Formula 1 podcast: After shortest-ever Australian Grand Prix, is it time to make races longer?

It seems that there is a split verdict on the 2017 Australian Grand Prix — the first race of the season entertained some, but apparently it bored others. However, this was also the shortest Formula 1 race in Australia. In comparison to the 2016 race time, the 2017 edition ended nearly 24 minutes earlier. Sebastian Vettel took just one hour, 24 minutes and 11.672 seconds to win the race, trimming 4.085 seconds off the previous shortest race, which was in 2004. But this year’s race was shortened by one lap after the first attempt to start it was abandoned. So, is it time for Formula 1 and the FIA to increase the total race distance? All this while the powers are wondering if there should be two races every weekend after all. [caption id=“attachment_3360012” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel on track during the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Getty[/caption] In this week’s episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila Mehta and Kunal Shah dissect the opening race of the season. They pick the funniest moments, which includes Nico Rosberg’s tweets and Max Verstappen’s radio messages. Also, do you know which Formula 1 driver is nicknamed ‘Chilli’? They also talk about Portugal’s interest in hosting a non-championship race for Formula 1. While Ross Brawn’s floated idea to implement changes to the sport sounds interesting, it somehow seems like a one-night stand rather than a fully blown relationship that Portugal is seeking with Formula 1. Also on the podcast — a discussion on the McLaren-Honda-Fernando Alonso saga (obviously), the Vettel-Mark Webber bromance on the podium in Melbourne. Mehta and Shah give some well-deserved credit to Pirelli for finally getting their Formula 1 tyres right. Tune in to listen to the full podcast: The Inside Line F1 Podcast is available on iTunes or audioBoom for more news and interviews.