McLaren's 'gift' for Max sets up final showdown – 2025 Qatar GP Review with Jolyon Palmer + Paul Aron

1 Dec 2025 · 49 min · 23 chapters

Ask about this episode

Ask anything about it. ChatGPT or Claude reads this page and answers with the times it was said.

Connect VO and ask about every podcast you hear, including the moments you saved. Add to ChatGPT · Add to Claude

In short

2025 Qatar GP review focused on the title-race swing after McLaren’s strategy error gifted Max Verstappen the win, plus driver/constructor implications heading to Abu Dhabi.

Guests (backgrounds)

Jolyon Palmer, F1 TV commentator and former Renault driver; Paul Aron, Alpine reserve driver.

Key claims

  • McLaren’s decision-making was “massively wrong”: they didn’t pit when the rest of the field did, and with mandated 25-lap stints they effectively had to do a two-stop.
  • James Vowles’ simulation suggested ~16 seconds difference between pitting and not pitting; other teams acted on it, Red Bull did.
  • Lando Norris carried the mental pressure; Max’s “aura” and consistency make him hard to beat under pressure.
  • Oscar Piastri’s weekend was near-perfect but the strategy cost him; soft-tyre changes wouldn’t have recovered the ~26-second gap.

Notable examples

  • Comparison to Hamilton’s Budapest 2021 strategy gamble.
  • Lando’s turn-14 error (curb/gravel risk) and Oscar’s similar moment.
  • Red Bull sprint setup struggles; Max still adapted and won the race.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Analyzing Max Verstappen's Strengths

2:01 to 3:11

Discussion about Max Verstappen's dominance and mental edge in racing.

“That's the only explanation I could give it.”

McLaren's Strategy Error Explained

3:11 to 4:23

An in-depth look at McLaren's strategy mistakes during the Qatar GP.

“Welcome to the Le Salle international circuit for F1 Nation's review of a gripping Qatar Grand Prix, which provided another huge twist in this thrilling title race.”

Race Dynamics and Team Decisions

4:23 to 5:31

Discussion on team decisions and race dynamics impacting McLaren's performance.

“Because, you know, Max could close up behind the McLarens again.”

Comparing Historic Race Strategies

5:31 to 6:45

Comparison of McLaren's strategy to historic F1 races and their outcomes.

“That's the only explanation I could give it.”

Evaluating the Impact of Strategy Mistakes

6:45 to 8:21

Evaluating the consequences of McLaren's strategy mistakes on their results.

“it would have changed his race a lot so in this sort of strategy stakes you have to preempt what everyone else is going to do and Red Bull called it right from second place.”

The Emotional Toll on Drivers

8:21 to 9:35

Exploring the emotional impact of strategy mistakes on drivers like Oscar Piastri.

“more, Paul, last week in Las Vegas or this mistake that gave away a 1-2?”

Oscar Piastri's Weekend Performance

9:35 to 11:28

Discussion on Oscar Piastri's strong performance despite strategic errors.

“Why did they pit Lando in that situation?”

Final Thoughts on Strategy Decisions

11:28 to 14:01

Wrap-up of discussions on McLaren's strategic choices during the race.

“just had another weekend of finishing behind Lando being a little bit slower you accept responsibility for it because your pace isn't there but kind of these bad decisions don't hurt so much I think.”

Introduction to Safety Car Strategies

14:01 to 14:55

Discussing the impact of safety car strategies on race outcomes in F1.

“I think the big mistake was just not pitting at the safety car.”

Analyzing Lando's Performance

15:53 to 18:24

In-depth discussion about Lando Norris's performance during the race weekend.

“Search for Short History Of wherever you get your podcasts.”
Show all 23 chapters

Max Verstappen's Consistency

18:24 to 21:05

Exploring Max Verstappen's ability to maintain performance and avoid mistakes.

“Hang on, can I play devil's advocate to that?”

The Aura of Max Verstappen

21:05 to 23:24

Discussion on how Max Verstappen's reputation influences other drivers.

“it doesn't matter, you know, the circuit.”

Red Bull's Sprint Race Challenges

23:24 to 26:50

Analyzing Red Bull's struggles and adaptability in sprint races.

“And I actually really liked what George did in Singapore, where George was lining up first and Max was second.”

Mental Pressure Ahead of Abu Dhabi

26:50 to 28:00

Examining the mental challenges faced by drivers leading into the next race.

“And this we have also heard from everyone, that one of Max's biggest strengths is just how detailed and how good he is with his feedback.”

Max's Race Performance and Lando's Pressure

28:00 to 30:10

Analyze the mental pressures on Lando Norris and Max Verstappen's race strategy.

The Challenge of Playing it Safe

30:10 to 32:16

Discuss the risks of playing it safe in racing and the consequences of conservative strategies.

“that Lando will just try to bring it home.”

Carlos Sainz's Strong Performance

35:00 to 40:18

Explore Carlos Sainz's journey and performance with Williams in the current season.

“There's more to come from Qatar in a moment, but I wanted to let you know about the other official F1 podcast you can listen to this week.”

Ferrari's Recent Struggles

40:18 to 42:01

Examine Ferrari's performance issues and the impact of driver changes on the team's stability.

“And it's putting the right people in the right places as well.”

Ferrari's Inconsistency and McLaren's Dominance

42:01 to 45:03

Analysis of Ferrari's struggles in comparison to McLaren's success this season.

“But I think that's a very difficult question to answer because if we take a comparison, remember that dominant year that Red Bull had with this generation, you know, look where we are now.”

Lewis Hamilton's Frustrating Season

45:04 to 46:39

Discussion on Hamilton's challenges and the pressure he faces this season.

“And his feedback was, the car's worse from that?”

Physical Demands of Racing in Qatar

46:40 to 49:44

Exploration of the physical challenges faced by drivers during the Qatar GP.

“Give me a chance and I'm ready to drive.”

Adrian Newey's New Role and Team Dynamics

49:45 to 51:49

Discussion on Adrian Newey's appointment and its implications for Aston Martin.

“It's kind of the fashion at the moment, isn't it, for a lot of the teams.”

Driver of the Day: Insights and Choices

51:50 to 54:04

Debate over the standout performances from the race, highlighting different drivers.

“if you don't take the stewarding role that Carlos Sainz wants you to take...”
Hear the part that matters, and keep it.Open this episode in VO. Double tap your headphones to save a moment as you listen.
Get VO free

Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:01If there's one thing Formula One proves, it's that progress comes from people who are willing to push the limits. And history is full of them. The inventors, engineers, leaders and outsiders who change the game through bold ideas, nerve and moments of brilliance. That's what the podcast Short History Of is all about. Each vividly immersive episode delves into one remarkable subject from world history, from revolutionary people and world-changing inventions, to defining events that still shape our lives today. So if you love innovation, ambition and stories about what happens when people go all in, give Short History Of a listen.

0:47Search for Short History Of wherever you get your podcasts.

1:21The Oil Light I have$15 value, valid to participating locations, terms and conditions apply. Save big money on everything you need at Menards. Your roof is the first line of defense against the elements, and it enhances the appearance of your home's exterior. Owen's Corning Duration Shingles offer ultimate protection. Choose from 26 stylish colors and transform your home today. Shop our selection of roofing products on Menards.com. Plus, check out our weekly flyer for all the great deals happening now.

2:00Max Verstappen will not be moved He heads to Abu Dhabi With a fighting chance still To win it all Leaving from this weekend Max is the guy with all the candy He's very happy And Lando is the kid with no candy He's very sad

2:18Jolyon Palmer:McLaren just didn't guess what anyone else would do They wanted to keep it fair between the two drivers. That's the only explanation I could give it. It shouldn't be reactionary. They have to make their own decision, and they've just called it massively wrong. Specious. I don't know any words. You've done everything as close to perfect as possible, and you're expecting that back from the team as well, and you don't get it. A thing that is very hard to accept. The mental pressures are all on Lando. They've been etching his name in it, and then they scrub it out and say, oh, this could be anyone's now.

2:49Jolyon Palmer:When someone smells blood in Formula 1, your life gets much more difficult. It's Max, and he just has this aura. He doesn't make mistakes. He's living rent-free in everybody's heads. The other big question is, if Max is winning and Lando's fifth, if Oscar's ahead, would Oscar now actually help him beat Max in the championship?

3:11Welcome to the Le Salle international circuit for F1 Nation's review of a gripping Qatar Grand Prix, which provided another huge twist in this thrilling title race. I'm Tom Clarkson and joining me in the paddock is F1 TV commentator and former Renault driver Jolian Palmer and Alpine's reserve driver Paul Aron. I mean, guys, the McLaren engineering debrief is going on as we speak. I'm guessing it's a tense affair, given that they gifted Max Verstappen the win through a strategy error. What answers would you guys be wanting?

3:46Jolyon Palmer:Well, first of all, I'd want to know just how have you come to this decision? Whenever you're in the car, we hear it so many times, the drivers are wondering what's on thinking of their own strategies. But you have to listen to the team, I believe. They have the information. But when you're led down the garden path and there's a clanger like this, you want to know how did we get there? What are the procedures in place? And those glum faces on the McLaren guys, they're going to be just thinking, well, how have we managed to do it? JP, was it obvious to you immediately that they got this wrong? Yes.

4:19Jolyon Palmer:So, I mean, as soon as the rest of the field pitted, you knew it was done. Because, you know, Max could close up behind the McLarens again. It basically just took out a pit stop. So at that point, it's 26 seconds for a pit stop. They're never going to make that back in the rest of the race. So it was a double whammy, really, because they also couldn't go very long in the race because it was mandated 25 lap stints. So if you had flexibility with what to do on the strategy, they maybe could have done a really long stint on the mediums and kept going and built the gap to everyone else. Maybe try to do something different.

4:52But because it was mandated, it's basically it had to be a two stop.

4:55Jolyon Palmer:And everyone else in the field took one of their stops straight away and the McLarens didn't. I mean, Paul, they needed another safety car, didn't they? That was the only way that was going to work for them. No, I mean, in a way, I agree with him. And to be fair, from my perspective, the only way I could kind of justify it is I thought maybe they wanted to leave Oscar out because they were afraid of giving away track position to Max. But then if you take Lando's situation, to be fair, it was a no-brainer to pit him because he had no first place to lose. So he wasn't giving away any track position.

5:26And then I thought maybe they didn't pit Lando either because they wanted to keep it fair between the two drivers. That's the only explanation I could give it. that once they realized that they messed it up with Oscar, they kept landing on the same strategy, not to give one the edge over the other. But ultimately, I think everyone knew straight away that that was a mistake. And it doesn't matter how quick you are. I think nowadays with these cars, even how close they are, you can't expect to make back a pit stop gap with just pure race pace. So yeah, I think everyone knew that it was a bit of a mistake from them.

5:59Jolyon Palmer:It reminded me a little bit, the strategy choice of Hamilton in Budapest in 2021, which was a race won by Alpine when Esteban Ocon won it. And Hamilton took the, he was the only driver to start on the grid. He started from pole, the championship was at stake, he was in rivalry with Max Verstappen in that big year. It was halfway through the year, so it wasn't with all the pressures at that moment. but it was comedy wasn't it because he went and lined up as the entire rest of the field went to the pits so Mercedes in that moment thought if if people follow them it won't be disastrous or even if half the field follow them it won't be disastrous and if half the field had followed McLaren it wouldn't have been as disastrous and Max actually would have been stuck in traffic and it would have changed his race a lot so in this sort of strategy stakes you have to preempt what everyone else is going to do and Red Bull called it right from second place.

6:55Jolyon Palmer:McLaren just didn't guess what anyone else would do. James Vowles spoke to us on F1 TV after the race and said the simulation said there was 16 seconds difference at the end of the race between pitting and not. That's not a particularly small number so everyone else decided okay we'll have that free pit stop and McLaren just didn't see it coming. JP you've worked inside a team I mean That 16 seconds you talk about that James Valls gave you, that info would have been available to McLaren. I know it seems like an obvious question, but they had those stats, didn't they? So they've got to use that to think, what would the Haas cars do?

7:29Jolyon Palmer:What would the Mercedes do? What would the Aston Martins do? And if everyone's getting the similar numbers, then you think, well, if they're all seeing this, then they're surely all going to pit. Now, you might think someone will do something different. Maybe Hamilton would stay out. He was on the soft tyre, so he was never going to do that. but you think some chances might back the field up that are pitted but no one no one did and it just goes to show that they just called it massively wrong in the end all the teams the strategists have before a race especially a race that's so set in stone like this with a fixed two stop fixed tire stint lengths you have to be prepared for safety cars happening on certain laps they should have had what happens if the safety car comes out lap five lap 10 somewhere in between and they should have just known they're going to be first and second, first and third, second and third, whatever.

8:14Jolyon Palmer:What are we going to do? It shouldn't be reactionary. They have to make their own decision and they were called out. What will have hurt more, Paul, last week in Las Vegas or this mistake that gave away a 1-2? I think it depends. Obviously they know how much they can blame themselves. I know from this team and I've also heard from other people that it is pretty difficult this year with the skids and and ride heights and especially on a track like Vegas where you can't really measure how much weight you're going to have because the bumps are inconsistent and depending on which line you take you're going to hit the bump harder or softer and this can determine your plank weight a lot so in terms of Vegas I don't know there might have been you know miscalculations but at the same time I know that it's pretty difficult on tracks like that for teams to get it right because with these cars you need to run them really low and stiff and that's where you get the performance and that's why you're always playing around with the limit of the plank wear.

9:13So I think it depends more on which one they think is a bigger and more obvious mistake. I would imagine that in a way it's the mistake here. It was a bit easier to judge but at the same time of course the Vegas one cost them a lot more. I mean here they still scored points. Of course they lost to Max but they still scored points whereas Vegas they both ended up with a zero. So clearly points wise that was a bigger loss. but which one will hurt more? I'm sure only McLaren know but the only real explanation I can give to this race for the decision they took is that they were afraid that it's a race where it's hard to overtake and they were afraid to give track position to Max with Oscar.

9:52Why did they pit Lando in that situation? I really cannot explain. Papaya rules. That's what I mean. The only explanation for that would be that they keep it equal.

10:01Jolyon Palmer:I don't even think they were engaged enough to give Lando instruction for if Max pits you may be following because all of that happens so quickly doesn't it they're all set in stone and lando said on the radio afterwards he said oh should i should have just followed him in them but they weren't prepared for the chance of max pitting i don't think well maybe just because when after this decided with yeah two chances either that decision was taken with oscar and they agreed that that decision then carries on to lando as well or they were actually as you're saying fully caught out and that's why both cars they didn't even talk about it let's deal with the positives when it comes to Oscar Piastri right I mean I know he'll be incredibly frustrated now this Sunday night but this P2 does end six races without a podium he started the race from pole he won the sprint race yesterday there are a lot of positives for him to take from this weekend I think so I think it almost makes it more painful for him that he's been driving so well because suddenly it felt like oh there's a way that I can still win the championship he's been struggling for the last seven races no podiums and then he turns up here he's topping every session has pole keeps the lead at the start does everything in his capability to to win and if he if he'd have won the race then he might have been the one that's sort of 12 points even 15 points away from lando but it would have been 12 were it to finish as they ended lap one and it gets more painful i think when you realize oh i was so close whereas if he just had another weekend of finishing behind Lando being a little bit slower you accept responsibility for it because your pace isn't there but kind of these bad decisions don't hurt so much I think.

11:39Why do you think this track suited Oscar Piastri so well? What was it? What brought Piastri back to life here? I don't know it's tricky to say I mean it's a very high speed track I've known Lando for a bit he used to race with my brother and he's always publicly said that high speed is his strongest point so to be fair it's a bit hard to say why this track suited Oscar of course they know more how the car is and and surely you know some tracks with the car with how the car behaves suit better one driver some tracks the other I think we've seen that this year that the pendulum has swung both ways so yeah it's a bit tricky to say but going back to that point of it being a positive weekend for Oscar I know firsthand the feeling of you're doing almost everything perfect.

12:23Of course, you can never be perfect, but you've done everything as close to perfect as possible and you're expecting that back from the team as well and you don't get it. A thing that is very hard to accept. So I think in that sense, Oskar still did a good job to keep his head and not make any further mistakes because if you have done such a good weekend, no mistakes, a near perfect job and you get the win taken out of your hands, there was still a long race to go and there were still many occasions where he could have made a mistake. I mean, Lando had a mistake where he almost dropped it. I think it was in turn 14.

12:55It was at the end of the very quick triple hander. Oscar also had a moment there. But yeah, in these situations, I mean, the earlier you accept that that's the new reality, the better it is. So yeah, in that sense, I think Oscar did well. Another strategic point. Had Oscar fitted soft tyres for that final stint instead of the hards? Do you think it would have made any difference in terms of the inroads?

13:16Jolyon Palmer:The damage was done, I think. It didn't really matter what happened for Oscar's race afterwards. The fact that he lost basically 26 seconds to Max with 50 laps to try and make up for it, I don't think the soft tyre decision would have helped. I think either way, he was a bit stuck in second. I was a little bit more surprised that they didn't try and run softs at the end for Lando just to try and create more of an offset to go and chase Antonelli and Sainz. We see time and time again that McLaren are so conservative on the race strategy. They're very conservative and Lando didn't have, We had just over 10 laps to run.

13:51Jolyon Palmer:Low fuel. Soft tyre is a much grippier tyre than the hard. So I think I might have gone a bit punchier at the end of the race, but it probably wouldn't have changed the world for them either. I think the big mistake was just not pitting at the safety car.

14:10If there's one thing Formula One proves, it's that progress comes from people who are willing to push the limits. And history is full of them. The inventors, engineers, leaders and outsiders who change the game through bold ideas, nerve and moments of brilliance. That's what the podcast Short History Of is all about. Each vividly immersive episode delves into one remarkable subject from world history, from revolutionary people and world changing inventions to defining events that still shape our lives today. So if you love innovation, ambition and stories about what happens when people go all in, give Short History Of a listen.

14:55Search for Short History Of wherever you get your podcasts.

15:08If there's one thing Formula One proves, it's that progress comes from people who are willing to push the limits. And history is full of them. The inventors, engineers, leaders and outsiders who change the game through bold ideas, nerve and moments of brilliance. That's what the podcast Short History Of is all about. Each vividly immersive episode delves into one remarkable subject from world history, from revolutionary people and world changing inventions to defining events that still shape our lives today. So if you love innovation, ambition and stories about what happens when people go all in, give Short History Of a listen.

15:53Search for Short History Of wherever you get your podcasts.

16:10What did you guys make of Lando's performance this weekend? He comes in 24 points ahead of everybody. A win would have sealed the deal, would have won the world championship for him. Yet it was the indecisive Lando that has been there at earlier stages of the season. I think of his second run in Q3, that mistake that he made. We've seen him make mistakes here in Qatar before. Yet the last three races, he's been absolutely perfect. So do you think he was feeling the pressure? I think so.

16:44Jolyon Palmer:the McLaren car was so quick but Oscar turned up and it was just not the cleanest we can at any moment he's sprint qualifying he made a little mistake and then had a poor run plan at the end of it he thought he could have had sprint pole didn't he thought he had the pace for actual pole but made a mistake on that final lap the provisional pole he'd already done enough at the start of Q3 but the track evolution means that you've always got to be there on the last lap and he missed it the start was tricky on the dirty side of the grid everyone on the even numbers lost out at the front of the field so you always knew he's going to be under pressure from max at that point but then in the race the error at turn 14 was a pretty big one i mean that could have been catastrophic for him but he kept it out of the barriers it felt like he lost confidence after that and dropped away he could have also had damage we don't know about that he could have done as well because our drivers when they've had those sort of scurge strikes most of the time they come away with damage.

17:39Jolyon Palmer:Pierre did a similar thing, didn't he, on the opening lap? Well, Pierre went through the gravel as well, and he actually had a pretty big error loss because of that due to damage, around 10 points, actually. So, yeah, those curb strikes can be very costly. So we don't know how much Lando lost with that. You also, I think you second-guessed yourself a little bit when you think there might be damage. You've had a big moment, you've run it through the gravel, and the corners, they need so much commitment, they're so fast, that if you're not sure that the car is perfect afterwards, it's difficult to lean on it 100 % especially when if something goes wrong you go off again it can be worse so the pace seemed okay for him at the end of the race but it wasn't a disastrous weekend for Lando it just wasn't perfect and Oscar was very good and Max in the end applied the pressure Hang on, can I play devil's advocate to that?

18:26He starts second, he finishes fourth in what is clearly the fastest car you say it's not a bad weekend

18:33Jolyon Palmer:in terms of his driving performance I don't think it's disastrous he only finished fourth because the strategy was was hopeless if you look at the performance between them there was very little in qualifying we discussed small errors that that went towards Oscar but we're still talking like one tenth of performance against a guy that we're saying is on fire this weekend so that's not bad and in the race it was three seconds for a lot of the race three and a half went to four seconds then he went off and it went out a little bit more. It's not a good weekend, but it's just not terrible. It's just we're at crunch time, aren't we?

19:11And Max is looming. It's been a bit of a trend of Lando that on his day, or on his weekend, he can be perfect, he can be super quick. But to be fair, he's not been in F1 that long and he's not been in title fights that long. Remember when Max came into the sport, he was always super rapid, but he also made a lot of mistakes. And I think it's part of the learning. and you know Max has had the time to develop you know hone his skill he's never lost his speed but what he's gained is consistency because when he arrived to F1 he was super quick but a lot of mistakes maybe that's you know how Landa will develop and in the coming years you know that will be a part of him as well but I think this year and also last year we saw very often that on his weekend he's on it the whole weekend and he can be perfect and when it's not his weekend mistakes start to creep in and and you know in those sort of weekends where you don't feel 100 % it's almost better to sort of manage how much you're pushing.

20:04And in that sense, I think finally how qualifying ended up him being second. I think if he didn't feel good in the car, that was good damage limitation for him. And ultimately in the race, without the strategy, if he ended up in that top three, you know, I agree, if he won the race, he would have sealed the championship. But still finishing the top three, he's keeping himself in a pretty good position. So I don't know what's going on in his head. But, you know, sometimes people don't feel 100%. You know, he's done a very good job the past few weekends. and it's only natural that there will be a weekend where he's not going to feel 100 % and those are the weekends that make the difference.

20:37Now when we come to Max, that's the most impressive thing about Max because he never seems to have these bad weekends. They happen very rarely. There's been cases, that Barcelona case that he also admitted where he went a bit over the top and when he was younger there was a lot more of these mistakes. But over the years, Max has gotten quicker and quicker but mainly the big improvement has been just his consistency and it seems like every day is his day. Every weekend is his weekend. It doesn't matter the car, it doesn't matter, you know, the circuit. He's always there and that's really by far the most impressive thing about Max is how he has built this confidence and this understanding of how to always get the best out of himself.

21:18Jolyon Palmer:I feel like Max has this aura now as well. So when they were lining up on the grid today, Lando second, Max third. I was thinking to myself, firstly, Max, you know he's going to attack because he has to beat Lando to stay in the title race. everyone knows this Lando will know this and the same way that he covered off Max so aggressively in Vegas and then distracted himself to out to outbreak himself and go off I thought how long is it going to be from the lights going out for him to go and check that left mirror and see where Max is because it's Max and he just has this aura he doesn't make mistakes he's so fast the team are amazingly good as well they barely miss a beat on strategy the pit stops they're relentless and that gets in your head as well when you're a driver I don't know if you had drivers when you're coming through and if you see them in your mirrors you think oh this is going to be hard or if they're starting just behind you but not because they had that sort of aura because they had the aura that they make stupid mistakes and they crash into that's why that's why i was afraid of a few drivers but you know also you you need to look at it from a realistic perspective as well why max has this aura is because of the journey he's had because when he arrived the formula one he was super quick and he was a nightmare to others because he took every chance he had he would always send it down inside he would always try to make a aggressive risky move he never backed out and you know in the beginning years that cost him a lot he was crashing a lot he was making a lot of mistakes but ultimately at some point the drivers start to respect you and when you're given given that time that room to make these mistakes you know you build upon them you build this aura and at some point everyone's going to respect you i would say some drivers they don't have the time and the trust from the people around them to do these things.

22:58I think if you're under some managements and some teams, if you make that many mistakes that maybe Max was doing in the beginning and risking so much, you might end up actually out of a seat. But Max had the freedom because he had the trust of the people around him and he had the speed, he had the freedom to make these mistakes, build this all around him. Now he's built this consistency and that's just become his package. Everyone around him knows that he's going to send it down inside, he's going to try every risky move. And I actually really liked what George did in Singapore, where George was lining up first and Max was second.

23:30And then in the post-Qual interview, he said, well, this guy's probably going to send it down inside anyway. He's pretty good at that. So, you know, hopefully we don't crash. He said something like that. He's living rent-free in everybody's heads. Yes, but in a way, I feel like George in that interview took the ball back from Max, let's say, because he put it kind of in Max's head that, you know, Max always sends it down inside, and maybe it made him double think that this time he should be a bit more careful. I don't know, but I like that comment from George because it sort of seemed like he played Max's game there.

23:58Totally agree on Max and the consistency and the speed. But JP, tell me something about Red Bull and sprint races. All right. That one practice session on a Friday morning doesn't feel like it's enough for them at the minute because set up for the sprint, they were all over the place as they were at the last sprint in Brazil.

Read the full transcript

24:20Jolyon Palmer:I thought they'd turned a corner. I thought this was the big thing that Laurent Mechies tried to sort out when he came in, was them turning up with a car that could hit the ground and be a bit better. They've struggled in the past. It was exactly the same story last year. Max was eighth in the sprint. The car was nowhere. It's bouncing. It's not good. And he took pole and won the Grand Prix. But that just felt like it was the norm. This year, there was a period where he won the sprint in Belgium. so he showed that they can get it done quite quickly but the last few they've just arrived with the car not in a good window and he's very sensitive to to the bouncing that he has inconsistencies that didn't really seem to affect yuki he had a really good sprint but it just wasn't well suited for max and then they managed to sort the car out he's still driving with a lot of understair you can see when he's in qualifying it's not how max wants to drive the car i think He's still not particularly happy with it, but he's driving around it well, did a great job to out-qualify George anyway, but it was only 100th between them.

25:22Jolyon Palmer:The whole outcome could have been different then, but managed to get third. And as I said, the race didn't need to be amazing for him. The strategy landed on his lap. Is that another thing about Max, is his adaptability? He said after the race today that, you know, he still had that understeer from qualifying in the race, yet he wouldn't have known from his lap times. I mean it's sort of the same story here to be honest in Alpine if you look at our weekend it was pretty similar the sprint qualifying was horrible and then we went to real the actual qualifying on Saturday and Pierre was in Q3 and there was a possibility to do a very good result also in Q3 it was just they didn't have any new tires left because they never expected to be there because the day before in sprint qualifying they were lost so it was a bit the same story that I think there's just some cars that have a much bigger window than others but maybe the ultimate performance is not as good so it seems like the McLarens you drop them on the ground and they are super quick straight away but it seems like they're not making much improvement throughout the weekend so maybe they have a more sort of the performance curve is a bit more linear whereas the Red Bull car and I would also say the Alpine car seem a bit more like a pyramid if you get it right and you're at the peak of it it's super quick but it drops off either side very quickly and if you don't get it right, which is normally what happens when you throw a car on the ground and you have that sort of very peaky car performance, it is difficult in the beginning.

26:43And probably that's why the sprint weekends are hard for Red Bull. And the more time they get, the more they're able to hone that balance. And this we have also heard from everyone, that one of Max's biggest strengths is just how detailed and how good he is with his feedback. And of course, that helps the team massively as well to set up the car. and it's difficult to say how much of it is actually Max's work with the team and how much of it is just the car being difficult to put in a good window. Let's discuss the next week of these three drivers lives, all right? So Lando Norris leads the World Championship with 408.

27:2012 points back is Max Verstappen, 16 points back is Oscar Piastri. What does this week look like for these guys in terms of Will they struggle to sleep? How difficult is it to zone away from Formula One? How important is it to forget about Formula One? Just, JP, both of you, I'd love your thoughts on how they will each deal with the build-up to Abu Dhabi.

27:44Jolyon Palmer:I think it's the hardest on Lando by far. When the chequer flag was flown in Vegas, he had a 42-point advantage on Max, 30 on Oscar. And suddenly it changed. and it's changed again here to be 12 points so after vegas i mean he must have written max out of the out of the title fight really max won the race but it was just too too little too late and when you think you've had one hand on the on the trophy you think all i have to do is basically finish the race turn up and finish and it's mine and suddenly it's changed and you now need to actually go and perform it becomes so much harder when it's when it's they've been etching his name in it and then they scrub it out and say oh this could be anyone's now that plays on your mind a lot i think so he's gonna have to regroup the the mental pressures are all on lando oscar's got absolutely nothing to lose he's gonna go and try and thrive on this form again i think he'll sleep okay he'll be a bit annoyed now but he can turn up and just start swinging and that's all max ever does is turn up and start swinging so it's it's lando that's got a reset and he doesn't need to do anything special in Abu Dhabi but sometimes doing ordinary things under big pressure is is tricky I agree with Julian I mean of course leaving from this weekend Max is the guy with all the candy he's very happy I think Oscar is in the middle ground you know he's happy he's got his form back and Lando is the kid with no candy he's very sad and ultimately I think the best thing for Lando is to almost like have a kind of memory reset and not remember where he is and he would just look at the points and understand he's leading the championship and you know forget about the rest of the season basically but he's human you can't you can't do that and you can't do that but that's always i know from a racing driver's point of view that's sometimes what you need to do because the fact is he's leading the championship still and he's still got a very decent points lead and you know if if for example he was a few races ago he wasn't leading it and he took the lead of the championship this weekend and he had that points lead he would be super happy but he's taking the context into account and he's had two weekends that haven't played out that we wanted and he's obviously not feeling happy and that's the biggest challenge he has he needs to try and reset that as much as possible because the problem is when someone smells blood in Formula One your life gets much more difficult and you know in Abu Dhabi Max and Oscar know that Lando will just try to bring it home.

30:12And very often when you kind of take a step back and you start trying to bring things home, you start to take less risks, other people take more risks. And it's going to end up Max putting him in a position in the race where either Lando backs out or they crash. And Lando will back out. And Oscar will do the same. And this can be an effect that just goes on and on and on. And I've had this before. I remember in Formula 3 I had this where I just had to secure second place in the championship. I was starting second. And as long as I finished in front of all the other guys who I was fighting with for that second place, I would have stayed second.

30:48And I tried to play it safe in turn one. And one guy just dived down the inside and pushed me off. So I lost positions there. Tried to play it safe in turn two. Another guy sent it, lost positions there. And that's what happens. When you leave room, when you play it safe, other people take advantage of it. Yeah, but the moral of that story is to push.

31:06Jolyon Palmer:Yeah, so here's my analogy. I know you guys are big into your paddle. so it's like a match point it's like okay big into your big into your tennis big into your paddle net sports match point norris but when you're there you just hope that the other guy's going to hit it in the net make it easy for me so you just keep tapping it back and hope that they're going to end up putting it out putting it in in the net and you just win and it's going to take still perfection from piastri or verstappen to win it but they're not hitting it in the net they just keep getting it back in making lando play and then eventually he's making more little mistakes that keep the ball rolling on and when that happens it becomes it just becomes harder you think i could have won this before i could have won it now he's still the big favorite but they are making it hard for him honestly just to top it off the best thing langdor can do at the moment is not care about it if he left good luck with that the best he could do is leave the paddock tonight not think about formula one for three four days delete his social media have nothing to do with Formula One, hang out with his family.

32:09And he's raced the whole year. He knows the car. He'll do the preparation he needs. And that's it. You know, three, four days, not thinking about it, rock up and just do his job. That's the best thing he could do. But I've been in that position and I'm pretty sure he's going to be thinking about this every day. And the problem is, if you do think about it every day, by the time you get to the track, you're going to be tired already.

32:28Jolyon Palmer:I still think the ball's in his court. All he has to do is finish on the podium, regardless of anyone else. And it's there. The other big question is, if Max is winning and Lando's fifth, which is a bad result in normal circumstances, if Oscar's ahead, would Oscar now actually help him beat Max in the championship? That's another question. Ooh. I think he would. I think the team would ask him to, and I think he would. I think the same. I think whichever way it would go, if the drivers need to swap position for one of them to win it, the team would ask them to do it. So that helps him as well. There's that knowledge that if Oscar is winning, he has to be in the top five.

33:05Jolyon Palmer:If Max is winning, he has to be in the top four or maybe the top five if Oscar's going to be friendly. Unknown, but possible.

33:16If there's one thing Formula One proves, it's that progress comes from people who are willing to push the limits. And history is full of them. The inventors, engineers, leaders and outsiders who change the game through bold ideas, nerve, and moments of brilliance. That's what the podcast Short History Of is all about. Each vividly immersive episode delves into one remarkable subject from world history, from revolutionary people and world-changing inventions, to defining events that still shape our lives today. So if you love innovation, ambition, and stories about what happens when people go all in, give Short History Of a listen.

34:01Search for Short History Of wherever you get your podcasts.

34:14If there's one thing Formula One proves, it's that progress comes from people who are willing to push the limits. And history is full of them. The inventors, engineers, leaders and outsiders who change the game through bold ideas, nerve and moments of brilliance. That's what the podcast Short History Of is all about. Each vividly immersive episode delves into one remarkable subject from world history, from revolutionary people and world-changing inventions to defining events that still shape our lives today. So if you love innovation, ambition and stories about what happens when people go all in, give Short History Of a listen.

35:00Search for Short History Of wherever you get your podcasts.

35:17There's more to come from Qatar in a moment, but I wanted to let you know about the other official F1 podcast you can listen to this week. Esteban Ocon and his race engineer Laura Muller join me on F1 Beyond the Grid. That's out on Wednesday and you can watch our chat on the official F1 YouTube channel. And this week's F1 Explains is all about Ford's return to Formula One with Red Bull Racing in 2026. Just search for F1 Beyond the Grid and F1 Explains on your podcast app. podium in Qatar what the hell

35:51Jolyon Palmer:I think this is this is just happiness not emotional who would have thought

36:03now amid all the drama in the championship fight Carlos Sainz climbed from p7 to p3 to score his second podium for Williams in his first season with the team and I don't understand what what went on at Williams they came here expecting it to be the hardest weekend of the year and yet from FP1 Sainz in particular has been on it so they they don't like traditionally uh circuits with

36:33Jolyon Palmer:long corners is why Barcelona was really bad for them uh a few other circuits Hungary wasn't good hungry and that's exactly what you've got here is on paper a horror show of a circuit for them so they tried an experimental setup i don't know exactly what that is but that's what they've been been talking about all weekend and carlos has been flying alex alvin's been doing all right but carlos is thriving at the moment and i just love the way when when he ends up somewhere near the front it's like he's not in a williams anymore it's like it's just a blue car but it could be a Mercedes or it could be a you know Ferrari on a better weekend because he just feels like a front runner when he's suddenly up there it's not like he's getting his elbows out having to defend he's just putting in the laps and winding up on the podium and when you know Lando was a couple of places behind him I think initially I certainly I think a lot of other people thought well Lando's just going to get through Antonelli and Sainz pretty quickly and yet yeah Sainz didn't think that they did he absolutely didn't but and maybe that's that that is exactly your point isn't it Well, so he said at this pace he's not coming through because he knew he had saved a bit of tyres left and just thought, if we hammer it, then he's on a hard tyre as well.

37:43Jolyon Palmer:He's not going to have a big advantage on us. And I like that about Carlos. I think he's showing all his talent at the moment. I love that Williams took a punt on a, well, not really a punt, is it, but they forked out on a race-winning driver. So a midfield team have got a really great driver line-up and it rewards them in these sort of moments. He's a thinking driver that can work things out on the fly and just delivers the great results. Do you think this was a better podium for Sainz than Baku? It's a bit difficult to judge that. But I mean, of course, Baku, the quality result was a bit lucky for him in a way because of the conditions.

38:18But here I would say it was fully fair and hard fought, even though in Baku also the race was fairly fought by him. But I think James Wows has publicly said it as well, that Carlos is very, very good when he's in a happy place with the team he's in, with the environment he's in, and with the car he's in. And of course, when you go into a new team, a new car, a new environment, that takes time. And I think sometimes people don't understand or they don't appreciate enough how valuable it is to be in a team for a long time, have a say in the car development, know all the engineers and just know the environment like Johan.

38:59And, you know, for Carlos to come in, it was always going to be difficult in the beginning of the year with Albon being in that team for so long, knowing everyone, and obviously the team is listening to him. So it takes time before they really start to trust you, before you really get to have the car where you want to have it. And it seems like at the end of this season, Carlos is starting to be happy with that Williams, he's happy with the environment he's in, and clearly he's starting to show very, very good performances. Williams is an extraordinary story, isn't it? 65 % of their workforce is new or has been there less than three years.

39:34So that takes time to gel. How did you get that stat? It's a great stat, isn't it? But that takes time, doesn't it?

39:41Jolyon Palmer:Formula One teams, change takes time anyway, any sort of change, let alone a massive workforce turnover. So you have to say, James Vowles is doing a really good job, putting the staff in place, getting the right drivers, all building towards next year's regulations as well. They didn't think that they were going to be particularly competitive this season. I mean, Carlos, if you told him he'd have more podiums than Lewis this year, he never would believe you at the start of the season. But he signed for next year. That's the really encouraging thing for Williams. And the trajectory, as you say, the staff turnover that they've got.

40:16It's not as much turnover, it's just gross.

40:18Jolyon Palmer:Exactly, the growth. And it's putting the right people in the right places as well. It's super impressive. It's back to the signing of Carlos as well. He was a Ferrari driver last year. He was winning races for Ferrari. Obviously, he was dropped by them. But James Valls tried so hard to get him on board. Can we just segue from Carlos into talking about Ferrari? Because Ferrari have been a mystery these last two races, all right? this has been a difficult car all year but that car has been particularly bad these last two races how much are they missing the technical expertise of someone like carlos saints i don't think i don't i don't think i've put it on on carlos you know now that he's gone the ship is veering so to drop but he did say at the end of last year if this car wins the world championship in 2025 remember how strong they were at the end of last year he said he wants he would quietly take a bit of credit for that because he thought he was responsible for some of the technical direction that the team had gained he's trying to steer away from that comment now does he want the credit anymore yeah but that's why i mean one driver we're 12 months on from carlos leaving the team one driver i don't it's very difficult for them to steer so so many directions and the cars are so complex they've also got lewis coming in who's not exactly short of experience and a few ideas himself so i don't feel like they're missing car loss particularly i mean well what have they been missing these last two races because i went trackside and that car looked horrendous this weekend aero efficiency this this circuit is all about aero efficiency is it's relatively high downforce you've got one long straight loads of fast corners every time we pan to a ferrari particularly leclerc at any moment over low fuel he looks like he's about to spin he's been in the gravel every other session and the car's just loose it seems like it's missing downforce they could add downforce but then they'd lose the efficiency so they've not been able to find the window that's the surprising thing with taking lewis out of park ferme for the sprint making more changes i'm amazed that they've not been able to at some point find a sensible window for that car i mean from from the outside looking at the onwards and everything it just looks like the car is very inconsistent.

42:36But I think that's a very difficult question to answer because if we take a comparison, remember that dominant year that Red Bull had with this generation, you know, look where we are now. Now it's McLaren dominating. And in the end, it's the same generation of cars. And it's not a big, you know, change between the years of how much the teams are able to develop these cars. So I think it's just, you know, every year people are developing the car, trying to make it better. Every year people bring upgrades. And what we often see is that the upgrades don't make the cars quicker because ultimately these upgrades these developments they need to blend in and they need to kind of glue properly together with the car and and sometimes when that doesn't happen maybe ultimately you're making the car quicker because you're adding load to it but if you're also making more inconsistent it can result in a overall a slower package with the driver and the car so you know that could be the case also in ferrari that it's not a slow car maybe all the upgrades and everything they've kind of bolted onto that car are not finessing together and and because of that it's just a very difficult package to uh deliver with i mean i know uh the le sale track has you know as you say jp lots of long fast corners but let's not forget that charles was on the podium in this car at the spanish grand prix right and barcelona is is an aero track.

43:54Do you remember in qualifying? But they weren't that competitive there. But do you remember in qualifying at Silverstone? Yeah, they were good at Silverstone. So I just want to know how they've... I mean, Paul, the points you make are very valid, but why here? Why have they struggled so much?

44:11Jolyon Palmer:It's obviously a one-off on top of it not being their absolute strength. They've been better in recent races. They don't know, Tom. Why do you think I'm going to be able to tell you this right now? Well, Carlos Tice thinks you're one of the best IOS here so are we looking at a future steward by the way yeah that's for racing incidents not for how Ferrari should set up their car I mean it's the end of a very frustrating year for Ferrari they can no longer finish second in the constructors championship which you know was even at mid-season when we knew how competitive McLaren were that was still the goal that is no longer on the cards I mean Fred Vasseur said on Friday in the press conference he said we turned the tap off on this car talking about aero development in the wind tunnel back in april that better be good next year i mean that's the point isn't it if you do that i mean we better be good next year yeah because alfian did the same yes because we did it at the beginning of the year but the expectation for ferrari coming into this year paul was so much greater you know having having finished just 14 points behind mclaren at the end of last year just look at the season they've had I mean you can feel the pressure you can see the disconsolate Lewis Hamilton asked after what was it after the sprint I think you know looking ahead how you see the rest of the weekend the weather's going to be nice which is only obvious so that was sprint qualifying and what was he 18th oh nothing to look forward to that's all horrendous he's been on the nightmare the last couple of weekends was told to concentrate on the racing by John Elkin and then that sprint qualifying I'm looking forward to seeing what the weather's the weather's nice and then it does the sprint, take the car out of part firm, start from the end of the pit lane.

45:55Jolyon Palmer:And his feedback was, the car's worse from that? He's just in an absolute doom spiral, isn't he? Obviously the car was a pig this weekend. But to be fair, Charles said the same thing. Yeah, no, I believe him. I believe him. But you thought, can it get worse after the sprint qualifying was more my point. He was already completely depressed about the situation and then it did get worse. So they need a reset and Lewis needs a major, he needs a winter completely. It's difficult to see how he's going to turn up next week with a spring in his step. What kind of a winter have we got? There are 36 days between the Sunday of Abu Dhabi and when the cars hit the track in Barcelona for pre-season testing.

46:35That is as short a winter as I can remember. I don't need any winter at all. I can keep going right now. Give me a chance and I'm ready to drive. What about other stories from the weekend then? Quick word on the Mercedes. Antonelli and Russell finishing fifth and sixth.

46:52Jolyon Palmer:Fine. Antonelli obviously made the mistake right at the end, which cost him a couple of points. Russell had a mistake at the start. We never really saw it, I don't think, how he dropped down to seventh. But from there, he was doomed, stuck in traffic. And that was a shame because I thought he was pretty good this weekend until then. Good points for Mercedes overall, but not that whelming. They're looking good for P2 in the World Championship. which was their stated aim, and has been for a while, from Toto Wolff, the team principal. Look, quick word on Aston Martin. Alonso, P7 in both the sprint and the Grand Prix, showing how wily he is, how determined he still is.

47:32Jolyon Palmer:But you know what? He went off in the sprint at the final turn through the gravel, and he had a spin in the Grand Prix. So considering he did really well, didn't he? But it was rare to see him make two unforced errors in a race. but what does that tell you what a handful the aston is or how hard he was pushing also we're overlooking how brutal and physical this race was so i think the concentration that was required when you see small mistakes from people it's it's so tough i think it's the physically the hardest one and the mandated stint lengths of 25 laps does that make it harder for the drivers yeah i don't think there was much management and you could see it from everyone i mean anyone who was under the pressure was pushing uh Kimi was pushing and he made some mistakes Oscar and Lando made mistakes I didn't see Max making a mistake but that's Max anyway we saw Fernando making mistakes I saw both of our drivers making mistakes I think it's just a track where the car is so sensitive to wind the car is you know so aerodependent that any little change in wind or conditions can make a big change on the car and also any little change in terms of following another car can make a big difference on your aero performance plus the fact that you're pushing flat out you're not leaving much margin and the moment there is this little slight change which changes the aero performance you know it's very easy to make a mistake and most of the mistakes were made in high speed corners where that aero performance is the most important so yeah and to be fair Jolien had a fair point I think this is at least for your neck by far the most physical race there is I mean And last year when I raced in Formula 2, I didn't feel my neck in any track ever.

49:10And when I finished the weekend here, for the first time, I thought my neck's a bit tired. So it was the only track in F2 where I felt that my neck was a little bit tired. So for sure, for the Formula 1 guys who are carrying, you know, five times the speed that we used to carry in Formula 2, it must be very difficult on their neck. And it's warm and, yeah. It's an amazing track, isn't it? Or is it only one corner under 100 kph?

49:32Jolyon Palmer:Everything else is underneath fourth gear. third gear at turn six everything else is sort of medium to high speed and even that's not exactly low speed and the drivers love it i love it it's my favorite track yeah i hold left to a track record here i won here last year best track i've ever driven look before we leave this topic of aston martin jp i did just quickly want your thoughts on adrian newey becoming the team principal there were you surprised by that yeah very yeah uh i didn't i mean it's such a great technical brain but we're seeing more sort of engineers moving into team principal roles.

50:07Jolyon Palmer:It's kind of the fashion at the moment, isn't it, for a lot of the teams. I didn't think Adrian would do that. I don't know if we're going to see more from the management of Aston Martin, if there's going to be things changing, because I can't imagine him spending all his time, or spending too much of his time on media duties, on extracurricular, dealing with sponsors, dealing with commercial partners and all that. He is a racer through and through. It smacks of a chief exec coming in alongside him, doesn't it? Exactly, that's what I think. And that's been the form for McLaren, doing that with Stella and Zac Brown.

50:40Jolyon Palmer:It feels like that's going to be the move for Aston Martin. Christian Horner? Rumoured. If they brought him in with Honda engines, Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Max Verstappen had a contract at the end of next year, you start to think there could be a power play. Wasn't that rumour shut down by Mr. Straw himself in the factory? I don't know. He did say that in the factory. If you're wondering when he addressed the staff, we are not talking to Christian Horner. But that's not to say it won't happen in the future. This is Formula One. Anything can happen, right? And if not him, I think they're looking for someone like him to come in alongside Adrian.

51:23Jolyon Palmer:I just cannot believe that it's going to be Adrian as team principal and no one in the sort of like, he'll look after the technical side. I'm sure he's chuffed to have a lot of autonomy in terms of decision-making on the key technical personnel. It feels to me like the big thing for him is to have the key decision-making and not have to deal with a sort of team principle and inverted commas ahead of him. But there's got to be someone to come in at least alongside him to deal with the other parts. And JP, just to be clear, if you don't take the stewarding role that Carlos Sainz wants you to take...

51:53Are you going to link me to it?

51:54Jolyon Palmer:Yeah, come on. What a weekend for me. Could be a steward, could be a CEO of Aston Martin, is it? All right, guys, what a wonderful chat. Thank you both very much for your time. Let's end this with, I want a driver of the day from both of you. JP, who is it? Carlos Sainz. Why? Got a Williams to a podium. Consummate, dealt with a little bit of damage at the end as well. I don't think we mentioned. That's too good. I mean, I could name three guys for three different reasons. Name three, but give us a winner. First one I would name is Oscar because he didn't do anything wrong, did he? He did a good race.

52:30He was the quickest car on track. He's done a perfect weekend. Just bad strategy goal. And that's what won this race. I could give it to Max. I mean, in the end, he got gifted to win by the McLarens, but he still won the race. And overtook Lando into turn one, important. Did everything he needed to do. He's still the classic Max that, as Zac Brown said, is from a horror movie, the main character that never disappears, always comes back. And the third one would be a colour science because I think no one expected that. And the winner is? That would be my top three. I mean, honestly, I could name the winner by just who I like the most.

53:05Who do you like the most? Actually, now I dug myself a bigger hole here. You made it harder. I mean, from a driver's perspective, I would put Oscar. Okay, your mate Oscar.

53:16Jolyon Palmer:If I thought I was allowed nominations, I would have gone for the same. Would you have gone for the same three? They were the standouts. Yeah, they were all definitely the standouts. it for me the standout driver of the race and the weekend was oscar piastri where given where he's been at the last few races to see him come back and drive with such i mean just look at the way he overtook kimmy antonelli versus how hard it was for lando norris in the same car in this i thought that just summed up everything about oscar's weekend he's been perfect so oscar for me oscar for paul and carlos for jp carlos but oscar can ride the wave can't he into Abu Dhabi.

53:55Jolyon Palmer:Just to be clear, I mean, let's... I like the others too. Let's cross that comment about how we choose my favourite one. I mean, I don't have a favourite for one drive. Guys, thank you both very much for your time. Great to have you on the show. Thank you. Cheers, TT.

54:15Now, for more reaction and analysis from all the weekend's action here in Qatar, go to F1.com, the official F1 app or at F1 on social media. You can also watch the race highlights on the F1 YouTube channel. Now, next up, it's that mouth-watering title showdown in Abu Dhabi, where we'll crown the 2025 FIA Formula One World Champion. We'll be back on Thursday to preview that race. But for now, thank you very much for listening. F1 Nation is produced by Formula One and Audioboom Studios.

55:07If there's one thing Formula One proves, it's that progress comes from people who are willing to push the limits. And history is full of them. The inventors, engineers, leaders and outsiders who changed the game through bold ideas, nerve, and moments of brilliance. That's what the podcast Short History Of is all about. Each vividly immersive episode delves into one remarkable subject from world history, from revolutionary people and world-changing inventions, to defining events that still shape our lives today. So if you love innovation, ambition, and stories about what happens when people go all in, Give Short History Of a listen.

55:52Search for Short History Of wherever you get your podcasts.

56:19Jolyon Palmer:to your door is easier than ever. Shop online to have it delivered or visit your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store. Click the banner to learn more. Retail sales only, some exclusions apply. See store for details. Delivery available on qualifying orders. Now that Wendy's has these new biggie deals, everyone in the family can get what they're craving, from nugs to JBCs. The parental units can get an$8 biggie bundle. The eldest who think they're so grown can get a$6 biggie bag. And the little one who can do no wrong can get a$4 Biggie Bites. You know, assuming they have a credit card. No, I'm kidding.

56:53We take cash too. Four, six, and$8 Biggie deals for the whole family. Only at Wendy's. Prices and participation may vary. Single items at regular price. Prices may be higher in Alaska, California, and Hawaii.

From the publisher
F1TV commentator Jolyon Palmer and Alpine Reserve Driver Paul Aron join Tom Clarkson in the Lusail paddock to reflect on another huge twist in this year’s title race. 

The guys talk about the decisive moment of the Qatar Grand Prix, when everyone except both McLaren drivers pitted under the Safety Car and Max Verstappen took full advantage to ensure the championship fight goes down to the season-finale in Abu Dhabi. 

What was McLaren’s thinking behind that strategy? Why did it cost them victory? And how should they have reacted differently?  

Tom, Jolyon and Paul also discuss why Oscar Piastri was back to his best in Qatar and why Lando Norris wasn’t quite at the level he’s shown in recent weeks.

And with just 16 points now separating Lando, Max and Oscar, what will their mindset be in the build-up to this mouth-watering title showdown at the Yas Marina Circuit?

Also on the agenda: Carlos Sainz’s incredible performance to secure his second podium for Williams, another weekend to forget for Ferrari and a strong result for Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin following the news that Adrian Newey will become their Team Principal in 2026.

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars on F1 Beyond The Grid
Your F1 questions answered by the experts on F1 Explains

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY...

F1 Store: Treat the F1 fan in your life this festive season with exclusive gear from the Official F1 Store. Shop now at f1store.formula1.com

Square: Get up to $200 off Square hardware at square.com/go/f1nation. 

More from F1 Nation

All 95 episodes
McLaren's 'gift' for Max sets up final showdown – 2025 Qatar GP Review with Jolyon Palmer + Paul AronF1 Nation · 49 min
Listen in VO