The Race F1 Podcast

Edd Straw is joined by Jon Noble, in Melbourne, and Scott Mitchell-Malm to unpick the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The big talking point heading into the race was the nature of the racing under the new regulations - so what did the guys make of what they saw on Sunday? And would Charles Leclerc and Ferrari have been able to stop George Russell leading home a Mercedes one-two had different strategic decisions been made? We tackle those topics and more, plus answer the first batch of your questions about everything that happened in Round 1 of 2026. Want bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and get 90% off your first month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

F1 heads into its season-opener in Australia with the usual excitement tempered by trepidation about what impact the new regulations - and in particular the energy-starved power units - might have on the racing. So how will the on-track action play out this year, and will we really see chaos during qualifying and at race starts? And if the racing does fall flat, will panic set in? In our second and final pre-season episode, Edd Straw is joined by Ben Anderson and Glenn Freeman to debate those questions and more... Want bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and get 90% off your first month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

George Russell heads into the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as world championship favourite. But are he and Mercedes really up to the challenge, and will it be Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc or someone else who emerges as his main rival? In the first episode of our two-part F1 2026 season preview, Edd Straw is joined by Ben Anderson and Glenn Freeman to look at the drivers who should be vying for race wins, the dark horses who could surprise, those with something to prove, and those heading into the season under maximum pressure to perform. Want bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and get 90% off your first month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Max Verstappen has been incredibly critical of the direction F1 has taken with its 2026 rules - but does he have a point? Is F1 still F1? That's the key topic of conversation in the latest episode of Stay On Track, in which 1996 world champion Damon Hill and three-time grand prix winner Johnny Herbert look ahead to the season-opening race in Australia and contemplate what we can expect from the racing in this new era of F1. They also discuss whether they'd have liked to have driven these cars, speculate on how the team-mate battles might play out in the 'big four' teams, and pick a winner for the first race based on what they saw in testing. Want bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and get 90% off your first month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Race F1 Tech Show returns, with Edd Straw and legendary former F1 technical director Gary Anderson discussing all the big tech talking points heading into 2026. Gary gives his assessment of each team heading into the new season, plus shares his thoughts on the new power units, deployment regimes, energy harvesting, the start sequence and more. He also answers questions from listeners on bargeboards (or should that be floorboards?), the loss of the MGU-H, the weight limit, and lift wings vs downforce wings. If you'd like to ask Gary a question, you can send it to podcasts@the-race.com Want bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and get 90% off your first month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The combination of Fernando Alonso, Adrian Newey and works Honda engines was meant to be the stuff of dreams for Aston Martin, but in testing the combination looked in big trouble and facing an extremely tough start to 2026 at the very least. So has Alonso's last chance to win again in F1 already slipped away, and if so what does that mean for the 44-year-old's future? Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell-Malm and Jon Noble to discuss the prospects of the Spaniard and his Aston Martin team, including where things have gone wrong, how much Honda are to blame, and what the recovery plan might look like. Want bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and get 90% off your first month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ferrari ended testing on top courtesy of a Charles Leclerc flyer at the end of the final day of running in Bahrain. But who is really the pace-setter heading to Melbourne, and how did Aston Martin somehow manage to have its worst day yet of a nightmare pre-season? Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell-Malm and Samarth Kanal to answer those questions and sum up each team's start to 2026. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ferrari was talk of the paddock on the penultimate day of pre-season testing in Bahrain with its 'upside-down' rear wing. So what’s that design about and is it legal? And just how strong is the Prancing Horse looking in terms of performance? Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell-Malm, with special contributions from technical expert Gary Anderson, to answer those questions, and get into the other big talking points from Thursday, which included the teams partaking in lower power trials. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was George Russell in the upgraded Mercedes on top on the first day of the final Bahrain pre-season test as the lap times continued to drop. But what impact could the looming compression ratio saga resolution have on it, and how did the experimental start procedure trialled at the end of the day play out? Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell-Malm to review another gripping day of running, and run the rule over every team on track. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We reveal every team’s top priority for the final three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain in the latest edition of The Racing F1 Podcast. Scott Mitchell-Malm and Samarth Kanal join Edd Straw to work through the 11 teams and what we need to see from them to be sure they are in the best possible place for the start of the season. We discuss the off-track challenge for Mercedes, McLaren’s game of catch-up and Ferrari’s need to build on promising signs. The impressive start made by the Red Bull Powertrains engine, and how Racing Bulls appears to be struggling to make the most of it is also tackled, along with the form of fellow newcomer Audi. And the struggles of Aston Martin are again in the spotlight. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in F1 have long talked about finding ‘the unfair advantage’, but sometimes the line between clever thinking and outright cheating is not easy to see - as Damon Hill and Mark Hughes discuss on the latest episode of The Undercut. The engine compression saga that’s engulfed F1 ahead of the 2026 season is the latest scenario where a team looks to have found a loophole in the F1 regulations - but should Mercedes be congratulated for what is undoubtedly clever engineering or should the FIA always look to curb any advantage that could be said to go against the spirit of the regulations? Mark and Damon discuss this and other 'grey area' scenarios in what is a typically wide-ranging and free-flowing conversation. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell ended up with a one-two on the timesheets at the end of the Bahrain test. But with the top teams falling over themselves to declare each other the frontrunner, who is really on top at the conclusion of three days of running? And how seriously should F1 take Andrea Stella’s safety warnings? Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell-Malm and Jon Noble to discuss both of those questions, and reflect on three days of running that left us with as many questions as answers. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 2 of F1 testing in Bahrain was dominated by Max Verstappen’s comments about the 2026 regulations - but what’s prompted him to call them “not very Formula 1-like", "anti-racing" and more like "Formula E on steroids”? Dutch F1 commentator Nelson Valkenburg, of Viaplay Netherlands, joins Edd Straw to give his verdict on Max’s comments, and talk through all the rest of the big stories from the day, including Ferrari’s pace and Mercedes’ struggles. Also in this episode, Scott Mitchell-Malm reports back on Aston Martin’s progress after Lance Stroll claimed the team’s new car was up to four and a half seconds off the leading teams, and Jon Noble checks in to discuss the story he broke on Thursday about a potential change to the F1 start procedure that was blocked by Ferrari. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Edd Straw and Jon Noble as they discuss all of the big stories from Day 1 of F1 testing in Bahrain, including Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s assertion that the Red Bull is the benchmark car. Edd and Jon also provide some trackside observations of watching the new cars in action, and reflect on Lewis Hamilton’s comments about the new regulations. They also provide an update on every team’s progress on the first day of running. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s day 1 of the Bahrain test, and as a special bonus, we’re making our first In-Car Insights podcast of the week - a podcast series usually only available to The Race Members' Club - free for everyone to listen to. Our In-Car Insights series is a hugely popular staple of our grand prix weekend output for members, and features the likes of Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell-Malm and Jon Noble discussing the day's news and events as they travel from the circuit back to their hotel. In this episode, join Edd, Scott and Jon in the car as they head to the Sakhir circuit and delve into everything they're looking for on the first day of the first proper F1 2026 test, and marvel at Edd's management of fuel economy and traffic challenges too. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

F1 launch season has reached its conclusion with Aston Martin and McLaren holding online launches and Cadillac revealing its livery in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Jon Noble was in Saudi Arabia for the Aston launch, and he tells Edd Straw what he learned and why some of the language coming from the likes of Adrian Newey and Fernando Alonso suggests the team won't be at the sharp end of the grid in 2026 - at least to begin with. There's also chat about McLaren's launch, the latest on the engine compression saga, and our thoughts on Cadillac's expensive TV commercial and interesting split livery concept. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With F1 pre-season in full swing, Damon and Johnny return with another episode of Stay On Track, and this time they’re discussing car launches and testing from a driver’s perspective. They share some weird and wacky stories from their own careers, including the time Damon was almost sacked during a car launch and the time Johnny inadvertently found himself part of a space opera! They also discuss how testing has changed over the years, and debate whether the current restrictions on testing have limited opportunities for drivers to experiment with new driving techniques - something that could be a big factor this year, with the new regulations… Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

F1 has all-new cars in 2026, but how will they change the racing we see on track? That's the big question tackled in this episode of The Race F1 Podcast, as Edd Straw, Scott-Mitchell-Malm and Dutch F1 commentator Nelson Valkenburg, of Viaplay Netherlands, attempt to unpick what we've learned from the limited driver and team feedback we've heard so far. How big is the driving challenge, and has it gone too far in the direction of energy management over pure driving? And will one type of driver excel compared to another? Those are some of the topics tackled, before talk turns to the latest on Williams' delayed start to 2026, what to make of the latest comments from Adrian Newey about Aston Martin starting four months behind the curve, and why Jack Doohan has landed a role as Haas reserve driver. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that almost all of the 2026 cars have broken cover, we take an in-depth look at the technical and design trends that have stood out so far in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast. Ex-F1 technical director Gary Anderson and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw to work through the key areas and explain the various design choices taken by teams. We take a close look at the approach to active aero, in particular the choices made by teams like Mercedes only to adjust one element of the front wing. The sidepod designs and bargeboard details at the front of the floor are also delved into, as a well as a look at the bold suspension geometries chosen by teams - particularly Aston Martin. We also ask why the Racing Bulls airbox intake is so massive, and what the reason is for the slots in at the back of the floor leading into the diffuser on some cars. Finally, we pick out the best and worst performers from testing, and nominate the most interesting, and most concerning, of the 2026 cars. Fill out a quick survey about your podcast habits by going to theathletic.com/survey26 and you could win $/£100 worth of Amazon vouchers Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aston Martin dominated the headlines in the final part of the Barcelona shakedown test when its aggressive Adrian Newey creation broke cover, while Lewis Hamilton ended the five days of running with the fastest time for Ferrari. But does the Aston Martin’s speed match its looks, and is Mercedes really the team in front? On this episode of The Race F1 Podcast, Edd Straw is joined by Jon Noble and Scott Mitchell-Malm to mull over these questions, and cast an eye over the progress of each of the teams that ran in Spain this week. Fill out a quick survey about your podcast habits by going to theathletic.com/survey26 and you could win $/£100 worth of Amazon vouchers Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.