F1 2023 – I’m back

F1 Explained
F1 Explained
F1 2023 - I'm back
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Hi, y’all! – I’m back!

Where have I been and what have I been doing? Kart racing! I also do a quick recap of how the Formula 1 weekend works since there’s been some changes (Sprint Qualifying!) since the last time I covered it.

So happy to be talking to you again.

Ferrari Will Break Your Heart

Old Ferrari fans to New Ferrari fans:

First time?

So Dad said to me just a couple days ago that now that Hamilton is struggling in the Mercedes he’s ready for a Ferrari t-shirt. I said be ready to have your heart broken – there’s a reason the reigning Ferrari F1 champion is from 2007 and has since retired.

More about today’s Imola Grand Prix can be sent to your inbox if you’re a newsletter subscriber. Hit the link up top there!

Australian Grand Prix 2022

On the back of Charles LeClerc’s win there are other stories that really need to be paid attention to. Here’s what I’m paying attention to:

Ferrari Has More To Gain

If Carlos Sainz didn’t have bad luck this weekend he’d have no luck at all. He caught the red flag in qualifying just before he crossed the finish line giving him an awful start position, but then in the race opening he pushed too hard and ended up beaching his car.

But, Carlos can take solace in what his car is capable of. LeClerc didn’t look challenged all weekend long and indeed took a Grand Slam (pole position, race win, fastest race lap). He can also look forward to gaining even more performance because it was very clear that the Ferrari was still suffering from porpoising on the straights at Albert Park. (See Formula1.com for an explanation.) As Ferrari sorts out the porpoising, their car will be even quicker. This is something that both Red Bull and Mercedes should be quite worried about.

Consistency is key

Mercedes has shown us the reason they win Constructor’s Championships: consistency over a season. While their car is clearly not the fastest around the track they leave Albert Park second in the Constructor’s championship due to their ability to keep an eye on the strategy and maximize the available points to them. You can have the fastest car on the grid but if it is unreliable (as a Red Bull), you go home empty handed.

Today we saw the team play their strategy to perfection and as a result we saw Russell on the podium and Hamilton in P4. They didn’t find much more race pace but the car did look a bit more planted and the drivers could put it where they wanted. With Verstappen experiencing further unreliability and a DNF, Mercedes is 10 points ahead of Red Bull even though their car is nowhere near the Bulls with respect to performance. Granted, we are early in the season but just ask Kimi Räikönnen about how important reliability is. I think he’d be triple (if not four times) World Champion had he had more reliability early in his career at McLaren. He was blisteringly fast in the car during those years but their engines grenaded themselves as if it were their job.

Speaking of reliability…

Red Bull have got to get their issues ironed out. Can’t win if you can’t finish. You might say, ”Hey wait a minute, aren’t Red Bull really screwed here because the engine changes have been frozen until 2026?” The short answer is, ”no.”

Rest assured that there are many people in Milton Keynes pouring over how to improve the reliability of the Power Unit. Remember, Red Bull took over from Honda in the creation of their Power Unit from 2022 through to where we see engine regulation changes for 2026. The main reason they were willing to take this on was with the freezing of the engine regulations so that Red Bull could stand up an operation capable of supplying themselves (and AlphaTauri) of engines.

Red Bull Power Trains (RBPT) will be able to apply to the FIA to make changes to the engine that increase reliability and safety so long as they do not change the power output of the engine. There are also parts of the engine that are not under the homologation order that they can change at will. What we’re seeing are kinks but what we don’t know is how long it will take to work those kinks out. In the meantime Mercedes will keep taking points away from Red Bull if DNF is the name of their game.

Driver of the day

When it came to the vote, Driver of the Day went to Charles LeClerc. But to me, without a doubt the driver of the day has to be Alex Albon. Recall that he went 57 laps on a set of hard tires and then switched on the last lap to a set of softs. Pirelli stated the hard tire was good for 40 laps around Albert Park. So, not only did Albon have to manage his tires to nurse them for another 17 laps beyond what Pirelli thought they’d do, but he had to do so while battling for position and pace and he was able to do so. And this is all off the back of being disqualified from qualifying where he placed P16 because his car didn’t have enough fuel in it to provide a sample to the scrutineers.

So, in 57 laps came from stone last to make his way to P7 without killing his tires, pitted on the last lap and managed to hold P10 and finish with a point! Absolutely great drive.

Next Up:

In 2 weeks’ time we head to Italy for the Emilia Romanga Grand Prix at Imola. We’ve seen some cracking races there since F1 returned there mid-pandemic and with these 2022 cars able to follow much closer and what appears to be some great scraps in the midfield, I can’t wait.

Formula 1 2021 – Monza, Driver Signings, Big Podcast Announcement – F1 Explained

F1 Explained
F1 Explained
Formula 1 2021 - Monza, Driver Signings, Big Podcast Announcement - F1 Explained
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Opening Track: José González – Step Out

Quite a few things to go through this episode – I’ll touch on the Dutch GP and penalties, we had some big driver signing announcements to parse through, Monza saw McLaren return to winning form in spectacular fashion, and finally there’s a big announcement about the podcast at the end.

Closing Track: Vincent Carlo – I’ll See You Again

Formula 1 2021 – Belgian Grand Farce, Costs to Host an F1 Race, Russell to Mercedes? – F1 Explained

F1 Explained
F1 Explained
Formula 1 2021 - Belgian Grand Farce, Costs to Host an F1 Race, Russell to Mercedes? - F1 Explained
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That wasn’t a race. That was ridiculous. I’m pretty miffed about it, but there’s a few whacky things you may have seen that made you say, “what?!.” I’ll explain them for you.

Also, George Russell to Mercedes???

As always, do me a heavy and like & review the podcast wherever you’ve subscribed! And check out my Instagram!

Formula 1 2021 – My experience at the Austrian GP, British GP Controversy – F1 Explained

F1 Explained
F1 Explained
Formula 1 2021 - My experience at the Austrian GP, British GP Controversy - F1 Explained
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Well, I’m back from vacation! I spent 2 weeks in Europe and caught the Austrian GP while I was there. It was a fantastic experience – highly recommended. I’ll tell you a bit about that and then cover the British Grand Prix.

First, we’ve had an experimental format for the race weekend so that’s worth covering and of course I’ll take you through my thoughts on Lewis and Max coming together.

Glad to be back!

Opening Track: Cake – The Distance

No podcast after Styrian GP

I’m traveling to Austria the day after the Styrian GP to attend the Austrian GP! As a result, skipping a week on the production as I’m packing, sorting last minute itinerary details, and finally winging off to Europe.

I do plan to publish an episode after the Austrian GP while I’m away though. Talk soon!

Formula 1 2021 – French GP, Parc Ferme, How Does DRS work? – F1 Explained

F1 Explained
F1 Explained
Formula 1 2021 - French GP, Parc Ferme, How Does DRS work? - F1 Explained
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YAAASS we got ourselves a championship race! Race recap and why it wasn’t Bottas’ fault for finishing where he did, I’ll revisit Aston Martin and their performance (complete with a quote from their media head), and then our explainer topics today are Parc Ferme and a listener question on how DRS works.

Thanks for listening and be sure to rate and review the show wherever you listen to your podcasts. It helps folks find me!

Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code F1EXPLAINED at MANSCAPED.com! Their new LawnMower 4.0 keeps everything neat and tidy below your belt! #ad #manscapedpod

Opening Track: Moby – Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)

Formula 1 2021 – Azerbaijan GP, Flags, Aston Martin – F1 Explained

F1 Explained
F1 Explained
Formula 1 2021 - Azerbaijan GP, Flags, Aston Martin - F1 Explained
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Baku told Monaco, “Hold my beer!” and we saw a second race where Mercedes didn’t perform as we expect. Great to see a podium full of fresh faces! Why have Aston Martin had two consecutive good race results? I’ll break that down for you.

Don’t forget to follow my newly re-booted Instagram page and to take the F1 Explained listener survey!

Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code F1EXPLAINED at MANSCAPED.com! Their new LawnMower 4.0 keeps everything neat and tidy below your belt. #ad #manscapedpod

Opening Track: Elbow – Grounds For Divorce