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The Race F1 Podcast
BONUS: The job of an F1 Race Engineer, by Kimi Raikkonen’s former right-hand man
This week we have a bonus episode for you, lifted directly from our brand-new 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, they talk to Kimi Raikkonen’s former Race Engineer at Alfa Romeo, Julien Simon-Chautemps, to get the low down on how to engineer both a car and a driver in the modern era - particularly one as famously taciturn as Raikkonen.
There's also chat on Ferrari's nightmare weekend in Baku, and how they might go about solving their tech problems, plus Gary's take on one listener's proposed solution to Mercedes' porpoising problems...
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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Will a Monaco sprint race work? Our reaction to shock 2027 F1 calendar
57:33|On the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast, presented by Atlassian, we react to the news that F1 is upping the sprints to 10 in 2027, with the season starting and finishing with the two-races-per-weekend format and Monaco, of all places, getting that treatment for the first time. Is this just another step towards sprints being ubiquitous, and if it is, will that change F1 for better or worse? Joining Edd Straw to answer those questions and debate the 2027 F1 calendar in general are Josh Suttill and special guest Nelson Valkenburg, F1 commentator for Viaplay Netherlands.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening), sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.We're giving away two 3-day tickets to the 2026 F1 USGP! To be in with a chance of winning, simply subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here (Entrants must be a US resident and over the age of 18. Full T&Cs apply)
Mailbag: Is Norris '27 title favourite + Why does F1 keep adding soulless street tracks?
47:22|The latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast, presented by Atlassian, is the first of our regular post-race mailbag shows, with Edd Straw joined by Ben Anderson to tackle listener questions sent in after the Spanish Grand Prix. Among the topics covered this time are whether F1 should consider allowing no-stop strategies, why F1 keeps adding soulless street circuits at the expense of classics, and whether Lando Norris should be considered the 2027 title favourite. There are also questions about Franco Colapinto's season so far, whether the latest generation of F1 cars is flattering Kimi Antonelli (and hurting George Russell), McLaren's pit stop problems, and a pair of F3 prospects, namely recently crowned champion Ugo Ugochukwu and Audi junior Freddie Slater.If you'd like to ask a question (and get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening), sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.We're giving away two 3-day tickets to the 2026 F1 USGP! To be in with a chance of winning, simply subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here (Entrants must be a US resident and over the age of 18. Full T&Cs apply)
Spanish GP: Was Lando Norris robbed + How to fix the Madring
01:16:13|On the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast, presented by Atlassian, Edd Straw is joined on the ground in Madrid by Jon Noble and special guest Diego Mejia to review the first Spanish Grand Prix to be held at the Madring.Kimi Antonelli emerged victorious again, but only with the assistance of a Virtual Safety Car that couldn’t have been more badly timed for Lando Norris. So, was Norris robbed? And with that being one of the only moments of note in a race devoid of overtaking, should F1 already be worried about the Madring?Those questions are tackled, plus there's chat about whether we should give the title to Antonelli now, whether Max Verstappen might have won if he wasn't forced to relinquish a position to Lewis Hamilton early on, and whether this was the best grand prix of Franco Colapinto's career.Presented by AtlassianGet bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today. To check out The Tennis Podcast, visit: https://www.thetennispodcast.net/
In-Car Insights: Reflecting on a busy first day of action at the Madring
25:42|As a bonus, we're making the Friday edition of our In-Car Insights podcast - usually only available to The Race Members' Club - free for everyone to listen to.In the latest episode Jon and Edd reflect on a busy first day of action at the brand-new Madring, where high grip and rapidly evolving conditions opened up a different kind of challenge for the teams and drivers.They also discuss how the drivers approached the day, how Arvid Lindblad was caught out, and why qualifying could turn into a track limits and traffic nightmare. Plus Edd shares his experiences of watching trackside, and explains why the TV coverage doesn't do justice to some parts of the track.If you like what you hear - and we're confident you will - 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.
F1 Rewind: When a young Ayrton Senna drove F1's elite crazy
01:02:31|On the latest episode of The Race F1 Rewind, Edd Straw and Mark Hughes examine the formative years of Ayrton Senna's F1 career, and a time when the Brazilian regularly ruffled the feathers of more established drivers with his scintillating speed and unusual single-mindedness. While his later championship-winning years with McLaren were where his megastardom was cemented, Edd and Mark explain how Senna's three seasons at Lotus (from 1985 to 1987) provided the crucial foundation for his legendary career and set the template for the 'young driver in a hurry' prototype since replicated by modern F1 greats.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
Chaos but no passing? What to expect from F1's first visit to Madring
57:02|On the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast, Edd Straw is joined by Glenn Freeman and IndyCar favourite Conor Daly to look ahead to the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the brand-new Madring in Madrid.The track has been described by drivers as hectic, dangerous and Macau-like - but will it be as big a success as the hype promises, and what kind of racing should we expect? The guys discuss the circuit's unique characteristics - including its signature banked corner, La Monumental - and how it compares to other venues, past and present. Conor also explains how drivers approach a race at a new circuit, and what they'll be doing as the weekend unfolds to make sure they're extracting maximum speed.Before the Madrid chat, there's also a chance to catch up on Ferrari's driver management conundrum, after Lewis Hamilton complained about the team lacking rules of engagement and needing to fix that after Monza. Does something need to change? Edd, Glenn and Conor offer their perspectives.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
Italian GP driver rankings: Leclerc hits rock bottom
39:18|Kimi Antonelli made up 18 places to win his home race in Monza, while Charles Leclerc crashed out spectacularly at the end of lap two. Unsurprisingly, the latter is bottom of Edd Straw's driver rankings this week - but will Antonelli be top? In our latest driver rankings podcast, Josh Suttill grills Edd Straw on how he ordered the drivers after the Italian Grand Prix, 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.
Italian GP: Ferrari's bruising home outing + Has Antonelli killed Russell's F1 title chances?
01:00:09|Edd Straw is joined by Josh Suttill and Jon Noble, fresh from the Monza paddock, to review the Italian Grand Prix. It proved a race where the home fans went home happy, despite an abject race for Ferrari, thanks to a virtuoso drive to victory from local hero Kimi Antonelli.Was this the weekend that Antonelli killed off any hope of Mercedes team-mate George Russell beating him to the world title? And is Antonelli's star power changing the nature of the tifosi's support at Monza? Those are two of the questions tackled in the podcast.Edd, Jon and Josh also look in detail at Ferrari's miserable home outing, which saw Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc come together at Turn 2 before the latter crashed out in dramatic fashion. Hamilton wasn't pulling any punches when he spoke to Jon after finishing a disappointing sixth - but where do the Scuderia go from here?Verstappen's brilliant run to third, Gasly's shock pole position and Tsunoda's strange start are also discussed, while the guys also tackle plenty of members' questions.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening - sign up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
In-Car Insights: Unpacking a day of explosive politics and intriguing track action at Monza
26:07|As a special bonus, we're making the Friday edition of our In-Car Insights podcast - usually only available to The Race Members' Club - free for everyone to listen to.In the latest episode Jon and Josh discuss everything they learned in the Monza paddock on Friday. They begin with an exclusive bit of news gleaned from running the track - that there's resurfacing work going on down at Turn 1, with new asphalt being laid - before discussing an intriguing day of track action that saw Ferrari do enough to keep the home fans dreaming and Haas emerge as the surprise midfield package.Jon admits he didn't watch much of FP2, having spent much of the afternoon digging through FIA regulations and International Court of Appeal procedures after Alpine's Flavio Briatore detonated a bombshell in the team principal press conference, questioning the independence of the judge involved in the Pierre Gasly Monaco podium case.In short, if you want the clearest read on Monza’s Friday picture and the controversy threatening to keep growing, this is essential listening before qualifying.If you like what you hear - and we're confident you will - 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.