Historic triumph for the Porsche 963 - WEC Qatar review

Mercedes put in some quick laps to top morning and afternoon sessions, with drivers running two by two, and both Red Bulls not far behind.    For anyone hoping the new regulations might mean the competitive order was thrown up in the air will be disappointed. But for followers of Formula 1, you won't be surpirsed that the status quo is a good place to start when decoding the timesheets from testing.    Maybe it's a sign that many of the teams are talking up Ferrari, or are they trying some smoke-and-mirrors to divert attention off their own cars.    Joining Martyn Lee to discuss all the action from the final day of the first pre-season test is Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) and Haydn Cobb (Editor, Autosport.com).   Formula 1 says it will not hold the Russian Grand Prix scheduled for 25 September "in the current circumstances" following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: “On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.”   The promoter of the Russian Grand Prix confirmed the contract to hold the race had been suspended, but also asl fans not to seek refunds for tickets as "it is still possible that the round will take place and will be held as previously scheduled".     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Feb 202242min

AL UNSER JR has lived a double life - supreme racing talent and self-inflicted personal turmoil. He won two CART championships and won the Indianapolis 500 twice. It's rare for someone so successful in their motorsport career to open up on struggles with addiction, depression and abuse. His new book "Al Unser Jr: A Checkered Past" is a brutally honest look at some of the stories which racing fans will know, and some which he has never talked about before. Growing up in Indycar with a famous surname he was put on a pedestal. Nephew to Bobby, son of Al. The story of 'Little Al' would too often leave the pages of Autosport for the tabloids to chart the fall from grace of an American darling. JAMES NEWBOLD asks about how he was able to supress his anger at Emerson Fittipaldi after his crash in the 1989 Indy 500, and win an award for sportsmanship, when he had to fight every natural urge not to retaliate. He says what he thinks of the current crop of teams and drivers, and who impresses him the most. He also talks about the process of writing his book alongside noted author JADE GURSS and how he had to stop several times because he was in tears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Feb 202253min

Day 2 of F1 pre-season testing saw global events overtake what was happening on track, with drivers and teams speaking out against the Russia/Ukraine conflict.  Meetings between organisers will soon communicate Formula 1's stance on the planned race in Sochi. Martyn Lee is joined by Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) and Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) to dig into the timesheets and work out what's really going on. We've been trackside again today and observing how some of the cars are suffering with high speed instability,  in a throwback to the 1980's ground effect cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Feb 202232min

Welcome to a bonus episode of the show featuring some exclusive content from the subscriber area of Autosport.com. Autosport Plus  Red Bull was the first Formula 1 team to launch its 2022 season, but is the last to actually show off its new car. Finally unveiling its RB18 to the world on the first day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, here's what can be seen from the radical new challenger Max Verstappen will defend his 2021 title with. For a 50% discount on your first payment to the exclusive Autosport Plus subscriber area, using the code PODCAST at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Feb 202215min

The Autosport Podcast will bring you coverage of Formula 1 testing at the end of every day of track action. On today's podcast we're looking at the first day of testing (officially a shakedown) and how any fears about early reliability were quickly dispelled. Eight teams achieved over 100 laps as they executed their individual run plans with little drama and no red flags to interrupt sessions. Martyn Lee is joined by Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) and Haydn Cobb (Autosport.com Editor) to talk about what it was like trackside, and also analyse some of the technical aspects of the Red Bull RB18 which made it's first real appearance today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Feb 202237min

Today we're using the build up to the 2022 season to look back at who excelled last year, and therefore who we should be watching this year.  Settle in because this is a long one, with both Top 10 drivers argued out for British Touring Cars and the TOCA support series (Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Ginetta Junior, Mini Challenge and British Formula 4). We didn't rush this one out at the end of 2021 because so much of our time was spent with the incredibly late running F1 calendar, plus we knew that we had a healthy gap before these series started again. It's still around a month before we'll even see some F4 or Ginetta testing. And a couple of months before the opening round at Donington Park. Hosting todays podcast is Autosport's Chief Editor, Kevin Turner. He's joined by Marcus Simmons and Stephen Lickorish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Feb 20221h 23min

Later than originally planned, the Autosport Awards 2021 were presented on Sunday 6th February at London's Grosvenor House. On the podcast today we bring you highlights of the winners speeches and some of the stars we met on the red carpet. The categories, voted on by readers of Autosport magazine and autosport.com, are below:  Racing Driver of the Year presented by Pirelli Race Car of the Year presented by Blink Experience Rally Driver of the Year Rally Car of the Year Rookie of the Year British Racing Driver of the Year UK Racer of the Year Esports Driver of the Year presented by Motorsport Games Esports Team of the Year presented by Motorsport Games Pioneering and Innovation Award presented by Mahindra Gold Medal Award Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Feb 202222min

Haas has become the first Formula 1 team to unveil its car livery and design for the 2022 season after releasing a series of renders on Friday. The Haas VF-22 car is the first produced by the American team out of its new design office in Maranello, and offers a sign of what the new cars will look like this year following the overhaul of the technical regulations. On the podcast today, Alex Kalinauckas is joined by Luke Smith and Jonathan Noble to discuss first impressions on the renders, and how Haas is changing the organisation to be more competitive in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Feb 202218min