The Pit Talk

What does it cost to crash a Formula 1 car? Seventeen million dollars, if you do it properly. Fourteen of that is the engine alone.

Robert Doornbos takes the lid off the money in this one. What's really written into a driver contract — including the clause that said he had to stay within two tenths of David Coulthard, and the bonus he tried to renegotiate before his boss told him to name any number he liked, because he'd never collect it. He didn't.

He also takes us back to the F1 that made the budget cap necessary: one power steering unit, two Minardis, and a coin flip to decide who went without.

Plus Max signed to 2030 and what half a billion actually buys, whether Mercedes have simply run out of money, Ferrari's ego problem, and the argument the sport can't settle — Alonso is only the second man over 45 to score a point, and a 20-year-old is leading the championship. Which one is the better story?

Robert Doornbos and Chris McHardy. The Pit Talk Podcast.

The Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 3–6 December. Tickets at AbuDhabiGP.com

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Robert Doornbos drops the biggest call of the season so far — Max Verstappen’s options are gone, and Red Bull is the only door left open.

Lando Norris and McLaren are BACK, the new floor works, and the number one on the car suddenly looks earned again. Max produces the overtake of the year on Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Antonelli somehow finds the podium from nowhere and inches closer to a title he no longer needs to win races for. And Carlos Sainz? Nine blue flags. NINE.

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The morning after the night before in Spa, and Kimi Antonelli’s made it SIX wins in ten races. But the real story? George Russell might be talking himself out of Mercedes.

 

Chris McHardy and ex-F1 driver Robert Doornbos break down the Belgian Grand Prix fallout: Toto Wolff’s brutal “half of it is on the driving” verdict, why Robert says George is “hanging on like a cat on the mirror,” and whether Kimi is genuinely the next Max Verstappen.

 

Plus: the pole time that dropped 3.8 SECONDS on last year (“that’s F2, not F1”), Alonso and Aston’s absolute mess, the truth behind Max’s Red Bull future, Isack Hadjar’s P21-to-P6 masterclass, and Carlos Sainz’s radical plan to blow up the F1 format.

 

Chris also revisits his own plan to supercharge F1, and it involves revolutionising qualifying. Robert’s onboard. Are you?

 

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The British Grand Prix delivered drama aplenty including a controversial finale that left Robert Doornbos and Chris McHardy a little short changed.

Kimi Antonelli was on course for the win of his young career at Silverstone before a snapped brake duct and a harsh penalty ended it, leaving the teenager in tears. Charles Leclerc pounced for Ferrari's 250th win while George Russell rode a safety car to clinch a first - and lucky - home podium. Max Verstappen suffered a second mechanical failure in seven days and stormed off furious, fuelling fresh questions over his Red Bull future. 

Robert makes his case for why Lewis Hamilton, "a shell" of himself a year ago, could still win title number eight this year.

Plus the guys discuss McLare/ “lost” year, Christian Horner's possible return, Aston Martin's collapse (again), and unforgettable Michael Schumacher stories.

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The Austrian GP delivered drama on AND off the track, and Robert Doornbos is calling it like he sees it.George Russell takes his second win of the year, but Robert questions whether he should've even had pole after a controversial yellow-flag call. Max Verstappen grabs a relieved P2 at Red Bull's home race as the silly-season storm intensifies, including reports of an €8 million bonus to close his exit clause, McLaren circling, and why Robert believes the Mercedes window has already shut.

We also unpack Kimi Antonelli's rookie growing pains, Ferrari's Sunday collapse, Lewis Hamilton slipping behind George in the standings, and the BYD rumour that could add a 12th team to the grid — all before a huge Silverstone sprint weekend.

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