overreaction, but I want to
[19:22.600 -> 19:24.040] just build upon that.
[19:24.040 -> 19:29.240] I am amazed by how mature Max has become in the car. His performances
[19:29.240 -> 19:32.380] have been superb, his consistency is on another level. If you've been following
[19:32.380 -> 19:37.040] him since 2015 you know that this guy has just skyrocketed to another level of
[19:37.040 -> 19:43.400] performance. But how can you not take something that you dish out yourself? I'm
[19:43.400 -> 19:46.440] sorry, blatantly, very, very simply.
[19:46.440 -> 19:48.700] It's the same sort of driving that Max does.
[19:48.700 -> 19:53.400] But I read this tweet somewhere from some journalist, I think it was Chris Metlin.
[19:53.400 -> 19:54.800] I'm not really sure.
[19:54.800 -> 19:58.760] But someone said that the psychological battle between Russell and Verstappen is so amazing
[19:58.760 -> 20:02.920] because here's one person, Russell, trying to say, okay, you can't take me as a soft
[20:02.920 -> 20:03.920] competitor.
[20:03.920 -> 20:07.860] But the other ones, the king of the jungle, the lion basically wants to come up and say don't you dare
[20:07.860 -> 20:12.000] try and challenge me and this sort of battle this sort of psychological game
[20:12.000 -> 20:16.300] is why we watch Formula One which was so interesting to me but again when does it
[20:16.300 -> 20:19.980] happen when you have cars that are going side by side and that can compete with
[20:19.980 -> 20:24.540] each other so it's not that Formula One is flawed it's just that we can do a
[20:24.540 -> 20:25.360] little bit better with the
[20:25.360 -> 20:32.560] cars, I think. Talking of psychological battle, Checo Perez launched another psychological battle
[20:32.560 -> 20:37.600] against Max Verstappen. Did he? Yeah, he said after the race, he said I could have won the race even
[20:37.600 -> 20:42.320] without a safety car, so that was point number one. Point number two is, oh I'm absolutely still
[20:42.320 -> 20:48.000] in the title battle and you know the results like this will only motivate me that much further. Right.
[20:48.000 -> 20:49.040] And he said this.
[20:49.040 -> 20:54.240] One sec. Sorry Kunal. We've been here before. We were here exactly last year. Do you remember
[20:54.240 -> 20:58.800] what our Baku GP review title was? Welcome Baku, was it? Or?
[20:59.680 -> 21:02.640] Something along the lines that, hey, do we now have a championship fight?
[21:02.640 -> 21:04.560] We're not going to make that same mistake again, are we?
[21:09.360 -> 21:18.640] Wow. No. Well, I'll put it this way he looks closer than ever before which is great but I'll you know 2016 is a great example to sort of talk about from here right and the
[21:18.640 -> 21:25.760] example is such that the example is Nico Rosberg actually won the title because of reliability issues.
[21:25.760 -> 21:30.320] Of course, he drove fantastically well to be as close to as matched against Lewis Hamilton.
[21:30.320 -> 21:36.800] But there's a reason why Max Verstappen has also been saying that reliability will play a key part in this title battle.
[21:36.800 -> 21:39.640] Because all you need, let's imagine Baku.
[21:39.640 -> 21:43.880] All you need is George Russell driving into Max Verstappen.
[21:43.880 -> 21:46.160] Max is in the wall, turn two or whatever that
[21:46.160 -> 21:50.760] happened, or turn three, I can't remember anyway. And then Max
[21:50.760 -> 21:53.680] has suddenly lost eight points to Checo, right. And then
[21:53.720 -> 21:56.640] another point of, you know, another point in the season, he
[21:56.640 -> 21:59.760] has another power unit failure, something failed, whatever, and
[21:59.760 -> 22:03.520] he loses another 25 points. So if Checo keeps being as close as
[22:03.520 -> 22:06.400] he's being, all it takes is one error,
[22:06.400 -> 22:11.520] one mistake, one crash, one reliability issue, and suddenly the title battle just swings the
[22:11.520 -> 22:17.280] other way. And which is also why Max is so against these formats, because he realizes
[22:17.280 -> 22:23.040] he has so much more to lose, whereas somebody else like Russell has literally nothing to lose.
[22:23.040 -> 22:26.840] I mean, GP, who's Max's race engineer,
[22:26.840 -> 22:29.840] went into Max's ears on the radio and said,
[22:29.840 -> 22:32.960] Max, don't worry, these guys have nothing to lose.
[22:32.960 -> 22:35.720] And he was literally motivating him that way.
[22:35.720 -> 22:39.760] So that's the whole psychological battle I love.
[22:39.760 -> 22:43.100] I would love to see Checo remain in the fight for as long,
[22:43.100 -> 22:46.880] because I get a feeling the more Checo remains in the fight for longer,
[22:47.000 -> 22:50.320] the more it sort of irks Max in different ways.
[22:50.320 -> 22:57.200] And you know, given that there is, you know, there is almost nobody who's not Mexican who'll
[22:57.520 -> 23:01.740] agree that Max is definitely the better talent in the Red Bull, right?
[23:02.000 -> 23:08.480] But I still want Checo to keep pinning in, to keep, you know,
[23:08.480 -> 23:13.760] irking Max as he can, to keep there in the fight. I know this is where all the Dutch listeners are
[23:13.760 -> 23:18.080] going to rate us badly, but doesn't matter. I'm just saying what I think is great for Formula 1.
[23:18.080 -> 23:23.280] No, no. But the point being, that'll actually push Max to another level. Because so far this year,
[23:23.280 -> 23:25.680] it's kind of funny how there have been many races
[23:25.680 -> 23:30.000] where not Max's fault 100% but there have been things that haven't quite worked out in his favour.
[23:30.000 -> 23:34.640] Jetta instantly comes to mind. Yeah. There's then this one as well. There are chances for Sergio
[23:34.640 -> 23:40.000] Perez to legitimately get in there and with these sort of cars passing has been a little tricky. Of
[23:40.000 -> 23:44.800] course Max had that issue as well, credit where it's due. He drove fantastically even with that
[23:44.800 -> 23:46.440] differential issue he spoke about.
[23:46.440 -> 23:48.840] So the fact that he was still close by is quite something.
[23:48.840 -> 23:52.360] But the point being, Sergio's not that far off.
[23:52.360 -> 23:57.080] And reliability will play a point when you've got 23 races and then what, six sprints as
[23:57.080 -> 23:58.080] well?
[23:58.080 -> 23:59.080] Yeah, absolutely.
[23:59.080 -> 24:03.720] I mean, I'm here, are we looking at all races on all sprints being won by Red Bull?
[24:03.720 -> 24:07.920] One doesn't know, one doesn't care, as long as there's a great battle at the end of the day for me. And
[24:07.920 -> 24:14.240] you spoke reliability. Again, everybody's been saying, now I'm switching to Aston Martin,
[24:14.240 -> 24:17.920] because hey, Aston Martin needs to be spoken about, wants to be spoken about,
[24:17.920 -> 24:23.680] especially Fernando Alonso. Everybody's been saying this year's Aston Martin is
[24:23.680 -> 24:25.800] similar to last year's Red Bull racing car.
[24:26.120 -> 24:33.120] And then everybody also points out how they are still very different than Fallows, ex Red Bull now in Aston Martin, all those things.
[24:33.560 -> 24:43.240] Now they had DRS issues this year in Baku, which was the one team and car that had DRS issues last year and the year before last.
[24:43.640 -> 24:44.960] That was Red Bull, right?
[24:45.280 -> 24:47.840] So just, I'm not drawing any conclusions,
[24:47.840 -> 24:49.520] just leaving a hint out there,
[24:49.520 -> 24:52.760] but, you know, Fernando Alonso was so brilliant.
[24:52.760 -> 24:54.680] He actually went onto the radio,
[24:54.680 -> 24:57.640] 14 laps to the end, and he asked his race engineer,
[24:57.640 -> 24:58.680] how many laps to go?
[24:58.680 -> 25:00.400] And he says, 14.
[25:00.400 -> 25:02.600] And then Alonso says, that's a great number.
[25:02.600 -> 25:04.020] Let's continue to push.
[25:04.020 -> 25:07.600] And I was just like, my goodness, this guy is such an entertainer.
[25:07.600 -> 25:17.800] Just the way he was, you know, giving, you know, break bias instructions to Lance Stroll on radio saying, you know, these settings are working for me, ask him to use them.
[25:17.800 -> 25:19.400] And it could mean two things.
[25:19.400 -> 25:25.600] First is either Alonso is, you know, not scared of Stroll at all, which I'm pretty sure he isn't.
[25:25.600 -> 25:26.960] Yeah, which is true.
[25:26.960 -> 25:30.800] Or he just wants to showcase he's a bigger person.
[25:30.800 -> 25:34.800] You're looking for a team management role at Aston Martin and all of that, right?
[25:34.800 -> 25:38.800] And the funnier part, of course, when Stroll turned around and told the team,
[25:38.800 -> 25:40.400] don't worry, I won't attack Fernando.
[25:40.400 -> 25:43.320] The truth is Fernando is always holding his tires into good stead.
[25:43.320 -> 25:44.800] You know, he knew his Lance behind.
[25:44.800 -> 25:45.800] I don't need to bother.
[25:45.800 -> 25:49.560] But statistically, before we go to F1 Stats Guru Stats,
[25:49.560 -> 25:53.320] Fernando Alonso has scored 60 points over four races.
[25:53.320 -> 25:56.040] He has scored 15 points in every race.
[25:56.040 -> 25:57.600] No more, no less.
[25:57.600 -> 26:00.040] So whether he's on the podium, not on the podium,
[26:00.040 -> 26:04.560] sprint race, Grand Prix edition, he's got 60 points out there.
[26:04.560 -> 26:05.560] He has.
[26:05.560 -> 26:08.440] And it's interesting.
[26:08.440 -> 26:12.480] Fernando Alonso this weekend has not said to Lance Stoll,
[26:12.480 -> 26:13.760] you're on your own, kid.
[26:13.760 -> 26:15.320] There's no bad blood between them.
[26:15.320 -> 26:16.280] I like it.
[26:16.280 -> 26:17.960] It's very nice.
[26:17.960 -> 26:21.520] The one person on his own, actually, this weekend.
[26:21.520 -> 26:23.960] I know you alluded to it, but I think Ferrari
[26:23.960 -> 26:28.920] had a great weekend, Somil. they had pole which is great at least on Leclerc's side
[26:28.920 -> 26:33.360] they deliver a fantastic race. They knew what they were capable of and they sort
[26:33.360 -> 26:39.160] of stuck to that and I mean yes I think Leclerc had two or maybe four highlight
[26:39.160 -> 26:47.400] moments. Of course the two pole positions that he got, right? And then the second I would say was when he actually saw a cat on track
[26:47.400 -> 26:50.120] and the transcriber,
[26:50.120 -> 26:54.320] I'm sure there's a tool that transcribes audio to text,
[26:54.320 -> 26:55.600] thought of it as a gut.
[26:55.600 -> 26:56.440] And everybody's wondering,
[26:56.440 -> 26:59.320] oh my God, did he just have a gut on his tire?
[26:59.320 -> 27:00.880] And then he clarified post-race,
[27:00.880 -> 27:02.880] it was actually a cat that he saw on track
[27:02.880 -> 27:04.560] in front of the safety car.
[27:04.560 -> 27:07.480] And then, so that was his sprint highlight, right?
[27:07.480 -> 27:11.560] And I think, I think the grand prix highlight that I would, you know, sort of point out
[27:11.560 -> 27:17.560] for Leclerc was when he sat down on Perez's seat in the cool down room.
[27:17.560 -> 27:19.920] And he said, at least I can keep this seat.
[27:19.920 -> 27:20.920] Do you want your seat?
[27:20.920 -> 27:23.360] He was like, you know, that was a winner's seat.
[27:23.360 -> 27:27.040] So interesting, so typically cute and and Charles like, I would say.
[27:27.560 -> 27:30.600] Hey, no, but you missed his big highlight of the entire weekend Kunal.
[27:30.920 -> 27:34.560] We made a specific segment and we talked about it so much,
[27:34.840 -> 27:36.920] but we missed it over here. I'm so disappointed,
[27:36.920 -> 27:40.240] but Charles Leclerc finished his primary objective.
[27:40.800 -> 27:44.840] He got to the end of a race. Oh, hey, no, he got away.
[27:44.920 -> 27:46.240] He got to the end of two races. Oh hey, no, he got away, he got to the end of two races.
[27:46.240 -> 27:51.760] Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's true as well. But on the subject of a cat,
[27:51.760 -> 27:55.280] it's been weird, isn't it? I think it's been two consecutive championships where we're getting to
[27:55.280 -> 28:01.560] see a cat on track. MotoGP added this weekend, Formula One added this weekend. What's up? I mean,
[28:01.560 -> 28:08.000] other cats in the world now wanted to get a taste of motor racing. It's I know Formula One tried to put a dog in a car for one of their
[28:08.000 -> 28:12.520] music videos because again remember 2019 right, Formula One where they just came up with
[28:12.520 -> 28:16.400] the most random ideas. One of them was flying me to London paying me a thousand
[28:16.400 -> 28:20.600] pounds getting me on a studio just to throw rubber on my face and some winners
[28:20.600 -> 28:24.640] like okay sure I'll take it but what's this meant to be? I still don't get that
[28:24.640 -> 28:25.120] commercial but they did weird and wild things one of which was putting an some winners like okay sure I'll take it but what's this meant to be I still don't get that commercial
[28:25.120 -> 28:30.160] but they did weird and wild things one of which was putting an actual dog into a Formula One car
[28:30.160 -> 28:35.840] and that happened. It was one of those DJ Chemical Brothers songs or something if I remember. It was
[28:35.840 -> 28:41.280] bad, it was horrible but okay I'll tell you what let's actually get to the stats review of this
[28:41.280 -> 28:50.600] race because F1 stats Guru when we were watching yesterday He was coming up with so many nuggets and there's so many fun things to share. Let's get to that right away
[28:50.940 -> 28:54.200] Hey folks, it's time for the stats review of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
[28:54.200 -> 28:56.840] My name is Sundaram also known as the F1 stats guru
[28:56.840 -> 28:59.180] Now, you know Baku was a bit of a dull race
[28:59.360 -> 29:03.280] But we always managed to find some very interesting stats and facts for you folks to enjoy
[29:03.280 -> 29:06.240] So let's dig in straight to the numbers.
[29:06.240 -> 29:09.960] First of all, let's talk about Sergio Perez, the king of the streets and someone who always
[29:09.960 -> 29:14.720] brings something exceptional when it's a race around street circuits. He's taken his 6th
[29:14.720 -> 29:19.300] career win in Formula 1 and he actually has more wins than Charles Leclerc at this point.
[29:19.300 -> 29:22.440] But the other thing that he's done is taken the double, winning the sprint as well as
[29:22.440 -> 29:29.040] winning Sunday's Grand Prix. He's only the third driver to do so after Max Verstappen in Imola and George Russell at Interlagos,
[29:29.040 -> 29:30.840] both of which happened in 2022.
[29:30.840 -> 29:35.880] We're all familiar with Red Bull's dominance of lately in the past couple of seasons. Now
[29:35.880 -> 29:40.920] they've won 14 of the last 15 races. That's only done by one other team in the hybrid
[29:40.920 -> 29:45.680] era, Mercedes, who actually did it twice between 2014 and 2016.
[29:45.680 -> 29:51.200] Red Bull are now at 180 points in the Constructor standings, well ahead of Aston Martin who
[29:51.200 -> 29:52.640] are in second place.
[29:52.640 -> 29:59.120] But 180 is the highest points tally after 4 rounds into the season in any season ever.
[29:59.120 -> 30:04.040] But do remember, 15 of those 180 points have come from the sprint race itself.
[30:04.040 -> 30:08.480] And now let's shift focus to Charles Leclerc, the pole sitter or let's say the double pole
[30:08.480 -> 30:12.960] sitter because he was also on pole for the sprint race and he was also on pole for the
[30:12.960 -> 30:14.680] main grand prix on Sunday.
[30:14.680 -> 30:19.800] But unfortunately he wasn't able to convert both of those poles into a race win yet again.
[30:19.800 -> 30:22.400] That's the 15th time that he's actually failed to do it.
[30:22.400 -> 30:31.040] And his conversion rate of poles to wins is actually sinking even further. It's now at 21% and only 7 drivers have a worse conversion
[30:31.040 -> 30:36.160] rate in all of Formula 1. But one other thing that you always see at Baku is a Mercedes-powered
[30:36.160 -> 30:40.880] car on the podium. Unfortunately, we've not seen that this time but Fernando Alonso came
[30:40.880 -> 30:48.240] very close to it in the final stages of the race. He's still holding on to third in the driver's standings for the fourth consecutive race, something that's
[30:48.240 -> 30:52.960] happened for the very first time in the hybrid era. And he definitely seems to be enjoying
[30:52.960 -> 30:57.680] driving that green Aston Martin this year. Well, that was a stats review of the Azerbaijan
[30:57.680 -> 31:01.680] Grand Prix. I hope you folks enjoyed that. For more such interesting stats and facts,
[31:01.680 -> 31:05.000] do follow me on my Twitter and Instagram under the name F1StatsGuru.
[31:05.000 -> 31:25.640] I'll see you folks the next time. on the podcast as well. But I want to bring in one more story, Kunal,
[31:25.640 -> 31:26.640] before we end out.
[31:26.640 -> 31:28.680] It's Oscar Piastri.
[31:28.680 -> 31:31.840] Because it turns out that Oscar Piastri was literally
[31:31.840 -> 31:33.760] like the rest of us, because there was
[31:33.760 -> 31:35.120] so little to do in the race.
[31:35.120 -> 31:37.400] I mean, that left him so gutted that he
[31:37.400 -> 31:40.520] survived the entire weekend on four pieces of toast.
[31:40.520 -> 31:42.060] That's because he was sick, actually.
[31:42.060 -> 31:43.820] It's not because the weekend was terrible.
[31:43.820 -> 31:45.520] But to pull out that sort of performance
[31:45.520 -> 31:48.640] when you're not really feeling very well,
[31:48.640 -> 31:52.040] it's just a sporting story in my mind.
[31:52.040 -> 31:55.000] And what they did that McLaren with the float upgrades,
[31:55.000 -> 31:57.440] to see the car that much more competitive over a one lap
[31:57.440 -> 31:59.600] distance, in my mind, it's just better for everyone
[31:59.600 -> 32:02.720] because we now genuinely don't really have
[32:02.720 -> 32:04.440] a bottom team and a bottom car.
[32:04.440 -> 32:06.360] AlphaTauri were fantastic this weekend.
[32:06.360 -> 32:08.720] McLaren are just rising up the bubble as well.
[32:08.720 -> 32:11.400] Haas, there are some races where they can do well,
[32:11.400 -> 32:13.640] but it's just generally a good mix, isn't it?
[32:13.640 -> 32:16.240] And I really want to just give out that credit to Oscar Piastri,
[32:16.240 -> 32:19.560] who, the poor lad has just had the toughest start to a Formula 1 career
[32:19.560 -> 32:20.720] that he could possibly have.
[32:20.720 -> 32:22.160] And he's taking it well, actually.
[32:22.160 -> 32:22.960] Absolutely.
[32:22.960 -> 32:32.160] And you know, the results have been so top heavy with the top four teams that Lando Norris finishing sixth in one race means he's the
[32:32.160 -> 32:38.320] eighth he's eighth in the drivers championship with single digit points right so it's a very
[32:38.320 -> 32:42.800] top heavy finish given that four teams are so competitive and then there's everybody else I
[32:42.800 -> 32:49.920] would say. Logan Sargent he's finished 16th in three out of the four races that have happened. Nico Halkenberg,
[32:49.920 -> 32:55.600] he's in the top 10 given his good result from Australia, was it? Yeah. Valtteri Bottas,
[32:56.640 -> 33:04.240] he's been 18th in two out of the four races. Yuki Tsunoda, 10th in two out of the four races. So
[33:04.240 -> 33:07.600] it's so top heavy, the performances that are happening
[33:07.600 -> 33:10.820] that if you see Max till all the way till, you know,
[33:10.820 -> 33:12.440] Stroll, assuming that's the top eight
[33:12.440 -> 33:13.940] of the Drivers' Championship,
[33:13.940 -> 33:16.960] the gap between eighth and ninth is so, so big.
[33:16.960 -> 33:19.120] And then ninth and 10th, everybody's in single digits.
[33:19.120 -> 33:21.880] So let's hope that the lower midfield,
[33:21.880 -> 33:24.560] if we may call it that, or maybe now it's a new midfield,
[33:24.560 -> 33:29.720] you know, Aston Martin's broken away are able to keep going keep adding more
[33:29.720 -> 33:35.280] development I mean Alpine was supposed to catch Mercedes and Baku and I don't
[33:35.280 -> 33:41.400] think they caught even the exhaust fumes of Mercedes this weekend. Hey no they
[33:41.400 -> 33:44.480] caught the wall quite a fair bit and they caught hold of all of their soft
[33:44.480 -> 33:45.840] tires because at the end of the day, they
[33:45.840 -> 33:51.480] barely used any because their drivers were consistently over and out all the time.
[33:51.480 -> 33:52.480] It's sort of weird.
[33:52.480 -> 33:57.280] But one thing was really fun, Kunal, the whole experience of watching the Azerbaijan GP with
[33:57.280 -> 33:59.720] so many people together in Mumbai.
[33:59.720 -> 34:04.120] I know it may sound like a cheap plug of our events, but seriously, it's one thing that
[34:04.120 -> 34:09.360] I have to share because watching race together with like-minded individuals is something that really changes it
[34:09.360 -> 34:14.320] right makes it a lot more fun so even though we had I'll be honest an absolute an absolute
[34:14.320 -> 34:19.280] bore fest a snooze fest oh a drone fest which is what Steve Slater called it on the podcast as well
[34:19.280 -> 34:23.440] it just makes it that much better because when you have people to share their ideas on with it's
[34:23.440 -> 34:27.360] just exponentially better and we had an amazing event at the Aadhaar Social in Mumbai
[34:27.360 -> 34:31.520] yesterday where we fought we had Formula One and MotoGP together and the
[34:31.520 -> 34:36.080] crowd was amazing extremely engaging and that's just the sort of stuff that we
[34:36.080 -> 34:39.440] love to do I think when are you coming back here because we need to do one
[34:39.440 -> 34:41.520] screening with you as well I don't think you've ever attended one of our
[34:41.520 -> 34:48.480] screenings per se you know have you? The Belgian Grand Prix, most definitely. We'll be doing this together in person in Mumbai.
[34:48.480 -> 34:52.320] So see you guys right there. I'm already making a plug for it, Saumil.
[34:52.320 -> 34:56.720] Way there we are. But no, it was incredible. So for any of you folks that are part of our
[34:56.720 -> 35:00.480] event at the Aadhar Social, genuinely thank you for taking out the time to be there.
[35:00.480 -> 35:03.440] I can't tell you how much it means to watch the race together with you.
[35:03.440 -> 35:09.680] And we just hope that we can do more. So there are more plans coming up, check out our social media for more information on
[35:09.680 -> 35:16.240] that one. But folks, I suppose it's the end of this particular episode and thank goodness the
[35:16.240 -> 35:22.000] end of the Baku weekend. We can now look forward to Miami and we will have a couple of really fun
[35:22.000 -> 35:28.000] episodes leading up to that race as well. So stay tuned to the podcast for more of that and subscribe if you liked it.
[35:28.000 -> 35:32.000] Share this episode with any friends or family members who you think would enjoy this as well.
[35:32.000 -> 35:38.000] And we shall be back for the Miami preview this time with less banter on a fake Marina.
[35:38.000 -> 35:41.000] I think we're over it. But sure. Thank you for watching folks. Thank you for listening.
[35:41.000 -> None] And we shall be back. you