The Race F1 Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Is Verstappen right about F1 2026? Hill and Herbert's verdict Mar 01, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Tech Show: A racing revolution? Our tech preview to F1 2026 Feb 26, 2026

Show notes

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

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Has Honda ruined Alonso’s final F1 masterplan? Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Bahrain Testing Day 6: Our final verdict on every team’s pre-season Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Bahrain Testing Day 5: Ferrari showing promise - but will radical rear wing be a game-changer? Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Bahrain Testing Day 4: Upgraded Mercedes shows ominous form Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

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.

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One thing on every team's to-do list for the final pre-season test Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

We reveal every team’s top priority for the final three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain in the latest edition of The Race 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.

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When does clever thinking become cheating? - The Undercut with Damon Hill and Mark Hughes Feb 15, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Bahrain Testing Day 3: Does F1 have a safety problem with new rules? Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Bahrain Testing Day 2: What's behind Verstappen's 'anti-racing' rules comment? Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

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.

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