Share

cover art for Qatar GP: Verstappen pounces as McLaren self-sabotage

The Race F1 Podcast

Qatar GP: Verstappen pounces as McLaren self-sabotage

Scott Mitchell-Malm and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw to discuss the Qatar Grand Prix and a weekend when the title race took yet another turn. The podcast begins with the obvious question: How did McLaren get it so badly wrong with strategy? The guys discuss that, plus whether McLaren's focus on fairness between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will cost it the drivers' title, given Max Verstappen moved within 12 points of Norris with his seventh victory of the season.


Sainz's podium, Antonelli's late wobble, Ferrari's dire performance and much more are also discussed, plus there's the usual bumper batch of questions from The Race Members' Club to answer.


Get information when you need it with Atlassian Rovo. AI that knows your business. Click here to get started today.


BLACK FRIDAY OFFER: Get 50% off your first month in The Race Members' Club on Patreon today and enjoy bonus F1 podcasts and ad-free listening.


GET YOUR 2026 WALL CALENDAR TODAY - Go to shop.the-race.com and enjoy 20% of everything with the code BF20

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Bring Back V10s: The cult heroes who helped shape F1's V10 era

    01:07:41|
    Bring Back V10s celebrates some key names from F1's V10 era who aren't necessarily remembered purely for their outright achievements behind the wheel.Before Season 13 draws to a close, we decided to borrow English football's 'Barclaysmen' social media trend, picking out drivers who made a memorable impression on the V10 era without ever really being considered in the top echelon of drivers.Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Matt Beer and Ben Anderson all did their best to grapple with the concept, and got to pick two drivers each. But we didn't share our choices beforehand, meaning everybody needed to bring back-ups.So get ready for a nostalgic chat about occasional race winners, plucky backmarkers, unlikely title contenders, nomadic journeymen, and - somehow - even an F1 world champion!Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • Leclerc's return to form, Verstappen's worries, SC changes & Stroll's strange driving

    01:02:41|
    After a tricky start to the season, Charles Leclerc showed Ferrari what they were missing as he returned to top form at Silverstone. But how did he haul himself out of the hole he was trapped in, and does this mean Leclerc is now finally on top of this generation of cars? In the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast, Edd Straw is joined by Ben Anderson and IndyCar driver Conor Daly to answer those questions and more.Edd, Ben and Conor also discuss Max Verstappen's mindset following his latest 'super dangerous' off in Britain, plus there's chat about how F1 should amend its safety car rules, whether Kimi Antonelli's aggressive driving approach will cost him in the long run, and what was behind Lance Stroll's strange Silverstone showing.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • Driver Rankings: Who did we rank as the British GP's best driver?

    40:24|
    Our rankings podcast returns following the British Grand Prix, where Mercedes suffered only their second defeat of the season. But does that automatically make Charles Leclerc a shoo-in for number 1 in Edd Straw's driver rankings? This week's interrogator-in-chief Josh Suttill probes Edd on how he ranked the drivers, backed up as ever by questions from The Race Members' Club.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • British GP: Revitalised Leclerc wins - but did F1 ruin the finale?

    58:09|
    Charles Leclerc hit back after his poor run of form with victory in the British Grand Prix. But where did his and Ferrari’s unexpected turn of pace come from, was there any hope a win without Antonelli hitting trouble while rapidly closing in on the lead, and was he fortunate to avoid a last-gasp challenge after the late safety car?Edd Straw is joined by Jon Noble and Josh Suttill to answer all of those questions, plus they debate the other big talking points from a busy Silverstone weekend, including more anger for Max Verstappen and mixed feelings for the home drivers.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • Tech Show: Assessing Red Bull's recent upgrade and the reason for Cadillac's brake 'cooking'

    53:20|
    On the latest episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson take a close look at the upgrade package introduced by Red Bull in Austria, and try to diagnose the reason behind Cadillac's race-wrecking brake issues.We also hear from Cadillac's reserve driver Zhou Guanyu, who tells Edd all about his recent outing testing tyres for Pirelli and provides an update on the team's 2026 progress and developments behind the scenes.And finally, Gary tackles questions from listeners on what elements constitute a power unit and whether McLaren have an underlying gear ratio issue. If you'd like to ask Gary a tech question, send it to podcasts@the-race.com.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • Verstappen + Antonelli? Our take on F1's next big driver moves

    58:59|
    After news broke in Austria that Max Verstappen's management have met with McLaren, we explain what’s really going on behind the scenes when it comes to the four-times world champion’s Formula 1 future.Joining Edd Straw, to discuss what it all means for the wider driver market, are Josh Suttill and special guest Nelson Valkenburg, F1 commentator for Viaplay Netherlands.There's also another batch of listener questions to tackle, with the future of the Williams drivers, Isack Hadjar's form, Russell's in-race pace fall-off and more on the agenda.Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • Driver Rankings: Who was the most impressive driver in Austria?

    40:53|
    George Russell and Max Verstappen returned to the front in Austria - but will either of them claim the coveted top step of the podium in our driver rankings, or will it go to someone else entirely? Matt Beer, armed with questions from The Race Members' Club, joins Edd Straw to run the rule over his Red Bull Ring driver rankings, including whether he got the top two in his rankings the right way around and whether one driver is being unreasonably picked on when it comes to deciding who comes last...If you'd like to take part in the driver rankings fun, get bonus F1 podcasts, and enjoy ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • Austrian GP: Russell wins - but are Red Bull and Verstappen back?

    01:20:57|
    Edd Straw, Jon Noble and Valentin Khorounzhiy gather at the Red Bull Ring to review an entertaining Austrian Grand Prix. It was a race in which George Russell finally took his second win of the season, but with Max Verstappen posing a serious threat and finishing just 1.6 seconds behind, can we now say that Red Bull are back? And what happened to Ferrari's speed? We tackle those questions, plus we take a close up look at some of the weekend's other big storylines, including the qualifying yellow flag saga and the team orders disagreement at Racing Bulls that was missed in the TV coverage...Get bonus F1 podcasts, extra content and ad-free listening, sign-up to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today.
  • In-Car Insights: Is Ferrari sandbagging or just struggling in Austria?

    14:23|
    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.Mercedes ended practice day at F1's Austrian Grand Prix on top, but could McLaren be a threat and is Ferrari holding something back with its upgraded engine? Edd and Jon discuss the pecking order at the end of Friday at the Red Bull Ring, plus explain why F1 has banned both Mercedes and Ferrari innovations.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.