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The Race F1 Podcast
And Colossally That's History: Mika Hakkinen - F1's 'luckiest' champion?
On this week's episode of And Colossally That's History! Richard Williams and Matt Bishop look back on the career of Mika Hakkinen, and in particular how he was able to overcome - thanks to a considerable slice of good luck - the devastating crash in 1995 that so nearly took his life to become a double Formula 1 world champion.
Along the way, Matt and Richard explain what made Hakkinen - widely regarded as one of the quickest drivers of his generation, and a man who often went toe-to-toe with and beat Michael Schumacher in the late 1990s and early 2000s - such a special talent.
They also look back on the dreadful crash in Adelaide in 1995 that would ordinarily have ended Hakkinen's career, if not his life, describing the incredible work done by the medical team on-site, and the remarkable bravery and tenacity show by Hakkinen in the aftermath.
Matt also shares some great anecdotes about the time he spent with Hakkinen in his glory days, post-accident, when Matt was writing about the Finn as a magazine editor. He discusses what Mika told him after that legendary overtake on Schumacher at Spa in 2000, and he describes - in hilarious detail - what happened when Mika took him rally driving on a frozen lake the morning after a heavy night drinking vodka...
Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. Join on Patreon today and get 75% off your first month - we even have an F1-only tier!
đ¨ NEW MERCH ALERT! If you love Colossally AND in particular Anorak Facts, we've got a new t-shirt and notebook design you'll love! đ¨
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Bahrain Testing Day 4: Upgraded Mercedes shows ominous form
33:37|It was George Russell in the upgraded Mercedes on top on the first day of the final Bahrain pre-season test as the lap times continued to drop. But what impact could the looming compression ratio saga resolution have on it, and how did the experimental start procedure trialled at the end of the day play out? Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell-Malm to review another gripping day of running, and run the rule over every team on track.Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
One thing on every team's to-do list for the final pre-season test
46:18|We reveal every teamâs top priority for the final three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast. Scott Mitchell-Malm and Samarth Kanal join Edd Straw to work through the 11 teams and what we need to see from them to be sure they are in the best possible place for the start of the season. We discuss the off-track challenge for Mercedes, McLarenâs game of catch-up and Ferrariâs need to build on promising signs. The impressive start made by the Red Bull Powertrains engine, and how Racing Bulls appears to be struggling to make the most of it is also tackled, along with the form of fellow newcomer Audi. And the struggles of Aston Martin are again in the spotlight.Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
When does clever thinking become cheating? - The Undercut with Damon Hill and Mark Hughes
49:43|People in F1 have long talked about finding âthe unfair advantageâ, but sometimes the line between clever thinking and outright cheating is not easy to see - as Damon Hill and Mark Hughes discuss on the latest episode of The Undercut.The engine compression saga thatâs engulfed F1 ahead of the 2026 season is the latest scenario where a team looks to have found a loophole in the F1 regulations - but should Mercedes be congratulated for what is undoubtedly clever engineering or should the FIA always look to curb any advantage that could be said to go against the spirit of the regulations?Mark and Damon discuss this and other 'grey area' scenarios in what is a typically wide-ranging and free-flowing conversation.Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
Bahrain Testing Day 3: Does F1 have a safety problem with new rules?
01:09:04|The Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell ended up with a one-two on the timesheets at the end of the Bahrain test. But with the top teams falling over themselves to declare each other the frontrunner, who is really on top at the conclusion of three days of running? And how seriously should F1 take Andrea Stellaâs safety warnings? Edd Straw is joined by Scott Mitchell-Malm and Jon Noble to discuss both of those questions, and reflect on three days of running that left us with as many questions as answers.Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
Bahrain Testing Day 2: What's behind Verstappen's 'anti-racing' rules comment?
40:56|Day 2 of F1 testing in Bahrain was dominated by Max Verstappenâs comments about the 2026 regulations - but whatâs prompted him to call them ânot very Formula 1-like", "anti-racing" and more like "Formula E on steroidsâ? Dutch F1 commentator Nelson Valkenburg, of Viaplay Netherlands, joins Edd Straw to give his verdict on Maxâs comments, and talk through all the rest of the big stories from the day, including Ferrariâs pace and Mercedesâ struggles. Also in this episode, Scott Mitchell-Malm reports back on Aston Martinâs progress after Lance Stroll claimed the teamâs new car was up to four and a half seconds off the leading teams, and Jon Noble checks in to discuss the story he broke on Thursday about a potential change to the F1 start procedure that was blocked by Ferrari.Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
Bahrain Testing Day 1: Is Red Bull really the benchmark?
41:17|Join Edd Straw and Jon Noble as they discuss all of the big stories from Day 1 of F1 testing in Bahrain, including Mercedes boss Toto Wolffâs assertion that the Red Bull is the benchmark car. Edd and Jon also provide some trackside observations of watching the new cars in action, and reflect on Lewis Hamiltonâs comments about the new regulations. They also provide an update on every teamâs progress on the first day of running. Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
BONUS: In-Car Insights - What we're looking for on day one of Bahrain F1 testing
28:12|Itâs day 1 of the Bahrain test, and as a special bonus, weâre making our first In-Car Insights podcast of the week - a podcast series usually only available to The Race Members' Club - free for everyone to listen to.Our In-Car Insights series is a hugely popular staple of our grand prix weekend output for members, and features the likes of Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell-Malm and Jon Noble discussing the day's news and events as they travel from the circuit back to their hotel.In this episode, join Edd, Scott and Jon in the car as they head to the Sakhir circuit and delve into everything they're looking for on the first day of the first proper F1 2026 test, and marvel at Edd's management of fuel economy and traffic challenges too.Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
Why Aston Martin hinted it'll start 2026 behind rivals
35:14|F1 launch season has reached its conclusion with Aston Martin and McLaren holding online launches and Cadillac revealing its livery in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Jon Noble was in Saudi Arabia for the Aston launch, and he tells Edd Straw what he learned and why some of the language coming from the likes of Adrian Newey and Fernando Alonso suggests the team won't be at the sharp end of the grid in 2026 - at least to begin with.There's also chat about McLaren's launch, the latest on the engine compression saga, and our thoughts on Cadillac's expensive TV commercial and interesting split livery concept.Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.
HILL & HERBERT: Damon and Johnny on testing secrets and mad car launches
54:16|With F1 pre-season in full swing, Damon and Johnny return with another episode of Stay On Track, and this time theyâre discussing car launches and testing from a driverâs perspective. They share some weird and wacky stories from their own careers, including the time Damon was almost sacked during a car launch and the time Johnny inadvertently found himself part of a space opera! They also discuss how testing has changed over the years, and debate whether the current restrictions on testing have limited opportunities for drivers to experiment with new driving techniques - something that could be a big factor this year, with the new regulationsâŚÂ Get your 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.