Reaction to Qatar GP qualifying

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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 Podcast with Matt and not Tommy. No, no, I know.

It's another episode, but it's not Tom Bellingham. I've got a pretty substantial guest.

It's Alex Jakes, the F1 commentary sensation. You may have seen him before. Alex has been

on the podcast before. Alex, how are you doing, my friend? We're about to reflect on some qualifying

for the penultimate round of the season. Thank you very much for having me, Matt.

Yeah, you know it's got to the business end when you and I are having a conversation,

but thank you for having me on the pod. I look forward to sharing a beer with

you at some point when all of this is over. Now, first and foremost, you may well have

heard already, everybody, but we need to talk about what Alex has devoted his life to and

know we're not talking about F1 eSports where we have worked together on it. It's in fact,

you've released a book, Alex. It's called Grid to Glory. It's a book where over 75 chapters,

the wonderful Alex Jakes right here, tells the story of Formula One's rise, fall and recovery

through the extraordinary moments that shaped the world's most dramatic sport,

celebrating the best sport in the world through both well-known and never-before-told

stories. How does that paragraph sound to you, Alex? I made it in the last 60 seconds

before we went live. Does that encapsulate what Grid to Glory is all about?

You sold it brilliantly, Matt. I'm going to put it in vision. I'm going to put it in vision.

Yeah, 75 chapters that tell the entire history of the Formula One World Championship with some

entertaining stories, some crazy stories, some unbelievable stories, the World

Champion getting kidnapped, a World Championship leader getting fired in a magazine,

and the drivers going on strike along with all the big things that have happened

in championship history. It is essentially the backstory for this sport that we love.

And this is not a sponsored episode. I'm just doing it for the love of Alex Jakes.

So there you go. Just in case you're wondering if I have to put hashtag ad

at any point in this episode. Right, we're here to talk about qualifying. We're here to talk

about the Guitar Grand Prix. So let's dive straight in to Q1 where the bottom five were

Sonoda Ocon, Hamilton Stroll and Colin Pinto. Look, that is a disaster, of course,

for Lewis Hamilton this weekend once again. Let's get into a question from

P1Patreon member, TVRDriver. Who should feel more embarrassed? Ferrari or Hamilton?

Painful question. Painful question. Hamilton, I mean, I haven't heard his post-Quali

interview, but I heard his post-SprintQuali interview, and that was probably top five

most painful interviews I've ever heard in Formula One around the weather being nice.

You can just see the last bits of energy and positivity sapping away from Hamilton this year.

Hoped maybe for his sake he'd make it out of Q1. I think we joked about it in the

watch line. He's going to make it out of Q1. He didn't. He starts 18th tomorrow,

and I bet this season cannot end quick enough for him.

Yeah, it's got to end immediately. I mean, it's getting really difficult to watch.

We're talking about the history of the sport with the book. This is the guy with the joint most

championships, the most wins, the most podiums, the most pole positions,

and it's no longer a shock to see him go out in Q1. This is not it. It is just brutal.

And his interview afterwards, Matt, I can tell you that he was thanking the fans for

getting him through rough times because to go to Ferrari with the ambition,

there are 14 points off the Constructors title last year, to go there with the ambition

of winning your eighth title and then be reduced to being talked about, being knocked out in Q1.

That is the brutality of sport, and this is just a situation that no one wants to see.

This is deeply uncomfortable for Ferrari and for Hamilton, and they need New Year's Day like no one

else. They need the sea change and technical regulations because this has been an absolute

nightmare for them. They're the most successful team, and he's the most successful driver,

and he's 18th on the grid for a race that he's won in the past. It's not like there's

a weak circuit for him. It's not like it's an outlier like Sochi was. He's 18th on the grid

for a race that he's won. Yeah, it's been really, really tough to watch his interviews this weekend.

It really has. You know, three and a half tenths was the gap between Leclerc and Hamilton in that

Q1 session, which you'd think, OK, that's not a massive margin, but Qatar is such a quick circuit

that the time you can actually gain around this track in comparison to others is smaller.

So three and a half tenths is a big gap. It certainly is. So as much as the Ferrari

team have struggled, and I think they will also feel rather embarrassed,

Charles Leclerc has, of course, been very vocal to John Elkins' dismay, very vocal about the car

being, you know, disappointing to say the least, but he at least was able to extract something

and get into Q3 just about. Another driver that we have to discuss that I am absolutely

gutted for after the sprint and you'd have to say session of his season was Yuki Sonoda,

didn't manage to make it out of Q1, all of a sudden mystified that he has no grip again,

you wonder whether the sprint format worked well. In Yuki's favour, he managed to find a good groove

with the car but wasn't able to move it forward when, of course, you know, Park Fermet is opened up

and the teams and the drivers can work on their cars between sessions, but Yuki wasn't able to

make that step up like other drivers were. Yeah, absolutely right. And it's a championship

and a sport of the final two tenths of a second. And you've got to know

how to get that performance out of the car. It's not just Yuki. They do not know how to do that with

the second car across a sea of talented drivers. And bear in mind, Yuki Sonoda knows his future.

He told us that at the start of the weekend. Realistically, that means he knows he's not

going to be in that Red Bull seat next year. That is a brute, he's been sacked, right? Anyone

carrying on having to go to work at a job that they've been let go at is a brutal thing.

Brilliant response yesterday. But it's just hard when everyone's had more time with the data,

they've had a chance to correct their homework and he does not have the pace to challenge.

But it's a tough thing because he's a great guy and it's just so, again, it's so difficult to

watch drivers who have spent their entire lives working for this chance just not be able to

get a tune out of that second Red Bull. And he was so close as well. I think it was a matter

of eight thousandths of a second. It was 300 separating four of the cars, I think at the end

of Q1. And Yuki almost managed to get through because Pierre Gasly had a lap time deleted right

at the death, but he slotted into P15 just ahead of Yuki. So a disaster once again, a Red Bull

and a Ferrari out in Q1. Ocon struggles in qualifying continue again. Oli Bearman

out qualifying in once more and then Lance Stroll. I mean, yeah, questionable when you

look at Fernando Alonso and where he's managed to put the car this weekend.

Right, let's head to Q2 where the bottom five in this session were Hülkenberg, Lawson,

Bearman, Portoletto and Albon. Absolutely the biggest talking point in this session was Lando

Norris having to put a lap in right at the death when, yes, he's in the fastest car. Yes,

he was on fresh soft tires, but I was tensing up just watching it. And we've spoken about

Lando's mentality in the past. And this is something that I've seen improve massively,

especially in the last sort of run of races where we've seen Lando put in great performances,

is that it didn't phase in whatsoever. Yes, he's slotted in a couple of tents behind Oscar,

but that's all he needed. And he could have so easily, track limits being such a difficult

thing around here, could have so easily had his lap time deleted again. It's happened plenty

of times. Lando Norris is rapid around this circuit. It is just a circuit that when

you're on the edge, it is so easy to go over track limits. We've seen that before with him

in 2023 in Grand Prix qualifying, we've seen it in sprint qualifying sessions in the past.

What I really like about Lando Norris is he's doing it his way. He's doing it on his terms

and you're right with the progression. That's something that at the start of the year you

would have had a little bit less confidence. I think everyone knew that whilst it was a high

pressure moment, he's been passing those tests in recent weeks and got through, managed

and that with the McLaren around this circuit was absolutely required.

When you're at the business end of a world championship, he had to pass that test and in

the end he did so easily. Credit to the team for giving him the margin. When they ran him

at the stage with the time on the clock, probably with another lap of fuel in the car as well,

if he didn't go to plan, that was well done by team and driver there.

You're so right as well. The questions have been answered every single time

by Lando. Like Brazil, you think of how difficult that was and it was Oscar that

ended up in the wall in the sprint. Lando is answering the critics massively every single

time in this run towards the end of the season and it's been really, really impressive.

So the other drivers out, Hülkenberg, I think narrowly missing out again. I think it was

SQ2. I think he was 11th as well if I'm not mistaken and missed out again for Q3 this time

around. Lawson outqualified but not so badly over Hadjar and Bearman and Bortoletto as well.

With Albon struggling, it has to be said in comparison to Carlos this weekend.

Let's head to Q3, the big moment of the session of course and the top 10,

Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Russell, Antonelli, Hadjar, Sainz, Alonso,

Gasly and Leclerc down in 10th. Another phenomenal lap from Oscar Piastri just when

it mattered. We've been speaking about it myself and Tommy across this entire weekend,

Alex, where we go, why now Oscar? Why not maybe just with like three or four races to go where it

could be in your hands, he is now requiring a Max Verstappen bit of naughtiness into term one

as well as a George Russell involved as well because Lando can sit in P3 for the rest of

the season and he wins the championship. But it's been a great weekend from Oscar so far

and honestly, slightly out of the blue. It's a high grip circuit, all the places we've been,

bumpy, low grip, not used as much as the European race tracks. You give him a race track that's

got a high grip surface or is used week in, week out and he will be at the front of it.

That's why it's the first pole position since Zandvoort. He will look back at this season

if it doesn't go to plan and he will rue the run. But it's across two years as well

that we've seen him not stand on the podiums at recent races so it's a tough one.

Absolutely is. Question from Robert Downey. Max can't lose to Lando tomorrow. Does he send it

into turn one? That's what I was kind of nudging on in the naughtiness. I think that Max Verstappen

is doing some very, I mean audacious for Max's standards obviously, pretty extreme. But that's

what he has to do and I fully expect him to do that. He's on the clean side of the grid

and surely Max has to try something to at least just make Lando think. He has to.

He's almost out of this championship fight. If he doesn't beat Lando tomorrow, as the question says,

he's out of the championship. What can you see Max doing tomorrow?

Max Verstappen has respect for his fellow racers. He's known Lando Norris a long time. If it's

viable, of course he's going to send it. If there's a percentage chance,

everyone thinks back to Abu Dhabi 2021. Do you remember when he did that dive bomb move on Lewis

Hamilton on the opening lap from miles back? I don't see him doing that. I don't see him doing

that on Lando Norris. Equally, he goes all in. He's been talking about all in. He's been saying

that if he was in a McLaren, he'd have won the title already. That is not the comments of

a man who's given up on this title. But it will have to be conceivable. He's not going to

do something mad knowing that Lando will jump out of the way. But if it's a 50-50, you can absolutely

bet that he's going to be ruthless about it. The thing is, as well, we talk about Lando versus

Max. Max trying to get ahead of Lando to stay in the championship. Honestly, if he finishes

second, it's still not enough. He'll be 22 points behind Lando. Oscar will, of course,

make the biggest inroads there. He has to win the race. Obviously, you can't win a race

in turn 1, but you certainly can lose it. That's the phrase. But it's so true for Max. He has to not

lose part of his end plate because that doesn't matter if Lando also gets affected. Because

if Oscar drives away, I don't know. On one side, I'm going, he's just going to do everything

he possibly can to get ahead of Lando. The other side, I don't know. Tommy, if he was here,

would say it's absolutely the first thing. Max will go for it no matter what because

he has to get ahead of Lando. He has to get ahead of both McLarens, to be honest with you,

because Red Bull doesn't have the pace of the McLarens and he has to get that dirty air in effect.

Next question, people on page remember Captain Obbs 3420. Is Lando feeling the pressure again?

I don't think I quite agree with this one, especially after what we've just said after

Q2 where he delivered. Of course, you had track limits. Yes, he didn't get pole position.

He had a very small moment in turn two where, again, myself and Tommy in the watch along said,

it was the right thing to do rather than trying to commit to a lap and doing something like

Oscar did in Spring Qualley where he lost time in turn four and then absolutely sent it to try

and get pole. Lando didn't need to do that. I think it was the right decision for Lando to

go, look, I've put in a very solid lap that it's very unlikely I'm going to lose to anyone,

bar Oscar, so just take the P2. This is producing the extremity of performance

at a track we know Oscar is great at. The fact he was ahead at round one is excellent,

but you've got to move forward to take pole position. You know that that time is going to

is going to drop. You know that Piazza is going to find a minimum of half a tenth.

So you can't just look for a safe lap. There's no driving at 97% when you're going to try and

win the Formula One World Championship. Pole position against Oscar Piastri at the Qatar Grand Prix

with that McLaren this year was going to have to be 100% lap and he had a snap. He went wide,

that's it. It's done, but crucially he gave himself the foundation to push there and he's

one good reaction to the lights away from taking the lead and realistically winning

the World Championship. Exactly. It's a tiny, tiny error and the sort of benchmark was already

there. He'd already put in the safe lap. It wasn't even that safe. It was a great lap,

that first one in Q3. So no, I don't think Lando's feeling the pressure at all.

P1P, do you remember Sophie moving to Carlos Sainz? She might well be the unluckiest man

at points during the season. A sticker from the floor. How unlucky is Sainz? How did you

see that in the commentary box, Alex? Because we were like, what on earth is that on the rear

tyre? That's not a tyre blanket. I mean, how does that even happen?

Yeah, they all want to tighten up a few processes. I'm just thinking of various different things

across the back end of the year. I think how many times we hear Alex Alban,

nicest guy in the paddock, losing his mind mid-race. And you're like, is that the guy

that was, you know, asking how you were like makes it makes it the nicest man on the

planet. He's such a good dude. And then you hear him go, it's the worst strategy.

I cannot believe the strategy that I'm being subjected to. So I do think operationally,

there's a few things they can tighten up. They're obviously back at the factory renewing that team

and trying to come back to the front. But honestly, that's a bit of a weird one.

And there's a few aspects in which they will tighten things up 2026.

I've not seen actually, I'm going to have a look now. I don't know if you know, Alex,

whether that was a team fine or what that they managed to get, or if it's still under

investigation. I imagine it will be a fine. I'd be astounded if it was anything other than a fine.

Yeah. Yeah. So would I. Okay. Unlucky for signs, of course, because he was driving around with

no grip on the rear and had to try and get rid of that sticker.

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A question for people to better remember. Piper, MZ, Mimic, X, are those gravel strips really necessary

with all the dust they seem to just cause nuisances? Look, I am, I am the biggest fan

of the gravel strips because it actually gives drivers some consequences for running

wide and pushing the limits. Without that, we're just flying off the track and nothing

matters. We're talking about track limits left, right and centre. The fact that there's the gravel

there which can affect the floor, it can cause damage. Not to the extent of what we've seen

in the past, which was wrong, like in Austria where they had the sausage curbs, that was

far too much. This, I think, is just the perfect amount of consequence.

I'm happy with that. Yes, there was dust, there was all that sort of stuff.

Quite cool camera shots, actually. We had, I think, George Russell go through the dust

at one point and like, damn, that looks cool. I'm a fan of gravel strips, Alex, are you?

Yeah, you need something to prevent us talking about track limits. Imagine if we were talking

about track limits at this stage of the pod, Matt. No one wants it. Boring, boring.

I'm happy to wait a couple of minutes for everyone to sweep up the track and,

yeah, there's got to be a deterrent because I don't want to be talking about track limits.

The weird thing is, we've still got that combination around this racetrack, so

I think the answer is probably more gravel, not less.

Absolutely, I agree. I guess the question now is, what happens at turn one tomorrow?

What do you see in your mind, Zai, Alex? You're in the commentary box.

You've got your mic in front of you. How do you see it playing out? I think you've already

sort of teased to the fact that it might be more sort of relaxed than perhaps some people

might be expecting. What do you see? I see the McLaren's being very, very close

and Max trying to pick up the pieces from that. It's not a huge braking zone. Yes,

there'll be fat with fuel, but it's not a Bahrain. It's a very, very, very high-speed turn one for

a Formula One track, so it's going to be about reaction time in second phase of the start and

I think it will be close, but I think our winner is going to be leading at the end of lap one,

so it's massive. It's Formula One on its finest when it means something and they're,

you know, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris' entire career has been building to this moment,

building to the reaction to those five lights and then you've got Max Verstappen just sitting there

waiting to pick up the pieces and the fear that will happen if anything happens between the

combination of the three of them, you could get another championship reset and this has been

the season of championship resets. Oscar's led for 15 rounds. Max has come back from 100 points

back. No one's ever done that. No one's ever been able to do that and now you've got Lando in the form

of his life until the final run today. We don't know what's going to happen. It's why we love it.

Exactly. Yeah, lap one will most likely be the best part and actually the 25 lap maximum stint

length for the tyres as well. For me, the strategy feels like it's limited because

of the fact we have these 25 lap maximums. That means it's going to be full push. Most

likely the teams are going to go for the most efficient way with the amount of laps on the

tyres. Do you see a similar way where the strategy will be slightly more limited?

Yeah, you've got a two-stop. Your options are undercutting, overcutting, or if you're out of

contention at the front, or maybe Max, this is part of the all-in, just goes for the faster

compound at the end. Looking at that, in medium, medium, soft, or you start on the soft and

you go medium, medium, maybe they can mess around with that, get a launch off the line.

That's the only variation in the strategy. We know it's going to be a two-stop. That's the

nature of racing around this circuit. It is limited, but there's still things that the timing

of a safety car, the timing of a virtual safety car could still upend things depending on what tyre

are on. Hopefully no cars drive over wing mirrors that should have been picked up

several laps prior like happened last year. I'd happily forgotten that, Matt. I'd happily

forgotten that. Yeah, that was wild. A quick mention, Isaac Hajar, P6 in the racing balls.

It felt like that was absolutely coming for sprint quali as well until he was knocked out

with the track limits issue. Hajar has been absolutely brilliant this weekend,

and you have to imagine he's on for a really good point. It's all the same with signs,

Managed P7. Alonso points during the weekend. You thought, is he going to get pole position?

It's been quite awesome to see these midfielders. Yes, they've ended up miles away when you look

at the final standings, but they've sort of teased. Like, Gasly as well, where's he come from?

How have they turned around a P19, P20 in the sprint to Gasly,

fist pumping and celebrating down the team radio that he's P9 on the grid?

Gasly, a track where he's good. He's always good. You give him a wheelbarrow and he's

quicker into Lagos. He's quicker in Bahrain. He's quicker around Qatar. He's unbelievable.

Over one lap when it's dialed in, he's fantastic. 10 Q3s in a car that is miles off the back of

the constructor's championship. That is a testament to how good he is over one lap.

And yeah, Isaac Hajar, to be best of the rest, he's not a million miles away from

Louis Hamilton's average position in qualifying this year. It's his rookie campaign. The season

started in the barriers on the formation lap, and we all feared for him at that point. But he

was the fastest driver in Formula 2 last year. Didn't quite have the race car after win the title.

But I'm so pleased for him. He's been able to translate that pace immediately

to Formula 1 and good on him. It's been brilliant to watch him in qualifying this year.

It certainly has. And I guess the final thoughts, I don't want to talk about it,

but of course, Charle-Claire P10 on the grid, which I was actually celebrating him making it

through to Q3. That's where Ferrari and Charle-Claire fans are at this stage. When I said with my chest

at the start of the year that Ferrari would at minimum win the constructor's championship,

because of course, why wouldn't they? They fought into Abu Dhabi in 2024, had Carlos and Lando

swap places. Ferrari were constructors, world champions. The spin for Charle-Claire was

scary. That was a very high speed spin. And I'm so glad he spun away from the barriers rather

than towards them. Because, I mean, you can just see he has got absolutely no grip. And the fact

that he was even in Q3, I genuinely think was some kind of an achievement. Because

Ferrari put tools down. Do they care about this season anymore? Is it too late to not

care about it? I am so mystified as to how bad they've got, especially this weekend.

Long and medium corners. You give them a short corner like Vegas. They've got an opportunity.

They don't look too bad. It's been downright scary on board. I mean, Charle-Claire has been through

every gravel strip that we have available. It's been hair-raising. And you're absolutely

right about the way that he spun. That's a sixth gear corner that he spun at flat out.

That is a pretty rare sight in Formula One. So, yeah, trying to dance the limit. But no,

he did well to get into the final part of qualifying. And it's just a very, very lively race car.

They're in the top three in Mexico City, Matt. It's just... Oh, I'm aware.

...at the end. I'm so aware. But next year, it'll change.

One thing I will say, the one thing I will say on that is that Fred Vassil's mentality

and the thing that got them close to the Constructors' Championship last year was take risks.

And they took risks by extensively changing the design of their car this year. You've got to

live by the sword and die by the sword. Last year, it worked and nearly got them the title.

This year, it's sent the miles off. They will hope that it's just cyclical. And in 2026,

they hit the ground running. And it feels for both of Charle-Claire and Lewis Hamilton's future

that the team has to hit the ground running heading into next year. And it's not even that

long. It's not even that long away. It's not going to feel like a much of a season break at all.

Yeah, I really hope the investment that on the outside it seems they've put into this year isn't

as large as what has actually happened by the fact that they have built an entire almost

new car for this year and it's not worked out. And I do actually wonder whether Charle-Claire

was, in fact, the question we had about the gravel strips being really necessary.

And maybe that was his burner account. Because, yes, he was not happy in the slightest with

those gravel strips. Right. That is it. Thank you, everybody, for tuning in to the P1 podcast

with Matt and Alex. Thank you, Alex, for coming in and sharing your thoughts as always. I know a

lot of people love to listen to you, of course, on F1 TV as well. A reminder that your wonderful

book, The Grid to Glory is out. Where can you buy it? Come on. Tell everyone where you can buy it.

All good bookshops and some bad ones as well. Okay. All of them. Anyone that'll love it?

All of them. Honestly, I'm not sure. You can get it in all the usual ones.

And, yeah, it's available on a small website called Amazon as well. So there you go.

Oh, yeah. Okay. All right. I think I might have heard of that. And finally, I have to,

because I always ask Tommy, what are your final thoughts? Final thoughts are epic run. It's

about 370 meters down to turn one. It's going to decide the world championship, I think,

because I think if it turns into a last round decider, I think it's just going to be a roulette

wheel. But if Linder can get ahead, he's champion of the world. There you go.

Tune in tomorrow. Hopefully it's better than just one lap. Fingers crossed.

Thank you, Alex. And we'll see you soon. Bye.

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