Barcelona is a famous race track in Spain where Formula One races. It has a blend of fast sections and twisty corners, so the car has to handle well and keep its tires working.
Formula One is the highest level of open-wheel racing. Drivers race for a championship over many events, and teams keep improving the cars during the season.
In Formula One, the development process is the ongoing cycle of designing, testing, and updating the car throughout the season. Teams use race data and simulation to decide what to improve next, aiming to close performance gaps step by step.
Term
unload
Here “unload” means the team brings new parts or updates to the track. The point is that after installing them, they keep finding more issues instead of improvements working as expected.
Pierre Gasly is a Formula 1 race driver. When people mention him in a race conversation, they’re usually talking about what happened to him in that weekend’s event.
Car
Aston Martin
Aston Martin is a racing team in Formula 1. Here it’s being used as a comparison for how the cars look.
Alonso is a long-time Formula 1 driver. The hosts are talking about whether he can still fight near the front next season, depending on how good the car becomes.
Lewis Hamilton is a top Formula 1 driver and a multiple-time world champion. Here, they’re saying he still finished near the front despite trouble for others.
Medium-speed corners are turns you take fairly quickly, but not at the very slow “hairpin” pace. They matter because they affect how hot the tires get and how stable the car feels through the turn.
Power delivery is how the car feeds engine power to the wheels. If it’s too aggressive, the tires can lose grip; if it’s too gentle, you don’t accelerate as quickly out of the turn.
“Super clipping” sounds like a special racing technique the team uses to keep the car working in the best way. The exact meaning isn’t fully explained in this clip, but it’s tied to how the car’s aero and control systems behave.
The Volkswagen Jetta is a small car (a sedan) made for everyday driving. It’s meant to be comfortable and efficient, and it’s been sold for many years. People talk about it a lot because it’s a common, easy-to-understand option in the sedan category.
The FIA is the organization that governs major motorsport rules. In this discussion, they’re described as testing engines to see how much power they make.
“Tier three” is a middle group in the ranking. In this segment, Ferrari and Audi are placed there because their engines make less power than Red Bull, but more than the lowest tier.
“Final tier” means the lowest group in the ranking. Here, Honda is placed last because its engine is described as making the least power compared with Red Bull.
A cost cap is a rule that limits how much racing teams are allowed to spend. The idea is to keep the sport more competitive and prevent the biggest teams from outspending everyone else.
Red Bull is the Formula 1 team in this conversation. The host is saying Red Bull’s engine is strong, but other parts of the car (like the chassis) and testing details are affecting results.
In modern hybrid race cars, “electronics” includes the control systems that manage power delivery—how the engine, motor, and energy systems work together. The speaker claims the FIA tests aren’t checking these electronics as part of the engine evaluation, which can change how “best engine” is interpreted.
Mercedes is the other Formula 1 team/engine program being discussed. The point here is that the testing method may not fully reflect how Mercedes’s engine and control systems work together.
They’re talking about how the car’s total energy comes from two places. One part comes from the fuel-burning engine, and the other part comes from the electric system, and the percentages are expected to shift with new rules.
They’re splitting the car’s power into two sources: fuel-burning and electric. “Electricity” means the energy from the hybrid/electric parts that help the engine make power.
A fuel cell is a device that makes electricity from fuel using chemistry, not by burning it like a normal engine. The host is saying teams are preparing their energy systems around this for the new rules.
They’re saying the car will use more fuel under the new rules—about 5% more next year. That matters because it can change how teams plan their race strategy.
Fuel tanks are how much fuel the car can carry. If the rules don’t let teams increase tank size while the car uses more fuel, they have less flexibility during the race.
The pit lane in Monaco is the area where teams pull in to change tires and make adjustments during the race. If the track measurements for that lane are wrong, it can affect how officials judge whether a car was speeding.
A “hearing” is like an official review meeting. Teams show evidence, and the FIA decides whether the earlier ruling should be changed. Until that’s done, the final results can be uncertain.
This means the race standings might not be final yet. If the FIA hearing finds the earlier decision was based on bad information, the positions on the podium could change.
The podium is the top-three spot in a race. If penalties change after an official review, a driver’s finishing position can move into or out of those top three places.
Penalties are official punishments for breaking the rules in a race. They can be things like adding time or requiring a drive-through, and they can change the final finishing order.
A “drive-through” penalty means the driver has to go through the pit lane as a punishment, usually without stopping. It costs time, so it affects where they finish.
Term
Sao Paulo 2024
This is a reference to the Formula 1 race in São Paulo in 2024. The speaker is saying this would be the driver’s first podium since that earlier race.
LIVE
Hello, one and all, welcome to the Pit Strait once again, because it is Thursday, I think
Finley, I'm not entirely sure, and this is front.
Is it?
I have no idea.
It's all one long nightmare at this point, but either way, it is a day that ends in why
and in this front stretch, and we are back on the Pit Strait to break down a rare until
this point in the year, not so rare going forward, Formula One only episode of the show.
Finley, how are you?
I'm doing okay, you know, usually we're supposed to have these in like September, I mean I
don't know what's going on with the Indy call, but don't ask me, it's not a fun conversation.
The mid-midsummer break?
Yeah, no kidding, no kidding, but you know, we've got some open wheel racing going on
to go over, so I'll try to be grateful for what I do have and happy with my keep in life
and we'll get right into it.
So this week, the F1 Circus rolls into Spain at the Circuit de Barcelona, Catalonia for
the last of its kind, grand prix on this circuit for the time being.
Some people are calling it the last race on this circuit, maybe because the name is changing
or something, but either way, Finley, things are about to change insofar as Formula One
in Spain is concerned.
What can you tell us?
Well, the name's already changed.
I believe this weekend is the Barcelona, Catalina, Catalonia grand prix instead of the Spanish
grand prix.
That's because the Mad Wing in September is officially the Spanish grand prix.
So starting next year, they are going to be rotating this race along with Spa, where
Barcelona, Catalonia will be on the schedule every
odd year.
Even year.
No, no, it'll be on the schedule.
No, Spa will be on the schedule of the odd year.
I mean, even year.
Oh, no, really?
Wait a minute.
Yeah, yeah, there were Jason Stoltz next year and Spa is on the schedule next year.
Yes, but next year is 2027, which is an odd year.
So Barcelona will be on the even years.
Oh, yeah, you're right.
OK, don't scare me like that.
I'm sorry, it's midway through June and I'm still in 2025 mode for some reason.
It's hot as hell in D.C.
It's OK, yes.
I mean, we also have no clue as far as if the Mad Wing is even going to happen
because I've heard that there are some construction delays and apparently the area
around the track is behind schedule.
So I mean, but at the same point, even if that way gets
we scheduled or removed or postponed or whatever, like it should be ready to go by next year.
And yeah, it's kind of the same, really, because
the sockets have been around since what, the 90s?
One or 92, I think.
Yeah, it's a very all of the teams won the simulations around the socket
when they're not doing like specific setup work for sockets
just because there's a it's a very balanced socket and it's a great spot for testing.
I love it now that we've gotten rid of that Bickey Mouse
and the cane at the very end.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
It's it's kind of surreal still, even though we've known that the race
in Madrid was coming for some time to see this trended Formula One
that we're seeing so many historic circuits come under some kind of existential fire.
You know, Mons' contract renewal drama was a huge thing throughout the 2010s.
Like you said, Barcelona has been on the calendar since the very early 90s.
You know, certain races there were fantastic, like 2017, 1992.
I think it was the Manson Center had their big battle.
And then some of them were just freakishly historic, like 2016.
The Mercedes collide and Verstappen goes through for his first win.
You got to mention sumaco, I think in what 97, 98.
Oh, well, he lost like his, I think, second or third year
and he's still won by like 10 seconds or something insane like that.
Man, you're.
Yeah, it was the force.
I think I believe it was the forced win for Michael in Ferrari.
Oh, yeah, OK.
Yeah, that would have been.
Wouldn't that have been 97?
Because he bought BOMO for the championship in 97.
Yeah, someone now. Yeah.
Gotcha, gotcha. Yikes, man.
And so then we're we're trading this out.
We're not trading it out completely.
It'll be back up in rotation.
But we're trading this out for the staple of F1 in Spain,
becoming a street circuit that, you know, at least going by what we see
on the 2026 F1 video game DLC kind of looks like the street circuit
from Hanoi, in my opinion, I mean, it's I don't know if it's a great look.
No, and the Hanoi circuit was, thank God,
that didn't end up happening because that's really bad.
Apparently, the circuit, the mad wing is supposedly fine with qualifying,
but waste wise, like I kind of wish we could go back to Valencia and all honesty,
even though apparently that those streets are just still kind of sitting,
though, it sucks.
But a big part of why they went to Madrid
in addition to Madrid paying them a hell of a lot of money
is because, you know, it is scientists hometown and he is one of the big stars.
So and I think I think Alonzo is a little closer to Barcelona.
Oh, I think he's like more than the northern
northern area of Spain.
I don't I'm not good at my Spain geography.
I haven't played your truck simulator recently.
Oh, gosh, yeah, you know, me neither.
I haven't played it ever.
But let's, you know, before we dive into some of the questions
we have about this upcoming race, let's talk a bit and switch our order
and go into Alonzo because Fernando has said on the record
to the media now that this is very possibly his last Formula One race at Barcelona.
I think he said this is probably his life, probably even worse.
So, yeah, he followed that up by spot with some language
that Demy suggested that he's not rushing himself toward a retirement.
But we've talked a lot about whether or not Fernando Alonzo is going to stick around
and go through the development process with Aston Martin
and try to get himself into a championship winning car one more time.
I don't think there's any doubt that Fernando Alonzo,
even at his age in a championship caliber car, would be would be a sight to behold.
But, you know, every time, every time something involving the longevity
of Fernando Alonzo comes up, I get a little bit of a chill down my spine and I fit in my stomach.
Yeah, he got a point.
Last week, he said, he said last week, it's like every time they unload now,
they find something new that's wrong with the call.
Like, it's like, OK, we have a bad engine, maybe we have a good chassis
and then they unloaded Monaco and they're still way off.
It's like, OK, everything's bad now.
I don't blame him if he decides this is it because, I mean, it's not.
I mean, Aston's not going to build him a good call.
I think the one kind of Trump call he has in his back pocket is that he does have
the Buettore connection at Halpheam.
So, I mean, I'm so Buettore would drop Colopento for him, but, like,
do you want to swap teams and go back over to Enstown, like, at, what, 45, 46?
Yeah, yeah.
And it's not, you know, now we need to be careful because we'll have to,
we can touch a bit on Pierre Gasly and what happened without being this past weekend.
But that's not a car that I think many people would say necessarily looks
it's better than the Aston Martin.
That's a very low bar to clear.
It's not clear to me that that's a car that Alonso could wind up in next year,
just just guessing on the development trajectory and be fighting for podiums
or, you know, the top half of the points positions.
It's got a better engine.
I mean, supposedly it's only got the second best engine.
It's a huge improvement on the Honda.
But yeah, I mean, at this point, Alonso, I think.
I do think there's a bit of him that's like he went away from F1
and didn't like it that much.
So he just came back and is trying to hold on as long as he can.
But how do you keep the passing up when it's like
you don't even you wouldn't he wouldn't have even gone to point this week
if President screw up on the red flag we stole?
Like, yeah, they got incredibly lucky.
And it's like, and now not only that, but, you know, now he's a father.
Now he's a dad.
So are you really just going to keep going on this grind?
Or are you just going to waste whenever you want to and win whenever you want to?
To like Alonso could serve at the Chili Bowl and like he's got like
he's he's shown videos of himself in a squint call like way so on adult on adult
old like he could do it like and he would like.
I mean, that's just one example, too.
Like he could go on a bone storming toll of the United States.
Like be a heck of a lot of fun.
Like well, he still has an open invitation to the Daytona 500
standing from 2019 if I recall correctly as well.
Yeah, I wonder who would I'm sure Justin Malt would like him.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
There you go. My project 91 die cast are not visible right now,
but that's where mine goes as well.
Now, the last time Fernando Alonso stood on the top step of the podium
in Formula One, if my memory serves was at this track thirteen years ago
in Ferrari red and going into the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend,
our colleague Peter was on here and he was explaining to us his reason
as to why Ferrari kind of looked like the team to beat for that race.
And they were on for a damn good finish
until the thing happened with Charlotte Claire
in the final corner with his break issues.
Lewis Hamilton still brought it home in second place behind Kimmy Antonelli,
the increasingly inevitable Kimmy Antonelli from Mercedes.
Is there any reason for us to think that Ferrari can keep up this pace
at such a radically different circuit like Barcelona this weekend?
I mean, Lewis has been looking out of his mind recently, like
I don't know, something seemed to click with him over the past month or so.
If anybody could keep that momentum up right now, it's him.
But at the same point, you know, Barcelona is completely different
from Monaco as far as just just a lot of like medium speed corners.
So this track, there's not a whole lot of passing that happens usually,
just because there's not a whole lot of slow speed corners from,
you know, like these strikes or anything.
So because of that, you know, I think tone one is like a medium speed corner,
even though it's preceded by a long straight.
So it's completely different from Monaco, which is just all small corners all the time.
Ferrari also needs to figure out how to find speed during the weekend
because they'll unload fast and then, you know, like I'm qualifying.
They're usually pretty, you know, doesn't really matter at that point.
So, you know, especially compared to Kimmy.
Everything, everything compared to Kimmy right now, man, it's kind of, it's insane.
It's really something looking at this track.
Did you see George has less points now than he did last year at this time?
I have no trouble believing it.
I mean, this has just been absolutely brutal in every possible.
Yeah, no, no, no.
So looking at this track, just in so far as the regulations for this year are
concerned, because it's June 11th when we're recording this, you still need multiple
master's degrees and a couple PhDs to understand the electronics and the power
delivery and the active arrow and the super clipping and all of this stuff.
Being a track full of medium corners, there's that one breaking point.
It's heading out of turn 1234
But gosh, there really isn't one, let's just be blunt about it.
Are there any opportunities for drivers to really lift and coast and harvest
energy to ensure that we don't end up in a DRS or, you know, follow
the leader progression style race?
Now, I think this is going to be pretty bad.
As far as just the corn set of regulations go, you're just not going to
have these cars breaking enough into the corners to generate enough energy.
I mean, it's not going to be as bad as it would have been if Jetta
won the schedule still, because that would have been really bad.
But yeah, like, I mean, say this and I mean, I haven't seen the
forecast. I mean, who knows, like anything could change in Formula One.
But I'm not really expecting that much out of this weekend.
Joy, just fantastic.
It's a great time to be alive.
I'm expecting a Kimmy win.
But besides that, it's like, no, what could possibly make him say?
I don't know.
The Italians won the world, apparently.
I guess.
Between Kimmy and Folloy and, I think, the MotoGP Ponsiliters talent.
If it's still Betsaki, I think, yeah, Marco Betsaki.
Open this year in crazy form, it probably is still him.
OK, so let's put our academia caps on for a second and get into the
the zeitgeist, I guess, of power units in Formula One right now.
And this this ADUO, this additional development and upgrade opportunities thing
for a lot of people, myself included to some extent, it's just kind of straight
over their head, but we're seeing a lot of writing about it.
And we're hearing a lot of talk about it.
What makes ADUO so significant?
Well, it's simple.
The FIA will, you know, they just tested the engines to see which is producing,
you know, where they are as far as horsepower produced.
And currently, the best engine is the Red Bull Ford engine.
Second is the Mercedes, which has about.
Oh, my goodness, I just lost it.
Oh, there it is.
The Mercedes has somewhere between 12 and 24 less horsepower.
So that's tier two, essentially.
So we've got tier one is Red Bull, tier two is Mercedes.
Tier three is Ferrari and Audi because they're producing between 24 to 36
less horsepower than Red Bull.
And then the final tier is Honda, which is producing
36 to 48 less horsepower.
So basically, Mercedes is now going to be able to bring an extra, they're going
to be able to develop the engine a little bit more and bring on a new spec.
I believe one this year and one next year.
For always going to be bringing out, for in Audi are going to be able to bring
two specs this year and two specs next year, like just being able to change
the engine and make it a little faster.
And the Honda is going to get that.
And it's also going to get more, they're going to weigh some of the
cost cap for engines and development, you know, time.
So that way is Honda can get even more of a chance to pick it up just a little bit.
Meanwhile, Red Bull is just they're not developing anything right now
because they have the best engine.
Yeah.
I mean, so their credit for them, the constructors, it's, it's not
last, they have two problems right now.
One is the chassis.
And the other part is, and this is kind of the confusing thing.
When the FIA tested the engines, the only check, they are only checking
the ice being total combustion engine.
They're not checking the electronics.
And that's why Mercedes has the best engine in reality.
But in these tests, they don't, because they have a better electric program.
Red Bull does not have the best electric program.
And that's why they're not dominating right now, along with their chassis.
So let's assume all things rain equal and that the, you know,
the difference of the chassis, the aerodynamics, everything except this
engine on paper and this flow proposal of changing the power delivery ratio
from 5050 to 6040 in favor of the combustion engine and the, the hyper
power and the electronic components take a backseat.
Assuming all of the things remain equal, that's why it's a hypothetical,
which is why it's a bad question, which is why I have to ask it on the air.
Does the Mercedes advantage as it sits right now, is it large enough to
withstand a potential shift of the power ratio in a team like Red Bull's favor?
Does Mercedes remain the best car by a measurable margin?
I think so.
Because, I mean, Kimmy and George were going to win this week,
even though the Monaco did, I mean, Monaco doesn't really mean much for engines.
So, yeah.
And I think the best way to put it in visualizer for viewers, I've got my
little laptop all here, right?
So if we pretend this entire ball represents how much power a Formula
one engine program can make, right?
So right here, it's a little over 50%.
So the larger side here is how much the ice is producing.
And this is how much the electricity is responsible for, right?
So, next year, with these new engine regulations, these minor engine
regulations, we're going to have it go a little more here, about 58%.
And then in 2028, it's going to go even just a tiny bit more.
It's going to be just a slight increase in power.
It's going to go from 53 to 47% this year to 58, 42% next year, and then
2028, 60, 40.
Now, part of that as well is that teams have already designed fuel cells for
these cars.
The cars are going to be burning about 5% more fuel next year.
And then in 2028, they'll be burning about 13% more fuel next year.
Now, what that means too is if you do that and you can't make the fuel
tanks bigger for regulation and ball agreement with the teams, then you're
going to have to make the races solar.
So that's why next year, they haven't, they've kind of said that they're
going to show them the races, but they haven't officially said it yet.
But yes, the races are going to probably be sold next year slightly by a lap or
two because of this and they'll get even solar in 2028.
It seems to me like something, and Peter wrote about this a bit on
Frontstretch, the manufacturers are almost certainly not going to come down
on the same page of this whatsoever.
You know, I can see, I can see teams like Mercedes and Red Bull kind of being
in a position where they can say, we are just such behemoths, financially, human
capital-wise, all that research and development, they can kind of absorb
these kind of shocks that they absolutely have to.
They might not want to, but it's not, it's not, you know, existential or crucial for
them. A new entry into the Formula 1 grid like Audi could look at that and go,
are you serious?
You know, to quote our fearless leader, Joe Biden, this is malarkey.
Well, I mean, the big question now is what does Cadillac think about all this?
Because remember, they're supposed to be coming in, I think, in 2028.
They haven't said anything since they approved this, I don't believe.
Currently, they use Ferrari engines, but that's going to be going away,
supposedly. And you got to figure, too, that, you know, Ford is with Red
Bull now in large part because of the electrification.
I don't know what Ford thinks about all this, at least in the long term
future. It's a crazy time to be alive, man.
It just, it never ends.
I want to close with one thing, though.
I have to, I have to quarrel with you a bit here, and I'm sorry to do it with you
in front of your cat, but you said that either Kimmy or George
are going to win this weekend.
We all remember what happened last time that two Mercedes drivers came into
this race dominating the season to this point in a year that ended with the
number six. Yeah.
I mean, you never know.
It has no bearing on the conversation whatsoever.
I just love the sound of my own voice.
And I have to say.
I do have to mention, too, something we forgot to put on our outline
that we should probably mention is, yeah, yes, yes, that is used.
Let me I'm going to go pull up the document right now.
We still do not have the results of the Monaco Grand Prix.
So, yes.
So, yes, so officially
for the FIA Wolves.
The results of any ways can be challenged within, I think, three days,
96 hours of the race.
And not only that, but basically any waste result isn't completely locked in
until after the prize giving ceremony at the end of the year.
Just ask our buddy, Felipe, about that.
So, four.
If I recall correctly, Alpine has won their right of appeal.
Yes. So basically, the FIA has come out and said.
The Alpine was able to present information that was basically.
Evidence that the distance used in calculating the F1 official timing
was inaccurate and overestimated the speed of content.
So, basically, there was a measurement issue with the Monaco pit lane.
I don't know how because they've been racing in Monaco for 100 years now.
Like I thought it'd be pretty well traveled at this point, but, yeah.
What presented us from every team except for Mercedes will be part of this hearing.
Basically, what happened today is the FIA said, yes, you've presented us new information.
We will now have a hearing about this.
So, because of that, the results are kind of in question for now.
Officially, Pia is not on the podium.
And not only that, but I mean, the FIA could do a number of things.
I don't think it's going to we send any penalties besides maybe Pia's.
In part because other teams didn't protest it in part and other.
It's also your willy going into the weeds too.
Because you figure are you going to we send all of George's penalties?
Because he had to drive through.
How do you we send that?
So, like, yeah.
And I think that's also I would say he's a part of this because it's like,
doesn't really matter for us.
Well, if that if that comes to pass in closing, you know, that moves Pia from like you said,
seventh was where he was scored after the penalties to third on the podium.
His first since Sao Paulo 2024.
Yes.
And it would knock Isaac Hajar off the podium with the gap between Hajar and Gasly
with Lawson in the middle as it stands that bumps Gasly from 10th to eighth in points
and probably puts him less than 10 points behind first up and in seventh.
So it would be huge for Alpine while Franco Calepinto, you know, lingers in 12th with
something like 16 or 15 points on the season.
Yeah, he's been looking good, Franco.
Not as good as Gasly, but yeah.
That's kind of a trend among Gasly's teammates.
Well, I mean, it helps too that like Franco doesn't have his boss basically in his ear
saying, you class the call on you get fired, you know, you know, he does.
He feels a lot more looser.
Like, I think those in Miami, he just looked really good.
Well, we will be back around this time next week with a whole new race worth of action to talk about
and hopefully if there's any justice in the universe, we'll have a finalized set of results for the Monaco Grand Prix.
In the meantime, you can follow everything we're doing at Frontstretch on the web at Frontstretch.com,
on YouTube at Frontstretch at FS Open Wheel, at Frontstretch Grassroots,
and at Frontstretch Plus on Facebook at Frontstretch, Instagram at Frontstretch.dot.com,
on Twitter at Frontstretch and at FS Open Wheel.
I know, Finley, it's awful.
I'm on Twitter at AlexMGinz and you are on BluesGuy at FinleyFactor.com.
Take a breath, let the blood pressure come down.
Finley, thanks for coming on and hopefully we'll have something great to talk about in the near future.
Yeah, and, you know, I just love that somebody made the joke that it's Alonzo got his points because of Classgate 2.0.
You're telling that stolen with Lance Glass.
Oh my gosh.
I'm easy with that.
I hate this, we're ending the show.
That's it, we're done, it's canceled.
All right, well, thank you all for tuning in and Finley, we will see each other very soon, I'm sure.
Yes.
About this episode
The hosts kick off with Barcelona’s swan song on the F1 calendar, noting “the Barcelona, Catalonia, Catalonia grand prix” name and the plan to rotate it with Spa starting next year. They debate odd/even scheduling and talk about construction delays around the track. From there, they look back at Barcelona’s early-90s roots and key incidents, then pivot to what replaces it: a Spanish street circuit. They also weigh Alonso’s possible last Barcelona race, FIA engine testing/appeals, and how electronics, energy harvesting, and power splits could shape outcomes.
