Rivals and stars of the season so far – with Jolyon Palmer + James Hinchcliffe
F1 Nation
Formula 1
4.3 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 5 April 2026
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Tom Clarkson is joined by former F1 driver, Jolyon Palmer, and IndyCar race winner, James Hinchcliffe, to look back on what we’ve learned from the first three races of the season and what we can expect from Miami onwards.
The guys discuss the battle between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, why Oscar Piastri and McLaren were better in Japan, and what they and Ferrari need to do to catch Mercedes.
Red Bull Racing find themselves in the midfield battle, so will they regret their decision to not switch full focus to 2026 when Laurent Mekies joined as Team Principal last season? Could Max Verstappen’s frustration benefit his teammate, Isack Hadjar? And with Haas and Alpine above Red Bull in the Constructors’ Standings, is it clear who the fourth fastest team on the grid is?
Plus, Hinch thinks Fernando Alonso is the most positive person at Aston Martin right now, Tom suggests a somewhat contentious reason why, and Jolyon isn’t having any of it!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Do you think George is now going to be treating Kimmy a little differently? |
| 0:06.7 | George has to be a little bit more cutthroat. |
| 0:09.8 | I still believe he's the favorite. |
| 0:11.3 | I still think he's got the best chance. |
| 0:13.2 | But there is an element of like, well, hang on, |
| 0:15.5 | Kimmy is stepping up and you never know how these things go. |
| 0:26.6 | Toto's belief in himself and his ability to spot talent relies on Kimmy being successful. But let's not forget, they've also nurtured George. |
| 0:28.6 | How that dynamic between Toto and the two drivers changes as the season goes on, if they're close to each other, is going to be interesting to watch. |
| 0:35.6 | Max is just oozing frustration at the minute. |
| 0:38.5 | It's a good time for Hajjah. |
| 0:39.8 | This is a chance to just say, look, come and galvanize behind me, guys. |
| 0:42.9 | Who is the fourth fastest car? |
| 0:44.9 | There's an argument for Alpine. |
| 0:46.3 | It's the one squad that dedicated their 25 development to 26 and actually pulled it off. |
| 0:52.8 | Looking at you, William, sorry. |
| 0:53.9 | 2026 has become a test session for Aston Martin Honda. |
| 0:58.3 | Fernando, of all people, is sort of the most positive of the bunch? |
| 1:02.6 | Because they're so far off. |
| 1:04.3 | They can make strides everywhere. |
| 1:05.8 | Whereas I think if they'd come in and they were P8 in the Constructors Championship, |
| 1:09.7 | that would be way more frustrating |
| 1:11.5 | for him. You've got to be kidding me, T.C. You've got to be kidding me. You think it would have been |
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