Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Doesy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello, very good to be here and great to have
you on board. Another big weekend of Formula One. Well,
they all are as far as I'm concerned. But it's
the fun and games over in Miami. As a Formula
one carries on to try and conquer motorsports state side,
which is an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. But there's
a lot of bizazz around this race, isn't there. They're
(00:35):
not laying down, They're really making a party out of it.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah. I think it's a good way to put its bizzaz.
I think it was interesting.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
I was reading a column in ESPN actually one of
the American reporters who could come over the race and
sort of likened it to America's own Monaco, and he said,
of course that sounds blasphemous in Formula one terms. I
understand the point he's making because Miami, all three American
racers really try to differentiate themselves and that's why they're
able to sustain three as well as the massive population.
(01:02):
But Miami's really going for that vibe. It's really celebrity heavy.
It's jam packed in terms of the sponsorship events, the
marketing events, even events for fans. The track itself in
terms of the campus area, let's say, with the fans
are or the people attending the race are is super
busy as well.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
This isn't just the track.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
You go to it and watch cars for ninety minutes
on a Sunday and that's it.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Massive event. Formula ones really played into that. It has
a little bit of a stake in this as well.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Not to the size of Las Vegas, but certainly there's
interest in making sure this event can be pulled off
and every year gets a little bit bigger, and every
year as well that the tracks tweaked a little bit
as well to try and improve the racing spectul So
I haven't forgotten about that either, but it is definitely
a big one on the calendar.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, being a trajector, an officiado and adic whatever you
want to call yourself. Michael around Formula one, be honest
with me, what do you think of the racetrack itself?
Does it do the sport any favors?
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Look, it's not a classic, let's be honest, it's not
one of the great circuits. The first sector is all right,
because we get to see, particularly with this regulation of
cars which prefers high speed to low speed, that first
sector is pretty quick and I think that you do
get a decent bit of perspective on how these cars
work there. But in sort of the back section, when
it's going under the batch of freeway where it has
to be super slow for safety reasons, it doesn't really
(02:16):
contribute anything. I don't think you find too many drivers
who think they do. So if they could change that,
they've said they can't really because of the geography of
the land. I think it would be massively improved. It's
by no means the worst track, and I think it's okay,
but I don't think it's one that try is a
really dreaming of when they are falling asleep.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
You're very polite. I just like it when they go
back to Europe. But I'm allowed to say that. You
can turn out to the races so much. Let's look
at the competition itself, though plainly in New Zealand we're
still very interested in Liam Lawson. His car's livery is
now bright pink. I suppose it's better than having a
blue hat. That's what the Ferrari have got pineapple on
a pizza. I think the Toposi calling it the duck.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
They don't like it.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Where are we running with Liam Lawson as he settles
into the racing ball, of course, his big fighters up
against Haja and that guy's got potential world champion written
all over them.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
In my eyes, it st I think is the right word,
because we started to see that last time out in
Saudi Arabia. So his third race back with the team
after being swapped out from Red Bull Racing, and he
was much improved. Yeah qualified isac Hadja finished behind him
in the end and Copt the penalty late, but the
race even then his race base was good. It was
still maybe half a step behind Hadjab. But that's the
transition we're expecting. We're seeing in fact, up and down
(03:25):
the grid drivers who were changing teams, and no drivers
had to change teams in the middle of the season
except for Lawson yet, so even cut in some slack
there that it is hard. I feel like this is
probably the hardest generation of Formula One car yet to
change teams. And we're also in the last year of
the rules, so they're getting particularly difficult and developments are going.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
To be few and far between to help drivers settles.
It's really only up themselves.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
But we did see a nice step forward in I
expect another one this weekend. Again not a track he's
been at though before though, so count that against his progress.
It will be really be when we get back to
Europe that to be able to sort of study stuff
a little bit more so.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
It'd still considered this.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
Part of that preparatory phase. But what we saw in
Saudi Araba was really promising. And like you say, Isaac
does prove himself to be super quick, especially over one lap,
but maybe in race he's pretty good, so he far
is hard, but once he reaches it, I'm confident he
will because he did a little bit more experience over
Isaac as well. Then we'll know that he's sort of
back on tap and I expect him to have a
good season.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
From them go.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
To the top of the table, which is where most
of the focus is a lot of around Maxwells staff
and Execuly what he's going to do now he's won
this race we back in twenty two and twenty three,
but the front runners are McLaren and Lando Norris tasted
victory there last year. But of course your countryman Piastre
is having quite a time. This is shaping as a
wonderful battle between two teammates, which is the healthy in
(04:45):
days of Formula One, isn't it. We love this enter
team argument. I just hope this time around they determine
who the number one driver is reasonably quickly so they
don't cannibalize each other's chances of winning the title.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
Well, that's sort of the question of this early part
of the season, isn't it, Because we're still waiting to
see if one team is going to emerge as a
regular threat. It was interesting hearing both McLaren d I
was pectoscopy Astri in the lead up to this race saying,
we know we're consistently good at pretty much every track,
and they should do really well here because they're really
good at hot tracks and this being a daytime race
in Florida, it's super hot there. But every different team
(05:21):
that's trying to challenge them, you know, we saw a
really good challenge from Red Bull in Saudi Arabia where
Max probably had the pace to win the previous week
I think it was Mercedes week before it was red
Bull again, and that means that no other team all
the other teams, I guess, are cannibalizing each other's points
at the same time, so neither McLaren drivers really felt
that the sting of that. Yet admittedly Norris is I
think only two points ahead of a staffand we are
(05:42):
only five races into the season, so that.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Will become a question or that'll become a matter later on.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
It's got to remain in the back of McLaren's mind,
which means all they can really do now is playing
even back, because I think the last thing you want
to do is start picking a number one now and
then discover actually no one turns up to challenge them,
and you've just massively hampered one of the drivers.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
But this will be an important.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
Race as well, because, like you said, this was a
big race for McLaren last year was when they comeback
really started. It was Norris's Furnace victory and he'll obviously
want to use that as an excuse or a reason
rather to bounce back this weekend after a little bit
of perform the last two Grand Prix. But on the
reverse side of that, this is a race Piastri probably
should have won last year had the safety guard time
having been any kind to.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Him either a lap or a lap later.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Really he would have won this race. He was the
fast and a driver last year, so well, Narras is
hoping to rekindle good memories. Piastri could very much also
approach this is avenging that lost victory. So I expected
to be a really interesting fight.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Fox Sport Michael or Lamonato joining us. Looking forward to
the Miami Grand Prix. Of course there's two races, because
there's a sprint race as well. I mean that is
ideal for the American market, isn't There's always something on,
although the driver's not experienced by Ami White, like the
fact they actually don't get to show a bit of
tow around there and ask because this is the basically
no practice there's one anyway, So it makes it difficult,
(07:01):
but high entertainment for the fans.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, that's exactly right. Any driver changing teams should be
thinking that same way. Although we ask Lewis Hamilton or
he wasn't particularly for both in the press conference overnight.
He's still clearly not feeling super comfortable at Ferrari. But
of course he won the last sprint race in China,
the one real highlight of what's been a pretty disappointing
start to the season, and.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
That speaks to that variability we get in sprint races.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
With only one practice session, you don't get that much
of a chance to set up your car.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
If you just kind of naturally quick out of the garage,
you can.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Score some points, not massive points on offer, but you
can score a big result one way or another before
everyone kind of figures things out in time for qualifying
and the race on Saturday night and Sunday, So it's
always an opportunity for an unusual result, particularly in the
midfield where points are way harder to come by in
the top of eight to score of course in the sprint,
which trakes it a little bit harder for the midfield
to begin with, but there's always a bit of a
random result, maybe just behind the winner, and it makes
(07:53):
it that much more interesting. And yes, of course it
does make it more interesting for an American market that
while it's it is booming.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
For Formula one way bigger than it was even only
a couple of years ago.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Still very much I think in the establishment phase is
the way I Formula one one's approached. They're not taking
anything for granted, so more racing is always better.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
And interestingly, two and a half hours before the start
of the race, which is at o'clark, New zeal On
time on Monday morning, IndyCar gets us giggle on at Alabama,
so almost a direct competition between the two Open World categories. Michael,
one last thing before you going, as always, thanks so
much for joining us here at news talk ZB. Out
of all of the other races, who drives your interest? Yes,
(08:34):
Oscar Pistor, Yes they're stepping from our point of view,
it's Liam Lawson. But when you look amongst the crowd,
and you look amongst the new drivers and some of
the drivers trying to pull their career up again, where's
the action at do you think?
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Yeah, it's a great question. I think actually we've probably
got the strongest greed Formula One that's had in a
long time. Because all the teams are so financially healthy.
There aren't really any pay drivers on there, anyone you
could really accuse that of being I guess he's lant
strolled because he's dad owns the team.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
But even then we shouldn't forget he had quite a successful.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Junior career and he's pretty quick occasionally, is right in
the mix when the car is capable of being. But
I think for me the driver is almost underrated is
char Let Clair. I know he's obviously a front runner
and multiple race winner, but he just hasn't been in
a Ferrari that's been capable of taking a title fight
all the way to the end of the season or
even halfway through the season. I'd love Ferrari become competitive,
(09:23):
purely to see him stretch his legs and of course
if that happens this year or even next year, like
Lewis Hamilton behind him, and that's sort of the makings
of a career arc, isn't it. So for him, he's
the one I really want to see more from, but
we just haven't had the opportunity for.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
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