Luck of the DEVIL for Kimi | Norris was ROBBED | Drivers & Fans DISAPPOINTED with MADRING | 2026 Spanish GP

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Soumil Arora (0:32)

The Madrid was a very special race for both of us on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, because it was the second time that Kunal and I were together on the Formula 1 broadcast, just the two of us. We normally have Chetan Narula, which was also an incredible broadcast, and it's a really fun pair between the three of us. But this time, Kunal, just the two of us, and we can say we enjoyed the Spanish Grand Prix because we were having fun using the hashtag F1Hindi to speak to everyone, get their opinions, get their questions. But if we zoom out, was the Madring race or the Spanish Grand Prix fun for you? Because a lot of people are very unhappy with it.

Kunal Shah (1:09)

I would add myself to that list of being people, fans, broadcasters, being unhappy with it. I would say it's a race of two halves. The first part where everyone was chasing and something was going to happen, which always happens. It doesn't matter wherever we raced. The opening lap plus a couple of laps later, always a lot of fun till that Lance Stroll VSC that came out. So that part was a little more exciting. What's going to happen? Different tires, different strategies. But then what the VSC did is it gave a lot of free stops or cheap stops to alternate strategy drivers. And it also messed up those who were going to go on the hards, like the Leclercs and the Russells of the world. So in a way, maybe without a VSC, we could have maybe had a better race. You never know. A different winner. You never know. Or actually pretty sure a different winner as well.

So we are asking for a lot of changes. Fans, drivers, everyone is saying we need changes. Well, I think it's probably not going to happen just after one race. Let's be patient. But yeah, I mean, Let's be patient.

Soumil Arora (2:10)

We were patient for two hours, Kunal. Not much happened.

Kunal Shah (2:13)

There was some lack of soul, if I may put it as that.

Soumil Arora (2:18)

Yeah, and there needs to be changes. Again, I've always been critical about this new generation of circuits that are just trying to basically be speed racer tracks and they're all very similar. Like Jeddah and Madrid, honestly, if you remove that back straight from Jeddah and add a few more wriggly bits, what's the difference?

Honestly, what's the difference between the two, Kunal? Could you even tell? Because they're both just like left, right, left, right, left, right, left, ooh, back corner, left, right, left, right. It's what's going on here?

Kunal Shah (2:48)

And, you know, I'll be honest, I tried learning the circuit as all of us do before broadcasts. And in general, as fans, I've always tried to learn circuits. But after 16th, 18th corner, I'm like, enough. I'll figure it out. If it enters a couple of corners, which I don't know, I know it's those corners. But I just, I think 22 corners in itself, it's like, just like, no, no, no, we have to get the most corners. We've got to get the fastest street circuit. And also, for some reason, there's a lot of these advertising runner boards, which you don't see in Monaco as much, okay? You see it in certain vantage points, but you're going through and there is an MX and a Salesforce runner board. And you're just like, this is all too stimulating. I mean, I just want to see the track. I want to see the car. I want to see where the driver's braking, where they're turning, how's the grip level, and you know, how the car's behaving mid-corner. But there is just so much else that's there.

And I think these newer circuits have to follow these branding guidelines, whereas Monaco, with all the history and the legacy, can just get away with it.

Soumil Arora (3:53)

Yeah, and I'm not able to see the craft as much. Like, qualifying was when we saw it, to a degree.

But during the race, you barely can. As a place to see fast Formula 1 cars, sure, it's nice. I think a lot of people who are on ground also said that the TV cameras don't do justice to just how fast the place is, which is another thing. And overtaking wise, most of what we saw was people trying to overtake, but heading into the runoff, which is precisely what we expected, Kunal.