- 7/8/2025
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00:00Hi Chris Medlin how are you bud? I'm good thanks Jim how are you doing? I'm wonderful and still
00:05kind of absorbing everything from the British Grand Prix where would you rate that amongst
00:10the past couple seasons just of any race? It was definitely up there I think we've had some pretty
00:16special ones haven't we at certain times I mean I think back to last year's British Grand Prix
00:20especially with the narrative of it being Lewis Hamilton's first win in so long but there was
00:26just so much going on in this one and I think really it was it was the Nico HĂĽlkenberg show
00:30for me it sounds so strange when you've got Lando Norris winning his home race for the first time
00:35and how popular that was you've got Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari chasing HĂĽlkenberg down trying to get
00:39his first podium in a Grand Prix for Ferrari and yet still somehow at Silverstone it was almost better
00:47that it was HĂĽlkenberg holding on for his first podium so it was definitely one of those that's
00:51right up there and really great to see in a sense of someone mentioned to me yesterday the timing was
00:56so good because Austria was was fun but it wasn't uh action-packed shall we say so anyone who's just
01:03maybe tuning into F1 a bit more as a new fan or seen the movie and thought you know what is this hype
01:08all about well they got a pretty good show on Sunday and is it true that I heard that they didn't even
01:13have um kick didn't Sabra didn't have a or Audi whatever we're going to call them these days they
01:19didn't have champagne they had two bottles uh from what I've told they're just two bottles okay yeah
01:26there's a lot of team members that wanted some so uh Mercedes and Aston Martin came around with all
01:31their champagne and handed it over uh to let them celebrate with which is a really nice touch and
01:35you could say that for Mercedes that wasn't the hardest thing to do because they had a tough day they
01:39weren't really going to be popping champagne uh and they're not also a big rival of Sauber's at the
01:44moment you know they're much further ahead in the championship but Aston Martin though they've had
01:47double points with their drivers uh so they had a bit to celebrate in that sense but also Sauber's
01:53podium put Sauber ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors championship so you could also go
01:58direct rivalry there but instead they were like no they they need some bubbly um what was your take on
02:04the penalty for Oscar Piastri I know I feel about it just watching the race but what was your take on that
02:09so I don't know if you'll agree with me on this but I thought it was completely fine as a penalty
02:13I totally agreed with it uh it's exactly what I saw coming when it was uh when it was announced
02:18and the on board is what said it to me I I get the mitigating factor as such that upset Oscar that
02:24it was so late that the safety car lights went off he hadn't had long to be aware okay we're gonna go
02:29we're gonna restart but I'm I'll say I'm 99% certain so I haven't reviewed all of the footage to make
02:37sure there wasn't some confusion here but I'm 99% certain that when he accelerated hard on the
02:43hanger straight uh that he knew that the safety car was coming in that the lights were already off and
02:47he'd kind of let it get a bit of a gap ahead of him which was why he then could accelerate into that
02:51gap and in doing that everyone's wondering if it's the restart everyone behind him is waiting to go
02:57um even if it's only just been announced it'll be a restart you're watching that leader to see if
03:01they go so when he accelerates that hard to then hit the brakes hard I think would catch people out
03:06way more than say Verstappen and Russell in Canada where that's behind a safety car that wasn't
03:12restarting so drivers are all warming their brakes and tires and things but they're not
03:16getting ready to pounce so uh yeah I feel like it was just a bit of an error misjudgment from Oscar
03:22I believe um maybe a bit confused with the timing of things obviously I don't think it was intentional
03:27but I I do think what he did led those behind to rightly have the chance at least of believing he'd
03:33accelerated to restart the race and that's what could cause an incident so it was different to
03:38any other lap behind a safety car when you're not restarting that's yeah normally I'd say that'd be
03:43totally fine if that was just a another lap uh staying under control behind the safety car but on
03:48this occasion I thought actually it was the right call and Nico I could tell when they were in the uh when
03:53when they were in the room afterwards and you know you get to listen to the conversation Nico wasn't
03:57gonna let him off the hook Nico was kind of like oh we all got accordion back there you could tell
04:02Nico's like I don't I'm sorry but yeah you Nico was trying to be PC about it but at the same time he
04:08kind of felt the way we all did we're like look dude you just can't do that yeah and I think the way
04:13that Oscar seems so annoyed and so angry I do believe it relates to him not quite understanding the full
04:19picture that from within the car I think he felt that it was a different scenario to the one that
04:25was unfolding and such so I was a bit um yeah I was surprised by his reaction because he's very
04:33smart at understanding what's going on he's a really good analytical driver but uh I think
04:38slowly he started to get the picture after what as you say Nico said uh then after the podium he came
04:44into the main press conference and he still didn't want to talk about it because it in the post-race
04:48tv interviews that everyone saw straight after getting out the car he was clearly very angry
04:51still didn't want to really talk about it and said he'd get himself in trouble but then he was already
04:55a bit more light-hearted with other topics and he asked Nico a question about the trophy in there
04:59and things like that where he clearly was able to at least start to calm down slightly and I believe
05:05even later on than that he was a bit more eloquent in explaining why he was upset by it but he hadn't
05:12seen it back yet and I think he admitted he was going to need to review it I put the same thing
05:15actually to Andrea Stella the team principal on our live Sirius XM show um I managed to get him in
05:19the pit lane and I said I'll admit from my point of view as I asked a question I said I thought it
05:25was a fair penalty I thought it was right and Stella was kind of taken aback by it by a little but it made
05:30him then go well then I think I might need to look at it again because I've only seen it the once and
05:34I'm pretty strong in my opinion but if other people are saying to me maybe not then I need to see why
05:39that viewpoint can be held so I think this morning waking up looking back at the McLaren guys
05:45will probably go yeah we can see why you got that one even if they don't agree with it I don't
05:49think it'd be so angry does Max loop the car if he if he doesn't have to get off the line off the
05:54racing line and in that moment when he had to kind of avoid Oscar no he he said afterwards actually
06:00he thought there's no correlation between those two really okay I didn't hear that okay all right
06:03yeah um admittedly that was in a print media session much later in the day uh but he he did say
06:08that it was just the car was really snappy uh he had cold tires and he just dropped it it just showed
06:13how hard it was to handle and trying to accelerate through that corner because the problem they had
06:18at Red Bull was they set the car up for low downforce low drag high top speed it worked really
06:23well in qualifying in the dry and it gave them a fighting chance in the race except that was with
06:28a weather forecast where there might have been rain in the morning but not in the afternoon and
06:30they're expecting a dry race so they thought it would make them tough to overtake and that it would
06:34just give them a shot at staying in the fight because even if they got overtaken with lower drag you
06:40could maybe get a slipstream and get DRS and stay close to the cars in front so they just thought
06:45they could mix it up that way when it rained it's the worst thing you can have you need more downforce
06:49on the car for grip in those corners because you're going slower everywhere and yeah they didn't have
06:53that so it was a bit unlucky I think on Red Bull's part there I want to come back well obviously we'll
06:58talk about Max what's going on with Red Bull and Mercedes and everything but I do want to finish up
07:01with McLaren is Lando back or was this just a function of the 10 second penalty because Oscar was still
07:07the quicker of the two cars I weirdly I don't think Lando's ever gone away and I think I didn't give
07:13him enough credit for this I'd have been asking the same sort of question a couple of weeks ago
07:16and it sounds easy to say now off the back of back-to-back wins but I felt that Oscar was far
07:22more consistent strong you were more confident in Oscar's performances and Lando you weren't too sure
07:27about but when Lando won in Austria so that was you know just that was a one-two for McLaren the other
07:32way around um or the way around it was in Silverstone too but it's a one-two where he did deserve that win
07:36he'd you know great lap to put on pole got the job done uh when he won there it meant that over the
07:42previous five races he'd actually outscored Oscar by a point even though he'd had the retirement in
07:47Canada when he made that mistake and the four races he finished were two wins in two second places so he
07:52was actually very consistent it's more that we see that what Lando's capable of sometimes the pole
07:57lap in Austria for example uh Monaco the way he performed in qualifying there and then he that did most
08:02of the job you see that and you realize that he can hit these highs and when he doesn't hit them
08:07you think he's disappointing Oscar doesn't have the lows Lando has but I genuinely still believe I
08:13get the impression that Lando's highs are slightly higher than Oscar's and what he's done over this
08:16recent run is is hit a few more of them a bit more often so he still had the downs that make you go
08:21oh he's he's inconsistent but the results have still been very good and getting the wins is what's
08:25gotten the points so I had to admit before Silverstone that wow like Lando I've not been giving
08:31him enough credit actually that he's not performing at his absolute best and he's still
08:34right matching Oscar's scoring rate I do think he got lucky at Silverstone I do think Oscar deserved
08:41that win drove better uh yeah his performance was a better one but we're talking tiny margins and
08:46when the penalty was handed out uh before the final pit stops you saw Lando close up on Oscar
08:51get within two seconds put the pressure on Oscar was told don't let him in your DRS otherwise we're
08:55gonna have to swap positions Lando was trying to almost get it done on track and showing he had the
09:00pace to match and that's the thing I think the two of them so closely matched that quite often we see
09:04them operate at the same level but it means whoever's in front at that time stays ahead and uh the way
09:09Austria played out there was a spell Oscar looked quicker but it's because he was in DRS range and he
09:13could stay there and Lando made the point that he had to use his battery all the time to just try and
09:17stay ahead Oscar didn't have to do that so essentially the chasing car had an advantage once they were
09:22separated on track and there was a bit of clear air he could show his pace was actually a bit quicker than
09:26Oscars and keep him at bay and that's exactly what he did so I think we've actually we've just seen
09:31Canada be a big blip but I think rather apart from that I think the last six races for example
09:36we've actually seen a very good Lando Norris also you know Oscar like you said Oscar is so even keeled
09:43so Niki Lauda-esque the way he drives and conducts himself and Lando has been very open about his
09:49emotional and you see the lows are really low and they're very public so we kind of become a little
09:54more it's like having that one friend that you know there's certain things you can't bring up
09:58I feel like maybe and I'm sure you're there every week Chris that do you feel like you're walking on
10:04eggshells with Lando there were things for a period there where you couldn't bring up or is he really
10:09open he's just so open about this stuff exactly that yeah it's not that you can't bring it up and
10:13you feel very confident talking about it there's times he dismisses things quite easily or shoots
10:17things down but not in a way that ever makes you not feel you can ask because other times he gives a
10:23brilliant answer or in-depth one or even to the most simple question or go go down that sort of
10:27tangent so I have generally thought that's one of his greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses
10:33he's so analytical so self-critical that when he needs to be then that's the right approach it's
10:39really good for him there's other times he's over the top towards himself but it does mean that you
10:43can kind of put that to him as well you say you're not being a bit too harsh on yourself here you have
10:47that relationship with him where he doesn't call anyone an idiot he doesn't call anyone stupid
10:51there's times he'll laugh questions off or he'll say people keep asking this but but he never makes
10:55it personal or directs it at one person which I think is a good trait of his as well so he's very
10:59open and and honest with his interviews max when I watch max and I'll readily admit I'm a max
11:07Verstappen fan I love the way he drives I everything about him you ever been around somebody in the
11:11office who's got another job but you don't know where they're going but all of a sudden their demeanor
11:16they're they're just a little bit nicer like you look great you're doing don't worry about that
11:20the way he was with Kimmy the way he has just been in general is just magical I love everything about
11:27his vibe and what's going on with him right now but in the back of my head I'm like is this a done
11:33deal is he going to Mercedes or are we just kind of bouncing around I don't think it's a done deal I do
11:41think there's a real possibility it happens uh despite there was one report saying that he's
11:46going to stay for life and I I don't believe that's the case uh I do think he could also stay
11:52at Red Bull for one more year and then look around I basically think he knows he's got really good
11:56options at the moment and he does position so I think that's where his demeanor comes from he's
12:01probably learned enough from Mercedes that okay if I want to go there next year I can if I want
12:05to go there in 27 I'll be able to uh if you know it's up to me like there's no pressure from
12:09anyone else so the only pressure he's got on making a decision is for himself really and I
12:14think that's a really good place for him to be in especially at a time where it's not going well
12:18for Red Bull and it helps him kind of react to things a bit better but he's been positive with
12:22the team as well at different times the pole position that he got obviously was brilliant but
12:26he was very positive towards the team off the back of that then Sunday obviously a bit of a
12:31disaster with the handling of the car because of the weather conditions as well and he had his spin
12:35and he was really struggling at times but then he praised the team for getting him back to fifth place
12:38he said with the position I was in he said it's concerning that I couldn't overtake people
12:42but we made all the right calls and you know we got up to fifth in the end and the car came a bit
12:45more alive in the dry and he said you know that's as well as we could really do in that scenario so
12:49actually there's a positive there this wasn't a Max you know berating the team throwing them under
12:54the bus complaining his title hopes have gone which they're just getting slimmer and slimmer so I think
12:59yeah I think there's a number of ways it could still play out but I think it's the fact he knows he has a
13:04strong hand is what's making him so happy at the moment how much of Kimi does he see himself in
13:10I think a little I do think a little because proper protege type stuff it's also Kimi's a lovely kid
13:17he really is he's so humble so nice so I don't think there's a driver with a bad word to say about
13:21him uh Max has also very been very in tune for a long time about young carters coming through so
13:27he'd seen Kimi knew what he was capable of uh kind of followed his career a little bit uh same with
13:32someone like Gabriel Bortoleto there's photos of Max meeting Bortoleto when he was just karting as a
13:36kid and um yeah he's kept in touch with that sort of part of the sport and then you add in the Mercedes
13:43angle uh and it's like that could be a future teammate but even if it's not it's someone that
13:47Mercedes are given an opportunity to that could have been Max in the past and Toto Wolff said we
13:52don't have a seat for you or we're not going to be able to offer you a seat in F1 straight away
13:55back in 2015 when uh Toro Rosso did do that or Red Bull did that with Toro Rosso so Toto Wolff said to Max
14:01go take that take that deal at Red Bull you know that's the place to go for you right now if you
14:06can go and race in F1 straight away take it because I can't offer you that right now but that's meant
14:10they've had a kind of good mutual relationship as a result as well so I think it comes down to a bit
14:15of that he feels that Toto is quite good at nurturing and giving advice to very young drivers
14:21and therefore he's maybe just got a bit of a soft spot towards Kimi for that reason but
14:26um he also has no history with him because he's new he's a rookie he's young they're at different
14:31points of their career he's not a threat to him in the championships or anything like that
14:34someone like George has been and they've had run-ins so that's why the other Mercedes if that
14:39had had been Austria he'd have reacted very differently would have been a totally different
14:42discussion yeah that's a good point um it's fun watching Max though the way he's he's driving this
14:47car because obviously this car is not it's probably the fourth best car on the on the grid was that
14:51fair I would assume yeah I think fourth might be being generous at times genuinely uh I think
14:57so as we stand right now it's unusual but Sauber has outscored Red Bull over the last four races
15:04quite comfortably now it was it was over the past three before Silverstone and now it's quite
15:07comfortable uh at four and Nico HĂĽlkenberg has outscored Max Verstappen over those four races as
15:12well which is remarkable and that shows how up and down it is because not only that it shows that
15:18Max is having to really push the limits of that car and I spoke to someone from both teams actually
15:23Red Bull and Racing Bulls uh over the weekend but I genuinely would be fascinated to see Max in the
15:28Racing Bulls car because there's this assumption that the Red Bull is the quicker car but it's so
15:33hard to drive that only Max can drive it and I think that might be doing a disservice to Max in a sense
15:39the Red Bull could technically be a slower car than the Racing Bulls every driver that's been the number
15:42two driver has been beaten by the Racing Bulls driver this year and into the second half of last year
15:47but Max gets the performances you put him in the Racing Bulls maybe he gets even better
15:52performances out of that car than the Red Bull now they'd never actually do that because I mean
15:56there's a million reasons contractually and financially but I do wonder uh genuinely if
16:02if you didn't have Max Verstappen in that Red Bull whether we would be saying it is the fourth
16:06quickest car or if we'd be going even further back in the field it might be that it would fluctuate
16:11it might be at certain tracks it's you know fifth or sixth quickest but the car that's quicker than
16:16it is different each time a Williams at one track a Sauber at another track a Haas at another track
16:20a Racing Bulls more often than not uh but I think at best it's the fourth quickest car and at worst
16:27you could ask it could be even lower if Max leaves is that the end of Christian Horner with Red Bull
16:34or does Christian Horner decide when it's time for him to leave Red Bull I think Christian Horner decides
16:39still okay uh I do think it'd be very damaging it would put loads of pressure on him but I think that
16:45there's been cycles before we had Sebastian Vettel leave into at the end of 2014 and obviously that
16:50was good Ferrari which is kind of hard to deny a driver the chance to drive for Ferrari when he
16:55achieved so much at Red Bull already and at that stage they still have Daniel Ricciardo winning
16:59races and actually beating Vettel so it's a good crossover but Horner did seem to change his tune
17:04this week a little bit and start saying uh Dietrich matches it in the past when Vettel left it said
17:09there's no point in having the best driver in the world if you don't have the best car you know they
17:12can't use it so he's using that example to say Max might be the best driver in the world but if we
17:16don't deliver the car you know there's no point in being here in many ways and also he's then saying
17:22we're starting a new cycle where we're going to have our own engine next year it's very unlikely we
17:25beat anyone else but uh or we beat you know Mercedes for example but over time it's the best thing for
17:30this team and we're going to build up to that so we might be going through a different cycle coming up
17:34and he's almost laying the groundwork that if Max leaves it's actually better for everyone involved
17:38uh as Red Bull rebuilds to become another race winning a championship winning team in the future
17:43and you could argue there's some sense to that because they had a dominant spell at the end of
17:47the 2010s and into the early 20 teams uh and the four championships in a row for Seb then they had to
17:52do a rebuild with the new power unit regulations and find a new partner they managed that got
17:57successful again dominated the start of this era and then that's another four straight titles now
18:02there's not another team on the grid that's managed to do it in that way like Mercedes had its huge
18:06block of success but hasn't then followed it up since so you could argue that he he has history
18:11on the side to say look I've done this before we'll do it again and that might be what would
18:15keep him there I think um you mentioned Ferrari uh I it is it's mind-boggling to me I feel as a fan
18:24watching it that Lewis gives them feedback and they ignore him and I know this goes all the way back
18:30to John Surtees for God's sake with Ferrari it's nothing new that the drivers are kind of like
18:35we know what we're doing you we're Ferrari you you it's Lewis Hamilton and I feel like they're
18:41ignoring him and I'm screaming at the television watching these races going would you listen to
18:46the seven-time champion is that just the Ferrari world is that the world that Lewis has put himself
18:51in a little I think there's also the fact that Ferrari does have that history as such and people
18:57do question their strategy quite a lot and I think rightly so uh you look at yesterday's race and the
19:02way that when the rain hit and timing of pit stops and calls to be made Ferrari were the wrong side of
19:07pretty much all of them uh and Hamilton was fourth in spite of all that you know he could have been
19:11much higher up in that race probably not fighting the top two but third should have been his
19:15Charles Leclerc ended up nowhere and managed to get himself um in the fight for a spell uh but uh he
19:21was you know bogged down in the traffic because of the calls they made that seems to happen too often
19:26with Ferrari so I do think it's still a weakness even though it's been improving but I also think
19:31it's that when he had those discussions with Pete Bonington at Mercedes this was a time he was being
19:36successful so they make those sorts of calls generally with the best car those calls paid off now
19:42either it's because you had the car too so that the call would work or you were you didn't have the
19:47car that day and you're trying something different and it's a bit of a gamble that if it doesn't go
19:50well well you knew you weren't meant to win that day and if it does you look like geniuses so it's
19:55actually a very different dynamic in terms of the pressure the expectation Ferrari are kind of reaching
20:00trying to be a front running team but they're not quite there or a race winning team right now and
20:04they're not quite there this year Mercedes were always a race winning team when Lewis was there
20:07until the final few years and if you think the final few years there's more dissent on the radio and there's
20:12more disappointment among Hamilton so I think it's partly the situation as well but he said the
20:17communication is improving they've had some really good meetings they will learn to move forward
20:20together and it will be together it will be both what Lewis wants but also his better understanding
20:25of what Ferrari is doing and why it makes certain decisions and Austria for one they said that it was
20:31the quickest way to the end of the race it was silly to do anything else because there was nothing to
20:35gain or lose but Lewis said well actually there was something to gain there was a podium for me
20:38in the unlikely event that my strategy a different random one would work out and I could beat
20:43Charles there to third place and I didn't get the chance to try and do that you didn't give me that
20:49opportunity but at the same time if it had all gone wrong we was finishing fourth anyway now Ferrari
20:55didn't want to upset the two drivers but what they needed was that discussion that both drivers would
20:58have been okay with that gamble being taken that that Charles would have been like he's got a free hit
21:02he's going to have a go because again it's the difference between third and fourth it's not a
21:06victory so I think that moving forward a discussion off the back that might be different in future
21:11but at the same time being like cold and clinical the team did nothing wrong they went for the best
21:15result they got the best result they were going to get that day is this the best place for Charles
21:20Charles Leclerc right now it feels like as Lewis becomes Lewis because Lewis is his own universe I mean
21:25he's not just a driver he is Lewis Hamilton I don't as a fan again Chris I don't think about Charles
21:32I don't he doesn't pop into my brain I do the F1 Fantasy League with friends I'm in a couple leagues
21:37I have to remind myself he's on the grid sometimes and this can't be mentally healthy for a guy like him
21:44who's fought for so long just to be competitive and now he's being I feel like sometimes marginalized
21:49on his own team because of the power of Lewis Hamilton it's a strange one I don't I don't think
21:55he's been marginalized I do think that Ferrari in general just haven't been great this year
22:00so then we've seen it on both sides and getting upset you can't expect just Lewis to be upset
22:05and Charles to be delighted even if he's getting better results for example but I look at Charles
22:10and his career path and where he's at and I think he needs to stay at Ferrari to win that championship
22:17with Ferrari I think the chances of him going somewhere else getting the right move at the right
22:21time to win a title is actually probably pretty slim because we've got Max Verstappen floating
22:25around could go anywhere so next year if Max hasn't moved and Mercedes is dominant Max ends up in a
22:31Mercedes almost certainly Charles will really struggle to get that jump too and if he does get
22:35it he's got to go up against Max Verstappen in the same car as great as I think Charles is I'd back
22:39Max to win that battle over a season at least for a title so I would think the best place to be is
22:46still at Ferrari where he will you know he's getting the better of Lewis not by a huge amount
22:51but he's getting the better of him right now and Lewis is in his final contract or you know coming
22:56towards the end of his career for sure you know Charles will should outlast him career-wise so he's
23:02going to have more opportunities at Ferrari to win a title and if it doesn't happen in this era with
23:06Lewis there then it you'd say it's Charles title to go and win if Ferrari ever give him the car to do it
23:12with and I think that will mean more both for him but just I think for the team for everyone involved
23:17it will be a bigger deal one world championship with Ferrari versus one with any other team for
23:22example but certainly dare I even say it like two with some other teams you could argue depends when
23:27it would come but given how hard it is to win a title with Ferrari and the noise and support around
23:34that team the status of that team I believe that might actually be worth weighing up would you rather
23:40right now sign for one title at the end of your career and it's with Ferrari or two and it's with
23:45Mercedes does Nico getting a podium make Cadillac a little more comfortable with going after Valtteri
23:51um I don't know to be honest um I think I think they're weighing up between Bottas and Perez I really
24:02do and I think Bottas has the edge in terms of more consistency but Perez is a bit more of an all-round
24:07package in terms of his popularity and the marketing value and we've seen with the Red Bull results this
24:11year you know maybe people are a bit unfair the way they judged him last year I still think a break
24:17from Red Bull was needed I think is the way his career was going his demeanor his form uh just the
24:22environment he needed to get out of it and Red Bull needed a fresh start to learn was it the driver was
24:27it us they should now know it's them but for Checo that's actually then helped his reputation so I
24:32think it's a it's a toss-up between the two but I don't think uh Hulkenberg's result really has a an
24:37impact on that in that sense I think it's great that he finally got that and I think it does show
24:42the quality of drivers even if they've been in cars that don't let them get results but I don't believe
24:47that uh that will really play into their thinking too much I imagine most likely they've got if they
24:54haven't firmly made the decision they've got a clear view in their mind of which of the two drivers
24:58they wanted to take anyway uh between Perez and Bottas and then potentially there's a slight
25:04outside chance they're thinking of both uh because that experience would work so well for them I just
25:09everything I've heard suggests it would be one experienced and one different option right but
25:14but I think personally I think their best bet would actually be to go with two experienced drivers
25:20while they get up and running well yeah and you know Colton Hurta here in the states obviously with
25:25IndyCar and everything that when it really was Andretti global trying to get into f1 everyone
25:30well it's got to be Colton he's the guy he's there he's their their their good their guy now I start
25:36thinking about going no not really I mean it is um the best driver in IndyCar is Alex Polo and Alex
25:43Polo is driven for McLaren but I don't even know contractually where he's at with Ganassi and
25:48and McLaren and everything else Alex to me is a metronome Alex would drive would fit perfectly
25:55in f1 he'd be the guy because of his experience I think he could fit in with any team he's got a
25:59great demeanor he's Argent what Argentinian right so I'm Spanish Spanish excuse me Spanish but he can
26:05cross cultures he's personable he his personality is really shining this year and bottom line he's a
26:11great driver but if I was going to get somebody out of IndyCar even over Pato Award it would be Alex
26:17if you could get him so I don't think Alex has the fan base in the sense of like a Pato Award has
26:23yeah or the interest that might come with an American um but also or or like a Checo for
26:29example but also from what I'm told as you say contractually I think he burned some bridges with
26:35the way he played the Ganassi and McLaren situation in IndyCar and I think that worried people a little
26:40bit but now he's fully committed tied down to Ganassi with what I'm told is a huge buyout clause like kind
26:46of top tier f1 level or top five f1 driver level that would Cadillac pay that for a driver that hasn't
26:52raced in f1 before who isn't American who is yes the IndyCar crossover but would IndyCar fans buy into
26:58it as much as they would a Colton Hurta or they would a Pato Award where they have a maybe a bigger
27:04fan base uh I don't believe they would I do think you're right he'd be he's a great driver brilliant
27:10driver who deserves a chance in f1 but it seems like he's just committed himself to IndyCar he's built
27:15his own house in Indiana now like he was renting a place now he's like he's moved his family there he's
27:19building a house he's gone this is my future I'm going to set records in IndyCar he wanted a 500
27:25win he's got that to be fair but he wants more championships and he feels like he can really
27:29have a huge legacy there and it's a gamble to go to a new team as well that needs experience and is
27:34a startup as such so it might even be better for him to have another year or two where he's not in
27:40that frame and if he won a couple more IndyCar championships and kind of went you know what
27:43I don't need to drive an IndyCar ever again then look to make that move but as far as I'm aware
27:48he's not actually been pushing in that direction himself and Cadillac have not looked at him in
27:53that way either they acknowledge what great driver is but he doesn't fit the profile of what they need
27:56at the moment would George fit that profile if they could get him oh absolutely yeah a proven race
28:02winner young enough um you know experience of a huge team yes but I don't think he would go there
28:10I think he would know that that would be a longer process or most likely a longer process and there'd be
28:16other teams that are more likely to be successful before then who would be I think very keen to sign
28:21him I think Red Bull would show an interest uh even though they wouldn't like to do the whole
28:24going for the guy the guy that got dropped for the guy that they lost if that happened yeah um but I do
28:30think they would have an interest uh Aston Martin I believe would have one too even though they've got
28:34two drivers on the contract I think they weren't expecting either Max or George to be available for
28:38next year but if it either was they would be you know looking at them at least and there's an
28:43outside bet of someone like Alpine who have a Mercedes power unit and if it is as dominant as
28:48people say it could be or as strong as it could be in 2026 then any Mercedes powered car would be a
28:55solid place to be for some podiums and some good results and that would be a McLaren you're not
28:58going to get in there Mercedes you've just been dropped by so you're looking at Alpine and Williams
29:01and Williams are tied up so why not Alpine so I think you'd have a few other options where
29:07personally I think it'd be a gamble but maybe you could go for Cadillac over Alpine just because of the
29:12uncertainty and Alpine's future uh Cadillac you know are here for a long time and setting some
29:17routes but you also know that you're looking at a long-term journey there that might eat up the best
29:22years of his career and there's no guarantee you get back to the front with that team
29:26can you confirm Sonny Hayes has been spoken to from the uh from the F1 movie to drive for Cadillac as
29:32well I would assume he you know he's everywhere now well I think he had a word with McLaren he did a
29:37test with him and asked in Austin and uh I don't think uh he quite managed to secure the seat so
29:43Lando and Oscar are safe in that front but I think he actually scared himself slightly he realized wow
29:48this is a as beasts go you know don't forget his age um as beasts go that it would be it was another
29:55step again compared to what they're driving in the movie but uh I thought it was very cool he looked
29:58very in control he definitely drives a car much quicker than a lot of people can well it's funny too
30:04that in the midst of all this him and Tom Cruise this whole buddy thing that what they raced go
30:07carts when they were in like back in the 1990s and then you find out that all of a sudden Tom says
30:12oh yeah we're doing Days of Thunder 2 of course you are there's no way you're letting Brad get the
30:17last word in this he's like I'm gonna go drive another car yeah it'd be cool to see though I mean
30:22there's talks of crossovers and stuff like that but um yeah I think it's the interest around it the
30:27noise around it the way it's been done it just shows that there's an appetite for that at the moment
30:30uh a few people did say that there's not been amazing new sports movies for a while um so it
30:36was a cool one in that sense to fill that gap and show that yeah people go and watch a sports movie
30:40so last thing Chris always appreciate the time last thing I was thinking about this
30:44in NASCAR here in the states we will occasionally go back to a track more than once Daytona comes to
30:50mind Bristol for me you could race a Daytona three times a year they should finish there but that's a
30:56whole nother story what are your double tracks in F1 the tracks you wish you could run there more
31:02than once because Silverstone to me is and Silverstone is just the perfect track it's got
31:06everything the high speed corners the the strategy the DRS zones I mean there's so much to it the fact
31:13that there's 18 different weather systems over the damn track every time I'm watching it but what
31:17are your double tracks in F1 the ones you wish you could run more than once a year dare I say it we
31:22actually got to do this as well because three of them that come to mind the three we did do it with
31:25so Austria I think the Red Bull ring it creates great racing a lot of the time and we had back
31:31to back races there where they were very different but also weather can play a big part which is the
31:36same reason I say Silverstone you could have for example if we did that now and we just on the race
31:40weekend we've done and then we did a race next weekend next weekend's roasting hot like dry sunny
31:45hot all weekend um hot for you guys we're talking like 90 uh but you know hot definitely hot enough
31:51so it's um yeah it's looking like you'd have two very different race weekends in that sense
31:57Bahrain because quite often we get some exciting racing there it's a good track for racing it's not
32:02the world's greatest event um the most exciting uh place for people to go and watch as a fan on the
32:07ground but uh it does make some some awesome racing happen and spectacular view in terms of tv audience
32:14being at night and the sparks everything like that uh I put Austin on there I love Austin but I also
32:20think we've had some great races and even if you get a boring one it's still a huge event uh a huge
32:25the kind of atmosphere you get but the track the drivers love which again tends to lean into
32:30getting some good racing and it's not an easy one stop anytime you know quite often we get strategy in
32:35play so again you want something different there and then maybe one more I would give it to Brazil
32:40Interlagos uh I think would be yeah we'd get some absolute classics there so there's some street
32:47races that would be fun but at the same time they can get processional so there's a risk you get
32:51two really boring races I feel like with all the ones we just said at least one of the two would be
32:54good Brazil on the f1 game and I'm I'm a that that's that's my comfort food it's a cup of coffee
33:00and I will go race Brazil that is my favorite track everything it's so much fun to drive Silverstone
33:06is challenging I it's interesting how the f1 game makes you appreciate certain details as a fan
33:13watching it Chris that the more I get into it with EA Sports especially this year because they've
33:18crossed over with the AXP you can actually drive as Sunny you can drive as Jordan you can play the
33:22scenarios out it's really smart how they've done it but yeah Brazil is just one of those tracks and
33:28knowing in the back of my head every time I'm driving it I'm Senna that's the only that's all you
33:32can be you know you get caught up in the moment isn't it yeah yeah oh yeah yeah yeah absolutely and
33:37then I try to leave the car and forth here and then I have somebody hold my hands up at the end of it
33:41you gotta do all that stuff so where do you see the second half of the season going is it I mean
33:46obviously it's a two-car race for the championship um is Max have a chance at all to get back in this
33:52or are we just kind of down to the two I'm saying we're down to the two now I'm I'm an eternal
33:57optimist as well I want to say he's back in it but if you look at the gamble they had to take with
34:01their setup in Silverstone and it backfired on them like you can't be affording to take those risks
34:06and then not pay off at least if everything had gone perfectly and they'd all paid off great but
34:10it hasn't he obviously got taken out in Austria as well so he hurt himself massively with the
34:16Spain penalty I just think Red Bull haven't improved the car enough to really challenge McLaren if
34:21anything McLaren have stepped a little bit further away from Red Bull Ferrari have done a better job
34:24of developing their car and got a bit closer but they don't have a driver really in the fight because
34:28the one who was getting closest was Charles Leclerc and again bad weekend in Silverstone and when you're
34:33playing catch-up against the quickest car you're in trouble so the two McLaren drivers have actually
34:37played it very well this year and not really cost each other too many points Lando just cost himself
34:41in Montreal and that was it and that was a race neither of them was winning so yeah I see a straight
34:46fight between those two but a good one I do think Austria showed it the way they fought there that
34:50they're going to be allowed to fight it out and they know how to and there'll still be close moments
34:55they'll probably still get it wrong a couple of times but that they will do it right enough times
34:59that they're allowed to keep fighting on track and that they're closely matched enough that it will go
35:03right to the wire so I'm actually still really excited by that prospect and then it's kind of
35:09a fight for everyone else in between to pick up the odd win here or there but that also influences
35:12the title fight so I think it's gonna be a lot of fun and seeing so many teams have the potential
35:17for a big result like a Hulkenberg podium like the improvements Sauber have made the improvements
35:21halves made but then didn't get a result but they might get a big one later in the season
35:25Williams too has had a very strong car and has an upgrade coming soon yeah I think all of the
35:30teams can kind of think there's a chance we can do something special at some stage which is also
35:34always fun so yeah I think we're going to see a pretty pretty exciting end to the season
35:39six rookies too many in in one season no not at all they added added fresh impetus they've been
35:46very impressive at times other times they remind you they're rookies but that's kind of what you
35:50want to see you want to you also need to see them go through this pathway to appreciate when they get
35:55really good because you see them make some of their mistakes as rookies but if you can get a good
35:59core crop together then when you can get those like running rivalries between them say a Behrman
36:04and an Antonelli end up in a Mercedes and a Ferrari fighting for a title in the future
36:07then there'll kind of be a backstory to it if you just get one rookie then sometimes they get a chance
36:13sometimes they don't and they disappear because the timing wasn't right or you couldn't really judge
36:16how good they were and I think you know the sport is built on rivalries and if you can get a good
36:22crop of young drivers fighting each other for a long time then it makes each next year that little bit
36:27more exciting does Colopinto make it to the end of the season
36:30I'm going to say no actually I actually hope he does because it will also mean that he that you
36:38know form was picked up or results have picked up he's not always had the chance to show what he can do
36:42but he's that's a tough team to be in anyway they threw him in expecting miracles you're not going to
36:47get them and I think he would be better served going back into a reserve role potentially and and
36:53have any expectations lowered as long as that move didn't rule out a chance to come back into a race
36:58seat in future I'd hope he'd still get that possibility Jack Doohan on the other hand I think
37:03if he doesn't get another shot this year I can't see him getting another race seat in the future
37:06so it depends if they uh I don't know which way they'll go whether they'll go for a third driver
37:11a different one Paul Aaron or a Valtteri Bottas or someone or if Doohan gets another chance but
37:15I think sitting here right now I would be slightly surprised if Colopinto just completed all the rest of the
37:21races it's interesting to a little bit back to the f1 game one of the uh you can play the scenarios out
37:27of the f1 movie and when you're doing that they take you back to when they filmed it which is two
37:33years ago so you're out there with Logan Sargent you're looking at the lineup and you realize in the
37:38last 24 months how quickly this entire field has evolved because all of a sudden I went tells Logan
37:44doing there and but that's when they filmed the movie so that's the grid you've got um it is amazing
37:50and it feels more aggressive and shark-like than ever in f1 right now when it comes to drivers
37:55yeah I think it could be and I think it's partly because of the quality like they're all so good
38:00um Logan Sargent was a multiple race winner and in the title fight for f2 in his rookie season he
38:05didn't quite get it done because he was still a rookie and there's a lot of pressure on him to get
38:08results to get his super license but that potential was there I think he was actually mishandled and
38:13should have had a couple of years and a bit more patience with him uh to develop better because
38:17that's what we've seen with other drivers I mean Ollie Behrman for example got two years in Formula
38:22Two and a lot of running in FP1s to get ready for a step into a team that was obviously going to give
38:28him time as well because Ferrari want him to develop but um for others like a Kimi Antonelli straight in
38:33you know there's different ways of doing it but there's patience at Mercedes with Antonelli to let
38:38him make his own mistakes as well but yeah it just shows the quality of driver when someone like
38:43Bortoletto wins the championship in Formula Two you could argue it means he's better than the others
38:47I don't think he is because we've seen what they can do in Formula One I think they're all very
38:51very similarly matched but it shows how strong Formula Two is so there's so much depth that we
38:56get 20 of of the best drivers rather than the 20 best but I'd say the pool is maybe 50 drivers deep
39:02that are easily good enough to perform at the level needed in F1 and that means if you just don't
39:06manage to make it click you're going to get replaced because there's a lot of options out there to
39:10replace you even if in a different world different scenario different environment you could have been
39:14successful I was watching F3 over the weekend even the F3 drivers the way they drive the the the depth
39:21in the corners the way they understand the racing lines but everything about them these aren't kids
39:26anymore they're not they don't drive like kids are out there and it's almost it is it's insulting to say
39:32that there are F3 drivers out there that was some of the best racing I've seen all year it was total
39:35chaos at some points but it's it's fun to watch and they're great drivers yeah for anyone who didn't see it
39:42they they started the uh feature race on Sunday morning with half the grid on slicks and half on
39:46wets because it had been drizzling and raining and they weren't sure which way it was going to go
39:49and nobody hit anyone on that first lap like they kept it clean they were four or five wide and it was
39:55all over the place but somehow really well handled by everybody you're expecting to see someone make a
40:00big mistake and it didn't happen later there were incidents and they all ended up on the wets in the
40:04end they had to but uh yeah it was very impressive uh level of driving in that level too
40:08chris all the best to you i know you got you've got a busy couple weeks in front of you as well
40:12at chris metal and f1 and all your socials racer mag motor sports serious exam you guys do great
40:16coverage f1 too i like seeing you on f1 tv you gotta get on there more man come on who do i gotta
40:21hopefully should be in the next two races fingers crossed so hopefully some more people see me on
40:25there then and i love spa i i've always what's it like there it looks so beautiful on tv
40:31it is beautiful it's uh access in and out can be pretty tricky um but uh and some of the facilities
40:37need a bit of updating but the track itself is just stunning and uh you said about racing and
40:43playing games and stuff going out there and doing a track run doing a lap of it really brings it home
40:47like it's a gorgeous setting uh just draped through the forest and when you're driving around nearby
40:51and you get a glimpse of it through the trees uh it really is something special so it has that
40:56atmosphere i will admit it still has that tinge of anxiety that comes with it because it it is
41:02dangerous like certainly very dangerous track yeah certainly the radion the top of eirouge and
41:06uh how blind it is as much as they've worked with the barriers and improved things it's still blind if
41:12a car comes over the top at speed and there's another car prone there you're in trouble so yeah
41:16it's it's one of those where it can give us some brilliant racing but also with that edge to it all
41:21the way through that you're very relieved when you get to the end of the weekend and everyone's come
41:25through it i'm scathed and hopefully you've had a cracker well and sunny hayes will actually you
41:29know come in and get multiple tires and then come from the back because you'll have warm tires
41:32and then it'll go from 20th to 8th in two turns because that's how you do in the movies
41:36stop giving spoilers jim
41:38chris always appreciate the time thank you bud awesome thanks jim
41:45
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