Inside Line F1 Podcast

Yes, Formula 1 is back! In no time, it'll be time for pre-season testing and in this Pits to Podium / Inside Line F1 Podcast exclusive, Soumil and Kunal tell you exactly why it's gonna be fun! Of course, you know the obvious - ten teams, three days and one circuit (Bahrain and not Barcelona, mind you!). But there's more - it's the new team-driver pairings, the debutants and the new liveried cars modified to fit the 2021 regulations. And then there's Mclaren-Mercedes. Finally, what about the performance parameters? Here's what we suggest - through pre-season testing, track lap times between the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix and the F1 2021 pre-season test. We might get a few hints there (mainly, the lap time lost due to change in aero regulations). By the time we conclude the first Grand Prix of F1 2021 (also in Bahrain), we will have a lot of comparative data to make fairly accurate assumptions about the difference in car performances for all teams between this year and the last. Also, which team do you thi

In continuation of our series 'If F1 Teams Were A Stock', the next team in focus is Haas. For those tuning in to this series for the first time: In this series, we discuss if one should 'buy, sell or hold' the stock of a Formula 1 team for the upcoming season. Before dishing out 'investment advice', we take into account factors that strengthen the team's championship challenge in 2021 and the factors that are weak links. But of course, there are no real shares to trade - and in the case of Haas, should one buy when maybe Gene himself wants to sell?. Join us on this fun journey as we discuss each of the 10 teams through this unique theme of 'If F1 Teams Were A Stock'. This is a Pits to Podium exclusive on the Inside Line F1 Podcast with Soumil and Kunal being your hosts for the entire series. Expect a new episode of this series to be released every alternate day (minus weekends!) starting 1st March, 2021. P.S.: This series will take a break during pre-season testing as we will have a special episode that

In continuation of our series 'If F1 Teams Were A Stock', the next team in focus is Mclaren. For those tuning in to this series for the first time: In this series, we discuss if one should 'buy, sell or hold' the stock of a Formula 1 team for the upcoming season. Before dishing out 'investment advice', we take into account factors that strengthen the team's championship challenge in 2021 and the factors that are weak links. But of course, there are no real shares to trade - MSP Sports Capital bought a fair amount last year. But join us on this fun journey as we discuss each of the 10 teams through this unique theme of 'If F1 Teams Were A Stock'. This is a Pits to Podium exclusive on the Inside Line F1 Podcast with Soumil and Kunal being your hosts for the entire series. Expect a new episode of this series to be released every alternate day (minus weekends!) starting 1st March, 2021. If you missed the earlier teams we spoke about, here is the link: Mercedes: Buy, Sell or Hold?Williams Racing: Buy, Sell o

In continuation of our series 'If F1 Teams Were A Stock', the next team in focus is Williams Racing. For those tuning in to this series for the first time: In this series, we discuss if one should 'buy, sell or hold' the stock of a Formula 1 team for the upcoming season. Before dishing out 'investment advice', we take in account factors that strengthen the team's championship challenge in 2021 and the factors that are weak links. But of course, there are no real shares to trade - Dorilton Capital bought all they had to last year. But join us on this fun journey as we discuss each of the 10 teams through this unique theme of 'If F1 Teams Were A Stock'. This is a Pits to Podium exclusive on the Inside Line F1 Podcast with Soumil and Kunal being your hosts for the entire series. Expect a new episode of this series to be released every alternate day (minus weekends!) starting 1st March, 2021. If you missed the earlier teams we spoke about, here is the link: Mercedes: Buy, Sell or Hold? Tune in! (Season 20

'If F1 Teams Were A Stock' - is our new series as we wait for the 2021 Formula 1 season to kick-off on-track. In this series, we discuss if one should 'buy, sell or hold' the stock of a Formula 1 team for the upcoming season. The first team in this 10-part series is Mercedes, the reigning Formula 1 World Champions. We assess their strengths & weaknesses for the 2021 Formula 1 season and discuss other parameters before dishing out some 'investment advice'. But of course, there are no real shares to trade (unless Toto Wolff decides otherwise), but join us on this fun journey as we discuss each of the 10 teams through this unique theme of 'If F1 Teams Were A Stock'. This is a Pits to Podium exclusive on the Inside Line F1 Podcast with Soumil and Kunal being your hosts for the entire series. Expect a new episode of this series to be released every alternate day (minus weekends!) starting 1st March, 2021. Tune in! (Season 2021, Episode, 6) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah Mu

Netflix has made 'looking back' at the previous Formula 1 season very cool with it's F1-only show, Drive to Survive. 19th March is when Season 3 releases - a highly anticipated opening. Understandably, the current chatter is about the storylines Season 3 of Drive to Survive will showcase. In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil and Kunal are joined by FIA-accredited journalist Niharika Ghorpade. The trio discuss storylines they would love to see in Netflix's F1 documentary...but may not get to. Typically, Netflix will focus on driver-team rivalries, hero/zero moments and other politically correct events. But could the show focus on Ferrari's 'settlement' with the FIA around their power unit saga or how Mercedes rose to Ferrari's power unit challenge. Will the ever-honest and Netflix-star Guenther Steiner reveal the real reason behind signing Nikita Mazepin? We would also love to see how Red Bull Racing used their political clout to get Formula 1 to sign off an engine freeze from 2022. And of

Is Mclaren gearing up to become a superbrand in the world of Motorsport in this decade (2021-30)? Currently, Mclaren races in Formula 1 and the IndyCar. From next year, Mclaren has expressed interest to race in Formula E. There is talk that the hyper car / LMDh rules will interest Mclaren to field a factory team in the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) hosted WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In all, Mclaren aims to race in the top-tier series across various Motorsport categories (single seater & sports cars). Could they become the first superbrand in the world of Motorsport? In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila and Kunal discuss Mclaren's horizontal expansion in Motorsport, the possibilities of technology, driver and sponsor exposure across series and how the budget cap is a blessing on all counts. And of course, could a junior driver program be in the offing, too? Tune in! (Season 2021, Episode 04) Follow our hosts on T

We won't have 10 more seasons of the Netflix-F1 show: Drive to Survive. Daniel Ricciardo will retire from Formula 1 without a World Championship. In fact, four World Champions will retire from Formula 1 in this decade (c'mon, you can guess who!). Ferrari won't win a Formula 1 World Championship but they will win our hearts when Mick Schumacher races their scarlet red cars. Mclaren won't win a World Championship either and Lando Norris will become a Mclaren veteran in this decade. Will the Strolls remain in Formula 1 and with them Aston Martin, too? Will Ace Ecclestone (Bernie's son) be groomed into a racing car driver? Will Red Bull Racing find a replacement for Max Verstappen? Will Mercedes' future be a George Russell-Max Verstappen pairing? Renault-Alpine, Sauber-Alfa Romeo and Alpha Tauri will keep changing names in this decade. And finally, Formula 1 will get rid of the DRS in this decade. Tune in as we look into our crystal ball and predict the future (2021-2030) in our world of Formula 1. (Season 20

For the 2021 Formula 1 season, describe your expectations for every team in one word. That's the challenge we took upon ourselves for our first live stream of the season. FIA-accredited Formula 1 journalist Abhishek Takle joined Soumil and Kunal for this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. 'Champions', 'dominant', 'challenge' and even 'Netflix' were some of the words the trio used while looking forward to the upcoming season. Have a word or two of your own that you wish to share with us? Channelise your inner Shashi Tharoor and write to us via our Facebook page. Tune in! (Season 2021, Episode 02) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora, Abhishek Takle and Kunal Shah Music courtesy: Lucien Byfieldt Image courtesy: Mercedes

New Year. New season. New partnerships. New logo & imagery. But the same commitment as before. To deliver alternative, fun and insightful conversations around the sport we love the most - Formula 1. 2021 marks the 10th season of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Thank you for your listens, reviews and patronage. Subscribe to join the action.

In our first episode of the 2021 Formula 1 season, Mithila and Kunal look back at Formula 1's last decade and discuss the most-unpopular additions to the sport. This includes the hasty introduction & dropping of the elimination-based qualifying system from 2016, the double points on offer for the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Formula 1's continued struggles to find the correct racing tyre and more. Our hosts go as far as labeling the DRS (Drag Reduction System) and the hybrid-turbo power units - both introduced in the last decade, as most-unpopular introductions to Formula 1. Tune in!  (Season 2021, Episode 01) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Mithila Mehta and Kunal Shah Music courtesy: Lucien Byfieldt Image courtesy: Ferrari

There's awards and then there's the Inside Line F1 Parody Awards. We've been hosting our awards for eight years and the reason why it's become ever-so-popular is because 'the winner is never who you think it is'. For this year's Inside Line F1 Parody Awards, Mithila and Kunal discuss the following categories: 1. Drama of the year 2. Joke of the year 3. Radio message of the year 4. Strategy of the year 5. Innovation of the year 6. Driver of the year 7. Victory of the year 8. Oops moment of the year 9. Mystery of the year 10. Influencer of the year Grab a drink, sit back and tune in to the Inside Line F1 Podcast (https://link.chtbl.com/ilf1p) ! (Season 2020, Episode 68) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Mithila Mehta (https://www.twitter.com/mith_m) and Kunal Shah (http://www.twitter.com/kunalashah) Music courtesy: Lucien Byfieldt (https://lucienbyfieldt.bandcamp.com/) Image courtesy: Mercedes

Our 67th episode of the year is our season review episode for 2020. We have two guests joining us - Sundaram and Nithyanand. You would remember them as the gentlemen who dig cool stats ever so often. This Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment is hosted by the ever-talented Soumil and has Kunal in attendance. For those missing Mithila, she will be back to host our final episode of the year - the Inside Line F1 Parody Awards (out 28th December).  In this episode, we discuss the driver of the year, race, team, disappointment, strategy and so on. It's a fun discussion, tune in!  'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year'! (Season 2020, Episode 67) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Sundaram Ramaswami (https://twitter.com/mpformula1) , Nithyanand Ram (https://twitter.com/The_F1fanatic) , Soumil Arora (https://twitter.com/iamsoumilaroraa) and Kunal Shah (http://www.twitter.com/kunalashah) Music courtesy: Lucien Byfieldt (https://lucienbyfieldt.bandcamp.com/) Image courtesy: Mercedes

After being let-go unexpectedly, Sergio Perez raced the season of his life to convince Red Bull Racing to hire him for 2021. Just getting a top team drive is a victory for Sergio 'Checo' Perez. But in this Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal discuss why Red Bull Racing needed Sergio Perez as their second driver for the 2021 Formula 1 season. The reasons are more than one! Also in this episode - we discuss the cyclical nature of junior driver programs, how soon before a Red Bull Junior Driver replaces Perez at the team. And of course, who could get the nod first - Pierre Gasly or Alexander Albon? (Season 2020, Episode 66) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora (https://twitter.com/iamsoumilaroraa) and Kunal Shah (http://www.twitter.com/kunalashah) Music courtesy: Lucien Byfieldt (https://lucienbyfieldt.bandcamp.com/) Stats courtesy: Sundaram Ramaswami (https://twitter.com/mpformula1) & Nithyanand Ram (https://twitter.com/The_F1fanatic) Image courtesy: Red Bull Raci

Usually, a Safety Car brings a Formula 1 race to life. It triggers a flurry of pit-stops and forces teams-drivers to adapt, evolve & deploy out-of-box tyre strategies. The 2020 Formula 1 season has seen the Safety Car appear in 12 out of 17 races. However, did the Safety Car cost us Formula 1 an exciting race in Abu Dhabi? Soumil and Kunal discuss further in our Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment. Mercedes couldn't use strategy to try and jump Max Verstappen for the lead of the race. It also eliminated the possibility of a two-stopping race & it made strategy almost null and void for the hard and medium starters. If you're a Ferrari fan, you must be wondering why they didn't pit either driver during the VSC/SC period.  And of course, yet another mechanical issue robbed us of a 'pits to podium' charge by Sergio Perez! Also in this episode: Mclaren finishing 3rd in the Constructors' Championship while Sergio Perez maintaining 4th in the Drivers' Championship. Carlos Sainz Jr.'s slow

17 races in 6 months - that's a stat Formula 1 will remember for the time to come. As for the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there are two stats to remember - 6 pole positions and 6 wins for Mercedes. They have led 88% of all laps here! Basically, they have conquered the Yas Marina Circuit in the hybrid-turbo era. Mercedes have been so competitive and dominant in the 2020 Formula 1 season that they even won a race with the W10 (last year's car) last weekend in Sakhir. Also in this Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal discuss the battle for P3 in the Constructors' Championship - who's your money on? What's peculiar about the Yas Mercedes Circuit? Why the FP1 session of the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will go down in memory. After all, the 'Schumacher' name returned to Formula 1. This race is also the 'last' for many drivers and brands in Formula 1 - look forward to their farewell. And of course, it's far from our last episode of the year. Tune in! (Season 2020, Episode 64) Follow

After 10 years and 190 race starts, Sergio Perez is finally a Formula 1 Grand Prix winner. In our Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal discuss how the Mexican went from P5 to P18 to P1 in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Like Perez, Lance Stroll drove a strong race - but could Racing Point have scored a 1-2 finish? Also in this episode: George Russell's stellar Mercedes debut, Valtteri Bottas' struggles, Mercedes' pit-stop embarrassments, maiden career podium for Renault's Esteban Ocon and all other talking points from one of Formula 1's most-memorable races of recent times. Should Formula 1 permanently host the Bahrain Grand Prix on the 'outer' layout? And has Alexander Albon blown all his chances to a Red Bull Racing seat in 2021? Write to us via our Facebook page (http://bit.ly/insidelineonfacebook) . For now, tune in and re-live the crazy 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix! (Season 2020, Episode 63) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora (https://twitter.com/iamsoumilaroraa) and Kun

First things first, get well soon wishes to Lewis Hamilton. We always wanted to see George Russell in a Mercedes Formula 1 car but not in the manner in which it has happened for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. In this Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal discuss what to actually expect in a RUS vs. BOT battle this weekend. Could George Russell actually score a win on his Mercedes debut? Let's remember, Max Verstappen did so when he received a mid-season promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing. Either way, could RUS go from being points-less in his career till date to scoring a podium? Will the simpler track layout help RUS settle down faster in the Mercedes setup? How will the super-fast low-drag nature of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix impact the podium predictions and the fight for P3 in the Constructors' Championship? Renault and Racing Point have fared well in the low-drag configuration as have Alpha Tauri - let's see if Ferrari and Mclaren are in the mix, too. And of cour

Was Romain Grosjean's survival from his crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix a miracle? In our Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal attribute Grosjean's survival to the FIA's relentless pursuit of safety over many seasons. Yes, Grosjean was lucky and his guardian angel was on duty on Sunday, but citing luck as the sole reason for his survival (or labeling it a miracle!) would do disservice to the progress FIA has made over the seasons. We discuss the crash, the recovery and how various elements came together to save Grosjean's life and of course, give us a Formula 1 Grand Prix despite the delay.  Also in this episode, we talk about yet another dominant victory for Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas' incorrect setup, Sergio Perez's missed podium, Mclaren jumping Racing Point in the Constructors' Championship and Pierre Gasly's one-stopper to P6. Tune in!  (Season 2020, Episode 61) Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora (https://twitter.com/iamsoumilaroraa) and Kunal Shah (h

In the hybrid-turbo era, Mercedes have scored 12 podiums in 6 races - that's a 100% podium record at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Bahrain International Circuit has seen Mercedes dominate like no other. Strangely though, neither of the Mercedes drivers have scored a pole position here in the last two years. But we expect that to change this weekend, don't we? Also in this Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, can Lewis Hamilton win 13 races in the 2020 Formula 1 season? He seems to be in a class of his own. Can Valtteri Bottas finally convert a pole position into a win? He's failed to do so the last 3 times he had pole. Red Bull Racing haven't finished in the top-3 in Bahrain for 7 years. Can Max Verstappen change that? Or will Racing Point-Sergio Perez be able to challenge for the podium? Join Soumil and Kunal as they look forward to the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. The 2020 Formula 1 World Championships may have settled but the fight for P3 in the Constructors' and P4 in the Drivers' Championshi