Inside Line F1 Podcast

We're 24 hours too late with our 2024 Azerbaijan GP review episode, however, we've covered more than just the racing on-track. Did you know that Naomi Campbell, the celebrity who waived the chequered flag in Baku, was once engaged to Flavio Briatore? Yes, lots of such stories in our near hour-long episode. On a weekend when "papaya rules" could have been used against him, Oscar Piastri drove one of his best Formula 1 races to force McLaren to use the papaya rules in favour of him! Lando Norris, the championship contender, fought back from a 15th place at the start to 4th place at the finish; out-scoring his championship rival Max Verstappen by 3 points. How did Charles Leclerc not win in Baku? Btw, only 1 out of the last 9 races have been won by the pole sitter! How did Piastri make up so much time on Leclerc on his in/out laps in the pit stop? Is Red Bull Racing back in form? Sergio Perez was battling for victory...on merit. And how is it that Max Verstappen's struggles continued? Was the Carlos Sainz-Sergio Perez incident right to be labelled as a "racing incident" or should either one of the two drivers have picked up a penalty? And if so, who? Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 47) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Aston Martin F1 Team

Legendary Formula 1 engineer & designer Adrian Newey will team up with Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and several other star engineers at Aston Martin F1 Team from 2025 onward. Will it be yet another winning combination for Newey? A mega coupe by Canadian billionaire, Lawrence Stroll. Also, it's "race week" for Baku, the venue of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The "City of Winds" has always entertained, given it's unique track layout, but for once, no one knows for sure who could win this weekend. Will Ferrari-McLaren lead Mercedes-Red Bull Racing OR would a team have pulled away that slight bit to have an advantage this weekend? Historically, this race has seen interruptions, but Formula 1 has also gone 7 races without a Safety Car! In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah preview the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Oliver Bearman stepping in for Kevin Magnussen, McLaren's team orders saga and of course, if Lando Norris can get two things right. First, the start and opening lap, and second, taking a BIG chunk of points off Max Verstappen's 62 points lead. Also, for the first time in 2024 (possibly), we have 8 drivers who could genuinely be in the fight for the lead! Sergio Perez is the "King of Baku" as the only driver to score multiple wins AND most podiums. In only 7 years, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has etched a special place in the hearts of Formula 1 fans. Let's see how they all go this weekend. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 46) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Aston Martin F1 Team

2024 marks 20 years since the inception of Red Bull Racing. Who better than Helmut Marko, one of the main architects of the team, to narrate some stories about the multiple World Championship winning team? In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Dr. Helmut Marko takes Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah back in time to discuss the origins of the team, the culture, their almost power unit partnership with Mercedes, Fernando Alonso's rejection, a missed chance with Lando Norris and more. Note to editors of media houses: When you use quotes from this episode, do remember to credit "Inside Line F1 Podcast" AND embed the episode on your landing page(s). We expect you to follow ethical journalism. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 45) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

Could McLaren have one-stopped their way to win the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza? How did Charles Leclerc and Ferrari manage to snatch a surprise win at home in front of the tifosi? We dissect LEC's super-consistent lap times on the hard tyre - the one that gave him the win. McLaren and team orders - are they too late in implementing one? And of course, Oscar Piastri's massive overtake on Lando Norris on the opening lap, how did he pull that off? In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, Kunal Shah & @f1statsguru re-live the moments from the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. Kevin Magnussen's one race ban, but a point for Haas F1 Team, Alexander Albon and more so, Franco Colapinto's race debut. Also, what's your favourite Ferrari Formula 1 race car through the years? Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 44) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Ferrari

One of Motorsport and Formula 1's most-influential figures Dr. Helmut Marko returned as a guest on the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Dr. Marko, who is Red Bull's Motorsport Advisor, took time to discuss several topics with your regular trio of hosts - Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Dr. Marko spoke about Red Bull Racing's shocking loss to McLaren at the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, commented on what it takes to be Max Verstappen's team-mate and how maybe only Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris can come close. He also weighed in on Mercedes' repeated interest in hiring Max Verstappen and his comments on exit clauses. We've split Dr. Marko's episode into 2 parts. Part 1, this episode, talks about current affairs regarding Red Bull Racing. Part 2, which is out next week, will focus on "20 years to Red Bull Racing" where Dr. Marko re-lives some of his proudest moments, the early day challenges, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley and more. Note to editors of media houses: When you use quotes from this episode, do remember to credit "Inside Line F1 Podcast" AND embed the episode on your landing page(s). We expect you to follow ethical journalism. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 43) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

This episode is a double - the 2024 Dutch GP review and the 2024 Italian GP preview. Yes, it's a double header, and we're making space in our publishing calendar. But making space for what or for who? Well you'll know soon. Check out the Inside Line F1 Podcast on Thursday this week...and Thursday next week. We're getting one of our headline guests back on the show. How did McLaren win by 22 seconds in Zandvoort? Can they win again in Monza? Why was Red Bull Racing just so slow in Zandvoort? Will the top-4 teams be even closer at Monza? The 2024 Italian GP will see teams choose their lowest downforce setting. Basically, they will shed ALL the drag they can. As much as love Monza for the history, the Tifosi and the iconic corners, the one thing that we HATE it for are DRS trains. At Zandvoort, we saw overtakes across the entire grid. Let's see how Monza copes on the overtaking front...and even more so with DRS trains. At Zandvoort, Ferrari over-delivered on Sunday. They pulled off a masterstroke of a tyre strategy with Charles Leclerc. LEC undercut George Russell and Oscar Piastri during his single stop. Will Ferrari continue to shine in Monza in front of their beloved Tifosi? Also, who will be the most-popular Ferrari driver at Monza - Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz or Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton's recovery drive from P14 to P8 at Zandvoort was much-heralded, much as George Russell's drop-off from a podium position to P7. After impressing in the races just before the summer break, what happened to Mercedes at Zandvoort? And can they re-join the battle at the front in Monza? Mercedes' BIG high moment will be when Andrea "Kimi" Antonelli jumps into Russell's car during FP1 to make his Formula 1 debut. Will Mercedes also use this opportunity to confirm Formula 1's worst kept secret about their replacement for Hamilton? Lots in store in this hour-long episode, tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 42) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: McLaren

After weeks of traveling to other race venues to cheer for Max Verstappen, the "Orange Army" finally gets a home race to cheer for...Max Verstappen! Let's face it - the Dutch Grand Prix exists only for one reason. That reason is Max Verstappen. Don't believe us? Hear the story of the 2020 Dutch Grand Prix in the episode for more. Yes, the 2020 edition of the race. The one that didn't happen. It's fitting that Max Verstappen's home race is an old school circuit that every driver adores. A circuit that is tight, twisty and narrow with a high overtaking difficulty. There are two LONG DRS zones and the best part? Two heavily banked corners that will challenge the drivers and tyres alike. Come Qualifying, track position will be vital. And in the race, tyre strategy will be key. Why? Again, because overtaking is difficult around Zandvoort. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah preview the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix. The trio discusses the circuit characteristics, facts-stats, and of course, how the next 10 races of the 2024 Formula 1 season will pan out starting from this race weekend. Will Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing resume winning races? OR will McLaren finally nail their race execution to score more 1-2s, a result they will need to claim this year's World Constructors' Championship. A few seats still remain to be filled for the 2025 Formula 1 season. Will we see any driver announcements this weekend or the next? Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 41) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Dutch GP

A week to go before the start to the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix race weekend. Here's part 2 of our ever-popular mid-season review. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah re-live moments, controversies, facts-stats from the first 14 races of the season. After covering 4 teams in part 1, the trio speak about the remaining 6 teams in part 2. A lot will happen in Formula 1 in the remaining 10 races of the season; including on the Inside Line F1 Podcast. 😉 Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 40) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: McLaren

Yes, we're all missing Formula 1 in this forced summer shut down period. It is forced - at least for the fans. And after the run of races we had before the summer break, we're not alone in wishing that there was no summer break at all! But, do you remember the most fun, controversial and shocking moments from the 2024 Formula 1 season? In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru aka Sundaram Ramaswami and Kunal Shah re-live the first 14 races of the season and the pre-season testing. In fact, we go all the way back to car launches, too. Lots has happened in the sport, politics and business of Formula 1, trust us. The "2024 Mid-season Review" is split into two parts. Both parts are absolutely going to make you laugh. If you don't end up laughing, tell us! We had a blast recording. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 39) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

Driver 44, Lewis Hamilton, won the 44-lap long 2024 Belgian Grand Prix after the FIA issued document number 44, that disqualified the original race winner and Hamilton's George Russell from the race. Yes, numerology was at play, if you believe in it that is, at this weekend's race around the legendary Spa Francorchamps. Btw, Oscar Piastri's slow pit stop was 4.4 seconds long!  Lewis Hamilton became only the second driver to score multiple race wins in the 2024 Formula 1 season. Hamilton's victory at Spa came 11 years to the day when he scored his first race win with Mercedes! Was Mercedes expected to be in the race fight whatsoever? The pre-race chatter was about McLaren vs. Red Bull Racing and how Ferrari-Mercedes would play second fiddle. But the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix had other plans. In fact, it showed what a Formula 1 race should be like - multiple teams fighting for the win with no predictability on who could actually win! In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah dissect the race, the popular and not-so-popular stories and more. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 38) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

We're onto our 5th Grand Prix in 6 weekends; are you complaining!? At this weekend's 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, McLaren will be taking on Red Bull Racing in their den at the legendary Spa Francorchamps circuit. Max Verstappen has won 3 consecutive Grands Prix at Spa (yes, we're counting 2021 even though it wasn't really a Grand Prix!). Red Bull Racing-Verstappen have won the last races at Spa despite taking power unit related grid penalties.  In fact, could this weekend's race be the "Power Unit Grid Penalty" Grand Prix? It wasn't too many years ago when McLaren took a 60 place grid penalty, but those were the days. These days, McLaren is now most-definitely the class of the field. But can they deliver a drama-free race? Mixed weather is expected on Saturday for Qualifying - let's hope McLaren's pit wall gets it right...after receiving sermons and team management lessons from everyone...including those who are nobody in Formula 1 (like us!). Also, is Ferrari in the right? Will the cooler temperatures bring Mercedes closer to McLaren-Red Bull Racing? While we will see the regular narratives play out, let's remember to enjoy the Spa Francorchamps this weekend - as a race circuit. They don't make circuits like the Spa anymore!  And of course, Alpine might be set to lose their "works" status by signing up for Mercedes power units from 2025. Let's hope their race weekend management is as spot-on as their new superhero livery.  Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 37) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: McLaren

We called it! In the week leading up to the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, we had our "we told you so" moment when we predicted an Oscar Piastri win in Hungary. But what no one could have predicted is "how" he could go about clinching his debut win in Formula 1. The 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix offered edge-of-seat action for various reasons. First, a chasing Max Verstappen in his Red Bull Racing car. Second, Lewis Hamilton being in the mix or thereabouts. And third, obviously, McLaren's pit walls decisions, communications and eventual optics in how they handed the win back to Piastri. Poor Lando Norris. He was put to the "moral test" on live television, and despite being very very tempted, he did well to make the "right" choice. But what could have happened IF Norris chose to ignore team orders? In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, F1 StatsGuru and Kunal Shah re-live the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. They debate the various decisions made by the McLaren pit wall. Could they have handled this situation better? Why did they decide to undercut Oscar Piastri with Lando Norris at the last stop?  Max Verstappen, who was annoyed and impatient, finished a lowly fifth - after tangling with his arch rival Lewis Hamilton. The Stewards ruled "no action", but was it a racing incident or was Hamilton to blame in this situation?  In this hour long episode, the trio discusses various stories, narratives, strategies and race outcomes from the epic 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 36) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: McLaren

Mercedes has never won "three in a row" in this era of Formula 1. Can they claim this stat by winning the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix?  Based on the 2024 British Grand Prix, Mercedes is one the fastest teams in Formula 1, if not the fastest. But of course, they won the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix only because Max Verstappen-Lando Norris had a fallout on track (and George Russell was 15 seconds behind the lead pair). Of all the current teams, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have the best stats for the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix in the last decade! Hungaroring was built to mimic the circuit of Monaco, and it isn't surprising that the technical requirements (high downforce!) have labelled this circuit just outside of Budapest as "Monaco without the walls". Will Red Bull Racing be troubled at the Hungaroring as they were in Monaco? Will McLaren be as quick - as they've been everywhere, and will this be the race they finally start delivering "perfect" races, and what about Ferrari? The team that won in Monaco; will they be back in the fight at "Monaco without the walls"? The drivers silly season might see some announcements - Esteban Ocon to Haas to be finally confirmed? As for the others, all eyes on Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez - the two big movers in the market. Yes, Perez has a signed contract for the next two season (2025 and 2026), but given his current form and struggles to resurrect, one wonders if Red Bull Racing will take up their option on the "performance clause" that is often rumoured. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 35) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

Indian Cricket legend & Formula 1 fan since the ages Ravi Shastri predicted a Lewis Hamilton victory on the Saturday of the 2024 British Grand Prix on the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Ravi, who has previously been a guest on our show, joined us from Silverstone where he was a guest of the Stake Sauber Kick F1 Team. Soumil Arora hosted Ravi where the duo spoke about athlete mindset and how an "older" star driver like Lewis Hamilton would react to being beaten by a "younger" team-mate aka George Russell. Ravi also told us how he started watching Formula 1 while playing county cricket in England in the 70s and 80s, and Silverstone is special for Formula 1...and for himself. Did you know? Ravi's original inspiration in Formula 1 was former driver turned broadcaster Martin Brundle. Also in this episode, Ravi shares his views on the Max Verstappen-Lando Norris rivalry, why he has high hopes from Aussie driver Oscar Piastri and of course, his thoughts on India recently winning the T20 World Cup in the United States of America. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 34) Follow our host on Twitter: Soumil Arora Image courtesy: Formula 1

What an emotional win for Lewis Hamilton in front of his home fans at Silverstone! The 2024 British Grand Prix will go down in memory as one of the most-special races in history. Yes, a British driver won the British Grand Prix for the 30th time in history, but what makes it special is that Hamilton won at home, his 9th such victory, with Mercedes - a team he has actually given up on! Also, Hamilton-Mercedes won on merit. They were the quickest car on-track. Hamilton's "wing" choices on Saturday and the track temperatures on Sunday played a vital role in his 104th career win in Formula 1. And of course, Hamilton's impeccable driving in mixed weather conditions, too.  It was heartwarming to see the British fans join Hamilton's family in celebrating this win - one that took 56 races to come. Hamilton becomes the first and only driver with over 300 starts to score a race win in Formula 1.  In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah re-live the magical British Grand Prix. Were you also surprised when Red Bull Racing weren't the quickest across the changing track conditions? Also, were you surprised when McLaren decided to "invent" race strategy than stick to the norm? George Russell's retirement, Nico Hulkenberg's mega points score for Haas and several other stories and facts from the 2024 British Grand Prix. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 33) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Mercedes

The Lando Norris-Max Verstappen battle will continue at one of Formula 1's most-legendary and oldest circuits on the calendar, Silverstone. Lewis Hamilton's reaction to the Norris-Verstappen incident from Austria will make headlines. But will he comment at all? A lot at stake for the title protagonists, Formula 1 and the British fans at this weekend's British Grand Prix. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, @f1statsguru is back in the studio along side Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 32) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, @f1statsguru and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: McLaren

Will Max Verstappen and Lando Norris' friendship survive the test of Formula 1? Seemingly, that's the key question after their race-altering incident in the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. Understandable that their friendship is under question, because in 2024 at least, we don't believe the Drivers' World Championship is. It will be won by Max Verstappen! And of course, was Verstappen "dirty" in his wheel-to-wheel battle against Norris? The fan base is split, and we try offer an emotional and objective response. Needless to say, Verstappen-Norris is box-office stuff, and we'd love more of this. But can anyone go wheel-to-wheel against Verstappen at all? Also in this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah dissect the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. Will Mercedes be celebrating their race win? Could Oscar Piastri have won this race had it not been for his "track limits" penalty in qualifying on Saturday? Congrats to Haas for scoring their best race result since 2022 (also in Austria).  Ferrari's optimism with Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez's damaged RB20 and not picking up of the pieces after the Verstappen-Norris incident, Aston Martin's no-score and more in this episode. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 31) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

Can McLaren challenge Red Bull Racing? And could Ferrari and Mercedes potentially join their fight? These might be the two questions we ask ourselves at every remaining Grand Prix of 2024! In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah preview the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, also an "F1 Sprint" weekend. We have a timeless story from Red Bull's Motorsport Advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, on the origins of Red Bull Racing, the Red Bull Junior Team, etc. (from the 25th minute). Tune in to the full episode of Dr. Helmut Marko on the Inside Line F1 Podcast All eyes on Sergio Perez, Oscar Piastri and Aston Martin - all in need of a good result. The Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring offers a different challenge to the cars. Of course, we expect the "Orange Army" to cheer for Max Verstappen, but could the cheers this year also be for McLaren's papaya car? Lots of stories, opinions and banter in this episode. (Season 2024, Episode 30) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

Why did Lando Norris claim that he should have won the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix? In fact, why did Norris run a different race strategy vs. Max Verstappen, and why was he not too concerned about the Mercedes drivers? Why did George Russell's race attack wear off mid-race? And of course, how did Max Verstappen end up winning a race despite the McLaren being the quicker car yet again? Why has Ferrari lost ground for the second race in succession, and why was Carlos Sainz involved in Turn 1 incidents with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton?  Did Mercedes sabotage Russell's race (sarcasm alert!) by putting him on the hard in his final stint while Lewis Hamilton chose the soft? Why was Sergio Perez's 8th place finish lauded by Christian Horner. Fun fact: Perez was the only three-stopping driver who finished in the points What happened to Aston Martin? Fernando Alonso was 17 seconds off Nico Hulkenberg for P11 (lap 58/66), and of course, how did Alpine change their fortunes? Is it the "Flavio Briatore effect" felt at Enstone already?  In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah dissect the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix by answering a lot of race-related questions, discussing stats-facts and more. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 29) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: McLaren

In the end, Max Verstappen won the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, also his 60th win in Formula 1. However, there were two other drivers who could've equally won the race - Mercedes' George Russell and McLaren's Lando Norris. The race, that saw several interruptions thanks to the rain and Safety Car, eventually rewarded "track position" given that the pace between the protagonists was very similar. In fact, Mercedes' pit stops at the restart for fresh tyres was a masterstroke. It gave them significant tyre delta to pull off overtakes and score their first podium of the season. Of course, this was after George Russell scored the team's first pole position of the season on Saturday. The other two key strategy moments were - Haas' "wet" tyre start of the race. Kevin Magnussen & Nico Hulkenberg were flying in the first tenth of the race! They pulled off overtakes at will. The other moment was when Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon chose to not pit under the Safety Car and pile 44 laps on the inters. This gave them track position in the top-10! The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix was chaotic, but fun. It offered us a good mix of on-track action, mixed weather, a multi-team battle and Alpine's first double points finish of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Tune in! (Season 2024, Episode 27) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool