The Belgian Grand Prix is the Formula 1 race in Belgium. In this episode, the hosts are talking about it as an important weekend with a track that’s especially demanding.
Stoffel Vandoorne is a Belgian race driver. The hosts mention him as a favorite and make a joke about him being connected to Aston Martin for this weekend.
Spa-Francorchamps is the main Formula 1 track in Belgium. It’s known for being really challenging because the track goes up and down a lot and the weather can change quickly.
In F1, the power unit is the car’s engine-and-hybrid system. It’s what provides power to the wheels and also includes parts that store and reuse energy during the race.
Straight-mode zones are track-defined sections where teams run more aggressive power and energy settings to maximize speed on the straights. Because F1 power units are hybrid, these zones matter for how much power is used and how energy is managed over a lap.
Elevation changes are where the track goes uphill or downhill. That can change how hard you brake, how much grip the tires have, and how the car behaves in fast corners.
A blown diffuser is an aerodynamic device where exhaust gases are directed to energize airflow under/around the diffuser. In F1, it can increase downforce and efficiency, so removing it can change both grip and how much power the car can deploy.
Horsepower is a measure of engine power output. In this discussion, the hosts say Ferrari’s changes let them route more power into the engine for stronger acceleration on long straights.
The “Macarena wing” is a nickname for a specific rear-wing configuration used in F1. The hosts suggest a new evolution of it could improve aerodynamics and chassis performance, helping the car generate better downforce and/or reduce drag.
Battery deployment is how an F1 car uses stored electrical energy during the race. The hosts argue that because Spa has many long straight sections, aerodynamics reduce drag and the car can go faster without relying as heavily on battery assist as at other tracks.
Reduced drag means lowering aerodynamic resistance that slows the car down. The hosts connect it to Spa’s long straights: better aerodynamics can let the car maintain higher speed without needing as much battery deployment.
Person
Kimi Antigali
The host is talking about a driver named Kimi Antigali. At Silverstone, he had a problem with the front-left part of the car and had to stop racing, which influenced who ended up winning.
Silverstone is a well-known F1 race track in the UK. It’s the kind of circuit where a serious car problem can quickly ruin a race and change what happens for everyone else.
Term
front left
“Front left” means the left side of the car at the front. If something breaks there, the car can become unsafe or uncontrollable, so the driver may have to stop.
Term
inside tire protector
An “inside tire protector” is a protective bodywork element placed near the inner side of the tire to help manage debris and reduce damage. If it snaps off, it can create aerodynamic drag or even debris hazards, and it can also indicate a mechanical/impact problem at that corner.
The host is referring to a previous F1 race in Spain. They’re using it as a comparison point to judge how strong Mercedes looked there versus elsewhere.
The host is talking about a race in Austria where Ferrari didn’t look competitive for the win. They’re using it to question whether the same problem could show up again this weekend.
Engine upgrades are changes to the car’s engine parts to make more power or work better. Teams sometimes introduce them in stages before they’re fully ready for race weekends.
A front row start means you begin the race near the front—either first or second. That usually helps you avoid getting stuck in traffic and gives you a better shot at leading.
Charles Leclerc is one of the main Formula 1 drivers. Here, the hosts are talking about whether he can keep performing well after a rough stretch and a good race at Silverstone.
“Datamined” means they looked through a lot of race data to find patterns. The idea is to learn what the other driver was doing and how the car responded.
A “sprint race” is a shorter race during an F1 weekend. It’s important because it helps decide where cars line up for the main race, and it gives teams more real-race data.
“Fuel loads” means how much fuel is in the car. More fuel makes the car heavier, which affects speed and tire use, so practice results don’t always match race conditions.
In F1, “practice” sessions are on-track runs used to test setups, learn tire behavior, and gather performance data before qualifying and the race. The hosts contrast practice with sprint-race data as being less conclusive for race-day decisions.
“Tire stints” means how long a car stays on one set of tires. How long you run them changes how the tires wear and how the car behaves, so it impacts strategy.
The British GP is the next Formula 1 race in the UK. The hosts are using it to talk about how Leclerc and the championship rivals are likely to perform.
Lewis Hamilton is one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history. In this segment, they’re explaining how his strong run of results is pushing the championship conversation.
Monaco is a famous Formula 1 race held on city streets. It’s very hard to drive, and the hosts mention Leclerc having crashes there.
Term
sprint par
In some F1 weekends, there’s a shorter “sprint” race before the main race. The result affects where drivers start and can also award points, so it matters a lot.
Antonelli is another Formula 1 driver being discussed as a direct rival. The hosts mention him because his results and points are affecting who’s leading the championship.
George Russell is a Formula 1 driver referenced in the championship standings. The hosts mention his points gap relative to Hamilton to frame the title battle.
The summer break is the break in the middle of the F1 season. After it ends, teams come back with changes, and the championship situation can shift quickly.
VSC (Virtual Safety Car) is an F1 race control mode where drivers must slow down to a prescribed pace without the physical Safety Car on track. Teams use it to time pit stops and manage track position, which can strongly affect race outcomes.
A pit stop is when an F1 car pulls into the pit lane to get serviced, usually for fresh tires. The faster and cleaner the team does it, the less time the driver loses compared to the cars on track.
Battery management means controlling how the car uses and saves electrical energy during the race. If the track has fewer opportunities to slow down and recharge or deploy energy efficiently, it can be harder to keep the car performing consistently.
Braking zones are the parts of the track where you have to slow down the most for turns. If there are fewer of them, it can change how the car’s energy system behaves and how teams plan their battery use.
Car
Mercedes
The hosts are talking about Mercedes’ F1 car and how it uses its battery power. Their point is that Mercedes is especially good at timing when to use that extra energy to gain an advantage on track.
Term
half-speed
They mean the cars might be going through some corners much slower than the fastest possible pace. In F1, that usually hurts you because you arrive at the next straight with less speed and fewer chances to pass.
Place
O'Rooge
O’Rouge is a specific corner at Spa. The hosts are saying that corner could be taken slower than usual, which would affect how fast cars can be through the lap and where they can attack later.
F1 tracks are split into timed sections called sectors. The middle sector is the middle part of the lap, and the hosts are saying it may be a place where overtaking is harder, so teams might save battery power for other parts where passing is easier.
The F-150 Lightning is a pickup truck that runs on electricity instead of gas. It’s meant for normal truck jobs like carrying things, but you charge it like an electric car. The “Lightning” part of the name is also the same word people use for storms.
Wet tires are tires doing their job on a rainy track. Water between the tire and the road can reduce grip, so the car may brake and turn less confidently than on a dry day.
The “batteries” store electricity that the hybrid system uses to help the engine. In rain, the car often accelerates less aggressively and brakes differently, which changes how much energy the battery gains or loses.
“Full throttle” means the driver is asking for the most power possible. On a hybrid system, that usually uses more energy and can drain the battery faster than gentler driving.
“Heavy braking” refers to strong deceleration, which in a hybrid F1 car can enable more energy recovery. That recovered energy can help the battery, which is why braking behavior matters more in wet sessions.
F1’s hybrid system can use electricity to help drive the car. That electric boost can come on very quickly, which can make the car feel different to control in the wet.
Torque is the twisting force that makes the car move. Electric torque shows up immediately, and in rain that can make the car harder to keep under control.
A wet weather session just means the track is rainy during part of the weekend. Rain changes grip, so the car setup, tires, and even what aero features can be used can all change.
Active aero means the car’s wings can adjust to change how much downforce they create. In the wet, the rules may limit what can still adjust, which changes how stable the car feels.
DRS is a system that changes the rear wing to reduce drag so the car can go faster. The hosts are saying that in wet conditions, that rear-wing effect won’t be used.
A wet weather tire is the special tire meant for heavy rain. The hosts are saying that today it’s not as distinct as it used to be, and teams may end up using an intermediate tire that’s trying to work like a wet tire.
“Intermediates” are special tires for when the track is wet but not completely soaked. They’re meant for that tricky middle stage where the grip changes quickly.
“Wet weather running” means driving and practicing in the rain. Rain changes how much grip the tires have, so teams and drivers may not be as prepared if they haven’t had much practice in those conditions.
Here, “adaptability” means being able to adjust quickly when conditions change—like when the track is wet. The better a driver can change their driving style fast, the more they can keep the car under control.
The “rear wing” is the big aero part on the back of an F1 car. It helps press the car onto the track; if it doesn’t work properly, the car can lose grip and become hard to control.
An “engine issue” means the car’s engine isn’t working correctly. In F1, that can be serious enough that the driver has to stop racing to avoid damaging the car further.
“DNF” means the driver didn’t finish the race. A “safe DNF” means the car retires in a way that’s not too risky for the driver—like pulling out and getting out safely.
Rain affects how much traction the tires have. That can make qualifying and race results less predictable because the cars behave differently on wet track.
Carlos Sainz is a Formula 1 driver, and in this segment the hosts reference his assessment of a team’s lack of progress. They treat his comments as a key explanation for why the car is struggling—weight, grip balance, and aerodynamic issues.
A contact patch is the part of the tire that grips the road. If the car only has good grip on three tires (not all four), it can feel unstable and lose traction when you turn or accelerate.
Concept
balance areas
“Balance areas” means different phases of driving—like turning in, going through the corner, or braking. If the car feels good only in some of those moments, it’s a sign the setup isn’t working everywhere.
In F1, aerodynamics is about how the car cuts through air and how its wings push the car down onto the track. If aerodynamics aren’t working, the car may not stick well in corners and can be slower overall.
F1 cars use a hybrid power system: a regular engine plus a battery. “On the cruise” means when you’re not flat-out, and the key is using that hybrid system efficiently to stay fast without wasting energy.
James Fowles is a technical leader in Formula 1. The host is saying they think he’s good at his job, even though the performance right now isn’t meeting expectations.
DNF means the driver didn’t finish the race. Usually that’s because of a problem with the car or a crash, so they can’t place and score points.
Term
weight is coming off
That phrase means the car is getting lighter. In racing, being lighter can help the car accelerate and handle better, but it doesn’t always fix every performance problem by itself.
A “2.0 upgrade” means the team is bringing a newer, improved version of parts or technology. It’s basically a step up from the previous version to try to make the car faster.
Honda is mentioned as the engine powering the car. In F1, the engine matters a lot for speed and how reliably the car finishes races.
Person
Carlos Sainte
Carlos Sainte is a driver being talked about for his future—whether he might leave his current team and where he could go next. In F1, driver moves can change a team’s results because the car and setup are tailored to the driver.
Ferrari is a famous F1 team. In this conversation, it’s brought up as another place Carlos Sainte might go (and that could change how the team performs).
LIVE
Thank you for listening to the Late Breaking F1 podcast. Make sure to check out new episodes every Wednesday and every Sunday.
Hello and a very warm welcome to the Late Breaking F1 podcast presented by Sam Sage and me, Ben Hawking.
F1 is back this weekend. It's the Belgian Grand Prix.
Sam, I'm sure you're hoping for a home appearance by Stoffel van Doorn, your favourite driver.
Yes, he is the number one. I hope he does crawl out of the Aston Martin engine cover
and one will allow them to shed weight as part of their car development, but also just to see
his lovely smiling face because Stoffel is indeed wonderful. How are you, Ben? You doing well?
I'm doing all right. Thank you. Yeah, I feel like I'm going to appreciate this Belgian GP
even more than usual because it's not something we'll get every year from now on.
It's true. This is the last time in a couple of years it will be seeing it,
due to it alternating back and forth. How is it with Barcelona? It's currently contracted
to move across with. Yeah. Do we see it next year, but then not in 2028 or something like that?
Sometimes. Yeah. We'll make sure we savor the Belgian GP this weekend. We've got lots to get
through today. We've got a very special Belgian Grand Prix, true or false, coming up later on.
We've got some comments. I know Sam's face, if you're not watching a video, by the way.
What a true or false. Yeah.
Absolutely. We have no ability to check if something is fake or not.
Carlos signs some comments from him about Williams, the potential of some rain possibly
over the weekend. We're going to get into that in a little bit, but let's start by saying round 10
of the 2026 season. It sees us return to Spa-Francorchamps in the Ardenne Forest of Belgium,
much like the previous two rounds in Britain and in Austria. This circuit proves a test of
power unit effectiveness with some long straights and, count them, five straight-mode zones.
That's not all the teams we'll need to contend with, though. The Spa circuit features significant
elevation changes, a middle sector full of medium to high-speed corners, and unpredictable weather.
Again, we will get into that in a bit. Last year, it was McLaren who took victory with
their cars cruising to a 1-2 finish, but it's just Mercedes and Ferrari that have claimed victory
in main Grand Prix in 2026. Now, Ferrari might be trailing in both championships,
but they have won two of the last three races, including last time out for Charles Leclerc
at Silverstone. I guess it's a simple question, Sam, that might not have a simple answer.
Can they do it again? There's a lot of variables, isn't there,
but they're very different between Spa and Silverstone. You spoke about the undulation already,
you spoke about the fact there are five straight line zones in Spa, which is the most we've had
so far this season. I think maybe it matches Melbourne from... Oh, does it? I thought that had four.
Oh, no, you might be right. I mean, it's crazy anyway. Five is in tanks. Of course, you are right
in saying that we see some crazy differences in both pace, set-up performance across the three
sectors here, because they're so different in the way they run. Only a couple of years ago,
we were speaking about how sectors one and three were the sectors of Red Bull and sector two
was Oscar Piasperi's sector, because they set the car up so differently. It still is. Yeah,
exactly. Someone's got to earn it often. Oh, okay. I like that. Challenge accepted.
I do think we're going to see a real different challenge for the drivers here, but on face value,
I think that it will still be Mercedes who are going to be leading the way in terms of domination,
but it might be slightly closer. There's some changes that Ferrari are making that could open
up that challenge. So they've removed their more changes. They've removed their blown diffuser at the
back, which is allowing them to have a few more horsepower going into the engine, which is a
nice little extra for those long straights, such as the Camel Straight. They might be bringing,
as I mentioned, I think in the last episode, a new evolution of the Macarena wing, which again,
might improve aerodynamics and chassis. And because of the five straight line zones,
battery deployment isn't as essential, because of course, you're being helped by the aerodynamics
to make the car go faster with the way you get reduced drag. So therefore, Mercedes monopoly
almost on battery deployment is slightly reduced. Now, does that mean that all of those extras are
enough to overcome the prowess of Mercedes? I'm airing on the side of caution. I do not think
it's going to be as strong. And realistically, if it wasn't for Kimi Antigali's failure in Silverstone,
where he had the issue with the front left, where that kind of inside tire protector snapped off
and caused him to essentially D&F from the race, I do think there's a real chance of Antigali
hunts down the clear and potentially takes the wing anyway. So while they did pick up the wing
in Silverstone, it was nowhere near the domination that Lewis Hamilton picked up
in Spain. And even then, there are those that argue that there was a safety car involved.
I still believe he probably would have gone to wing, but I understand the argument.
So I do think this is still Mercedes playground. It's whether Ferrari can come in and take away
that board. Indeed. Ferrari looking for three wins in four races, which sounds like a made-up
statement based on Ferrari's form over the last few years, but that is what they're aiming for
this weekend. The last time they were able to do that, 2019, seven years ago. Ironically,
that also featured a Belgian GP victory.
That very, very legal victory. What came after Belgium?
Engine got nerfed. No, that didn't happen. Yes, some controversy at that point about
whether the engine was legal, but that is the last time they were able to do this.
I think it's still a long way to go until we can say that Prime Ferrari, whatever that looks like
in 2026 is back, but the consistency is encouraging across different types of circuit. We've been to
nine circuits so far this year. They've got podiums at seven of them, even if they're not
contending for victories at all of them. It is on the up. Now, I'm also like you, not certain they
would have won Silverstone if not for what happened to Kimmy Antonelli, but they were at least
fighting for the win there. They obviously won the race in Barcelona as well. On the other side
of things, they were absolutely nowhere near the race victory in Austria. I think the
will they win or will they be contending for a win this weekend is almost down to
why weren't they winning in Austria? Is any of that going to follow into this weekend?
Fred, very insightful with some of his comments after Austria said lack of pace was the reason
why they didn't win. It's great insight. It's sensational. It doesn't give us much to work
with, but there are a few maybe theories as to why they weren't as good there. The heat,
first and foremost, that was declared a heat hazard that weekend. We're not going to get
that this weekend at Spa. The tyres, they were the softest three compounds in the range. That
won't be the case this weekend either. The type of circuit that Austria is, some heavier braking
zones still have a few here at Spa, but not anywhere near the same. There's a lot of medium.
Turn one in the last corner of the slowest on the track. Actually, even that breaking into
the last corner is almost quite a flow into the head. Exactly. So again, that might not play
into it this weekend. And then also they were bringing engine upgrades to Austria that maybe
weren't fully embedded at the time of the Grand Prix. They are definitely embedded now. So I think
it's fairly good news that there's a chance that all of those things that maybe caused them not to
win in Austria might not actually carry over. And I feel like maybe we've switched, Sam, in that you
were maybe more optimistic about Ferrari and Silverstone than I was. I think I may be more
optimistic about Ferrari this weekend than you are. I don't think you're daft for thinking that.
I think you've got very good reason for believing that Ferrari are taking steps forward. We've seen
with the data over the nine also races that we've had so far this season that the gaps between Ferrari
and Mercedes in particular are coming down. The pole time in Australia was far larger than the
pole time, for example. We're not at that anymore. No, we're not nearly a second now. It's often,
it's only a couple of tenths. So as we have seen, there are other cars on the front row that join
Mercedes. Max Verstappen has been there in Monaco. And we've both had, I think, the Clare and
Hamilton have had a front row start so far this season, I think. At least Hamilton has. So it's
been positive for them. It's been positive. They're taking steps forward. And whilst I do think it
is still very much the engine that is letting them down and we know that Spa is predominantly a power
track, they're arcing up the area. So I think if they can play it right and we'll get on to weather
as well, there could be a chance here that they could throw a little surprise into the works.
Well, focusing a bit more on the two drivers. Let's start with Charles Leclerc, who obviously
is it for Leclerc to carry on that momentum after what has been a tough season for him so far?
It has. I was fascinated by Leclerc's comics and the team's comics over the analysis of how he got
this victory and how he recovered from what was a really poor start to the Silverstone weekend.
It came out that he basically datamined Lewis Hamilton's laps to work out how he was driving
the car. There have been worse strategies than that. If you're going to pick on a guy to look at,
Lewis Hamilton, probably a good one to do. And apparently he went through all the data about
how Lewis Hamilton was running laps and he basically started to use a combination of his own
driving style in this car and Lewis Hamilton's driving style. And suddenly, come the end of
that Grand Prix, we saw that Leclerc was the more comfortable of the two and the faster
of the two drivers. Before the safety car, I think the gap was over 20 seconds at one point. So
it shows you that Leclerc really felt at most comfortable at Silverstone and he has all the
season. Now, I do hope that this continues forward. The problem is he doesn't have a sprint
race here where he can sit there overnight and essentially datamined his teammate. So if Hamilton
gets off to a great start again in Spa, there's only so much space to look at. Can he do that via
practice? Like is that? Yeah, to a degree. But it's never the same. We know it's got the same,
like different fuel loads are run, we're already doing certain lengths of tire stints,
weather might be completely different on the Friday to the rest of the weekend.
There are a lot of variables that you need to be aware of. Now Leclerc's a smart guy,
his team is smart. They'll know that. But still, the data of a race condition which they hang in
the sprint and then they apply to the main Grand Prix is much more conclusive to what you need
to do or not do to make yourself faster or slower, I guess. But I do think that the closing
actual ability and the confidence you may have found in Silverstone should allow him
to take a step forward. I'm sure we'll see the Ferrari duo very, very close together again.
Yeah, I think this is a very important weekend for Leclerc. And obviously Silverstone was as
well. But I think following it up is equally pretty vital. Going into the British GP, Leclerc
had lost to Lewis Hamilton in five straight Grand Prix. In that spell, Hamilton had a win
and two second place finishes. Leclerc had no podiums at all. And of course, we know Leclerc
crashed not once but twice at his home Grand Prix in Monaco once in qualifying and then once in
the race itself. So when the weekend started out, as you just detailed there, pretty poorly for
Leclerc versus his teammate, it was Hamilton who got the sprint par, it was Hamilton who was fighting
with Antonelli for the sprint win. To see him come back from that in main qualifying and then the
race itself, I think he deserves a lot of credit for what he was able to do. And it's kind of proof
that you can't keep a great driver down for too long. Now he almost needs the proof that that
wasn't a one off, proved to himself more than anyone else externally. But just prove to yourself
that that wasn't a one off and carry that forward. His results at Spa are pretty good. It's mixed
emotions for him because he took his first victory in F1 at Spa. Obviously that came with mixed
emotions because whilst the jubilation of the victory, it was at the same weekend where Antonelli
Baer sadly passed away at an F2 race close friend of Charles Leclerc. So it's maybe a circuit that
brings up differing emotions, but he tends to go quite well here. Last three years, he's got P3
in all three of those years, as well as a couple of pole positions. So he does go quite well here.
He does. Because when the Ferrari hasn't been the strongest over the last couple of years in
comparison to rivals, that's good going. It's Hamilton starting to think of the title. He's
32 points back from Antonelli, seven from Russell. He's been here and done it plenty of times over.
Where's that at at the moment? I think being here and doing it plenty of times over is pretty
allowing him to be quite sensible in the way he's approaching this. I do think he's having a race
by race approach. Dare I say, almost quite Max Verstappen-esque actually in the approach and not
thinking of that longer term game. We know the car isn't there. We've seen consistently the results
aren't able to challenge Mercedes on the odd occasion. They are equal, but rarely have we seen
them properly faster on many occasions. So I think he'll be waiting to see essentially how that
Ferrari turns up to each race we came before he can say, yeah, I can take this title. If an upgrade
clicks and Ferraris suddenly are on equal playing field to Mercedes, I'm sure out of everyone on
that field, much like what Fernando Alonso would do, Lewis Hamilton would absolutely back himself to
try and take that title away. 32 points is a small gap when it comes to Formula One, realistically.
It takes two or three great results. It's something you're back in the field.
If it's 25 at the summer break, game on. Surely, game on. That's only going to be
four victories. That's four second places for Antigone. That's actually in the wing. He's in
the lead by three points at that point ever, Antigone, if that's exactly how it plays out.
That's assuming bulletproof reliability, which we know Mercedes haven't had to this point in the
year of the two cars. Ferrari, and I can't believe I'm saying this, Ferrari has been the more reliable.
11 proper reliability issue across the whole season so far. Again, whilst we're waiting for
something to probably strike Hamilton because Leclerc was the previous victim, they've been great
so far. If you get one reliability problem a year, I think that's pretty good going in Formula One.
One failure a year is pretty solid. One a year is pretty solid at any point, let alone in the
first year of a regulation cycle. That's really impressive. I'm going to say this not just about
Lewis Hamilton, but also about Ferrari as well. I think it's time for the team and the driver
to start focusing on Mercedes more than they have been. I think Ferrari to this point in the year
have been very much focused on themselves and again, almost turning up to a race weekend and
maximizing their performance. If it's enough to win, if it's enough to get a podium, so be it,
but they've been very internally focused. I think now, based on where the championship sits,
it's time for Ferrari to very much factor in what Mercedes are doing and how to take points away
from them. What they can't afford to do is let Mercedes have things easy in any way. They need
to ensure that they are applying pressure on Mercedes at all times because that tends to be
the thing that brings out errors. Also, again, with this maybe poor reliability that Mercedes have,
if we have situations like Australia and China where Mercedes are able to coast to a 1-2 and only
use up 75% of what they've got, they're unlikely to face many reliability issues. If you're on the
back of them, they are going to have to go close to 100% capacity. That's where the reliability
issues will start to happen. I do think now is maybe the time for Ferrari to look externally as
well as internally. I agree. I think Mercedes is also on the back front when it comes to strategy
calls. We've seen them kind of rest on their laurels a little bit and make calls lapsed too late.
We saw at Silverstone alone how under VSC, Red Bull pulled their cars straighting for a pit stop to
make sure they really minimise the amount of time. Equally, Ferrari have really levelled up on their
pit stops. They currently hold the fastest pit stop throughout the entire year and rarely do get a
very slow pit stop when it comes to the few that we actually get to see. Something that really
improved on the last couple of years. We used to joke all the time about blunders they had.
They are reliably very good at pit stops now. Well into the mid-twos, if not lower than that on
a regular basis. It's areas that Mercedes are genuinely a little bit weaker here. Arguably,
Camus' record itself speaks for itself as well. I mean, last year in the Ferrari, you write that
off. It came seventh, I think it was, but whatever. But he's had five victories here and another
multitude of podiums as well on top of it. This was one of those tracks that actually
they were regularly challenged. It wasn't like this was a domination track for Mercedes.
He would often have Ferrari would turn up and be very, very close to him in the
vettel years when they were there as well. He's done very well. I think in a multitude of races
between leaving McLaren and joining Ferrari, I think he only had, well, he did finish,
shoot and got a collision one time off the podium where he was fourth place. It's a
pretty successful run of results for him. When it comes to Mercedes and how effective they'll be
here. We've spoken obviously a lot this season about battery management. I feel like with the,
particularly the middle sector, how there aren't a lot of braking zones. It's a lot of medium speed
corners. It's going to be rough. It might be rough. I think it will be a similar-ish challenge to
Silverstone. What we saw at Silverstone was Antonelli quite effectively used battery management
to get by Hamilton in the sprint. Even in the main Grand Prix, if you look at, remember when,
for example, Lewis Hamilton overtook George Russell? George Russell got by on the same lap.
That might be the key to Mercedes if they're able to hone that again.
Mercedes battery is their perfect moment. It's the thing that they are strongest at. This is why I
mentioned the five straight mode zones because it will minimize to a degree the amount of battery
that is required when you're going through those straight areas. It's such a potent area for Mercedes
and Spa like Silverstone will be so tricky to rebuild. I think I massively underjudged how
poor Silverstone was when it came to this recovery because in the race, we saw it live. Of course,
we were at the racetrack. It's very difficult to genuinely follow what the drivers were going
through on a full race distance. I've watched back quite a lot of its sinks. It's horrific at times.
The way they're lifting, they're cruising, it's taking the sting out of some really incredible
corners. The same will be said here for Spa. There's a chance that something like O'Rooge might
be at half-speed. There's a chance that someone might be at half-speed. These are corners that are
meant to be daring, nail-biting. They're meant to be thrilling at every moment. Formula one is meant
to put these corners to the very edge of their testing ability. I don't think we will. I really
am going to struggle to see performance. I think O'Rooge might be okay just because if you are
taking O'Rooge anything less than 100%, you are going to be at a disadvantage for a long time until
the end of the straight. That's everyone, doesn't it? True. I mean, with Pooam, for example, in the
middle sector, you don't have an overtaking opportunity straight after that, which makes me
think that is where the middle sector is going to be where they are really slow to try and conserve
battery for the first and final sectors, because that's where the overtaking opportunities are.
But we'll see how that plays out. One very quick final question, Sam, before we go to a break,
any panic for Antonelli right now? I don't think so. I think he's really grown this season. I don't
mean his ability in the car, but whilst that is true, I actually mean mentally. I think mentally
he is becoming stronger. Grande Kimi. Grande Kimi is here. Toto, damn you for that horrible,
cringe-worthy statement. He's really developed and he's really improved in terms of recovering.
Whilst I still think we saw a little bit of panic when the race management had to kick in, we had
the problem in Silverstone, that's very different to a mistake or being overtaken. In Canada,
you'll remember that when there was the issue with Russell, he lost his head for a lap or so,
and it was all over the place, over the radio. Bongo and Toto had to both come over the radio,
kind of said, Kimi, drive the car, get on with it, you know, you've got a race going on here. He was,
of course, I got out of jail free car, I suppose, by Russell having a DNF who was in front at the
time, I readjust, but was in front at the time. I do think that Russell having a better result
because of what happened won't affect him. He knows that he had a car problem. He knows that he
was faster to begin with anyway. He knows that he got performed in for the whole weekend.
That is enough mentally to be stronger going into a race like this. All he's got to do is exactly
the same thing. I hope he hasn't got a reliability problem this time around. I think, realistically,
mentally, both in the championships, both his driving ability, he is still better than what
Russell has been able to do. He just has to remind himself, the last three Grand Prix, he was second
on pace in Barcelona. He was third on the road, obviously, in Austria, but two or three seconds
behind the race win, and then he was first or second on pace at Silverstone. The results
maybe aren't great because of reliability, but the pace is still there.
The numbers tell a very different story in terms of points getting over the last three races.
And Formula One put out a social media graphic about Russell on the charge was the title of
the podium, saying it was the last three races where he obviously outscored Kim Yanzang Ali.
I arguably won. You can make an argument for it in terms of genuinely being,
well, yeah, he finished on track properly. That's what I do. If I ever take a car on the
on the hard shoulder that is like just broken down, I'm on the charge. I can't be stopped.
I'll beg of you. I'm quicker. That car's got literally smoke coming out.
All right, let's take our first break on the other side. Rain at Spa.
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Welcome back, everyone. Spa for Uncle Sean, as we've already mentioned, a very iconic F1 venue.
It's been on the calendar since 1950, the first Formula One World Championship, albeit at that
point, a nearly nine mile version of the track. One thing that has become synonymous with Spa
over the years is its unpredictable weather. Now, whilst the track is smaller than it was
back in the 50s, 60s and early 70s, it's still over seven kilometers long. It is the longest
one on the calendar. Therefore, you have sometimes in the past had instances where it's been
sunny in one area of the track and then pouring it down the other end of the track.
Before we get into who we think rain might benefit and who might not benefit, Sam, what are your
thoughts on just the prospect of having a wet weather session in the year 2026?
Gosh, our Lord. I'm desperate for a wet weather race. I am desperate. It's almost a lost art
now in the land of Formula One that we go racing in wet weather. We had the opportunity of wet
weather racing, of course, in Miami, I believe it was. We had to have it moved because of
threat of thunder still. Now, I do understand the safety precaution of thunder and lightning,
of course, these cars can attract that or it might cause issue for spectators that I get,
but not every rain situation comes with thunder and lightning. You can't just have rain, you know,
not to be that guy. Weather. Not to teach you something new, everyone, but I am a meteorologist,
can't barely say the word, and rain can't be on itself. It's so focused on the weather, you
don't actually be able, you can't do words, you know. Meteorologist. Meteorologist. Yes,
wet tires. I'd like to see the challenge of wet weather because it is something that Formula
One stands out for. And so there are certain drivers that thrive. It balances cars. It brings
the pack closest together often. You see crazy things happening in the rain. I want it to happen.
So you know what? Bring on the rain. Thank you very much, Anton Dubeck.
It is crazy that we are here on race 10 and talking about will we get,
not even just a race, but just a wet weather session. I mean, that's just luck as well.
I know we had Miami and maybe that could have been played slightly differently,
but the rest of the calendar has all just been, that's just what the weather was at the time.
It is blooming hot at the moment. It is blooming hot at the moment. But I mean,
that extends back to the races we had earlier in the year as well. And I mean, we've had two
cancelled slash postponed races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. We wouldn't have got rain
either of those two. We could be sat here at round 12 and asking when are we going to see any
famously doesn't really run in the desert famously. I think there might still be
a bit of apprehension about wet weather racing this year in that until we see it,
I think there's going to be some concerns. Firstly, again, to use everyone's favorite
phrase, I'm not sure how the batteries are going to work in wet weather in that on a very simple
terms. Full throttle equals bad for battery. Heavy braking is good for battery.
Well, you get a little bit less of both of them in wet weather in that you're not on full throttle
as often because of the conditions. But equally, a lot of the braking is more gradual into corners
because why you can say so much fuel in the way as well. Yes. Yeah, exactly the same. Exactly
the same. So I don't actually, it's a genuine unknown. I do not know how they will cope.
You'd argue it would make the battery less important.
I think so. I think you're right. Because you're not seeing the extremes of usage,
essentially is what I'm trying to say. Yeah. The other thing as well is the cars themselves.
So obviously with the much closer to 50-50 balance between electrical power and the ICE,
we've got a lot more electrical torque in these cars. And whereas like the internal combustion,
the engine is a lot, the power is a lot more predictable. It's a lot more
aggregated out. When it comes to electrical torque, it's just there. And it's there in
an instant. And it will, I think in wet weather conditions, make these cars really tricky to
control. Not saying that's a bad thing. Good thing. Yeah. And the FIA have already somewhat
done something to that even before we've seen a wet weather session in that they've
they've limited the max deployment, I think. The other thing is active aero. I believe I'm
right in saying this. The active aero on the front wing will still be in effect in wet weather
conditions, but the rear wing similar to DRS won't be available. So I believe that is the
rule set. Yeah. So we won't see the classic DRS function. The Macarena wing, for example,
will be completely irrelevant. Sure. So another thing for teams to worry about though,
partial active aero, if that happens. Yeah. It's going to be really fascinating. We have
not seen cars like this in a long time anyway. You've seen them in wet weather. It's going to
be a whole new thing. What happened to the wet tire? You know, is it going to come back?
Honestly, the wet weather tire, I think, I think died maybe 10 years ago. It just,
it's actually just an intermediate tire that's just trying to be a wet tire now.
And just trying to play it up to it. Yeah. The problem is like, I mean, we had this last year,
obviously, where we had a delay because of wet weather to the point where we started the race
and it wasn't wet anymore. Yeah. Formula One has a real issue with using the wet tire anyway.
It's the teams as well, right? They will do everything they can to get off that tire onto
the intermediates. I don't care. Put the tire on, drive around the track. I don't care about
your excuses. It's a safe tire. It's been made to be safe. The tire isn't the problem. Drive
the car around the racetrack. The window is the problem almost in that it's like,
too dangerous, dangerous to be out there. Then there's this small window
where the wet tire is the best and then it's intermediate. It's just such a narrow window.
It's called extreme for a reason. Put the extreme on, drive it to the extreme.
Who do you think wet weather would suit? Team, driver, take your pick.
Two teams, two drivers came to mind. Most teams are Ferrari and Red Bull. Most drivers are Hamilton
and Verstappen. I just think that, again, as I mentioned, with battery, it balances the field.
And whilst Mercedes have such an advantage with battery deployment, this way I think allow them
to become closer competitively. I also think the chassis have improved for Red Bull and the
chassis is really very good for Ferrari. So I think that whilst they haven't got the outright
power over all that Mercedes have, I do think that Ferrari and Red Bull will be able to challenge
in wetter conditions, but also because of lack of deployment, of course. Equally with the drivers,
we only spoke about our best overtakes. We think of all time recently, one that came up
in great chat was Verstappen at 2016 Brazil. The man could drive in the wet. He's very,
very good in the wet. Equally, something else is very, very good in the wet is Lewis Hamilton.
And I just think that if they're able to master these cars and they're able to drive a car that's
a bit more competitive in those wet weather conditions, we may see them be far more competitive.
So you reckon, broadly speaking, Mercedes is quite happy for things to stay as they are because...
No variables for Mercedes. They've won a lot of races.
Just for their normal drivers. Whereas Ferrari and Red Bull, perhaps,
more willing to accept some dodgy conditions. I think so.
And again, it's not just like it'll either be good weather or bad weather.
It's Spa. The weather forecast now, as we're recording this, it'll be completely different
in two days' time. There'll be snow on turn one and it'll be a heat wave in turn three,
right now, I imagine. That's how me and Harry used to set your races on project cars without you
knowing. It's also actually night time in corner seven. Good fun. I immediately thought of Max
Verstappen here as well. With these cars and driving in wet weather, there's no experience
advantage for any of these drivers or teams. The only very limited wet weather running that any
team has had is Ferrari because half a day of the Barcelona test was wet weather, it doesn't matter
at this point. It's not going to help them at all. But I think the drivers, because experience might
not matter too much, it will be adaptability, I think, that will be really important. Those
drivers that can learn the quickest, like how difficult it is to control these cars, what you
can get away with, what you definitely can't get away with. And when I think of adaptable drivers,
Max Verstappen is the one that immediately springs to mind. So I don't think he'll mind a wet weather
race. Speaking of Verstappen, speculation continues about what his future might hold.
How important is it for Red Bull to be competitive this weekend? And then also from a reliability
point of view, particularly thinking about the rear wing, how important is it for Red Bull to
solve that? I mean, from a reliability point of view, that's just a given. The car should be.
I wonder about the engine going up, right? That's one thing. The fact that the car itself
can't seem to stabilise it and it's having multiple problems that lead to the same
issue, the engine issue, which of course is the rear wing not closing properly,
is devastating for a Formula One team. It's usually we hear problems of the engine's gone
or the battery's gone. That's fine. It's not good for a driver, but you almost can go right
if a part's gone. It's a safe DNF most of the time. A lot of the time, you're usually able
to get out of the car, walk away, no problem. When you are committed to the aero, working,
and so often in Formula One, you trust in that aero. I remember we've had years of DRS working
previously. So rarely have we ever seen a proper DRS failure. The fact that this has happened,
twice with Verstappen over the last couple of races, pretty damning for Red Bull. So
as an absolute given, Max is to have trust that the car is going to be in one piece
through a corner and actually work as expected. The second part of competitiveness
is what Red Bull now needs to deliver every single Grand Prix, I think, for the rest of the season.
I'm not talking about racewings, but I'm talking about the possibility of fighting
for racewings. I think he's aware that he's not going to race.
Podium, I think. If there's a DNF in front of him, maybe you could push for the wing,
front row, that kind of situation here, where he's not outright the fastest car,
but a little bit of Verstappen magic and maybe something else outside of his control happens,
a wing is on the cards. At that point, he can start to say, okay, we're going in the right
direction. I'm actually fighting here. I'm not sitting in fifth place and I'm miles away from
the guys around me. So I think they've got to deliver. Otherwise, there is going to be real
chance that he either leaves the sport, which is definitely possible, or these rumors around
McLaren, Mercedes come to fruition. I don't really have anything in this fight about what Verstappen
does in the future. If he could make his decision like just after the Hungarian Grand Prix to give
us like a month's worth of content before the summer break is over, that would be lovely.
If you wouldn't mind, Max. I am going to come out and say it though. I will be devastating if he leaves
the sport. To be clear, I do not want him to leave the sport. He's such an incredible driver. He's
such pulling power. He's important for the sport. He has a great fan base. I really do not want the
solution to be Max leaves or announce your retirement at the beginning of the summer break
and then go back on it just as we start to come back to F1 week before the preview of the first
race. The content Max, the Verstappen camp a few weeks ago said Max Verstappen wasn't born to race
in the midfield, which is an interesting comment. And I think it's unfair to say he is fighting in
the midfield at the moment. Red Bull, whilst they're not at their best, are definitely not the
grid. They might have been a couple of races earlier in the year, but they aren't at the moment.
But it does tell you something about where he and his team might be at right now. He knows right
now a title push is like incredibly unlikely. And I'm not saying impossible because I don't feel
comfortable saying that yet, but it's incredibly unlikely this season. But that isn't everything
for Verstappen. We know this. We know you said it earlier on, but he's much more race by race.
And we have had so far glimpses of competition like Canada when he fought for and got podium,
Monaco when he was on the front row, and maybe best of all the Austrian race where
he was fighting for the win. He's going to need more of that. And he's had too much success,
quite honestly, to be, as you put it, sort of trundling around, hustling as he can to get it
P5. That's not going to interest him at this point. And I think maybe this is where
him and Hamilton differ slightly as to where they are in their respective careers. So
Hamilton, for example, I use Hamilton because he's also had a lot of success already. And you
asked the question, what keeps him going? Well, I think for Hamilton, it's like he's invested
himself in a new project. And we saw how emotional he was when he won in Barcelona.
He's won 100 races before, but it was something different. It's winning with a team he's always
wanted to race with new people. A team he's always idolized with Verstappen. He doesn't have a longer
term project to get stuck into at the moment. It's almost like he is almost doing it for fun,
turning up at a race weekend and hoping that he can compete for a win. There isn't like a
need to win this. I need to get seven championships. That isn't his mentality.
But because of that, it means that if things start to go wrong, you haven't got like the,
I don't know, you haven't got that. We could turn this around in 20 races on the horizon is X, Y,
and Z. Yeah, it's kind of like that. The thing I enjoyed isn't there now. And I don't know when
that thing's coming back. It feeds into the reliability stuff as well. It's like F1 drivers,
and this is very Nicky loud arrest. They will accept there is a certain percentage of risk
every time they put on the overalls, put the helmet on light. They know there is going to be
a certain amount of risk. But if it goes over that risk, whatever that number is,
then you start to ask questions. Verstappen, he's already won championships. He's won so many races.
He's got a young family at home, and he's currently in a situation where he doesn't know
if his car is going to hurl him into the gravel or barriers at any given moment.
That isn't sustainable. And it's not sustainable for any driver to be clear. But if you are, say,
Piastri or Antonelli or Russell or someone who's like, I'm here to win a world championship,
I need to be a world champion, it's almost like that motivation will pull you through a little bit.
Verstappen, I don't think has that, which means it's important to fix it.
Sparrow is a dangerous place. We've seen, as you mentioned earlier,
the likes of Antonelli Bear, who has saddened us their life. Now, I'm not saying that that's going
to be the case for this Grand Prix. But equally, how many times can you have a car ferry that
throws you into a wall at 180, 200 miles an hour and get out and go, yeah, I want to do that again
next weekend. There is only so much someone can take. Shall we do some bold predictions?
And listen to my song. Are my F1 bold predictions and how the law be wrong?
For the love of God, can I get one right? No. No. It's a creed by me.
You know what? It's a fair shout, no, because everything that I've done this year indicates
that it will be no again. Imagine if I say that my bold prediction is that your bold prediction
will come right. And that way we both get a point. Oh, no. But then I don't gain anything.
The meta strat. No. You're beating Harry, if you got that.
True. Do I accept beating Harry? It doesn't feel like that doesn't give me much anymore.
It's like getting out of bed in the morning, that is the first thing you've got to do.
Harry's the equivalent of brushing your teeth. It's just something you've got to do.
You obviously, twice a day, easily. You've got to get it done.
That's harsh. What's your bold prediction?
There'll be a shock podium, not from the top four teams.
Yeah. I think any podium right now that comes from, I know Gazznair won in Monaco,
but it took a lot for him to get that. So anything that isn't essentially just to be
clear, no missing is no Ferrari, no Red Bull, no McLaren.
I thought you were going to play the game there and like, well, my top four teams are actually
Cadillac, Aston Martin, Williams and Haas. Anything else is a great result.
You know what? That'd be a great sport if those four were the leading teams.
Yeah. My bold prediction, as mentioned already, looks like the conditions are going to be
a little bit all over the place for the weekend. Saturday in particular,
looks like there could be some rain. My bold prediction is that Max Verstappen will get pole
position. I don't know if that's that bold. He was on the front row already this season.
It was only eight tenths off like really recently. I mean, he hasn't done it.
Okay, fine. Your bold prediction is something that's happened this year. Mine isn't.
That's true. That's true. Fine. Get in the comments, folks. How much of an easy guy's been.
Man predicts something that's never happened.
Oh, I've never eaten caviar. Probably will one day.
You know what? I'm going to put that on a t-shirt. I'm intrigued to see probably what
number three is on this, Sam, but you never know. Pole 123
Pole will be George Russell. The wing will be Kimi Antonelli. Second place will be George Russell.
Third place will be Liam Lawson. Oh, more Liam Lawson love. Goodness me.
We're on the glaze. Oh, it's tiring at this point, isn't it?
Like, I know you hate him. I know you hate him. I want to go back to hate again.
You know, I missed the comment saying how much we hated him.
I can't help it. Bring him back. My guy's performing.
He is. He is. So pretty dominant for Mercedes though.
I think so. I don't think it's going to rain in the race. I think that helps him.
I've got, obviously, I've already answered the first part of this pole position,
Max Verstappen. First place, Kimi Antonelli. Second place, Lewis Hamilton.
Third place, George Russell. So I've got it more still Mercedes winning.
I think the Ferrari is going to be closer though.
I think it will be similar to Silverstone in that it will be,
maybe Mercedes just about stronger, but close.
Do you think not Leclerc?
No, I, the problem, the reason I haven't gone with Leclerc.
Well, break it down.
Whenever it rains, something goes wrong for him.
Say it quietly. He's not very good in the rain.
You know what? He's okay in the rain and he's great in the dry.
The problem is the bit in the middle. Like whenever there are interchangeable conditions,
either he or the team does something wrong.
Yeah. There's just that message from Silverstone last year where he was like,
I've got a lot of water that's just going into my helmet and it's just like across the grass at
Carlos signs off while he does it. Yeah. It wasn't his finest moment.
Not so much. Let us know, of course, what you think is going to happen with your
bold predictions and your poll 123 predictions as well.
Let's take a quick break on the other side. Speaking of Carlos signs,
he's got some comments about Williams.
Welcome back, everyone. Carlos signs fears Williams could be moving in the wrong direction
instead of making the recovery expected after its difficult start to the 2026 season.
Signs entered the new regulation era with high hopes that Williams would be able to make a strong
impact, particularly after the team became one of the first to shift its full attention
towards developing its 2026 car last year. The Spaniard had already admitted in Monaco that
the team struggles at the beginning of the season had tested his confidence in the project.
However, the Silverstone weekend led to his strongest criticism yet,
raising concerns about whether Williams is truly making progress. This is what he had to say.
Concerning frustrating because it starts to be a bad trend this year that we don't seem to really
find a lot of lap time when the upgrades are coming. We need to have a good sit down and analyze
what's happening because unfortunately we've shed a lot of weight out of the car by now,
but the gap to the front keeps increasing and the gap to the leader of the midfield keeps
increasing. We don't seem to be finding the lap time that we expected in the winter.
Is it a fair... Yes, it's a bit of a brutal assessment. Is it a fair one?
Yeah, it is a fair one. You all remember that last era, the end of the ground effect era,
Carlos Sainz finished the season by picking up two podiums, right? He had a really great end of
season. Was it Katar and Baku? Did he have one? Baku, I think so, yeah. That's worrying that you
got better when everyone else is probably working on the new era of car and why were you getting
better then? It doesn't really make sense. Arguably you should be getting worse throughout the year.
They started the year very well. It sort of dropped middle of the year. They came back again.
They think it really makes sense. They think I'm going to hang a great start,
sites hang a great finish. No one hang a good middle. It's not going well. They hang a couple
of Grand Prix where it looked like it was a step forward, even with the issue that they had in
China, of course, where I think it was Colopinto hit Albon, potentially. One of the Williams picked
up points in China. It's always Ocon, yeah. It was obviously Ocon. And then, of course,
they had a couple of extra places where they picked up a couple of nights in tents as we moved
forward. And the last couple of Grand Prix, Barcelona was absolutely woeful for them.
And daddy vowels came out and they'd say, this track is not for us. We will not do well here,
true to his words. They were terrible in Barcelona. But he's always right, just not for the right
reasons about how bad he is. Yeah. Equally, Silverstone wasn't any better, was it?
Alex Albon did about eight competitive laps, I remember. And then one of them got biffed off by
for someone else. Yeah. Well, Albon biffed off bearing. Exactly. That's true. Sorry, Albon did
the biffing. Yes, you biffer. Damn you, you biffer. Al biffer. I don't like Al biffer at all. Alex
We come to a track like Spa, which tests every part of the race car. I can't see it improving.
And Carlos Sainz, I think it's exactly right to call out the fact that this team has not actually
taken steps forward, despite his theory, resolving problems that they were plagued with at the start
of the year. They had too much weight. The car only had contact patches on three of its four tires
throughout certain balance areas. They were struggling with aerodynamics. In theory, they
should have the best engine slash battery on the cruise, but they got utilising it. They are
struggling and it's gotten worse. Yep. I am concerned that they're just going to
start trying to go up radion into a rouge and not make the top. That's where Williams are at right
now. It's not a good situation. But it's a very fair assessment, what Carlos Sainz has said here.
You know what? Williams, and I've probably said this already at some point this year,
Williams can be absolutely delighted that Aston Martin exists this year because
so much of the attention has gone on their project and how it's not gone anywhere near
close to what they wanted. And Williams, it's like almost the results are back on a test.
And everyone's like, oh my God, Aston Martin got zero out of 100. That's never been seen before.
And Williams is in the corner with like three out of 100. Like, no one's looking at me.
Even though I'm terrible. Yeah. Whilst Aston Martin, I could probably label as the most
disappointing turnout for a new era that I've seen in a long time. Williams is an easy second.
Williams is about 2% higher. This is awful. It's woeful. And to all of you guys that were
going by, I said the word awful last episode. It's awful. Absolutely terrible. Sorry. I love
James Fowles. I think he's brilliant. I think Carlos Sainz is a real talent. This is rubbish.
It's not good enough. I went back through the 11 points that they've got so far this season.
It doesn't make for good reading because two points at China, which was caused by four did not
start and three DNFs. And I appreciate reliability as part of F1, but on pure pace, they weren't
getting two points there. Two points at Canada. One did not start. Five DNFs and Piastri out of
the points probably helped them. They got four points for P8 at Monaco. That was a race in which
Fernando Alonso scored a point. I think really it's only the three points they got at Miami,
which were pretty legitimately based on the pace that the car had. So,
yeah, it's not great. He's right that the weight is coming off, but the gap isn't coming down.
They're further away now than they were certainly middle of this season so far,
again around Miami. And these other teams who maybe are still shedding some weight,
they're shifting their head. They're shifting their focus to other things. They don't have to
worry about it. The worry is Aston Martin. You spoke about them being bad, but if this
2.0 upgrade that they're bringing to Hungary is true, there is actually a legitimate chance
that Aston Martin leapfrog Williams. If that's the case, if that does happen and they're still
pulling around with that Honda in the back of the car, that might be kirk since for James Fowles
at Williams. In terms of Carlos Sainte's future, I think the question is whether he's considering
his options now. Now, we did put this together as part of our episode briefing. So, we put out
what we're going to be talking about in the episode ahead of time on Patreon.
And it gives you the opportunity to ask some questions. And it's really helpful, actually,
because it gives us a bit of a steer on what you want to know about any particular questions you'd
like to answer. Caitlyn had a comment, which is basically to say maybe slightly tongue-in-cheek.
Carlos Sainte's leaving Williams would actually be a good thing, because whenever he leaves a place,
they immediately become great. McLaren, maybe Ferrari as well. So,
if you're a Williams fan, maybe it's what you weirdly want. Do you think he is considering his
options? Carlos, mate, how many other teams can you drive for? He's running out. You are,
Ami's young now, 545 sounds right. So, he's done Williams, Ferrari,
Renault slash Alpine, McLaren, and of course, Tora Rosso. So,
this next team would be his sixth if it's a completely new team, of course. And that's,
you know, when there's now only 11 teams, okay, the word's hang, he's done a lot of the grid.
Audi, that is the only sexy project I think available to him that in theory he could drive.
But remember, there was speculation he would join Audi before it was announced that he'd go to
Williams. There was. And I think, understandably, he shows the more sound established team on the
grid that had a project in mind. And again, going to a new era when you've got someone like
James Vowes, Higgs Crudong, the team was recruiting well, they understood the problems.
On paper, all these things sound really positive. The issue is, you don't win races on paper,
you win races on a racetrack and you need to get a race car to do so. They don't have one.
And it's Audi, who may have less points than Williams so far this season,
genuinely like a threat for points every single race. They've got something about them.
Like, it's going to happen. They will break through this threshold eventually and it will
happen for them. It might turn around for Williams as well, but I, there's not a lot of
confidence when I say that. And seeing the signs, that's the problem, ironically.
You know, with Audi, we know most of the time it's engine related. The power on the engine is down.
With Williams, there's so many small problems, bug bears getting involved that they can't
resolve. They haven't had a dramatic turnaround from this weight being shared in the car.
And theory that should make it better. Red Bull spoke about how they got the weight off the car
and suddenly it became better. They brought a new side body and suddenly the car became better.
The thing we said with Aston Martin, if they get hungry, right, the car will get better.
Cadillac are seeing small stinging performance improvements.
Half the pretty much the only other team that have done the same as Williams have gone backwards
from a solid start and they've continued to move backwards. That's not a good comparison for Williams.
Yeah. It looks like they will have a significant upgrade coming at some point.
James Valls has almost called it a bespect car, maybe at Baku.
They're pinning a lot. lot of hopes on that working.
Yeah. When it comes to signs, like when you move to a new team or a new project,
I think that you can really call this, you probably have an idea of what a best case
and worst case scenario is. This is quite a bit closer at the moment to the worst case scenario.
He must be looking at racing balls and going, that should be us.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. And if that was Williams, that would be better.
Yeah. But I wouldn't say fair enough. At least you are the proper front of the mix.
Yeah. Sure. Yeah. At least you've made a good step forward. But you're as bad,
different, worse than you were last year. And you're right that on paper, it made a lot of
sense to go there. And again, it might all turn around. We don't know. But in terms of the real
recruitment drive that Williams had a couple of years ago, a lot of investment, it made a lot
of sense for him to go there. But right now, it's just, I'm not saying Carlos Sainz is
potential as being completely wasted in that he should be a world champion. But he's a four-time
race winner. He's had 29 podiums in his career. He's deserving of a car that is better than the one
he's got right now. He's proven in this Williams that he's more than good enough,
more than good enough. And I just think that the, I think the time is running out for James
Vow to prove himself at this team. And again, it's going to sound weird. I'm comparing him to
these two drivers. I'm not saying he's on the same level as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
But if you take those two drivers, Lewis Hamilton was turned 31, I think in 2015.
I would say just before he got into the peak of his career, Michael Schumacher turned 31 in 2000.
Again, just before he started to win all those titles, Carlos Sainz is now 31. Like,
point being like, he should be right now at a place where this should be his prime. Like,
he should be in his contract now where he is set on winning and it's not even close to happening.
I agree. And as a man who is 31 years old, all I do is win. So I imagine that he feels very
sick. Exactly. And like my hands are always up, always up. But they go down sometimes,
don't they? No, never. They stay up. They stay there. I'm sure they go up, down,
down. Anyway, me, Hamilton, Schumacher, winners. Carlos Sainz, what are you going to do about it?
Great hair. I was wondering how long it would take. I don't know what the options are out there for
him really. Like, wing. Williams. Williams. But they're not. Change the name to Williams.
And then everything will be all right. And your wing. That might be his only option,
to be honest. I've got nothing else. I'm sorry. I've run out of analysis. The car is crap. He
has made a bad choice. Either it gets better or he has to leave. It is really quite poor.
Like, instant reaction to this. Good. If for Stappen, a big if, if for Stappen were to leave
the sport and Red Bull don't really fancy a lineup of 21-year-old Isaac Hadjar and 24-year-old Liam
Lawson or 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz? I don't think he's at the bottom of the list.
I think he's probably in the top three picks that they could go for right now. That's really
realistic picks. Interesting. Should we do under pressure? Who's under pressure this weekend, Sam?
Funny enough, I was actually going to go for Williams. They need a bigger result here. And I
do think that actually, if it were to rain, I imagine both drivers would be looking forward
to the challenge because it might allow them some advantage over the likes of a Haas or an Alpine
even. So for me, Williams need to step up. I'm going to go with Oscar Piastri and reason being
he's only 15 points behind Lando Norris. So it's all pretty close after Silverstone.
We've got five more races until the end of the European summer and we get into the final stretch
of the season. Famously, over the last couple of years, that has not been Piastri's forte. It's
where the championship challenge crumbled last year. And the year before that even,
he was far stronger in the middle of the year than he was at the very end of the season. So
with that in mind, of course, he won here last year. He got his first sprint podium here.
So he goes quite well at this track. I think it would be good for him to maybe create a bit of
a buffer before we go into some tougher tracks for him. Let's take our final break on the other
side. It's what Sam has been waiting for. Belgian GP, true or false? True or false? Sam hates
true or false? I'm going to go with false. You will be wrong.
Welcome back, everyone. Just got time for a bit of Belgian GP, true or false. Make sure you
play along at home as well. See if you can beat the number that Sam sets as a target. We've got
eight statements here. And weirdly enough, you need to say whether they're true or false.
There really isn't much more to this game than that. So are you confident, Sam? No.
Sometimes I ask a question and I don't know the answer, but I just want to ask it anyway.
I hate anything 50-50. Yep. Hates the TV show. Absolutely hates Angelica.
I really hate the one thing I love about it. Angelica? Does that know?
Yeah, I think. Oh, God, this is me. Yeah, it's real niche. Okay. Number one.
Four drivers on the current grid have won at Spa. Not counting sprints here, just main races.
Okay. Only four or... Exactly four. Exactly. Thank you. Okay. Leclerc, Hamilton,
Verstappen, Alonso. I bet Bottas won here. And I bet you... Oh, and Piazza, false.
It's true. Are you having a laugh? I'm not having a laugh. I'm just working out.
You haven't quite worked it out, I'm afraid. Lewis Hamilton has won five times here. Max Verstappen
has won three times here. Leclerc and Piastri have won once each. Fernando Alonso has never won
the Belgian Grand Prix. And Bottas never won either. No. Oh, Fernando! It's real weird that
Fernando Alonso has not won a Belgian Grand Prix. I don't believe this. it.
I'm actually looking it up. Okay. I'm looking at Bottas's results. I believe you about Fernando.
I can't believe he's never won here. Second place, Vouchery. Second place.
Famously not a win. The goodness sake, that's got a one. That's a two. Oh, geez.
That's not a one. That's a two. I'm sure many new parents will have known that feeling.
It's a great start. Okay, number two. Actual number two.
Are you getting it yet, folks? Why? I hate this game.
Even when you think you've worked it out perfectly.
I've actually done real math. Michael Schumacher won his debut race here in 1991.
It is the other one. Oh, good. That being false. He did debut here in 1991 for Jordan. He qualified
seventh, which was a pretty respectable result in that car. But he retired
on the first lap of the race before Benetton decided, let's snap him up quite quickly.
Don't do that. I mean, get snapped up, but don't retire on that one.
Yes. Yeah, that way around for sure. He did win his six times though,
which is more than any other driver. That's what I was saying true about.
Ah, yeah. Slight miscommunication. Okay. Number three. I've got no idea how to word this,
but here we go. Good. Spars are named after spa.
As in like going to the spa and like having a massage or whatever.
Yeah. That is named after spa. The town in Belgium.
Um, I've got a false. It's true. I hate this game so much.
That's really interesting. Like spars are just named after this little town in Belgium.
For spars existed before this town in Belgium. It goes back a long, long way back to like.
They had spars in Egypt, engaged in Greece. Yeah, but spars are first.
I understand that, but yeah, spars all get engaged in Egypt. Spars was actually,
yeah, we're Adam and Eve. Where is the first places of man? Yeah.
Okay. Number four. Yeah.
Jim Clark won this race in 1963 by 100 seconds. Okay. That's one minute 40.
In 1963, this racetrack was the length of the earth. So I'm going to say it's true.
It's false. Four, folks. He won it by 294 seconds, which incredibly, despite the fact that it's like,
how long is that? That's nearly five minutes. That still isn't plus one lap.
Bruce McLaren, who was second, wasn't lapped and lost to Clark by nearly five minutes.
That's hilarious. You're going to have a really funny anecdote.
Yes. We met some lovely people at Silverstone really recently.
And I turned to one of the people and we were speaking about kind of what we do on the show
and how we can banter off each other. The three of us, of course, when Harry's here.
And I was like, oh, you know, they openly said, how do you remember all this stuff?
And I said, oh, I don't. I'm, you know, I'm the comedic relief. I'm silly on the show.
And actually it's Harry and Ben. They're very smart. Sure. They did bang on it.
They never, they never turn around and say, no, you, you do remember?
No, no, no, you swing. Oh, yeah. I moved up with that much.
Oh, great, great boy. You actually know what? You've nailed the show.
I, I like to think that you are boosting the esteem of everyone else playing at home.
I'm not humble enough to do that. Okay. That's that. I'm a dusted. Okay.
Number five. Spar holds the record for shortest race of all time.
True. That one is true. Yes.
The race, of course, the 2021 edition. I think it was that one.
Yes. Three minutes and 27 seconds.
It didn't feel like three minutes and 27 seconds, folks.
That's what she said. Nikita Mazepin, fastest lap, if you remember as well.
Yeah, that's his claim to fame. Not that he got a point for it.
Um, okay. So we're on the board. Next up.
At Spar, Lewis Hamilton has both won a race where he didn't cross the line first
and didn't win a race where he did cross the line first.
I'm pretty certain he's lost it. I guess I'm gonna say true.
It is true. Yes. So 2008 is when he crossed the line first,
but you got a rather controversial 25 second penalty for cutting a chicane
and gaining an advantage. And then in 2024, George Russell crossed the line first,
but was disqualified for having an underweight car.
And it was Hamilton who inherited the victory. So.
Come back, son. Eight out of eight. Here we come.
I hate to disappoint you. I don't think it's going to be eight out of eight.
False. That is correct. Three points. That's why you're losing. You think that's false.
True. Four points.
Number seven. Spar, Franco-Champ has the biggest elevation change on the F1 calendar.
So from highest point to lowest point.
I do understand what elevation change is. True. He understands it.
There's five points. Like I told you, it's happening.
Um, now I actually think that it won't be the bit between O'Rouge that is
the biggest amount of elevation change. I bet the top of the camel straight,
all the way through Puan down through to Blanchemont, for example,
where it then starts to elevate again might be what's being spoken about here.
I'm still going to say.
False.
I feel like you got all of the logic right and then came to the wrong conclusion.
This is how I failed every exam I've ever taken.
It is true. It does have the biggest elevation change on the calendar.
So it peaks at 468 meters, which is just before turn seven.
As you say, it isn't the O'Rouge bit. It's beyond that.
Just after the camel straight.
And then it drops to 366 meters just before turn 15.
So that's a 102 meter difference.
The corn literally just before Blanchemont.
On my paper for that question, it would say great workings.
Do you want to do stab at any of the others that are in the top five
renovation change?
Austria.
Austria is second. Yeah.
Good stuff.
What else could be on there?
Let me think.
Cota.
Not Cota.
That hill is massive.
It is true. Yes.
I'll let you know the other three because it's all pretty close,
but Brazil is third and then Monaco is fourth and Suzuka is fifth.
All right then.
I believe it's Melbourne that's last, which is just 2.6 meters between.
Like a billiard table.
Yeah.
Flat as a pancake.
And last one.
Yep.
No driver born in Belgium has won the Belgian Grand Prix.
Well, if I know Jackie Yix.
And you do.
I know him well.
I'm going to say that's false.
You are right that it's false.
Not because of Jackie Yix though.
Jackie Yix only got third place.
No Belgian driver has won the Belgian Grand Prix.
However, Max Verstappen was born in Belgium.
Therefore, it is true.
See, I knew what I was on about.
Or excuse me, it's false.
By that logic, I've got eight points.
I think it might have been three.
I think it's three.
But if you draw three on the other side backwards, it makes an eight.
And I cannot fault that logic.
True.
Let us know you got on at home.
How many ounce of eight were you able to get?
Shall we move on to what I can really only describe?
As the greatest segment in all of podcasting.
It is the...
Elby question of the week.
Week.
Oh, nice.
Like that.
No problem at all.
So, question of the week.
If this season's first wet race comes at Spa,
what surprise could be in store?
My first shout out here goes to Matt Hector on Twitter,
who is personally talking with this response.
He's very laugh.
Gastly actually admits that he doesn't like sausages
and kindly asks me to end the sausages out for Gastly movement.
You'd never do that.
He also doesn't realise it's purely inuender.
Oh, of course.
I also had that written down.
I'll go to the one and only Dude Rhinebolt.
It rains so hard that Spa floods and ends up between two lakes.
And a response from CNC machinist called it into Spargos, which...
You know what?
I'm a big fan of combining words together for a joke.
I think it is our friendship.
We are awful for it.
Not that it's like something we do in our friendship,
in that 90% of our friendship is comprised of, like,
that's the building blocks.
You're everywhere else I ever do it to.
Let's have some audible side.
Yeah.
Whereas we try and think of an even worse one to come back with.
You guys are like,
hell yeah, let me go to the next level.
What other answers do you like?
Thing says, it's too dangerous for cars, surely.
Pod racing, the only logical alternative.
So it's Jay Hammer, and this is what got me.
He said, you've got Subobba.
Subobba.
Subobba.
Because he got it wrong.
He spelled his name wrong.
It's Subobba.
Subobba.
I like Subobba.
Oh, like Mr. Subobba, man.
Let's go with Jason, who says,
we learn that Nui has actually built the Aston specifically
for wet weather and Alonzo wins his first race
since the LEGO race of Silverstone 26.
I remember that well.
If that's how he's designed a race car,
I have a feeling he shouldn't be an engineer
of Formula One cars anymore.
Let's go back to boats.
There you go.
I really enjoyed this one from Cheyone.
And they said,
MBS makes everybody race in rubber ducky cars,
and he is the head duck.
Saw a lot of Muhammad Ben-Sulliam comments as usual.
One that said he will get in a boat from Colin
and sail the track with the drivers.
Seems appropriate.
Yeah, Scott also said,
someone's seat will be full of water,
to which Chris replied, must be the water.
It's always the water, isn't it?
Always.
I do have to give Conrad a shout out here,
and you won't understand this if you haven't listened to
or watched our most recent beer with Braking.
So you've got to get on Patreon to understand this.
He's just gone, is that William Tuft?
William Tuft?
That would be a surprise if he was there.
Go and watch the most recent beer with Braking, folks,
if we know how.
That means the final one,
which I think is just nice, just relaxing,
is from the salty wookie, also known as Dan,
and he said, soothing massaging jets,
like a blissful warmth that will gently put you to sleep.
Ah, well, that is a lovely way to end question of the week.
Thank you very much for all of your answers across Instagram,
and on Twitter as well.
Massively appreciate them.
We'll be back with another question very soon,
and we'll be back very soon, Sam,
with some more episodes around the Belgian GP
all across the weekend.
Yeah, that question's coming at you sooner than you think,
because I've got a would you rather, Ben?
Oh, okay.
Would you rather have a little bird
that sits on your shoulder for the rest of your life,
but twice a week, without you knowing when and where,
it blurts out your intrusive thoughts,
or would you rather live with a walrus for one year
in a one bed, one bathroom apartment,
and it destroys everything?
You haven't got to feed that walrus,
and it will go away after 365 days,
but it's there, and it will ruin everything for one year only.
I have a question to answer your question.
Have you made this up, like, or have you found this?
There are variants.
If you've managed to just, like, conjure up, like, what?
Some of these are out of my head.
This one I have seen in a variation online,
but let me know your thoughts.
There are some dark forts in there.
I don't like the four of that bird.
I think I'm going for the walrus.
I could put a mark on that calendar.
I'd give him a name, Duncan, I think.
How long do the intrusive forts last for?
How long is that bird going on for?
He just shouts one.
Just one for?
Picks one out your head,
twerk a couple of times a week,
just blirts out loud for full volume to have on around you.
A couple of times a week.
And you don't know wing.
So it might be two in a row.
It might be one at the start of the week,
one at the end of the week.
You don't know.
I'll take my chances with the bird.
Really, for the rest of your life, the bird,
is going to get you at some point.
This podcast could be a bloody nightmare.
Yeah, I just hope that I get some good years before
it happens at the most inopportune time.
I cannot wait for it to say the most horrific thing
the moment this show goes live.
Anyway, folks, let us go to your thoughts.
Thank you for joining us.
And remember to join us across the weekend
for the Spa Qualifying Review,
the Race Review, and Power Rankings,
which is exclusively on Patreon.
And don't forget you can get involved
with the Patreon vote.
It's all up to your say,
who is your driver of the session,
worst driver of the session,
and whether you rate every other driver in between.
And if you want to get involved with Discord,
then you can, the link's in the description.
And that's how you hear yourself on the show on Sunday
when we do our moment of the race,
which you get your say in that as well.
Thanks for joining us.
We'll see you in the cross of the weekend in the meantime.
I've been Samuel Safe.
And I've been Ben Hawking.
And remember, keep breaking late.
About this episode
The Late Braking F1 Podcast sets up the 2026 Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps, framing it as a power-unit test with “five straight-mode zones” and big elevation swings. The hosts connect Ferrari’s recent diffuser change and embedded engine upgrades to a potentially tighter fight with Mercedes—especially if battery use is less critical on the straights. They also dive into Spa’s unpredictable weather, explaining how rain reshapes tire choice, battery behavior, and even DRS-like aero. Then come bold pole-and-podium predictions and a quick trivia sweep.
With 2 wins in the last 3 races, Ben and Sam consider whether Ferrari could do it again or if Mercedes is better suited to the unique challenge of Spa. They also chat through the possibility of rain, Red Bull's reliability issues, and Sainz's doubts over the Williams project.
