Midyear review: F1's top 10 with commentator Alex Jacques

Michael and Matt are joined by F1 TV lead commentator Alex Jacques to rank the top 10 drivers of the Formula 1 season so far — and why their list doesn't look much like the championship table.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
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Speaker 4 (00:19):
This is the moment then, that we've all been waiting
for for in a romax.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Here comes Oscar past three, Lando Norris.

Speaker 5 (00:26):
They aren't playing hardball out there at the moment.

Speaker 4 (00:29):
Steve pevercheol moment to twenty twenty four.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Hello, and welcome to Pit Talk, brought to you by Shannon's.
On today's episode, in the mid season break, we're ranking
our top performers of the first part of the Formula
One season from one to ten with F one commentator
Alex Jakes, and we're going to run through the latest
in supercars and Moto GP. My name is Michael Lomonado.
It's great. It's pleasure to have your company and the

(00:57):
company of my co host. Ask him about his contact
manager habits. They're very exciting. It's Matt Clayton.

Speaker 5 (01:02):
That is another separate podcasts one we were not going
to here, but perhaps off their people can leave their
thoughts you know, it is very strange. It's after a
weekend where there's been no Formula One and no Motor GP.
This is possibly the most awake you and I have
ever been for this podcast.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
It is remarkable. Isn't only daytime racing? Can you imagine them?

Speaker 5 (01:20):
Incredible? So we're in Europe. Put your Sundays.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
The only thing missing was the Sunday Euros in this case,
just supercars at the weekend with their one end Motor
GP in their mid season breaks and Motor GP resuming shortly.
We'll talk about that, but let's start before we get
to our interview in our rankings, which we will take
up the bulk of this podcast with interested versus experts,
straight off the top. Yes, the eternal, eternal subject.

Speaker 5 (01:44):
Can I go first?

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Please?

Speaker 5 (01:46):
All right? So Supercars brock Feeney wins a sprint car
on the weekend. We're back at Queensland Raceway, first time
in a long time. Lots of people at Queensland Raceway,
which was good to see. How did he do it?
Because we know that he won two of the three
races over the weekend, but this is significant. This is
the first time we've seen this format and he was
pretty emphatic, wasn't it really?

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yes, a lot of damp people at Queensland. This was
e'm fatic. We knew it was coming, really because he
already had massed such a big points lead. But this
was the point of the finals. Is that by now
what a you're talking about him already winning the championship.
It's only the Sprint Cup. He won it on that
first race. Some will say provisionally, but that's when the
points were counted up.

Speaker 5 (02:23):
He won it then.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
And that's important for a couple of reasons before we
talk about the weekend, and that is the automatic qualification
of the finals, which you already had. Any Way, he
can't move out of the top ten even if he
didn't turn up to the endurers that's good for him,
But it's the twenty five bonus points that are important.
So now this weekend obviously having just the end of
the Sprint Cup, but also the end of about this
one thousand the Injura Cups, and we can talk about

(02:45):
his bonus points that are applicable for the first weekend
of the finals. So that means if he if disaster
were to befall him in that first weekend where he
had he'll have at least twenty five bonus points in
his pocket as he wins the Endurer Cup. In a
reminder of the Endurer Cup points and they're not carried
from the Sprint Cup. We're gonna go on a lot
of different points systems now a very Supercars subject. They
kind of reset to zero, not the overall points. Anyway,

(03:08):
someone will get another twenty five at the end, and
that's going to be important in a couple of months
when we start talking about the finals. But he had
an almost completely straightforward weekend, would have clean swept it
except for a penalty picked up for jumping the start.
Now I've seen the replays, it's there, but it's it's
extraordinarily fractional. I understand why he felt a bit hard

(03:28):
done by because he also had great starts every race,
like really powerful starts, so unfortunately got ping there. Tried
to challenge his team mate Will Brown for the win
the second race, the Saturday afternoon race, Sunday evening race,
couldn't get it done. Will Brown did get his first
win since Melbourne, which is remarkable. Did drop the third
in the championship standings anyway, because he got a penalty
for Sunday for a pit lane infringement, but that kind

(03:51):
of doesn't matter again except for those bonus points pictures,
but he could get those twenty five in the duros.
That's going to be target now obviously, but that's going
to be its own chapter. But the sprint cut, the
first ever has been wine. He've got the trophy did
brock Feeni the very end of the weekend. So we've
got a lot of trophies this year, a lot of
trophies so far, still pursuing obviously the biggest one at
the end of the year. But at the conclusion, the

(04:11):
natural conclusion of this part of the season, this is
brock Feen is here. There is a little bit of
an irony is now. I was thinking about this before
we move on briefly, that he you know, he's been
building up in all these years in supercars. If this
here had come last year, what is a different story
last year. It's ironic that he's hit this incredible run
and form in the year where a kinda doesn't count

(04:32):
for that much. Yes, do we get to the end
of the year, just briefly before we move on as well,
do you want to talk about the finals picture? Because
that has changed a little bit, not a lot in it.
At the very bottom of reading my notes here, yes,
I reckon there's only two. Look a lot can happen
in your jurors. Because it's three hundred points per race,
it's one race situation, you've got co drivers, everything's a
bit wackier. But for me it's Kai Allen who's twenty
points out of the ten, and Cameron Hill who summed

(04:54):
one hundred and eight points. He was in the ten
not that long ago as well. Thomas Randall's the driver
on the bubble. He had a bit a nor new
weekend or a bit of quiet weekend. And then above
him Ryan Wood, who really doesn't deserve to be so
close to the ten, that's had a bit of bad race,
like an andre heim Gardner who's twenty one points out.
So that's the interesting equation for me. I think for
me it's those two drivers out of the ten. I
don't know who's in the ten, but those bottom two

(05:15):
obviously the most logically at risk. Yes, bottom three, I
should say with Thomas Randall, it's an interesting setup because,
like I say in Duro's can be a little bit random.
That's the state of played Supercars Motor GP back this weekend. Yes,
I am interested. I'm also particularly interested in Jack Miller
contract news about which we have not yet seen.

Speaker 5 (05:33):
Yeah, and I thought this would have happened either just
before or during the mid season break. I mean, technically
we're still in the mid season break for a couple
of days. But going back to the Italian Grand Prix,
the Yamaha MD Paler Pavesio said that they would make
a decision on Jack Miller or Miguel Olivera at Pramac.
Hasn't happened, and I suspect what's going on here. Now
we know that Jack went off and did the Suzuka

(05:53):
eight hour, finished second in that. To go and give
up a fair chunk of your mid season break to
do that event for Yamaha in Japan is a very
big That would have gone down very well with the
Yamaha Pyes, but I suspect the bigger tail here is
that it's the factory Yamaha seat that Jack may actually
end up in because Alex Rins is in a second
two and a half years now of massive underperformance and

(06:15):
it's a little tough on Alex because he's not been
the same rider since he broke his leg back at Magello.
It's twenty twenty three. You know, he's finished once inside
the top ten since then. It's been that grim and
he is on this two year. He's a fantastic rider,
we know that, but he's not been the same rider
since then. Jack is the second highest place Yamaha rider
in the standings. He's the only one of their four

(06:35):
riders that doesn't have a contract for next year. We
know that top brak Razatlioglu is coming in definitely at Pramak.
What I suspect they might do here is I think
Jack might end up as Fabio Quatrero's teammate at the
factory Yamaha team for a guy that was the last
ride aside for this year. I suspect that Pramak might
go all rookie next year, bring Diogo Mourera up from
Moto to partner him with Razkatliogloo. Almost becomes a B team,

(06:58):
a Yamaha B team if you like, Jack's not going
to be around a motor GP for a long time.
Let's be honest. You know the clock is at what
ten minutes to twelve at this boy, maybe eight minutes,
just twelve but I suspect he could really help that
Yamaha factory outfit. And if he's producing more this early
and his Yamaha tenure than Alex rins has for basically
two and a half seasons, it's harsh and it's not
Alex Rinns's fault. But I suspect that Jack Miller might

(07:21):
be getting some better news and perhaps we thought and
maybe even as early as this weekend.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah, wow, And what happens with Alex rings And I
have a lot of questions, now, what happened you do
in this situation?

Speaker 5 (07:29):
Yeah? Look, it's interesting. There's not a lot of vacancies elsewhere.
I wonder if Alex's destiny now is to perhaps become
a third writer and or test writer. He's still too
good and he's high points to just be completely parked,
and he's still young enough to be on the grid.
I would say, but where are the openings and teams
are now? You know, you look at the success of
Pedro Costa and Ferminal de Guez come in this year.

(07:51):
Teams are skewing younger now to find that fast young
guy out of Moto two who's not his story hasn't
been written yet. You fear the rins story may have
been written. Again, not his fault, but it's just a
confluence of circumstances that he finds himself where he does.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
Yeah, and I've just checked my notes a Grand Prix weekend,
which means market is gonna win.

Speaker 5 (08:07):
That we might come back to. That's lits a bit
later on, little bit later.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Before we get to Alex Jakes, We've got to go
to Move of the Week, brought to you by Shannon's.
Now a lot of it was one. There was one racist,
but I know, knowing you may not be about the race.

Speaker 5 (08:26):
No, my moves of the week have been going sort
of fifteen degrees or further left of center the longer
this podcast has gone. So I'm going to go. Move
of the Week is DCATI, who are winning basically every
motor GP race and winning the world championship this year.
They sent all of their riders and their test rider
Mikaylee Piro to Balloton Park in Hungary last week with

(08:47):
seven Panagali superbikes so their riders could get laps in
around a brand new circuit that motor GP's visiting at
the end of this month. The rules stipulate that you
cannot test a GP, it cannot test them any bike
at a grawl pre circuit within fifteen days of the
event starting. So they went there seventeen days before the
event started. They shipped seven brand new Panagalis out there.

(09:10):
All the riders went in on their mid season break
and thrashed around Baloton Park for a day. Now, and
it's obviously a superbike is not a modor GP bike.
No one's been to this place before, but all the
Decadi guys have. And if you want, this is why
they are winning world championships because every little there's no
stone left unturned with these guys. We know how dominant
they are when they how good their bike is. Let's
give the riders some reps around this track that no

(09:32):
one's been too yet. And so for me to Move
of the week by being ruthless in their domination of
motor GP and not not letting the foot off.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
I like it a lot. I do like it a lot.
A great left field pick. I'm going to go with
a regular old pick for Moving of the Week, like
an actual overtape. Yeah, actually overtaking double overtake in fact,
wasn't heaps of overtaking. It Queensland. But there was a
little bit in that first race and it was Kyle
Allen and Ryan Wood passing Will Brown for second and
third only on the Will Brown stack out of that

(10:02):
was in a little bit damp obviously out of the
final corner both got him down into the first turn.
It was a fine move. Okay, it was capitalizing on mistake.
The move was fine, but what it meant was that
we got the youngest ever podium in Australian to INCA
Championship history. Twenty two year old was brock Feenie Caons
twenty years old. I'm relady written this down obviously, I
could never remember this. Ryan is twenty one years old,

(10:22):
so the average age is twenty years and two hundred
and sixteen days, which is broke a record, said only Darwin,
which was two months ago. So just gets younger and younger.

Speaker 5 (10:33):
I'm almost older than all those three guys were together.
That's absolutely terrifying.

Speaker 1 (10:39):
You can do your own calculations at home. But let's
move on now, of course, to the main event of
this podcast, ranking our top ten drivers of the Formula
One season so far, and if you're looking to assemble
a list of the top ten performers of this season
so far. Who better to rely on then the voice
of FORMUDA one quite literally, Alex Jakes is the lead
commentator of the F one World Feed on f one TV.

(11:00):
You can also here on Channel four in the UK,
and if you're a Foxtel Sports subscriber and you have
a set top box, you can hear as well with
your f one TV Pro subscription, which you have if
you download the app. If you don't have that, though,
you can hear him right now. It's Alex Jakes joining
us to rank the top ten performers of the season
so far. Alex, it's great to see.

Speaker 2 (11:17):
You right now. I love it. It's great to be
with you. How are you, sir?

Speaker 1 (11:22):
Doing very well the mid season? Never quite in the
middle of the year, which frustrates me. But we've had
a great fourteen rounds so far. I guess I want
to start before we get into how we're going to
be ranking this top ten. You've obviously have a very
particular viewpoint of the season as the lead commentator. How's
the season been in your eyes? Has it gone the
way you've expected it to go?

Speaker 2 (11:43):
Not at the start, No, not at all.

Speaker 4 (11:45):
I thought we were going to have a pickup from
last year where you in and get to some circuits. Ferrari,
we're going to be quicking some circuits. Max of Staff
and we're going to do his things some circuits. McLaren
we're going to run away. Obviously we've ended up with
the McLaren Show, and that's how it's. That's how it's.
It's been interesting to go into a two horse race,
but no I expected a wide open championship and to

(12:06):
not know I expected multiple drivers in the mix, and
in the end we've got two contenders for the title.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
So something completely different as turned up.

Speaker 5 (12:14):
And one of the cool things I'm guessing from your
perspective too, Alex, You've got two drivers in the mix
of the title, but two of them haven't done it before.
There's this newness to the title fight that we can
predict how it might pan out, but the fact that
neither of them has really been in this position before.
We are going to have a first time world champion,
but how we get to that, I guess is one
of the real sources of intrigue between now and ab Dhabi,

(12:37):
isn't it.

Speaker 4 (12:38):
Yeah, And that's a really nice thing to have because
you could argue that we I think you've got to
go back, realistically, all the way to two thousand and
nine for it to be a two horse race. In
a similar fashion, it's a great phenomenon in that it's
a rare thing in Formula one. I think they're also
both acutely aware that chances like this where you've got

(13:01):
to beat the other side of the garage, the other
side of the garage where you've got full visibility of
what they're doing, they don't come around very often. So
it's given it a it's given it a heightened intensity
that only an enter team battle can bring, and will.

Speaker 1 (13:16):
Be fascinating to see how that resolves itself. If you
McLaren your adamant that it won't need to resolve itself,
but we'll wait and see any raceless time someone needs
to win. At a minimum. Now we're here to assemble
our top ten performers of this first part of the season.
You at home, undoubtedly will have your own in your
mind top ten performers, So it's harder to write down
a list than you'd think. I encourage you to try it,

(13:37):
and why not tell us on social media as well,
But I'm sure Also, the three of us may have
some differences in the top generally, so I hope we
have some Otherwise this segment's going to go very straightforwardly.
We're also going to be like this as high school rules.
Really the last time I was good at any sports.
But we'll take it on turns to choose our team.
Because there are three of us and three into ten
doesn't quite go. That means someone's going to get extra pick.

(14:00):
And what kind of hosts would we be, Alex if
you did not get that extra pick? So why don't
you kick us off with your number one performer of
the first part of the season.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, Oscar piastre very close between him and Maxistappen.

Speaker 4 (14:12):
But I think if you've done a straw poll of
the paddock at the start of the year, who they
thought the contenders were going to be, if you'd ask
for a lead McLaren contender. Remember we came into this
year expecting it to be a multi team, multi driver battle.
I think most would have said Lando Norris. So for
him to step forward have the most wins of the
season so far, I mean he's got six, he could

(14:34):
have way more.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
That I think is the frightening thing.

Speaker 4 (14:39):
For everyone else so far this season he has stepped
up way beyond a second to third year expectation. And
for me, he is the standout performer of the season.
And yeah, he deserves his championship lead. So he's my
number one.

Speaker 1 (14:56):
Where did you have him?

Speaker 5 (14:57):
Mike? We're just out of curiosity because I think we
should probably do that as go through these peaks before
I go off and you go off and pick number two.
But I'm assuming you also had Piastre in P one.

Speaker 1 (15:05):
Yes, I did not encourage anyone who wants to retain
the suspense not to check the Fox Sports website where
my list was published last week, so you can not
do that keep the suspense. But yes, he was my
number one as well.

Speaker 5 (15:19):
Yeah, he was my number one as well. And I
think you can dive into a million stats. The one
that I keep coming back to is, well, let's see
how good your memories either of you. When was the
last time Oscar Piastre didn't finish a Grand Prix?

Speaker 2 (15:33):
Oh, good question, A lot time ago.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
It wouldn't have been last year.

Speaker 5 (15:42):
It was the United States Grand Prix of twenty twenty three. Wow,
So now we're looking at so it's a forty two
race finishing streak, so Hamilton has a record at forty eight,
the stap in forty three, so Piastre is currently on
the third longest finishing streak in Formula One history. And

(16:02):
I think that speaks to a little what you were
saying before, Alex, in that we have to remember sometimes
he won on Grand Prix for the first time basically
one calendar year ago. It does not feel like that.
It feels like he's been winning Grand Prix for a
lot lot longer than that.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, agreed, I think that it's a very good point.

Speaker 4 (16:20):
It was Budapest last year that came in strange circumstances.

Speaker 2 (16:25):
He's just improved in so many facets of his driving.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
Like year one, he had the speed, he was able
to get front rows, he was able to win sprint races.
The next year, he was able to improve his tire
management throughout. That was the early task set by McLaren
and then and then to come into this year and
look pretty complete from the word go. I mean you

(16:49):
look back in retrospect and I maybe thought at the
start of it, wow, this is this is some performance.
At he's home race from Oscar, He's really really started
the season strongly. That level is not let off, that
level of I'm not going to wait my turn.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
It's cool that it's cool.

Speaker 4 (17:06):
That you're telling us the whole positions, but I won't
be holding positions.

Speaker 5 (17:10):
You know.

Speaker 4 (17:11):
He dealt with that so early on. Had the had
the discussion with the team afterwards about them implementing that order,
and I always think if you go back to your team,
you have to back that up with a result. Immediately
he did that with just a superb performance in China
and since then. That's that's to define the dynamic. It's
it's it's fifty to fifty, it's both sides of the garage.

Speaker 1 (17:34):
Alex. I want to then you forgive us for indulging
a little bit on our number one pick when you
have so many minutes per pick in the time allocated.
But he is the Australian contender obviously, But I'm interested, Okay, guys,
I know, yeah, yeah, I'm sure the accents would have
given it away. Question I've been asked a lot as
the realization has dawned that we may be on track
for our first world champion a very long time. Is

(17:57):
who saw this coming? We've talked a lot about improvements
he's made over these three seasons and that trajectory that
he's had and perhaps slightly biggest step this season some
might have expected. But you've also had the perspective through
your commentary duties through Formula three and Formula two in
past years when he was competing and winning in those series.
Was it clear to you at that time that this
was the trajectory he was on.

Speaker 4 (18:18):
Yeah, in all honesty, his if you think of different
attributes of a driver, his score is so high in
so many different categories.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
As take car control in the last couple of races.

Speaker 4 (18:35):
So in Austria would have been very very easy to
have an accident, didn't have an accident in budapests would
have been very very easy for that lock up to
turn into contact with the teammate and give the win
to George Russell. I've covered him with live commentary since
twenty twenty. I can't remember him hitting many drivers in

(18:57):
the entire time that I've covered his career, and if
you consider that's from four minute three onwards, where that's
basically part of the show is that you watch a
more talented drivers occasionally have a bit of a nightmare.
Now his card controlling close combat is ridiculous. And then
we've been talking about the journey's been on. I think
the expectation across the board was that the fourth season

(19:22):
a version of this Oscar Piastro would turn up. For
him to be doing it in season three is just
above and beyond all expectations. So now answer your question,
I thought he'd get to this standard. I did not
think he'd get to this standard this quickly.

Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, it also makes you wonder what m'd still be
to come regardless of how this season pans out. But
let's move on from Oscar Piastre. If I'm allowed to
say that on the Australian Fox Sports podcast, Matt, you
are not a guest, but I guess I've taken a
hosting role here, so I suppose I must give you
pick number two.

Speaker 5 (19:52):
Before we get into pick number two, Michael, can I
just explain a little bit of the rationale here behind
this list that I've beautifully created In about seven words,
I actually came up with six different tiers. My first
one to four were pretty obvious. Tier five was a
driver all by themselves, Six to nine were in their own.
Tier ten was in his own tier. There was a

(20:13):
tier called eleven to twenty two, and then there was
a last tier called lant Stroll.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
So that's where I am. It was the twenty third
ranks driver.

Speaker 5 (20:22):
It's only because I couldn't It's only because I couldn't
rank him twenty fourth, Michael. But now that you've been
so kind to give me the number two pick in
this draft, and Alex mentioned that it's an either or question,
I think it has to be Max for Stappen. We
know that he's third in the World Championship, but you
look at what he did early in the season. I
think it's actually looking better the further we get away

(20:43):
from the beginning of the season with those two early wins.
But the stat for me ninety four point nine percent
of his team's points. And the thing I keep thinking
with Max for Stappan is it's not so much what
he's doing. Let's put another driver in that car this year.
Let's just say for the sake of this exercise, that
Max for Stapfen doesn't exist, and you've got random other

(21:04):
driver next to first Liam Lawson and then Yuki Sonoda.
Where's Red Bull in the Constructor's Championship they're probably ahead
of Alpine, Are they ahead of anyone else? I'm really
not sure. And so you look at what Verstappen's done
in what he has had to drive at the beginning
of the year, it was probably a better car relative
to the rest that it is now. That to me
is the reason he has to be number two on

(21:24):
the on this list, because I don't think his level
has dropped at all. Is testament to how good his
level is. That he's managed to drag the performances out
of this car that he has.

Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yeah, I mean number two. I mean you've sort of
already hinted or suggested that number two was also Max
for staff and Alex. But for me, I've got I've
I've dissented from this. Maxis Staff no third pick for me,
so I'm interested. I don't know. I guess I'll give
away my pick number two, but it kind of gives
away who I'm going to pick for number three. But
I had George Russell as the second best before. But Alex,
what you'll take on Max for Staffen's season in the

(21:57):
first year we've seen a long time, which he does
not have the kind of car that can take him
to a Driver's Championship.

Speaker 4 (22:04):
Yeah, and I think he realistically knew that, So that's
the first point to start with. He would have known
very very early on that he was fighting in the
same way he was at the back end of last season.
And he knows in his heart of hearts that okay,
the McLaren drivers might split their points like nineteen eighty
six style, two thousand and seven style, but he knows
that he's on an unlikely tilt so to produce the

(22:28):
pole app that he did into Zuka to hold both,
they had both McLaren's and his wheel tracks off Intozuka,
that epic start to.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
The race in Imola, as well the fact he took
pole position in Miami.

Speaker 4 (22:41):
I mean, at this stage of the season, when it's
zero sung between the two McLaren's, he was stealing old
positions and Grand Prix victories in the way that only
an all time great can. It's as simple as that.
You just got it with Senna and Schumacher. We saw
it with Hamilton, especially in these early McLaren days, where

(23:01):
he was just able to win races that others were not.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
You're seeing it again here.

Speaker 4 (23:07):
Maxistafin could easily have gone winless pollless for the entire season.
The fact he won't do that keeps that run going
of winning in every season since twenty sixteen.

Speaker 2 (23:17):
Just masterful.

Speaker 4 (23:18):
There are some races where he was ahead of the
McLarens that he just should not have been, and that
type of performance. Those are the drives that you remember.
And the fact he was committed enough to still be
in the mix is still doing that. He's fighting and
losing battle and he knows it, and he still picked
off a couple of wins between now and the end
of the year. So that's why it's my number two

(23:39):
because he easily could have had if you look at
the points in the other car, as was referenced, he
easily could have just found himself going, I've won four
in a row. I'm exhausted, like it can take a
nice easy season. Remember Vettel season after four in a
row would have been very similar, not bad, but not
winning races. Daddy Ricky all the winning in twenty fourteen.

(24:02):
So that's why he's my number two.

Speaker 1 (24:06):
I like that Bettle analogy. Actually it's one I hadn't
considered that. Obviously, different circumstances, different teammates very much so
but there is an element of you could easily have
put in quite an average season so far and got
away with it. Really probably got away with it even
more than Mettle did, but has not committed to that.

Speaker 5 (24:23):
So judging by that, Michael, it sounds like you've got it.
Sounds like the Stappens. You're number three. But so given
that you do have the number three pick, perhaps you
should mention the name you've already mentioned, because I think
that's where you're going for your second pick, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (24:39):
Yeah, So it was close, and my top three was
very close to be here. I think, as we've all suggested,
this has been a tight top of the field. But
it's George Russell's number two for me or number three,
I guess in our ranking I'll cop that. But I
think I've been really impressed, and it's a step that
started perhaps halfway through last season. It's been really solidified
now that Mercedes is very He much relied on him

(25:01):
having a rookie in the other side of the garage.
He's just so dependable now in a way that even
about a year ago, I don't think he was. Like
we think back to Canada, maybe that's close to eighteen
months ago now last year, you know, that was a
victory that had gone begging for Mercedes at the time,
but through him and at Leando nos at the same
at the time sort of fumbled the chance and Maxis

(25:21):
Staffan was able to come through for a victory at
that time. This year, Canada, I thought was the perfect
reply to that, in which he was absolutely flawless. And
it's not only in Canada, but there's almost no race
other than well, you can't even say Monica. It was
a technical problem in qualifying that deprived him. There can't
really think of any major eraror he's made this year
in which Mercedes has allowed points to slip past in
one race maybe in Miami, where he wasn't quite on

(25:44):
Antonalli's levels, strangely enough, the only time this year that
hasn't really happened other than that, a car that's been
so hot and cold this year as much probably as
almost any Mercedes gone the last few years, despite the
positive start of the season they've had, has just been
so rock solid in a way that I think ablishes
him in that upper to you. In a way we
knew he had the potential to be, but I think

(26:05):
is only really in the last twelve months really proved
so he was my number two, but he is our
number three.

Speaker 5 (26:13):
I'm gonna say, Michael, I've got few notes to add
to that. My George Russell category on my list here
just says a man who has very few bad days,
and it just feels that he is just almost the
most dependable if you're not driving a McLaren, the most
dependable guy on the Gridford knowing where he's going to be.
He's the gap between his best days and his worst
days is pretty narrow, and that's not something you can

(26:35):
say for a lot of people on this list.

Speaker 1 (26:37):
And only fifteen points behind the staff on the Championship
at this point, which I think is also indicative in
a car Why don't know, Alex have insted in your take,
but I guess on average a CARVA has not been
as good as the Red Bull's had some better days
than the Red Bull, but I think that's quietly impressive.
His closeness to the staffen on the title table.

Speaker 4 (26:55):
Yeah, it is impressive, and I think we've got to
add into the fact that he's had the contract hanging
over his head all season long as well, and honestly
seeing it on the ground, it was beginning to affect.

Speaker 2 (27:06):
Him at some races.

Speaker 4 (27:08):
So the fact that he's kept that consistency in performance,
it's got to stop going for these dry tired gambles.
Was not this again, honestly, Like you see Charlote and
George in for the Slicks earlier and you're like, not
this again, guys, this doesn't come on so that race,
there's no need for this. But yeah, the yeah, apart

(27:32):
from that, and and Monaco, which you know, just the
nature of qualifying did for him. Then no, to to
get that win pole position and win and just keep
the rest of the field on the end of the
jab in Canada was very very impressive, stealing front rows
when he's got no right to as well, very very
similar in that regard to the Staben And yeah, and

(27:55):
with the Mercedes team that haven't been certain of the
of the design direction of the car, which has been
a facet of the last couple of seasons as well.
So yeah, deserved placing for George Russell and his best
season so far.

Speaker 1 (28:07):
I think in F one, Yes, I think that's a
solid top three if nothing else. But Alex, we're back
to you if you want to take us away with
number four for the second round of picks.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, feel a bit.

Speaker 4 (28:17):
Harsh putting this guy at number four, but yeah, Lando
Norris driver who's won four Grand Prix so far this year,
the preseason title favorite according to the bookies, and the
reason that I have him lower down is just purely
because I expected him to have the season that Oscar
Piastre has had. It's as simple as that. It's there

(28:40):
was a a he knew coming into this year what
the car was going to be capable of. I think
by the time that they realistically got to Bahrain and
saw the state that Red Bull rn that he would
have known that he had a brilliant opportunity. And essentially
I expected him to get the start that Oscar got.
Since then, he's had to go through a tough moment.

(29:02):
I think Saudi was a very very tough moment where
and this is, you know, not an easy thing to say,
but it did appear that the pressure was slightly getting
to him in that moment. He's come through really nicely,
obviously had the contact in Canada, but in the most
recent phase of the season looking like the Lando that
I think many expected to start the campaign. And some

(29:24):
really really close battles. Austria could have easily slipped through
his fingers, Hungry could have easily slipped through his fingers.
So a much better second second stint of the first
half of the season. But yeah, he's opening races are
the reason why I've got him lower down.

Speaker 5 (29:40):
Yeah, that's fair, Alex Michael. He was for context. He
was third on my list. He was ahead of Russell,
not by a lot, but he was third on my list,
ahead of Russell. And I was particularly impressed with the
response after Canada because that felt like, oh, this could
be one of those ted Pole moments of a season
we look back at and this is where things started
to unravel a little bit. He's won three in the

(30:03):
last four since then. Okay, Silveston was a gift with
a penalty and Hungary he played this strategy card of
someone who had nothing to lose because he had already
lost that race until he won it. So there is
context to two of those three wins in that span.
But the bounce back from Canada was something that I
wouldn't say that I had trust issues, but I didn't
necessarily see that coming based on what we've seen from him.

(30:26):
In the past it felt like it was something that
might linger for a little bit. So that's been really impressive.
But I think Alex summed it up really well. He's
had a perfectly acceptable season in a very good car.
But the season you expected him to have was perhaps
the more rock solid season that Piastre has had, and
it's for that reason that he falls on the list
for me. But it sounds like you might have him
a little bit higher, actually, sorry, a little bit lower

(30:47):
than me.

Speaker 1 (30:48):
No, No, fourth was the fourth was where I had him,
because it's hard to put the guy's only nine points
behind the championship leader much lower than fourth. I think
we've identified some exceptionalscumstances and the guys that are ahead
of him. I think for me the differentiation is and
I may I say this to me no disservice too
what he has showed us so far, But you could

(31:08):
the points Martin could even really go either way. I
mean at nine points, of course that's the case. But
for me, in the circumstances in which you go back
through the races and calculate how Norris could have ended
up ahead at this point, a lot of it is
more to do with mistakes on his part. If you
go back and find a way for Oscar be further ahead,
which could happen as we alluded to earlier, it seems
more like it's bad luck that's held him back a

(31:30):
little bit. And again I say that not to say why,
you know, Norris should have been blown away or he's
been driving terribly, because as you said mat in the
last month or so, a lot of those mistakes that
cost him dearly are largely being eyed out so far. Well,
wait and see what it's the case after the break
as well. But for me, it feels like if the
gap was going to be bigger, it would largely be
because Oscar got a little bit better a rub of
the green, whether you're talking about Hungary. And again, take

(31:51):
nothing away from the great Norris drive he put in
there after that first lap or oh, of course a
British Grand Prix. Okay, we can talk about whether or
not a penalty falls into the luck category. But it's
very close. You know, this is a very close top four,
don't need two of them can win the title. So
I guess if he wins it, he'll probably have to
go to number one. The big jump by the end
of the year and we redo the thankings. But it's
interesting to consider that he's down in fourth considering how

(32:13):
close this isn't like you said, Alex, how much he
was expected to be the title leader by this point.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
Yeah, I think it's.

Speaker 4 (32:21):
An expectation thing that Lando's putting together his first full
championship campaign.

Speaker 2 (32:27):
Right.

Speaker 4 (32:27):
He had a tilt last year, but no one expected
for Stappen to see it would have been the largest
ever points collapse in the history of the World Championship.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
If for Stappan had lost the title, It's just not
gonna happen.

Speaker 4 (32:39):
It's just not gonna happen with the driver of the
Stappen's caliber and a team that we're used to winning
titles year in year out, had the expertise, and they
still had a lot of their big hitters in place
at that point.

Speaker 2 (32:52):
You know, race management from.

Speaker 4 (32:53):
Jonathan Wheatley on a race by race basis, as as
we've seen with self worth worth an awful lot.

Speaker 2 (32:59):
So that was never that was never going to happen.

Speaker 4 (33:01):
So this is his first full campaign and the one
caveat I would say is, you know, if you finish
strong and you have all the momentum at the end
of the year, you'd rather have it that way round
than get the strong start. But I did expect him
to get the start that Oscar gott and I think
that's why he's slightly lower on all of our lists.

Speaker 1 (33:20):
Well, largely cordial, but I guess it's two to one
to keep him in fourth. So he is four. Matt,
tell me about your number five, I reckon.

Speaker 5 (33:30):
We've spent a lot of time talking about Oscar Piastri
and other drivers ahead on this list. I don't think
there's a lot of things that need to be said
about this driver because he's fifth on my list, he's
probably fifth on yours, Alex, he's also probably fifth on yours.
He's in a category of one for me at Charla Clair,
I don't think he could be considered for my top four.
But he feels to me like he's a good way
ahead of all the rest of them, and particularly his
teammate will be interested to see where he comes up.

(33:53):
It kind of feels that he's just a nailed in fifth.
This is life for Charla Clair in twenty twenty five.
It's had its high points, it's not been as high
as he would quite like he has his teammate covered.
He's not really going to be challenging the top four.
There's nothing behind him. He particularly needs to worry about
Charlock cli fifth place if I won't fight you if
you disagree with me, but I'll be very clexed.

Speaker 1 (34:15):
No fifth for me as well, Alex. I think I
saw not there. It does feel like he's a very
fifth driver this year.

Speaker 2 (34:22):
Yeah, yeah, he's well.

Speaker 4 (34:24):
I think he's done well to get a number of
podiums that he's got. I think he's done well to
steal a few of those. Spar was one lockup and
max of staff and was by for example. Yeah, third
place in Spain was good tactics, good team tactics all
the way back to Saturday as well. He's obviously devastating

(34:45):
to miss out on pole position in Monaco because he
wasn't that far away and he knows what it would
have meant. Monaco and Budapest are two big opportunities for
him to win a Grand Prix, but no Ferrari, wrong
designed direction, and it's left him in a lonely you know,
lots of lonely races and a lonely part of this table.

Speaker 2 (35:04):
But I had him fifth as well, I want to.

Speaker 1 (35:06):
Ask you, Alex, because one of the great I think
genuine and I say this not just because you're a
guest and I can tell you your face, but it's
a great moment of commentary last year. Last year's won
to co Grand Prix of Charlotte Clair winning. I think
even greater in retrospect because that's the only time he's
converted from pole in the last sixteen races, which is
very grimistic for Charlotteclair sixteen being his number as well.

(35:27):
Something Maybe I don't know what that's going to mean
going cool, but it strikes me and it's a bit
more of a long forward looking question. But he's had
a lot of obviously great moments with Ferrari, but the
list of disappointments rose, do you see? And we all
hope Ferrari gets back to a competitive picture next year
because it is good for the sport. When Ferrari is
he doesn't have to dominate, but it needs to be
in contention where that rubber band of relationship between him

(35:51):
and Ferrari is at risk of breaking. Considering we're now
entering the years we would consider a driver's most productive.

Speaker 4 (35:58):
I just don't I just don't think so. I mean,
obviously there's going to have to be a point where,
you know, if a resurgeon Aston Martin came calling with
a really strong Honder power unit and Adrian Newey firing
on all cylinders, something like that would be pretty pretty tricky.

Speaker 2 (36:21):
Wouldn't it be pretty.

Speaker 4 (36:22):
Tricky for him to go, well, what's the evidence that
I can win here? But he has such an emotional
bond with that team, He's been with them for a
long time. I get the sense that if you offered
him three titles and one team and one title at Ferrari,
that he'd probably he'd probably more desperate to succeed with Ferrari,

(36:43):
purely because of the amount of time and years he's
put into it. But one of the reasons that the
commentary went the way it did in twenty twenty four
is that you just never know when drivers are going
to get these chances. You know, if you go back
to Fernando Alonso, you would have said, oh, of course
it'll with more than two titles, and so that that, Yeah,

(37:04):
that historic journey to be a Monaco Grand Prix winner
in Monaco also one of the main reasons for doing
that as well. Is we have so many new viewers, right,
We have so many people who have discovered the sport
in the last couple of years.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
On Channel four.

Speaker 4 (37:19):
We have a lot of people who maybe don't watch
every single week and dip into it for the feature
race highlights.

Speaker 2 (37:24):
I just didn't want anyone to think, oh, spoil rich
kid from Monaco. Why do I care?

Speaker 4 (37:28):
So that the reason for that was like, here's why
you should care, because it's an extraordinary story. But in
terms of the Ferrari relationship, I think it will. I
think it will endure for a long time. But they're
on there, you know, in the history of the World Championship,
they're on their longest windless streak now and they've got
one of the all time great driver Beirings. So the

(37:50):
timing of it is not is not ideal. But no,
I don't think the rubber Band's going to snap Aston
Martin contest that in a few years time.

Speaker 5 (37:59):
I think, think what you just said that Alex is
really interesting because if he gets beaten to race wins
in a World Championship by teams that have been in
the mix or ahead of him for most of the
time he's been at Ferrari that is one thing. If
someone comes from behind and pinches one while he still
is where he is, that is going to be twisting
the knife to a level that you would not believe.
And I just think that you talk about that history,

(38:23):
it now becomes unprecedented. It's all the more reason for
him to want to stick around, to be the guy
to rewrite that. I think. I think, if anything, it
almost strengthens the bond. It's like it's just the way
he is as a personality. It's like, no, I am
going to be the person that gets this done. Now,
whether that's a futile exercise, we don't know, but it'd
be an even more magical story if he had suffered

(38:43):
through all of the lean times, if he is the
guy that actually breaks the drought. And how would he
feel if Lewis Hamilton won a title Ferrari after he'd
been there for five minutes?

Speaker 1 (38:51):
That would be interesting? Would that would be interesting? But
perhaps we'll learn as we get further down the ranking. Well,
I was thinking about how like that is sad times
for Charlotte Weir, although at least still have the record
for some time for longest graphic radio message in the history,
for which there is a terrific Star Wars meme. I
encourage you to go and search it out. You have

(39:11):
not seen it in that.

Speaker 2 (39:13):
Ranking memes. That's number one so.

Speaker 1 (39:15):
Far because it's too easy, so just you knew it
would be easily number one. Time to come to my
turn pick number six, and I'm very excited to go
off this part of the rank because I think this
is actual where it gets hard. You might get very hard.
How straightforward the top five were, we have minded disagreements,
but number six downwards, I think it is more difficult.

(39:36):
So I'm going to start. Well, for me, it's it
was a difficult pick, but I think it just feels
right to have Alex Albon at number six. He has
had some up and down patches, I guess in this
latter part of this first half of the season, but
continues to be the guy you know for the last
four years and a half years. You have to ask
the question, where would Williams be if it did not

(39:58):
have Alex Albon in the liner and any question is
probably a lot lower down the Constructors Championship regularly scoring points,
He's got his best Williams finish of his Williams career
this year, and he's got it three times for fifth place.
Considering where Williams has been in recent years, that is
more impressive than it might sound to some people and
condus just to be very consistent to doing all the

(40:19):
things we've got used to seeing him to pull off
unusual strategies, great qualifying performances when the car comes to him,
and to be fair to that deep in performance he
may have had, let's say a couple of months ago
or a month or so ago, that was when the
Williams car was finding itself less and less competitive to
a midfield that was improving more than it was. But
more recently that one upgrade team originally said wasn't coming

(40:39):
but did end up coming, has returned again to being
the sort of leader of the midfield, except in Hungry
where the car did not perform. So for me, it
felt pretty solidly number six. But I don't know it.
I'm guessing there's some mixed reactions there.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
Well I had him so ah good.

Speaker 1 (40:59):
Happy to do it?

Speaker 2 (41:00):
Are Yeah, I haven't had him at number six.

Speaker 4 (41:04):
I think he knew at the start of the year
this was going to be a Paddock perception type of
season for him. Got a race winner, proven race winner
coming into the team as well. This was the moment
to say I belong in that category. I'm I'm as.

Speaker 2 (41:19):
Good, if not better.

Speaker 4 (41:20):
If Carlos Signs are going to prove it, and you're
all going to see that, and you're all going to
jump to the conclusion that I could be a race
winner in Formula one if given the right machinery. Started
with that intention, blew Carlos away in the start of
the qualifying heads ahead, Carlos called him up again. Then
he's disappeared. He's had an outstanding season. Yeah, eighth in

(41:42):
the World Championship. Obviously got a little bit lost when
the car was unreliable, but he yeah, and you know
the non scoring bar Raim was because of a weird
quirk qualifying.

Speaker 2 (41:54):
He's knocked out in Q one and he shouldn't have been.

Speaker 4 (41:56):
So outstanding season for him, and he knew that the
padot was going to form an opinion when he was
teammates of carl Signs and we get to the we
get to the mid season break and the opinion is, yeah,
Alex alban As, we suspected the real deal and if
you gave him a race winning car, he'd be very comfortably.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
In the mix.

Speaker 5 (42:14):
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Michael p six on violist
as well, and I did with your I did, I did.
I was just trying to confuse the video watches. No,
he was pix on my list endorse everything you guys said, Michael.
To circle back to something that you said, where would
Williams be without Alex Albon? I'll reframe that, where might

(42:34):
Red Bull Racing be if they'd had Alex Albon? Because oh, look,
they did have him, wouldn't they, And wouldn't he be
a great second driver alongside Bax for Stepan right now?
But probably no more needs to be said about that.

Speaker 1 (42:44):
Williams just full of drivers, would be great in the
Red Bull Racing car, wouldn't It's so true. I think
I didquire.

Speaker 4 (42:53):
I think they recently inquired about Alex Alban within the
last couple of years. I think they tried to get
him back. So that is thinking that Red Bull themselves
have had, is my understand.

Speaker 1 (43:05):
I mean, if we were to write the own all
the thoughts that Red Bull Racing has head over the
last twelve to eight months, it'd make for a missing
and confusing list.

Speaker 5 (43:12):
Longer podcasts and the best memes of twenty twenty five podcasts.

Speaker 1 (43:17):
Well, an agreeable number sixteen, But Alex, why don't you
take us to your number seven?

Speaker 2 (43:23):
Number seven? Is Isaac Hadja for me?

Speaker 5 (43:26):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (43:27):
Interesting?

Speaker 4 (43:28):
He had a nightmare in Melbourne. And the one thing
I knew about Isaac Hadjer is that he was rapid.
I didn't know if he had the mental strength to
bounce back from tough moments in Formula one. So when
you start with, let's be honest, an embarrassing moment to
introduce yourself to the world when you're in the wall
on the formation, that that is that. I was a

(43:50):
little bit worried for him up against Yuki Sonoda as
a teammate.

Speaker 2 (43:55):
How's this guy going to do?

Speaker 4 (43:57):
As it turns out, I wasn't going to have you
he Soda for a teammate very long, and I.

Speaker 2 (44:02):
Was going back immediately.

Speaker 4 (44:04):
I think the reason I've got him so high is
his core speed at certain points of the season has
just been outstanding. There are so many times across a
session where you're like, that is a ridiculously good lap
he's and you don't know if that's ever going to
translate from Formula two to Formula One, and I've just
been mighty mighty impressed with his ability to improve the

(44:25):
racecraft all the way through to work with the team.
But I just think he's rapid, and he looks rapid
in Formula One as well. I'm just so pleased to
see him score so many points. He's obviously had a
slightly tougher run in recent races, but the way that
he bounced back and showed his talent after Melbourne, I
think he's been absolutely outstanding and he's actually paid back

(44:48):
Red Bull. You know, Red Bull take pelters for a
variety of different reasons, but he had a very ordinary
first season in Formula two. They could have cut him
from the program, they could have said nope, but they
believed in him.

Speaker 2 (44:58):
Second year, he contends for the title.

Speaker 4 (45:00):
And I think he looks a very worthy occupant of
a car on the grid.

Speaker 2 (45:04):
And that's why I've put him so high.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
Where did you have him, Michael? I had him only
one place lower in eight for all the same reasons.
Pretty much. I really like that he's thirteenth the championship.
The Racing Bulls cars on average been the sixth fastest
car and qualifying his average qualifying position is eighth best
in the field, better than any driver that's not in
the front running car, and better than some drivers in

(45:27):
front running cars. That's really impressive, like Hiss as the
raw speed is clearly there, and for a lot of
this season his racers have also been really good. You know,
there have been rookie mistakes and he has lost his
way a little bit, like a rookie is inclined to do,
particularly in the way the midfield has moved this year,
but has been much more solid than you would ever
have guessed, a judging by the kind of reluctant, dreadfull

(45:49):
racing kind of was to promote him, or just because
of the way that whole driver program is set up,
or has been mired in a mess for the last
eighteen months, and then of course that crash in the
first round tempted to think that this was going nowhere.
But it's not only the bounce back, but just the
can level he's consistently been at to the point where
it's easy to forget that even happened in Australia. Yeah
it is.

Speaker 5 (46:10):
I've got to say, after listening to you too, I
feel slightly bad now about my list because I had him,
I had him tenth. I feel a bit, oh, I
feel like I want to hide under the table after
saying that, and not because I particularly don't rate what
he's done. I think he's been really, really good, and
to my mind, I think I probably had the lowest
expectations for him out of all of the rookies. So

(46:30):
he's the one to me that's succeeded by preseason expectations
of all of the new guys coming in by the
greatest margin, and that probably deserved higher than tenth on
my list. And I feel bad about it. It's nothing personal,
but he's been excellent. The mental resilience, I mean Australia was,
as you said, Alex was absolutely crushing. I mean, of
all the things to do in your first Grand Prix,
we haven't seen I can't even remember the last time

(46:52):
we saw someone do that on their debut, and you
know the public humiliation that that was. But he's just
been genuinely, very very good. And something you just said
then before, Michael, perhaps we should have seen this coming.
The fact that the Red Bull Racing pipeline seemed wholly
uninterested in giving him a promotion may have been the
absolute endorsement of how good he was going to be
given what happens to everybody they do rate. But there

(47:13):
you go.

Speaker 1 (47:16):
I'll be glad to know he didn't take any of
that personally at a minute, dropping him to ten. But
in my case, I'm very interested because you're the next pick.
Who is next on your lives.

Speaker 5 (47:25):
We're going from one end of the agent experience spectrum
to the other. I've got Fernando a Lotso' seventh for
me to me he gets this season half season award
for doing the most with the least. And you look
at the way his season has gone no points in
the first eight rounds, twenty six points in the past
six rounds, and so it's not twenty twenty three reducts
all over again where he's making podiums. And you simultaneously

(47:47):
have all the old heads in Formula one like me going,
see told you this A Lotso guy was good, and
then all the Netflix newbie's going that old bloke's pretty quick,
isn't he? That Alonso guy? He looks all right, you're
not getting that quite you know that twenty twenty three
opening anymore. But in terms of what he's had to
work with, and how he's had to work with it
fourteen zero against his tea boat and qualify, which sort
of goes without saying to some degree, but I think

(48:10):
he's been I don't think his level when he's fully
motivated and on his good days is particularly dropped off.
I do get the sensora a couple of days in
a season where things are looking a little hopeless and
perhaps the effort level and commitment to the cause might
not be pik Alonso, but that's only because pik Alonso
is a completely different animal, and we talked about this

(48:31):
on our last podcast. I love seeing him in a
race where there's a sniff of doing something slightly mischievous.

Speaker 1 (48:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (48:39):
I loved what he did in Budapest, where you just
looked at the timing tower in the first fifteen laps
and you thought, I know exactly what you're doing here.
And the best thing is every other person in the
field knew exactly what he was doing as well, setting
himself up to finish fifth in that Grand Prix and
executed it absolutely flawlessly.

Speaker 1 (48:56):
Mischievous.

Speaker 5 (48:56):
Alonso is still one of my favorite altsos, so that's
why he is seventh on my list.

Speaker 1 (49:03):
That's the peak Alonso, isn't it mischiev isn't it? I'm interested,
dastardly as love it. Even if some fans must surely
wonder why Sonny Hayes has a Spanish accent, it is
still good to have him in the mix. I wonder
watch this along now though our first Does that sound

(49:24):
about right to you? Alex should ask you. Of course,
we're consultative on this list to have phenandenon Onso around here.

Speaker 2 (49:30):
He's forty four.

Speaker 4 (49:32):
He's forty four, and he's still contending at the front
in Formula one. I mean, it's absolutely ridiculous. The fact
he still wants to keep coming back, the fact that
he gives us moments of you know, he's provisionally on
the front row at the weekend. He's still providing magical moments.
He's still a wonderful part of the grid and delivering

(49:54):
top fives at forty four years of age. Absolutely ridiculous,
And to be honest, there's no press for that in
the in the modern history of Formula one, and even
when you go back to the to the era, brilliant
names who were competing at this age include Graham Hill
and Jack Brabham in cars that were much slower, much

(50:16):
less strenuous, required less fitness. He's essentially rewriting what's possible
for a driver in their forties and Formula one and
just give him a car where he can compete at
the front and we'll see more magic. But yeah, the
only disappointment for me for the last weekend was that
he didn't take provisional poll because Jonian Farmer alongside me

(50:38):
in commentary be saying that Aston always fade away from practice, and.

Speaker 1 (50:42):
At the start.

Speaker 4 (50:45):
Of the session to wind him up, I'd highlighted Alonso
hadn't taken pole since Hockenheim twenty twelve, and the fact he.

Speaker 3 (50:52):
Nearly took provisional pole would be one.

Speaker 4 (50:54):
Of my favorite ever commentary box moments.

Speaker 1 (50:57):
So close, so close to wing.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
But no, he's deservedly in that in that ranking.

Speaker 1 (51:05):
I like it. You don't know when it's going to
happen next year. We all hope he make his hands
on a more competitive car. All right, the pick comes
back to me for number nine and I'm going to
go with I think we despite the fact we've already
picked Ayacadja, I think a very close contender for Rookie
of the year. I think this is a really interesting
battle that's emerged, one that I didn't see coming at
the start of the year. It's Gabriel Portoletto. Yes, in

(51:26):
the points, he's behind Nico Holkenberg, but of course Nico
had that great podium in Silverston. It's taken Portletto a
little while to warm up to it with any end, so
has the car taken a little while to warm up
to being in Formula One. But it's the fact that
it's five all in the race head to head, that
he's a head in the qualifying head to head eight six.
He's a head on the average fastest lap in qualifying

(51:47):
by half a tenth point zero six six hundreds. We
calculate that number precisely. This is a rookie who shouldn't
be out qualifying so regularly, even if the margin is
a smaller driver with so much more experience in a
car that isn't great, that doesn't look like it is.
This most straightforward car to drive, that was until about
two months ago, the swallest car in Formula One. But

(52:08):
he's done so well to build up to this moment.
It's been really impressive. It's been sort of a solid
and steady build up. It hasn't been overreach. He's built
into it. We shouldn't forget he's the Formula two champion
as well. I feel like sometimes we discount that status
a little bit in Formula one for whatever reason. And
he did it in a great way, of course, having
won Formula three before that, so maybe we shouldn't have

(52:31):
been so impressed. But I've been really impressed with his
first season. So he's number nine on my list.

Speaker 4 (52:37):
Yeah, hard to argue with that. I'll tell you one thing.
For the Formula two championship last year, a lot of
people were saying, oh, the new car, the new car
has changed things. It's given us a bit of a
random order. Well, given Bordletto season doesn't look so random anymore,
does it.

Speaker 2 (52:52):
He.

Speaker 4 (52:55):
I was worried at the start of the year he
just wasn't going to have a car to show his
talent the titles, so he blew the field away in
Formula three. Formula two is a really close battle, really
open season, and then it became a head to head
with Hadja and he just was so good racecraft wise.
He was so good is his speed in qualifying this

(53:15):
year up against Houltenberg that I've just been like, I
just did not see that coming in year one, and
I think he is surprised the team and Formula One
and deserves his place in the top ten.

Speaker 5 (53:30):
Yeah, Michael, he was tenth on my list. The thing
I'll add to what you guys have said about him
that I've really liked, he's risen with the tide. I
think that's a really really strong sign as the rookie is,
as the car has got better, as it's become more competitive,
as it's become more capable of better results. He's risen
with that. For a guy who's done fourteen Grand prixstarts,

(53:50):
I think that's super, super impressive. Given the pedigree, perhaps
we shouldn't have been surprised, but given where that car
started at the beginning of the season, I mean that
it looked like was going to be a pretty long,
fraught season for him. So the fact that he's managed
to get in our top ten fourteen rounds in his
testament to how good this guy's going to be, not
just how good he is.

Speaker 1 (54:10):
Yeah, I think well summed up well, that brings us
to number ten. There are race winners, we haven't mentioned
world champions we have not mentioned on this Yes, Alex,
you get to round us out. Who is your tenth
pick for so far in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 4 (54:25):
I was really hoping you weren't going to make me
peck again because we've got to leave.

Speaker 1 (54:30):
Were good hosts.

Speaker 2 (54:32):
Yeah, no, I appreciate that politeness. That hasn't put me
in a horrible position at all. I'd only written down
to number nine because guys.

Speaker 3 (54:40):
Go Tom only looking at the list in front of me.
I mean, Louis Awas has won a sprint race this year,
so it feels pretty ridiculous to not have him in
the in the top ten, but then obviously obvious struggles,
He's actually been quite close.

Speaker 2 (54:56):
I think I'm going to go for a Hulk.

Speaker 4 (54:58):
I think I'm going to go for a new go Holgenberg,
just purely because if you make ten places up four
times in a Grand Prix season, you are having the
race craft of your life.

Speaker 2 (55:11):
That podium moment.

Speaker 4 (55:13):
There are two moments this season whereas like that just
looks absolutely impossible. I feel like I'm looking at F
one twenty five, the video game Holberg at Silverstone and
someone not being Christian Horner being the CEO and team
principal and the name yeah or racing, just.

Speaker 2 (55:31):
Like what are we looking at? And Yeah, I.

Speaker 4 (55:36):
Think I'm probably gonna go for Holgenberg in that it
would have been very easy for Holgenbogh to have scored
very few points this year because of the qualifying. He
can't get a tune out of the car right, He
just cannot get it to work over one lap.

Speaker 2 (55:49):
The fact that he's got.

Speaker 4 (55:50):
Multiple points finishes and a podium for turning down every
strategic shout that Salva.

Speaker 2 (55:56):
Had for him. Do you want to pick now?

Speaker 1 (55:57):
No? Do you want to stay out?

Speaker 4 (56:00):
No? I think we'll box like all the way through.
He's radio for sale is so hilarious. So yeah, he
wins by a nose. I actually think Hamilton will have
a much better the second half of the season and will.

Speaker 2 (56:12):
Turn things around with Ferrari. But yeah, Holgenberg for that
podium for me.

Speaker 5 (56:16):
Two sober drivers Michael inside the top ten. That's not
something we've said for quiet some time in any four
podcast or actual race form, but it's hard to argue.
I think Alex's point about when he scores, when he
has big days, they are big capital, big days. He
really capitalizes on the chances that he has to impress.

(56:37):
There's all, there's not that many of them, but he
certainly has made the most of them. And yeah, I
agree with you. The two most random things we've seen
all year is Nico Holkenberg negotiating the steps for a
podium and who is that guy sitting on the Red
Bull Racing pitmoll calling himself the team principle. They are
two of the stranger moments. They'll probably be more, but yeah,
no argument from me. And Hamilton was in the I

(56:57):
was going to call it the honorable mentions list, but
I actually found that it dropped off pretty quickly after
top ten. To be honest, I found it very hard
to make a real compelling case for anybody else. So
I've got no issue with Holckenberg at all. Did you
have him in there, Michael?

Speaker 1 (57:09):
I did. He was my number ten two top Aalba drivers,
because I mean it's similar similar ish argument to Alex Alban.
If you from the points perspective, you take away his points.
Salba is not an outside chance to finish fifth in
the Constructors Championship this year, which is a sentence that
I feel like I shouldn't be able to say to
put into words after the last few years or even
the first couple of months of this season. So he's

(57:32):
doing And I like this line up because they're both
doing exactly what they've brought in to do right. They're
always has to show potential and deliver, and Holckenbig was
there to be the solid foundation to build up this team,
and they're both doing it immediately as soon as the
car has given them even half of something to work with. Really,
like I.

Speaker 4 (57:48):
Said, there for Cadillac as well, there's a lesson in
there for Cadillac. Get a young charger from Formula to
All Speed, all raw, don't they they don't know what
they don't know, and get someone with their bags of experience,
because if you go two very experienced drivers, you just
you would never have expected Hulkenberg to be beaten in
headead qualify at all.

Speaker 2 (58:08):
No one would have said that was possible at the
start of the year.

Speaker 4 (58:10):
You've got bart leto huge confidence, and I think there's
a there's a lesson there for Cadillac. But yeah, I
just can't believe that that Hamilton. If you said in
China that, oh he's won at the second weekend with
Ferrari in Formula One and by the way, the rest
of the campaign is going to see us and not
include him, and he's going to be in.

Speaker 2 (58:31):
The honorable mention section.

Speaker 4 (58:33):
H Gasley forgetting that Alpine to Q three seven times.

Speaker 2 (58:37):
That's that's crazy.

Speaker 4 (58:39):
That's that's one of the biggest surprises for a long
time in Formula one.

Speaker 5 (58:43):
Well, crazy and surprising, But it doesn't feel like we're
It doesn't feel like a stretch to say that. It
feels completely justifiable from where I'm sitting. I think you'd
have to mount to be an interesting argument to try
and squeeze him in there, and you would feel that
you are shoeharning him in there because he is Lewis
Hamilton's sn't type world champion driving for Ferrari. But it
has been underwhelming in the extreme.

Speaker 1 (59:06):
Yeah, not the first season with Ferrari. Certainly he or
Ferrari envisaged and well hopefully, I mean, I just don't
want it to peter out. That's what I hope for
next year. I want decisively outcome one way or another.
We don't have to say, oh, only this or that,
but will see I hope you can at least bounce
back next year, or as you say, Alex, in the
second half of the year. Well that's our top ten.
I've got to say, much less argument than I had

(59:28):
personally hoped for, but that's okay. I mean, great minds
think alike. That's a shame for you, Alex, to be
in this conversation with Mad and I, but appreciate your
time all the same. I hope the second half of
the season as is unpredictable and enjoyable as the first part.
And thanks so much for joining.

Speaker 2 (59:44):
Us, grazy join you guys, cheers for having me.

Speaker 1 (59:48):
That was Alex Jakes, the f one TV World Feed commentator.
You can hear him as well if you've got a
Foxtail set top box with a Foxtail Sports subscription as well.
Just get your f one TV pro app up and
ready for well the next race in a couple of
weeks time, the Dutch Grand Prix. But Alex has gone.
We did the top ten. It was fun chatting to
him deciding that. But let's round out the complete list

(01:00:09):
and me because there are a lot of drivers in
good reference Lancetroll, did we know your list, yes, but
why do we go through our very quickly the rest
of the list to complete the field.

Speaker 5 (01:00:20):
Okay, I'm going to divide the last eleven drivers in
this list through in three categories. For me, yes, so
eleven through thirteen is some order of Pierre Gasly Lewis, Hamilton,
Kinny Antonelli for me, And look, I know Antonelli's run
into the mid season break was grim. First five or
six rounds is pretty good. He's also had a podium,
so I think there's a bit of recency perhaps with

(01:00:41):
shoving him too far down this list. I think on balance,
he's had a perfectly acceptable season for a rookie. Isn't
a very good car obviously, but I still think there's
some high points in there. And then from there on
you've got this sort of ock on Laws and Lance Stroll,
Carlos Science, who's been pretty underwhelming, for Williams, and the
whole olive Bearman question is that there's sort of been

(01:01:01):
a lump between like fourteen to eighteen. For me, I've
seen Bearman rank quite high in a number of these lists,
and there has been some speed, but man, there's been
some mistakes and some really ropey things that a guy
I know, he's young still, but there's been a huge
gap between his best and his worst, and that's kind
of why he's been a bit penalized for me. And
then you've got the category of three at the back,
which is all a bit sad, Yuki Sonoda, and then

(01:01:23):
the two Alpine rookies who had no chance to actually
do anything because they were swapped out for each other.
I had Jack doing slightly in front of Franco Colopinto,
not just because I'm waving the Australian flag here, but
I do think that Colopinto has been given more rope
to do more with the Alpine and has probably done
less with it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:38):
Yes, I would agree with that. Just to start at
the bottom, I suppose I did have Jack doing a
head of Franco Colopido at the bottom. None of the
bottom because I think they're necessarily the worst drivers in
the field, but because like you say, they haven't had
the time to really do much. Yeah, but in Jack
doing shorter time, I think he did at least as
well as Colopindo has done with that. I'm going to
reckon above, but let me go back to the top.

(01:01:58):
Weirdly enough, Hamilton's eleven for me, not top ten, probably
for the first time I've ever done these ranking. Yeah,
I think that's understandable. The longest he's gone in the
season without a podium so far. Had some good weekends.
Obviously the sprint victory in China was important, but I
think for reasons we've all talked about, hasn't had a
great season so far. Pierre Gazzery number twelve, getting a
lot out of a pretty ordinary car. Yeah, I think

(01:02:18):
that's fair to say. Has his weekends where he kind
of disappears, but they also has some really good weekends.
Then I put Estemonock on maybe controversially, don't think it
was a little bit, but he's been I think quietly
quite good at hast not consistent enough to be a
top ten contender, but he's held up the team and
he's scored almost all of the team's pointsince keeping him
off the bottom of the championship.

Speaker 5 (01:02:38):
There's a bit of Holkemberg in there, and that when
there's a big result to get, he'll go get it. Yeah,
maybe not to the same extent as Hulkeenberg, but similar
I think so.

Speaker 1 (01:02:45):
I think that I think he's been a reasonable like
for like I put him just ahead of Oliver Beerman,
he could have gone a little bit lower. I think
you're right, but he's shown really great speed and he's
finished eleventh a lot, so I think in a pretty
tight midfield and an any given day there's maybe three
places in points available, I think that counts. Then Antonelli,
he has had a good season for where he's at.

(01:03:06):
But I think where he's at is the key point,
which is the guy's arrived in Formula one with the
absolute minimum required preparation. Yeah, exactly, and so I think
that's there about. Then I've got Carlos Science pretty anonymous,
but I think also there's been a bit about luck
in there. Liam Lawson, I think is improving. I think
this the mid seas come any later. I think he
probably be a bit higher consider than Lance Stroll because

(01:03:28):
he could have been a bit lower. Yuki Sonoda, you know,
I struggled with him. You can't rank him higher because
Max the staffan's doing so much with that car. Yes,
but we now know that no one can drive that
second car, so it's a little bit of a what
do you do? And he's ahead of only Jack doing.

Speaker 5 (01:03:45):
The extraordinary part of that list is that if you
had to pick before this podcast, who was going to
have Lance Stroll highest? You wouldn't have picked me.

Speaker 1 (01:03:53):
I wouldn't have That's very exciting that it's very exciting.
But let us know what you think about the top ten,
Top twenty, in fact top twenty one as it is.
You picked third drivers. If you really want to social
media channels, go to Fox Motorsport, or you can even
comment on this podcast some of your podcast apps or
YouTube obviously if you're watching this. But we can't wrap
this up without the Crystal Ball by complete home filtration.

(01:04:19):
So we've got Supercar still going, We've got the mid
season break of Motor GP returning. Where are you going
with your prediction?

Speaker 5 (01:04:24):
I'm going Motor GP being back in action. And this
is going to sound like the most obvious thing in
the entire world. Mark Marquess is going to win the
Austrian Grand Prix. Wow, there you go, Mark Markus wins
motorcycle race. Incredible news. This actually would be incredible news.
It's the least successful circuit of his entire Motor GP career.
He's never won here. Really, there are only three circuits

(01:04:45):
where he has never won, Indonesia and Portamower, the other two,
But Indonesia there's only been He's only done two races there.
Port's only done four eight starts at the Red Bull Ring,
never won. I feel like I can remember well and
this is and this is why, because he finished second
three years in a row on last battles with Ducati's
against Andreda Vizioso twice and Jorgalornzo once and got his

(01:05:07):
nose blooded on all three of them when he was
on a Repsol Honda. It's the only circle on the
calendar where he's never won. Now, the reason I mentioned
this this year he's broken eleven year victory droughts in
Qatar and Machello and an eight year victory Drout and Accent.
So it's not the fact that he's leading this World
Championship one hundred and twenty points. He's winning at tracks
that have been his kryptonite in the past, and given

(01:05:27):
the way this season has gone for him, if anyone's
going to know that stat, he will know that stat
because he knows he's been beaten thereby Ducati. So to
go back on a Ducati and perhaps correct that one,
that'll just be a na the box for him to
tick as he heads on to this World Championships.

Speaker 1 (01:05:41):
I can't believe that.

Speaker 5 (01:05:42):
Really funny, Crystal Ball's in good order this weekend? What
for me?

Speaker 1 (01:05:47):
Good pick? So we were all braced in the world
of Formula One for Cadillac to announce its first driver
signing yes before the mid season break. Now it needed
to do this because obviously the first test, which is
the end of January next year, is quite close. Now
it's only a few months away, really, which is alarming
for its own reasons. I'm going it needs someone to
start developing the car, needs an experienced driver, and it

(01:06:09):
hasn't signed one yet. However, not something I believe that
they would be keeping quiet. But my prediction, and I'm
doing this with my fingers crossed, I hope I'm wrong.
It's not the first time I've been wrong Crystal Ball
that they're going to announce the driver during the worst
possible time, which is the shutdown period. I mean, no
one will be at the news desk to cover it.

(01:06:30):
Obviously it will be a Fox Sports because big organization,
but you know, in general, that's not when you announce things.
But I believe this new American team is going to
make its first significant Formula one faux pas to announced
Feltry Botass will be driving for it in the next week.

Speaker 5 (01:06:43):
Or four fifty European Friday.

Speaker 1 (01:06:46):
Yeah, exactly on the next Friday, I think is it's
going to happen. But they do need you need to driver.
It's on talking point that perhaps we'll be talking about
the next week or to particularly if they haven't announced it. Yes,
that they need someone to drive one of its cars
at least, and then on the driver after that. So
it's interesting theories about why that hasn't happened. We know
that Beltry podcasts and surgery prayers at the top of
the lists I've heard. Maybe Pais doesn't want to be

(01:07:07):
the driver that's now on second if they don't know
whether they want a second experience or a young driver.
Don't know anyway, we'll find out in the next couple
of weeks. Presumably maybe we won't consume. We don't know yet,
but that's all the time we have for pit talk today.
You can subscribe to pit Talk wherever you get your
favorite podcasts, and you can leave us a rating and
interview as well, and you can watch episodes like this
on YouTube too. Formula one is still on a break,

(01:07:28):
but this weekend it is the Austrian Motorcycle Grand Prix,
with lights out at ten pm on Sunday. You can
keep up to date with latest F one, motor GP
and supercars news at Fox sports dot com. Today you
until next week, depending on what podcast listening to do.
I think this podcast in fact will take the mid
season one week off week after that. I've been Michael,
thanks very much for your company and we'll catch you
next week