The Honda Prelude is a Honda car model. In this episode, it’s mentioned because it’s associated with Honda’s hybrid technology, meaning it uses a mix of an engine and an electric system to improve efficiency. The point is that Honda is bringing hybrid know-how to regular cars.
The Honda Civic is a popular Honda sedan. In this episode, it’s mentioned because Honda offers a hybrid version, which combines a gasoline engine with an electric system. The discussion is about how that hybrid technology is used in regular cars.
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula 1 race on city streets in Monte Carlo. It’s hard to overtake there, so crashes and race stoppages can completely change who wins.
A red flag is when the race is stopped for safety because something is wrong on the track. If it happens near the end, it can completely change the result.
Person
Tonelli
“Tonelli” is mentioned as another driver involved in the race outcome. The transcript doesn’t clarify which driver it is, so the exact person can’t be confirmed from this snippet alone.
A “Grand Slam” in F1 is when a driver does everything at the top level in one weekend: wins the race, leads from start to finish, and also gets the fastest lap (and pole is part of the full achievement). It’s a big deal because it’s very hard to pull off.
“Pole” is the starting position on the grid earned by setting the fastest time in qualifying. In Monaco specifically, pole is especially valuable because overtaking is difficult, so starting first can strongly influence the outcome.
A safety car restart is when the race pauses behind the safety car and then starts racing again. When it restarts, everyone is bunched up, and it can be tricky to get going cleanly without losing positions.
A “standing start” in F1 is when cars are stationary on the grid and then launch from a stop when the start signal goes. It’s different from rolling starts and puts extra emphasis on clutch/launch control, traction, and reaction time.
The “fastest lap” is the quickest single lap time set by any driver during the race. It’s a key performance marker and can also contribute to extra points/achievements depending on the race rules.
“Balance” is how the car feels between the front and the rear. If it’s off, the car can act weird in corners—like not turning smoothly or feeling unstable.
“Rear was stepping out” means the back tires lost grip and the car started to rotate more than expected. It’s basically the car oversteering, especially in the slower corners they were struggling with.
Car
Mercedes
They’re talking about the Mercedes F1 car. After struggling on Friday, the team figured out how to make it handle better, especially in corners.
Person
George Haddon
George Haddon is mentioned as someone on the team. The point is that the people around Kimi helped get the car working better over the weekend.
George Russell is an F1 driver. In this segment, they’re talking about how important this season is for him and how his contract and results could shape his future.
A contract is the official agreement between a driver and a team. Here they’re saying it may include rules that let someone leave if certain conditions happen.
Max Verstappen is a top F1 driver. They’re talking about rumors and contract implications—if he changed teams, it could directly impact Russell’s seat and career.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a long-distance race in Germany at the Nürburgring track. They’re saying the Mercedes team people were meeting there, and it might have been about driver decisions too.
In racing, “mind games” means trying to get inside the other driver’s head. It’s about making them doubt themselves or take bigger risks at the wrong time.
Qualifying is when drivers race for the best lap time to decide where they start for the main race. Starting near the front usually makes the race easier because you’re less stuck in traffic.
“Over driving” means driving too aggressively for what the car can actually do. If you’re pushing past the limit, you can lose control and make mistakes—especially in qualifying when everything is on the edge.
“Ferrari” is the Formula 1 team with the red cars. In this part, they’re talking about how a Ferrari driver had brake problems that hurt their weekend.
They’re talking about problems with the car’s brakes. If the brakes aren’t working right, the driver has to brake differently, which can make the car slower and harder to drive fast.
“Original brake setup” means the brakes were left as they were at the start, instead of changing to a new solution. If the brakes are acting up, that choice can affect how confident the driver feels.
It’s the team version of the championship in Formula 1. Teams score points based on where their cars finish, and the team with the most points at the end of the season wins.
Term
P2
P2 just means second place in the standings. The hosts are saying the most important fight right now is for who ends up in second.
In the context of Formula 1, “extended” refers to extending a driver’s contract beyond its original end date. The segment discusses why Charles extended his Ferrari deal and what it signals about team commitment and future planning.
A “junior family” is a team’s program for developing young drivers. Instead of buying a top driver from elsewhere, they bring up talent they’ve been training.
Team radio is how the driver talks to their engineers during the race. They use it to share instructions and information, and it can help the driver manage the car better.
Term
power he wants
“Power” here means how strongly the car accelerates when the driver asks for it. If it doesn’t feel like it’s delivering, the driver can’t hit the lap times they expect.
When the safety car comes out, everyone has to follow strict rules. If something looks wrong during that time, officials can investigate and apply penalties if a rule was broken.
Term
red miss
“Red miss” sounds like a mistake that would have caused a serious penalty. The speaker is saying he avoided that kind of error.
Red Bull is the Formula 1 team. The speaker is saying the driver is starting to look like he fits that team, and that the current car is easier to drive than before.
“Compressed field” means the cars are very close in speed. If everyone is similar, a tiny mistake can drop you out of the top positions quickly.
Term
TV pen
They’re talking about the trackside area where TV cameras and media are set up. The driver was upset about something related to that moment or what happened around it.
Term
Modico
They’re referring to a specific part of the Monaco track where it’s very hard to pass. The main takeaway is that Monaco’s streets and corners don’t give many safe overtaking chances.
Term
overtaken
They mean passing another car and getting ahead. In Monaco, it’s tough to do that, so you need the right moment and plan.
Term
Rascals line
They’re talking about the best path through a corner or section of track. The idea is that where you place the car can make it easier—or harder—to set up an overtake.
They mean the main spot on the track where overtaking is most likely to work. If you miss it, the rest of the lap may not give you another good chance to pass.
Here, “reliability” means whether the car can keep running without breaking. In racing, if the car fails, you can’t finish—so it directly affects results.
The energy store is the battery that stores extra energy the car can use. In F1 it’s limited by rules, so if you replace it too often you can trigger penalties.
A grid penalty means the driver starts further back than they earned in qualifying. It often happens when the team has to swap key parts too many times during the season.
Nico Rosberg is a former F1 world champion. They bring him up to illustrate how a driver can regroup mentally after a difficult year and still win the championship.
“Bin it” is slang for crashing the car. They’re saying the driver avoids doing that by not pushing too far.
Person
Isaac Haja
Isaac Haja is another F1 driver mentioned as impressive at Monaco. The hosts say he stayed calm after a crash, kept control of a difficult car, qualified strongly, and still got a podium.
They’re talking about the Monaco Grand Prix and breaking down what happened during the race weekend. Monaco is a very twisty, narrow street track, so small moments can change everything.
A street circuit means the race is run on normal city streets that are temporarily turned into a track. Because it’s tight and has walls close by, it can be harder to overtake and mistakes are more costly.
They’re talking about Formula 1 racing in Las Vegas and extending it for many more years. The point is that it’s not just a spectacle—it’s also a track that produces real racing.
They mean the tense, high-stakes racing that happens near the end of the season when the championship is on the line. Small events can swing results because everyone is fighting for points.
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This episode is sponsored by Honda.
Since its first Formula 1 victory in the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix, Honda has always taken
what's learned on the track and used it to build better cars for everyone.
From pushing limits in F1 to engineering the next generation of hybrids like the Prelude
hybrid and Civic sedan hybrid, Honda proves that racing doesn't just inspire innovation,
it drives it.
And that idea of taking lessons from the racetrack and applying them to road cars has always
been a part of Honda's DNA.
Decades of engineering in the demanding world of Formula 1 have helped shape the performance
and efficiency you see in Honda's road cars today.
And now that same thinking is shaping the next generation of hybrids as well.
Cars like the 2026 Prelude hybrid and Civic hybrid show that electrification can be both
efficient and genuinely fun to drive.
The 2026 Prelude hybrid and Civic sedan hybrid are engineered for fun.
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George tried to play some mind games with him coming into the weekend, Kimmy handled
that really well.
The records keep on coming and I think you can't deny that when you are looking at the
words like generational talent.
Fearless and peerless, I can't think of two other words to describe him.
It's very hard for George not to feel victimized by the bad luck that he's had.
I worry that George is one of these drivers that over-thinks things.
This was supposed to be his opportunity and I wonder how much that is sitting in his head.
He used the word bamboozle, didn't he?
It's a very George Russell word, I do enjoy that.
Lewis Hamilton with back to back second places.
He likes to say I need to remind myself of who I am and it feels like he now knows exactly
who he is.
Oh but into the wall and out of the race, Charles Leclerc!
There's a sort of hero or zero nature to him, certainly here.
It's misery or magic, isn't it?
A late red flag gave us big drama at the end of the Monaco Grand Prix, but Kimmy and Tonelli
overcame all the chaos and kept his cool to secure his fifth Grand Prix victory in
a row and extend his championship lead to a huge 66 points.
Welcome everyone to F1 Nation.
I'm Tom Clarkson and joining me in the Monte Carlo Paddock is F1 TV lead presenter Laura
Winter and F1 correspondent Lauren Sporetto.
First up, Laura, welcome back to the show, how you doing?
Thank you very much, I'm excellent after that one.
That was just ridiculous, ludicrous I think was my initial reaction, that's the word I
used in the show, just what was going on, major DNFs for the likes of Norris Leclerc
on home soil yet again, you've got Kimmy's other worldliness around the hardest race track
there is, and then it just was ridiculous wasn't it, from start to finish and we expect
Monaco to be somewhat of a procession at times and the race can kind of not live up to the
qualifying height the day before, but we got a bit of everything this weekend.
It was kind of peak Monaco all weekend I felt Laurence, I mean what was the headline for
you after this one?
I think the headline was that there were so many stories to tell from a Monaco Grand Prix,
I think every driver I talked to in the TV pen there was something to talk to them about,
they didn't have an anonymous race because to Laura's point they were affected by something
whether that was a penalty or they had an overtake or they were able to make progress
in the race.
So for me the highlight I guess ultimately was Kimmy Antonelli stamping his authority
at a track where I think we used to talk about only the great swim at Monaco and I think
for Kimmy to have done it and in such command and fashion was astonishing.
He's now the youngest driver in F1 history to take a Grand Slam, right?
And he's done it at Monaco, I mean what have we learnt about Kimmy Antonelli this weekend
that we didn't already know?
I used the word fearless earlier, I think we felt he was fearless in Canada, he was
driving without fear, with complete abandon that he just was behind the car and he would
put it in places it shouldn't be, he'd skittle over the grass and still try and get the overtake
done against his teammate, sometimes against team orders almost, he'd argue the point on
the radio but then to come to Monaco where the pressure mounts here in a different way
to put in that lap in qualifying in the manner in which we saw him do and then today I think
you can so easily say Monaco is a race that can be won, if you're on pole well obviously
you're going to win and look the pole to win ratio is much higher here by virtue of
it being so hard to overtake on but he had to absorb so much pressure, he had a safety car
restart, he had a second standing start, firstly against a four time world champion who ultimately
didn't get off the line, I felt a bit short changed after that, I'm quite glad we got a second one
and that was against a seven time world champion and a man whose seat at Mercedes he took on
and he absorbed all of it, pulled out a five second gap on Lewis in the final few laps and
pumped in the fastest lap of the Grand Prix as well, even Bono's trying to hold him back,
there's just this fearlessness to him, this youthful exuberance that is wonderful but
it's such a stark contrast to the Kimi we saw this time last year who embarked on a run of
races in which he scored three points in nine races, he came to the media pen in Belgium
in tears, he looked absolutely gutted at times last season and there were questions around
his contract and the Kimi we're seeing now is wildly different to that. I think it helps that
he's got a good car and I think that puts him out of a lot of the difficult positions he was
finding himself in last year but there were two things that really impressed me here was a George
tried to play some mind games with him coming into the weekend saying the pressure is all on
Kimi and I think Kimi handled that really well you know to Lewis's point this is only his second
season he doesn't really have this kind of experience of the big boys maybe trying to put
pressure on him and I think he handled that really well and then the other one was that Friday was
a difficult day for them like they were nowhere with the balance they didn't really understand
why the car was going into slow corners and the rear was stepping out and then we went into Saturday
and it was Kimi who had unlocked the potential of this Mercedes and George Haddon and that should
be the opposite way around in theory if you look at like the core paperwork and the stats and stuff
and I think for Kimi to be able to kind of recover through a weekend at a European race
where he struggled at last year I think is is significant. I asked Toto actually about where
this version of Kimi that we're seeing is coming from where this another planet level
is coming from that we're seeing and I mentioned his age and I mentioned last season and he said
he thinks actually it is his age that is one of the reasons why he is able to drive so freely
it's an advantage and I think it can be both a disadvantage in experience but that in experience
in itself means you're not weighed down by expectation you're not weighed down by oh god
two years ago here I did this and this and oh I'm expecting to do this and I've got these habits
that now I need to fit into this new car it seems that actually his age means he doesn't have those
feet as he doesn't have the hang ups he doesn't have the monkey on his back in any sense he's
just able to drive so freely and he has a brilliant group of people around him I think that's crucial
right yeah nurture from the start I think paternal is is the word I'd use to describe his relationship
with Toto and of course his old man Marco is there as well he he's just I mean fearless fearless
I can't think of sort of two other words to describe him he I his peak was higher this weekend
than I was expecting how about you guys no I don't think so because I think the form that he showed
until this point he was pulling a second and a half per lap over the field at some point
but I think what we've seen in the last four races was enough to suggest this was coming
like I just think that what he's done in China and Japan and Miami and Canada
I think we'll almost forget it how good that was because he's gone and done it again and I take
your point that he was doing things around the streets and Monaco that you know we've seen
Charlotte Claire do in the past and and the legends and the greats do but I'm not surprised
because I felt that it was coming I think he's shown enough of what he's done so far this year
to show that it was possible and I really think that when he came into this weekend and he heard
George saying you know like oh it's his to lose he would have thought actually no I don't think
it is and that probably drove him on even more this weekend I think it probably was that fire
extra fire that you need around here where you go into this trance and then you able to deliver
the kind of qualifying lap that he was able to do yesterday and the race performance today and I thought
he handled Bono tell him to slow down very well because he ignored him but then did what he was
told initially and I think he's learning all this we're seeing someone learn in the limelight
aren't we and I think that's quite an exciting prospect going forward is it too early to say
we're looking at a generational talent I don't think it's so it's so easy to say
because look last year we had Oscar Piasci winning that world title didn't we then Landau Norris
had won it then Max Stappen almost won it the swings that we saw last season mean I think we
can never quite rest on our laurels and I think to your point before about his peak being higher
we're sort of when you see this level of brilliance you're almost expecting you know
he's got to drop the level at some point he can't continue at this high level we saw Kimmy last
year obviously with up very up and down performances so you sort of expect this will be the weekend
where perhaps things don't quite go his way but we're not seeing that certainly at the moment
everything that we are seeing indicates that he is the generational talent that Toto has believed
in from the very very beginning and that so many questions I think I would say myself included last
season whether it was just too soon for him and he is firmly answering every critic of his rookie
season yeah I don't think it's too soon um I'm on the hype train because I think that we've seen
so many different circuits now and so many different pressure points from the way he
handles a race weekend to the way that he handles George's pressure on him to the way that when
McLaren was strong in that Miami phase of the weekend he handled that really well to the pressure
that he handled when Toto was tough on him I think he's just everything that anyone throws at him
he doesn't seem phased this year and I think with that in mind and that he's going up against
someone we can't forget George Russell is a very good racer driver he was probably in the top three
if not top two drivers on pure quality last year so we can't forget that and he hasn't suddenly got
worse overnight so I actually think the most significant thing is that he's doing it to George
we all thought George was that overwhelming favorite I think coming into this year I think he
thought it was as well and I think the job that he's doing against him is probably what really
marks him out as a generational talent after what six races of this campaign
even if Kimmy Entinelli doesn't win this world championship I've seen enough
I've seen enough to believe that he is a generational talent
yeah I'd agree with that but I think then there is that caveat of we thought that Oscar was on course
to win the title last year then he had that really difficult spot and then McLaren didn't have a good
car this year and now it's the question of well where does Oscar stack up in this in this pecking
order that we've got so I think that it's I think you're right that I think he's a generational talent
but I think it will be particularly tough on Kimmy because of the things we've just described
he's a family person having people around him is important emotionally I think it will be quite
tough for him if he builds this massive lead and he loses it I'm not saying he is going to I'm saying
if that happens then I think he'll be actually extra tough on him because of his personality so then
maybe if he comes out the other side yeah he's even more of a generational talent that we thought he
was right now I think also he's making history at every turn right the youngest lead the world
championship the youngest to ever win in Monaco the only teenager to ever win in Monaco um he's
equaled Lewis's record of five consecutive wins with Mercedes now he's the first driver in history
to win his first five consecutively the the records keep on coming and I think you can't deny that
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is sponsored by Honda. Since its first Formula 1 victory in the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix Honda has
always taken what's learned on the track and used it to build better cars for everyone. From
pushing limits in f1 to engineering the next generation of hybrids like the prelude hybrid
and civic sedan hybrid Honda proves that racing doesn't just inspire innovation it drives it
and that idea of taking lessons from the racetrack and applying them to road cars
has always been a part of Honda's DNA. Decades of engineering in the demanding world of Formula 1
have helped shape the performance and efficiency you see in Honda's road cars today and now that
same thinking is shaping the next generation of hybrids as well. Cars like the 2026 prelude hybrid
and civic hybrid show that electrification can be both efficient and genuinely fun to drive.
The 2026 prelude hybrid and civic sedan hybrid are engineered for fun from the racetrack to your
driveway. Learn more about the prelude and civic and the latest innovations at Honda.com
The contrast from one side of the Mercedes garage to the other couldn't be more extreme than it is
right now. I mean first of all let's talk about the problems George Russell had over this Monaco
Grand Prix weekend. It felt like he just lacked confidence. Was there more to it than that? Was
just confirmed to us Lawrence that there wasn't a car issue. It was it was much more subtle than
that. It must have been more subtle than that because I think George hasn't mentioned a car
issue. He hasn't said that there was anything wrong with what he had as a package. He's actually
just saying that he doesn't understand why it's going wrong which is so it's a more confusion
rather than there's something certainly wrong. I think what I feel for George is that I think
he thought he came back here heading into the European season when Kimmy had struggled so much.
This would probably be the start of maybe that run. They were going to head to Spain and more
conventional track Austria Silverstone. He'd build the momentum back you know 16-17 races to go
and that hasn't happened and I think what would have been a bit of a sucker punch is
from Friday into Saturday when the team made all these changes to the balance of the car
they got it performing. They made it much softer basically over the bumps. They could attack it.
Kimmy could do that and George couldn't and I think that would that would hurt him because I think
he's trying to do all the right things and it's not it's not making sense and I think that's why
he's so annoyed. He said in the TV pen if I was making the mistakes or I knew what was wrong this
is fine because it's just annoying bad luck whatever but he's not doing any of that and he's
still struggling and I think that's what's hurting him at the minute and why it's so confusing.
He used the word bamboozle didn't he? It's a very George Russell word I do enjoy that.
I worry that George is one of these people drivers that over-think things and I'm
taking back to something Damon Hill said to me once which was you drive it your best when you're
not thinking about it when it all just comes completely naturally and that makes me think
about Kimmy Antonelli right his age fearless and I think the more it's becoming hard for George the
more he then becomes more introverted and and it's looking for answers the whole time you're
then thinking about what you're doing in the car he's he's saying he's gonna have to change his
driving style to suit these 2026 cars and I just worry that it's just actually gonna spiral and
get worse and if anything he needs to do the opposite stop thinking about it and
just revert back to the the carting George Russell aged 15 who just went out there and did it and
let Marcus your engineer sought out the car. Drivers overdrive don't they when they are pushing and
fighting for tenths and milliseconds they think I need to push harder in the car and therefore
overdrive and then ultimately go slower you so often hear that and interestingly Damon said to us
as well yesterday he said that when he got pole around here he barely felt like he was driving
it came so naturally it was so much an extension of himself that it wasn't he wasn't pushing in any
sense we were comparing him to Charlotte Clare who ended up in the wall twice as we cared but it's
that kind of feeling isn't it and so if George now is going to be in his head which of course he is
and it's very hard and you use the word victimized or sorry Greg used the word victimized our other
colleague on with F1 on the website who it's very hard for George not to feel victimized by the bad
luck that he's had safety car timing in Japan and then Canada a DNF that that all begins to mount
up and then suddenly you're looking at 68 points and two Grand Prix almost three Grand Prix behind
Kimmy. The overthinking thing makes me think of Daniel Ricciardo when he went as a Renault and he
was a McLaren and he was an overthinker and he would just get himself in a muddle on a Friday
when he would go down various paths and then he would get confused and then another race weekend
was was gone and it happened and it spiraled at McLaren and so I think George has got to be really
cognizant of that I think he's got to really understand that he can't allow himself to go
down that path and what I feel particularly for George is he's done everything right in his career
like he delivered everything he needed to at Williams he's come to Mercedes and outperformed
Lewis Hamilton you know the greatest shot that's ever driven for that team possibly even the sport
and then this was supposed to be his opportunity and I wonder how much that is sitting in his head
and he knows all too well how things can spiral and if you don't take your one shot this might be it
like George Russell might lose the title this year and never win the title. Are you putting
pressure even more pressure on George Russell? Well probably by sideways yes I am but I'm not
intentionally trying to do that it's just but where does he go from here? There's a
question of the contract as well no because the so much of last season in the beginning of this
season was will Max Verstappen go to Mercedes and George was having to refute that time and time
again last year and actually said well if Max does come to Mercedes it won't be me who leaves
I remember him saying that I think it was Silverstone he was very clear on that they then both got
contracts for the year and Mercedes have set out their stall and he comes into this year
as the favourite naturally as the more experienced driver but there'll be caveats to that contract
there'll be clauses that will enable both to get out and Max Verstappen was sitting on the
Red Bull Energy Station but he may well be questioning his future at Red Bull he's said
he's intending to stay in Formula One he's repeated he wants to stay at Red Bull but if Mercedes
come with him but too good an offer to miss and a car that is that good is he going to turn them
down and then where does George Russell go are we talking about George Russell not just race to race
losing out to his teammate but actually his career and his trajectory and his his future possibly.
Do you think Max Verstappen is on the phone to Toto Wolf about a Mercedes seat next year do you
with Toto Wolf outside the Mercedes hospitality area so that we could all see
ostensibly to talk about the Nurburgring 24 hours but I'm sure there was more to it than that but
there was also the shots of Max walking down the pit lane with Toto before the race I remember
so let their smart people add to be honest if they want to talk they're definitely not going to do
their talking in front of us do I think he's on the phone to Toto no but do I think that they are
both casually going to talk about it over the course of the year like they probably have done for
several years yeah of course I think they're going to do that because Max ultimately wants to be in
a position to fight for wins his initial radio response today when he obviously didn't get off
the line he was furious not directly at what the team had done but furious at the fact that he didn't
get the shot of fighting for the win and I think he thought he could have won this race so I think
ultimately that's all that Max really cares about and to Laura's point if Mercedes have got the
best car why on earth would he not back himself to beat Kimmy because I think we both well all
three of us know Max was up and believes he can be anybody so he would love and relish the opportunity
to go but isn't that a crucial point if you're Toto Wolf why would you put Kimmy up against Max
Verstappen it's a generational talent versus I mean it's the fight we want to
see yeah let's send a prostitute yeah no you're right is that an intra teammate rivalry one step
too far I still think Max is the one that got away from Toto I just don't think he could let go of
that I just feel like he hasn't got his own Max now in Kimmy which is great and Kimmy could be
around for the next 15 years 20 years who knows but what's the harm in putting him up against Max
for a couple of years I mean it's just it would be box office wouldn't it yeah but return to the
point I think Laura's right that it's got to be in George's mind right it's got to be in his mind
that last year he backed himself to keep the sea over Kimmy this year how on earth can you replace
a driver that's won five races on the road has built up a championship lead like that George
will know that that's just reality isn't it so that's going to only add more pressure to him but
then the caveat is we are about to go to a racetrack in Barcelona which is the most conventional of
them all and that might be what George needs he might just need to go to a normal racetrack
have a normal setup from the start of the weekend and build through a weekend and have one good
result to stop the rock that might just be what he needs so I'm going to say one more let's have
one more weekend before we completely rule him out well what about Ferrari it was definitely a
a game of two halves for them let's deal with Lewis Hamilton first his second consecutive
second place he's now got a little bit of momentum inside that team he does and it isn't
lovely to see I think everybody whether you're a Lewis fan or not nobody likes to see a great
driver struggling in the manner that we saw Lewis struggling last season and you would have
in that media pen had many an interview in which you were getting precisely nothing from him that's
the tough ones because he was he was emotional and he was sick of it and he was done
unhappy and and so many people were questioning should he retire could he retire is this the end
for Lewis Hamilton and I just feel like a career like Lewis is for it to peter out to complete nothing
at the end of last season in a car that he couldn't get on with would have just been awful wouldn't it
so it is wonderful to see that he kind of feels like he's back to sort of the the Lewis of old or
perhaps a new era for Lewis Hamilton but that he's hustling he's pushing there's energy in his voice
he's on the radio he wants more and more he's hungry he has a hunger even at this stage in his
career and it's really it's amazing to see it gives Ferrari a bit of a problem Lewis Hamilton's
now p2 in the championship he's ahead of his teammate Charlotte Clay he's been ahead of him
the last two weekends and you know he's now in the ascendancy I feel Lewis Hamilton is enjoying
Formula One more this year than he has any time since 21 probably pre-Abby W obviously but but I
feel you look at the body language of the car you look at his answers the energy you talk about
Laura it's the happiest I've seen him in a work environment for a good five years oh I'd agree
with that I think 2021 was the last time we saw that kind of Lewis I think the hybrid turbo era
from 2022 onwards killed Lewis in a way because Mercedes couldn't develop a car that suited him
or gave him the one to go and fight at the front permanently I think that what is impressed me most
this year is Lewis talks about building this team around him he's got a race engineer in Carlo
Santi that he clearly loves and has this like what did he describe him it's like a bono Italian
bono like he has that kind of relationship that he needs but today he said something in the pen
where he said that he was fighting Fred all year long I need this and the car need that on the car
I need to do this I need to do that and he was like Fred had to push really hard like we know how
hard I think Ferrari can be to maybe change the way they normally do things and that's probably
been there at Kelly's Hill over the last what two decades while they wait for a world championship
so I think it's significant that Fred has been able to push through whatever these things are
that is making Lewis more comfortable and Lewis has been a pain to at least say that today
and I think when he's got that environment around him a he's got somebody's fighting for him again
fighting for what he wants then believes in him and in Fred it's kind of like a father figure again
I think because Fred really really believes that Lewis has still got what it takes and I think
he's been able to do that he's got the race engineer that he likes and he's now got a car that
he's fed into of course the results help and the red change has helped Ferrari move up the pack but
I think that's really helped him remind himself that he can do it and then he feels more comfortable
in the environment which means that we get Lewis Hamilton performances that we've had this weekend
in Monaco he likes to say I need to remind myself of who I am doesn't he he needs to remind himself
that he is Lewis Hamilton and I've seen clips of fans saying that to him remember who you are
and he really needed that last year and it feels like he now knows exactly who he is and he's
Lewis Hamilton he's back I guess it's been two races I think you know we um we tend to swing
don't we when we we talk about drivers if they're on a good run and then but it's been two great race
weekends for him and generally there's been a massive upward trend all season and and he uses
every opportunity to to remind us how much he's loving it I don't know if it was the same with
you this weekend on on F1 TV but he certainly in every press conference he started after qualifying
and after the race to say I am so enjoying being back here I'm loving it it's such a privilege
you know to to to be racing in front of this crowd he's at that level of enjoying it because I think
people are starting to rhyme off and that irritates him because I think he believes that he's got what
it takes and I don't think he likes it when people wear maybe he perceives they don't have all the
information and then just making random comments about his ability and so I think he has made a
conscious effort particularly in Canada and yet into this weekend of saying I'm here to stay in
Canada he said you know I'm not going anywhere you can't retire me and then here talking about how
much he loves it because I think he just wants to remind everyone publicly maybe he wants to remind
everyone within the team as well you know that how much he's loving it and also the rivals that he
won't be pushed around and I think we saw that great battle with he had with Max in Canada that's
first time in ages we've seen him kind of battle a contemporary all of these things are adding up
right to making him a stronger proposition and Lewis is very good at mind games in a positive
way right he understands that it's the whole package that you need to deliver and that's what
he's doing right now talking of the package why couldn't Ferrari take the fight to Mercedes because
I think coming into the weekend we all thought they were favourites and yet they never turn it on
that is a good question I think they felt coming into this weekend the lack of power that they
struggle with would be less of a pain here I don't think they thought they would be the best
but I think they thought that they could be the best in qualifying which obviously would unlock
the potential in the race I think what they just didn't do as well was they didn't react as well
overnight from Friday into Saturday I think they started with a good baseline car which is why they
were strong and if he won an fp2 Mercedes started on the back foot just made that biggest step
then Ferrari were made way able to over into Saturday and obviously once qualifying's lost
it's over let's not forget Charles was on course to to take pole maybe if he hadn't been there at
to back he was green and purple wasn't he exactly and then actually we could be talking about a
completely different thing today can we because if he had started on pole probably would have won the
race and then we would have talked about something completely different so why if songs is the breaks
when a problem I guess I think the the argument with the Claire and the guys are making on our
on our post show and post quality show is if he's having to drive the car in a manner in which he's
hitting the wall twice in qualifying then he's over driving it is he not he's he's needing to
push beyond the limit to get a potential pole position out of it do you see what I mean yeah
but we know that that's how shall drive he always has he's such a one-lap specialist he's brilliant
but it feels like there's a sort of hero or zero nature to him certainly here it's misery or magic
isn't it and coming into this weekend after after a disappointing canadian grand prix
his worst ever weekend in Ferrari colors he said yeah so you know that he must have been on an
emotional roller coaster because he has he has the Montreal worst weekend in four months he then
signs his new contract with Ferrari so you've got the low of Montreal the high of the new
contract and kind of where was it going to go from there and I think on Friday night we're
all thinking okay go I can't wait to see Charlotte Claire do his thing in qualifying and then as you
say he then hits the wall twice brake issues was something that plagued him for most of the weekend
so he actually said in the tv penny had a bit of dilemma coming into this weekend and that he knew
that there was a problem with the brakes there was a fix but he didn't want to enter the monocoque
grand prix weekend with a fix so he opted to stick with the original brake setup that he's got
and I think he hoped that the specialty that he's kind of built up with this place would be enough
to carry him through but to Laura's point and the boys in the show it forced him into over driving it
that milli percent of what it would be and that that was what caused the problem so I think in
positively it just means that he is going to be able to go to Spain with a fix so I think he's
hopeful that when he gets to Spain it won't be so much of a problem he said after the race that
I'm going to go do what Lewis is doing with the brakes which strikes me as a good
thing to do because look Lewis has always been really good on the brakes so he's always been one
of his fortes as a racing driver but I think we can't forget that up until the point in which he
strode in Canada show was having a good season and so I can understand why you might not want to
make a change for it and naturally converge on what your teammates doing I think what is key now
is he's realised that reasonably quickly and it's going to move back to a spot where hopefully that
will give him that comfort and then we could have a really cool titanic battle between them
but that would be an interesting battle because I mean do we think Ferrari have the pace to take
it to Mercedes in I mean in the constructors championship Mercedes are now on 244 points
Ferrari on 165 in P2 I think it feels to me the fight is more who the fight is more for P2 so the
fight is more can Ferrari better McLaren or are McLaren the closest threat it feels to me we're
seeing Mercedes do what McLaren did last season and they will just move steadily firmly very
quickly away from the rest of the field and that fight for P2 will be on between Ferrari and McLaren
before we move on from Charles I'd love to get both of your thoughts on why you think he's extended
with Ferrari and why now it wasn't like it was up for renewal at the end of this year so so
why why the need to do it now well I think the driving market is going to go into flux in the
next couple of years I think what is interesting is that Charles built up this love affair with
Ferrari I think he wants to win a world championship with them and I think by signing this commitment
early doors he is committing to them in the hope that they commit to him and hopefully
generate and reintegrate the team around him in the future the contract as I understand it run
ran up until the end of 2027 this one takes him until the end of 2029 if you look at McLaren they're
reasonably set if you look at Red Bull they're reasonably set with the the junior family that
they've got and if you look at Mercedes we talked about Max already he's not going to get in there
so what are other options that he have like there was some chatter about Aston Martin but
Aston Martin are the back so that's just not an option for the foreseeable future so I think
the best thing for him to do would be to take a better deal kind of nail his colors to the mast
and try and remind the team that this is what he came here for this is what he wants to do with
Ferrari and he wants to win the world championship with them and I don't actually think they need
that because I think they love it but Ferrari but I think they were significant for him to sign this
deal get in early and then he doesn't have to think or talk about it now for the foreseeable
and let's not forget Formula One driver contracts can get out of them so if he really needs to he
can get out of it but I think it's a really good statement of intent to do that deal yeah I agree
with Lawrence I think we don't know the other options he had it doesn't sound like he had
any option that was as good as Ferrari and so he is Ferrari's man it would be such a
pull for him to leave it would feel such an odd time at the start of a new era of regs for him
to start making moves elsewhere I don't know I see your point that his contract wasn't
really particularly up for renewal and so yeah I think the option isn't elsewhere so
you can't foresee what's going to happen in the future and and stick with what you've got stick
or twist and he's stuck this episode is sponsored by Salie one thing I've learned from traveling
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Well we're sat on the Red Bull energy station the music is pumping we've just seen the two
racing bulls drivers walk past us drenched they've been in the pool Isaac Hajar is behind us
with his trophy having his picture taken I mean it was a pretty immense weekend for Isaac
he was having problems with that car and he kept a pretty cool head to get to get his first podium
for the team yeah I think there are multiple things this weekend that's impressed me the first one
was when he crashed early in the weekend normally you tend to spiral as a young driver and and Isaac
didn't he got back on track and I remember talking to Paul Monaghan after fp2 on Friday and he was
like that thing really surprised him in the way that Isaac was able to go back on track and get
that confidence back quite quickly yeah I think he was about a second off the ultimate pace but he
was still back up to where a Red Bull should be and ultimately that's all Red Bull really want is
the second seat to do that and then today I know he seemed pretty irritated throughout the race
number of team radios I imagine the team are probably going to ask him to curb some of those
because it was pretty ruddle-ed-less wasn't it through the race but I think it shows how much
of an opportunity he saw today I think he sensed the opportunity to get a podium
he kind of managed all of those issues that he had today really impressively in a way that we
haven't seen the driver in the second seat of Red Bull do very often over the last couple of years
and he's had a lot of bad luck this year you know should have she started p3 in Australia should
have probably fought for a podium there he's had some unreliability as well and so it hasn't really
gone his way but again he hasn't let that phase him and that's why I think Red Bull
was so keen to promote him into this seat and why I think they thought he would be different
and I think on the evidence of today alone or this weekend at least as a whole I think he's
shown that he's had a few retirements this season already hasn't he when you look at his results
but he mentioned the drivability of the car didn't he and he said on the radio at the end why do we
make this so difficult for ourselves but to your point about the team radio we know that that's
what Isaac Haja has in the locker he can get vocal on the radio we saw it in f2 and in previous
seasons in support categories but he's driving around Monaco and he might get a p3 and the car
is giving up on him and not giving him the power he wants you cannot blame the guy for getting
a bit stressed and a bit emotional at times for that and I think the team did such a brilliant
job of handling that as well saying we are working on a fix we haven't got it get your head down
that you're still in this and obviously he also had I don't know how much
how aware he was actually of the red flag infringement hanging over him and the the safety car
investigation hanging over him as well but cool head right to the end and crossing the line
obviously behind ghastly but knowing that that penalty was there what a result I think he would
always be okay if you do those radio messages and you don't make mistakes and I think to that
point he didn't do that today did he he didn't let it get to him he didn't let the red miss
descend so I think so long as he always delivers results the team won't be that frustrated with
him I guess it's only if it ever gets to a point where it over it boils over that it will become a
problem but yeah I think you put it well Laura like he smashed it he feels more and more convincing
as a red bull driver almost by the race but then I also talked to someone earlier who reminded me
that obviously this is a more drivable red bull so I think that it's not so obvious when you're
just a little bit off I think that last year the field was much more compressed so the smallest
mistake would knock you out early doors and qualifying you'd be down out of the top 10
whereas this year the field is a bit more spread and so it hides out look that's not taking anything
away from Isaac I think he's doing a phenomenal job but I think that there he does have that
fortune this year and he's making the most of it well look what about Max Verstappen
without the car problems could he have taken the fight to Kimmy Antonelli or do you think
Antonelli was just gone that's a good question I think because it's Max Verstappen he could have
taken the fight to him I don't know how that would have materialized whether that would have been 30
or 40 laps of relentless pressure and maybe Kimmy would have held on maybe would have held on in the
way that he did in Miami against Lando but I think that we were robbed of it and we'll never know
but I think the fact that Max was so irritated on Team Radio Show afterwards the way he was so
disappointed in the TV pen makes me think that maybe he could have done but then it's so hard
to pass at Modico isn't it it's so hard to make something happen I remember Jolien said in comms
quite early on he was like I think we might get some overtaken in this race I love Jolien's optimism
he was really invested in this rascals line and then we kept going through it
lap after lap and he was going I think I don't think the Rascals line is giving as much opportunity
as I anticipated what do you mean about the Rascals line what two different lines through
there he thought there was a line through in which you could you could get an overtake done that was
where he saw a primary overtaking spot if you weren't to get it done at the start or of course you
weren't to do it on strategy and I think Kimmy Antonelli's if you are going to mark his homework
and go through his season his starts have been the primary concern they obviously made steps
as a team with Mercedes to improve those but Max Verstappen hasn't had an easy time with
starts this season either in these new cars and so to have the two of them off the line with the
fast Ferraris behind you felt could could Lewis get this so I was yeah I was gutted that Max didn't
get off the line I think he got off the line pretty well in Canada I think we could have seen
the same again I really wanted to see that battle down into turn one and then yeah whether he could
have just put the pressure on Kimmy forced a mistake maybe it didn't feel like Kimmy was
going to make a mistake today though he was inch perfect everywhere wasn't he we've mentioned
reliability it feels a race doesn't go by without us talking about McLaren's lack of
reliability I mean neither car made it to the start back in China and then of course Lando
Norris had his DNF who didn't finish today I mean okay Piastri ended up P4 but it was just
they were a little bit off all weekend whether it's reliability whether it was pace Lawrence on
the pace front were you surprised did you expect more from McLaren well if you talk to the team
ahead of this weekend they would tell you that actually they didn't expect much more than they
got they were expecting a more difficult weekend but I think what we are seeing off McLaren here
and in the last race particularly in Canada as well it's very unlike the McLaren that we've
become used to since 2023 they normally bring an upgrade it delivers a percentage of time
and they move forward whereas they bought this upgrade package to Canada they took the front
wing off they tried it again here they took it off the upgrade didn't deliver the step that they
hoped in Canada they come here and it does feel like they're just chasing it a little bit because
obviously they came into the season with an underdeveloped car so they already knew that they
were on the back foot and I think in their strategy to chase I think they've maybe not been able to
get the most out of the package that they've bought as quickly as possible in the same way that
obviously Mercedes and Ferrari have managed to do it and then you've always got Red Bull in the
background randomly bringing bits and pieces that allow them for example this weekend to get
themselves in the mix you know so I think I don't think McLaren will be surprised at where they were
but I think they'll be surprised at how far off they were and I do think that the number of reliability
issues that are happening now and the fact that they are mostly different will become a concern
if it continues in this way because Norris parked up in fp2 didn't he and they changed the energy
store the battery within his allocation so you're also getting to a point where if they're
continuing to have these reliability problems eventually we're going to see grid penalties
for taking parts out of allocation oh maths we've got 16 races to go this season that's a long
way to go to start thinking and talking about grid penalties but if actually if you also look George
had an issue obviously in Canada Norris had an issue here and in Canada are there then questions
with the Mercedes power units the Mercedes powered cars as well does it raise questions around
reliability across the grid if it's across two different teams of the Mercedes
PU I don't know Laurie your first time on the show this year because you've been busy being a mum
I would love to get your thoughts on Lando Norris do you see just in the two races since you've
been back do you see a different Lando since he became world champion more relaxed more relaxed
for sure he's more relaxed I think the highs and lows probably feel a little less high and a little
less low so where in a title fight or or in an era in which he was chasing wins or chasing that
first title two weekends on the bounce like this would have felt horrible he can take it on the chin
because no one can ever take away from him the fact that he's a world champion and I do think
there's an element that yes he'll be gutted he's still going to be hungry absolutely I don't think
he'd be turning up and doing this if he still didn't want it but there is probably a contentment
within him knowing that he is a world champion it's still so fresh as well he's achieved his
lifetime ambition and everything else is a bonus I have questioned generally as I've sat at home
watching with my baby the mentality to come back after after doing just that you've achieved your
lifelong ambition and you've got to rock up in testing in Barcelona in a brand new car and do
it again I you just just I wonder how drivers who have gone to the absolute limit the way we saw
those three go to the limit in Abu Dhabi one gets over the line how do you come motivate
yourself again where does the hunger come from does it come from the fact that you're world champion
and that you you feel unbeatable you're motivated to win the way that we know Max Verstappen is for
example I'm sure it comes from somewhere within Lando but I just I just question how difficult
that may be for some drivers or or not I compare Lando to say Nico Rosberg Nico Rosberg had that
really tough year didn't need that battle with with Lewis to eventually win the world title in
2016 but he'd obviously gone through a long period of time I've never been able to do it and I think
at that point he realized okay that's where where my level is I guess and then with Lando
I imagine he would have had that conversation with himself over the winter and has come back and
gone actually no I still quite fancy this because I think he's definitely not a driver that would
hang about like I just think he's got so much going on in his life he's got so many projects or
things he wants to try that I think if he didn't genuinely believe or get himself going again to
go and have another tilt at it I just don't think he would bother so I think well actually what's
become of Lando is that contentment's going to make him a more potent force going forward
and I think we probably won't see that so much this year just because of the natural pecking
order that we're seeing but I think that contentment the law really eloquently described is actually
going to make him a great driver for the next 10 years and I think that's what is quite exciting
about the future if we see Kimmy coming through if McLaren do develop which I'm sure they will
do a car that will be able to fight for wins if Lewis is kind of fighting back as well if Charles
gets his Mojo back if George finds and Max at Red Bull we can have a really cool fight at the end
of this year and we've got hungry drivers you want to kind of stand their authority on it I think
there'll be individual races I'm dealing with McLaren I feel they've hemorrhaged too many points
to think about winning the Constructors Championship this year I feel that they're too far back what
are they 118 to Mercedes 244 but I feel everyone will be chasing a win towards the end of the season
because each race will become a world cup final and I love that analogy because then it just every
every race feels kind of all or nothing for for these drivers and that's that's wonderful for us
isn't it uh look final thing driver of the day I mean there's a few we haven't mentioned as well
I'm thinking of double points for racing balls okay we touched on them having their swim earlier but
you know Lawson and Limblad P5 P6 both career bests uh Gasly in the points again for for Alpine
with P7 him furious of course because of the the pit lane speeding Albon Ocon in the points Alonzo
getting that first point for Aston Martin as well I mean there are so many storylines actually
what we were saying wasn't it right at the top of the show but right driver of the day Laura welcome
back who is it for you is it is it one of the the people lower down in the points or is it
perhaps someone we've been eulogizing about gosh can I be really obvious it's so hard to
look past him sorry Lawrence it's gonna have to be Kimmy Antonelli don't have to say sorry to me
well they'll be able to go second and I've taken Kimmy um but he's made history around Monaco um
fifth win on the bounce he's just operating at a level that we have not seen you know we're talking
about generational talent and we're six races into the season it has to be him I think it's
perfectly acceptable for us to all agree because I think to your to your point
the performance he's delivered this weekend it's not the kind of thing we're going to see at Monaco
every year or nor is it going to be the kind of thing that we'll see at many race weekends this
year where it's that perfect combination of Kimmy being on another planet and able to deliver that
kind of performance and there were phases in that race where I think you mentioned about the beginning
Tom he was 1.5 seconds to two seconds quicker probably not even pushing still because he
will always drive within a margin because I think he's sensible enough to know that he can't bin it
so because that was the other thing it's Kimmy never really went up against the barriers like he
never really pushed the limit and I think that's another growth point um throwing in right at the
end and I think that's why this weekend was so special so yeah easy hey let's all agree Kimmy
Antonelli was the driver of the day you know in Monaco he's just getting better and better
every weekend I feel yet that was that there are just little things that he does better
every single weekend and it's now five in a row people listening to this don't want agreement
the whole time let's let's do a sort of mention in dispatches right we all agree that Kimmy Antonelli
was the driver of the day let's now each name a driver who impressed us who's not Kimmy Antonelli
I'm going to say Isaac Haja and not just because we are on the Red Bull Energy Station
um and I feel we'd have to run off if we don't mention him but because he dealt with a car that
was seemingly getting more and more difficult to drive around one of the circuits that is the most
demanding for drivers to drive he crashed came back from that kept a level head through into
qualifying qualified well yeah Isaac Haja podium in Monaco that is so so special well done to him
I'm going to go a bit left field and I'm going to say check out now I know he has lost the point
that would have been Cadillac's first point but I think he's really just generally impressed me
so far this year and even from that phase on Friday we was 13th 14th in practice in a Cadillac
you know I think the the performance he delivered I know he made a couple of mistakes today where
you know parked up in the wrong grid box but I think he put himself in the mix and that's exactly
what Cadillac you know brought him back to the sport for and I think that he's exactly the kind
of driver that they're going to want going forward so I think really good job from him not just today
but the whole weekend are you surprised by the gap between Jack O'Parez and Valtteri Bottas this
year I think on paper the gap looks big but I think if you talk to people in the team if you
talk to Dan Tarris to Graham Loudon they'll tell you that both of them are doing a really good job
they're doing the the kind of thing that they wanted from experienced drivers and I think maybe
Valtteri just hasn't maybe had the rub of the green I probably am a little bit more surprised
that Perez has had the edge given that Valtteri was around with Mercedes as a reserve last year
he did a bit of driving where was Checo went on holiday to Africa with his family
had had a year off and kind of really took his foot off the gas and had to get back in the gym
but then it makes me really think about well what kind of Checo did we see at Red Bull and actually
was there the Checo when he finished running up and is that who the real Checo is so I think it's
great we've got another shot at looking at him and I'm still waiting and going to give Valtteri
more time to settle into clearly a car that is taking time to get the best out of they've had
so many niggles haven't they that you'd expect a new team to have so let's give him more time but
like I'm loving the Checo that we're seeing right now yeah and I'm going to say Liam Lawson and
I love watching him in Coley you don't drive sideways you know around Monaco but he proved
that you can and you know he put it p10 on the grid and he's gone and got that p5 in the race
equalling his best from Baku last year so it's really you know let's not forget you only have to
go back 18 months or less actually to you know Liam having that horrible time at the start of
last year promoted to Red Bull then two races later you know he he's pushed back to racing
bulls and the way he he's bounced back from that hasn't let it I'm sure there's been dark moments
but hasn't let it get to him and I feel he's just proving proving what I think Helmut Marco
saw him in back you know back in the day that you know he is a a seriously good racing driver and
what he did in Monaco this weekend proved that well guys thank you before we go um while we've
had a great weekend of drama on the streets of Monaco we've also had the very exciting news
that we're going to continue racing at another street circuit for a long long time to come
that's because it's been announced that Formula One will continue racing in Las Vegas through to
2037 after a 10 year extension has been agreed I mean there are a lot of long deals in Formula One
but Vegas baby I mean how excited are we by not only the the length of the agreement but
I feel Vegas is becoming a modern-day classic great news sir a great news and it's incredible
that we're saying that after only three races right that they've hosted there but I think what
is exciting about that is we've had three great races at that track it is a proper racing track
that is entertaining for multiple reasons and I think that's why it's great that they've got this
long deal because it means they can invest in the infrastructure they can kind of invest in
innovation they can make this event even better and like they always say don't they Las Vegas is
the sport and entertainment capital of the world and they've delivered that so far so I think to
have those kind of races on the calendar is a great thing for Formula One and year on year the
action on track has been amazing but it also is getting better and as an event
as well they've shifted the schedule and now it it just felt last season like the perfect backdrop
for the end of season drama that we saw the fight that we saw the drama of the
McLaren's qualification and it just looks incredible doesn't it under the lights you can't deny it so
yeah roll on Las Vegas for the next 11 years well guys thank you very much wonderful to have
you both on the show loved it thanks for having us thank you so much great and for more reaction
and analysis from here in monaco please go to f1.com the official f1 app and at f1 on social media
and do check out f1's other official podcasts as well my guest this week on f1 beyond the grid is
Alex Albon as he prepares to surpass Nigel Mansell as the driver with the most race starts in
Williams history that's out on Wednesday on the beyond the grid feed and you can watch our chat
on the f1 youtube channel as well and f1 tv lead commentator Alex jakes is answering your questions
on the latest f1 explains podcast that's just below this show on the f1 nation feed so thanks
very much for listening we'll be back on thursday to preview the Barcelona Catalonia Grand Prix but
for now f1 nation is produced by formula one and audio boom studio
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About this episode
Monaco’s chaos sets the tone: a late red flag, major DNFs, and Kimi’s calm execution as he extends his championship lead. The hosts dig into why overtaking is so hard, how Kimi’s Mercedes turnaround came after Friday’s balance issues, and why his mindset feels different—age, composure, and instinct. Russell’s Monaco struggles shift from “car issue” to confusion after setup changes, with pressure and overthinking debated. The show also weaves in Honda’s hybrid read and wraps with a Barcelona preview tease.
Tom Clarkson is joined in the Monte Carlo paddock by F1TV lead presenter Laura Winter and F1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto to dissect a dramatic Monaco Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli secured his fifth win in a row, extending his championship lead to 66 points. What did we learn about Kimi this weekend? And is he proving to be a ‘generational talent’?
On the other side of the Mercedes garage, a drive-through penalty left George Russell out of the points. He says he’s ‘bamboozled’ by his recent struggles. So what’s going wrong for George? Where does he go from here? And is he fighting for more than just the title now?
Ferrari also endured mixed fortunes in Monaco. Lewis Hamilton scored his second P2 in a row, while Charles Leclerc crashed out late in the race. The guys discuss why Lewis is starting to gain momentum in the team and the ‘emotional rollercoaster’ Charles is currently riding, after announcing a new multi-year deal with Ferrari.
Also on the agenda, Isack Hadjar’s first podium for Red Bull, Max Verstappen’s retirement on lap 1 and more reliability concerns for McLaren.
