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The Race F1 Podcast
BONUS: The secrets of semi-automatic gearboxes
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This week we have a bonus episode for you, lifted directly from our sister podcast: The Race F1 Tech Show.
Each week, host Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson dive headfirst into the wonderful world of F1 technology, discussing the sport’s big technical talking points, getting into the nitty gritty of car design and engineering, and answering fans’ burning tech questions.
On this week’s show, Edd and Gary take an in-depth look at a bit of serious F1 tech that’s used by every team on the grid: The semi-automatic gearbox.
With the help of special guest John Barnard, the man responsible for bringing the first iteration of the paddle-shift box to F1 in 1989 with Ferrari, we look at how the technology works, what performance benefits the system has brought to F1, and how gearboxes have developed over the last 30-plus years.
Gary also talks through his experience of developing such technology at Jordan in the Nineties, but not before giving his opinion on F1’s recent cost cap controversy...
And in our listener questions section, Gary answers a question on the performance characteristics of 2022-spec F1 cars in wet conditions and low-speed corners.
To have your burning tech question answered on the show, send a voicenote or email to podcasts@the-race.com
And if you enjoy the podcast, please search for The Race F1 Tech Show in your preferred podcast app and be sure to like, subscribe or follow to make sure you never miss an episode.
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Tech Show: Is Mercedes at risk in F1's development war?
59:39|In the latest episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson discuss F1 2026's intriguing development war.Following Toto Wolff's comment that Mercedes can't respond to McLaren’s Formula 1 resurgence with an urgent upgrade because it hasn’t “got the money”, Edd and Gary ask whether the Silver Arrows has erred in its development strategy and leaving itself open to being out-developed by rivals.There's also talk about McLaren's decision to bring its rotating 'H-wing' to Monza and about how Alpine's recent upgrade package will influence the midfield's own development battle.We also hear the latest news about the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), which races at Imola this coming weekend, and Gary tackles YOUR tech questions, including those on battery safety, TPC testing, and the five-second start procedure delay.If you'd like to ask Gary a tech question, send it to podcasts@the-race.comGet bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
Will Ferrari's engine upgrade give it the edge in Monza?
47:56|Edd Straw is joined by Ben Anderson and special guest Lawrence Barretto to look ahead to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, and a big weekend for home favourites Ferrari.The Scuderia is introducing its latest engine upgrade this weekend, but will it give them the boost it needs to contend for victory?Edd, Ben and Lawrence also discuss how all the teams - and in particular Ferrari - might approach the issue of towing in qualifying, and how the 2026 regulations will impact the type of racing we'll see at Monza.They also debate how championship leader Kimi Antonelli will approach his home race, given he's set to start from the back of the grid. The Italian hasn't had the best of fortune on home soil to-date, but will that change this weekend, or will George Russell be able to capitalise gain ground on his Mercedes team-mate in the title race?Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening - sign up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
Is Norris even better in 2026?
48:19|Is Lando Norris performing even better this season than in his title-winning campaign last year? That's one of the questions tackled in the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast, which follows the news that the 2025 champion has extended his McLaren deal through the 2030 season.Mark Hughes and Valentin Khorounzhiy join Edd Straw to assess how Norris has improved as a driver, and how his 2026 campaign contrasts with that of team-mate Oscar Piastri's.Before that, we round up some recent news stories, including Franco Colapinto's new deal with Alpine, F2 points leader Nikola Tsolov's recent Red Bull test, and the FIA's ADUO ruling. Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
F1 Rewind: How Vettel's Ferrari dream was stolen from him
01:10:55|In the very first episode of our new F1 history podcast, The Race F1 Rewind, hosts Edd Straw and Mark Hughes look back at Sebastian Vettel’s six-year stint with Ferrari and a partnership that promised much, but delivered nothing like what was hoped for.Driven by the romantic dream of replicating the golden era of his hero Michael Schumacher, the four-time world champion arrived at Maranello in late 2014 ready to lead the team to new glories, only to find that his footing was already being undermined by internal wrangling and political upheaval at the Scuderia.Edd and Mark explain the timeline of events and extraordinary behind-the-scenes details that meant Vettel never stepped into the supportive environment he thought he was joining.They outline how Vettel came to leave Red Bull, how Ferrari's incumbent star Fernando Alonso was blindsided by his team's secret talks with Vettel, how the rapid turnover of senior leadership continually impacted the German's standing, and how the sudden promotion of young phenom Charles Leclerc served as an internal test of Vettel's worth.Edd and Mark also hit the fast forward button to explain how the hangover of this period is still felt today, with Leclerc having faced many of the same issues as his former team-mate.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
Hamilton's apology, Monaco appeal latest, and Domenicali vs hardcore fans
57:34|Lewis Hamilton has apologised for his in-race outbursts towards his Ferrari team at Zandvoort, but did he really need to? That's one of the topics up for discussion in the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast, in which host Edd Straw is joined by Jon Noble and Glenn Freeman to round up the latest F1 news.Also on the agenda, we delve into what’s going on with the Red Bull and McLaren appeal against Pierre Gasly’s Monaco podium, update on the 2027 F1 calendar and how it might evolve, and reflect on the latest backlash-triggering comments from F1 boss Stefano Domenicali about F1's rules.There's also chat about Williams, with the Grove team's season of woe hitting a new low in Zandvoort after Carlos Sainz drove into team-mate Alex Albon. Jon recently sat down with James Vowles to try and understand exactly why things have gone so badly wrong, and he reveals what Williams's team boss had to say...Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
Dutch GP: Who hit a new driver rankings low in Zandvoort?
35:46|Lando Norris made it back-to-back wins with a masterful victory at Zandvoort - so he’s a shoo-in as number 1 in our post-race driver rankings, isn't he? And how low will Max Verstappen rank after his messy exit from his home race? In our latest driver rankings podcast, Ben Anderson probes Edd Straw on how he ordered the drivers after Zandvoort, armed with questions sent in by The Race Members' Club.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
Dutch GP: Was this Norris's greatest victory in F1?
50:13|Edd Straw is joined by Jon Noble and Samarth Kanal to review an entertaining Dutch Grand Prix. World champion Lando Norris made it back to back wins with a brilliantly-executed race drive at Zandvoort, but was it the Briton's best-ever win, and does this mean the McLaren driver is in the title hunt, or did the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers getting in each others way distort the picture? They also dissect the race's other big talking points, including Mercedes’ late team order swap between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton's angst at Ferrari’s reluctance to issue team orders, Max Verstappen’s costly error in tricky conditions, and Nico Hulkenberg’s spectacular avoidance of a massive accident. Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
In-Car Insights: What we learned from F1's first day back
26:31|As a special bonus, we're making the Thursday edition of our In-Car Insights podcast - usually only available to The Race Members' Club - free for everyone to listen to.In this episode - more accurately described as near-the-track insights - Edd Straw and Jon Noble recap the biggest storylines from a jam-packed as F1 2026 returned from its summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix. They discuss Max Verstappen's new contract - and why Carlos Sainz signed his - plus what F1's newest team boss, Marcin Budkowski, had to say, and how Liam Lawson's feeling ahead of his surprise Red Bull Racing return. If you like what you hear, simply head to Patreon.com/therace to sign up to The Race Members' Club and enjoy these bonus episodes (and much more besides) on every grand prix weekend.
Tech Show: The secrets of driver-in-the-loop simulators
40:36|We have a special episode of The Race F1 Tech Show for you this week that includes a feature length interview with an F1 simulator pioneer. The driver-in-the-loop simulator, or DIL, as it’s called, has become a key tool for Formula 1 teams in the 21st century. They were once in-house projects, but as the technology has evolved companies have emerged to provide state-of-the-art driver in loop simulator hardware to supply not only F1 teams, but also other racing teams and even private individuals across their product range. Dynisma, based in Bristol in the UK, has emerged as the most significant supplier to Formula 1 teams, and in this episode Edd Straw talks to company founder Ash Warne, a key pioneer of driver-in-loop simulator technology with McLaren who later worked for Ferrari.In the interview, Warne explains the key technological demands that make such simulators as accurate as possible, how they are used and how their use has evolved over the years. He also talks about the importance of latency and bandwidth in ensuring that the simulator is responsive enough to minimise the lag in what the driver feels, the hexapod design with six-degrees of freedom that creates the motion, and the intricacies of how F1 teams use their driver-in-loop simulators.We hope you enjoy it!Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.