5 years and 105 races later, the Chinese Grand Prix is back to host Formula 1. The BIGGEST talking point of the weekend will be the Sprint format - and the sole 60 mins-long practice session for the team-drivers to dial their setup in.  A lot has changed in Formula 1 since the sport last raced in China. For starters, Mercedes aren't dominating, Max Verstappen is now a World Champion along with Red Bull Racing, Fernando Alonso is back...and Ferrari, well, they're still Ferrari - happy to be in the / lead the chasing pack instead of being chased themselves. Tyres will be another key talking point at the Shanghai International Circuit. The last time Formula 1 raced in China, it wasn't just the tyres that were different, but the wheel rims, too. Yes, Formula 1 raced the 13" rims back then (and currently use the 18" ones). The SIC is expected to be front-limited and heavy on tyre wear - will that bring Ferrari closer to Red Bull Racing? If the conditions are cooler, it will aid Mercedes and McLaren. A lot of stats and facts are packed in this episode, happy listening! Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 16) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

Is Ferrari really on the mend? They only scored a 3-4 finish in the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix BUT that finish came at the back of very good tyre degradation...and race strategy.  Now whether you've been following Formula 1 recently or for the past many years, you would know that these are two factors that have usually held Ferrari back on the Sundays. Helmets off to Frederic Vasseur and all of Ferrari for having turned these variables around in their favour. You know what made Ferrari's race strategy and tyre degradation even more impressive? The track was at its hottest on Sunday - and that impacts tyre wear and usage directly. Elsewhere, Max Verstappen won his 57th race in Formula 1; after scoring his 36th career pole on Saturday. Verstappen has been unbeaten in Qualifying in the first 4 races of the season. Is this a new streak building up? Sergio Perez is doing what's expected of him, but how has he turned things around? Who has picked up the pieces in the top-10 each time they were available? Also, why did Lewis Hamilton ask to swap position with George Russell? Why was McLaren unable to challenge Ferrari at Suzuka.  Lots of race discussions...insights, stats and banter with Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah in this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 15) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Ferrari

Former Williams and Ferrari team member and renowned Formula 1 broadcaster, Peter Windsor joins as a guest on the Inside Line F1 Podcast to preview the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. He is hosted by the show regulars, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah. We are hosting an Inside Line F1 Pitstop at Khar SOCIAL in Mumbai for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. This is your chance to meet-interact with like-minded Formula 1 fans in the city and win merchandise via quizzes and conversations.  Limited early-bird tickets available on Paytm Insider. The event will be hosted by Soumil Arora and @f1statsguru (aka Sundaram). In this episoide, the trio discuss a variety of topics - the legendary Suzuka Circuit, the earnest and passionate Japanese fansthe importance of Adrian Newey at Red Bull Racing over Max VerstappenFerrari's puzzling choice of Lewis Hamilton over Carlos SainzDaniel Ricciardo's struggles against Yuki Tsunoda and since leaving Red Bull Racing and much more. This episode is packed with banter, references from history (given Peter's illustrious experiences), insights and facts.  Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 14) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

Fernando Alonso brake-testing George Russell OR was he fair? Williams Racing issuing a brutal team order - Alexander Albon replacing Logan Sargeant for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Mercedes' double DNF, Red Bull Racing - could they have won with Max Verstappen or was Ferrari genuinely quick to get pole, which they failed, and win the race by scoring a 1-2. In fact, why was Charles Leclerc comprehensively beaten by Carlos Sainz? Haas' double score, Yuki Tsunoda's points, Daniel Ricciardo's struggles and Sauber's slow stops - a lot of stories from this weekend's 2024 Australian Grand Prix.  Are you also convinced that Sainz's win wasn't the biggest story? For us, it wasn't because Max Verstappen retired and we'd have loved to see if the win was on merit. Sometimes, Formula 1 celebrates a non-Red Bull Racing win...just because. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 13) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Ferrari

Courtesy of the Doohans, Australia's Motorsport royalty, Formula 1 fans will be treated to Formula 1 + MotoGP demo runs through the weekend of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Jack Doohan will drive the Benetton Formula 1 car from 2000 to commemorate his father Mick's successes in MotoGP. Mick (Doohan) will be on a production Honda MotoGP bike (2016). Also, the 2024 Australian Grand Prix marks the start of Inside Line Club's race screening events in India. Soumil and @f1statsguru will host an event in Mumbai (Khar) while other cities of India will have race screenings. Yes, breakfast tastes best  when served with Formula 1 action! (Tickets out soon on Paytm Insider; check out our social media handles) At this weekend's 2024 Australian Grand Prix, will the chaos from last year continue? We had three SCs and three Red Flag periods while eight drivers retired. As Soumil mentioned it, this is the only "park" Formula 1 goes racing at. Could Max Verstappen equal his race winning streak of 10 races? Is it really that easy for him and Red Bull Racing? Also, will this two week break have helped Red Bull Racing negotiate truce between all the warring factions? OR will Jos Verstappen's possible return to the Formula 1 paddock (he skipped Saudi Arabia, remember?) cause more news and controversy for the reigning World Champion team? In Bahrain, it was Christian Horner under attack. In Saudi Arabia, it was Helmut Marko. Who's turn might it be in Australia? On-track, Aston Martin, McLaren and Mercedes have to chase Ferrari first - before they set their sights on Red Bull Racing. Will Carlos Sainz return OR will Oliver Bearman get a second shot for Ferrari?  The narrative has expanded to - who will finish P3 in the race AND who will be the non-top-5 team driver to break into Q3? Lots of facts and stats packed into this preview episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast with Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 12) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

What a Formula 1 debut weekend for Oliver Bearman! For starters, he didn't crash - and mind you, he had two FPs less than the other 19 races at the world's fastest street circuit. He almost knocked Lewis Hamilton out of Q3, pulled off overtakes in the Grand Prix to score his first points for Ferrari in Formula 1.  And yes, he's scored more points in Formula 1 in 2024...than in Formula 2. Heck, he also won the "Driver of the Day" in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to Bearman, Ferrari now has three drivers in the top-10 of the Drivers' Championship! The 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the best advertisement for Bearman's candidature for  a Formula 1 seat in 2025. Also in this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah look back at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Just how far up the road is Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing? Will Verstappen be challenged at all on-track in 2024? Will he score another "10 wins on the trot" record OR will he add more to it? Has Sergio Perez accepted that he's only ever going to be the "second-best" driver in the world? Is Mercedes the second-fastest team in 2024 or have they fallen back? Why were McLaren and Mercedes unable to overtake each other? Will the two Red Bull Racing and Ferrari drivers continue to occupy the podium for the races to come? Did Fernando Alonso quality and finish the race out-of-place for Aston Martin? Does Lance Stroll need "how not to crash" lessons still? "Can you bring it back, Lance?" is the most-epic radio message of the season! Why did the FIA not penalise Lando Norris for his apparent jump start? Why did Kevin Magnussen get 2 x 10 second time penalties? Also, Magnussen's heroics helped Haas F1 Team and Nico Hulkenberg score their first point for the 2024 Formula 1 season. In fact, Haas is only the sixth team to score points this season. Alpine's struggles, Daniel Ricciardo's spin and Racing Bulls-Yuki Tsunoda's annoyance with Magnussen's heroics. We've got a lot packed in this review episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 11) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Ferrari

Mohammed Ben Sulayem was jealous of the attention Christian Horner was getting with his scandal. So MBS decided to a scandal or three, for that matter, of his. Yes, it's the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but we expect MBS and the ongoing Red Bull Racing power struggles to take centre stage. Will the Red Bull Racing team agree to internal compromises OR will they implode and fall apart? Let's hope the end to their dominance isn't as rubbish as it seems from the outside. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah dissect the MBS and Red Bull-gate - what exactly is happening, and why? Also, we talk about the teams/drivers that need to do well in Qualifying and in the Race. Yes, 2024 is a 24 race long calendar but it is the early season performances that will give drivers without a contract from next year much leverage. The track itself is gorgeous under the lights, fast...and dizzy-inducing? The teams will bring low downforce configurations and that should change the pecking order in the race. In fact, after Bahrain, one hopes that the chasing pack behind Red Bull is able to chase without many errors. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 10) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

Max Verstappen won the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix by a whooping 22 second margin to Sergio Perez. In 2023, a season he absolutely dominated, his victory margin in Bahrain was only 11 seconds. Could this be a sign for a long and boring season ahead? Let's add to the doomsday prediction with this stat - for the first time ever in Formula 1 history there was no retirement at the opening race of the season!  In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah look at some of the off-beat stories from the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. Why? Because a lot of the stories and narratives seem like just a continuation from 2023. Off-beat stories that you need to know of - Williams' steering dashboard issues, Mercedes' cooling configuration going all wrong + Lewis Hamilton's broken seat, Carlos Sainz wanting a car he could overtake with, Charles Leclerc's imbalanced brake temperatures, Aston Martin's unrealistically large gap to the top-4 and of course, the silly situation between Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. Max Verstappen dominating, everyone else chasing yada yada. But did the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix reveal a pecking order? Yes, it did so. But do we expect the pecking order to remain unchanged in 2024? Oh, absolutely not. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 09) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

Will Red Bull Racing reveal their decision from the investigation into Christian Horner's alleged misdemeanours at Formula 1's opening race in Bahrain? What's your take, will Horner continue in his role at the World Champion team or will he be asked to go? Of course, any off-track story of such a nature will take attention from Red Bull Racing's RB20, if it continues to dominate Formula 1. But can it, will it? The narratives at the start of the season could well be different from the middle and the end of the long Formula 1 season. In fact, the pecking order itself might be different in Bahrain given the extensive mileage all teams have had in the last week or so. The other key question is about Alpine. Are they really as messed up and slow as the experts are predicting? Will McLaren start the season strong? And what about Mercedes and Ferrari? The 2024 Formula 1 season is finally upon us...and remember, the Bahrain Grand Prix is on a Saturday! Tune in to this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast as Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah look forward to the key stories, talking points and predictions for the upcoming 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. (Season 2024, Episode 08) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Formula 1

The 2024 Formula 1 season is upon us...almost! Here are our early and bold predictions for the upcoming season. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah lay down their predictions for the 10 Formula 1 teams, the FIA and of course, FOM aka Liberty Media. Will Red Bull Racing continue to dominate on-track? Will they continue to have "driver problems"? Will Lewis Hamilton's last season with Mercedes be a drab or will he actually win/outscore George Russell? Is Ferrari no longer a sloppy team under the leadership of Frederic Vasseur? But wait, we talk of the mid-field and the minnows, too. Will Stake-Kick's investment into Sauber go waste by 2026? Haas' biggest publicity will be on Williams' sidepod, is it? Will Alexander Albon leave Williams to race at Red Bull Racing OR Mercedes? His Thai roots should come handy, we guess. And where does this leave Carlos Sainz Jr.? Also, let's leave Andrea "Kimi" Antonelli alone. (Season 2024, Episode 07) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Ferrari

How does one get hired as a Team Principal? Is Otmar Szafnauer in touch with Andretti to lead their Formula 1 team? What was the Pink Mercedes saga all about and how painful was it to lose 3rd place in the World Constructors' Championship in 2020?  In our part 2 of the Otmar Szafnauer interview episode, the former Alpine, Aston Martin and Force India / Racing Point chief talks to Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah about several interesting topics on the Inside Line F1 Podcast.  How many teams are sufficient for Formula 1? Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon - two solid midfield drivers that Otmar worked with, how was it with those two? Alpine's lack of a customer team, is that a competitive limitation in Formula 1? And of course, the many heads to Alpine - did that complicate decision making? After a blockbuster Part 1, we're back with Part 2 of the Otmar Szafnauer interview. For those who missed Part 1, hear the episode "Otmar Szafnauer on Lawrence Stroll, Vijay Mallya, Force India, Alpine and more". (Season 2024, Episode 06) Follow our hosts: Soumil Arora, Kunal Shah and Otmar Szafnauer Image courtesy: Formula 1

The GOAT to meet the Prancing Horse - has there been a more shocking driver move in the last many decades? We think not! Lewis Hamilton has finally given in to Ferrari's relentless pursuit to hire him as their star driver. Hamilton will end his dream relationship with Mercedes at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season and race for the Scuderia Ferrari from 2025. Almost no one saw this move coming. But why is Lewis Hamilton going? What could be the 'release clause' he's triggered in his Mercedes contract? In fact, he just extended his contract with the Silver Arrows less than six months ago. We discuss the sporting and other reasons as to why Hamilton has chosen to make this move. As for Ferrari, why do they so badly want Lewis Hamilton? What's next for Carlos Sainz Jr.? It would be a bummer if he didn't get either of the seats vacant at Red Bull Racing and Mercedes from 2025. He's held his own against the might of Charles Leclerc in Ferrari, what else does he need to do to get himself a fast car? Who will Mercedes replace Lewis Hamilton with? Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the two hotshot drivers are locked in at McLaren for the long term. The other two, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, aren't available either. Does Mercedes want a star driver to replace their departing star? OR will they trust a young gun like Red Bull Racing did with Verstappen many years ago? Apart from Carlos Sainz Jr., the other names doing the rounds are Fernando Alonso and Alexander Albon. But could Mercedes bring Sebastian Vettel out of retirement and if not, give Mick Schumacher's Formula 1 career a second life? Toto Wolff has been very vocal of Vettel and Schumacher's talents. Now that he has a vacant cockpit, will he walk the talk?  In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah discuss all of the above and more. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 05) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

Here's our much-awaited Otmar Szafnauer interview. The entire interview is so good that we decided to split it into two parts. In part 1 and on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Otmar talks to Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah about his journey into Formula 1, how he was interviewed and hired at Force India. At Force India, Otmar worked his magic - the team was called "pound for pound" World Champion and he proudly explains exactly why. Also known as "best of the rest" for finishing just behind the top-3 teams, Otmar explains the exact budget gap that existed between Force India and the top teams. In fact, Otmar is of the strong opinion that Force India would've been World Champions in Formula 1 had all teams operated on the same budget. In this episode, he also explains why he decided to move on from Force India / Racing Point & Aston Martin despite saving the team from shutting down only a few years ago. Otmar has worked with three billionaires - Lawrence Stroll, Subrata Roy and Vijay Mallya. He explains the difference in working styles between Stroll-Mallya and offers a comment on Stroll Sr.'s view that his son Lance is a future World Champion. If there's one episode that's a must-listen in this off-season, it's this! P.S.: Part 2 will release on 5th February, 2024. (Season 2024, Episode 04) Follow our hosts: Soumil Arora, Kunal Shah and Otmar Szafnauer Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Indian Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan aka King Khan is world famous. But did you know, he's the ONLY actor in the world to have his face on a Formula 1 car? Yes, here's one of our Force India Formula 1 Team specials. Back in the day, SRK, as he's fondly known, starred in Ra.One. As a part of his film's promotions, SRK's photo was plastered on the nose of the Force India Formula 1 car that raced in the  inaugural 2011 Indian Grand Prix. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora chats with Ravikant Sabnavis and Kunal Shah about Force India's maverick marketing activities around the world, their association with Sachin "#MasterBlaster" Tendulkar (yes, we LOVE it when Cricket meets F1), the team's junior driver program, The "One from a Billion Hunt", building Motorsport-themed games for kids at KidZania and exploring a Formula 1-themed rollercoaster ride among others.  Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 03) Follow our hosts: Soumil Arora, Kunal Shah and Ravikant Sabnavis Image courtesy: Force India F1 Team

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora catches up with Daryl Goodrich, the Director of the "Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story" documentary on Disney+. It's the Formula 1 off-season and there's no better way to get your fix for the sport than by streaming feature stories from the sport itself. You've probably watched the Brawn GP documentary by now just as you probably saw Brawn GP stun Formula 1 by winning the titles in 2009. Tune in to hear Daryl narrate unheard stories from when the documentary was being produced. He shares some of his favourite behind-the-scenes moments from the Brawn GP documentary. He talks about his experiences of working with Keanu Reeves first hand and also about the Brawn GP stories he heard from the famous trio - Ross Brawn, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.  Our favourite story? When a plumber ended up becoming the team's refueller! Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 02) Follow our hosts: Soumil Arora and Daryl Goodrich Image courtesy: Disney+

Of course, every team would be interested in hiring the legendary Formula 1 car designer Adrian Newey. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we reveal how a relatively small privateer team called Force India F1 Team had a serious boardroom discussion on hiring Newey. "The best pound for pound World Champion team" was what Force India was labelled after it consistently outperformed its resources season after season and before the faded away into oblivion. One of the team's co-owners, (late) Subrata Roy, did express seriousness in hiring Newey at one of the team's board meetings.   The other story that is revealed in this episode is that of Gautam Singhania (of Raymond fame) being contacted by Collin Kolles to buy the ailing Spyker-Midland operation. It was Singhania who then introduced this opportunity to Dr. Mallya.  In the off-season, the Inside Line F1 Podcast will focus on feature stories from the paddock. In the early part of January, we will re-run some of our Force India F1 Team specials followed by our exclusive interview with the former boss at Force India & Alpine, Otmar Szafnauer.  Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 01) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

"The winner is never who you think it is!" This is the 11th version of our ever-popular and most-awaited Inside Line F1 Parody Awards. This is also our most-researched episode of the year. But given that it's the off-season, this is probably the least-listened to episode of the season. Sigh!  EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/insideline Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah discuss some of the most-remembered but also the most-forgotten moments from the 2023 Formula 1 season. There are more than a few category - "FIA Moment of the Year", "Liberty Media Moment of the Year", "Most Forgotten Moment of the Year", "Celebrity of the Year", "Most Awkward Moment of the Year", "Recovery of the Year" and so on. Sit back and enjoy over an hour of absolute banter over the 2023 Formula 1 season. Did we miss out on your favourite memory (or nightmare!) from the season? Catch us on social media and let's know.  Tune in! (Season 2023, Episode 66) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

How will one remember the 2023 Formula 1 season? We suspect that it will be more about the stats than the competition itself - that's for Formula 1, the category that Max Verstappen competed in. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/insideline Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! If you're the type who participates in Formula 1 quizzes, the stats from the 2023 Formula 1 season could either be very easy (which driver won most races?) or very weird (which driver has led more laps in Abu Dhabi than Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc combined?).  This is why Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah recorded the best and weird stats from the 2023 Formula 1 season for the Inside Line F1 Podcast. It's off-season for Formula 1 but we've got tons of content lined up, including an interview with Otmar Szafnauer. Look out for our specials, subscribe, tune in and of course, review and recommend us. (Season 2023, Episode 65) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

F1 in Schools, have you heard of F1's efforts to promote STEM among school students? Yes, it is like F1 Academy but for engineers, project managers, marketing and sponsorship managers and so on. It is a unique global platform for the promotion of Formula 1 and partners to a youth market. F1 in Schools is not-for-profit and the only global multi-disciplinary challenge in which teams of students deploy CAD/CAM software to collaborate, design, analyse, manufacture, test, and then race miniature compressed air powered cars made from F1 model block.   EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/insideline.Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! In the first off-season episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora speaks to Andrew Denford, the Founder and Chairman of F1 in Schools about the program that has been operational for over 20 years.  F1 in Schools is present in over 60 countries and sees over 20,000 schools participating. The engineering challenge, which schools students from age 6 to 19 can participate, involves designing and building a model race car that is made from a block of wood and propelled by compressed air.  The challenge inspires students to use IT to learn about physics, aerodynamics, design, manufacture, branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media skills and financial strategy, and apply them in a practical, imaginative, competitive and exciting way.  Teams must raise sponsorship and manage budgets to fund research, travel and accommodation. This episode will shed light on how youngster can pursue a career in Formula 1...outside of the cockpit. Tune in! (Season 2023, Episode 64) Follow our host on Twitter: Soumil Arora Image courtesy: F1 in Schools

That's all for the on-track action from the 2023 Formula 1 season. But the action will continue on the Inside Line F1 Podcast into the off-season of the sport. We've got a few Team Principals lined up as guests followed by Daryl Goodrich (Director of the Brawn GP documentary) and Andrew Denford (from F1 in Schools). But in this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, Kunal Shah and @f1statsguru review the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Was the race fitting as a finale for the 2023 Formula 1 season? Or was it underwhelming at best? Frankly, the Feature Race of Formula 2 in Abu Dhabi was far more fun! EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/insideline Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Max Verstappen's 19th win of the season, his overtaking of Sebastian Vettel's win tally of 53 races, his leading more than 1,000 racing laps this season and more. The 2023 Abu Dhabi was yet another race of dominance by Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. However, it was also another classic for Sergio Perez. Checo lost positions yet again, this time due to a post-race time penalty! It's the third consecutive race in which he's lost positions on the final lap! McLaren's missed opportunities with Lando Norris and their slow stop giving George Russell and Mercedes vital track position and points in their battle for P2 against Ferrari, Charles Leclerc's Sainz-esque approach to clinch P2, Tsunoda-Hamilton's last lap scrap and Fernando Alonso's brake-testing of Hamilton. A lot happened in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix even if the overall race wasn't as exciting. 'Tyre management' was the name of the game, unfortunately. Btw, did you notice the new podium at the Yas Marina Circuit? Also, AI was in action for 'track limits' this race. Lots to talk about, lots to tune in for! (Season 2023, Episode 63) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes