Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello everybody and welcome back. It's the P1 Podcast with Matt and Tommy. Driver ratings, oh yes. Sound the alarm. Matt and Tommy are in the neighbourhood with their grades, ready to rock your world. That's right. We're here, of course, to talk about the entirety of the Chinese Grand Prix sprint weekend, which always makes our grades a little bit more difficult to decide on.
But I'm looking forward to this discussion, Tommy. I'm looking forward to hearing what your grades are. And I'm also looking to see what the fans have gone for as well. Always, always on a sprint weekend as well. New regulations. It doesn't get tougher than this, but I like it because there's disagreements and opinion and chatter, and that's what makes driver ratings fun. Oh, yeah.
So let's start with Sergio Perez. Sprint qualifying 22nd and finished the sprint in 19th. For the main quali, 22nd and finished the race in 15th. On paper, you're thinking, that's a solid one. But he finished last. I'm going for a 5 out of 10 for Sergio Perez.
Chapter 2: What are the main highlights of the Chinese Grand Prix sprint weekend?
It was a weekend plagued with issues. And the only reason I've not gone for a 6 is like, well done, you finished 15th, is that he dive-bombed the life out of Valtteri Bottas and almost ended both of their races. Thankfully, that didn't happen. And overall, Cadillac...
you know they're doing they're doing something you know they're they're driving around they're existing they're doing more than Aston Martin um and yeah so it's a straight down the middle five out of ten because Perez got away with it because realistically was he going to finish anywhere else Oh, well, Bottas finished P13.
That might well be the end of the championship battle between the two of them. And it could have been Perez, Tommy. It could have been your boy. It could have been. I've gone for a five out of ten as well for Perez. Yeah, you kind of took the words out of my mouth, really. They were very comparable, Bottas and Perez, this whole weekend, really.
um they were driving together for much of the the two races um but the problem uh for Perez and why he's not getting a whopping six out of ten from me is because he did collide uh with Bottas and it was Perez's fault uh at the start but yeah a decent finishing position 15th but obviously that was last on the road but he did have an issue at the end
And I really would have loved to have heard Sergio Perez's team radio throughout the weekend. Oh, my word. Asking for mushrooms, which as a sentence sounds insane. But of course, we're talking about the Mario Kart mushrooms. And there's so many team radios we have been missing out on because they just don't want to play it. And it's ridiculous.
And then they just, you know, they come onto social media anyway. But I guess maybe the broader audience don't see it. And they think, oh, these regulations are phenomenal because they're not showing us the team radio anymore. Anyway, that's another topic for another day. The fans gave Sergio Perez a 5 out of 10.
Valtteri Bottas, sprint quali 21st, did not finish the sprint in quali 20th and finished the race in 13th. I've gone for a 6 out of 10 for Valtteri Bottas. Yeah, P13 is a drive that may well make him ahead in the championship on Sergio Perez. However, they were very evenly matched throughout the race. Both races, actually, Perez was slightly ahead in the sprint.
And in the main race, Perez was right on Bottas' tail for almost the whole Grand Prix until he had a problem and dropped way back.
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Chapter 3: How did Sergio Perez perform during the sprint and main race?
So one more point for Bottas because he didn't yeet his teammate and it wasn't his fault. So I've gone for a six for Bottas. Okay, I've gone for a 7 out of 10 for Valtteri Bottas. I downgrade... Well, I would have given them potentially similar points, but Perez went for the yeet and Bottas beat Ocon. So, realistically, he's in a Cadillac... Perez would have beaten Ocon as well.
Yeah, but he yeeted his teammate. Okay, two grades is quite crazy for them being together on track with an issue, but it's your grade. All right, Sergio Perez, stand boy. Well, you're a Bottas fanboy these days. They're here, right? And I go, oh, well done, Bottas. You beat a car. Congratulations. Perez, you yeeted your teammate. That's how they move. That's how they move in my direction.
If you want to come for me, for my Bottas fandom, then so be it. Yes, I'm not denying this. And it goes back to my point of it's so hard to compare throughout the entire weekend at this point in the season because they have so many issues. But look, I think I should reward Bottas for the fact that his car, the Cadillac... Beat another car. So that is it. Okay, I'm saying well done to Bottas.
He kept his nose clean. Yes, he wasn't much faster than Perez, but there are plenty of other things to factor in there. And P13, if that is genuinely the best result he's going to get all year, yes, it's factoring in DNS's, DNF's, then I think it has to have a 7 attributed to that. So honestly, Tommy, you can go jog on. And that's as simple as that. The fans can also jog on.
They gave him a 6 out of 10. No, I'm kidding. Please keep listening. Well done, fans. Shut up. It really doesn't matter. It's two Cadillac drivers. Don't get heated, Tommy. It's Bottas and Perez at the back. Franco Colapinto. Sprint quali was 16th, finished the sprint in 14th, qualified for the main race in 12th, and finished the race in 10th. I have gone for... A 7 out of 10.
Now, a 7 out of 10 is a pretty good grade. That being said, I think Gasly had the measure of him quite dramatically, I would say, over the course of the weekend. Gasly looked phenomenal, but we'll get on to him shortly. For Colopinto... Yeah, he got severely yeeted by Ocon.
Didn't have the best strategy either, of course, with the safety car causing the hard tyre runners to essentially be screwed because they decided they had to decide to stay out because pitting on lap 10 just didn't really make much sense. So that would have been the likes of Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Lindblad, Ocon himself as well.
And that's the reason why they crashed because they were on very similar strategies. But for Colopinto yeah it was a good weekend of course scoring a point after the crash was a good recovery drive but that being said yeah there's clearly a bit more pace in that Alpine than Franco's managing to get out at the moment Yes, I've gone for a 7 out of 10 for Colapinto as well.
The reason for a 7, he's still lacking a lot in qualifying, I think, compared to his teammate. But he had an absolutely amazing start in the main race to basically be up in 6 behind Gasly immediately, even though he started on hard tyres.
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Chapter 4: What were Valtteri Bottas's results and challenges in this race?
P5 last year, I think. And with this one, there was potential to slot in ahead of signs at the very minimum after being screwed over by the strategy, but instead finished 14th and behind Bottas. I have gone for a 4 out of 10 for Esteban Ocon as well. Yeah, scoring no points when your teammate is finishing fifth.
I think, yeah, he was unlucky in the strategy, but then of course had the collision and did what might have been a comeback. But even looking at the sprint, you know, that Haas is a strong car now and he should be scoring points in the sprint as well, which his teammate did. And yeah, just a really poor weekend for Ocon again. It's looking quite worrying at the moment for him.
He needs to get back to esty besty of old. Certainly does. The fans gave Ocon a five out of ten. ollie behrman sprint qualified p9 finished the sprint in eighth qualified for the main race in 10th finished fifth it's a 10 out of 10 for ollie behrman definitely um you you yeah you wanted to go for 10 last time for behrman i it has to be a 10 this time definitely He was really good in both races.
Obviously, the sprint, he got points. And then in the main race, I think what's most impressive is he got caught up in that Hadjar spin. Could have easily just ruined his whole race or ended up back in the pack. And he still managed to come all the way through to fifth place.
uh it's having an amazing season i saw actually someone has already started doing the formula b or 1.5 or whatever you want to call it uh based on the midfield runners compared to those uh top four teams red bull are they even in that now i don't think they are but anyway even still even still red bull are midfield now my guy they are top three teams did say in livery ratings they were going to be midfield
And, yeah, Olly Behrman has finished first, second, first in those first three races. Imagine tuning into the episode right here, right then. Like, didn't skip the intro, just went to you saying, Olly's finished first, second, first. Everyone does that. Skip straight to Olly Behrman's result. They will in the future, for sure. So, yeah, amazing start to the year for Behrman. Incredible stuff.
I have, of course, gone for a 10 out of 10 for Oli Behrman. Again, just massively impressing. He's building on last year incredibly well. And complete agreement about the Hajar incident. He missed that by what felt like maybe an inch or two. And to then be able to bounce back to still finish fifth after that skirmish where he lost a handful of places.
I think he was out of the points when he came back on the track. So to bounce back from that still finished best of the rest is just, it is a perfect drive. He scored a point, of course, in the sprint as well. So overall, a phenomenal start to the season for Oli Behrman. No notes, all positives. The fans agree. They've gone for a 10 out of 10 for Oli Behrman.
Lance Strolls, sprint qualified P20, finished the sprint in 18th, qualified 21st and did not finish. Wow, that's quite... That's a lot of... That's very high numbers, isn't it? Lance Stroll, I am going for a 5 out of 10 because it's an Aston Martin that's disintegrating every lap he turns. Aston Martin will maybe work... Well, I mean, Lance Stroll because, look, Fernando Alonso is different.
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Chapter 5: How did Franco Colapinto fare in the sprint and main race?
I thought you were correcting me on something I'd said. Well, yeah, it's ninth fastest. All right. Sorry. Unless cut like that. Yeah, I know. True. Yeah. Oh, sorry. I, for some reason, didn't do maths correctly, which is rare for me. Yes. Yes. Yes. It's usually... But they're one of the slowest cars on the grid, for sure. And for them to score any points at this stage of the season is a miracle.
And I think Carlos should get a pretty good grade for that. I am also, of course, factoring in that it's not a 9 or 10 because I think with some slightly more normal circumstances, he would have obviously finished outside the points. But still a very solid drive from Carlos and an 8 out of 10 from me. I've gone for a 9 out of 10 for Carlos Sainz. It was almost a 10, but I have gone for a 9.
Carlos' race was absolutely amazing. He had an amazing start, and I think two points in a car that I think is truly woeful at the moment should be hugely applauded. To finish ahead of an Alpine, an Audi, a Racing Bulls, which I think are much better cars than what he's got underneath him, I think is a really, really strong result.
And actually, one thing that was missed, because we didn't see any of Carlos like the old days, a bit like his driver intro in the F1 thing where he's really far away. Maybe he's just not being shown this year. And he actually used some tactical overtaking mode on Colopinto at the end. It was on purpose? Yeah, it was.
It was literally like his DRS kind of style where he was using the blue flags and people passing him to get the overtake mode and things to pull away. So very tactical from Carlos. And I think you said it, like it's a miracle to get a P9 in a Williams at the moment. So really strong result for Carlos. Yeah. The fans disagree immensely. They've gone for a 7 out of 10 for Carlos Sainz. Alex Albon.
Sprint qualified in 18th, finished the sprint in 16th, qualified for the main race in 18th and started in the pits. And, well, didn't start at all, actually. Did not start. I've gone for a 5 out of 10 for Alex Albon. There it is. It's a 5 out of 10 DNS, unless you're Fernando Alonso. Yeah, he is tough out, but obviously had his frustrations. We heard him scream terrible on the radio.
And yeah, he was struggling this weekend. The Williams did not seem great, particularly in qualifying. They were really struggling. And obviously both of them ended up both out in Q1 and SQ1. But in the sprint as well, Albon didn't manage to make as much progress as his teammate did, you know, four places below Sainz. So I can't give him any higher than a five.
But another DNS from a driver is crazy. And Albon's one was really weird because we were just watching the grid and then all of a sudden they just showed him on the pit wall and it was like, oh, okay, I guess he's not racing then. Shouldn't he be in the car, Alex? Yeah, weird. Okay, I've gone for a 5 out of 10 as well for Alex Albon.
I'm not going to go down the route of comparing the two because he was once again plagued with issues like some of the other drivers we've spoken about. Had a hydraulic problem I think on the Sunday and then also like they were just constantly changing the car for Alex Albon under Park FermƩ and so on and so forth. So it was an absolute disaster for Williams on the Alex Albon side of the garage.
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Chapter 6: What were the performance ratings for Pierre Gasly and his race outcomes?
It's quite sad, really, and it further echoes and solidifies our stance on the fact that, yes, we might celebrate the racing, but the qualifying and just the fundamentals of the car that we're seeing this year are wrong. And it's, of course, unbiased. Obviously, Charles Leclerc do well.
And if one of his strengths have been weakened, then, you know, ban the rules immediately and get us back to Saturdays where we're fully ragging the car. Because... That's what we want to see. We want to see the drivers make up the time, not on the straights because they've harvested their energy, but because they're pushing into the apexes and risking it all.
So yeah, slightly sad comments to hear that, but very sad if you're me. Okay, the fans gave Charles Leclerc an 8 out of 10 as well. Isaac Hadjar, sprint qualified P10, finished the sprint in 15th, qualified for the main race in 9th and finished 8th. I have given Hajar a 6 out of 10.
Could have been higher for a car that we've seen pictures surfacing on social media that it's 20 kilograms heavier than some competitors. Not verified, just literally someone on a balcony taking a picture of the way the scale is absolutely mental that that's even been surfaced. But that being said, yeah, Red Bull are... like round here at least, maybe the sixth fastest car by the looks of things.
And yes, the spin was a big error and it cost him potential of much more points. There are some positives to draw from this and that's why I've gone for a six out of 10. His pace to max in qualifying looks fantastic.
tiny which is which is brilliant for him and for the future of his of his career and yeah there's clearly a lot of limitations with that red ball and it can cause mistakes we've seen mistakes from Max Verstappen in that car this year sadly for Hadjar it was a big one which cost him a chance of many more points I've gone for a 5 out of 10 for Isaac Kadjar.
Yeah, very good comparison to Max in qualifying, but the mistake cost him a really strong result, I think, and it was a big error as well to lose it like that, you know, on the power, spin around, and He was playing catch-up from then on and was, you know, obviously made a position as well from when his teammate retired.
But it's much more positive signs for Hadjar and that just second seat in general. And if he can continue that form and have a clean race, I genuinely think, you know, we might see some races where he beats Max this year, particularly if Max isn't starting a race. Yeah, exactly, for P12 or something, yeah. The fans gave Hajar a 6 out of 10. Max Verstappen.
Sprint qualified 8th, finished the sprint in 9th, qualified for the main race in 9th and did not finish. I've gone for a 6 out of 10 for Max Verstappen. Obviously, he was going to finish 6th on the road before his car retired from the mechanical failure. But even though that car...
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