Pirelli Spins All In Spain

The 2013 Spanish Grand Prix was fun, but in different ways. While a faction of the sport (media, fans, teams, etc.) spoke against the over influence of Pirelli in modern day Formula1, the other faction (media, fans, teams, etc.) spoke for them. After all, we saw countless number of overtaking moves at the Circuit de Catalunya, a venue where overtaking would usually occur in single digits during the entire span of a race. Read my post-race views here: Fernando Alonso Wins At Home.

Rishi and I represented each of these factions in this week’s edition of the Inside Line F1 Podcast and while Pirelli bashing is easy to do, we also offer what we believe should be the way forward in the sport. Apart from that, we had some hilarious moments in the race which we try and bring to you yet again.

Here’s what’s in store for our Formula1 podcast listeners: (YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/OfVZP0n44es)

  • Rishi performs a ‘havan’ (a ritual to bring about a change in luck!) for guess who?
  • Pirelli, Pirelli, Pirelli, too much tyre talk? What do we do? Overdose of pitstops? Hear our differing views… (Read: Indian Tyre Manufacturer To Replace Pirelli In 2014)
  • And now that you’ve heard our views, we would love to hear yours. Share them below?
  • Kimi Raikkonen = Rahul Dravid? (Yes, Cricket meets Formula1 again!)
Kimi Raikkonen – 2013 Spanish Grand Prix (Courtesy: Lotus F1 Team)
  • Thank you Ferrari, for Felipe Massa’s podium
  • P7 to P14 to P5, what on earth is Webber upto? And do you agree that the ‘multi21’ saga has affected ‘AussieGrit’ psychologically? (Read: ‘Multi21, Team Orders And PR Talk’)
  • ‘Fast and Furious’ for Lewis Hamilton in Spain; we read a funny tweet from @ameya_naik
  • Should Vettel be ‘chin down’ after a P4 in Spain? His RB9 needs tyre efficiency over aero efficiency… (Read: ‘Aero Or Tyre Efficiency Will Win In Spain?’)
  • We saw the first ‘wheelie’ of the 2013 Formula1 Season, did you see it too? (Dhoom-style!)
  • Should we have selective implementation of DRS? Are you the type who prefers the non-DRS overtaking moves? And we try and predict the number of overtaking moves in Monza!

2013 Monaco Grand Prix is up next! The Principality as the venue is famously referred to; will it be Mercedes’s best bet for victory? Put a car on pole, defend all through the race and take the chequered flag! Or will it be someone else on the top step? All this and more on the next week’s edition of the Inside Line F1 Podcast…

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We’ve introduced ‘fan comments’ on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, so if you wish to get your views or opinions featured, share them with us. If you are an Apple user, you can subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on the iTunes Podcast Store or via our RSS feed (for Android / Windows users).

The Inside Line Formula1 Podcast is produced by Rishi Kapoor and Kunal Shah. Follow us on Twitter and on our Soundcloud and YouTube channels.

Kunal Shah is an FIA-accredited Formula 1 journalist who has been reporting on Formula 1 for nearly two decades. He worked with the Force India Formula 1 Team for 6 seasons in Marketing, Sponsorship and Commercial roles. As a former single-seater racer, he was responsible for Force India's grassroots talent program, One from a Billion Hunt. Presently, he co-writes a regular Formula 1 column for Firstpost, speaks on Inside Line F1 Podcast & Pits to Podium and produces broadcast/OTT content for NENT Group (Viasport & Viaplay).

4 comments On Pirelli Spins All In Spain

  • Hey Kunal
    Great podcast as usual. Towards the end you talked about “artificial overtaking” because of DRS and Pirelli’s. I believe what you have missed out on is the nature of most to today’s circuits too, which makes overtaking a challenge. For instance, you could see wheel to wheel action on the older Hockenheim track, without DRS, along with circuits like the A1 ring, and even Imola. But are today’s Hermann Tilke circuits making overtaking impossible??

    • Hi Siddharth,
      Thanks for your comments. Yes, modern circuit designs don’t aid overtaking as much, but that’s also connected to the over dependence on aero solutions to make F1 cars go faster. Had cars got more mechanical grip, we would’ve probably had more overtaking on these circuits.

  • KIMI RAIKKONEN = RAHUL DRAVID,,
    OUT OF THE BOX COMPARO…
    WELL IT AGAIN SEEMED TO BE AT THE FERRARI REUNION AT THE PODIUM
    AND MORE UP,,
    A SANTANDER LIVERY BOOST AT ITS HOME EVENT, WITH BOTH FERRARIS ON TOP THREE.
    M WAITING FOR YOUR ANALYSIS OF TYRE V/S AERO EFFICIENCY AT MONACO..
    CANT WAIT

    • Sure Latesh, will try and get it this time too. Given lack of overtaking opportunities, it will be interesting to see how tyres play (yet again) out in the race. Look out for the next Inside Line F1 Podcast…

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Hello,
Happy to share my passion for Formula 1 with you. If you have specific queries about the sport, feel free to ping me.

In the meanwhile, I welcome you to subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast for insightful conversations around Formula 1. We release an episode every week.

Regards,
Kunal