Re-writing papaya rules: We fix McLaren's rules of engagement

We answer your questions in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast, starting with Cadillac’s plan to sign both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Scott Mitchell-Malm and Jon Noble join Edd Straw to sift through questions submitted by The Race Members’ Club, starting off with one about the driver line-up of F1’s newest team. We also discuss the expectations for Cadillac’s first season and whether Christian Horner could turn up there, before moving onto a wide range of topics starting with what the big news stories of the second half of the year might be. The chances of Carlos Sainz returning to Ferrari, Franco Colapinto’s future and whether F1 cars really have “baked-in characteristics” are then tackled. What Alpine needs to do to restore credibility, the decision to hold the first pre-season test of 2026 behind closed doors and the size of the rulebook are also among the discussion points we hit. Want bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Aug 54min

Bring Back V10s heads back to 1993 for the final regular episode of Season 12, with an in-depth look at that year's Monaco Grand Prix, which proved a historic one for Ayrton Senna as he took a record-breaking sixth victory in the Principality.Glenn Freeman is joined by Andrew van de Burgt and 1993 apologist Edd Straw to look back on the big off-track stories making headlines leading into the weekend and the key on-track moments in the race, including a controversial jump-start penalty for Alain Prost, an unlucky retirement for Michael Schumacher, and a wild moment featuring Gerhard Berger, Damon Hill and Michael Andretti. Plus, Glenn, Andrew and Edd discuss whether Senna's record-breaking victory was actually the worst of his six wins in Monaco.Want bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Aug 1h 16min

We look ahead to Formula 1’s new rules world in 2026 in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast. Samarth Kanal and Jon Noble join Edd Straw to explain the challenges of the all-new cars and the expected impact on the racing - and whether fans should be encouraged or worried by what might happen. We delve into the way the new power units will work and what they might mean for the competitive order. The driving styles and potential for an offset between qualifying and race pace are also tackled. And the big question of who might thrive or flounder under the new rules is also taken on as the debut of the new cars fast approaches. Want bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Aug 49min

Bring Back V10s goes 'Hybrid' for the second time in its history, heading back to the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix where Sebastian Vettel took his first win for Ferrari, and inflicted Mercedes' first proper defeat of the hybrid era by beating Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in a straight fight.Glenn Freeman is joined by Ben Anderson and Edd Straw, who were both at Sepang that weekend, to look back on why Ferrari had the upper hand on Mercedes in race trim, and if Mercedes' cautious approach to race strategy and fairness between its two drivers worked against it.We also reflect extensively on McLaren's miserable start to its second stint with Honda, and Fernando Alonso's mysterious pre-season testing crash which had ruled him out of the season-opener in Australia.Plus there's plenty of talk about Red Bull-Renault's 2015 troubles, with both parties claiming they were considering their futures in F1 off the back of such a tough ride in the early part of the hybrid era.Want bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Aug 1h 27min

Edd Straw interviews Nick Wirth, founder of Wirth Research, about how his company is using CFD technology sharpened over his decades in motorsport to tackle wider-world problems. Wirth, boss of the Simtek team that raced in F1 in 1994-95, who also had stints with Benetton and Virgin, has long been an evangelist for the power of CFD.He offers some characteristically strong opinions on why it should have replaced the use of windtunnels in F1, as well as explaining the ever-growing potential of the technology. We also get Gary Anderson’s insight on windtunnel research versus CFD aero testing, as well as answering your questions on calculations, the cost of manufacturing parts, the plank and Ferrari’s troubles.Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.comWant bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Aug 1h 2min

In an exclusive interview for a very special episode of The Race F1 podcast, we put YOUR questions to Formula 1 chairman and CEO Stefano Domenicali about the future of grand prix racing.Listen in as Edd Straw, accompanied by Jon Noble, pose a range of questions submitted by the Members' Club to Domenicali, with the topics including 2026's big rules shake-up, power unit regulations, sprint races, the F1 calendar, and the fan experience.If you enjoy this episode and want to hear more, Edd and Jon will be reconvening soon to answer as many of the questions we couldn't get to with Domenicali, in another Members-only podcast. Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Aug 32min

The 2005 F1 season marked the beginning of a new era, as Ferrari's run of consecutive championships with Michael Schumacher was about to come to an end.And that was evident from the beginning of the year, when Renault got off to a dream start with Giancarlo Fisichella easily winning from pole position, and Fernando Alonso charging through from a lowly grid position to almost complete a one-two.Meanwhile Schumacher was a high-profile victim of changeable weather on F1's first aggregate qualifying weekend, and his race ended with a clumsy collision with new Williams driver Nick Heidfeld.Glenn Freeman is joined by Matt Beer and Mark Hughes to look back at the start of the 2005 season, with a race that won a members poll on Patreon by just two votes!Off-track, the big topics were how Ferrari would get on starting the year with an updated 2004 car, how Bridgestone and Michelin felt about in-race tyre changes being outlawed, and Minardi's war with the FIA that featured an in-weekend court case, and the entirety of international events in Australia coming under threat!There's also Red Bull's impressive F1 debut, BAR's cheeky intentional double retirement, Williams starting rumours about BMW and Sauber, and how Eddie Jordan found his first race weekend after selling his team and no longer being part of the paddock.Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Aug 1h 3min

We ask why Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has so far fallen short of expectations in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast. Mark Hughes and Scott Mitchell-Malm join Edd Straw to discuss the fallout from Hamilton’s struggles during the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the comments he made during the weekend, have led. We tackle questions from The Race Members’ Club about whether Hamilton’s form is beginning to be untenable and how he bounced back from such a difficult weekend, as well as on the question of if retirement is an option. The question of who Ferrari might hypothetically look to if Hamilton were to walk away is also tackled, along with if it was wrong to replace Carlos Sainz in the first place. There’s also questions about Charles Leclerc’s future, Sauber’s trajectory, Red Bull’s driver plans and more.Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Aug 45min