Why Sainz Needs To Win More Than Verstappen + 5 Things To Watch For - 2022 Saudi Arabian GP Preview

Was Ferrari's form in Bahrain track-specific? Or do they genuinely have a quick car across all circuits? We'll know soon as Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia this weekend.

And if the Ferrari is genuinely quick, Carlos Sainz Jr. needs to win the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP more than any other driver including Max Verstappen. Why, you wonder? 

Subscribe to our newsletter! It's free, informative, insightful and visually appealing. You can read more and sign up.

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil (who's audio source changed unexpectedly!) and Kunal look forward to the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP and discuss why Sainz needs to win more than any other driver this weekend.

A lot of questions still remain unanswered for the 2022 Formula 1 season and we put forward some of ours in this episode. Has Mercedes found an answer to their troubles? Will Red Bull Racing reveal what dogged their cars in Bahrain? How soon before we see a three-way battle at the front? Will Mclaren & Aston Martin continue to struggle? And of course, will Alfa Romeo & Haas continue to shine? Will Mick Schumacher rise up to the Kevin Magnussen challenge? 

There's a lot more in this power-packed ~20 mins long episode. Tune in!

(Season 2022, Episode 15)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Ferrari

# Inside Line F1 Podcast: Saudi Arabian GP Preview and Analysis

## Episode Overview:

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, hosts Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah delve into the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, discussing various aspects of the race and the current Formula One season. They provide insightful analysis, raise important questions, and share their predictions for the weekend's events.

## Key Points and Highlights:

* **Ferrari's Form and Carlos Sainz's Opportunity:**

- Ferrari's strong performance in Bahrain raises questions about whether their form is track-specific or a genuine indication of a quick car across all circuits.
- Carlos Sainz needs to win the Saudi Arabian GP more than any other driver to establish himself as the leading driver in the Ferrari team.

* **Pecking Order and Team Dynamics:**

- The pecking order among the top teams remains uncertain, with Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes all vying for supremacy.
- Sainz needs to prove his worth and challenge Charles Leclerc's position as the lead Ferrari driver.
- The midfield battle is also unpredictable, with teams like Aston Martin, Alpine, and McLaren aiming to improve their positions.

* **Circuit Characteristics and Racing Potential:**

- The Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with its 27 corners and high-speed sections, poses a unique challenge for drivers and teams.
- The ability of cars to follow each other closely will be a crucial factor in determining the quality of racing.
- Visual differences in car speeds compared to last year's race are expected due to the new regulations.

* **Red Bull's Struggles and Potential Response:**

- Red Bull's issues in Bahrain, including reliability problems, need to be addressed to challenge Ferrari effectively.
- The team may need to take more gambles and push harder to regain their competitive edge.

* **Mercedes' Position and Chances of Recovery:**

- Mercedes' struggles in Bahrain raise questions about their ability to compete with Ferrari and Red Bull.
- The team's rear wing package upgrades aim to improve their performance.
- Can Mercedes close the gap and make it a three-way battle at the front?

* **Regular Teams' Performance and Uncertainties:**

- Teams like McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Alpine, and Aston Martin face challenges in establishing their positions in the pecking order.
- Haas and Mick Schumacher's progress will be closely watched, especially in relation to Kevin Magnussen's strong return.

* **Ethical Considerations and Racing in Saudi Arabia:**

- The ongoing debate about Formula One's presence in Saudi Arabia due to the country's human rights record is discussed.
- Drivers' stances on the issue, particularly Lewis Hamilton's, are mentioned.

## Predictions:

- Kunal Shah predicts a Carlos Sainz win and a Max Verstappen pole position.
- Soumil Arora also predicts a Verstappen pole and a Verstappen win, with Sainz finishing ahead of Leclerc.

## Conclusion:

The episode concludes with a reminder to listeners to subscribe to the podcast and join the hosts for a post-qualifying analysis episode.

[00:00.000 -> 00:21.760] So folks, let me tell you a really fun fact about Arabian horses.
[00:21.760 -> 00:25.040] They usually have a very finely chiseled head, they have a dished
[00:25.040 -> 00:30.160] face, a long arching neck and they just end up floating through when they run. That's what they
[00:30.160 -> 00:35.280] usually described as and they are apparently exuding energy, intelligence, courage and nobility
[00:35.280 -> 00:41.120] all the time. That sounds awful lot like Ferrari this year and what a time to sound like that right
[00:41.120 -> 00:47.800] because we're up here in Saudi Arabia for the Jeddah Grand Prix this weekend and Ferrari does feel like an Arabian horse in every
[00:47.800 -> 00:51.480] single way that I described but the Arabian horse has a big challenger this
[00:51.480 -> 00:55.380] weekend and is it going to be Red Bull and can that horse even finish the race?
[00:55.380 -> 00:58.800] There's all of that and more to be discussed in this episode of the Inside
[00:58.800 -> 01:04.380] Line F1 Podcast and Pits the Bodium so let's go! Hi folks welcome back in my
[01:04.380 -> 01:06.000] name is Somal Arora. I'm the host of the
[01:06.000 -> 01:10.000] Driving Force on Disney Plus Hotstar, joined by Kunal Shah, the former marketing head of the
[01:10.000 -> 01:14.560] Force India F1 team. And howdy Arabia. Firstly, it's a tradition that I don't think we're going
[01:14.560 -> 01:18.800] to end up rather soon, but crazy that we're back in Saudi Arabia for an F1 race. Just
[01:19.360 -> 01:24.080] a couple of months after the last one, but the context Kunal seems to be just as exciting.
[01:24.080 -> 01:28.560] We don't have a title battle yet, but just what looms around for this race is pretty interesting.
[01:29.200 -> 01:33.600] Yes, we don't have a title battle. The main title battle is going to be between who's going to be
[01:33.600 -> 01:40.800] number one at Ferrari. Carlos Sainz needs to win if the Ferrari is actually a quick car. He needs
[01:40.800 -> 01:47.440] to win this weekend. He needs to out qualify Charles and that's literally gonna be the one story to follow
[01:47.680 -> 01:52.180] This Grand Prix weekend Samuel and like I said, it's not a title battle
[01:52.180 -> 01:59.240] but being number one in that Ferrari is gonna be so key because just in case the Red Bulls or the
[01:59.480 -> 02:00.840] Mercedes has come
[02:00.840 -> 02:05.680] Fighting then the lead Ferrari is the one who will start getting the preference.
[02:05.680 -> 02:11.840] And Carlos Sainz definitely doesn't want to be a wingman to Charles Leclerc, right.
[02:11.840 -> 02:15.160] But Samuel, this is actually a double header.
[02:15.160 -> 02:21.140] Although if you were to consider the second pre-season test, it's a triple header already
[02:21.140 -> 02:26.380] at the opening end of the season and the other interesting part is that
[02:26.380 -> 02:32.720] you know the there are very diverse layouts of circuits that these cars are
[02:32.720 -> 02:37.120] gonna go racing at literally in the opening part of the season you know we
[02:37.120 -> 02:40.760] saw how Bahrain was, Saudi is gonna be full of our high speeds and all those
[02:40.760 -> 02:45.800] flowing corners and the likes and I I'm wondering, are you looking forward
[02:45.800 -> 02:48.720] to the 27 odd corners, Samuel?
[02:48.720 -> 02:50.840] Do you remember the corners?
[02:50.840 -> 02:51.680] Yes or no?
[02:54.720 -> 02:57.360] No, because they sound a lot like math formulas, right?
[02:57.360 -> 02:59.720] Well, one might be theta, one might be pi,
[02:59.720 -> 03:02.040] one might be, I don't know, two x squared,
[03:02.040 -> 03:03.200] pi r squared, something like that.
[03:03.200 -> 03:04.520] I don't know, they're all so similar.
[03:04.520 -> 03:07.880] I mean, in terms of characteristics, they are. But they just don't have a character
[03:07.880 -> 03:11.840] in terms of the name, which is what you can see with many Formula One circuits. But Jeddah
[03:11.840 -> 03:15.800] certainly does have character when you drive on it, right? And speaking of character, I
[03:15.800 -> 03:19.200] want to talk about Carlos Sainz, because that has to be our big story for this weekend.
[03:19.200 -> 03:24.440] Because think about it. For years, right, Carlos Sainz was always perceived as the wingman,
[03:24.440 -> 03:26.640] the B player, someone who's not
[03:26.640 -> 03:30.800] your leading guy for the team. And that's until he came to McLaren where things were rather close,
[03:30.800 -> 03:35.360] where he kind of emerged as one of the better drivers. I mean, you still can't probably put
[03:35.360 -> 03:39.680] a finger and say he was the better one or not. But his image and his reputation did grow to such a
[03:39.680 -> 03:43.840] fair bit that he ended up going to Ferrari and beating Charles. And he still doesn't have that
[03:43.840 -> 03:48.400] number one status secured. And you're so right, Kunal, the moment that other teams come around, Ferrari
[03:48.400 -> 03:52.560] won't be scared about swapping around, right, swapping around the drivers because they want
[03:52.560 -> 03:57.920] a clear number two. So this is probably a battle for supremacy in a way in terms of the team. I
[03:57.920 -> 04:02.080] mean, it's like a tribe of lions if you don't end up beating the top one, you're out of the clan
[04:02.080 -> 04:08.960] in a way. It is so true. And you know And it's easier for all of us, including maybe Ferrari as
[04:08.960 -> 04:13.840] well, to assume that Charles will just be the wingman.
[04:13.840 -> 04:17.280] So in because, sorry, Carlos will be the wingman
[04:17.280 -> 04:19.200] because Charles is the prodigal son.
[04:19.200 -> 04:22.040] He's the one that's going to bail Ferrari out of its woes
[04:22.040 -> 04:23.240] and give them the title.
[04:23.240 -> 04:26.120] And that's how, that's what he did even with Sebastian Vettel.
[04:26.120 -> 04:31.920] He outperformed Vettel when he was there, which is why, you know, that battle for supremacy
[04:32.200 -> 04:38.640] in Ferrari, I think Carlos Sainz has to work a little bit harder to A, change the perception
[04:38.920 -> 04:44.280] and then B, also change the reality should it come that way, Sonal.
[04:45.680 -> 04:46.520] Yeah, exactly.
[04:46.520 -> 04:48.240] But he's got some task ahead of him, no?
[04:48.240 -> 04:50.640] Because Leclerc seems like in full flow.
[04:50.640 -> 04:52.000] I think the big question is going to be,
[04:52.000 -> 04:54.880] is, I mean, was what happened in Bahrain
[04:54.880 -> 04:57.560] more of a track specific thing for Carlos Sainz?
[04:57.560 -> 04:59.880] Or is it just that he's not getting used to the car?
[04:59.880 -> 05:01.520] Because if that's the latter,
[05:01.520 -> 05:03.160] I mean, we clearly know what the pecking order is
[05:03.160 -> 05:04.360] in Ferrari in that case.
[05:05.440 -> 05:11.120] It's a good question. In fact, a lot of the pecking order, was it track specific in Bahrain?
[05:11.120 -> 05:17.920] That's also a question that will get answered this weekend. Was Ferrari's form track specific?
[05:17.920 -> 05:24.720] Were Red Bull's issues track specific? So lots of questions. And like I said, you know, at the
[05:24.720 -> 05:25.880] start of the episode, that we are going to, you know, at the start of the episode,
[05:25.880 -> 05:29.720] that we are going to such diverse circuit just at the start of the season,
[05:30.080 -> 05:34.600] that A, the engineers and B, the cars and hence, of course,
[05:34.600 -> 05:38.080] the drivers are all going to be challenged in different ways.
[05:38.080 -> 05:42.520] And I know it's like, you know, Sundaram, the F1 stats guru put out,
[05:42.520 -> 05:47.080] this is like the fifth consecutive night race ever.
[05:47.080 -> 05:49.320] You know, it's like a record in Formula One by itself.
[05:49.320 -> 05:55.520] It's also, I think it's only 111 days since the last race in Saudi Arabia.
[05:55.520 -> 05:56.840] So that's going to happen.
[05:56.840 -> 06:05.800] But, you know, just one last point, or at least in my mind about Ferrari is I remember Charles last year was on the radio saying he was feeling dizzy
[06:05.800 -> 06:12.000] midway through the race. Now let's hope he and or the other drivers don't end up feeling
[06:12.000 -> 06:17.500] dizzy because the corners can come to you really quick and fast as we know from last year's Somal.
[06:18.700 -> 06:23.800] It's a bit like Rainbow Road in Arabia that is, but remember Carlos Sainz was struggling last
[06:23.800 -> 06:25.200] year at this particular circuit
[06:25.200 -> 06:30.160] as well. So if that's the case, I don't really know. Things are looking a bit interesting.
[06:30.160 -> 06:34.080] If one of their drivers was feeling dizzy and the other one just crashed all the time over there,
[06:35.360 -> 06:39.520] if last year is anything to go by, that would mean Red Bull would have an upper hand. But we just
[06:39.520 -> 06:43.280] don't know about the pecking order, right? Which is, I think, the next thing we should ideally
[06:43.280 -> 06:49.440] talk about because the Columbus vs. Verstappen isn't a guarantee here. As we said, science could maybe come in the way,
[06:49.440 -> 06:55.040] Sergio Perez, if he's good enough, could also be there. And considering that this is maybe a circuit
[06:55.040 -> 06:58.720] where you would potentially see more upgrades as teams develop their car more, who knows,
[06:58.720 -> 07:03.440] maybe a few other teams could join in, right? This is that really crazy part of the development
[07:03.440 -> 07:06.080] phase where things could just change so rapidly
[07:06.080 -> 07:07.180] and so dramatically.
[07:08.200 -> 07:09.040] You're right.
[07:09.040 -> 07:12.080] Typically, these are considered as flyaway races,
[07:12.080 -> 07:14.840] races outside of the European continent
[07:14.840 -> 07:16.520] are considered flyaway races.
[07:16.520 -> 07:17.480] Now, over the years,
[07:17.480 -> 07:20.160] teams would not have as many upgrades coming in
[07:20.160 -> 07:21.820] because you've got to cross borders,
[07:21.820 -> 07:23.400] you've got to cross continents.
[07:24.280 -> 07:30.080] The travel times are just that much longer. But from this season, in fact, from the last couple
[07:30.080 -> 07:34.720] of seasons, you can see that teams are bringing in upgrades even to these flyaway races,
[07:35.280 -> 07:42.720] especially and even more so for the 2022 Formula 1 season, because the points are up for grabs,
[07:42.720 -> 07:45.820] as we saw last weekend. You just have to be there.
[07:45.820 -> 07:48.080] You've got to make sure you're doing the best you can.
[07:48.080 -> 07:51.240] So instead of planning, say, three, five, seven races
[07:51.240 -> 07:54.200] down the line, teams are bringing upgrades literally
[07:54.200 -> 07:55.680] race by race down the line.
[07:55.680 -> 07:59.440] We've seen Mercedes has at least brought a rear wing package
[07:59.440 -> 08:02.880] with trimmed downfalls, as the images have been doing
[08:02.880 -> 08:04.640] the rounds of social media and the likes.
[08:04.640 -> 08:12.000] And then we will also see during show and tell. So will Mercedes be back in the fight? Can they make it a three-way
[08:12.000 -> 08:18.640] battle which is what we'd love to see or will they still finish about a minute down on the lead car
[08:18.640 -> 08:25.000] if we have a no safety car race? And like I said, you know, safety car could also be an equation come
[08:25.000 -> 08:27.760] Sunday, but that we can leave for later, Somal.
[08:28.760 -> 08:33.160] Exactly, but it kind of raises a question that you and me were discussing before the
[08:33.160 -> 08:38.160] recording, Kunal. Is Mercedes already forgotten in a way? Because they're so much in their
[08:38.160 -> 08:44.840] own zone, much like, say, Red Bull back in 2018. It just seems like there's not a direct
[08:44.840 -> 08:46.000] or immediate way up there.
[08:46.000 -> 08:49.200] So, I mean, it could very well happen that we kind of forget about the series this year
[08:49.200 -> 08:53.600] because they're just in a league of their own. Not in the league of their own kind of
[08:53.600 -> 08:57.120] 2014, 2017 kind of ways, but league of their own in the sense that they just don't have
[08:57.120 -> 09:02.000] any competitor, which also makes me wonder, do they really not have any competitor? Because
[09:02.000 -> 09:06.160] Gunter Steiner said that our form could change depending on track to track.
[09:06.160 -> 09:09.920] Now this means that they could even go better than Bahrain or even worse than Bahrain which
[09:09.920 -> 09:11.840] means that the midfield model is still that.
[09:11.840 -> 09:13.280] It is still the model.
[09:13.280 -> 09:15.880] We don't know who is up there and who is not.
[09:15.880 -> 09:17.760] We don't know who is up there and who is not.
[09:17.760 -> 09:20.960] And everybody who scored points, will they be still in the points?
[09:20.960 -> 09:27.520] Can Aston Martin bounce back? Can Alpine go stronger? Because Fernando
[09:27.520 -> 09:36.480] Alonso said that there are no excuses for Alpine in this new era of Formula 1. So again,
[09:36.480 -> 09:46.040] how many things will be track specific? I suspect tyres will still be an issue when it comes to overtaking as we've seen tires
[09:46.040 -> 09:52.960] you know were sort of holding drivers back so you know in Bahrain but will the
[09:52.960 -> 09:57.400] brakes also continue to be a problem would they have fixed all the braking
[09:57.400 -> 10:02.000] issues that they experienced and so on so lots of questions to you know look
[10:02.000 -> 10:09.540] forward to for this weekend Samuel we. We will get answers, not maybe all of them, not 100% answers, especially questions like
[10:09.540 -> 10:13.380] are the cars able to follow each other better?
[10:13.380 -> 10:16.100] That's another big question that's going to be doing the rounds.
[10:16.100 -> 10:19.080] But again, we won't have 100% answers this weekend.
[10:19.080 -> 10:22.540] But it's our job to keep asking them, Samuel.
[10:22.540 -> 10:23.540] Absolutely.
[10:23.540 -> 10:27.160] I think, if anything, this circuit will give us the best idea about can they
[10:27.160 -> 10:31.480] follow because there are so many corners one after the other, it really matters to see
[10:31.480 -> 10:35.200] if the cars can stay behind each other, that's going to be the critical point that we're
[10:35.200 -> 10:40.520] going to get to see but also the visual difference Kunal, we were talking about it last week
[10:40.520 -> 10:44.640] or rather everyone else apart from us was talking about it last week that the cars look
[10:44.640 -> 10:49.120] considerably slower on TV. Now, I didn't personally feel that that was much of a problem
[10:49.120 -> 10:53.120] again because at the end of the day you want good racing and not maybe the highest of speeds in the
[10:53.120 -> 10:56.880] world right so this is fine. I think the wheel car was made a world of difference but compared
[10:56.880 -> 11:01.280] to last year this will be like the most extreme visual difference because Jetta last year felt
[11:01.280 -> 11:06.280] like the cars were literally on rails. If these cars look slower in terms of the TV broadcast
[11:07.020 -> 11:09.020] perception of it, this would seem absurd.
[11:09.900 -> 11:13.480] And these cars do seem slower to me at least on camera, you know
[11:13.480 -> 11:20.800] there are certain angles, certain corners and like we've been told right, they're faster through the fast corners and slower through the slow
[11:20.800 -> 11:22.800] corners, so that sort of doesn't
[11:23.380 -> 11:25.680] you know help in its own ways
[11:25.680 -> 11:30.800] but yeah I think the ability to follow each other the ability to see if they
[11:30.800 -> 11:35.760] are actually visually slower will be striking even more so if we were to
[11:35.760 -> 11:41.160] compare a lap in 2021 Saudi Arabia versus 2022 Saudi Arabia because I know
[11:41.160 -> 11:45.680] in 2021 those cars looked ferociously quick.
[11:46.000 -> 11:50.320] And I still remember it's like going through a high speed roller coaster.
[11:50.320 -> 11:54.880] I mean, even though being in a Formula One car is like a high speed roller coaster.
[11:54.880 -> 11:57.920] And talking of high speeds, you know, some of the teams have released data.
[11:58.360 -> 12:00.600] 80% of the lap is on full throttle.
[12:00.600 -> 12:03.000] Will we see more power units blow up?
[12:03.000 -> 12:06.560] Will we see more cars run out of fuel? And since
[12:06.560 -> 12:12.240] we were talking about asking the questions, what exactly happened to Red Bull in Bahrain? We may
[12:12.240 -> 12:18.560] never know the answer, but could we get some more hints this weekend in Saudi Arabia? That's another
[12:18.560 -> 12:24.240] thing to look out for. All eyes will be on Red Bull because I'll put it this way, they're the
[12:24.240 -> 12:25.080] only team, if the pecking order remains the same, which is Ferrari on Red Bull because I'll put it this way, they're the only team if
[12:25.080 -> 12:29.720] the pecking order remains the same, which is Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Red Bull was
[12:29.720 -> 12:36.000] the only team that could take the battle to Ferrari. And of course, they didn't win that
[12:36.000 -> 12:40.280] battle up, even if they would have finished the race, they would have finished second.
[12:40.280 -> 12:45.720] Will Red Bull take more gambles to try and outpace Ferrari?
[12:45.720 -> 12:50.040] Because Ferrari just seemed far more comfortable with everything
[12:50.040 -> 12:51.040] that was thrown at them.
[12:51.040 -> 12:52.840] So maybe it's time for Red Bull to see
[12:52.840 -> 12:58.040] if they need to take more gambles to get back out ahead
[12:58.040 -> 13:01.640] where they think their car belongs, Samal.
[13:01.640 -> 13:04.800] Yeah, they can push harder now because there's apparently
[13:04.800 -> 13:06.240] this rule change that you can change
[13:06.240 -> 13:08.320] your gearbox before Saturday.
[13:08.320 -> 13:11.840] So I think on Saturday that is, so teams will be more inclined to push harder.
[13:11.840 -> 13:13.640] So that could be one case, right?
[13:13.640 -> 13:15.600] Head-to-head street circuits like this one.
[13:15.600 -> 13:19.760] But the interesting part is, we're just going to find out if this is actually a good track
[13:19.760 -> 13:24.040] for racing or if last year was just artificially a very good race.
[13:24.040 -> 13:28.360] Because of all the Max and Lewis drama, South Delhi is a bit of a turning point of the season.
[13:28.360 -> 13:32.660] So it's also going to be a fun test for the circuit itself to see if this one is really
[13:32.660 -> 13:33.660] a good one or not.
[13:33.660 -> 13:36.000] But finally, Kunal, the regulars, will we see them struggle?
[13:36.000 -> 13:37.560] Will we see them do better?
[13:37.560 -> 13:39.440] McLaren is one team that comes to mind.
[13:39.440 -> 13:41.880] Alfa Romeo did really well last time out.
[13:41.880 -> 13:44.760] We're all really confused about where Alpine stands.
[13:44.760 -> 13:46.440] So we're going to get more answers about that.
[13:47.120 -> 13:52.560] Yes, and even Aston Martin, you know, where on earth are they in the pecking order?
[13:52.560 -> 13:57.640] The general belief is that Mercedes powered teams, including Mercedes, are the ones who
[13:57.640 -> 14:03.360] sort of struggled while Ferrari and Ferrari powered teams have actually done better.
[14:03.360 -> 14:05.920] So will Alfa Romeo be in sauber mode as we you
[14:05.920 -> 14:12.480] know we saw them. Will Haas be the ones making all the strides forward. Will Mick Schumacher
[14:12.480 -> 14:18.560] finally try and have an answer to Kevin Magnussen's sensational return that we saw in Bahrain. So
[14:19.120 -> 14:27.000] again like we've been doing we've just asked all the right questions, Soumil. And hopefully, we will keep getting answers as they come.
[14:27.000 -> 14:32.800] And my heart goes out to Sebastian Vettel. He's missing the second race in a row.
[14:32.800 -> 14:39.160] Nico Hulkenberg is back in the car. Not that I have a problem. But I don't think Sebastian is really missing a lot, is he?
[14:39.160 -> 14:45.240] You're right about that. Aston Martin are really struggling badly and this weekend just
[14:45.240 -> 14:49.280] could make it worse. But just one thing to end this episode on and one thought to end
[14:49.280 -> 14:53.680] this episode on. Should F1 keep on continuing racing in Saudi Arabia? I know it's a perpetual
[14:53.680 -> 14:57.160] question. We're always going to ask it every single year. So might as well do that this
[14:57.160 -> 15:01.400] time out as well. But that question, I think F1 will say, yes, we're getting the money.
[15:01.400 -> 15:05.760] So why not? But I'm interested to see what kind of stance all the drivers take this year.
[15:05.760 -> 15:09.000] Because we've seen so many other people come out and wear
[15:09.000 -> 15:11.040] rainbow-colored shoes and rainbow-colored T-shirts
[15:11.040 -> 15:12.420] and whatnot here in Saudi Arabia,
[15:12.420 -> 15:14.600] just as a passive way of protecting against it.
[15:14.600 -> 15:16.960] Interesting how the drivers will respond at this time,
[15:16.960 -> 15:18.320] especially Lewis.
[15:18.320 -> 15:19.200] Especially Lewis.
[15:19.200 -> 15:21.480] And this is where I'll miss Sebastian Vettel the most,
[15:21.480 -> 15:24.680] because he was most vocal, along with Lewis,
[15:24.680 -> 15:26.000] about this whole situation
[15:26.000 -> 15:32.560] of racing in countries with questionable morals, if that's the word I may use. I don't know if it's
[15:32.560 -> 15:37.600] a very strong word or not, but yeah, should they race in Saudi Arabia? Well, it's a very, very
[15:37.600 -> 15:43.360] tricky, very political question. F1 is a capitalistic sport, so they will race whoever
[15:43.360 -> 15:47.680] pays their money and then keep making statements to sort of prove
[15:47.680 -> 15:48.560] why they're doing so.
[15:48.560 -> 15:50.720] In which case, you can ask saying,
[15:50.720 -> 15:52.760] maybe they should have just raced in Russia as well.
[15:52.760 -> 15:57.760] But maybe there are bigger gains of letting Russia go.
[15:58.260 -> 16:01.520] That's opened up a very vital slot in the calendar,
[16:01.520 -> 16:05.560] which Qatar will pay money for at at least in 23 I assume and
[16:05.560 -> 16:10.800] then Las Vegas there's a rumor that they will announce the race in Las Vegas
[16:10.800 -> 16:16.300] closer to Thanksgiving so who knows at the moment all we know is that we're
[16:16.300 -> 16:21.200] going to be racing in Saudi for several years to come and like I think the
[16:21.200 -> 16:24.640] Motorsport magazine pulled out you know they've been racing Formula One's been
[16:24.640 -> 16:27.680] racing in Bahrain since 15, 17 years.
[16:27.680 -> 16:31.960] And Stefano has been very vocal, saying
[16:31.960 -> 16:37.080] Formula One can force countries to reconsider their stances
[16:37.080 -> 16:39.000] based on the power they bring.
[16:39.000 -> 16:41.800] But I don't think that anything would have changed specifically
[16:41.800 -> 16:45.200] in these 15, 17 years that they have raced in Bahrain and Somal.
[16:45.200 -> 16:50.280] So we will keep asking the question just the way you keep introducing this episode saying
[16:50.280 -> 16:51.280] Howdy Arabia.
[16:51.280 -> 16:55.860] Exactly, that's such a fun way to put it.
[16:55.860 -> 17:00.480] But again, at the end of the day, if anything, it kind of adds to it because Saudi Arabia
[17:00.480 -> 17:03.520] didn't kind of say, oh, F1's coming, let's clean up our human rights record.
[17:03.520 -> 17:06.920] They just built the fastest, I mean, They just built the fastest circuit in the world
[17:06.920 -> 17:08.160] in the fastest time possible.
[17:08.160 -> 17:12.160] So there's a parody in that area that F1 can clean up
[17:12.160 -> 17:13.920] your human rights situation.
[17:13.920 -> 17:15.680] But finally, predictions.
[17:15.680 -> 17:16.560] Your thoughts, Kunal.
[17:16.560 -> 17:20.400] I personally am going to go for a Carlos Sainz win once again.
[17:20.400 -> 17:23.600] But this time, I'm going to go for a Max Pol.
[17:23.600 -> 17:25.120] What about you? I would go for a max pole. What about you?
[17:25.120 -> 17:30.520] I would go for a max wrist-tapping pole as well. He drove one of the most stunning pole
[17:30.520 -> 17:38.520] laps, almost pole laps at Saudi Arabia last year till literally you know kissing the barrier
[17:38.520 -> 17:42.920] very hard on the last corner. I don't even know if that's called a kiss but anyway yeah
[17:42.920 -> 17:50.020] punching the barrier, let's call it that right Right. And I think for the win, I will stick with Max
[17:50.020 -> 17:56.000] Wischtappen. I think he will do what it takes. But I suspect Carlos Sainz will find a way
[17:56.000 -> 18:03.680] to get ahead of Charles. And I think by the 15th or maybe even the fifth race of the season,
[18:03.680 -> 18:05.680] we are going to be discussing a potential
[18:05.680 -> 18:11.520] fallout between the Ferrari team and Sommel. Yes, and that's going to be a DTS episode next
[18:11.520 -> 18:16.880] year for us to feast upon. But hey, that's all for today folks. Join us post-qualifying after
[18:16.880 -> 18:21.440] Saudi Arabia's qualifying session. That didn't make any sense, but you get the gist, right?
[18:21.440 -> 18:26.700] But join us for that episode. We're going to do a quick race preview, post-qualifying, and just analyse what exactly went down there.
[18:26.700 -> 18:29.900] So, subscribe to the Inside Line F1 podcast and pitch the podium.
[18:29.900 -> 18:32.900] Stay tuned, stay right here, although you can't stay tuned because it's a digital medium,
[18:32.900 -> 18:35.000] but hey, be here, that's what I mean to say.
[18:35.000 -> None] See you folks, bye bye, see you soon. you