2 Soft Compounds
2 Soft Compounds is a weekly podcast focusing on Formula 1, hosted by radio broadcaster Rick Houghton and motorsport journalist and GrandPrix247 founder, Paul Velasco.
With a focus on unfiltered analysis, behind-the-scenes insights and expert commentary, the podcast offers fans an entertaining and informative take on the fastest sport in the world.
2 Soft Compounds
Canada Eh! Will The Man Cubs Overthrow The King of the Jungle?!
Canada Eh! Will The Man Cubs Overthrow The King of the Jungle?!
🎙️ This week, 2 Soft Compounds shifts focus slightly - from apexes to apertures - as Rick and Paul sit down with 25-year-old F1 photographer Alexis Perrin. From dodging marshals to getting that perfect Hamilton shot, Alexis gives us a behind-the-scenes look at life in the pitlane.
🇨🇦 Rick, Paul and Alexis also preview the Canadian Grand Prix, home of unpredictable weather and unforegiving walls. And the hot topic this week - the rise of F1’s new generation - Norris, Piastri and Leclerc. These three are no longer just quick - they’re adopting Verstappen’s merciless mentality. The 'cubs' as Paul calls them, are starting to circle the reigning king of the jungle, making every wheel-to-wheel battle feel like a changing of the guard. 🦁
Is this the year we see the psychological dynamic of the grid flip? Get the low down only on 2 Soft Compounds!
Production Credits:
Presented by: Rick Houghton & Paul Velasco
Studio Engineer & Editor: Roy D'Monte
Executive Producer: Ian Carless
Produced by: W4 Podcast Studio & GrandPrix247
Valesco, the founder and chief editor of GrandPrix247.com, and we're joined by a very special guest today. If you've been following the podcast, you'll know that Paul started his life in Formula 1 as a photographer, and we've got a very young Frenchman with us today, Alexis Perrin, who currently shoots Formula 1 in photography form. So, alexis, welcome to you.
Alexis:I'm very glad to be here with you today, guys.
Paul Velasco:Yeah, Hello, nice to meet you. Thank you for the invitation. I'm very glad to be here with you today. Guys, yeah, cool, Listen when they say young. How young are you?
Alexis:I'm 25, so I'm getting a bit old now.
Paul Velasco:No, you're not. You're good 25, that's really good. You're younger than Max. You're younger than Max Verstappen. Yeah something like that yeah, 25, that's cool. I want to ask you something now, mate. Yeah, how did you get involved in Formula One photography so early because that was probably my age too, but very early for a young guy how did you do it?
Alexis:Yeah. So first of all, I think I got passionate about motorsport with my father was always following, like MotoGP race, formula One race, like everything. I got a bit far from this field during the time and in 2018, drive to Surv survive came out and I was like, okay, I think it's time to put myself into motorsport again. And okay, I watched drive to survive and I was like, okay, I need to do photography in motorsport now because I was doing photography in the esport fields and I was like, okay, I need something new in my life. And right after drive to survive, I did some little championship in france and, little by little, like going to european race extra, and I got my first shot in formula one two or three years ago.
Rick Houghton:And it's uh how it starts so, alexis, are you currently at every european formula one race, or did you do any of the flyaways, or is there some that you don't do?
Alexis:uh, I think I do like 16 this year or something like that wow, I don't know which one I don't do. I think I do like 16 this year or something like that. Wow, I don't know which one I don't do. Actually, I think I do all the European ones and I'm probably going to miss, like Vegas or something like that, but not that much left.
Rick Houghton:Can I ask a question? Obviously, paul was taking Formula 1 photographs in a different era. I put this to both of you. Actually, what's the access like? I mean, what? What sort of access are you allowed with you with your photographer's pass? Is it, you know, limited to a certain part of the circuit or the paddock? What's, what's the access like now, and what was it like when you were taking shots, paul? Because I remember when, when I worked in formula one, it was just at the time they started introducing the electronic barriers and it was difficult to move around without the proper passes and that sort of stuff okay, first of all, uh, once you got press tickets as a photographer man that there was no problem.
Paul Velasco:You got in anywhere, everywhere, except if you, if the teams you know you had access up to the pit box. But I worked for marlborough philip morris, so I had access. Where I've got photos, where I'm standing with a 24 mil and I can see Gerard Berger and Senna debriefing themselves. I could touch them. You know what I mean. I was in the pit garage all the time shooting for Marlborough. That was one of my big clients, apart from AP and Reuters.
Paul Velasco:And when you talk about access I probably have the access then that I'd say, guys like Getty have with Red Bull, as I probably have the access, then that I'd say, guys like Getty have with Red Bull, you're in the garage, you're in the actual thing. So I had quite good access. But the real great access was there was no fencing and shit. You know, if you stood by the apex of a corner with a 25 or 24 and you shot and you panned, the guys and the marshal just said, hey, be careful, you could get killed there. And you say, yeah, don't worry about me, mate. And then and that's how it was once you're in and you got all the accreditation. It was absolutely amazing for you, alexis, today okay, for me it's like very slightly different.
Alexis:I don't know, at your time it was a question uh, for example, during like a free practice, you could access the pit lane.
Paul Velasco:Yes, yeah, everywhere oh you are.
Alexis:You had you needed, like, a permission from the fia. It was like free for everyone no, no, you had a bib.
Paul Velasco:You had a bib, you, as long as you had a bib, a photographer bib, yeah, uh, which was sometimes some had a permanent bib.
Alexis:I had a permanent bib for three years and so you put it on and that's it, mate, there was no, yeah today, like, actually, when you're not a permanent pass or like a very famous agency, you need to apply to the fia if they can give you a tab out for like one of the session, like free practice one, two or three. So if you don't get access but you can't go in the pit lane during live action, so first I think that's that sucks. But I think I can also understand the fia. We are like much more photographer maybe, so they need to to put some rules to not have like any problem there you go. But yeah, this I think is one of the problem.
Alexis:Uh, also, I think uh, going like on track sides, some tracks, is getting very, very difficult. I have monza in my mind. It's because the marshall first don't speak english very well or not at all, so sometimes you are allowed but they don't let you go in. So like going monza last year was one of my worst experience because I was trying to get to track access and marshall was saying no and you were like but yes, and at the end they have the last word, yes, also, we have like some new, I think compared to you. We have like red zone on the track, so there is a place we can stand. I can understand, understand the FIA. I think it's for our safety. But yeah, you know, as a photographer it just sucks because you just want to make the best shots.
Rick Houghton:Alexis, can I just ask in the years you've been working in the sport, have you managed to form any bonds or friendships with any of the drivers? For instance, is there a driver that is your particular favourite that you always seem to get good shots from? Is there a driver that is your particular favourite that you always seem to get good shots from? Is there a driver that maybe isn't as willing to put himself? I mean, I know you're not taking shots, you're not taking portraits. Obviously You're trying to capture what's actually happening, so it's not like the driver's going to pose for you. Yeah, but is there anyone who's really good and that you love working with?
Alexis:Well, I think Lewis is very good at taking pictures of him in the paddock or like just getting in the car. I think it's just more the aura that Lewis have that make the picture special. Also, he always had like very good combination color, like with Mercedes with the black and the helmet in purple, or this year with the yellow and the red, works very well. So, yeah, I think Lewis is always a very good shot. But also I don't have a lot of preference for that because if you go in the aston garage, the lights on the top of the of the garage is like the best one in the paddock. I don't know if you you have the image on your head, guys, but it's really amazing. Red bull have amazing light also. Yeah, it's like, yeah, you're just having fun with with this kind of portrait, but no, otherwise for you for question your question, I didn't make friendship with drivers because, first of all, I don't spend at all time in the paddock.
Alexis:To be honest, I just get some drivers I rivels and then I have so much with trackside etc. I made friends with a lot of photographers from different teams etc. For me, it was also something very important when you get to Formula 1, because it's cool to be in Formula 1, but if no one knows you at the end of the day it's like it's a bit useless. You need to make friends also, even if it's not real friends, because you just see them on track. But it's also cool sometimes during the weekend to just see someone and talk a bit. You know so it was one of my goals to like at every race, people as a contact. If I can say, that is more friendship.
Rick Houghton:Okay, so we're going to have a preview now of the next Grand Prix on the calendar, which, of course, is Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada. This is a race that I always really enjoy as a viewer. I think it throws up some surprises. Normally, we get a safety car at some point during the weekend. Paul, your memories of last year's race?
Paul Velasco:Yes, last year's race was a crazy race. I don't know if you guys remember it, I don't know if Alexis was there, but man, it was totally crazy. I think it started in the rain, I think the horses were on extra wet and they nearly got to the lead in the first two laps and then it dried up super quickly and then they fell back and then it was Max versus, I think initially what's his name was leading, russell, george Russell was leading and Norris was involved and there was so much overtaking there was like several crashes, I think Sainz Perez, sargent, gasly, albon, they all crashed on the afternoon. So it was one of those Canadian Grands Prix that actually remind me of the very first one with Gilles Villeneuve won, I think back in 1981, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, whatever, when he won the first one in Canada, it was also like that wet, uh, very challenging. Uh, very challenging for not only the drivers and the teams and the photographers. I always feel for the photographers when it pisses down like that, and that day it really pissed down.
Paul Velasco:So that's the thing about Montreal. It's just situated in that funny little like it's a man-made island for expo, whatever, and it it attracts some nasty weather, and it can also change. It can also be like nastier than good, and then. So I think we in the weather will play a role in the championship round, which is not I think it's the 10th round now. We're already around 10, can you believe it? There's two more races. We're in the halfway mark. This this year has just flown by. So yeah, that's that's what it was Last year proper, proper chaos, and, of course, max Verstappen won. When there's chaos like that, max wins, and that's what basically happened.
Rick Houghton:Yeah, I think the circuit design is fairly unique in that it has a classical circuit design but with walls, so you wouldn't say it was a street circuit, but it kind of is in some regards. You know you make a mistake and you're straight into something very hard that's going to break you and the car. And actually when you look at the circuit Gilles Villeneuve, there aren't very many fast corners on that track and I think that's going to affect certain teams.
Paul Velasco:You're going on. It's like it's a hairpin and a hairpin with two little squiggles in the middle and it's like a drag race. It's called nothing, the classic tracks like spa. I mean, you know, I don't want to piss on your battery, but uh, that that's what you're going I'm gonna that.
Paul Velasco:That track is basically one hip and other hip and you remember those two, yeah, and a couple of squiggles, squiggles. So it's one of those kind of, yeah, those little chicane things that they, you know there's. That I don't see it as a classic track. I see it as a really good track, a race track. That is very different, probably the kind of street circuit Monaco should be. But honestly, I think, from a challenging perspective, it's like big brakes happen, big brakes happen. You know, I don't know what do you think, alexis? Have you photographed there before?
Alexis:No, I've never been there actually, but yeah, it's just like in the middle of a park or something like that, in like an island, right. And what can make the race very interesting for me is the weather, because I checked two days ago, it was raining on Friday, and now, then maybe tomorrow, yes, it will rain again. So I think the race can be very I think in my memories it's always been an interesting race, very much so, and the track is like, yeah, like you said, it's like a street but an ordinary track at the same time. So I think it can be a very interesting race, especially with the rain. We don't really know how Max will react, with the McLarens going pretty well actually right now, and maybe Ferrari they found maybe something during, like Imola, if I don't say wrong. Yeah, imola wasn't that bad for Ferrari.
Paul Velasco:So, yeah, I think it can be very interesting the thing about Montreal, as you say and this is a tip for you the wall of champions, mate. Yeah, the wall of champions, mate.
Paul Velasco:Yeah, you've got to find yourself, as you got to go there for some boy. I would go wall of champions now. Now, he has me prepping, he has you and I prepping for the thing. Wall of champions. When will I go to the wall of champions? Would you? You're qualifying? I'd go there for qualifying. Honestly, I would. Yeah, what would you do? When are you going to go to the wall of champions?
Alexis:I will go maybe, uh, either q1 or Q3. I think Q1 because, like cars, like I don't know, like Stake, for example, will try very to find, yeah, austin Martin will try to find the limits, so Alonso, like maybe can touch it. Or yeah, I think Q1 it can be a very good, good thing. Or the end of FP3, oh yeah that. Oh yeah, that's interesting, yeah.
Paul Velasco:Yeah, because that's when they give it a bit of stick just before the to see, I don't know, you know, when they do the quite quick laps in FP3 towards the end. Yeah, yeah, because you know, as you say, you have to plan these things. But anyway, canada, it's going to be the walls. That's the beauty of these tracks with walls, you cannot make a mistake, rick, and that's what you're trying to say, right? Yeah, yeah, the track is a challenge in the old style way that you make a mistake, you break.
Rick Houghton:Yeah, definitely. I mean and ironically, and you will definitely correct me if I'm wrong here I don't think the Wall of Champions hasn't been hit in the last few years. Am I right in that? I don't think it has, Certainly not during the race. They're going too slow, or maybe they're just and they tried to avoid, you know, trashing the car.
Rick Houghton:But, yeah, a thoroughly interesting circuit and the weather conditions. What I love about the weather in Canada is that it can be absolutely lashing it down, but the drainage on that circuit is fantastic, so it can be pouring down one minute and then it can dry up within about five or ten minutes. And it really affects the strategy in the race. We saw that maybe Red Bull last time out in Spain, the first time I've really questioned their strategy. Actually They've always been bang on, but I think you know in Spain they had limited options, but maybe the cracks are starting to show a little bit in the team dynamic. You know they realise they're struggling. Max, you know I am becoming I wasn't, I am becoming a true superfan now, like you are, Paul. I know you love Max Verstappen, but the stuff he's able to do with the equipment he's got is just unbelievable.
Paul Velasco:Yeah, look, I think, as Alexis says, the McLaren's on another level. Okay, it's going to be I don't know, I'll put my money down now it's either be Norris or Pastry World Champion. It's got to be, if they don't, good when it's hot. But again, alexis, I'm glad you saw this because I think sometimes when you're at the track you get a much better impression of stuff, and I get the impression from the last race that very much. So.
Paul Velasco:The field has not closed on McLaren because of this new directive with a flexi wing. In fact, I'd say mclaren's actually edged their head. So the car is so good, it's good everywhere, in every track conditions, whereas you take a mercedes, and sometimes it's good in the cold and it gets warmer, it's not so good. So you know, I can't see anyone other than the two mclarens battling it out for the title and I think, think once the constructors has decided, zach's going to say, okay, just go for it and see what happens In terms of who can challenge them. Yes, I also saw a nice upswing from Ferrari. If they can get everything to work properly on both cars, they seem to get one car going and the other car doesn't go, and then they make a mistake with this guy, and so on that level, I see ferrari. I think they just got to raise their game. I think the car's not as bad as people make out. I mean, leclerc did a good job to take p3.
Paul Velasco:So, yeah, what I did notice and this to me is contentious but for the first time I've noticed that max verstappen's being challenged by piastri, norris, all those guys, in the manner that he challenges them, they've taken a leaf out of the Max Verstappen way of going racing. I call it the Max way of racing, and the Max way of racing is the way he races, and I saw like a collective rising up last time out of the boys I wrote a piece about it where Max the Lion is now being challenged by the Cubs and the Cubs are not scared anymore because they're bringing the same tactics Max brings to them and I think that's kind of like. You know, piastri's not going to be an easy push, norris has changed his game, russell showed that he's not going to take any, you know argy-bargy and Leclerc too. So basically you've got now four guys extra plus Max driving the way Max drives, and I think that's super cool, but it's also going to make for some bent metal. What do you reckon?
Rick Houghton:I think that's completely correct and I think you know it's not just the driving style, it's also the mentality. You might argue that out of that group, norris is the one that needs to work on the mental side of things a little bit more than perhaps the others. Oscar, for instance, he's like Iceman all over again, just super cool, knows exactly where he's putting that car. And I think, yeah, you're quite right. I think Oscar definitely has developed the attitude from the Max playbook in that you're not coming through and I'm going to go and I'm going to take you on that turn on the next lap or even this one. I think that's the whole mental attitude that he's now developed. But again, it goes to show that's what a trailblazer Max Verstappen is.
Paul Velasco:What do you reckon, Alexis? Are you seeing a shift in the way guys race against Max?
Alexis:Yeah, definitely, I think, since, uh, last year, like boy, even a bit before but all the drivers, like the top five you just said, have like much more hunger on track, I think, because in the past they all had hunger, but when they were racing against max they were just like let max through, yeah, exactly. And now they are fighting with max actually. So that's really cool to see that because because they're all amazing and they know how, how, what they're doing on track, so there is no like crazy risk when they do that. So it's really funny to see them really racing like max, like you said. And yes, I really see oscar doing very well in this championship this year because he's such like a young guy with anger but at the same time he looks like so kind and chill, but when he's like on the car he's like he's crazy, he's so, so good driving it reminds me of the time, a little bit of the the schumacher era, when he was winning everything with ferrari and other drivers from occasionally moving out of the way there was only one.
Rick Houghton:Well, there was one driver that really stood out, and it was when he was driving a fairly competitive williams car, and it was one, pablo montoya, who would knock out the way for Michael Schumacher no matter what, and would put up, you know, some real good fights on track.
Paul Velasco:It's starting to look a little bit like that, as you say, paul, with maybe four or five guys who were in that fight look, the beautiful thing is this about this current era and again, this is for your generation, alexis in my lifetime there's never been six or seven guys so good in in Formula One, all in the same era, the same age group Never, it's never been.
Paul Velasco:It's been like two, three, maybe maximum four I don't even remember four. We've got six guys now I'd say five or six that are elite of the elite, the best of the best, and I can say that in the past that hasn't really been there. There might've been one or two seasons where there were maybe half a dozen guys, but that was a total anomaly in terms of the season happening that way, in terms of the cars are much closer than ever before and with that you've got, I would say, six of the best drivers in the history of Formula One. And you're not even throwing in the prima donnas, the big boys, the kings Alonso and Hamilton. You've got those guys in the show too. Really, in terms of driving, in terms of where Formula 1 is with the drivers, man, it's the best it's ever been.
Alexis:But also I have a question for you Do you think it's also all the preparation that had these young guys like Leclerc, russell, exa, all this generation? They had the opportunity to do a lot of a lot of sims of Formula One with team. Before when they were in F2, f3, in like in the time of Schumacher, driver didn't have all this of opportunities. I think no, but yeah, that was like private test, but the smallest driver didn't. Opportunities to do a lot of private tests. I think so this is maybe why this generation is so good, because they have so much preparation.
Paul Velasco:I think this generation is so good is because of the tools, that's, you know, the simulators, all that kind of stuff. But it's still the cream that rises to the top. It's still these top six or 10 guys in the world that are very much at the top. Look what these guys don't have and it's criminal. It's criminal, it's the amount of testing time that the rookies used to have in the past.
Paul Velasco:You know Fernando Alonso had done like he used to do, one season a month in testing. Do you know how much testing he did? Do you know how much testing Schumacher did at Fiorano? Mate, the rookies, yes, okay, they didn't get as much testing. But before a season, when you say they didn't get as much testing, but before a season, when you say they didn't get as much testing, they got one week in South Africa, eight hours a day. Do you know what I mean? Or those days they used to test in South Africa, or eight hours at Jerez a day, for one week. Testing wasn't like before, like today, it's like three days. No, you, they'd had three test sessions one week, then that week off, then another week and then a week. Or the rookies by then knew how to drive the cars.
Paul Velasco:Now, seriously, that's one thing that that today and I write about this a lot is that the lack of testing. You cannot replicate what these cars do in simulation mode. You know what I'm saying? It's totally different and I feel that Formula One needs a lot more testing because the amount of money they spend on perfecting these simulators that will never be perfect because they always will be simulators they could take that money and invest it in testing, more testing. If you see today this season, how much damage the rookies made in crashes and broken cars and small bumps and stuff like that, it's all because there was just not enough testing. And you know what was the beauty about testing, mate? This is what you, as a photographer is. The access was unbelievable.
Alexis:It was like no, testing is the best thing of my life. I went to Bar bar and you're like, okay, now there is eight hours of track and during three days it's like amazing, during a race weekend we have like five hours maximum, I think, of race action. Now we have eight hours a day.
Paul Velasco:No, that's crazy for us. Yeah, it's beautiful. It's the same with drivers. You understand, it's the same with drivers. So there you go. Yeah, I hope that answers your question. Yeah, perfectly okay, perfectly.
Rick Houghton:Okay, so next time out. Canada Circuit Gillesville-Neuve. It's always an interesting race. As we've discussed, we're going to throw it around for some predictions and, alexis, I'm going to give you the first shot of this. Give us your prediction for the top three in the race.
Alexis:Okay, do I take any risk if I say PSG first?
Paul Velasco:You can hit your car.
Alexis:Yeah, I think I can see Piastri first Probably. I think it will also depend on the weather, because Max can be also very competitive. So yeah, Mate, it's not a thousand words, mate?
Paul Velasco:It's not a thousand words, it's the top three.
Alexis:Yeah, okay, piastri, verstappen and Leclerc.
Rick Houghton:Wow, okay, paul.
Paul Velasco:Oh, okay, paul, over to you. Okay, I'm going to go. Hamilton, verstappen, russell.
Rick Houghton:Okay, I'm going to go Verstappen for the win, Piastri in second place and Hamilton in third.
Paul Velasco:Okay, If any of you get it right, I'll send you one of my prints.
Alexis:Lovely, I do the same. I do the same.
Rick Houghton:Okay, I haven't got it right so far this season, I don't think, alexis. Alexis, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. It's been fascinating.
Alexis:Thank you so much. It was really cool and, yeah, can't wait to speak with you guys soon cool mate.
Paul Velasco:I'll get your number.
Alexis:Thank you, ciao thank you so much, bye right then.
Rick Houghton:So some off track gossip that's occurred between the last race and the Canadian weekend. Callum Nicholas, do you remember this guy from Red Bull? He was the guy that you'd always see in the F1 coverage. He had the long dreadlocks. Do you remember him? Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's now left the mechanical side of Red Bull and he is a Red Bull ambassador.
Rick Houghton:And he was interviewed now, admittedly, this was before the Spanish Grand Prix, but he was interviewed on an F1 YouTube channel, a guy called Lucas Stewart, and they were playing a round of golf and they were just chatting actually a really good video playing a round of golf with each other and then just chatting all about F1. And basically, he made this prediction quite bold and I'm sure you're going to shoot it down, but let's see. He said that Verstappen will successfully win the Drivers' Championship this year, even though he's behind in the points. He will turn it round and they will find a way, and as soon as he does that, he will announce his retirement. That's it. Job done, gone.
Rick Houghton:Now this is a guy who's worked with Max for his entire career at Red Bull. Admittedly, this year he's not in the garage and he's an ambassador, so not in the garage and he's an ambassador, so he's not quite as close to Max as he has been in previous seasons, but we say all the time it looks as though this is McLaren's season to lose. I mean, does this guy have any credence, do you think?
Paul Velasco:Well, he's going to be exposed one way or the other. The only thing is that he either knows Max really well or he's talking shit for kicks, so I don't know which one it is. To me it sounds like shit for clicks, because he's 27, mate, okay, he's not enamored with where the cars are, but why? It makes no sense. Okay, why it absolutely makes no sense. So he first of all, he's not going to win this championship. Okay, I don't know where the guy gets this information from, but there's no ways McLaren are going to lose this championship. If they lose this championship, I'll have to just eat my computer. Seriously, there's no ways that McLaren lose this championship, whereas Verstappen winning. It's a big ask. The team's in disarray, they make a lot of mistakes. I don't see him winning the championship. I don't see him winning the championship. On the other hand, what will Red Bull have next year in store, in 2026? Forget about Red Bull, forget the whole team. So he's going to win this championship, which he can't win because McLaren are going to win it, and then he's going to walk away from a new era championship without even testing the cars. It makes absolutely no sense. I mean, it's just a logic thing. I mean, with all due respect to the car mechanics don't often get inside information, but anyway, I doubt very much that'll be the case.
Paul Velasco:Max is a brand. Max has got another five, six, seven years going on him. He's so rich. Watch Max buy a team. That's what Max is going to do eventually, but right now I think he's just going to see how the land lies, get himself the best car. I don't see him quitting before he's 30. You know, if he does, it's because something massive happens in his life. So no, I'm one of those that I just can't believe, to be honest.
Rick Houghton:Okay, I just wanted to throw out there see what you thought. Yeah, I just wanted to throw out there see what you thought. Now I'm looking at a headline on your website, paul, at the moment, and I think it was a headline that stood out to me, actually, when I first read it. It looks like Hamilton is lost, really lost, at Ferrari. This was a quote from Johnny Herbert, but it's something that you've published with some context as well. And Hamilton, he does look as though he's sort of standing in no man's land at the moment. It's like Juan Pablo Montoya, who I've already mentioned on this podcast, made a comment in the week that he said if Hamilton's going to have any success at Ferrari, they need to start designing the car with him in mind and less with Charles Leclerc in mind. Would you agree with that?
Paul Velasco:Well, I don't know if these days they still do that, if they design a car around and then the driver who drives it best gets the priority. At this stage it seems to be Leclerc, who seems to have his head around the car better than Lewis does. So, yeah, I mean it's again. It's this whole. When is it time to quit? When is it time to give up? I mean, I'd say Lewis with a great car will be great, he'll deliver.
Paul Velasco:We saw in China and that was his marker. He said guys, provide me with a car I can win with and I can do it. Look what I did in China for you. But the car's got to be good all the time. It's a bit like I call it the Alonzo syndrome. Alonzo is with 20 years in this game. Really, he doesn't want to be driving a shitbox. He really doesn't want to be driving a shitbox. He really doesn't want to be driving a shitbox and he'll go there and he'll go through the motions and he'll do the whole thing.
Paul Velasco:But when you're going to see Alonso at his best again is when you give him a car that he can get a sniff at the podium, and that's what he did Once. You give him a sniff at a podium. Boom, he grabs you eight, like he did before. Okay, he didn't grab a win, but he was always there. He you know, because he felt motivated by the car, because the car was good at the point. And I feel that's the same with lewis. When the car is good, we'll see lewis at his best, but when it's bad, he can't be asked, mate, he's a seven-time formula one world champion. It's up for two ferrari to get him right whether that means focusing the car on his driving style.
Paul Velasco:Whatever the case, yeah, I would say that Lewis has just got to get his head down and drive it. Simple as that. He's got to do what Piastri did to Norris. Norris owned McLaren and Piastri took over the high ground by beating him. And that's what it is all about in Formula 1 is you've got to beat your teammate and then you can talk. So now do this to the car. Not, I can't beat my teammate, fix the car. Sorry, mate, it doesn't work that way. Do you know what I mean? I don't know. Is that being too callous?
Rick Houghton:no, no, I think I think there's a lot of merit in what you're saying. Talking about you've just touched on there Aston Martin, Lance Stroll, it's emerged. Well, this week a former mechanic for Aston Martin said that Lance Stroll quite commonly will punch a hole in a wall. They were talking about him and his attitude, you know, because in Spain, after FP2, apparently he trashed the garage, he threw his helmet, he kicked some stuff and everything else. And then we hear the story that he's got this wrist injury. Was that because he tried to hit something and did some damage to himself? We're told that it's a six-week injury that's just been getting worse. But I'm not sure if I'd buy that, to be honest. And then we've got, obviously we've got Alonso, who's sort of patiently sitting there waiting for Adrian Newey to design the car for him next year and hoping for the best. But Lance Stroll, I don't think they've confirmed whether he's actually racing this weekend, have they? No, they haven't.
Paul Velasco:And they're obviously going to try to do everything they can to fix him, but they haven't done it. Since they're blaming this on a 2023 injury I mean seriously 2023, you're a billionaire and you don't have the best treatment in the world and sort out your risk, that means your risk's fucked. You can't do this sport anymore. Then you're a danger not only to yourself, you're a danger to Formula One. You know what? Hey, I've had a go at Lance because I think, nine years down the road, we all realize he's simply not the Formula One driver we all thought he might be. When I say we all thought, I did believe for a while. I'm sure his dad did too, but you know, it's nine years, nine seasons, that he's been doing this and he can't get his act together.
Paul Velasco:And I mentioned this in one of my outside line columns and of course, I got it. Well, of course I was quite surprised. Actually, aston Martin responded with like a one or two paragraph thing, asking me why? Why do I forget to mention that he's the only guy who scored points for Aston Martin up until his last race and he was the only guy to do an overtake at Monaco. Yeah, mate, one race, one incident, one thing does not make it the career of a guy who's been there for, like I say, nine years. So, end of the day, I had to go back to them and say to them sorry, you know, there's nothing I see that gives me any inspiration that Lance is going to do any good.
Paul Velasco:And in fact, I took offense to the fact that Aston Martin have the audacity to compare him to Fernando Alonso. They compare a 26-year-old with everything to prove against Fernando Alonso, a 43-year-old who's proven everything, double world champion, maybe could have been a five-time world champion. But they keep on. Aston Martin keep on saying oh well, you know, he beat, he's scored more points than Alonso. Please, you know Alonso in his heyday, alonso of 2005 and 2006, he would have destroyed, absolutely destroyed Alonso. So yeah, I stuck to my guns on that one.
Rick Houghton:Okay, paul, it'll be interesting to see who actually is sitting in that Aston Martin in Canada, because nothing's been announced yet. Will Lance make a speedy recovery or will they be pulling in one of the reserve drivers, even though it's Le Mans at the same weekend, and I think both of their reserve drivers are actually slated to race Le Mans, so it's going to be interesting to see how it pans out. We'll be back to take a look back on the Canadian Grand Prix in our next podcast, two Soft Compounds. Meanwhile, for your latest fix of the very latest Formula One news, head over to GrandPrix247.com and me and Paul and maybe others. We'll see you next time on the podcast.
Rick Houghton:Two Soft Compounds was presented by myself, rick Hutton, alongside Paul Valesco. The studio engineer and editor was Roy DeMonte, the executive producer was Ian Carlos, and this podcast is a co-production between Grand Prix 24-7 and W4 Podcast Studio Dubai. Don't forget, if you want to join in the conversation, leave a comment on our Instagram page at 2SoftCompounds. We love getting comments, questions, and we'll give a shout out to some of the best ones on the podcast in the next few weeks. You can also email us at 2Softoftcompounds at gmailcom and if you haven't done so already, please do click that follow or subscribe button. See you next time.