Chapter 1: What are the highlights from Day 1 of the second F1 test?
Hello everybody and welcome back to the P1 Podcast with Matt and Tommy. We are a matter of weeks away from the start of the Formula 1 season. We are a matter of two more days after today and testing is done and dusted. Day one. of the second Bahrain F1 test is in the bag, and we're here to chat about it. Let's discuss what's been going down today, Tommy. I wouldn't say the most chaotic of days.
A lot of running for a lot of teams, but I think there also are a few outliers that we need to discuss, as well as other news as well, away from F1 testing, but to do with the F1 season, to do with sprint races and stuff like that to talk about as well. So lots to...
to get through definitely yeah there's been loads of news and chatter today of course the fact that we're doing a lot more testing than normal um so we've already kind of seen a lot of what we believe to be the pecking order although some people have gone a little bit faster which is maybe making a few of us worried we'll get on to them later but
There's also been a lot of news dropping and things like that as well and still trying to tweak these rules. No other sport goes into a new season with a few weeks to go and they're still making it up and going, should we do this? Should we do that? Do we need to change this? It is bizarre, but this is the sport we have.
This is the sport we have. This is the sport we love most of the time.
Sometimes we hate it.
But lots to get into. So why don't we first and foremost go to a question from Firebreath. Surely it's no coincidence that on the same day the FIA released their decision on the compression saga, Mercedes and McLaren look like a rocket ship. Now, Tommy, we've had some news about this, haven't we? The 1st of August being a very key date in the grand scheme of the season and how it will go.
So my understanding is there's a vote next week.
There'll be a vote, yeah. But it's interesting that they can carry on to use it for that long. You know, that's... That's a long time for an advantage if it is this golden bullet like people think it may be. And if you're Ferrari or Red Bull, it's all right going, yes, we'll get to August 1st and maybe ban it.
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Chapter 2: How are teams addressing the new start procedures for the season?
We have, this is the thing with testing and it always is, we make the stories based on how we think the season is going to go. Because, you know, at the end of the day, Williams were fastest in the test last year and we weren't going, oh my God, Williams are so clear, they're going to be the best team of the year or whatever. And it is funny that now Mercedes have gone quicker.
We're all going, oh, no, we're cooked like the season. They're going to run away with that. And they may well do. And they may be just, you know, teasing everyone. There's been a lot of talk from, you know, we still have this kind of who's the fastest hot potato thing going on where everyone doesn't want to say who's fastest.
There was quite an interesting moment in the Team Principles press conference where James Vowles was sort of almost like downplaying the engine compression thing, saying, oh, it doesn't really matter too much.
And what engine is he using?
Yeah, exactly. The Mercedes. And then Lauren Mechie was like, no, actually, it does matter to us. So they obviously believe that they're getting a big advantage from this. And of course, you know, McLaren and Mercedes are going to be absolutely fine with it. But yes, they were very, very quick today and also very quick in their long run pace as well.
They were. So to be clear, the FIA has released an e-vote. I don't know if that means they're going to be sending it via email or what. An Instagram poll. Yeah, maybe we can all decide. But yeah, that vote will be happening next week on a mid-season introduction of essentially another test, another test of that compression ratio stuff that we continuously talk about.
So maybe it will put it to bed. ever so slightly. But it will also, I guess, should Mercedes, McLaren be clear, maybe by two or three tenths a lap, We get to August and we go, well, championship back on for Ferrari if they can make it to August. It literally feels like last year when Max was like, if we stay with the McLarens with a race win or two, then we get to Spain.
It feels like a very similar storyline may well unfold.
Yeah, it'd be the third year in a row, really, that you'd had this, if it did happen, that a team's come out the blocks firing and then it's kind of flipped mid-season and someone else is quicker. It is going to be very controversial.
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Chapter 3: What implications does the compression saga have for Mercedes and McLaren?
So they can maybe take it to Mercedes and have a fight there at the very least.
And if that Mercedes is overpowered, thank goodness McLaren are there because more teams to fight. And then Aston Martin will be like, why did we have a Honda?
But we will get on to them, I'm sure. P1 Patreon member J13. Can you explain the fuel drama? Is it a... thing or just being blown out of proportion? This is a thing. Of course, you know, there are rumours, there are stories flying around. You do wonder how these stories get out.
Someone has a little whisper in the paddock and then it gets to a media outlet and then it, of course, snowballs out of control. But I think with this one, for those of you that haven't seen Petronas, they are or they haven't had their fuel locked in, confirmed, of course, sustainable fuels this year and the process of getting
I think from last year and when the fuels weren't so complex, it would take a couple of weeks to be signed off and this, that and the other. But because there's so many more parameters with it being with the sustainability line and renewable resources, It's taken a lot, lot longer.
And essentially, of course, the four teams that Petronas supply, which are, of course, Mercedes, McLaren, Williams, and why have I gone blank? So those four teams may well, if they don't get the fuel across the line, it might well just become a non-story and it's fine. They're a huge operation and I'm sure they'll be working.
Because Red Bull have only just had theirs approved.
yeah so they'll be working overtime to make it happen if they don't then they have to essentially run this like provisional fuel and fuel is massive in formula one just as much as everything else cooking oil or something that it might well be yeah yeah just just pour it in that'll peg mercedes back a bit wouldn't it if they had to use i mean actually it would that fuel is is massive in in formula one and i think especially you know if they're not able to to utilize the incredible engine that they've created because they haven't got the fuel in there
But yeah, I think this is a story we just have to keep an eye on rather than saying Mercedes are absolutely cooked and not because they've got cooking oil in their car to run in Australia. But essentially, it's like a default provisional. Yeah, that is a joke. Yeah. So there's provisional. There'll be provisional fuel to run, which would hamper them, I think, quite, quite drastically.
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