“F1” is short for Formula 1, the biggest kind of race car series in the world. It’s where drivers race high-performance open-wheel cars on tracks around the globe.
“Racing lines” are the best way to drive through a turn. If you practice them, you learn where to enter, where to go through the middle, and how to exit so you can carry more speed.
Luge is a sport where you slide down an icy track on a small sled. You go really fast, and you steer by shifting your body and controlling the sled with your legs. It can look terrifying because the track is fast and the sled is hard to correct if you get off line.
Formula One, or F1, is the highest level of open-wheel racing. Teams race on tracks around the world, and the rules can change from year to year. In this segment, they’re talking about F1 news and what it might mean for the Miami race.
The F1 calendar is just the list of races for the year—where the cars will compete. If a country like Turkey comes back, it changes the season’s schedule and can affect how teams prepare. Different tracks favor different car strengths, so calendar changes matter.
They’re saying Turkey is coming back to Formula One starting in 2027 for several years. That matters because it changes which tracks the teams will race on during the season. Teams may need different setups depending on the track, so it can affect performance expectations.
“Updated regs” means the rules are changing. Those changes can affect how the cars are built and how teams set them up for a race. Since they’re talking about Miami specifically, the rules could change what’s fast there compared to before.
The hosts discuss the return of the Turkish Grand Prix to the Formula One calendar. When a classic track comes back, teams can compare expected performance based on prior data and adjust car setups accordingly. Calendar changes also affect how teams plan development across the season.
They’re talking about whether F1 might stop going to some of its older, famous tracks. Different tracks need different car setups and race strategies. So if the calendar changes, it can change how teams perform.
Topic
Port Amal
They mention a track name (“Port Amal”) while talking about where races are going on the calendar. They say they’re going back to it, which suggests it’s returning. The exact circuit name in the transcript may be misspelled, but it’s clearly a track discussion.
Topic
Sipang in India
They’re listing places on the F1 calendar, and they mention “Sipang in India.” That means they’re talking about a race location. The name might be spelled wrong in the transcript, but it’s clearly a track/venue reference.
In Formula 1, the rules can change from season to season. When they do, teams have to adjust their cars so they still comply and stay competitive. It’s similar to a video game update that changes how the game is played.
They’re talking about the Miami Grand Prix—one of the Formula 1 races. They’re also connecting it to rule changes, because those can affect how teams set up their cars and how the race might play out. So it’s part prediction, part “what will the new rules do?”
They’re comparing the rule updates to video-game patch notes. The idea is that the changes are listed, but it can still be confusing to figure out what it means for the cars.
A “V10” is a type of engine with ten cylinders. The hosts are basically saying it’s not realistic to expect Formula 1 to go back to that kind of engine anytime soon.
In F1, the car has to manage energy and power in a few different modes. “Super clipping” sounds like one of those modes where the car is using power in a very specific way. If it can recharge faster, the car may spend less time in that mode and the racing can feel different.
“Harvest the energy quicker” refers to improving how efficiently an F1 car recovers energy during deceleration and other allowed phases. If recovery is faster, the car can build up usable energy sooner for later acceleration. That affects how often drivers can access strong power bursts during a lap.
“Boost” in F1 is the extra power delivered from the car’s energy system (and related deployment rules). When the speaker says it’s “less powerful,” they’re describing a regulation or setup change that reduces how much performance advantage the boost provides. That can tighten the performance gap between cars and change overtaking patterns.
Concept
Oli Bearman example in Suzuka
Oli Bearman is referenced in connection with an incident or notable moment at Suzuka, used as an example of what the sport is trying to address. In this context, it’s tied to boost/performance discrepancies and how those can affect race outcomes. The mention functions as a real-world case study for why the testing matters.
“Dangerous starts” points to concerns about how F1 cars launch from the grid—especially when traction, clutch/launch behavior, and driver timing combine with tight pack racing. The segment mentions a testing effort for a “start minimum sort of power” approach to reduce risk. That implies rule or control changes aimed at making launches more predictable and safer.
FP1 is the first practice session of the weekend in Formula One. Teams use it to try out settings and learn how the car feels, so they’re ready for qualifying and the race. If it’s longer, they get more time to figure things out.
A sprint weekend is a Formula One format where a shorter “sprint” race happens on Saturday, affecting the starting grid for Sunday’s main race. Because of that, teams and drivers often treat Friday practice and setup work as extra important to be ready for the sprint.
Williams is a Formula 1 racing team. The hosts are saying Williams has struggled early in the season, but they think Miami could be a weekend where the team surprises people.
When the hosts say “very different regulations,” they’re highlighting that F1 rules can change year to year, affecting car design, setup, and performance. That makes it risky to directly compare last year’s Miami results to this year’s expectations.
Reliability just means the car can keep running all weekend without breaking. If it’s not reliable, the driver might be forced to retire or lose time even if they’re fast.
Red Bull Racing is one of F1’s top teams, and its performance is closely tied to how well its car and engine/energy management strategies comply with FIA rules. When the hosts say Red Bull “gets worse before it gets better,” they’re pointing to a period where the team’s pace isn’t matching its usual standard. The mention of qualifying issues suggests the car’s rule-sensitive systems may not be performing as expected.
Sometimes racing rules have gaps that teams can use to get an advantage. If the FIA closes that loophole, the teams can’t use the trick anymore, so qualifying results can swing. That’s why it can feel like the whole competitive picture changes overnight.
The hosts describe teams gaining “more power in qualifying,” which points to F1’s rule-managed engine/energy deployment strategies. In qualifying, teams often run modes that maximize performance for a short window, but those modes must comply with FIA regulations. If the FIA intervenes, it can limit how much extra power teams can access during that critical session.
An in-lap is the lap a driver completes after their timed run, typically returning to the pits. The hosts say the car would “almost shut down on its in-lap,” implying a system behavior that changes once the qualifying effort is complete. That kind of behavior can be tied to how teams manage power usage and compliance with FIA monitoring.
The FIA is the organization that makes and enforces the rules in Formula 1. If they stop a tactic, it means teams can’t use that trick anymore. That can change how fast cars are in qualifying and races.
Term
Q3
In F1 qualifying, Q3 is the last and most important session. If you don’t reach Q3, it usually means your car wasn’t fast enough to fight for the best starting spots. That can make the race harder because you start farther back.
The Nürburgring is a very famous race track in Germany. The hosts mention it because racing there can help a driver stay sharp and confident. But it’s still different from F1 tracks, so it’s not a perfect predictor of F1 results.
Mercedes is a top Formula 1 team. The hosts are saying Mercedes might be less dominant in qualifying than before, which could change who starts near the front.
When the hosts say Mercedes will “turn up their engine,” they’re referring to increasing engine output within the allowed operating modes and regulations. In F1, engine settings and deployment strategy can vary between qualifying/sprint and the race, affecting speed and reliability margins.
In F1, there’s sometimes a sprint weekend where a short race happens before the main race. “Sprint pole” means you were fastest in the session that sets up the sprint, so you start the sprint from the front.
This is about how the race start might be changed—like the exact steps and timing before the cars go. If a new method works better, teams and officials usually want to use it right away.
Pole position means you qualify fastest and start at the very front of the grid. It’s a big advantage because you’re in the best position to lead early.
Before the race starts, F1 uses extra safety steps to prevent problems like cars stalling or getting away too slowly. The goal is to keep the whole field safer at the most chaotic moment of the race.
F1 sometimes has rules that require cars to be weighed while they’re lined up before the start. If it takes about 40 seconds, teams have to plan so it doesn’t cause delays or problems when the lights go out.
A stall is when the car doesn’t get going properly at the start. A slow getaway is when it takes too long to launch, and in racing that can cost you a lot of positions quickly.
Ferrari is the Italian F1 constructor and one of the sport’s most historic teams. The hosts group Ferrari with McLaren as likely to have a good start, implying strong launch performance and race execution.
Insurance plans aren’t all the same—different people need different coverage. The sponsor is saying you can choose what fits your situation instead of taking a generic option.
Pole position means you start the race from the very front. It’s usually won by being fastest in qualifying, and it helps because you’re less likely to get stuck in traffic at the start.
They’re talking about something going wrong during qualifying in China. In F1, qualifying is crucial because it decides where you start the race, so problems there can hurt your whole weekend.
They mention Suzuka, where Russell had some problems. Different tracks can stress the car in different ways, so issues there can point to setup or performance challenges.
Concept
P3
“P3” means finishing third. It’s a common way F1 fans talk about podium spots.
In F1, “tactics” usually means strategic decisions like when to pit, how to manage tire wear, and how to respond to rivals’ undercuts/overcuts. These choices can swing track position and ultimately the finishing order.
A “lockout” means one team finishes at the very top, like taking first and second. It implies they were so strong that nobody else could beat them.
Car
George Russell
George Russell is one of the Mercedes drivers in Formula 1. The hosts think he’s had some inconsistent results, but they still believe he can fight for the championship. They’re basically saying he’s not done yet.
“1-2” in racing means one team’s cars finish first and second in the same race. When the hosts say “Mercedes 1-2,” they’re implying a strong team result where both Mercedes drivers are at the front. The “different orders” part means the finishing order could swap between races.
A “championship lead” refers to the driver who is ahead in the season standings based on points. In F1, that lead can change race to race, so predicting how big it becomes is a key part of season forecasting.
P-WAT is a fun prediction game they play. They randomly pick a finishing place (like 4th to 22nd), then they guess which driver will finish there, and they score points for accuracy.
They’re using a random number generator to pick which finishing position they’ll predict. That way, it’s not just based on who they think will do best—it’s more of a challenge.
The hosts are combining sprint wins and main-race wins into one total to evaluate a prediction. This matters because sprint weekends can produce multiple “win” moments beyond just the main Grand Prix.
In F1, a “sprint” weekend includes a shorter race that sets the grid for the main race, and “poll” here refers to pole position—starting first. The hosts are using sprint results as part of their prediction about Mercedes’ dominance.
“Turn one” is the first big corner at the Miami race track. It’s known for being busy right after the start, so crashes or close calls happen there more often than elsewhere.
A “three car incident” is when three cars get involved in the same crash or contact. It usually happens when cars are packed together and someone can’t avoid the others.
A “pile-up into turn one” means lots of cars crash at the first corner. It happens because everyone is close together at the start, so if one car slows or turns wrong, others can’t avoid it.
They’re basically predicting that there might be crashes in the Miami GP, including between teammates. They’re using that as a “what could happen” storyline for the weekend.
The hosts note that it’s been a long time since an F1 race was held at that location (Miami). This kind of “time since last visit” matters because track conditions, car setup trends, and team momentum can shift between visits.
Term
P2
“P2” means second place. So they’re saying that driver should finish just behind the winner.
They’re talking about a trip to Australia for their shows. They’ll be apart at first, then meet up for the first show in Adelaide.
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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 Podcast with Matt and Tommy.
Yes, Tommy is here.
That is correct.
He's been very generous with his time, you know, of course.
About 300 days of the years on holiday.
But he is now here.
I love that, so that's a thing.
I saw a comment that was like, that Tommy's lack of like being on the pod is ridiculous.
I've done like 700 episodes and I've missed about three, I think.
Yeah, I know.
But those three are what we really miss you for.
But you are here.
You are in New Zealand before we both head to Australia very shortly.
I mean, how are you enjoying New Zealand?
People have, of course, I mean, you've been recognised already in a very uncompromising
position of you on a zipline, which was impressive.
Yeah, shout out to the guy on the zipline or at the end of the zipline.
We have this running joke now between you and our producer Charlie that basically like everywhere
I go now, it seems to be recognised if you just go out in public, which is really weird.
And I happened when I went to Portugal and it's always weirder when it's around the world.
And yeah, I ended up doing this zipline thing, got to the bottom.
And the first thing the guy said to me is, enjoying the break.
I was like, oh, okay.
The break is somewhat the zipline or F1, do you know me?
Yeah, so yeah, that was really cool.
You did something, Luge?
Luge?
I did Luge with Grace.
Practice her racing lines and things.
She's a proper daredevil.
She's going to be bungee jumping when she's like 10.
So if you don't know what Luge is, it's essentially like downhill racing.
Every video I've ever seen looks insanely dangerous.
Can you, as someone who has actually done it, tell us how dangerous it actually is?
It's not as crazy, but I did get up on two wheels a few times.
It depends how much you send it.
You can control your speed basically by like moving the handlebars forward and backwards.
So as the competitive Formula One fan that I am, I had to go with Grace and Katie,
and then when they went off to get dinner, I had one ticket left
and basically sent it on the last lap as fast as I could.
Oh my God, why did you not speak to me beforehand?
I would have vetoed against that.
We need to have you on the podcast, mate, and not in hospital.
So yes, Tommy's in New Zealand.
I'm heading to Australia on Tuesday for, of course, our Australia tour.
There's a few tickets left at some of the destinations.
So please come along if you haven't got your ticket already and you're in town when we are.
So as with normal now with our predictions and kind of before we get into them,
we cover some news and I know a lot of you have been appreciating that.
The big one, which we haven't been able to discuss fully.
We did discuss it not that long ago about circuits we'd want back on the F1 calendar.
So it doesn't feel too unfamiliar, but as if by magic Turkey has returned
and is back from 2027 for a five-year deal, I am buzzing.
This is fantastic news.
We needed some good news in the world of Formula One.
We'll get into the updated regs for Miami and get your thoughts, Tommy, shortly.
But in terms of Turkey coming back, what a W.
Absolutely. I mean, it was your pick, wasn't it, when we did that circuits video.
So they're obviously listening and put it straight on the calendar immediately.
I don't know if they're from a listening channel.
Amazing.
Yes, so maybe the stuff we said about the regs might, I'll wait now.
But yeah, Turkey, it's awesome that it's back.
It's a classic track.
And it's a surprise, actually, with all this talk of maybe going to new places
and F1 abandoning classic tracks and stuff,
and maybe abandoning Europe a little bit as well.
We're actually going back to Port Amal, going back to Turkey now as well.
So very exciting.
Just need like Germany and stuff back now.
Certainly do.
Certainly too much to ask.
And Sipang in India.
India, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just a few on the list.
But this is a good start.
And speaking of a good start, look, I've had some time after the solo podcast
to absorb the updated regulations for Miami.
I know a lot of you appreciated the podcast.
And it was kind of like a reading along with Matt
for some patch notes for a Formula One game.
And there were a few moments if I don't understand.
I feel like I now do understand it.
And I guess there is still, of course, the whole how are we here?
Why are we calling things this and that and the other?
But it might be a step forward.
Tommy, what are your thoughts about the updated regs
heading into this weekend's Grand Prix?
My thoughts is just that I hope they know what they're doing.
And I hope it's better.
I did read it the same way as you was going.
Oh, it's not a huge change then.
The joke was, yeah, like patch notes.
They're just because the way they worded everything was even more confusing.
And just so much dialogue and how are fans meant to really understand what's going on.
And yeah, I mean, the fact that we're going to hopefully less super clipping,
better qualifying is the hope whether it's as long as it's better.
Of course, I don't think it's going to be completely fixed.
But hopefully it's a step in the right direction
because they were never going to stick a V10 in it.
Are they after four races and go, oh, here are the new regs.
Sorry, we got it wrong, guys.
It's never going to be that, was it?
So it's very unsurprising that that's what they decided to do.
So if you missed that podcast, for whatever reason,
to kind of bring you up to speed very quickly,
the cars are essentially being made a little bit slower overall.
That's kind of one of the main things here is that
they might lose a second a lap or maybe slightly more than that.
The peak super clip power, which is something that upset me greatly just generally that phrase,
essentially means when they are super clipping,
they will recharge quicker than what they were before,
which were therefore hopefully mean less super clipping in general,
because they're able to harvest the energy quicker in that period of time,
maybe two to four seconds of super clipping.
But yeah, I think I do appreciate that they have made tweaks.
And there's an appreciation and there's part of me going,
what I don't really want to sit here and watch you test the Formula One cars
to make them where they should be.
This doesn't feel like this is something that should be part of the F1 season,
but it is.
And I'm fascinated to see what Miami brings and hopefully some great racing.
Another thing to keep you up to speed with is the boost side of things as well.
It's less powerful and hopefully will be less of a,
well, there won't be a bigger discrepancy between slower cars
and faster cars that are using boosts.
So hence, obviously, the Oli Bearman example in Suzuka.
So there's a few other things that they're testing.
The testing, the some start minimum sort of power launch getaway thing
to stop again having these dangerous starts.
That's not implemented, that's being tested.
And then they're also, they brought some weather stuff in,
but I don't think we need to be too worried about that in Miami.
And speaking of one more thing before we get into our predictions,
free practice one, I know a lot of you will be tuning into that one,
has been extended to 90 minutes.
So 90 minutes of action, although I do joke, it is a sprint weekend.
Let's not forget this, it's a sprint weekend.
So that free practice one is very important and they've extended it
because clearly they want to understand a little bit more
about the changes they've made before we get into competitive sessions.
Yeah, you're not tuning into that one because we will be in Australia
and I've just seen that it's going to be about four o'clock in the morning.
So, Tommy, I'll be there no matter what, what are you talking about?
We watch every free practice one.
Of course, absolutely.
To be fair, jet lag might mean I'm absolutely tuning in, we don't know.
Oh yeah, I've been up at like 2am every morning and going,
wait, what's going on?
So yeah, may still end up watching 90 minutes of FP1 yet.
Right, let's get into our predictions where I don't want to remind you all,
but it is in fact 14-6 to Tommy and before we get into all of this,
I just want to say I am so excited that Formula One has finally returned.
We don't have to feel for a random spring break we did not see coming
and we can talk about the action once again.
So fingers crossed, we're going to get a banger in Miami, right?
An absolute banger, Tommy, sprint weekend, lots of predictions
and it is your turn to go first.
It is, so good surprise.
I have gone for Williams and that was mainly because Williams
have had a very difficult start to the season and yeah, it was just a feeling.
Obviously, the bar for Williams is very low at the moment.
They've had a really poor start.
They've struggled a lot.
Car seams overweight.
The daddy vows hype certainly hasn't delivered this year.
I think Colour Science got a point in China, I believe,
but or a couple of points actually, but yeah, they've not had a great season at all.
So this is, yeah, it's a low bar, but so I'm going for Williams
to see if they can salvage anything from a weekend and this is the,
I know it's very different regulations, but the memory from last year's Miami
was how well Williams did and we're racing the Ferraris
and we were talking about, wow, they're almost at the top pack now.
So yeah, gone for Williams.
A very different car, though, for Williams this year.
And this, that's a big one to put both of them into the good support.
Always a risk.
Sorry, but that's good because your eight points clear.
Thank you so much for that, Tommy.
My good surprise, I'm fully just dialed in now.
I had a bit of a sleepy start to the season clearly, been distracted,
but now we're locking in, you know, of course, I'm a reigning champion
and my good surprise is also a reigning champion, Lando Norris.
I think that he's not had a lot of things go his way currently
with the reliability of his car and I would love to see just a clean weekend for Lando.
It's been a quiet start to the season for him,
but I think this will be, with the fact McLaren looked genuinely better
and Oscar could have won the race at Suzuka had it been for a bit more good fortune.
So I think that McLaren may well continue to take steps forward
and I think it's time for Lando who, of course, has won at Miami before,
had his first race win at Miami, of course.
So that's what I've gone for and I'm very, very confident with that pick.
Like that one. He was on my shortlist as well.
Was he? Well, I'm glad you didn't go for it.
Thanks for going for Williams.
Let's now head to a big flop.
Now, this one has two faces to it.
All right, number one, Tommy's in New Zealand
and I feel like I have to do something about this.
And number two, he's had a phenomenal start to the year.
So it's Liam Lawson.
Okay, Liam Lawson is my big flop.
I feel as though there is absolutely no one to suggest.
Yeah, that is genuinely it.
That is genuinely the only reason I'm going for it.
And also, again, I'm looking for small windows of opportunity here.
I'm looking for doors and hoops to jump through.
And if Liam Lawson has a very mediocre Miami weekend,
after what he's had at the start of this year,
he's 10th in the driver's championship.
He scored 10 points.
Then I will be claiming that point every single day of the week
to try and close this eight-point gap
that I have to you already after three weekends.
That is so depressing.
So yeah, that is my big flop, Tommy.
So big flop I have gone for.
Max Verstappen.
It's kind of pre-real estate at the moment.
And I hope I'm wrong again as I have saying a lot recently
with the whole, he's not going to win a race.
I think it's going to get worse for Red Bull before it gets better.
What was very surprising was there's been a loophole
closed in qualifying where Mercedes and Red Bull were doing a trick
that basically meant they had more power in qualifying.
And then the car would almost shut down on its in-lap.
But it didn't matter because they've already completed that lap.
And the FIA stopped that from happening.
And one of the biggest surprises from that was,
wait, Red Bull, we're using that and they're still this bad.
Max didn't even make it into Q3 last time.
So if they don't have that and they're already slow,
I'm not expecting big things.
And how motivated is Max going to be returning to Formula 1 after having been racing at the
Nürburgring again and things like that.
I think he's going to be back into the kind of bad times of 2026 Formula 1 for him.
OK. Well, a flop for Max Verstappen is a very different flop to what it's been
in the past few seasons already.
The expectation is really rubbish.
Six is a good surprise.
Yeah, genuinely, if he beats any one of the top three teams, then he's cooking.
But OK, sad times, Tommy.
I love how you've had a whole five, six weeks off and you've gone still depressed.
OK, going to still be depressed about Max Verstappen.
Let's now head to Sprint Pole.
There's Sprint Pole.
This may be the Southern Hemisphere talking, but I'm going to go for Oscar Piastri.
And again, this is maybe the Mercedes advantage in qualifying isn't going to be as strong.
Oscar Piastri had a brilliant race in Japan, of course, and great qualifying as well.
But Mercedes have been, of course, very, very fast in qualifying.
But maybe that advantage might be cut a little bit based on this new loophole that's been closed.
Interesting. Tommy is buying into this loophole.
I just feel as though Mercedes will just turn up their engine a little bit more.
So interesting. OK, keep that up, Tommy.
The sun is really hitting you and I want you to continue with that hype.
My Sprint Pole position is Kimi Antonelli.
And I almost feel like this has already happened.
I'm already celebrating the point.
Antonelli, don't forget, last year got Sprint Pole and was really good around Miami.
Yes, he had a little bit of a wobble last year.
But overall, I think, especially with the momentum that he's currently got this season,
I don't think it stops in Miami because last year he was genuinely so impressive
against George Russell and you just think about how the lack of experience he had then.
A year on, I feel as though this momentum continues.
I still think in the grand scheme of the season, George Russell wins it by quite a decent margin.
But at this point in the season, I feel as though Kimi is going to continue pretty well.
So that is what I've gone for for Sprint Pole position.
Sprint winner.
We're locking in.
Kimi Antonelli.
But do I need to explain it?
He gets pole.
He wins the Sprint.
I still think the Mercedes are going to be the fastest car.
Even though, you know, Fred has said we're going to see a completely different order
and all this sort of stuff weeks ago.
And I'm like, what does that mean?
Does that mean Ferrari?
Are you bringing something Ferrari?
What are you up to?
There's a lot of question marks.
But I think you'd be silly to bet against Mercedes after a break that,
yep, some teams will have got their head around certain things like starts and so on and so forth.
And I am expecting some small changes.
But I am almost wholly convinced that Mercedes are not running their car anywhere near the peak
performance of what they can do.
And it almost feels as though they are doing a good enough, they keep in a good enough gap.
So it doesn't really put them under much pressure.
Although the Oscar Piastri thing in Suzuka might have scared them a little bit.
Yeah, there was a small percent of me that thought with Fred's comments that you'd just go,
good surprise, Charlotte Clair, Sprint Paul, Charlotte Clair, Sprint Winner, Charlotte Clair.
I am eight points out of three.
If Charlotte clean sweeps this weekend, I am sacking in this predictions championship.
And as I am eight points clear, I'm going to go Sprint Winner, Oscar Piastri.
I think, yeah, if I've gone for him for pole position, they've got amazing starts.
Will we see a new start procedure implemented?
I don't know if they've said that they might do it or they said they're just testing it,
but would if it worked, would they not do it immediately?
Maybe not.
So that being the case, you've got to feel that we saw it.
It's Suzuka that the McLaren, McLarens can get just as good of a start as the Ferraris now,
which is very exciting for the starts.
And if Oscar Piastri can qualify well, we've said many times it's so hard to
overtake that the Mercedes certainly haven't breezed past everyone in the races as much as
we thought, even though they are very, very dominant, of course.
So I'll go for something different and get some brownie points before we do our tour in Australia.
It's not the most insane prediction, is it?
You know, Oscar, as we said, could have won in Suzuka.
And just to clarify the race start stuff, most of it is around safety mechanisms,
as opposed to actually changing the start procedure, just in case there was any confusion about that.
We're going to have a 40-second weigh on the grid.
Yeah, it's more about the stalls and the slow getaways than it is.
I mean, I know Mercedes have had slow getaways, but I don't know if that's
what this is trying to help, this is more of a safety thing.
So fully expecting the same kind of McLaren and Ferraris to get off the line well, although
McLaren are literally running a Mercedes engine.
So how long will it take until Mercedes just get off cleanly and then win by 60 seconds?
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Hey listeners, meet Russell.
Hey!
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Right, let's head to poll position for the main race.
Poll position.
I'm going to go for George Russell, a driver that should be the boring pick,
but maybe a bit of hype has kind of left George Russell recently,
with how good Kimi Antonelli is doing.
Seen a lot of people saying that Russell's finally got his championship winning car,
and he's not delivering.
At the end of the day, we're only three races in,
which is depressing because it's late into April.
How are we only three races into the season?
But yeah, only three races in.
He's not had the best of luck either with the problem in qualifying in China as well,
and had a few issues in Suzuka.
So he's still got the pace and can still absolutely deliver.
So I'm going to go for Russell to bounce back and get poll position.
Yep, very fair.
As you say, qualifying problems in China.
He had set up issue for the race in Suzuka,
which left him hamstrung.
And yeah, we've only had three races.
So the pendulum can easily, easily, easily shift as well, easily.
Anyway, my poll position was not George Russell.
So I don't need to change it because it's Kimi Antonelli down the inside.
Again, Kimi Antonelli clean sweeping everything for me currently.
Will he clean sweep the main race as well?
Let's see.
But again, I don't want to change it.
I think right now, momentum man Kimi Antonelli.
This will probably be where he spears into the wall and all of this is wrong.
But that's not the Kimi Antonelli we've seen so far this year.
So, well, apart from one crash.
Anyway, it's fine.
I'm changing it.
Not changing it.
Yeah, Peter, who cares about that?
No one cares.
That poll position, Kimi Antonelli.
Right, let's get into the top three for Sunday's race.
In third position, I've not mentioned him yet,
but I'm going to do it now.
Charlotte Clair.
Yeah, Charlotte Clair is still here.
He's still kicking.
And I still believe Ferrari are going to be very competitive.
Will they be Mercedes competitive?
I don't know.
Will they be able to beat McLaren?
That's a question.
That's a big question as well.
So it's...
Don't talk yourself out of it.
I could easily put a McLaren in right now if I keep talking.
But I have to mention Charlotte Clair at least once,
although technically, I have already...
Different championship.
...if I do change it.
So what were you...
What was that little...
It's a different championship from Miami,
apparently, according to Fred, remember?
Yeah, but I just don't think it's going to change whatsoever.
So it should be a McLaren.
I don't know why I put Charlotte Clair,
but we're going to stick with it.
Charlotte Clair.
So, P3, I have gone for McLaren,
and it's Oscar Piastri after his sprint win
and pole position.
That's definitely happening because I predicted it.
He is going to finish third in the Grand Prix.
I really hope it doesn't happen.
Not for Oscar Piastri's sake,
but the fact that you will score any points this week.
I really, really need you to have a big fat duck.
Duck is zero, isn't it?
I'm pretty sure.
So that would be good.
In second place, Tommy.
Second place I've gone for.
Kimmy Antonelli.
So, yeah.
Do I need to say what I'm going to say?
This is going to finish second,
and now we wait to see if tactics will be played.
If tactics will be played.
Very interesting.
So you've gone.
Remember, you messed this up last time.
I know, I know.
You've recovered though.
You've recovered.
Hold on, I'm just just...
I'm the one that should mess up with my jet lag.
So you should be fine.
Yeah, I'm just trying to...
I'm just trying to...
I'm just thinking right now.
Because, okay, look.
In second place, I am going for George Russell.
There's no doubt.
Because I've backed Kimmy Antonelli the whole way.
And I feel as though that is what's going to have to remain.
So George Russell, I am going for P2.
In first position.
Is it Kimmy Antonelli lockout?
Well done.
Thank you, everybody.
If Mercedes continues to dominate, don't worry.
We will shift the predictions to the top five
and just ignore the first two.
So it'll be third, fourth and fifth that we'll actually do.
I haven't discussed that with you at all, Tommy.
But it might have to be because...
It might have to be.
...the Mercedes are going to win 24 races of the year.
And then it's a roll of the 22 races of the year.
And which Mercedes driver.
But right now, it's only the fourth race we can
and everything could change.
And Charlotte Glen might well mount a championship comeback.
Let's see.
But right now, Kimmy Antonelli, I need to mount my own comeback
and that's what I'm doing.
So P1, I've gone for.
George Russell.
No surprise, we've both gone.
From Mercedes 1-2 in different orders.
Who's going to be right or find out?
Yeah, I think Russell's going to bounce back.
I think he's maybe been sort of overhated or over...
I don't even know what the word is.
But just kind of people thinking that he's completely washed when.
I don't think that's the case.
He's just not strung it together.
And I still think he's very much got a huge opportunity
to win the championship and probably still the favourite at this stage.
No disrespect to Antonelli with what he's done this season.
But if it isn't Antonelli, clean sweep, then my word
is it's going to be a very exciting season.
And as we've said so many times, the dynamic shift
between the Mercedes Drives is going to be a fascinating one.
Yeah, my mind's eye is seeing Kimi Antonelli getting a decent championship lead
and then George Russell going on an absolute blinder of a European season.
That's kind of how I see it right now.
On Titanium Dark Side.
Yeah, well, exactly.
That wasn't even my thought.
That is very true.
So, yeah, I mean, look, if we can get a championship picture that is exciting,
then I will absolutely take it this year.
So there you go.
Right, we now head to our favourite part of predictions now.
And I think your favourite part as well.
And it's called P-WAT.
FWAT.
Where if you don't know, Tommy is going to get up a random number generator between,
well, fourth and 20th.
And we are going to say immediately who is going to finish in that position.
And the closest, if they get it bang on his two points,
the closest is one point.
So, Tommy, are we ready for P-WAT?
Sorry, fourth.
Yeah, it's because it was P-20 last time and I just read it out loud because it was in the sheet.
Yes, of course, fourth to 22nd.
OK, we're going to go for it then.
I am generating the number.
Let's spray for this Airbnb Wi-Fi.
It's P-4.
Is it P-4?
Who is it?
Go.
Lando, Lando Norris.
OK, my P-4 is Oscar Piestri.
OK, I love how we've just gone for the...
It's the second time we've gone for two McLarens.
So, double DNS confirmed for McLaren like last time.
OK, well, there you go.
I love again.
Our first and second was one or the other Mercedes and then our P-WAT is one or the other McLarens.
And let's see who's closest.
Fantastic stuff.
Love, love, love this.
Now, let's go to our one crazy prediction.
Mine is to do with Mercedes.
And of course, this is because of the...
Oh, will it be closer in Miami?
Oh, the loopholes, the things that have been closed.
Mercedes win by the biggest margin of the year over other teams.
That's my prediction.
I think it's 25 seconds is the biggest margin so far.
This is on a Sunday, of course, the sprint.
That's the biggest race victory of the season.
OK, nice.
Yeah, over another manufacturer.
So, for me, that's what I'm going for.
I will be getting into the nitty gritty of adding the sprint and race wins together
if it hasn't come in.
So, just be aware of that one.
But that's what I've gone for.
Finding those loopholes, that is hilarious because mine is also about Mercedes.
Oh, my God, let's talk about some other teams.
So, my one crazy prediction is Mercedes don't top every competitive session.
OK.
Because they have every sprint poll, every win this year.
Yeah, they top everything.
That's a good loophole.
OK, interesting.
Let's now go to our Patreon prediction.
If you join the P1 Patreon, you get lots of benefits, including ad-free listening.
You get access to our Discord, early access to P1 live show tickets, and so on and so forth.
And one of them, of course, you can get involved with on the Discord,
is your prediction that we can select.
And you can score us a point, which would be very, very helpful for me in particular.
Tommy, who have you gone for?
I have gone for S Mitchell 8, which is a three car incident into turn one in either race.
I mean, to be fair, Miami turn one does like a little incident, doesn't it?
It likes it.
This is my thinking here.
A little incident and some rusty race craft after such a long break.
Yeah, because they're not professionals in the slightest,
and they've forgotten how to race.
So, that's so fascinating, by the way.
Wait for a 22 car pile of into turn one now, after you said that.
Bottas, Bottas has done at least an under and hungry before.
So, this is really interesting though, Tommy, because mine is also to do with collisions.
Oh, OK.
Mine's from Shezan.
Team mates have a collision.
Oh, OK.
Put it out there.
We've got two races.
We've also got three practices that they could maybe do it.
Not to wish ill willed, but little double Mercedes team mates.
So, that would set the fire going, wouldn't it?
Before another three week break.
And I'll take the point.
It doesn't need to be a DNF.
Like, you know, we're not going to wish any ill will.
Just a small little will bang.
I can't believe you did that.
Just some spice.
Just some spice.
I mean, the spice is coming.
If we're talking about any George Russell picture of him taking his helmet off
and staring at Kimmy Antonelli, I get more of that,
because that picture is one of my favorite things of all time.
And I love it dearly.
And speaking of loving things dearly, hate this championship.
But what I do love is the family top three,
where it's 4-2 to the Gallagher's double,
doubly ahead of the boring Bellingham's.
Tommy's not double.
Oh, God, he's more than double.
Oh, Christ.
Yes, I forgot about the fact that you're more than double ahead of me
in the in the actual drivership.
So, family top three, this is going to be interesting.
My dad is ready to go, I believe.
OK.
So, let me ring him.
He said, I have no idea.
I'm like, oh, neither do we.
So that's fine.
Don't worry about it.
I feel like it used to be your dad last time,
but it's also been like ages since F1 race there.
I can't even remember now.
Hello.
It's fine.
Hi, Dad.
Are you ready for a P1 prediction?
Sorry, I sneezed.
First of all, what's fine?
Sorry?
He said it's fine.
Oh, what was fine is that I'm drafting you in two times in a row.
But I'm pretty sure he did also.
Yeah.
He said back to back.
Tommy's getting really into the rules,
which is kind of boring.
It fits the boring Bellingham's headline.
But anyway, top three, please.
It's the sprint weekend, but let's go for the top three.
Giles.
Who's Giles?
Giles.
Giles.
Charles.
Charles.
Daddy's crazy again.
Please stop saying Daddy.
That's what I call Tommy.
So, Charlotte P3 in P2, please.
Right.
P2, Kimmy.
Kimmy Antonelli in P2.
And then in first place, George Russell.
All right.
So, basically what I've gone for,
but I've switched the two Mercedes and gone
for a Kimmy Antonelli clean sweep.
So, that's interesting.
All right.
Well, I think George is going to show him this time.
Okay.
All right.
Well, that means it probably won't happen.
So, thank you very much, Dad.
I appreciate you.
Thanks, man.
We're winning, though.
We're winning.
We're winning.
So, that's good.
4-2 to the Gallagas.
Up the Gallagas.
Not for long.
Oh.
Oh, no.
Don't say that.
All right.
Bye.
Love you.
All right.
Bye.
Love you.
Okay.
I do like to take the Mickey out of my dad.
Until he says don't.
So, take the Mickey out of Daddy and then I disintegrate.
Right.
Tommy.
I have a voice note from Katie because she's gone to bed.
She's gone to bed.
What time is it?
It's half 10.
Wow.
That's crazy.
It's 11 a.m. here.
Yeah, it's very weird.
Yeah, I know.
Watching F1 on a Monday when we're here, we're going to feel the Australians' pain.
We'll know what it's like.
Not that bad, though, because I think we're watching like 7 a.m. on the Monday.
Yeah, it's not too bad.
It's probably actually quite a sociable race to them.
Let's not say that because I think you just angered a lot of Australians
by saying that Miami is a hard one.
I don't know.
I think the sprints on it at some outrageous time.
But anyway.
Who is it?
All right.
We'll get our complaining ready then.
Okay, here we go.
So we've got a voice note.
Have you listened to the voice note?
No, I haven't.
Oh, God, this could be anything.
Could be anything.
Go get the groceries.
Could be the wrong voice note.
I hope it is.
At half 10.
He gets some milk.
Right.
Hello.
These are my predictions in case I've gone to bed
because I'm still a little bit jet lagged.
So P3, I'm going to go for Oscar Piestri.
Name is mine.
I'll put it to P2.
George Russell.
And P1.
I'm going to go for Kimmy and Tinelli.
Oh, we're cooked.
So if I call it a point.
Bye.
If I stop.
I love that.
The formal thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Katie.
I know you hate getting involved in this so much.
But it's, Tommy keeps asking.
Speaking of getting,
Katie been fielded for almost every weekend so far.
I'm trying to remember who last time was,
no, last time was my dad.
Oh my God.
Last time I was also on holiday as well.
And no, the time before that was my niece,
my three-year-old niece.
All right.
Okay.
Maybe it just sticks out in my mind so much that Katie.
Just because she hates it every time.
She has to predict something.
So yeah, we need to use Grace at some point.
But she is long in bed.
So yeah, we've, I do think, yeah,
we're going to have to have a think maybe
if it is another Mercedes-Benz 1-2
with these new updated regulations.
Because that's a 1-2 for every single man.
Exactly.
I think third to fifth.
But you know, let us know.
Let us know what you think.
What would be a good thing to make it fun.
To keep it interesting.
Because that's what we want to do.
We don't want to just sit here going,
is it Kimmy or is it George?
So there you go.
Or maybe it'll be like a where the Charlotte
Club finish full stop, like just every single week.
Just that's the focus.
Just the Charlotte Club predictions.
Will he wear a certain outfit?
Will he bring the dog, etc.
So I'm a fan of that.
Okay, right.
That is our predictions done and dusted.
Tommy, final thoughts please from New Zealand.
Final thoughts are that kind of wait for the Australia tour.
It's going to be weird because we're going to be in Australia
in different places at the start.
But then we will be together for the first show in Adelaide.
Just a note to everybody.
Because Tommy is still on holiday.
So that means I count.
Yeah, exactly.
Just Formula One just doesn't want to come back.
Yeah, I'm super hyped having an amazing time in New Zealand.
Can't wait to go to Australia for the first time as well.
And yeah, the tour is going to be amazing.
A lot of hype I'm sure.
I'm expecting big things.
A lot of excitement and cheering and happiness.
Okay, all right.
And what's one of your favourite things about being in New Zealand?
Just very quickly.
Just how when you drive around, it's just so green.
And it's just, you don't see any buildings.
It's just animals.
And it's basically, it's IntelliW Land basically.
Tommy's no white Bellingham.
That's what you are.
Yeah, yeah.
No one told me that I would see this many cows.
That's my biggest takeaway from New Zealand.
I think I've seen about 10,000 cows in the last three days.
Not even joking.
All right.
And to be fair, if you do score more points than me this week,
we might have to field a cow in for the next questions.
So there you go.
All right, thank you Tommy.
Regs are so terrible.
We're going to just go to cow racing or something.
Cow racing.
Maybe.
That sounds not great, but hopefully it's a great cow race.
Thank you everybody for tuning in.
We will see you very soon.
Remember to get your Australia Tour tickets and that's it.
Bye.
That's love.
Sweet dreams.
Goodbye.
Literally sweet dreams for you.
I mean, it's the start of the day for me and sweet dreams for you.
I'll be over in a sec.
Have a great day.
P1 is a stack production and part of the ACAST Creative Network.
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That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's name your price tool for years now.
With the name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay
and they'll show you options that fit your budget.
So whether you're picking out your first policy
or just looking for something that works better for you and your family,
they make it easy to see your options.
Visit progressive.com.
Find a rate that works for you with the name your price tool.
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Price and Coverage Match Limited by State Law.
About this episode
Matt and Tommy kick off with travel banter from New Zealand before diving into the big Formula 1 talking points: Turkey’s return to the calendar, the updated Miami GP regulations, and what they might mean for racing and qualifying. Their predictions lean heavily toward Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli, with George Russell and Antonelli split across pole, sprint, and race results, while McLaren and Lando Norris also feature as potential spoilers. The episode mixes analysis, playful rivalry, and family prediction cameos, with plenty of debate over whether the new rules will actually improve the show.
WE'RE BACK! Tommy joins us from the other side of the world to look ahead to F1's return, where Matt looks to overturn an already sizeable Predictions deficit...
We're in Australia this month! There are a small handful of tickets for a few of our shows - get your tickets at: http:/tix.to/p1aus
Sign up to our Patreon for just $5 a month! You'll get access to every P1 episode ad-free, extended versions of every 2026 race review, early access to tickets & merch, and access to our Discord server where you can chat with us and other F1 fans! Click here to sign up now: http://patreon.com/mattp1tommy
