Montreal Recap

A full recap of the Montreal GP main race, covering the key battles, strategy calls and defining moments. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Box up, box, and a box, box, box.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Welcome to Boxbox Box, your friendly neighborhood Formula One podcast, bringing you all the latest news from the 2026 Formula One season. My name is Scott. I am joined with Mohan as always. How are you, Mohan?

SPEAKER_02 0:40

I'm very well, thank you. Nice to be talking to you on the other side of what was actually quite an exciting race on the weekend. Actually, exciting weekend overall, and a lot, very eventful weekend as well.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Yeah, it certainly was. So Canadian Grand Prix flew by sprint weekend as well, that's right.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

Uh that's correct, yes. So this is the first sprint uh that Montreal has hosted. So um it actually was another another way to showcase this track.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Right. So this race, very interesting race. I must say my wild prediction of having three drivers from three different teams on the podium came true. I got two of them. Um didn't quite get Lando up there. Kimmy instead should have known better than to doubt to doubt the form of Kimi Antonelli right now. What were your thoughts overall on this race? Because it was it's this is this highlights a this is this is this is a a breakout season for him. Like this is incredible.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Absolutely. And I think also for Mercedes-Benz as a team as well, and wasn't just in the main race, but also in the sprint, uh, as I mentioned in the in the sprint summary, they are just as a team with the upgrades they brought to this race as well, uh, have not gone so far ahead of the other teams. And I think they are playing catch-up at the moment, the the remaining teams. So it would be hard to beat them even as early as it is in the season, hard to beat them from a drivers' championship and a constructors championship at the moment, if they continue on this trajectory.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Before we uh go straight into the race, uh for anyone that didn't catch your your update podcast, could you just highlight the sprint and what happened in that?

SPEAKER_02 2:16

Um, so this was, I guess, uh a Mercedes 1-2 on on in qualifying and also a Mercedes 1-2 in the in this in the finish. The talking point actually was the the actual competition between George and Kimi on the track. Uh and uh one particular incident where it was deemed that George had actually run Kimi off the track. And by some strange reason, the stewards chose not to investigate it actually. And uh Kimi, obviously being a young, inexperienced driver, as much as his results would actually suggest, is actually quite was quite annoyed by it and kept complaining on the radio to the extent that Toto actually had to step in and tell him to be quiet because he it was starting to distract him from the race. And it's quite a puzzling decision from the Stewards' point of view because um uh they should be investigating any potential inter-team infringements as well as intra-team infringements rather than simply waiting for a complaint to be made from a particular team. And particularly if it's an intra-team infringement, the team's actually not going to complain. So it's up to the stewards to think, well, something's actually not right here. Whether there was a case to answer or not, uh, it's something that should have been investigated and has continued to be, even after the main race has actually continued to be quite a significant talking point. But it's also actually shown that uh the gloves are off basically, but across those two garages. The fact that no, they have been allowed to race. They did almost touch a couple of times, and there sort of everyone's hearts was in their mouths as to whether they would they would run each other off the track. Uh but from a spectator point of view, it actually made for a uh an amazing, amazing race to watch. And then it actually laid a really good foundation for the main race as well.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

It is it's something we've seen before, I suppose, where you have these team battles where the stewards don't investigate and it's uh Yeah, it's it's it is a it is a kind of a a weird space to be in. You know, given that if a a ten-second penalty for one of the one of the drivers might end up putting them further back on the grid and whatnot. So I I think that's probably the perspective that the the stewards would take on that. Uh you know, r d rather than you know the team would be happy with it, I guess uh uh all things considered. But it is right. By the by the letter of the law, you'd think they'd been investigating everything equally regardless of them being teammates or not. And th these things, uh these I mean, this battle obviously continued into the Canadian Grand Prix as well.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Uh and exactly, and they uh from from the first lap onwards actually were battling each other. And and as much as Kimi ended up winning that race, I think even he um he made the commit as much as he would take the win, he probably actually felt that it was somewhat of a a a bit of a hollow victory as well because of the fact that George DNF'd uh through no fault of his own. Uh but up to I think lap 28, they were just going one back and forth to each other and was great to watch. Um that unfortunately the power unit in George's car decided to to give up the ghost, basically.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

Well, did you think that uh Canada now confirms Kimi Antonelli as the driver to beat in 2026? Or was Montreal more about Mercedes' overall dominance than one driver's brilliance?

SPEAKER_02 5:22

Um, I think this is continued, I think a confirmation that he's now after four wins is definitely the the benchmark at the at the moment. And it's not just a matter of form. What he's actually showing is sort of championship level momentum, shall we say? What stood out in this race wasn't simply the result, but up until the point that George, George's car broke down, the fact that uh what Kimi showed was how he actually handled the pressure from George in the in that first half of that race. And he sort of looked like he actually had a sharper, sharper pace compared to George. And the fact that he stayed in the fight, attacked George at every opportunity, and also defended when he actually needed to. So this um I certainly certainly puts him up there as the benchmark to watch. But I would also say that uh as as per your comment, that it would be wrong to actually make this only about Kimi because I think Mercedes certainly had the strongest package across the weekend. Uh they were obviously able to lock out the front row uh and convert that into a good start, actually, in both the sprint and the and the main race. Uh and they are the were the team to watch. Uh behind them, uh Ferrari, I think, had a much better Sunday uh through through both those drivers. I think coming into this race, we did mention that uh one of the drivers and the teams that needs a big weekend is Red Bull and Verstappen. And I think certainly in the main race, Verstappen was able to present that. And not just him, but the fact that Hajar finished top five as well. Was uh all things considered, given the nature of their car, was a good result overall for Red Bull. Uh and hopefully that momentum continues for them.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Was Antonelli's fourth consecutive win his strongest statement yet? Or do you think that the George Russell retirement left the result feeling slightly unresolved?

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Uh, it was a strong win, but obviously not completely clean-cut in the way Miami or any of the previous victories have actually uh uh felt. Uh, George's retirement up to that point, he said Antonilly was certainly not cruising, and it was quite a proper internal team fight going across. Uh, they kept swapping positions, locking up, they were running quite close, almost touching at various points. So uh it was a major statement because Antonelli, regardless of what actually happened, he still had to win the race and he didn't actually lock it into the into the front of the of the grid. He he he was there from from the first lap onwards. And technically the two fastest drivers at the moment are from the from that Mercedes team. So it it does leave a bit of a what if though hanging over this whole race. And and if if Russell had continued the rest of the race, what that actually would have meant to in a final result. But I think the bigger takeaway in all of this is as upset as George's, there's more of a psychological uh battle, I guess, going on between these two drivers. More so on George's side, and certainly the interviews that have come through afterwards, you know, sort of five races into it, uh and it's sort of trailing by 43 points. He's almost seems to have thrown his hands up in the air and go, Well, that's my season done, rather than thinking that no, there is still another what 18 17 races left to catch up. So uh I think that's so it actually is an indication that Kimi's actually got into George's head.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Yeah, absolutely. I don't think he's ever been uh the strongest driver mentally. He doesn't seem to have that resilience when things aren't going his way. It's a very toys out the pram type. And and I think the the the issue uh you know that to have a to have a loss like that with the DNF. Do do we know why that happened, by the way?

SPEAKER_02 9:05

Was it because the car bottomed out over the grass or Yeah, no, it's actually uh the the electrical unit car died basically. So and now from what I actually understand it was a new one as well. Um and it just it just literally packed up. There was there obviously there'll be some certain serious investigations going on onto why that happened in George's car, not Kimmy's car, but uh that was it, basically the new power unit just died.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Yeah, and look, 18 races left uh or thereabouts. There's you know, Kimmy will have DNFs, you'd think, and you know, things would balance out. If George was winning races, this you know, he's he'll still win this championship. But it seems that, you know, he's uh for me, as soon as I seen that DNF happen, I thought I thought the exact same thing. I thought he's done. There's no way he doesn't have he's not the he's not the character to be able to bounce back from this. And I bet he'll my the smart money I think would be on him blaming everyone else except himself for the um situation he's in.

SPEAKER_02 9:57

So uh I might be being harsh on uh on him here, but uh he's uh No, I it's just I think form actually shows and and certainly what's come out of it at the other end of it and the interviews that I've seen afterwards. He was obviously quite quite down on himself and quite down on on the overall performance. Um but if you look at the flip side of that, the fact that Kimmy's um I mean the the he actually reminds me of what a young Max was. The fact that he drives with such a passion and such anger at times, uh that no, that that that's what you need at that level to to have that sort of passion to to race. And the fact that what was happening in the sprints race, he was so annoyed by it, and the fact that the team principal had to come and calm him down is is what you want out of a driver. You want them to be angry, you want them to be relentless, you want them to be uncompromising. Uh and unfortunately, that none of those are none of the kind of uh traits that I would use to describe George.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Definitely not, and I th I think he's probably struggling um significantly with being challenged for the number one driver spot. He's he seems to be somebody who really likes that power dynamic um within a team. So And he's kind of always had it really. Like he's he the the even those the seasons with Lewis, they um they I don't know, they went very fast and there wasn't really because of uh Mercedes struggled through that that period, it wasn't they didn't have this tension that they have now. So it might have been a bit different if they're at the front of the grid, but it was, yeah, just just messy seasons for them. So well tell me, how different would the race have looked if Russell's power unit uh issues hadn't ended this fight at the front? Do you think he would have came away with a victory here, or was it it was Kimmy just too good anyway?

SPEAKER_02 11:34

Uh I'm it's um it's unfortunate, I guess, that from uh not just from for Russell's point of view, but also from a from a race point of view, this if not for that, this could have actually been one of the one of the defining races of the season. Um they were the pair were going at it properly at each other properly up to that point. And obviously, you know, Russell had Paul, Antonelli had championship momentum, uh, but neither of them looked like they were willing to give an inch up to that point. You know, they were they were locking up their wheels, they kept swapping positions, the team, uh the engineers had to manage them quite carefully. If if indeed Russell had actually managed to stay at the distance, that final season, it would have been absolutely fascinating to watch. Uh, particularly not just how they would have battled out, or whether it would have also been interesting as to whether the Mercedes team would have allowed them to keep fighting, because they did cut there were a couple of close shaves in those in those battles, and whether they would have been asked to back off or ease up on each other a little bit to avoid both of them crashing out and to sort of guarantee a one to finish, regardless of who that one and two were. The other thing is also if they had continued on to it, given that Hamilton and Verstappen were not that far off behind them, they could have actually jeopardized their position and given a hand at those victories to Hamilton and Verstappen. So there was that as well. Um but unfortunately, it sort of changed the entire podium story. And as we mentioned, it's you know, three different drivers, three different teams ended up ended up on the on the podium. But the drivers further down the pack obviously gained from that reshuffle, particularly LeClerc, Hajjar, Colapinto, and Lawson. They were obviously able to push up further up into the points as well. So so definitely for George, it it wasn't just a lost win. I think it was this was actually a chance for him to reset the championship narrative, shall we say? And he certainly had the press, he certainly had the track position, he came off the line first, uh, and all of those factors actually were in his favor until that uh power unit failure.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

So did Mercedes leave Montreal looking unstoppable, or did this intra-team battle before Russell's retirement show there might still be pressure points within the team?

SPEAKER_02 13:50

If you're looking on a sort of pure performance, they were they were excellent. But what it does show is that there is a lot of tension within that team, particularly across the garages, in terms of who's who's the dominant driver in across those across those two garages. Uh, it was quite an intense battle. It wasn't a calm sort of one-two formation drive. They raced hard at each other, and they obviously their biggest challenges were each other. So uh what this shows actually is, I think though if you were to put all those factors aside, the fact that you know the the the capabilities, what happened to George's car actually does throw up a bit of a reliability issue for the Mercedes Power Unit. And that, particularly in a in a in a championship fight, and particularly where your biggest rival is the other driver on the other side of the garage, if that becomes a pattern in future races, uh, it could actually undermine their advantage that they currently have. But the one thing, actually, if you were to compare them to McLaren, for instance, they certainly have got their strategy sorted out, Mercedes do. And McLaren's strategy absolutely collapsed on race day. Uh, and unfortunately, Red Bull aren't consistent enough to be challenging Mercedes off the front. So Ferrari seem to be uh the closest challenges to Mercedes. So considering all of that, I think Mercedes are still clearly in the best position. Uh they just have to manage both the car and the rivalry between those two drivers going forward.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

And obviously, if we're talking about them as much as we have been, uh there's that shows the dominance really. Like the the fact that they were able to battle without any concerns of, you know, other than the hypotheticals that, you know, they might have slowed down enough somewhat to catch them. Yeah, they're they're sitting in a very good place right now, I think. Tell me, was Lewis Hamilton's second place a genuine Ferrari breakthrough, or was this more uh of a case of maximizing in a chaotic race?

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Uh I I think it actually felt like a genuine step forward for Ferrari as a team rather than just uh a lucky result or a fortunate result. Because Lewis still had to beat Verstappen on the track. And this actually was great to watch. We turned back the clock from a few years ago and to watch the two of them go at it. And obviously, they have both learned from previous experiences about how about leaving enough room for each other to do genuine overtakes. And that that battle alone was was worth watching actually, particularly later, late in the late in the race. I mean, Ferrari certainly did not have were not on sort of Mercedes level, but they were a lot more competitive than they have been in earlier races. And uh sort of no Hamilton starting fifth and then ending up second uh definitely was a was a was a move forward for them overall as a team. So and um, you know, it's uh he still was able to finish about a half a second ahead of Vestappen uh and had to keep defending his line. So it wasn't just a fortunate victory as such. So hopefully this actually gives Ferrari as a team uh a significant amount of belief going into the remainder of the season uh that they may not necessarily be the fastest team, uh, but they can certainly challenge for podiums going forward.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

And how important was Hamilton's Montreal podium for his confidence and credibility within Ferrari?

SPEAKER_02 17:02

Um definitely hugely important, but coming into the race, and certainly the interviews that I've seen of Lewis he's he's genuinely in a different mode. He's a lot more upbeat. Uh he's talking about how much he's enjoying driving, and he can see himself staying in the sport for for much longer. He's obviously got the the health and the fitness to to keep doing that. And I think that's you know, it's um uh the one thing we know is any any move, anyone joining Ferrari comes with a lot of scrutiny, and it's it's such an intense scrutiny that it goes under. Uh and he felt last year that he was being weighed down by that scrutiny, but this year he seems to have come through it, and thankfully for him, the team is able to deliver him a car that is competitive. And we are seeing the old Lewis back again, basically. The fact that you know he's having a great time out there driving, it is showing in his results. He's not consistently bringing in podiums, and the fact that, you know, he he's that as I mentioned before, the actual race between Hinry and Voltappen was great to see. Um, and you know, it's it certainly turned back the clock to the Lewis of old.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

Well, moving on to Max then, did his podium represent real progress for Red Bull, or are they still lacking the pace to properly challenge Mercedes and those other teams at the front of the grid?

SPEAKER_02 18:24

Uh I think it shows a certain level of progress, but it's not enough progress to actually show that Red Bull as a team are back in the fight with Mercedes. Um obviously third place was very valuable. Uh it was Max's first podium for the season, and it's I think he's one of the longest teams he's had without a podium in recent times. But what it did also still highlight is that Red Bull actually has got a massive gap still to close uh to uh to Mercedes in particular. And I mean the podium came about largely through through Max's driving style as well, because he did position himself uh quite smartly in the early chaos that actually ensued. And he pushed Lewis all the way to the finish line, basically. So uh he certainly did not have enough pace to challenge Kimi up the front, but I think it was um definitely enough for him to cement that third position. The more encouraging sign also was for encouraging for Red Bull was also Isaac Hajjar's result. The fact that uh he finished fifth even after a 10-second penalty that he served uh during the race. So that actually meant that uh thing we have been calling for from Red Bull is the fact that both cars are delivering points, and if they want to be competitive, both those cars have to consistently deliver points, and that's what we were actually able to see. And the fact that they had a package that was good enough to to deliver points for for both of them on the weekend.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Well, deserted a penalty, you think, trying to end uh Charles Leclerc's career?

SPEAKER_02 19:53

I think so actually, because uh it was interesting to watch, and I'm a uh he he he was uh coming off the racing line quite it wasn't just once, it was several times to to you could see it and and he kept changing direction. Was it Leclair or Hamilton behind him? It was Leclerc, yeah. And uh he kept changing direction uh incorrectly when instead of leaving the correct space and and changing direction quite late, actually, which one is quite a dangerous move, but also it's not uh legal, shall we say? So he I think he was certainly uh certainly he he he was it was it was uh a worthy penalty.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

So yeah, it was scary to say the least in those higher speed sections. Absolutely. Yeah, anyway, he's still new or learned from that. Tell me on Charles Leclerc, his fourth place, solid Ferrari recovery. I would have thought. Oh well, I would have thought, but do you believe that, or is it a missed opportunity on a weekend where the podium was in reach for within reach for him?

SPEAKER_02 20:46

Uh it was obviously a solid result, uh, but it he he he probably would leave Montreal feeling that that could have been a bit more. They certainly had the pace as a team, and going by Lewis's result, for instance. Uh so he I think Le Clerc finishing, I think he finished more than half a minute behind the podium. Uh, he sort of it's it actually says that you know he didn't fully unlock the potential of that car. Admittedly, part of that came from the traffic and the race circumstances. And as I mentioned before, he did lose quite a bit of time trying to fight Hajar and was clearly frustrated as well at at one stage during the race, which probably could have played into his uh driving style. But that that battle was only one instance of the things that he actually had to uh had to confront. So Forth is not a not a disaster by any means, and you know, it certainly brings in strong points from a constructor's point of view, and particularly on a day where McLaren scored no points as well. Um, but I think he could potentially feel like he missed a podium there as well, and the fact that no, that could have been a lot more coming away from this weekend.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Well, yeah, let's move on to McLaren. Tell me about their weekend. You know, bad luck, poor execution. Or is this a a worrying sign for them that their momentum stalled? Uh obviously. The the the tire gamble didn't pay off at all. So what are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_02 22:04

Well, the thing to actually think about is the fact that I think obviously look at the weekend as an overall. I don't think it is a template loss as a weekend because they did have a reasonable result in the sprint. It was um a strategic decision, I guess, at the start of at the start of the main race, that they were the only ones on Inters starting off. And and even Oscar came on the radio during the formation lap and said, This is wrong. This is wrong basically. We need to be on slicks.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

Sorry, sorry to jump in, Mohan. How does that happen exactly? It's not like they're a team that's, you know, you've seen, I suppose, you know, Alpha Tory in the past or, you know, or whatnot, the these the smaller teams where they're they've they would go extreme with strategy because that that there's a huge payoff because they're only going to end up, you know, 10th, 11th on the grid at the end anyway. Uh how does that happen for a team that's front-running like this?

SPEAKER_02 22:50

Uh yeah, actually it's interesting because the interesting fact is obviously there was a bit of rain before the race, and just about every team was considering going out on interest at one point, but the rain eased long enough that the track dried out a certain amount. But there was still a bit of water on the track. The thing was I remember seeing an interview with Toto and the fact that they came very close themselves to starting on interest, but at the literally at the last minute changed their minds, as did every other teen except McLaren. But McLaren decided to stick with the inters. The interesting thing also is the fact that they sent both drivers out on interest rather than saying, we'll we'll try one drive out on inters and one on Slicks and see what works best and swap them over. So they undid themselves completely by sending both out and perhaps uh not being reactive enough to listen to the feedback from the drivers that early in the race to say this is not gonna work, basically. And it it turned into a complete mess. And so they they instead of getting some points at at least out of the race, they came away with no uh zero points and a race that literally unraveled from the start. So uh I mean Norris certainly looked briefly spectacular at the start, but once the tired decision had to be corrected and they had to come into they had to come into sort of recovery mode, that was effectively the end of the race. And Piastri's 10-second penalty when he when he crashed into Albound, it's a penalty that actually wouldn't have occurred uh in other circumstances because he wouldn't have been that far down in the in the pack. Uh, he would have been battling up the front. So he wouldn't have been in that traffic to begin with, but just to begin with. So this is another factor that through that that uh affected their weekend as well. That that entire decision quite puzzlingly basically affected the entire reason. What actually the the bigger issue out of all this is actually is momentum, is the fact that they seem to be up to coming up to Montreal, but slowly uh perhaps playing catch-up to Mercedes, but they were catching up, you know, they have thread after those last couple of races, right? Yep. So so they've given away some of that momentum, uh, and it's given away a lot of points, both from a driver's and a constructor's point of view, uh, which uh which is which could be quite telling come the end of the season. So it is quite a brutal outcome, I think, for them as a team, um, particularly for a team that expects to be fighting up the front. And quite positive, there's obviously a lot of soul searching that's going to be going on at the team as to why they made the decision and why they made the decision for both the drivers the same uh and did not listen to the feedback from the drivers.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

Yeah, I suppose, you know, a lot to lose for a team uh to take that gamble. Uh my next question was going to be how costly, asking how costly that tire strategy was. Do you have anything else you want to want to add to that before we move on?

SPEAKER_02 25:33

Uh yeah, I I would the only thing I would probably think is I'm I'm obviously I've tried to try to make sense of this is the fact that, you know, they they've probably just overthought it, I think, at the end of the day. So the conditions were certainly tricky, uh, but certainly not wet enough to to justify committing both the cars. The interesting thing is that these margins are so very, very fine. And and as as observers, we think there are big gaps in all of this. Uh, all it would have taken was a little bit of rain, and they would have been justified in the decision, and they would have looked like the smart ones at the end of the day, and everybody else would have been playing catch-up. So that is they would have balanced it out as well at the end of the day. But this is what these teams are set up for to make quick decisions, to think on the fly, and to be reactive promptly, basically, which they weren't.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Yeah, I guess the only the only difference would have been that if if they they did have egg on their face and they did look like fools, at least they would have been surrounded by another, you know, nine, ten teams that look like fools rather than being isolated. So anyway, no risk, no reward either. So it's uh you know, like you said, it would have look like heroes if and geniuses if they had pulled it off. But anyway, there's there's uh 18 races left. So tell me, uh did Oscar Piastri's penalty and Lando Norris's retirements and did they make this McLaren's most damaging weekend of the season so far? Or yeah, should have been worse races, really?

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Uh I think so. I think to be honest, for this is uh it's it's up there, and particularly given the the two DNFs early in the year uh as well. So this is this is a a continuation of that. And as I mentioned before, it comes at a very unfortunate time for them at a at a point where they were building pace, they were building, they were building momentum as a team. Uh, and it's almost like reset that momentum going into Montreal, basically, which is a difficult track to regain that momentum. And then as I mentioned before, Piastri should not have been in that position to begin with, where he discarded the collision. Normally he wouldn't have been anywhere in the in in that part of the of the of the grid. And Norris's retirement then compounded the entire entire process as well. He had shown a lot of potential up to that point, particularly with the with the new regulations and how he was able to leap off the start. Uh, but I think this is this could actually be telling come come into the season, this and earlier DNFs in the year as well, where they have left a lot of points on the table and almost handed those points to to their rivals.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Very interesting. We know how much rain affects races, but you know, the the threat of rain obviously has influence as well, which is quite an interesting concept. You know, things aren't just black and white, right? So how much did the threat of the threat of rain influence the team decisions here, even though the race never became the the fully wet weather lottery that some people expected? Yeah, it's interesting actually.

SPEAKER_02 28:22

This this threat on its own, it sort of made it a bit of a lottery uh from a from a decision point of view. Uh and we know sort of this is this this weather pattern is what makes Montreal reasonably, uh reasonably tricky circuit normally. They're not just racing the track, they're sort of narracing the forecast as such. It was quite cold as well, in add in addition to that, it wasn't just uh the threat of rain. So it was uh I think the team that was most punished by this, as we mentioned, is is McLaren. And uh it backfired on them immediately. So it's uh the weather alone, I guess it's it's it's not a factor in all of this, but how they actually read that is is can be quite costly, as we have seen here. But for the for the rest of the uh the grid, the other conditions actually mattered as well. It was quite a gusty circuit, the cold tires, even for the drivers up the front. I know Mercedes were giving feedback to to George up front in the early stages of several laps into the circuit, how cold these tires actually still were. Um and uh the it was making for not quite a lot of slippage in the braking zones. So all of this collectively actually put a lot of uncertainty into how these cars actually started. But as I mentioned before, it actually can be quite a massive lottery that the teams have to play with.

SPEAKER_01 29:41

And this this goes from like a macro to micro kind of scale, right? Like so it's not just the the you know, the genuine tire change uh that that or child or a tire choice, I should say. But you know, the the the timing of pit stops, potentially expecting rain coming, the the management of tires from the drivers themselves, um, depending on if they believe rain's on the horizon and whatnot, all these things play a part, right?

SPEAKER_02 30:06

Absolutely. And if you look at um McLaren's case, the fact that they effected by having to come in one or two laps into the race, they effectively wasted a pit stop, you know what I mean? So that that they could have been normally served further down the down the number of laps in that sense. And so that's that's a massive part of it. And the fact that they never caught up after that. There was there was really no everyone has so far aided them at that point. That they were they they didn't have the ties, even um there was talk about whether they could make the mediums last for the rest of the race, which is not possible. And that was they were almost desperate at that point, I guess, in a sense. So um, yeah, no, it's it's the fact that you're you're immediately disadvantaged in those situations.

SPEAKER_01 30:45

What's the name of the circuit again, Mohammed, before I butcher it? Gilles Villanov.

SPEAKER_02 30:48

Jill Vill Gilles Villanov. So this is Jacques Villanov's father. Uh, it was named after him. And uh he actually died quite young, from what I remember. So not not on the racetrack, but uh from there's actually a lot of conjecture and talk about the fact that he was how better a driver he was to the sun. And uh and that Jacques was quite a fortunate world champion back in the days.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

That's awful. Well, we should we should actually break down some of these um classic drivers at some point in time. But the do the did the the circuit Jules Villanueva uh once again prove why uh it produces unpredictable races with heavy breaking zones and the uh this strategy jeopardy and the constant risk of mistakes. Is it is it did it live up to expectations?

SPEAKER_02 31:31

Uh it certainly did, and I think it did what this this circuit does classically, and that it just creates pressure. It's the type of circuit that just creates a lot of pressure. So uh the straights are long, the braking zones are quite heavy, the margins are very narrow, the walls are reasonably close, and so that no small errors can get amplified very, very quickly. So we saw this everywhere in the race. There were no a lot of lockups between the Mercedes drivers up front, uh, Piestri hitting Alburn, Norris running over the glass, over the grass, Leclerc sliding at one point, uh, multiple virtual safety cars uh that that turned up. It's it's it certainly it certainly showed uh what this this track is meant to be in a in a classic sense. It also, I guess, highlights the it's a kind of track that highlights that you have to have a lot of confidence under braking. And Hamilton's pass on on Verstappen outside on the outside of turn one was the absolute highlight to watch. And it's sort of it's the kind of circuit that rewards that kind of bravery, but it also at the same time, if you it can actually punish overcommitment as well, which we did see uh in quite a few instances. Uh the midfield actually showed some of that as well. So Hajar was actually quite aggressive, uh, and obviously uh in in parts where he shouldn't have been as well, which he got penalized for. Color Pito had a overall a good race, he was quite composed. And Lawson, Gasly, and Bierman actually had good races overall as well. So it wasn't just a front of the field race. Um there was quite sort of key moments in the midfield as well that sort of created stories all the way along the grid. And that for me, I think, is why this track remains such a strong race on the calendar overall.

SPEAKER_01 33:09

It's certainly one of my favorite circuits on the calendar, and it's yeah, I I think it's probably one of the best circuits outside of Europe. So tell me. The only thing that was missing, I think, is that no one put it into the world of champions. Yeah, I was actually gonna ask that. Yeah. Well, tell me, after Canada, uh, is the championship already tilting heavily towards Antonelli and Mercedes? Uh or is there still enough uncertainty to keep Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren in the fight? Remembering last year that we said it was wrapped up from I think week four almost. Um and to have Max uh within two points at the end was unreal. How are you seeing this one? You know, new formula, so things can change drastically. What what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02 33:50

Uh I would say it's tilting towards Antonillion Mercedes at the moment, but it's certainly not over. I mean, uh a 43-point lead, yes, it's significant, but it's it's in round five. There's still another 17 rounds, potentially an 18th if they manage to get Saudi in there somewhere. Uh but it but it does come at the back of it is is uh four consecutive wins and good wins at that, basically. It's not it's uh they haven't been fortunate wins. I mean admittedly Montreal was somewhat fortunate, I suppose, but he has had to still fight up there. I I certainly I think it it you cannot call it finished by any means. The issue I think comes back to, and I think currently Antonelli's biggest rival is George, but it comes back to what we talked about before. It does come back to George's mentality as well. I mean Verstappen adrift at 104 points is very different to George being a drifter of 43 points. You know what I mean? The two different people, two different people. You'd look at Verstappen and think, yep, he's gonna close that gap, no problem. And has got the drive, uh, pardon the pun to actually to close that gap. So definitely I think it's tilting towards Antonelli. Uh not just the fact that we've mentioned this before, it's the fact that he's it's just the way he's his behavior, the way he's driving, he's having so much fun out there, and he's being allowed to to it to um showcase his talents and to express himself on the track as well. Um so all of that I think it it means that it's it's a definitely tilting in that direction, but I don't think it's over by any means. And it's there are, I mean, teams like Ferrari and McLaren in particular, once they get it together, actually are gonna keep challenging. And all these teams moving forward have got more upgrades to come. All of those drivers in those teams are capable of putting on wins. So you've got you've got to factor in all of that, all of that potential uncertainty that sits in the background as well, that could dictate the final story.

SPEAKER_01 35:40

Heading into Monaco Mohan, who leaves Montreal with the most momentum and who leaves with the biggest questions to answer?

SPEAKER_02 35:49

Uh for me, that I would actually say there's two drivers that actually leave this track with momentum, and they're Antonelli for his fourth consecutive win, but also Lewis, I mean, I think his second place, and particularly with uh with the late overtake on Verstappen, is exactly the kind of result that can actually lift a team and drive a combination. And and it's certainly showing in Lewis's attitude in general. I think uh a driver like Carla Pinto definitely deserves a mention. And him coming in sixth with Alpine and Gasly eighth, I think made it made for a strong day overall for that team. Red Bull and Racing Bulls, obviously their results were valuable, but their work is hard far from done, basically. I think uh there's a lot more to be done. Williams seemed to be slowly getting the act together. I think science is actually uh showing a lot more promise and the fact that they are getting to the bottom of the issues with this car that was at that was at the start of the start of the year. The biggest questions, I guess, are definitely for McLaren, given what happened at Montreal. Definitely for George from a mentality point of view, and the fact that they can keep his head for the rest of it as well. Uh, I think those those things are what we take into Monaco. The other part, I guess, we take into Monaco is the fact that five races so far, and they have all been five distinctly different tracks that have showcased different aspects of these new regulations. And Monaco is another part of that puzzle, basically, completely different track, very hard to overtake, very close involves, and the kind of race there where qualifying is more important than the race itself, that being on that front row of the grid could could literally mean the difference between between winning and losing a race. So this is another another situation where it's interesting to see how these new regulations play out on a different track altogether. And all these overtakes and passes that we have seen on the other tracks may not materialize in Monaco due to the nature of the track. But it'll be interesting to see how it actually plays out uh over that weekend.

SPEAKER_01 37:55

Yeah, very interesting, especially from a just a yeah, a mental and psychological perspective at a at a track like Monaco. I do uh I don't know if you remember the quote, I can't quite remember it when Nikita Mazapin was first going around Monaco and he was on the radio screaming, telling them to leave him alone. He's driving at Monaco. What do they expect kind of thing? Like it was just given the uh given the the the difficulty of the circuit. So to see Kimmy at at at this track, um that's uh that that's that's something I'm very looking uh very much looking forward to. And I think the the big thing with Kimmy that we've talked about before is he has backing from Toto, which is I'd almost say is very similar to Valkyrie Bottas. Like it's it's uh it's this uh this this this fathering type relationship, bringing this individual through. Um and and I think with Toto's help, Kimmy is gonna very much likely have an amazing career. Um whereas I don't think George had that relationship with Toto.

SPEAKER_02 38:46

So it's uh it's uh it's actually even showing in the fact of he, I think Toto also recognizes that you know Kimi has definitely got that exuberance of youth and and can be quite hot-headed in that situation as well, which is again what you want from a driver as well to some extent. Um, that Toto is able to calm him down very quickly. And I've seen, not even in this stress, I've seen other situations where the two of them are chatting in the garage, and Kimi's actually had to almost apologize to Toto for certain decisions that he's made, but Toto's actually turned around to him and said, No, keep doing that. That's what I want you to keep doing. Do it this way, have that confidence, be confident in what you are doing. And just literally, as you said, like a parent, just put his arm around him and say, No, just just keep doing it. But if you step out of line, I'm gonna pull you into line, basically.

SPEAKER_01 39:33

Yeah, and there's plenty of mentors in the grid. I know that you know Oscar Piastri has uh Mark Weber in his corner. But it doesn't, it's it's it's it isn't quite the same as having someone like Toto Wolf who's running the team at the time. Um he can fully protect Kimmy from anything untoward, and he's not only that, he's the he's he's one of the most respected individuals in F1 racing. So uh it's it doesn't you couldn't have anyone you couldn't you couldn't ask for anyone better in your corner, really. So uh any last thoughts on the Canadian Grand Prix Mohan before we move on?

SPEAKER_02 40:06

Uh I guess it was more the the racing itself, anyone who hasn't seen the race, I would I would totally recommend watching the the full race because uh uh a lot of those passes and a lot of the battles, not just at the front but in the middle as well, was very was fascinating to see. Uh, to the point that it was actually even if the battle between Lewis and Verstappen was quite relentless, and from a racing point of view, it was great to see. Uh, and it and all it sort of quietens down a lot of that Mario Kart conversation basically, because you just saw some genuine racing, genuine defending from drivers as well. Um, and so all of that put together, and and this track is the perfect was the perfect track to showcase all of that. And and you know, it it it uh looking forward to the rest of the season even more from after that.

SPEAKER_01 40:51

All right, well, we'll move on to uh moving through the driver's standings. So after the Canadian Grand Prix, uh Kimi Antonelli leads the standings with 131 points. That's four wins and five podiums, by the way. Uh George Russell in second on 88 points, uh, Charles Leclerc in third on 75, Lewis Hamilton in fourth on 72, Lando Norris in fifth on 58. Might be worth mentioning that he is his teammate, Oscar Piastri is in sixth on 48 points. Into the constructors, uh Mercedes in first place on 219 points, Ferrari second 147, McLaren in third on 106, Red Bull in fourth on 57, and Alpine in fifth on 35. Mohan, are you looking forward to the next race?

SPEAKER_02 41:38

Uh definitely I am actually. And also just to take up the note on on the point is the fact of this Mercedes, particularly from the constructors' point of view, are starting to put a massive margin between them and the rest of the pack. Uh I think it's over almost what is it, uh almost about 70 points at this stage. That, you know, a bit like what happened with McLaren last year, come middle of the season, they could have the constructors pass on up very quickly.

SPEAKER_01 42:00

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's that's um that's something we can definitely lock in a lot quicker than the driver's standings, that's for sure. Oh, sorry, the driver's champion, that's for sure. So uh Mohan, do you want to shout out our socials for the listeners?

SPEAKER_02 42:11

Social handle is boxboxbox AUS, uh, which is on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok. Uh, our website is also boxboxbox.net.au. Please like, subscribe, and send us your feedback as well. Send us any questions that you'd like us to answer. Uh, please also check out our spin-off podcast, which is uh Racing Rewind, where we look at classic races and classic seasons, and we're currently exploring the 2003 season. Uh also fun decoded series which looks at uh the technical aspects of Formula One. We'll try and try to put a lot of these uh complicated matters into Splain Speak as much as we can. Uh, but all of our podcasts are available on the on the Box Box Box main uh main main platform. And we are available on any pop known podcast platform. Um please like, subscribe, and share.

SPEAKER_01 43:03

That's right. And it's uh there's a spectrum of racing out there. Uh there's there's quality and there's and not so much quality. And uh on the weekend, the uh second annual Oskameyer Weenie 500 took place at Indianapolis. Did you see this, Mohan? I didn't actually. I did hear about it, though. So for any listeners out there, if you want uh to see probably the the most ridiculous thing you'll ever see on four wheels, it only goes for about eleven minutes, I think, so uh or half an hour, something like that. So yeah, they don't go very fast, I can tell you that. So um but it was actually worth watching, so anyway, worth a worth a go. I guess we'll wrap it up there. Uh anything else want to come from you?

SPEAKER_02 43:40

Uh yeah, no, we'll speak to again ahead of the monocle video preview for that. But I'm also gonna look up from uh spin-off episodes of the coming up as well.

SPEAKER_01 43:50

Absolutely, we'll try and update you when we can with just whatever other news is happening in the F1 space, but uh until then uh we'll see you same time, same channel. Thank you for joining us.