🏁 Radio Ga Ga

PLP Season 1 Edition 13

69 Days Until the 2024 Season Opening Weekend (nice)

Picture this.. You’ve got a piping hot pot of coffee fully brewed, snow gently falls outside your window while your cat lies asleep on your lap, and you open up a fresh edition of PLP before one last “work” day ahead of a long Christmas weekend. Is this a dream? This ain’t a dream, it’s real life baby! Can life get any better? Well, idk probably. But this is pretty good too. And that also means we’re another week closer to 2024 F1 action.

Also, we’d like to give a shoutout to a commenter who shall remain anonymous (this was in a public forum, this person definitely does not subscribe to PLP based on feedback 😂) who gently reminded us that it’s Alfa Romeo - Not “Alpha” (like AlphaTauri) 🤦‍♂️. We very much appreciate the correction, though we do wish it was conveyed in a manner more consistent with the joy we feel this holiday season.

In any case, thank you all for spending some time with us each Friday morning, and have a very merry Christmas (Even you, anonymous commenter).

Quick Quiz: How many rookie drivers made their F1 debut in 2023, and who are they?

Find out below ⬇

All We Hear Is…

If you’ve watched any race broadcast, then you’ve heard direct team communication via radio clips played on air. It’s an underrated part of the race day experience that can add informative strategy insight, give a look into a driver’s head in the heat of an intense moment, or sometimes just be downright comical. We’ve compiled a top 10 list of best team radio from 2023 here, though to be fair there are dozens more that also could have appeared on this list.

Before you ask, yes I made the graphic myself, and yes I know it’s impressive. I was hesitant at first because how can you paste over the legend Freddie Mercury and his iconic stash? Well, Max is the current GOAT of racing and Freddie is the GOAT of singing, so I think this mash up is allowable. And also yes, Lady Gaga got her name from this song. Anyway, here’s the list:

• #10 - George Russell, Italy

  • Mercedes: “Alright George, suggest more management, turn 6”

  • Russell: “Idk if you can see but I’ve got a car right up my ***!”

    Have a feeling we’ll see Georgie boy again on this list…

• #9 - Yuki Tsunoda, Jeddah

  • Tsunoda: “AAAAHHHHH”

    You have to watch this one, it was so sudden and classic Yuki. His outbursts could have a top 10 list of their own.

• #8 - Fernando Alonso, Miami

  • Alonso: “Which position is Lance? Great move into turn 1”

    He was literally watching the race on the big screen while driving himself, and commented on Lance’s move. Guy’s race IQ is insane.

• #7: Max Verstappen, Belgium

  • Verstappen: “I should have just ******* pushed two laps in a row like I said. Ahh..”

  • Red Bull: “But you are through Max”

  • Verstappen: “Yea I don’t give a **** if I’m through in P10. It’s just **** execution.

  • Red Bull: “Ok and then when the track was 2 seconds quicker for your final lap and you didn’t have any energy left… How would that have gone down? But you tell me what you want to do in Q3 and we’ll do it. Let me know. Sets, fuel, run plan.”

    Straight SASS from GP, Max’s race engineer 😮. He does have a point though, and Max was pretty hot here. No wonder Horner calls them the married couple.

• #6: Lewis Hamilton, Austria

  • Hamilton: “Is there a reason why stewards haven’t given those penalties yet?”

  • Mercedes: “Yeah, they’re still dishing out warnings and penalties.”

  • Toto Wolff: “Lewis the car is bad, we know. Please drive it.”

    Love when Toto pops on out of nowhere. This one was great, you can here the frustration from the up and down season in his voice.

• #5 - Lance Stroll, Spain

  • Aston Martin: “Good driving today and home race coming up, so yeah… Lots to look forward to”

  • Stroll: “Yeah… Looking forward to some maple syrup on my pancakes.”

    It’s the way he says this that just kills me. Lance could also be a lot of these.

• #4: Max Verstappen, Las Vegas

  • Verstappen: “Vivaaaaa Las Vegassss!”

    After his whole big stink all weekend, the guy starts singing the theme song on his victory lap…

• #3: Lance Stoll, Silverstone FP2

  • Stroll: “I just got a stone that hit my finger”

  • Aston Martin: “Are you ok Lance?”

  • Stroll: “Pretty bad but I’ll keep going”

    Again, the was he says this is amazing. This one flew under the radar but is an absolute all timer for me.

• #2: Carlos Sainz, Singapore

  • Ferrari: “Lando 0.8 behind, 0.8 behind with DRS. Russell no DRS”

  • Sainz: “Yeah, it’s on purpose”

    The baddest message of the year. The smooth operator 😎 put on a masterclass in strategy to keep Norris ahead of Russell and seal the only non RBR victory. Honorable mention for Charles Leclerc making a brilliant strategy call in Abu Dhabi to try to seal P2 for Ferrari, although it ultimately didn’t work out. I’m sensing a trend in Ferrari drivers making better strategy calls than the team…

• #1: George Russell, Spain

  • Russell: “Is anyone else reporting rain?…moments later…I think it’s sweat from the inside of my helmet”

  • Mercedes: “So, it sounds like it’s just you that’s reporting the rain. I suspect it might be the sweat.”

    🤣🤣🤣

Red Bull and AlphaTauri Getting Too Cozy?

With reports of AlphaTauri using more of the RB19 concept for their 2024 car, some teams have come out and questioned the relationship of sister teams altogether. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has “big concerns” over the partnership, and thinks it’s “something that needs to be addressed in the future.” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur echoed this sentiment, saying the relationship is “not right” but has full confidence that the FIA will police the matter.

While the idea of sister team’s is a bit strange on the surface, and the objective of Red Bull’s has shifted in recent years- it’s no surprise that two of their biggest competitors are questioning the situation. McLaren had killer development mid-year, though Brown admitted he doesn’t know when Red Bull stopped their own development. Ferrari is a top threat to break though, though they’ve had their own struggles in recent years. Why would teams who think they are close want AlphaTauri to mold their car more like the dominant RB19? Obviously they don’t. AT showed some promise towards the end of the season, so it’s clear other teams are feeling the potential for them to make some noise next year. Speaking of AlphaTauri…

AlphaTauri: Year in Review

Look at Yuki in this pic.. just cool as a cucumber. A true representation of what he was able to do this season. He stepped up against the rookie confidence from Nyck de Vries to start the season, held his own when Liam Lawson made some noise, and battled toe to toe with veteran driver Daniel Ricciardo in his return to F1. It would have been easy for Yuki to fold in any of these situations, but nope. Guy was the definition of consistency all season.

With the car being one of the worst to start the year, Yuki was constantly battling for points, an picked up a pair of P10’s in Australia and Baku. He notched a P8 with fastest lap in Austin, scored points in both the sprint and GP in Brazil, and grabbed another P8 in Abu Dhabi. A P7 for Ricciardo in Mexico added to the late season surge, helping the team overtake Alfa Romeo in the standings and almost catch Williams. Lawson notched a P9 in Qatar in his solid stint - it’s unfortunate there isn’t a seat for him but you have to imagine he’s on the short list for drivers who could get a crack next. Poor Nyck de Vries never scored a point (We do feel for the guy) and while his ouster did seem a bit harsh, it’s a tough sport where performance is everything. Happy to hear he got a spot in Formula E. A P8 Constructors’ finish is an improvement over 2022, so perhaps they can make another step in 2024.

With Yuki and Danny back for 2024, and reports of more RB19 parts being used + evidence of potential from their second half performance, AT could surprise next year. We’ll do some bold predictions later on, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them fighting in the midfield next year… or possibly even higher? Hard to say, but we’re excited about what this team could do if the car development plans work out.

• Highs: Yuki’s performance, Danny’s return, late season surge

• Lows: Danny’s crash, Nyck de Vries seat drama

• On 2023: “I’m pretty happy with it… I was able to show a good step compared to last year… and show my value more as a driver and how good I am” - TSU

• “Of course it hurts that the F1 chance I dreamed of for so long ended prematurely. But life is not a destination, it’s a journey, and sometimes you have to take the hard road to get where you want to be” - DEV

• “To have the year I’ve had and forget the hand, I just kind of feel a little bit maybe reborn again, is kind of the right word. I feel just re-energized” - RIC

• “I’d say now that I’ve had a taste, it’s definitely something I’ve fallen in love with and I don’t think I can settle for anything less” - LAW

Down the Grid

Tech Talk

• Top Gear asks the question: What is the greatest era for Formula One engines? There’s the Alfa Romeo 158 ‘Alfetta’ that won every race it entered in the 1950 season. The Cosworth DFV of the 1970’s, a naturally aspirated V8 that won 155 times across the decade. The 1980’s saw the Honda sourced, V10 powered McLaren MP4/5B driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna, who later competed against one of the goats in Michael Schumacher as the period of V10s gave way to V8s. Today we have the hybrid power units which contain a 1.6 liter V6 engine with a turbocharger and hybrid electric ancillaries. I understand some of these words.. We’ll have to do an engine deep dive sometime soon so we all can get up to speed on this fascinating tech.

• Top 5 strategy calls from 2023 with Bernie Collins, from 5 to 1 [F1 Unlocked Only]: Norris’s nice-place undercut at Spa, Stroll’s soft tire gamble in Vegas, Ferrari braving it out in Canada, Albon’s monster Montreal stint, and Gasly beating the rain in Zandvoort to secure a podium.

• FIA’s plans for “nimble” cars and moveable aero in 2026. Looks like Max might get his wish with today’s long heavy cars to become shorter and lighter. We’ll have to see how much difference the proposed changes actually make to the feel of the car, especially with less downforce and drag to be part of the changes as well.

Off the Grid

• The December event everyone’s been waiting for… F1 Secret Santa. Not Hulkenberg gifting Gasly a tripod… 😂

• You won’t catch Max at the theater to see the upcoming Hamilton-backed Brad Pitt F1 film, with Verstappen saying “Nice to see, but it doesn’t really interest me that much. I don’t need to see a film of my own sport. This film is of course a made-up story an everything is always over-dramatized, you have to love that. I personally don’t have that much with that.” Yea, that tracks.

• The president of the Miami GP says growing American F1 fan base made sense for the race to adopt a sprint format. Teams are set to vote on sprint format changes next month - with sprint and race quali expected to swap places to Friday and Saturday respectively.

• Zhou Guanyu’s new floofball 🔽 Brace yourself. This is maximum cuteness. We absolutely cannot in good conscience fail to report on this level of cuteness:

That’s it for this week, we’ll be back before the new year with our favorite races of 2023 and Williams year in review. Until then, forget Santa - pray that this man comes down your chimney in the wee hours early Monday morning 🔽

Questions? Comments? Did we get something wrong (never 😁)? Let us know ▶ [email protected]