Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes has handed out just one A+ so far this season - and even Kimi Antonelli's own team-mate George Russell can't quite explain how he's making a rookie-in-his-second-year look this good.Using the old-school GCSE method, Mark grades every driver on the 2026 grid at the summer break, from the Ferrari pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc through to the biggest team-mate swings on the grid, where Oliver Bearman's A- dwarfs Esteban Ocon's C+ at Haas, and Carlos Sainz's A- leaves Alex Albon down on a C+ at Williams.Mark and Bryn Lucas talk through how the marking system works, why it can never be truly scientific, and what separates a driver doing everything right in a bad car from one who's simply not delivering.They also debate whether Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso deserves his grade given how far off the pace his car is, and name the team that's punched furthest above its weight - and the one that's fallen shortest - over the first half of the season.

It's been a year since F1 owner Liberty Media bought MotoGP. Is the "dangerous and dirty" world of motorcycle racing about to be sanitised and commercialised?In this special episode of the F1 Show, Bryn Lucas and Mark Hughes welcome Motor Sport's motorcycle expert Mat Oxley for the latest on how MotoGP's new owner is dealing with the very different world of two-wheeled motor sport.After masterminding F1's recent boom in popularity, Liberty is looking to give MotoGP a similar boost. In this episode, recorded ahead of the MotoGP summer break, Mat and Mark explore what has changed already; how the F1 playbook might apply to the series; and why riders need to be more outspoken to give MotoGP its Drive to Survive moment.Plus Mat looks back at Aprilia's rise to the front of this year's pack.

George Russell has complained of his struggles to adapt to this year's Mercedes Formula 1 car, but world champion Lando Norris hasn't offered much comfort, saying: This is our job, we are paid millions to do it. We must drive any car they give us."More than just exposing the difference between their driving styles, the comments reveal Norris and Russell's contrasting mindsets at the start of the summer break. The McLaren driver is riding high on a wave of confidence after victory in a Hungarian Grand Prix where he was miles clear of his team-mate, while his Mercedes rival is trailing team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the championship and still getting to grips with his car.Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas discuss what's gone wrong for Russell and how he can fix it, while asking how long a top-level F1 driver should be given to adapt to a new car.Mark also explains how he drew up his half-term scores for every F1 driver on the grid and answers your questions on Oscar Piastri's performance, and whether F1 cars need more downforce than they have.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/4fP3Tnq 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/4fP3Tnq

Oscar Piastri and George Russell have both led the Formula 1 World Championship in the past 12 months, so why are these top-level drivers unable to get on terms with their team-mates?And how is Lewis Hamilton now looking to have the edge over Charles Leclerc after a crushing 2025 season?Mark Hughes outlines new evidence that emerged during the Hungarian Grand Prix to explain the sometime disparity between the drivers at Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari.Last weekend's race also generated some much-needed good news at Aston Martin, which made it into the second stage of qualifying for the first time this season, courtesy of Fernando Alonso. Its aerodynamic upgrades have worked; can an improved Honda engine put the team amongst the front-runners?In the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show, Mark and Bryn Lucas also ask whether Niki Lauda's sensational recovery from his horrific fireball crash at the Nürburgring, 50 years ago, represents racing's greatest comeback.And what viewer question does Mark rate as the best he's ever been sent?Listen to find out - and see what you make of the answer.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/4hFb8kc 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/4hFb8kc

By removing data, cutting away from drivers' disparaging comments, and failing to broadcast in-car outbursts, F1 looks to be trying to minimise criticism of the 2026 championship. It's not a smart move, says Mark Hughes in the latest episode of the F1 Show.Watch Mark and Bryn Lucas discuss the issue in full, following a Belgian Grand Prix so dominated by energy management that it "sterilised" the normally magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit.This week's instalment also reveals just what was behind Mercedes' disastrous first lap, which saw George Russell drop down the running order before spinning out of the race after contact with Lewis Hamilton.Should the Ferrari driver have received a penalty? And should his team-mate Charles Leclerc got away without one after contact with Oscar Piastri?Mark and Bryn also review Isack Hadjar's sensational drive from the back of the grid to sixth place at Spa, and look ahead to Hungary, where talk of energy management should be replaced by a close battle for victory.Plus, your questioned answered: do team engineers still make set-up changes, or are they all dictated by simulators? How closely should we compare Ferrari in 1996 to Aston Martin today? And why was Piastri lagging Norris at Spa?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/4vK9CRm 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/4vK9CRm

Max Verstappen may be the best driver in Formula 1 at the moment. So why would he even consider moving to current backmarker Aston Martin?Hear Mark Hughes' compelling case in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show, as he sets out why the four-time champion is considering his future, and why he'd pick the Silverstone-based team over the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.There's also Fernando Alonso to consider: what happens to him if he's displaced by Verstappen? Mark has an intriguing suggestion.But it's not just silly season on the agenda ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix which will demand more electrical energy than the current generation of cars can provide. Can Spa provide a great race, even if cars spend much of the lap recharging their batteries?Mark and presenter Bryn Lucas also discuss who will win the team-mate batle between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, now that they both seem to be in tune with their Ferraris. How do they compare with the greatest team-mates in F1 history?Plus your questions answered: What if Toto Wolff had signed Verstappen for Mercedes in 2014; and what's really happening when drivers tweak the torque map and differential on their cars?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/4gLZJPr 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/4gLZJPr

The Formula 1 season has burst into life, with three different race winners in the past three grands prix, and a return to fast-paced racing rather than complaints about artificial overtakes and super-clipping.But the controversy around electrical energy looks set to be back with a spark at Silverstone, where its series of fast, sweeping corners offer little natural opportunity to generate power for the batteries.This year's cars will run out of energy on the straights, says Mark Hughes, in the latest episode of the F1 Show, warning fans that the sound of a car decelerating on the straight while racing 'flat out' will mix up their senses.What will it mean for the race itself, and the competitive order? Mark and presenter Bryn Lucas take a detailed look.They also ask what hope for Lando Norris as he returns to the scene of a triumphant home victory in 2025, and discuss the latest rumours around Max Verstappen's future.Plus, there's a look back to the controversies of last weekend, including George Russell's pole lap set under a yellow flag. and discussion on why the Mercedes factory team has such an advantage over customers with the same engine.And Mark answers your questions on slowing for yellow flags, Ferrari personnel departures, and an intriguing tyre proposal.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/4eYzvqk 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/4eYzvqk

F1 wheel wars: are new rims behind Ferrari success?Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas explain how the new design works and why it could be the opening shot in a new round of wheel wars, with Formula 1 regulations giving teams more freedom in their design.They also consider whether this another example of Ferrari becoming F1's most innovative team, after its rotating 'Macarena' rear wing and clever spotting of a loophole around the crucial rear-end aerodynamics.Ferrari will remain in the spotlight this weekend as it brings an engine upgrade: can it help Hamilton win for the second grand prix in succession; and does F1 need him to succeed?Over at Mercedes, the questions of whether it should impose team orders to tackle the newfound threat have already begun. Mark gives his verdict.He also answers your questions on the ideal driver line-up for next season; Ferrari's brake confusion; and why Isack Hadjar hasn't been blown away by Max Verstappen.More on the stories that really matter, in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show.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/4w93qTp 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/4w93qTp