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Formula Fanatics #1 - 2026 Pre-season Predictions · BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

0:02
Welcome to Formula Fanatics, the high octane subseries of break Fix podcasts,
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drive through Motorsports News.
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This is your pit stop or all things formula one from breaking
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headlines and race recaps to insider analysis and paddock buzz.
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Whether you are a diehard to foso, a Red Bull loyalist, or just love
0:20
the thrill of wheel to wheel racing.
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We've got you covered with UpToDate F1 News delivered at full throttle.
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Strap in because the lights are out and we're underway.
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This is formula fanatics.
0:39
All right, let's talk 2026.
0:42
Let's do it.
0:43
So let's go back to our predictions.
0:45
You've heard the last 11 months as we've ranted and raved about Formula One.
0:50
So I wanna say, I wanna go back to the beginning.
0:52
We battled back and forth last January about Formula One, and I
0:57
made some pretty bold statements.
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None that I can't come back from because I think they all
1:01
came true at the end of the day.
1:02
Did I or did I not say Third Race would lock in Lewis Hamilton
1:07
for the rest of the year?
1:08
I don't know what you said that would require me to listen to the
1:11
podcast, which I don't do, so I'm sure you did, but I don't think
1:16
any of us said he was gonna win.
1:17
No, but there was all this, but Louis, but Louis, but Louis, but Louis.
1:21
Back marker.
1:21
You can't be considered a back marker to finish.
1:24
Sixth.
1:24
Overall, what did Ricky Bobby say?
1:26
I first July, my point, I mean, so then there were 19 people in last
1:31
place, and Lando was in first.
1:33
Okay.
1:33
Yes.
1:34
Yeah, so they, they were all tied for last.
1:36
So going back to Lewis for just a second, did you notice.
1:39
Like Midseason, the excuses started to peter off kind of when we
1:44
settled into sucking, like there was no more the engine breaking.
1:48
There was no more this, there was no more that, there was no
1:50
more blah, blah, blah, blah.
1:52
I did see a bunch of stuff on the internet about how oh, everybody
1:54
should listen to what Lewis has to say.
1:56
Ferrari's not listening to him, blah, blah, blah.
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And then you saw a bunch of social media posts about how.
2:00
Ferrari's not gonna build that new F 40, you know, all this stuff.
2:04
And I'm like, yeah, they were never gonna do that to begin with.
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I kind of wanna know what happened halfway into the later part of the season.
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Did he just buckle down and say, that's it, I, I, I got nothing else to add.
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Like even his interviews were really curt and short.
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He may have gotten a call from Ferrari saying, Hey.
2:18
Stop it.
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The car is great.
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Or maybe he just didn't care anymore.
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He went right into full.
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I'm just gonna call it a paycheck.
2:27
I don't care.
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They know the car wasn't gonna do anymore, so what's the point?
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Do we think the next year's car's gonna be any better?
2:33
At Ferrari?
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They're all gonna be different, so we don't know.
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They're shorter wheel based.
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They're narrower.
2:38
The wings are more adjustable.
2:40
The MHU thing is gone.
2:42
They're what?
2:43
V six.
2:44
Twin turbo hybrids, something or other.
2:47
I thought they were already V six twin turbos.
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Now.
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I don't remember.
2:50
They're really small.
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Six cylinders, like one and a half liters or something like that.
2:54
Something's changing.
2:55
No kidding.
2:56
Formula one's 2026.
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Engine changes shift to a roughly 50 50 combustion electric power split.
3:02
Using a hundred percent sustainable fuel, significantly boost the electrical
3:05
power for closer racing, eliminating the complex MGUH, whatever that means.
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The motor generator unit.
3:12
Well, I know what that is.
3:13
Yes.
3:13
Sorry, thought you said, I don't know what that is.
3:15
So who knows how the car, any of their cars are gonna be, I predict
3:18
Ferrari's gonna be one and two in a different racing series.
3:24
Lama.
3:24
That's my bold prediction.
3:26
Yeah.
3:26
Okay.
3:26
I have no idea.
3:27
Audi one.
3:28
No kidding.
3:29
There is no way.
3:30
No, they're going to be terrible.
3:32
Have they announced the second driver yet?
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Bto?
3:35
No, they're keeping it.
3:36
Yeah.
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Holberg and Bline.
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Oh my God.
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That's, they're gonna be terrible.
3:40
They're, they're terrible now.
3:42
Hey, you know Nico finished 11th, Gabrielle 19th.
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Where did Anoa finish?
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17th?
3:51
No, he finished an Indy car.
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Yeah, because he's out.
3:55
Eno's gonna race in those movies with Jackie Chan.
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That's where he's gonna be.
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Good lord.
3:59
Well, he's joining Mick Schumacher over at IndyCar as well.
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IndyCar the place where Formula One drivers go to retire.
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They're never coming back from that.
4:07
There's no way.
4:09
I don't think it's actually confirmed that he's going to IndyCar, so the way
4:13
it reads is he's going to be a reserve driver for Red Bull slash whatever
4:19
they're calling the other team this year.
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What I also read was that he had a seat waiting for him in IndyCar.
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Yeah, I think you can be a reserve driver and still race in another series,
4:28
because basically when you're on reserve, they're probably not gonna call you.
4:31
Mm-hmm.
4:33
What motors do they use in IndyCar?
4:36
They're still using, normally aspirated, or no, I'm sorry.
4:39
They're using like turbo eights or Turbo sixes.
4:41
Okay, so they do have Honda Motors.
4:43
Well, so the problem is possibly allegedly if he's a reserve driver for Red Bull.
4:49
He's challenged to go to IndyCar because of the motors, because it's not
4:53
a Honda motor anymore in the Red Bull and there's no Ford motor in IndyCar.
4:58
What's that got to do with the price of T?
5:00
I don't think he's allowed to.
5:03
I think there's a sponsorship issue.
5:05
I've never seen Max, not in his sort of Red Bull uniform.
5:09
You ever noticed that they have to, they have to wear all their sponsorship stuff,
5:12
like even to the point that they can't.
5:14
Be seen drinking something that isn't, whatever their sponsorship is.
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So like he has to be like seen holding a red Bull, like all of them are like that.
5:22
I remember when I had the opportunity to meet Tony Stewart and run around like an
5:25
idiot trying to find him branded whatever was his sponsored drink, like the bottle
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of water, like to get him a bottle of water, had to be Dasani because I think
5:34
Pepsi was who the back sponsor was.
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So it was like either you have like a cup that has nothing on it.
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Or you had to have something that was branded per the sponsorship.
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Like God forbid it was Aquafina made by Coke.
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Yeah, the sponsorship was gonna get upset.
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So how does it work for BOTAs when he is like naked all the time
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and Lewis wears his own stuff?
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Max is like a machine.
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I think he sleeps in his Red Bull uniform.
5:55
Like that's what I'm getting at.
5:56
Like everybody else has their thing, right?
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But it's craziness.
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I think whenever they have to do the promo stuff, though, they have
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to be in their sponsored gear.
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I mean, max really doesn't do more than he has to.
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You know what I mean?
6:08
So I think that's why we never see him in any other form, is because he wants
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to be left alone and just do his thing.
6:13
Hmm.
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It's rich energy, right?
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Maybe.
6:15
No, that matters.
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I don't know.
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I don't freaking pay attention.
6:18
IndyCar, the most popular, not watched motor sport on television.
6:22
No, that's rally.
6:23
Hey.
6:23
Hey now.
6:24
Hey, now don't start.
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Don't start.
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So Mick Schumacher on his way to IndyCar as well in 2026.
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That is interesting.
6:32
Move there too.
6:33
But good to see him behind the wheel of.
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Something, not an Uber or delivery car.
6:37
That's what he's been doing in the meantime.
6:39
Exactly.
6:39
Speaking of that, you guys talked about Audi a little bit for 2026.
6:43
I mean, obviously we have Cadillac coming online.
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I am enjoying every social media post by BOTAs.
6:48
They're hilarious.
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Just some of the stuff he's putting out there, like, do you
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see the goodbye to Mercedes?
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Thing that he did, basically the punch on is they strip him down 'cause they want
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all of his Mercedes logoed stuff back.
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Like he's not allowed to keep it.
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So he ends up basically in his underwear at the end of this
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video and he's like so sad.
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And then he like jumps in like a lake or something and it's, it's just.
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Totally bizarre, but it it was really kind of funny.
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It's totally bogus.
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Yeah, exactly.
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But it, it was hilarious.
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I'm glad to see him coming back and we'll see how he does a Cadillac with Checko.
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Oh, that's right.
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Cadillac.
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Cadillac's gonna be one and two.
7:23
Yeah.
7:23
Okay.
7:24
Okay.
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Maybe an IMSA but not, and Formula One.
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So we talked about changes to the cars, any new tracks.
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Coming?
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Yes to the schedule.
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Next year.
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What's going on?
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Maple Valley.
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Maple Valley
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backwards.
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That's two thousands.
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That's what they're bringing back.
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What was the one in Grand?
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Theres mode.
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That was like Apricot Hill.
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Apricot Hill.
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What's Apple?
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Teeny Valley.
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What new tracks we have next year?
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Tanya, another one in Italy.
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They are bringing back.
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Portugal.
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What?
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Oh yes.
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I love Portugal with that giant sweeping turn.
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That's my favorite.
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Yes.
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That means there's hope.
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Maybe we'll get a French Grand Prix after all these years.
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Can we go back to Mag Core?
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Like seriously, there's some of the best races.
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We're at that track.
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Oh, but it's not coming till 2027.
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Oh, get outta here.
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Get outta here.
8:15
Wwo.
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Yeah.
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What else is going on?
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Anything else changing that we know about yet other than Adrian Newie?
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Is gonna be team principal at Aston.
8:23
Well, there are rumors slurring about who sits in a corner.
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Mr. Horner.
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Oh Lord.
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Perhaps there's a home for him at Alpine.
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I thought you were gonna say with Gunther Steiner over running motorcycles.
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I wasn't gonna say at Rikers Alpine.
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Really?
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Rumors.
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The rumor mill is a buzz.
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What's he gonna do with Kop?
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Pinto and whoever the other guy is.
8:49
Gly?
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Yeah.
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I can never remember who drives for Alpine.
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He's already fired Gly once.
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He's just gonna keep firing.
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He is gonna follow Gly around.
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Oh geez.
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Fire him throughout F1.
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Poor guy.
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He might quit.
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If Christian Horner comes back, he might just be like, I'm out.
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This is stupid.
9:04
Other than what we talked about during the recap, do we know of any drivers that
9:09
are stepping up outside of, you know, Checo and BOTAs and things like that?
9:13
Daniel Ricky Hardo?
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No, no, no.
9:18
He's done.
9:19
That ship has sailed.
9:20
Yeah.
9:21
Who's gonna be Lawson's teammate?
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Guess somebody went for the money, then they're gonna bring Duhan back.
9:27
No, they brought in a new guy.
9:29
His name is Arid Linblad.
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Is that a name?
9:34
Arvid Lindblad.
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Sorry, what country is that?
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He's a British motor sports racing driver.
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I was thinking Scandinavia, but alright.
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Swedish father in Ah, there it's mother of Indian heritage.
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Okay.
9:46
All right.
9:46
That's exciting.
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Some more rookies.
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I mean, we do seem to be having a changing of the guard in 2026 except for Alonzo.
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Apparently that was Helmut's Helmut's last thing that he brought him
9:58
on and then that guy got sacked.
10:00
We were talking about that in Discord, where like it's like.
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Helmut's last race at Red Bull.
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Next week, Helmut starts at Aston because everybody leaving Red
10:08
Bull is going to Aston, right?
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So it's like, what are we doing?
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Daddy?
10:11
Warbucks got a lot of money.
10:12
Daddy Warbucks, he can just make it rain.
10:15
They're trying to put together a winning team at Aston.
10:18
Let's just be real about it.
10:19
They're trying to make a competitive run.
10:21
Oh, of course.
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They don't have the manpower.
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I'm just gonna say it that way.
10:24
To get there from behind the steering wheel.
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Who do they get rid of in 2026 to get them to the podium?
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There's only one option.
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One would argue they have half the manpower because they have two time world
10:37
champion Fernando Lanzo in zero time.
10:41
World champion baby stroll.
10:43
Does daddy Warbucks want his son to be on the podium?
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Of course.
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Is it a tax write off?
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He can't go away.
10:50
Do you get rid of Alonzo?
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Yes.
10:52
Yes you do.
10:53
Is that Hamilton's next stop.
10:55
I was wondering that.
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Would Hamilton go to Aston?
10:58
Would he do that?
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What are we doing here?
11:00
We we doing another?
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We're just gonna jump ship every year we're doing it.
11:04
Danny, Rick, constantly be on like the losing team.
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Is he gonna lose less at Ferrari or lose less at Aston?
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Let's be real.
11:12
Is it a losing team because it's a losing team or is it a losing
11:15
team because of who's on the team?
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The, the same thing keeps happening over and over to somebody.
11:19
Then that person's usually the problem.
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I mean, that's sort of what SER was alluding to last year, right?
11:24
Is no, but he wasn't referring to it that it was the driver's fault
11:27
because he was saying, we've changed the drivers, we've changed the car.
11:30
Yes.
11:30
We, I think what he was alluding to is we haven't changed the
11:32
upper management Ferrari.
11:34
Oh yeah.
11:34
Well that, no, that's for sure.
11:36
Is this Hamilton's last season at Ferrari?
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If he stays at Ferrari and nothing happens over the winter, what's his contract say?
11:43
I don't know.
11:44
It says month to month.
11:45
Like his cell phone plan.
11:47
He has a bad relationship with them.
11:50
Yeah, from day one started off rough.
11:52
They don't like him.
11:54
I don't know what it is because it was very.
11:56
Sad.
11:57
The end of the race, his radio, if you saw like the transcript from
12:01
his radio communication with the team where he was like, thank you
12:05
so much, you know, blah, blah, blah.
12:06
And then there was silence and they didn't acknowledge him and
12:09
he is like, are you guys there?
12:10
And they're like, oh yeah.
12:11
Ha ha ha.
12:12
We were talking.
12:13
Yes, thank you.
12:14
Great season.
12:15
How do you act that way to your driver?
12:17
Why did they hire him in the first place?
12:19
I don't know.
12:20
And that's not a slight against Louis.
12:22
No, that's a slight against Ferrari.
12:24
Why did you do this?
12:26
You could have kept signs or was there so much friction between signs
12:30
and LeClaire that wasn't really being exposed, that it was sort of like, pick
12:34
one of us, but neither of us is staying?
12:37
I don't think so.
12:38
Then why did they need to get rid of?
12:39
Who knows?
12:39
Why would signs go to Williams for crying out loud?
12:42
He didn't have a choice.
12:43
His contract was done.
12:45
Ferrari's choice to renew it or not.
12:46
He didn't have a choice.
12:47
But if I'm an analyst at Ferrari and I'm looking at the numbers and I
12:51
look at how Hamilton had been doing.
12:54
Up until that point, those last couple years, it wasn't that great.
12:57
He wasn't great last year either.
12:58
Why would you take on somebody like that if you know your car is sorta
13:02
eh, and you got signs who's already accustomed to the car, renew his
13:06
contract and he probably cost less.
13:09
No, for sure.
13:10
Then bringing on Lewis, I think it's delusion and ego.
13:15
I don't think they thought their car was, nah.
13:17
At least to start the year.
13:18
I, I mean, not everybody goes in thinking they've got a good car.
13:21
But I feel like Ferrari.
13:23
Ferrari themselves, and they refuse to accept the fact
13:26
that the car is the problem.
13:28
I could believe there's a certain level of arrogance.
13:31
That's the word I was looking for.
13:32
Arrogance.
13:33
Well, they are the only works team in Formula One.
13:36
They are the only pure STEM stern.
13:39
They provide their own motors in their own chassis.
13:41
I thought that Mercedes too.
13:42
No, not McLaren.
13:44
Mercedes.
13:44
Oh, McLaren uses Mercedes.
13:46
But I feel like Mercedes uses their own their own shit too.
13:49
But I think Mercedes, the chassis aren't their as they're made in
13:52
England or something like that.
13:54
But like the Ferraris are built by Ferrari.
13:56
They are Ferrari through and through.
13:57
They're built in Martinello.
13:58
They're tested at Fiorano.
14:00
It doesn't leave Italy like secret.
14:02
Stay at home.
14:03
You know what I mean?
14:03
I think Mercedes is a little bit more spread out.
14:06
So it's not a pure works team like Ferrari is.
14:09
So Porsche's the same way.
14:11
I mean, other than the 9 63, which is a Delara underneath, but
14:14
up until that point, Porsche's a Porsche's, a Porsche, right?
14:17
I mean, it's built by them.
14:18
So Ferrari's a similar way.
14:20
They don't wanna give up their secrets to anybody else.
14:22
I think they're faced with the challenge of not being able to borrow, let's
14:27
say, technology from somebody else.
14:29
They are sort of stuck in their ways.
14:31
That presents a bigger challenge.
14:32
But on the same token.
14:34
I don't understand.
14:35
Their management moves to the bigger point here.
14:38
And I think that is what Vassar was getting to.
14:40
You're exactly right, Tanya.
14:42
And maybe it's a level playing field with all new cars.
14:45
We said that the last time they did this.
14:46
Yeah.
14:46
And when was the last time, was it when they had the other Kimmy Reichen in?
14:50
Right.
14:50
It was the last time the Ferrari won.
14:51
It was like 15 years ago now, or something like that.
14:53
It's been forever.
14:54
No, I, I mean.
14:55
The last time, like all the, the major car changes, we said it was gonna be a level
14:59
playing field and the usual suspects came out on top like they usually do despite
15:05
the spending caps, despite everything.
15:07
Right.
15:07
So, I don't know.
15:09
Are we gonna predict?
15:10
Yeah, go for it.
15:11
What do you wanna predict?
15:12
I, I'm still hanging on a Cadillac.
15:15
No, I think it, I think it's gonna be Max's year.
15:17
And if Jar.
15:20
Can stick with them.
15:21
Red Bull will come in first.
15:23
In Construc?
15:24
Yes.
15:24
Because Haja will score higher than Sonota did by driving normally.
15:29
Although I, I will say personally, I don't see why they got rid of Perez.
15:32
'cause I thought Perez was good.
15:33
I mean, he had a couple bad races here and there.
15:35
Yeah, but I think for the most part I thought he was, I thought he did well.
15:38
Well that's a good thing.
15:38
Cadillac has 'em, so it'd be all right.
15:40
Him and Bodis Red Bull probably wouldn't have.
15:42
Won the constructors, but they would've came in second instead of third if had
15:46
he had had a teammate making any points.
15:49
Yeah, exactly.
15:49
I mean, 4 69 Mercedes 4 51, red Bull.
15:53
I mean, that's 449 points that were were were max.
15:59
That's true.
16:00
That's very true.
16:01
Which is sad because he beat.
16:03
Ferrari, basically by himself.
16:05
Yeah, with two drivers that were consistently in the points, let's say.
16:10
There were a couple races where there were DNFs, but for the most part they
16:14
both did finish in the points almost every race and Max still by himself.
16:19
Crushed it.
16:20
All right.
16:20
I'm gonna throw one out there.
16:21
Haas is gonna do better than Audi next year.
16:25
Excuse me.
16:25
Volkswagen.
16:26
Anya has a look of confusion on her face.
16:29
I gotta hand it to Ocon.
16:32
I talked about Beerman in the retrospective and how he's one to
16:35
watch out for, but Ocon being almost 30 or just turned 30 this year.
16:40
He's doing pretty good.
16:41
He's always sort of in the middle.
16:42
He is fighting, they're, they're actually pretty clean racing compared
16:45
to Ocon of the past where just taking people out like a missile.
16:49
And the reality is, I think the Haas have gotten better, the
16:52
Williamses have gotten better.
16:53
There was some exciting racing happening in the middle where TV coverage just
16:58
watching, you know, Lando or Oscar or Max just lapping like they're at
17:03
an HPDE, there was nothing exciting really happening at the front.
17:06
There were no real battles.
17:08
The real racing was happening in the middle.
17:10
I feel like if Haas keeps going, and it's been this long, arduous journey
17:14
for them since the days of rich energy and whatnot, I think they're
17:18
gonna do better than Audi next year.
17:19
Which breaks my heart because Volkswagen's putting all the cards
17:23
on the table to be able to afford the Audi program for next year.
17:26
But it's just gonna be terrible.
17:29
Is it going to be Audi or is it going to be the drivers?
17:32
I would've driver changed already.
17:34
Maybe that'll still happen.
17:35
There's still time.
17:36
That also makes me wonder, is it going to be a whole Audi production or is it
17:41
gonna be Audi supplying stuff to Salur?
17:43
And it's more of the same, just like when it was Alpha Romeo, or it's always
17:46
been Salur for like the last millennia.
17:48
But if it's a ground up Volkswagen program and they're putting their
17:51
back behind it, so Audi, so according to the all knowing interwebs.
17:56
They're providing their own power unit.
17:58
Are they providing their own chassis?
18:00
I knew they were providing their own motors.
18:02
So Audi is partnering with the solver team for their 2026 Formula one entry with
18:05
the Swiss teams hidden wheel facility, developing and building the actual car
18:09
chassis and handling race operations.
18:11
While Audi develops the power unit in Germany, they're effectively
18:14
becoming a factory team.
18:16
Chassis development is happening at the former Solver headquarters in
18:19
hin Will Switzerland with significant collaboration and integration with
18:22
Audi's Power Unit development in Germany.
18:24
Is Haas gonna be deeper in with Toyota?
18:27
Are they ditching the Ferrari motors?
18:29
Are we gonna have a Gazoo power plant in the Formula One car?
18:32
No, they'll still have the Ferrari Power Unit.
18:33
Ugh.
18:34
So we'll have three teams with Ferrari motors out there running.
18:38
Okay.
18:38
It's gonna be an interesting year.
18:40
I don't know what to make predictions of.
18:42
I mean, I'd love to see Audi at the top.
18:44
I'd love to see Audi at least in the upper half, if nothing else.
18:49
'cause that would be pretty impressive on a debut.
18:52
Season, I don't know that I have the confidence in the drivers.
18:56
See, and I think a way to prove that would be take last year's cars, the 2025
19:01
cars and switch all the drivers around.
19:03
So you put the back markers in, the fast cars and the fast guys and the
19:07
slow cars and see what happens if you put Hulk Inberg in Tappin's red.
19:12
Or in Oscars McLaren, he'd still be like, 14th, max still wins, right?
19:18
You put Max in in the Haas or Williams or whatever and he's gonna be in the front.
19:23
I'm telling you that's how that plays out.
19:25
Uh, yeah.
19:25
I don't know.
19:26
It's gonna be interesting to see.
19:27
It'll be interesting to see.
19:28
Cadillac too, right?
19:30
Everybody's gonna be thinking they're gonna be hot shit.
19:32
Are they?
19:32
I mean, at least they have seasoned drivers.
19:34
So like BOTAs and Sergio will be able to drive Cadillac's coming in
19:40
with a brand new car, air quotes, brand new car, blah, blah blah.
19:44
It's whoever they're copying and pasting with last year's Ferrari
19:47
motor modified seasoned drivers.
19:50
So I'm not worried about the drivers.
19:52
And then you've got Audi coming in totally brand new and with like.
19:56
Eh, well, with one rookie, basically, because Gabrielle's first season
20:00
was this season, and he did crap.
20:02
Basically, you effectively still have one rookie seat, and then
20:06
Nico's been around the block.
20:07
Nico's like the longest running rookie in Formula One.
20:11
He drives like a rookie.
20:12
How old is that guy?
20:13
He's must be 37.
20:15
He's old.
20:16
He looks old.
20:17
38. I, I called it, called it.
20:19
Dude needs to retire.
20:21
He might as well be Alonzo without the the winning.
20:24
Other motor sports disciplines beckon, Mr. Kinberg, just saying, oh, I saw
20:29
something that, I don't know if it was fake or not, but it was basically
20:35
implying a potential LeMans team.
20:38
Oh, here we go for staffing.
20:41
Alonzo and Charles, what it probably was like a clickbait bullshit
20:47
thing, but nonetheless, we know that Alonzo's done Lamont before.
20:52
He's already won it with Toyota, and we know Max has interest in all that
20:56
endurance racing stuff, and I'm sure Charles would be interested too.
21:00
So that would be an interesting combination.
21:04
I can't really see the three of them getting along as teammates.
21:07
I don't think there's any bad blood between Max and Charles though.
21:10
'cause I think they were sort of buddies through Go-karting.
21:14
Notice how you left Alonzo out of this.
21:17
Well, I was starting with those two.
21:19
Ah yeah.
21:19
And then I don't know that Max has any bad blood with Alonzo either.
21:23
'cause like who is Alonzo to him?
21:24
His grandpa, his older brother.
21:27
It's no, no.
21:29
Alanzo.
21:29
Get him outta here.
21:30
I mean, they've never really.
21:32
Had to go head to head ever.
21:34
And they've never been teammates.
21:36
So there's time.
21:38
There's time in theory.
21:39
He's just like, oh, it's two time world champion Alonzo.
21:42
Yeah, you were good 20 years ago, back in the days of Schumacher when Schumacher
21:48
was at Mercedes and he was done.
21:50
But yes, those guys at Lamont.
21:52
So speaking of Franz Herman, like I am excited to see what happens
21:55
in, so he's been racing, man, never stops racing as they say.
21:59
Like he's been test driving a Mercedes.
22:01
Mercedes, like GT three.
22:02
GT three.
22:03
Oh yeah.
22:04
He's been doing laps.
22:05
Did you see the video he did with Chris Harris?
22:08
I don't know if it was in Austria or in Australia.
22:10
We went by really fast on the Instagram reel and he's in one
22:13
of the new dark horse mustangs.
22:15
Oh yeah.
22:15
I watched the, the whole thing, Chris is like chatting his ear
22:17
and, and Max is just driving and he is like zero personality, right?
22:21
Because he just cares about the driving.
22:23
And at one point Chris Harris asked him like, what does he think about the car?
22:26
And he's like.
22:26
It's, it's pretty good as he's like power sliding through a turn.
22:30
Completely like unfazed by what's going on.
22:32
Yeah.
22:32
I watched that whole thing.
22:33
That's the video and that's the, or the interview thing where he made the comment
22:38
that front wheel drive was Ah, okay.
22:40
Uncool.
22:41
And then, yeah, they go out because now he has to promote and everything
22:46
Ford, because Ford's the new engine for Red Bull and they, yeah, they took
22:49
the Mustang out and it actually started raining while they were doing the laps.
22:56
When do the cars get revealed?
22:57
When do we get to see them look exactly like they did last year?
23:00
It's usually around February, I think.
23:02
Around February.
23:02
Okay.
23:02
So we have to talk.
23:03
They start in February, isn't Cadillac, aren't they gonna debut?
23:07
I wanna say it was gonna be during the Super Bowl is when they're
23:10
gonna reveal the Cadillac car.
23:12
Makes sense.
23:12
Still February.
23:13
Yeah, that makes sense.
23:13
Well, for our very first.
23:16
Formula fanatics of the 2026 season as this is abbreviated because we don't have
23:21
a ton of news yet, but we'll be keeping up with these as we go along, as we
23:24
stay glued to our Apple TV subscription.
23:27
Can't wait for that to kick in.
23:29
Let's do this as we close out this formula fanatics episode, lightning round.
23:33
Team driver, who are you rooting for?
23:35
2026 Go.
23:36
Brad Cadillac Boas.
23:38
Tanya Audi, neither driver Audi for stopping.
23:44
If you couldn't tell by what I'm wearing, I'm gonna go with Ferrari, the
23:47
car versus stopping the championship, that's where my heart lies to be
23:51
disappointed and broken yet again.
23:53
I mean, yes.
23:54
I mean, I want Ferrari to win.
23:56
I wanna see Audi do really well.
23:58
And that's where it lies.
23:59
And if Max Fortin wins the championship, I don't hate him as much as I used to.
24:04
So same.
24:05
It's okay.
24:05
Same.
24:06
You know what?
24:06
There is hope there is somewhere.
24:07
Ferrari is gonna win next year.
24:09
Mark my words.
24:10
Forza.
24:11
24 hours of Lama 4, 9, 9 p hitting in the world.
24:14
Four times the road.
24:15
Let's go.
24:15
Ferrari.
24:16
Ooh.
24:17
Can they four?
24:17
Pete, team and driver, you're rooting against.
24:20
Oh, Lando.
24:21
McLaren.
24:22
Done.
24:23
Not Aston Martin.
24:25
No, that's gonna be like an episode of the Three Stooges.
24:28
Like I'm just waiting.
24:29
It's like Keystone cops over there.
24:31
Just, just wanna see what happens.
24:32
I mean, I've got two drivers I'm rooting against.
24:34
I'm definitely rooting for stroll to completely just f everything up
24:39
just 'cause I, I don't like Daddy Warbucks back there funding his entire
24:43
fantasy that he doesn't deserve.
24:46
But also Russell, I'm rooting against Russell 'cause I
24:49
think Russell is a tool bag.
24:51
That guy gets under my wanker skin.
24:52
He's a bloody wanker.
24:54
And those eyelashes.
24:55
Too.
24:55
Oh, like snuffle up against, like they really kind of freak me out a little bit.
24:59
He just looks like someone I wanna punch in the face.
25:04
So you said driver team, driver or team, like it would, whatever.
25:10
I don't know what team I'm rooting against.
25:11
No, I'm saying Eric, his original question.
25:13
So you're not rooting for Antonelli?
25:15
I am.
25:16
I am.
25:17
But I, I wanna see Max come back and win and put McLaren in their place.
25:22
Do we think Ferrari No.
25:24
Is ruining.
25:26
Not signing into Nelly.
25:28
An Italian driver.
25:29
Yes.
25:30
In an Italian car.
25:31
Yes.
25:32
Or an Australian with a Italian sounding name.
25:35
They should have hired Piore, you know, adopted him as a, as an
25:38
Italian, it would've been all right.
25:40
Actually.
25:40
I think Piore would be a good fit at Ferrari.
25:43
He's got that sort of stoic, kind of like a Schumacher.
25:46
He dries very clean.
25:47
He's very professional.
25:48
He is very consistent.
25:49
I could see him eventually making a transition there.
25:52
If Lewis gives up his seat, because Charles ain't gonna do it.
25:55
If Charles leaves Ferrari, I think he's gonna leave Formula one period.
26:00
I don't know where he would go.
26:01
I mean, his dream was Ferrari and that's where he is and it's not panning out yet.
26:05
Turn into a nightmare.
26:08
That is sadly the meme about his life.
26:11
All right, Tanya, so as we close this out, who are you rooting against?
26:15
Audi and against?
26:18
No, I'm not rooting against Audi.
26:21
I'm not, I don't know that I'm even this season was actively
26:24
rooting against any team.
26:26
McLaren.
26:27
You can pick a driver.
26:28
I don't mind.
26:28
McLaren.
26:29
I would've loved to see Oscar win it.
26:31
Yes, I agree.
26:32
I agree.
26:33
So I have no problem with McLaren.
26:34
Like, I don't like Liam Lawson, so I won't be hurt if he doesn't do well.
26:41
That guy is a punk.
26:43
Yeah, I don't know.
26:43
The rooting against is hard.
26:44
Like I don't like George either.
26:47
'cause he is a whiny little baby.
26:48
Just say that you don't want Lando to win again.
26:52
Just say it.
26:52
Yeah.
26:53
I mean, I'm okay with that.
26:56
I mean, it'll be interesting to see how he does.
26:59
Like, is he a one hit wonder And that was it.
27:02
On that other disappointment, I think we're good.
27:17
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