Secrets of Mercedes’ rise to F1 power

After his massive practice crash in Monza, Scott Mitchell-Malm and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw to discuss whether Kimi Antonelli is really ready for the step up to F1 with Mercedes in 2025. They outline Mercedes' take on the Italian's eye-opening debut, and answer your questions on why the team have gone with such a young and inexperienced driver to replace Lewis Hamilton next year. After that, we bring you the latest on F1's latest flexi wing drama, before diving into a bumper crop of questions from the Race Members' Club, including whether George Russell must now be considered a better qualifier than Lewis Hamilton, whether McLaren disharmony is inevitable, and whether James Vowles is doing a good job at Williams or not.Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace to activate your 7-day free trialFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Sep 202458min

Join Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell-Malm, Mark Hughes and Samarth Kanal for an in-depth look back at an intriguing Italian Grand Prix that produced just the result that the vast majority of the Monza fans wanted to see. But how did Charles Leclerc put himself in position to win, and will McLaren rue see this as another missed opportunity? We answer those questions, plus a load more from The Race Members' Club.Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/theraceFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Sep 20241h

Two huge F1 debuts are coming up at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend - with Mercedes protege Kimi Antonelli getting his hands on the team's 2024 car and Franco Colapinto making his race debut following a huge shake-up at Williams.The Race F1 Podcast turns first to Antonelli, with Edd Straw joined by Ben Anderson and Scott Mitchell-Malm to discuss how significant an outing this could be for a driver who seems destined for a 2025 Mercedes F1 graduation - and the potential headache Mercedes has on its hands for 2026 if Toto Wolff picks his interest in signing Max Verstappen back up again next year.But it's Williams that has made a huge decision between the Dutch and Italian GPs as it finally lost patience with Logan Sargeant - axing him from its line-up and giving its academy driver Colapinto a shot alongside Alex Albon for the final nine races of the season.That wildcard choice and how impressive Colapinto was on his F1 weekend debut in FP1 at Silverstone earlier this year, the timing of the decision and what that says about how much Williams wanted things to work out with Sargeant, and how his situation ultimately became untenable are all covered.Ferrari's prospects heading to its home race at Monza, McLaren's constructors' championship favourite status, and whether racing will be better in 2026 despite predicted slower laptimes are among a bonus set of questions from The Race Members' Club that are tackled too.Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/theraceFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Aug 20241h 12min

Lando Norris could hardly have made a bigger statement of intent as F1 returned from its summer break, as the McLaren driver clinched his second grand prix win at the Dutch GP - and in doing so ended Max Verstappen's winning streak on home soil in crushing fashion.But why was Norris so dominant at Zandvoort? Edd Straw is joined by Mark Hughes and Scott Mitchell-Malm on The Race F1 Podcast to answer that question and plenty more as the constructors' championship battle between Red Bull and McLaren got tighter still.As well as looking at how Charles Leclerc earned Ferrari an unexpected podium, Sergio Perez's form and Alpine's 'victory' in the midfield battle, there's a host of questions from The Race Members' Club on topics including the quality of Norris's drive, whether Red Bull's tyre management has got worse as the year has gone on, and Logan Sargeant's precarious position at Williams.Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/theraceFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Aug 20241h

F1 is nearly back! Ahead of the season resuming in Zandvoort with the Dutch Grand Prix, Edd Straw is joined by Mark Hughes and Ben Anderson to pick out 9 intriguing storylines to watch for over the latter part of 2024...Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/theraceFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Aug 202453min

We’ve got something a little bit different for you on this episode. Earlier this year, to mark the 40th anniversary of Prodrive, Edd Straw paid a visit to its Banbury HQ to interview its co-founder and chairman David Richards. Many F1 fans will remember Richards through his time with the Benetton and BAR F1 teams, and may know that he’s currently chairman of Motorsport UK. But he also came very close to bringing Prodrive - so successful in rallying, touring cars and sportscars - into F1 on two occasions. In fact, you could argue that Prodrive is the best team to never race in F1…We hope you enjoy Edd’s wide-ranging chat with David Richards, who has many a tale to tell about F1 in the 2000s and 2010s. Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/theraceFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Aug 202445min

Edd Straw is joined by Ben Anderson and Samarth Kanal to debate who should be regarded as F1’s most underrated driver. Earlier this year, we included that very question in The Race audience survey, and we’ll be discussing the results from that in this pod, as well as taking in more listener opinions from social media. Will Edd, Ben and Samarth agree with the survey results? What does underrated even mean? And which driver will earn the mantle of most underrated in F1? Listen in to find out…Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/theraceFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Aug 20241h 8min

It's time to grab the report cards once again as Scott Mitchell-Malm and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw to run the rule over every team on the F1 grid and grade them for their performance relative to expectations over the first 14 races of the 24-race 2023 season. Which high achievers will be getting an A and who will be bottom of the class with an F? Listen in to find out...Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/theraceFollow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTubeDownload our app on iOS or Android Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Aug 202455min