The repeat mismanagement of the qualifying fiasco has brought Formula 1’s power struggles to the fore, say Mithila and Kunal in this week’s episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. While the FIA & FOM seem to have ganged up against the teams, the fans have been neglected yet again. And for a change, the drivers too.
Given that the ‘three tyre compound’ rule seems to be working wonders for the sport, the duo wonder if this was a fluke decision after all. Also, does it make the sport a tad too confusing at times? We tell you why we prefer tyre strategy over fuel strategy.
Nico Rosberg’s victory in Bahrain was long overdue, but the same can be said about his career as well. Whether the ‘five consecutive wins’ statistic works for him or not, Rosberg is a true champion and we tell you why.
As for Lewis Hamilton, he seems better in finishing races than starting them; will this prompt a rule change by the FIA-FOM to help him back to his winning ways? We discussed the Hamilton-Bottas incident and wonder if the FIA Stewards are missing Pastor Maldonado this season.
Fernando Alonso might have missed performing on track in Bahrain, but he did make up for it via a stellar performance on LIVE TV with Johnny Herbert. Clap! Clap! And we wouldn’t be surprised if Stoffel Vandoorne reluctantly returned the keys of the Mclaren-Honda back to Alonso for China.
Lastly, are Ferrari pushing their development agenda at the cost of reliability? And did you know that three out of Kimi Raikkonen’s last four podium finishes came at circuits where there was no alcohol served (on the podium).
Tune in!
(Season 2016, Episode 10)
This article was first published on Kunal’s F1 Blog www.kunalsf1blog.com
Mithila Mehta is a travel blogger and, well, loves formula 1. she co-hosts the inside line f1 podcast, you can also read her travel stories on www.miss-wanderlust.com or follow her on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/mith_m
Kunal Shah is a former single-seater racer who works in the sports business industry. he pens his thoughts on f1 on his personal blog www.kunalsf1blog.com and co-hosts the inside line f1 podcast. catch him on twitter too – http://www.twitter.com/kunalashah
About the inside line f1 podcast: this is a weekly podcast that aims to add much needed humour to an otherwise serious sport of formula 1. it’s nearing 150 episodes of production with over 100,000 listeners each year. the podcast is available across popular listening and streaming platforms such as itunes (http://bit.ly/insidelinef1podcast), Sound Cloud http://bit.ly/insidelineonsoundcloud, youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjx7JlTx5j4kHAY-SqVq8RQ