Sky Sports F1 Podcast: Ted’s Podbook | What can we expect from the Australian GP?

Hello everybody, welcome back to the Sky Sports F1 podcast feed and to Ted's

Podbook after the first day here at the Australian Grand Prix the Thursday in Melbourne now specifically

We're actually on the St. Kilda road outside our hotel

The racing is just finished at Albert Park behind me and in the background as well as

Some winged friends of mine in the trees above you might hear the rumble of some trams as they go northbound to Flinders Street station

Or south bound to St. Kilda Beach and the delights of Ackland Street, but it's been a busy day at the circuit

Actually, the busiest part of the circuit today was the Melbourne walk that famous area where the fans can get

Closest of any circuit on the calendar really to the drivers. They line up. It's about a hundred meter stretch

Which is you know, they were five six deep the fans there

Wanting to get their autographs that the drivers autographs or a selfie with a driver or maybe just shout some encouragement or engage the driver in a bit of conversation

And that was absolutely rammed today. Everybody couldn't wait to see the likes

Well, Daniel Ricciardo was there and his role as a reserve driver for Red Bull Oscar Piastri the two home local boys

Sergio Perez Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc

Everybody really was there meeting the fans and doing their bit

But I've got to say, you know, it's funny the Australian Grand Prix so often the the season opener and we come here so often with

Questions about who's gonna be quick who's not who's looking good who's in trouble

Of course, we have loads of answers already. We know that Red Bull are good are fast and

We know, you know, where everybody else pretty much is in the pecking order and to that end

I actually felt that it was Sergio Perez, maybe with the feeling the cold feeling of silver in his palm still fresh from Jeddah

Who actually looked the most comfortable coming into the paddock?

We'll talk a little bit about Max Verstappen at the moment, but yeah, Sergio Perez talking about how

We respect the team and we race for the team

Okay, Sergio, I don't know if it looked exactly like that at the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

It seemed like Sergio Perez was out for Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen was out for Max Verstappen

But Perez was very much on message today saying we respect each other and we race for the team

But as for Max Verstappen still recovering from his stomach bug

A couple of weeks ago

That made him miss the first day in Saudi Arabia. This is the race he wants to win. This is the

This is the white whale. This is the the race that's got away from Max in the past through unreliability and

Spins or whatever it is that's prevented him from winning the Australian Grand Prix and he wants to win this race

He wants that beautiful trophy the replica of Jack Brabham's wooden steering wheel

On a sort of platter a bowl of silver with a carbon fiber back to it

He absolutely wants that win and I said to Max Verstappen look if I was to offer you second place

You know the solid p2

Now for Sunday, would you take it and he said

No, no, I wouldn't maybe in the past I would have done but no absolutely now. I would not take it

I want the win so you can really understand that but

Um, uh, uh, also actually interestingly I asked max whether red bull had found out

What the mystery noise was what was the mystery noise that he could hear?

on a drive shaft or

behind him somewhere

And he said they didn't find it

So red bull still had a bit of a loss to understand exactly what it was

That max could hear he said look, I'm absolutely sure there was something but the team haven't been able

Uh to find out what that was so little gremlins still in the machine. The only thing that is really

still

questioning red bull's

Domination of formula one at the moment

Is the possibility that they might not get to the checkered flag

Without the car breaking down and we've seen that unreliability

We've seen it was how it was that unreliability that max was frustrated with and seeing again today

Is like saying look, it's no good with the fastest. We need to make sure we get to the end of the race

moving on to the Ferrari boys

Carlos Sainz who'd been playing some golf with Lando Norris at a very nice golf course about

15 20 miles

northeast of albert park

Um, I said what do you like most about australia and he said well the breakfasts

And I can see what he means. I didn't think that he was referring to the lovely breakfast spread a lavish

Breakfast spread that his hotel laid on he was talking about how the you can have a lovely flat white or a latte in the morning

or an oat milk whatever you want and um some smashed avo on sourdough toast with

Feta cheese crumbled on top or eggs benedict or however you want to make your take your your eggs or your your bacon or your

Sausage or whatever or your mushrooms, but um, yeah

So carlos likes the breakfast around here

And he of course likes the city for I put it to him that someone deep in ferrari knows how to win around melbourne because what ferrari have won

two of the last three races here with sabastian vettel in 2018

And of course charles claire last year australian grand prix taking a break of course in 2020 and 2021

during the pandemic

And carlos said look, I don't think we'll be there in a position to win this weekend

But we do know that there is goodness in the car

And I thought this was interesting as well

I said what's happened to the car that was so nice to drive last year?

Where is that car of last year that was so nice to drive?

And carlos kind of confirmed that it's gone. It isn't there anymore. This is a very

aerodynamically what carlos described it as a peaky car, so it has downforce

But it's quite difficult to get to and then quite difficult to keep

On the on the edge on the limit of adhesion or the laps of the race

But what science and indeed la claire underlined is that look we know what our issues are

And the speed at which ferrari is able to react and i've heard fred verser the team boss talk about this in the past as well

Is truly impressive and we are reacting and we're going to have fixes and upgrades to this ferrari

Very soon, which is going to mean that they're in a much better position

Will it be in a position where they can actually you know challenge the red bulls for a win?

Maybe maybe not but anyway

At least they know what the issues are and they have they know what's wrong and they have the upgrades

To come to challenge red bull eventually if that's going to happen

But the only person really has been challenging red bull so far has been of course fernando alonso and well he

Was a busy man

I'm not sure he was particularly happy with all the media work

He had to do was in the press conference and then when he came out to do the tv pen

Afterwards, of course, he's not slated to do the the main tv pen

So this was just sort of gathering at the back of his garage

He had a face which looked like to me. Why do I have to do this?

I've already done two hours of press conference. Why do I have to do two more?

Uh, two more interviews, but he did them with good grace

And I went with fernando alonso on this whole thing about the grid hatchings now

Since he actually talked about it. They have

Extended they've widened the grid hatchings

So I think fernando and estaban orcon and some other drivers who were out of position

Made representations to the fia said look it is difficult to see we can't really see if we're square in the pit box

And even if we're out, you know by

Few centimeters here or there from side to side

We're not exactly gaining advantage. So is it really really that fair?

To penalize us and something that could ruin our race and I put that to fernando. I said look is this another case of

Formula one over regulating and potentially damaging the racing fernando didn't really want to go down that route

To said look it was my mistake. I made a mistake. I won't do it again

They widened the grid boxes here anyway, so it shouldn't happen again

Should be much easier for the drivers to see where they are when they're actually getting onto the grid

But uh completely held his hands up. It was his error as for lance stroll at astin martin. I asked him

What is it about this car? That's just so good. He said well a team have done as you expect

He said the team done a great job and um in every area. It just is better. It has more downforce

It's better to drive better traction everywhere. It's better everywhere and I thought that was interesting

When he just said look, it's got better downforce and so all those stories we heard about you know

these figures coming out of the wind tunnel and

Out of the team simulation with you know, they could barely believe how much downforce this car was creating

turned out to be absolutely

Correct and so they really have produced a great car

at Mercedes we had george russell and

Lewis Hamilton talking today. Lewis was in the pen george russell was in the press conference didn't see toto wolf

Which was probably a good thing because in his guise as head of

Australian touring cars or australian v8 supercars. I think they call them now

Uh, there was a visitor to the paddock today in the form of michael massi

Uh, the former f1 race director who has not been seen in the paddock

Of course since the events of abu dhabi 2021 when you bear in mind that

Uh, toto wolf, I think the quote was I never want to see or speak to michael massi again

Maybe it was a good thing that toto wolf as far as I could tell was not at the circuit today because michael massi was going around

saying hello to people

in his guise as

Head of the osse v8 supercars

But Lewis Hamilton saying look there's no quick fixes. Nobody should be under any illusions about the carving so much better this weekend

It's not going to happen

but what he

What he did say was that look, you know, we will still still team come here full of hope and optimism

We'll see what what will happen. Um, and I wanted to explore the um

what the change on team lh at the circuit with uh, angela cullin his physio and

And you know go to person for for seven years not being a part of team lh

Anymore. Oh, it's the number 64 to

melbourne university in the north just going just going past us there. Oh and number five going south to

Where's it going to?

malvern, ah beautiful

Not malvern. Well, you know the australian the melbourne malvern. Um, and Lewis

saying look, you know

Seven years is a long time the f1 circuit takes its toll on people and their personal lives

Um, he didn't really come out and say it was that that led to angelo not wanting to continue

Um, but that was certainly what what he sort of hinted at

Um, but it was a mutual decision. They speak very regularly. He's so delighted that she's

carrying on with the the the power gliding or the power ascending uh, or the uh,

Uh, the power shooting that uh, he got angela into and he said that, you know, they're stuck with each other now

For good. They will be lifelong

friends and compatriots and you know

So so that angela in a sense isn't going anywhere from lewis's life

What she's not doing is the grind is the day-to-day looking after him at the circuit. Um

In that way hints of performance. I thought was very interesting now ackee hints. Uh was

A genius ackee hints was a finished doctor who spent a lot of his formative years in africa and then later on

ran a uh, well a

A human performance company called hints of performance and they supply he was a team doctor at mclaren for many years

There's a very good book by my old finished colleague oscari sarri

called the core which is essentially the ackee hints a story and

pretty much all the drivers

have

Trainers and physios from hints of performance because they are such experts in what formula one drivers need

and lewis was saying, you know, not only

his

fondness affinity love

Essentially for ackee hints who who died of of cancer a few years ago

Um, but also that there is that strength in depth that people will work at hints performance who can take the place of angela cullen

Uh, steve or steve steve guy worked with lewis from his early days at mclaren is now kind of looking after him

At the circuit, but on a slightly more low key level. I think than angela cullen did

And he's not worried about how, you know, his preparation will be now that that's a key part of his team

Is no longer with him. So that's the the line on lewis about angela

Um, I didn't ask lewis about golf with his uncle terry and landow

But I did ask landow about his golf with carlos science. So they both went and played

golf in

at a course

About 15 20 miles northeast of here landow said that he was in the rough more than he was on the fairway

And how golf was a cruel game. So I took from that that landow lost rather badly to carlos science

The other day, I don't know how he did against lewis hamilton and lewis's uncle terry

But uh, anyway, I think landow has been having a bit of a difficult time on the golf course recently

And poor landow because it's not really going much better on the track as well

And you always know when a team's

Car isn't quick and then they part company with their technical director

That things aren't going well and that's exactly what's happened with mclaren with the departure from the team of james key the technical director

So something is clearly up landow for his part said it's what andrea stella

The new team principal and zack brown, of course the ceo want to do and they have a plan

For mclaren to get back to competitiveness. So I hope that happens quite quickly and it can't come quickly enough for oscar

piazery the local driver

Who is lives? Well, he's brought up 15 minutes from from albert park

So it'll be about 17 minutes from exactly where i'm sitting talking to you now

So he's hoping for a better weekend after a messy weekend in saudi arabia

who lost his wing on the front first lap and then

lewis

Landow picked up a bit of that wing and it compromised both their races. So it can't go worse than it was in saudi arabia

Well, hopefully in mclaren's sake, it won't be and hopefully for them

It's like it will only get better towards kevin magnuson

As well now you might not know this as well as you know celebrating the fact that he got his his first point

of the 2023 campaign

but they have this sort of

most harmonious engineer setup

in the paddock because between

mark slade and gary gannon

nika holkenberg and kevin magnuson have worked with both engineers

In other teams at various points throughout their careers. So of course mark slade was at reno with

uh, he was at reno with

nika holkenberg and i think mark slade might still have been at mclaren with kevin magnuson

and now mark slade is kevin magnuson's engineer at has and gary gannon

who is

uh, nika holkenberg's engineer

So between slady as he's known mark slade

kmag the hulk and gary gannon don't know if gary gannon has a nickname they are all a very happy

uh, a four ball if we can borrow a golfing

analogy a four ball of drivers and engineers and they all seem to be

uh, pushing has forward which is good for them. Valtteri Bottas turned out turned up to the pen in his thongs

That's the australian thongs which are flip which is slang for flip flops

They're the vb the victoria bitter, uh, the v, Valtteri Bottas, uh, flip flops

Um, but uh, he was very amused asked me how i knew that he was wearing thongs

So there you go, they're on your feet. Yes, you can imagine the amusement. uh, alex albin with his um

um, his peroxide hair started to look really good actually now that it's got those dark roots that you see

There you go. That's the kind of insight you get on ted's pod book. Um, but uh, it's you know, he was talking about how

Points are really, you know, so close for williams and they're really he's really pleased with the way

It's going and is happy to be back in melbourne

um

Logan sergeant

It's also saying this is first trip to australia first trip to melbourne first trip to albert park

How this city reminds him of a city in the us, but he can't quite place it yet

I said, oh, maybe it's a bit like, you know, san francisco without the hills. He went, maybe not

Uh, chicago, you know, it's got that kind of old

Style and then mixed with the new skyscrapers

Nope, he wasn't buying that either. I thought that was a pretty good shout a bit like chicago, but different

phoenix arizona

No, he wasn't buying that either. Anyway, logan sergeant saying that there's definitely pace in the car. There's pace in himself

He just needs to get a bit closer to alex album on race pace. I think as well

um, right that is uh, I've done well over 10 minutes. So um,

Let's leave it there as the trams continue into the melbourne night and let me give you the on air times

For the australian grand prix this weekend free practice one

Certainly in the u.k. So you can work out your timings from here

We're on air at 2 a.m. For a 230 a.m. Start for free practice one

So that would be friday the early hours in the uk friday morning. So effectively thursday night

at 2 a.m. And then friday morning

also free practice two five forty five

a.m. On air for a six a.m. Start

And then if that's all a bit too early for you then join us for the f1 show

Well, we'll give you all the highlights and all the news from friday practice. That's breakfast time eight a.m.

So you can watch an hour of that and then go to work or to school

Uh, and that's friday morning eight a.m. F1 show

Moving into saturday friday night. You might as well go out and then come back in and then or stay up free practice three

two fifteen in the morning for a two thirty session start

qualifying

five fifteen for a six a.m. Start

And then on sunday the race a four thirty on air in the uk

for a six a.m. Start

So make sure you join us for the australian grand prix whereas logan sergeant says, you know

He said in that broad floridian accent of his i've been watching the races around here

And it seems to be if you can be still on track at the end of the race

There's a good chance you're going to score points. Sorry for the terrible

American accent, but it beats my bluey impression

Doing the australian accent, but uh, yeah for max Verstappen

Will this remain will melbourne remain the one that got away or will the curse of melbourne eventually be lifted

For the double world champion join us to find out. Thanks for listening to Ted's pod book. Bye. Bye

Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.