WHY are drivers worried about the Chinese Grand Prix? 👀 | SKY SPORTS F1 PODCAST

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Craig Slater and Bernie Collins join Matt Baker on the Sky Sports F1 podcast to preview the Chinese Grand Prix as Formula One returns to the Shanghai International Circuit after a five-year break. The panel discusses the circuit's challenges and the change in format with it being a Sprint weekend.
Craig Slater also brings updates from the paddock and the Andretti factory as the hope for a 2026 debut continues. As well as discussing Fernando Alonso’s renewal at Aston Martin.
00:00 - Intro
06:11 - Andretti update
13:20 - Alonso stays at Aston Martin
19:05 - The challenges of the Chinese GP
26:12 - Sprint weekend changes
35:00 - Predictions for the weekend
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[@chriscooks9850]

Its so nice to have Bernie on Sky F1. Somebody that actually knows what they are on about and doesn't just create drama for the sake of it!!

[@upthebracket26]

Oh you meant another Bernie... I was going to start worrying about you.

[@f.kieranfinney457]

Most interesting politician in America is also a Bernie. Coincidence?

[@chriscooks9850]

@@upthebracket26 oh god know! Not that Bernie!

[@m73m95]

I was going to say the same thing! I really enjoy Bernie being in this year's Sky cast. She's a great personality, and very knowledgeable

[@chriscuthbertson]

Bernie Collins, best thing to happen to Sky's F1 coverage for years.

[@123danson]

thing?

[@williamc4309]

Can't even hear the lass , she whispers into her microphone

[@kevildub]

​@@123dansonI thing that's what he meant.

[@_Ben4810]

But...But...what about the Naomi-affect on Sky F1...?!? 😉

[@yanikdavid3708]

​@@_Ben4810she's been possessed by paul di resta

[@_ilsegugio_]

Bernie is pure gold. SO knowledgeable

[@rhonaward8276]

It’s so good to have Bernie ….so knowledgeable and really interesting to listen too 😊

[@PolishEddie1992]

Short Answer: Sprint Long Answer: Sky Sports

[@sadikurrahman4833]

surprised you didnt whinge about lewis and use the sky f1 merc card

[@PolishEddie1992]

@@sadikurrahman4833 you feeling ok? What does lewis have to do with anything here?

[@arendeepropertymaintenance]

I could listen to Bernie all day, although she is softly spoken for an Irishman. She's smart and on the ball. A wealth of information. A coup to get her on the telly.

[@nobass_stub1394]

Bernie is now a MAN? Damn that's the breaking news before the China GP!

[@jonathanpalmer155]

"softly spoken for an Irishman" - an IrishWOMan

[@mutlubasdas]

Can we have just Bernie talk please :) It's a pleasure to hear her talk :)

[@billt1139]

So great that Bernie is here. She’s so intelligent and speaks so well, she needs to be on site at the race!

[@dscottstoness2436]

I really enjoy Bernie - she speaks from experience and knows what she is talking about. I learn something new about F1 whenever I hear her talk.👋

[@sulethofmeyr2906]

We've been waiting a lot longer than 5 years here in South Africa. Unfortunately, politics and other factors will see us waiting a lot longer still. For us who remember going to races at Kayalami, it is a very sad fact.

[@billygoat520]

I don't think F1 wants to pay off so many people to race there again, in other words corruption is a problem.

[@LednacekZ]

unless you can find 100k people in RSA who are willing to pay 1000$ or more you wont see F1 race in africa soon.

[@Redlingstein]

SA themselves blew the negotiations in last fase when they suddenly wanted MORE MONEY OUTSIDE OF WHAT WAS ALREADY AGREED….

[@peterpesch]

Last race in Kayalami was only 21 years ago. In Zandvoort we had to wait 36 years ...

[@harrychalcraft9711]

Such an amazing circuit.

[@Ramrunner73]

Love Bernie. Don't tell my wife 😄. But seriously I know Sky Sports F1 is UK based but can we stop complaining about horrendous start times? I live in WA Australia and I'm setting alarms for 1/2/3 am most races. Get over it ! Other than that love your work keep it up.😃

[@WiseGuy02]

The world revolves around the UK apparently.

[@chinesespeakwelsh]

I got you mate. Just like me here every week watching footy. Already used to it and I enjoy it.

[@johnhodgetts6617]

@@WiseGuy02 The F1 world DOES revolve around the UK, and has since it began. Just count how many team HQ are based in the UK, for a start.

[@ayyel551]

Keep Bernie on every race weekend. She knows her stuff

[@neilkimber8338]

It's a pity that Craig's microphone had those annoying periods where he could be heard! 😂

[@robertbills4290]

Alonso has still got the passion to drive in F1 given the equipment (ie) the car he could win on a regular basis. He is also a big character on and in a car Great Driver

[@mikezilla9675]

👏

[@kevza71]

Slater is stoned, Bernie is pure gold as usual.

[@robinwaters2455]

THE WORST THING SKY F1 HAVE DONE IS TRY AND PRESENT IT LIKE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH DAY IN THAT POXY STUDIO, KILLING THE ATMOSPHERE! Bernie Collins and co should be out there like they used to be

[@sharpbodies8992]

Let’s hope we have Martin and Damon in China makes viewing the weekend much much better

[@DonLee1980]

"China can't have one of their drivers coming in 12th or 13th..." - have you seen the latest Beijing Half marathon?

[@mikeplatt74]

Bernie is the best! 🎉

[@alfaromeo1969]

Bernie is a legend....so much inside information she knows is gold.

[@duncanwood2957]

Bernice is a great addition to sky f1❤

[@johnhodgetts6617]

Bernadette*

[@d.b.cooper1]

Good to be back, feels like a lifetime ago since we last raced there. Wild to think how much has changed since then.

[@_Ben4810]

Craig Slater...The Damian Day of Sky F1...

[@JEDImindTRICKS666]

Craig is channeling his inner Bray Wyatt with that lantern.

[@kriss_b]

The uncle is calling....

[@MichaelTarailo-st1nv]

Rip king

[@VopsVops]

I'd love to see a Sprint weekend like this: Friday FP1 and FP2 as per normal. Saturday AM Sprint Qualifying, then a 15-30 min turn around straight into the Sprint Race. Teams would change tyres, fuel up, then leave pits and head around to the grid for a standing start. Saturday arvo Race Qualifying and Sunday Race.

[@lambcurry7709]

wow what a big comparison: one is extremely insightful and on point and the other just dont have much to offer but refuse to stop talking 😮

[@pascaljoly5752]

During sprint weekends, FP1 should be extended to 90min

[@Redlingstein]

Agreed

[@sej8806]

Disagree. I think they might now have the best format - at long last!

[@MichaelTarailo-st1nv]

I like what Alonso said. No practice. More practice makes for more boring races. Uncertainty is what makes rain races so exciting

[@sultanoftippoo3857]

@@MichaelTarailo-st1nv depends I guess on whether you want to see drivers skill make the most out of cars not set up for their optimum performance or the engineers able to set up the car so we see the cars at their best. If it wasn’t F1 I’d agree but as this is a constructors series I’d prefer to see the best car win.

[@Andybarney555]

​@@sultanoftippoo3857 well by that logic surely best constructor/team is the one that can adapt to this and have best engineers to set the car up in a short time.... no?

[@gabormiklay9209]

29:34 Yeah, that's a very good change in the rules (I mean letting to make setup changes).

[@niknikmoore]

Sound level issues - had to double sound level!

[@joribremer5260]

Before watching the video “Is it no preparation? “ my short answer 2 words.. “Oliver Bearman”

[@ask.repeat]

Craig Slater who obtains all of his reporting "off camera" = stuff he dreamed up while watching Real Housewives

[@djoetma]

Was there ever something he was wrong about? Sincere question, I hardly ever listen to his podcast, so mostly know him as a presenter. Doesn't it makes sense to do his journalism off camera?

[@grahamsopp]

25:31 did Bernie really say "100kph, I don't know what that is, 60mph or something" :)

[@procatprocat9647]

This is totally new for the DTS generation. Hope it's a fantastic weekend

[@chriscuthbertson]

If i was a backmarker team id be tempted to treat the sprint as an extra practice session

[@henstar1731]

Hopefully it's worth watching this weekend

[@madeovstarstuff]

Don't watch. It's as simple as that little man 🤷‍♂️

[@f.kieranfinney457]

Could be a resurgent LeClerc weekend. Maybe even a Ferrari win because their car is easier to set up quickly.

[@nathangeorge9283]

No more Craig

[@procatprocat9647]

All of these variables are great levellers. Less data analysis and more old fashioned best guesses. That's what f1 needs!

[@PincheChineaux]

Yay Bernie!!!

[@ParallaxiMaxime]

That auto-filter reaction was hilarious

[@pjhaywood1]

Luol Deng?! I think you mean Yao Ming Craig 4:50 😂

[@user-ue8rk4xg3p]

Fun fact: the shape of the Shanghai International Circuit is designed to resemble the Chinese character Shàng (上), which is the first character in the name Shanghai in Chinese (上海)

[@paddypoolfc3579]

Bernadette Collins. You are a class act. Love from Co. Down.

[@f.kieranfinney457]

Bernie should be an F2 team principal with an eye toward an F1 leadership position. She’s wasted at Sky.

[@cococalm]

The biggest flaw to the Sprint format is that it is nothing more than a mini format of Sundays race. I think the Sprint should be reverse grid and a constructors championship only. The track should also be modified so that it does not simply resemble the Sunday race - add chicanes and also "short cuts - slower but shorter, and long cuts, long but quicker" - alowing teams to chose different strategies and setups. I like the new parc fermé rule though, allowing teams to set their cars for the main race.

[@Roguescienceguy]

These bots in here. I am laughing my ass of

[@MichaelTarailo-st1nv]

Like all the ones praising Bernie? No chance they're real people

[@joannaxuan4265]

The Chinese gp track is shaped to be a actually a really clever 上 for Shanghai (上海）, rlly nice design, possibly one of the only tracks that were built specifically with the shape in mind

[@Loganin1080p]

definitely had VSC in 2019, it helped Vettel win the Aus GP in 2017

[@gabormiklay9209]

16:19 Woow, how much differently we can see tracks. I think China is a front limited track just like Suzuka. Not because of cornering speeds, but because of the demands to change direction of the car, which requires a sharp front end (wooow, it's like the 5th different phrasing of no understeer). Although I never was an F1 strategist, so what do I know? 🤔

[@Redlingstein]

Yup front right will be hurting, I rewatched the races from 2015-2019 on F1tv and that was clear

[@f.kieranfinney457]

Could be similar to Vegas. Boring DRS passes on straights with some heroic braking into slow corners.

[@mandst5466]

Bernie is such an asset ………. and of course very easy on the eye 🫢

[@AbdulRWatches]

It will be an exciting weekend for us the viewers, a lot of action and surprises 🤞🏼

[@Redlingstein]

WE DONT WANT ACCIDENTS…. We want great racing…. NOT ACCIDENTS 😡

[@Dabmonger]

There is the opposing argument that 5 years is far too short a period. I spent 4 months in China, including a week in Shanghai, and it's a great country. However, there are big issues ...

[@CCFilmVideo]

Bernie GOAT pundit

[@GeorgeRacing2008]

They were talking about track shapes, and for some reason I see a bent knife when I look at Jeddah and Spa looks like a bird (I think that's on purpose)

[@fliugica]

Less practice, more uncertainty ... yes please!

[@joshn1678]

Bernie is brilliant, if only this season wasn't a repeat of last year, but she as an excellent hire by sky.

[@chriscuthbertson]

What is Craig doing with that lantern?

[@f.kieranfinney457]

It’s the only illumination he can muster.

[@John907i]

Bernie seems like a lovely lady …she’s a cutie 👍

[@f.kieranfinney457]

I thought the same. Brains and good looks. Why do we need Matt? Let’s have another female host (Tennant?) and hear some different perspectives.

[@John907i]

@@f.kieranfinney457 Already different perspectives…Matt is a guy obviously fairly new F1 and Bernie is a lady with lots of experience in …makes for a beautiful show …

[@johnhodgetts6617]

Was Craig on the sauce when he did this? 😵‍💫

[@ivanborg5501]

Luol Deng isn't from China... I think he means Yao Ming

[@2639theboss]

Where was he from? He wasnt from the Congo, that was Mutumbo right? And hes the one that built that basketball interest?

[@WolfmanWoody]

Don't know either of these people. We don't have Sky. Too expensive.

[@johnhodgetts6617]

Google Bernadette Collins. She knows what she's talking about.

[@MichaelTarailo-st1nv]

I always thought British was a sexy accent, then I heard Bernie talk...

[@Redlingstein]

COS….new track surface….!!!! Sprint weekend!!!! Not been there for 5 seasons… And wrong season with rain…

[@alexbond4988]

Bernie’s great, Craig I don’t rate

[@individual1977]

Enjoy Bernie but she needs more mic(volume) during F1 broadcasts. Her voice is very soft.

[@f.kieranfinney457]

And very worth listening to. Tired of pundits with no first hand experience, desperate for approval from their idols, or unsuccessful drivers who inhaled too many fumes. Every broadcast is a recycling of tropes and cliches. More Bernie Please!!!

[@urbanstrencan]

Can't wait for Chinese GP never watched it before, hopefully is half as good as Austin MotoGP race this year 😊😊😅😅

[@gerardcrabb4556]

Yuki will probably follow Honda to Aston Martin...

[@ParallaxiMaxime]

Someone inform Craig about the features of his iPhone 🤣

[@hamza-chaudhry]

0:12 1:09 1:44 3:01 3:20 3:56.. 4:35 6:50 11:38 17:08 17:22.. 18:11 21:35 22:02 24:07 27:19 37:31 37:38 37:48 38:07 38:18

[@hamza-chaudhry]

Misc: 3:32 11:27 14:18.. 35:40 Res: 5:44 13:20 14:45 14:49 15:22 Sta: 13:20 14:45 Per: 14:49 Feedback: 14:49

[@ronaldblack4615]

Thank goodness, we don't have to just trust that guy in the centre...

[@cholatepnabangchang4834]

Absolutely disagree with the idea of Sprint at a 'new' circuit without prior data such as this. Are we really desperate for that "close racing" and "unpredictability" that we are willing to ignore that racing is really about teams and drivers performing at their absolute best?

[@the_fleeing_dutchman]

Thankful for Bernie's insights as per usual! Good hosting by Matt, as per usual.They will all be exciting events to watch. Hope that Max comes out on top!

[@ebotek]

How is it that these multimillion dollar teams/corporations don’t send someone to the track to find out the details of the track condition? 🤔

[@SpaceHCowboy]

It comes down to the FIA, mate. They mandate the grading standard of the track. And thusly the FIA would have carried out a pre-race circuit and facilities inspection. Shanghai is "apparently" a grade 1 circuit. Personally I have no idea how or why it got to so close to the occasion before the remedial work to the track surface was carried out. My guess is the track inspection would have taken place weeks/months ago by "individual A" for the FIA. And, further to that, likely because the teams arrived within the last week or so for the upcoming race, someone else within the FIA has likely carried out the race weekend inspection more recently, and thusly decided the were problems that weren't actioned in the preceding months.

[@Doesnotcare12]

Bernie class Craig Slater should work in a womans gossip column. Absolute crap get him off.

[@jimslimshady2467]

Thumbs up here if you DONT like the new studio format..... Lets get Sky F1 back trackside.

[@endisforever22]

Qually on a Friday was one of the worst decisions the sport ever made, Cleary shows they are not thinking about fans around the world at all who live normal working lives,

[@codedfotography]

low speed and straight line , mercedes should do well ?? mclaren not too well

[@HROM1908]

OK Craig, what's with the lantern, apart from an attention getter ?

[@JudgeYuri]

So Gregs lamp is running on oil? Not very green of Sky Sports!

[@BAndersen-ee1xy]

FOM have taken a naive and shortsighted view on Andretti joining the grid. The importance of the American market has been dismissed, after years of trying to crack the code. If they want to secure and likely grow popularity in the States, they had best reconsider and get Andretti on the grid.

[@user-zj8mj4wx6k]

Bernie Collins, brilliant. The rest, boring.

[@lovebato8873]

guanyu zhou for the win!

[@davidb9059]

BEARNIE !! 🙂

[@sharanjitsingh3483]

Ferrari 1+2

[@user-qf7dl2ki4t]

22:00 we dont know if its been resurfaced. Yes bernie we do, we do know. Its not a state secret, are you telling me youve not checked?

[@f.kieranfinney457]

I think it’s unclear to what extent.

[@user-qf7dl2ki4t]

@@f.kieranfinney457 whereas if you do any sort of research you'd find exact details of the resurfacing.

[@GreenTurtle181]

Yes of course China should always be on the calendar from now on.

[@williamc4309]

Day five hundred of asking sky sports in comments on Facebook and KZbin to get Bernie to shout into her microphone at races, you at a racetrack there is 20 cars whizzing around , and you whisper into the microphone like you recording an ASMR video .

[@AEFisch]

Everyone talks about Merc going backwards and the great RB. 2026, all bets are off! RB Powetrain never built a new engine, Merc is working on it. Aston has Honda, not RB anymore. Audi just decided to go forward so at the beginning, GM has been working on the engine longer. Plus who knows what a bad Sauber team will do with an Audi new engine? It's only a year away these engines need to be fired up! 2025 is baked in for RB. That's it!

[@markdog94]

Ah not Craig, adiós

[@Turtledove72]

They will be there. They will just buy RB!

[@scottmeredith3359]

It’s funny to me that throughout all the pearl clutching we’ve seen about racing in the Middle East, nobody in F1 is willing to balk at the human rights record in China. Double standards much?

[@Dre_The_Millennial]

There's a lot of double standards in F1. They're not going away anytime soon.

[@Redlingstein]

They never speak abt it at the Middle East races either

[@madeovstarstuff]

Human Rights is an interesting topic to discuss. Esp in the West too.

[@123danson]

China too, for that matter.

[@WiseGuy02]

Not to mention they have around 1100 coal fired power stations and are building around 30 more a year. Now I don't give a rats, they provide cheap power. Besides the fact global warming is a scam by the UN to redistribute wealth. But, F1 who seem to believe in that rubbish, overlook it.

[@juveiceman]

I'm against races in countries known to have bullies or dictators as leaders and in which the respect of human rights is questionable. I love F1, and have followed it since 1996, and love learning about the history of F1 prior to that, but I think F1 should take a stand and exclude races in certain countries from the F1 Calendar: Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, China. To name a few.

[@dude7068]

lol... china is indeed a huge car market, problem is that there is nobody in the stands for the F1 races. empty attendance and lack of interest makes this race a total bust

[@Redlingstein]

All unsold cars that are dumped in China’s waste land… true. Watch on Yt

[@Andyc515]

Another group therapy session 😴🥱🥱

[@TwoFourFourFour]

They could have got animated stick figures with AI voiceovers who would have had more personality than these 3

[@123danson]

Will China Nick all of F1s chips ?

[@1vegasdood]

My bet....Alonso for the #1 podium in China.

[@f.kieranfinney457]

Wrong Spaniard.

[@Dabmonger]

No more sprint qualifying please!!!!!!!!

[@tylerdurden4006]

Bcoz of western racism, nothing else, las vegas didn't finish paving their track until hours before FP.

[@f.kieranfinney457]

And also had a drain cover come off too, and couldn’t staff a session restart. This track will be right as rain.

[@grey8559]

Carlos should replace lance him and alonso would make an amazing team

[@f.kieranfinney457]

Everyone in F1 has the same thought except the only one who matters. They could be 3rd in the constructor’s next year with Sainz.

[@DavidJohnson-dc8lu]

Bet you the sprint will be boring, and will make you wish you never watched it. All teams have to turn their engines down to make it last for the overbloated weekend. Compare the time to Schumacher's record lap time in 2004 and I'll bet it is WAYYYY slower.

[@langbuddha2798]

looks like someone doesnt understand a sprint race LOL

[@DavidJohnson-dc8lu]

@@langbuddha2798 Do you think they will set a time faster than Schumacher's of 1:32.238 in the sprint race, if so LOL. It is just a shortened race where hardest compounds won't be needed. Work out why Brazil for a track that has not changed where Sprint weekend was introduced. Why in 2004 the race finished in HR 1:28:01 and fast lap was Min 1:11.473 . But in 2023 the race finished in HR 1:56:48 and fastest lap was Min 1:12:48. coz they have to turn the engines down to cope with stress and longevity. Don't fall for the emperors new clothes mate.