September 19, 2025 • 36 mins
The source provides an extensive overview of Formula 1 (F1), defining it as the highest level of motorsport characterized by strict technical regulations, immense speed, and technological innovation. It meticulously examines the key components of the sport, including the elite F1 drivers who possess exceptional physical and mental skill, and the ten competing teams that serve as the engineering backbone of the sport, vying for the Constructors' Championship. Furthermore, the episode details the advanced technological features of the F1 cars, such as their hybrid power units and complex aerodynamics, alongside describing the diverse global circuits used for the 24-race calendar. Finally, the source explains the race weekend format, strategic elements like pit stops and the points system, and addresses the sport's massive global appeal and future challenges, such as its push for sustainability.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the deep dive. Today, we are strapping
in and really hitting the apex on Formula one. It's
just the world's most glamorous, most technologically advanced, and let's
face it, strategically complex sport out there.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Absolutely, F one is the pinnacle. It blends that absolute
cutting edge engineering with just raw driver skill, elite athletes
pushing the limits.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yeah, it's a truly high stakes global spectacle. So our
mission today is to kind of cut through the noise
a bit exactly.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We want to pull out the essential stuff, the nuanced
knowledge you need to really appreciate the complexity, the glam
or the drama of F one, especially thinking about the
upcoming twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Season, which feels pretty pivotal.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It really does. So, Yeah, we're diving into the formula itself,
the tech, the future of that tech, and of course,
the strategy that wins championships.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Okay, let's unpack that first bit. We always say Formula one,
but what does the formula actually define? Right?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Fundamentally, Formula one is an open wheel, single seater race series.
It's governed globally by the FIA, the Federation international de
la Automobile and the formula part. That's the key. It
refers to this incredibly strict, really precise set of technical
and sporting regulations that well, every single car.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Has to follow, so like a rule book for building
the car.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Exactly, a very detailed rule book. It dictates everything chassis dimensions,
minimum weight, the exact engine specifications, even which aerodynamic surfaces
are allowed and how big they can be, stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
So the idea is that everyone's working within the same
constraints more or less to stop one team just showing
up with a you know, a spaceship pretty much.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, it tries to keep things competitive, at least theoretically competitive,
while still you know, encouraging the innovation. F one is
famous for. That's why you see teams fighting over one
hundredths even thousands of a second. They're all pushing right
up against the limits set by that formula. It's known
for speed, obviously, global visibility and tech that off and
you know, trickles down to road cars years.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Later and thinking about the whole season. It's not just
about one winner, is it. F one actually crowns two
champions every year. Yeah, that says a lot about the sport.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Oh, that's a crucial point.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
First, you've got the Driver's Champion. That's the ultimate prize
for the individual driver's skill, consistency, bravery over what twenty
four races now. But just as important, sometimes even more so,
for the team's future and finances, is the.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Constructors Champion, Right, the team prize.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Exactly, That one rewards the team's overall engineering brilliance, the
car design, the reliability and the consistency shown by both drivers,
both cars across the whole season. It really highlights how
F one is this unique blend of individual genius and
massive team effort.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
That sets us up perfectly for our first section. Then
the human and team element. Let's start with the drivers.
They get portrayed as you know, rock stars almost, but
the physical side, the mental demands. These guys are genuinely
elite athletes.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Oh, without a doubt. Elite doesn't even quite cover it.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Sometime.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
The physical truck they need is just staggering. They're handling
these cars at over two hundred miles an hour, three
hundred and twenty kil seeds, distained speeds, a stained speed. Yeah,
requiring incredible mental focus, split second decisions. But the biggest
physical challenge, it's the g forces they endure.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
That's the bit that always gets me. We talk about
G forces, what are we actually talking about? How much
force is that When they say slam on the brakes
or take a high speed corner.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
We're talking about drivers consistently pulling forces up to five G,
maybe even a touch more, and really heavy breaking zones
are super fast corners.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Five g CA. You put that in context, like, what's
that comparable too?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well? Think about actronauts during a Space shuttle launch. They
experience similar forces around three to five G, but maybe
not for as long or as repeatedly. Corner after corner. Wow,
this force is constantly slamming their body, especially their neck
and chest. The driver's head plus the helmet weighs maybe
what six kilos under five g. That effectively becomes thirty kilograms.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Thirty kilos trying to rip your head off, basically pretty much.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And they have to maintain perfect fine motor control, steering inputs,
breaking modulation, shifting gears, all while under that incredible sustained
physical load.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
The training for that must be absolutely brutal, especially neck.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
And core strength NonStop.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
They're heart rates they can be hovering around one hundred
and seventy beats per minute for the entire race, maybe
an hour and a half, sometimes two hours, like.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Running a marathon, but sitting down and being.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Crushed kind of. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
And beyond the physical, the mental load is just immense.
They're constantly processing information, complex circuits, tying changes in grip,
higher temperature, fuel load, executing team strategy communicated over the radio,
all in real time, in real time at two hundred
miles an hour, One tiny mistake it can cost the
team millions, potentially end a championship run. The pressure is
(04:46):
just relentless, lap.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
After a lap, and they're totally reliant on that link
with the team, aren't. They set up strategy calls during
the race.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Everything absolutely critical.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
That feedback loop driver to engineer, engineer back to driver
is vitals practice. The driver's feeling, you know, how the
car feels over bumps, through corners, The subjective stuff exactly,
the subjective field gets mapped against all the objective data
streaming off the car sensors and putting those two together,
the human feel and the hard data. That's what dictates
the final setup for qualifying and the race.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Okay, let's pivot then to the twenty twenty five grid. Yeah,
because the driver market, well, it's been absolutely explosive, hasn't it,
setting up some potentially huge rivalries.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You almost don't know where to start, but I suppose
you have to begin with Max erstapp In at Red Bull.
He's still the benchmark, isn't he seems like it, the
dominant force multiple world championships. Now, his driving style is
well famously aggressive, pushes every limit, but he's tempered that
with incredible consistency. Lately. He's the guy everyone else on
(05:47):
the grid is aiming to beat.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
But the massive story, the one that just reshaped the
whole narrative for twenty twenty five. Yeah, it has to
be Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Oh, it's the move f one fans have dreamed about
for decades. Hamilton tied with Schumacher on seven world titles,
aiming for that record breaking eighth in a Ferrari, in
the Ferrari, the most storied, most passionate, historically significant team
in the sport. This isn't just a driver swapping seats.
It's a massive cultural shift, a competitive earthquake. It just
(06:17):
ramps up the intensity for the whole season.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And he joins Charles Laclerk there, the Monogas driver who's
been carrying the hopes of the Tafosi ferraris incredibly passionate
fans for years now.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Leclik is fantastic, known for unbelievable one lap speed and qualifying,
a really smooth driving style, and he can be strategically
brilliant too, the Tufosie. They've been waiting what is it
since two thousand and seven for a driver's title a
long time, A very long time in F one terms.
The pressure on both Laclerk and Hamilton to finally end
(06:51):
that drought, it's going to be immense. You're potentially looking
at the most intense internal team rivalry on the entire grid.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Beyond those top two teams, though, we're seeing some amazing
young talent really maturing fast, and McLaren especially look like
a proper force again.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
They really do. They've arguably got the best young driver
pairing right now. Lando Norris, he's got his first race
wins under his belt. He's matured into this really consistent
front runner, blistering speed but also great charisma.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
And his teammate Oscar Piastre.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Piastre, the young Ozzie. He's just emerged as this incredibly formidable,
exceptionally quick talent often surprises everyone with how composed he
is for his experience level. They're definitely the face of
McLaren's comeback and a serious threat now.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And then back at Mercedes, with Hamilton gone, George Russell
steps up into that clear number one role. He's shown
real promise.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Russell definitely has the speed and he seems to have
the strategic mind to lead a top team. Mercedes are
also bringing in fresh blood with Kemi.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Antonelli, the sily rated rookie.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Exactly massive expectations around him already shows Mercedes is really
investing in their future talent pipeline. And you've also got
Oliver Barman getting a full time see at has after
some impressive stand in drives. These young guys just keep
the whole driver market so dynamic, right.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
So that's the drivers. Let's talk about the teams themselves.
If the drivers are the soloists, the teams are like
these huge intricate orchestras, right. F One just doesn't happen
without that engineering backbone.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's a complete ecosystem. You've got the ten teams each
running two cars. But these aren't just race teams. They're
integrated design houses, high tech manufacturing plants, strategic commands centers,
all rolled into one complex.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Operation, constantly pushing the.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Boundary, constantly, always looking for that tiny competitive edge, a
new bit of arrow, a software tweak, a more durable part, anything.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
And when we talk team dynamics, the scale is just enormous.
It's not just a few mechanics. We're talking hundreds of
people per team.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Oh easily hundreds. You've got specialists for everything, power unit engineers,
aerodynamicists focusing just on the front, wing strategists, software developers,
data analysts, communications people, and of course the super fast
pit crew, and.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
They all have to work together seamlessly.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Absolutely. We mentioned driver feedback being vital, but so is
the data analysis. Hundreds of censors on the car streaming
millions of data points back to the pitwall and the factory,
sometimes thousands of miles away in real time. Every adjustment,
every strategy call is informed by that constant flow of information.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Now, the whole economic side of F one changed massively
in twenty twenty one when they brought in the budget caps.
That must have had a fundamental impact on how these
huge organizations work.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
It was a revolution basically designed to stop the spending
war that was happening. Before the cap, the richest teams
merk Ferrari Red Bull could easily spend, you know, four
hundred million dollars a year maybe.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
More, just outspending everyone else.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Exactly, outspending the smaller teams into almost guaranteed non competitiveness.
The budget cap, which is now somewhere around one hundred
and thirty five million dollars, forced those top teams to
become much more efficient, make some really tough choices.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
What did that actually mean in practice? What kind of choices?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It meant pretty significant restructuring for the big players. They
had to downsize some departments, maybe let go of highly
specialized staff that could previously afford just in case. Money
had to shift away from say, endless physical wind tunnel
testing or rapid prototyping.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Of part which is super expensive, very expensive.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And shift more towards simulation, computational fluid dynamics CFD and
software development smarter spending. The cap made the constructors' championship
not just about who could spend the most, but who
could spend the smartest, achieve maximum efficiency, allocate resources intelligently, and.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
We've seen their real teeth to enforcing those caps too.
The penalties for breaking them are serious.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Absolutely, the FIA has shown they will enforce them strictly.
It underlines that financial fairness, or at least financial regulation
is now absolutely central to the sports competitive balance. It's
not perfect, but it's a huge step.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Okay, let's quickly run through the team status then heading
into twenty twenty five, where does everyone stand?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Roughly well, Red Bull Racing, as we said, there's still
a benchmark dominating recently through Verstappin's skill and just consistent
engineering execution. Ferrari is the historic giant now with Hamilton
desperate to leverage that star power and their huge resources
to finally finally win both titles again. Mercedes seems to
be in a clear rebuilding phase. Still a top team obviously,
(11:20):
but focusing on really understanding these ground effect regulations fully
and bringing through their next generation of talent like Antonelli
alongside Russell McLaren are the definite comeback story, proving smart
work under the cap can get you back to fighting
at the front.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Then you've got Aston Martin, huge ambition there, massive investment
from Laurence Stroll, and they still have the evergreen Fernando.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Alonso who continues to defy father time. He's performing at
an unbelievable level. Then you have that strong midfield pack Alpine,
the French works team pushing for more consistency RB formally
Alfa Tari still Red Bulls proving round for young talent
like Sunoda has the American outfit now with Beerman injecting
some new energy. And Williams they're Williams, Yeah, this historic
(12:03):
name trying desperately to climb back towards their former glory.
It's a slow process, but they're making progress.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And importantly we have stake F one team, which is
sober underneatheah knowing they're transitioning into the full Audi factory
team for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
That's a huge storyline bubbling under the surface. They're essentially
building towards that massive Audi entry in twenty six which
everyone is watching very closely. That constant arms race on
track and in the factories brings us neatly to the
machines themselves.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Right section two. The engineering marvels. If the drivers are
elite athletes, the F one car is just this incredible
technological masterpiece, engineered purely for speed, agility, but also safety
and increasingly sustainability.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
The absolute heart of the machine is the power unit.
Modern F one cars use these highly specific one point
six liter V six turbo hybrid engines, incredibly complex pieces
of kit, especially compared to the old vas or v tens.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
The hybrid part is where it's really complicated, isn't. It's
not just a petrol engine anymore, so.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Far from it. The hybrid element revolves around a sophisticated
energy recovery system the ers. It's basically divided into two
main motor generator units mgus that harvest energy that would
otherwise be wasted and then redeploy it for extra power.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Okay, break those down two mgus yep.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
First you have the MGUK that stands for motor generator
unit kinetic. This harvests kinetic energy during breaking, so when
the driver hits the brakes, the heat and momentum generated
is converted into electrical energy and stored in a battery.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
So like regenerative breaking you get on a road hybrid
car basically.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Exactly like that, yes, just much much more powerful and efficient.
Then the other half is the MGUH motor generator unit heat. Okay,
this is the really clever and historically very expensive part.
It's connected directly to the turbocharger. It captures waste heat
energy from the exhaust gases energy that would normally just
(14:01):
go out the tailpipe, and converts that into electrical energy too.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Wow. So it's harvesting energy from breaking at exhaust heat precisely.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And the MGUH has another trick. It can also be
used to keep the turbocharger spinning when the driver lifts
off the throttle. This basically eliminates purple lag, that delay
you used to get before the turbo spooled up and
deliver power.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
That sounds incredibly complex to get, right.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
It is. It's arguably the most technically complex and certainly
the most expensive single component of this current generation of
power units. Altogether, these hybrid units pump out well over
one thousand horse power, But the real genius is doing
that while also being incredibly fuel efficient relatively speaking, and
managing how and when that electrical energy is deployed during
(14:45):
a lap. It's a constant balancing act.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
But like you said, all that power is useless if
the car can't stick to the road. We need to
talk aerodynamics arrow, and this is where the game completely
changed in the twenty twenty two Right, we're not just
talking about big wings anymore.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
That's the absolute key change. Before twenty twenty two, most
of the downforce, the force pushing the car onto the track,
came from the visible surfaces, the front wing, the rear wing,
all those complex bits of body work you could see.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Which created a lot of dirty air.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Exactly turbulent air coming off the car, which made it
really hard for a following car to get close enough
to overtake. Since twenty twenty two, F one switched its
philosophy completely towards ground effect.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Okay, explain ground effect. How does that work differently? Why
is it such a.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Big deal with ground effect?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
The real magic happens underneath the car on the floor.
The floor now features these large sculpted channels. They're called
Ventii tunnels. As air rushes into these tunnels underneath the car,
the shape forces it to speed up. Basic physics says,
faster moving air creates lower pressure. So you get this
massive low pressure area under the car, and.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
The higher pressure air on top pushes it down.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Essentially, yeah, it sucks the car down onto the track. Surface.
It generates huge amounts of downforce, but crucially it does
so with much less turbulent, dirty air firing off the back.
That's the theory anyway, to allow cars to follow each
other more closely and improve overtaking.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So the whole car floor acts like a giant upside
down wing, creating a vacuum here. But this big change
led to that weird phenomenon at the start of these rules. Porpoising,
that bouncing effect.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
That's right, yeah, Because the ground effect is so powerful,
especially when the cars running low to the ground, the
suction can become too strong. The car gets pulled down,
the airflow unto the floor stalls or chokes because it's
too close to the track, The seal breaks, the seal breks,
the downforce suddenly disappears, and the car's suspension springs it
back up violently. Then as soon as it rises, the
(16:40):
airflow reattaches, the suction comes back, and it gets sucked
down again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. That high speed vertical bouncing
is porpoising.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Looked incredibly uncomfortable for the drivers painful.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Apparently, teams have spent the last couple of seasons figuring
out how to control or eliminate it through setup and
floor design, because it doesn't just hurt the it also
makes the car unpredictable and slower.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Okay, beyond the engine and the fancy aero floor, let's
talk tires. They're literally the only connection between this multimillion
dollar machine and the track.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
And they are a massive, massive part of the strategy.
Perelli supplies the tires exclusively for dry weather. Teams get
three compounds each weekend soft, medium and hard, plus intermediates
and full wets for rain.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Obviously, and the difference is grip versus lifespan.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Pretty much. The soft tire gives the most grip, so
it's the fastest over one lap, but it wears out
much quicker. The hard tire lasts the longest but offers
the least grips, so it's slower per lap. The medium
is well the compromise in.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Between, So managing those tires is key.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Absolutely critical. Knowing when your tires are in their optimal
temperature window, predicting how long they'll last before the performance
drops off a cliff. Managing the wear that dictates your
entire race strategy. Do you pit once, twice, maybe even
three times? It all comes down to tire life versus
lap time.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
We also can't ignore safety given the insane speeds. F
one has come a long way here.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Safety is absolutely tear amount now. Thankfully, the progress has
been incredible. The main chassis, the survival cell around the driver,
is made from incredibly strong carbon fiber composites. It's designed
to absorb and dissipate huge amounts of energy in a
crash while remaining intact, and.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
The most visible edition recently has been the Halo.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
The Halo device. Yeah, that titanium structure above the cockpit,
introduced in twenty eighteen amidst some controversy about aesthetics.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
People didn't like how it looked initially.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
No, but it's undeniably saved drivers from serious injury, possibly
worse on multiple occasions, already protecting them from large debris
or impacts with other cars. It can withstand enormous forces.
The stat that uses like the weight of two African elephants.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Incredible. Okay, let's look ahead then. This section also covers
the future formula. Twenty twenty five seems like a bit
of a transition year refining the current rule, but twenty
twenty six is being talked about as a genuine revolution.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
That's the plan. Yeah, twenty twenty five, see some minor tweaks,
really just fine tuning these twenty twenty two ground effect rules,
trying to iron out any remaining issues, maybe help overtaking
a little more, but it's definitely just the prelude to
twenty twenty six. That's the biggest regulation shakeup in probably
a decade, maybe more so.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
What does that twenty twenty six overhaul actually involve beyond
just smaller cars.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
It's a pretty fundamental shift, driven heavily by sustainability and
efficiency goals. Yes, the cards will be smaller, lighter, hopefully
more agile, But the big change is in the power unit.
The balance of power generation is going to shift dramatically.
The hybrid element, the electrical power from the US is
set to contribute nearly fifty percent of the total power output.
That's a massive increase from now. And crucially, remember that
(19:48):
super complex MGUH.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
The heat recovery one.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
That's the one. It's being removed entirely for twenty twenty six.
The idea is to simplify the power unit architecture significantly,
and importantly we're do use the astronomical costs associated with
developing and perfecting the mguh ah.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
So removing the mguh that must be a big part
of why new manufacturers like Audi were finally tempted to
join F one.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
It lowered the barrier.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
To entry, precisely by simplifying the ers, making it more
focused on kinetic recovery and battery power, and significantly increasing
the reliance on that electrical side. F one made it
much more feasible financially and technically for manufacturers who weren't
already locked into the previous hypercomplex hybrid era.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
And the other huge headline for twenty twenty six is
the fuel.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Yes, one hundred percent sustainable fuels will be mandatory. This
isn't just a toke congesture. It's a serious technical challenge
and ensures F one stays relevant as the wider automotive
world shifts away from fossil fuels. It's about proving performance
with sustainability.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
So the engineering race for twenty six isn't just about
finding more horsepower anymore. It's about mastering energy efficiency, sustainable
fuel tech and adapting to these new constraints.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Absolutely, it's a completely different challenge. You're seeing established like
red Bull, even Ferrari developing their own power units entirely
in house for the first time. The Red Bull Powertrains
project is huge. They want maximum control over integrating these
new hybrid systems. The teams that figure out how to
balance performance from the sustainable fuel with the new simplified
(21:17):
but more powerful ers system, they're the ones who will
likely dominate the next era of F one.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Okay, fascinating stuff. Let's move to section three, then the
stage and the strategy. These amazing cars and elite drivers
need somewhere to race, and F one visits some of
the most demanding and often glamorous circuits on Earth.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
The twenty twenty five calendar is packed twenty four races
spanning five continents, and the diversity of the tracks is
really one of F one's unique selling points. I think
teams have to design a car that works reasonably well everywhere,
from tight, twisty street circuits to wide, open, high speed,
purpose built tracks.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Let's talk about a few of the icons.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
What makes certain circuits so special or challenging.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Well, you have to start with Monaco, don't you. The
Crown Jewel. It's just legendary. A super narrow barrier line
street circuit. It demands maximum downforce, pinpoint driver accuracy and
bravery and immense bravery. Yeah, overtaking is notoriously difficult, almost
impossible sometimes so pole position on Saturday is absolutely critical,
(22:17):
and strategy timing your pit stop perfectly, maybe gambling on
an undercut, maximizing any safety car period becomes even more
important than usual.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Then you go somewhere like Manza in Italy, almost the complete.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Opposite Manza, the temple of speed. It's all about long,
long straits broken up by tight chicanes. Teams run their
absolute lowest downforce settings here skinny wings to reduce drag
from maximum top speed, but that compromises grip in the
few corners there are.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
And the atmosphere, oh.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
The atmosphere in the Tafosi at Manza is just electric unmatched,
really adds a whole other layer of pressure, especially for
the Ferrari drivers.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
And what about Spa Franco Champs in Belgium, famous for
orouge but also the weather.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Spa is just an epic track, the longest on the calendar,
huge elevation changes, incredibly fast corners like poufon blas Chiement
and of course the famous ours rainion complex.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
That sweeping uphill climb looks incredible on TV.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
It's even steeper in real life. Because the lap is
so long, tire strategy gets really complicated, a mistake is magnified.
And yes, the weather. The Ardenz microclimate means you can
genuinely have bright sunshine on one part of the track
and heavy rain on another simultaneously makes tire calls an
absolute nightmare for the pitwall.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Are there tracks where other factors like maybe altitude become
a major headache for the engineers?
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Oh, definitely. Mexico City is the prime example. The track
is over twenty two hundred meters that's about seven three
hundred feet above sea level. It's high, really high, and
the air is much thinner up there. Thin air means
less oxygen for the engine, less air for the turbocharger
to compress, less air going through the radiators for cooling,
and critically, much less air flowing over the wings to
(23:57):
generate downforce.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Sure everything is affected everything.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
To compensate, teams have to run their absolute maximum downforce
wing packages basically the same wings they use at Monaco,
just to get anywhere near normal levels of grip, and
they have to open up all the cooling ducks on
the car massively to stop the power unit from overheating
in the thin air. It's a unique engineering challenge every year.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Really highlights how specific the car setup needs to be
for each individual track. What other kinds of variety do
we see on the twenty twenty five calendar.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Well, the variety is huge. Now you've got brand new
additions like the Madrid Street circuit coming up, taking over
the Spanish GP slot, emphasizing that urban appeal that contrasts
sharply with historic old school tracks that have returned like
Zanvort in the Netherlands or Immola in Italy.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Both proper drivers circuits definitely.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Then you have the night races, the glamour circuits like
Singapore under the Lights or Miami bringing that sort of
Super Bowl vibe, and those are totally different from the
modern purpose built tracks in places like Bahrain or Abu Dhabi,
which often host testing because they have predictable conditions and
great facilities.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Okay, let's zoom right in on the race weekend itself.
It's not just turn up and race on Sunday, is it.
It's this really structured three day process.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Highly structured.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
It usually starts on Friday with two free practice sessions
FP one and FP two. This is all about data gathering.
Teams test new parts, compare different aerodynamic setups, do long
runs to see how the tires behave over distance, and
just get a baseline setup dialed in and Saturday Saturday
morning usually starts with a final one hour practice FP three,
last chance for setup tweaks before the cars effectively go
(25:34):
into park fer may conditions meaning limited change is allowed.
And then comes the crucial bit.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Qualifying the three part knockout always exciting.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Yeah, Q one, Q two and Q three. The slowest
cars get eliminated after each segment. It's all about pure
one lap pace, usually on the softest, fastest tires. Nailing
that perfect lap under pressure determines your starting position for Sunday's.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Grand Prix, and then the Grand Prix itself typically lasts about.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Usually around ninety minutes to two hours, depending on the
track length and any disruptions like safety cars. They aim
to cover a distance of about three hundred and five
kilometers or one hundred and ninety miles.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
But the race isn't just about who has the fastest
car in a straight line. It's this high speed chess match.
Let's talk strategy. What are the key elements there?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
It really revolves around two main things tire management and
pit stops. Teams and their strategists are constantly punching numbers,
monitoring tirewaar rates, track temperature revolution, the performance difference between
the different.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Tire compounds, designing when to pick exactly.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Do you try and make it on a one stop
strategy that saves time in the pits but risks your
tires falling off a performance cliff towards the end of
the race, or do you plan for two stops. You
lose maybe twenty twenty five seconds each time you pit,
but you gain time on track with fresher, faster tires.
It's all about calculating which approach will be faster over
the total race distance.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
And those pit stops themselves, Yeah, they're just astonishing displays.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Teamwork, unbelievable coordination. You're used to seeing all four wheels changed,
maybe minor wing adjustments, car cleaned up slightly, and the
driver released back into the race in will under three seconds,
sometimes closer to two seconds flat. It requires maybe twenty
mechanics working in absolutely perfect grilled synchronicity and a tiny mistake,
(27:21):
A sticky wheel nut, a slow release can cost you seconds,
which can be the difference between winning and losing track position,
or even the race itself.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Okay, tires and pit stops are key strategy elements decided
by the team. What about tools the driver has to
try and make an overtake happen on track?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
The main tool they have is the Drag Rediction System
or DRS. It's a flap on the rear wing that
the driver can open, but only under specific conditions.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Right, it's not just a push to pass button they
can use anywhere.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
No, definitely not. It's highly regulated. First, you have to
be in a designated DRS zone on the track, usually
the main streets. Second, you have to be less than
one second behind the car in front when you cross
specific detection point just before that zone. If both conditions
are met, the driver gets a button on their steering wheel.
The flap opens. It reduces aerodynamic drag, giving them a
speed boot exactly a speed advantage to help them attempt
(28:12):
and overtake down the street. It's designed to aid overtaking,
make it possible without making it completely artificial or easy.
It's still up to the driver to execute the move.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
We also need to mention the new or variable sprint weekends.
They shake up the traditional format.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
They certainly add a different flavor on a few selected
weekends each year. Places like China, Miami, Brazil are often
chosen for twenty twenty five. The format changes. Instead of
just practice on Friday leading into qualifying for.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
The main GP, they have a shorter race.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Yeah, they usually have one practice session than qualifying for
the sprint rais. Then the sprint race itself happens on Saturday.
It's about one hundred klometers long, maybe thirty minutes, and
it awards points to the top eight.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Finishers, so extra points up for grabbing er points.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah, and it often sets the grid for the main
ground PreO on Sun, although they've tweaked that link sometimes.
It definitely adds more competitive action across the weekend, but
it also means teams have much lingal practice time to
nail the car set up before the meaningful sessions start.
Adds an element of risk and forces teams to think
on their feet.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Okay, finally, for this section, let's just quickly clarify how
the actual championships are won.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
The points system. It seems complex, but there's a logic
to it.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
There is. It's designed to reward finishing high up consistently.
In the main Grand Prix on Sunday, points are awarded
down to the tenth place finisher.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
How many for the winner.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Twenty five points for first place, then it drops eighteen
for second, fifteen for third, twelve for fourth, ten for seventh,
four for eighth, two for ninth, and one point for
tenth place.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Plus there's one extra bonus point available for the driver
who sets the fastest lap of the race, but only
if they also finish inside the top ten. That can
be crucial sometimes, And.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
The sprint races have their own points.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yes, The Saturday Sprints award points on a smaller scale,
eight points for the winner, down to one point for
the eighth place finisher. So over twenty four race weekends
plus the sprints, it's all about consistently racking up those points,
finishing high, minimizing mistakes and retirements. That's how you win
the drivers and Instructors' titles.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Right.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
That makes sense, which brings us nicely to our final section,
Section four. Global appeal challenges and the future trajectory. F
one's popularity has just exploded in recent years, hasn't it.
It feels like it's moved way beyond its traditional European
heartland to become this truly global thing.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
The reach now is just immense. Yeah, races on five continents,
huge established fan bases, but also massive growth in new markets,
and a huge driving factor behind that recent surge, especially
in the US and among younger fans, has undeniably been
the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
That show really seemed to crack the code, didn't it.
It wasn't just about the racing, It was about the people.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
The drama.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Absolutely, it gave viewers this unprecedented, often white, raw, behind
the scenes look at the sport. It humanized the drivers
who could seem quite distant before, and even the team
principles who are often very secretive. It focused on the
personal stories, the pressure, the intense rivalries, the high stakes
both on and off the track, made.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
It relatable even if you didn't understand the technical rules
initially exactly.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
That narrative driven approach just hooked a whole new audience.
It turned drivers into global personalities, almost celebrities outside the F.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
One bubble, and you see that growth reflected everywhere, now,
don't you. Social media engagement is through the room, huge
investment in new races like Miami in Vegas, these big
immersive fan zone experiences at the tracks. Yeah, especially in
those newer markets like the US, and maybe even growing
interest in places like China.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
F one is now marketed as a complete entertainment package
three hundred and sixty five days a year almost. But
you know, being such a high profile, high technology, global
sport in the twenty first century, it also faces pretty
significant challenges and scrutiny.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Let's touch on those impartially. Yeah, probably the biggest external
criticism is about the environmental impact the sports carbon footprint.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Yeah, that's unavoidable. And interestingly, the vast majority of F
one's carbon footprint doesn't actually come from the twenty cars
driving around on a Sunday afternoon. The logistics, right, it's
the massive global logistics operation flying hundreds of tons of cars, equipment,
spare parts, and thousands of personnel between twenty four races
across five continents. That's where the bulk of the emissions
(32:29):
come from.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
So what's F one doing about it?
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Well, this has prompted the FIA and f one to
launch a pretty ambitious sustainability strategy. The headline goal is
to be net zero carbon by twenty thirty and that
twenty twenty six a mandate for one hundred percent sustainable
fuels we talked about is a core pillar of that plan.
They're also looking at rationalizing the calendar to reduce travel
using more sea freight, powering factories with renewables. It's a
(32:53):
big cush.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Another challenge, even with the budget caps, is still that
financial gap between the top teams and the rest.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Yeah. While the cost cap has definitely helped level the
playing field significantly, the midfield is closer to the front
than it's been in years. You can't just erase decades
of historical spending overnight.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
The big teams still have better facilities exactly.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Teams that historically had massive budgets still possess infrastructure advantages
like state of the art wind tunnels, simulators, manufacturing capabilities
that smaller teams just can't replicate instantly, even if the
annual operational spending is now capped. But the key thing
is the cap does give smaller, well run teams a
much clearer path to compete overtime than they ever had before.
(33:35):
It's about efficiency now, not just raw budget.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
And finally, well, it wouldn't be f one without a
bit of controversy, would it. Every race weekend seems to
throw up some kind of debate.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Ah, No, it wouldn't. That's almost part of the appeal,
isn't it. The high stakes just breed drama, whether it's
a controversial penalty decision by the stewards, a heated team
radio message broadcast to the world, arguments over track limits,
safety car.
Speaker 3 (33:58):
Procedures, love to argue about online.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Precisely, these incidents spark intense, passionate debates among fans, media,
even the teams themselves. It keeps the sport under constant scrutiny,
but it also fuels the narrative and the engagement. It
shows people care deeply about it.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
So looking ahead to twenty twenty five, then the stage
really is set for potentially an epic season. You've got
the established force in Red Bull n Verstappen trying to
hold on. You've got the fairytale narrative of Hamilton at Ferrari,
You've got McLaren snap it at their heels, and all
of this is happening with that massive twenty twenty six
engineering revolution looing just over the horizon.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
It really feels like a pivotal moment. You've got this
incredible blend of man and machine pushing the limits, set
against this backdrop of constant technological change and intense strategic battles.
F one truly is this global spectacle defined by speed, yes,
but also by incredible complexity, relentless innovation, and plenty of drama.
(34:56):
And there's something in it for everyone.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
I think this has been a fantastic deep dive into
the ground. Formula of F one covered a lot of ground.
But before we finish, let's leave our listener with that
final provocative thought building on those huge twenty twenty six
changes we discussed.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Okay, so we talked about the twenty twenty six rules,
one hundred percent sustainable fuels, ditching the MGUH, smaller lighter cars,
and crucially that massive increase in electrical power contribution nearly
fifty to fifty split between the engine and the hybrid system. Right,
this fundamentally forces a shift in engineering priorities. It moves
away potentially from just chasing raw combustion engine horsepower, which
(35:28):
has been the name of the game for decades, towards
mastering energy efficiency, battery deployment strategy, sustainable fuel combustion, and
maybe even chassis agility because the cars are lighter.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
So it's question is if that.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Technological focus really shifts so dramatically away from just brute
engine power and towards clever energy management and efficiency within
these new sustainable constraints, could that completely rewrite the established order.
Could we see manufacturers or teams who maybe aren't dominant
right now, perhaps Autie coming in fresh or a t
keen like McLaren who seems strong on adapting. Could they
(36:03):
potentially leapfrog the historical powerhouses simply because they nail this
new efficiency focused formula faster than anyone else. Will sustainable
performance become the new key to F one dominance
Welcome back to the deep dive. Today, we are strapping
in and really hitting the apex on Formula one. It's
just the world's most glamorous, most technologically advanced, and let's
face it, strategically complex sport out there.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Absolutely, F one is the pinnacle. It blends that absolute
cutting edge engineering with just raw driver skill, elite athletes
pushing the limits.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yeah, it's a truly high stakes global spectacle. So our
mission today is to kind of cut through the noise
a bit exactly.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We want to pull out the essential stuff, the nuanced
knowledge you need to really appreciate the complexity, the glam
or the drama of F one, especially thinking about the
upcoming twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Season, which feels pretty pivotal.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It really does. So, Yeah, we're diving into the formula itself,
the tech, the future of that tech, and of course,
the strategy that wins championships.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Okay, let's unpack that first bit. We always say Formula one,
but what does the formula actually define? Right?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Fundamentally, Formula one is an open wheel, single seater race series.
It's governed globally by the FIA, the Federation international de
la Automobile and the formula part. That's the key. It
refers to this incredibly strict, really precise set of technical
and sporting regulations that well, every single car.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Has to follow, so like a rule book for building
the car.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Exactly, a very detailed rule book. It dictates everything chassis dimensions,
minimum weight, the exact engine specifications, even which aerodynamic surfaces
are allowed and how big they can be, stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
So the idea is that everyone's working within the same
constraints more or less to stop one team just showing
up with a you know, a spaceship pretty much.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, it tries to keep things competitive, at least theoretically competitive,
while still you know, encouraging the innovation. F one is
famous for. That's why you see teams fighting over one
hundredths even thousands of a second. They're all pushing right
up against the limits set by that formula. It's known
for speed, obviously, global visibility and tech that off and
you know, trickles down to road cars years.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Later and thinking about the whole season. It's not just
about one winner, is it. F one actually crowns two
champions every year. Yeah, that says a lot about the sport.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Oh, that's a crucial point.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
First, you've got the Driver's Champion. That's the ultimate prize
for the individual driver's skill, consistency, bravery over what twenty
four races now. But just as important, sometimes even more so,
for the team's future and finances, is the.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Constructors Champion, Right, the team prize.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Exactly, That one rewards the team's overall engineering brilliance, the
car design, the reliability and the consistency shown by both drivers,
both cars across the whole season. It really highlights how
F one is this unique blend of individual genius and
massive team effort.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
That sets us up perfectly for our first section. Then
the human and team element. Let's start with the drivers.
They get portrayed as you know, rock stars almost, but
the physical side, the mental demands. These guys are genuinely
elite athletes.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Oh, without a doubt. Elite doesn't even quite cover it.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Sometime.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
The physical truck they need is just staggering. They're handling
these cars at over two hundred miles an hour, three
hundred and twenty kil seeds, distained speeds, a stained speed. Yeah,
requiring incredible mental focus, split second decisions. But the biggest
physical challenge, it's the g forces they endure.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
That's the bit that always gets me. We talk about
G forces, what are we actually talking about? How much
force is that When they say slam on the brakes
or take a high speed corner.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
We're talking about drivers consistently pulling forces up to five G,
maybe even a touch more, and really heavy breaking zones
are super fast corners.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Five g CA. You put that in context, like, what's
that comparable too?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well? Think about actronauts during a Space shuttle launch. They
experience similar forces around three to five G, but maybe
not for as long or as repeatedly. Corner after corner. Wow,
this force is constantly slamming their body, especially their neck
and chest. The driver's head plus the helmet weighs maybe
what six kilos under five g. That effectively becomes thirty kilograms.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Thirty kilos trying to rip your head off, basically pretty much.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And they have to maintain perfect fine motor control, steering inputs,
breaking modulation, shifting gears, all while under that incredible sustained
physical load.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
The training for that must be absolutely brutal, especially neck.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
And core strength NonStop.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
They're heart rates they can be hovering around one hundred
and seventy beats per minute for the entire race, maybe
an hour and a half, sometimes two hours, like.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Running a marathon, but sitting down and being.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Crushed kind of. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
And beyond the physical, the mental load is just immense.
They're constantly processing information, complex circuits, tying changes in grip,
higher temperature, fuel load, executing team strategy communicated over the radio,
all in real time, in real time at two hundred
miles an hour, One tiny mistake it can cost the
team millions, potentially end a championship run. The pressure is
(04:46):
just relentless, lap.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
After a lap, and they're totally reliant on that link
with the team, aren't. They set up strategy calls during
the race.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Everything absolutely critical.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
That feedback loop driver to engineer, engineer back to driver
is vitals practice. The driver's feeling, you know, how the
car feels over bumps, through corners, The subjective stuff exactly,
the subjective field gets mapped against all the objective data
streaming off the car sensors and putting those two together,
the human feel and the hard data. That's what dictates
the final setup for qualifying and the race.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Okay, let's pivot then to the twenty twenty five grid. Yeah,
because the driver market, well, it's been absolutely explosive, hasn't it,
setting up some potentially huge rivalries.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You almost don't know where to start, but I suppose
you have to begin with Max erstapp In at Red Bull.
He's still the benchmark, isn't he seems like it, the
dominant force multiple world championships. Now, his driving style is
well famously aggressive, pushes every limit, but he's tempered that
with incredible consistency. Lately. He's the guy everyone else on
(05:47):
the grid is aiming to beat.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
But the massive story, the one that just reshaped the
whole narrative for twenty twenty five. Yeah, it has to
be Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Oh, it's the move f one fans have dreamed about
for decades. Hamilton tied with Schumacher on seven world titles,
aiming for that record breaking eighth in a Ferrari, in
the Ferrari, the most storied, most passionate, historically significant team
in the sport. This isn't just a driver swapping seats.
It's a massive cultural shift, a competitive earthquake. It just
(06:17):
ramps up the intensity for the whole season.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And he joins Charles Laclerk there, the Monogas driver who's
been carrying the hopes of the Tafosi ferraris incredibly passionate
fans for years now.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Leclik is fantastic, known for unbelievable one lap speed and qualifying,
a really smooth driving style, and he can be strategically
brilliant too, the Tufosie. They've been waiting what is it
since two thousand and seven for a driver's title a
long time, A very long time in F one terms.
The pressure on both Laclerk and Hamilton to finally end
(06:51):
that drought, it's going to be immense. You're potentially looking
at the most intense internal team rivalry on the entire grid.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Beyond those top two teams, though, we're seeing some amazing
young talent really maturing fast, and McLaren especially look like
a proper force again.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
They really do. They've arguably got the best young driver
pairing right now. Lando Norris, he's got his first race
wins under his belt. He's matured into this really consistent
front runner, blistering speed but also great charisma.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
And his teammate Oscar Piastre.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Piastre, the young Ozzie. He's just emerged as this incredibly formidable,
exceptionally quick talent often surprises everyone with how composed he
is for his experience level. They're definitely the face of
McLaren's comeback and a serious threat now.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And then back at Mercedes, with Hamilton gone, George Russell
steps up into that clear number one role. He's shown
real promise.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Russell definitely has the speed and he seems to have
the strategic mind to lead a top team. Mercedes are
also bringing in fresh blood with Kemi.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Antonelli, the sily rated rookie.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Exactly massive expectations around him already shows Mercedes is really
investing in their future talent pipeline. And you've also got
Oliver Barman getting a full time see at has after
some impressive stand in drives. These young guys just keep
the whole driver market so dynamic, right.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
So that's the drivers. Let's talk about the teams themselves.
If the drivers are the soloists, the teams are like
these huge intricate orchestras, right. F One just doesn't happen
without that engineering backbone.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's a complete ecosystem. You've got the ten teams each
running two cars. But these aren't just race teams. They're
integrated design houses, high tech manufacturing plants, strategic commands centers,
all rolled into one complex.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Operation, constantly pushing the.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Boundary, constantly, always looking for that tiny competitive edge, a
new bit of arrow, a software tweak, a more durable part, anything.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
And when we talk team dynamics, the scale is just enormous.
It's not just a few mechanics. We're talking hundreds of
people per team.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Oh easily hundreds. You've got specialists for everything, power unit engineers,
aerodynamicists focusing just on the front, wing strategists, software developers,
data analysts, communications people, and of course the super fast
pit crew, and.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
They all have to work together seamlessly.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Absolutely. We mentioned driver feedback being vital, but so is
the data analysis. Hundreds of censors on the car streaming
millions of data points back to the pitwall and the factory,
sometimes thousands of miles away in real time. Every adjustment,
every strategy call is informed by that constant flow of information.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Now, the whole economic side of F one changed massively
in twenty twenty one when they brought in the budget caps.
That must have had a fundamental impact on how these
huge organizations work.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
It was a revolution basically designed to stop the spending
war that was happening. Before the cap, the richest teams
merk Ferrari Red Bull could easily spend, you know, four
hundred million dollars a year maybe.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
More, just outspending everyone else.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Exactly, outspending the smaller teams into almost guaranteed non competitiveness.
The budget cap, which is now somewhere around one hundred
and thirty five million dollars, forced those top teams to
become much more efficient, make some really tough choices.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
What did that actually mean in practice? What kind of choices?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It meant pretty significant restructuring for the big players. They
had to downsize some departments, maybe let go of highly
specialized staff that could previously afford just in case. Money
had to shift away from say, endless physical wind tunnel
testing or rapid prototyping.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Of part which is super expensive, very expensive.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And shift more towards simulation, computational fluid dynamics CFD and
software development smarter spending. The cap made the constructors' championship
not just about who could spend the most, but who
could spend the smartest, achieve maximum efficiency, allocate resources intelligently, and.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
We've seen their real teeth to enforcing those caps too.
The penalties for breaking them are serious.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Absolutely, the FIA has shown they will enforce them strictly.
It underlines that financial fairness, or at least financial regulation
is now absolutely central to the sports competitive balance. It's
not perfect, but it's a huge step.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Okay, let's quickly run through the team status then heading
into twenty twenty five, where does everyone stand?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Roughly well, Red Bull Racing, as we said, there's still
a benchmark dominating recently through Verstappin's skill and just consistent
engineering execution. Ferrari is the historic giant now with Hamilton
desperate to leverage that star power and their huge resources
to finally finally win both titles again. Mercedes seems to
be in a clear rebuilding phase. Still a top team obviously,
(11:20):
but focusing on really understanding these ground effect regulations fully
and bringing through their next generation of talent like Antonelli
alongside Russell McLaren are the definite comeback story, proving smart
work under the cap can get you back to fighting
at the front.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Then you've got Aston Martin, huge ambition there, massive investment
from Laurence Stroll, and they still have the evergreen Fernando.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Alonso who continues to defy father time. He's performing at
an unbelievable level. Then you have that strong midfield pack Alpine,
the French works team pushing for more consistency RB formally
Alfa Tari still Red Bulls proving round for young talent
like Sunoda has the American outfit now with Beerman injecting
some new energy. And Williams they're Williams, Yeah, this historic
(12:03):
name trying desperately to climb back towards their former glory.
It's a slow process, but they're making progress.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And importantly we have stake F one team, which is
sober underneatheah knowing they're transitioning into the full Audi factory
team for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
That's a huge storyline bubbling under the surface. They're essentially
building towards that massive Audi entry in twenty six which
everyone is watching very closely. That constant arms race on
track and in the factories brings us neatly to the
machines themselves.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Right section two. The engineering marvels. If the drivers are
elite athletes, the F one car is just this incredible
technological masterpiece, engineered purely for speed, agility, but also safety
and increasingly sustainability.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
The absolute heart of the machine is the power unit.
Modern F one cars use these highly specific one point
six liter V six turbo hybrid engines, incredibly complex pieces
of kit, especially compared to the old vas or v tens.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
The hybrid part is where it's really complicated, isn't. It's
not just a petrol engine anymore, so.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Far from it. The hybrid element revolves around a sophisticated
energy recovery system the ers. It's basically divided into two
main motor generator units mgus that harvest energy that would
otherwise be wasted and then redeploy it for extra power.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Okay, break those down two mgus yep.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
First you have the MGUK that stands for motor generator
unit kinetic. This harvests kinetic energy during breaking, so when
the driver hits the brakes, the heat and momentum generated
is converted into electrical energy and stored in a battery.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
So like regenerative breaking you get on a road hybrid
car basically.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Exactly like that, yes, just much much more powerful and efficient.
Then the other half is the MGUH motor generator unit heat. Okay,
this is the really clever and historically very expensive part.
It's connected directly to the turbocharger. It captures waste heat
energy from the exhaust gases energy that would normally just
(14:01):
go out the tailpipe, and converts that into electrical energy too.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Wow. So it's harvesting energy from breaking at exhaust heat precisely.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And the MGUH has another trick. It can also be
used to keep the turbocharger spinning when the driver lifts
off the throttle. This basically eliminates purple lag, that delay
you used to get before the turbo spooled up and
deliver power.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
That sounds incredibly complex to get, right.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
It is. It's arguably the most technically complex and certainly
the most expensive single component of this current generation of
power units. Altogether, these hybrid units pump out well over
one thousand horse power, But the real genius is doing
that while also being incredibly fuel efficient relatively speaking, and
managing how and when that electrical energy is deployed during
(14:45):
a lap. It's a constant balancing act.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
But like you said, all that power is useless if
the car can't stick to the road. We need to
talk aerodynamics arrow, and this is where the game completely
changed in the twenty twenty two Right, we're not just
talking about big wings anymore.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
That's the absolute key change. Before twenty twenty two, most
of the downforce, the force pushing the car onto the track,
came from the visible surfaces, the front wing, the rear wing,
all those complex bits of body work you could see.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Which created a lot of dirty air.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Exactly turbulent air coming off the car, which made it
really hard for a following car to get close enough
to overtake. Since twenty twenty two, F one switched its
philosophy completely towards ground effect.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Okay, explain ground effect. How does that work differently? Why
is it such a.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Big deal with ground effect?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
The real magic happens underneath the car on the floor.
The floor now features these large sculpted channels. They're called
Ventii tunnels. As air rushes into these tunnels underneath the car,
the shape forces it to speed up. Basic physics says,
faster moving air creates lower pressure. So you get this
massive low pressure area under the car, and.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
The higher pressure air on top pushes it down.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Essentially, yeah, it sucks the car down onto the track. Surface.
It generates huge amounts of downforce, but crucially it does
so with much less turbulent, dirty air firing off the back.
That's the theory anyway, to allow cars to follow each
other more closely and improve overtaking.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
So the whole car floor acts like a giant upside
down wing, creating a vacuum here. But this big change
led to that weird phenomenon at the start of these rules. Porpoising,
that bouncing effect.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
That's right, yeah, Because the ground effect is so powerful,
especially when the cars running low to the ground, the
suction can become too strong. The car gets pulled down,
the airflow unto the floor stalls or chokes because it's
too close to the track, The seal breaks, the seal breks,
the downforce suddenly disappears, and the car's suspension springs it
back up violently. Then as soon as it rises, the
(16:40):
airflow reattaches, the suction comes back, and it gets sucked
down again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. That high speed vertical bouncing
is porpoising.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Looked incredibly uncomfortable for the drivers painful.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Apparently, teams have spent the last couple of seasons figuring
out how to control or eliminate it through setup and
floor design, because it doesn't just hurt the it also
makes the car unpredictable and slower.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Okay, beyond the engine and the fancy aero floor, let's
talk tires. They're literally the only connection between this multimillion
dollar machine and the track.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
And they are a massive, massive part of the strategy.
Perelli supplies the tires exclusively for dry weather. Teams get
three compounds each weekend soft, medium and hard, plus intermediates
and full wets for rain.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Obviously, and the difference is grip versus lifespan.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Pretty much. The soft tire gives the most grip, so
it's the fastest over one lap, but it wears out
much quicker. The hard tire lasts the longest but offers
the least grips, so it's slower per lap. The medium
is well the compromise in.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Between, So managing those tires is key.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Absolutely critical. Knowing when your tires are in their optimal
temperature window, predicting how long they'll last before the performance
drops off a cliff. Managing the wear that dictates your
entire race strategy. Do you pit once, twice, maybe even
three times? It all comes down to tire life versus
lap time.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
We also can't ignore safety given the insane speeds. F
one has come a long way here.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Safety is absolutely tear amount now. Thankfully, the progress has
been incredible. The main chassis, the survival cell around the driver,
is made from incredibly strong carbon fiber composites. It's designed
to absorb and dissipate huge amounts of energy in a
crash while remaining intact, and.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
The most visible edition recently has been the Halo.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
The Halo device. Yeah, that titanium structure above the cockpit,
introduced in twenty eighteen amidst some controversy about aesthetics.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
People didn't like how it looked initially.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
No, but it's undeniably saved drivers from serious injury, possibly
worse on multiple occasions, already protecting them from large debris
or impacts with other cars. It can withstand enormous forces.
The stat that uses like the weight of two African elephants.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Incredible. Okay, let's look ahead then. This section also covers
the future formula. Twenty twenty five seems like a bit
of a transition year refining the current rule, but twenty
twenty six is being talked about as a genuine revolution.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
That's the plan. Yeah, twenty twenty five, see some minor tweaks,
really just fine tuning these twenty twenty two ground effect rules,
trying to iron out any remaining issues, maybe help overtaking
a little more, but it's definitely just the prelude to
twenty twenty six. That's the biggest regulation shakeup in probably
a decade, maybe more so.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
What does that twenty twenty six overhaul actually involve beyond
just smaller cars.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
It's a pretty fundamental shift, driven heavily by sustainability and
efficiency goals. Yes, the cards will be smaller, lighter, hopefully
more agile, But the big change is in the power unit.
The balance of power generation is going to shift dramatically.
The hybrid element, the electrical power from the US is
set to contribute nearly fifty percent of the total power output.
That's a massive increase from now. And crucially, remember that
(19:48):
super complex MGUH.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
The heat recovery one.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
That's the one. It's being removed entirely for twenty twenty six.
The idea is to simplify the power unit architecture significantly,
and importantly we're do use the astronomical costs associated with
developing and perfecting the mguh ah.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
So removing the mguh that must be a big part
of why new manufacturers like Audi were finally tempted to
join F one.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
It lowered the barrier.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
To entry, precisely by simplifying the ers, making it more
focused on kinetic recovery and battery power, and significantly increasing
the reliance on that electrical side. F one made it
much more feasible financially and technically for manufacturers who weren't
already locked into the previous hypercomplex hybrid era.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
And the other huge headline for twenty twenty six is
the fuel.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Yes, one hundred percent sustainable fuels will be mandatory. This
isn't just a toke congesture. It's a serious technical challenge
and ensures F one stays relevant as the wider automotive
world shifts away from fossil fuels. It's about proving performance
with sustainability.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
So the engineering race for twenty six isn't just about
finding more horsepower anymore. It's about mastering energy efficiency, sustainable
fuel tech and adapting to these new constraints.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Absolutely, it's a completely different challenge. You're seeing established like
red Bull, even Ferrari developing their own power units entirely
in house for the first time. The Red Bull Powertrains
project is huge. They want maximum control over integrating these
new hybrid systems. The teams that figure out how to
balance performance from the sustainable fuel with the new simplified
(21:17):
but more powerful ers system, they're the ones who will
likely dominate the next era of F one.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Okay, fascinating stuff. Let's move to section three, then the
stage and the strategy. These amazing cars and elite drivers
need somewhere to race, and F one visits some of
the most demanding and often glamorous circuits on Earth.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
The twenty twenty five calendar is packed twenty four races
spanning five continents, and the diversity of the tracks is
really one of F one's unique selling points. I think
teams have to design a car that works reasonably well everywhere,
from tight, twisty street circuits to wide, open, high speed,
purpose built tracks.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Let's talk about a few of the icons.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
What makes certain circuits so special or challenging.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Well, you have to start with Monaco, don't you. The
Crown Jewel. It's just legendary. A super narrow barrier line
street circuit. It demands maximum downforce, pinpoint driver accuracy and
bravery and immense bravery. Yeah, overtaking is notoriously difficult, almost
impossible sometimes so pole position on Saturday is absolutely critical,
(22:17):
and strategy timing your pit stop perfectly, maybe gambling on
an undercut, maximizing any safety car period becomes even more
important than usual.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Then you go somewhere like Manza in Italy, almost the complete.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Opposite Manza, the temple of speed. It's all about long,
long straits broken up by tight chicanes. Teams run their
absolute lowest downforce settings here skinny wings to reduce drag
from maximum top speed, but that compromises grip in the
few corners there are.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
And the atmosphere, oh.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
The atmosphere in the Tafosi at Manza is just electric unmatched,
really adds a whole other layer of pressure, especially for
the Ferrari drivers.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
And what about Spa Franco Champs in Belgium, famous for
orouge but also the weather.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Spa is just an epic track, the longest on the calendar,
huge elevation changes, incredibly fast corners like poufon blas Chiement
and of course the famous ours rainion complex.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
That sweeping uphill climb looks incredible on TV.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
It's even steeper in real life. Because the lap is
so long, tire strategy gets really complicated, a mistake is magnified.
And yes, the weather. The Ardenz microclimate means you can
genuinely have bright sunshine on one part of the track
and heavy rain on another simultaneously makes tire calls an
absolute nightmare for the pitwall.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Are there tracks where other factors like maybe altitude become
a major headache for the engineers?
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Oh, definitely. Mexico City is the prime example. The track
is over twenty two hundred meters that's about seven three
hundred feet above sea level. It's high, really high, and
the air is much thinner up there. Thin air means
less oxygen for the engine, less air for the turbocharger
to compress, less air going through the radiators for cooling,
and critically, much less air flowing over the wings to
(23:57):
generate downforce.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Sure everything is affected everything.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
To compensate, teams have to run their absolute maximum downforce
wing packages basically the same wings they use at Monaco,
just to get anywhere near normal levels of grip, and
they have to open up all the cooling ducks on
the car massively to stop the power unit from overheating
in the thin air. It's a unique engineering challenge every year.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Really highlights how specific the car setup needs to be
for each individual track. What other kinds of variety do
we see on the twenty twenty five calendar.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Well, the variety is huge. Now you've got brand new
additions like the Madrid Street circuit coming up, taking over
the Spanish GP slot, emphasizing that urban appeal that contrasts
sharply with historic old school tracks that have returned like
Zanvort in the Netherlands or Immola in Italy.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Both proper drivers circuits definitely.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Then you have the night races, the glamour circuits like
Singapore under the Lights or Miami bringing that sort of
Super Bowl vibe, and those are totally different from the
modern purpose built tracks in places like Bahrain or Abu Dhabi,
which often host testing because they have predictable conditions and
great facilities.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Okay, let's zoom right in on the race weekend itself.
It's not just turn up and race on Sunday, is it.
It's this really structured three day process.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Highly structured.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
It usually starts on Friday with two free practice sessions
FP one and FP two. This is all about data gathering.
Teams test new parts, compare different aerodynamic setups, do long
runs to see how the tires behave over distance, and
just get a baseline setup dialed in and Saturday Saturday
morning usually starts with a final one hour practice FP three,
last chance for setup tweaks before the cars effectively go
(25:34):
into park fer may conditions meaning limited change is allowed.
And then comes the crucial bit.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Qualifying the three part knockout always exciting.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Yeah, Q one, Q two and Q three. The slowest
cars get eliminated after each segment. It's all about pure
one lap pace, usually on the softest, fastest tires. Nailing
that perfect lap under pressure determines your starting position for Sunday's.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Grand Prix, and then the Grand Prix itself typically lasts about.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Usually around ninety minutes to two hours, depending on the
track length and any disruptions like safety cars. They aim
to cover a distance of about three hundred and five
kilometers or one hundred and ninety miles.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
But the race isn't just about who has the fastest
car in a straight line. It's this high speed chess match.
Let's talk strategy. What are the key elements there?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
It really revolves around two main things tire management and
pit stops. Teams and their strategists are constantly punching numbers,
monitoring tirewaar rates, track temperature revolution, the performance difference between
the different.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Tire compounds, designing when to pick exactly.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Do you try and make it on a one stop
strategy that saves time in the pits but risks your
tires falling off a performance cliff towards the end of
the race, or do you plan for two stops. You
lose maybe twenty twenty five seconds each time you pit,
but you gain time on track with fresher, faster tires.
It's all about calculating which approach will be faster over
the total race distance.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
And those pit stops themselves, Yeah, they're just astonishing displays.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Teamwork, unbelievable coordination. You're used to seeing all four wheels changed,
maybe minor wing adjustments, car cleaned up slightly, and the
driver released back into the race in will under three seconds,
sometimes closer to two seconds flat. It requires maybe twenty
mechanics working in absolutely perfect grilled synchronicity and a tiny mistake,
(27:21):
A sticky wheel nut, a slow release can cost you seconds,
which can be the difference between winning and losing track position,
or even the race itself.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Okay, tires and pit stops are key strategy elements decided
by the team. What about tools the driver has to
try and make an overtake happen on track?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
The main tool they have is the Drag Rediction System
or DRS. It's a flap on the rear wing that
the driver can open, but only under specific conditions.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Right, it's not just a push to pass button they
can use anywhere.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
No, definitely not. It's highly regulated. First, you have to
be in a designated DRS zone on the track, usually
the main streets. Second, you have to be less than
one second behind the car in front when you cross
specific detection point just before that zone. If both conditions
are met, the driver gets a button on their steering wheel.
The flap opens. It reduces aerodynamic drag, giving them a
speed boot exactly a speed advantage to help them attempt
(28:12):
and overtake down the street. It's designed to aid overtaking,
make it possible without making it completely artificial or easy.
It's still up to the driver to execute the move.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
We also need to mention the new or variable sprint weekends.
They shake up the traditional format.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
They certainly add a different flavor on a few selected
weekends each year. Places like China, Miami, Brazil are often
chosen for twenty twenty five. The format changes. Instead of
just practice on Friday leading into qualifying for.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
The main GP, they have a shorter race.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Yeah, they usually have one practice session than qualifying for
the sprint rais. Then the sprint race itself happens on Saturday.
It's about one hundred klometers long, maybe thirty minutes, and
it awards points to the top eight.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Finishers, so extra points up for grabbing er points.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah, and it often sets the grid for the main
ground PreO on Sun, although they've tweaked that link sometimes.
It definitely adds more competitive action across the weekend, but
it also means teams have much lingal practice time to
nail the car set up before the meaningful sessions start.
Adds an element of risk and forces teams to think
on their feet.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Okay, finally, for this section, let's just quickly clarify how
the actual championships are won.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
The points system. It seems complex, but there's a logic
to it.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
There is. It's designed to reward finishing high up consistently.
In the main Grand Prix on Sunday, points are awarded
down to the tenth place finisher.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
How many for the winner.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Twenty five points for first place, then it drops eighteen
for second, fifteen for third, twelve for fourth, ten for seventh,
four for eighth, two for ninth, and one point for
tenth place.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Plus there's one extra bonus point available for the driver
who sets the fastest lap of the race, but only
if they also finish inside the top ten. That can
be crucial sometimes, And.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
The sprint races have their own points.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yes, The Saturday Sprints award points on a smaller scale,
eight points for the winner, down to one point for
the eighth place finisher. So over twenty four race weekends
plus the sprints, it's all about consistently racking up those points,
finishing high, minimizing mistakes and retirements. That's how you win
the drivers and Instructors' titles.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Right.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
That makes sense, which brings us nicely to our final section,
Section four. Global appeal challenges and the future trajectory. F
one's popularity has just exploded in recent years, hasn't it.
It feels like it's moved way beyond its traditional European
heartland to become this truly global thing.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
The reach now is just immense. Yeah, races on five continents,
huge established fan bases, but also massive growth in new markets,
and a huge driving factor behind that recent surge, especially
in the US and among younger fans, has undeniably been
the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
That show really seemed to crack the code, didn't it.
It wasn't just about the racing, It was about the people.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
The drama.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Absolutely, it gave viewers this unprecedented, often white, raw, behind
the scenes look at the sport. It humanized the drivers
who could seem quite distant before, and even the team
principles who are often very secretive. It focused on the
personal stories, the pressure, the intense rivalries, the high stakes
both on and off the track, made.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
It relatable even if you didn't understand the technical rules
initially exactly.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
That narrative driven approach just hooked a whole new audience.
It turned drivers into global personalities, almost celebrities outside the F.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
One bubble, and you see that growth reflected everywhere, now,
don't you. Social media engagement is through the room, huge
investment in new races like Miami in Vegas, these big
immersive fan zone experiences at the tracks. Yeah, especially in
those newer markets like the US, and maybe even growing
interest in places like China.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
F one is now marketed as a complete entertainment package
three hundred and sixty five days a year almost. But
you know, being such a high profile, high technology, global
sport in the twenty first century, it also faces pretty
significant challenges and scrutiny.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Let's touch on those impartially. Yeah, probably the biggest external
criticism is about the environmental impact the sports carbon footprint.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Yeah, that's unavoidable. And interestingly, the vast majority of F
one's carbon footprint doesn't actually come from the twenty cars
driving around on a Sunday afternoon. The logistics, right, it's
the massive global logistics operation flying hundreds of tons of cars, equipment,
spare parts, and thousands of personnel between twenty four races
across five continents. That's where the bulk of the emissions
(32:29):
come from.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
So what's F one doing about it?
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Well, this has prompted the FIA and f one to
launch a pretty ambitious sustainability strategy. The headline goal is
to be net zero carbon by twenty thirty and that
twenty twenty six a mandate for one hundred percent sustainable
fuels we talked about is a core pillar of that plan.
They're also looking at rationalizing the calendar to reduce travel
using more sea freight, powering factories with renewables. It's a
(32:53):
big cush.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Another challenge, even with the budget caps, is still that
financial gap between the top teams and the rest.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Yeah. While the cost cap has definitely helped level the
playing field significantly, the midfield is closer to the front
than it's been in years. You can't just erase decades
of historical spending overnight.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
The big teams still have better facilities exactly.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Teams that historically had massive budgets still possess infrastructure advantages
like state of the art wind tunnels, simulators, manufacturing capabilities
that smaller teams just can't replicate instantly, even if the
annual operational spending is now capped. But the key thing
is the cap does give smaller, well run teams a
much clearer path to compete overtime than they ever had before.
(33:35):
It's about efficiency now, not just raw budget.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
And finally, well, it wouldn't be f one without a
bit of controversy, would it. Every race weekend seems to
throw up some kind of debate.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Ah, No, it wouldn't. That's almost part of the appeal,
isn't it. The high stakes just breed drama, whether it's
a controversial penalty decision by the stewards, a heated team
radio message broadcast to the world, arguments over track limits,
safety car.
Speaker 3 (33:58):
Procedures, love to argue about online.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Precisely, these incidents spark intense, passionate debates among fans, media,
even the teams themselves. It keeps the sport under constant scrutiny,
but it also fuels the narrative and the engagement. It
shows people care deeply about it.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
So looking ahead to twenty twenty five, then the stage
really is set for potentially an epic season. You've got
the established force in Red Bull n Verstappen trying to
hold on. You've got the fairytale narrative of Hamilton at Ferrari,
You've got McLaren snap it at their heels, and all
of this is happening with that massive twenty twenty six
engineering revolution looing just over the horizon.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
It really feels like a pivotal moment. You've got this
incredible blend of man and machine pushing the limits, set
against this backdrop of constant technological change and intense strategic battles.
F one truly is this global spectacle defined by speed, yes,
but also by incredible complexity, relentless innovation, and plenty of drama.
(34:56):
And there's something in it for everyone.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
I think this has been a fantastic deep dive into
the ground. Formula of F one covered a lot of ground.
But before we finish, let's leave our listener with that
final provocative thought building on those huge twenty twenty six
changes we discussed.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Okay, so we talked about the twenty twenty six rules,
one hundred percent sustainable fuels, ditching the MGUH, smaller lighter cars,
and crucially that massive increase in electrical power contribution nearly
fifty to fifty split between the engine and the hybrid system. Right,
this fundamentally forces a shift in engineering priorities. It moves
away potentially from just chasing raw combustion engine horsepower, which
(35:28):
has been the name of the game for decades, towards
mastering energy efficiency, battery deployment strategy, sustainable fuel combustion, and
maybe even chassis agility because the cars are lighter.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
So it's question is if that.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Technological focus really shifts so dramatically away from just brute
engine power and towards clever energy management and efficiency within
these new sustainable constraints, could that completely rewrite the established order.
Could we see manufacturers or teams who maybe aren't dominant
right now, perhaps Autie coming in fresh or a t
keen like McLaren who seems strong on adapting. Could they
(36:03):
potentially leapfrog the historical powerhouses simply because they nail this
new efficiency focused formula faster than anyone else. Will sustainable
performance become the new key to F one dominance
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