The Race F1 Tech Show

Latest Episodes:

Mercedes' ongoing struggles with heat + a floor breakthrough for Ferrari? Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

On the latest episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, host Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson take a closer look at two of the big tech stories coming out of the Austrian Grand Prix.

The first is Mercedes' ongoing struggle to extract performance in high ambient temperatures, with George Russell finishing over a minute down on the race winner at the Red Bull Ring having won commandingly in Canada two weeks earlier.

The second is the potential breakthrough Ferrari have made with its upgraded floor. Edd and Gary discuss the changes and ask whether a genuine step forward has been made, and whether upcoming changes to the rear suspension of the SF-25 should bring a further performance step.

And as ever the episode is rounded out with Gary answering tech questions sent in by listeners. This time the subjects covered include whether teams can measure brake pressure and whether anti-dive is adjustable or not.

Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com

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What does losing '20 points of downforce' really mean? Plus, McLaren's new suspension analysed Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

On the latest episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson discuss what losing '20 points of downforce' really means, after Lewis Hamilton suffered that fate in Canada, when his Ferrari collided with an unfortunate marmot.

There's also chat about the revised suspension geometry on Lando Norris's McLaren in Montreal, including what the team hope to accomplish with the change, and why Norris's team-mate Oscar Piastri didn't (and may not ever) run it.

And finally, in the regular 'Ask Gary' section, our tech chief answers questions on tyre warm up, the increasing complexity of aero shapes, and the idea of forcing teams to reveal design secrets...

Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com

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Why didn't the flexi-wing directive shake up the order? Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

With the technical directive reducing the permitted flexibility of the front wings the big talking point of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, why didn’t it shake up the competitive order as some hoped?

Former F1 technical director Gary Anderson explains that, and the reasons why he always expected the effects to be more subtle, as he looks back at the big technical stories from the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

That includes a look at the steel skid block tests run in Friday practice and the potential impact of the change from titanium for selected races. And whether it makes sense to make such a change given the alternative means to reduce the chance of grass fires ignited by sparks.

Host Edd Straw also fires listener questions to Gary on a variety of topics, including active suspension, core versus surface tyre temperature and the Venturi effect.

Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com

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Red Bull's resurgence + The intriguing strategic variables for Monaco May 22, 2025

Show notes

On the latest episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, host Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson look back on Imola and ahead to Monaco.

First, they discuss how Red Bull turned the tables on McLaren at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, asking whether this was a track-specific change in the pecking order, or whether Red Bull have made a significant step forward.

Next, Edd and Gary turn their attention to Monaco, looking at the specific setup that the street track demands and then the debating how the teams will approach race strategy, with two pit stops mandatory for every driver in this year's race.

And as usual, the final part of the podcast is dedicated to Gary answering tech questions sent in by listeners. This week the selection includes questions on gears, pitstops, underbody aerodynamics, and track evolution.

Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com

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Explaining the one weakness in McLaren's dominant race-winning car May 08, 2025

Show notes

With five wins from a possible six in 2025 (plus another victory in the Miami sprint), you might be forgiven for thinking McLaren’s MCL39 is without fault. But listen to drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and its clear the car isn’t always perfect to drive, - especially in qualifying trim, and on this podcast host Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson look at the reasons for that.

Following that, we’ve been inundated with tech questions from listeners recently, so the rest of the podcast is dedicated to answering them. As ever, it’s an interesting and varied selection, with questions on dirty air, engine modes, brake callipers, visor tear offs, and Lewis Hamilton's current struggles improving with the change of formula for 2026.

Want to ask Gary a question? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com

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F1’s 2026 engine drama - What’s going on? Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

On the latest episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson take a look at the current drama surrounding F1’s 2026 engine regulations, with stakeholders discussing significant changes to the rules aimed at heading off fears about cars repeatedly running out of energy.

Do these changes suggest the rule direction was wrong in the first place, or are there other factors at play?

Before that, Gary muses on Lewis Hamilton’s current predicament at Ferrari, and suggests the setup direction he’d push the seven-time world champion in if he was in Ferrari’s engineering team.

And finally, the episode is rounded out with four excellent questions from listeners, which cover dirty air, how car liveries are applied, Max Verstappen’s recent upshift issue, and whether Renault might be tempted back into the power unit game, should F1 revert to V10 engines one day.

If you'd like to ask Gary a tech question, email podcasts@the-race.com

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How Red Bull managed to win in Suzuka with a tricky car Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

We talk with Gary about Red Bull’s troubles and how it managed to win with a tricky car that took a long time to troubleshoot at Suzuka, and tackle your questions on the minimum weight limit, design drawings and airbox intakes. And with tyre weight a big talking point of late, we discuss whether or not the wheels should be excluded from minimum wight tests.

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Ferrari's Chinese GP blunder - The mistakes that led to its double DSQ Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

Ferrari's Chinese Grand Prix weekend fell apart in embarrassing fashion when, after Lewis Hamilton's fine sprint race win on Saturday, both the Briton and team-mate Charles Leclerc were disqualified from Sunday's Grand Prix for excessive skid wear and an underweight car respectively. But how did one of F1's biggest hitting teams find itself in such a position?

That's the key question answered by former F1 technical director Gary Anderson in this episode of The Race F1 Tech Show.

Alongside host Edd Straw, Gary also takes a close look at how the rest of the big four teams' cars have performed over the first two races, plus he answers four tech questions sent in by listeners covering underbody airflow, front wing slot gaps, and more.

If you've got an F1 tech question you'd like answering on the show, send it to podcasts@the-race.com

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2025 F1 Tech Preview: Comparing the 'Big 4' car concepts + Answering your questions Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

The new season of The Race F1 Tech Show kicks off with a look Formula 1’s big four and the directions they have taken with their 2025 cars.

Ex-Jordan, Stewart and Jaguar technical director Gary Anderson joins host Edd Straw to run the rule over the top cars based on what we’ve seen during launch season and testing.

There’s plenty of chat about the suspension geometry, with anti-dive levels a major talking point, as well as the areas of similarity and difference between Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.

We also answer questions from The Race Members’ Club, which covers a wide range of topics from whet Ferrari’s level of anti-dive is helping new signing Lewis Hamilton to McLaren’s rear instability, and from the suitability of the Bahrain track for testing to Red Bull’s geometry.

There’s also questions about whether the the practical performance limit under the current regulations is being hit, and the argument for opening up testing now that there’s a cost cap in place.

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Tech review of 2024: Gary answers your questions Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

On the final episode of The Race F1 Tech Show for 2024, host Edd Straw helps former F1 technical director Gary Anderson navigate through a bumper batch of questions from listeners.

Included are questions on whether a loss of platform control was the reason behind Red Bull’s dip in dominance, whether there’s evidence that the windtunnel restrictions are what’s keeping the field close, why Mercedes looked strong in cool temperatures and weak in warmer climates, whether Fernando Alonso should be considered a poor development driver, why Alpine’s performance surged in the second half of the season, and much, much more.

A big thanks to all of you for listening to the show in 2024. Edd and Gary will be back next year with more technical focused F1 chat. If you’d like to send a question ahead of time, you can reach us on podcasts@the-race.com

The Race F1 Podcast is doing two live shows in January! Get your tickets today:

London on 16th January - https://podlifeevents.com/event-details/the-race-f1-podcast-live-from-london-16th-jan-2025-tickets

Birmingham on 17th January - https://podlifeevents.com/event-details/the-race-f1-podcast-live-from-birmingham-17th-jan-2025-tickets

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