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Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes
Behind the scenes of the F1 stories that really matter: Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas analyse the latest news
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42. 'Bulldogs in the car' - How can Ferrari control Hamilton & Leclerc?
51:46||Season 1, Ep. 42Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Fred Vasseur has already given Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a dressing down for banging wheels in Monza. Now he needs to step up the consequences, says Mark Hughes in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show.Battling for the lead in Mexico cost Ferrari a likely 1-2 finish; it's a situation that the team can't tolerate as it looks to carry its from through to a championship challenge in 2027."You can't put two bulldogs in the car and expect them to behave like puppies," says Mark as he and and Bryn Lucas discuss the difficulty Vasseur faces and look at the extreme measures that Mercedes took to cool the friction: should Hamilton and Leclerc have to pay for any crash damage they cause or would Ferrari work better with one lead driver and a slower wingman?At Mercedes, Toto Wolff believes he has a different approach with Kimi Antonelli ushering in a new era where there's no longer a win-at-all costs mentality. Can F1 drivers really be coaxed into playing the team game? A sceptical Mark gives his view and looks ahead to how much Antonelli can achieve in his career after being crowned the youngest world champion.There's also discussion of Esteban Ocon's future; F1's artificial 'speed limit' that was exposed in Mexico; and an examination of Colton Herta's claim for an F1 seat.Plus: your questions answered on how the new regulations have helped Antonelli, and why flexing bodywork has dropped off the agenda.Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4yWLWL7 and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4yWLWL7
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41. 'Devastating blow' - Why Kimi Antonelli is giving George Russell a nightmare
55:26||Season 1, Ep. 41Kimi Antonelli is on the brink of becoming Formula 1 world champion - but what made his Austin Grand Prix performance so impressive, and what does it mean for George Russell? Mark Hughes joins Bryn Lucas to look back at the US GP, assess the championship picture and look ahead to the Mexican Grand Prix.Mark explains why Russell may be finding life alongside Antonelli so difficult, picks out the young Italian’s most impressive performance of the season, and assesses the technical factors behind Ferrari’s struggles and Red Bull’s resurgence.The conversation also turns to F1’s growing popularity in the United States, Isack Hadjar’s fiery temperament, Fernando Alonso’s criticism of the backmarkers, and Valtteri Bottas’s future at Cadillac.Plus, Mark discusses the uncertainty surrounding the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, explains why the order of any cancellation matters financially, and answers your questions on the FIA’s cost-cap controls and why following other cars tends to get harder as a regulation cycle progresses
40. Antonelli: what marked him out as an F1 megastar
48:33||Season 1, Ep. 40Kimi Antonelli has his first chance to claim this year’s Formula 1 title in Austin this weekend and become the youngest-ever world champion in history - by some margin.It’s an extraordinary story for a driver who began his second grand prix season as a teenager but, as Mark Hughes tells Bryn Lucas, it was entirely predictable: Antonelli looked destined to be a megastar before he even arrived in F1.We look at what made him so obviously special from a young age, and what his chances are of winning at Circuit of the Americas against a resurgent Red Bull and ever-threatening Ferrari.Antonelli needs a victory (and lowly finishes for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell) to claim the title in Austin, but if he doesn’t manage to clinch it on Sunday, the 20-year-old has such a lead in the title race that it’s only a matter of time before he’s crowned.Mark also considers Haas's signing of Rafael Camara and gives his view on the highlights of Christian Horner's autobiography: what does it tell us and is it worth buying?Plus: your questions answered on McLaren's Singapore clash; the upsides of 2026 power units; and whether Racing Bulls is allowed to be faster than Red Bull.Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/3UfEaxw and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/3UfEaxw
39. Ferrari F1 comms blunders: 'Hamilton asked a really easy question!'
56:34||Season 1, Ep. 39Why couldn't Lewis Hamilton get a clear answer to an "easy question" that could have prevented him from pursuing a disastrous strategy at the Singapore Grand Prix?Ferrari's communication issues date back to the days of Sebastian Vettel and show no signs of being resolved. Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas explain what it is about the team that means it can't convey clear messages, leading to untrusting drivers, bad decisions and missed opportunities.They discuss whether Red Bull has got its mojo back. After criticism from former team boss Christian Horner, Max Verstappen has won two grands prix – plus the Singapore sprint. Is Mercedes now on the back foot?It raises the question of who would win in a straight fight between Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, and whether the Red Bull driver is even more formidable without a title fight to worry about.We also answer your questions on some team's mysterious rear wing triangles and whether Ferrari bosses are legally obliged to interfere with the running of its F1 team.Plus: Mark's take on the news that F1 will return to Africa with a grand prix in Rwanda.Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4dYtLgH and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4dYtLgH
38. Is this the secret behind Max Verstappen's F1 win?
56:45||Season 1, Ep. 38Max Verstappen wins in Malaysia, Red Bull's rough-track advantage, and a restart that took two hours: Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas look back on the Sepang Grand Prix and ahead to Singapore.This week, Mark explains why Verstappen's first win of the season came in the fastest car on the grid, and why Fernando Alonso's eighth place was the drive that impressed him most.Mark also explains how a rough track surface changes a car's underbody aerodynamics, and why that may have helped Red Bull.They discuss Lewis Hamilton's slicks gamble, Mercedes' upgrade that nobody can quite judge, and what George Russell should do with the rest of 2026, including whether he could ever play Rosberg-style mind games with Kimi Antonelli.They also cover Rafael Camara's likely move to Haas, Red Bull Powertrains' win in its first season, and the software glitch that stalled cars on the grid and left everyone arguing over whether they should keep their places.There are viewer questions on tyre graining and McLaren's gearing, plus a look at who could be quick in Singapore and what the haze might do to the cars.
37. Ferrari's next boss? Horner's one demand
51:05||Season 1, Ep. 37Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas discuss the latest speculation and Mark's latest column on what would happen if Horner took charge at Maranello, what level of control he would demand, and whether Ferrari's senior management is brave enough to give it to him.Horner also says Red Bull has lost its mojo since he left. Does he have a point?Then it's on to a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.Why did Charles Leclerc avoid a grid penalty after all? How did George Russell and Max Verstappen produce such a thrilling finish? Should Laurent Mekies have swapped Isack Hadjar and Verstappen? And should Franco Colapinto have been punished for his turn one clash?Your questions are answered too, on the cost cap and off-season simulator work, before a preview of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
36. Can Charles Leclerc win from the back in Baku?
53:00||Season 1, Ep. 36Charles Leclerc is dynamite in Baku: he started in pole position for four years in a row and is regularly the fastest on track in the race. But he's never won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.He's expected to start at the back of the grid on Saturday due to engine penalties so it doesn't look like he'll win in 2026... or could he?Just as Max Verstappen battled past 100 karts in a showcase race erlier this month, now Leclerc faces his own F1 challenge to overtake every rival driver to claim an unlikely win for the Leclerc/Ferrari combination that has often been the fastest in Baku."Game on!" says Mark Hughes as he delves into what makes Leclerc so quick on this circuit, and assess his chances of victory.He and Bryn Lucas also explore why Baku is often the scene of unlikely and inexplicable F1 dramas; whether McLaren can challenge Mercedes, and why there's plenty to watch for, even if Kimi Antonelli looks destined to win the title.There's a look ahead at the 2027 F1 calendar and the prospect of F1 drivers racing at Le Mans, which no longer clashes with a grand prix weekend. Will we see Lando Norris in action with McLaren's hypercar?Plus, Mark answers your questions on F1's sprint race plans; a whistlestop history of Ferrari power in grand prix racing; and tries to decode what is holding Red Bull back.Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4AwdatW and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4AwdatW