Podcast - Bloke & A Bird

Another Sprint Race Weekend in the books - and while this Sprint was a bit better than previous ones, it was still a Sprint Race that we think was totally unnecessary and un-needed.Alpine has new investors - and we wonder what the play is here…Teams are sending warnings about the work in progress rules for 2026Once again we saw penalties handed out like candy on Halloween at the Austrian Grand Prix - and while we don't disagree with why the penalties were issued, we also think that something needs to be done to prevent it from continuing to happening. If F1 is staying at the Red Bull Ring through 2030 then something definitely needs to be done.Say goodbye to Scuderia Alpha Tauri, the team is going to be re-named for 2024.Williams will celebrate their 800th race this coming weekend, while McLaren will sport a “retro” livery this weekend.And just what is holding up Lewis Hamilton's contract extension?

We're back as F1 comes back for a fairly eventful race weekend in Montreal. There was a helmet controversy (that probably shouldn't have been a controversy), CCTV issues that rearranged Friday running, strategy concerns, questionable penalties, wiggly wings, lifting and coasting and a bird strike. What happened to Imola's trophies - sold at auction for charity. And Jeremey Clarkson buys Alpine beer.

F1 returned to Monaco this past weekend, and while it brought us one of the best Qualifying sessions we've seen in years, it ultimately played out like an F1 race in Monaco.Helmet Marco has decided - Alpha Tauri will not be sold, and isn't moving out of Faenza.Honda will be returning to F1 in 2026 - with Aston-Martin stepping in as their new “Works” team, and we wonder what this means for Fernando Alonso's future with the team.Did Ferrari approach Lewis Hamilton with a contract offer?The Zero Side Pod design is dead! Long live the… Actually no, leave it in the trash bin….Could George Russel have made it to the podium in Monaco this year?Again we ask, could Monaco be better?Mercedes is revamping it's campus in BrackleyLosail Circuit has upgraded their facilities.

We were looking forward to watching a race in Imola this past weekend, and while we're disappointed that the race was cancelled we agree with the decision to do so.We've identified a new F1 job that at least one of us wants.Martin Brundle was afraid he almost got Sir Jackie Stewart thrown out of the Miami GP.The cancellation of this past weekend's race may have an impact on several teams development plans.Pirelli is introducing a new tire construction starting in Silverstone.Daniel Ricciardo had a seat fitting at Alpha TauriShanghai has renewed their Grade 1 Certification.

Due to some unplanned circumstances we've been gone for the past few weeks. We're back this week but there won't be a show next week.It's Miami Race Weekend - and we've pulled some Will Smith out of the archives to commemorate the weekend.In F1 news:Drivers have pushed for changes to Red Flag start proceduresStefano Domenicali doesn't want Sprints at ever race weekend, but he does want more Sprint Races.LED light covers aren't coming to F1.Christian Horner has a new reason why F1 shouldn't introduce new teams.GM is now considering an F1 engine program.Adrian Newey has extended his contract with Red BullThere will be an Azerbaijan Grand Prix through 2026The organizers of the Miami Grand Prix want to make the event a night race.And once again, the United States provides an epic grid walk moment for Martin Brundle.

This week's race was exhausting, but we think that the Stewards handled a challenging weekend well.Despite what his defenders said, what Nelson Piquet said about Lewis Hamilton last year was wrong - and now he has a court judgement affirming that his comments were wrong.Red Bull says that Daniel Ricciardo has picked up some bad habits in the years after he left the team.The FIA has clarified what “working on the car” meansTeams have been told that they can't climb the trackside debris fences to celebrate anymore.The GPS feed to the Melbourne track went out during FP1, triggering a Red Flag due to several near misses.George Russell didn't think that the first of four Red Flags during Sunday's race was necessary.Pierre Gasly escapes a race ban after his collision with Esteban Ocon.Carlos Sainz disagreed with his penalty after the second restart.Max Verstappen pushed the limit on the second restart.Haas protests the race results - and the Stewards reject the protest.The organizers of the Australian GP are in a bit of trouble after fans invade the track before the race was officially over.Porsche has officially ended their efforts to enter F1 - for now.

Penalties. We've seen races where there were more penalties handed out than we had this weekend, but we had a lot to talk about this week when it came to penalties and the impacts they had on the weekend.Haas categorically denies allegations made by PBS Newshour that they have violated US trade sanctions against Russia.The FIA has revised how they will assess super license penalty points.Drivers and team personnel will no longer be able to take bikes, scooters or any other wheeled vehicle out during track walks.After a second weekend where a driver got a penalty for not properly starting from their grid box followed by a second penalty for not serving the first penalty properly at least one of us is frustrated.Several teams appear to be in trouble - and it's only race 2.

Race 1 is in the books and so is the first week of the Fantasy GP League. You can still sign up by going to www.fantasygp.com and entering the league code of 14831491.Race 1 was the first time that we've really gotten an idea of how the field is looking for the 2023 season- and what we can tell Red Bull is still on topAston Martin is looking very strongFerrari still has some bugs to work outMercedes already seems to be in trouble in ways we've never seen before.McLaren is definitely in trouble too.F1 is getting ready to tweak qualifying again.

Before we start, a reminder that the Bloke a Bird Show Fantasy GP League is setup and ready for the 2023 season. Head over to www.fantasygp.com and use the league code 14831491The F1 paddock appears to be pushing for any potential new team to pay a $600m dilution fee.Could Alpha Tauri be going up for sale?Lance Stroll has suffered a bicycle accident while training and was unable to participate in Winter Testing and potentially will be replaced by Felipe Drugovich for the Bahrain GP.Mercedes says that they're in a better place at the end of testing with the W14 than they were on Day 2 - but they still appear to be off the pace.Warning bells are sounding at McLaren after the team failed to meet their development targets before testing and still appear to be on the back foot.Haas has debuted a scaled down pit wall structure that is rumored to have saved them $250,000.Who will be commentating the US and British F1 broadcasts this year?New wet tires will appear starting in Imola.There's details on the calendar and format for the F1 Academy series.And we share our predictions for 2023

The 2023 F1 season starts really soon - and we've activated the Bloke and A Bird Show Fantasy GP League for 2023. To sign up just head over to www.fantasygp.com and when you join the league you'll need the league code 14831491.The FIA has released a clarifying statement on their Guidance on the Principle of Neutrality (Article 12.2.1.n of the ISC). Things are a little clearer but we still think that this is going to be an issue this year.Ferrari laid it all out with their 2023 car reveal in Maranello, starting the car up and conducting the shakedown of the car in front of fans and the media.Mercedes has debuted their 2023 car - and it's naked… Naked carbon fiber. Mercedes has also retained their Zero Sidepod design - for now…Aston-Martin's 2023 challenger appears to have been inspired by Ferrari's bathtub design, until you get to the back of the tub.And we don't have much to say about the new Alpine.Reliability upgrades - are they performance upgrades?The FIA gets a lot of money from entry fees.And pre-season testing is at the end of this coming week.

We're back and we have less than 1 month before the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season!We will be launching the Bloke & The Bird Show Fantasy GP League again - and if you act now by going over to FantasyGP.com they're currently offering 30% off their Pro memberships.Car reveals that we've had so far this year:WiliamsAlfa RomeoRed BullHaasAlpha TauriWhat we have learned from those reveals - Gulf has returned but with Williams, the Alpha Tauri logo on their new car reminds us of a snail, Red Bull appears to have not made a single change to their livery…. Oh, and Ford is coming back to F1!That's right, Ford has entered into a partnership with Red Bull Racing that will see the manufacturer return to F1 for the first time since 2004. This won't be a full power unit supply deal, but it is expected to be more than a simple badging exercise. Six manufacturers have registered with the FIA to supply power units to F1 - but only 5 of them appear to actually have a team that will use their power units.The FIA has formally opened the process for new teams to join the F1 grid - and Gunther Steiner continues to lash out at the prospect of any new team joining the series.Mohammed Ben Sulayem is stepping back from day to day leadership of the F1 series - and we're pretty sure that the teams aren't disappointed with this change.And Las Vegas is likely to be on the F1 calendar for the next 10 years.

We're back and there was some big news in F1 - but if you follow F1 you might not realize it…Andretti Autosport has partnered with Cadillac on an entry for F1 - and the F1 world mostly shrugged at the announcement - and we have to ask why?Mohammed Ben Sulayem is defending the FIA's rule change on political statements - and we still question the decision.Pat Symonds has delayed his retirement.Toto Wolff is expecting that a new contract with Lewis Hamilton we be sorted soon.James Vowles is the new Team Principal at Wiliams.We're getting closer to the start of the 2023 season as more teams announce launch dates.Drive to Survive returns on February 24.And Silverstone wants to expand their race weekend.

Our first show of the New Year and we've got a bit of catching up to do.While we were going there was a surprisingly coordinated Team Principal shift. Frederick Vasseur goes from Alfa Romeo to Ferrari, Andreas Seidl goes from McLaren to Alfa Romeo, Andrea Stella is promoted at McLaren to replace Andreas, and Jost Capito leaves Williams.Mick Schumacher is the new Reserve Driver at MercedesAlpine thinks they know the biggest cause of their reliability issues.McLaren says that the new tires were a bigger challenge for them than they expected.We understand a bit more about Mercedes struggles last year.Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Alpha Tauri are the first teams to announce car reveals.The FIA is banning drivers from making unapproved political statements.Could Ford be partnering with Red Bull for an F1 return?Could the Chinese GP return to the calendar this year?

We're back to wrap up the 2022 season, we'll have a show this week, but it's up in the air if we'll have a show next week before our end of year break.Congratulations to Patricia for her victory in the 2022 Bloke and Bird Show Fantasy GP League!There was some news while we were gone:Mattia Binotto has resigned as Team Principle at Ferrari effect at the end of the year.Audi is investing in their Competence Center Motorsport as they begin work on their upcoming partnership with Sauber F1.McLaren and Gulf will not be continuing their partnership into 2023The FIA is dropping several COVID policies for the 2023 season. They're also dropping the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix.It's confirmed that there will be 6 Sprint Races in 2023, and teams will be getting an extra $300m added to their cost caps to account for the added races.DRS zones may get shorter in 2023 because the revised rules introduced in 2022 have had a positive impact on overtaking.Jeddah has made some changes to the track that should make the circuit safer.Zaandvort will continue to host the Dutch Grand Prix through 2025.The FIA Prize Giving was held last week and there was an uncomfortable moment between Christian Horner and Mohammed Ben Sulayem during the presentation of the Constructors Championship Trophy.Gunther Steiner has a new book that will be released in April.And an 8 part documentary on Bernie Ecclestone might be coming to a screen near you.Finally - we recap how we did with our predictions for the 2022 season.

[tap] [tap] [tap] - Is this thing on?So we still do this podcasting thing… We know it's been a while, but races in the America's can be challenging for us from a timing perspective…This week - Sprint Races… There'll be 6 of them next year and we're pretty sure we know where they'll be held.Changes in engine penalties could be coming in an effort to deter engine changes (which was the point of those penalties to begin with)Could wheel arches coming to F1 cars in an attempt to cut down on spray?F1 launches the F1 Academy series to provide women a path into the F1 development ladder - a series that is not a replacement for the W Series.The paddock celebrates the retirement of Sebastian Vettel.Despite winning the Drivers & Constructor's Championships, it hasn't been a great few weeks for Red Bull.Nico Hulkenburg is back in F1 - replacing Mick Schumacher at Haas.Daniel Ricciardo appears to be headed back to Red Bull - as a development driver.Mattia Binotto may be headed out of FerrariRace winners are now getting medals.And a new F1 Exhibition is coming to Madrid from March 24, to July 16.

Thanks to a wet weekend in Suzuka we're able to continue our planned rant from last weekend - after we get past the latest news on the cost cap.Three teams (not two like everybody is reporting) had cost cap violations, but only 1 appears to have actually spent more than allowed under the cost cap. Now, the FIA has a problem - how do they take appropriate action to demonstrate that teams must abide by the cost cap - without causing even more controversy.After that we take F1's rain delay rules to task, and this weekend was just a continuation of the mess that we saw last weekend and earlier this year. Even worse is that the rules don't seem to think that the rules were supposed to do what they are actually written to do which lead to confusion at the end of the race.On top of that, we again had a recovery vehicle on the track, with F1 cars on the track under Yellow Flag conditions, in heavy rain, at Suzuka… Where F1 last lost a driver, under very similar conditions.This weekend, was not one of F1's finest…

It's been a few weeks, but WE'RE BACK!!! (try to contain your excitement). We were on vacation for a few weeks but after a few adventures we're back.We had a full lineup to talk about, and we didn't even managed to get through all of it, so if we remember we might talk about some of the stuff we were going to talk about this week - next week.What we talk about this week-F1 has announced a 24 race calendar for 2023 - and as much as we love F1, we're not so sure about this idea. Of those 24 races, there will 6 Sprint Races - again, an idea that we're not so sure about.Miami has announced that they'll be keeping the fake harbor for next year's race.SkySports will continue to broadcast F1 in the UK through 2029 (and we believe also supply the English commentary for the World Feed)We look at where the driver lineup sits for 2023.Rumor has it that two teams exceeded the cost cap limits for 2021 - only by only a small bit, and another by a larger margin.Alfa Romeo was fined for not following proper procedures for turning in their tires - and yelled it because it's happened more than once.We're still talking about Lewis Hamilton's jewelry, we shouldn't be, but we still are.We had more to talk about - but the show was so long we had to stop….

We know, scheduling our break to start just as F1 is coming out of their summer break but that's just how the schedule's aligned.It the week since our last show a lot happened -Audi announced that they will be F1's newest engine constructor debuting in 2026. No word yet on who will be their customer team but Audi says that they'll make a determination before the end of the year.In what we're sure is totally unrelated news - Sauber and Alfa Romeo announced that they will end their partnership at the end of 2023.Otmar Szafnauer insists that there's been no breakdown in the relationship between him and Fernando Alonso - given some of the things that we've heard over the last week from the two of them, and some of the things that were being said this weekend - we're not so sure that there hasn't been a falling out.We're waiting to hear the results of the Contract Resolution Board.McLaren has paved the way for Oscar Piastri to join the team after announcing that they were releasing Daniel Ricciardo at the end of the 2022 season.Could Pierre Gasley be headed to Alpine? Esteban Ocon says that there's no bad blood between the two of them anymore.Spa gets a 1 year contract extension.Mercedes didn't have a great weekend - which might have been due to the special livery that they didn't really run on race day.It seems the stewards are back to excusing lap 1 incidents.Ferrari continues to fall behind.And F1 will not be returning to Russia (at least as long as Stefano Domenicali gets to make the call)

Between the time that we recorded last week's show and the time we published last week's show we were already out of date… But, Formula has gifted us with one of, if not the silliest silly season that we've seen in a very, very long time.Fernando Alonso will be taking Sebastian Vettel's seat at Aston-Martin - to the surprise of Alpine, who is concerned that Fernando is too old….Alpine has announced that Oscar Piastri will be taking Fernando Alonso's seat - although Oscar has said otherwise. Rumor has it, Oscar has a deal with McLaren to take Daniel Ricciardo's seat - although McLaren hasn't confirmed anything.There's no controversy over Alex Albon's seat - he's got a multi-year deal with Williams.It looks like the F1 Race in Las Vegas will be held the week before Thanksgiving for the next 5 years.And Lewis Hamilton is a part owner of the Denver Broncos

We're back for a show to close out the first half of the F1 season with news that's surprising and not surprising - Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement at the end of the season… And we recorded this before news broke this morning about his replacement.Porsche looks to be on the verge of purchasing a 50% stake in Red Bull as part of it's return to F1.Ferarri continues to do what it can to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and it's drivers any chance of winning the championship.And remember Rich Energy? They're at it again….

This week for the third week and a row we find ourselves opening with a story about horrible behavior in F1, and at least one of us is questioning if the intended lesson behind “We Race as One” was actually learned by the sport.Lawrence Stroll has attracted additional investment in Aston Martin.Franz Tost says that Yuki Tsunoda could keep his seat for 2023 - if he stops crashing.Colton Herta says he thinks he would be competitive in F1 - because of course he would…Chip Gnassi Racing and McLaren Racing are in a tug of war over Alex Palou, either way it seems like McLaren has too many drivers for their available IndyCar seats. But Daniel Ricciardo isn't going anywhere.Michael Masi has left his position with the FIA.Marshals at the Austrian GP are defending their response to Carlos Sainz's engine explosion.Alpine realizes that their recent electrical issues were their fault.Stricter roll hoop testing is coming to F1.The Financial Stylings of Bernie Ecclestone have gotten him in trouble again.

We're not sure what's more incredible - that we managed to two shows on back to back weeks or that Bernie Ecclestone issued an apology.Bernie Ecclestone has apologized for his remarks on Good Morning Britain two weeks ago.The roll hoop on Zhou Guanyu's Alfa Romeo took an impact that is believed to be double the force of what the FIA tests for.The F1 cost cap has been increased - a little bit.The checks to prevent porpoising have been delayed to Spa - and it sounds like some cheating has been discovered with the skid blocks.This might have been the most penalty ridden weekend we've ever seen.Hooligans and hooliganism - that's what we're calling the fan behavior at this weekend's event. And it shouldn't be allowed to ever happen again.Colton Herta is in Portimao for two days of testing in last year's McLaren in preparation for a stint in an upcoming FP1 in a current year's McLaren.

Once again the Silverstone gave us an absolutely mega race. It's not often that a race makes us sit up on the edge of our seats - but this year's British Grand Prix did exactly that.But before we can get to the race, we have to catch up on the other off track drama - namely that there are still some people who need to be reminded that it's 2022 and not 1922, and that is before we got to talk about the horrific interview that Bernie Ecclestone gave to ITV's Good Morning Britain program this past week. An interview that you can find here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf2fJsiuV34.As bad as all that was - the folks at Alpine bring us a unicorn chaser this week in the form of their newly announced Race(Her) Program.Could teams have found a way to skirt that floor stiffness rules? Christian “Think Bigger Than Your Own Team” Horner doesn't want F1 to make changes to F1's aero rules around bouncing. Seven protesters were arrested after entering the track in an exceedingly dangerous attempt to disrupt the race.Everybody involved in a horrific crash has come away unharmed.Ferrari once again makes some questionable choices, and Daniel Ricciardo is working with Hulu for a scripted F1 TV show.

We're back after spending a fairly eventful weekend at Road America for the Sonsio Grand Prix. Multiple Full Course Yellows and even a Red Flag or two but everybody involved walked away… And it wouldn't be a race weekend for us if somebody almost didn't get run over…Since we were at Road America we completely missed the Azerbaijian Grand Prix so this week we turned our attention what what happened as F1 headed to Montreal…And most of the conversation was about the latest Technical Directive that the FIA issued in response to the porpoising and bouncing that we've seen this year. The drivers and the teams have been asking for the FIA to do something about it - so now that there's a Technical Directive everybody's happy - right?Australia's got a new 10 year extension to their current deal that was set to expire in 2025, and all signs are pointing to F1's return to South Africa in 2023.

Did you miss us? We're sneaking in a show before things get busy again…Marcus Ericsson has joined the exclusive list of former F1 drivers who have won the Indy 500 - a list that Fernando Alonso hasn't been able to join.Stefano Domenicali isn't sure he'll support Michael Andretti's bid to create and F1 team.F1's jewelry exemption for drivers has been extended for another month.Could Daniel Ricciardo be in danger of not being able to see through the end of his contract with McLaren?While the calendar will only be 22 races this year, it might be extended to 24 next year - and that may mean that F1 needs to re-think the structure of F1's calendar? What other factors could influence where F1 goes?New York City Mayor Eric Adams approached Liberty Media about hosting an F1 race - and was told Thanks but No Thanks…Monaco doesn't have a contract renewal to host their race - F1 is looking for concessions from the Principality in order to continue hosting the race.What happened to disrupt the start of the race this weekend?Bernie Ecclestone was arrested in Brazil (but he was released) and Kimi Raikkonen is going to drive in NASCAR again.

This weekend was the inaugural Miami Grand Prix…. and we hated it. If you follow the show this probably didn't come as a surprise - but we the reason we hated it was more than just because it ended up being an F1 race in a car park…But first - It's confirmed both Porsche and Audi are joining F1 in 2026 - and Zak Brown insists that Audi is not buying McLaren.Michael Andretti remains optimistic that he'll be able to start a team in F1 - but we likely won't have a decision from the FIA and F1 until the fall.The FIA isn't going to back down on their position regarding jewelry and flame retardant garments.The crash between Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris was due to damage that Gasley suffered in a collision earlier with Fernando Alonso - a collision that earned him the first of his two 5 second penalties.So the special pavement at the track in Miami - the drivers hate it….And the chicane under the Turnpike exit ramps that posed a design challenge for the track designers - yeah the drivers hate that too, and it didn't make for exciting racing.And we hated the race for the stupid over the top hype about almost every aspect of the event - except the racing, which wasn't particularly exciting.F1 has purchased land from Las Vegas to house the paddock and garages.We're getting two more seasons of Drive to Survive.

We admit it - since we were on vacation last week we didn't see the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but you don't listen to us for the race reviews do you? While we were gone Nikita Mazepin spoke with CNN's Quest Means Business - although we're not sure why.Haas says that they've learned their lesson and will be doing more due diligence on their sponsorship deals.Lewis Hamilton is part of a consortium of investors looking to purchase the Chelsea Football Club.F1 has published the rules of conduct for drivers when entering a corner - and it's essentially what the rules already said.The FIA appears to have blocked expanding Sprint Races for the moment.Red Bull are being poor winners - again…Mercedes woes continue.And next week is the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.

We're back - for a week… We'll be out again next week.The rumor mill has ramped up again over Audi and Porsche and nothing has actually changed.Sebastain Vettel on a scooter is the latest meme to take F1 by storm.The FIA is cracking down on drivers not wearing appropriate underwear… And on drivers wearing jewelry… And on Max Verstappen's strategy when he's not in the lead behind a safety car.We know what was glowing under Lewis Hamilton's car during the Australian Grand Prix.The FIA doesn't appreciate drivers complaining about the Aston Martin safety car.With a 23 (or 22) race season Pirelli is struggling to find tire test dates.Haas refuses to refund Uralkali their 2022 sponsorship payment - and they think that Uralkali should actually pay them more money.Could there be a second race in Singapore this year?And F1 is headed to Las Vegas.

This week F1 was in Saudi Arabia. We weren't particularly thrilled that F1 decided the race in Saudi Arabia to begin with, and this week we were even more bothered by F1 racing in Saudi Arabia.Mercedes continue to struggle with porpoising on their 2022 contender.Mick Schumacher has a massive crash during qualifying, and if the team was willing he would have been in the car for the race on Sunday.Red Bull might have an aero strategy that could give them the edge this year.And F1 says they're going to talk to Netflix about the manufactured drama in Drive to Survive.

It's possible that we've now recorded more shows in the past week than we have in the past month - don't get used to it…The FIA has released their report on the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there's not a lot of new information in it though. It did however conclude that Michael Masi acted in good faith, and that the standings of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are final.The regulations governing unlapping lapped cars under the safety car have been clarified.The FIA has amended the 2022 Technical Rules to allow stiffening rods to help control the porpoising that teams have been experiencing. They've also adjusted the weight rules for the 2022 cars.Otmar Szafnauer is hitting out at his former team…What did you think of the new race graphics?One race in and that it looks like the new rules have had an impact on the racing - but did it fully work as intended?

First, the FantasyGP League is back up. If you think you know better than us - and you quite possibly might, then head over to Fantasygp.com sign up and enter the League Code 14831491.It's out of cycle - but here are our predictions for the 2022 season… Although as we recorded we hadn't yet gotten The Boy's predictions, but before these get sealed in the vault we'll have them.

No, we haven't watched Drive to Survive yet, we're behind on Star Trek Discovery, behind on Star Trek Picard, and we haven't even watched the last few episodes of The Great Pottery Throw Down… Plus because the last winter test was so close to the first race weekend - we haven't even gotten our predictions done- but hopefully we'll have that sorted by the end of the week.Instead of taking decisive action on the question of Russian drivers - the FIA decided to punt… Meanwhile Motorsports UK has released a pretty strong “NOPE” when it comes to Russian drivers.Let there be no doubt now - F1 has in fact canceled the Russian Grand Prix, it hasn't been suspended it's been cancelled. But more than that, F1 has now cancelled the contract for ANY Russian Grand Prix. Before this had happened F1 had a contract for aRussian Grand Prix through 2025. Oh, and were you hoping to watch F1 in Russia? Yeah, that's not happening either as F1 has cancelled the broadcast rights contract for F1 and shut down F1 TV for Russia as well.Haas has terminated their relationship with Nikita Mazepin, Dmitri Mazepin, and Uralkali. Nikita doesn't understand why Haas would do this, Uralkali says they want their money back - and Nikita says that he's not under sanctions…. And he was right - up until the European Commission named him as the 732nd Russian to be placed under sanction.Kevin Magnussen has signed a “multi-year” contract to fill the seat vacated by Nikita Mazepin at Haas.This week was the actual winter testing sessions, as always it's hard to get a clear picture of where things stand but there were a few clues.The top three still appear to be Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari.Red Bull appears to have an edge, but the Ferrari looks strongMercedes say that the car is off the pace and not a winner, however nobody believes them.Mclaren is struggling with brake cooling issues.The rest of the pack appears to be pretty tight.Lewis Hamilton will be featured in an upcoming documentary on Apple TV+And Imola will host F1 through 2025.

Did somebody say Unicorn Chaser?We can't ignore what's happening in Ukraine, especially given F1's connection to Russia. We applaud the strong statement from Sebastian Vettel - that he would not race in Russia if the Russian Grand Prix was held, and also the statement from Max Verstappen that essentially stated that F1 had no business racing in Russia.Formula 1 has stated that “it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances” to which we and many other interpreted to mean that the 2022 Russian Grand Prix has been cancelled. However, the organizers of the event still think there's a chance that the event could happen.Haas has removed the Uralkali colors and branding from the VF22, the team's gear, their trucks, their website and pretty much anyplace else that it might have appeared. As of when we recorded Nikita Mazepin is still driving for the team, but Gunther Steiner has stated that the team will assess their relationship with Uralkali this week.With Nikita Mazepin's position on the team tied so closely to the Uralkali sponsorship it seems likely that he's not going to retain his seat. Gunther Steiner says that Pietro Fitipaldi is most likely to get the call to replace Nikita. The more we hear about the Andretti Autosport application to start an F1 team the stronger the application sounds. But could the loss of Uralkali trigger a partnership with Haas and Andretti?Toto Wolff and Christian Horner say they are burying the hatchet for 2022.Initial reports are that the new cars can follow closer than before - but we're learning about porpoising and it's a problem for many teams.

First off we have a correction and an apology to Herbie Blash - he's apparently very much not dead, we were incorrect in saying he was.The FIA has completed their investigation into the actions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and in the interest of openness and transparency the FIA has decided… …to not share their findings with the public…What the FIA has agreed to do is share the changes that they will be making to F1 as a result of their investigation - with the most notable being the decision to relieve Michael Masi of his duties as Race Director and offer him a new role within the FIA. Niels Wittich and Eduardo Frietas will be alternating as F1's Race Director and both will be backed up by Herbie Blash who will serve as Senior Advisor.Other changes - The Race Director will be supported by an off track Virtual Race Control Room. Communications between the teams and Race Control will no longer be broadcast and will be tightly controlled to prevent teams from distracting the Race Director.The FIA has also announced changes to the Safety Car Restart Procedure as a result of the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - although we're skeptical that the changes are an improvement.Independent of the Abu Dhabi investigation, the FIA has modified the requirements for classifying and event as a race and assigning points in the event of another rain soaked weekend like we saw in Spa this past year. Like with the new Safety Car Restart Procedure we're not quite sure that the new requirements are an improvement.Other changes for 2022:There will be just three sprint races. Friday's qualifying at these weekends will set the grid for both the Sprint and Sunday's race. The top 8 finishers of the Sprint will get points.There will be technical show and tell sessions for the media to see and understand the upgrades teams are rolling out every weekend.All teams will now have a free choice of starting tires for Sunday's race, no longer with the top 10 be required to start on the same tire they set their fastest time on in Q2Ross Brawn says that teams won't try to sabotage their wakes to make following more difficult - we say, if they weren't before they're probably going to now…Otmar Szafnauer has been announced as the new Team Principal at Alpine.We've had car reveals…Drive to Survive is coming on March 11New F1 Simulation Centers could be coming to a city near you.F1 will be racing at COTA for another 5 yearsAnd Michael Andretti and Andretti Autosport have applied to launch an F1 team.

There was a click bait article that cause F1 media and fans to collectively lose their minds… We talk about the article and why it doesn't mean nearly what every one wants it to mean.It turns out that the Sporting Regulations for the 2022 season have yet to be approved - and that may have caused a problem with Ferrari's private test in Fiorano last week.F1 will only have 1 pre-season test this year - the other session will be a “shake down session”Franz Tost says that he doesn't think the new budget cap will close the gap between the teams.Could the new fuel this year have a bigger impact than teams are saying it will?It turns out that Red Bull won't be assembling engines at their new factory before 2026.Saudi Arabia is making changes to sight lines in response to concerns from last year's race.Singapore should be on the F1 calendar until 2028.

it looks like something may come out of the FIA's Investigation of the end of the last Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. We may still end up with a wholly unsatisfying determination from the FIA (and to be clear we do not expect the Driver's Championship to be overturned and we do not believe that overturning the Drivers Championship to be a satisfactory or desirable result).Could Lewis Hamilton actually be considering leaving F1 - or is there something else going on with his silence this off season?We learned of a major flaw in F1's Race Director structure - one that in this era of Covid Protocols we think is pretty inexcusable. A flaw that arguably didn't exist when Charlie Whiting was in the role.We got the first acknowledgment from somebody at Honda that walking away from F1 when they did might not have been the right idea…Aston Martin is the first to announce the reveal date for the 2022 season challenger. Plus they've named Mike Krack as their new Team Principal.Alpine has parted ways with their Team Principal Marcin Budkowski.And McLaren is adamantly opposed to any changes in the cost cap.

New Year, new episode - and we'll admit to not being fully over the events of Abu DhabiWe have a lot to say about how things played out at that race, specifically in the last few laps of that race, and we're hopefully that the FIA's investigation into those events ends up with decisive action to prevent it from ever happening again.After 12 years Jean Todt has finished his tenure as FIA President and for the first time in the FIA's history a none European has been elected to the role. Former Rally Driver Mohammed ben Sulayem has been elected to the role.F1 team personnel are likely to be required to be vaccinated for Covid-19 prior to the start of the season in order to participate in the 2022 season.Otmar Szafnauer is out at Aston Martin after assuring us during the Brazil race weekend that he wasn't leaving the team. But Christian Horner got a contract extension to remain as Team Principal at Red Bull with the team now looking to extend Max Verstappen's contract.Mercedes have fired up their 2022 engine for the first time while Haas' chassis has passed crash testing.And is Apple getting ready to produce an F1 based movie with Brad Pitt?Finally, since this is the first show since the end of the season - it's time for us to review our predictions that we made at the start of the 2021 season and see how we did.

The theme for this week's show is “controversy” because there sure was a lot of it this week.Sebastian Vettel held a private karting event in Saudi Arabia - and invited only female Saudi racers to participate.Lewis Hamilton expressed his displeasure with F1's decision to come to Saudi Arabia.Mercedes has a new sponsor - that might cause the UK government to change the laws around sports sponsorship… Dmitri Mazepin wants to pay retention bonuses to Haas personnelHelmet Marko says that Red Bull gets treated differently by the Stewards - he might be right, just not in the way he thinks.Max Verstappen says that F1 is more about penalties than racing - and while we have problems with how penalties have been awarded this season… Max is his own worst enemy.We know where F1 wants to hold sprint races in 2022.

Hey, remember us? We're back with a new show and expect to have another one or two shows before the end of the year…We remember Sir Frank Williams who passed away this weekend at 79.We're talking penalties… Driving standards and how they're enforced, when decision come down, and what “straight talking” really means.The rumors are picking up a member of the Volkswagen group is headed to F1 - but McLaren wants us to know that they have NOT been purchased by Audi.And Barcelona will be hosting F1 for a few more years.

Since we didn't have a show last week we didn't get to talk about the provisional 2023 calendar that was released, but don't worry we discuss it this week!Andretti's purchase of Sauber appears to be on hold - Sauber's investors appear to be holding out for more money… Oh, and Valtteri Bottas says that he didn't know that talks were happening for Andretti to purchase the team when he started his negotiations.The latest fan survey results were announced - and no surprise, fans don't like Sprint Races… No matter what Stefano Domenicali seems to think…Aston-Martin is considering changing the green that they're using - but only if the paint isn't too heavy.The bumps at COTA appeared to be breaking cars…W Series driver (and former Grand Tour driver) Abbie Eaton was hospitalized after a significant crash at T1 at COTA - which also led to the removal of the sausage curb at the corner.Why are celebrities on the grid at F1 races? No really, why?Could Sydney be trying to take over the Australian Grand Prix?Nico Hulkenburg is getting an IndyCar test.No, Petronas is not leaving Mercedes.And Zak Brown got a tattoo in response to a bet before Cyril Abitboul did. But not due to a bet with Daniel Ricciardo.

We're back after what was admittedly a pretty dull race…As expected, F1 will be racing in Qatar this year - but there's more to the story than just the headline.Otmar Szafnauer says that the hiring of Martin Whitmarsh won't impact his role with Aston-Martin F1Alan Van De Merwe & Dr Ian Roberts have tested positive for COVID-19 and did not take their usual posts in the medical car for this weekend's race.New fire resistant gloves were tested by 5 drivers during FP 1 this weekend.Red Bull and Honda have shared details on how they will be collaborating over the next few years. While Honda insists that it does not have a 2026 engine project underway.Mercedes explains why they only change the ICE instead of the entire power unit for Lewis Hamilton - but we're not sure we believe their explanation.Nikita Mazepin takes responsibility for his near miss with Lewis Hamilton.Valterri Bottas wins and Turkey and becomes the sixth different driver to win a race in 2021.Could Red Bull have shifted their focus away from winning the Constructors Championship and solely to Max Verstappen winning the Driver's Championship? Could Max have realized that he no longer needs to win races but just finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton to win his first Driver's Championship?Has Mercedes made a strategic error regarding engine penalties that will cost Lewis Hamilton the Championship this year?Toto Wolff says that F1 rules need to allow for staff rotation as the calendar grows - Franz Tost says if his folks don't like the calendar they should get out of F1.Could there be an actual deal in the works for Andretti Autosport to purchase Alfa Romeo - Sauber?Imola says that they have the funding for a long term F1 deal - but is F1 interested in a long term deal with Imola?Changes are coming to Austin before the US GP - but they should be good for the racing.

Somebody make it back from their trip around the Convention Circuit for us to be able to have a show this week.Martin Whitmarsh is back in F1 - and we're wondering what Aston Martin is up to.The Russian Neutral Athlete celebrated his home race as the Russian Neutral Grand Prix.And a what a race Sochi delivered for us this year!

Another show! We did it! Two weeks in a row with a show!This week:The FIA is concerned that the seatbelts in Carlos Sainz's Ferrari may have stretched too much.Red Bull says that the new pit stop rules were the cause of Max Verstappen's 11 second pit stop.Michael Massi doesn't see anything wrong with the sausage curb in Monza that resulting in Max Verstappen's car going airborne.Alex Albon owes George Russel a few beersCould the leading prospect for Alfa Romeo still need to qualify for a Super License?Robert Kubica has realized that he's not a leading candidate for a permanent seat at Alfa Romeo.Sebastian Vettel is confirmed for another year at Aston Martin.Lawrence Stroll is investing big in Aston Martin and building a “reverse MTC.” Take that Ron Dennis!Is F1 aiming for a 23 race season in 2022?IndyCar on the other hand is planning on a 17 race schedule in 2022.

This week we think we've got the technical issues that plagued us for the past two months sorted because we have a full episode for you this week.For the first time there might be an agreement to remove the MGU-H from the next engine formula.Driver line ups for next year are almost sorted -Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton and George RussellRed Bull - Max Verstappen and Sergio PerezFerrari - Charles LeClerc and Carlos Sainz JrMcLaren - Daniel Ricciardo and Lando (Calrissean) NorrisAston Martin - Lance Stroll and [unconfirmed] Sebastian VettelAlpine - Esteban Ocon and Fernando AlonsoAlfa Romeo - Valtteri Bottas and [unconfirmed]Alfa Tauri - Pierre Gasley and Yuki TsunodaWilliams - Nicholas Latifi and Alex AlbonHaas - Mick Schumacher and Nikita MazepinCould the new “helmet cam” be sharing too much info?Aston Martin and Alpine are both fined for chaos during Q22mm is what caused Lewis Hamilton's poor start in the sprint raceF1 doesn't seem to realize that the problem with the Sprint Race is that it's a not much of a sprint.Monza - 3 laps of excitement in an otherwise dull race - but that doesn't diminish that McLaren had a 1-2 finish.Mark your calendars - the 2022 British Grand Prix is slated for July 1-3.

Are you looking for Episode 240? Look no more, it's officially a “lost episode” and so we bring your Episode 241. We're still trying to figure out why we're having issues saving episodes after we record them so this abbreviated episode is a way for us to try and sort out the issue and make sure that we published something this week.In this short episode we're talking the revised 2021 calendar and the latest silly season developments.

Williams says that they don't need Pay Drivers anymore - which is probably not great news for Nick Latifi, a Pay Driver.Was it really gamesmanship in qualifying in Hungary? If nothing else, it didn't break any rules.So what would have happened if nobody lined up on the grid during the safety car restart? Michael Masi says there was a plan.Mercedes sticks by their decision to not pit Lewis at the end of the formation lap.Lewis Hamilton thinks he might be suffering from Long Covid.Aston Martin is appealing Sebastian Vettel's disqualification - and Valtteri Bottas earned a 5 place grid penalty for Spa.Netflix will be releasing a documentary about Michael Schumacher on September 15.McLaren makes a strong commitment to IndyCar…

We start off with an update on the standings in The Bloke and A Bird Show Fantasy GP League - There's a tight battle for 3 place going in to Hungary.Monza will be getting the next Sprint Race Weekend.Michael Massi encouraged Toto Wolff and Christian Horner to visit the stewards after the crash in Silverstone - and now he's saying they shouldn't do that. He's also admitted that there's a crackdown on the rules, but it's not clear who actually wanted it.The war of words between Mercedes and Red Bull over the Silverstone crash continues.Mick Schumacher is on track for a second year with Haas.Could Valtteri Bottas be going to Alfa Romeo if Mercedes signs George Russel?

We're back - and so is The Boy in case you were looking for him.Helmet Marko is talking trash this week… Daniel Ricciardo might like the first full size model of the 2022 F1 car.Maybe pit stops won't be getting slower?Zak Brown tests positive for Covid-19And once again we're talking penalties, clashes and crashes after the British Grand Prix.

Two in a row and coming fresh off the Penalty Grand Prix aka Austrian Grand Prix.The penalties came hot and heavy this past weekend with just 4 drivers managing to escape an investigation or a sanction this past weekend. We're hopeful that this weekend doesn't signify a new trend.George Russel missed out on points this week - but it was a great showing from him. Mercedes has one last round of upgrades coming for SilverstoneLewis Hamilton has a new 2 year contract.Honda will be supplying “Not a Honda” engines for Red Bull from their Sakura factory next year.Audi and Porsche participated in a meeting last Saturday on F1's future engine direction.

It's Mario Andretti's fault that we didn't have a show last weekend… That's our story and we're sticking to it…But we saw Romain Grosjean last weekend - a lot, and we really appreciate how good natured he was about it.In F1-Turkey will be replacing Singapore this year - probably….Esteban Ocon has a new 3 year contract with AlpinePirelli says that the tire explosions in Baku weren't their faultMick Schumacher has a seat problem that Gunther Steiner found out about from Mick's mom…FIA is slowing down pitstops in F1 - kind of…Lewis Hamilton has started contract negotiations.Bad luck again for George RussellCan Mercedes fight back?And the Russian Grand Prix is leaving Sochi…

Once again we start off with some losses…Like him or not - the late Max Mosely left his mark on FIA, autosport, and road safety.Mansour Ojjeh - a key stakeholder in McLaren passed away this past weekend.Singapore has cancelled this year's race for the second year in a row.A massive rain storm cause severe damage and flooding at Spa. Repairs are underway and should be completed later this week.The Dutch GP is hoping to have as many as 105k fans in attendance every day of the event. But the Dutch have teams scrambling to get vaccinated prior to the event.Negotiations are underway to renew Sauber's deal with Alfa Romeo.Valtteri Bottas' Monaco pitstop is believed to have been 43 hours long - and Mercedes says it was Valtteri's fault, which was news to Valtteri.Mattia Binotto has lost his seat on the Ferrari pit wall - he'll be watching future races from the garage.Was the safety car called out later than it should have after Max Verstappen's crash?Pirelli's initial theory is that the tires that failed in Baku were due to debris.Sergio Perez almost lost the race he won.And there's news about #wesaynotomazepin.