The Autosport F1 Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Rewind: 2001 Formula 1 Season - All The Reasons It Should Be Remembered Mar 24, 2021

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The 2001 Formula 1 season unveiled three shining lights who would take the challenge to Michael Schumacher – but also delivered a harsh lesson in F1’s cut-throat nature to the fourth member, Arrows driver Enrique Bernoldi. It’s a year which should be remembered for many reasons apart from exciting rookies, and today we look back. Kevin Turner (Chief Editor, Autosport) is joined by former Lola and McLaren designer and engineer Mark Williams, and James Newbold (Plus & Engineering Editor, Autosport)

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Can Sebastian Vettel Win Races With Aston Martin? Mar 23, 2021

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As F1 teams assemble in Bahrain, the countdown to the 2021 season is now being measured in hours, rather than days and weeks. Whilst much has been carried over from 2020 there are still plenty of unknowns. And one of those is how Aston Martin will go this year.
They recently unveiled their new branding, livery and a 4-time world champion driver in Sebastian Vettel, at a glitzy launch event.
The major talking points from today’s podcast:
•With Vettel coming into the team to replace Sergio Perez, can he get podiums this year? And can he win a race?
•We look at the car and ask if they have what it takes to overhaul other midfield teams to finish 3rd this year
•And if Lawrence Stroll is serious about his goal to be a championship contender, how will the team get there?
Autosport's Chief Editor Kevin Turner is joined by Autosport’s F1 Reporter Luke Smith, alongside Autosport’s Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas.

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Gerhard Berger on racing's future: "Fans want to see a car that's a challenge" Mar 23, 2021

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It is 30 years since Gerhard Berger was a team-mate in Formula 1 to Ayrton Senna at McLaren and today the Austrian is very active in motorsport as the boss of the DTM. The series has undergone a huge transformation this year, with a change of regulations to GT3. Berger is also overseeing an ambitious programme to create a 1,000 horsepower electric DTM car as one possible avenue for the future.
For this edition of #ThinkingForward, we spoke to the 10-time grand prix winner about his vision for the DTM and what he thinks of the direction of Formula 1.

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Bahrain Testing Day 3 - Why Red Bull's Pace Is The Real Deal Mar 14, 2021

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Formula 1's 2021 pre-season testing was a fast and furious three days in the desert. Unlike recent years with three different tests, or going back to further to unlimited testing, the last three days required an intense plan from the teams. Tyres, fuel loads and new aero parts all had to be evaluated in a vastly compressed time.. For McLaren, the only team moving engine partner, they had to assess their winter efforts to integrate a new Mercedes power unit.
So who were the winners and losers? We think Red Bull are a credible threat from the very start of the season unlike recent campaigns. Mercedes are not in dire straits but they never looked comfortable, whether that was a car which wasn't dialed in, to Hamilton making unforced errors.
Aston Martin had a tricky test and, whilst Vettel and Stroll are both upbeat, they would have loved more miles to understand the car. Surely Vettel's vast experience means he will have a good idea about the potential of the car, even if they couldn't deliver an ultimate lap time this week.
Your host Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) is joined by Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) and Jess McFadyen (Director of Digital Strategy, Motorsport Network).

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Murray Walker - A Personal Tribute From James Allen Mar 14, 2021

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Former broadcast colleague and now Motorsport Network president JAMES ALLEN explains what made Murray so special.
Murray Walker’s was a life extremely well-lived. He brought joy to tens of millions from Southend to Sydney and popularised the sport of motor racing for many generations.
But what made Murray Walker the person and the broadcasting legend that he was?
Fittingly for a man who was unique it was an exceptional combination of factors. First his heritage in the sport and passion for it. Like me, he was drawn in by a father who raced, in his case on motorbikes, and worked in the sport. He is known as the voice of F1, but Murray had a boundless enthusiasm for many racing categories and was equally at home providing the soundtrack to all of them.
You have to be committed to travel the world and put yourself out there, race after race, year after year and Murray was still properly into his late 70s, when the relentless travelling inevitably began to catch up with him.
Next was his ability to know what the audience wanted. That came from his long advertising career, where he made millions of consumers believe that ‘Trill makes budgies bounce with health’, or that ‘a Mars a day helps you work, rest and play’ among other slogans he either invented himself or oversaw as the account manager.
Broadcasters are, by definition, on ‘transmit’ all the time, but the best ones listen too. They know what messages and delivery styles cut through and resonate with the audience and Murray’s was as thorough and well curated an approach as you will find. His notes were meticulous; tiny, tidy writing on a pad he rested on top of a camera tripod case he placed directly between him and the TV Monitor. The product of hours of walking the pitlane and paddock, chatting to people.
He understood exactly what the British public loved about Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill and layered that into his commentary. He understood the mystique of Ferrari and how to express its triumphs and its failures.
He knew what made Juan Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark great because he’d seen them race with his own eyes and so he knew greatness when Michael Schumacher burst onto the scene. Schumacher had immense fondness for Murray and appreciated how he handled the narrative of the German duelling with the plucky Brit.
He brought to his commentary huge energy and emotion; he not only stood up to commentate, but was on the balls of his feet the whole time. He’s known for his ‘gaffes’ but they were an inevitable consequence of being permanently on the ragged edge, leaving no margin for error.
If he’d been a driver he’d have spun off frequently, like Mika Hakkinen at Monza that time, where Murray brilliantly channelled the drama and empathy of the moment and found the perfect words, as he so often did. He was always ‘in the moment’ and that is what you can hear in any of the clips you see on YouTube or Sky F1’s Classic Race re-runs.
We have heard since his sad passing at the age of 97 many stories of how he was so well respected. He could walk into any team garage or motorhome whenever he wanted, a privilege afforded to very few in F1. And this is true. But less well known is that he was just as much at home on the shop floor, with the mechanics and truckies, with whom he always spent time.
his came from his experiences in World War II when he was called up to serve in the Tank Regiment and became part of the force that swept through mainland Europe and brought the war to an end in 1945. Britain was very class ridden and hierarchical in those days and Murray didn’t care for people with aristocratic airs and graces.
Life in the barracks threw everyone in together and made everyone the same and Murray loved that. It also made him the man he was; he treated everyone the same whether you were Ayrton Senna or his gearbox man.
We could fill volumes with the stories about him and the anecdotes that he told. We travelled the world together for five years, I drove him from airport to hotel to race track and heard his countless stories, shared many great moments on air and was privileged to have had so much time with a man whose unique appeal you are seeing reflected now in the tributes to him.
He loved being Murray Walker and all that came with it and he would be pleased and proud with the send-off he is receiving.
A gentleman, a pioneer, an Everyman and an exceptional man. That was Murray Walker.

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Bahrain Testing Day 2 - Secrets Of A Grand Prix Photographer Mar 13, 2021

Show notes

For extended articles and analysis from the world of motorsport, become a Plus member and enjoy the very best we have to offer. New subscribers signing up today can use the promo code PODCAST during checkout to save 50% off their first payment.
Go to Autosport.com/plus and click ‘Sign In’ at the top of the page, then use promo code PODCAST for that 50% discount.
Mercedes Benz returned to the top of the time sheets but not without some drama for Lewis Hamilton. McLaren and Red Bull continue to look like they're having a strong test, despite the RB16B shedding its engine cover in a spectacular moment on the start/finish straight.
Plus today we're joined by a special guest from LAT Images . Steven Tee is LAT’s MD and Chief Photographer has attended well over 500 F1 Grands Prix since 1984, working with a multitude of publications, teams, drivers and sponsors along the way. Steven joins us live from Bahrain for an inside look at what it's like being in the pits for testing.
Your host Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) is joined by Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport)

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Bahrain Testing Day 1 - Autosport's Guide To The Winners and Losers Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

For extended articles and analysis from the world of motorsport, become a Plus member and enjoy the very best we have to offer. New subscribers signing up today can use the promo code PODCAST during checkout to save 50% off their first payment.
Go to Autosport.com/plus and click ‘Sign In’ at the top of the page, then use promo code PODCAST for that 50% discount.
Today was the first day of Pre Season Testing for the 2021 Formula 1 season. And it was a very sandy day in the desert at the Bahrain International Circuit. Red Bull and McLaren will be going back to their hotels the happiest, whilst Mercedes suffered a blow to their bulletproof image.
Your host is Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) is joined by Jonathan Noble (F1 Editor, Motorsport.com) to analyse today's running.

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How Ferrari Will Recover From Its Nightmare Season Mar 09, 2021

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Welcome to our latest episode, a dedicated look at the cover feature topic for this week's Autosport magazine, Ferrari's quest to recover from its nightmare 2020 season.
This time 12 months ago, Ferrari was preparing to leave the soon-to-be abandoned Australian Grand Prix under a considerable cloud. Its F1000 car had an extreme aerodynamic design to try and increase the number of places where its package was competitive.
When winter testing got underway, it was quickly evident that there was something seriously wrong. The Ferrari powered cars languished in the speed trap classification at Barcelona, and in the final minutes of preseason testing, it became clear why the FIA communicated its famous settlement agreement regarding the controversial 2019 power unit.
Ferrari suddenly lacked power and its new era philosophy created large amounts of drag. So even when the delayed 2020 season finally got underway, Ferrari knew it was in for a tough campaign.
However the 2021 season has started with positivity as Ferrari held its team launch introducing new hire Carlos Sainz, Jr, who replaces Sebastian Vettel, and its new SF21 machine will be unveiled later this week.
To discuss how Ferrari hopes to do better with that car in 2021, what challenges it still faces and also have a look back at some of the best cars that he has produced in Formula One, we're joined by two special guests, Kevin Turner (Chief Editor, Autosport) and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport). Your host is Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport)

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F1 News: Mercedes and Alpine 2021 Car Launches Mar 03, 2021

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F1 2021 - Karun Chandhok Answers The Big Questions Mar 01, 2021

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Karun Chandhok is your guide to the key issues this season. He answers your questions like:
Can anyone stop the Mercedes steamroller?
Should Hamilton retire at the end of 2021?
Why was Perez the right choice for Red Bull?
What does the future hold for Alex Albon?
Can Carlos Sainz Jr thrive at Ferrari?
What's the ideal amount of races in a Formula 1 season?

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