Inside Line F1 Podcast

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 . 'Champions', 'dominant', 'challenge' and even 'Netflix' were some of the words the trio used while looking forward to the upcomi...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. O...

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...

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 th...

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...

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/pits...

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 ev...

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 Mercede...

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...

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 mir...

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...

This episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast (https://link.chtbl.com/ilf1p) is a Valtteri Bottas special. In his interview with Parc Fermé, the Finn talks how it is to race in Formula 1 for Mercedes, the intensity of his competition with Lewis Hamilton, how rallying helps him nurture his talent further, the possibility of him racing longer for Mercedes than Hamilton and of course, the threat of Geor...

History was made at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher's record of seven Formula 1 World Championships. In fact, was this race his best championship winning race yet? He dug deep into his talent, experience & race craft to conquer the race at the Intercity Istanbul Park. In our Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal wonder if we...

Faux Rouge, Turkish Corkscrew & even the Turn 8 (Parabolica, in the other direction!) are some of the corners that will entertain us and the Formula 1 drivers during the weekend of the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. Before you wonder, yes, these are unofficial corner names! In this Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal preview the upcoming race at the Intercity Istanbul...

Yes, THE Lando Norris makes an appearance on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, courtesy of our friends at Parc Fermé, one of the leading Motorsport publications in the Nordics. In this fun interview, Norris dishes out Motorsport and life philosophies on how he would cope if stuck with a bad racing car all season, his social media presence and how his mistaken reveal of Mclaren's launch date for the 2020...

Mercedes created history at the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by becoming the first team in history to win 7 Formula 1 Constructors' Championships. That they've won it in successive years is proof of their dominance in the hybrid-turbo era. In this week's Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal debrief the Formula 1 race at Imola. Will Mercedes' race strategy for Le...

Liberty Media is reworking the formula of Formula 1. At the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, the sport will trial a two-day race format - Free Practice x 1 + Qualifying on Saturday followed by the race on Sunday. While fans might not like a format that offers one less day of on-track action, the two-day format is actually an important experiment for the future of Formula 1. First, the comp...

In our Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) race preview, Soumil & Kunal wonder if Ferrari's upgrades will finally allow them to join the fight for P3 versus Renault, Mclaren & Racing Point in the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix. Will Red Bull Racing challenge Mercedes? Let's remember, Mercedes stopped developing their 2020 car a while ago + RBR seem closer thanks to the ban on engine modes for...

Mercedes & Lewis Hamilton are on course to clinch their respective titles for yet another season. But worry not, it's the battle for P3 that will keep us entertained in the remaining races of the 2020 Formula 1 season. And it's not just the battle for P3 in the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship, it's also in the races. Did you know that 6 different drivers have finished in P3 in the last 6 r...

91 wins - Lewis Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher's 14-year old record for most wins in Formula 1. It's only obvious that the 6 times World Champion will score several more. In this Pits To Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal make a calculated guess - 120 F1 wins don't seem out of reach for the Briton. Let's know what you think the final number could be? Also in this e...

The 2020 Eifel Grand Prix couldn't have chosen a better venue than the infamous Nurburgring. In our Pits To Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal talk about the circuit, its history, how the cold and wind will make for interesting racing and how starting from P2 will be a statistical advantage. And of course, 'cold tyres' will be a unique challenge that teams and Pirelli w...

Honda's sudden decision to quit Formula 1 will have sporting and business consequences for the sport, Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. Will Mercedes go unchallenged for a few more seasons? Basically, a few more 'boring' seasons for Formula 1. Red Bull Racing's two consistent searches to continue - a competitive power unit and a second driver! Will a new power unit supplier in the new era of For...

The 2020 Russian Grand Prix will permit 30,000 fans to attend the race at the Sochi Autodrom. Will Vladimir Putin, Russia's no. 1 Formula 1 fan, attend the race? If so, will his best friend Bernie Ecclestone be in attendance, too? (Yes, ECC has said that he would rather spend time with his baby boy than attend a race in 2020, but it's ECC - trust him at your own will) In this Pits To Podium (https...

For the first time in the sport's 70 year history, concrete steps have been taken to help independent Formula 1 teams transition from being passion projects to serious businesses. Recently, Liberty Media announced a '$200 mn prize money entry barrier' for a new team eager to join the sport. Will this hefty barrier dissuade new entrants? The one thing it does do is offer the existing teams a sense...