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Box Box Box breaks down the Formula 1 season with clear, focused analysis. Hosts Scott and Mohan cover each race weekend, unpacking strategies, standout performances, and the key stories shaping the grid.
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Suzuka Recap
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We recap all the key moments from Suzuka, from the decisive moves at the front to the stories that shaped the race behind. Who delivered, who stumbled, and what the result means going forward.
Welcome to Boxbox Box, your soon-to-be favorite Formula One podcast, bringing you all the latest hits and highlights from the 2026 Formula One season. My name is Scott. I have some sort of flu right now. Speaking through that flu, I am joined with Mohan here today. How are you, Mohan?
SPEAKER_00Um, well, thank you. A lot better than you from the Sons of It.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, um I'll probably let you do most of the talking here today. Uh, not that I don't let you do that anyway, because you're the one who knows what you're talking about when it comes to Formula One. This Japanese Grand Prix, wow, like this has changed the whole season on its head, hasn't it?
SPEAKER_00It absolutely has. And and the fact of it's brought it's brought certainly those top three teams a lot closer together. And almost sort of, I think for the season, it's kind of the the result is is rewriting the script or some of the tentativeness about Antonelli's chances for the world for the drivers' championship. I think there is a lot more faith being put behind that now, given how not just the fact that he won, but how he won the race as well. And and and McLaren.
SPEAKER_02Can I just stop you right there for a second? Top three teams. I mean, like we were only talking about two, right? Like what's going on?
SPEAKER_00Basically, McLaren seemed to have got their, I was going to say rude word, then but actually got their act together in the fact that they have sorted out, seem to have sorted out uh any issues that they had with the Mercedes-Benz Power Unit. And they underplayed it going into this race. And I remember seeing interviews with Andrea Stella actually saying our only aim for this race is to finish the race compared to what happened in in Melbourne and in China. And they did way better than that overall. So I to be really honest, I I think they have leapfrogged Ferrari as a challenger for Mercedes, and so I think it's in terms of the top three at the moment, the way they sit, it's Mercedes McLaren Ferrari rather than Mercedes Ferrari as it was two races ago.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, insane. And now I did cut you off.
SPEAKER_00Was there more you were going to say there about Anthony Ellie? Um and I I I think for me it was it was great to see that China wasn't a fluke, basically, that he he worked through a bad start and won won the race. It wasn't just the fact that he actually won the race, it was how he won the race that was great to see. Um and the talk around the paddock and around the sport has certainly changed in these two weeks, uh, given these two consecutive results on his part.
SPEAKER_02And the big thing for me, obviously, was my Audrey chess theory about how you'd want Antonelli to win just to upset the Apple cart at Mercedes. And without any, I guess, outside interference, that's certainly happened, hasn't it?
SPEAKER_00And yeah, we've seen the fallout of that uh a little bit. And we did mention this in in the previous episode that I think it was all very lovely on the podium in China and everyone was happy for each other. And but we did make the fact that if this trend was to continue and Anthony was continu was to continue to deliver performances and not necessarily just victories, uh, I think that uh that rival we're gonna see the real rivalry across those two garages, basically. And I think we haven't had to wait long, it's really happened in one more race. And um all being well, this rivalry is gonna get stronger and stronger as the season goes on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's one of those things it's um when you have a I guess a seniority slant on a team, it's all good to see your teammate doing well as long as it's not better than you more often than not, which is somewhat unfortunate uh as far as teamwork's concerned. But um, it's it's certainly happened. So we'll dive in, Mohan, um, because I'm about to choke up here. What was the atmosphere like coming into the Japanese Grand Prix and what were the big talking points before the lights went out for this race?
SPEAKER_00Uh so coming into Suzuka, the mood was all about whether Mercedes had had properly become the team to beat under these new regulations, and also whether Kimi's win in China was the one-off breakout win for him or the the sign of bigger things to come. So he basically he backed up the momentum by taking Paul again, this time by three tenths over George Russell, which is actually quite a significant margin. And this changed the overall conversation across the paddock coming into Sunday. Suddenly the talk was on Mercedes as a team looked quick. It was more that the fact that Antonelli is becoming the lead story here. Um, and I think that was that was the initial item that was discussed quite a bit. Uh, the other part was that there was a lot of focus on McLaren, and particularly given Oscar's performance both in free practice and the fact that he qualified third and looked way more competitive than they had looked in qualifying in the preceding rounds. This, I guess, gave the sense that Suzuka might actually finally be the place where McLaren started putting some race pressure on Mercedes. Ferrari, given their performances, were hovering in the background, shall we say, in that conversation. And Charles Fourth and Hamilton looked a lot more settled. But at the end of the race, it looked more like Ferrari with a team trying to insert themselves into the conversation or insert themselves into the fight between Mercedes and McLaren because I believe McLaren had leapfrogged Ferrari into being the real contender to challenge Mercedes. And then on the flip side of it, there was Red Bull, where the tone was actually almost the opposite to those teams. As we know, Verstappen had been knocked out in Q2 by Arvid Lindberg, actually the rookie, and was 11th on the grid. And it re it ended his run of uh perform qualifying dominance, I think for the four, he'd had four consecutive pole positions up to that point. And it underlined how uncomfortable the RB22 looks as a racing car so far. And instead of people talking about Red Bull as a genuine as a chat for the win, the talk was more how had things gone so badly for them and whether Versteppen's issues were more with the car or that whether there was something bigger in the background that was going on.
SPEAKER_02So, how decisive was the safety car in this race when it came to shaping the outcome of the Grand Prix?
SPEAKER_00I believe the impact of the safety car was massive. I don't think there's too point too much point in dressing it up too much. It changed the overall race. And we know Kimi had lost the lead off the line and by the first corner had dropped down to sixth, uh, with uh which was uh quite a poor getaway as by his standards. While Piastri and Russell were among the early beneficiaries of that start. On pure first in track position, Antony looked like he had a massive mountain to climb. And the race was actually trending towards a very different outcome to what we had seen in China before Bierman's crash actually neutralized that. So what the safety car did, as it does in most cases, it compressed the field. And for Antonelli and for Mercedes, it actually did that at quite at an opportune time. Uh, it took away uh the disadvantage that Antonelli had from a bad start. Um, and it wiped out any gaps that the other teams had built, and particularly uh the gap that Piestri had built up front. Um, and it put Antonelli back into control with the race that he actually up to that point was struggling to control. Um, so this is why you will see so many reports that describe this win as being um somewhat fortunate, even though Antonelli's drive to actually finish the race was quite outstanding. So I guess that the the overall discussion point is that two things can effectively be true at the same point. Yes, the safety car was decisive, and yes, despite that, Antonelli still had to execute a brilliant race, which he actually did. He didn't just inherit the lead and then trundle home as such, he rebuilt a poor start and controlled the restart and then pulled away strongly to finish by nearly 14 seconds over PS3. So I see this as more the fact that the safety car created the opportunity which Antonelli capitalized on.
SPEAKER_02So even with that timing of the safety car, how impressive was Antonelli's recovery after dropping back early?
SPEAKER_00I believe this is hugely impressive because given his start, this race could have unraveled on lap one for him. But instead of that, he turned it into quite a statement victory as such. Dropping from pole to sixth on a circuit like Suzuka normally would put a driver as inexperienced and as young as Antonelli on the back foot mentor, particularly when he's playing catch up to the likes of Russell, Piastri, and Leclerc. Instead, he seemed to settle himself immediately and never really look flustered. What stands out from this is that how complete his recovery was. This wasn't just a chaotic elbows out dive bombing here and there kind of recovery. It was quite a measured recovery on his part. He seemed to put himself in the right places. His team, I guess, helped him stay in contention. Um and the safety car, as you mentioned before, reopened the race. Um and so as soon as the door was opened, he drove like the fastest and the calmest person on the field, winning by quite a significant margin of almost 14 seconds. Um and what this actually suggests is something beyond the result in Suzuka itself, that it adds another layer to his profile. China showed that he could convert Paul into a win, but Japan actually showed the fact that he could recover from uh adversity, shall we say, and still win. And they're both, as a result of it, two very different kinds of victories. And for a 19-year-old in only his third round of the season, and that is exactly the kind of evidence that people start pointing to when they start using the word championship.
SPEAKER_02Did Piastri and McLaren leave Suzuka encouraged or wondering what might have been?
SPEAKER_00I'd say a bit of both. Coming into the race, I saw an interview with Andreas Stella and whether he was deliberately playing it down or not. And given the race they had or the non-race they had in China, he said the fact that their ultimate aim at Suzuka was to finish the race, which they hadn't done previously, or had both cars hadn't done previously. I guess in this center, whether they are there's a good balance between encouragement and wondering what might have been, because the encouragement part comes from the fact that this is one of their strongest weekends across the season so far. And Piastri looked particularly sharp from qualifying right through the race. He started third and made a fantastic getaway and finished second in what he himself described as one of the best weekends he's had in the sport overall. And that's not something to be taken lightly. But at the same time, they were probably also left wondering what might have been. Before the safety car came out, they looked like a genuine threat to shape the race. Uh Piastri had track position and he had quite a significant lead over George Russell. And Norris was in a strong fight for points. Um, and at that point, Mercedes actually looked quite vulnerable, particularly given Antonelli's post start. Once the race got reset after the safety car, that edge seemed to have been blunted, I guess. And from that point onwards, they didn't seem to have the pace or the strategic leverage to turn the second place into a real win.
SPEAKER_02So you said let's go ahead. Uh so I was gonna say, was Piasri second place uh uh more about that race execution outright pace or simply making the most of the circumstances then?
SPEAKER_00Uh particularly after the safety car it was it seemed to be making the most of it because I think having given up that lead, I don't believe they had the pace to overtake Mercedes at that point and stay ahead of them as they did at the far at the start. So I think the overall takeaway for them as a weekend would be tipped in the balance of being frustrating, I guess. They showed better pace, better balance, and and in general more confidence, but they still left the race without a victory. So it is they could take a certain level of optimism away from this, but whether they still have enough pace to beat Merced Mercedes given half a chance, that is yet to be seen.
SPEAKER_02Mohan, just quickly, if you could came into this season and they were all driving the exact same Delares, think like a Formula 2 or 3, and you had the two Mercedes drivers and the two McLaren drivers, and you had to rank them one to four, how they'd finish the season, how would you rank them?
SPEAKER_00It would be interesting actually. Um, in terms of pure skill and calmness and race execution, if I had to pick out of those four trees, I actually would rank Oscar Piastri at the top of that list, followed by George, then Lando, despite the fact that he's the defending champion, uh, and then Antonelli fourth. And purely, Antonelli purely without having seen uh the last three results. Right.
SPEAKER_02Since what's happened over the last three races, would that have changed that order or not not so much?
SPEAKER_00I I think so. And I think I would reshuffle that order to almost to put Antonelli at the front, followed by Piastri, George, and then Lando. And I think for me, it's it's it's as I was saying before, it's it's not just the wins by Antonelli, it's the it's the maturity with which he has won these races. And he obviously has the car behind him and knows how to exploit the car, but also to exploit these regulations, which a lot of other teams seem to be having trouble with. So in going into this break and then coming out on Miami, if I was to reorder them, that that would be the order. So Antonelli, followed by Piastri, followed by Russell, followed by Norris.
SPEAKER_02Alright, do I still have you, Mael? Yes. Good. I think I dropped out there for a second. Um so tell me, um moving on from that, uh, how important was Charles Leclerc's podium for Ferrari um after the way the opening rounds have played out?
SPEAKER_00It was it was very important in the fact that the third place gave Ferrari something solid and respectable on the weekend, where Mercedes still looked faster overall, as we saw, and McLaren looked like they were making a big leap forward. Ferrari, even though they didn't dominate the headlines, showed the fact that they are still in play. They're still very competitive. Uh they stayed in the right window over the whole race and came away with the podium, which is still quite relevant, I believe. LeCler's race was very valuable because it was quite a controlled race on his part. He wasn't just simply hanging on by his fingernails. He was in the mix and only less than half a second ahead of Russell at the finish. So that tells you that Ferrari had enough pace to fight Mercedes on merit, even though they didn't have enough to attack Antonelli or Piastri decisively. So in a season where Mercedes have opened very strongly, I think these points are very important. The broader discussion is that Leclerc starting to look a lot more consistent, a lot more the consistent partner in that team. And Hamilton finishing sixth continue to contribute to the team. But Leclerc's podium is a sort of result Ferrari needs if they're going to stay in the championship conversation while they work out whether they truly have the pace to beat Mercedes over a full race distance. And that the ability to stay the full race distance is what seems to be lacking at the moment and something they need to build on.
SPEAKER_02So tell me, uh, did George Russell lose out mainly through bad timing, or did Mercedes miss a bigger opportunity for a 1-2?
SPEAKER_00There was definitely an element of bad timing because Russell looked like one of the men most likely to benefit from Antonelli's poor start until the safety car came out. He had qualified second. Um they had locked, Mercedes had locked out the front row. And for a while, there it seemed to be that it there was a shift towards him being more likely the winner, even though Piastri actually at that point had quite a significant lead over him. But then the safety car had came and the subsequent reshuffle changed the whole complexion of the race. And suddenly out of that, Antonelli was the actual driver to benefit and to capitalize out of that situation. But having said that, I think Mercedes would be well entitled to feel that they left one or two on the table. Uh Russell finishing fourth, less than half a second behind Leclerc means the margin between uh the podium uh and not getting a podium was actually very, very small. Uh, given how strong the team was over the whole week and coming away with a win uh and fourth rather than a win or second or win or third and third, um, it actually underrepresents how dominant they could have been over the whole weekend. And coming into the weekend, we both know that Russell came in as the driver who as the more established driver in the team up to that point, and one of the favorites for the title itself. So Antonelli has now not only won again, he has taken the championship lead and he's now the youngest leader of a drivers' championship of all time. So, what looked at the start of the weekend, what a like a potential consolidation weekend for George Russell, turned into another major headline for Antonelli. Um, and I think footage that we have seen, conversations that we have seen, and reports that we have seen, uh, this is this as early as at this stage is starting to shift the dynamic within the Mercedes Garage.
SPEAKER_02Now, what do we make of Leando Norris's race and his back and forth with um Lewis Hamilton?
SPEAKER_00I I think this position for me is a fair reflection of his pace rather than an underachievement as such. Uh obviously we know he came in behind Anton Le Piastri, Leclerc, and Russell, which basically placed him at the back of what you would consider a lead group rather than out of position. The key issue is that Piastri appeared to be the sharper of the two in that team at this track, both in qualifying and on Sunday. And Norris seemed to be, in both those aspects, seemed to be playing catch-up to Piastri. Having said that, he still did the team thing, and what was useful for McLaren as a team, which was to bank points on a weekend where the he clearly had better pace than Race Bow and enough pace to trouble Ferrari. So sometimes we have to see the fact that that actually matters a lot more, rather than turning every race into a conversation as to whether he should have had a podium or not. He was there, he scored, he helped underline the package that McLaren brought into the Japanese race. And overall, it was an overall much healthier showing from the team as such. The interesting debate out of this is whether Norris could have done more than he did in qualifying and the opening race, opening phase of the race. Because Antonelli compromised his start and Russell sort of was unable to convert that into a podium, there was clearly opportunity that presented itself in this race. So Piastri seemed to grab the lion's share of that opportunity rather than Norris. So this, I guess, also then leads into quite an interesting intra-garage story at McLaren, the same way this story is spanning out across at Mercedes as well.
SPEAKER_02Right, I'm pining through some technical difficulties here, my hand, but um kicking on. Uh how concerning um sorry, what was it? What did I just ask you, sorry?
SPEAKER_00Um about PS Reserve about Lando's race, sorry, you're talking about.
SPEAKER_02Oh, of course I did. Yeah, okay, all right. So tell me, how concerning uh is Max Verstappen's eighth place and how much of Red Bull's problem is the car performance versus the 2026 regulations? I feel like it's more of a Max problem, if anything, right? He just doesn't like them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um This is Suzuka, and this is a this is a stay uh a track where he has dominated for the last at least the last four seasons. He's qualified on pole, he's won it four times in a row. So if you put all that together and the result that they came out of, this is actually very concerning because of the fact that he had owned that conversation coming into this in the preceding seasons. He started 11th, being displaced out of Q3 by his junior teammate, I should say, and ended up only finishing eighth. This, I guess, is not generally a bad result in a generally strong campaign. But it was a pointer to the fact that Red Bull are having a lot of trouble with their package. Um, a lot of it seems to look fundamentally car related rather than Verstappen related. During qualifying, there was a lot of chatter, and that was that was visible, pointing to bigger problems and a much more difficult car to manage, particularly um Verstappen's feedback back to his engineers as such. And also the fact that we saw uh Hajar's result. He qualified eighth, but he seemed to struggle from that point onwards. So this I guess shows the fact that it's not just Verstappen that's failing to adapt. The car itself seems to have a very narrow, nasty, for that matter, operating window. And the regulations, I guess, are part of the story because they've changed the balance of the braking, they've changed the deployment, they've changed the error behavior. Um, and Red Bull just don't seem to be comfortable with where all of that has landed. So it is easy, it would be easy just to blame the rule book. Mercedes. Have uh adapted well, McLaren have improved immensely, Ferrari have stayed competitive. Red Bull's problem is that the rules change and that their car didn't, basically, or the car hasn't responded to it as as well as and as a team they have not responded as well as their rivals have. So I would point more to that than Verstappen as a driver having an issue.
SPEAKER_02Does Verstappen's frustrations tell us more about Red Bull's current form or about the direction Formula One has taken this season?
SPEAKER_00Mostly this points to Red Bull's current form overall. I think Verstappen's frustration is completely understandable and given the high standards that he sets. But the more telling point all of this is that the other top teams don't seem to be suffering the same problems or to the same degree. Mercedes have won all three races. McLaren seem to be competitive and its potential they will remain competitive. Ferrari put Leclerc on the podium and they did put Lewis on the podium in China. So while the rules may have created a different sort of car that needs to be mastered, they seem to have a more specific problem than just the commit that came back to say our modern F1 is very weird now, which is the kind of the feedback that came back. So as far as they are concerned, the direction of Formula One is clearly influencing how these races unfold. But the results are something pointing to the fact that there is a there is a bigger issue with getting the car sorted under these new regulations. And they can't really hide behind the changes anymore. And the fact that Verstappen's frustrations are now being accompanied by by his standards, very weak results. So when a champion is angry but still winning, they call it intensity, which is what we saw last year from Verstappen. But when he's angry and qualifying 11th and finishing eighth, uh it starts to look like a team that's got a lot of issues qualifying.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'm um there's a significant technical difficulties on my end. So as a listener, if uh any of Mohan's questions cut out during the recording, you can blame me and let us know via our socials. Mohan, moving on to the most interesting point of this whole Grand Prix for me is the Oliver Behrman's crash. How much does this crash and the speed differential uh debate worry the FIA and the teams? And did Suzuka expose a bigger safety issue with the new era cars in traffic and closing speed situations? Now, just just for context, the graphics on the car weren't the telemetry wasn't working precisely when it happened, but I think it was Nico Holkenberg uh had a very similar movement um around that turn, so the speeds could be worked out. But it was about, correct me if I'm wrong here, 40 to 50 Ks faster than the car he was passing. Is that your understanding? That's right.
SPEAKER_00And uh the the the differential was about a sixth between the two cars. And I guess um if you were to put this in road car context, if you're traveling on a freeway and someone in front of you drops a sixth of their speed, you've got two choices. You've either you've got the option of running into them or taking evasive action. And in Bierwan's case, obviously he had no he obviously didn't want to run, it was called Pinter that it was in front of him. And um he obviously didn't want to run into him, he took evasive action. And at the speed that he was taking that evasive action, there wasn't a lot to do. So um he's his crash was just a lot more than just a simple it was a shunt. It was, I think the impact was reported as something like 50 G's. Um and uh overall the circumstances around it immediately triggered deeper concerns um because he was reacting to a much slower car. And there have been so much conversations and so much conjecture and so much concern raised from the player, the driver's association coming into this about closing speeds. Uh and so Go on, sorry. Go ahead. Um and so I guess this is why FIA were very quick to try and issue a clarification up to that. But sorry, you're about to ask me something.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so so this is something that I suppose that the for anyone who didn't see this or is unaware of this, this is a situation where Nicola Pinto's completely drained his battery from whatever's happened. Uh and this could also happen if somebody has a a battery failure, right? Uh so they've just lost that that boost ability. And then the Behrman's cars got like full battery power to be able to overtake. The the 40 to 50 kilometer difference, for context, when the DRS was enabled a few years ago, that was 10 kilometers difference. And that would allow the cars to quite easily pass another car in front. This is insane that the difference. It looked like, the vision looked like it was a car, it looked like BM's car's brakes had failed and the other car was just slowing down into the the the corner, which is not what was happening. But that's what it looks like given the the difference in speed. It's wild. It shouldn't, it shouldn't happen. And this is, yeah, for me at least, his concerns are huge.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. And then also if you look at, I mean, the Kalapinto's team wouldn't have had time to warn him to get out of the way either, basically. So the fact of so he was obviously on the on the for someone that was harvesting, he was on the wrong line. And Bierman obviously had little to no time to react. Suddenly, this guy is in front of him doing a sixth of a slower speed compared to him. And this exact crash has been talked about quite a lot. And we heard an interview after the race from Carlos Sainz, and he's the he's the head of the driver's association. And he pointed to the fact that they have had this conversation with FIA coming into this race and coming into the season, that this exact crash was likely to happen at some point. Um, FIA's reaction was to make a modification to qualifying, where they dropped the the power that was ever able to be harvested, and said, no, because the racing is exciting, we're not gonna leave the race, we're gonna leave the racing untouched. Whereas the driver's association has said, you need to fix both. It's not just qualifying that's got the problem, it's the race itself that's got a problem. So hopefully, in this month off, that there is something that is that is put into place to mitigate this risk again. Because this is gonna keep happening over and over again if if you're not careful, because the same situation is gonna come up where a car in front has lost power, they're harvesting another car at full power is gonna come around the corner and has got nowhere to go. And imagine if this happened at a tract like Baku or Singapore or where there's walls around you. Bierman was somewhat fortunate that there was a little bit of an escape route. Um, and if that impact happened on a on those circuits that we just talked about at that pace, the consequences would be catastrophic, basically. Uh, and so uh these are some of the things that it's interesting because we we talked about this previously, where State Fire has brought these new regulations in. Um, they have got feedback from teams and have got feedback from drivers on what works, what doesn't work. And at times it seems like there is almost regulation on the fly. Um and sort of let's see how this works out before we actually do something significant. But I think this is putting drivers and teams at risk. And this is this is, I think, I think Bierman was incredibly fortunate to walk away with a bruised knee out of this, given the impact that he actually had. And this is a pointer to a larger issue and a risk of this happening over and over again under something significant is done about it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, uh quite concerning. I feel like the FIA are going to walk away with uh many highs from this new formula, but a whole lot to think about with the the problems that have been that have arisen since it's we've started, and particularly as well, just the the not going, not being able to go flat out and qualifying is a whole nother it's a whole nother thing. So tell me Mohan, which teams leave Japan happiest overall? Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, or is there another team that would be happy with how they're traveling lower down the pecking order?
SPEAKER_00Uh for me it definitely has to be Mercedes. They got the win, they took the championship lead with Antonelli, and they reinforced the idea that they are the benchmark team under these deregulations. Even though George missed the podium, a victory and a fourth place at Suzuka is still quite an outstanding weekend when you think about it. Especially when your young driver leaves as the youngest championship leader in F1 history. McLaren probably leave this circuit as the second happiest team because of the progress that they have shown between China and here, and even Melbourne and here for that matter. PS3 was excellent. I think Norris did the team thing and contributed points to the team. For once, the conversation around McLaren was not where the pace has gone, but the fact that they have they actually found something here. This was quite a useful change in tone. And if they can carry that same momentum into Miami, they are going to be a genuine threat to Mercedes. Ferrari will live satisfied, shall we say, rather than ecstatic. Um Leclerc's podium was quite valuable. Hamilton's sixth was respectable, shall we say. And they were still competent enough to stay in that championship frame. But they definitely did own the weekend as such. And they did not look like the team with the clearest upward momentum. So Mercedes for me win this category quite comfortably. Um and McLaren, I think, are now edging Ferrari for that second position, momentum-wise.
SPEAKER_02So was this the race that truly confirmed Kimi as a genuine title contender? I know we talked about this last week, but uh is is this does this change things?
SPEAKER_00Sure. It's interesting. It's interesting what's happened in two weeks. And I think this conversation came up after China. And Toto and Kimi's father and everyone that around there was trying to play this down to say, yep, that's a fantastic result, but he's still too young. Let's see this happen a few more times before we get excited about it. However, I think the conversation on the flip side of this weekend has now started adding substance to that hype. And the hype has got a lot better, particularly when a young driver can put put together a big weekend where everything goes their way. He's now done it repeatedly and in different ways. And I mentioned before, this was a showcase of the fact that he can overcome adversity and still win the race, which is which is a massive thing for a young driver. Um, China, as you know, is about converting Paul into a win, and Japan was from about recovering from a bad start. Um so this range of skill, I said, I guess, is what suddenly has made people sit up and take notice and the fact that no, he could be a serious threat to this championship. Um sorry, go ahead.
SPEAKER_02No, no, continue.
SPEAKER_00Um so the numbers, I guess, matter matter as well. So he leaves Suzuka uh with a nine-point advantage over Russell. And if you'd asked me this two weeks ago, I wouldn't have said that. And given this is quite remarkable, given how this season was expected to be to begin, with Russell as the expected spearhead, I guess, in this team. Uh instead, it's actually teared around to the fact that Antony's the one actually, if you want to better better pun, driving the story. So, and he's done it with a lot of composure, and it it no longer feels like a novelty as such, the fact that he is a genuine contender here.
SPEAKER_02Well, is is the championship picture starting to take shape or is it still too early to read? I'm I think there's a lot more to come. The the the McLaren thing's shocked me beyond belief. But uh, but what about what are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_00Um, I think it's as a if you look at the overall championship, yeah, I think it's still too early. But there is a bit of an outline, I guess, appearing. At this stage, Mercedes, as you mentioned before, still the standard uh to be reached. Um and and Russell and Antonelli still look like the most credible title contender, shall we say? So behind them, McLaren look like a team that's likely to tighten that fight as the races go on. And Ferrari are still in touch. The thing we have to think about is these teams, obviously, it's three races into a 22-race season. There are a lot of changes and upgrades and adjustments that are going to come. And there are variety of circuits. We've also got, I think, four more sprint weekends, if I remember right. All of that has uh has got a factor to play into play into all of this and all the different conditions that have to be adopted. Uh, that while Mercedes are out front at the moment, it may not stay that way if the other teams actually catch up to them moving forward. The other tricky thing is the fact it's Red Bull, I think, as a team. If they if they remain in the current state, um Mercedes it'll it'll remain, it'll become a Mercedes-led contest a lot sooner than expected. But if they somehow manage to find a way to unlock their car, Verstappen is still Verstappen. And you know, nobody would want to ignore him for too long. The fact that he's one of the few people that can push a substandard car around the track, as we saw very much in last year's season. So the picture is taking some shape, shall we say, but there's still a lot of uncertainty uh ahead of us.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he certainly did do that last year. And I think with the new formula, there's always huge gains to be made quite quickly. So see what happens. Uh so heading into the long break before Miami. Uh what do you think of Miami, by the way, Mohan? And I've never been a fan.
SPEAKER_00Uh not really, I think, to be honest. I think it's it's for me a reflection of the of the of the American races, other than Vegas for that matter. Time, I think it also at times gets drowned in some of the hype and the pureness of the racing sort of seems to go out the window a little bit. So I think I think the American tracks, obviously, they're a they're a needed part of this sport, and they bring a lot of fans, a lot of money, and a lot of sponsorship, shall we say, into the sport. But as a spectacle, I must admit it's not uh it's not one of my favorite tracks from a racing point of view. But these these races are needed to to diversify the season, I guess.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think tracks without gradient are a serious concern. The fact it's in a parking lot is is just is silly. Yeah, I think that's that's one of the biggest problems. You know, it's uh these drivers are so competent that it's easy for them to calculate um, you know, on a flat track, uh the how much braking is required into a whatever turn and and whatnot. But you you add a you add that at the end of a fast downhill, tight corner, whatnot, in that situation, and things can get a little bit trickier for a driver. So um, yeah, it's they're just they're just so good. It needs to be a challenge. I think that's why Bahrain is is always so entertaining. Anyway, I digress. So tell me, who has the clearest momentum leading into this long break before Miami? Uh and more importantly, because we haven't touched on them yet, who has the most work to do?
SPEAKER_00Uh so for me, Antonelli as a driver and Mercedes as a team have the clearest momentum, without question. A back-to-back wings for Antonelli, another pole position. And the championship lead going into this break for me would be the ideal position to be in. So they have time uh to consolidate this, analyze why his starts have been vulnerable, shall we say? And come into Miami as the team everyone else has to beat and wants to beat. McLaren also headed to the break with a lot of optimism. Um, I think Piastri, the fact that he finally could get on track, was able to put together a weekend that looks very worthy of the team's expectations. Norris has contributed quite useful points. And the car overall looked a lot more alive than it had done in the preceding rounds. If they have found something fundamental rather than something that was specific to the Suzuka circuit, they could arrive in Miami truly believing that a win is actually realistic. On the flip side of that, to be in contention, I think the team with the most amount of work to do to try and get to that lead group is Red Bull. Verstappen's results in in Suzuka, including qualifying in the race, was bad enough on its own. But the car the bigger issue for them is that the car still sounds very difficult to drive. It's very inconsistent and very uncomfortable for both the drivers. And the bigger concern for them is how these new rules are interacting with the behavior of the car. So they actually go into this break with a lot more questions than answers. Uh, and then it'll be interesting to see how they come out of it in just over four weeks' time.
SPEAKER_02All right, Mohan. Um, I'm keen to start wrapping this up to see if this has recorded uh respectfully or not. Uh so I'll run through the driver's standings now. So Kimi Antonelli uh leaves Japan on 72 points, George Russell is in second on 63, Charles Leclerc in third on 49, Lewis Hamilton in fourth on 41, uh, Lando Norris uh in fifth on 25, and Oscar Piastri uh in sixth on 21 points. And in the constructor standings, Mercedes is uh leading with 135 points, Ferrari in second on 90 points, McLaren third on 46, and Huss still in fourth on 18 points. Mohan, your final thoughts, wrapping up, Suzuka.
SPEAKER_00For me, not just Suzuka, but these first three races, if you look at them as a block, I think what it points to the fact that these new regulations are are workable for the large part. And the fact that Mercedes are have been the team that has adapted uh best so far. But FIA in general needs to use this break to come up with measures to make the regulation safer. And the Bierman crash is should be a significant wake-up call for FIA. Um and whether they are able to put in measures to make it safer. Um, and we don't see that same incident happen again coming into Miami.
SPEAKER_02As long as I can drive in the rain, that would be my um my my caveat there. It's uh I can't stand these washed out events where they don't drive. I'm um I'm very Martin Brundle-esque on my opinion of that. But yes, certainly that what happened with um Bearman was scary to say the least uh and quite shocking as well. I kind of just didn't even think that was possible, um, as much as I'd uh semi-heard about it. So thank you, um Mohan. Do you want to shout out our socials for our listeners?
SPEAKER_00So our website is uh boxboxbox at uh.net.au, and that actually points you to our socials on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Any comments, questions, suggestions, debates you want to raise, please send it to us at info at boxboxbox.net.au. We welcome comments, welcome feedback. Please like, subscribe, share, and also send us suggestions for episodes to come. Uh the thing I also want to mention is the fact that uh yes, we will have a forced uh spring break, shall we say, of the next four weeks of regular racing. But never fear, we have actually got uh episodes lined up through our spin-off podcasts of uh Racing Rewind and F1 Decoded, which we'll be publishing uh in the weeks to come, and that should keep you entertained, hopefully, before we get to Miami.
SPEAKER_02And and look, the the the short answer is, you know, and the promise I can make, because it's uh not my obligation, is that you don't have to send us an email to get in contact. Uh just leave a comment on Instagram or anything like that, and Mohan will respond back. So I know normally comment sections are filmed filled with other people making comments, but I'm making this promise on behalf of Mohan that currently the traffic is so low he will get back to you. So feel free. Yeah, only the best for the listeners. So uh so thank you, thank you so much, Mohan. I'll see you with whatever we can kind of fill the void with next week. Same time, same channel. So we'll see you then. Thank you, Scott, and I hope you feel better soon. Thank you. Take care.