It is Oscar Piastry now has two more corners to go to do something that he dreamed of as a young child growing up in Melbourne and in his second season in Formula One has finally come to pass. It is Oscar Piastry, Grand Prix winner winner in Hungary and for the first time takes the check and flag a more stand on the top step of a Grand Prix podium. What a special day that was of course in Hungary, it's time to drill down thanks to Toolkit Depo, the ultimate range of trade, we are drilling down into the Formula One's of course and we are going to do so with the name synonymous to WA synonymous to super car racing and we found out we didn't even know this, that he is a part of the F1 circus. In one of the greatest gings of all time on a mountain, I just saw you kill for it. We have got him online, he just touched down in Belgium, we appreciate it. We are talking to Karl Reindler who is a part of the F1 crew. We will find out exactly what he does. Thank you Karl, appreciate your time and welcome to SCNWA breakfast. I am happy to be on the show guys, nice to have a chat again, it has been a long time. Mate, when you are sitting in the car, in the safety car, safety car driver, we will get to know about that job in a moment. And Aussie and you now reside in Melbourne and this boy is from Melbourne and he is Australian and it is rare that Australians dominate the F1 circuit. Was there a little bit of fist pumping going on in the driver's seat? You know, it is really hard to keep a lid on it when there is that much excitement. Another Aussie race winner is ridiculously exciting. I sit in that car and obviously hoping for, you know, we always say a quiet day, a boring day in our car is a successful day. But to have Oscar sitting on the top step of the podium, it was unbelievable. I was fortunate enough to be at Qatar last year when he won his first sprint race. But the sprint race is not quite the same as the feature race, to win the feature race on Sunday was just out of this world. And I made an effort to get down to the podium and listen, listen to the Australian anthem play. It has been a long time. In fact, it was 2021, I believe when Daniel Ricciardo won the Monza race that we last heard the Australian anthem at a Formula 1 race. So I am over the moon and I tell you what, Oscar is an absolute gun and superstar and it is going to be the first of many. In fact, I put money on it that is going to win a world championship one day. We'll take it to the vankey guys. We didn't like him when he first came in here. No, no. He sort of was poo poo all over Daniel Ricciardo. So we're like, "Who is this upstart?" Dan, Dan, Dan is a good mate of all of ours as we're all, you know, West Aussies. But Oscar is a superstar as well. Yeah, well, and the best thing about it too is, and I think in the past, it's not a problem, but one of the things we can't name a bit monotonous is that it was always Max Verstappen before. That's always Lewis Hamilton. You know, Monza, you make it, we just win, win, win, win all the time. This is a seventh different win every out of 13 races so far this season. It's making it an extraordinarily exciting season. Yeah, I tell you what a season it's been. I didn't realise it was seven race winners out of 13 races so far. I mean, that's probably the most exciting season we've had. And as you probably saw, Max Verstappen was hugely under pressure over the weekend and frustrated. I've never seen such a motion from that guy who's usually cool, calm, and collected. So it's shaping up to be a cracker of a season. It certainly is. We're speaking with Karl Reiner. Karl, let's just confirm your role. We're doing this, thanks to Toolkit Depot. Seen a better price. We'll beat it with our price boost promise. We're drilling down with Karl Reiner. What exactly your role on the F1 circuit? So I am on the medical and safety team. So a couple of years ago, this is my third season in Formula One. I drive the medical car. So when you see all the cars, the Formula One cars lined up on the grid in the 2x2 formation. You've got the five lights, the red lights that go on, and they head off and race. I'm the car at the back of the grid. So I've got the doctors in the car with all the first intervention equipment. And we basically chased them for the first lap of the race. The highest likelihood of an incident or an accident is the first lap statistically. So we're there when it goes pear-shaped, so to speak. And it did a few times over the weekend in Hungary. We were deployed, I think, five times, a couple of times in qualifying. We saw CECO have a big accident. And obviously, that was a big hit that he copped. And I tell you what, he was hugely frustrated, very emotional when we picked him up in the car, because these guys are all racing for their respective careers at the moment. Absolutely. So how quick are you going? How fast are you driving behind them? Well, it's really hard to compare. We're in the Aston Martin DBX 707. It's got 700 odd horsepower. It's an absolute beast of a road car. But it is a road car. It's not a Formula One. So we're effectively setting our own purple sectors when we're out there. So we're hustling that thing around as hard and fast as it will allow. And I guess it sounds like a cliché, but every second does count when it comes to critical incidents like that. And we want to make sure that we are the first on the scene. And we get the doctors tending to the drivers in the event that they need any sort of special attention. So we don't mess around. How fast are you going? As far as speed, every circuit is different. Spa this weekend is going to be quite pace. You think Baku, which is my next one after this in September, we're probably hitting in the medical card to 70 to 75 K now. And real quickly, too. Not messing around. That's for sure. You never drove that fast in the supercars, didn't you, Carl? Hey, hey, probably not. Probably not. No, Bathurst is an exception. But outside of Bathurst, no, it's the top speeds. Pretty amazing in that thing. It's something that people wouldn't always think about, but how much pressure is on you? You can't mess a turn or you can't come off the track. Otherwise, the drivers will be filthy on you, too, if they get stopped without making a mistake. Exactly right. Now, you're right. There's a huge amount of pressure on us in the medical and safety team. Brent Maylander is the safety car driver. He's the pace car when they need to attend to an incident or do a vehicle recovery. But yeah, we can't afford to make a mistake. We are treated like the drivers. Our performance is quantified. Our lap times are measured. We get practiced on the track, so I'm on track tomorrow in about 10 hours time. From now, it's past my bedtime, but I'm happy to be chatting with you blokes. I've got an hour on track, probably on a very wet spa, as every chance is going to rain here tomorrow. The idea behind that is to shake down the car. Make sure it's doing everything we need it to, it's performing well, and make sure I'm confident with the track, where it goes. The quickest way to get to the medical centre, all those sorts of details. That's a good thing. Is your next target, the safety car? Do you go from medical car to say, "Oh, I'm coming for you, Pearl. I want the safety car." Between us. Between us. Don't tell Brent, but definitely like he's got a big target on his back. He's been there. He's done 25 seasons straight now. I think it's time for him to park up. He's got a hand in his license. He's surely got to go into a main road to WA and check his license out. No, I put a lot of pressure on him, but he doesn't fold that guy. He's flawless behind the wheel. He's one of the best drivers on the planet, and he'll be there, I think, until he karks, that I think at this stage. If he does, you'll be the first person there. You'll be the first one there there. Can someone look after him? I just need to drive his car. Exactly. Is it too soon? Yeah, exactly right. Car rider is our guest, F1 safety car driver and a part of the Formula 1 circuit. At this stage, you're doing about half to 60% of the races. Why is that? You share the duties with someone else who's keen for the job, or is it just time? What is it? You're absolutely spot on. It's a combination of the things you just mentioned. We want to make sure that there is a backup driver. I share the role with a Portuguese guy called Bruno. He's based in Portugal. We split the season roughly 50/50. I've 13 out of 24, a little over half. Likewise, I'm balancing work here in Australia, or back in Australia as well. To do 24 races of the year, I wouldn't see my kids or family at all. It's fun. I love it. I feel hugely grateful and lucky to have this gig, but at the same time, I've got to balance other commitments in life. I'll do it while I can, and enjoy it, and make the most of it. I enjoy every second that I'm here exploring these fantastic circuits being part of the Formula 1 circus. We're going to ask you a bit about the races to come and your thoughts of Daniel Riccardo going forward. In summary, is it just like when you're traveling with the group? Is it just so exciting? Are you removed from the circus, so to speak? Is it Hollywood? Are you looked after and five-star hotels and treated like us? What we see is glamour, glitz and glamour, from the grid to the podium, to the hooves in the pits and the whole lot. Just give us an overview in regards to what it is like to be on the circuit. Look, it's a really good question. It's probably a combination of the two. We do get looked after, and part of that is because we do have to perform on track. We stay in nice places, and we eat well, but at the same time, the days are long and pretty relentless. Again, it's a first of all problem. I know I'm complaining about the Fridays when we serve as F2 and F3, as well as F1. On a Friday, we could be sitting in the car for north of seven hours, which gets pretty uncomfortable and tedious, but again, I'm sitting in a very nice Aston Martin or AMG. It is the definition of a first-world problem, but it's pretty harrowing at times as well. There's been a couple of more critical or serious accidents that I've tended to that really open your eyes up and get you thinking about things. I've been in a few accidents myself over my time, my career in motorsport. Yes, yes. Notably, the big one in Perth back in 2011, the big fireball. For me, I find it incredibly rewarding. I feel like I'm giving back to the sport. It's kind of mixing the world that I came from and doing something that just feels meaningful, so I love what I do. I feel so lucky. If anyone hasn't seen it, go to Google's YouTube, Carl Ryan Lowe, Barbara Gallo, Wannaroo, and wow, like seriously, well, stuck on the grid and then get plowed into a couple hundred Ks an hour. Lucky to be talking to you to that last test. Yeah, unbelievable. Honestly, jokes aside, it was a pretty serious accident. The beauty about our sport is that it's constantly evolving, and the sport is safer as a result of that accident. Other sports take it for what it is and just kind of press on. Our sport always looks at how can we improve the safety side of things. I love that part of it. We mentioned Henry Carter. Have you seen his season so far, Carl? Obviously, all the talk about Red Bull and Sergio Parrish, does he keep his seat after this weekend or not, or after Belgium? Have you found any Ricky? Look, I grew up with Dan, and now I'm really well. You have the odd conversation with him. We cross paths, obviously, in the paddock. I tell you what, the pressure that that guy's under at the moment. But him and Checo, everyone in that whole Red Bull stable is under, I feel like, more pressure than any other driver program. He's racing for his career. I think he's performed really well lately. I mean, Hungary was a frustrating weekend for him because of the strategy that the team gave him, and he really expressed his frustration afterwards. But I think he's performing well, and I think he can hold his head high. I think he knows that he's call it the twilight of his career. But at the same time, does he deserve to be there? Absolutely, he deserves to be there. I'm curious to see how it all unfolds over the mid-season break. You've got, obviously, Liam Lawson, another gun Kiwi coming through. I had a really good chat to him a couple of days ago. Actually, it was the Sunday before the race in Hungary. And he's quietly optimistic about his chances as well, but you've got Yuki in the mix. I mean, who knows what helmet Marco is going to do as the director of that program? I really hope that Daniel ends up with a good gig. We picked up Checo from his big accident on Saturday afternoon, and the look of dejection on his face. He was beyond gutted. I really feel for the guy, because he's giving it his absolute all at the moment, and it's just not good enough, unfortunately. Three-week break after Belgium, where you are right now. We're looking forward to it, and you get back to spend some time with your family, as you mentioned, over there in Melbourne, and all Perth. Appreciate your time. It's an exciting time. It's great to chat to you. Last one, really short. Daniel Ricciardo, will he, as mentioned to Scotty, will he or won't he be driving in F1 next year? I reckon he will be, and there's every chance we'll have a third Aussie on the grid with Jack Doohan as well, who is a superstar as well. He's done well in F2. Could you imagine having three Aussies on the grid? Imagine three Aussies and a Kiwi. That's the ultimate. To answer your question, I'm confident that Dan will have a seat on the grid in 2025. I can't wait for the start of this, because for the first time ever, I'm going to have my eyes off the starting, off the pole, off any carnage. I'll be watching some little dude in an action Martin, trying to chase him down on the first turn. The pressure's on now. I'll make sure I get a good reaction time off the lights. Thank you very much. Real camera time, please. Can you wear an S-E-N-W-A hat? Or, as you know, a bit of a Tony Bulli more coming back from the ocean all those years ago? You send one over and I'll make sure I wear it. That's right. Thanks for letting us drill down. Thanks to Talking Depo.
