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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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Madring Recap
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We recap the key moments, big calls and talking points from the Spanish Grand Prix
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🎙️ Hosted by Scott & Mohan
My name is Commas. My name is Joyce Mohammed. How are you, Mahan?
SPEAKER_02I'm good, thank you. I'm good to be talking after this Spanish Grand Prix, basically, and and particularly at the at the new circuit. It's uh it's kind of a race that came with uh a lot of expectations, but uh didn't exactly deliver, I think, what everyone is expecting, both from uh from a racing point of view, but also whether there was going to be a lot more incidents that were actually being predicted. It didn't seem to materialize basically. So in that sense, I think it's a race that sort of ended up being uh uh a little bit of a procession and also reaffirmed the fact that this is the kind of track where it's it's quite uh difficult to overtake. And so I'm asking you.
SPEAKER_01Expand on that for a bit. Like what's what's gone wrong? What's what's happened here?
SPEAKER_02Um I think the first thing was um because of the new, the new and the nature of the circuit coming into it, there had been some incidents. I think in F2, F3 there had been a crash, which is quite spectacular and and quite uh severe. And also in practice uh and in qualifying, there had been a couple of incidences, which I think there was an expectation coming into Sunday that this was gonna be a smash up derby almost kind of thing, basically, which didn't materialize. And given what actually happened to Lando uh and the fact that no, he lost his advantage in the in the race. Um, and then once you've done that, it's one and someone gets out of head, it's very hard to overtake. The nature of this track doesn't actually allow for that uh very much, and um it just ended up being ended up being a procession as a result of it. So from a racing point of view, I must actually admit I think it it feels like quite a letdown. And uh obviously there was all the conversation about the VSC and all that, which we can talk about later. But um from a spectacle, from a racing point of view, I must actually overall actually quite disappointed in in what actually happened in this weekend.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um look, we'll jump straight in here. We're obviously recapping the Spanish concrete that's just happened. Uh the this look, this the I was always I've always always, I don't know, uh from the hybrid era, my understanding, and potentially before that, uh, but my knowledge wouldn't be as deep. Uh was was that mid-speed corners on tracks cause the issues in F1. You you either want the the short, sharp corners where it's heavy late braking, so you can move around, or I don't know, something something a bit longer so there is time to move around the other car. I'm thinking more like Suzuka, for example. Is this is this a track that's potentially suffered from that? Because as soon as I've seen the layout, I think that was my my first comment.
SPEAKER_02And I yes, I think so, actually. And even even all the talk about the the band corner at turn 12 and things like that, which I know there was thought that that could that could actually lend itself to to some some interesting sequences, uh, but it didn't seem to materialize. It was just another aspect of the track. Um, and you know, there no one really gained an advantage on that particular part of the track as such. So it's yeah, it's it's unfortunately this is this track, I think, is a victim of uh of the of the regulations um and particularly the the 50-50 split as well with the with the with the IC and the and the electrical unit. And there's been a lot of talk about whether this whether there should whether there should be a layout change as a result of it to actually if if particularly continuing the hybrid hybrid cars to suit them a lot better because uh it would be unfortunate if we continue to see this kind of racing moving forward on this circuit.
SPEAKER_01I can't quite understand the um obsession or or kind of frocking over bank corners. Like where's the success been? You know, we've had you know, like like Xanport's uh that if that had any success, we'd still be there. Uh, you know, um uh is it uh Dubai uh or Abi W, sorry, that that that's that's got uh it doesn't hasn't hasn't fixed that section. It was quite a technical section in the past, and they put a slight banking on the corner there, which has done nothing. I have never seen an overtake there.
SPEAKER_02Uh and if you think of even like you know, the old the old track of Monza uh with that loop that had that basically.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it didn't really. I mean it yes, it it looks pretty spectacular to look at, but it didn't really lend itself to racing as such.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I suppose and I I I guess there was like a there was a very big danger with that one that you could fly off. Um and that would be the that would probably be the only draw card to it. Like I don't really understand, you know, obviously bank corners are quite impressive in uh NASCAR and it's a it's a completely different type of racing. Uh and it's a you know it's very, very tactical and aero-based, and you know, you're highlighting very different elements of uh w what you call motor racing and uh they're exacerbated it in that format. Uh but I just I I don't think yeah it's ridiculous, honestly.
SPEAKER_02And you're right, actually NASCAR's a good example. It's it's it only works where you're either going left consistently or right consistently, basically.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, pretty much. Because then because then the banking adds a whole other element of control that's required. But this is just uh oh yeah, look here we go. We'll just it if anything, it makes it harder to overtake as I see it. Um because you can't it it's it's harder to stick to the corner. Um it seems to be harder to stick to the corner. I don't know why. I don't know why that's uh there's there's so much downforce on these cars. I don't think they need the banking to get around the turn. So it's it's uh it's yeah, I just can't I can't understand it. Uh maybe I think one one Zan caught um with Fernando Alonso. Uh I think at the first start of the race, because he had a faster car, he might have uh passed somebody on the outside. But I've never seen it since. Uh and I yeah, I I don't think I'll see it again, to be honest with you. So anyway, um moving on, tell me uh Mohan, uh if we can start with McLaren, first of all. Norris's winning position unraveled because of where he was when the VESC appeared. Uh is that an acceptable part of racing luck, or is Madrid exposed a rule that needs rewriting? And how would you make it fairer, do you think?
SPEAKER_02Um I kind of can understand why Lander was was annoyed because at the at the point that this happened, he had got himself into a position where the race was coming towards him. Um and he if he continued on, he would have he would have ended up winning that race. Uh I think his advantage at that point was in the order of about six seconds. Um and then the VSC basically took that entire benefit away from him. Uh and unfortunately for him, he was actually, I think, too fast for his own good. Because when the VSC came out, he had already passed the pit entry. That if he was actually a little bit slower, he would have made the pit entry. And you know, it was too late. He was, he was, by the time the VSC ended, he was um he was nowhere near able to come in for it for a change. And there wasn't an obvious escape route as well. I mean, uh Stella later on explained that staying out meant continuing using the mediums that were already graining, um, while uh the the opposition had actually fresh hard tires. Uh and Lander would have had to stop eventually anyway. Uh but um that VSC effectively cost him the lead, uh, which he never actually uh never got back again, uh, and effectively handed that that position to Kimi and to Max, who were able to pit under the VSC. Um in terms of reviewing the rule, I mean I'd be I'd be careful about doing that. Um I think this it would almost be a knee-jack reaction to want to change something. Closing the pit sort of sounds fairly straightforward until someone has a puncture or a damage where they actually need to come in. Uh, and then you start uh looking at exceptions and how do you have exceptions and sort of having to distinguish between whether it's an essential stop or a convenient one for that for that driver. And keeping the VSC out long enough for everyone to reach the pits, I think then creates a different problem on top of that as well. So I think the nature of the VSC currently is is right. Uh and the fact that you know it's there till that particular danger or that particular hazard on the track is there. Once that particular danger or hazard goes away, the VSC goes away. And I think that's actually how it should work. It was just purely bad luck on for Lando's point of view, and as I mentioned before, he was too fast for his own good that he was any slower. Uh he would have he would have he would have gone into the pit. So if they were to investigate something, if FI were to investigate something, what it probably would be whether sort of the time advantage of stopping under a VSC, whether that can be reduced consistently at all. But obviously, this needs a lot of simulation across a whole lot of circuits for that to be affected. It's not something that can be happened an instant just because one driver lost out uh in a particular situation. So I mean Landor did point to a fairly legitimate fairness problem, but it's also something that you have to take with racing and and just one of those situations which unfortunately disadvantaged him and advantaged Kimi and Max, uh and particularly Kimi. Um but if there is to be a solution, it has to be a very broad solution that is tested very carefully rather than reacting to one situation.
SPEAKER_01Uh Mohan, why why is this even a conversation? I mean the BSC and the same declar itself are both um have been pretty much what's kept F1 entertaining to the last um at least 15 years. Like you've had you've had a situation where you know you wouldn't have a team winning besides in the 70s unless there was a BSC. So why why now? Why this one race? What's different about this history?
SPEAKER_02I think part of it is well, a l a large part of it is we know we do live in an era of social media where in previous years this wouldn't even come up in conversation. I mean, Lando was disappointed he made his commit. Kim he acknowledged the fact that you know I I feel sorry for Lando, and that would have been the end of the conversation basically, because the teams themselves weren't complaining about it. It's all of the press and the noise in social media saying Lando was somehow disadvantaged, and that volume just keeps growing and growing to the point that it's felt like something needs to be done. And the exact, as per your point, in previous years, this wouldn't have this wouldn't have been an issue. It would have been over and done with on race weekend, and we would have moved on to the next weekend, basically. So I think it's just some of these kind of situations get blown up a lot more than they need to be. Um, because yeah, I think the VSC as it currently stands works perfectly fine. It's there for uh managing a hazard, and as soon as that hazard is managed, it gets taken away, you're back racing again.
SPEAKER_01Depends on how slow the newsweek is, um I suppose. So uh tell me how Mercedes uh Antonelli had a scrappy opening, uh, but still left with another victory uh and an 81-point championship lead. Um, you know, have the bookmakers paid out, I suppose. If you're George Russell, uh what's your Monday morning reset and uh where can you realistically find a way back into this title fight?
SPEAKER_02Um if I was Mercedes, obviously I'd put the championship table away, uh hopefully they're done for a few days, and then make the debrief sort of very specific. I mean, George doesn't actually need reminding that he's 81 points behind his teammate. He needs to understand why a weekend that began with him being the quickest in the in FB1 ended up with him starting sixth and finishing fifth. I mean that's that explanation is what needs to be worked out. And the explanation it qualifying is actually quite revealing. So he said that he was about three tenths up on his final attempt uh before I think the heating of the tyres cost him uh any improvement. Uh particularly as the circuit sort of gained more grip, he felt he was sliding more instead of finding the extra speed. Um and this I think uh gives Mercedes or should give Mercedes something a bit more tangible to investigate. If you I mean the engineers probably should be looking at uh whether he whether George is actually asking too much of his tires early in a lap and whether that actually is also then causing a change in the balance. And I think um whether telling him to push any harder is is fairly useless when pushing harder might actually be the problem that is it's causing him. So on top of that, I think uh there needs to be a uh somewhat of a mental reset for reset for him as well, uh, given the fact that you know it's his teammate is pulling away little by little away from him, that it's it's getting to a point where that arithmetic is actually going to become insurmountable, and all Kimi needs to do is effectively finish second for the rest of the remaining nine races, and I think he's got this championship in the bag. So, and I think George himself has said the fact that he wants to concentrate on individual races, which I think is quite a sensible approach from his point of view, rather than uh dragging himself down on what's happened already and what's likely to happen. And um obviously now Mercedes are going to give him all the support that they need to give him to make sure that he achieves that basically. So what he needs, I think, is a is a convincing Saturday to then be followed by a fairly strong Sunday. And I think that's kind of been where it's where it's been missing. He said that that result on a Sunday doesn't show up compared to where he's actually been early in the weekend, and that's probably his biggest problem.
SPEAKER_01He's getting pretty stupid now. Uh this is um do you think this is wrapped up at this point?
SPEAKER_02Um I think so, and and particularly because Kimmy doesn't seem to be going away. It's in fact it's not you know, the the I mean this particular instance is probably the first time I've actually seen where uh you know the race has almost been handed to him because of what happened to Lando. Whereas in previous situations he's had to fight for it, he's had to put himself in the right position. Whereas here, I mean, uh admittedly he he still the the opportunity being presented is one thing, but he needs to be in the position to take advantage of that opportunity, which he was at the end of the day. Um where and so week in, week out, if he keeps doing that and he finishes on a podium for the remaining races, he's this is sewn up. And I take I take your point from I think we had this conversation last week that it's surprising that it has taken this long for that gap to reveal itself. Um, because this is this almost seemed like a uh complete issue going back a few races, but it has taken itself uh a few more races to reveal the fact that Nokimi's uh now seen to be leaps and leaps and bounds ahead of his teammate, basically.
SPEAKER_01Right, Mohan Ferrari. Uh LeClaire stretched his opening stint, hoping for a late interruption, and argue that fourth was his ceiling anyway, fairly reasonable. Uh would you be calling Ferrari geniuses if a safe carrot appeared? Uh and uh do we judge strategy too heavily with hindsight? Um I suppose this goes back to our slow newsweek situation, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I actually thought Ferrari's approach was fairly sensible. Um I think once Charles was running fourth, there was a reasonable argument for keeping another route uh to a better result, uh, keeping that route open, basically. Uh he started on the hard tie and stayed up during the early interruption. Um and then eventually completed uh I think 48 laps before he stopped. Um and that put him in the lead for a substantial part of the afternoon and with the possibility of a later interruption, which could have actually given him an advantage. So he still finished fourth, although um Russell was less than a second behind him. And I think that last detail matters somewhat because um this wasn't exactly sort of an open invitation for to keep going. Uh Ferrari had to monitor the tyres and and and monitor the degradation on those tires. And that strategy only made sense while the potential reward was worth the risk of losing the position. So I think uh we are two off are often very quick to judge a strategy uh based on the final result. If another car had stopped in the wrong place later on, um exact exactly the same Ferrari decision could have produced a completely different reaction from everyone else. Um and I think I think Charles's tire management helped to make this result quite a credible one. Um, and because there's quite a big difference between sort of extending a stint while maintaining useful pace and staying up because you've run out of ideas, basically. The bigger concern for me is whether for Ferrari would be why they needed that route in the first place. Um, and that actually seems to be more a more of a productive area that Ferrari as a team need to go away and investigate, and hopefully they have done that in this time. Um I'll I'll certainly give them credit for trying to improve their position on a Sunday, but what they then need to look at is how they can start the next race close enough to the front that gives them the strongest possible position for a podium or a win.
SPEAKER_01Alright, so moving on to Red Bull. Uh Mr. Stappen took second. Uh but did Lawson's sixth place uh carry the bigger career implications uh after another outing as Hajar Hajar's stand-in. Uh and what would you put Lawson's job reference? Uh and and what question mark would you still stop you what question mark would still stop you offering offering him a permanent seat? Um and while we're here, maybe you could touch on the the the the carting that Max is doing midweek as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, true. Uh I'll I'll come to that at the end actually. Um I think Liam, particularly with his performance, not just in this race, but in the preceding races where he has filled in for for Haja, the results that he has produced has actually made him he's great credit to him because he's actually made himself harder to be overlooked. And it's also given um Red Bull some very useful data and very useful evidence of how he may handle a future opportunity if it's given to him, basically. So great credit to him, the fact that he has grabbed this opportunity with both hands and made the most of it. So he uh no um obviously not scored points again. Uh what I liked about uh what he did here is that well that he himself he actually had to contribute to that result. He started eighth. Uh he lost ground to Colo Pinto initially, uh, and then made a fairly committed move to get past him. Um and the hard tires that he started with left him with quite a different race to manage from the drivers who were actually stopped early. Um and so there were quite significant decisions that had to be made to allow him to actually attack and to preserve what he had. The reservation, I guess, is that how close can he get to the full potential of the car consistently? Because you look at Max qualifying third, finishing second, Liam qualified eighth, finishing sixth. Um, sort of there are different strategies and traffic management. Um, I think he's a good judge of the pace that they've actually got. Um, and six is a is a helpful position for him. And being close enough to sort of influence uh the overall team point structure as well, I think is very good. I think um overall I definitely have to praise the level of preparation that he has put in, uh the composure with which he has driven, uh, and the fact that he's actually willing to just simply race uh rather than preserving his position as such. So um before being offered anything permanent, I mean I'd I'd want him to close that gap a little bit more. But he has certainly put himself in the mix um if the opportunity presents itself to have a more permanent seat in that in that main team. And yeah, in terms of that uh that uh little, I would actually only call when I eventually actually watched it, I can only describe that as being a stunt. Uh the the max versus the hundred uh hundred go-kards. The first thing is I think little or none of them were actual races. There were various people from media, uh influencers, all these people who had, you know, who were out on a weekend probably go-karting versus Max. Uh and I think Max actually clearly had the fastest go-kart amongst all of them. So uh it didn't take him long. I think by the first or second corner, he had overtaken almost a third of the field. And then I think fairly quickly had got to the front of it and then completed the race basically. So uh I I honestly don't know what the purpose of all of that was, other than a bit of fun for the people involved. Uh Max himself seemed to seem to actually have a lot of fun doing it. Uh, but to be really honest, it added nothing to the sport for me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. It's uh uh I suppose if someone really likes carting, that might be uh that might be something for them. But um yeah, it's uh yeah, it's yeah, I it's funny, like I guess he's uh you know, he has the capacity to do so much extra while he's in a season where he's not challenged, I suppose, because he's he's not in the fight. So uh it's yeah, I if they can do these little things and get some people on board, then then go for it. You know, Red Bull has that capacity, so um, and so is Max, obviously. So um and yeah, look, they're a solid pair of hands, I guess, these other two younger drivers, um Pad Joe and Lawson. You know, if Max wasn't there, you'd we'd we'd probably be saying they're doing all right, but uh just compared to somebody with his ability, it's um yeah, it's it's hard to really measure up.
SPEAKER_02And collectively, I mean the they've also sort of are solving a problem that Red Bull have had in the last couple of seasons. And that problem is the fact that for most of those seasons, Max has been the only one contributing points. And I think these two between them have sort of kind of solved are solving help have helping Red Bull solve that problem where both cars are actually bringing in points. And that is obviously great support for Max. And particularly given Max's commitment now to the team, he needs a good wingman, shall we say, to contribute from the team's point of view, but also to actually support him and you know, give him a tour when he needs to and things like that, which he hasn't had in the preceding season. So that's actually great to see as well.
SPEAKER_01As something um that we've talked about before as well is it he really hasn't had a strong teammate. Besides Sergio Perez, that was probably the exception. But going back to say Daniel Ricciado, that was you know there was Gasly and Albon after that that didn't go well. And it's been many years of just of chaos because of how how great Max is. So yeah it's uh it's it's nice to see them kind of recover it. But I suppose his ability's just got better and better over the years as well to where to the point where it's almost effortless. So how do you catch that, right? Alpine Alpine Uh Colopinto finished seventh on a circuit he felt didn't particularly suit the car. If we handed out an award for getting the most from your machinery, how strong is his claim do you think? And which part of his drive deserves a closer look?
SPEAKER_02I think he deserves plenty of credit here because this is a weekend where I think he made uh every opportunity that was presented to him count without needing everything sort of to fall into place perfectly for him. There was actually quite a I guess a useful warning against this before the race even started. He had actually explained that you know Monza Straights and the slow corners did suit Alpy as a team and that Madrid actually would be a much tougher assignment. He also credited the upgrade that they brought to Xanderwort with giving the car a better operating window. So this is of the overall context is that the team's actually making progress slowly but they're still making progress regardless. But they did arrive somewhere at a track where that any weaknesses actually could be exposed. So that that context is quite important. His I mean having qualified ninth his launch at the race actually put him in the midfield almost immediately and um and then how he managed the long stint from that was very great in useful to see. And you know dealing with the cars around him including sort of time he spent behind Bortoletto as such I think that all of that deserves a lot of credit from his point of view. And he himself described this as being probably one of the strongest weekends from an execution point of view that he has been able to to put on the track. And we definitely can see the results of that. Finishing ahead of Piastri looks good on a result sheet I mean there is the context there of Knox Oscar driving around with the with the damaged front wing. But still it's one of those situations where the opportunity can only present itself you have to put yourself to to take advantage of that opportunity. And that's what Franco actually did. So I think definitely if I was looking at people who are capable of making the most out of the equipment that they have he would be high on my list. And definitely the the the battle that Alpine as a team are having with racing bulls gives even more value to that to his seventh place finish um as such and you know helps his team continue that so progress that they have been making.
SPEAKER_01And speaking of uh being overshadowed by your teammate, Gasly's had a quite a spectacular year um given the car he's in is is that hard do you think measuring up to him for Colo Pinto or is Colo Pinto still I suppose young enough that you know those being overshadowed by your teammate is not as not so bad.
SPEAKER_02I think he's he's young enough and he's certainly talented enough to to look past that. And you have to also laugh for the fact that in terms of years of experience you know Gasly is is uh a much much longer so if he was sensible if he was sensible yeah he would he would keep that in mind and understand the context the fact that he cannot be expected to be at the same level and there is an allowance for him to to catch up I guess to some extent so um and I think given given despite given that gap in in in in years of experience I think he has he has kept up pretty well to his teammate and you know he's he's he's again helping that alpine team uh as a team uh challenge racing bulls in the midfield four points well on the racing bulls uh Lynn Lynn Blad went from a Friday crash uh to points on Sunday does how rookie responds after hitting the wall tell us more than their quickest qualifying lap and and what did his Madrid recovery reveal? Um I it's it's very encouraging that he didn't allow the uh um see what happened on Friday dictate the rest of his weekend. He acknowledged his error he apologized for it apologized for the extra work that the team would have to do to put the car together um but still recognize it that there had been genuine speed in the car. So this sort of points to someone who is in the right mental space and is able to move on, acknowledge his mistakes and actually move on from it. I mean his seventh in uh in the first practice and fourth in the second session before losing it uh does does brings a lot of value to his team basically so I think his recovery uh on the on the race day um particularly on practicing actually um does give us something very useful to look at the fact that he reached Q3 uh and then started tenth uh uh talks to that quite significantly so I was also very interested in his explanation of the race I think he said he tried changing how he used his electrical energy to to sort of create an opening while he was running behind Colopinto. That move didn't actually materialize but it's good to see that he was actually thinking of ways to improve his position uh and and and you know he managed to put the issues from earlier in the weekend behind him and move on. So uh this I think is a very encouraging uh result for him and particularly points to the fact that he has he certainly has an ability to recover uh from an issue and to stay competitive uh and not be dragged down by that particular issue. And the next thing I guess to from that is to watch whether the lessons that he's learned from this actually stick and whether he and those lessons as to whether he can limit the errors that he that he may be making and the fact that he has the same willingness to push for a result and whether that he has more weekends where he can actually reach the checkered flag rather than having to DNF?
SPEAKER_01Alright well we combine Audi and Haas here. Holkenberg took the final point uh after jumping Ocon in the pits um with Kabatsu pointing to Haas's equipment.
SPEAKER_02Uh if you controlled Haas's next spending decision would Madrid pursue you to prioritize uh the pit garage over another aerodynamic upgrade uh I'd certainly give the Pitstock project uh quite a serious look because Haas actually had a point within reach um and then lost the position at a very specific moment in the race. As we know Ocon started 13th and managed to get ahead of both the Audis in the opening lap. And then through Hamilton's retirement it moved him up to 10th. When the stops came on on lap 14 uh Hokkenberg went into the pits behind him and then ended up coming out ahead. And that award have ultimately decided who took that final point. Because that's actually very frustrating because up to that point Esteban had actually done the work to gain the track position. And it showed that a small difference in the pit length can actually undo several good decisions that are made on the circuit. So Komatsu's response was very useful though he pointed to the equipment and said the crew needed better tools to give them a chance. And I actually like that approach from a team principle if the process or equipment is limiting people simply demanding faster stops is not going to solve the problem. So the next job for them as a team is to actually identify where that time actually was lost. Was it the positioning of the car? Was it lifting it? Was it completing the wheel changes or was it getting it released when they had done all those changes? Those are the areas that they actually need to go over and investigate because his comments don't actually identify one particular aspect that that caused this cause that issue. I'd also look at the sort of consistency because a spectacularly fast stop is not is nice for the highlight reel. But I'd rather know how often the team produces a good one when a rival is coming up alongside them. And the championship I guess uh the the loss of that point probably is a minor irritation at this stage but it does point to some other issues that Haas actually need to go away and uh investigate. And it sort of makes the investment hopefully that makes the investment sort of on the basis of a good business case that they actually have to do. They certainly show that the Haas as a team have got enough performance to be able to compete for the position.
SPEAKER_01The team now needs to make sure that the equipment that they have in the pit and the procedures that they have in the pit can preserve what the driver earns on the track all right so uh on to Williams and Aston Martin uh throw them together Spain's home heroes uh ended up tangling with signs and lies into the Alonso collision how funny is that we uh we we didn't dictate uh light up the sky but then they've um yeah they've made it worse for themselves um put yourself in the steward's room uh where die hard racing becomes a where sorry die hard where did hard racing um become avoidable contact and did five seconds properly reflect on the damage to Alonso's afternoon?
SPEAKER_02Um if you read the race report I think the Stewards' explanation I think makes the penalty fairly understandable. They identified that uh there's a particular m uh movement at a particular point in the breaking phase that gives us something more tangible and something more uh useful to actually look at rather than competing radio complaints between the drivers uh because Alonso was closing on uh science I think at uh at turn five um and was beginning to pull along aside him uh and according to the decision uh Carlos uh moved uh towards the right hand edge of uh after the after deceleration had begun uh and as a result the cars ended up making contact the stewards concluded that he should have left Fernando a lot more space uh and the timing is is key for me uh because a driver can actually choose a defensive position on the approach but moving across once both cars are actually committed to a braking change it sort of changes the the options that are available to the driver that's at in there that that's behind um and there's less freedom for that particular driver to adjust when you're already trying to slow the car and prepare for the corner so the inevitable is they would come they would come into contact basically which is exactly what happened. There's also a fairly useful detail in the ruling about this punishment. The Stuarts actually said that the the baseline response for moving under braking was a black and white flag. They imposed a five second penalty because contact had occurred um so they did take the outcome into account when deciding that a warning wasn't enough. And that that was a result of the the reason the penalty was handled out in that manner. I'd be a bit wary about trying to make every penalty match the exact number of seconds the other driver lost. And I think that similar contact can cause very different damage depending on where the cars touch. And as a result of it if you follow that path you end up producing wildly different punishments for comparable driving situations. And I think that's something we have to be careful for and FIA have to be careful of as well. For drivers that actually means that the practical lesson is quite clear that they need to make the defensive choice quite early and leave enough space once another car is driving alongside them. And I think that is fairly clear in what in the instructions that they have. Having a home crowd desperate for something to happen is desperate for something to cheer doesn't then change that responsibility that exists. And I think both those drivers deserve the chance to finish that battle without a damaged car deciding that result.
SPEAKER_01Oh right uh well tell me the Mad Ring if Madrid was auditioning for a permanent place on the calendar would Sunday's race earn it a callback uh with overtaking so difficult what single change would you demand before F1 returns um I'd certainly give the circuit another chance um I'd sort of I'd want a um but I'd want a meaningful change to the layout before we came back.
SPEAKER_02There's certainly enough character I guess in the in the circuit um but it did show that it does need a certain amount of uh of uh improving I mean the banking at La Monumental that we've talked about before I mean it it if nothing else it it it it gives the circuit a certain identity like other other tracks that have got that banking corner and particularly also sort of the the commitment that is that is demands from the driver uh the fact that it's surrounded by grandstands which makes for uh great viewing for the for the fans but it sort of makes it instantly recognizable so it gives it that character I guess um the drivers describe this as quite a technically challenging lap and qualifying showed that how much performance can be found as they learn the track more and more. Those are sort of things that I'd like to preserve the weakness here and we've already talked about this is how little room the race gives a following driver to turn an advantage into a serious attacking position. Difficult overtaking can be very satisfying when someone is sort of someone finally makes a move but it becomes frustrating when the driver behind struggles to create even a a credible opportunity. And I think that's what one of the things that needs to be looked at for this for this circuit. If I was to nominate one area for redesign I'd certainly focus on the sequence around turns 18 and 19 and the approach to the next breaking zone. And I've been in conversation with Norris he identified these corners as a problem afterwards. The brief to the designers probably should be to test a simple approach that allows the the following car to stay close and get a useful run um and then reach the breaking rows they sort of reach the breaking zone with a choice of line to pick basically because that the important test there is would that that would involve two cars racing each other and sort of also offer defensive options for the car that's in front. And obviously all of this needs proper safety assessments and space assessments before they go ahead. And removing a couple of corners on a drawing doesn't automatically produce a good overtaking opportunity. So there's a lot that needs to be considered of this. The measure of success overall of any changes actually made would be whether a quicker car can make the driver head defend properly and you you don't need an you don't need an huge overtaking total I'd want the possibility that the the opportunity to pass is actually a real opportunity as such. It's given us a a fairly distinctive lap but uh and also what it has is also given the organizers a lot of data that they can take away and and consider for the next race as to whether any changes can be done. But obviously we know that these things don't happen overnight and may not even happen in a single year because there's a a lot to a lot of money involved to do it, a lot of time involved and a lot of testing involved to actually make a change to this circuit but it's certainly shown that there is enough opportunity for minor changes to be made to this circuit to improve racing in the future.
SPEAKER_01And just quickly um better than Barcelona or worse?
SPEAKER_02I would say worse if I had to choose actually I think I think overall overall I think I preferred Barcelona particular given I think I came into this race with a lot more expectation for it to be better than Barcelona and I think I was disappointed at the end of the weekend. And um so yeah definitely if I if if I had to compare the two definitely Barcelona over this but then what what this does present is opportunity opportunity for improvement opportunity for changes to be made rather than no for the organizers I fired to be stubborn and say this is how it's going to be uh hopefully they take away the learnings that have come from this weekend actually make those changes to make this circuit a lot more interesting. Yeah that's I mean that's with the novelty of a new track as well so um by its own merits it's uh yeah disappointing so uh Mohan uh anything else you want to add before we wrap up um so yeah so we uh we move on to to to Baku next um and uh we've obviously got a couple of weeks break amongst that but you know it's it I mean as a as a first viewing um as I said before it was uh somewhat disappointing what what we got out of this this circuit uh but the the the thing has actually come out of it is also uh it's the regulations actually are being tested so we already talked about uh the noise that has happened about VSC and whether there is whether there's consideration needs to be given to that. The chatter that's come up about um the overtaking zones and and enough room being left to overtake and again and whether rule changes need to be happened. I think those sorts of conversations are very useful to come out of this out of this race and not just the racing itself.
SPEAKER_01And it's certainly given the organizers um and the fans a lot of food for thought basically moving forward yeah and just before we wrap have you seen what Nvidia's been doing on the the DLSS5 uh kind of graphical overlay have you seen that at all? Uh not yet actually no I haven't I I'd encourage you and anyone else if they want their minds to be blown uh to uh to have a look at what this does to uh the F126 game or or any F1 game I've seen people use it on old ones as well. The I I like it's not to the point I cannot I I've I've put the I put it on and show people at work and they thought I was watching the race. So this is it's like a it's pretty much an AI overlay and it's incredible. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. So um anyway uh I'll talk to you about it later.
SPEAKER_02Um just want to wrap first one socials all that uh so yeah social handle is at uh boxboxbox oz and I website is at boxboxbox.net.au you'll now actually find this as a footer um in our in our podcast as well so you if if you're looking for that for that link or that the social handle it'll appear as a footer in each of our regardless of whichever platform you're accessing this podcast through please uh like subscribe send us your feedback we can also be reached by email at info at boxboxbox.net.au uh we um are also working on other aspects in iFund decoded and uh racing rewind spin-off podcasts we I think we've ticked over our 75th episode I think last week which is which is a good great achievement we are moving fast towards the first hundred episodes and we hope to hopefully uh expect to tick that over before the end of this year um we will come to you with a separate conversation and in this time the final 2027 calendar has been uh released as well and we'll be coming back to you on our separate conversation to look at that and there's been um quite a significant amount of changes compared to the first version of this we published back in May uh and there's been a lot more including uh a significant change to the Melbourne circuit as well uh and what we will come back to you on on our separate conversation with that uh and also we will come back to you to preview Baku uh following weekend all right thank you brahman thank you for thank you for joining us see you next time thank you