New F1 Podcast - Undercutters

[thaddeus6th]

Hey, kids.

I tend not to bang on about my F1 blog much because it's focused on betting, but I've recently started a podcast taking a more narrative, story of the season (and race, when we get to next year) approach. It should be fairly balanced, if sometimes sarcastic, because I don't have a favourite team/driver.

If you want a relaxing listen to recount a really interesting title fight then the first episode is out now.

Podbean: Undercutters - F1 Podcast | MorrisF1

Spotify: Undercutters - F1 Podcast

New addition: Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bcfe213b-55fb-408a-a823-dc6693ee9f78

Or you can enjoy the script here, with about nine lovely graphs highlighting how the season changed in the title battles: F1 2024 Title Fight

(I'm in the process of adding more platforms for distribution but it does take a little time).

 

[Foxbat]

First I want to say thank you for providing a script. I pretty much gave up on podcasts many moons ago. My reason is quite simple: I got sick and tired of people who speak a lot but actually say very little. That is not to say that you are guilty of such a heinous crime but just that I won't entertain any podcasts now so no offence is meant and I hope none is taken. I pretty much avoid Youtube for exactly the same thing. If for any reason I'm forced to seek information from a Youtube video, I spend most of my time shouting 'just get F***ing on with it!'

On to the script itself. I pretty much agree with your analysis - particularly on the timing gaps. I have no evidence to back this up but I do recall looking at timings when Alonso had qualified around about 11th or 12th and often I noticed that there was only about a half second between his position and the top three. One suggestion I'd make: there is plenty of analysis but not a lot of opinion. I think I'd like to see you put forward a point of view (for example) why you think there was such a gap between Perez and Verstappen. Was it some kind of psychological aberration? Do you think Perez is more sensitive to a car that is difficult to drive?....

Or perhaps something like this: You mention that strategic errors cost McLaren a few times but you don't really give an opinion on why you think that happened. Personally, I lean towards the school of thought that McLaren simply did not expect to be where they were and had not factored it into their season strategy. Also, I believe that winning regularly develops a certain mindset that can mean being better prepared to grab the next victory (particularly if it's an oportunistic one).

It feels a wee bit chronological right now (this happened and then that happened) and I think you need to put a little bit more of yourself out there.

That's not to say you haven't done a good job putting it all together. I think you have done well but there's always room for improvement.
And, of course, please feel free to completely reject my suggestions and tell me I'm talking out of my arse

 

[thaddeus6th]

Just to answer the strategic errors point: my view is that McLaren were playing things so safe they went too far and created problems for themselves, a bit like what happened in 2008 with Hamilton at the Brazilian Grand Prix. I think they never really got out of that defensive mindset. Ferrari did, to great effect with Leclerc's Monza win due to strategy (although Ferrari also failed when they should've boxed Sainz for fresh tyres in Abu Dhabi to try and stress Norris).

On Perez and that monstrous gap: I think the Red Bull was hard to drive and Perez got under the psychological kosh. Albon once said that it was so difficult to master and then when he got somewhere they made the car faster and even rougher to handle, but Verstappen could deal with it and go quicker. Spinning out and burning his clutch to DNF in... Qatar (I think) was a real low point.

I think there are probably a few rookie errors I made with this first one, probably including not quite enough opinion. For the second podcast I'm going to try having a much thinner script and doing it more spontaneously (with notes so I get stats/facts right).

Current plan is:
Ep2: battle for 6th (and quick rundown of Aston Martin, Williams, and Sauber)
Ep3: 10 Memorable Moments of 2024
Ep4: Driver Pairings (maybe how they stacked up in 2024, maybe looking ahead to 2025's new lineup).

Thanks for your feedback, it's very much appreciated

 

[Foxbat]

I thought you might find this article interesting. It's genrally about Lawson getting the Red Bull seat but the bit I'm meaning is when Albon explains how the car characteristics affected him when he was alongside Verstappen and how Verstappen coped better. He makes a good analogy with a mouse on a PC that helps us non F1 drivers understand what he's talking about.

Liam Lawson 'driving style' declaration ahead of Max Verstappen Red Bull task

Liam Lawson feels he "understands" how the Red Bull drives, and believes the onus is on him to adapt as he succeeds Sergio Perez.

www.planetf1.com

 

[dgackst]

I thought you might find this article interesting. It's genrally about Lawson getting the Red Bull seat but the bit I'm meaning is when Albon explains how the car characteristics affected him when he was alongside Verstappen and how Verstappen coped better. He makes a good analogy with a mouse on a PC that helps us non F1 drivers understand what he's talking about.

Liam Lawson 'driving style' declaration ahead of Max Verstappen Red Bull task

Liam Lawson feels he "understands" how the Red Bull drives, and believes the onus is on him to adapt as he succeeds Sergio Perez.

www.planetf1.com

I recall reading that article with Albon's explanation on how the car was like an overly sensitive PC/ controller. It was a great analogy, I thought! My brother played video games, Call of Duty specifically, with the sensitivity way up, and every time I picked up the controller to take over I'd be panning over so fast I'd miss every enemy and get shot down. No matter how much I tried to adapt to that sensitivity I could never match my brother's skill in it.

Also, thank you for the heads up and for providing links to your podcast! I will be giving it a listen.