The final day of F1 testing in Bahrain has sparked intense rivalries and speculation among teams and drivers, with Mercedes topping the timesheets. Matt and Tommy dive into the drama, discussing Mercedes' potential pace and the contrasting strategies of top teams like Ferrari and Red Bull. They also explore Lando Norris's cheeky comments about Max Verstappen's dissatisfaction with the new regulations, highlighting the ongoing debate about the direction of Formula One. With tensions high and opinions flying, the episode captures the excitement and uncertainty as the season approaches.
A few teams are arguing with each other, drivers fear that this regulations set could be a disaster for racing… Just another day in 2026 F1 testing! Join us as we react to the final day from this round of Bahrain testing.
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"But for this podcast, we are going to talk about a Mercedes-Benz because that is what happened."
Mercedes-Benz is a famous car brand from Germany that makes luxury cars and trucks. They are known for high-quality vehicles and advanced technology.
Mercedes-Benz is a German automotive brand known for luxury vehicles, buses, and trucks. It is one of the oldest automotive brands in the world and is recognized for its engineering excellence and innovation.
"Antonelli, Tommy's champion prediction, topping the times with the fastest lap we have seen, I believe, the entire week."
The fastest lap is the quickest time a driver completes one lap of the race track. Drivers often try to achieve this to show their speed and skill.
The fastest lap in racing refers to the quickest time recorded for a single lap during a race. It is often a point of competition among drivers and can earn additional championship points in some racing series.
"...If Max was in charge, we'd have V12 engines. We'd be racing at the old Hockenheim again..."
A V12 engine is a type of car engine that has twelve cylinders arranged in a V shape. These engines are powerful and provide a smooth driving experience, often used in sports and luxury cars.
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder engine arranged in a V configuration. It is known for its smooth operation and high power output, often found in high-performance and luxury vehicles.
"...the battery, that's not kind of elite motorsport, is it? No, and I don't want to see overtaking done..."
A battery in racing is what stores energy to power the car. In electric cars, how much energy the battery has can affect how fast the car goes and how long it can race.
In the context of motorsport, particularly in electric racing, the battery refers to the energy storage system that powers the vehicle's electric motors. The capacity and management of the battery can significantly influence performance and strategy during a race.
"...I don't want to see overtaking done. I mean, we've spoken about DRS passes. It's going to be 10 times worse if the only thing we're..."
DRS is a system in Formula One cars that helps them go faster by changing the rear wing's position. This makes it easier for drivers to pass each other during races.
DRS stands for Drag Reduction System, a technology used in Formula One that allows drivers to reduce aerodynamic drag by adjusting the angle of their rear wing. This system is activated under specific conditions to facilitate overtaking, making races more exciting.
"...there was obviously a huge push on EVs from the EU. And that was a big part for the likes of Audi to come in."
EVs are cars that run on electricity instead of gas. They are better for the environment and are becoming more common.
EVs, or electric vehicles, are cars powered entirely by electricity instead of traditional gasoline or diesel engines. They are becoming increasingly popular due to environmental concerns and advancements in battery technology.
"...Verstappen is welcome to go to the Nord Schleifer, I guess."
The Nordschleife is a famous racetrack in Germany that is very difficult and is known for its long and twisty roads. Many car companies test their cars there.
The Nordschleife, often referred to as the 'Green Hell,' is a famous racetrack in Germany known for its challenging layout and long length. It is part of the Nürburgring and is used for both racing and testing high-performance cars.
"...they are revving so much, it sounds like the engine is about to explode. They are revving for so long. And then basically they drive away..."
Revving is when you press the gas pedal to make the engine go faster, creating a loud noise. It's something drivers do to get ready to start racing.
Revving refers to increasing the engine speed by pressing the accelerator, which produces a higher pitch sound. It's often done to warm up the engine or prepare for a race start.
"...the clutch is in. So essentially, when they're not going around and doing the formation lap. So that's the reason it's not like they could do it on the lap..."
A formation lap is a practice lap that happens before the race starts. It helps drivers get ready and check that their cars are working well.
A formation lap is a preliminary lap that drivers complete before the actual race starts. It allows drivers to warm up their tires and brakes while also ensuring that their cars are functioning properly before the race begins.
The throttle is a part of the car that helps control how much power the engine gets. When you press the gas pedal, you're opening the throttle to let more air and fuel in, making the car go faster.
The throttle is a component in a vehicle that controls the amount of air and fuel entering the engine, which in turn regulates the engine's power output. In modern vehicles, the throttle is often electronically controlled, allowing for more precise management of engine performance.
"...in the past that have been controversial. Traction control is one where that got introduced"
Traction control is a system in cars that helps prevent the wheels from spinning too much when you accelerate. It makes driving safer, especially on wet or slippery roads.
Traction control is a technology used in vehicles to prevent wheel spin during acceleration by adjusting engine power or applying brakes to individual wheels. It helps maintain grip and stability, especially in slippery conditions.
"...especially since the hybrid engines have come in. Drivers have had to manage a lot in the car..."
Hybrid engines are car engines that use both gasoline and electricity to run. This helps the car use less fuel and produce less pollution while still being powerful.
Hybrid engines combine a traditional internal combustion engine with an electric motor, allowing for improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. In Formula One, these engines also enhance performance through energy recovery systems.
"but the reason why I was saying it is because how am I going to know if someone's got overtake mode when I'm watching at a track? This was something that Ted and Andrew were speaking again."
Overtake mode is a special setting in racing cars that gives them extra power for a short time. Drivers use it to try to pass other cars during a race.
Overtake mode is a feature in some racing series that allows drivers to temporarily boost their car's performance, usually by providing additional power or reducing weight. This is typically used strategically during a race to gain an advantage over competitors.
"That's Formula E. We're turning into Formula E with attack mode and everything else. It's crazy."
Formula E is a racing series where all the cars are electric. They race on city streets and focus on using clean energy and technology.
Formula E is a class of motorsport that uses only electric-powered cars, featuring races on street circuits in major cities around the world. It emphasizes sustainability and innovation in electric vehicle technology.
"because when these regulations got announced, I was all for this because I think the IndyCar push to pass system is a great idea in theory because you can use it"
The push to pass system in IndyCar lets drivers get extra power for a short time to help them pass other cars. It makes the races more exciting.
The IndyCar push to pass system allows drivers to temporarily increase their engine power to aid in overtaking other cars during a race. This feature is designed to enhance competition and excitement in the sport.
"...if you go back to V10 engines with sustainable fuels, are they? So like, they're in a bit of a..."
A V10 engine is a type of car engine that has ten cylinders. It's designed for high performance and is often found in fast cars.
V10 engines are internal combustion engines with ten cylinders arranged in a V configuration. They are known for their high performance and are often used in sports cars and racing applications.
"...that it could well be pretty impossible to overtake and it's purely reliant on the engine..."
Overtaking is when one car passes another car during a race. It's important for drivers to do this to move up in position and win the race.
Overtaking in racing refers to the act of one car passing another to gain a position. It is a critical skill in motorsport, often requiring strategic timing and positioning to execute successfully.
A lap in racing is when a car goes all the way around the track once. The more laps a team completes, the better they perform in practice or a race.
In racing, a lap refers to one complete circuit around the track. The number of laps completed can indicate a team's performance during a race or practice session.
"...Haas, they dropped 138 laps. Again, Haas have been dropping in mileage on mileage on mileage..."
Haas is a car racing team from America that competes in Formula One. They are relatively new to the sport but are trying to make a name for themselves.
Haas F1 Team is an American Formula One team that made its debut in 2016. They are known for being the first American team to compete in Formula One since 1986 and have been working to establish themselves in the sport.
"...but still huge amounts of laps for Alpine. For Audi, they did 109..."
Alpine is a car brand from France that competes in Formula One racing. They are trying to grow their reputation in the racing world.
Alpine is a French automotive brand that is part of the Renault group. In Formula One, Alpine competes as a constructor and has been working to build its presence in the sport.
"...For Audi, they did 109. For Williams, they did a lot of laps. They did 139 laps..."
Williams is a famous racing team in Formula One from Britain. They have been around for a long time and have won many races.
Williams Racing is a British Formula One team with a rich history in the sport. They have won multiple championships and are known for their engineering and innovation in racing.
"...because Cadillac, no, until I like, Cadillac did 99. So I hadn't done my mental maths..."
Cadillac is a luxury car brand from America that makes high-end vehicles. They are known for their stylish and comfortable cars.
Cadillac is an American luxury automobile brand known for its high-end vehicles. While primarily focused on luxury cars, they have also been involved in motorsport in various capacities.
Select text to request an explanation
Hello everybody and welcome back to the P1 podcast with Matt and Tommy. It is the final
day of the first week, second week, however you want to see it. The first week in Bahrain
is the end of it. Day three, done and dusted. Three more days of testing to go until we
look forward to the first race of the season. So much beefing Tommy, the teams are going
at each other, the drivers are going at each other. It is, we haven't even turned a singular
competitive lap yet and this feels like it's bubbling along. Drive to survive already got
three episodes written, I've heard, because there's been so much going on already and
lots to recap once again on this third day.
Absolutely. I was thinking the very same thing, that there's going to have to be about eight
pre-season drive to survive episodes because my word, they are just going absolutely crazy.
There's quotes flying around, they're all throwing shade at the rules, the regulations
each other is wild.
It is absolutely wild. But for this podcast, we are going to talk about a Mercedes-Benz
because that is what happened. Antonelli, Tommy's champion prediction, topping the
times with the fastest lap we have seen, I believe, the entire week. Ahead of George
Russell and then Lewis Hamilton in third, then Piazzarri and Verstappen, rallying at
the top five. Let's get into the questions. Patreon member Justin asks, on a scale from
one to 10, how heavily is Mercedes downplaying their true pace? I can't keep up with this.
I can't because there's so many rumours flying around. There are teams talking to media about
other teams and trying to give away either just complete and utter fabricated lies to
put pressure on other teams or maybe it's the truth, we don't know. The thing is, Mercedes
may well not be having any soundbags at all and it could well be Verstappen and what we
were speaking at the start of the week about the efficiency of the Red Bull engine and this,
that and the other. You've got Lando Norris saying yesterday that Ferrari are quicker
than them. You've got Red Bull and Pierre Wache saying that Red Bull are fourth fastest.
You have Mercedes saying that Red Bull are clear. I can't keep up with it and if you're
expecting answers, you're not going to get them in this podcast because nobody has the
answers, not even the teams because they don't know how fast the other teams are.
They don't. The only thing we maybe do know is that...
Is that Aston really slow?
That's not really slow. I would be absolutely, unbelievably amazed if the top four is not
in some order. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, that seems quite sure, maybe has...
Well, that's fun. I think that's a given though, right?
That's a given because in a new rule, you think that maybe that might have been unusual. There was
also maybe my fears more than others, but I know a lot of people were saying it that
when we went to 2014 and it was an engine regulation, it was literally just based on what
engine you had. The fact that you've got, yes, they are the four powerhouses of Formula One,
but they've got different engines between them. There's Mercedes, there's Ferrari,
there's the Red Bull powertrain Ford thing. There's difference there and it looks like
it's very hopefully close. We're going to go into a lot of negatives about the new rules.
In terms of a positive, I think it's great that we're still trying to guess and no team is ever
going to say, yeah, we're miles clear, we're the best. You're exactly right. Every single
quote from these top four teams is just throwing the tag of favorites to someone else. It's
literally like hot potato, pass it on to the next person. One day, it's McLaren saying,
no, it's Ferrari. Then Mercedes is saying, oh, actually, it's Red Bull.
Max Verstappen came out and said, oh, well, when Mercedes turned the power up,
I mean, if they turn the power up their wanty today, they're going to be very nice indeed,
but no one wants to admit their favorites and I like the fact that we don't know yet. I think it's
great. Yeah, it's great for the conversation. It's great for the excitement for sure. I would say
the only team out of that top four potentially that aren't getting involved in anything is Ferrari.
Ferrari are going about their way without throwing any slander to anybody.
The drivers, I mean, Hamilton's obviously been quite outspoken about the rules themselves,
but in terms of favorites and this, that and the other, they're just going about their way
very quietly and I am more than happy to move in silence if I'm the glorious red team. So
fingers crossed for them. They just stay out of the business, keep doing 138 laps like
Hamilton did today. I know he stopped at the end of the test, but it was only 10 minutes to go,
doesn't matter, doesn't matter at all. In fact, I heard on the grapevine, the grapevine being
something I grew myself, that Ferrari were just trying to delay the final sort of few minutes
of proceedings, stop the fastest laps coming in and it's beautiful work from Hamilton and Ferrari.
There was a genuine rumors, I think, from the commentary at least that they may have run
out of fuel. I will take that right now. I haven't seen confirmation of why Hamilton stopped just
yet because we're recording straight after, but if it is due to the fuel, that's perfect,
we're winning it all. Now, as we said at the start, lots of comments, beef being thrown about,
flown about and something we didn't speak about yesterday, but we'll talk about now,
were Lando's comments about Max Verstappen and of course Max was speaking about how
there is anti-racing these new cars and not happy at all. Lando was of course asked about this
and poking the drivers for quotes and Lando essentially said, well, not essentially,
this is a quote that he said, a lot of fun, I really enjoyed it. If he wants to retire,
he can retire, Formula One changes all the time. We get paid a stupid amount of money to drives,
you can't really complain at the end of the day. Any driver can go and find something else to do,
it's not like he has to be here or any driver has to be here, but it's a challenge.
Lando bit back said, you know what, I enjoyed myself. I don't enjoy his comment about the fact
that you get paid a stupid amount of money to drives, you can't really complain. I think that
is a dangerous precedent to set and it shouldn't be the way Formula One is, where if the sport is
going in a direction that a driver doesn't like, then they should be able to voice that and Max
clearly doesn't like the idea of the energy recharging and how you have to go driving and
as we've said as well, Alonso, all of these sort of more veteran drivers are not happy with the
way in which Formula One is moving. For me, it doesn't matter how much you get paid, I would
like to know when Max is feeling upset about it or doesn't feel like it's a very fun car to drive.
You're allowed to have your own opinion, if Lando likes it, that's all good,
but I would also like to know when Max doesn't like it.
Yeah, definitely. You should be allowed to have your opinion about it. I think in terms of how
you take this quote, it's obviously Lando being cheeky. Obviously, he's not legitimately being
like Max should retire. Obviously, all the tabloid newspapers will lead with the headline,
Lando Norris. Max is tapping should retire if he doesn't like it. Go away, which is not,
he's more just being like, well, I like it, so if you don't, then it's almost like a passing
cheeky comment. But that being said. It reads worse than when he actually says it.
Yeah, 100% for sure. Definitely. But you're right that Max has got every right to kind of voice
his concerns. Max is one of those drivers that has always voiced his concern. He's very much
the hardcore old-school Formula One fan. He's like the voice of the old-school Formula One
fans. If Max was in charge, we'd have V12 engines. We'd be racing at the old Hockenheim again
and stuff, the way he does things. Max is the one that will complain about Las Vegas saying it's
all gimmicks and these kind of things and drive to survive and things that he doesn't like about
new Formula One and he's very old-school in that sense. So yeah, Max has had that voice of a lot
of fans that have said, you know, this is not my Formula One that I don't want to. And I do get
the fact that yes, Formula One evolves. But you can also be in a situation where you say,
I don't like the direction it's going because I totally understand that because
this doesn't feel like what Formula One is meant to be where it's all about battery saving and
stuff like that. That is the most uninteresting kind of thing. Formula One is meant to be like
this glamorous, exciting, amazing sport. And if all we're seeing is four different ways to charge
the battery, that's not kind of elite motorsport, is it? No, and I don't want to see overtaking
done. I mean, we've spoken about DRS passes. It's going to be 10 times worse if the only thing we're
watching are passes where someone has more battery than the other one and it's nothing to do with
skill, nothing to do with out braking. It's just literally just in a slipstream off they go because
they've got more energy. There are ways in which it could be interesting with the
defending and thinking about when you do deploy your energy. But it feels like there's a lot
of talk about battery and this is not Formula One. And they're supposed to be different in that
sense. But I'm seeing some massive similarities after watching Formula One for the last few
seasons. So that was Lando's comments. And then Russell today essentially was agreeing with Lando
unsurprisingly, you know, George and Max, not the best of friends. But George said,
as with anything in life, you can't tick every single box and there's more at stake.
When these regulations came into play, there was obviously a huge push on EVs from the EU. And
that was a big part for the likes of Audi to come in. So that's got to be a consideration.
And I think nobody can argue that Formula One is in an amazing place currently. Of course,
we want the best cars, the fastest cars, the best racing. But I don't know how you please
everybody. As Lando said, we're privileged to be in this position. And in all honesty,
I just want to win. I guess for a driver who's won quite a bit recently,
you do just want to have the best car and the most fun cars to drive. So yeah,
Verstappen is welcome to go to the Nord Schleifer, I guess.
Oh, brutal.
Yeah, it's unsurprising. But it's not as if Max has come out with these comments
out of the blue. Oh my God, everyone else loves the cars. And Max has said this. No,
Max has said this since 2023, I think, when the rules were first announced. And he has maintained
that opinion throughout. So it's not like this should come as a surprise to any of the drivers.
No, definitely not. I mean, George Russell, his quotes there, no surprise he's kind of going in
on Max Verstappen. Also no surprise that he is kind of siding with the new rules.
Because yeah, he does give the vibe of like the teacher's favorite, doesn't he?
And I mean, that quote, you can see why people call him PR 63 when he's saying there's a huge
push on EVs from the EU. I was like, come on, George. Talk about like a press release quote
right there. Yeah, you can imagine them sitting down, the Mercedes,
debrief or whatever. And I'm like, okay, George, so a few lines, you don't have to say it word
for word, but a few lines. There's a huge push on EVs from the EU. And he's like, okay, cool,
got it. Yeah. Yeah, literally, this could be from a Mercedes CEO and not a Formula One driver.
Oh, dear. So the quotes keep on coming, they certainly do. Question from Jerry64458835.
What do you think about the race starts in these regulations taking 10 seconds to get a full battery?
This is insane. We heard about this and saw like some rumbles on social media. You saw,
of course, a lot of drivers doing practice starts at the end of the pit lane. And you said this on
the watch along, when you first saw that clip, and I thought the same, I genuinely thought the audio
was dubbed with something else, because they are revving so much, it sounds like the engine is
about to explode. They are revving for so long. And then basically they drive away, but it takes
so long for these cars to basically charge up that we're now seeing a situation where there's
torque that they're going to need 10 full seconds to basically be ready to start the race. Now,
there's two sides to this, of course. One, that's an incredibly long time, but you've also got to
think that it is when the race starts. I missed the pun. And yeah, and the fact that they are
doing these kind of race starts, and they count down the lights, people that are getting to the
end, and if you're kind of like last on the grid, you're not going to have enough time to be able
to charge this. And this is something that they were kind of talking about, they may even try and
delay the start lights. Now Ferrari basically were like, no, we don't want to do that. And they
blocked this rule, whether that was a while ago to be fair, whether they now change their mind
after seeing that practice start that we saw at the end. Because my word that was chaotic, I can
only hope that they were deliberately going at different times. And it wasn't half the grid
stalling on not being able to start properly, because it was very, very messy indeed, particularly
a certain Colopinto who spun off, went into the almost went into the wall, then joined and started
then his car broke as soon as he started. Yes, that was a close call for Colopinto. I'm not convinced
that any of them stalled. I think they were just doing their own start procedures. There's no rule
for them to have to go when the lights go out. But that made for quite a tense little moment
where some of the drivers did get away straight away and had to do a bit of avoiding action.
But I'm not a fan if this is the case, whether it would become normal after a while, potentially,
you know, of course, you watch the formation lap. And then you're just going to see them all sit on
the grid. And does the 10 seconds start when the last car's on the grid? And then they all rev for
10 seconds. And then the lights come on. It's, I don't know, obviously, we're still waiting for
confirmation on what they're going to do with the with the starts. And I think they're probably
scratching their heads at the moment as to what would be the best avenue for this, because
I'm trying to sort of envision it, envisage it in my head. Like, is it that deep if they all get on
the line, all get to the grid, and then they rev for 10 seconds? Yeah, really? I think it's a
proportion. Yeah, yeah. I think at the end of the day, like it is what it is, like, if it happens,
it's fine. I think the main thing is what everyone was a little bit like, whoa,
there was already a lot of talk about the start procedure. And then to see that whole situation,
I think it's probably like brought even more concerns, whether it's the case. Formula one,
it always seems to happen where they seem to get away with these things, because I've seen a lot
people watch that practice start and go, oh, my word, Australia is going to be absolutely crazy.
This is going to be insane. And you just know that they'll probably all just be absolutely fine
when they know just pull away fine. And it won't be this big crazy dramatic thing where all the
cars are breaking down by turn one and not charged properly. Yeah, so my understanding of the reason
why they're taking 10 seconds to get a full battery on the grid is that they can do it,
but it's only when the clutch is in. So essentially, when they're not going around and doing the
formation lap. So that's the reason it's not like they could do it on the lap. Maybe they'll find a
way to do it. I don't know. But I think that is the reason. Yeah, they can't they can't do the
like charging while they're going and doing the formation lap. It has to be even though there's
four different ways of charging the battery, including overloading the throttle.
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All seven episodes are out now. Search Legacy Sports Story season three,
wherever you get your podcast. I am eternally grateful for that.
Right, next question. People on Patreon member Forza Monza. Have the FIA and Formula One misplaced
their priorities? It often feels as though innovation and regulation have taken precedence
over pure racing and track development. Drivers now seem more focused on managing the complexities
of their cars rather than concentrating on the racing itself. I am of the opinion that
as of right this second, yes, it is concerning. I would like to give this set of regulations
a little bit of time. All the teams are scrambling around at the moment. They're concerned about
whether it's Mercedes and having their compression thing, compression trick outlawed. There's a
lot of stress, a lot of pressure. It's a massive change in the regulations. I want to see some
racing first before I actually give an opinion on this. It does feel as though, yes, Formula One,
they're very business minded. They are a business. They want to make as much money as possible. They
want the biggest brands involved, Audi, who of course have come in due to the high push of the
EVs as George Russell. Formula One are always going to be
usually business minded. How can we make the most money? The FIA, I would like to think,
are more how do we make the best racing than they come together as two minds,
and usually it's not really the best outcome. I would just say, let's pause. Let's let testing
happen. Let's see if Australia is an absolute S show, and then we can go Tommy Rante.
Yeah, I want to be positive. I said at the start of the show, the positives are the
fact that we're still going into this. It doesn't feel like we know who's going to be fastest yet.
I think there's a level, isn't there, of good chaos that we'd enjoy. The things that I like
are the fact that if drivers are complaining, oh, there's no grip, and it's difficult to drive.
Part of me is that we're all good, because that's what we want in Formula One. We've already seen
things in the past that have been controversial. Traction control is one where that got introduced
and everyone was saying, oh, this is ridiculous. It's taking away the skill of the drivers,
things like that. Then they banned it, and then there was a new thing. People have been saying,
like this all the time, the famous Abu Dhabi press conference question of the less buttons,
more too complicated. My concern is the complications of the rules. They are so
complex, the way we're starting testing, and there's page after page after page of graphics
telling us how things are doing. It is so important to be able to communicate
to the fans and the new, fans new and old, because I've been watching Formula One since
1996, showing my age, and it's confusing the hell out of me. It is proper, it's giving me
vibes of when you start a new board game and someone gets the manual out and you're like,
10 pages and you're like, I don't know what is going on here. I'm overwhelmed.
Let's just place Nixon ladders instead because this is far too complicated. At the moment,
there's just too much going on. If we get great racing and passing and a bit of chaos,
then I'm all for it. It's just how that is communicated because I personally am fine
with all this stuff if we're not talking about batteries every freaking lap and going,
they're doing this, they're doing that because that is going to get incredibly boring.
Please let's talk about the racing. Yeah, for sure. I think from a positive angle,
it's not as if Formula One cars up until this point have been turn it on and drive it. They have
been spaceships all the time, especially since the hybrid engines have come in. Drivers have had
to manage a lot in the car. Yes, I think it has taken another step, but it's not as if this is
completely unknown territory and we don't know what's going on here. They're going to have to do
that. The broadcast teams, the journalists, everybody in the sport are going to have to
somehow break this down for the casual. But realistically, it is down to the broadcast
because you'd say the casuals are going to tune in, watch the race and leave.
They won't watch maybe the pre-show, they may not watch the after-show. They're going to be
watching the race. The graphics are so important. I watched the feature with Ted Kravitz and
Andrew Shovlin and just talking about the Statenboost and yada, yada, yada. It's obviously not been
decided yet, but Andrew Shovlin was a very important engineer at Mercedes. He was essentially saying
it depends how much information we have to give and that's got to be decided.
I'm sorry, I need to round about it. How is it not decided that first Grand Prix is less than a
month away? These regulations have been around for ages. They've been in the pipeline for so
long. Surely by now, they should know what they're doing. That concerns me greatly that we're going
to get into the first race and they still don't know whether we should see on the screen whether
they're pressing the overtake button or not and they can't decide. It should be decided long ago.
They'd know that this is coming up. This is like doing your homework at the last minute. It's crazy.
I'm also wondering what it's going to be like to watch it at a track. I would say the circuit
experience in general has been poor, just generally. We're in 2025 yet last year and
we're lucky to go to a race or two a year. I still, every single time I come away from it,
feel like I've not watched the race. Whether that's due to the grandstand offering,
of course, they sell little headsets. Realistically, people have paid $500, $600 to go there anyway.
Why are people having to pay extra to get these things? That's a completely separate topic,
but the reason why I was saying it is because how am I going to know if someone's got overtake mode
when I'm watching at a track? This was something that Ted and Andrew were speaking again. I'm
coming back to that feature, but I found it quite interesting. Ted had this idea of,
why don't we have the lights where the hazard lights are on the thing? Why doesn't that turn
a different colour when they go bushman? That's Formula E. We're turning into Formula E with
attack mode and everything else. It's crazy. We're going to have diversion soon. It's a little,
what are they called? The attack mate. Joker. Yeah, it's crazy. You're so right in that.
And this is the thing that I can't believe they've not decided yet. And they need to take a leaf
out of IndyCar's book here because when these regulations got announced, I was all for this
because I think the IndyCar push to pass system is a great idea in theory because you can use it
to attack and defend the thing I didn't like about DRS. It was definitely necessary, but you could only
do it a certain part and the other car that's basically defending is defenseless. IndyCar,
a great system with their push to pass in years gone by where they told you exactly how long
they had left. They put it on the timing tower and you can see every time they're pressing it.
Simple as that. And we're here with kind of less than what like three weeks to go
and they're going, how are we going to display all this information about these new regulations?
Shouldn't be happening. Not even how, but what are we going to show? What are the teams going to
agree to give us? Yeah, what do we show? What do we not show? Because things need to be shown.
Not just like if you're in the... Because I saw someone in our watch along set and I might have
missed this, but they were testing basically like an activation indicator of whenever someone's
within a second to show on the leaderboard or whatever. So there's that. But for me,
if we're going to talk about the battery so, so much, we need to have, and again, I'm going to say it,
a formula E style percentage of battery remaining per lap. Otherwise, we're not going to know.
Like that is a really crucial part, I would say. Otherwise, we are going to just see motorway
passes and not understand why it's happening. But we won't see it coming. And the interval,
the timing interval, which is like almost 70% of a race, you're watching the timing interval,
the battery is probably going to be the thing that you then watch just as much as the interval.
So, but then how do you fit all of that on a screen? Yeah, let's just say, right, if they
don't show any of the battery percentages, and all they do is like, well, when you were within
one second, it's overtake mode, I will lose my absolute mind on the race review podcast for
Australia. So, look forward to that, because I want the full picture of the racing and please
figure it out. Okay, next question, we are popping off. Scott Forner asks, if these regulations
turn out to be a disaster, what does F1 do? Five years is a long time to deal with a regulation
set that everyone hates. This is the concern, isn't it? Because all this talk and worry,
I said before that Formula One has a habit of having these huge controversies and things and
getting away with it. However, this one is a bigger problem if it doesn't work, because we've had
things in the past where we've spoken and had things like this where it's very controversial,
the drives are spoken out, they say they don't like something. Elimination qualifying is a
example. And with all these things going on, and if we get to Melbourne and the first race
of the season, and like you say, they're not showing us enough information, the drivers don't
understand the cars, they're not able to start them properly, the overtaking is poor, and it's
all a bit of a mess and farcical. We had that with elimination qualifying, but that was just
a rule that they could just go try it again, didn't work, let's go back to the old qualifying.
They have spent so much money, the teams have spent so much money, they've got loads and loads of
personnel, they've been developing these engines for absolutely ages, they can't just go, you know
what, we should have done V10s and sustainable fuels, let's just do that, but they can't do that.
They can't even do that in like four years time, never mind, you know, doing it in a mid-season
or after a few races. They kind of have to go with it, and that is the concern, isn't it,
that if it is really bad, they're kind of stuck with it. The only thing they could do maybe at
a stretch is push the new regulations early, but how much realistically can you do? And then,
you know, you have that problem again, where we've done all this stuff for the EVs from the EU
to help Audi come in, they're going to say, well, no, like, we don't want, Audi aren't going to stay
if you go back to V10 engines with sustainable fuels, are they? So like, they're in a bit of a
mess with it really, they're just going to have to stick with it. They're going to have to stick
with it. And there are so many reasons why Formula One wouldn't shorten this, as much as I'd love
to say, like, oh, they could do it in three years. You know, when you actually think about it,
Formula One are a very proud company. They make a decision and you have to deal with it. And I
think, yes, if this turns out to be a disaster, then we're going to have to put out many, many fires
as a sport to figure out how to make it, how to make it better. But right now,
there's obviously so much emphasis on the engine, the battery, that's what we know.
How do you fix that if, you know, and you were saying this earlier, Tommy, on the watch along,
like Charles Leclerc also saying about overtaking, I don't know if you have the quote to hand,
if you can go and find that as well, that it could well be pretty impossible to overtake and
it's purely reliant on the engine. How do you fix that? You can't just be like, right, guys,
add some more aero, no problem. All good. Let's go back to the aero from previous years and have
the engines the same. They're too far gone. It's a scary thought to think if we do genuinely get to
that stage where Formula One is in a really bad position. And this is the thing that I'm willing
to give these regulations a chance, like you say, like, we want it to work. We want to enjoy Formula
One. Max Verstappen wants to enjoy driving in Formula One. The complaining is for certain
reasons. And it concerns me greatly today that we had a quote from Charles Leclerc saying,
the exact quote was, I can confirm what my colleagues have said. Currently, I find it
extremely difficult to even attempt an overtaking move. I'm sorry, but-
This is testing as well. This is testing. What? And attempt an overtaking move
when seemingly we might even have like a four-second field spread?
Actually, no, I know why. I get it. Because Ferrari have obviously built a car that's going
to be at the front, so they've not built a car that's very good to follow. We've seen it many,
many times in Formula One. Once again, my goats, that's great from Fred. I now understand everything,
copium, copium. Speaking of Ferrari, let's get into the question, if we have to,
from 7 Francis B7. Most important question from testing, why did Matt say the Ferrari is bullet
proof with another day left to go? Why take the risk? You know what, Francis? Many thanks for
your question. You can shove it where the sun don't shine, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, Lewis
Hamilton did stop. 10 minutes to go. Doesn't matter. To be honest, it doesn't matter. Make my day,
Tommy. Who has said Ferrari is fastest now? Come on. It was only fuel.
Confirmed by Fred and Canal+. It was no reliability issues.
Fred would never say anything other than it being fuel. He's heard it in the commentary and gone,
oh yeah, let's say it was fuel. But no, look, if Ferrari say that, I am taking that as gospel,
so only fuel can stop Ferrari. That is a little bit concerning.
That is a little bit concerning that they didn't see that coming in testing,
but apart from that, I say it again, bullet proof. Okay. Well, yeah, we've got three days to go.
Let's find out. 138 laps for Hamilton. We haven't spoken about the laps. We've been too
busy ranting about Formula One. Let's give you a quick rundown of maths, mental maths,
but Mercedes did 127 laps. Hamilton, sorry, Ferrari, 138, McLaren 153 with Piastri. Verstappen
and Hajar were out, and that is 114 laps for Red Bull. Haas, they dropped 138 laps. Again, Haas
have been dropping in mileage on mileage on mileage. We love to see it. Colopinto did 137
plus nearly in the wall for the Formation lap, but still huge amounts of laps for Alpine. For
Audi, they did 109. For Williams, they did a lot of laps. They did 139 laps. For VCarb,
Lawson did 119. For Aston Martin, 69. So that might well be the only team that did under
three figures, because Cadillac, no, until I like, Cadillac did 99. So I hadn't done my mental maths
until the last one and then realised I needed to be corrected. But yes, so Aston Martin, again,
the lowest mileage, and may I remind you, the only team running Honda, Honda compared to the likes
of Mercedes and Ferrari, I can only see them being in a world of trouble with the amount of data they
have. Yeah, 100%. Can I just say, by the way, if indeed that was all correct, fair play with it,
that mental maths, because that would have taken me, they'd taken me another half an hour to work out.
I do like mental maths. Yeah, you're good at that. And then someone will fact check and they were all
wrong. But that's from a screenshot that I've seen that was hopefully the end of the session.
So yes, a lot of laps done for most of the teams. We only had one red flag, I believe,
which was Bottas at the start in the first hour of testing today. That is my understanding of
the only red flag. Of course, we don't get to watch seven of the eight hours. But next week we do,
little background chilling, have it on all day. So that's confirmed, is that they were getting all
of it? We see it all? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alex J. said it in commentary. Okay, perfect. And if Alex
was wrong, he now needs to livestream from his phone for eight hours a day. I apologise. So we
there you go. Tommy, final thoughts. That was quite the rant and discussion point.
Yeah, as we said, quite a long dive into the rules. But at the end of the day, like Max,
like Fernando, like Lewis Hamilton, we are passionate about Formula One and we want it to be
as good as possible. So, you know, we're willing to give it a chance. And please,
please be good for Formula One. I hope we look back on this podcast in particular and go,
what are we worried about? Yeah, oh, stop worrying, Matt and Tommy. When McLaren, Ferrari,
Mercedes and Red Bull crossing the line four wide on the final lap, we're going, wow, they've
cooked here with this amazing regulation set. Yeah, I can't believe we doubted Formula One for
a second. George Russell said where he went out and he came out and said that that Red Bull are
half a second to maybe a second of lap clear at the moment. George was right. The push for EVs
in the EU was what Formula One needed. Imagine we come back to this podcast and go, wow, we weren't
even half informed as to the problems that we've had. Right, let's not think about that. Thank you
everybody for tuning in, enjoyed that podcast. I hope you did too. We'll see you next week for some
more pods, of course, live streams as well for some of the watch along for the testing. We'll let you
know what we end up doing on social, but see you soon. Australia, goodbye, your P1 live show tickets
as well. Don't forget that and see you soon. Bye bye.
P1 is a stack production and part of the ACAST creative network.
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All seven episodes are out now. Search legacy sports stories season three,
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