MotoGP title temp check with Matt Birt + F1 Austrian Grand Prix preview

Marc Marquez has planted his flag - literally and figuratively - on Francesco Bagnaia's home turf to continue his championship domination. Is this the best he's ever been? We ask TV world feed commentator Matt Birt for his view and for his take on the season to date. Plus: is Ferrari about to axe yet another team principal after its slow start to the season?

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Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Here comes Oscar Piastree, Lando Norris.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
They aren't playing hardball out there at the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Steve piverchool moment to twenty twenty four.

Speaker 4 (00:35):
Hello and welcome to pit Talk, brought to you by Shannons.
On today's episode, Formula One resumes with its Austrian Grand
Prix and with Ferrari under serious pressure following reports from
the Italian media the team boss Fred Vasser could be
under threat in his position. Rock Feenie becomes the first
driver to win three races at the Darwin Triple Crown
in the dominant weekend for the title leader. And we'll

(00:58):
take the temperature of the motop season with TV World
Feed commentator Matt Burt after another Mark Marquees victory in Itaaly.
My name is Michael Lomonado. It's great to have your
company and the company of my co host Speed Italian Excellence,
Genius Renaissance. On one side, he's Leonardo. On the other
side is Mackia Valley. It's Matt Clayson.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I think I'd like to be both a neither at
the same time. There's nothing like the Italian round of
Moto GP for random one off liveries that are mostly
bad and randompments that are often good but completely overtaken
by random one off liveries. But it's a great tradition,
as are the press releases that come out.

Speaker 4 (01:35):
With the press releases are my favorite part. That was
a description of the Ducati special Livery.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
I think that was the press release.

Speaker 4 (01:40):
Yeah, that should have been all it is company with
a photo of Mark Marquez and Pecovano playing plain chess.
I assume they got through the full game. It wasn't
just set up for the photos. But I wait to
see the video and the results of that match, obviously,
which would be very exciting. This was a Moto GP
in supercars around no Formula one on at the weekend
just passed. As I said in Austria, will be this weekend.
We'll get that a little bit later on, but that

(02:01):
means we start with expert versus interested.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Okay, so I guess I should go first and we
get supercars in Darwin because I am interested. What I'm
mostly interested in is that your crystal ball. I don't
know wh I don't know when it gets serviced or
where you got this done. Your crystal ball said last
week that it was going to be brock Feeni in
Darwin all the way, and it was.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
It was really all the way, all pole positions, all
race victories, and he won the triple crown. No evidence
of an actual crown. I was like secondary component of
my prediction, tragically, but there's still time for that to
be made, to be wrought in whatever material. But he
did dominate this weekend. He's always been very good at Darwin,
and so it proved and he wanted and this has
been a bit of a trend. We'll talk about the

(02:41):
final system a little bit later, but all year, the
old way and the new way. I feel like that
could almost be if there was a season review DVD
in supercars. That's what they'll have to call it a
way because this is the year they changed the rules
for the triple Crown. It was just purely based on points,
like any of the various trophies awarded throughout the year
at various rounds, because it used to be so hard
that to win this this thing, because it used to

(03:03):
really require the it was a three race round, all
three races or two races in a poll or whatever.
But he did at the old fashion WAB. He won
everything that was on offer this weekend, so he said
they should change the rules background now on. Maybe you
did the last one for a little while, but I
really like that. At some in every sport, particularly motorsport,
you get drivers or riders that just have an affinity

(03:24):
for a circuit for sometimes reasons they can't even describe.
There were so many opportunities. I think it was most
of Garth tan draft qualifying to ask him, well, why
do you go so well here? And he normally he went, well,
I don't know, I just really like the circuit whatever.
But he's so he's been good here every year, is
coming here and he's only in his fourth season in supercars.
But it's just really impressive to see when there's just
there's that zone isn't there.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Well, And you talk about this with drivers and other series,
not quite knowing why, but knowing that it works. That's
Lewis Hamilton in Hungary in Formula one. Yes, even when
Mercedes weren't very good when he first went there. That
was the racy one before they started winning everything. And
then there's other more explainable Dominate is Mark Marquez at
Saxon Ring in Motor GP, a track of predominantly left
handed corners. It's very, very slippery. That sounds like if

(04:06):
Marquees was to draw his favorite track on a piece
of paper, he'd probably look a little bit like that.
But Feenie and Darwin, that's always been a thing and
so I prooved.

Speaker 4 (04:14):
Yeah, and this is important for the championship points picture anyway,
Let's say that much because he's taking a step ahead.
He's now one hundred and eighty three points in the
lead of his teammate Will Brown, who was the reverse
side of the coin. This very much was on a
triple eighth thing. This is a Phoenie thing. Because he
had a fairly ordinary weekend. Qualifying continues to be a
bit of a problem for him. The team's now committed
to breaking down that car looking for any chassis problems

(04:35):
that might be contributing to that lack of raw pace.
He was better in the races though, so there's an
interesting thing to delve into the for the reigning champion.
He's currently being shown up by his teammate. But I
guess if you were looking a little bit on the
positive side for him, kind of the opposite thing happened
last year where he suddenly took these steps forward Phoenie
fell out. I think it was even a third in
the championship last year behind Chaz Mostd so not over

(04:57):
in that sense, but he is only fourteen points now
ahead of even that pain in those standings. So an
interesting thing to happen there. But I mean, we talk
about the championship mat it's not really that relevant the
top of the autumn.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, can I have another interested can past the line
back in? Because I'm told that I need to not
be looking right at the very top of the championship stands,
I need to look further down. So explain why I
should be interested in this?

Speaker 4 (05:19):
Yeah, because we're now only two rounds away from the
end of the Sprint Cup, which is the first component
of our three component championship. Now after that will have
the two endurance races that the banded in Baptist and
then we're going to have the finals and the only
drives is that matter in the finals? Sad though it
might be. Is the top ten to be fair, that's
usually more than by the time we get to the
last three rounds. But it means that now I think,

(05:39):
really to the end of the in juros and the
durance of their own kind of thing, because they're only
two one shot races. But we really need to be
looking at tenth because Feenie and Brown, regardless of their form,
there isn't so they're going to be there pretty much
up to I think sixth I'm willing to say they're
going to be there, But it's Anton Dibisquale at the
moment who's tenth, seven hundred and seventy two points drivers

(06:00):
ahead of him. I'm reading the points numbers, not my
strength and big numbers and supercars Thomas Randall, Andre him
Gardner and Cam Hill they're within seventy points ahead of him.
So just on or in the bubble, yes, and understood
how the bubble works, I think, But then in the bubble.
But then Ryan Wood just out of the bubble. You
want to be in the bubble. He's out of the bubble.
Maybe a bit unfortunate for him because obviously had his
first pollen victory in Perth couple of weeks ago, but

(06:20):
then didn't get enough points from that round. Problems out
of his control again. This weekend end in failure was
the big one, completely taking him out of the points
than strategy on Sunday with a fuel problem. He's just
out of the bubble, but by twenty two points. Kyle
Allen two time mate and podium get it this weekend
where we can say that forty three points out, Nick
Perkin and James Golding are also thirteen to fourteenth within

(06:41):
one hundred points. So there's potential for quite a lot
of movement in what is now for the next couple
of months. Really, other than who wins bath the stuff,
that's the other big question. The big question is who's
going to make it.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
It feels like you've got about eight to ten guys
for maybe four to five spots. Yeah, which had a
nice conundrum.

Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah and sorry, this is the final system where you know,
some people will have been skeptical of it. I think
actually for supercars it's exactly what this sport needed because
now we're going to have ten drivers and we've seen
other than brock Feeding the last couple of months. It
being very open at the front in Supercars, which is
what you want because then in the finals it's essentially
sudden death. Yep, anyone could win it in that top ten.
So we went and see you. But now I was

(07:19):
very interested in Matt. It's very interested last night in
Moto GPE on Monday, not just because both of my
children were awake to one ams. I had ample time
to watch all of the Moto GPS. But you said, though, look,
let's not compare crystal balls, but I'm going to talk
about yours. This was going to be a Banyai's big break,
right Normally he's very good in Magello, very good in
Assen for the last three years at least, and it
didn't really happen.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
This is why I mentioned whoever serviced your crystal ball,
I'm going to give them a call because my crystal
ball is absolutely naked. After this weekend, I was figuring
that this was going to be where pecaban I was
going to plant his flag because Magello and ass in
the past three years, this is where he has dominated,
and we knew he needed a weekend and coming off
Aragon the Grand Prix, he was very, very competitive, much

(08:01):
more competitive than he had been. I thought, all right,
you've got a ten day period here that if he's
going to actually make a run at making Marquez sweat
for this championship, it has to be now. And instead
you actually got the opposite Mark Marquez winning at Magello
for the first time in eleven years. And this is
one of those tracks because it's a lot of right
handers and he's never been particularly great here, and he
struggled on those types of circuits post surgeries plural, well

(08:23):
four of them. He's not great at these right handed
tracks a lot of the time now, So to win
in Italy, Ducati's first time as a factory tocaddy rider
at Migello, and to do it so convincingly, won the sprint,
won the Grand Prix on a weekend where Baannaya made
the podium in the sprint and then fell out of
podium contention in the Grand Prix. The gap between those
two riders now is one hundred and ten points after

(08:47):
nine rounds. It doesn't even seem real when you consider
this whole season was going to be it's Marquees versus
Bannaia and all the Rossie links to those two and
it was going to be fantastic the whole way through.
And I feel Mark's actually left some points on the
tape this year. It's the underperformance of Manyaya and the
fact that that lasted through this track. Yes, we have
as him coming up this weekend where he's basically been
unbeatable for three years. I'm not as confident now.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
My crystal ball.

Speaker 2 (09:11):
May need a bit of a rub and a bit
of a polish. I'm not as confident now as I
was because there just doesn't seem to be any end
to these front end problems he's having with the Ducati
Marquez winning in Dania territory, that's a big narrative for
the championship.

Speaker 4 (09:23):
We're going to talk to about Burton just a second interview.
We did a little bit earlier today. But the question
that sort of struck me watching this and used the
phrase plant to flag, which I think was quite yes,
considering that's literally what happened at the end of this
Grand Prix, Marquez picking his grandstand in front of which
to part to plant the flag. And I thought at
the time that that looked relatively poignant because this is Marques.

(09:45):
Like you said, the Rossi factor here, he was the
arch enemy, even though he hasn't been in such a
competitive position up until joining Dacadia last year and then
this year was the factory team. What is the status
of his relationship not with Dacadi the team, obviously they're
very much behind him, but the Jacatti identity that the
fans who were there that packed out those grand stands are.
They're mostly cheering for Vanyaya, but he's now the one,

(10:07):
let's be honest, who's going to deliver them their next title.
What does that mean in this story?

Speaker 2 (10:12):
This is where it's hard for the Italian fans now
because obviously Dakati is the national team, and then you've
got the Rossi factor. You know, it's ten years ago
now sepaying twenty fifteen. We're going back a long way,
and you know, there's not a lot of forgiving and
forgetting going on with certain parts of the fan base.
And I thought what was really interesting on the weekend
was he won the sprint on the Saturday. They had
the podium ceremony on the start finished straight and a

(10:34):
lot of the Italian fans pro Rossi fans were booing
and hissing Marquez as he was about to go onto
the podium, and Dacatti's team manager Dabide Tardozzi, who's pretty
fiery at the best of times, went across to the
fans and admonished them for booing a Ducati rider who'd
won for an Italian team on Italian turf, and very
poigntantly pointed in his shirt and as if to say,
he's one of us. Now, he's in these colors, he

(10:55):
belongs to us, and got quite agitated about it. And
Mark mentioned after the Grand Prix win that he appreciated
the gesture. Now I think he also knows that that's
never really going to change. That's a grudge that's going
to last for as long as Mark is on the grid.
But if the subtext of this story, if Mark is
able to move into the Ducati factory team and win
for that team, which Rossi could not do in between

(11:17):
his two Yamaha stints, that's going to be another way
to twist the knife with these fans who are never
going to forgive him for what happened in twenty fifteen,
and also potentially a ninth world title if he wins
this year, which equals Rossy. So there's all these little
threads with this story that it makes the booing explainable.
But Ducati were not pleased and Marque is getting that
win that's worth more than the thirty seven points that
he earned over the course of the weekend. How he

(11:39):
did it, where he did.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
It, Yeah, it's a really interesting twist in a story.
I think we knew it was a possibility, but maybe
didn't think was going to happen quite in this way.
I mean, one hundred and ten points over the raining
champion with the raining Ducati man, Yes, not a pretty
We get into all of that, plus the state of
the Motor GP season generally, what's going on with the
rating world Champion Martin is relationship with the brilliant anymore?

(12:02):
With the TV World feed commentator Matt Birt in a
chat earlier today, Matt, it's good to see you.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
Yeah. Likewise, Jara, great to join you guys from what
is still.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
On Monday morning here in Europe. Are very hot and
sticky Tuscany. We've had a great weekend of racing here,
Britian much a three race, great man of two race
and of course get more.

Speaker 3 (12:21):
Mark Marquez domination in manor GP.

Speaker 4 (12:25):
I want to start with the question that I think
he's on everyone's lips, and that is, did the the
Caddy Livery scream Leonardo da Vinci and Machiavelli to you
in equal measure or is it a bit more sixty forty?

Speaker 3 (12:37):
I'd say it was probably a little bit more sixty forty.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
I mean, obviously we know that, you know, the Catti
love to do their their special home race liveries. I've
got to say personally, I was I was a big
fan of their Italian renaissance team, and of course I
guess it's quite appropriate that we're seeing this sort of
Mark Marquez renaissance as well, in tandem with the Catty
Livery Mark, you know, the number ninety three winning them

(13:00):
nineties free from his one hundred pole position to do
it in the Cantishawn race in Migello.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
It was almost written in the stars for him, wasn't
it really?

Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah, the numbers certainly were coming up for Market Magello
this weekend. But Matt my curiosity, you mentioned that eleven
year drought that he snapped at Magello. Interestingly, he did
the same thing in Qatar back in round four, where
there was an eleven year drought. There. He's got this
forty point championship lead now, which quite frankly could have
been a lot more had he not crashed a Koto
and then obviously her Reth where he got back on

(13:29):
board and finished twelfth. I think it was. But for you,
given that you've seen all his career from such close quarters,
He's been through so much since he won that six
Motor GP title in twenty nineteen. So to your mind,
is this the best, most complete version of Mark that
we've seen with the caveat that maybe not the outright
fastest version, but do you feel this is the most

(13:50):
complete package that Mark Marquez has ever been in Motor GP.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
Yeah? I could not agree more. Matts.

Speaker 1 (13:56):
I mean, I think right now it's very very high
to identify.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
Any weakness that Marcas.

Speaker 1 (14:04):
He's brillianting qualifying, he's brilliant at the start of races,
managing races, not cooking the ties too much, and then
we know how good he is at the end of
the races when he's got to manage that that rear grip.

Speaker 3 (14:15):
I just don't see how Mark can be beat this year.

Speaker 1 (14:19):
In the past with the Honda, he was always good
at the sort of Nagerie Narley stop and go tracks
where he was really strong on the breaks, But now
with the DCASSI, he's just there's no weak tracks.

Speaker 3 (14:30):
You know, there's nothing from Mark to fear anymore.

Speaker 1 (14:32):
You know, he doesn't look at a catar or a
Magello and think, Okay, I'm going to be defending. I mean,
he says he's going to come into these weekends defending,
but he's always on the front foot.

Speaker 3 (14:41):
He's always attacking.

Speaker 1 (14:43):
And I don't like to say after what nine Grand
Prix is that it's already looking inevitable that he's going
to run away with the championship. But I think that's
where we're at. You know, he's a one hundred and
ten points clear Peca Bangna already. We're not even halfway
through the season. So I just I can't see anybody
stopping Mark at the moment. I mean, like you said, mate,
he's winning at circuits. He hasn't won that for over

(15:05):
a decade. There is no chink in his armor right now.
And I said at the start the season, I think
it was, yeah, this is what's going to happen. Is
never too you put the best rider or one of
the best riders in history on the best bike in
the best team.

Speaker 3 (15:19):
This is what's going to happen.

Speaker 4 (15:22):
It sounds so simple on paper. We really should have
it coming. I suppose it's not such a massive surprise,
of course that Mark is on such a great bike,
is doing so well, and I do want to talk
about Marks, but the other Markers. We haven't seen this
kind of sustained success from Alex Markers in his five
previous seasons at this level. So what is behind that

(15:43):
superb campaign so far? Only so many points behind his
brother and second in the standings of the GP twenty four.
Obviously a really good bike, title winning bike. But it
can't all be about the bike, can it?

Speaker 3 (15:53):
No? I can't.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
I mean that you have to say that Alex is
on probably one of the most rounded motorcycle packages in him.
The GP twenty four was utterly dominant last year, and
you know he clearly had his weaknesses on the GP
twenty three last time around. I mean, the new generation
mixelin reattire clearly for Alex was overloading the front too much.

(16:15):
And Alex is very much a front end Ridery likes
to really attack aggressive on the breaks into Cornsey.

Speaker 3 (16:20):
He couldn't do that last year. This year he could.

Speaker 1 (16:23):
I mean from the get go, the very first lap
that Alex still on the GP twenty four in the
Barcelona test last year, he straighted where he was like,
I'm back, I'm going to be in the game in
twenty twenty five because he knew that the GP twenty
four plays to his strength as a rider, and confidence
and momentum and everything, aren't they by a GP?

Speaker 3 (16:42):
And I think.

Speaker 1 (16:42):
Alex from that very first lap in winter testing knew
that he now had the motorcycle that was going to
be allowing to be at the front. He had the team,
he's got the continuity in the stability with Grazzini, and
he's carried it on through the whole winter testing. He
was fastest in what to out the three winter tests
and he's just kept that ball rolling and he's.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
Run the crest of a wave.

Speaker 1 (17:02):
And confidence and momentum, as we say, are two great
assets that a rider can have.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
It's funny, isn't it, Mattter? Like this time, well about
mid last year where the two Marquees brothers were on
the podium in Germany, you were thumbing back through the
record books to try and find out the last time
we had brothers on the same podium, and now they're
doing it basically every second weekend. But on Alex, I mean,
he's nominally Mark's biggest championship rival, but I kind of
feel there's a growing sense that maybe Alex races Mark

(17:29):
a little bit differently than he races other riders, which
is probably quite frankly, another advantage for Mark, not that
he needs one at this point, but to your mind,
when push comes to shove, do you feel that Alex
really would race Mark as hard as he would any
other opponent, given obviously the respect he has. I mean
they shared a bedroom as kids growing up. It's a
very very different dynamic at the top of a world championship.

(17:50):
Do you think Alex's destiny is maybe to consolidate second
in the championship and look behind him rather than a
head with his brother in MP one.

Speaker 3 (17:59):
Yeah, this is a topic.

Speaker 1 (18:00):
This crops up for quite a lot this weekend, actually,
and Mark and Alex were both asked about it in
the pressure comments yesterday, because I think.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
From the fan perspective, there maybe is a growing sort
of belief.

Speaker 1 (18:14):
Let's shall we say that maybe Alex is maybe a
little bit more conservative or a little bit more mindful
of what he's doing on track when he's when he's
racing closer with Mark, Alex, just as he would do,
of course, just batted it off and said, well, the
reason why he's not been able to sort of attack
Mark or be aggressive with Mark is because Mark's just

(18:36):
simply too fast.

Speaker 2 (18:37):
You know.

Speaker 1 (18:37):
Alex's point is that you overtake rising on a GP
when they're slower than you, when you're faster than them.
And Peco Banyora, i think was asked this as well
yesterday and Peco said it's inevitably in those situations.

Speaker 3 (18:49):
He says, I'm.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
More respectful when I'm racing Frankie Mormadelli, Luca Marini and
Marco Betseki from the VR forty six Academy because I've
grown up with those guys.

Speaker 3 (18:59):
I know them, so.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
Maybe i am not cautious, but it's in the back
of my mind not to be over aggressive bashing fairings
and rubbing shoulders with him. I think this will be
a theme moving forward in the championship. You know, Alex
is gonna be under a lot of scrutiny when he
is racing close in Mark. Is he not giving Mark
a free pass? But is he perhaps been that little

(19:23):
bit more mindful? You know, if it's Mark ahead of
him in the breaking zone or if it's pack ahead
of him in the breaking zone, would he be having
two different approaches? But yeah, both of them kind of
did bat it off in the press conference yesterday.

Speaker 4 (19:37):
Well, speaking of behind Mark and Alex in this situation,
I'm talking about Pego Vanyaya's third in the standings after
nine rounds. The only race is one is the one
that Mark fell off in in Kota. It's one hundred
and ten points now only nine rounds into the season,
which is pretty remarkable, and we've heard all season a
pretty similar story. He's licking that front end feeling on
this GP twenty five. Is this scene in now? I

(20:00):
can think obviously that's the bike he's got his disposed
lend bad points margin. Is it a ride off from
him now? Both obviously practically but also mentally is what
I'm interested in here, because well, we expected and maybe
he must have expected at least a little bit for
this season to be about that fireworks between him and
Mark makes and the Rossi narrative obviously was bubbling away
in the background of Magello as well. Hasn't really happened, hasn't.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
No, it hasn't, and it's been a, to be frank
a very tough watch. It's quite painful to see Peco
right now, both on and off the bike. Clearly on track,
he's not competitive, completely breathed of any feeling and confidence
in the front end of that CHP twenty five. Pretty
much from when he first jumped on it in Barcelona
last year, they've been sort of turning the bike upside down, left, right,

(20:43):
you name it. They've tried everything, and they just cannot
get him back in that sweet spot with the front
and Peko's a rye that relies so much on front confidence,
like so many.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
Of them do.

Speaker 1 (20:54):
Yesterday, though, I think was so so tough for him
to accept. You know, I think this year it's one
thing to be beaten by Mark on the same bike.
You know, Mark is an eight times world champion, one
of the best we've go seen in history. Being beaten
on a regular basis by Alex has been tough to take,
particularly because Alex is on the GP twenty four, which

(21:14):
Peco knows like the back of his hand and knows
if he was on that same baggage, he'd probably be
as competitive as Alex yesterday. Though, to be beaten in Magello,
a track where he's made his own for the last
three years by Fabio jan Antonio, taking nothing away from Fabio,
but to be the fourth and best to Catty in Magello,
who I mean, I don't think any of us saw

(21:36):
that coming in it and it just kind of illustrates
the sort of dark hole that the Peco finds himself
in right now. I mean, Michael, you mentioned is it
a riot off? I think in terms of the championship
one hundred percent. I mean, there's just no way in
a million years he's going to recover one hundred and
ten points back on Mark Marquez. You know, people say, oh, well,
he was ninety one points behind Quateara in twenty twenty
two and he pulled it off. Yeah, but this is

(21:58):
a different beast this year on a factory to Catty
and he's he's, as he said that yesterday, he's in
one of the best moments of his career. So I
think in terms of where Peco moves forward now, it's
almost like the rest of this season, it's just almost
like what twelve or thirteen test sessions for him, just
to try.

Speaker 3 (22:16):
And find some feeling with that the Catties.

Speaker 1 (22:19):
He's got to just forget about the champion now and
just work out away with the engineers somehow getting that
front fee back, because I mean, as we mentioned, to
not fish on the pody in Migello yesterday for him
was a real hundling experience.

Speaker 2 (22:33):
Yeah, and it definitely felt coming into Migello that it
was going to be Migello and Assen over that week period.
It's like, if it's ever going to happen, it's going
to be now. And certainly the returns from the first
half of that equation weren't particularly good. But Madam I
did want to switch gears here because after Aragon we
finally had the confirmation that Willsuperbike Star toprak Rerescut the
Ugly was coming to Mono GP for twenty twenty six.

(22:55):
I'd personally banned myself from writing about him because it
was always is he coming though he's not?

Speaker 3 (22:59):
Is he coming now?

Speaker 2 (23:00):
So now that he is, I can write whatever I want.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
But look, he's obviously.

Speaker 2 (23:04):
A huge name in that series because he's a winner,
but because of the way he wins. He's such a show,
but he's got a huge fan base and you following
for a new market for MONOGP. He's also going to
be a twenty nine year old rookie in twenty twenty six.
Those two words that usually go together. So my question
would be, what do you think, realistically we can expect

(23:24):
for him in this first season in the World Championship,
Because there's clearly no denying the talent. But it's not
like he's just going to come in and start replicating
all that superbikes success from day one, is it?

Speaker 3 (23:34):
No?

Speaker 1 (23:35):
I mean, first and foremost, I mean, it's just fantastic
that finally he decided to take the plunge and come
over to MANOGP. I mean, as you said, Matt, this
has been a story, this rumbulin, hasn't it for four
or five years now?

Speaker 3 (23:45):
The will he or won't team make the move, and
finally he has.

Speaker 1 (23:48):
I have to say, personally, I'm I'm quite surprised that
he's decided to come now. I thought that he would
probably stick around in superbikes for one more year, particularly
with the fact that man a GP of course makes
the move from Michelin to Perodi Tires in twenty twenty seven,
because is there much for him to gain moving over
to Michelin for one year next year and having to

(24:10):
change in twenty twenty seven once again onto Parodi Rubber.

Speaker 3 (24:14):
I mean, let's be honest, it's amazing.

Speaker 1 (24:16):
If you're a montorcycle fan, World Twuperike fan, manag GP fan,
it doesn't matter. Top Brack Mascat the old group is
box office. He is an AA list superstar. He's the
Valentine Rossi of World super Bikes. Great to see him
come over. I think it's going to be a real
tough learning curve. You know, the difference in riding style,
the switch to the tires he is going to find

(24:37):
very very difficult.

Speaker 3 (24:38):
You know.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
He's superbikes are much more forgiving. They're like sponges, you know,
they move around a lot. They're flexible. Managed GP bikes
are rigid, very race stiff. You know, he didn't exactly
cover himself in glory when he tested the Amaha previously,
clear that he feels like now the time is right.
I think initially as a rookie, he's going to be
looking at, you know, challenging for the points in the

(24:58):
first part of the season, then getting it in the
top ten second half of the season. If he's fighting
for podiums and victories, well then chaplo. I'll doff my captain.
But I just I can't see it happening. It's a
it's a Lions then, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (25:11):
My the GP. You know, these guys have got years
of years of experience.

Speaker 1 (25:14):
On these prototype motorcycles Mixlin tires.

Speaker 3 (25:18):
But yeah, I admire him.

Speaker 1 (25:20):
It's a bold move coming over that late in his
career to take on the world's bass.

Speaker 3 (25:23):
Good luck to him.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
Well, yeah, that late in his career, and particularly with
the twenty twenty seven rule reset looming as you mentioned.
But we might get to go back to Istanbul Park Matt.
That'd be fun, wouldn't it. But while we're talking, while
we're talking, Rezcutlugli though, obviously him coming to premat Yamaha
next year means that one of Jack Miller or Miguel
Oliver has got to make way, and Yamaha has got
this stricky decision here because jackson the one year contract

(25:47):
and he's performing the better of the two. Let's not
talk about Magello because Jack certainly doesn't want to. But
you know, Miguel's got the twenty twenty six deal, he's
been the second best rider of that peering when he's
actually been on the bike and not injured this year.
So you know, there's obviously in Australian slant to this question,
but do you feel Jack's done enough to be retained
over McGill or done enough full stop to warrant a

(26:08):
seat on the grid in twenty twenty six because the
points table would indicate not, because he's nineteenth in the
standings and Magello was a disaster, as we discussed, but
we need to probably look beyond the point standings and
the impact he's had behind the scenes. Everything we hear
is very positive. But from your insider's view, do you
think he's done enough to be on the grid next year?

Speaker 3 (26:28):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (26:29):
I do.

Speaker 1 (26:30):
Yeah, I'm not just saying that someone on Australian broadcast
deal as well.

Speaker 3 (26:32):
As that I do.

Speaker 1 (26:35):
I mean, I think clearly there's a there's there's clauses
in the Olive Era contract which gives the opportunity if
Yamaha see fit to cut ties with him. Clearly it
looks like it is a straight shoot out between Jack
and Meguel. I think Yeah, the championship positions aside, Matt
and the points table aside, there's a lot more for

(26:56):
Jack to offer Yamaha.

Speaker 3 (26:58):
Yeah, it's very much in the early part of his career.
He's come from.

Speaker 1 (27:00):
He's written Honter GP, He's written ktms A GP, He's
written the catsim Manter GP. So he brings a very
broad spectrum of technical knowledge to the Yamaha project. Jack's
I think a very safe pair of hands as well.
He's popular with the Pramac team. He's got an incredibly
close relationship with the management there, Power Camperozzi and Gina Borsoi,

(27:21):
and I think Yamaha right now, if they had to
make the decision now, I think they would take Jack.
Jack's been in this position before. Has I kind of
feel a little bit sorry from really, because it seems
like every year at this stage of the season, you know,
the media just bombarding questions with Jack, what are you
doing next year? We've got a contract next year. The
good news for Jack this time around is I mean,

(27:41):
I think last year, when he knew he was being
cut loose by KTM, he came to his media debrief
I remember on Thursday at Silverstone in August, and I've
never seen him look so down in my entire time
I've seen Jack in his career because at that time
the phone was not ringing, there was zero options. He
had no idea what he's going to be doing now
if if the GP future, if that road closes.

Speaker 3 (28:04):
We know he's got some very good options in World Superbikes.

Speaker 1 (28:07):
But Jack has made it clear. He made it clear
once again here this weekend in Magello. He's no desire
to go to World Superbikes, no disrespect to the super
bike paddock. He said, he's got great friends over there,
he loves the racing there, but he wants to stay
by the GP. Still feels like he's got a lot
to offer, still wants to be riding the best motorcycles
in the world. And I think I think Yamaha will

(28:28):
keep him. I think Yamaha are going to go with
Jack and top Track.

Speaker 3 (28:32):
I hope so, Chris.

Speaker 1 (28:33):
Then we can see the stopping competition between the two,
can't We's a promat Gama.

Speaker 4 (28:41):
Well on a related Jack question, maybe not totally unrelated either,
And on off track news, I suppose we're expecting a
call on the Liberty Media acquisition of murder GPS sooner
rather than later at some point anyway, and because of
course his expectation, giving Liberty Media's track record with Formula one,
that it helps to raise the pro farll of the sport,
bringing new fans, expand the reach of it. Drive to

(29:04):
Survivor of course was part of the treatment in Formula one,
and that was about bringing out the characters of the sport.
And other than wondering who's going to fill the Gundesteiner
role in the Moto GP version, how important is it
in selling that Moto G product, Moto GP product that
there is more than just one other native English language
writer on the grid to counter or alongside the Spanish

(29:26):
and Italian contingent which is so dominant. Is Jack perhaps
better placed as well because of that, aside from his results,
for the fact that he can bring more to the sport.

Speaker 3 (29:34):
Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
You know, I think when the Limited Media acquisition does
get to fine approve or they're going to be very
very keen to keep characters and big personalities like Jack
on board him. He just mentioned who could be that
the gund stein of Money GP, Well, gund to Steiner.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
Could be that himself.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
This sounds like definitely from speaking to a few close
contacts in the paddock, gund Steiner will be involved with
a manegy p team next year, most likely Tech three.
So he's going to fill his own role, I think
next year. And I think that does point to you
know that the Liberty Media's view on how they can

(30:12):
raise the profile of maney GP bringing in established personalities
from the from Formula one like Gunter. You know, he's
a pretty outspoken character, he's a pretty effivescent character, and
it would be a shame, particularly when somebody like Liberty
Media is coming in to lose characters like Jack because
you can, you can hang your coat on him to

(30:32):
be somebody that can bring in an audience. Like you said, Michael,
Liberty Media did a fantastic job. Their initial goal will
be how do we put more eyeballs on manag GP.
You know, I still think some parts of the world
it's seems a bit of a niche sport. But Liberty
Media will see this is a great opportunity. They've got
a great product. We know for a number of years

(30:53):
now that we've got great racing, We have got great talents.
It's just now, how do we tell these stories? To
a bigger audience, and libery to me, that's what liberty
to me to do that is their expertise. They did
it with Formula one and Fingers Crossed. I'm sure they
will be able to do that with Man a GP.
And I think if they do keep Jackman, he's going

(31:13):
to be a key asset to sort of building those
bridges with a newer, younger audience.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
I'm just curious when they make MONOGP the movie in
a few years time, who they're going to get to
play you. I guess Brad will still be available at
that point.

Speaker 1 (31:26):
But this weekend, so I've already done a deal with him.
You know he's gonna he's gonna be the lead man
playing Matt.

Speaker 2 (31:33):
But right yeah, I had a word in easier he
left to he'll have to lose the locks a little bit.
Thought that's go to the same barber.

Speaker 3 (31:41):
I'm not sure. I don't think it's a seamless transition
from John Wick to Matt Burt.

Speaker 2 (31:49):
Never never before mentioned in the same sentence. Until I've
got one final one for you before we'll let you go,
and thank you for being so generous with time this morning,
Monday morning, after Magello We're twenty minutes into this, and
it's taken as this long to get to this particular
person because they've rarely been in the spotlight for the

(32:09):
right reasons the whole season. Talking about Juge Martin, our
raigning Motor GP World champion. Yes, he's at the bottom
of the standings, he's done one sprint race at about
two thirds of a Grand Prix, and he feels like
he's had about one hundred and one injury since preseason testing.
We also know he's trying to get out of this
two year a Prillier deal that he signed basically this
day last year, the Monday after Migello. How do you

(32:30):
see this situation playing out here, because it's pretty obvious
that both parties have lines in the sand here. And
what's your read on him wanting out of a Prillier
with so little experience of this manufacturer that he signed
so spontaneously for last year. And I guess, as aside
to that, if he's looking to get to Honda, which
seems to be the rumor during a Honda might be
a little bit wary here because people forget Martin was

(32:53):
supposed to come to motor GP with KTM back in
twenty twenty one, and he managed to worm his way
out of that one with some contract legal ease. If
you're hondering, you're a little bit wary of perhaps someone
that's done this to two other manufacturers. Or does the
stop watch win out in the end.

Speaker 1 (33:07):
I think the stop watching racing will always win out,
especially when you're in a situation like Honda are where
Alberto Pooch said it a few weeks ago. If if
he said he was paying to point out that if,
I don't think he wanted to be sort of treading
on his toes in terms of the contract situation.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
But I think it's clear, absolutely clear that if Jorge was.

Speaker 1 (33:27):
Available, if he was interested in coming to Honda, well,
Honda would have the door wide open.

Speaker 3 (33:31):
They'd be rolling out the.

Speaker 1 (33:32):
Red car before him, because they clearly feel that they're
making progress with the r C two on three V.
They just need a name, They just need a superstar
on board that bike to.

Speaker 3 (33:41):
Take it back to the next level.

Speaker 1 (33:42):
It's a bit of a minefield, isn't it right now
with a prilier and Haway's contract situation. I mean, I
don't think anybody nobody saw the situation arise where having
finished one sprint in half of the Grand Prix that
he was going to be trying to jump ship. You
could see a prize reaction. I mean they were completely

(34:03):
caught cold. I mean, if you're looking at the legality
of the contract, I guess you knowes perfectly with his
rights to exercise a clause which he feels is there.
I mean, has he given a preier a fair crack
of the whip? Well you have to say no, you know,
I think he did ninety odd laps at the test
in November, he did thirteen laps into bang before he

(34:24):
was trying to be the first Spaniard on the moon,
and then came back in kata. Yeah, and we all
know what happened there. So yeah, it's very very difficult,
isn't it to get inside the mind of an elite
athlete who you know, who.

Speaker 3 (34:39):
Has a short career.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
If a Prillier does not feel that a prier are
making the strides or are going to be competitive enough
for him to win another championship, and he feels that
Honda on the app Honda might roll out with an
absolute weapon.

Speaker 3 (34:53):
When we moved to eight fifties in twenty twenty seven.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
Honda clearly going to have a bigger budget, a bigger
race department than what a p there are, So there
are so many.

Speaker 3 (35:01):
Factors at play. If from a personal start, I think
it will be disappointing.

Speaker 1 (35:04):
I feel really really sorry for a Prillier if he
was to enforce the clause and make the move out.
The more people you talk to Prillier, the more sort
of confident they are at sort of smoothing the chopping waters.

Speaker 3 (35:15):
But who knows.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
There's only two people on planet Earth and know what's
going on that saw him, Marti and his manager Albert Balaira.

Speaker 3 (35:22):
You know, and let's see how it plays out.

Speaker 1 (35:24):
I mean hopefully with this a few vibes around this
weekend that Joe may be looking at coming back at
Germany in the Sacks Ring, and we know what he does,
He's going to be absolutely bombarded with question. It's not
about the injuries or the comeback, but is he gonna
be an a Prillier or on the next year.

Speaker 4 (35:39):
M Yeah, a remarkable story, potentially great news if you're
a lawyer contracted to Honda contact lawyer in particular, Matt.
Thank you so much for your time. Like we say
the day after Magello this weekend's ass and will be
able to hear your voice in the commentary then. But
until then, Matt Bert, the John Wickermodo GP. Thanks So next.

Speaker 3 (35:58):
Time this guy's pleasure catch up.

Speaker 4 (36:01):
You see that was Matt Bert, the TV World Feed commentator.
You'll be able to hear him over the coverage on
Fox Sports and KO this weekend of the asen TT.
Whether or not Banaya features at the very front further down,
we'll wait and see. Crystal Baul is still coming up.
But before we move on completely, we've got to go
to Move of the Week by Shannon's so Supercars and

(36:25):
Motor GP to choose from here? Both great tracks. Where
are you going with?

Speaker 2 (36:28):
I think you know where I'm going. It's going to
be two wheels because Migello is if it's not the
best Motor GP track in the world, it's a clevery
close second behind Philip Island. But to me, the move
of the week was the move that put Picko bag
off the podium at this track where he has dominated
for the best part of three years. Fabio de jen Antonio.
The fact that he was going to be the leading
Italian and finishing on a podium at his home Grand Prix.

(36:51):
He had unbelievable pace at the end of that Grand
Prix and Banya I was kind of hanging on at
that point, but you thought he was going to run
out of laps. The Jane Antonio put an unbelievably slip
move on him with two laps to go and clear
it off and was on the podium and his home
Grand Prix for the first time. Also gave me the
quote of the weekend as well as the movie of
the week as well. He said, he looked at his
pit ball with three laps to go, he said P four.
He said, no, not today, not P four, P three,

(37:13):
and he said it was going to be Champagne or gravel.

Speaker 4 (37:15):
And he got champagne. He did not today. Great resolutions
of an athlete.

Speaker 2 (37:20):
I'm assuming you're going Hidden Valley here.

Speaker 4 (37:22):
No, actually, I'm going Moto GP because I enjoyed the
week I enjoyed the meaningfulness of this weekend, and I
love Magello Formula one race there and he was as
a film. I was the first time I'd seen I've
been watching Moto GP, but I think it enlivened me
to how great it was to see a different sport
on that. Yeah, So I'm sticking with Magello. I'm sticking
with it. Wasn't a race winning move. It could have been,

(37:42):
But was Alex Marquez on lap two of the stringt
the three into turn one. Anytime he had three into turn
one anywhere in any sport is very exciting. But that circuit, Yeah,
and that's it because it's the fastest point on any
circuit on Motorgibi calendar, and there's just a lot to
process ago.

Speaker 2 (37:59):
They are shedding about two hundred and sixty five k's
an hour from the speed trap into turn one at Sandinato,
which doesn't even seem possible. And then when you're seeing
bikes fan out to try and take different apexes into
term one, it's one of those breaking zones, particularly with
Moto three when there's like ten of them, you kind
of hide behind the couch like you can't wait to
watch it, but you're also very wary of the consequences.

(38:21):
It's a very, very crazy corner. But watching you know,
motor gpeople like doing mid three sixties through the speed
trap at Magello, it is absolutely bonkers.

Speaker 4 (38:29):
Shouldn't be possible. I realized my jaw always hurts after
watching a race because it's just constantly stressed about it.
But I thought it was really gutsy move. I mean it
plays in a little bit while we're talking about with Map,
you know, does E race when it's just spanyaob nine
another rider compared to his brother a little bit differently
because that was very gutsy. But you didn't see it
when it was just marking the lead. He saw when
it was both ride this Overtex. But I thought it

(38:50):
was really great, great demonstration of what's so exciting about
this track. It's been really good as well, as we
were talking about earlier, to see Alex in such competitive form,
to be in this great vein of form, and look,
you do talk about the title being all but done
and it's difficult to imagine him overcoming his brother, but
he's only thirty points or forty points now forty po ok,
it wasn't the start of the again, but forty points
is within the realms of possibility. Because we were talking

(39:12):
the only he can't beat Mark, but Mark could beat.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
Mark, and Mark has beaten Mark in the past. Because
he's already thrown away a couple of good, big results
this year, and we know he can do that. But
the thing I like about the Alex Marquez story is
I like a guy when they've been in any sport
for five or six years and you think you've worked
out who they are and what they are. He's completely
defied anything he's done in the previous five or six years.
You don't generally get this kick along in your career

(39:36):
in your late twenties. You kind of are fully formed
at this point, and I don't think any of us
saw this level that he had coming. He's been genuinely
outstanding this year. He's just the second best rider his
own family.

Speaker 4 (39:48):
That is unfortunate, yes, but look what can you do.
That's the way it is. Let's move on now, though,
to Formula One. This weekend the Austrian Grand Prix, the
sport resumes. It's been unusually for everyone. I think it's
only one race in the last four weekends, aw three weekends,
four weeks, pretty much very leisurely for everyone. We've got
two double headers to bring it home to the mid
season break, and these could be really important races, particularly
the next two Austria and then Silverstone after that in

(40:11):
Great Britain. Because reports ahead of the previous race in
the Canadian Grand Prix, and the Italian media suggested that
Patients is running out at Ferrari for team principal Frederick
Vasser because of the team's poor start to this season.
He's a boss only a few years into the job,
brought about to replace the other disappointing start to a
season teens always MATI b story as old as time.

(40:32):
But the fact that this came out in a coordinated way,
this was several big newspapers in particular, all reporting at
the same time. It's not that it's a campaign that
might be your immediate reaction, but rather it's the fact
that there's always a little bit of something in these reports. Media.
It's renowned for being hot headed whatever, but it's not,

(40:53):
you know, it's not just making stuff up. In the circumstances.
Ferrari has, for what it's worth, denied it in the
sense they've decided or the statement was that they're not
going to dignify it with a response. You might cast
your minds back only a few years to when it
fulsomly and wholesomely denied, mative and not I was going
to be sax. Indeed, month or two before he was sas,
but it's come on very quickly. You know, this has

(41:14):
been a poor start to the season for Ferrari. Their
holds now being picked. In Frederick Vassar's position, I mean,
what's your take on the way this season has started,
because it definitely has been below expectations. But this feels
a little bit hasty.

Speaker 1 (41:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:26):
Look, as far as the media narrative and the management
narrative go, is this not just a product of communication
on both sides, in that the press, there is a communication,
there's a consistency with the communication and the message they're
putting out. Vassa is not going to manage Ferrari in
the way that perhaps an Italian might manage Ferrari, or
certainly but not I did or someone else. Further on

(41:47):
the line. He has his own syncratic style, and I'm
wondering if how much of this is I think they're
very aware that it's been underwhelming at the start of
the season, but he has a different way of responding
to that than perhaps some of his predecessors might have,
and perhaps in a way that the Italian media in
this situation aren't necessarily enjoying. So I'm wondering if this
is a reaction to the way Vassura is handling what's

(42:09):
going on Ferrari as opposed to just the actual performance itself.
It's more a perception that do you need to be
reacting more strongly to this underperformance because I don't think
anyone's going to disagree that they have underperformed so far
this year. But how much of it is the reaction
to the underperformance than the actual underperformance itself.

Speaker 4 (42:25):
Yes, And I think communication is a really good thing
to insert here because one of the most important things
that vass has done in his team principleship other than
sort of steady of the ship, WHI yet more management
upheaval and straighten out the pitball a bit because strategically
we all love to make fun of Ferrari on the pitwall,
but it is a tighter ship now than it was
when you took made mistakes this year. But you know,

(42:46):
every team has it's the idea of being that shield
over the team, because that's inevitably in its successful periods,
has been a team princil has been able to cop
the flak and let the team not feel the pressure
of the media. He's done generally good job of that,
but What strikes me is that his willingness to be defensive,
or his attitude or his approach to being defensive is

(43:08):
to not give really anything away, which is which is
okay when there's signs of progress. But I think when
you have, as you say, that underperformance and the response
to that under performance, you know, it's not clear what
upgrades are coming, and it's not clear that the team
understands its problems because he refuses to talk about this,
and it's not clear what Lewis Hamilton's problems adapting to
the car is because he doesn't want to talk about them.

(43:29):
And I think that that eventually when you can't see progress,
and we shouldn't forget Italian Ferrari's status essentially as an
Italian national team. Yes, that's not the case. It's a
private company. There is a certain responsibility there to have
no information about why it's gone so wrong this year
relative to expectations last year. I think does invite some criticism.

(43:50):
Now he's he's objected quite a lot to the to
some newspaper reports identifying problem individuals in his team, in
particular his new technical directory from Mercedes Lloyd Sarah. I
understand that, but I think there is space for him
to have done this job a little bit differently, doesn't
warrant him being sacked, but to have not attracted this

(44:12):
sudden on sort of criticism, which now, and this is
the part I think there is a little bit of
a problem. He's now saying we can't win a championship
with media like this, and that I don't like to
see that because that seems very deflective to me a
little bit.

Speaker 2 (44:24):
I mean, he's very protective of the employees, which I think,
which I think is correct, and I think that's where
Ferrari's tripped itself up in the past. This strikes me
it's more a selling of the message than the natural
message itself. And I think there's this I'm going to
put the shutters up and say nothing rather than try
and spin a story. And perhaps there needs to be
a little bit of give and take here is like

(44:44):
we will throw you a bone and sell you a
vision of this. Now it's still not come to fruition,
but we're almost letting you in on the inside. And
this is what we are trying to do to fix this,
as opposed to just lead us to fix it and
don't ask any more. Questions. So perhaps it's a sales
position there, and that could be something that's cultural lost
in translation. He's not going. He doesn't want to be
seen to be marching to the drum that's being the

(45:07):
drum of the Italian press in this situation, and so
with no information to report upon, then you end up
with these sort of orchestrated things of what happened in Canada.
So look, the great soul for all of this is,
let's get some good results. But we know this year
that hasn't necessarily happened with Ferrari, and given we've got
such a rule change coming in for twenty six here,
it would actually be silly for Ferrari to direct too

(45:28):
much attention into twenty twenty five. The problem being we've
still got so long of this season to go, and
if Ferrari is sort of cast adrift from these teams
up the top, that pressure is only going to increase.
The last thing you knowed just Ferrari going into a
new rule set is more management upheaval, and you need
stability and a chance to move forward, not a lot
of stuff going on behind the scenes.

Speaker 4 (45:47):
I think, yeah, exactly right, and it's people will have
their own opinions of the job that has done, and
you do want to go into next year's rule changes
with a solid setup, but the time to make those
changes has passed. I think vass is not exactly the
right man for the job. I don't think there's anyone
who thinks he's not a good enough man for the job,
if that makes sense. He's got track record in all

(46:07):
junior series. He's clearly done a good job at what
he's done Ferraris so far, and if this season's been disappointed,
and this has been one season in which the progress
has not been positive, and it uses you say, a
year before a major rule change, when attention naturally should
be looking to next year anyway, So it'd be very
interesting to see how this develops. The reason why the
next two races could be important is that some of
those reports are pegged Canada, which wasn't great, and the

(46:30):
next two races as being the test for him before
Ferrari decides whether or not to move Hi along. This
is the end of his contract as well, so it
wouldn't necessarily be a case of sudden sacking if you
like to stress it like that. And weirdly, some of
the pressures coming from elsewhere in the organization, because of
course Antonello Coletta, who runs the World Endurance or the
Endurance arm of Ferrari, for Ferrari's doing pretty well in
the World Endurance cham.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
Doing rather well. Yes, bad confluence of timing, wasn't it.

Speaker 4 (46:54):
No, So we'll wait and see how this one develops.
They could really use a good result in Austria. Maybe
you'd like to predict it in the crystal Ball not
do by complete home filtration.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
No, I would not.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
Maybe it is working a bit better.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
Than Wow, my crystal ball if on in Austria, I
don't like to say this with my Oscar past Australian
hat on here. I think this is the Lando Norris weekend. Oh,
simply because he's got form here. Remember his first F
one podium is here in twenty twenty. He's always been
very good around here and quite frankly, it should have
won it last year, but there was a bit of

(47:30):
a problem with Max fistap and it turned three at
the Red Bull Ring, which is you know, stop me
if you've heard that one before. But this feels to
me like a bit of a McLaren bounce back weekend
there was a little bit muted in Canada, and Canada
is such a weird outlier of a track. Austria is,
you know, the world's fastest go cart track. It's a
very very simple layer. It's a layout that should suit McLaren.

(47:50):
I can see Norris being very very good here. I
can also see you up until about four o'clock in
the morning if Red Bull lose in some situation at
home they don't like, and we have Christian Hall to
bring print outs to his post brief debrief, and I'll
see that you're still active on what'sapp at six thirty am.

Speaker 4 (48:05):
As long as George Russell doesn't win, and we're saying probably,
we're probably fine, We're probably fine.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
What's your crystal ball is batting a very high percentage
at the moment, so.

Speaker 4 (48:14):
Well, good news for you. Is was quite a similar prediction,
but it's more it is Lando Norris specific, because this
is a big moment for Lando Norris. The crash after
Canada has a great potential to damage his confidence. Now
that's not the way he says. He works and look
at remains to be seen. Maybe just has a perfectly
normal Norris weekend. He makes a mistake in Q three,
I finished the second or third, that's fine, But I

(48:34):
think this is because red Will normally does quite well here.
Max normally does quite well here as well. I think
that the coincidence of factors is going to lead us
to a not a repeat of what happened last year,
but he's going to have his chance to fight Max again,
and I think this is the opportunity for him to
definitively prove whether or not he's got it this year.
And I think he's going to beat Max in some capacity.
Turn three, maybe turn one, who's to say. But this

(48:56):
is his opportunity not simply to win the race, but
it might not be the case of winning the race,
but to actually start making progress on all those things
we are denoting to him now saying that he can't
fight Max. For staffing, he doesn't have the confidence of
the races, he can't qualify well, it's a long list
now of reasons he won't win the championship. Correct, it's
too early to say he won't win the championship, but
I think this is the first race where he's going

(49:16):
and not seem they have a good weekend, but tick.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
One of them off and the fact that comes well
and the fact that comes so soon after Canada, and
this is the time to write that, because if you
want to change a narrative, you need to do that
asap after what happened in Montreal. They kind of got
away with it with what happened with Pastrian in Montreal
because it wasn't for a race win and Piastre was
able to at least get some points and Norris was
the biggest victim of his own mistake. But you need
to address this right now, or this narrative just runs

(49:40):
and runs and runs, and this weekend might be the
weekend he does it.

Speaker 4 (49:43):
Yeah, exactly. So it's important for him because if nothing else,
there's only four rounds left till the mid season break,
and you don't want to be going to the mid
season break on a low, considering his season has not
gone to plan. One of these races at least is
going to show a little bit of fight and get
a few back over Oscar. If you think he's going
to challenge for the title, lot that we need the
championship Roscopias for ennything other than good news for Australia obviously,

(50:05):
but many weeks to find out how that one unravels.
But that's all the time we have for Pittalk today.
You can subscribe to pit Talk wherever you get your
favorite podcasts, and you can leave us a ratio and
review as well. This weekend it's the Dutch Motorcycle TT
with lights out at ten pm on Sunday, and then
straight after that it's the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix
with lights out at eleven pm, and then Steward's Investigations
taking us right through to six or seven in the morning.

(50:25):
You can keep up to date with all the latest
Moto TWPF one and supercars news at Fox Sports dot
com Dot A you from Matt Clayton and me Michael Lomonado.
Thanks very much for your company and we'll catch you
next week.