In F1, VSCs are times when the race is slowed down for safety. Drivers have to follow special speed rules, and it can change who gains or loses positions.
Sprint weekends are F1 event formats where a shorter race (the sprint) is held to set the grid for the main Grand Prix. Because sprint results influence starting positions and strategy, they can make driver performance harder to compare to regular weekends.
Driver ratings are a subjective scoring system the hosts use to grade each F1 driver’s weekend performance. They explicitly use a 0-to-10 scale, and they note that race control factors (like VSCs and penalties) can influence the grades.
“Deployment” here means how the car releases its extra power/energy when the driver needs it. If there’s a deployment problem, the car may not perform as strongly at the right time.
That phrase means the side mirrors came loose and fell off. In racing, that’s a big safety and performance issue, not just a cosmetic one.
Term
move of the race
“Move of the race” is a fan/TV-style label for the most impressive overtaking or on-track maneuver of the event. It’s subjective, but it usually implies a high-skill pass, good timing, and/or a meaningful position gain.
It means the driver waited longer than usual before braking for the corner. That can keep the car faster, but it’s harder to do without getting the timing wrong.
Term
racing balls upgrade
That phrase sounds like a nickname for a performance upgrade the team brought for the race. The point is that it helped the car feel faster and more competitive that weekend.
Audi is mentioned because the hosts are talking about how the brand is doing in the points standings. They’re saying Audi hasn’t been scoring much lately.
Formula Two is a lower-tier racing series that many drivers use to work their way up toward Formula 1. Here, it’s being mentioned as a comparison for how far off the pace the driver was.
Formula Three is a junior racing series that comes before Formula 2 on the path to Formula 1. In this discussion, it’s used as a comparison for being far behind the top teams.
Q3 is the final part of F1 qualifying where the quickest drivers fight for the best starting spots. If you don’t make it into Q3, you usually start behind the faster cars.
“Setup” is how the team adjusts the car to match the track. If the setup isn’t right, the car can feel awkward and the driver can’t go as fast as they should.
The front wing is a key aerodynamic part on an F1 car that helps it stick to the track and turn well. If it gets knocked off or damaged, the car usually feels worse and slower.
Term
carbon copy
They’re saying the situation looked almost identical to an earlier incident. The point is that the same kind of move/issue happened again.
Term
on the inside
In a turn, the “inside” is the shorter line near the inside edge. Drivers try to get there to pass because it can help them carry speed and make the move stick.
The apex is the closest point to the inside of a corner. Getting to it correctly helps you exit the turn faster and gives you better positioning for passing.
A “racing incident” is how officials describe a crash or contact that happened during competitive driving. It usually means it wasn’t clearly one person’s fault, so penalties may be avoided or reduced.
Person
Kamatsu
Kamatsu is mentioned as a team leader who’s explaining why a driver still needs to perform even when things go wrong. The point is that the team believes the driver should be doing better than the results show.
Oli Bearman is an F1 driver. The hosts are giving him a score based on how he did in the race—especially whether he beat his teammate and held his position in the midfield.
“No man’s land” means you’re stuck in a part of the race where you can’t really catch up to the cars ahead or get pulled into the fight behind. It’s like being stuck in the middle with limited chances to change your position.
A “puncture” means the tire gets damaged. If it happens on the first lap, the driver usually loses time and positions right away and has to recover from there.
“Midfielders” are drivers who usually finish around the middle of the pack. The hosts are saying it can be tricky to tell who did great versus who just got lucky because the middle is so close.
A gearbox is the part that helps the car use the engine’s power efficiently by changing gears. If it breaks, the car can’t drive normally and the race is usually over.
A “10 place penalty” means the driver starts the race further back than they otherwise would. It’s given for breaking race rules, and it makes it harder to finish near the front.
Qualifying performance is how well the driver does in the timed session before the race. It determines where they start, so a strong qualifying usually means a better chance to race up front.
To “outqualify” means you were faster than the other driver in qualifying. Since qualifying sets the starting positions, it’s a big deal for race strategy.
Arvid Limblad is the driver the hosts are grading. They’re judging his performance based on qualifying and how the race played out, including timing changes caused by VSC.
The clutch is what helps the car smoothly change gears. If it “burns out,” it overheats and wears out fast, which can ruin the car’s ability to drive properly.
Liam Lawson is the other driver being graded. The host compares his finishing position to Limblad’s and argues Lawson likely would have done better under similar conditions.
A pit stop is when the car comes into the pits to change tires or fix something. If it takes too long, the car loses position and has to play catch-up.
A grid drop means a driver starts further back than they otherwise would. That usually makes the race tougher because you have to overtake more cars to get into the points.
Lewis Hamilton is a top Formula 1 driver who’s won the world championship multiple times. Here, the hosts are judging how well he did during a Belgian GP weekend.
Free Practice 3 is one of the practice sessions before qualifying in an F1 weekend. If a driver crashes there, the team may lose time to fix the car and get it handling right.
The stewards are the race officials who look at what happened during the race and decide if anyone should be penalized. They also publish reasons for their decisions.
Ferrari is the Formula 1 team the hosts are talking about. They’re saying Ferrari didn’t do a front-wing adjustment at the pit stop, and that decision hurt Hamilton’s weekend.
Leclerc is Charles Leclerc, one of Ferrari’s top Formula 1 drivers. The hosts are talking about Hamilton getting stuck behind him and how that changed the race gap.
In F1, an unsafe release is when a car leaves the pits at the wrong time and puts another driver in danger. Race control looks at whether the timing and gap were safe.
The FIA is the organization that runs and regulates Formula 1. They review incident reports and can apply penalties or require changes so it doesn’t happen again.
Here, protocols introduced means the team has to change its procedures after the incident. The goal is to prevent the same kind of mistake from happening again.
A five-second time penalty means the car has to lose five seconds during the race. The team serves it during a pit stop, so it’s basically a forced delay.
A pit box is the team’s designated spot in the pit lane where the car pulls in for service. It’s where mechanics work and where the team controls when the car is allowed to leave.
The supercontroller is the person in charge of coordinating the pit stop timing. They make sure the team gives the right “go” signals at the right moments.
The green light is the official signal that the car is allowed to leave the pit. Until that light comes on, the mechanics and car aren’t supposed to move off.
A sporting penalty is a rule-based punishment that affects the race result, like adding time. It’s not just a fine—it's meant to change what happens on track.
A “five seconds” penalty means the driver effectively loses five seconds compared to others. In a tight race, that can drop them behind rivals right away.
A yellow flag means “something dangerous is on the track.” Drivers have to slow down and drive more carefully because they might need to react quickly.
Person
Piastry
“Piastry” is referring to Oscar Piastri. The hosts think Leclerc’s move on him was too aggressive and should have led to a penalty.
A chicane is a set of quick, tight turns that forces cars to slow down. The final chicane is the last one before the end of the lap, so it’s a critical spot where drivers can gain or lose a lot.
The pit entry is where a car turns off the track to go into the pit lane. If there’s a problem near that area, drivers may get warnings that force them to slow down.
Isaac Hadjar is the driver they’re rating here. They explain how he started near the back, finished much higher, and why they think his weekend performance deserves a high score.
Max Verstappen is the driver the hosts compare against. They’re basically saying Verstappen’s performance was even stronger, so Hadjar’s rating stays at an eight.
Red Bull is the team the hosts credit for the strategy. They’re saying the team made smart decisions during the race that helped Hadjar finish strongly.
A “toe” is when one car benefits from the air behind another car, like riding a bike’s slipstream. That extra push can help the trailing car go faster and set a quicker lap. In qualifying, teammates sometimes line up to help each other.
A hard tyre is the tougher, longer-lasting tire option in F1. It usually doesn’t grip as well as the softer tires, but it can go longer before wearing out. Drivers and teams choose it based on race strategy and timing.
The safety car is used when there’s danger on the track. It makes everyone drive slower for a while, so teams can pit with less time lost than they would under normal racing speed. That can completely change who ends up in the best position.
“Midfield cars” just means the cars that are in the middle of the pack—neither battling for the win nor struggling at the back. People use it because the gap between the middle and the very front can be big. So finishing ahead of midfield can still be a meaningful result.
A sector is a section of the track that’s timed separately. Instead of looking only at the full lap time, teams can see how fast a driver is in each part. That helps explain where time is being made up or lost.
“Rouge” is the name of a particular corner on the Spa track. When commentators say a move happened at Rouge, they mean it happened at that exact spot on the circuit.
Slipstreaming is when one car drives close behind another to “ride the air.” The car in front has to push through the air, so the car behind can go faster and then try to pass.
Term
overake mode
“Overtake mode” means the car is set up to help you pass—usually by giving stronger acceleration. It’s like a temporary performance setting used when you’re trying to make a move.
The Belgian Grand Prix is an F1 race in Belgium, run at Spa-Francorchamps. It’s famous for tricky corners and changing conditions that can make strategy and timing really important.
“Boost” here means the driver uses extra power from the car’s energy system for a short time. It helps with quick acceleration to get back into the lead or pass.
“Not applicable” (NA) is a grading category the hosts use when a driver’s race outcome can’t be fairly evaluated. It typically applies when a driver has mechanical issues or is forced out very early, preventing meaningful performance assessment.
Team radio is the two-way communication between the driver and the team during the race. Engineers use it to tell the driver what’s happening—like strategy changes or problems with the car.
George Russell is an F1 driver discussed here in the context of hybrid energy management—specifically, how his gear choice and the car’s software might have contributed to “running out of battery.” The hosts use his on-track behavior as an example of how hard it can be to separate driver skill from car control systems.
Place
Radion
“Radion” is the name of a track area they’re talking about. Different parts of a race track make the hybrid system behave differently, so it can change how fast the car feels.
“Eighth gear” is just a higher gear ratio, which changes the engine’s RPM. The hosts are saying that RPM and gear choice can affect how the car’s hybrid power system uses the battery.
“Sixth gear” is a different gear ratio that changes engine RPM. The hosts are comparing it to eighth gear to suggest it can influence how the car uses its battery power.
“Complex algorithms” are the car’s computer rules that decide what to do moment-to-moment. In F1, they help manage the hybrid system so the car uses energy efficiently and stays within limits.
In these F1 hybrid cars, the “battery” stores energy that can be used for extra acceleration. If it runs low, the car can’t deliver the same boost and may feel weaker.
“Toto” refers to a senior F1 figure who comments on who’s at fault. In this segment, they’re saying he’s willing to blame the driver even though the car’s computer and hybrid system can also affect results.
Term
PU
“PU” is short for the car’s power unit—basically the engine and hybrid energy system. If there’s a PU problem, the car may not have full power or may behave unpredictably, which hurts speed and results.
“Power unit issues” means the engine/hybrid system isn’t working right. That can reduce speed or cause the car to act up, especially when it matters most in qualifying.
An “energy-starved circuit” is a track where the hybrid system doesn’t have as much usable energy to spend. So the car can feel weaker in key moments, like acceleration and passing.
“Spa” is a famous Formula 1 race track in Belgium. It has lots of twists and elevation changes, and weather can change quickly, so it’s a tough place to drive well.
“Overspeed” here means the car is going into a corner faster than it should. That can make the car harder to control and can change whether passing is possible.
Ferraris here means the Ferrari Formula 1 cars. The point is that Ferrari drivers got lucky with race timing under the Virtual Safety Car, which can make pitting and track position easier.
A grid penalty means the driver starts farther back than they otherwise would. That makes the race tougher because you have to overtake more cars just to reach the front.
“Lando” is Lando Norris, one of the drivers in Formula 1 for McLaren. They’re saying his speed was good, but penalties and race timing made it harder to get the best result.
“Piastri” is Oscar Piastri, another McLaren driver. The host is pointing out that Norris qualified ahead of him, which suggests Norris had the stronger qualifying performance.
A “double stack” is when two cars from the same team pit in quick succession, often because they’re close together on track. It can be tricky because the team has to manage pit lane timing and avoid losing too much time for either car.
“Medium tyres” refers to one of Formula 1’s tire compounds, typically harder and longer-lasting than the softer options. Teams choose compounds based on expected stint length and race strategy, balancing grip versus how long the tires can maintain performance.
“Front runners” are the cars near the lead of the race—typically those running at the front and setting the pace. Their tire strategy and stint lengths are often used as a reference point for what’s feasible for others.
“Pace delta” means the difference in speed (lap time or performance) between a driver and others, often measured over a stint or at the end of the race. A large pace delta can indicate strong tire performance or a strategy advantage that wasn’t fully realized.
LIVE
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 podcast with Matt and Serbie, driver ratings.
Get your keyboards ready as we deliver our grades for the 22 drivers or is it 22?
And their performances over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend are much simpler
affair than the sprint weekends, it has to be said, but kind of because VSCs and
stewarding decisions and things like that can affect the grades, can't it, Tommy?
It certainly can. Yeah, driver ratings, we've said it before. It's very difficult this year
based on a lot of quirks with the 2026 is putting it politely for my long cast.
Tommy, since when were you polite? Well, as the podcast goes on.
Brilliant stuff. Right, so if you are new here, of course, F1 driver ratings, 0 to 10 grade, boom,
that's it, easy to understand, you then get angry because it's your favourite driver and we gave
them one less than what you would have done. And that's just that's the partnership that we have
here as us and one of the people. It's the circle of driver ratings, it certainly is.
And where we start is always at the bottom of the field and Sergio Perez, he started 18th
and did not finish. We're kicking off this episode with a whopping 5 out of 10.
What a great time to be alive as we sort of just go through the Cadillacs that
nothing really to write home about for them this weekend. Of course, the head of Aston Martin,
that's about it. Perez, of course, had a literally you could genuinely just cut what I said
for Perez and Bottas. Although to be fair, we have our cheeky little rivalry, don't we? We
haven't actually kept up to date with the head to head. Why don't we have a look?
Head to head Bottas Perez and check in. Bottas has definitely improved.
Ever since that home, he's going to lose it. Wasn't it around Canada? He's going to lose
his seat maybe. I had a terrible start, didn't he? And then since that rumor, he's really picked up
and yeah, they seem relatively close now. So I don't know how accurate this is,
but I'm hoping it's quite accurate. I'm looking at the head to head between Bottas and Perez.
I think it doesn't count when one of them DNS. Yeah, this is always the problem,
isn't it? Obviously, neither of them have points. Perez has... This is how many times
they've DNF. Perez has 3-1 up in race results. We've had 11 rounds, 10 rounds. Qualifying,
it's 6-4 to Perez, so pretty close. Fastest lap, Perez had 7, Bottas 2, and neither of them have
had any laps in the top 10, but the best result, Bottas with 13th, and Perez has had 2-14th,
but not close enough. He's Robert Kubitsud against George Russell in 2019,
when he got that singular point. Yeah, that was Hockenheim, wasn't it? Hockenheim, yeah,
the crazy race. But anyway, back to the drive ratings, 5 out of 10. Back to
Real Formula One and not the 2019 German Grand Prix. I have gone... No batteries.
For a 5 out of 10 for Sergio Perez. A weekend where he couldn't really shine. We joke about
rinse and repeat every time. We have seen good performances, particularly from Sergio Perez
this year, where we've given him the odd 7, and sometimes maybe even higher, I'm not sure, but
certainly he's delivered some good performances. But this weekend,
issues, he collected a piece of debris as well in his car. I saw that video. He got rid of it
really nicely. 10 out of 10 for Sergio. He had problems as well in qualifying, I think.
He did, yeah. He did have a drag problem, so it's hard to... Potentially the reason that Bottas
had qualified him. Indeed. But I'm going for a 5. It's hard to... It's one of those weekends
where we didn't see the best of Cadillac. We didn't. The fans... 5 out of 10.
Valtteri Bottas started 17th, finished 18th. It's a 5 out of 10 for Valtteri Bottas. No way!
Again, it's very impossible. They struggle with this, and I'm sure they're absolutely gutted,
because I'm sure they're big fans of drive ratings. Huge. Exactly. But the problem is,
they're in this middle ground of... They're so much clear of Aston Martin now, but they're
still not really anywhere near the other midfielders, if you like, if you want to call them that. So,
Bottas, again, has definitely taken a step forward, as we discussed during Perez's bit,
that he's taken a step forward. He looks a lot more comfortable. He looks closer. He was having a
really awful start to the season, and look nowhere near Perez. He's definitely more on par with him
now, but very hard to shout about anything that this weekend, the only time we saw him was when
he was helping Kim Janssen out to victory and blocking Charle Clare. So, I'm looking forward
to Matt's 2 out of 10. You just reminded me. The number is going down as I'm analysing. No,
it's a 5 out of 10 for Bottas. Cadillac should be the back market team. They should be. We shouldn't
even be discussing Aston Martin being behind them. You look at Bottas, yes, he's had a clean weekend,
but he's finished a minute behind Ocon. So, Cadillac are still not particularly close to the
back of the not even point score. They are very far away, especially around a track like this.
Maybe there'll be places where they're a bit closer, and I feel like they have been at times
this year, especially in qualifying. We've seen some pretty good performances from Perez in particular,
but they're still very much in no man's land at the moment. I can't really give them any higher than
a 5. Either of them, I feel it's unfair to give Bottas a higher grade than Perez when,
again, we do this comparisons and this, that and the other, but I feel like I read almost every
single race weekend, one of the drivers has a problem with deployment or a problem with
something to do with their car. Mirrors falling off. Yeah, more so, I think with Cadillac,
because they're a new team and they're figuring it out. But yeah, so I've gone for a 5 for Bottas,
and the fans have gone for a 5 as well. Franco Collapinto started 11th, finished 10th.
I'm going to lock in a 7 out of 10 for Franco Collapinto, provided the move of the race,
some might say, or at least the most entertaining move of the race. Not sure exactly if just a
motorway pass is deemed excellent. But of course, he had to be late on the brakes. He had to
just tell Gasly, no, you can't look around the outside there, mate. But yeah, I think it was a
strong weekend for Collapinto, of course, after that move was able to secure that final points
paying position. And overall, yeah, a pretty strong weekend. Gasly and Collapinto were hard
to separate, I would say. But that's a good thing for Franco. That's a good weekend. And if he
continues doing that, he'll continue being in Formula One. I have gone for an 8 out of 10 for
Franco Collapinto. I think he deserves some credit for sure for that battle, the four car battle
for that last point. His double move was excellent when I watched it back, because I had gone to
the toilet during the watch along, if you're watching that, great timing. And yeah, he made
a fantastic start as well. And I don't think Alpine have been at the heights that they were at
the start of the season. So to get a point, it serves a huge amount of credit. So a good drive
from Collapinto. So gone for an 8. The fans have given Franco Collapinto a 7 out of 10.
Pierre Gasly started 10th, finished 11th. I've gone for a 7 out of 10 for Pierre Gasly.
Right behind his teammate at the finish, but you always kind of expect him to
do better as the more experienced driver. Of course, the practice crash was a bad,
bad moment for him, doing the same as Hamilton, of course. But he did well to recover and actually
out qualify Collapinto just by the smallest margin, but disappointing for him not to get a point.
But still, solid work. So gone for a 7. I've gone for a 6 out of 10. So both of us
with a point difference, but you're marking slightly higher. I think for Gasly, yeah,
I've obviously downgraded him for the massive crash. It was a small mistake, but it had huge
consequences with how much it damaged that car. Yeah. And then apart from that, of course,
as you say, very close on the road between the two of them. But yeah, that's the reason why I've
gone obviously a step down and also by the fact of Collapinto beating his teammate with that move.
So yeah, a decent weekend for Alpine, not particularly close. The reason why I haven't
gone higher is because they were nowhere near the the Audis of Bortoletto and Limblad. Sorry,
Audi of Bortoletto and the V-Carb of Limblad. So yeah, I'm not sure why really. I really did
expect Alpine to potentially be that fifth fastest team. Yeah, they dropped off, haven't they?
Yeah, they certainly have. Instead, they were just clinging on to a point there. So yeah,
six out of ten from me to Gasly. The fans gave him a six as well. Gabrielle Bortoletto started
eighth, finished eighth. I'm going for a nine out of ten for Gabby Bortoletto. I know he's
finished best of the rest. I know he's beaten Limblad. The only reason it's a nine, not a ten
is because he had some reasonable good fortune to end up beating Limblad with the timing of the
VSC. Both Lawson and Limblad pitted a few laps before the VSC came out, whereas Bortoletto
carried on a bit longer, was able to take advantage of that, not to take anything away. A nine out
of ten is not a four out of ten. It is still a big old lot and appreciation. But it's true though.
I feel like, you know, whenever I read comments of these drive ratings episodes, I'm like,
I can't believe you gave him an eight and not a nine. Are you saying the worst grand prix of his
life? No. But I don't think it's a ten out of ten performance. I think it's close. I think he
qualified really, really well. But he wouldn't have finished eighth if it wasn't for the VSC.
So, yeah, a nine out of ten. I've gone for a nine out of ten for Gabrielle Bortoletto. Certainly
an element of good fortune, of course, with the VSC, but a fantastic qualifying, you know,
had the good fortune and held that the position did well to hold off Limblad. I think he's in a
much better car, particularly this weekend, with those racing balls upgrade, obviously,
well ahead of Holkenberg as well, who was locked in that battle going for the final point. And,
yeah, really strong result. Big points for Audi when they're not scoring much and have really
struggled to get any points because they're always finishing eleventh. So, well done to
Gabrielle Bortoletto. Well done indeed. The fans also gave him a nine out of ten.
Nico Holkenberg started twelfth, finished thirteenth.
Gone for a five for Nico Holkenberg. He's finished essentially the worst of Formula One,
point five, if you want to call it that, because now Hass and Williams are Formula Two and Cadillac
and Formula Three and Aston Martin and Formula Seven. So, it's a long way off Bortoletto at the
finish. I know a lot of that was because of him getting stuck, but Gabrielle put an amazing
qualifying result in for him to be where he was. And it's disappointing for Holkenberg because
still hasn't got any points on the board. Indeed, I deliberated between two grades,
but I'm going to go with a five out of ten as well for Holkenberg. The reason why I maybe
thought of a six was the fact that he did have some issues in qualifying, which essentially
hindered him in his chances to get him to Q3. But he finished half a minute behind his teammate.
Yes, there were traffic problems and to be fair, also Audi pretty slow in a straight line. But
overall, just a weekend to forget for Holkenberg wasn't able to make the most of this weekend
like we saw with Bortoletto, who literally finished best of the rest. Yes, had a little bit of
good fortune, as we mentioned. But Holkenberg also did gain from the VSC timing and still ended
up finishing 13th, whereas the drivers ahead of him, Lawson, Gasly, Colopinto and Limblad all
didn't gain from the VSC. So a weekend to forget for Holkenberg, but overall the sentiment should
be good at Audi because they're scoring some points now, which is good to see. The fans gave
Nico a five out of 10. Esteban Ocon started 16th, finished 17th. It feels like Esty Bestie just
like reserves a four out of 10 these days. So I'm going to have to go for a four for Ocon. It hurts
my heart every single time. But just not, it always seems like there is something wrong. There's
is the setup. It's the car. I mean, to be fair, he did have deployment problems. So that's not,
you know, say that he didn't have issues, but it just doesn't seem there's ever like a really just
a clean weekend at the moment for Ocon where he can be on Bearman's level or even beat him. He
should be beating him at this stage of his career, but he's not and he clearly does not gel with this
car the same way that his teammate does. Oli showed that in qualifying. Of course, as I mentioned,
Estebestie had some issues there, but also in the race as well. You know, he had some contact
with me with signs and had a bit of contact as well with Bearman. I don't know how much of a thought
I could his move. What's funny about that is watching Ocon's move. It's not even a move. Basically,
Bearman's going around the outside of him at the corner. Ocon slightly deviates off his line.
And I think it's a bit of error wash, actually, and just taps Bearman. And what's funny is,
of course, he didn't get a penalty because he took his own front wing off. And it's almost like
you could argue that it's a carbon copy of the Hamilton thing, which is another kind of,
you could argue is them taking consequence into account over the situation because, yeah, Ocon
is following another car. Bearman goes around the outside very close to him, just like George
Russell was to Hamilton. Bit of error wash deviates off his line by the tiniest margin,
just like Lewis Hamilton. And they make contact and then obviously that it damaged Ocon more
than it did for Oli Bearman. Yeah, I'm trying to, do you have the video to hand? I have watched it
before. It's on the race highlights. It's like lap. They show it after the start replays in the
YouTube pilots. Okay, let me let me do a live live reaction. Here it is.
Okay. Let's mute that so I can actually speak to you, Tommy. I remember seeing I didn't I wasn't
sure whether it was could be classed as a carbon copy of the Hamilton Russell thing because I felt
like Bearman was much further along. So Ocon, I mean, technically, it's not probably carbon copy
because you could argue that Ocon is the attacking driver here. Whereas Bearman, sorry, whereas in
the Russell Hamilton situation, Hamilton is the defending driver. No, Bearman's overtaking Ocon.
No. No, no, no. Well, from where I ride on board with Ocon, he's behind Bearman going into that
corner. I will now rewatch it as well at the same time. Five minutes eight of the highlights. He's
behind Bearman. So he's shaping a move. He's trying to look up the inside of the Audi as well.
And then he and then Bearman comes back at him. I guess it looks obviously when you sit you join
at the apex that Bearman's going back past Ocon. But theoretically, I would say
that is Ocon attacking into that. It's hard to see, isn't it? Because it's an on board.
It's hard to know because they're not they don't show it before that incident. So they're cutting
to him. Well, he's well clear of well, he's not well clear of them and you can't even see them
and he's attacking an Audi and then Bearman comes to the outside. I think they've kind of
gone into the corner almost side by side, but then Bearman for some reason just backs out of it and
then has like the most almighty lunge around the outside. I will agree that the Ocon he has a little
bit of a correction as well, which does put him into the side of Bearman and then obviously gets
him a he gets a puncture as well, doesn't he? He does. There you go. A little live
rewatch of the Ocon Bearman situation. He had the science issue as well, which was
it's a racing incident. He obviously comes over going for a move and science gets caught out.
It's neither of their fault. Either or after all of that, I'm not changing my grade four out of 10.
Yes. I will shock everyone now and go for a four out of 10 for S1 Ocon.
No. He's too far off his teammate for sure. You mentioned about him having the issues, interestingly
you know, the team principal, Kamatsu has said that even with the issues, it's bigger than what
it should have been, which is crazy like so that he's kind of saying that, yeah, okay, you've got
some issues there, but we still need more from you because we have the data and you're seven
tenths. Yeah, that's a big margin. So yeah, it's not going well for Ocon. He's not got any confidence
in the car and yet another tough, very, very, very tough weekend. It just doesn't seem like
he's got an answer. I can't remember the last time we saw him have Bearman's number really.
The fans gave Esteban Ocon a four out of 10. Oli Bearman started 14th, finished 14th.
I've gone for a six out of 10 for Oli Bearman. I think he deserves some credit for beating his
teammate by a massive margin, of course, finishing best of the Hassan Williams battle,
quite comfortably. So I need to give him some credit there. Again, it's one of those people
that's in a bit of no man's land and he's finished ahead of essentially all that Oli Bearman can do
at the moment, which is really depressing, is beat his teammate and the two Williams because
the house have fallen off so much that they've dropped back into that pack. And certainly
for Oli Bearman, he's fighting rather than being best of the rest like he was at the start of the
season. He's now fighting for 13th and 14th positions. So I will give Bearman, I think he
deserves more than a five for outpacing his experienced teammate by a big margin and finishing
ahead of both Williams comfortably. Yeah, I also feel the same. And I'm now trying to think whether
I'm being a fanboy by going one higher than that. By going for a seven. Yeah. Stuff, isn't it? Because
slight. He has done well. And of course, he had that first lap puncture. But then again, obviously,
Ocon also was in big trouble. And he ended up 15 seconds ahead. Let's go with a six. I've
reined in my Oli Bearman fanboys for one weekend. I still think he does deserve credit, as you say.
We're always struggling so much with these midfielders to know just how well they've done. But
Bearman consistently, just how we say with Ocon, he's consistently underperforming. I'd say Oli
Bearman is doing everything he needs to do against his teammate to show that he is a star of the
future. Of course, at the start of the year, it was amazing to watch. And when the house was
competitive, Bearman was able to put in some great results. It's a shame we can't see that now. But
yeah, he's still doing a really good job. And I think just adding the experience race by race
and getting ready for when he does have a big opportunity in the future at Ferrari,
which I think everybody is expecting one year or another. Hopefully. The fans give Oli Bearman
a five out of 10.
Lance Stroll. Started 20th. Didn't finish. Five out of 10. What a great performance
from Lance Stroll. He was battling Alonzo for a bit. And then his gearbox broke.
And that was the end of the Aston Martin and Lance Stroll's race.
I've gone for a five out of 10 for Lance Stroll as well. We joke about NA's when is it just Aston
Martin. NA, NA, NA, because my God, they're just so... Just NA the whole season. Yeah, they're just
horrendous. They're so bad. And the only positive from Lance Stroll's weekend is that he got a 10
place penalty and made up two positions from where he qualified. So actually, unbelievable
qualifying performance. And nearly outqualified Alonzo again was quite close. Less than two
tenths. Less than two tenths close. It's a one minute 50 for those guys. It's a long lap.
Yeah, true. Yeah, I love how that's almost outqualified Alonte, which says everything you
need to know really, doesn't it? But he's not had a bad horrendously bad weekend. It's just Aston
Martin things, isn't it? And they just can't be even great. This might be the last time though.
We might actually be not NA-ing anymore. I'm sick of just giving them five out of ten.
Yeah, as much as we have 11 teams on the grid in driver ratings, we're writing off Cadillac
most of the time and Aston Martin all the time. Apart from when Lance, of course,
outqualifies Alonzo and deserves a six. Right, the fans gave Lance Stroll a five out of 10.
Fernando Alonzo started 22nd, finished 19th. I've gone for a five out of 10 for Fernando Alonzo.
No way. Shame, really, because like Perez, maybe at the start of the season, we have seen moments
from Alonzo. We joke about giving Aston Martin five every week, but there has been moments where
Fernando Alonzo has been able to show what he can do, make amazing stars and something. Canada's
a great example. Obviously, Monaco, he got the point as well, even though that was more just
because everyone broke down. But it's insanely got a point. But here, he took
a back of the grid penalty by just changing everything. So he ended up starting 22nd.
It's a weekend where I can't really say he's trounced. Stroll had done anything particularly
amazing. So I really hope that they get these upgrades and they're in the midfield for not
just being a Fernando Alonzo fan, but so I can give him higher grades and fan boy and everyone
complain when I give him nine out of 10s for finishing 12.
Yeah, you best believe that 10 out of 10 is locked and loaded for his P14 in Hungary.
100%.
Yeah, Alonzo, five out of 10, unsurprisingly. I'm ready to talk about them in Hungary onwards.
Please, Adrian Newey, tell me you've cooked. Imagine they've turned around a six second deficit
at Spa to being in Q3 in Hungary. That would be the greatest upgrade of all time.
It really would. It'd be an entirely different car. Can't wait for the by design and then a
black and white picture of the new B-spec Aston Martin in the next Grand Prix.
OK, the fans gave Alonzo a five out of 10 and we now move on to a driver that actually we saw.
Arvid Limblad started seventh, finished ninth.
Arvid Limblad is going to receive a
nine out of 10. Nine out of 10 for Arvid. I think he did a phenomenal job in qualifying,
started obviously P7 with a couple of penalties and yeah, look, I know we're kind of...
I love Arvid. Maybe you'll love it, Limblad, fun boy.
Everyone's quick to assume, oh, his car is the greatest thing on earth and that's just now a
staple, right? It's a part of the top four. I think that's unfair to say that, right? Because
Lawson didn't have the upgrades, but also was struggling, I think, with other parts of the
car as well. Limblad did a really good job. I think that the fight between the two of them was just
epic to watch. I'm not downgrading either of them for any of that ding-dong-ing stuff, but
Limblad only lost out to Bortoletto because of the VSC. The reason I'm not giving him any higher,
and I can't give him any higher anyway, but a downgrade is because of the fact he wasn't able
to catch and pass Bortoletto, who we already know with that Audi doesn't have the best straight line.
But apart from that, makes Q3, has a really good performance, should have been best to the rest,
so it's a 9 out of 10. I've gone for an 8 out of 10 for Arvid Limblad,
so yeah, one less grade and I've gone. How dare you? You spoke about that,
you were going to give him a 5. You were like, oh, Arvid Limblad, fine, are we?
I am with comments now. Look, there's one thing I do regret about Arvid Limblad,
it was giving him a 10 in Canada. Yeah, all right, I didn't realise about the clutch burning out,
and I'm sorry to everybody who is still upset about that.
Are you regrading it for mid-season? Yeah, we're going to have one regrade at the end of the year.
Get to pick one each. Okay, so yeah, I've gone for an 8, still a good drive from Limblad.
Definitely think the racing bulls is the class of the midfield, and he's done a really good job there,
qualifying in particular, to put it in seventh place. The reason it's not a 9 for me is maybe
had the chance to beat Borslett, I know he didn't have the luck of the VSC,
but I thought that the racing bulls car is quicker and maybe could have
gotten back, but still a great performance from Arvid and a very good job to be the only
racing bulls driver, of course, to get a point. Indeed, the fans gave him a 7.
I've gone for a 7 for Liam Lawson, of course, it's not a totally fair comparison between the two cars,
from what we've seen, I think, no disrespect to Limblad, but we've seen how good Lawson's been
this season. So what Limblad did in qualifying, you got to assume that Lawson would have been up
there as well, gave it a good go to fight his teammate and finish ahead, but certainly not
his strongest drive and disappointing for him to finish 12th and end that amazing point-scoring
run that he's been on. I have gone for a 6 out of 10 for Liam Lawson. This grade is kind of
hamstrung by the fact he didn't get the upgrades, but it's very much an up in the air,
how much would have actually have given him a thing that I can't just give him more because of
that. And also, when I look at the drivers around him, like Gasly, who I would consider in a worse
car has beaten him, and I gave him a 6, so I can't then give Lawson a 7 for finishing behind him.
But as I say, I feel bad giving him this grade because I think, and I quite vocally said it,
and some people disagreed, but that's fine, that VCarb should have given Lawson the upgrade. I
wholeheartedly agree with that. I know that some people say, are they agreed with it? They agreed
to it. We don't know what happens behind closed doors. And I think as a team, they should have
just put their strongest foot forward. And I firmly believe Lawson would have finished 8th
comfortably this weekend had he had the upgrade. But instead, he was given a worse car, how much
worse we don't know. He did have his own struggles, as I mentioned. And yeah, it was great to see the
two battle, but a shame for Lawson to end his consecutive point streak, which he scored at
almost every single race this year, hasn't he? It's been a phenomenal run. So VCarb, sort your
stuff out, and next time you have one upgrade, I'd say give it to Lawson. Did you see their
post about them being on the easy jet flight together? I did, yeah. Everyone was like,
there's no beef. They're all good. There's no beef. And then get to Hungary and they plow into the
side of each other and turn one. Yeah, I think they're just fierce competitors. Exactly. That's
what it is. I mean, you know, Lin Bladzer, a rookie wants to prove himself. Lawson is a driver that's
not afraid to get his elbows out and it's great to watch. So of course, they're going to race like
that. And that's what makes Formula One fun, doesn't it?
Certainly. The fans gave Liam Lawson a 6 out of 10. Carlos Sainz started 19th, finished 16th.
I'm going to give Carlos Sainz a 5 out of 10. Of course, he had a grid drop.
He made contact with Ocon at La Source. Generally speaking, Williams just
not even close to the likes of Bearman. And then it's a big chasm to the cars that were
actually fighting for points. It's a shame for Carlos and Alex. They might well be having their
10 out of 10 weekends, but nothing to really see or show for it. So I'm going to go for a 5.
I've gone for a 6 for Carlos Sainz and beat both houses and his teammate in qualifying
and in the race, unfortunate to get the front wing contact, but in his opinion,
the front wing didn't need changing. And despite him not wanting to change it,
the team changed it in his pit stop and then he had a 14 second pit stop. So it plummeted him,
down the order and he probably could have been there challenging Bearman at the end.
I think it's an unlucky race for Sainz, so I'm giving him a bit of
credit with a whopping 6 out of 10. The fans gave Carlos Sainz a 5 out of 10.
Alex Albon started 15th, finished 15th. I'm afraid it's another 5 out of 10
and another driver that we just go, well, he's driven around. He's done a decent job,
but not a really bad job. I think Sainz was the leading Williams this weekend. I know Albon
beat him on the road, but as I said, Carlos had the penalty, sorry, the grid drop and then the
slow pit stop as well. But it's still a 5 from Alex, so there we are.
Interesting. I now don't feel comfortable giving Alex and Carlos the same grade.
Therefore, Carlos, you're going to get a 6, so whatever you want to do, editor,
make that change because I feel bad giving Alex a 4.
And I think you're very valid in what you've said there, Tommy. So Alex will get a 5 out of 10
and I'll give Carlos a 6 because yeah, I think Carlos, when you take into account the slow pit
stop, to finish still only a second behind his teammate, shows that he had quite a bit more pace
on the table. And it seems like that dynamic in general is Carlos Sainz being the lead Williams
driver through most of this season. Would like to see an Alex Albon run like we saw last year
at the start of the season where he went on a huge points hole and we were sort of unbelievable,
wasn't he? We were really giving him his accolades and then he fell off and we've not really seen
the same Albon maybe at the start of this year. So I say the start, we're at the middle of the
season. So come on, Alex, I know you're a big driver ratings fan. I'm sorry, it might have been a 10
out of 10 performance, but it's a 5 from me. The fans gave him a 5 as well. Lewis Hamilton
started fifth, finished fourth. Here we go then. We're getting to the big leagues now.
I'm giving Lewis Hamilton a 7 out of 10 for this weekend. Downgrades include crashing in free
practice three, which he said basically affected the car from there on, didn't have the same balance
and it was a small mistake, but one that was clearly very costly for both qualifying and
the rest of the weekend. I'm not downgrading him for the Russell
collision impact. As I said on the podcast, I think he was slightly more to blame, but
I also believe that it was entirely a racing incident. The fact that we look at the stewards
notes, they explain everything about why it would be a racing incident and then give him a penalty
for it. There were so many different things that they basically took into account as to why they
went from a 10 to a 5. I'm like, no, that's 10 to a 0. That's a no penalty lap one incident.
Then from there on, of course, Hamilton struggled a little bit. He, of course, was carrying some
damage. Ferrari decided, yo, I know you asked for that front wing little change at the pit stop.
We're not going to do it. Sorry, we forgot. That was insane that Ferrari actually forgot to do that.
But overall, like a 7 out of 10, I think, perfectly encapsulates a weekend that was
yeah, it was good, but could have been better through one reason or another.
I've gone for an 8 out of 10 for Lewis Hamilton. As I made quite clear in the podcast,
I don't think he deserved the penalty at all. You shouldn't have got that 5 seconds had he
not, and even before he took that 5 second penalty, he was behind Leclerc. There were moments
where he looked like he was getting stuck behind Leclerc. Then, of course, he dropped back a little
bit and it was about three seconds the gap before they both came into the pits together.
They got the good fortune of the VSC together, but unfortunately for Hamilton,
and he then had to take the unfair 5 second penalty and then to make matters worse,
they released him when they shouldn't have done. He hits a mechanic and that drops him back
and loses even more time, which was not a penalty as we know, which I
now have seen it. I do think is fair. I think when I was making comparisons in the podcast,
I was thinking about unsafe releases where it goes into another car. So I guess the argument,
I've not actually read the Stuart notes, but I guess is the argument that he's not actually
impeded another driver or another car and he's actually just hit his own mechanic.
Well, the notes were kind of insinuating that, well, they had to pair fine and they also needed to
basically give a reason as to why it will not happen again. No, they had to be like,
basically, they had to write a little note and say, sorry.
No, maybe more Ferrari actually. So the decision, 30,000 euros, which 10,000 euros is suspended
for 12 months, blah, blah. And on the further condition that within 14 days,
the competitor submits a report to the FIA regarding the incident and protocols introduced
to mitigate the risk of such an incident occurring in the future. So the team explained
the incident occurred in the context of a complex and unusual combination of circumstances.
Hamilton had been issued a five-second time penalty, which has to be served before work
could commence. Leclerc was in his pit box at the point Hamilton entered the pit lane.
Hamilton told his engineer that he wanted a front-wing adjustment,
but that was not conveyed to the supercontroller. Hamilton came into his pit box, served the time
penalty, and at the end of the five seconds, one member of the team announced go, and then 0.6
degrees. Okay, so I take it all back, Ferrari didn't forget, they tried to do it. The former,
being an instruction to commence the pit stop, and the latter being an instruction for a wing
adjustment. The tyre change was completed, the jackman dropped the F1 car, and the supercontroller
activated the green light signal for car 44 to move off. Just as the driver moved off,
another mechanic with a front-wing tool moved forward into the path of the front-right tyre.
Before he stepped forward, he had his head down looking at the tool and did not see the green
light. The team acknowledged that for Lewis Hamilton to have been released in these circumstances
was unsafe and attributed the error to an inappropriately late instruction for the
wing adjustment. A lack of clear communication, the mechanic's failure to notice the green light.
The team committed to undertaking a review of their pit stop procedures to ensure an
instance such as this will not be repeated. And then the steward determined that the driver was
in no respect at fault. Yeah, he wasn't. So, based on that, that's a long old report, isn't it?
It still goes. There's another couple of paragraphs. I'm just going to skim read it to see if there's
anything more of interest. You can tell your thoughts whilst I read the rest of it.
Well, yeah. I mean, that summarises my thoughts perfectly, that Hamilton's got absolutely nothing
to do with it. Yeah, they said it's a sporting disadvantage. So, the incident did not justify
a sporting penalty, but did justify a significant fine on the competitor, given that the procedural
fails of this nature prejudice the safety of mechanics. Yeah, I agree. I think it's the right
decision at the end of the day. But back to the actual rating, I can't downgrade Hamilton
too much when he got a penalty that wasn't deserved. And the incident in the pits wasn't his fault
either. And had that just happened, and he'd not had his five seconds, you know, I think
he's coming out of the pits a few seconds behind Leclerc and probably finishing on the
podium behind him. So, gone for an eight. Okay. The fans gave Lewis Hamilton a seven out of 10.
Charlotte Clair started fourth, finished second. I've gone for a nine out of 10 for Charlotte Clair.
A very difficult one to grade though, I think. But I do think that the good fortune of the VSC
probably, you know, people thinking that he's just like been gifted this amazing result,
I still think it was a very strong drive from Leclerc. You know, had he not had the VSC,
would he have been behind Max? I think there's a chance. It would have been very close. Of course,
Max was ahead when he made his stop. So, it would have been a very close battle and very
fascinating to watch, I think, between the two of them. I think he deserved a penalty,
but I'm not going to downgrade him on the fact that the stewards made a bad call.
I also think that he would have qualified higher based on what we saw in that first run. But I
totally understand why he thought there was a yellow flag in qualifying. Based on the replay
that I saw, he was absolutely right to back off thinking that there was a yellow flag at the corner.
So, yeah, I've gone for a nine because I still think it is a strong drive from Leclerc. But
a tough grade. I could see why people would maybe go for an eight.
Tom Bellingham, Charles Leclerc, fanboy of the P1 podcast. It will surprise everyone
to hear that I'm giving Charles Leclerc an eight out of ten for his performance.
I am downgrading him for the Piastry move, which I believe should have been a penalty
and, therefore, I am adjusting my grade accordingly.
Positives, first and foremost, why he's got a better grade than Hamilton. As you kind of
mentioned, Tommy, the qualifying gap would have been bigger by a tenth or two. But he had to
lift and I fully get why Leclerc lifted at the final chicane because the yellow flag was just
waving like it was for the main circuit, but it was for the pit entry. His speed was amazing.
I was really happy to see his race pace. He was able to put pressure on Antonelli,
of course, got very fortunate with the VSC. But I'm just kind of thinking, right,
all right, without the Piastry incident, what would I have given him? Probably a nine.
But I'm going to downgrade him a point because of the squeeze on Piastry, which should have been
a penalty. And I thought it was a little bit careless from Leclerc. Just a bit of a squeeze,
which could have ended his race, to be honest with you. But apart from that, an eight out of 10,
may I also remind you is not a three. And that's kind of how I sit on it. I'm really happy to see
Leclerc's results and grades. But it should tell you all you need to know about how Leclerc feels
about this. When you see him see it for the first time in the Cool Down, he knows he got away with
that. So yeah, so I've gone for an eight. The fans, nine out of 10. Let me see how close it was.
Because I will say, if I could give an eight point five, I would, but I can't say.
Maybe next year, because I always feel like we need it. Yeah. And then the year after,
can we do 8.25s? Yeah, exactly. Charlotte Leclerc got 43% of the vote was a nine,
and 30% of the vote was an eight. Okay, interesting. But like you, I've gone for
a point between the two of them, Hamilton and Leclerc. This happened a lot, hasn't it,
with some teammates here where you've gone for maybe a grade higher. But the same difference.
There's always been a point difference between the two of them. And yeah, and may I remind you all,
it does not mean that I'm any Leclerc Leclerc fan. I'm also trying to just run a podcast
and be objective and have an opinion on my lovely, wonderful driver's performances.
God forbid. How dare you say his move that was slightly questionable, was questionable.
Yeah, he even taught them.
Right, let's move on now to Isaac Hadjar. Started 21st, finished sixth. I'm going to give
Isaac Hadjar an eight out of 10. I thought it was a strong weekend from Hadjar.
I'm not going to give him any higher than that, because I don't feel comfortable
giving him any higher when I think Max Verstappen did a better job.
But that's not to take anything away from Hadjar. It's a really strong grade. And
he did a really good, as did Red Bull with the strategy. They performed that, I think,
excellently. And it was a really big brain move to do the couple of stops immediately.
Then take advantage of the VSC in the middle of the race to give Hadjar the best possible shout
of a good result. I think his pace was also very strong. He was able to hold off Lando at the end
who was on medium tyres, as we know. Norris could have easily finished on the podium, had his race
gone a little bit better. So yeah, I think Hadjar deserves a high grade here. But let's also not
forget that he took advantage of the safety car at the start. He also took advantage of the VSC
in the middle to have a very strong race time when you look at where he started and so on.
So yeah, 8 out of 10. I've gone for an 8 out of 10 for Isaac Hadjar. And I very much thought this
was going to be not a hot take. But I would have to really justify it. So interesting,
you've also gone for an 8. It's a great drive from from Hadjar to recover to the position that
he's got to. You know, a brilliant team player in qualifying, when essentially, there was no
reason for him to take part in that session. But he did and he helped Max with a brilliant toe,
timed it to absolute perfection to help his teammate get second on the grid.
For me, I think it's very easy. And I notice this a lot. Maybe it's just with driver of the days.
Maybe it's some people. Just that's what they enjoy about Formula One and rate higher than
more. But sometimes it's quite easy to think overrated drive when someone comes from the back
of the pack to a decent position. And that's not to take anything away from from what Hadjar's done.
But I think, you know, I'd have maybe gone for a 9 had he not had the good fortune of the VSC.
Maybe he'd gone the whole race on the hard tyre and done this amazing strategy. I think he was,
you know, the safety car allowed him to switch both tyres, which put him in a great position to
just run the hards and get his free pit stop out the way. And then he had another opportunity to
do another almost free pit stop behind the VSC. And realistically, he's finished ahead of
all the midfield cars that we know there's a massive chasm between them and the top runners.
Other than Lando Norris, who I think was quite unlucky in the sense that he didn't get a VSC
pit stop. So for me, it's more towards, you know, it's a good 8 out of 10, and it's still a really
strong drive. But I can't go higher, as you say, because of the drive that his teammate put in,
and what others have done as well. But still a fantastic job.
The fans gave Hadjar a 9 out of 10. Before we move on. He was very close to a 10,
which I think is insane. But hey, everyone has their own opinion. 38.3% gave him a 10 and 41%
gave him a 9. Okay, which means I look forward to reading your comments very shortly.
Let's now go to Max Verstappen, who started second and finished third.
I've gone for a 9 out of 10 for Max Verstappen. I think he got everything out of that red bull this
weekend. Second in qualifying, of course, was thanks to the tow from his teammate.
But he still needed to, you know, nail the start of the lap, the middle sector as well,
and get it right. And in the race, of course, not, I say not the best start, which is weird,
because he got into the lead and did a daring move at a Rouge. But that was not the best idea,
because it just meant he got slipstreamed. But then he got back past Leclerc, got into P2. He
could well have finished there had he got more fortunate with the VSC and Leclerc hadn't got
fortunate with the VSC. So I can't really fault him because he was never, I don't think anyone
was going to beat Antonello this weekend. So I've gone for a 9 for Max.
I've also gone for a 9 out of 10 for Max Verstappen. I think he was really
impressive. Would have been interesting to see how that Leclerc Verstappen battle had unfolded,
had it not been for a very well timed VSC, may I say, for Jean Leclerc. But for Max,
qualified really well, of course, as we say, with Hajar's help. And then just ran a pretty
faultless race. It was a Max Verstappen drive where he was just lingering, looking like he might be
able to challenge Antonelli in those opening sort of parts of the race, but just wasn't able to
stay within that overtake mode. As for the move on lap one, I think that was more a case of just
Antonelli basically. He had no choice to. Yeah, no battery. And of course, Max is going to take
the opportunity if he's deploying a little bit and if it was the right decision for Kimmy to
play it like that. But yeah, a really, really good weekend for Max Verstappen. And that's why
I've gone for a 9 out of 10. The fans have gone for a 9 as well. Kimmy Antonelli started first,
finished first. 10. Is a 10 out of 10 for Kimmy Antonelli. Hot take. Just ridiculous once again,
fully deserving of the victory has been deserving of more victories than he's had in the last run
of races because his car decided to just peace out. But thankfully for him, there was no such
issues at the Belgian Grand Prix. Qualifying was brilliant and then had the presence of mind to
not be too phased by the fact that Max went through it at the start and was able to boost
his way back down the inside into the lead. And then after that, again, could have been a little
bit affected by the fact that he didn't get the rubber the green with the VSC. Charles Leclerc
is then ahead of him, but he just slowly ekes into that advantage, gets within a second,
and then blasts past in what is, of course, what we all think the best car. But he's still young,
could still easily have made mistakes trying to push for the win, but he didn't and flawless.
I've gone for a 10 out of 10. Yeah, completely unstoppable again, so comfortable, even when
the VSC handed Leclerc the lead, he got it back. Very clever to, you know, not fight Max or defend
too hard because he knew be able to get him back where he did. And Kimmy is just so confident,
you know, he's completely the opposite of what George Russell is doing at the moment,
in terms of just completely at one with his car. And he's absolutely just loving life,
just seems like everything's going perfectly for him. And yeah, he just looks so, so fast. So
it's easily a 10 out of 10 for for Kimmy. The fans are in agreement 10 out of 10 for Kimmy
Antonelli. George Russell started third and did not finish. Now we enter the NA discussion.
So we sometimes give out not applicable for drivers that may have had issues and then are
out of the race very, very quickly. And it's hard to judge. I think the case for George Russell
here being a not applicable is the fact that in qualifying, he was plagued with a few issues from
what we heard. And especially in that last sector, he was losing time course still was able to
qualify fourth and would have started third. But then in the race as well has problems with his
battery. The only reason he's out of the race most likely is because of the fact he was going
308 kilometers an hour. Meanwhile, I think Charlotte Clair was blasting past at 350 kilometers an hour,
something close that he was not having any battery, which then put him off course under
pressure with Hamilton. And then there was the collision. So I think the most fair thing to do
here so that his grade isn't affected, his average grade isn't affected for the mid and full season
reviews that NA is awarded. Tommy? Yes, I agree as well. I think it's there's a very strong argument.
I think the fair one for non applicable. You know, some will say that
the fact that he's not performing at the moment, and it's a bit of a let off, but there is clearly
something not right with his car and the way you know, it's it's working out for him. And he's been
taken out on lap one, he's not been able to show anything. So I think it needs to be an NA one
thing I would like to mention, before we just move on to the next driver is one, his team radio,
my word, because we didn't speak about that. Uneffing acceptable. He was absolutely raging.
So I saw something about it was muted. But then for some reason, German TV just had it and played
it, which is bizarre. I don't know. I don't know how TV direction works in that sense. But they
played it live on the German TV. So you could hear what he was saying. And he was, yeah,
absolutely raging. So it was unacceptable. I've also seen and this is why I despise these cars
and makes it so hard with the whole like, how good is a driver? Is it the drivers that have the
skill when doing this? Or is it not? Is there's now this theory, a theory. But George Russell
at Radion, not Irish, actually, was in eighth gear. Meanwhile, Kimmy Antonelli was in sixth gear.
And basically, there's theory that it's confused all the complex algorithms now that control the
power deployment. And that might have been why George basically ran out of battery that he was
using eighth gear at Radion rather than sixth gear that Kimmy used. It's just so ridiculous,
isn't it? These cars that it just makes it so hard for us to know what is driver, what is car
problem anymore. And that's something we said about the start and how it's just such a mess
with the fact that you're seeing these huge speed differences across the lap. Because
looking at what we've seen here, at the top of Radion, George Russell is doing 294 kilometers
an hour and Kimmy Antonelli is doing 281. So George is going far quicker, but then obviously has
absolutely nothing when he gets there. It's bizarre. It's just bizarre. And again, it's all down to this
overly complicated power unit controlled by algorithms and things rather than the driver.
Yeah, it's a really interesting thing that you bring up there. And I wonder if we'll get more
clarity when we head to Hungary. Yeah, you say Kimmy Antonelli, I think he was in sixth very
momentarily, but majority I think was with seventh gear. Sorry, yeah, used sixth very briefly.
Yeah, whereas as you say, Russell up in eighth, which meant his RPM was lower and that may well
have affected the battery and some the algorithm that changes the deployment.
Toto is not afraid to say when George Russell is at fault, as we know, right? He says in,
he's even said in interviews after the race, yeah, you know, half of it is probably the power unit
and half of it's driving is basically what he's suggesting, not saying it's entirely Russell's
fault. But either or it's going to be fascinating to see if any more is discussed around that,
because I'm sure Mercedes are going to be looking into, of course, why was Russell
stricken of energy down that straight? But yeah, I think still NA, because this is just theories.
None of us know even the drivers probably don't know what's going on.
I think it's hard, it's harsh, isn't it? Because some people would go like,
because, for example, we don't have the NA option for the fan rating, but it came to
like a five and it's like, that tank's his grade and realistically got taken out on that one,
I think. So we can't NA the fan rating or can we?
Well, I guess we can ask them if they want to do it with a poll or something.
Hey, our podcast, are you talking about what?
Yeah, I think NA the fan rating as well.
Well, we're going to go around and message each person.
Every single person voted.
We need a unanimous vote of yes for an NA for George.
Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's just a mess, isn't it? It's an NA for George for that race. And I
think the actual grades that he's got as well reflect it based on the fact that some people
have given him a zero, which is maybe their idea of shouldn't count.
Or they thought it was a poll.
Or they think he's absolutely washed and he's deploying so badly.
Or that he turned into Hamilton and that's what they're saying that his fault.
But OK, let's move on now to Oscar Piastri, who started sixth and finished fifth.
I am going to go for a seven out of 10 for Oscar Piastri.
I think it was a good weekend.
Of course, he had problems at the start with hydraulics and then also he didn't get out.
I don't think immediately for free practice to either.
And I also have sympathy for him with regards to the Leclerc squeeze.
Do I have sympathy enough that I would give him higher than a seven?
I don't think so, just purely because he did have a problem with his PU.
This is a problem again.
Like, oh, he's having problems that we don't understand.
I'm going to stick with a seven because I think Lando showed that there was an enormous
amount of speed in that McLaren.
So, yeah, it was still a good enough weekend.
But I still feel as though Oscar is the slower of the two McLaren drivers at the moment this year.
And despite obviously finishing ahead of Norris in this one,
I think Lando showed obviously without the luck and things like that that there was potentially
a podium at least on the cards.
So, yeah, I'm going to go for a seven.
I've also gone for a seven for Oscar Piastri.
Of course, yeah, had power unit issues in qualifying.
I don't know if you saw his quite spicy quote from qualifying.
Did you see that?
Share it.
I will share it.
He said, when you've got qualifying decided by computers behaving or misbehaving,
it's a pretty crap way of going racing.
So, he's not holding back.
I think drivers are getting quite fed up of it and probably rub salt in the wounds that
we've had two races now where, you know, it's an energy-starved circuit.
Shouldn't be the same in Hungary, of course.
So, I'm sure we can hopefully not be talking about this.
Energy should be so full of energy.
Yeah, but back to Spa.
Yeah, he was fighting the club for the damage.
So, he was up there and yeah, he was hard done by wasn't he from the fact that
the stewards thinking there's absolutely no way he could possibly overtake the greatest driver of
all time in Matzai Charle-Claire in that corner despite having overspeed and the fact that a
lot of people were sharing online that he literally overtook Charle-Claire at that corner
last year or the year before, I think it was, at that very corner.
So, it is possible and he definitely had a very good chance.
But, of course, Leclo came across him and got some damage.
So, yeah, I've gone for a seven for Piastri.
I do think there's some struggles there, but he is one of those where a bit like
Lando in some of the races this year where you're always on the back foot when you have
these problems with your car.
And McLaren in particular, their reliability issues and stuff, they just don't seem to have
the learning and it must be so frustrating for them to watch Kimi Antonelli just fly
off into the distance with the same power unit as them.
So, yeah.
The fans gave Oscar Piastri a seven out of ten.
Lando Norris started thirteenth, finished seventh.
I've gone for an eight for Lando, which maybe seems generous when you look at finished seventh.
But, it's a proper what might have been race for Lando Norris.
I think his pace was fantastic.
First Q3 run was absolutely mega and showed what he could do.
He had great pace.
He was up there like straight away, you know, got through the pack and on the back of his teammate.
The problem is he not only did, he was kind of undone by the fact that
not even the fact that this made it obviously a lot worse, that the Ferraris had the VSCs,
so did Hadja.
He didn't get that luxury of pitting.
Probably maybe that's something that McLaren could look back on and think maybe he should have done
taking that free pit stop.
Didn't have a free pit stop.
Cheap pit stop.
Cheap pit stop.
Other people did have a cheap pit stop.
So, that really hurt him.
And then, of course, as well, every time, you know, he had fantastic pace and there was
VSCs and things, it slowed his progress down.
So, disappointing for Lando, I think, had he not had the, if he had had a clean weekend without
the grid penalty and stuff and been able to just qualify where he qualified,
we would have seen something I think really special for him and definitely would have
been challenging for the podium for sure.
Yeah, I've gone for an 8 out of 10 as well.
It's not a rogue opinion, Tommy, because, yeah, his qualifying was brilliant.
There was still more on the table, potentially, because I think he made a mistake on his final
run, but was still outqualified his teammate, Piastri, and then in the race, as I sort of
mentioned with his teammate, his speed was brilliant.
Of course, he rocked up to the back of Oscar and then they had a small ding dong.
I guess with the strategy call, I was sort of thinking, right, McLaurin have made a mistake
here, they should have absolutely pit him when the VSC came out.
Problem is, he was right behind Piastri, so they would have had to double stack,
and McLaurin have probably thought 24 laps on the mediums, that might be a little bit of a stretch,
but the thing is, I still believe that was probably worth it, because you look at
how long the front runners went on the mediums, they went to lap 20, 21, whatever it was,
on the medium tyres from the start, and that would have been the heaviest fuel.
So I definitely think medium tyres was possible to go 24 laps for Lando,
and he would have been able to benefit somewhat from the cheap pit stop.
Of course, he would have had to wait for Oscar a little bit.
So yeah, I think McLaurin might well look back at this and think we should have taken it,
but at the same time, I understand why they didn't, they probably thought,
let's just carry on. Lando's pace on these hard tyres is really good,
and have a massive pace delta at the end of the race, but sadly for them, they weren't able to
really utilise that. But I think the seventh place hides what a great performance it was
from Lando this weekend, and that's why I've gone for an eight.
The fans, they don't think it's left field either, they agree, eight out of ten.
Goodness gracious guys, I'm so proud of us. And finally, who was our P1?
Well, I believe Kimmy Antonelli was the only driver I gave a ten to.
So, by way of elimination, Kimmy Antonelli is my P1, congratulations, and fully deserving, I think.
Just back on form, 50 points clear of his teammate, I think 45 ahead of Hamilton.
Championship favourite, well and truly, once more.
And there really isn't many weaknesses to highlight in his game at the moment.
Certainly not yet. The only ten I gave was Kimmy as well.
Brilliant performance again. Had the, you know, a weekend where I actually went right for him,
because he's had such poor luck recently as well. And yeah, a big, big step towards a, you know,
healthy championship lead, and he's looking very, very ominous at the moment.
And who was your P1? I've not asked this, right? You at home, right now, watching or listening,
let us know who your P1 was and why we're incorrect.
Oh no, wait, you've already written that comment.
Yeah, you already have.
Thank you everybody for tuning in. Of course, we're back very quickly as the Hungarian Grand Prix.
I'm actually really excited for the Hungarian Grand Prix because it's going to be energy rich,
and it usually is quite a good race anyway. So, well, sometimes it's a stinker,
but sometimes it's quite good, especially when Bottas goes bowling.
But I'm looking forward to it. We'll be live as always on Twitch and YouTube this weekend.
It is this weekend. Crazy. Love it. Momentum month is almost over though,
because we head into the summer break afterwards.
Tommy, final thoughts?
Final thoughts agree, like Hungary is going to be really fascinating, very different circuit.
And yeah, I actually, you know, despite all the bantering about drive ratings,
good discussion. Always enjoy. Good chat.
Good chat. Enjoy diving into a few things that we've kind of seen since the race review as well,
which is always fun when you kind of see little things here and there. So yeah, good times.
Good times indeed. Thank you, everybody. We'll see you soon. Lots of love. Bye.
P1 is a stack production and part of the ACAST Creative Network.
About this episode
The hosts kick off with how their F1 driver ratings work, stressing that VSCs and stewarding decisions can swing the grades. Belgian GP grades start with Sergio Perez (5/10) and Valtteri Bottas (5/10), then move to standout overtakes and midfield context. Franco Collapinto earns 7–8/10, while Alpine’s drop-off and VSC timing shape ratings for others. The discussion widens to pit-lane procedure, penalties, and upgrade/gearbox issues, before ending with a quick Hungarian GP preview.
Join us for another edition of The Most Controversial Series in F1 Podcasting™ as we assess a slightly odd race from Spa.
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