Box Box Box
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.
Box Box Box
Altitude, Speed and Austrian Stakes
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The Styrian hills are calling as Formula 1 heads to the Red Bull Ring. We preview the key battles, challenges and storylines ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Welcome to Foxbox Box, your friendly neighborhood Formule One podcast. My name's Scott. I'm joined with Mohan. How are you, Mohan?
SPEAKER_02I'm good, thank you. Uh nice to have the the weekend off in the middle before we head to Austria and uh continuation of the remend of the European bloc.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Uh you know, Mohan, I was reading about old radio techniques, and one of the techniques was to repeat the subject quite explicitly. So you you know, to to repeat what you're saying over and over again, like I've just done. And I figured that I stutter so much when I ask you questions, I probably cover that off.
SPEAKER_02No, I think I said actually the fact of it's like uh the technique I got taught about trying to remember pi people's names, and I'm very bad at doing that normally. And the fact that I often say if someone introduces them, you you go, ah, hi, John, or what it is. That's a it's it's a sure by fire way to remember their name.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well it's interesting because I suppose when you're listening to a podcast or radio or whatnot, you're usually doing something else. And there's times where if it's something quite technical, I always skip back. Uh so to have somebody repeat something, it's uh it's interesting. I don't know if I have the intellectual capacity to actually actively add that into the way I'm speaking, but interesting nonetheless. So moving back to F1, uh are you excited for this weekend?
SPEAKER_02I am actually, and I think uh well, one I as a track I love it. It's it's probably one of my favorite tracks, actually. But given the the state of where this season sits at the moment, and this is the the challenges that are coming from the top teams and Red Bull struggles, and particularly given this is kind of a home race for them. I think this actually it makes for a very interesting weekend, and also it introduces another sprint race into the mix. So uh that always brings with it extra challenges of only having the single practice session. So overall, yeah, absolutely. Now, like you have even a week off, you go into withdrawal of not having something to us, I think so.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I actually didn't know this was a sprint weekend. So is it how many sprint weekends do we have left? Uh there's two more, I think, if I remember correctly.
SPEAKER_02Uh let me now put the shady layer. Because I think there's six altogether, if I remember correctly.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_02And there's definitely number four, if I remember correctly. Yeah, I'll put the shadow later. A significant change from when we started, we only had a couple, right? That's right. Yeah, no, it's it's actually gone, but it's kind of bunched into um so yeah, we've had three so far already, and there's three to come. So there's When's the last one?
SPEAKER_01Is there sorry, my mistake.
SPEAKER_02Sorry, no, Australia's not a sprint weekend. I apologise. I'm thinking of uh Silverstone, I've jumped a week ahead.
SPEAKER_01That's fine. That means there's no corrections to be issued. Absolutely, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh good.
SPEAKER_01Covered it now.
SPEAKER_02Silverston and then the Dutch Grand Prix, and then Singapore is the final sprint weekend.
SPEAKER_01Okay, sounds good. All right, well, let's dive in. Mohan, tell me which team and driver carry the most momentum into Austria. Uh, and can they maintain it at the Red Bull Ring? Now, normally it's pretty obvious because Kimmy's been doing so well he has the momentum, but what about now after our the last uh the Spanish Grand Prix?
SPEAKER_02Uh I think Lewis, you actually have to say Lewis carries the the strongest as strongest individual momentum into this race. Uh with uh second place in Canada and also um, you know, uh sorry, uh and uh winning here in uh second place in Canada and Monaco and also winning here. And also taking a chunk of Antonelli's lead at the moment in terms of the driving driving championship, drivers championship, uh reducing that gap to only 41 points. And Ferrari have actually improved the car through a a series of upgrades that has that has given him a machine that is able to challenge at the top. So I think both as a team point of view and also from an individual point of view, I think it's Ferrari and Lewis overall. I think a team like Red Bull, for instance, I think they they bring to this race uh a series of different challenges, uh different demands compared to where they've actually been, and a lot of work to be done on their part. But uh also to see whether uh Mercedes can actually turn the the result of Barcelona around and actually get ahead of the reliability issues that they have had.
SPEAKER_01Does a short high-speed layout of this this is a fantastic track, by the way? Uh does a short high-speed layout favor Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, or Red Bull, do you think?
SPEAKER_02Um certainly in terms of form in this season, they remain the benchmark. And which team, sorry? Uh Mercedes, sorry. Mercedes, yeah. Mercedes, yeah, absolutely. But having won what is it, the first six, six of the six of the Grand Prix so far. And they're obviously leading both the constructors and the drivers' championship at this point of view. So they I think overall it actually it favors them. The the nature of the circuit as well, I think uh it it it does test a lot of the power delivery and traction. And the with the downhill corners, particularly the uphill part of that actually does test that part. And the downhill corners do sort of uh test that the the high-speed stability that that needs to be there. So I think that that mixture makes Mercedes the logical starting favorite, but definitely not an automatic one, and particularly given the reliability issues that they've actually had. Um I I I think they it's something for them to prove. But again, um we have had all of the races that we've had so far, that they are very distinctly different circuits that have all tested different aspects of these new regulations. And the Red Bull Ring is one more of those, basically. It it it's gonna test a whole different series of factors within the cars and the driver's abilities to handle uh the changes, the new technology, and all of that. So it'd be interesting to see how they adapt to this particular circuit. So in terms of uh recent history, uh McLaren actually have quite a lot of quite a strong recent history, and particularly Norris actually, I think he's he won his he had his first podium there in 2020. Uh he came back to that podium in 21 and led uh Piastri home uh in a 1-2 in 2025. So they have a lot to prove as to whether they can repeat those performances. And then someone like Verstappen, given given um his association with uh with this particular circuit, uh, he holds the record of five wins on this track. Um, and whether he can actually, whether Red Bull can give him a reliable car that he can actually put uh not just on the podium but actually win. So I think each of these teams have got different aspects that are favored by this track. But definitely amongst all of them, Mercedes are the benchmark.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, have you uh have you seen the the the logo, the red bull ring, how it actually incorporates the track itself?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, truly. No, it's it's uh amazing piece of art, art, shall we say.
SPEAKER_01I don't know how they look at that, how they look at that track and go, that looks like a G, but they've made it work. It's true. It's pretty impressive. And turn four, the reason I was looking at it is because I was looking at the track map. Turn four is obviously the that's probably the the corners most notorious for very interesting overtakes and runoffs because it's at the end of that downhill slope, right?
SPEAKER_02Yes, absolutely. No, not true. The way they've actually made it right, the way they've managed to incorporate it, that is amazing.
SPEAKER_01So Yeah, and there's a couple of very interesting layouts that this track uh has as well. But it's it's as far as the the F1 calendar's concerned, it's it's almost like a a go-kart track in a way. It's fantastic. The whole thing's just uh it's hard to believe it's so good. Uh but even even turn three when they get to the top of the hill and yeah, and and at the bottom of that hill. And then and then that's the whole that used to be the DRS zone, right? That that that straight. That's correct. Yep.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, it's interesting actually with the with the new technology, how that translates on race weekend.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, and and turns nine and ten were kind of turns that you could never really overtake in. That's the coming back into the pit straight. Uh there was always talk that it could be done, but it was you'd almost never see it. So um it's yeah, it's a fantastic, fantastic track, though, anyway. But so tell me, can Max or Sappan and Red Bull deliver uh a breakthrough result at their home circuit, do you think? Or I know that you know there's no home field advantage, doesn't really translate too well into Formula One, but is it do they do they have any sort of advantage here?
SPEAKER_02Um I think they are starting to show signs of uh being competitive, and certainly Max's uh third in uh Canada and also qualifying second in Monaco, where he missed the poll by I think something like 40,000th of a second. And finishing fourth in in Barcelona seems to be a gradual demonstration of competitiveness of that car, but they still have quite a significant gap to close to Mercedes and Ferrari at this point in time. So um I mean, having said that, this track has has been one of Verstappen's best venues that he's actually, as I mentioned before, he has won five races here and claimed four, I think four consecutive pole positions between 21 and 24. So for him, given the history on this target and given his talent, this I think a podium here is quite a credible target to aim for, uh, particularly if he's actually able to qualify near the front again. But a win is a whole different thing. And I think they would have to overturn the advantage that currently Mercedes and Ferrari hold in that respect. So I think it might be a case of smaller target of a podium first before they think about a win here.
SPEAKER_01He did get a win here back during Mercedes dominance uh in the hybrid era. I think it was 20, maybe 2019, 2018. It was one of his earlier victories, which was rare to see. And I think how we've talked about these kind of if there is a home field advantage in in F1, it's more about the famili uh drivers being familiar with the track. You know, the the crowd isn't going to sort anything out there for them. But yeah, as far as being familiar with the track and having tracks that suit the drivers, Max is definitely at home here. Uh so will Mercedes' reliability concerns affect how aggressively they approach this weekend, do you think? Uh I I think it's a genuine concern on their part.
SPEAKER_02And sort of no they've they've recorded sort of no two retirements in the in the last two races, and but in the last three races actually. And as a result of it, this it it translates to quite a significant issue for them. The interesting part of this is how it's the works team that's actually having the most amount of problem with the reliability. I mean, McLaren have had some issues, but Alpine certainly don't in that sense. They've got other issues to deal with, but reliability uh doesn't seem to be an issue with technically is you know the same power units at the end of the day. So that that why that is why that is showing up only in the in the Mercedes works team is is is puzzling. Um and whether they will actually be able to get ahead of that or or overcome or have actually worked out what's causing it, uh be interesting. And there's sort of no evidence that you know they will turn down performance or adapt a more conservative setup as a result of these reliability issues. And whether they can actually get ahead of it overall and maintain the current momentum that they've got both in the drivers and the constructors championship, we'd be interested to see.
SPEAKER_01And how important will qualifying track limits and tire strategy be in shaping this race, do you think?
SPEAKER_02Uh, given the length of this track, I think it's just about just under four and a half kilometers long, if I remember correctly. It's it it does produce some of the shortest laptimes in of the season overall. So as a result of it, sort of minor mistakes can actually cost you several places on the grid. So poll here is is less decisive than, say, at a circuit like Monaco, because sort of the the, as you mentioned before, the turns three and four, those sort of very heavy breaking zones, do create a lot of overtaking opportunities, but admittedly they have also not been tested under the new regulations and the new overtake modes and things like that actually that exist. So it'd be interesting how that is it, that is, uh, that will come into play. Uh the other part is uh, as I mentioned before, track limits. I think this would be a little less severe than seen in the past because I think around turns nine and ten, there are a couple of gravel strips that have been installed behind the curves. And so uh these were done, I think, around 2024. Also, the softest compounds, I think C3 to C5 has been uh chosen as the compounds for for this particular race, which is an indication of the lower level of degradation on this track. But overall, it is it's still too early to declare whether this will actually be a one-stop or a two-strop uh strategy. Uh, those will translate to being the farkest fastest. So I think the final picture won't really come into play until until we see what the long run pace is of each of the teams, uh, both in practice and in qualifying.
SPEAKER_01Do we have any early weather predictions yet?
SPEAKER_02Uh nothing that's significant actually, that that uh that should affect the race as such. But it's yeah, it's it may change in the next few days. But uh at this stage I haven't seen anything anything uh significant.
SPEAKER_01Alright, so predictions uh for Paul, podium, and the victory in Austria my heart.
SPEAKER_02Uh I think if I look at qualifying, um if I was to pick three, I think it would be hard pressed to go uh to be really honest. George is actually able to produce, he has got a really good one-lap pace. And I think I still I see him at pole potentially Lewis second and Kimi third, or or or swap the two and three basically. In terms of race result, I sort of see Kimi actually returning to his previous best, um, barring any reliability issues. And that's something that's that's an unknown in all of this. If he's actually if he's Car last race distance, I can see him adding another victory to this, to this, to his to his uh to the lot that he's done so far this year. Uh with uh Lewis a very close second and potentially George third, but I think Max could challenge for another podium here.
SPEAKER_01Well, I'll go Kimi for Paul and I'd say Kimi uh Kimi Lando and Lewis on the podium. Probably in that order, but uh not sure. I don't know. There's a lot of reliability issues here, so I almost think it's uh it's not it's not too outlandish to have different teams on the podium. You know, it typically that's not the case, but uh there's yeah, there's there's been a few issues recently. So it'll be interesting, uh for sure. Uh final thoughts on the upcoming Grand Prix Mohan?
SPEAKER_02Um I guess it's one more thing that uh being a distinctly different circuit to what we have seen up to now. I'm just curious as to how the new new technologies and the adaptation that the teams have actually done for this new technology translates here. And whether the previous overtaking zones translate to that as well, or whether there's going to be something entirely different here, I'm very interested to see.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, how they deploy the battery and all that, it's gonna be interesting. Like it's it's could be it could be a completely different kind of outlook. It could make the track a lot better or worse potentially as well. So yeah, interesting. It'll be good. This is uh this is this always is one of the exciting robberies. So it's never a dull day in the Red Bull ring.
SPEAKER_02So anything else? Uh that's it actually. So, you know, I'm looking forward to I think uh it's uh races at midnight on Sunday night hard time, which is always a challenge to watch. I think it's 11 p.m. sorry. And uh which is always a challenge to watch if you're working the next day.
SPEAKER_01So Yeah, yeah, we'll we'll make it work. Oh good. Thank you, Mohan. Uh thank you for joining us. Uh what's our broad socials, Mohan?
SPEAKER_02Uh you can our social handle is at boxboxbox. So you can reach us on uh Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok. Our website is boxboxbox.net.au. Please add any comments, send us feedback through any of those platforms. But also if you wish to email us via info at boxboxbox.net.au. We welcome your feedback. Please like and share. And you can listen to us on all, almost all well-known podcast platforms.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and if you want to uh reach out to Mohan, ask him some questions, he will answer directly. Uh there's no admin. So he'll come back to you. You can talk to Mohan direct. So all good, thank you, Mohan. Uh, looking forward to this. Um, you'll you'll update uh after qualifying, I'm assuming. Yes, absolutely. Yes, yeah, yeah, wonderful. Thanks for joining us, and we'll talk to you next time. Thank you.