30/09/2015
NEWS STORY
Could Renault be at the centre of some Ocean's 11 style conspiracy theory that would shake the sport to its core? Probably not, but Max Noble asks the question anyway as he joins Chris Balfe and Mat Coch for the Japanese Grand Prix podcast.
In its 50th show (yes, it's had more starts than Marc Gene) the team pushes the boat out to shine a light and dig a little deeper into, behind, underneath and through the biggest stories in the sport.
They're not hiding away from mixing the metaphors either as they dissect all 500 metres of the Japanese Grand Prix before turning their attention to more important things, like the blank piece of circuit the TV director felt was more important than the actual race leader.
Meanwhile Coch is too busy wondering what Romain Grosjean is thinking to add much to the discussion. The Frenchman, who has been confirmed with Haas for next season had a decision to make, and Coch doesn't understand why he didn't make the right one. Confused? So is Coch.
There is an intense discussion on the situation at Honda, and whether Fernando Alonso might have gone too far with his comments this time. After branding his Honda power unit not better than a GP2 engine (which were once supplied by Renault), the Spaniard's mid-race tantrum earns a strong thumbs up from Balfe.
Earning two thumbs down was Renault's announcement that it has signed a letter of intent, which our editor evokes memories of Neville Chamberlain's famous 'piece of paper' decreeing peace in our time.
Speaking of peace, Sauber and Force India rate a mention following the news they've submitted a complaint to the EU after growing tired of the other teams beating them up in the playground and stealing their lunch money.
It's an important development for the sport, one that - unlike Noble's assertions about Renault's devious scheme - could have genuine repercussions. And that's a good thing, says Balfe, who suggests the sport could do with a bit of a shake-up. Plus, the team reckons it knows some perfect candidates to work on the investigation.
To conclude, Balfe suggests that the worst performance of the Suzuka weekend wasn't Honda or the TV director, but the official live timing app that didn't work for the first 27 laps of a 53 lap race.
You can download the latest episode on iTunes here.
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Simply listen online here.
Alternatively You can also hear all Pitpass podcasts here here. (warning: external site)