WHY Esteban Ocon is leaving Alpine 😲 | Sky Sports F1 Podcast

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Sky Sports F1’s Matt Baker is joined by Crofty and Simon Lazenby look back at the 2024 season so far, including why Esetban Ocon has decided to leave the Alpine team and where he could be headed next.

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hello everyone a very warm welcome to this week’s episode of The Sky Sports F1 podcast now ahead of this week’s Canadian Grand Prix I thought we’d do a Q&A a season so far Q&A to answer your questions I’ve managed to pin down Simon lasenby and David Croft how are you crofter you you had a barbecue this weekend I saw out uh out in the garden how was it yes uh man cooks with flame it was the one day of summer and it was gorgeous to be honest we put a massive big steak on the barbecue and had some fun in the garden about time too it was lovely delightful Simon got the barbecue out yet I did the same actually yeah I got got my barbecue out I was inspired by cof’s Instagram post um and we are yeah oh yeah we’re looking forward to going to Montreal well no well the weather forecast is bad at the moment where it’s typical barbecue weather it’s showers every day uh to be fair but I’m I’m going to bring the uh the Ino shirt just in case the Sun comes out we’ll uh see if we can use it I think I’ll look quite Dandy strolling down the pit Lane with that no I’ve got I’ve got one as well I’ve got a flamingo shirt maybe I’ll maybe I’ll pack it we can beat you bring yours I’ll bring mine we’ll beat somewhere outside McLaren how about that it’s not Miami it’s it’s Canada we should we should remember that but yeah very good it’s vastly different in the rain when Salon the main street is open in the sunshine and it’s 30° it’s kind of a different vibe from when the when he’s showering so let’s keep our fingers crossed fingers crossed for you out there I’ll always remember the track guide that Daner and Jensen tried to do a couple of years ago and they got red flagged off the track because it was so wet so that that’s my over that’s my over overwhelming memory of Canada um look before we go on I just want to do a quick shout out to Val botas I don’t know if either of you saw what he was up to this weekend you might think out relaxing having having a beer as cycling cycling and he competed in the Unbound gravel race in Kansas he rode 108 m in 5 hours 26 minutes 5,000 ft of elevation 4,600 calories burned and he placed 33rd out of 14400 riders second W in his age group so round of applause there to valry botas and I only know all this from his St I didn’t I wasn’t there knowing how many calories he burns a bit bit strong isn’t it but anyway there you go he is the fastest mullet on two wheels that is a tremendous achievement very well done a hotly contested category uh right let’s let’s kick off um with some of the news that’s broken today we’re recording this on a Monday there is another bit of news potentially coming from Red Bull but but we don’t know what that is at the moment so so let’s focus on what we do know and that is the news that esan oon is going to uh leave Alpine at the end of this season uh he’s going to end their fiveyear relationship he he of course won for them in Hungary in 20121 he’s had two other podiums in the Sak the Saka Grand Prix in 2020 and of course the podium in in Monaco last year um Simon what was it was it coming do do you think perhaps after the the fireworks of last weekend in Monaco this this isn’t really a surprise yeah I mean I don’t know if it’s a direct result of that is it I think from from what we understand with everything that’s been going on Alpine if you’re a racing driver you’re not going to be wanting to race in that car this season yes you’re going to be uh you know doing your damnest to try and get it back up into the Midfield and they are making some Headway like that but if you’re if you’re oon you’re gazley and there are seats available as there are this year as there wasn’t last year you’d be agitating to to find a way out of there I would have thought at the moment especially if you’ve not been convinced by what you’ve seen going forward so I don’t know if you can directly correlate what happened in in Monaco to to his departure it sounds like he said he’s going to announce something coming up and maybe this precipitated just the announcement a little bit earlier but um yeah I I as I said I don’t think ones are as all the other D cofy I’m going to take you back to Thursday in Monaco uh before the press conference where I went and had a few chats um and I got the distinct impression that Esther ban wasn’t top of the shopping list for Alpine for next year and Beyond there were a lot of drivers names being mentioned and and estban wasn’t particularly high up on that I’m not saying they wanted to get rid of him at that stage uh but he wasn’t uppermost in their thoughts and then we went to the press conference and Esther bam was uh extoling the virtues of of driving in Lemont and competing in W and that often smacks of a driver who is keeping his options open uh for his forthcoming career and then of course we had the race um and it was a race despite what a lot of people thought uh and and and were quite eager to tell us about on social media um we had the race where once again he had a coming together and once again it was with his teammate and I think I think that might have hastened the decision Bruno famine the team principal was rightly um nonp pleased with uh with what happened and and I I I think whether his mind was made up before I’m not sure I think it was definitely made up afterwards and that transpired with the news that we’ve had today esan okon is is one of those guys he is a really truly lovely human being I’ve got a lot of time for EST bokon but he does have these moments doesn’t he with his teammates and it doesn’t necessarily do his CV any favors you know for for Pierre gazley not just the ones as well uh insert Fernando Alonzo inserts um Sergio Perez this has happened throughout his career and and he’s not like he’s a he’s a rookie he’s an experienced driver and whilst a former race winner is always going to appeal to certain team principles I just got the feeling that that there was an air of tension between team and and and and teammate that wasn’t doing estan any favors so the news has not come as a surprise at all if you take the incident in isolation right it’s never usually about one incident is it it’s the culmination of everything so that that’s to my point I think that there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes and I think that um it’s as much as about probably wants to free himself from this as as Al want to free themselves from him yeah and he he has been talking mat to other teams so you know it’s it’s not that we’re we’re definitely going to lose estan oon from Formula 1 and I hope we don’t uh there there there is potential out there for him and he certainly is on the short list at H along with a number of other drivers as well um but yeah he’s he’s he’s talking up other series and that didn’t come as much of a surprise as well when we went into the press conference it’s a it’s a bit of a giveaway isn’t it as as you say cofy I think what’s quite interesting is he’s still got 16 races left this season and I wonder what his mentality is going to be like going into those 16 races especially if he’s still got a point to prove and I I wonder if he’s going to play the team game even less than he perhaps already has um Simon what about what about what’s next for Alpine do you think who who would there’s the obvious choice isn’t there perhaps of Jack Doan their their Reserve driver at the moment Mick schumacker is is kicking around as well where who who of them or if anyone else would you perhaps see getting into that seat right now um things aren’t very Rosy are they in the Alpine Garden so you know what are they looking are they going to be able to attract the top echelons on on the grid I think the answer in the long or medium term is it depends on their commitment going forward and we’ve seen this before where they’ve had a sort of a four or fiveyear plan everyone’s got a four or fiveyear plan um alpines or Renault as it was it’s never seemed to materialize so it depends what they put in place going forward and and I suppose how that Renault engine is is looking from 2026 onwards because ultimately they are a Works team and drivers want to put themselves in a position whereby they are for the works team however to C to that argument look at what’s happening with Mercedes this year whereby one of their customers is almost double the points ahead of them so um I think that they they’ve got to get their house in order they seem to have been transitioning for a long long period of time there’s never really been much stability in our time in the sport down that way I mean the early part yeah they were picking up the odd race win kimy reiken I remember that one um way back when but I I think that something’s got to change there for them to be taken as seriously as the front running teams and what that is I don’t know but fam’s got to get something in place they need investment they need investment um and whilst they are a Works team I don’t think they receive similar levels of investment as as say Red Bull Ferrari Mercedes do where is that investment coming from now there there’s speculation that Joe guu and and and his backers might be U might be willing to invest Joe was a former Rena Academy driver of course so it’s it’s going it’s going back to the stable that that that got him into F1 in the first place jack Duan I think is is a very Lively candidate and and will be a very good candidate Pierre gazley is still there um and I’m sure would like a contract to stay in Formula 1 for next year and that might be his best option valry botas might be on the scene as well but I think he’s unlikely to go uh to to Renault I think he’s looking at at other places but it if someone was prepared say say Joe granu and his backers were prepared to take a 30% stake in Alp and invest money uh into the facilities at endstone and to you know future staff of which they have lost a lot of topend Staff in the past 12 months then that might be kind of the Zenith that the team needs that that might be the turnaround that Alpine are looking for but what’s going on with the engine for 2026 uh has vir ChatOn come up with with a really good power unit we don’t know and people are suspecting that a bit like the current regulations they might not have done the best job but we we don’t know uh for sure on that one so it’s it’s a twofold thing Rena need to invest in in the power unit someone needs to invest in endstone and then you’ve got a Works team that people want to start driving for um I don’t think a driver is necessarily going to make all the difference at endstone not by a long shot perhaps that’s why then going with someone like Jack Doan who knows the team well who’s already embedded might might be a favorable option because at least you know he’s going to get up to speed potentially a bit quicker isn’t he with that team than than someone coming in um it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens maybe we might find out a bit more this weekend obviously when when we speak to estan and famine and and the people around Alpine so um I’m sure more to come uh from the Alpine camp but we did promise you a Q&A on the season so far so let’s kick off shall we just just firstly by getting your thoughts on the season so far what have you made of it Simon what what what have been your big takeaways and and and moments you’ve enjoyed this year well it’s it’s already um far more interesting than it was again if you’re a neutral for from last year and that that’s very obvious but the the fact that we’ve had now four different winners this year inside the first races has meant that people are thinking okay I I I thought that this Red Bull this iteration of the Red Bull um would have progressed out of sight a little bit like last year and yet you kind of always get the feeling oh if you’re ahead or Red Bull or team of that quality are ahead they’re not going to let uh anything slip and I’m not saying they have but what’s clear is that the others have have caught up particularly McClaren Ferrari and for that reason it’s really exciting and I think it if if you take the the law of diminishing returns and how it worked out for the end of 2021 where it all got down to that final race in in Abu Dhabi I just wonder as we head towards the tail end of this year and the tail end of the regulations next year whether that will keep happening Pat keeps on closing up and who knows maybe we will have a three-way fight at the front that is exactly what the sport needs right now because it’s capitalizing on I just seeing this morning you know record returns in the first quarter or record Revenue for for Formula 1 you know up to the tune of a couple hundred million um on the same period last year yes we’ve had an extra race but things are looking particularly good financially there they continue to build on the success of of G to survive and everything that that’s that’s brought in so if we can get the racing to be commensurate with with everything that’s going on off the track and how it it’s looking really good for Formula 1 right now then that is exactly what we need if we get the racing on track then who knows by the end of this season if they can continue at this pace and McLaren continue the trajectory they’ve been on then they yeah they could end up ahead of of Red Bull if it’s at that level but I I think frankly it’s uh it’s just staying hot on their heels and that’s the best we can hope for in 2025 yeah um there’s a question here from Madison crofty what was your favorite win of the Season I’m going to guess it’s probably between Lando and uh and sha from last weekend in Monaco no no I love Max with happened to us uh to be fair I was I was all for continuity it was barain by 25 seconds or whatever wasn’t it that was the it was barain just so we could leave bar and go and see told you so yeah we we knew it was going to be a walkover you’d run out of read your minds on when Max wins there’s only so many going gutch or you know that once i’ done what V stens in Vegas stays in Vegas that was it someone needed to come and challenge him where’ you go from exactly I’m still waiting for a through go Hamilton this year we’ll get it eventually um no it’s it’s interesting I I loved Carlos science’s win uh to be honest I I I thought the way that he come back from the from the appendicitis and and the operation you know the race before came back to the track uh to win was was just was just superb you know we we we love we love a sporting hero and and and what is more heroic than climbing off you know your your hospital bed and then two weeks later in Australia you know winning winning a Grand Prix absolutely phenomenal and that is no disrespect uh to to Lando because I love that win too and no disrespect to charl who you know if anybody deserved a victory in Monaco it was charl lir quite frankly banishing the curse on that what’s great is that we can talk about these you we we’ve had what three different winners in the last three races haven’t we so you know that that is fantastic is this just is it is it a sign of the Rebel decline or just the nature of the tracks that we’ve been going to not suiting that Ral car we’ll find out a bit more in in Canada this week tracks been resurfaced curbs have been replaced all the curbs replaced and the whole of the track resurfaced so it’s a bit of an unknown to all the teams but if the curbs I if if you need to ride the curbs and the curbs are large the Red Bull car is not the one you necessarily want to be in at the moment and it could be that Max and czecho are in for a bit more pain there if Red Bull don’t succeed in Spain then we know we’ve got a massive fight on our hands cuz that’s that’s that’s the real Benchmark but Red Bull did Red Bull did something that well Simon you’re a big Manchester City fan does Pep completely overhaul his Squad year after year or does he just make you know little adjustments you know Tinker with it a little bit he’s a tinkerer isn’t he he’s a tinkerer but what Red Bull did was a major overhaul you know of of their engine well not the engine of the car the chassis the arrow they they they did something that that a winning team might not necessarily have done are they paying the price for that we’ll see in time but it’s making it interesting at the moment that’s for sure but I think with actually when you look at some of the competition cofy and look at that McLaren now I mean if if his weak points in the past couple is perhaps have been the slow speeed Corners they’ve certainly improved there haven’t they and and there’s the what I they’re the they’re the story for me just the rate at which they came from the back of the grid last year to to where they are now it’s it’s an incredible job they’ve done and I don’t know how they’ve done it don’t know how they found all of these improvements but it it’s a lesson isn’t it in in staying on top of the development stuff I’ve not seen it in the 13 years that we’ve been working in this sport I haven’t seen anyone develop that fast and come through the pack like that so um you know credit where credits due it’s been a magnificent story and for British racing fans and Australian if you’re an aop piastri fan you know it’s it’s absolutely what people want what the sport want you got a strong Ferrari strong strong McLaren um you know that that does excite the fans no doubt about it yeah perhaps inspiring some of the other Midfield teams as well that within a short space of time you can also uh get yourself much further up the grid uh let’s move on Emily would like to know where science is going for 2025 the ongoing saga of car quite frankly caros science future I think Emily’s not the only one a lot of the other drivers who are out of contract this year would like to know I think a lot of the other team principles everybody in Formula 1 wants to know where he’s going I I want to perhaps ask the question cofty if he there is rumor that he might be going to Williams what a coup for James vals if he manages to secure the services of Alex albor and Carlos sints for next year arguably the strongest driver lineup that that Williams have had in in my time commentating on on Formula 1 uh quite frankly not since centa Hill have we seen such a good bar yes and I wasn’t commentating back then oh back in the day um I I I think it would be fantastic James is a very very very um inspiring uh person he he has a strategy as you would expect for a man that that ran the strategy at Mercedes for so many years successfully he he knows that nothing is going to happen overnight it’s going to take a little while and he is is selling a dream he sold a dream to Alex albon not just him I think Alex also has a lot of faith in that Mercedes power unit for 2026 um and can he get Carlos s well the answer to that is yes he can um it’s not about money i’ spoke to the science camp on this one he’s got a decision ali um or or Williams there’s no deadline from Ali that has been reported but it’s not true he didn’t have to make his mind up by the end of May it’s not about money it’s about where Carlos sees the vision for the future so do you put your faith in a brand new project that that you know is an entity that has been successful in World Motorsport on many occasions in the past but not in Formula 1 or do you put your faith in a in a rather more known entity that has been successful in F1 but has been in in very much lean times over the last few years personally hand on heart I think he’ll go to Williams I I think that is where Carlos signs his heading because it’s the he he he can he can see what’s in front of him with Williams he probably can’t see the Audi Vision at the moment because there’s not much to tell um they haven’t taken over at salba they are building power units but but that’s it and if James vals gets him then then fair play to James vals you know on the podcast last year I said he was my team principal of the year I might have to put him put him in the the short list for 2024 as well because that that’s a major coup and and a brilliant driver lineup that could could power that team for many years to come what if he get gets Adrien Nei as was also rumored as well then we’re put team principal of the decade maybe Century yeah would be a give him the freedom of Grove to to walk his sheep across the bridge although although I mean I I think I think the announcement that we’re going to get from Red Bull that you mentioned the top of the program Matt is is probably they’re going to reann nowc czecho I would have thought that’s the strongest thing but I’m happy to be proved wrong if that’s the case because I think science was actually was horn as man a little bit within this if that if he was going to come back it would have been hor convincing him to do so but I think the biggest problem there was back from the Tor Russo days wasn’t it and I think it’s the fathers AR particularly uh seeing eye to eye and I think that might have proved too much of a a tricky thing for them to have to handle I don’t think Mercedes he’s he’s in the running Force so it is a direct I think between between saarow and and Williams and I think the case for Williams at the moment is stronger because just look at how s performing on on the track and it just shows you you got a long way to go obviously you know it’s going to be a whole change of leadership etc etc but uh I think Williams is quite a strong case at the moment I was going to ask if do do you think there’s a a world in which Carlos is a bit miffed with where he finds himself so and and I mean in terms of the fact that he’s a race winner this year he he won a race last year was the only non- Red Bull driver to win a race last year and it’s emerged that he’s scratching around the back Market rather than the front markers I just I do wonder if he’s kind of gone how has this happened I guess leis Hamilton happened and that’s the only the seven time world champion ultimately does always Trump the notime world champion but yeah do you agree with that do you think he should feel a bit miffed I think he’s um I think he’s where he’s at isn’t he this is it moves on it’s brutal absolutely brutal this B we’ve seen it it’s not the first time it won’t be the last someone his caliber is now scratching around as you’re saying without a a top drive and maybe it will be in the future but I think he he gave it away with he’s going for who was it interviewed him oh Naomi interviewed him in the helicopter didn’t and he said it was uh he’s looking for that Medium to longterm project um and therefore it’s either of those isn’t it um and it’s just who’s done a best best job of convincing him wasn’t they say Matt don’t don’t get mad get even and and that that that’s that’s his opportunity isn’t it to to try and Lead Williams to to be able to try and compete with Ferrari if Lewis Hamilton is still there in the future and I’m I’m sure he was a bit miffed when he first learned that the contract that that was put in front of him he he didn’t have to think about for too long too much longer because Ferrari had taking it away and they’d signed Lewis Hamilton instead but these things happen and and people are signed for more reasons than just current form on current form Carlos science is is outscoring Lewis Hamilton on a regular BAS but you know it’s not just the driver it’s all about the car as well would would Lewis would Carlos I should say beat Lewis on a regular basis if they were in the same car I I I I I don’t know the answer to that one but you would imagine Lewis’s quality and class that he has shown over the years would would come through eventually on that one um so I I don’t think he was miffed for long and I think if he stays in Formula 1 which he will do and if he has the opportunity to launch a new era at Williams and that succeeds he won’t be myth Forever on that one but you know no one no one likes to lose a Ferrari drive I’m sure but you know he’s got the opportunity to uh to make Ferrari regret their decision all right let’s move on and let’s talk about Mercedes we’ve got a question here from Prav uh if given the right setup and track is it possible for Mercedes to win a race this year and I kind of want to follow up that question with my own question which is a real grenade I think is Lewis Hamilton now the second driver at Mercedes given that we know he’s leaving uh at the end of the season is he starting to see upgrades coming to George first strategies may be favoring George first ahead of Lewis who wants to take that it’s a loaded question cofy yeah it’s loaded question but let’s give some fact on this one they had one front Wing in uh in Monaco and it goes to the guy who’s the the the the leading driver of the championship so so George gets it um that’s that’s the way every team Works they were both asked if they wanted it and George said yes and Lewis said no so you know they would have tossed a coin is what they said but yeah by all accounts they they going to have those new wings are going to be available now or is two or three available for Montreal traditionally they’ve done really well in Montreal and you look at uh Lewis in particular has done exceptionally well seven wins isn’t it um six pole positions um and he’s the kind of driver that knows exactly how to get the best out of that track circuit Jill vilner even in the struggling car the last couple of years he’s been on the podium so so is there an opportunity for them to win I don’t think there is an opportunity for them to win this year unless we get a crazy race and we get you know one of those those bizarre ones I just don’t think the package is strong enough it’s fourth or fifth on the grid there’s no two ways about it and for that to happen when we’ve looked in the past you have to have exceptional sets of circumstances are I.E you know rain slippery track whatever it might be for for that to happen but I don’t think on pure Pace um and crofly tell me if you disagree that they’ve got a car that’s capable of taking on Ferrari McLaren or or Red Bull at the moment Hungary Singapore potentially um I I I I think would be where they they would Target new front Wings interesting for me because it it’s taking them away from a concept that they’ve been going alone on uh and and drawing them more into line with others maybe they’ve realized that there’s something the others are doing with their front wings that Mercedes weren’t that might just give them a bit of extra Pace we’ll see that in Canada um that that is for sure if if that is the case but I I think you’re right Simon all the all the time that you spend trying to fix the faults you are not spending time looking for performance and and and you never get away from that in Formula 1 and they’ve been spending a long time trying to fix the faults and and play catchup and not just focus on out andout performance with a solid base and look I hope that that that it does come good for them but I don’t think I don’t think this season they’ll be regular Podium finishers regular winners and as the season goes on they’ll look more and more towards next year and those will be the conversations that Lewis is frozen out of and rightly so because he’s going somewhere else um George is is their lead driver cuz he’s ahead of the championship it wouldn’t be the case if Lewis was ahead in the championship but when he comes to next year then Lewis is not going to be involved in those conversations and I don’t think anyone would uh would would object us to the reasons why did anyone uh hear about the duvet chat from Andrew shovelin did did anyone see this the DU chat yeah the DU chat is this George traveling with his duvet no no this that that he he does he he takes his own mattress and his own pillow and I think his own duv to racist so he gets a good night’s sleep don’t believe he takes his own mattress coffee no he does he told me once why would they yeah well because because why would you why would you risk waking up with a stiff neck on race day you know or a bad back cuz we all like our own mattresses you get to a certain age in life you like your own mattress how he transports that around is another question but I guess if you’re join Russell you can do kind of what you like s in his Ro does he does he yes absolutely um what I was going to say is Andrew shovelin has likened uh what’s going wrong with their car to a duvet basically saying that because we know that they’re either good in highs speeded corners or good in low speed corners but they can’t seem to get both right he said um it’s like having a duvet that’s too small you’re either covered you either you either cover the toes but not the head or you either cover the head but not the toes and that was the uh that was the metaphor that he used which I thought was quite funny Andrew shovelin is 6’9 so he’d know all about problem he probably he probably has let’s move on um should we talk about Yuki soda um friend of the podcast he came on he came on really recently and it was it was great there’s a man that doesn’t struggle for a duv that’s too small he is very very happy in whatever bed uh that he gets I’m sure um uh Malica would like to know how much is Yuki improving and I thought I thought I’d bring in the old head-to-head here as a as a talking point between himself and his his uh his team Daniel Ricardo qualifying he is beating Daniel 7-1 this season and then in the race statistics he’s beat Daniel 6-1 so it’s an overwhelming uh an overwhelming win for Yuki against Daniel but I guess the question is how much of that is Daniel underperforming how much of it is Yuki performing uh crofty what what did you kickoff look it’s his fourth season in Formula One um he has experience now uh experience at at the tracks that we go racing at as well Shanghai obviously was a was a firsttimer but I think I think he has identified the areas he needs to work on he’s worked on on on those areas very well and you know people will point to to his aggression on the on on over the radio and his aggression within the team Bahrain after the race had finished uh when he kind of did the Tom Cruz buzzing the tower a bit with his teammate Daniel Ricardo I think that was a a cut off point point after which he realized he needed to to be a little more in control and when he is in control he’s a he’s a fine driver and the look Yuki soda went Japanese F4 F3 F2 Formula 1 successive seasons and and was more than good enough to to go into formula one but we’re still learning when when he first hit the track um for Alfa at the time I I I like him I think he’s a really good driver and I think he’s consistent it’s that consistency and the point scoring finishes that he’s had the last few races that will see him get get a contract somewhere be it with um RB or be it with Hass I think he’s on their short list as well um he he’ll be around next year you know that that’s the first time in his career’s had three consecutive Point scoring finishes um after you know finishing the top 10 in Monaco will he make is he is he hit his ceiling within Red Bull I think the answer to that is is yes I think Marco I think the the hierarchy what you hear the hierarchy at the in the top team aren’t necessarily convinced he’s got what it takes to to be the second driver to Max V stappen and with an attitude like Yuki maybe that’s that’s something that might count against him orbe as crofty was saying he does seem to be maturing but um you know with with Honda’s association with the team um you know ending does that spell the writing on the wall from that team I I don’t know I think he’s I think he’s picked up his game I think that he’s definitely worthy of a seat in the Midfield is he worthy of a seat in the top top three or four teams not right now he’s got to do a little bit more I would have thought to to to give himself that opportunity but um he’s certainly having a decent season isn’t he and he’s putting Daniel in the shade um but I think you you alluded to that point is it just that Daniel’s dropped off a little bit and Yuki’s got better and it’s a combination of the two I think it probably is so here’s the other thing Matt yeah Daniel Ricardo is is he staying or is he going I think if your helmet Marco you would dearly love to bring Liam Lawson in to to RB or is he is he not or has he upset Dr Marco by by being you know I mean he’s been so pushy hasn’t he and trying to get in there you would be if you leam lawon and then he’s trying he said look when am I going to get it when am I going to get it he had that opportunity in Singapore and and then it’s been you know snatched away from him again so I don’t know I think that I think Liam deserves it don’t you yeah well no totally but I think even if you’re being pushy if you’re if you’re Dr Marco you’re going to want to bring him in because that’s the sole purpose of your job to bring these young drivers through and to show that there is this uh this conveyor belt of of great talent coming through to the Red Bull stable but is Dr Marco going to be around at Red Bull within that Red Bull Camp by the end of this season or will he be going to Mercedes where there is a you know an outstretched arm and a shoulder to lean on from Toto wolf who’s still trying to attract Dr Marco and Max V stappen Christian hoer I’m sure would probably like to keep I’m sure would like to keep Daniel Ricardo in um at RB for marketing purposes he’s great he’s a proven race winner and he can still turn it on and I’m sure Christian hoer would like to give him that opportunity so who’s making that decision is there one seat or two seats open at RB I think if if Marco is staying around and he’s he’s in charge then it’s Liam Lawson and it’s Yuki Coda to carry that on but if Marco goes is it Liam Lawson and is it Daniel Ricardo and has Yuki got to find somewhere else I mentioned he’s on the short list for H and that doesn’t surprise me that he’s talking to other teams has he has he got a bit unlucky as well Yuki with the Honda and Aston Martin partnership in that one of them there seems to be only one seat there yes yeah exactly exactly Lance Lance isn’t going anywhere and Alonzo’s already signed and and so it’s just so happened that Honda aren’t going to be available for him to be a part of uh for the 20 25 season he’s been unlucky but I mean at the same time you you you you’re not just necessarily fing round an engine manufacturer are you you know you’re making your own luck and you’re having to work your own angle and if you’re just solely relying on that then you know you’re limited in your options depending on what they decide to do you’re not dictating your own future and I think for Yuki he’s just got to keep on racing as he is aggressively but picking up the points showing that he’s a consistent Midfield performer everything that we’re discussing Now Matt everything is predicated on the fact that Max must stapper probably is stand in Red Bull right is he staying I think I think that that’s the thing it’s it fil it filters top down doesn’t it and I think if we go back to what you were asking about Carlos SS right he’s been holding out he’s been holding out and the cards don’t seem to be falling the way necessarily he would have hoped for and now he’s into potentially backup plans but he wanted a long-term um project anyway and if he was not going to get that Red Bull or if Mercedes were only going to bring him in for one year and then switch to Antonelli then maybe he’s actually being forced into what for him and what for his team is is the best best option for staying in the sport and Bing your time for another opportunity because let’s face it it is all about that buy your time this time next year it could be vastly different probably not next year but the year after that’s for sure so um yeah if Max stays then maybe what we’re talking about now makes sense if it doesn’t just let’s delete this episode and um it she never be heard of again well well lasers let’s go back to Monaco yeah where where the you know vapen to Mercedes rumors started being talked about again now I’m not sure what’s changed since the opening race of the season and Monaco so they all went a bit quiet in between and then someone might have come to the race and Monaco that we hadn’t seen at the track for a while that might be quite close to Max for stappen you know mentioning no names on that one but the rumors started once again on that one for Red Bull this is as shaky as it’s been for a couple of years hasn’t it as well so if you’re try to keep your top man and all of a sudden it’s looking like he’s got a baked in problem that they can’t get around with setup changes which is what’s going on with this rb20 they’re going okay we keeping an eye on the engine project seeing what’s happening and and Toto’s absolutely rightfully keeping an eye on it and holding out for as long as he can but I think we’re nearing a point now where it’s more likely if I was a betting man to say that it’s Antonelli going into Mercedes and VAP and staying where he is that’s just where I think it is but then again yeah just delete if I’m wrong but you get the impression and I I had a couple of wonderful text messages over the Monaco weekend from people who’d heard yosa stappen talking um and saying yeah what is Max going to Mercedes you know for that that that’s that’s that’s not dead in the water yet um it’s quite clear that there’s still a bit of uh bit of ground that needs to be resolved in that particular conversation I’m I’m I’m with I’m with lasers on this logically Max stays exactly where he is but since when do logic ever formed part of a really good discussion on this one especially in Formula One especially in Formula One can I also just make a small little point and and we alluded to this one SE at Aston Martin yeah if L stroll is staying at Aston Martin let’s announce that shall we because that’s that’s still not been announced it doesn’t normally get announced but there is that bit of speculation and whilst he says he’s committed you know to to to the ason Martin F1 project he stopped short of saying yeah I’ll definitely be driving in 2025 for Aston Martin so come on let let’s announce that we can take that little bit of speculation off the list as well so you don’t think he’s off to play professional tennis then I never said he was off to play professional tennis I said he was a very fine tennis player in his younger days and when I came on the podcast all about about 10 months ago and said that it would surprise me if he’s around that was exactly what I felt at the time being in and around uh you know Formula 1 and and and observing Lance At Close Quarters he has still yet to commit his future to 2025 be an easy press release wouldn’t it very simple to to knock up so yeah Lance if you’re listening we’d love to know just have him walk into a room sit down and say Lance is staying that’s all it needs they did it with Fernando it’s very good they’re experience Dustin it’s at that okay very good we we’ve just got time to to have a quick look ahead to to Canada you guys are both obviously off this week to Montreal uh very exciting I’m sure uh we mentioned it earlier didn’t we in the podcast about the the the Red Bull car and how it’s dealing with the curbs how it’s dealing with with bumps in the track and clearly if if the street circuits that we’ve been to so far or anything to go by not very well and and veren said it’s going to be or it’s not going to be one of one of their strongest weekends crofty what what are your expectations for what Red Bull are going to bring to the table this weekend um first and foremost when Max for stappen says it’s not going to be one of our strongest weekends is very rarely proed wrong so I think you need to take that very seriously indeed uh secondly when anyone says Canada it’s a great race ignore that because it can be a great race it can also be very pedestrian and it’s also it’s a it’s a race where qualifying is is is so so important too and where where Pole Position um gives you a distinct Advantage more so than other tracks I’m I’m just getting the the the the the the stats out here 17 passes last year that’s it we’re about to read that one now aren’t you I was well I was going to say it’s trended below the seasonal average and in the last four grand PRI held their s thank you very much indeed it’s a stat off it’s a stat it is it is a stat off but it it can be a DRS train it it it can be a very difficult place to pass and if Ferrari or McLaren prioritize their qualifying I think they they they could very much spring a surprise if the Red Bull hasn’t got that pace as well I think if you throw a bit of rain into the mix and the for last forecast I saw was for showers Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday um in Montreal it it it it will mix it up a little bit and it might make it even more difficult I I think Red Bull are in for a bit of a struggle and I unless Max can get pole I think they’re unlikely to win this race to this is go back to your other question can Mercedes win a race this year yes they can they can win it’s be this one we showers so there we go I love we can contradict ourselves in the space of 40 minutes can they be aggressive with those with the curbing here or is it just going to be a similar case to what happened at Monaco I think one of the obviously one of the plus points you got long straights at the gillville nerve circuit and we still know with the DRS wide open it’s a very very fast car um in in a straight line can the others keep up with them we shall see and if the ml and the Ferrari are good here and then we move on to what is it after that Spain Spain and Austria isn’t it so then we we get into that and we’re kind of in the meat of the season now if we come out prior to the summer break and you know Max hasn’t dominated everyone up till then then we’re uh then we at last we’ll be able to say yes definitively we have a a championship on our hands but my confident prediction is Matt Red Bull don’t win the race in Canada and we spend all our time on Friday talking about crisis at Red Bull and then they go on to win in Spain and then they go on to win in Austria after that um and I just and I think we’ll see pockets of that through throughout the season the challenge is real to Red Bull but I still think they have the best car um at tracks whereby you’re not having to ride the curbs so much all the time yeah I guess the others are just going to be licking their lips aren’t they really at the moment when when they when they know that there’s a opportunity the other teams like McLaren Ferrari Mercedes even might be just thinking this is our chance we’ve got to we’ve got to take it uh take it with both hands well look what a cell very well done uh should be very exciting this weekend it’s very also what’s exciting Matt is it’s um almost a week to the day well it is a week today it is crto stag do and immediately following this podcast uh I am on uh line at the moment throughout this podcast they been online just choosing what costume he’s going to be wearing to the cricket uh a week today I’ve narrowed it down uh if you’ve got any suggestions if you’d like to send them in and post in the comments below this podcast there’s a few that I might get away with might not get away with giant chicken don’t know that’s one but I think it’s got to be you are gonna wear something by the way crofter you’re not allowed to wear your t-shirt which currently says um three goes either more of his own merch we’re not doing he’s not having any of that no stag well we’ll do a lights out away we go um it’s it’s also karun chand’s 40th we’re kind of celebrating that as well he will be dressing uh in Tweed because that’s what he tends to dress in uh when he’s at home and um yeah I I thought we were just doing we were all doing Cricket whites was was was that not the uh was that not the memo that that we all got Mr Len nope it’s made out of rubber I’ve got you and that’s the only clue you’re getting well that that’ll be nice on a hot night then won’t it yes it might well yeah yeah yes it will there will be your love it yeah sorry mat no I think I think uh the comments are going to go wild with potential costumes so let’s let’s see what people say it’s not too late to get your suggestions in um but we must tell you about the timings for this weekend for the Canadian Grand Prix so we’re we’re back with fp1 at 6 pm on Friday evening the F show is then sandwiched in between the two practice sessions on Friday before back on air at 9:45 uh Saturday fp3 on air at 5:15 before building up for qualifying at 8 p.m. before a session start at 9:00 and then Sunday an incredibly sociable time we’re on air at 5:30 before a lights out at 7 p.m. uh Simon crofty safe travels over to Canada I you have a good weekend and uh I look forward to seeing what outfit uh you’re in crofty uh yes me too me too all right um thank you everyone uh thanks for listening we’ll be back next Tuesday after canidate bye for now