Reaction to British GP sprint raceP1 with Matt and Tommy · Jul 4, 2026
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0:00
17:21
Place
Wellington Strait
Wellington Strait is the name of a specific part of the race track. The hosts mention it so you can picture where the action and close racing took place.
The breaking zone is the part of the track where drivers hit the brakes before a turn. It’s where the car slows down a lot, and getting it right helps you turn in cleanly and stay in control.
The front wing is a big aerodynamic part at the front of the F1 car. It helps the car stick to the track, and if it gets damaged, the car can suddenly feel unstable or harder to control.
It’s when cars keep trading speed advantages—one car pulls away, then the other catches back up. In hybrid racing, it often happens because drivers can only use extra battery power for limited moments.
It means the track doesn’t let the car recharge its battery very well. So drivers have to save energy for the moments when it matters most, like passing or defending.
The car can refill its battery only in certain situations, like when you slow down. If the track doesn’t have many of those moments, the battery runs low and the car has less extra power to use.
This is when two cars are running side-by-side, right next to each other. The host likes it because it’s real driver-to-driver battling instead of just one car suddenly gaining speed from extra power.
It’s a special power setting the driver can turn on to get extra push for passing. If they don’t have it available at the right time, they can’t fight as effectively and may get overtaken.
They’re talking about how the British GP sprint race went and whether it was exciting. They compare it to earlier races where cars got stuck behind each other, and they discuss what changed for overtakes and the lead.
“Dirty air” is what happens when one car’s airflow messes up the air around the car behind it. That can make the second car feel less stable and harder to drive fast, which makes passing more difficult.
“Deployment” means how the car uses its stored energy to give you extra push. If the driver can deploy more at the right time—like on a straight—it helps them go faster and pass.
“Car lengths” is a simple way to say how far apart cars are, using the length of a car as the unit. “Four car lengths clear” means one car had a noticeable gap.
“Telemetry data” is the car’s performance information—like speed and how the car is using power—recorded during the race. It helps people understand why one car was quicker than another.
DRS is a system in Formula 1 that makes the car a little less “slippery” in the air in a controlled way. When it’s allowed, it helps the car go faster on straights so passing is easier.
The dash is the screen and controls the driver uses to see what’s happening with the car. In this case, it’s where they’d notice they’re running low on the electric boost.
They’re comparing the car’s boost to a video-game power-up. The joke is that in games you use it right away, but in real racing you have to think about when it’s most useful.
Time trial is being used as an analogy for how drivers should time their boost in a controlled, optimal way. In F1, energy deployment is similar in concept: you want to apply power at the exact moments that maximize speed and minimize wasted energy.
Heavy braking zones are the track sections where drivers slow down a lot. Those spots matter because they can change how much energy the car can recover and when it can spend it.
Term
long straights
Long straights are the long sections of track where the car is mostly going fast in a straight line. They can make energy-boost timing more important because you’re relying on power to keep speed up.
Maggots and Beckett are two well-known fast corners at Silverstone. The hosts are saying those corners are part of why the lap times and braking behavior look the way they do.
Silverstone is a famous Formula 1 track in the UK. The hosts are saying the track’s corner and braking layout makes it especially hard to race in the way fans expect under the current rules.
Concept
extreme nature of these regulations
They mean the current rules are very strict and can limit how drivers are allowed to use the car. On some tracks, that makes the racing feel more controlled and less spontaneous.
They’re talking about Belgium as another race location that might feel similar to Silverstone. The idea is that some tracks don’t have as many hard braking areas, which changes how you can race.
Hungary is mentioned as a future race where the hosts expect the energy-management angle to be less relevant. In modern F1 discussions, “energy” usually refers to how the car’s power systems are regulated and conserved during the race.
Recharge zones are parts of the track where the rules push you to manage the car’s energy in a specific way. It can make racing feel less free because you’re planning around where you’re allowed to build energy back up.
“Lewis” is Lewis Hamilton, one of the most famous F1 drivers. They’re talking about how exciting it would have been if he and another driver were battling for the win.
This means how much better one driver is than their teammate in the same race weekend. Since teammates usually have very similar cars, a big gap can show who’s getting more out of the car.
On some F1 weekends, there’s a special qualifying format for the sprint. “SQ1” and “SQ2” are the early and middle parts of that sprint qualifying where drivers try to qualify to the next stage.
Term
run of form
A “run of form” is a streak of strong (or weak) results over multiple races or sessions. In F1 commentary, it often implies the driver has found a setup and driving approach that consistently works, especially when the car is behaving reliably.
Race pace means how fast the car can be for the whole race, not just for a single lap. It’s about staying quick while tires wear and conditions change.
This means the team’s plan for the race—like when to pit and what tires to use. It’s how they try to win or maximize points, not just by driving fast.
Concept
weight of that championship off his shoulders
They’re talking about pressure. If the championship pressure feels lighter, the driver can relax and focus on driving well instead of worrying about every result.
Topic
P1P
In F1 commentary, “P1P” is shorthand for where cars are starting/lining up and how they’re positioned relative to each other. It’s basically a quick reference to the start-grid situation.
Red Bull is the F1 team they’re talking about. They’re saying Red Bull struggled at the start of the sprint, which caused their drivers to lose positions early.
“Max” is Max Verstappen, one of Red Bull’s top F1 drivers. The hosts are talking about how well he did at the start and how that affected where he ended up.
Antonelli is a driver the hosts are talking about. They’re saying he used to struggle at the start, but in this sprint/race he improved, and some earlier problems may have been related to procedures, not just driving.
“Procedural issues” means problems with following the race rules and procedures, not just the driver’s skill. In F1, that can include start-related rule mistakes that lead to penalties or delays.
“Turn one” is the first big corner right after the race starts. It’s a high-stakes spot where drivers can gain positions—or get stuck or involved in trouble.
Hamilton is another F1 driver mentioned in the context of the opening corner. The hosts are saying Antonelli was close to making a move right at the start, which is a big deal in F1.
“Charles” is Charles Leclerc. They’re pointing out that he lost several positions right at the start, which is a big swing in an F1 race because early laps are so chaotic.
“Ferraris” means the Ferrari cars in the race. The hosts are saying Ferrari didn’t have the same edge this time, especially around the start and early laps.
Person
Hadjah
“Hadjah” is the driver they’re talking about. They’re saying he lost a lot of places early and couldn’t overtake easily, even though the front and midfield weren’t too close.
Person
Liam Morson
Liam Morson is mentioned as being excited about scoring a point in the sprint. Getting points in an F1 sprint is a big result because it’s harder to recover quickly in a short race.
If you’re “lapped,” it means another car got around the track and passed you while you hadn’t finished your lap yet. It usually means you’re running much slower than the leaders.
Le Mans is a famous racing track in France where endurance races happen. The hosts are using it as a comparison for how intense and messy the racing looked.
A pit stop is when a car pulls into the pit lane during the race. Teams do it to change tires or make changes, but it costs time—so it’s a strategy decision.
“New regulations” means the sport changed the rules. Those rule changes can change how cars behave, so teams may be better or worse at adapting to them.
A “package” means the whole setup and approach a team brings—how the car is tuned and how it’s expected to work. The track can make differences between teams stand out.
Track position just means where you are on the track compared to other cars. If you’re ahead, you often have an easier time controlling the race and you don’t have to overtake as much.
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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the View on Podcast with Matt and Tommy. We are here,
thanks to YouTube, in an amazing little setup after the sprint. You'll see this a bit later on
as well after the main qualifying too. But we're here, Tommy, to reflect on what we've seen today,
an unbelievable view we have as well. The Wellington Strait we are basically at the end of,
and then of course you have the sequence of corners where they're constantly battling.
I always forget the names of these ones here, like Brooklyn's. Yeah, unbelievable. So thank
you to YouTube for having us here. But Tommy, first thoughts. How are you feeling? What's your
emotions after that sprint? My emotions were to be here is unbelievable. The view we had was
incredible. We saw an insane moment where we felt like we were literally above George Russell and
Max when we had that really close moment. I hope it was shown, by the way, because we talked about
things that maybe you guys might not have seen because there's a lot of things going on. We're
on a balcony and we're looking down at the breaking zone after the Wellington Strait.
And from being that close and seeing it with your own eyes, it must have been millimeters.
And it's that kind of thing where when you're at a track, you can really appreciate more of
like how insane it is that these guys race this closely and get that close to each other.
And it must have been so close to George losing his front wing. That was madness.
Yeah, because Max sort of came across and I genuinely winced. I stepped back. I thought
I might something's going to go flying here. Catch it. Yeah, there you go. Take that one.
Yes. Apart from that, overall feelings. Overall feelings are that I thought I was watching the
start of the season again with a certain B word. B word. Battery. Ah, I'm going to call it super
clipping or yo-yoing B. I thought it would have been Y. Yes, let's get into some questions because
I know a lot of you are feeling very passionate about this. P1P, remember Zingy 13. Was the yo-yoing
too much even though it did give us exciting racing? Should we expect to see more of it again
for the main race? Now Silverstone, as we came into this weekend, we knew that it was going to be a
battery-starved circuit. There's not a lot of places for the battery to recharge. A lot of places
that they would love to deploy. And I, look, there were a lot of moves, overtakes,
those moves. A slum dunk. Well, no, but we were talking about side-by-side racing, which is the
only time that I'm happy with potential yo-yo racing is when they fight into the corner. But the problem
that I kind of felt constantly was because we're watching on like a big screen, which is behind
the camera, and we're just seeing positions just change all the time. And it was, as you say,
most of the time, slam dunk. The battery runs out for one of the drivers trying to defend. Maybe
they don't have overtake mode. All of a sudden, they've lost 12 positions. And yeah, it was
very much how I felt Australia was, where not only was it yo-yoing, but it felt like the drivers
were almost learning as they went as well of where to deploy. Because at points, drivers were just
sitting ducks. They were. And I know Antonelli and Hamilton were the class of the field in qualifying,
and I know in the race again. But I'm convinced it's very similar to
Australia, where the guys in that kind of fighting for third was Lando, George, Oscar,
Charles, Max, they were all going for it. And they just lost so much time because they didn't
actually lose a huge amount of time throughout the race. It was just all at that start. And that
reminded me so much of Australia, where as soon as you get caught in a battle and someone's flying
past someone and then you lose so much time and you get re-passed re-passed,
they were like five seconds behind, I think after about four laps, just because they were all
switching positions, which on paper, and it's the same conversation of Australia, on paper,
that is exactly what you want to see. Last year, we had, we were here complaining about
processional races and everyone's stuck behind each other and there's too much dirty air.
Now we're getting loads of action. Too much action, too much. But I think it is cemented in
the fact that this track, it just really did feel like we'd gone back to the start, but I think that
is track specific. And I think had Saudi not been cancelled, we would have had exactly the same
thing. I think that was the number one circuit for what would have been maybe the worst in terms of
the whole recharge. And that's before they would have changed the rules as well, which would have
been something to behold. So it does feel as though Formula One are learning as we go as well.
Like I can't imagine they'll have the same recharge rate here next year. Of course, they are
trying to make these small changes anyway, aren't they? But it was too far on the level of artificial
for me for sure. The one thing absolutely out of all of it was the battle for the lead, where
Hamilton was doing his utmost to try and keep the lead. But of course, Anthony got into that one
second window. He was able to have slightly more of a deployment. Of course, that's what happens
within that one second with the overtake mode. But the move down the hangar straight was just
the easiest. There was no battle. He was four car lengths clear,
Anthony, come the end of the straight. It was so markedly different.
It was. I saw some telemetry data of the two cars. And obviously, they were very close in
qualifying Anthony Lee and Hamilton. And how much more deployment Mercedes have on all the
straights is something they've got their car right. We know that. That's why they've won almost
every single race this year. But yeah, I think probably the biggest frustration, maybe it wouldn't
be so extreme if we'd have just had a lot of the racing at the start. It's still bad. But I think
the fact that we were so excited for when Anthony finally goes for his move, it was almost like
a slow burn that bit of the race where you just kind of like, Anthony's there. They're chasing
there half a second. Now it's 0.3. Oh, he's going to do it. And then it was, oh, it's done. And yeah,
I'm not here to defend it at all because it was very disappointing to see that.
We have had it in the past where circuits in DRS just haven't got it right. And we've seen that.
But that was definitely like the worst of the kind of battery deployment racing that we saw.
And it really does feel like this circuit is just going because of the nature of it,
straight back to what we were seeing in Australia, which is why probably so many people are unhappy
and I don't blame them. No. And as for the part of the question, which says, should we expect to
see more of it for the main race? Yes. I think that is the case. They'll learn a bit. I hope they
don't do what we said before the rule changes where they know going for a move probably isn't
worth it unless it's, you're definitely going to do it because again, they lost so much time.
We saw, I think it was George and Max swapping positions again and again. And that's probably
why George was like dropping back. Had that not happened, maybe George is finishing third, for
example. Yeah, it's almost like the drivers get a little bit over excited in those first couple
of laps. They always want to pass each other. And then they look down at the dash and go,
oh my God, I've got no battery left. And then all of a sudden the cars are going to fly.
I've got no battery and the guy in front is now four seconds ahead. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Deploying in a suboptimal way is so costly. It's crazy. It's quite funny to witness though,
because it is literally like head versus heart and they are Formula One drivers that will always go
for it. You know, if you're in the car, you're going to press the button that makes your car go
faster and then go, oh no, I shouldn't have done that. No one saves the mushroom in Mario Kart.
No, you use it straight away. You supposed to do that in time trial for the exact right points.
Anyway, next question, people on Patreon remember, Ghost of Indie 2005. Is Silverstone exposing
these cars and regulations? Again, batteries and super clippings seem to be an issue this weekend.
I think it is circuit specific this because there are no heavy braking zones. You know,
there's a few, but not many. Well, a lot of like the long straights, you have
sort of medium to high speed. Stow here as well in this sequence, the way we're watching from.
Because I saw in qualifying that Hamilton didn't press the brakes between, I think it was turn
seven and 15 or something, not once, which shows how much that's the way to drive,
rather than actually hitting the brakes. And that's how he's got the time from the lap,
seven to 15 includes Maggots and Beckett. So I'm pretty sure they would have
braked at some point when they were going hell for leather back in the day.
Yeah, exactly. So this is very much circuit specific because we've not had this conversation.
We've had some brilliant races the last few Grand Prix and we've kind of forgotten about
this whole topic. It is such a shame. It's happening at Silverstone because it's a legendary
circuit. It's one of the best on the kind. It's always delivered. But it really is,
you're really seeing the extreme nature of these regulations here.
You certainly are. Yeah. And I think that, as I kind of mentioned at the top of the show,
it is very much, this is one of the worst tracks for it. We will go to other circuits,
I think Belgium will be interesting. I think that might be similar to this in a lot of ways,
because there's not a lot of heavy braking zones either there. But then Hungary,
we won't even talk about energy, I don't think. So it's a shame. It's the way the
regulations are. We have to kind of accept it. But yeah, it was because of how epic and iconic
Silverstone is as a circuit. It was a bit sad to see some corners reduced to recharge zones,
very formally relike. Thank goodness it wasn't what it was at the start of the season,
because how bad would that be? I dread to think. Although I would have taken,
you know, both Charlotte and Lewis fighting for the win, only just Lewis.
Is that the next question? It is indeed. Robbie Swain 14. Is Norris the most underrated driver
this year? Landau did a phenomenal job, P3 in the sprint. He was caught up in that whole kerfuffle
with what we said from sort of third all the way down to seventh. But then he managed to break away
and his pace looked really good. Once he'd sort of settled down, I think he even closed in on
Hamilton a little bit, come the end of the race. And I find it really fascinating the difference
in teammates this weekend. You have Antonelli clear of Russell, you have Hamilton clear of Leclerc,
you have Norris clear of Piastri, and obviously Verstappen is always clear of Hajar, kind of.
I mean, qualifying has been quite close. But there is a serious teammate difference this weekend,
which I find fascinating around a circuit like this. Of course, Hamilton has his own reasons,
because he's unbelievable around here. But for Landau, Oscar had a pretty good Austria.
You know, he's kind of said that he went quite quietly about his way to a P4 last time out.
But Landau, despite some issues I think he had in practice.
And qualifying had the break. Of course, yeah, just fall off.
His first two, the SQ1 and SQ2, wasn't it?
Yeah. And he is still on that run of form of whenever his car doesn't break,
he's able to extract a phenomenal amount out of his car. So Landau P3 very strong. And I think he
will quietly be feeling confident about the race tomorrow where strategy is implemented and
his race pace, as I say, looked as good as Hamilton, maybe even slightly better,
Anthony Nellie's home and drive. But a Landau P2 is definitely possible tomorrow,
should qualifying go to plan?
Yeah, I completely agree that Landau Norris is the most underrated driver this year.
And, you know, rightly, Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton are the two top drivers this season that
are getting all the praise. But Landau, who said this before, when his car has been working,
he delivers. And I think he's driving better than ever. He's clearly very comfortable in these
regulations. He's had the measure of piastry more often than not this season, particularly,
you know, when his car's working and often can put massive margins on there. And you feel like,
said it, said it, the weight of that championship off his shoulders. He's smiling around the paddock
again. It doesn't look like it's kind of that stress of the championship. Obviously,
he'd love to be in that championship fight. No doubt, every driver would be.
But he's almost immediately just accepted the situation.
Is that I want a championship now? I'm not in the fight this year. And I think he is showing
just as much, if not maybe more, that he's a worthy world champion and what he's done
with that car because he's been absolutely brilliant this year.
Completely agree. Next question. P1P, remember, Mary M. M. What happened to both Red Bulls?
They cannot start. And it's just happening again and with Red Bull.
We were watching from the balcony and I said, I'll be happy if Max will be P7 at the start,
six sales place. And that feels like a win because of how bad the Red Bull starts a bit.
No, no, it would never feel like a win. But in terms of like, yeah, it feels like
not that bad compared to his teammate who dropped loads of positions and flew all the way back into
the midfield. But Red Bull, while we saw Antonelli didn't wear the start of the season, could not
get it right. There was procedural issues and it wasn't always down to the driver.
But that's gone now. That whole narrative of Antonelli can't start a Grand Prix
is over. Yeah, he almost got Hamilton to turn one. Exactly. The Ferraris do not have the
advantage anymore. Charles went from fourth to seventh at the start. How does that even happen?
How are we nine rounds in and all of a sudden, Charles is losing positions at the start?
What do we have anymore? But Red Bull, just in that position where you almost know they're going
lose places on the line. And unfortunately for Hadjah, despite the massive gap between
the midfield and the top runners, Hadjah just dropped too many positions. It was quite,
it's an insane thing to say it was quite hard to overtake because of how when they did overtake
they breezed past. But people were stuck behind and it was all about just where you deployed in
the best kind of way. And Hadjah, yeah, didn't even get a point in the end. Liam Morson must be
absolutely buzzing that him getting a point in the sprint is amazing enough. But I think even
more satisfying that he's beaten the second Red Bull based on everything he's gone through at that
team. You could tell he wanted to keep him at bay as well because that little squeeze at start was
heart in your mouth moment. That's what we want to see. We want to see more of that. Yeah, Hadjah
was not happy, as you can probably tell. It was very close. It could have easily had both of them
out of the race. But instead yet Lawson, what a phenomenal drive to score points in the sprint
where all four teams finished. He's capitalised on a Red Bull mistake. It's crazy to think the
second team have better starts and are able to take points away from the main team. It's truly
ridiculous. What else to mention from the sprint before we wrap up? Paris had a collision with
Alonso. Yeah, that's changed the complexion of the race entirely, didn't it? Yeah, Alonso could
have got 19th than instead got 20th. Mate, seeing them in real life, I thought they were doing a
hybrid race between that Formula 2 and Formula 1. That's how bad. It's like Le Mans, isn't it?
Stroll was lapped in the sprint. He did pit though, so maybe that's where he lost some time.
However, still lapped. Alonso, 91 seconds back, of course, he was spun around. But still,
a long, long way away. It's a 17 lap race for crying out loud. I think another thing to mention is
this is probably, again, going back to Australia and how this track is exposing
how good your package is and how well you work with these new regulations and stuff.
Because the gaps are absolutely insane. Even Holkenberg, finishing 13th, he's 40 seconds off.
It's madness, the gap, and you do wonder as well if that, because they're all overtaking
each other as well. They're all losing time, so it just makes it even worse for those guys to drop
back. It's interesting, isn't it, when you look at the top eight, there is not one single two-by-two
going on. But then you look at the midfield, you have the two Alpines, the two Aldis. Why?
That's my fiance calling me. The two Alpines, the two Aldis, the two Hasses, the two Williams,
then a Rogue Bottas, then the two Aston Martins. It would have been Paris ahead,
wouldn't it, of the two Aston Martins. Tommy, final thoughts after the sprint?
Final thoughts? Is Formula One washed? Final thoughts are, bring on Quali, because it was
amazing yesterday. I hope we see a lot the same. I hope Hamilton can fight it again,
because it seems like he's the only one that's got an answer for Antonelli. He needs track position.
It's unbelievable, and he needs track position to do anything.
Right, that is it, everybody. We will see you very shortly for the main qualifying chat.
Until then, we're going to go enjoy the fact we're at Silverstone for a change.
Absolutely. Looking forward to it. See you soon. Bye.
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About this episode
After the British GP sprint at Silverstone, Matt and Tommy marvel at the breathtaking views and millimeter-close racing near the Wellington Strait and braking zones. They debate whether the “yo-yoing” battery strategy created too much position swapping and too little meaningful overtaking, especially when drivers defend without enough energy and lose huge chunks of time. While the lead battle (Hamilton vs. Anthony) felt starkly different due to deployment windows, they argue the issue is track-specific—Silverstone’s long, medium-speed sections expose the regulations. They also discuss driver form and teammate gaps, highlighting Lando Norris’s underrated momentum.
Some exciting overtaking - but how artificial is it? That's the question we're facing after the Silverstone sprint exposed some limitations with these regulations...
We'll be back with main quali later!
We'll be on the Silverstone main stage on Sunday at 10:40am - we'd love to see you there and we'll do a meet & greet after the show too.
Our brand new live show 'Super Podding' is coming to the UK and Amsterdam this autumn! Get your tickets here: http:/tix.to/p1live
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