December 2, 2024 • 54 mins
McLaren and Ferrari will take the constructors championship down to the first this weekend in Abu Dhabi after a stalemate in Qatar. Meanwhile, at Alpine, Jack Doohan is preparing to make his shock F1 debut in place of the ousted Esteban Ocon ahead of his first full-time season in 2025.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Pit Talk of Fox Sports and
Speed Cafe Formula one podcast. On today's episode, Australia is
set to have two Australians on the grid again from
this weekend, with Jack Doan set for an early F
one debut and Max Forstaffen wins for a ninth time
this year in Kata on another damaging weekend for teammates,
ser Joe Perez. My name's Michael Lamanato, motorsport writer for
(00:22):
Fox Sports Australia. It's great to have your company and
the company of my co host from Speed Cafe. He
was offered a postseason test with Haas, but he's chosen
to remain loyal to the podcast. He knows well it's.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Matt Cosh and just quietly, I'm hanging out for that
second Red Bull seat. I figure I'm in with a
good shot of that at the moment.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
How many there must be a lot of phone calls
being made. I mean it, no one can predict one
hundred percent what Red Bull wants to do as we
learn this year.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
But still just on the sly as I was walking
out of the circuit on Sunday night, as you walk
out the media room, sort of you looked here right,
and there's a RedBull hospitality site. There was a long,
orderly queue of drivers with helmets me out of that,
all looking nervously over the shoulder of the driver in front,
looking for Christian. I think there's a few drivers keen
(01:09):
on a drive for next year.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, so I paint some picture in two ways. First
of all, yes, we are talking to Matt from Kata
this weekend. And second, yes, all drivers get around the
paddock in full gear and helmets just so they're easily identifiable.
If you buy your program, you can line up the
helmet design. The helmet's design change constantly, d't They so
very frustrating from that perspective. But it has been an
interesting week in news. In fact, it's been an interesting
(01:31):
weekend in news, fast evolving, with news even breaking after
Sunday's race, referencing, of course, Jack Dowan's early F one debut.
We'll get to that a little bit later. Let's take
you through some of the five stories that might have
actually went missing over the course of the last four
or five days. So listen to the last podcast and
let's start with this. The Kuta Investment Authority will buy
a significant minority share in audis f one Project, which
(01:54):
is currently the sober team head of the German brand's
former debut in twenty twenty six. National Sovereign Wealth Fund
also owns a steak in parent company Volksfucker.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, So I already had a presence in Qatar over
the weekend and we're sort of giving a bit of
background on this, And basically the reason it's being explained
now is that they're about to take full learnership. When
already bought the team, it didn't take a one hundred
percent ownership steak. It's since acquired the bit that it
didn't buy originally from it's current of Fuinn rousing. That
(02:25):
completes in early early January. Beyond that, I've then got
full control. They can then sell a steak, which I've
done on to QA. That's a process bit ongoing for
the better part of twelve months. I've sold about and
depending up on who you believe, either thirty or thirty
three percent, But however you choose to cut that up,
(02:45):
it works out between sort of three hundred and fifty
million dollars, which puts evaluation on the team of about
a billion dollars, which when you accept that already paid
I think six hundred and fifty million for it. I've
taken money for jam and that cash will be used
to higher equipment and the higher new staff at Hinville.
So it's it's a logical move. It just puts in
(03:07):
the terms of the business, puts Audi in a similar
boat to what Mercedes is with Toto wolf inios and
Mercedes Benz ownership. Similar sort of deal with McLaren as well,
so it's sort of it makes sense. It's a lot
of news about some admin really well, I.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Think because advertising gambling is banned, we have to call
it a thirty percent kick in the sober team. Let's
go to Mercedes now, which is announced that Mick Schumacher
has chosen to leave his or a hole as reserve driver.
That was the way they phrased it, anyway, with the
German subsequently confirmed confirming he's continuing to race without feed
(03:43):
in the World in Durance Championship, but is now another
degree removed from any possible f one seas.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Well just moved on, hasn't it. And this is I
think we'll talk about this a little bit later, but
this is the battle that Franco colopinto will soon face
where unless you're in the limelight, you quickly form of
the limelight because the world moves on. You've got all
these new drivers coming up through Formula two, and they're
the ones that gather the headlines and the attention because
(04:10):
they're the ones who are watching race. Mick Schumcha didn't
do enough to really own his place there anyway, it'd
be interesting to see vouchery Botas if he lands there.
He's still very highly thought of within Mercedes, and then
whether that's a sort of stepping stone onto the team
formerly known as Andretti for twenty six will also be interesting.
(04:35):
So I think he's got to be a first Cup
off the rank of his experience and pedigree.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yes, well, you've stolen my thunder for item number three,
which is that valtry Botas has always confirmed he's going
to Mercedes as a reserve driver. Next to your homecoming
for him, but it does put it's emphasized I suppose
how important these reserve driver roles are. Maybe less so
for the teams, although they're increasingly leaning on them as well,
but certainly for the drivers, because it feels like in
the last year or so we've seen a great many
(05:00):
opportunities for reserve drivers to have another crack and keep
themselves in that limelight.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
You mentioned a good point there. It is a path
into Formula one for the drivers or a path back
into the grid for drivers, but also it's about developing
engineers and mechanics and those sorts of people who don't
get a lot of opportunities these days. So it's a
pathway into the race team short of an opening appearing
(05:26):
on pit wall for them to jump into. So it's
not just about running miles and getting some seat time
for a driver. It's more multifaceted than that, and vouchery
can add a lot of value there at ten time
Grand pre winner with some young engineers helping blood them
in at Mercedes, that's only going to be good news.
And he's also going to be a steady hand around
our and Kimmi Antonelli youd think, and.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
He's got a great social media presence, good merch so that.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Could brilliant, brilliant hair.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Let's look at the FIA now, let's start with the
positive story, because new F one race director Rui Marquez
has got off to a pretty positive start with his
relationship with the drivers who have praised the pre race
driver briefing in Kata is one of the most productive ever,
where FIA officials presented the proposed changes to the racing
rules that were first discussed about month and a half ago.
Now at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, that seemed to go really well. If you listen
to pretty much everyone who came out of that meeting,
they all say the same thing. That was productive and
they felt like they would listen to and even silly
things like you wind back to the Las Vegas Grand
Prix where they raise concerns about the pit entry line.
That was addressed overnight, So the feedback is being listened
to an address. So it seems as though they've got
more of a sounding board in Rue Marques than perhaps
(06:37):
what they used to have. But that was the first
half of your point, which is a positive news out
of the FAA, Michael, it suggests to me that you're
leaning towards something else.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yes, well, maybe much like our alternative championship. There's always
a negative looking around the corner or in full view.
In the case of that alternative championship. Our final point
is on the negative side and the move that will
have done nothing to improve those relations with drivers or
if one itself. If I President Mohammad ben Sulam says
it's none of anyone's business how he runs the FIA.
In an interview with Auto Sport, he also refused to
(07:08):
explain the departure of former F one race director Neil's
Vidage or any of the departures from the organization, as
he insists he can do pretty much what he likes
since he was elected.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It's a very combative interview that he gave, and then
there's more to come out of that. There's an hour
long interview, so I've sent a snippet to come out
of that. It was an interview with John Notwill at
Motorsport and Alan Borben I think of ap Associated Press.
So there's plenty more to come out of that yet.
(07:38):
But it's an interesting statement. It's a belligerent statement, and
I'm not sure it's beneficial. It also seems to contradict
the way in which he Mauma ben Sulam was was
voted in in that he was going for transparency and
unity and harmony, and here he has been very diictorial.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
He's been transparently belligerent. I suppose it's not pretending he's.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Not, so you know he's got your word's not mine.
I know he used the word president. I was question
addressed is.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I was quoting you? Thank you very much transparently. So anyway,
it's fine. I doubt he listens to the podcast. If
he does, that's okay. It's good for the numbers. So
it's fine. Let's move on our math to from our perspective,
the big news story of the week. It is an
objectively big news story of the week, though that is
an Estevar knock On will not be competing for LP
(08:34):
at the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.
In his place will be reserve driver and the man
appointed to replace him in twenty twenty five. Anyway, Jack Duin,
the Australian son of five times five hundred cc motorcycle
World champion Mickdoon. He was always on the periphery of
Formula One for the last year or so. He's gambled
to be the reserve driver this year in the hope
of boosting that opportunity to take up a chance at Alpine.
(08:56):
Did pay off when he signed to replace estebarknock On
next season, but it's all happening suddenly, very quickly. Let's
start with the Stevano on side of this first, because
that really was the biggest surprise out of this, less
so that it would be Jack replacing him. He's chosen,
He's effectively chosen. There was some negotiation negotiation involved to
(09:16):
not see out the season with Alpine in favor for
him making a little bit of a headstart with HEAs.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I don't know how much input he had into that choice,
shall we say, I think it might have been made
for him. Ochlan has been on thin ice with that
team for a long time, and I think back to
Monaco where he clouted Pierre ghastly. He was benched for
FP one in Canada. There was talk back then that
he missed the Canadian Grand Prix's punishment for that. You know,
(09:45):
there is one rule in Formula one where you don't
make contact with your teammate, and he pretty comprehensively broke
that one in Monaco, and tensions have remained throughout. Okay,
there was a double podium in South Paolo, but that
doesn't make up for all the other tension. I was
(10:07):
in the lpin hospitality at the end of the race
on Sunday night, and I was witnessed to an exchange
between the Oaks and a few engineers and it's not
so I can talk about verbatim, but it gave me
a very good insight into the esteem with which Esteban
is held within that organization and perhaps the motives to
(10:31):
the decision that they made. And it wasn't a simple
decision because Estun's management system is quite complicated. It's shared
between our pin and Mercedes, or will be until the
end of the year, so to make any decision on
what they do requires approval of both Toto Wolf and
(10:51):
Flavio Briatorio. So the lots of those conversations happening that
was going on throughout the weekend, but it was only
after the Grand Prix that that decision was made. Speaking
after the Grand Prix, you know, Olioaks team principle at
Alpine hadn't spoken to Jack Dowing, so the news hadn't
even gone to Jack at this point that the idea
was a possibility was out there, but confirmation hadn't been made.
(11:12):
And this is about an hour after the race that
we spoke, So it all came together quite quickly thereafter
because it was Monday morning, a local time here in
Qatar that it was all confirmed. Sort of announced it
himself post race in his comments to the media, sort
of saying that that was his last one and takes
to the mechanics and so on. But the deal that
(11:35):
was basically struck is yes, you can go off to
hass and test there at the postseason tests on the
Tuesday following Abu Derby, but in exchange for that half
a week's holiday and nice, which I believe where he's
got and everyone else's headed to Abu Derby. He's gone
to the beach. But the good news is for us
we've got Jack doing there. And Jack is a great kid.
(11:59):
He's yes, he's got the name, but he's done it himself.
He's done it the hard way. He's had to work
for everything. He took a hell of a risk at
the start of this year choosing not to race anything,
choosing instead to support the team. And you know, he's lucky,
and that the team has realized that it's got a
junior program there, and the idea with junior programs is
(12:20):
to eventually pick a driver out of it. So their
were concerns, and very serious concerns I might add that
Franco Colopinto would replace him before it even had a race.
I'm sure we'll get onto Franco a little bit later
on that that threat has dwindled to the point of
it's been extinguished. But all of this opens the door
(12:42):
for Jack to be the sixteenth Australian to start a
Formula one Grand Prix, be the second Australian on the
greed alongside alongside Oscar and the third Antipathy and with Land,
which is fabulous, fabulous news for us. And I'm doing
is just a hell of a name globally and it
(13:03):
is it is Motorsport Royalty in Australia. So there's While
I guess it's sad in many respects not to have
Esteban on the on the grid, I'm going to put
my Australian on, taking my my French hat firmly off,
and so I prefer it Jack.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I've got to stop carrying that French hat around everywhere.
That doesn't suit you.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Well, it's that or a big white sheet.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
We shouldn't feel too bad for estimating he's racing next year.
He's taking one race off and it sounds like you
say he's going to be spending at the beats. That's
someone sounds like a terrible deal. I mean, speaking a
very long season, I'm sure he could use some time
to put his feet up, and considering it's been mostly
arduous at Alpine, just probably do move on to Jack Duan,
or rather I guess in the context of Jack Dowan
getting this cease in the final race, when sixth in
(13:50):
the championship is still up for grabs, Alpine took another
step forward in that role, took back sixth place in
Kata with Pierre Gasly's great ten points of finishing fifth,
so it's out five points ahead of half. So I
mean there are relatively few points available in any weekend
for the midfield. But then peer Gasly does show you actually,
in some circumstances you can score big. So we can't
really say it's secure by any stretch of the imagination,
(14:12):
but Alpine does can feel maybe a little bit like
they can get done at least, But then they've made
this driver change very suddenly. But what's interesting here is
that you've really got to break down lpin season into
two halves. If you look at the season overall, on average,
actually it looks like Pier gaslinest Toba knock On a
pretty close. In fact, Espa not On. I think started
the season maybe looking a little bit more comfortable with
(14:33):
this car, which was an awful car. It has got
better quite a bit over the course of the season,
but since the mid season break it's been NonStop Pierre
Gasly pretty much. The qualifying margins blown out to more
than a quarter of a second. Gasly is qualifying on
average around three places ahead of oc On, which often
in the midfield is the difference between the Q one
and Q two or Q two and Q three, and
(14:54):
Ocon scored points only once since the mid season break.
Yes it was second place in Brazil. That shouldn't be
discounted as being an extra only important and lucrative score.
In fact, it's almost all of his points for the year.
But it just demonstrates to you that actually in the
second half of the year he hasn't really been delivering
for the team to the point where you might say, well,
Jack Dowan might come in. It's a track he knows
as well. It's not like Liam Lawson and Franco Colopinto
(15:16):
rocking up and doing most of the circuits I've ever
been at in fact, he's a winner here in Formula two,
so he knows his way around the place. He knows
his way around the team. Actually, probably not as dramatic
a change from that perspective. It still is obviously you've
got a guy hasn't raced all year, but it's probably
not the massive blow to your points scoring hopes that
maybe it would present itself as when we're placing a
(15:37):
driver has experienced as Estebanochen. I thought it was interesting
actually the hec on speaking this weekend. He's sort of
been hinting at it ever since he's dropped off the
pace really relative to Pierre Gasly that oh, maybe he's
not getting the same opportunities. He didn't have the upgraded
front wing this this weekend, so literally didn't quite have
the same car. But I guess that also just speaks
to that tension and maybe why the team would be
(15:58):
happy to be relief of that pressure, because he was
certainly unhappy with his lack of performance and seemed to
be trying to point the finger at the team.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
What I love about all of this is our Pene
is treating the Constructors Championship like the Alternative Championship. The
points don't matter. Seriously, this decision hasn't been the work
of a moment. It's been a consideration since June when
(16:28):
when Esteban announced that he would go to has. It's well,
what do you then do with a driver in that position.
Let's keep in mind that should our Pene finish sixth
in the constructors Championship, it will beat Has. So who
is Esteban driving for in Abu Dhabi. That's you know,
plant that one at the back of your head and
let the conspiracy nut back there go go crazy on it.
(16:50):
But also, as you mentioned Jack Scott experience here, he's
done a couple of FP one sessions here, He's got
plenty of postseason testing here, he's done that the last
couple of years as well. There's other running that he's
done here in the past. Obviously race here in Formula two.
Of all the tracks all year, this is the one
that he knows the best. So realistically, yes, there's gonna
(17:11):
be a little bit of time coming up to grips
with the car and the team and everything else and
blowing a bit of race rustiness off. But the actual
risk that he poses versus having Esteban in the car
in terms of the constructors Championship is again comparatively low
because you've got to imagine that the first seven positions
are going to be taken up by the two McClaren's
(17:32):
and Tumusades are two Ferraris and Max seventh, so eighth,
ninth and tenth are up for grabs. There's not a
lot of points there. Realistically, you expect on current form
Pierre Gasley will be in one of those three positions.
It doesn't leave much on offer for the likes of
hass or even Ab which they had a shoker in Qatar,
(17:52):
but they might bounce back this weekend, such as the
closeness of the of the midfield. If our pen is
going to take a risk or a punt on a driver,
this is the perfect weekend to do it. And when
you're looking bigger picture, if they finish fifth or if
they finish sixth, it will make a meaningful difference to
(18:18):
the to the championship. Off the top of my head,
it'll be worth about seven seven and a half million,
I think at this point. Maybe a little bit more
than that depends on Formula's profit and loss at the
end of the year and revenues and things, and we
won't know that until Q four comes through. But it's
(18:39):
not a huge loss. Yes, it is a gamble, but
then look at what other teams have done with rookies.
Look at McLaren with Oscar Piastre. They paid a driver
twenty plus million dollars not to race and then paid
Oscar to race. You know that's a that's a thirty
odd million dollar gamble on a rookie at the start
(19:02):
of the year. This is perhaps a seven million dollar
gamble on a rookie in the final race of the year,
when the odds of losing six are not insignificant but
comparatively controlled.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
I just want to talk about Jack and his debut
here now because I think this is also clever from
his perspective. His debut was set to be the Australian
Grand Prix, which would have been an extremely high pressure
situation because the new home Hero. Okay, there's a little
bit of Oscar Piastris to diffuse that, but there would
have been no escape and it was remarkable. I think
we've talked about this before how popular he was even
(19:35):
just as F two driver in Australia, so can only
imagine what it would have been like in his first
one with one Grand Prix, so it takes a little
bit of the pressure off that just by getting that
debut out of the way, allowing him to himself feel
a little bit of that pressure come off. What are
we expecting from him this weekend? Because I think it's important.
As you've mentioned, he hasn't raced all year. All he's
done is some private testing and be the reserve driver.
(19:57):
So it's been a long time since he sat on
a grid for a real start, long time since he's
had the pressure of qualifying. He hasn't driven this car
oh no yehy as an FP one sessions earlier in
the year, but hasn't driven it in race conditions or
for an extended period of time. So there's a lot
to adjust to this weekend. You'll have only a few
days to make that adjustment. As well, considering this was
all confirmed relatively late, he'll have already been doing a
(20:19):
lot of simulated stuff anyway, I suppose, so it's not
as if the leap to preparation is going to be massive.
What can we realistically expect of him this weekend or
is it better to perhaps go in with no expectations
given this is a little bit of a free kick.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
From what I can gather, and I asked that question
exactly of are the oaks? There are no expectations. It's
expected that the first race in a scenario like this
is going to be huge ask of any driver that
the learning curve is, well, it's not a curve, it's
a wall. It's going to be vertical for him because
(20:54):
it's not just going out there and knowing the controls
in the car, which he should know those backwards given
the time he spent within the car in F one
sessions and the simulate and all that sort of stuff,
so that should be more or less second nature to him.
But it's dealing with that, dealing with traffic, dealing with
the pressure, and then the nuance of the regulations. So
to pick one example which I'm sure we will touch
(21:15):
on a little bit later as well, but in Qatar,
the safety car lights there was a malfunction on those. Well,
the regulations stay that you must stay within ten car
links of the safety car while its lights are on.
So it's being aware of that level of detail in
the regulations that he will drop the ball somewhere. There's
just so many regulations is almost guaranteed. But that's what
(21:36):
this event isn't all about. Get some of those cobwebs
out of the system, get back up to speed, learn
to work with your engineer, Learn to speak the same
language as your engineer, because every driver is a little
bit different, and just use it to bed things down.
Get everything on the front foot for when we do
get to Melbourne. Also, learn what happens outside of the
(21:56):
car in Formula one. He's had a little taste of
the media, he's had a little to the fandom that
goes alongside it. But yeah, he's going to get used
to the criticism. He's going to get used to the pressure.
The media in Formula one is merciless. He would not
have experienced anything like it, and if he puts a
foot wrong, he's going to get crucified for it. He's
going to have to get used to that. It is
(22:17):
a completely different game where every time you scratch your nose,
you're you're analyzed for it, and that nothing you can
do in your junior career, or in a simulator, or
on a test track or in an FP one session
can prepare you for that. So that's what this weekend
is about it's all the periphery stuff to what we
(22:38):
know we can already do behind the wheel.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Let's look at the cut out Grand Prix now more broadly,
maximstaff and one. He's ninth Grand Prix of the season.
He's first in the dry since June. It's the Spanish
Grand Prix. It was a long time that Brazilian drought
breaker really made a little bit of a difference to
that one. Despite him winning, though, Red Bull Racing cannot
win the Constructors Championship that is going down to the
wire in Abu Dhabi between McLaren and Ferrari. Ferrari, despite expectations,
(23:02):
actually managing to call back just three points but a
few important points potentially on its Constructors Championship deficit that
stands at twenty one points going into the final round.
I want to start with Red Bull Racing though, because
this has been one of the other moving stories against
to come out of this penultimate round. I mean realistic,
this minute story that's been going for probably about six months,
but it feels like it's finally coming to a head.
(23:23):
And that is the status of Sergio Perez at that team.
We've talked about this plenty of times before Matt that
his lack of points is directly responsible for Red Bull
Racing now not being able to defend its Constructors' championship.
He's more than two hundred points behind Max Verstappen in
the standings. Had another really difficult weekend this weekend. Didn't
finish in the points in the Grand Prix or the sprint.
(23:44):
Qualified in the bottom five in the sprint. We run
through the greatest hits there that happened him this weekends.
Seemed to miss the start of the sprint. He says
it was intentional. Christian Hornet suggestions as the first he'd
ever heard of that plan to let Franco Colopinto overtake
him in pitt Lane. Spun himself out of this race.
I really expected someone to say it was a technical problem,
but simply just fun himself out of the race behind
(24:05):
the safety carent and Bertie's clut's trying to rejoin. So
no points and the language from Christian Horner has grown
increasingly clear. After months of sort of ob the skating
and saying, oh, you know, he's got a contract and
so on, he's using language now that, essentially, to paraphrase,
Perry should see the riding on the walls up to him,
which maybe suggests this won't be straightforward sacking, but rather
(24:26):
some kind of agreement. But it seems clearer than ever now,
if not by virtual of his performances than actually by
decisions to be made, that this will be Serjo Perry's
last race for Red Bull Racing.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Yeah, Christiana Hart is not defending him anymore, is he.
There's been a very subtle but very deliberate change in
language coming from the top brass at Red Bull. The
patients has worn out. Someone mentions I haven't checked this,
but someone mentioned to me that if Max wins this
weekend and gets the bonus point for fast Slap, his
(24:59):
score at the end of the season will be triple
that of Sergio's. Maybe you can take your socks off
and do the sums on that while I talk Bear Michael.
But and that's an extraordinary thing, and it's exactly why
Sergio will not race at rebul In twenty twenty five.
The coming weekend is his final race for the team.
(25:21):
Whether he knows that yet or not, or he accepts
that yet or not, is a different matter. But ultimately,
following the Abby Derby Grand Prix, an official decision will
be made or at least communicated on pretty confident decision
has already been made on a couple of things connected
to that from you know what I've read, and I
(25:44):
hate to give credit to someone else, but planning left
one is you know, saying that you know he's going
to be and be offered an ambassadorial role, a little
bit like what Daniel Ricardo had as a way to
sort of soften the blow. He can take that or
get a boot up the bum. Basically, you know, you
take what we offer you or will get rid of you.
Either way, he's not going to be there next year.
(26:06):
The patience is gone, which then opens another can of
worms as to who do they put into that into
that seat. But you know, this isn't something that's built
up over the last two or three races. This is
a year long problem, and realistically it was what China
(26:27):
Miami maybe there was his last decent race. Since then
he has been dismal. And Sergio Perez is an exceptional
racing driver. Every driver that is informedly one is an
exceptional racing driver. We're talking about a percentage point or
two difference to Max, who is a generational talent. It's
a tough job and unfortunately, I'm sorry to sound like
(26:49):
Christian of horning here, unfortunately, so just wanting. And when
you're fighting teams that are now at the caliber and
strengths of McLaren and Ferrari and Mercedes, who have two
drivers regularly contributing solid points, you cannot carry a passenger. Yeah,
(27:10):
I mean just jo is going to cost them more money.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Yeah, just to paint that picture on the points situation.
Since Formula One left Europe, he's been outscored by both
hass drivers, both Alpine drivers obviously through that double podium,
also Fernando Alonso, and hasn't finished higher than sixth since
the Miami Grand Prix. As you pointed out, there three
in the last six races, three of them he has
walked away with no points. Three of them he's walked
away with one point. They're not front running car results.
(27:35):
They are midfield car results in a car that has okay,
it's not been the fastest car for a long time now,
very rarely has been. Maybe it was the weekend, but
has not been a car that should be racing on
the cusp of the top ten. It should by rights
be top eight, and I thought it was pretty taling
and I think we've done this before. Of course, at
the start of the he said, well, of course we
can assume the top seven positions this weekend will be
locked out in Abu Dhabi because you just can't predict
(27:57):
where Sergioperi is are going to finish. Half the time,
it's actually been outside of the points.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Yeah, it's it's been poor and I know that's not
what the Mexican fans want to hear, but as Australians,
I think we're in an educated position to make these
comments because we've been through it with Daniel. There's no
explanation as to why Daniel's career suddenly nosedived. On paper,
(28:23):
he should have succeeded at McLaren. On paper, he should
have succeeded at Abe. For whatever reason, something happened there
was it was like a switch was flicked and he
was just he wasn't the same driver again, and you
get the feeling. We saw a little bit of that
last year from sort of the Miami Grand Prix, strangely
enough last year with Max going on that run of wins,
(28:44):
and then we've seen it again this year. Something has
happened in the brains. It's interesting if you stop step
back and look at some of the drivers. I wonder
if that switches in the process of being flicked. For
Lewis as well, they've got it and it's gone the
next and I think for Sergio sadly, it's gone just
(29:05):
like it went for Daniel. So it's it's the brutal
nature of Formula One and Red Bull isn't in the
business of being patient. I think Sergio has actually been
very lucky. If you look back at Red Ball throughout
its history, it's been very brutal with its drivers, decisions,
(29:25):
very cutthroat. This year and I agree arguably even going
back to last year with Diverse, it's been a little
bit more soft, a little bit more emotive, and that
to me speaks of the influence of Christian Horner in
some of that decision making process. Because Daniel Ricardo was
(29:46):
an emotive appointment from Christian Horner. Is the decision to
retain Sergio Perez was a Horner's decision as well, And
again it felt a motive because after Singapore, I mean,
hell that the championship, the constructor championship was lost. Why
don't you make a change. Making a change that rbing
(30:06):
made no sense from a logical It makes sense from
a perhaps an a motive standpoint, but not from a
rusial or so you may as well. You know, if
you're going to make a big change, make a big change,
don't drink half major. That's where you throw Daniel Ricardo
in see if there's any difference. There might be, there
might not, but you've got your answer. And yet here
we are at the end of the year in a
position where it can't carry on as it is, and
(30:29):
Sergio is about to have his Formula One career end
in a whimper.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Yeah. I mean, you've got to wonder what could have
had been made of this season, and Daniel Riccardo got
the nod there. Maybe it wouldn't have been much better,
But in retrospect it's been shown up to have been
a mistake not to at least try it, because Sergio
pair is, other than that one brief weekend in Baku
in which he still walked away with no points, has
not looked anything like the driver Red Bull was hoping
he would rebecome in the second half of the year.
(30:57):
The other side of this equation, I think You're right
to point out that Red Bulls dealt with him differently
than it has drivers in the past. I think that
actually started when he arrived at the team, because they
recognize the way they dealt with piter Gasly and Alex
Albon wasn't conducive to getting the best out of them.
Both drivers thrown in the deep end. Particularly in Alban's case.
It's informed one half a year when he got them
not to move up to Red Bull Racing. But I
(31:17):
think that puts the focus now on what happens next,
because it seems like the odds are back on Liam
Lawson being the driver who replaces Sergio Perez. He will
arrive with eleven Grand Prix starts, so pretty much the
same situation Alex Albon was in, except those Grand Prix
starts aren't even contiguous. Half of them were last year,
and then he was sort of on the sidelines again
this year. Now he's back, it'll be interesting to see
(31:38):
how they deal with that, because, if anything, it's a
worse time than ever to join Red Bull Racing because
they've got a lot of expectation, this being a title
winning era. We're up against Max Withstappan who's never been
in better form. But you're racing a car. We don't
know what it's going to be like next year, of course,
but a car in the second half of this year
that's been very unpredictable, hard even for the team and
at times for even Verstappen to get the best out of.
(31:59):
This is a pretty high risk situation for whoever were
to get that nod L. Let's just say lead Lawson.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Yeah. Realctically, there were potentially four drivers that were in
the frame. That's now a shortlist of two, but let's
go through all four. The absolute wild card outside was
color Science and he was a name connected even in
the last week to Red Bull. That's understood. There's a
(32:25):
clauseing is Williams contract that he could move to a
team that was higher up the grid, a race winning
team shot down. But that will be a fascinating concept,
particularly if you start to look at red Bull beyond
the immediate max for staff in era, because that will
end at some point, and that's where Red Bull's trying
to set itself up for. It's not just looking at
solving the immediate twenty twenty five driver issue. This is
(32:46):
starting to look at twenty six and beyond. What is
a succession plan? Beyond beyond this happened, science would have
been a curious, curious case there that didn't happen for
a multitude of reasons, but so he came and went.
The other one that was mentioned was Colo Pinto. Now
Franco burst onto the scene with its first three or
four races. His value just absolutely skyrocketed and he looked
(33:09):
like a brilliant superstar of the future. Quite possibly will be.
But he's entered this awkward phase of being a rookie
where he started to crash all every not every rookie.
Oscar Piastri didn't do it, but most rookies go through this,
this crash phase. Maxis Stappan did. This is unfortunate that
in the short run of races that colo Pinto's got
(33:32):
that his crash phases happened. Now as a sort of
red Bull and even Alpine were looking at him as
a potential candidate for next year, his value after South
Paolo and Las Vegas is absolutely nose dived. Red Bull
has no interest in him. He's off the radar, not
even at RB. The original plan was to put him
(33:53):
a red Bull. Then when the crashes started to happen,
or maybe it's RB and now it's not even in
contention for either of those drives, which leaves us in
a situation where Red Bull has to pick from the
pool of drivers that's got and that pool at the
moment is realistically Liam Lawson and Yuki Sonoda. So now
he's in the fourth year of his Formula One career,
(34:14):
has still shown himself to be highly unstable in the car,
and that he gets very wound up, very emotional, very
angry at times. He's a little bit inconsistent as well.
In his fourth year, you could also realistically suggest these approaching,
if not at sort of where his maximum level will be.
Liam Lawson's nip and tuck with him after ten races,
(34:35):
which suggests that Liam, still far from the finished article,
has potentially a higher ceiling. You then look at them
off track and Yuki, because if you can can't differentiate
them on track, you've got to look at what they're
doing off track. Yuki off track has always had some concerns.
We don't know what they are, but for a long
time he wasn't in consideration for the Red Bull driver.
(34:56):
There's something that Red Bull don't like what they've seen.
I don't know what it is, but it's there. Conversely,
you've got a driver who Helmut Marco really strongly supports,
a driver who takes ownership of issues, seeks out Christian
Horner and the senior leadership at Red Bull when he
makes a mistake and owns it. He's also got this
at a wrote it a diy or two back. He's
(35:18):
got this. It's a fabulous genesqua. It's in French for
the thing that you can't be explained, but he's just
got it. It's that X factor, that little that sprinkle
of gold dust that drivers have and I can't explain
it any better than that. But he's got a presence
about him. Franco's got the same thing. Frankie Colpindo's got
(35:39):
the same thing. He's just got this little sparkle about him.
Yuki doesn't have that. The great Red Bull drivers have
had that. Maxi Staff and Sebastian Battle, even Danie Ricardo
for that matter. And it's something that Liam has and
can build on. Then taken marketing, look at things in
(36:02):
two or three or four years time, who is going
to lead the Red Bull team, Because at some point
Max is going to retire. We know he's here for
a good time, not a long time. Is Yuki Sanoda
the driver to lead the Red Bull Formula One program?
It doesn't feel right. Is that person Liam Lawson? Maybe not,
but he feels a better fit. And that's purely from
(36:23):
a you know, watching their body language, the way they
interact with the engineer, the feeling within the team. Yuki
is not hugely popular within the team as well. He's
a hard man to work with. The understand there are
lots of little indicators all the way through that suggests
that when Sergio is kicked out, that Liam Lawson will
be the man for.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
The job again with that French hat. And we assume,
speaking of that, Isaac Kadjar will then be the man
who slots into RBS contending for the Formula two Championship
this weekend. Having drawn, I think we did half a
point leader Gabrielle Borte letter. I hate the half points,
but that's the way it is.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
This is the other piece that makes me think that
a decision has been made. So Hadja has a reputation
for being a dour Frenchman, I think is probably the
best way to put it. But in Qatar he was
(37:19):
bouncing around like a kid at Christmas. He was a
different person. And that's not just my own observations, that's
direct commentary from contacts within the Formula two Paddock who
are working directly with him over the course of the
weekend and had first hand experience with him, you know,
(37:41):
throughout the season and on that weekend, and noted you
know that they made specific note of the change in
demeanor to me and how they thought that meant that
a pretty significant decision had been made in his favor.
So I think, I think all the pieces are already decided.
We just have to get beyond Abydaby for that to
be communicated to us.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yes, we'll keep eyes peeled for as soon as the
teket flag falls in Avid Dhabi a little bit after that,
we're running out of time. But I do want touch
on a couple more things from this Grand Prix before
we get to the Alternative Championship, of course, and that
is the constructor's standing. This was meant to be a
big weekend for McLaren. They had the first opportunity to
seal the Constructors Championship. It was always unlikely. It was
always going to be a little bit difficult. They needed
probably the perfect result in quite a bad weekend for
(38:23):
Ferrari indi end, Ferrari had a slightly better weekend in
terms of race pace, at least than they were braced for,
even if the one lap pace was still a little
bit off. But McLaren didn't really have the advantage expected. Okay,
it was a one two in the sprints, Oscar Piastri
head of Lando Norris. After it well, not quite a
team order Orlando Norris order, I suppose redressing the team
order from Brazil. But in the race Lando Norris, okay,
(38:44):
he was challenging Max with staffand but didn't really seem
like he had the edge to do the deal. And then,
of course the ten second stop go penalty, probably the
main talking point from the race itself for ignoring double
waved yellow flags when Oscar Piastri finished third on the podium,
but Norris could only score two points for tenth with
the fastest lap, which means twenty one points heading into
Abu Dhabi. And I've been of the opinion that the
season decided. It's the final race of the season. Yes,
(39:07):
McClaren is still favorite. It's got it to lose, essentially
having led the Constructors Championship now for a couple of months.
But anything can happen in a one race essentially winner
takes all scenario. I think this track will suit Ferrari
a little bit, but certainly suited better than Kata. I
actually think Ferrari might be the team marginally ahead this
weekend as well looking at the track layout. Not enough
to make it the clear favorite, but should certainly feel
(39:28):
more confident. What was the vibe like between those two
teams over the course of the weekend, considering neither got
the result they thought they were in for and the
feeling ahead of Abu Dhabi.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
I think McLaren's pretty happy to be going in with
a championship lead. It's a little bit disappointed, obviously not
to have a bigger lead. It could and should have
had a bigger lead, and Land obviously made a mistake
and that proved costly in the Constructors Championship. Before I
go on that thought, though, I just want to comment
on Lando and the sprint because I think he deserves
(40:02):
massive respect and plawed its for his actions. Yes, it
was only a sprint winter he gave back to Oscar,
but it's more than that. It's not just that one
point and paying back South Paolo. What it does is
leads McLaren by example shows that it's a cohesive, strong
(40:22):
unit that has immense cultural values that run from the
top down. The message that sends to the rank and
file heading into twenty twenty five, regardless of what happens
this weekend, the message that sends is absolutely phenomenal. So
Lando deserves a lot of credit for that, and I
(40:42):
guess ultimately, you know, Zach Brown and Andrew Stella deserve
a lot of credit for instilling that in Inlando and
Oscar over the course of the year. But that, to
me showed a lot of what McLaren is about. And
then the reaction on Sunday night, Andrew Stella, I've that
has the most expressive eyebrows in Formula one and they
(41:05):
were very angry post race with the penalty. Seller felt
the ten second stop go was harsh. The faas argued that,
you know it's a double wave yellow flags. He didn't
slow down under double wave yellow flags, which is people
on track prepared to stop it. These days, there's never
anyone on track without a safety car out. But that's
(41:28):
what a double wave yellow means Lando didn't do that,
and he deserved. Quite frankly, I think he deserves to
have the book thrown at him for that. He deserves
the ten second stop go penalty because you cannot compromise
on safety. If you start allowing Formula one drivers to
do it's Formula two drivers will start to do it.
That teachers Formula three drivers and Formula four and it
knocks on down the chain. You have to lead by example.
(41:51):
These are the world's best drivers. They cannot be let
off the hook on that basic stuff. So when it
comes to safety, no inch given. I don't care that
Andre Stelle had angry eyebrows. It doesn't matter. It broke
a fundamental rule and he copped the penalty for it, and
that's that's fine. I don't have an issue with that. Ferrari,
(42:12):
obviously were the happy recipients of the benefit from that.
The safety car also fell in in Charla Clair's favor,
giving him track position over Oscar Piastre. That was the
second safety car. From the top of my head, there
were three of them over the race that Ferrari was
a little bit down on pace, So it can be
pretty happy to have actually clawed back some ground, but
(42:34):
McLaren wasn't too upset, you know. Ultimately McLaren's of the
opinion from speaking to to Zack Brown a couple of
other Cats over the weekend. Remember where they were at
the start of the year. They were nowhere, and here
they are on the verge of the Constructors Championship, the
first one. All have won that championship in nearly nearly
three was it nineteen ninety eight six? Yeah, there you go.
(42:58):
I was gonna say nearly thirty years. I'm close enough.
So that's an extraordinary turn of events. That's an extraordinary
season that they've had. When you put it in that context,
they've already won they all they missing as are trophy.
If they get that in Abu Dhaby, I think that's
the final cherry on top of the cake. Even if
(43:21):
they don't get it, I don't think it diminishes the
achievement of twenty twenty four for McLaren because it has
been an extraordinary season where they've made two drivers race
winners for the first time.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Yeah, there's some quick mats for you heading into Abu Dhabi.
The result needed for Ferrari and there are obviously other permutations
possible after this, but the result needed for Ferrari is
a one to two with McLaren off the podium, and
that would be enough to if it's if it's four
or five for McLaren, FRAI would win on countback, which
have a number of wins, and then off the podium.
It would be more straightforward, so fastest point lap could
(43:57):
swing it. We don't know it's close enough that it's
within the realm of stability, but we do expect McClaren
to be at least reasonably strong this weekend, so Ferrari
really will need everything to go in its favor. And
to wrap up mas MAT's chat, you're right. If Max
with Staffan does get the perfect results this weekend and
Sergio Perez does not score, he'll be as good as
triple Perez's points, I think within one point or half
(44:17):
a point or something like that. So remarkable statistics all
round on the grid ahead of Abu Dhabi. But Matt,
we're running out of time. Let's get to the Alternative Championship.
Per ultimate round of the Alternative Championship. Goodn's come fast,
hasn't it.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
We can always invent some more. I mean ultimately, let's
just make this up as we go along. Anyways, the
alternative championship where we make all the points up and
it doesn't really matter, and this is the one everyone
wants to win, even though they don't even know it exists.
So my three votes. Sergio has not had a good year,
has he?
Speaker 1 (44:48):
Understatement?
Speaker 2 (44:49):
I feel like piling on. I'm gonna make it a
little bit worse for not being aware enough to realize
the writing that's on the wall, because he seems completely
oblivious to the fact that he doesn't have a future
at Red Bull that or completely unwilling to publicly accept it.
I'm going to take twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
Five points away from Joe per one point for every
year as of next year. So yeah, he gets my
he gets my first at one point for every year
next year.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
Not just every year he's been with the team, but
for every year.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Yeah, every year, every year since we've rolled over from
years zero. I mean, if we went every year, I
have to take what's an eight point something billion year?
How many? How many years old I need to go
to that song from The Big Bang Theory? Yeah, how
many I need to take off him?
Speaker 1 (45:42):
I like it. I like it a lot.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
We'll go with twenty twenty five for now.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Keep it simple. I'm also going to start by taking
points off thirteen points off George Russell. That's a difference
between first and fourth. I'm pretty sure anyway, for angering
Max for staffands so much that he never had any
chance of converting the pole he won in the steward's
room to victory, because when you get Max into a
certain corner, he's just not ever go. He's either going
(46:06):
to take you out or he's going to win the race.
And I thought this was really interesting. That's something we
didn't have time to talk about. But Max's commentary after
winning the race, so not immediately after losing pole position,
but having had twenty four hours of they're about to
digest everything. Spoke about the duplicitus of George Russell and
having absolutely always his words, I have no respect for
(46:27):
him at all. I thought that was very interesting considering
Russell's position as the leader of the GPD, and as
much as Max has a bit of a fiery reputation,
I can't think of a driver he's spoken about in
similar terms to George.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
And one thing that you know when Max speaks is
he tells the truth. You know, you might not like
what you hear, or he might not be willing to
give view exactly everything that you want. But when he speaks,
you can believe what he's saying is honest. So if
he's saying those things, that is his honest opinion. From
(47:02):
what I've heard the drivers meet or that the meeting
with the Stewards was to quote someone that gave me
a bit of an inside line, it was it was
spicy George really pushing for a penalty. Max obviously well
just displeased with I love that when you get Max
(47:22):
riled up, he lets out a bit of the mongrel
and he just I mean, I don't know what is
more rabid than a honey badger, but I imagine maybe
there's a new species out there. Maybe there isn't. Maybe
it is the stappin the wild. Forstapin once wild cannot
(47:45):
be satiated.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
It'll be the species that n humanity, presumably. So that's
where I'm taking off my first points.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
I'm actually going to go positive for the next one.
I know something unusual for this I'm going to give Jack.
I'm going to give Jack doing seven points are very
good and The reason I'm giving him seven point is
because he's going to start his career with not the
number seven.
Speaker 1 (48:04):
Oh I didn't even think about this actually, yeah, so
what number? Do you know? What number's starting with?
Speaker 2 (48:09):
Yeah, so we'll start with his reserve number, which is
sixty one or sixty three. Okay, sixty one sixty three
is George, isn't it. So I will start with sixty one,
and then next year he'll pick up the number that
he chose that Kimmy didn't and carry number seven from
that point on. So yeah, I'm giving you Jack seven
points for making his Formula one day, being the sixteenth
(48:32):
Australian to do it, the eighteenth through account of the
guys that didn't qualify. But yeah, I think it's just
it's just a good news story. More Aussie's in Formula
one is a good thing for everything other than my sleep.
I guess you're sleep as well, because it just adds
to our workload. So please, Christian Mansel, James Wharton, kids
(48:53):
on the way up, just give us a couple of
years then by all minions come on in. But please
just bear with us. Were a little bit full at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
What if we just had a critical mass whereby we
had to change the time zones for races. There could
be an alternative way.
Speaker 2 (49:07):
To move forward.
Speaker 1 (49:08):
All of us here should No, that's just a given
at this point. I'm gonna can maintain negative. It will
end on a positive though, don't stress. Twenty million points
off Williams for overplaying a hand with Franco Colopinto. Now.
I'm a big fan of Franco Colopindo. I think he
does deserve a spot on the F one grid. But
of course, once it became clear other teams were interested him,
(49:30):
he interested in him. The team set a reportedly a
sky high fee for him to be released from his
contract twenty million bucks. May as well profit while stocks
were high. Well, that twenty million dollars seems rather inflated
at this point, and it now seems, perhaps as a
result of that high asking price, that he won't be
on the grid after all next year. Who knows what
it might have been had it been more reasonable, perhaps
(49:51):
he would have already signed somewhere, maybe help mIRC I
would have already signed him to RB. But it isn't
to be. So it's twenty million points off Williams this
week for me a big yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
I mean to come back from there. That's that's a
big final race of the year.
Speaker 1 (50:07):
I've had quite a few points off I think, haven't.
Speaker 2 (50:09):
They It's it's not gone well. But I mean, who knows.
I mean, these points don't matter, so maybe next week
we'll give them all back.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
You don't know, you don't know.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
It couldn't remains to me saying that is the wonderful
thing of the Alternative Championship. If you are willing to
bribe us, we are willing to change our school. It's
very cheap, and that's that seems a bargain to me.
I mean, I don't even split it with you, Mike.
We're going to take me in each That seems fair.
(50:41):
Let's tell you what if someone's willing to bribe us
twenty million will make Williams win the championship. You keep nine,
I'll keep nine, will donate two to charity.
Speaker 1 (50:48):
There you go. Look that's the everyone's a winner.
Speaker 2 (50:50):
I think everybody wins if we do that, especially William.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
I think you, the listener, would be selfish not to donate.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
It's all on you. I don't know how many twenty
million dollar how many listeners have a spare twenty meal
kicking around the back of the couch, but I did
and it was all monopoly money, right. My last points,
very self indulgent, extremely self indulgent. On Saturday, the sprint
(51:20):
grid was absolutely pumping and I had to stop myself
because I realized there were there were cameras around. Because
the DJ and the grid started cranking out a bit
of remixed smells like teen Spirit, and it just got
me going. From there on, everything was was just gravy.
(51:40):
The rest of the day was good. It just got
me in the mood. So I'm giving nineteen one, nine
hundred ninety one points to the DJ because that was
a year it smells like teen Spirit was released, and
it just it just set the tone for the day.
It was. It was a banger from start to finish.
I like very self ind and I don't care.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
Yeah, another point for every year.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
I'm consistent.
Speaker 1 (52:07):
Yes, that's true. You should become a steward. You can
only bring the consistency. I'm going to end on a positive,
but it's a small positive maybe, but I'm going to
stick with it. One point to Yuki Sonoda. Now, the
reason I'm giving him one point is that we've talked
a little bit about already this podcast, the importance of
not ignoring double wave yellow flags because you don't know
what they're for. At the end of the day, drivers
can only in retrospect say, oh, well, it wasn't that
(52:29):
important or whatever. But he I think was the most
cautioned driver on the track because he didn't think there
was a mirror. He misheard and thought there was a
beaver on the circuit, which is one of the most
comical miss years in recent formula Warden. So he was
surely the most cautious driver heading into turn one looking
for this small anially, and he said afterwards he thought
it was unusual that there would be a beaver on
(52:50):
the circuit in the desert, but he was willing to
believe anything. I think he said, well, you know climate change,
anything is possible, so he must have just been really
keeping an eye out going into turn one, and I
like that he was very responsible, even if it wasn't
correct at the end of the day. I'm not sure
how many laps he believed that either, if it was
for the full five or six laps before the safety car.
I hate to think of what he thought as the
reason for all of the punctures if he still thought
(53:12):
the beaver was out there. But one point to Yuki Sonoda.
Speaker 2 (53:15):
Yeah, there's all manner of jokes involved in that. And
I still don't know the difference between a beaver and
a moment. That's the bigger question here. I don't know
the difference. And from the pitwall, do they know the difference?
Can they accurately tell Yuki if it's a beaver or
(53:36):
a morment?
Speaker 1 (53:37):
I'm sure that's probably what he was.
Speaker 2 (53:40):
Yeah, I think I think it was very astute in
adopting a cautious approach to avoid any stray beavers that
were just you know, industriously building dams on the apex.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
Well, that would satisfy the criteria of the track being
partially or completely blocked for double wave yellows. So maybe
it does make sense weird way, So good old Yuki Sonoda.
Good on him slowing down appropriately. And on that note,
that's all the time we have for Pittalk today. We'll
be back next week to wrap up all the action
from the season, ending Atpudabi Grand Prix. You can subscribe
to Pittalk wherever you get your favorite podcasts, and you
can leave us a rating and review as well, and
(54:15):
stay up to date with all the latest stuff on
news throughout the round at both foxsports dot com dot
Au and Speedcafe dot Com. From Matt Cosh me Michael Lamonado,
thanks very much for your company and we'll catch you
next week.
Hello and welcome to Pit Talk of Fox Sports and
Speed Cafe Formula one podcast. On today's episode, Australia is
set to have two Australians on the grid again from
this weekend, with Jack Doan set for an early F
one debut and Max Forstaffen wins for a ninth time
this year in Kata on another damaging weekend for teammates,
ser Joe Perez. My name's Michael Lamanato, motorsport writer for
(00:22):
Fox Sports Australia. It's great to have your company and
the company of my co host from Speed Cafe. He
was offered a postseason test with Haas, but he's chosen
to remain loyal to the podcast. He knows well it's.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Matt Cosh and just quietly, I'm hanging out for that
second Red Bull seat. I figure I'm in with a
good shot of that at the moment.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
How many there must be a lot of phone calls
being made. I mean it, no one can predict one
hundred percent what Red Bull wants to do as we
learn this year.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
But still just on the sly as I was walking
out of the circuit on Sunday night, as you walk
out the media room, sort of you looked here right,
and there's a RedBull hospitality site. There was a long,
orderly queue of drivers with helmets me out of that,
all looking nervously over the shoulder of the driver in front,
looking for Christian. I think there's a few drivers keen
(01:09):
on a drive for next year.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, so I paint some picture in two ways. First
of all, yes, we are talking to Matt from Kata
this weekend. And second, yes, all drivers get around the
paddock in full gear and helmets just so they're easily identifiable.
If you buy your program, you can line up the
helmet design. The helmet's design change constantly, d't They so
very frustrating from that perspective. But it has been an
interesting week in news. In fact, it's been an interesting
(01:31):
weekend in news, fast evolving, with news even breaking after
Sunday's race, referencing, of course, Jack Dowan's early F one debut.
We'll get to that a little bit later. Let's take
you through some of the five stories that might have
actually went missing over the course of the last four
or five days. So listen to the last podcast and
let's start with this. The Kuta Investment Authority will buy
a significant minority share in audis f one Project, which
(01:54):
is currently the sober team head of the German brand's
former debut in twenty twenty six. National Sovereign Wealth Fund
also owns a steak in parent company Volksfucker.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, So I already had a presence in Qatar over
the weekend and we're sort of giving a bit of
background on this, And basically the reason it's being explained
now is that they're about to take full learnership. When
already bought the team, it didn't take a one hundred
percent ownership steak. It's since acquired the bit that it
didn't buy originally from it's current of Fuinn rousing. That
(02:25):
completes in early early January. Beyond that, I've then got
full control. They can then sell a steak, which I've
done on to QA. That's a process bit ongoing for
the better part of twelve months. I've sold about and
depending up on who you believe, either thirty or thirty
three percent, But however you choose to cut that up,
(02:45):
it works out between sort of three hundred and fifty
million dollars, which puts evaluation on the team of about
a billion dollars, which when you accept that already paid
I think six hundred and fifty million for it. I've
taken money for jam and that cash will be used
to higher equipment and the higher new staff at Hinville.
So it's it's a logical move. It just puts in
(03:07):
the terms of the business, puts Audi in a similar
boat to what Mercedes is with Toto wolf inios and
Mercedes Benz ownership. Similar sort of deal with McLaren as well,
so it's sort of it makes sense. It's a lot
of news about some admin really well, I.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Think because advertising gambling is banned, we have to call
it a thirty percent kick in the sober team. Let's
go to Mercedes now, which is announced that Mick Schumacher
has chosen to leave his or a hole as reserve driver.
That was the way they phrased it, anyway, with the
German subsequently confirmed confirming he's continuing to race without feed
(03:43):
in the World in Durance Championship, but is now another
degree removed from any possible f one seas.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Well just moved on, hasn't it. And this is I
think we'll talk about this a little bit later, but
this is the battle that Franco colopinto will soon face
where unless you're in the limelight, you quickly form of
the limelight because the world moves on. You've got all
these new drivers coming up through Formula two, and they're
the ones that gather the headlines and the attention because
(04:10):
they're the ones who are watching race. Mick Schumcha didn't
do enough to really own his place there anyway, it'd
be interesting to see vouchery Botas if he lands there.
He's still very highly thought of within Mercedes, and then
whether that's a sort of stepping stone onto the team
formerly known as Andretti for twenty six will also be interesting.
(04:35):
So I think he's got to be a first Cup
off the rank of his experience and pedigree.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yes, well, you've stolen my thunder for item number three,
which is that valtry Botas has always confirmed he's going
to Mercedes as a reserve driver. Next to your homecoming
for him, but it does put it's emphasized I suppose
how important these reserve driver roles are. Maybe less so
for the teams, although they're increasingly leaning on them as well,
but certainly for the drivers, because it feels like in
the last year or so we've seen a great many
(05:00):
opportunities for reserve drivers to have another crack and keep
themselves in that limelight.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
You mentioned a good point there. It is a path
into Formula one for the drivers or a path back
into the grid for drivers, but also it's about developing
engineers and mechanics and those sorts of people who don't
get a lot of opportunities these days. So it's a
pathway into the race team short of an opening appearing
(05:26):
on pit wall for them to jump into. So it's
not just about running miles and getting some seat time
for a driver. It's more multifaceted than that, and vouchery
can add a lot of value there at ten time
Grand pre winner with some young engineers helping blood them
in at Mercedes, that's only going to be good news.
And he's also going to be a steady hand around
our and Kimmi Antonelli youd think, and.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
He's got a great social media presence, good merch so that.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Could brilliant, brilliant hair.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Let's look at the FIA now, let's start with the
positive story, because new F one race director Rui Marquez
has got off to a pretty positive start with his
relationship with the drivers who have praised the pre race
driver briefing in Kata is one of the most productive ever,
where FIA officials presented the proposed changes to the racing
rules that were first discussed about month and a half ago.
Now at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, that seemed to go really well. If you listen
to pretty much everyone who came out of that meeting,
they all say the same thing. That was productive and
they felt like they would listen to and even silly
things like you wind back to the Las Vegas Grand
Prix where they raise concerns about the pit entry line.
That was addressed overnight, So the feedback is being listened
to an address. So it seems as though they've got
more of a sounding board in Rue Marques than perhaps
(06:37):
what they used to have. But that was the first
half of your point, which is a positive news out
of the FAA, Michael, it suggests to me that you're
leaning towards something else.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yes, well, maybe much like our alternative championship. There's always
a negative looking around the corner or in full view.
In the case of that alternative championship. Our final point
is on the negative side and the move that will
have done nothing to improve those relations with drivers or
if one itself. If I President Mohammad ben Sulam says
it's none of anyone's business how he runs the FIA.
In an interview with Auto Sport, he also refused to
(07:08):
explain the departure of former F one race director Neil's
Vidage or any of the departures from the organization, as
he insists he can do pretty much what he likes
since he was elected.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It's a very combative interview that he gave, and then
there's more to come out of that. There's an hour
long interview, so I've sent a snippet to come out
of that. It was an interview with John Notwill at
Motorsport and Alan Borben I think of ap Associated Press.
So there's plenty more to come out of that yet.
(07:38):
But it's an interesting statement. It's a belligerent statement, and
I'm not sure it's beneficial. It also seems to contradict
the way in which he Mauma ben Sulam was was
voted in in that he was going for transparency and
unity and harmony, and here he has been very diictorial.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
He's been transparently belligerent. I suppose it's not pretending he's.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Not, so you know he's got your word's not mine.
I know he used the word president. I was question
addressed is.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I was quoting you? Thank you very much transparently. So anyway,
it's fine. I doubt he listens to the podcast. If
he does, that's okay. It's good for the numbers. So
it's fine. Let's move on our math to from our perspective,
the big news story of the week. It is an
objectively big news story of the week, though that is
an Estevar knock On will not be competing for LP
(08:34):
at the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.
In his place will be reserve driver and the man
appointed to replace him in twenty twenty five. Anyway, Jack Duin,
the Australian son of five times five hundred cc motorcycle
World champion Mickdoon. He was always on the periphery of
Formula One for the last year or so. He's gambled
to be the reserve driver this year in the hope
of boosting that opportunity to take up a chance at Alpine.
(08:56):
Did pay off when he signed to replace estebarknock On
next season, but it's all happening suddenly, very quickly. Let's
start with the Stevano on side of this first, because
that really was the biggest surprise out of this, less
so that it would be Jack replacing him. He's chosen,
He's effectively chosen. There was some negotiation negotiation involved to
(09:16):
not see out the season with Alpine in favor for
him making a little bit of a headstart with HEAs.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I don't know how much input he had into that choice,
shall we say, I think it might have been made
for him. Ochlan has been on thin ice with that
team for a long time, and I think back to
Monaco where he clouted Pierre ghastly. He was benched for
FP one in Canada. There was talk back then that
he missed the Canadian Grand Prix's punishment for that. You know,
(09:45):
there is one rule in Formula one where you don't
make contact with your teammate, and he pretty comprehensively broke
that one in Monaco, and tensions have remained throughout. Okay,
there was a double podium in South Paolo, but that
doesn't make up for all the other tension. I was
(10:07):
in the lpin hospitality at the end of the race
on Sunday night, and I was witnessed to an exchange
between the Oaks and a few engineers and it's not
so I can talk about verbatim, but it gave me
a very good insight into the esteem with which Esteban
is held within that organization and perhaps the motives to
(10:31):
the decision that they made. And it wasn't a simple
decision because Estun's management system is quite complicated. It's shared
between our pin and Mercedes, or will be until the
end of the year, so to make any decision on
what they do requires approval of both Toto Wolf and
(10:51):
Flavio Briatorio. So the lots of those conversations happening that
was going on throughout the weekend, but it was only
after the Grand Prix that that decision was made. Speaking
after the Grand Prix, you know, Olioaks team principle at
Alpine hadn't spoken to Jack Dowing, so the news hadn't
even gone to Jack at this point that the idea
was a possibility was out there, but confirmation hadn't been made.
(11:12):
And this is about an hour after the race that
we spoke, So it all came together quite quickly thereafter
because it was Monday morning, a local time here in
Qatar that it was all confirmed. Sort of announced it
himself post race in his comments to the media, sort
of saying that that was his last one and takes
to the mechanics and so on. But the deal that
(11:35):
was basically struck is yes, you can go off to
hass and test there at the postseason tests on the
Tuesday following Abu Derby, but in exchange for that half
a week's holiday and nice, which I believe where he's
got and everyone else's headed to Abu Derby. He's gone
to the beach. But the good news is for us
we've got Jack doing there. And Jack is a great kid.
(11:59):
He's yes, he's got the name, but he's done it himself.
He's done it the hard way. He's had to work
for everything. He took a hell of a risk at
the start of this year choosing not to race anything,
choosing instead to support the team. And you know, he's lucky,
and that the team has realized that it's got a
junior program there, and the idea with junior programs is
(12:20):
to eventually pick a driver out of it. So their
were concerns, and very serious concerns I might add that
Franco Colopinto would replace him before it even had a race.
I'm sure we'll get onto Franco a little bit later
on that that threat has dwindled to the point of
it's been extinguished. But all of this opens the door
(12:42):
for Jack to be the sixteenth Australian to start a
Formula one Grand Prix, be the second Australian on the
greed alongside alongside Oscar and the third Antipathy and with Land,
which is fabulous, fabulous news for us. And I'm doing
is just a hell of a name globally and it
(13:03):
is it is Motorsport Royalty in Australia. So there's While
I guess it's sad in many respects not to have
Esteban on the on the grid, I'm going to put
my Australian on, taking my my French hat firmly off,
and so I prefer it Jack.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I've got to stop carrying that French hat around everywhere.
That doesn't suit you.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Well, it's that or a big white sheet.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
We shouldn't feel too bad for estimating he's racing next year.
He's taking one race off and it sounds like you
say he's going to be spending at the beats. That's
someone sounds like a terrible deal. I mean, speaking a
very long season, I'm sure he could use some time
to put his feet up, and considering it's been mostly
arduous at Alpine, just probably do move on to Jack Duan,
or rather I guess in the context of Jack Dowan
getting this cease in the final race, when sixth in
(13:50):
the championship is still up for grabs, Alpine took another
step forward in that role, took back sixth place in
Kata with Pierre Gasly's great ten points of finishing fifth,
so it's out five points ahead of half. So I
mean there are relatively few points available in any weekend
for the midfield. But then peer Gasly does show you actually,
in some circumstances you can score big. So we can't
really say it's secure by any stretch of the imagination,
(14:12):
but Alpine does can feel maybe a little bit like
they can get done at least, But then they've made
this driver change very suddenly. But what's interesting here is
that you've really got to break down lpin season into
two halves. If you look at the season overall, on average,
actually it looks like Pier gaslinest Toba knock On a
pretty close. In fact, Espa not On. I think started
the season maybe looking a little bit more comfortable with
(14:33):
this car, which was an awful car. It has got
better quite a bit over the course of the season,
but since the mid season break it's been NonStop Pierre
Gasly pretty much. The qualifying margins blown out to more
than a quarter of a second. Gasly is qualifying on
average around three places ahead of oc On, which often
in the midfield is the difference between the Q one
and Q two or Q two and Q three, and
(14:54):
Ocon scored points only once since the mid season break.
Yes it was second place in Brazil. That shouldn't be
discounted as being an extra only important and lucrative score.
In fact, it's almost all of his points for the year.
But it just demonstrates to you that actually in the
second half of the year he hasn't really been delivering
for the team to the point where you might say, well,
Jack Dowan might come in. It's a track he knows
as well. It's not like Liam Lawson and Franco Colopinto
(15:16):
rocking up and doing most of the circuits I've ever
been at in fact, he's a winner here in Formula two,
so he knows his way around the place. He knows
his way around the team. Actually, probably not as dramatic
a change from that perspective. It still is obviously you've
got a guy hasn't raced all year, but it's probably
not the massive blow to your points scoring hopes that
maybe it would present itself as when we're placing a
(15:37):
driver has experienced as Estebanochen. I thought it was interesting
actually the hec on speaking this weekend. He's sort of
been hinting at it ever since he's dropped off the
pace really relative to Pierre Gasly that oh, maybe he's
not getting the same opportunities. He didn't have the upgraded
front wing this this weekend, so literally didn't quite have
the same car. But I guess that also just speaks
to that tension and maybe why the team would be
(15:58):
happy to be relief of that pressure, because he was
certainly unhappy with his lack of performance and seemed to
be trying to point the finger at the team.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
What I love about all of this is our Pene
is treating the Constructors Championship like the Alternative Championship. The
points don't matter. Seriously, this decision hasn't been the work
of a moment. It's been a consideration since June when
(16:28):
when Esteban announced that he would go to has. It's well,
what do you then do with a driver in that position.
Let's keep in mind that should our Pene finish sixth
in the constructors Championship, it will beat Has. So who
is Esteban driving for in Abu Dhabi. That's you know,
plant that one at the back of your head and
let the conspiracy nut back there go go crazy on it.
(16:50):
But also, as you mentioned Jack Scott experience here, he's
done a couple of FP one sessions here, He's got
plenty of postseason testing here, he's done that the last
couple of years as well. There's other running that he's
done here in the past. Obviously race here in Formula two.
Of all the tracks all year, this is the one
that he knows the best. So realistically, yes, there's gonna
(17:11):
be a little bit of time coming up to grips
with the car and the team and everything else and
blowing a bit of race rustiness off. But the actual
risk that he poses versus having Esteban in the car
in terms of the constructors Championship is again comparatively low
because you've got to imagine that the first seven positions
are going to be taken up by the two McClaren's
(17:32):
and Tumusades are two Ferraris and Max seventh, so eighth,
ninth and tenth are up for grabs. There's not a
lot of points there. Realistically, you expect on current form
Pierre Gasley will be in one of those three positions.
It doesn't leave much on offer for the likes of
hass or even Ab which they had a shoker in Qatar,
(17:52):
but they might bounce back this weekend, such as the
closeness of the of the midfield. If our pen is
going to take a risk or a punt on a driver,
this is the perfect weekend to do it. And when
you're looking bigger picture, if they finish fifth or if
they finish sixth, it will make a meaningful difference to
(18:18):
the to the championship. Off the top of my head,
it'll be worth about seven seven and a half million,
I think at this point. Maybe a little bit more
than that depends on Formula's profit and loss at the
end of the year and revenues and things, and we
won't know that until Q four comes through. But it's
(18:39):
not a huge loss. Yes, it is a gamble, but
then look at what other teams have done with rookies.
Look at McLaren with Oscar Piastre. They paid a driver
twenty plus million dollars not to race and then paid
Oscar to race. You know that's a that's a thirty
odd million dollar gamble on a rookie at the start
(19:02):
of the year. This is perhaps a seven million dollar
gamble on a rookie in the final race of the year,
when the odds of losing six are not insignificant but
comparatively controlled.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
I just want to talk about Jack and his debut
here now because I think this is also clever from
his perspective. His debut was set to be the Australian
Grand Prix, which would have been an extremely high pressure
situation because the new home Hero. Okay, there's a little
bit of Oscar Piastris to diffuse that, but there would
have been no escape and it was remarkable. I think
we've talked about this before how popular he was even
(19:35):
just as F two driver in Australia, so can only
imagine what it would have been like in his first
one with one Grand Prix, so it takes a little
bit of the pressure off that just by getting that
debut out of the way, allowing him to himself feel
a little bit of that pressure come off. What are
we expecting from him this weekend? Because I think it's important.
As you've mentioned, he hasn't raced all year. All he's
done is some private testing and be the reserve driver.
(19:57):
So it's been a long time since he sat on
a grid for a real start, long time since he's
had the pressure of qualifying. He hasn't driven this car
oh no yehy as an FP one sessions earlier in
the year, but hasn't driven it in race conditions or
for an extended period of time. So there's a lot
to adjust to this weekend. You'll have only a few
days to make that adjustment. As well, considering this was
all confirmed relatively late, he'll have already been doing a
(20:19):
lot of simulated stuff anyway, I suppose, so it's not
as if the leap to preparation is going to be massive.
What can we realistically expect of him this weekend or
is it better to perhaps go in with no expectations
given this is a little bit of a free kick.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
From what I can gather, and I asked that question
exactly of are the oaks? There are no expectations. It's
expected that the first race in a scenario like this
is going to be huge ask of any driver that
the learning curve is, well, it's not a curve, it's
a wall. It's going to be vertical for him because
(20:54):
it's not just going out there and knowing the controls
in the car, which he should know those backwards given
the time he spent within the car in F one
sessions and the simulate and all that sort of stuff,
so that should be more or less second nature to him.
But it's dealing with that, dealing with traffic, dealing with
the pressure, and then the nuance of the regulations. So
to pick one example which I'm sure we will touch
(21:15):
on a little bit later as well, but in Qatar,
the safety car lights there was a malfunction on those. Well,
the regulations stay that you must stay within ten car
links of the safety car while its lights are on.
So it's being aware of that level of detail in
the regulations that he will drop the ball somewhere. There's
just so many regulations is almost guaranteed. But that's what
(21:36):
this event isn't all about. Get some of those cobwebs
out of the system, get back up to speed, learn
to work with your engineer, Learn to speak the same
language as your engineer, because every driver is a little
bit different, and just use it to bed things down.
Get everything on the front foot for when we do
get to Melbourne. Also, learn what happens outside of the
(21:56):
car in Formula one. He's had a little taste of
the media, he's had a little to the fandom that
goes alongside it. But yeah, he's going to get used
to the criticism. He's going to get used to the pressure.
The media in Formula one is merciless. He would not
have experienced anything like it, and if he puts a
foot wrong, he's going to get crucified for it. He's
going to have to get used to that. It is
(22:17):
a completely different game where every time you scratch your nose,
you're you're analyzed for it, and that nothing you can
do in your junior career, or in a simulator, or
on a test track or in an FP one session
can prepare you for that. So that's what this weekend
is about it's all the periphery stuff to what we
(22:38):
know we can already do behind the wheel.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Let's look at the cut out Grand Prix now more broadly,
maximstaff and one. He's ninth Grand Prix of the season.
He's first in the dry since June. It's the Spanish
Grand Prix. It was a long time that Brazilian drought
breaker really made a little bit of a difference to
that one. Despite him winning, though, Red Bull Racing cannot
win the Constructors Championship that is going down to the
wire in Abu Dhabi between McLaren and Ferrari. Ferrari, despite expectations,
(23:02):
actually managing to call back just three points but a
few important points potentially on its Constructors Championship deficit that
stands at twenty one points going into the final round.
I want to start with Red Bull Racing though, because
this has been one of the other moving stories against
to come out of this penultimate round. I mean realistic,
this minute story that's been going for probably about six months,
but it feels like it's finally coming to a head.
(23:23):
And that is the status of Sergio Perez at that team.
We've talked about this plenty of times before Matt that
his lack of points is directly responsible for Red Bull
Racing now not being able to defend its Constructors' championship.
He's more than two hundred points behind Max Verstappen in
the standings. Had another really difficult weekend this weekend. Didn't
finish in the points in the Grand Prix or the sprint.
(23:44):
Qualified in the bottom five in the sprint. We run
through the greatest hits there that happened him this weekends.
Seemed to miss the start of the sprint. He says
it was intentional. Christian Hornet suggestions as the first he'd
ever heard of that plan to let Franco Colopinto overtake
him in pitt Lane. Spun himself out of this race.
I really expected someone to say it was a technical problem,
but simply just fun himself out of the race behind
(24:05):
the safety carent and Bertie's clut's trying to rejoin. So
no points and the language from Christian Horner has grown
increasingly clear. After months of sort of ob the skating
and saying, oh, you know, he's got a contract and
so on, he's using language now that, essentially, to paraphrase,
Perry should see the riding on the walls up to him,
which maybe suggests this won't be straightforward sacking, but rather
(24:26):
some kind of agreement. But it seems clearer than ever now,
if not by virtual of his performances than actually by
decisions to be made, that this will be Serjo Perry's
last race for Red Bull Racing.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Yeah, Christiana Hart is not defending him anymore, is he.
There's been a very subtle but very deliberate change in
language coming from the top brass at Red Bull. The
patients has worn out. Someone mentions I haven't checked this,
but someone mentioned to me that if Max wins this
weekend and gets the bonus point for fast Slap, his
(24:59):
score at the end of the season will be triple
that of Sergio's. Maybe you can take your socks off
and do the sums on that while I talk Bear Michael.
But and that's an extraordinary thing, and it's exactly why
Sergio will not race at rebul In twenty twenty five.
The coming weekend is his final race for the team.
(25:21):
Whether he knows that yet or not, or he accepts
that yet or not, is a different matter. But ultimately,
following the Abby Derby Grand Prix, an official decision will
be made or at least communicated on pretty confident decision
has already been made on a couple of things connected
to that from you know what I've read, and I
(25:44):
hate to give credit to someone else, but planning left
one is you know, saying that you know he's going
to be and be offered an ambassadorial role, a little
bit like what Daniel Ricardo had as a way to
sort of soften the blow. He can take that or
get a boot up the bum. Basically, you know, you
take what we offer you or will get rid of you.
Either way, he's not going to be there next year.
(26:06):
The patience is gone, which then opens another can of
worms as to who do they put into that into
that seat. But you know, this isn't something that's built
up over the last two or three races. This is
a year long problem, and realistically it was what China
(26:27):
Miami maybe there was his last decent race. Since then
he has been dismal. And Sergio Perez is an exceptional
racing driver. Every driver that is informedly one is an
exceptional racing driver. We're talking about a percentage point or
two difference to Max, who is a generational talent. It's
a tough job and unfortunately, I'm sorry to sound like
(26:49):
Christian of horning here, unfortunately, so just wanting. And when
you're fighting teams that are now at the caliber and
strengths of McLaren and Ferrari and Mercedes, who have two
drivers regularly contributing solid points, you cannot carry a passenger. Yeah,
(27:10):
I mean just jo is going to cost them more money.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Yeah, just to paint that picture on the points situation.
Since Formula One left Europe, he's been outscored by both
hass drivers, both Alpine drivers obviously through that double podium,
also Fernando Alonso, and hasn't finished higher than sixth since
the Miami Grand Prix. As you pointed out, there three
in the last six races, three of them he has
walked away with no points. Three of them he's walked
away with one point. They're not front running car results.
(27:35):
They are midfield car results in a car that has okay,
it's not been the fastest car for a long time now,
very rarely has been. Maybe it was the weekend, but
has not been a car that should be racing on
the cusp of the top ten. It should by rights
be top eight, and I thought it was pretty taling
and I think we've done this before. Of course, at
the start of the he said, well, of course we
can assume the top seven positions this weekend will be
locked out in Abu Dhabi because you just can't predict
(27:57):
where Sergioperi is are going to finish. Half the time,
it's actually been outside of the points.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Yeah, it's it's been poor and I know that's not
what the Mexican fans want to hear, but as Australians,
I think we're in an educated position to make these
comments because we've been through it with Daniel. There's no
explanation as to why Daniel's career suddenly nosedived. On paper,
(28:23):
he should have succeeded at McLaren. On paper, he should
have succeeded at Abe. For whatever reason, something happened there
was it was like a switch was flicked and he
was just he wasn't the same driver again, and you
get the feeling. We saw a little bit of that
last year from sort of the Miami Grand Prix, strangely
enough last year with Max going on that run of wins,
(28:44):
and then we've seen it again this year. Something has
happened in the brains. It's interesting if you stop step
back and look at some of the drivers. I wonder
if that switches in the process of being flicked. For
Lewis as well, they've got it and it's gone the
next and I think for Sergio sadly, it's gone just
(29:05):
like it went for Daniel. So it's it's the brutal
nature of Formula One and Red Bull isn't in the
business of being patient. I think Sergio has actually been
very lucky. If you look back at Red Ball throughout
its history, it's been very brutal with its drivers, decisions,
(29:25):
very cutthroat. This year and I agree arguably even going
back to last year with Diverse, it's been a little
bit more soft, a little bit more emotive, and that
to me speaks of the influence of Christian Horner in
some of that decision making process. Because Daniel Ricardo was
(29:46):
an emotive appointment from Christian Horner. Is the decision to
retain Sergio Perez was a Horner's decision as well, And
again it felt a motive because after Singapore, I mean,
hell that the championship, the constructor championship was lost. Why
don't you make a change. Making a change that rbing
(30:06):
made no sense from a logical It makes sense from
a perhaps an a motive standpoint, but not from a
rusial or so you may as well. You know, if
you're going to make a big change, make a big change,
don't drink half major. That's where you throw Daniel Ricardo
in see if there's any difference. There might be, there
might not, but you've got your answer. And yet here
we are at the end of the year in a
position where it can't carry on as it is, and
(30:29):
Sergio is about to have his Formula One career end
in a whimper.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Yeah. I mean, you've got to wonder what could have
had been made of this season, and Daniel Riccardo got
the nod there. Maybe it wouldn't have been much better,
But in retrospect it's been shown up to have been
a mistake not to at least try it, because Sergio
pair is, other than that one brief weekend in Baku
in which he still walked away with no points, has
not looked anything like the driver Red Bull was hoping
he would rebecome in the second half of the year.
(30:57):
The other side of this equation, I think You're right
to point out that Red Bulls dealt with him differently
than it has drivers in the past. I think that
actually started when he arrived at the team, because they
recognize the way they dealt with piter Gasly and Alex
Albon wasn't conducive to getting the best out of them.
Both drivers thrown in the deep end. Particularly in Alban's case.
It's informed one half a year when he got them
not to move up to Red Bull Racing. But I
(31:17):
think that puts the focus now on what happens next,
because it seems like the odds are back on Liam
Lawson being the driver who replaces Sergio Perez. He will
arrive with eleven Grand Prix starts, so pretty much the
same situation Alex Albon was in, except those Grand Prix
starts aren't even contiguous. Half of them were last year,
and then he was sort of on the sidelines again
this year. Now he's back, it'll be interesting to see
(31:38):
how they deal with that, because, if anything, it's a
worse time than ever to join Red Bull Racing because
they've got a lot of expectation, this being a title
winning era. We're up against Max Withstappan who's never been
in better form. But you're racing a car. We don't
know what it's going to be like next year, of course,
but a car in the second half of this year
that's been very unpredictable, hard even for the team and
at times for even Verstappen to get the best out of.
(31:59):
This is a pretty high risk situation for whoever were
to get that nod L. Let's just say lead Lawson.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Yeah. Realctically, there were potentially four drivers that were in
the frame. That's now a shortlist of two, but let's
go through all four. The absolute wild card outside was
color Science and he was a name connected even in
the last week to Red Bull. That's understood. There's a
(32:25):
clauseing is Williams contract that he could move to a
team that was higher up the grid, a race winning
team shot down. But that will be a fascinating concept,
particularly if you start to look at red Bull beyond
the immediate max for staff in era, because that will
end at some point, and that's where Red Bull's trying
to set itself up for. It's not just looking at
solving the immediate twenty twenty five driver issue. This is
(32:46):
starting to look at twenty six and beyond. What is
a succession plan? Beyond beyond this happened, science would have
been a curious, curious case there that didn't happen for
a multitude of reasons, but so he came and went.
The other one that was mentioned was Colo Pinto. Now
Franco burst onto the scene with its first three or
four races. His value just absolutely skyrocketed and he looked
(33:09):
like a brilliant superstar of the future. Quite possibly will be.
But he's entered this awkward phase of being a rookie
where he started to crash all every not every rookie.
Oscar Piastri didn't do it, but most rookies go through this,
this crash phase. Maxis Stappan did. This is unfortunate that
in the short run of races that colo Pinto's got
(33:32):
that his crash phases happened. Now as a sort of
red Bull and even Alpine were looking at him as
a potential candidate for next year, his value after South
Paolo and Las Vegas is absolutely nose dived. Red Bull
has no interest in him. He's off the radar, not
even at RB. The original plan was to put him
(33:53):
a red Bull. Then when the crashes started to happen,
or maybe it's RB and now it's not even in
contention for either of those drives, which leaves us in
a situation where Red Bull has to pick from the
pool of drivers that's got and that pool at the
moment is realistically Liam Lawson and Yuki Sonoda. So now
he's in the fourth year of his Formula One career,
(34:14):
has still shown himself to be highly unstable in the car,
and that he gets very wound up, very emotional, very
angry at times. He's a little bit inconsistent as well.
In his fourth year, you could also realistically suggest these approaching,
if not at sort of where his maximum level will be.
Liam Lawson's nip and tuck with him after ten races,
(34:35):
which suggests that Liam, still far from the finished article,
has potentially a higher ceiling. You then look at them
off track and Yuki, because if you can can't differentiate
them on track, you've got to look at what they're
doing off track. Yuki off track has always had some concerns.
We don't know what they are, but for a long
time he wasn't in consideration for the Red Bull driver.
(34:56):
There's something that Red Bull don't like what they've seen.
I don't know what it is, but it's there. Conversely,
you've got a driver who Helmut Marco really strongly supports,
a driver who takes ownership of issues, seeks out Christian
Horner and the senior leadership at Red Bull when he
makes a mistake and owns it. He's also got this
at a wrote it a diy or two back. He's
(35:18):
got this. It's a fabulous genesqua. It's in French for
the thing that you can't be explained, but he's just
got it. It's that X factor, that little that sprinkle
of gold dust that drivers have and I can't explain
it any better than that. But he's got a presence
about him. Franco's got the same thing. Frankie Colpindo's got
(35:39):
the same thing. He's just got this little sparkle about him.
Yuki doesn't have that. The great Red Bull drivers have
had that. Maxi Staff and Sebastian Battle, even Danie Ricardo
for that matter. And it's something that Liam has and
can build on. Then taken marketing, look at things in
(36:02):
two or three or four years time, who is going
to lead the Red Bull team, Because at some point
Max is going to retire. We know he's here for
a good time, not a long time. Is Yuki Sanoda
the driver to lead the Red Bull Formula One program?
It doesn't feel right. Is that person Liam Lawson? Maybe not,
but he feels a better fit. And that's purely from
(36:23):
a you know, watching their body language, the way they
interact with the engineer, the feeling within the team. Yuki
is not hugely popular within the team as well. He's
a hard man to work with. The understand there are
lots of little indicators all the way through that suggests
that when Sergio is kicked out, that Liam Lawson will
be the man for.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
The job again with that French hat. And we assume,
speaking of that, Isaac Kadjar will then be the man
who slots into RBS contending for the Formula two Championship
this weekend. Having drawn, I think we did half a
point leader Gabrielle Borte letter. I hate the half points,
but that's the way it is.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
This is the other piece that makes me think that
a decision has been made. So Hadja has a reputation
for being a dour Frenchman, I think is probably the
best way to put it. But in Qatar he was
(37:19):
bouncing around like a kid at Christmas. He was a
different person. And that's not just my own observations, that's
direct commentary from contacts within the Formula two Paddock who
are working directly with him over the course of the
weekend and had first hand experience with him, you know,
(37:41):
throughout the season and on that weekend, and noted you
know that they made specific note of the change in
demeanor to me and how they thought that meant that
a pretty significant decision had been made in his favor.
So I think, I think all the pieces are already decided.
We just have to get beyond Abydaby for that to
be communicated to us.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yes, we'll keep eyes peeled for as soon as the
teket flag falls in Avid Dhabi a little bit after that,
we're running out of time. But I do want touch
on a couple more things from this Grand Prix before
we get to the Alternative Championship, of course, and that
is the constructor's standing. This was meant to be a
big weekend for McLaren. They had the first opportunity to
seal the Constructors Championship. It was always unlikely. It was
always going to be a little bit difficult. They needed
probably the perfect result in quite a bad weekend for
(38:23):
Ferrari indi end, Ferrari had a slightly better weekend in
terms of race pace, at least than they were braced for,
even if the one lap pace was still a little
bit off. But McLaren didn't really have the advantage expected. Okay,
it was a one two in the sprints, Oscar Piastri
head of Lando Norris. After it well, not quite a
team order Orlando Norris order, I suppose redressing the team
order from Brazil. But in the race Lando Norris, okay,
(38:44):
he was challenging Max with staffand but didn't really seem
like he had the edge to do the deal. And then,
of course the ten second stop go penalty, probably the
main talking point from the race itself for ignoring double
waved yellow flags when Oscar Piastri finished third on the podium,
but Norris could only score two points for tenth with
the fastest lap, which means twenty one points heading into
Abu Dhabi. And I've been of the opinion that the
season decided. It's the final race of the season. Yes,
(39:07):
McClaren is still favorite. It's got it to lose, essentially
having led the Constructors Championship now for a couple of months.
But anything can happen in a one race essentially winner
takes all scenario. I think this track will suit Ferrari
a little bit, but certainly suited better than Kata. I
actually think Ferrari might be the team marginally ahead this
weekend as well looking at the track layout. Not enough
to make it the clear favorite, but should certainly feel
(39:28):
more confident. What was the vibe like between those two
teams over the course of the weekend, considering neither got
the result they thought they were in for and the
feeling ahead of Abu Dhabi.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
I think McLaren's pretty happy to be going in with
a championship lead. It's a little bit disappointed, obviously not
to have a bigger lead. It could and should have
had a bigger lead, and Land obviously made a mistake
and that proved costly in the Constructors Championship. Before I
go on that thought, though, I just want to comment
on Lando and the sprint because I think he deserves
(40:02):
massive respect and plawed its for his actions. Yes, it
was only a sprint winter he gave back to Oscar,
but it's more than that. It's not just that one
point and paying back South Paolo. What it does is
leads McLaren by example shows that it's a cohesive, strong
(40:22):
unit that has immense cultural values that run from the
top down. The message that sends to the rank and
file heading into twenty twenty five, regardless of what happens
this weekend, the message that sends is absolutely phenomenal. So
Lando deserves a lot of credit for that, and I
(40:42):
guess ultimately, you know, Zach Brown and Andrew Stella deserve
a lot of credit for instilling that in Inlando and
Oscar over the course of the year. But that, to
me showed a lot of what McLaren is about. And
then the reaction on Sunday night, Andrew Stella, I've that
has the most expressive eyebrows in Formula one and they
(41:05):
were very angry post race with the penalty. Seller felt
the ten second stop go was harsh. The faas argued that,
you know it's a double wave yellow flags. He didn't
slow down under double wave yellow flags, which is people
on track prepared to stop it. These days, there's never
anyone on track without a safety car out. But that's
(41:28):
what a double wave yellow means Lando didn't do that,
and he deserved. Quite frankly, I think he deserves to
have the book thrown at him for that. He deserves
the ten second stop go penalty because you cannot compromise
on safety. If you start allowing Formula one drivers to
do it's Formula two drivers will start to do it.
That teachers Formula three drivers and Formula four and it
knocks on down the chain. You have to lead by example.
(41:51):
These are the world's best drivers. They cannot be let
off the hook on that basic stuff. So when it
comes to safety, no inch given. I don't care that
Andre Stelle had angry eyebrows. It doesn't matter. It broke
a fundamental rule and he copped the penalty for it, and
that's that's fine. I don't have an issue with that. Ferrari,
(42:12):
obviously were the happy recipients of the benefit from that.
The safety car also fell in in Charla Clair's favor,
giving him track position over Oscar Piastre. That was the
second safety car. From the top of my head, there
were three of them over the race that Ferrari was
a little bit down on pace, So it can be
pretty happy to have actually clawed back some ground, but
(42:34):
McLaren wasn't too upset, you know. Ultimately McLaren's of the
opinion from speaking to to Zack Brown a couple of
other Cats over the weekend. Remember where they were at
the start of the year. They were nowhere, and here
they are on the verge of the Constructors Championship, the
first one. All have won that championship in nearly nearly
three was it nineteen ninety eight six? Yeah, there you go.
(42:58):
I was gonna say nearly thirty years. I'm close enough.
So that's an extraordinary turn of events. That's an extraordinary
season that they've had. When you put it in that context,
they've already won they all they missing as are trophy.
If they get that in Abu Dhaby, I think that's
the final cherry on top of the cake. Even if
(43:21):
they don't get it, I don't think it diminishes the
achievement of twenty twenty four for McLaren because it has
been an extraordinary season where they've made two drivers race
winners for the first time.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Yeah, there's some quick mats for you heading into Abu Dhabi.
The result needed for Ferrari and there are obviously other permutations
possible after this, but the result needed for Ferrari is
a one to two with McLaren off the podium, and
that would be enough to if it's if it's four
or five for McLaren, FRAI would win on countback, which
have a number of wins, and then off the podium.
It would be more straightforward, so fastest point lap could
(43:57):
swing it. We don't know it's close enough that it's
within the realm of stability, but we do expect McClaren
to be at least reasonably strong this weekend, so Ferrari
really will need everything to go in its favor. And
to wrap up mas MAT's chat, you're right. If Max
with Staffan does get the perfect results this weekend and
Sergio Perez does not score, he'll be as good as
triple Perez's points, I think within one point or half
(44:17):
a point or something like that. So remarkable statistics all
round on the grid ahead of Abu Dhabi. But Matt,
we're running out of time. Let's get to the Alternative Championship.
Per ultimate round of the Alternative Championship. Goodn's come fast,
hasn't it.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
We can always invent some more. I mean ultimately, let's
just make this up as we go along. Anyways, the
alternative championship where we make all the points up and
it doesn't really matter, and this is the one everyone
wants to win, even though they don't even know it exists.
So my three votes. Sergio has not had a good year,
has he?
Speaker 1 (44:48):
Understatement?
Speaker 2 (44:49):
I feel like piling on. I'm gonna make it a
little bit worse for not being aware enough to realize
the writing that's on the wall, because he seems completely
oblivious to the fact that he doesn't have a future
at Red Bull that or completely unwilling to publicly accept it.
I'm going to take twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
Five points away from Joe per one point for every
year as of next year. So yeah, he gets my
he gets my first at one point for every year
next year.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
Not just every year he's been with the team, but
for every year.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Yeah, every year, every year since we've rolled over from
years zero. I mean, if we went every year, I
have to take what's an eight point something billion year?
How many? How many years old I need to go
to that song from The Big Bang Theory? Yeah, how
many I need to take off him?
Speaker 1 (45:42):
I like it. I like it a lot.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
We'll go with twenty twenty five for now.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Keep it simple. I'm also going to start by taking
points off thirteen points off George Russell. That's a difference
between first and fourth. I'm pretty sure anyway, for angering
Max for staffands so much that he never had any
chance of converting the pole he won in the steward's
room to victory, because when you get Max into a
certain corner, he's just not ever go. He's either going
(46:06):
to take you out or he's going to win the race.
And I thought this was really interesting. That's something we
didn't have time to talk about. But Max's commentary after
winning the race, so not immediately after losing pole position,
but having had twenty four hours of they're about to
digest everything. Spoke about the duplicitus of George Russell and
having absolutely always his words, I have no respect for
(46:27):
him at all. I thought that was very interesting considering
Russell's position as the leader of the GPD, and as
much as Max has a bit of a fiery reputation,
I can't think of a driver he's spoken about in
similar terms to George.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
And one thing that you know when Max speaks is
he tells the truth. You know, you might not like
what you hear, or he might not be willing to
give view exactly everything that you want. But when he speaks,
you can believe what he's saying is honest. So if
he's saying those things, that is his honest opinion. From
(47:02):
what I've heard the drivers meet or that the meeting
with the Stewards was to quote someone that gave me
a bit of an inside line, it was it was
spicy George really pushing for a penalty. Max obviously well
just displeased with I love that when you get Max
(47:22):
riled up, he lets out a bit of the mongrel
and he just I mean, I don't know what is
more rabid than a honey badger, but I imagine maybe
there's a new species out there. Maybe there isn't. Maybe
it is the stappin the wild. Forstapin once wild cannot
(47:45):
be satiated.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
It'll be the species that n humanity, presumably. So that's
where I'm taking off my first points.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
I'm actually going to go positive for the next one.
I know something unusual for this I'm going to give Jack.
I'm going to give Jack doing seven points are very
good and The reason I'm giving him seven point is
because he's going to start his career with not the
number seven.
Speaker 1 (48:04):
Oh I didn't even think about this actually, yeah, so
what number? Do you know? What number's starting with?
Speaker 2 (48:09):
Yeah, so we'll start with his reserve number, which is
sixty one or sixty three. Okay, sixty one sixty three
is George, isn't it. So I will start with sixty one,
and then next year he'll pick up the number that
he chose that Kimmy didn't and carry number seven from
that point on. So yeah, I'm giving you Jack seven
points for making his Formula one day, being the sixteenth
(48:32):
Australian to do it, the eighteenth through account of the
guys that didn't qualify. But yeah, I think it's just
it's just a good news story. More Aussie's in Formula
one is a good thing for everything other than my sleep.
I guess you're sleep as well, because it just adds
to our workload. So please, Christian Mansel, James Wharton, kids
(48:53):
on the way up, just give us a couple of
years then by all minions come on in. But please
just bear with us. Were a little bit full at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
What if we just had a critical mass whereby we
had to change the time zones for races. There could
be an alternative way.
Speaker 2 (49:07):
To move forward.
Speaker 1 (49:08):
All of us here should No, that's just a given
at this point. I'm gonna can maintain negative. It will
end on a positive though, don't stress. Twenty million points
off Williams for overplaying a hand with Franco Colopinto. Now.
I'm a big fan of Franco Colopindo. I think he
does deserve a spot on the F one grid. But
of course, once it became clear other teams were interested him,
(49:30):
he interested in him. The team set a reportedly a
sky high fee for him to be released from his
contract twenty million bucks. May as well profit while stocks
were high. Well, that twenty million dollars seems rather inflated
at this point, and it now seems, perhaps as a
result of that high asking price, that he won't be
on the grid after all next year. Who knows what
it might have been had it been more reasonable, perhaps
(49:51):
he would have already signed somewhere, maybe help mIRC I
would have already signed him to RB. But it isn't
to be. So it's twenty million points off Williams this
week for me a big yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
I mean to come back from there. That's that's a
big final race of the year.
Speaker 1 (50:07):
I've had quite a few points off I think, haven't.
Speaker 2 (50:09):
They It's it's not gone well. But I mean, who knows.
I mean, these points don't matter, so maybe next week
we'll give them all back.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
You don't know, you don't know.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
It couldn't remains to me saying that is the wonderful
thing of the Alternative Championship. If you are willing to
bribe us, we are willing to change our school. It's
very cheap, and that's that seems a bargain to me.
I mean, I don't even split it with you, Mike.
We're going to take me in each That seems fair.
(50:41):
Let's tell you what if someone's willing to bribe us
twenty million will make Williams win the championship. You keep nine,
I'll keep nine, will donate two to charity.
Speaker 1 (50:48):
There you go. Look that's the everyone's a winner.
Speaker 2 (50:50):
I think everybody wins if we do that, especially William.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
I think you, the listener, would be selfish not to donate.
Speaker 2 (50:57):
It's all on you. I don't know how many twenty
million dollar how many listeners have a spare twenty meal
kicking around the back of the couch, but I did
and it was all monopoly money, right. My last points,
very self indulgent, extremely self indulgent. On Saturday, the sprint
(51:20):
grid was absolutely pumping and I had to stop myself
because I realized there were there were cameras around. Because
the DJ and the grid started cranking out a bit
of remixed smells like teen Spirit, and it just got
me going. From there on, everything was was just gravy.
(51:40):
The rest of the day was good. It just got
me in the mood. So I'm giving nineteen one, nine
hundred ninety one points to the DJ because that was
a year it smells like teen Spirit was released, and
it just it just set the tone for the day.
It was. It was a banger from start to finish.
I like very self ind and I don't care.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
Yeah, another point for every year.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
I'm consistent.
Speaker 1 (52:07):
Yes, that's true. You should become a steward. You can
only bring the consistency. I'm going to end on a positive,
but it's a small positive maybe, but I'm going to
stick with it. One point to Yuki Sonoda. Now, the
reason I'm giving him one point is that we've talked
a little bit about already this podcast, the importance of
not ignoring double wave yellow flags because you don't know
what they're for. At the end of the day, drivers
can only in retrospect say, oh, well, it wasn't that
(52:29):
important or whatever. But he I think was the most
cautioned driver on the track because he didn't think there
was a mirror. He misheard and thought there was a
beaver on the circuit, which is one of the most
comical miss years in recent formula Warden. So he was
surely the most cautious driver heading into turn one looking
for this small anially, and he said afterwards he thought
it was unusual that there would be a beaver on
(52:50):
the circuit in the desert, but he was willing to
believe anything. I think he said, well, you know climate change,
anything is possible, so he must have just been really
keeping an eye out going into turn one, and I
like that he was very responsible, even if it wasn't
correct at the end of the day. I'm not sure
how many laps he believed that either, if it was
for the full five or six laps before the safety car.
I hate to think of what he thought as the
reason for all of the punctures if he still thought
(53:12):
the beaver was out there. But one point to Yuki Sonoda.
Speaker 2 (53:15):
Yeah, there's all manner of jokes involved in that. And
I still don't know the difference between a beaver and
a moment. That's the bigger question here. I don't know
the difference. And from the pitwall, do they know the difference?
Can they accurately tell Yuki if it's a beaver or
(53:36):
a morment?
Speaker 1 (53:37):
I'm sure that's probably what he was.
Speaker 2 (53:40):
Yeah, I think I think it was very astute in
adopting a cautious approach to avoid any stray beavers that
were just you know, industriously building dams on the apex.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
Well, that would satisfy the criteria of the track being
partially or completely blocked for double wave yellows. So maybe
it does make sense weird way, So good old Yuki Sonoda.
Good on him slowing down appropriately. And on that note,
that's all the time we have for Pittalk today. We'll
be back next week to wrap up all the action
from the season, ending Atpudabi Grand Prix. You can subscribe
to Pittalk wherever you get your favorite podcasts, and you
can leave us a rating and review as well, and
(54:15):
stay up to date with all the latest stuff on
news throughout the round at both foxsports dot com dot
Au and Speedcafe dot Com. From Matt Cosh me Michael Lamonado,
thanks very much for your company and we'll catch you
next week.
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