BWT is a sponsor brand that shows up on Formula 1 cars. Here they’re talking about the famous pink look BWT is associated with, and how it might change next season.
Bottas is a Formula 1 driver. They’re talking about rumors that he might lose his seat, and they say it’s likely because his recent results haven’t been great.
They’re talking about rumors in Formula 1 about whether a driver will be replaced. It’s basically “who might lose their seat” news, and they’re saying this one may not be true.
Cadillac is a car brand. Here, the hosts are talking about Cadillac as the team behind the scenes, making decisions about which drivers should race.
Person
Colton Herter
Colton Herter is the driver name mentioned in the rumor. The hosts say he can’t realistically take the seat yet because he doesn’t have the required Formula 1 license points.
Perez is another Formula 1 driver in the comparison. The hosts are saying if Bottas is consistently beaten by Perez, the team might decide to change drivers.
To drive in Formula 1, you need permission from the FIA. One part of that is earning enough “super license” points, and the hosts say the driver in the rumor hasn’t earned enough yet.
DRS is a Formula 1 trick that makes the rear wing open in a specific way to reduce drag. Less drag means the car can go faster for a short time. The hosts are saying Monaco’s layout doesn’t give DRS much opportunity to help.
Drag is the “air resistance” that slows a car down. In racing, engineers try to reduce drag when they want top speed, but they also need enough grip from the wings. The discussion is about how Monaco’s short straights change that trade-off.
“Super clipping” sounds like a nickname for a situation where the car’s aero setup is too extreme for the track. If you run the “straight” setup where it doesn’t really fit, you can end up losing too much speed. The hosts are saying Monaco’s straights are short enough that this would be a problem.
Concept
active arrow
An “active arrow” is a way of adjusting the rear wing so the car can be set up differently depending on what’s happening on track. The idea is usually to help on straights by reducing air resistance. The hosts think Monaco’s track layout means you don’t really benefit from that adjustment.
Slipstream is when you drive close behind another car and benefit from the air being pushed out of the way. That can help you carry more speed and catch up for an overtake. The hosts think Monaco could be better for that kind of racing.
“Recharge” here refers to energy recovery and deployment cycles used in modern F1 power units. Cars can store energy (for example via braking) and then deploy it later, so circuits with longer straights or more time between heavy energy use let teams “recharge” before the next push.
They’re talking about qualifying feeling like the older style—drivers going all-out to set the starting order. The hope is that it’ll be more dramatic and less limited by the current system.
In F1, “lifting” is when a driver eases off the throttle earlier than expected to manage power usage, traction, or energy deployment. It often shows up when the car is trying to stay within limits rather than driving flat-out the whole way.
They’re referencing a race in Japan as an example of what can go wrong when cars have very different speeds. The point is to avoid repeating that kind of chaos.
Pole position means starting first on the grid. It’s earned by being fastest in qualifying. Starting first is a big advantage in F1, especially on a track like Monaco where overtaking is hard.
Tracks are split into sections for timing. The final sector is the last part of the lap. If someone is really fast in the final sector, it can be a sign they’re close to the best overall lap time.
A podium in F1 means finishing in the top three. The top three drivers get trophies on the podium. Getting a podium is a big deal because it usually means you had a strong race.
In F1, the power unit is the car’s main engine system, including the hybrid parts. It’s a big reason why cars have different speed and acceleration. Here, they’re talking about how a Ferrari-supplied power unit could help another team at Monaco.
Car
Ferrari
Ferrari is a famous Formula 1 racing team. In Monaco, the course is very twisty and slow, so teams that handle well at low speed and stay consistent can do especially well.
“Massive straights” means long straight sections where cars can go very fast. If a team is especially good at top speed, it often benefits on tracks with lots of straightaway time.
Monaco is a famous Formula 1 race track in Monaco. It’s very twisty and slow with lots of walls, so it’s easy to make mistakes and hard to recover.
Car
Mercedes
Mercedes is a major Formula 1 team. The idea here is that Monaco is different from many tracks because it doesn’t have long straight sections, so Mercedes might not have the same edge.
Term
Chalet Claire
“Chalet Claire” sounds like a named spot people associate with the Monaco Grand Prix. In this context, it’s being used like a shorthand for a “surprise” outcome rather than a car or technical detail.
Franco Colapinto is a Formula 1 race driver. In this segment, the hosts are picking him as a prediction because they think his recent performances could translate to Monaco.
“Engine merchants” means a team is using another company’s engine. So their speed can depend a lot on how strong that supplied engine is.
Concept
off-gasly
“Off-gasly” is about what the car does when you lift off the gas pedal. The hosts are suggesting the car’s behavior in that moment was related to throttle-off handling.
Person
Franka Colopinto
Franka Colopinto is a racing driver the hosts are talking about. They’re saying she had a strong run in the last two races, then had a bad one right after.
Person
Charlotte Clair
Charlotte Clair is the driver the hosts expect to do well at Monaco. They’re saying she’s strong around this track and should be able to turn pole into a win.
“Pecking order” here just means who’s currently the fastest. The host is saying Monaco can be exciting because you don’t always know who’s on top until qualifying.
Term
P3
“P3” just means third place. In F1, the top three finishers are the ones who make the podium.
The Ferrari 812 Superfast is a very expensive, very fast sports car made by Ferrari. It’s designed for high-speed driving and it uses a big V12 engine. People bring it up because it’s one of the most extreme versions of a Ferrari you can buy.
That’s Charles Leclerc, one of Ferrari’s Formula 1 drivers. Monaco is a track where tiny errors can ruin your race, so people talk a lot about how he performs there.
Power rankings are basically a “who’s doing best right now” list. It’s not the official standings, but people use it to guess who might be strongest in the next race.
Olivier Panis is a Formula 1 driver from France. He won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1996, and that win is remembered because Monaco is a track where starting position matters a lot.
Audi is a car company. In this prediction segment, the hosts are talking about whether Audi’s F1 effort will be strong enough to score points at Monaco.
The McLaren 12C GT Sprint is a McLaren sports car made for track use. It’s based on the 12C but tuned for faster, more race-like driving. People mention it because it’s a more performance-focused version rather than a normal everyday car.
“Mercs” is slang for Mercedes in Formula 1. The speaker is basically saying they don’t want to keep picking Mercedes as the likely winner.
LIVE
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 podcast with Matt and
Tommy Race Week once again, and I think we can now officially
say it's momentum time. We are very much in the slipstream of
this season now, and we've got races on races, and I cannot
wait for it. Of course, as you can see right now, we are in our
setups because we're of course pre recording this. And to be
fair, this is going out before we will fly over because we're
going to Monaco. We're going to the Monaco Grand Prix. It
sounds like we could be up to some very exciting things and
make sure you're following us on Instagram and things like
that because this is going to be an epic trip, one that I cannot
wait for, Tommy. And look, if there's a race to go to, Monaco
is usually the one because it's obviously very special and
it's awesome to go there. We've been there too far, haven't
you been there once for the race? Like actually, that was a
few years ago. So it's not like we've been there that many
times, but also we can kind of guarantee we're not going to get
a thousand side by side incredible overtakes.
You don't know the new regs, you never know. But it's true. As
one to go to the criticism of, you know, it's amazing to go,
it's always exciting. But not knowing kind of every little
detail of going on is quite difficult when you're at the
race. Whereas Monaco, when there's two overtakes a race,
hopefully not an early safety car and a red flag that just
well, it depends on you. Yeah, I was gonna say, let's shut
the clerics on pole position, which gave me up. But yeah, I'm
super excited for it. Excited for this race in general. Very
interested to see what the new cars can deliver around this
track.
Me too. And whether or not it will shake up any kind of pecking
order because it's a very, very different track as we all know.
Now, before we get into our predictions, let's have a little
waffle about the things that have been going on in the world of
Formula One, not a huge amount of things, but some things
definitely to sort of cover. One of which is that Gucci Gucci is
joining the grid, not as an actual not the race team, but
that they are the title sponsor of Alpine next year. So you best
believe Matt and Tommy come out the woodwork next year as massive
Alpine fans. Grace is going to be dripped head to toe in Gucci,
because she has always been an Alpine fan from day one.
Might not be anymore.
Sure, maybe. Well, why? Wait, why is she?
BWT, there'd be no pink anymore. She won't be interested.
That's true, actually.
Yeah, gutted.
Yeah, I've seen some mock liveries of what that car could look
like. And I mean, it looks, it looks pretty saucy, but I like
gold trimmed anything. So sign me up.
It's going to be either epic or hideous, I think, personally. I
think it could be a mix between the two. But yeah, we might
see a return to kind of black and gold, like we saw kind of in
that team endstone, endstone back when they were lotus back in
the day. But yeah, it's an exciting partnership. Obviously
massive for Formula One. They're shouting about it. I may be in
the minority that I'll miss the BWT pink because I like the
Alpine. I think it looks really cool and really stands out.
But it's a cool thing for Formula One. And it is one of those
things where when we get to car launches next season, it's
probably going to be the most anticipated one because you know
it's going to be a new livery.
Oh, for sure. For sure. So excited to see what that will
look like. But I agree. Yeah, the pink is pretty iconic.
Maybe BWT goes somewhere else.
Ferrari.
Pink and red. What a livery that would be. Anything but HP.
So over to another bit of news, which is of course, Bottas. Now
this was a rather large rumour circulating around him being
replaced. But Tommy, it seems as though similar to Ocon in
Canada, that this has also been dismissed.
Yeah, obviously when there's not too much news going on, there
always seems to be some kind of rumour going around. And Bottas
let's not kind of beat around the bush. He has been pretty poor
to say the least in the last couple of races.
The pair is in the championship to say.
I know. I never lived that one down. He finishes every single
race behind him, apart from the one that matters. But yeah, he's
been he's been very poor. And there was rumours that he could
be out after Monaco, which I think is insane. It took it with
a pinch of salt anyway before Cadillac themselves dismissed it
and said it's not true, particularly because they were
talking about Colton Herter, replacing him who doesn't even
have enough super license points yet. So it can't have it
literally can't happen anyway. And so he needs to do more to be
able to get that seat. And you know, if Bottas is kind of
performances are the same throughout the rest of the
year, yeah, they might replace him at the end of the year, but I
could see him lasting the year still a bit like Ocon is almost
like exactly the same conversation as Ocon.
Yeah, it's so true. I just don't really know where these
rumours came from or I didn't believe them the second I heard
them, to be honest with you, because Cadillac are all about
literally just building a foundation of a team. And
that's why they went for Bottas and Perez. Yes, Bottas has been
pretty poor this year so far. But at the same time, they're not
necessarily getting him to try and score points at this stage
of their their their sort of team. They want 13th. No, they
want 13th. They want his knowledge, Tommy. It's true.
Exactly. And that sort of stuff. So you know, Cadillac aren't
fighting for points. But I agree that, you know, if he gets,
you know, completely whooped by Perez the entire year, then
perhaps they will look somewhere else. But is Colton
her to the place that they'd want to go? Because surely that
would have its own question marks as well. So yeah, I don't
think he will be replaced at all this year. But but let's see.
And finally, there is no straight mode at Monaco. Not one
single one. We're not going to see the old rear and front
wings moving. I was gonna say old DRS and I didn't say it and
then it makes absolutely no sense. Of course, you know, the
straight mode, the what looks like DRS from last year, there's
going to be no straight mode around Monaco. So it's full,
just drag send full drag. Yeah, opposite of full send. Yeah,
true, actually. But but the straights are so short that
they shouldn't, in theory, super clip. And, you know, part of
that was because it had to reduce the drag. So this is the
otherwise the super clipping would be insane, and they'd be
losing so much power on the straight, and they'd be a lot
slower. That that's why this was kind of introduced any way
that the active arrow, but it's not needed at Monaco. And I
think this is absolutely the right, the right choice.
Definitely the right choice is not needed. It will help with
slipstream. I think if the cars are slower, that's better for
Monaco. You know, we've we've said many times on this podcast
when we talk about Monaco and ways to improve it. Formula E has
really good races there because it's not as fast. And always
with slower cars, you get you get that kind of exciting racing.
And Monaco has been outgrown because the cars are sowing
insanely quick now. Whereas I think this should help. I mean,
it's not going to be a million overtakes, is it? But it's
something, I think. Yeah, yeah, they don't need to use it for
the reason that we've had it so far this year, as you say, they
need every bit of help down a lot of the straights this year,
whereas with Monaco, there's plenty of places to recharge. And
I'm interested to see whether we do get the qualifying of old on
the Saturday, and we're not seeing any kind of lifting or any
kind of super clipping, that would be lovely. So we get that
same exciting feel of a Saturday around Monaco.
Yeah, the drivers seem to think that will be the case. And I
certainly hope so, because that is the best bit of Monaco. Maybe
controversially, in an alternate reality, because I think it's
better for it now. But I'd have loved to have seen the rules that
we had at the start of the year for the Monaco Grand Prix,
because the difference between speeds are so much that I think
it would be fascinating to watch and see how that panned out
with basically such a big advantage of a boost behind
someone, that whether you could get past, I would actually
want to see that.
I don't have that on my go. Someone's ended up in the
harbour if we had the same difference in speed. I think
that is asking for trouble if we had those big, like we saw in
Japan, for example, with Oli and Franca. I'm not sure that
that would have been the way to go.
I would have liked to have seen it personally. Not somebody in
the harbour, obviously.
Thank you for clarifying.
Just for clarification.
Yeah, just in case anybody thought that Tommy is a horrible
human being.
Well, that's not the case, so we won't know, but I'm still very
fascinated to see how the cars go around here. Now, let's get
into the predictions. It's 2016 to Tommy. I've made some
progress, although the George Rustle Good Surprise was not
given, clearly.
It wasn't. It was not even close.
I saw a lot of people coming.
The top comment was like, Matt tried to try to get a point.
But did we do a vote, like you said we would do?
He did. What was the vote?
78% said that he shouldn't be a good surprise. It's a 22, but
that's a lot of people. Thank you guys for those of you that
came to my help. But yes, okay. Fair enough. I understand
considering what we have given for Good Surprise in the past
and not given. 2016 to Tommy, I've still made good progress.
I can see him waking in his boots. It's your turn to go
first.
So my good surprise I've gone for Esteban Ocon. Ocon, of
course, very good around here. Esti Besti. Last time we went
to Monaco, he nearly got pole position. He was absolutely
unbelievable in that Alpine finish the race third. Challenging
for pole, actually. It was incredible to watch. He's very
good around here, of course.
How far off was he?
Wasn't that far off from from what I remember. I'm sure he
was let me have a look because it was the year where it was a
Stappen and Alonzo fighters and Max did that amazing final
sector and Ocon was...
It was the first runs. He was a lot closer. He was actually a
couple of turns off.
Tommy's chatting rubbish everybody.
No, he was fighting for pole. He was in the mix. He was
epic. It definitely was. And yeah, he obviously got on the
podium that race, which was insane for an Alpine. And yeah,
Ocon's very good around here. I think Haas could go quite
strong with that Ferrari power unit, of course, as well. And
yeah, going for Esti Besti.
Sorry, since when are we talking about the Ferrari power unit
as a good thing these days?
Just Monaco suited more.
There's the error.
Not a power. It's not power.
Power still helps. I'll be real.
Okay. Good surprise.
My good surprise for the Monaco Grand Prix.
I'm not buying into the Ferrari hype this time. I'm not going
for the Chalet Claire.
You know, everybody thinks I'm going to go for good surprise
Chalet Claire.
My good surprise is Ferrari.
I've gone all in. Here are all my chips.
Here are all my chips.
I won't say what's going to happen here, but Hamilton off
the back of a very strong Canada.
Chalet Claire off of one of the worst weekends of his life,
but it's Monaco next.
It's got a recipe for some very big points for me.
And I've got to back it.
Everything makes sense for Ferrari to do well.
Of course, the no straight mode. I think in that just
everything around what the Ferrari car is, which is an
incredible in the corners.
Lot of corners.
Yeah, of course, you're not every corner. Slowest speed
corners and Monaco is that, right?
So I firmly believe and you know, I'm putting this into the
atmosphere and now you know, jinxing, yada yada yada is
going to happen.
But I have to go with my gut and I do genuinely believe that
Ferrari will be strong around here because their whole deficit
is down massive straights and we don't have one of those in
Monaco. So sign me up.
I will be there for a Ferrari one to please, please, please
come on.
All right, a big flop.
Who is my big flop?
My big flop.
I'm going for two pointers left right and centre Mercedes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, come on.
Easy, easy.
You know, the fact that I'm glad actually definitely didn't go
for it. Definitely not changing mine.
Yeah, I'm glad I didn't go first this time because I knew
that even if you went for good surprise, Chalet Claire,
I'm popping Ferrari and so like, you know,
so I've gone for two teams in a row, which I've never done
before in my entire predictions history.
So this could go either terribly or wonderfully, but I've
gone for big flop Mercedes.
I believe that, yeah, and again, this is based on what I've
seen and how I think it could go in the fact that I believe
Ferrari could well be fastest and look, let's look about the
history of Monaco as well.
Anytime, not every time, but a lot of the time when Mercedes
was dominating in the past, we come to Monaco and things
change.
I think this could be the same here and Max Verstappen
more recently, of course, you know, there have been
opportunities for other teams and other drivers to get
involved and win and and take sort of random podium spots
here and Mercedes could well struggle.
They may well get a 1-2, but I think if there's ever a race
this year where I'm going to big flop them, it's here.
So there you go, Mercedes.
Okay, so I can now reveal that my big flop was, of course,
you know, it is.
Yeah, exactly.
I'm changing it right now.
Yeah, yeah, I also was going to go for Mercedes because
it just seems like, you know, they've won every race.
Their car has been exceptional, but this is a very different
circuit and we kind of went back when Mercedes used to
dominate before we would always come to Monaco and it would
be like Red Bull or Ferrari or someone, someone different.
And it feels like based on kind of what the talk is that
we might, we might see it before.
I mean, you look at Mercedes and how good they were in
particular in like China on that back straight, that
final sector, unbelievable.
So they won't have the same advantage and I can see why
you've gone for it.
So I have changed mine too.
And again, just vibes.
I've gone for Franco Colopinto.
I was just looking down the order and Colopinto had an
amazing race last time out and and the one before is been
on a great run.
Um, I don't think Alpine would be as strong around here as
they have been in the past because again, they're Mercedes
engine merchants as well.
And, uh, yeah, I could see Franco's obviously still new
even though technically this is like third season, but it's
his first full season.
Uh, and just looking at last year didn't do too great.
Of course, the Alpine was a very different car back then.
Um, but I'm going to go for Colopinto.
Crazy that you've looked at last year.
Yeah, it was pretty bad round there.
Oh, wait, he was in a wheelie bin.
He's in a wheelie bin.
It's still, it was still off, off-gasly, but I don't think
it's one of his better, better tracks.
So you can tell you did it on the fly, but that, you know,
that's fine.
It was, it was.
Yeah, it was a change.
Again, you have a go at me and I'll have a go, but you
know, you, to be fair, slightly criticized.
Oh yeah.
Easiest little loophole there.
You've done it.
Oh, Franka Colopinto.
Good last two races.
Boom, big flop.
P13 will take the point.
That's, that's, that's what I see with it with Tommy, but that's
fair, it's fair.
Okay.
Pole position, Tommy.
Pole position.
Charlotte Clair.
Easy dub.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for the point.
Um, I can't see it being anyone else, uh, genuinely, and I'm
not even trying to jinx it here.
I'm not bantering.
Charlotte Clair is unbelievable around this circuit.
He is so, so quick.
He is just a, it's just a master around to, he's, he's so good.
He always delivers even last year when the Ferrari wasn't that
great, he almost got pole position.
Um, and yeah, he, you've got to, you've got to back him here for
at the very least pole position.
All right.
Just, uh, well, obviously I went for Charlotte Clair pole position.
So, uh, currently in my feels right now of wanting to hurl insults
at you, as well as also figure out who I'm going to go for pole
position.
Uh, this one, I'm, I'm, I'm a little bit torn because as much
as I've gone for good surprise Ferrari, Hamilton and Monaco
isn't exactly like one of his best tracks.
It's not.
Yeah.
He's one round here multiple times, but it, I don't know.
It's, it's not something, it's not a track that I think of as a,
as a Lewis special.
However, I'm going to go for Lewis Hamilton pole position because
I think it would be, uh, quite the, quite the moment.
I was, I was maybe going to go for a Lando pole, but, um, but I'm
going to go for Hamilton just purely because of the logic I've
said is that Ferrari are going to be good around here and Hamilton
was sensational around Canada.
So let's see if he can take that confidence into, into qualifying
once more because yeah, he was very good round Canada.
So let's go with that.
Or maybe I'm like, oh, should I've just gone?
Should I've just gone for a Mercedes and then I'd hedge my bets
a little bit more here.
Oh, no, let's go with Hamilton.
Screw it.
Why not?
Let's, let's live a little.
I'm only four points behind.
I feel slightly more fruity with my, uh, my predictions this week.
Third position for the race.
I'm going to lock in Lando Norris.
Lando Norris is receiving, uh, my third place.
There is a world where McLaren are fastest here.
This is the beauty of Monaco, right?
As much as on the Sunday, we're always complaining.
Oh my God, the racing so bad.
I feel like the excitement leading up to it of not knowing the pecking
order qualifying, potentially being amazing.
There are, and you know, I sound like you here defending Monaco, but
there are so many exciting things about the race itself.
The fact that it's around Monaco, the spectacle of it that I think
every year more and more.
I'm cause I went from slightly skeptical of it to, you know what?
It definitely deserves to be on the different as well.
Right?
We're, we're talking about you flopped Mercedes.
We're talking about, oh, Ferrari going to look, look quick.
We wouldn't be saying that any other circuit, would we say?
Exactly.
So yeah, I've gone for Lando Norris P3.
P3.
I have gone for Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari going to be strong.
I do fully believe that and Lewis Hamilton.
I do tend to agree with you that I don't think it's his strongest track.
Obviously he's got a teammate who is a Monaco specialist, but it's
even though he has one around here that, you know, there was some years
where, you know, Bottas beat him.
Nico Rospega was used to be really good around, around there as well.
As well.
So yeah, Lewis, I've gone for Lewis still with a good result in P3
and continuing his good form.
Yeah.
Very fair.
Very fair.
Second place.
Second place.
I have tactically gone for.
Charlotte Clair in P2 because I'm so convinced you're going to put him
first because I was going to go for Charlotte Clair first.
I think it's between two drivers for me of my pick.
I will find out who that is between and yeah, I've changed my mind.
I'm going to go for Charlotte Clair in second and I do think it's going
to be very close with a certain other driver who hopefully I'll get to
mention unless you block me.
Now I'm overthinking it, but I know I'm just going to go with what I want
to go with.
So in second place, I'm going for Lewis Hamilton.
Whether it be a Ferrari 12 who knows?
But I know for a fact that that pick is open.
Should I wish to go down that route?
Thank you, Tommy.
I don't mind at all.
Three points for me.
Love that.
So yeah, Lewis Hamilton P2.
I obviously was not going to go for him for pole position.
I firmly believe that where they mainly qualify will be where they finish.
The weather looks rather lovely, which is great for us being there.
So no, no massive changes potentially on the horizon, but who
knows, mistakes are definitely possible.
So yeah, second place Lewis Hamilton.
First position I have gone for.
Shall I kill her?
Come on.
Come on, baby.
Give me your flag.
I want it.
Give me the Ferrari 12
Please.
Doesn't look that great when I put it around my chair.
Yep.
Ferrari 12
Yes, please.
The only time of the entire year that I'll be able to probably predict
this, but what a sensational.
I'm just imagining being there and that happening.
Like, oh, I will be a very happy boy.
Harbour jump.
Yeah.
But the problem is the amount of times, to be fair, if I harbour jumped,
you'd never see me ever again.
So I think that the fact that I know deep down this is not going to happen.
I'm going to live in the delusional world that it is right now.
Tommy, did you mean not going to happen?
Yeah.
Sorry.
The amount of times I've predicted Ferrari to win or Charle-Claire to win
and it not happen, I'm saying I'm being slightly a realist here,
but I'm drowning in delusion.
Okay.
I don't think it's a delusion to go for Charle.
Okay.
Fine.
Fine.
But you know, have you seen the amount of times things have gone wrong
around Monaco for Charle-Claire?
True.
It's only happened, it's only worked for him once in a race
where he's been fastest three times.
So there you go.
Charle-Claire P1.
Okay, P1 I have gone for.
Lando Norris.
No Mercedes on the podium.
I was, yeah, toying between going for Leclerc Norris for the win.
I think it'd be between those two.
Kind of was last year as well.
I think Lando is kind of low key been one of the best drivers this season.
I actually saw that the power rankings at Formula 1 do.
He was like 10th, which I think is quite insane actually.
Because I think he's been one of the top drivers.
We had this discussion in drive ratings.
When his car has worked, he has delivered really well.
And I think the weight of the world is off his shoulders now.
He's won that world championship.
And I think he'll come into Monaco very strong.
He was brilliant here.
His pole position lap last year was really, really, really good.
You know, under the first driver ever to go under 70 seconds at Monaco,
which was really cool.
And yeah, I'll go for Lando for the win.
Because I think McLaren will also be a strong team here.
Exciting.
All right, there we go.
We now head to P-WAT, FWAT, which is the random position generator
that Tommy is going to load up now.
As you can see, he is loading up that page.
So I'm just filling for time right now.
But essentially what it is, if you don't know,
if this is your first ever predictions episode this year,
Tommy will roll a number and whatever number that is,
we have to basically immediately say a driver.
So, Tommy?
Between 4 and 20 seconds, of course.
Between 4 and 20 seconds because we've done the top three.
Okay, here we go.
Roll the number, here we go.
Oh my God, it's fifth.
You've got to go.
It's George Russell.
Wow, Oscar Piastri.
Okay.
There we go.
All right.
It was quite, yeah, we've not had like a 15th yet, have we?
No, yeah, come on.
Come on, come on, Google.
Sort it out.
I just did it again for Bantrain.
It was four.
Come on.
Have you set the limitations?
Okay, now it did.
Now it did.
Okay, so it is working, but maybe another time.
All right, George Russell P5.
I've gone for Oscar Piastri P5.
Let's now head to our one crazy prediction.
It is my turn to go first.
My crazy prediction is that a driver from the top four teams
does not make it into Q3.
The only time this hasn't happened is Max Verstappen in
Suzuka, P11, and Isaac Hadja, of course, got disqualified in
Miami, but still technically made Q3.
So one of the, because basically the chasm is massive.
So I've made that prediction, basically means someone has tapped
the wall and not made it through.
I had two Max last year, both had problems, didn't they?
I believe off the top of my head.
Yeah, they did.
Yep.
That's, that's asking for me to go into my locker of memories.
Okay.
My one crazy prediction is Mercedes not on the podium.
So we've gone all in on this old Mercedes is going to be rubbish.
Can't wait for them to finish first and second because they
could be good.
Like they genuinely could be good after all this, after all this
kind of, I'll say hype.
It's obviously no disrespect to them, but obviously there's a
lot of talk that they might not be as strong here.
Um, but yeah, we'll see.
Did you see actually that if Kimmy Antonelli wins the race,
he'll have matched Lewis Hamilton's all-time record of wins
in a row, like, uh, that Hamilton's ever achieved.
Hamilton's never got more than five.
Same all-time record is slightly confusing.
I was going to say, sorry, all-time record is Max's easily.
Um, Hamilton's record.
Hamilton's record of his career.
He's only ever done five and if Antonelli wins the next one,
he'd have matched it already.
That's, that's crazy.
That is a crazy statistic.
How are we here already saying this?
Is that, that's mental?
Well done.
Only a few more to match.
Shall I clap?
Let's shut up.
I knew it.
The second you said that, I knew it.
That was going to be only a few more.
Screw you.
Uh, okay.
So we now head to our Patreon prediction.
If you want to join the P1 Patreon, you get ad-free listening,
you get access to the Discord, early access to live tickets
and so much more.
Uh, and then you can be part of our Discord, which essentially
you can submit your predictions.
So Tommy, what is your Patreon prediction?
Okay.
So my Patreon prediction is from Herger Stunner.
Have I said that correctly?
Uh, probably not.
And it is.
I'm on the Monaco hype train again.
When will I ever learn?
The winner will start the race from fourth or lower.
The last time this happened was 1996 when Olivier Panis won.
I like that they threw a little stat in there as well.
Um, but yeah.
Uh, I'll go for it.
Why not?
Okay.
Tommy's getting a little bit fruity.
I like it.
I like it a lot.
It opens the door for me to go with it.
I mean, even third would be a very easy prediction.
Okay.
Interesting.
Now my Patreon prediction, I've actually changed.
I by the rule book, I would not have to have changed this,
but initially it was, sorry, let me get it up.
Cause I did just delete it.
It was the exact same thing as what you just said,
which is on Daniel 2606 no marks on the podium.
So I was going to go for that, but for fun, obviously I don't want to have
the same prediction with you as you.
Uh, and also be blocking as well.
Yeah.
So I couldn't get, you couldn't get no leeway.
I need more leeway, even though I think yours is definitely coming in.
So my Patreon prediction instead is from Alex C 0302
Hülkenberg gets his first points of the season.
Okay.
I nearly went for big flop Audi, but I thought they, yeah, I don't feel
like Audi are going to be that strong, but you never know.
It could be reasonably strong in qualifying.
That's what they can't lose places at the start.
No, they definitely can.
They will, they will show, they will try, but hopefully
they get a good start or at least Hülkenberg for my points.
Please come on, sort it out.
So, uh, there you go.
I've gone for that because how Audi and Hülkenberg has not scored
any points.
That is mad as Audi has.
Of course, they've scored a couple.
But Hülkenberg hasn't got on the board yet.
So surely it's going to happen sooner rather than later.
But I've said that every single time in my F1 fantasy has been beaten
down because of it.
All right.
It is time for family predictions.
It is 54 to the Gallagher's and yeah, boo all you like,
mate with your orange flipping retro shirt on your, oh, I've watched
Formula One since 1980.
Um, technically you were born in the 80s.
So I am drafting.
I think this might be the first time since she will be a future
Gallagher, Ellie.
Oh, okay.
So technically, I think this has to be a three-pointer because
she's now technically, you know, going to be in the family.
Right.
Or maybe I'll say we'll say she married, but that's a long time.
Right.
Here we go.
Not that long next year.
Just in case she listens to this.
Hello, is that Eleanor soon to be Gallagher?
Hi.
So I know you're going to be on a meeting very shortly.
So I need your top three for the Monaco Grand Prix.
We are 54 up.
All right.
So lock in, get us some points.
So in third place for the Monaco Grand Prix, please.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
P2.
I'm going to go with George.
Right.
Okay.
So you're not seeing a Mercedes disaster class.
And in first place, please.
I'm going to put Charles in first.
Okay.
My girl.
My girl.
All right.
You know, you've got to appreciate it.
And if you score no points, I will not speak to you for a week.
All right.
Thank you so much.
I will speak to you soon.
Love you.
Bye.
Love you.
Bye.
Okay.
Okay.
We've got them in strong connections.
Yeah.
Went for the classic Charlotte Monaco, of course.
Yeah.
Got a respect.
Got a Mercedes in there.
Kind of hedging the bets there.
Right.
I'm going to call my dad.
It's been a while.
It's been a while.
Just a general law.
Have a little catch up on the podcast.
Why not?
What's the name going to be?
Hi, dad.
Hi.
Hi, Freddie.
Hey, Freddie.
I was hoping for a new name.
A new name.
No.
Herbert.
Herbert, Johnny.
Herbert Sherbet.
Herbert Sherbet.
That's a classic.
Yeah, yeah.
That's a very old one.
Amazing.
Right.
Can I have your top three for the Monaco Grand Prix?
You can.
And hello to Matt.
He'll be happy with this because I'm going a bit off the wall, I think.
Oh, no.
Alex Albin third, is it?
Sorry.
Yeah.
Just make sure it's third.
I'm starting with behind.
I'm starting with third as well, Tommy.
Okay.
Third place.
For some reason, third place, Gasly.
Okay.
Sorry.
I should have gone great.
Is this Grace's predictions?
Or...
Okay.
Second place.
No.
For some reason.
Okay.
Just feel it.
That's three seconds.
Okay.
I'm Norris first.
Okay.
McLaren 12 and an Alpine.
I mean, if it comes true, you look like a genius.
Sorry, Fred, but, you know, bored of going with the Mercs now, so, yeah.
Okay.
No Ferrari, though.
Crazy.
All right.
Thanks, Dad.
Okay.
Onwards, upwards.
Thanks, Dad.
Bye.
No, thank you, Tommy's Dad.
Thank you.
I think your whole boring Bellingham thing's going to be a step back.
Yeah.
I was going to say, I was genuinely sat there thinking, what's like an excitable term that
begins with B?
But I can't think of one that isn't...
What could we call it now?
Brilliant Bellingham, surely.
Brilliant.
No, that's a bit too much.
That's doing a little bit too much.
I mean, if Gasly's third is a brilliant prediction, I genuinely think Grace would have done something
similar.
So, we'll see.
We'll see how it goes.
I mean, McLaren's not a bad child.
So, yeah, we'll see.
Right.
That is it.
Thank you, everybody, for tuning in to the predictions for the Monaco Grand Prix.
We're very excited.
If you're going to Monaco, come and say hello to us.
If you see us, it's very difficult to see us, actually.
In fact, it's Monaco and you can't get around anywhere without walking around the entire
circuit.
If you see us wave and we'll wave back.
Exactly.
We are very excited, as we said.
Can't wait for this weekend and just generally Formula One to pick up some momentum and
to just get stuck into this Formula One season because it has felt very stop-start.
Tommy, final thoughts?
My final thoughts, shall we call it Momentum Month?
Say that ten times quickly.
No.
Momentum Month.
It's Momentum Month.
Let's get it.
I think we should call it Matt's Birthday Month.
Wow.
It's not quite the same.
No, not quite the same ring to it.
Fair enough.
Maybe, but Matt's Momentum Month.
It's always about you, isn't it?
Yeah, I know it is.
It's always about you, isn't it?
Yeah, I know it is.
Very excited for Monaco, even though, of course, it gets a bad rep, but just generally just
to have some Formula One action back and a few runner races, it's going to be exciting
to see this one and see how our predictions are and can't wait for them to say these
12 by forty seconds.
Yeah, gosh, this is going to age terribly, isn't it?
It really is.
Of course, everybody, we're not going to be live-streaming because we're going to be
in Monaco, but all of the podcasts we will put out as soon as we possibly can.
We've put everything ideally in place to allow us to record.
Follow us on social media because we'll take some clips and things and Matt jumping into
the harbor when Shallow Clare wins and all that.
Exactly.
So there you go.
Thank you, everybody.
We'll see you soon.
Take care.
Bye.
About this episode
Monaco GP predictions take center stage as Matt and Tommy get set for a trip, hype the weekend’s “bad rep,” and talk logistics—no live-streaming, just quick releases after. They explain why Monaco is uniquely chaotic: “there is no straight mode,” energy “recharge” is frequent, and slipstream can matter more than DRS. Their picks lean toward Ferrari strength in corners, a “big flop Mercedes” call, and bold qualifying chaos like “a driver from the top four teams does not make it into Q3.”
We’re officially into Matt’s Momentum Month™ as the F1 calendar picks up steam. And where next? The most legendary circuit of all.
Our brand new live show 'Super Podding' is coming to the UK and Amsterdam this autumn! Get your tickets here: http:/tix.to/p1live
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
