The Race F1 Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Tech Show: CFD pioneer Nick Wirth on solving real world problems with F1 knowledge Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

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.com

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!

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EXCLUSIVE: Stefano Domenicali answers your questions about the future of F1 Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

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!

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Bring Back V10s: Fisichella's dream Renault start at Australia 2005 Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

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!

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What's gone wrong for Hamilton at Ferrari? Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

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!

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Hungarian GP: Did McLaren stitch up Piastri strategically? Aug 03, 2025

Show notes

Edd Straw, Jon Noble and Josh Suttill convene in Budapest to unpack the Hungarian Grand Prix, which was won by McLaren's Lando Norris after he held off charging team-mate Oscar Piastri in the closing stages. But why did Norris end up on the winning one-stop strategy, and why did Charles Leclerc’s victory chances evaporate after leading the first stint? Those are among the questions answered in today's podcast, which also tackles the usual host of questions sent in by listeners in The Race Members' Club.

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!

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Bring Back V10s: McLaren’s 1994 nightmare with Peugeot Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

McLaren’s single season with Peugeot in F1 goes down as a year to forget in the team’s great history. But even though the short-lived alliance didn’t enjoy much success, there was plenty going on to make it worth the Bring Back V10s treatment.

Glenn Freeman, Ben Anderson, and Edd Straw revisit how McLaren tried to adapt to life after Ayrton Senna, and how it nearly coaxed his great rival Alain Prost out or retirement to spearhead its new era. We also dive into Martin Brundle’s gamble to land the seat Prost rejected.

We couldn’t possibly dig into every Peugeot engine failure from that season, but we do stop off along the way at the most famous ones, and look at the fallout behind the scenes after Brundle’s car burst into flames at the start of the British GP.

We then get into how quickly the relationship fell apart, with McLaren finding a way out of its Peugeot deal to link up with Mercedes for 1995, to the benefit of Jordan.

Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial 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!

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Verstappen going nowhere - but what about 2027? Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

With Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing release clause now unable to be triggered, we discuss the implications on the driver market in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast.

Scott Mitchell-Malm and Josh Suttill join Edd Straw in Budapest to ask if this means the Verstappen to Mercedes talk can be put to bed for now, or if the focus now shifts to 2027.

We also discuss the impact on Mercedes, with George Russell’s continued stay at the team now seemingly assured and Kimi Antonelli having a difficult time in recent races.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is also previewed before we tackle listener questions on topics ranging from Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto to Lewis Hamilton and Pirelli tyres.

Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial 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!

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Tech Show: Can F1’s problems with wet weather running be solved? Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

On this week's episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson reflect on the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix, and whether anything can be done to solve F1's current problems with cars running in severe wet weather.

After that, Edd and Gary discuss whether Ferrari has really turned a corner with its suspension upgrade, and whether Gary would have appreciated the feedback documents Lewis Hamilton has been creating and sending to colleagues at Ferrari.

And finally, Gary tackles another batch of questions sent in by listeners, covering topics including dampers, materials science, driver weight, tyre changes and the point of TPC running.

Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial 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!

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Belgian GP: How Piastri recaptured the initiative in McLaren title battle Jul 27, 2025

Show notes

Mark Hughes and Scott Mitchell-Malm join Edd Straw from a soggy Spa to unpick the Belgian Grand Prix, in which Oscar Piastri held on to take a delayed and tense victory. But should Lando Norris have made more of his inspired hard-tyre call, and might he have threatened for victory but for a couple of errors during the chase, or did his McLaren team-mate always have it under control? We answer those questions, as well as taking an in-depth look at all the other major talking points from the race weekend in Belgium.

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Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial 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.

Bring Back V10s: Montoya's final Williams win at Brazil 2004 Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

Juan Pablo Montoya and Williams brought their rollercoaster relationship to a close with a memorable victory at the 2004 season finale in Brazil, where Montoya beat his future McLaren team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in a tense battle.

Glenn Freeman is joined by Jon Noble and Ben Anderson to look back on a weekend where dominant 2004 champion Michael Schumacher was a surprising non-factor, and Montoya was able to salvage something from a tough season for Williams.

Off-track, we look at David Coulthard's bid to get a drive with Williams, and why the team was also looking at bringing his old McLaren team-mate Mika Hakkinen out of retirement. Plus we revisit how Eddie Jordan realised he was reaching the end of the road in F1 as a team owner.

There's plenty of F1 politics, with new rules announced for 2005 and 2006 (including the banning of V10s!), and another dispute where the entire grid seemed to be united against Ferrari.

And we couldn't possibly talk about the end of 2004 without paying homage to 'Donkey Does F1', looking at how an inflatable donkey probably became F1's first viral character!

Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial 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.

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