The Race F1 Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Two huge F1 debuts are coming up at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend - with Mercedes protege Kimi Antonelli getting his hands on the team's 2024 car and Franco Colapinto making his race debut following a huge shake-up at Williams. The Race F1 Podcast turns first to Antonelli, with Edd Straw joined by Ben Anderson and Scott Mitchell-Malm to discuss how significant an outing this could be for a driver who seems destined for a 2025 Mercedes F1 graduation - and the potential headache Mercedes has on its hands for 2026 if Toto Wolff picks his interest in signing Max Verstappen back up again next year. But it's Williams that has made a huge decision between the Dutch and Italian GPs as it finally lost patience with Logan Sargeant - axing him from its line-up and giving its academy driver Colapinto a shot alongside Alex Albon for the final nine races of the season. That wildcard choice and how impressive Colapinto was on his F1 weekend debut in FP1 at Silverstone earlier this year, the timing of the decision and what that says about how much Williams wanted things to work out with Sargeant, and how his situation ultimately became untenable are all covered. Ferrari's prospects heading to its home race at Monza, McLaren's constructors' championship favourite status, and whether racing will be better in 2026 despite predicted slower laptimes are among a bonus set of questions from The Race Members' Club that are tackled too. Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lando Norris could hardly have made a bigger statement of intent as F1 returned from its summer break, as the McLaren driver clinched his second grand prix win at the Dutch GP - and in doing so ended Max Verstappen's winning streak on home soil in crushing fashion. But why was Norris so dominant at Zandvoort? Edd Straw is joined by Mark Hughes and Scott Mitchell-Malm on The Race F1 Podcast to answer that question and plenty more as the constructors' championship battle between Red Bull and McLaren got tighter still. As well as looking at how Charles Leclerc earned Ferrari an unexpected podium, Sergio Perez's form and Alpine's 'victory' in the midfield battle, there's a host of questions from The Race Members' Club on topics including the quality of Norris's drive, whether Red Bull's tyre management has got worse as the year has gone on, and Logan Sargeant's precarious position at Williams. Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Edd Straw and Scott Mitchell-Malm (from an airport hotel in Brussels) as they unpack the news that former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is taking up a senior role in Audi's F1 programme, as part of a reshuffle that's seen Andreas Seidl exit the project. Following that, they discuss the latest on Alpine, with Renault looking increasingly likely to drop its works Formula 1 engine in favour of a Mercedes customer deal. And finally, Edd and Scott answer questions from The Race Members' Club about Max Verstappen, following the Dutchman's tempestuous race in Hungary. And don't worry if your question isn't answered - there'll be another Q&A podcast for members' later this week. Want extra podcast content? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Hughes and Ben Anderson join Edd Straw to discuss the news that Andretti’s bid for a new Formula 1 entry has been approved by the FIA. They discuss what this news really means for the American squad's hopes of joining the grid, and explain the extremely tricky next step in Andretti's bid: “commercial discussions” with F1 and the teams. And finally, Edd, Mark and Ben look ahead to this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix - an event at which Max Verstappen could be crowned world champion for a third time. Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Use promo code RACE for 20% off hydration products at LiquidIV.com Go to grammarly.com/GO to download for FREE today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Anderson and Scott Mitchell-Malm join Edd Straw for a deep dive into F1 team-mates, starting with a discussion on the ingredients that make-up a great duo, and followed by a look at how the team-mate dynamics have shifted within the big teams this season.Finally, our hosting crew look back on how they ranked F1's team-mate pairings before the season, and discuss whether their number 1 duo then - Mercedes - is still the number 1 team-mate pairing in F1 right now, or whether Red Bull, Ferrari or even McLaren can lay claim to that honour. Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Use promo code RACE for 20% off hydration products at LiquidIV.com Go to grammarly.com/GO to download for FREE today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Damien Smith, author of the new book Benetton: Rebels of Formula 1, joins Matt Beer and Edd Straw to discuss Alpine's struggles, the future of Esteban Ocon and whether or not Williams stick with Logan Sargeant. Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Click here to join The Race Members' Club and have the opportunity to ask a question on the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Mitchell-Malm and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw to analyse the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, in which a Max Verstappen win sealed the constructors' title for Red Bull and McLaren looked to establish themselves as the champions' strongest challenger long-term. Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Click here to join The Race Members' Club and have the opportunity to ask a question on the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

F1.com's Lawrence Barretto joins Glenn Freeman and Edd Straw to round up the big stories ahead of the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. They discuss Oscar Piastri's new deal with McLaren, whether Daniel Ricciardo deserves his anticipated drive with AlphaTauri for 2024, whether Red Bull's Singapore blip is likely to be repeated in Japan, and whether Ferrari's recent improvements are set to continue. They also discuss Lance Stroll's fitness, after his recent heavy crash, and opine on the enduring appeal of Suzuka. Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Click here to join The Race Members' Club and have the opportunity to ask a question on the show Head over to Vroom.com NOW to check out thousands of cars to find your next one Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Mitchell-Malm and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw to discuss the Singapore Grand Prix, where Red Bull's record run was halted. They explain why the world champions suffered a dip in form, and how Ferrari's Carlos Sainz made sure he was the one to capitalise. Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Click here to join The Race Members' Club and have the opportunity to ask a question on the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Hughes and Valentin Khorounzhiy join Edd Straw to discuss Zhou Guanyu's contract renewal with Sauber and to look ahead to this weekend's Grand Prix in Singapore, which will take place on a new layout and with new regulations governing flexible bodywork. Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Click here to join The Race Members' Club and have the opportunity to ask a question on the show Head over to Vroom.com NOW to check out thousands of cars to find your next one Go to Indochino.com and use code RACE to get 10% off any purchase of $399 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices