Australian GP 2026 Debrief | Mercedes vs Ferrari at the front & Piastri heartbreak
The Fast and the Curious
Australian GP 2026 Debrief | Mercedes vs Ferrari at the front & Piastri heartbreak
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Concept
Formula One
Formula One is a type of car race where the fastest and most advanced cars compete all around the world. It's like the top league of car racing.
Term
podium
The podium is where the top three racers stand after a race to get their prizes and celebrate.
Concept
wheel-to-wheel battle
A wheel-to-wheel battle means cars are racing really close to each other, side by side, trying to pass.
Concept
qualifying
Qualifying is a short race before the main race that decides who starts in front.
Term
pole position
Pole position means starting the race at the very front because you were the fastest in the practice race.
Term
battery charging
The car's battery gets charged and can give the car extra speed when starting the race.
Concept
virtual safety car
The virtual safety car is when the race slows down because of a problem on the track, but the actual safety car doesn't come out.
Brand
Ferrari
Ferrari is a company that makes very fast and expensive cars, and they race in the top car racing competitions in the world.
Term
two-stop
In some car races, drivers stop twice to change their tires or get fuel. This is called a two-stop strategy and can affect how fast they go.
Brand
Mercedes
Mercedes is a company that makes fancy and fast cars, and they also compete in the biggest car races in the world.
Term
one-stop
Sometimes in races, drivers only stop once to change tires or get fuel. This is called a one-stop strategy and can help them finish faster if done well.
Term
title battle
In car racing, the title battle means the fight to be the best driver or team and win the whole season.
Concept
mid-season development
During a racing season, teams work on making their cars better and faster by adding new parts or fixing things. This is called mid-season development.
Brand
McLaren
McLaren is a company that makes very fast cars and also races in the top car racing competitions.
Term
Constructors Championship
In Formula 1, the Constructors Championship is a prize that goes to the team whose cars do the best over the whole season. Teams get points when their drivers finish races in top positions.
Term
engine dependent sport
When a race is called engine dependent, it means how good the car's engine is really matters for winning. The engine helps the car go faster than others.
Term
chassis
The chassis is like the car's skeleton that holds everything together and helps it drive well.
Brand
Adrian Newey
Adrian Newey is a famous designer who makes race cars for Formula 1 and is known for making very fast and clever cars.
Concept
data collection
Teams collect information from the car while it’s running to see how it’s doing and find ways to make it better.
Term
new rules
New rules in Formula One are changes that make teams build and race their cars differently. These changes can make the races more exciting and safer.
Term
qualification
Qualification is a part of the race weekend where drivers try to drive the fastest lap to decide who starts the race at the front.
LIVE
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Fast and the Curious with me, Betty Glover, and
our resident Formula One geek, Christian Hughgill. Everybody, Formula One is back.
It's very back now, isn't it? It's well and truly back.
It really is. And what a cracker of a race to kick it all off with. 2026, Formula One,
that was absolutely epic. Christian, what is coming up on this episode?
It was a great race, wasn't it? I really enjoyed it. Coming up, we will talk about Mercedes
and their 1-2. We will talk about Ferrari being there or thereabouts, which is better
for Lewis Hamilton not being quite as sad. But speaking of sad, we'll have to talk about
Oscar Piazzari. That was somewhat devastating. We'll get sad about Oscar. We'll talk about
Aston Martin's woes. We'll do the Radio Radar. We'll do Under the Radar. But before all that,
we'll run through the top 10. Yeah, I'll do that now. So if you missed it and you shouldn't
missed it, it was the opening race of the season. If you did, here we go.
George Russell, he did it. He's our first race winner of 2026, followed by Kimi Antonelli.
So it's a Mercedes 1-2. Charle-Claire finished off the podium for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton,
P4. Lando Norris, P5, followed by Max Verstappen, who got P6. Him and Lando were having a great
old battle, weren't they? Oli Berman got P7. Arvid Lindblad, P8 on his debut. Insane,
brilliant. Gabrielle Bortoletto, P9, Audi's first points. And Pia Gasly got P10. That is your top
10 for your first race of 2026. Yeah, and it was a good race. I really, really enjoyed, particularly
the first half of the Grand Prix. I really enjoyed the scrapping. There were some worries earlier
on in the weekend about what sort of a spectacle we get. But I thought it was a really strong
opening race, particularly if you're George Russell. What I loved about the start of the race
is that Charle-Claire and George Russell were swapping places. I think they swapped places
seven times in the first nine laps. And we don't get that often in Formula One. We don't often get
a proper wheel-to-wheel battle where there are multiple overtakes for the lead. That was a
spectacle. I really, really enjoyed. And people have been screaming for this. People have been
screaming for some overtakes and battles out on track. And that is what we delivered. That's
exactly what we got. Listen, there might be some tweaks to be made, particularly around qualifying,
but we'll talk about that a bit later. I really enjoyed the opening Grand Prix of the season.
And let's not forget, I've been watching the Australian Grand Prix getting up as a kid as an
eight-year-old at four o'clock in the morning. It's a tight track. I've seen plenty of dull
Australian Grand Prix's as much as I love the place, love Albert Park, love the circuit. It's
one of my all-time favourites it always has been. You can see why. Yeah, but it doesn't always throw
up a cracker. That was a very entertaining Australian Grand Prix, particularly when it's dry. You tend
to get crackers when it's wet like last year. But for a dry Australian Grand Prix, it was a pretty
good one. It was. So let's start by talking about Mercedes then. It wasn't ever in doubt, was it,
for George Russell? He was everyone's favourite coming into this. No. Yeah, I mean, go right back
into last season and beyond. We all thought Mercedes would come out on top at the start, at least,
of this rule set. That never looked in doubt across the weekend. Qualifying, I was surprised
by the gap. You know, he was on pole by eight-tenths from his nearest non-Mercedes competitor.
And I thought, somebody asked me on Instagram, should we be worried about Mercedes' advantage,
to which I replied with, yes. Like, I was like, that is a big old gap. But you say never in doubt,
all of a sudden, when Ferrari got what many people had said we might see, which was this mega boost
off the line, people had said Ferrari were good at getting juice in the battery at the start,
that blue light that comes on, the battery charging at that point, people had said,
expect a good start from Ferrari, and we got it, and char leads. And as you then said,
Betty, at the start of the podcast, there was that two-ing and fro-ing for position. I'm thinking,
oh, wow, okay, Mercedes have actually got race pace here. Other than that bit of a moment,
it never looked in doubt for George, because once it got to the virtual safety car,
from then it never really looked in doubt. So the only point all weekend it's looked in doubt
was that was the starting grid, or the off the starting grid, and those first few laps, I would
say. You mentioned the virtual safety car. This is the question that I think everybody is going
to be asking. Did Ferrari ruin their chances by not pitting? Did they get the strategy wrong?
It's not possible for me to give a clear cut answer. I don't think. I agree with Lewis Hamilton.
That's a position I like to take in my life. I like to agree with Lewis Hamilton when I can.
Really wrong. Really wrong. What a wonderful man. I would have split the strategy.
I certainly would have made one of the cars pit for those newer to Formula One if there is a
contentious strategy decision to be made, and a Formula One team has two drivers in a similar
position in the race. Most of the time they will split the strategy to give themselves the option
because you just never know which one is going to be. Sometimes you never know which one is going
to be the right one at the end of the race. And Lewis came on the radio and said,
surely we should have done it with at least one of us. They didn't. My best guess as to the logic
of not pitting under the virtual safety car, where of course you lose less time in the pits
because the race is being run at a slower pace behind the virtual safety car, is they thought,
yeah, we've had this good start, but I don't think we've got the pace to beat Mercedes.
It's probably going to be a two stop. This is too early for a two stop. Let's stick to our guns.
Let's stay out and do a one stop. They're forcing themselves into a two stop. The best way we can
win this race is by going into a one stop. After the race, Jensen Button asked Charles Leclerc,
did you have the pace if you'd not done that? He said, no, I don't think we did.
I don't think they did either, but I would have tried it with one of the two cars because
there was such a gap to the rest of the field, which I think they probably knew there would be.
Say they'd done it with the second running car, which was Lewis Hamilton. The worst Lewis would
have come his fourth. So they wouldn't have lost anything by trying it. Who knows they might have
gained by trying it, but do I think it cost Ferrari a win today? I doubt it. They gave up track position
that never helped. I doubt it cost them the win. We will probably, no, we will never know for sure.
I don't think it was quite as much of a howler as it's potentially being made out to be.
I think a lot of people, like a lot of different strategists sort of agree with you there. I've
heard a lot of saying that they don't think it would have made a difference, but you're right,
like we're never going to know. I think it's sort of, a lot of people are talking about it is
caught the headlines because Ferrari have in the past got their strategy. So it's easy to go, oh,
it's another Ferrari howler. Exactly. Actually, could you imagine, and you know, this is the thing,
everything's better in hindsight. Could you imagine if Mercedes had done a two-stop? Yeah.
And the one stop had been the way to go and Charlotte and Lewis had eked out the tires.
You'd have called them an absolute genius. So it is, I don't think it's a howler. I don't think
it's a howler. The one thing though, whilst we're talking about Ferrari, do you think
they are going to be in this title battle? Should Ferrari fans be getting excited?
Ferrari fans, you are going to have a better season. I believe you are going to win races.
I believe both of your drivers are going to win races significantly.
Do I think they have enough in it to battle the Mercedes drivers for the title? I'm not convinced
yet. I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility. On our season preview show, I said
that Ferrari need to prove to me that they are capable of developing a car consistently across
the season. Proved to you. They need to develop this car to prove to you. Specifically me,
and that's what Fred will be thinking. I can't let Christian down. I just need to prove to Christian
Fugil we can do this. They need to prove to the Formula One world that they can consistently
develop a car across the season and make it better and better and better. That's why McLaren have won
their championships. Their mid-season development has been excellent. I'm not sure Ferrari have
got that in them. Now, I'd say I'm not sure. I'm not saying they haven't. They need to prove that
but they will win races this year. They didn't win a race last year which was shocking. Lewis
didn't get on the podium. I don't think it'll be that bad. I was listening to Lewis post race
and he seemed positive. We haven't really heard Lewis feeling this positive or sounding this
positive for a very, very long time. I think it was an excellent weekend for Lewis Hamilton.
Charles did very well but we know Charles does very, very well. The question marks last year
Ferrari wise were around Lewis Hamilton and Lewis Hamilton was less than, I think it was around the
two-tenths mark off Charles in qualifying. He was unlucky to have so many cars sandwiched in
between him. Ferrari also didn't think they made the best of their battery usage in qualifying.
In the race, there are some people who had access to more data than me suggesting that were it not
for that bad start or Charles getting a better start that Lewis was actually the quicker Ferrari
driver over the race distance some people were suggesting. The question has always been,
will Lewis Hamilton be better in a car that he's not facing his teammate with where his
teammates got the advantage of all these years behind him. We saw last year signs of Hamilton
in particular struggle when they came into a new car where their teammates had been their ages
when he's had a winter to put it into his DNA. We know Lewis didn't like the previous era of car.
All those people hoping for a better Lewis Hamilton this season really, really encouraging
and that makes me happy. It makes me, I don't like seeing Lewis sad. It makes me sad. It's not
good for my soul to see a sad Lewis Hamilton. I want to see happy Lewis. It makes me happy.
Life's too short to be sad. I agree. Maybe he's feeling very positive because he might be in a
new relationship and that's given him a new lease of life. Maybe he's come into the new season
a bit more relaxed, but I do agree. It's nice to see Lewis happy, but I'd also really like to see
Charles Leclerc fighting for the world championship again. Oh yeah, a thousand percent because
he's this driver that there's nobody nobody in that Formula One particle government now.
Leclerc is not capable of fighting for a title. Everybody knows he is. He's just only for what
half of 2022. Did it look like he had the car to do it? So that would be good for Formula One as
well. Formula One is blessed with such brilliant drivers in the moment. Russell and Leclerc as
these drivers that are capable of fighting for titles on top of you superstars like the Stappen.
You've old legends like Hamilton and Alonzo. It would be great for the sport if Leclerc and
Hamilton could be up there. It would be great for the sport if Ferrari would be up there.
Oh it would. We've missed it. We've missed them being up there. They're iconic. They are iconic.
Like your good self. Well, I don't know about that. On Mercedes though, everyone is talking about
George Russell. Everyone's like Mercedes are quick. They've got this amazing car. They've got this
amazing engine. They can get everything out of it. Blah, blah, blah, blah. They're so dominant,
George Russell. But, Christian Hugel, my question for you is, what about Kimmy Antonelli?
Could he? Could he? Could Kimmy? Could he battle George Russell for the title?
We're already talking about the title. Yeah, I don't know. 23 races to go. Christian, call the
title. Yeah. No, I think he could. Listen, it was a bit of a scrappy weekend for Kimmy.
And look, he came second. So it wasn't horrific. You know, there was the crashing quali.
How good did Mercedes do to get that car back out there? But don't forget, you know, the drivers
have been whinging about these cars. I don't think they're quite as bad as they're making out. I
around. And Kimmy is only three and a half years of age. So it's a lot for a new young inexperienced
drivers to get their head around. Therefore, I've just called it a bit scrappy from Kimmy.
On the weekends where he's on it, and they will come, he has the raw pace. We know he's this
super kid that people think is super quick. He, I think, will have the pace to battle George Russell
for race wins. Whether he can sustain it across a whole title. Listen, we saw that with Oscar
Piaz, three last year, you know, a less experienced teammate more than capable of going toe to toe
with land on ice on the majority of races. Toe to toe, toe toe, toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe
with toe toe coming soon wherever you get your podcast. No, that was a Greg James thing. I was
a very great thing, wasn't it? Yeah. But you know, we saw it with Oscar last year. He didn't quite
manage to sustain the title fights in terms of he was ultimately beaten by his more experienced
teammate. I think we might have a similar situation with Antonelli, but he'll, like Oscar did,
I think Antonelli will win races this season. The thing that I'll add on to that though,
which I think was really impressive with Kimmy Antonelli, is that he obviously crashed out in
P3. And I think a lot of people were thinking, oh, how's this going to affect his confidence?
He's only 19 years old. Straight back. Straight back into it. Inqually, absolutely smashed it,
wasn't affected by it. And I think that's that mentality that is so impressive for a driver
at that age who doesn't, he was not that experienced. And to add to your brilliant point,
I would imagine was running a car that wasn't properly set up. You know, it was a capable
thing of like, basically, mate, you're lucky to have wheels on it, let alone the right set up,
off you go. So I completely agree with you. You know, yes, there was scrappy elements,
but his recovery from those scrappy elements was brilliant. So yeah, I'm excited about Kimmy
Antonelli. I'll be staggered if we don't see his first win this season. Also, I just love seeing
him on a scooter. I know all the drivers go on scooters, but there's something about Kimmy
Antonelli on a scooter. And I just he's scooted by and he looks like so happy. His energy around
the sport is infectious. And his hair is blowing in the wind. And I'm like, oh, look at him. He's
always got that necklace on as well. I really like his trademark black necklace that's tight
around his neck. Have you noticed that? I haven't. Oh, he's always got it on. Yeah. I noticed it on
Drive to Survive as well. Like, yeah, I like it. I like his necklace. Right, great. We'll
love that. The analysis you get. Well, I like Kimmy Antonelli's necklace. Should we call that
part one? That's part one after the break. We'll talk about Oscar Piastri. Oh, after the break.
Hello. Welcome back to the Fast and the Curious. Let's talk about Oscar. Oh, that was the
Hello. Welcome back to the Fast and the Curious. Oh, Oscar. Tone change. Tone change. Oh, God,
when I heard about this, I was just, I'm gutted for him at his home race. The curse still stands.
Oh, just do we know exactly what happened? Because at the time of us recording this,
we don't know exactly what happened. The theory seems to be that on his so Oscar
crashed on the way to the grid, the theory seems to be that he on the start of that lap
wasn't getting quite the power he was used to from the engine. And then it kicked in and gave him
more power than he was used to. And therefore it was a combination of maybe the engine was a bit
slow to start and driver error on what was quite a slippy green track. That was the, I mean,
Oscar said sort of along those lines in the media pen, some of the television analysis suggests
that sort of thing. As at the time we're recording this, we've not had a full for McLaren. This is
what it was. I'd be staggered if there wasn't some driver error in there. And it's brutal. Do you
think that's sad about retirement because oh my word, it's like it's a rubbish way to retire as
well. Don't get me wrong. I think, you know, obviously crashing out in lap five is devastating
and not ideal. But on the way to the grid and even done the formation lap must just be thinking,
oh my God, I'm devastated for Oscar because we suspect there's a mistake in there. If it comes
out that it was complete, you know, a similar thing that happened to Max in qualifying,
I'll stand corrected, but it looks like there's a mistake in there. So I'm gutted for Oscar.
I still say I think he'll win world championships. If he finds himself with the right car, I still
think he'll win a world championship. I've always been very committed to thinking that Oscar is
special. Nothing has changed my mind on that. So I therefore think he'll bounce back, you know,
he'll learn from this, he'll bounce back, you know, we've seen mistakes from drivers in the
past under the safety car or whatever, you know, it's not totally new. But I'm also gutted for
his fans because I love Albert Park. I love the Australian fans. They are so passionate about
the sports. They are so passionate about Oscar. I was lucky enough to be in Australia last year
and I noticed the love for Oscar from last year to this year has doubled, you know, and he was
loved last year. The Aussie fans are incredible. So I was so gutted to turned up in their droves,
nearly half a million people over the course of the weekend. It's the most wonderful Grand Prix
and for them to not see Oscar take the start line, absolutely devastating. So I believe there's a
curse. There's never been an Aussie driver on a Formula One podium other than Australian Grand Prix.
There's a curse. I think Oscar will break that curse. Unfortunately, I don't think it was this
year. These things happen in motorsport. Oscar will bounce back, but I'm devastated for him.
I was actually on the grid at the time when it happened and I heard about it and I looked over
to like all of the Australian fans in the stands and they just looked devastated and they obviously
play it on the big screen and whatever and everyone was just like head in their hands just
awful. I'm actually in shock about it. I feel so sad. I feel so sorry for him. It's not how you
want to start your season. First race of the season, new regulations. He wants to bounce back
from the disappoint of last season and it's his home race. It doesn't get worse. It might be my
fault, you know, because I went and did a lovely little chat on the Sunday of race day
at the Australian Grand Prix Pride Hub. It's amazing that the Australian Grand Prix
has a little Pride Hub and huge credit to the organisers who do that. Obviously,
it was there watching my little interview with some lots of Australian fans, lots of Oscar fans
and one of the questions I got was basically was what is he like going into the season?
I said, I think he's in a really great place. I think I've been so impressed with the ways
put last year behind him. He seems really happy. He seems really chilled. I don't think many people
would have argued with that. And then that happened and I was like, oh Oscar, but no, listen,
he'll bounce back. I do not doubt Oscar will bounce back. P5 for Lando Norris though. Looks
like McLaren are probably the fourth fastest car, which is probably where people had them anyway.
Yeah, it's very close between Red Bull and McLaren. So yes. Yeah, interesting. Do you think
Lando is going to be pretty dissatisfied with that? Lando, I think, did the best Lando could do.
Max had a very, Max was typically Max in the way. Waltz back through from his
qualifier mechanical failure that sent him into a spin. Both of those drivers,
of course, their teammates retired. So both McLaren and Red Bull will want more and are where they
are. They will not be happy with being third and fourth quickest teams with these are the
two most recent winners of the Constructors Championship, of course, so of course they won't
be. It's not necessarily a surprise to me to see them there and also see them with such a gap
to Mercedes and Ferrari. Don't forget, we're now a much more engine dependent, dependent sport.
Everybody has always said that the history and resource of Mercedes and Ferrari have meant
that they are more likely to roar out the blocks with this engine set.
Of course, McLaren are a customer team. They will have less data about their Mercedes engine
and the use of it and the deployment of it than the Mercedes team themselves. Mercedes are getting
data from McLaren from their own cars, from Alpine. McLaren don't benefit from as much data
being a customer team. It always used to be said in Formula One, it was an advantage to have your
own engine. McLaren in the previous era by winning in the way they did, sort of meant that, well,
people are saying that's not the case anymore. We're back to it being a big advantage at the moment
being what we call a works team, a team that makes and builds your own engine. And for that reason,
remember back in January when we were in Detroit, Red Bull powertrains assisted by Ford
were really managing expectations on their engine. And I think are probably in a better place than
they're expected to be. So what they will hope for is that being a works team, they can really
close that gap quicker. And what McLaren will hope as well is that, again, with mid-season
development, I'm sure the chassis is in a good place, they will hope to close that gap quickly.
But it's not a surprise to me that both these teams at this stage are that gap away from McLaren and
I enjoyed the little battle, though, between Lando and Max Verstappen and Lando, great driving,
great defending. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, listen to world champions. That's not a surprise,
is it? Great battling, lovely to see. Yeah, absolutely. And they will hardware ambitions
of winning Grand Prix sooner rather than later, but I think they might have to wait a little while.
Okay, let's so we've sort of covered the top four teams. Let's go to the other end. We've got to
talk about Aston Martin, because they completely dominated all of the chat in the build up to this
Grand Prix. They've had a really, really, really, really tough, really tough start, tough start to
the season, haven't they? Really? Why do you want to start with them? I don't even know where to start.
It's been a nightmare. Firstly, it being as bad as it was is one of the big Formula One stories of a
long time, like, you know, potentially not being able to make the Grand Prix distance,
them saying that, well, obviously, we know they didn't, but them saying that so early on in the
weekend was massive. The stories about, you know, the vibrations running through the driver's fingers
was, you know, massive. My first reaction, Betty, when you say where do you want to start is with
real sadness, because, you know, there are hardworking people who give their lives to this
project, and for it to be so far behind is really tricky. So I'm really sorry to the
guys and girls at Aston Martin who are working so hard. Also, this is a team with real ambition,
and we want the teams with ambition to be doing well. It's good for the sport. We'd love to see
Aston Martin up there fighting for podiums. Fernando Alonso is a legend, you know. We say a
lot on this podcast, don't we? One of our first big things on the Fast and the Curious, our first
season, 2023, was Fernando being up there battling Max and getting podiums. It was a joy. We want to
go back to that. So it's really sad that they're in this position, but often I look at the questions
fans are asking and think, well, how will I answer those questions on the Fast and the Curious?
I can't really answer them, because the questions the fans are asking is,
with the Honda engine partnership, clearly there's a big problem with the engine.
Aston Martin insists they've got a decent chassis. How has it got to the point it has,
and how did nobody realise sooner that there were such big problems on the Honda side?
That is a question that will continue into China and beyond. These questions will continue to be
asked of the Honda announcement that they pulled out the sports, they then changed their mind,
so they were coming back into the sport with Aston Martin. This has been in development a
long time. How has it taken them this long to realise something's wrong? That question is unclear
and is going to be a big question going forward. How long will it take them to get to grips with
this package? Goodness knows, but it's sad because also the name we've not mentioned in all of this
is Adrian Newey. We're also excited to see the Adrian Newey here of Aston Martin, this legendary
designer, and it seems to be being hamstrung by this engine. So it's a tricky time there, and I
hope they can get it sorted sooner rather than later. The only thing that I will say as well is
that Fernando Alonso was quite positive, I think, after qualifying in a way. There were
slight positives there, and obviously it's all about collecting data pre-season, isn't it?
Oh, 1000% and for them in this race where they know they're not going to be capable of doing
anything more. Yeah, this is what I was going to say is in this race they used the race to try
and collect as much data as they could. It's why they sent Fernando back out, so we were tired and
they sent him back out. Here we're going in, out, in, out. Shake it all about. Do the hokey-cokey,
and you turn around, and that informal one is what it's all about. Lovely, lovely. That was excellent.
That was excellent. But, Christian. Don't hit me because I'm laughing. That was hard. That was not
hard. I literally tapped you. That was not a hard hit. Don't, you're just doing that for attention.
You just want attention. We are, people say we're like brother and sister. It is really...
That's like, stop showing off in front of your friends.
Sorry. Sorry, your mum and dad said. Sorry, carry on. When you've got friends over and you've got...
Yeah, really, there's something. I don't even know what my point was. No, I can't remember, I think.
Hang on, no, it's a Formula One podcast. It's really a serious, we're serious,
esteemed broadcast. It was about Aston Martin. Oh, you were saying, Fernando Alonso said that
it might not be as bad as all seems. You've just got to have a little bit of faith that they are
going to get to grips with this adventure. It's a really bad start, and you've got to feel sorry for
them. But, you know... No, and I agree with you. I agree with the point you're making, because also,
Williams have been in a similar place all weekend. Williams has not been as bad as Aston Martin,
but Williams are the other team who had high hopes coming into 2026. It's not gone to plan,
and yeah, we both spoke to James Bowles over the course of the weekend. We were both saying,
weren't we, how surprised we are, how sort of positive he's being. Alex Albon, who does,
we love Alex, but Alex can be a pessimistic one. Alex would be the first to admit he can be a glass
half empty guy. And even he was like, you know, hopefully it won't take too long. There is this
belief, I think, with some of the teams that didn't get off to the best starts, that they're like,
we can find performance quickly in these new rules. So, all may not be lost for both of those
teams. Yes, it's new rules. There's lots of changes. I guess it's just when, like, when you look at it,
you're thinking, well, what, why have some teams managed to really get to grip with this, grips
with this so quickly, and other teams have really struggled. And that is the sport. That is Formula
One. Right, let's take a quick break on that depressing note. And when we're back, we're going
to do radio radar, and you're also going to say who went under the radar.
Okay, so let's start this part of the podcast by talking about who went under the radar. Who do
you think hasn't, you know, people aren't talking about quite enough? Well, Audi, I think, had such
a positive start. I think let's, except we're talking about the new teams, Cadillac at a very
solid start. But, but Audi, I mean, I'm really impressed with because, yes, it, unlike Cadillac,
it's not a whole new team. They've bought Sauber, but it's a new engine supplier. Coming into F1
as a new engine supplier is really, really tricky. And we had expected, again, I go back to the sort
of managing expectations of Red Bull Ford when we were in Detroit, you know, the new engine suppliers
had been saying, you know, it might take us some time. And the best praise I can give to Audi
this weekend is it was like it was, they took, Sauber had a much better season. Sauber at the
back end of last season were regularly capable of scoring points. It was like Sauber hadn't gone
anywhere. But Sauber, of course, had a Ferrari engine bolted in it. So all of a sudden, they've
started making their own engine and about where they started, of course, Nico had some,
they both, there was gremlins across the weekend. Nico unfortunately didn't finish. But
to get points and to show the pace they did over the course of the weekend,
I'm really impressed with Audi. A very solid start. Don't forget, by the way, I spoke to a
couple of people in Audi last year, Jonathan Wheatley, some people around the team.
Love Jonathan Wheatley. We love Jonathan Wheatley on this podcast.
Nicest man in that paddock.
We're team Jonathan Wheatley. They are so ambitious. Audi wants to win in Formula One.
They are not coming into this project to go, we're going to be in the table team. Audi
wants to win. So I was impressed by Audi this weekend. I thought they had a very solid start.
Let's talk about Alvid Lindblad. 18 years old. He didn't go into the radar, but he's worth mentioning.
He just looked so comfortable in Formula One this weekend, whether he's talking to you in the press.
We both said, didn't we, when we spoke to him in January, how impressed with his maturity we were,
with his intelligence. So he just looks so at ease by the pressure cooker that is Formula One.
But even more so than that, even more impressively than that, the speed is there. He is quick.
And actually, while we're talking about the Red Bull camp, we sort of missed him earlier.
Isak Hadja as well made the best start to his, the best start to a Red Bull career we've seen
for a long time in terms of being the Max Verstappen number two driver.
So it's a real, real positivity for Lindblad and Hadja this weekend.
Because actually on that point, how many times have we seen, you know, Red Bull, Max Verstappen
makes a mistake. It is very rare, but Max Verstappen makes a mistake and they don't have that second
car there to get to get the job done. They did this time. Isak Hadja, P3 in qualification.
Yeah, absolutely. He was there to pick up the pieces when Max wasn't.
Fortunately, I had a technical problem during the race. But again, the pace is there. He doesn't
seem over-overawed by the Red Bull seat. Really, really impressive. And just finally,
while we're talking about under the radar, Pierre Gasly was 10th, wasn't it? Yeah,
Pierre Gasly was 10th. Pierre, I think, has been very solid this weekend. And Alpine,
I said a lot on the podcast, this is a team that shouldn't be finishing last in the Constructors
Championship. It really seems like they've made a step forward. A point. I mean, the only score,
I think it was 22 points off the top of my head. I might have that wrong if I do forgive me. But
only score 22 points all season. Point already. I think Alpine step forward.
Bear in mind, we're seeing teams like Williams, I cast and struggle. Fair play to Alpine. They
have made positive steps forward this year. And yes, they're buying a Mercedes engine now rather
than making their own. But listen, if that's the decision that's helping you get up the grid, fair
play to you. So yeah, an improved show from Alpine this weekend as well. And Cadillac,
our headlining our radio radar, the first radio radar of 2026. This was brilliant. This was. This
is Cadillac in practice. Sergio Perez goes, I've lost my right mirror. And then Valtteri bought us.
I've lost my left mirror. Lovely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Lovely. Fine. We're together. You've
absolutely sorted. The only thing I want to talk about radio radar for the race is, did George Russell
do a Borat impression as he won the race? I loved it on the on the team radio. And he was like,
what did he say? Yeah, nice. Very nice. Very nice. I like this car. I like this engine. I didn't pick
up on the fact that that was Borat. I'm not saying it is. Right. Although other podcasting legends,
other than our good selves, of course, we're legends, but Matt of Matt and Tommy Fain. Oh,
the same treat as me. Like three seconds after me, we both treated like, did George just do a
Borat impression? Because I can't sit here with absolute confidence and say he was going for
Borat. Do you know what though? If he was going for Borat, he dropped the ball because he should
have really committed and he should have gone a bit harder on it. If he was trying to do Borat.
Are you saying if you're going to go for Borat, you've either got to go full in. You've got to do it.
We've got to somehow ask him and find out because if he was doing Borat, you've let yourself down
because he didn't commit to it enough, I'd say. If you weren't doing Borat, brilliant, loved it.
I actually think that Borat is one of the main reasons I'm sad to be gay. I should
that. No, I'm not sad to be gay at all, but I'm making a joke and that sounds really bad.
Maybe in producer Will, I like what? That Greg James gets to go all the time.
My wife. That's the only thing about having a soon-to-be husband that I won't get to go.
My wife. You can do that to your husband. He's not my wife, is he? Other than that,
I'm very happy and comfortable with who I am. Thank you very much, but I do enjoy it when
Greg goes. Greg likes a Borat impression. My wife. We've said that Greg James and George Russell
sometimes. Similar. Yeah. My wife. Right. Any other business? I'm really annoyed with you,
actually. I've got bone to pick with you. Why? You know why. So I put in the podcast running order.
I put Betty to ask me the question, Christian, you've got a weekend highlight you particularly
want to talk about, and I didn't think that you would get what I'm getting at.
The Lamingtons. No, not the Lamingtons. Oh, that's what I'm getting at. So the big thing was,
I got, yeah, I got a Lamington. I got an Oscar's name. I was in the Paddock. You could have given
me the heads up, so I could have tried Oscar's Grandma's Lamington. You were busy being on the
telly, being big time. I didn't have time to go and get you cake, but I did get a text from Nicole
genuinely hoped to retrieve that box at some point. And I said I'm around, but obviously Nicole's
very busy. I didn't unfortunately get to, didn't unfortunately get to meet Nicole in the end.
How did she get your number? We did. We insted him. I can't believe it. For this
well, Jenny really looks like he's about to just keel over. What the hell? So you're messaging
Oscar pastries mum about so you didn't get the box when we talked about this on the pod. She
so I, I text Nicole and Nicole said, and I was like, Oh, I'm around tomorrow.
But then she's got a lot on. Her son is driving in Formula One. I didn't then want to nag.
I can't believe it. What did you want me to do? Oh, hi. Sorry. I know your son's literally doing
the Australian Grand Prix, but you did say there was some Lamington for me. I didn't want to nag
tonight. You just walk over there and grab the box Christian. No, I didn't. I didn't know where the
box was. I'm friendly with the McLaren. I got just mints in and start looking around for a box.
I'm absolutely devastated. What are we going to do? Well, listen, I enjoyed the Lamington. So
next year, we'll get you a Lamington. Okay, we'll get Betty allowing to get it trending.
I thought you were going to tell me off for another reason that this weekend over the course
of the weekend, me and Betty went for dinner on, I think it was Friday night.
And one of my favorite things to ever so me, Betty and our friend Jamie went for dinner.
Hi, Jamie. And we all sat down in this restaurant and we sat down and said, yeah,
this will be fine. We're starving. And the end of a busy day looked at the menu. Guy comes over
and gets us water. And we were like, looked at the menu was like, I'm not 100% sure.
Betty then went. It was it was a tapas. Yeah, it just wasn't quite the vibe we were going for.
We just want something quick and simple. And I've gone vegetarian, which is a nightmare. And
it was like meat, wasn't it? Yeah, it was. It was a lot of meat. So Betty went,
we could go to the Italian next door, but he was about to come over and take our order.
Right. So Betty went, if we go now, I think we'll make it. We were trying to sneak out of the
restaurant. It was outside. We were trying to sneak out of the outdoor seating area
without the two waiters knowing. So Betty was like, I think we go now we can do it. So we got up,
we shot off. And then like, as soon as we stood up out of nowhere, this waiter appears,
this waiter says to Betty mean, no, no, no, no, no, no, no to you. No, you were slightly ahead of
us, right? So says to Betty, oh, is everything okay? To which me and Jamie just instinctively
run past. Legged it. Legged Betty to face this waiter. And I didn't know what to say and I was
really tired and I was like oh um well I just like. Betty went no I don't, Betty went and I've still
got the quote in my head. Betty went yeah we're just going to go over there. And I was just like I
can't do this I'm gonna throw under the bus and we just went. And the waiter did a 180 to be fair
because I think he started being like I know it's likely what you're doing but I'm going to grab
you guys this is really rude or whatever and he ended up feeling sorry for me because he
realised I was just panicking and he was just like it it's okay you can go to the Italian.
Sorry I'm sorry for throwing you under the bus and leaving you in the awkward conversation
with the waiter. Yeah well you've done two things now you're in my bad books. I'm sorry for the
I didn't you didn't at any point say can you get me a lamington? I didn't realise you'd gone to get
one. I put it on Instagram what more could you wish for? Anyway anyway on their notes. Anything else?
Uh no I think we're done. What's your here? Uh no we'll be back after the Chinese Grand Prix won't
we? Can I just add a lovely time? Yes Australia is amazing the fans are amazing yeah absolutely
F1 TV was very cool being on the grid was very cool first time I've ever been on the grid
and you're well I've never been on the grid once it's amazing isn't it and your your I was out and
about in the in the fanzones over the course of the weekend a couple of times and the amount of
people who said to me tell Betty she's doing an amazing job on F1 TV tell Betty we're so proud
of her I genuinely got it loads and loads of times so uh uh you know for those that don't know
Betty has been anchoring F1 TV this weekend her first race anchor and you were amazing oh do you
know what fast and curious listeners are genuinely the best and if you've messaged thank you so much
for all of your support because you've all been amazing you've got me through very stressful
times so stressful in fact that I am now thinking of eating chicken again and not being vegetarian
okay well I wish you were with that and and yeah not only did I get a lot of oh my god Betty's
doing amazing so proud of Betty which is completely true but like I was as I say in the fan zone for
a couple of work things and just the amount of Australian listeners who said oh I love listening
to the pod it genuinely like Betty just said you just attended me like oh it gets you through
stressful time like when you're busy with work and stuff oh it may it means the world of difference
so to everybody who stopped and said hello over the course of the Australian Grand Prix weekend
it's honestly it like it warms our hearts so thank you so lovely nice comments nice because
you get loads of bad comments yes and you remember the bad ones and you don't remember
the good ones but I'm trying to focus on the good ones do focus on the good ones you were amazing
our listeners are proud of you I'm proud of you are absolutely amazing not that there was ever
any doubt that you wouldn't be thanks Christian it's been it's been it's been a wild week it's
been a wild week and guys thank you so much for listening and watching wherever you have done so
we will be back after the Chinese Grand Prix but in the meantime do remember to subscribe
and also send us any questions that you've got we'll try our best to answer them see you next week bye
bye
About this episode
The Australian GP 2026 delivered thrilling wheel-to-wheel battles, especially between Mercedes and Ferrari. George Russell secured a dominant win with a Mercedes 1-2 finish, while Ferrari showed promise but possibly faltered on strategy by not pitting under the virtual safety car. Lewis Hamilton impressed with a strong fourth place, showing renewed positivity. The hosts debated Ferrari's potential to challenge Mercedes for the title, emphasizing the importance of consistent car development. Emotional moments included the heartbreak of Oscar Piastri and Aston Martin's struggles. Overall, the race reignited excitement with intense battles and strategic intrigue.
Original notes
Betty and Christian are in Melbourne to break down a memorable start to the 2026 F1 season fully of success and heartbreak.
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
It was pre-season favourite George Russell who triumphed on the streets of Albert Park, with team mate Kimi Antonelli close behind with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding off the podium.
In the episode, Betty and Christian discuss whether it we could be on for a Mercedes vs Ferrari battle throughout the year, Oscar Piastri’s heartbreaking DNS after crashing on the way to the grid, and a certain relative of a driver has been in Christian’s dms.
Make sure you follow us on all the socials and hit subscribe right here because we will be covering the 2026 season from lights out to chequered flag!
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Executive Producer: Christian Hewgill
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The Fast and the Curious
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