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00:23ДИНАМИЧНАЯ МУЗЫКА
00:48It's a brand new era.
00:50It's a journey into the unknown for all the teams.
00:56I haven't lost sight for a second if I was.
00:58You won't see that person again.
01:00I think this season, genuinely, anything can happen.
01:03Many of your rivals have you down as the title favourite.
01:07What do you make of that?
01:08Not a lot, really.
01:09He's ready to fight for a world championship.
01:12I would love to win here.
01:13I try my absolute best, too.
01:15What's happened?
01:16Oscar Piastri has lost it.
01:18It's high-speed chess out there.
01:21Woo!
01:22Very nice.
01:24I like this car.
01:25I like this engine.
01:26To fight for a title, you need to be consistent and maximize your results.
01:30Nice work, Kimmy.
01:31That's a pole position, mate.
01:32Yeah, let's go, man.
01:34It's been a while since I've watched two F1 races from the sideline.
01:37Flutters actually quite the fun.
01:40Let's just get this thing home.
01:50It's one that I'll cherish.
01:51It felt like it was getting the band back together, but not the band.
01:54I don't know.
01:56Oscar Piastri comes into the first corner of the lead.
02:00Safety car deployed.
02:02Ali Bettman has gone into the barriers.
02:05Unbelievable.
02:06His teammate will end up in front of him.
02:08He's missed it by one lap.
02:09Woo-hoo!
02:10Let's go, man.
02:11What's lucky with the safety car?
02:13Kimmy Antonelli is the youngest ever leader of the Formula One World Championship ever.
02:19Go on!
02:24After five weeks off, Formula One has reset and returns here in Miami this weekend
02:30and returns with the youngest championship leader of all time.
02:34After back-to-back wins in China and Japan,
02:37Kimmy Antonelli stands nine clear of his teammate George Russell,
02:40and looking for a hat-trick this weekend.
02:44It should have been race six, but it's now race four,
02:47and it's a sprint weekend as well.
02:50Extended single practice session with lots for the teams to get their heads around
02:54and 30 minutes away from the resumption of the season.
03:01Good afternoon, everybody.
03:03My word, we have missed you.
03:05Many of us have been lost in a springtime bereft of racing,
03:09but we are back this weekend, and we're back with a vengeance,
03:12and delighted to be alongside Martin Brundle, Naomi Schiff, and Jenson Button once again.
03:17I mean, yeah, five weeks off.
03:19What have you been doing, Martin?
03:20Mowing the lawn?
03:22Waiting, basically, for Formula One to start again,
03:25and I'm very excited because it feels like a whole new season.
03:29It really does.
03:29So many upgrades coming to the cars.
03:32I'm hearing all sorts of stories about massive leaps forward with some of the teams,
03:36so we don't know who's going to be fastest and what the top ten is going to look like,
03:42and they've made some changes we'll talk about as well to the power delivery of the cars.
03:46So we're into the great unknown.
03:48That's how it feels to me.
03:49Yeah, absolute reset, but, Naomi, what a story to have the youngest ever championship leader in Formula One
03:54in the form of Kimi Antonelli, who's been a breath of fresh air,
03:57we keep saying it, since he's arrived in the sport.
03:59Yeah, it's turning out to be all that he was hyped up to me,
04:02and I'm very happy for him because last season wasn't exactly the easiest start to his career,
04:06a lot of pressure on his shoulders,
04:07and I think he really felt that in the first half of the season,
04:10but, you know, with a reset mid-season last year,
04:13he was able to sort of tweak some things and come back more confident,
04:15and I think this winter break, it really shows that he's been doing some hard work,
04:19he's come back on track, and he's putting so much pressure on his team, George Russell,
04:22who's clearly behind him in the championship now,
04:24but, yeah, it's going to be an extremely exciting battle to watch this year long.
04:28Well, it's great to have you back as well, Naomi.
04:30Thank you.
04:30Now, a new mother, of course.
04:32Jensen, yeah, talk about just Kimi's skill set.
04:35We said, you know, he was perceived as perhaps being the next Max Verstappen,
04:40obviously still very raw.
04:42What would George be thinking, though, trailing his younger teammate?
04:45It's tough when your younger teammate is that fast and consistent as well.
04:51You know, when he was alongside Lewis, he could look up to Lewis and go,
04:54if I beat him, that's great, but now, for him,
04:57it must feel like he has to beat Kimi every race.
04:59You know, he's the elder statesman.
05:01You know, he's the guy with experience.
05:03He's the one that's supposed to be ready to fight for the world championship.
05:06He's got this 19-year-old kid beating him.
05:09But we all know George quite well, and he's confident.
05:12So I wouldn't worry too much.
05:14I think he's going to take the fight to Kimi.
05:15I mean, perhaps he has had a couple of things that have not gone his way,
05:19but we know how consistent he is.
05:20He's still the favourite for the championship, Martin, in your eyes?
05:22I think so.
05:23I mean, you have to assume Kimi will make some mistakes through the season,
05:27a safety car restart.
05:28I don't know, something like that, where George's experience will pay off.
05:32But when we saw Kimi Antonelli's pace at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix,
05:37it was extraordinary.
05:39So George's got a fight on his hands.
05:41He's finally got his chance to win a world championship,
05:44but he's got to beat his teenage teammate first.
05:46His ears must have been burning because he's just over there.
05:48He knows we're talking about him.
05:49It's all good.
05:50It's all good, I promise.
05:51Let's hear what he had to say yesterday with Kimi.
05:56You know, right now, there's lots of talk about the fight of Kimi and I,
06:00but we also need to make sure that we continue being the ones to beat.
06:04And last year it was Oscar and Lando, and from nowhere, yeah, the sapper comes.
06:08We want to win.
06:09We want to be the best.
06:10But at the same time, we want the best for the team as well.
06:15So, obviously, me and George, we are very well aware
06:19that we can race each other, but with respect
06:28and without trying to do any stupid things.
06:32The weekend I'm targeting is to try and put it on pole
06:34and win the sprint and the main race.
06:37The championships I fought and won as a youngster,
06:41they weren't winning every single weekend.
06:44You have weekends where the car breaks down,
06:45you have a weekend where you have an incident,
06:47you have a weekend where you're unfortunate.
06:48and that's the same with the guys who were fighting for the championship last year.
06:53So, you know, you're always going to have these difficult weekends
06:56and I hope every difficult weekend results in either a P2 in China like we had
07:02or a P4 in Japan.
07:03If that is my difficult weekend, I'm pretty damn happy with that.
07:06So, I'm hoping just to have a smooth weekend
07:09and I know with a smooth weekend I can win.
07:14Quick look then, to refresh your memory about how they stand after three races and a sprint.
07:20And it is the young Italian who is nine points clear of his teammate George Russell
07:24and then in turn 14 clear of Charles Leclerc, who's eight clear of Lewis Hamilton.
07:29Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, a little way off them at the moment,
07:32but both Ferrari and McLaren with a raft of upgrades here.
07:36Mercedes a little out of sync, actually, they're expecting theirs in Montreal.
07:40The best of the rest outside the top three.
07:42Oli Baermann, what a start for him and Haas this year.
07:45So, too, Pierre Gasly.
07:46And look at that, Max Verstappen down in ninth.
07:5060 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
07:53Arvid Lindblad scored points on debut.
07:55Nothing since then.
07:56Isaac Hadjar is alongside him and still plenty to get off the mark,
08:00including both of those Aston Martins,
08:02who, we learn, don't have any upgrades here,
08:04despite their car suffering in the early part of the season.
08:07So, in the constructors, Mercedes 45 clear of Ferrari,
08:12with McLaren 44 behind them.
08:14Haas the best outside of that, alongside Alpine.
08:17But, Martin, just to come to you very, very quickly.
08:20I'm quite stupid.
08:21You need a degree to understand these regulations at the start of the year.
08:25They've made some tweaks and changes for safety,
08:28but also for drivability of the cars.
08:30Can you explain it as simple as possible?
08:32Yeah, it is very complex business,
08:34but there are two key goals with the changes that they're making for this weekend,
08:38and it was always very clear that they would make changes through the season.
08:42First and foremost is to use the energy more evenly around the track.
08:49That's the power from the battery and the engine that we would all know.
08:53And also then to try to mitigate some of the closing speeds.
08:57If somebody's on the boost button with hundreds of horsepower more than the driver in front,
09:02with this incredible closing speed,
09:04we saw the accident between Behrman and Colopinto in Japan.
09:07So that's the key two goals.
09:10I've got an analogy for you.
09:11It's like your favourite slice of toast, all hot and ready to be eaten.
09:17You put some butter on it out of the fridge.
09:19The butter won't melt, and it's frustrating.
09:22You slice the butter up a little bit more, spread it around.
09:25Now you've got some delicious toast and hot butter.
09:28But it's the same toast and hot butter,
09:29so we've got some other changes to make a little bit later on.
09:32But it's just making it better.
09:34It's spreading it around.
09:35And I think the drivers will enjoy that when they're out on track.
09:39I'm hungry now.
09:40Shall we see what the drivers think of it?
09:43Because they have been consulted.
09:44Here's a few of their views from yesterday.
09:48We've all been part of the conversation,
09:50and we've had the discussion, quite an open conversation with FIA,
09:55with our teams, and trying to make it better for everyone.
09:59With these changes to the regulations,
10:00it will make it hopefully more natural to watch and to drive.
10:07And we just need to keep on assessing.
10:09This is the first step.
10:11Personal opinion, I think we all have different.
10:14Maybe we need more.
10:16Maybe they are not enough.
10:17You're never going to fix the problems
10:18without changing the hardware of the power units,
10:22but I think it's a step in the right direction.
10:25I'm honestly not sure how big a step it's going to be.
10:30I don't know.
10:31We'll find out whether it's big enough or not.
10:35We've obviously tried it on the sim.
10:37It feels pretty similar to me.
10:39It's a tickle in the right direction,
10:42but hopefully, of course, for next year,
10:44we can make bigger changes.
10:46We'll see how much we can push this further, these changes,
10:50but obviously, you know,
10:54we're trying to work collectively for the sport as well.
10:59But I think, yeah, it's a good first step in the right direction,
11:03and we'll see what the next one will be.
11:06Well, I suppose, Jensen,
11:07the proof will be in the pudding or the toast,
11:08as Martin explained it, for the weekend.
11:12One of the main gripes was qualifying, right,
11:14and not being able to go flat out.
11:16Do you think that will have changed for here?
11:18Yes, I do.
11:20I think we need it also.
11:22We need the positivity from the drivers
11:24because we can talk about it as much as we want.
11:26But I think the fans really want to hear from the drivers,
11:29and to hear some positivity there going into the weekend is great.
11:32Obviously, this isn't...
11:33It's not massive.
11:34It's a tweak to the regulations.
11:37But I think it's a positive step in the right direction.
11:40So, yes, qualifying is where it's really key
11:42because they love pushing the cars to the limit.
11:44These are fun cars to drive when they have the full power.
11:47The race, I mean, the race is the race.
11:49We've always had to save things here and there.
11:51But I think we're getting closer to what we want to see.
11:54I think the thing is,
11:54and if we're to take the positives overall for this,
11:57it is that we've got some of the finest minds in the world
12:00trying to solve a problem.
12:03And it looks like that, you know,
12:04this might not be the last step, right?
12:06They've taken these changes now, but they're still open.
12:10You talked to Pat Simmons about what happened in the room
12:12when they were talking about these things.
12:13They're open to more in the future should the need arise.
12:15Yeah, I think this is not the end goal for Formula One.
12:19I think it's been really good to see that, you know,
12:21the five-week break obviously came as a surprise to everyone,
12:24but that, as well as Ali's crash,
12:25put them in a position to be able to make these changes really quickly
12:28and they were reactive.
12:29I think it was also great that they were very collaborative with the drivers
12:32and listened to them in a way that potentially
12:33they haven't done so much in the past.
12:35But honestly, at the moment, it feels to me like a lot of numbers, right?
12:38It's just a lot of numbers.
12:38It's a lot of jargon.
12:39And I can't wait to see them get on track
12:41and see how much is actually different.
12:42The good thing is, around here, it's a track that lends itself to recharge.
12:46And so I think that we might actually see a better version
12:48of, you know, what we've got this weekend.
12:51Do you agree, Martin?
12:51Absolutely.
12:52Yeah, this track suits these new power units better than some.
12:56But also, what we haven't talked about
12:58is one of the massive improvements for this season
13:01is how closely the cars can follow each other.
13:04That's been better for many years now.
13:07It's better at the moment.
13:08So as long as we keep that, then we get good racing.
13:12So five weeks off, lots for the teams to get their head around
13:15on the track, as we were saying, but a chance to upgrade the cars.
13:18This is the drivers, what they've seen from their teams.
13:22We know everyone has upgrades this weekend.
13:24So we're confident it will help us move in the right direction.
13:29But in terms of quantity, how much we'll catch,
13:31how far off we'll still be, yeah, we'll just wait and see.
13:36It's not going to be enough to challenge Mercedes
13:40this weekend, I don't think.
13:41But it's definitely in the right direction.
13:43Obviously, we're expecting a lot of other teams
13:45to bring upgrades as well.
13:48So hopefully ours are better than theirs.
13:51That's the plan.
13:52Surely Mercedes have an advantage.
13:53I don't expect that advantage to close completely this weekend.
13:58And I still expect them to be the stronger team.
14:00But if we can be just a little bit closer in order to annoy them
14:05a little bit more in the races, then we can push them into mistakes
14:08and we can stay there until we get the car to beat them consistently.
14:14There is a gap between us power-wise compared to the Merc
14:19and also probably the Ford.
14:23To close that gap, that means we have to do double the development
14:26each time of others, which is a really tall order.
14:31You have to assume everyone's developing at a similar sort of rate
14:34because it's the new rules.
14:36So if a team brings a tenth, we need to bring two.
14:38I hope we can be a little bit closer.
14:41I don't think we're going to massively change in the ranking,
14:45but I just want to be closer to the top three teams
14:49and basically escape a little bit the midfield.
14:52That would be nice.
14:53We're not bringing anything, to be fair.
14:56Just very small things.
14:59Well, other teams, they're bringing big upgrades,
15:02such as Ferrari and McLaren.
15:04I think we're a bit surprised some people
15:05who brought their upgrades to Miami.
15:06I think that was pretty more they were meant to have brought it
15:09to Bahrain or Saudi.
15:11We expected a lot of teams to be bringing their upgrades to Montreal.
15:15We'll have sort of a slightly bigger upgrade, we hope, in Canada
15:19because obviously it's still two weeks after Miami before Canada.
15:23So, yeah, let's see.
15:25Hopefully they haven't caught up too much.
15:28Oh, the centre of the home of the Miami Dolphins,
15:32the Hard Rock Stadium.
15:33We actually had the Miami Open tennis here
15:36just four weeks ago.
15:37And the first World Cup game starts here in seven weeks' time,
15:40used for a multitude of sports here.
15:43Let's head into the pit lane.
15:44Ted Kravitz is there with more on the upgrades.
15:47Well, thank you, Simon.
15:48You can understand Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
15:50being a little bit underwhelmed,
15:52given that McLaren were last year's champions.
15:54And this year, they're really behind Ferrari
15:56and even the FIA are interested in McLaren's upgrades.
16:00But McLaren do have seven upgrades, so let's go through them.
16:04Front corner, and that was the bit that the guy from the FIA was just checking,
16:07around the end plates of the front wing.
16:10The side pod inlets are new as well.
16:13There's a completely new floor, which is the crucial thing.
16:16That adds downforce and aerodynamic efficiency.
16:19And there's a new rear wing as well.
16:21And something very small we've seen is a little flap,
16:24which just helps the exhaust gas work with the rear wing to add downforce.
16:29Started by Ferrari, copied by Haas, and as we can see, Mercedes as well.
16:33So while there's seven upgrades on the McLaren,
16:36there's nothing really earth-shattering I'm seeing.
16:39But we saw Kimi, we heard Kimi Antonelli and George Russell
16:41saying we've basically got nothing.
16:43I mean, that's true to a point.
16:44There's something around the barge board.
16:46But look on the exhaust pipe here as well.
16:48So they've got a little bit of a more detailed little rear winglet
16:51of the exhaust pipe, and they've angled it up a little bit as well
16:54just to help the rear wing work harder.
16:57So if there's nothing much for Mercedes,
16:59good seven upgrades from McLaren.
17:03It's seven again for Red Bull 2.
17:06So they've got a front wing.
17:07Lots of people down here at Red Bull.
17:08We won't get in the way with these people who are filming how to work a wheel gun.
17:12Let's see if you can go around the other side, Lee.
17:14There's a front wing, new front wing, new front corner,
17:17side pod inlet, which is interesting
17:19because they already changed the profile of the side pod a couple of races ago.
17:23New floor, new rear corner, and a new rear wing as well.
17:27Now, the interesting thing about the rear wing, if you can zoom in on that,
17:29is that in a secret test at Silverstone in the four-week break,
17:32they actually trialed a copy of the Ferrari rotating,
17:36180 degrees rotating, so-called Macarena wing.
17:40But this one's got a much bigger actuator in the middle of it,
17:43between the G and the A of that logo there.
17:46But it remains to be seen in Free Practice 1 and in Sprint Qualifying today
17:50how that new Red Bull rear wing is going to work.
17:53And I'm excited, even if Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc maybe aren't,
17:56about the 11, count them, 11 upgrades that Ferrari have got.
18:00First of all, the Macarena wing is back.
18:02You can always tell, if it doesn't have the central actuator
18:05and it's got these bulges on the back,
18:06then they are going to try the Macarena wing, which flips all the way over.
18:10New engine cover, new rear suspension, new beam wing,
18:13new rear wing flap, new floor as well, new front suspension.
18:17It's just the way that the fairing is on there,
18:21so nothing special, but it is an upgrade.
18:23And also a new front wing end plate and front corner as well.
18:27So judging this, good stuff from McLaren,
18:30seven upgrades, nothing really from Mercedes.
18:32Can they resist the coming forces of Red Bull,
18:35and especially McLaren and Ferrari,
18:38leading the way with 11 upgrades here this weekend?
18:42Yeah, impressive stuff, actually.
18:44As I mentioned earlier,
18:44Mercedes are expecting their big upgrade to come in Montreal.
18:47It was always part of the plan,
18:49because they've got a further couple of weeks,
18:50as George was explaining,
18:51after Miami, till we go to Montreal.
18:53But I think internally they are expecting
18:56Ferrari to be right up alongside them.
18:58But McLaren drivers and the Ferrari drivers
19:00talking themselves down, Martin.
19:02I think they're just managing expectation,
19:04but I'm expecting, particularly that McLaren,
19:06to be quite a bit more competitive against the Mercedes.
19:09Mercedes had about a half a second a lap in their pocket,
19:13but they found a lot of things.
19:14So a Ferrari, you know what?
19:16Nothing goes on a Formula One car just in case.
19:19It'll all be, I have no doubt whatsoever,
19:22they will all make a difference to the lap times
19:24and the performance of the car.
19:26So it should be a lot closer.
19:28You could really feel at the beginning of the season,
19:30though, that McLaren, a customer of Mercedes,
19:32felt like they didn't have all the information
19:33they needed about the power unit.
19:34But if we look back to Suzuka,
19:36they were already right there.
19:37I mean, you could argue that Asuka
19:38should have won the race in Suzuka.
19:40And so, I mean, they're pretty much
19:41on equal footing in that sense.
19:43They have great correlation.
19:45They have shown that time and time again.
19:46So I think that it's going to be interesting
19:47to see how quick they go.
19:48And of course, Ferrari, you can't count them out.
19:50Quick one on Red Bull too.
19:52I mean, it's weird to see Max sort of languishing
19:55in the midfield.
19:56A horrendous start for them,
19:58but if anyone could put it right, they can.
19:59Yeah, definitely.
20:00And they've got two drivers that are very competitive.
20:02So they've got data from both cars,
20:04which is going to help them up, you know, uplift.
20:07But this is a tough one
20:08because everyone has new upgrades.
20:10There are a lot of teams.
20:11We only have one session.
20:12I know it's extended session,
20:13but it's one session before they go into sprint qualifying.
20:16It's not a lot of time to really make sure
20:18that these new parts work.
20:19I was going to say,
20:19it's not ideal coming into a sprint weekend.
20:21They probably would have preferred
20:22the three practice sessions,
20:23wouldn't they, coming back from a long break like that?
20:25Yeah, no question about that.
20:27But it is what it is,
20:28and it's the same for everybody.
20:29Get on, and they've got so many simulation tools now
20:32that they should be fine.
20:34Right, hot here.
20:35It always is in Miami,
20:37and we're not far away.
20:38As we said, extended session here,
20:4090 minutes, but just one session.
20:42The stars are in two
20:43in the form of Serena Williams,
20:45Jimmy Fallon as well.
20:47Guards out on track next.
20:49What have you been waiting for?
20:57Details for the weekend here on Sky Sports F1.
21:00As we said, a sprint weekend to return.
21:03So we'll be back with sprint qualifying
21:05from 20 to 9 this evening.
21:07Cars on track at 9.30.
21:09Then the sprint itself in 4 o'clock tomorrow,
21:11qualifying from 8 o'clock.
21:14And on Sunday, 7 p.m. on air
21:18for a 9 p.m. race.
21:20Jensen has scurried up to commentary
21:22to join Karun Chandler and David Croft.
21:53We'll be right back.
22:21Finally, we're back.
22:22Hello, everyone.
22:23Hope you've been well
22:24for the last five weeks.
22:26Formula One resumes,
22:27and it resumes here for round four.
22:29In this 2026 season,
22:30we are at the Miami Grand Prix,
22:33the fifth World Championship
22:34Miami Grand Prix
22:35to take place
22:36around the Hard Rock Stadium.
22:39Official address,
22:41347 Don Shuler Drive.
22:43You'll know him.
22:43Best Dolphins coach they ever had.
22:45And it's a decent track too.
22:4757 laps to come in Sunday's Grand Prix.
22:49And we've got a sprint race this weekend as well.
22:52And just the one practice session,
22:54which has been extended by 30 minutes.
22:56No surprising, really.
22:58A few tweaks to the regulations.
22:59Gives the team another half an hour
23:00just to get everything sorted
23:02before we go racing.
23:04Tire compounds,
23:05C5, C4, C3,
23:07soft, medium, hard,
23:08exactly the same
23:09as they were last year,
23:10although the compounds
23:11are a tad stiffer
23:12than they were in 2025.
23:14We've got a cruise liner
23:16for the fans to enjoy.
23:18We have got a brilliant SS section
23:20for the drivers to enjoy.
23:22And we've got sunshine
23:23for Karun Chandok to enjoy as well.
23:25I've missed you.
23:26How are you?
23:27I'm good.
23:28I'm good.
23:28It's lovely to be back here.
23:30I mean, this place looks amazing.
23:32It's, you know,
23:32the sunshine state
23:33is called it for a reason.
23:35We get thunderstorms,
23:36of course, as well.
23:37Don't mention the rain.
23:39But at the moment,
23:41it looks fantastic.
23:42I think everyone's excited
23:43to be back at work.
23:45It's been a long few weeks
23:46since we were in Japan.
23:48And everyone's had a bit of a reset
23:50and they've come back
23:50energized for this weekend.
23:52Yep.
23:52It was first day
23:53back at school feeling yesterday,
23:55not just because we were
23:55all wearing shorts.
23:56Biggest kid of all,
23:57Jensen Button.
23:58How are you, JB?
23:59I'm really good.
24:00Thank you.
24:01Yourself?
24:01Yeah, mate.
24:02It's brilliant.
24:02Honestly, it feels like,
24:04honestly, just a couple of days
24:05since we were in Suzuka
24:06watching Kimi Antonelli
24:08take the lead
24:08of the World Championship.
24:09But it's been a long gap
24:10and I hope the teams
24:11have put it to good use.
24:12Oh, yes, definitely.
24:13I mean, obviously,
24:14we want to race
24:15every race on the calendar.
24:17But some of the teams
24:18have been thinking,
24:18oh, it's actually quite good.
24:20You know, we can go home
24:21and study where we're not
24:22good enough
24:23and the areas we need
24:24to improve going into Miami.
24:25For the drivers,
24:26lots of time in the sim
24:28for them.
24:28For the engineers,
24:29lots of time
24:30at their workstations
24:31without the pressure
24:32of going racing.
24:33And here's the man
24:34with the pressure
24:34on his shoulders,
24:35the youngest ever leader
24:37of a Formula One
24:38World Championship.
24:39Kimi Antonelli,
24:40the first driver
24:41ever to lead
24:42a World Championship
24:43who wasn't born
24:44during Michael Schumacher's
24:46seven World Championships,
24:48which I didn't realize.
24:49And in Suzuka,
24:50only the second driver
24:51in history
24:52to drop outside
24:53of the top five
24:54from pole position
24:55and then go on
24:56to win the race.
24:57And I mention that
24:58because the other race
24:59was in Suzuka in 1988
25:01when Ayrton Senna
25:02went from pole
25:02to down the 14th,
25:04came back,
25:04won the race,
25:05won his world title.
25:06Both drivers,
25:07of course,
25:07were driving car number 12
25:09that day when they did it
25:10as well.
25:10And we should mention
25:11Ayrton Senna
25:12right at the top
25:13of this broadcast.
25:14It is the 1st of May today
25:17and the 32nd anniversary
25:19of Senna's passing
25:20and a man we still think of
25:21each and every day,
25:23but particularly
25:23this day
25:24and this weekend.
25:25Ayrton Senna
25:26and Roland Ratzenberger
25:27who we tragically lost
25:28of course
25:29at Imola in 1994.
25:31But for Kimi Antonelli,
25:33pressure on his shoulders.
25:33It is one thing,
25:35you know,
25:35to be a world championship
25:37leader in the cut and thrust
25:39of regular racing,
25:39but he's had a lot of time
25:41to think about
25:41what he's done.
25:42He has,
25:43and obviously he's got
25:43a lot of eyes on him,
25:45but I would say
25:46he's the one
25:46that's got the least pressure.
25:48He's leading the championship.
25:49He's got points
25:50on his more experienced teammates.
25:52So I would say
25:53it's probably George
25:54feeling a bit more pressure
25:56coming into this weekend
25:57knowing that he really
25:58has to stand
25:58on that top step
25:59and not let Kimi
26:01have a bigger advantage.
26:03Yeah,
26:03especially on a weekend
26:05in a track
26:06where George was behind
26:07last year.
26:08Kimi was conclusively
26:09quicker,
26:09won the sprint race
26:11last year.
26:12And then the start,
26:13wasn't it?
26:13He messed up a little bit.
26:15So,
26:15sorry,
26:15one sprint pole,
26:16I should say,
26:16last year.
26:18So yeah,
26:18we'll see.
26:19George Russell,
26:20I did catch up
26:21with Silverstone
26:22last week
26:23when he went
26:23and launched
26:23the car track,
26:24an amazing car track.
26:25at Silverstone
26:26if you ever get the chance
26:27to go and drive it.
26:27And he was very much
26:28trying to point out
26:29Kimi Anthony
26:30is not a rookie anymore,
26:31a very experienced
26:32and a very talented driver.
26:34So we're going to get
26:34that one in the back
26:35straight away
26:36and we're going to get
26:37the green light.
26:38Ted Kravitz,
26:39cars are moving.
26:40Brilliant.
26:41It's been too long.
26:42It's been too long,
26:43Crofty.
26:43I was playing with
26:44the Skeletor
26:44so I was so,
26:46missing Formula One
26:47so much
26:48with the kids' toys.
26:49Right,
26:50let's get at it,
26:50shall we?
26:5190 minutes,
26:51just like practice
26:53used to be
26:53back in the good old days
26:54before they curtailed
26:56it to an hour.
26:56So lots to talk about.
26:58You've already spoken
26:58about Kimi Antonelli
26:59and really my attention
27:01is going to be
27:01on a similarly
27:02Italian theme.
27:03Growing up,
27:04if you were of a certain
27:05age, Crofty,
27:05you were watching
27:06a program called
27:07Miami Vice maybe
27:08with the exploits
27:09of Crockett and Tubbs
27:10and a certain Ferrari,
27:12Testarossa,
27:12cruising the I-95
27:14or the US State Highway 1
27:16down to the Key Biscayne
27:18and then up again
27:18towards Fort Lauderdale
27:20and it's Ferrari
27:20who I'm looking at
27:21this weekend
27:22because they've got
27:23the most upgrades,
27:24because they've got
27:2511 against McLaren 7
27:28and Red Bull 7
27:29and Mercedes 2 upgrades
27:31and because they were
27:32so close to begin with
27:34and this circuit
27:35suits their car as well.
27:37So big story for me,
27:38big story at Williams,
27:39at Alpine,
27:40at Aston Martin,
27:41stories up and down
27:42this pit lane.
27:43Let's see who can get
27:44on terms with the
27:45youngest ever leader
27:46of the World Championship,
27:46Kimi Antonelli
27:47and George Russell.
27:49Fred Vasseur
27:50sat on the Ferrari pit wall
27:52I think a big few weeks
27:53ahead to see what
27:54they've come up with
27:55at Marinello
27:55and whether it transfers
27:56to success on the track.
27:58It's a big upgrade
27:59as Ted was mentioning
28:00for McLaren.
28:00There's Lando Norris
28:02out on track.
28:02McLaren winners
28:03of the last two
28:04Miami Grand Prix.
28:06They come here
28:06a bit on the back foot
28:08but I would suggest
28:09not just with the upgrades
28:10they've brought
28:11but the understanding
28:13after three rounds
28:14of that Mercedes
28:15power unit,
28:16how much does that
28:18then help them
28:19in their charge
28:20to get on level terms
28:21with the works team?
28:22I personally think
28:24that this
28:26enforced spring break
28:27shall we call it
28:28has been particularly
28:29useful for all
28:30what we know
28:30as the systems engineers
28:32in Formula One,
28:33the electronics engineers
28:34because as you said
28:36Crofty,
28:36the works team
28:37were looking at
28:37George Russell
28:38and Kimi Antonelli.
28:39They had so much
28:40learning in the bank
28:41from the simulation
28:42work they did
28:43and all the winter prep
28:44that was done
28:45because they are
28:46a factory team.
28:47They're integrated
28:48from the power unit
28:49and the chassis side.
28:50Their customers
28:51are given the hardware
28:52and then told
28:53go figure it out.
28:55It's a bit like
28:56you get a new
28:58electronic device
28:59and you're just
29:00given a new laptop
29:01for example
29:02with no user manual
29:03for it
29:04and you've got to
29:04figure it out
29:05and over time
29:05you will.
29:06You'll play with it
29:07and learn the functionality
29:08of it
29:08and you'll get there
29:09but it takes you longer
29:11and I think
29:11these few weeks
29:12have allowed McLaren
29:13and the other teams
29:14to just look at the data
29:16calmly,
29:17have time to process it
29:18and then find the improvement.
29:19So I'm fascinated to see it.
29:20Yeah, you're up against
29:21the people that built
29:21that laptop.
29:22Yes.
29:23That's the challenge,
29:24isn't it?
29:25And McLaren got a big upgrade here
29:27which they had always planned
29:29even without the break
29:30but I think they've got
29:31another upgrade planned
29:32for Canada
29:32so yeah,
29:33big, big few weeks
29:35coming up
29:35for the walking team.
29:37The track temperature
29:38is 54 degrees.
29:40Max Verstappen
29:41and Gabriel Bortoletto
29:42still trying to generate
29:43a little more temperature
29:44into their tyres
29:46and there is
29:46the new racing director
29:48Alan McNish.
29:49Welcome back
29:50officially
29:50to the F1 padding.
29:52He hasn't really gone away.
29:53He's been around
29:53for quite some time.
29:55Former driver of course,
29:56winner at Le Mans,
29:58man steeped in Audi history.
30:00It surprised me
30:01that it took them so long
30:02to announce that.
30:03I came away from Japan
30:04on the understanding
30:05that he was going to be
30:06appointed as the racing director
30:08about three days later.
30:09It took another three weeks
30:10but if they're going to lose
30:12Jonathan Wheatley
30:13I think Alan McNish
30:14is without doubt
30:15the best man
30:16to come in and replace him
30:17and take some of the pressure
30:18off of Mattia Bonotto.
30:19Yeah, I agree.
30:20He's raced in the sport
30:21obviously been with Audi
30:23for many years as well
30:24winning Le Mans.
30:26So yeah,
30:27I think he's the perfect candidate
30:28for that job.
30:30The experience that he has
30:31and also the personality
30:32that he is
30:32and has
30:33I think is perfect.
30:34And basically
30:35to take the pressure
30:35off a CEO
30:36whose time is best spent
30:38in the factory
30:38at the moment
30:39it's a fledgling project
30:42masterminding
30:43upgrades and updates
30:45to the power unit
30:46to the chassis as well
30:47it needs someone
30:47to come in
30:48and take over
30:48the day-to-day
30:49racing side of things.
30:50So very good.
30:52We are going to hear
30:52from Alan McNish
30:53in tomorrow's broadcast.
30:56So stay with us
30:56for the weekend.
30:56Yeah, I mean
30:58Alan's attention to detail
30:59is amazing.
31:00I've done a few little
31:02things with him
31:02over the years
31:03in other categories
31:04and championships
31:05and the level of prep
31:06and detail
31:07that he pays to things
31:09is so impressive
31:10and that's what you need
31:11if you're going to be
31:13at the cutting edge
31:14of the sport
31:14in Formula One
31:16yeah, he's got an actual
31:17grown-up job
31:18I said to him
31:19congratulations on
31:20the big grown-up job.
31:22Is he going to grow up?
31:24He's now a grown-up
31:25at the big table
31:28here's a man
31:29Oscar Piastri
31:30and we're on board
31:30with him at the moment.
31:31Is he a grown-up now?
31:33He has celebrated
31:33his 25th birthday
31:35since Suzuka
31:36April the 6th
31:37for Oscar Piastri.
31:38Driving Formula One
31:39is not a grown-up job
31:40or a job.
31:43Good point, well made.
31:44You just get paid
31:44to do something you love.
31:46Profity, if you come
31:47to work in your shorts
31:48it's not a job.
31:49There's one of us
31:50in our commentary box
31:51in shorts.
31:51Oh, interesting.
31:53Rafa Nadal, by the way
31:54is on the talent list
31:55on the weekend.
31:55I'm going to go
31:56and put that point
31:57to him.
31:58Yeah, I mean
31:59he played tennis.
32:00In shorts.
32:00Yeah, but it wasn't
32:01his, it's not a job.
32:02Because it's his job.
32:04It's not a job.
32:04Paid his mortgage.
32:05It's his job.
32:05It's not a grown-up job.
32:06There is a job.
32:08Yeah, exactly.
32:10Rafa, my mate Karude
32:11says you haven't got a job.
32:13Haven't got a real job.
32:14A grown-up job.
32:15Use the word grown-up.
32:16You can't leave that out.
32:17Watch this place.
32:18I'm going to go
32:18and try and find him.
32:19We are on board
32:21with Oscar Piastri.
32:22What does it say?
32:22If you love what you do,
32:23you never work a day
32:24in your life.
32:25And I'm sure Oscar Piastri
32:26loves what he does,
32:28but he would like his car
32:29to be a little bit
32:30more competitive
32:31and back up to
32:32where it was this time
32:33last year
32:33and where he went
32:34from fourth on the grid
32:35to winning the race.
32:35Yeah, but I think, you know,
32:37the three of us
32:38were watching that race
32:39in Japan
32:40and he would have won
32:42that race, I firmly believe,
32:43without the safety car
32:44because George was not
32:45challenging him.
32:46He dropped a second
32:46and a half behind.
32:48It was harder to overtake
32:49the McLarens
32:50than people expected.
32:51Even Kimi didn't come through,
32:52you know,
32:53despite the pace advantage
32:54in free air.
32:55So I really think
32:56McLaren unearthed
32:58and unlocked
32:59some performance
32:59there in the race
33:00and learned a lot
33:01in terms of race pace.
33:02They didn't have
33:03the ultimate qualifying pace
33:04or the ultimate pace
33:06in free air,
33:07but that was a good step
33:08for them.
33:09Right, Sergio Perez
33:10also out there
33:11for Cadillac.
33:12Cadillac and General Motors
33:14making their first appearance
33:15ever in a home-grown Prix
33:17in a team that's actually
33:18ahead of Aston Martin
33:18and off the bottom
33:19of the championship
33:21on board with Sergio.
33:22We can ride with him
33:24if you want to,
33:24by the way,
33:25ride on board with Sergio
33:26at any time
33:27or any one
33:28of the 22 drivers.
33:29You can, of course, do so.
33:31You need your Sky Sports
33:31login,
33:32the Sky Sports app
33:33and you can access
33:34all the team radio
33:35and all the on-boards too.
33:37And if you're watching
33:39on Sky Stream,
33:40on Sky Q,
33:40on Sky Glass
33:41or now,
33:42well, just press the interactive
33:43button on your remote control
33:44and if you really want
33:45any more help,
33:46there's a QR code for you
33:47to make it nice
33:49and easy.
33:50Sergio Perez,
33:51we were talking
33:52about him,
33:53a man who came here once,
33:55pole position,
33:572023,
33:58was on the verge
33:59of taking over the lead
34:00of the World Championship.
34:02He was going to beat
34:02his teammate Max Verstappen
34:04who was starting
34:04way, way back
34:05on the grid
34:06that particular day.
34:07Where was it?
34:08Ninth, I think,
34:09Max started that day.
34:10It didn't quite go well
34:11for Sergio Perez,
34:12did it?
34:13It didn't.
34:13It was an amazing Saturday,
34:15just didn't turn into
34:16an amazing Sunday for him.
34:17Sadly not.
34:18Yeah, he actually got beaten
34:19by Max.
34:20Yeah, he finished second.
34:22That was the day
34:23that it kind of clicked
34:24that, you know,
34:24this isn't going to be
34:25as easy as I thought.
34:26Yeah, that's mentally tough
34:27when the teammates
34:28started down in ninth.
34:29But good to have him back.
34:30It's absolutely good
34:32to have him back.
34:32On board with Lewis Hamilton.
34:34Is this a lock-up coming?
34:36Oh no,
34:37a bit more than that.
34:38That's a scary feeling.
34:39When it's that snappy
34:40under braking,
34:41obviously a real lock-up.
34:43Charles Leclerc
34:44has gone fastest
34:44with a 1.31.8.
34:46Lando Norris,
34:47we're watching now,
34:48has just gone quickest
34:49for the first sector.
34:49Max Verstappen,
34:50third fastest
34:51and a Red Bull
34:52that might have shaved
34:53about six kilograms
34:53of weight
34:54off their car.
34:55A little bit more to go
34:57but that should certainly
34:58help them be a bit
34:58more competitive.
34:59Hamilton currently
35:00fourth fastest
35:01ahead of Carlos Sainz
35:02and the top five
35:03separated by
35:04just under 7 tenths
35:05of a second
35:05but not for much longer
35:06because Lando is
35:07on one here.
35:08And that point you made
35:09about the weight
35:10is really important here,
35:11Crocky.
35:11This is a track
35:12where you've got
35:13some high-speed changes
35:14of direction
35:15and acceleration zones
35:17as well.
35:17So any weight
35:19that you can shave
35:20is going to be
35:21of a massive advantage.
35:23We believe that
35:24Williams are still
35:25over the limit
35:26which could be
35:27a factor for them
35:28this weekend.
35:29So we'll see
35:30as Lando goes
35:30quickest by a second.
35:33And we go down
35:34to Aston Martin
35:34because there's lots
35:35of times on the board,
35:36Ted,
35:36but nothing
35:37for the team in green.
35:39No, so neither
35:40Lance Stroll
35:40nor Fernando Alonso
35:41have been out yet,
35:42have they, Crofty?
35:43I think we've only got
35:4320 cars on track.
35:45It looks like
35:46they are ready to go
35:47but they're just
35:48investigating something
35:49that's necessitated
35:50all drivers
35:50to put their old
35:52electric
35:53insulating gloves.
35:54The old marigolds
35:55are out
35:55on both cars.
35:57There's a little
35:58status monitor
35:59above the cars
36:01which tells you
36:01when each side
36:03of the garage
36:03is ready.
36:04The chassis,
36:04the ERS,
36:05the power unit
36:06mechanics
36:07and the systems
36:07and that's all red.
36:09Can you see?
36:10It's all red.
36:10So none of them
36:11are ready to go.
36:12There's three red
36:13and one white
36:14on Lance Stroll's
36:15side of the garage
36:16but we're not seeing
36:17while they just
36:17investigate
36:19whatever technical
36:20issue it is
36:21they're not ready
36:22to go out yet
36:23and I know
36:23it's a 90 minute
36:24session
36:24but as always
36:25in a sprint weekend
36:26every lap is crucial
36:27leading into the
36:28sprint qualifying later.
36:30They have completed
36:31187 laps
36:32Aston Martin
36:33in Grand Prix
36:33in 2026
36:34which is actually
36:3523 laps more
36:36than McLaren
36:37have managed so far
36:38but they had a
36:39Chinese race
36:39where neither
36:40of their cars
36:41actually started
36:42and that's
36:43yet another
36:43issue
36:44that Aston Martin
36:45need to overcome
36:46in a year of issues.
36:48Yeah, I mean
36:50it's slightly
36:50concerning isn't it
36:51when we
36:51we get a document
36:53in the morning
36:54of all of the
36:55upgrades and updates
36:56that the teams have brought
36:5724 page document.
36:59It was massive
36:59this time
37:00and so many of the teams
37:01you know
37:02there's multiple pages
37:03of it
37:03and then I opened
37:04the Aston Martin page
37:05and it said
37:06no upgrades
37:07to the chassis declared.
37:09Obviously
37:10I presume
37:11they've been doing
37:11work on the power unit side
37:13to deal with
37:14the vibration issues
37:14but if only
37:15we had someone
37:16who has insight
37:17on Aston Martin
37:18in the commentary box.
37:19Arguably
37:19Aston Martin's
37:20best upgrade
37:21of the season
37:21Jensenbug.
37:22Hello.
37:23Sorry
37:24what were we
37:24talking about?
37:25We were talking
37:25about Aston Martin.
37:26So after Suzuka
37:28the car
37:29the race car
37:30went to Socorro
37:31so Honda's
37:32research and development
37:33facility
37:33and they had that
37:35on the test rig
37:35which was a very
37:37sensible thing to do
37:38so can you
37:39give us a bit
37:39of an insight
37:40as to
37:40as to what
37:41it produced?
37:42No.
37:43Okay.
37:43But it's
37:44I've tried.
37:45It is very important
37:47to have the engine
37:48connected to the car
37:49when they do
37:49the proper simulations
37:50because you really
37:51can understand
37:51where vibrations
37:52are coming from
37:53and you can have
37:54a much better
37:54understanding.
37:55So hopefully
37:55that's been
37:57very positive.
37:58In terms of
37:58upgrades to the car
37:59we all know
38:01Adrian.
38:01He's not going
38:02to want to come
38:02with a little package.
38:03I think
38:04he's preparing
38:05a bigger package
38:07a bit later
38:07in the year.
38:08Spa I'm told
38:09as a B-spec car
38:10and it will be
38:12pretty much
38:12a B-spec car.
38:13I think the trouble
38:14Aston are finding
38:15themselves in
38:16whilst all the talk
38:17was of the Honda
38:18power units
38:19in Australia
38:19it is not just
38:20the power unit
38:21that is the problem.
38:22Chassis and aero
38:23are also very much
38:24a problem
38:24and it's
38:25like a 60-40
38:27split
38:27power unit
38:28to chassis
38:29in terms of
38:30where the issues
38:31are.
38:32So
38:32what's the point
38:33of bringing
38:34lots of little
38:35upgrades
38:35you might as well
38:36wait for something
38:36big.
38:39I'm interested
38:39to know
38:40how they've
38:40sort of
38:41you know
38:42whoever told you
38:43that has sort
38:43of come up
38:44with that
38:44because the
38:45problem they've
38:46got
38:46Well in fairness
38:47I offered the
38:48number and they
38:49didn't say no
38:49so I'm taking
38:50that as fine.
38:51Okay
38:51No it's just
38:53it's a slight
38:53problem isn't
38:54when you're
38:54a team
38:55by yourself
38:56you haven't
38:57got another
38:57reference
38:58you know
38:58for McLaren
39:00they can
39:00look at it
39:01we've got
39:01the same power unit
39:02as Mercedes
39:02they're quicker
39:02than us
39:03we need to
39:03catch them
39:03and that
39:04was the
39:04problem
39:04that
39:05Enstone
39:05had
39:06wasn't
39:06it
39:06when they
39:06had
39:06the
39:07Renault
39:07power unit
39:08then you
39:08got the
39:09politics
39:09of
39:09is the
39:10chassis
39:11too draggy
39:11or is it
39:12the power
39:12unit side
39:13or is it
39:13drivability
39:14or the
39:14suspension
39:15you know
39:15all of those
39:16things happen
39:16and that's
39:17where the
39:18management
39:18have got
39:19to be
39:19joined
39:20up
39:22Smells
39:22very strange
39:23in the car
39:24understood
39:24we're having
39:25a look
39:27Oh dear
39:28Yeah
39:28Tacos
39:29last night
39:30was it
39:30Possibly
39:31I have to
39:31say
39:32they've done
39:32an amazing
39:33job the
39:33last few
39:33races
39:34with
39:34design
39:36look at
39:36that
39:36design
39:37on the car
39:37I think
39:37it looks
39:38really cool
39:38I like it
39:39Japan
39:40with the
39:41Sakura
39:42color
39:42I thought it was
39:43really good
39:44yeah I'm a fan
39:46I think it's
39:46great
39:46I think
39:47I think
39:47also
39:47having a
39:48yellow
39:48car
39:48on the
39:49grid
39:49is
39:49good
39:49yeah
39:49it looks
39:50like a
39:51brawn
39:51so I like
39:52it
39:54Crofty
39:54what about
39:54you
39:55I thought
39:55the
39:56Japanese
39:56design
39:57was
39:57absolutely
39:57sensational
39:58and I
39:58love
39:58that
39:59car
39:59this
40:01DJ Khaled
40:01was
40:02involved
40:02with the
40:03launch
40:03of it
40:03and that
40:04is
40:04about
40:04as
40:04much
40:05praise
40:05as
40:05I'm
40:05going to
40:05give
40:06it
40:06quite
40:06frankly
40:06sorry
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