Midweek F1

What a race weekend in Brazil, overtaking for fun, crashes and penalties!  It looked like a clean start then turned into an early safety car, and the restart was bonkers with Piastri, Antonelli and Le Clerc going three wide, with Le Clerc out as a result.  Then there was a virtual safety car, Max got a puncture and changed tyres, he then ripped through the field.  Piastri got a 10 second penalty for a restart overtaking move.  Then everyone over took everyone, pits galore and Lando won again. Oh and throw in a stand out drive from Kimi Antonelli holding off Max to second place! Just a few things to discuss.  Joining Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume in the hotseat this week is Sky F1's Rachel Brookes.  Please don't forget to follow us wherever you listen so you don't miss the final three episodes of this season. 

It's advantage Lando Norris as he leads the 2025 F1 Championship by 1 point after a fantastic race weekend in Mexico. And we've got not just one, but two voices of Formula 1 in the studio this week as we welcome back BBC 5Live and Sky commentator Harry Benjamin to join Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume.  The Mexico GP was like a Rallycross race with so many people on the grass, and then lots of penalties, interesting tyre strategies and what about that Virtual Safety Car! So much to discuss along with a look ahead to Brazilian GP at Interlagos - will Max Verstappen dominate again? And of course podium predictions.  As always Producer Jim has chosen some storylines from the weekend to discuss including the first corner crush, Max and Lewis kissing, Ollie Bearman not messing about, George Russell's potty mouth, Oscar Piastri's gameplan and whether that Virtual Safety Car cost Max Verstappen second place.  Plus Harry Benjamin tells us about how meeting Martin Brundle for the first time didn't quite go to plan.  Don't forget to follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts so you don't miss an episode of Midweek F1. 

The Cowboys were out in force for the United States Grand Prix in Austin this weekend and the Sheriff was most definitely Max Verstappen with a sprint race win followed by a Grand Prix victory.  The drama started a day early in Austin with a first lap crash in the sprint race that took out both McLarens, compounded by Max winning again!  Giving him a further 8 point swing in the championship. Then on Sunday he did it again, making it a 23 point swing! To further compound McLaren’s frustration Ferrari at last had a good race with Charles LeClerc nipping into second starting on fresh tyres. Norris had to overtake Leclerc twice on track either side of pitstops but finally got it done right at the end.  While this was going on Piastri was having a very quiet race down in 5th.   All of which means we now have a three-way fight for the drivers championship! Things are really hotting up as we get into the last sector of the season and joining Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume to give you the lowdown on the F1 hoedown is presenter of the BBC Chequered Flag 'Back At Base' podcast and former pitlane reporter, Holly Samos.  Please don't forget to follow us wherever you listen to Midweek F1 so you don't miss an episode. 

We are back after a hot and humid weekend in Singapore and we welcome back Mr Sniff Petrol himself, Richard Porter to the studio. It was every man for himself this weekend, with smooth George Russell sailing onto the podium and a well earned club sandwich, while Lando Norris went for the 'just push them out of the way' approach with both Max Verstappen and his own team mate Oscar Piastri. Just what do you do with the two McLaren drivers? Producer Jim has lots of questions and we will look ahead to the American Formula 1 Grand Prix with predictions from the whole team. Plus listen out for a great story from Richard Porter involving Fernando Alonso, a microwave and a 90's pop band! It's all on this week's Midweek F1 podcast with Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume and please don't forget to subscribe. 

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix threw the 2025 F1 play book out of the window with a record number of red flags during qualifying, a Williams on the front row, Liam Lawson in third and a terrible start from Oscar Piastri. Plus DRS trains, possible rain, poor pitstops but in front of it all was Max Verstappen taking his second victory in a row. Does this mean that McLaren should be worried?  Joining F1 guru Ben Edwards, is Jennie Gow sitting in for Nicola and visiting us fresh from The Fast And Curious podcast is Christian Hewgill to give us his take on Baku and look ahead to the Singapore Grand Prix.  Producer Jim has lots of questions to ask.  Piastri jumped the start, then nearly stalled, everyone streamed past and he was last before crashing on cold tyres.  Has the heat of the championship battle finally got to Mr Chill?   Lando Norris missed out on a golden opportunity to capitalise on Oscar’s crash, found himself stuck in a DRS train before a lengthy pit stop lost him an all-important 2 seconds to jump Tsunoda and Lawson.  Is this a second track that doesn’t suit Mclaren or is the worm turning? After nearly taking each other off at turn 1, it was a very solid result for Mercedes pair.  Did Toto’s public telling off last week do the trick? After a couple of bad weekends the smooth operator was back!  Amazing qualifying and race performance from Carlos Sainz to bag his first Williams podium.  Could this be just the start for Carlos and Williams?   Yet another flat weekend for Ferrari, even Baku master LeClerc struggled.  Is it time to draw a line under 2025 and hope for the best with the new regs? What the hell is going on at Ferrari? But a very good weekend from Tsunoda and Lawson. It felt like they were racing for the F1 careers, but have they done enough? Will we see them next year? And we'll take a look at the next race in the 2025 Formula 1 calendar, which is the glamour of Singapore.  Please don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. 

What a weekend at the 2025 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen nails the fastest pole position lap of all time that looked unlikely up until Q3, Then some elbows out action at the first corner, Charles Leclerc nicks 3rd off Oscar Piastri, and they have a punchy battle, Rookies under achieving, rookie’s over achieving.  Then throw in undercuts, overcut pit strategies, comings together for the stewards to mull over and a McLaren team call that nearly ends in tears. All of which ends with Lando Norris outscoring Oscar by 3 points cutting Piastri’s championship lead down to 31 points. But Max and Red Bull ARE BACK! So much to talk about with Ben Edwards, Nicola Hume and this week's special guest, Louise Goodman. #formula1 #maxverstappen #charlesleclerc #landonorris #oscarpiastri #isackhadjar #italiangp

It was an incident packed race on the beach in Zandvoort for the Dutch Formuia One Grand Prix and after that Mclaren oil leak it looks like Lando Norris' F1 Championship has just gone up in smoke. Ferrari had a shocker as well, but we saw a rookie on the podium, with Isack Hadjar's third place.  So much to discuss with this week's special guest, BBC 5 Live's Jennie Gow, who pulls no punches on what she thinks. Plus we'll take a look ahead to the legendary Italian Grand Priz at Monza next weekend. Can the Tifosi bring Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc some much-needed luck? And you won't believe how close the predicition championship is this week. It can only be the Midweek F1 podcast with F1 guru, Ben Edwards and Talking Bull's, Nicola Hume! Don't forget to hit the follow button so you don't miss an episode and follow us on our socials for more F1 content.

Joining Ben Edwards, Nicola Hume and Producer Jim in the guest seat this week is F1 YouTuber and Nicola's Red Bull podcast co-host, Tom McCluskey, known to millions as Tommo.  The Hungarian Grand Prix may not have been the most exciting race of the 2025 Formula One season, but there are plenty of things to discuss including Ferrari's horror show, Lando v Oscar, Alonso's Sunday driving, and whether Lewis Hamilton has lost his love for racing. Plus Harold the meme guy was there!  it also looks like Renault may be considering the sale of Alpine, but could this be the natural place for Christian Horner to make his F1 Paddock comeback? After the summer break the next race in the calendar is the Dutch Grand Prix and all the team share their predictions for the podium at Max Verstappen's home race.  Don't forget to follow Midweek F1 wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss an episode and please do like and share. 

Joining Ben and Nicola for the lowdown from the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is Martin Donnelly, who is the inspiration for Brad Pitt's character, 'Sonny Hayes', in F1: The Movie. The Belgian Grand Prix weekend was an interesting one with lots of weather, safety car, and pit lane starts but did it all become a bit of a damp squib? Ben, Nicola and Producer Jim have lots to discuss including Oscar Piastri's dominant drive over Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton's remarkable comeback and Red Bull's first race with a new boss.  Martin Donnelly is our special guest and he tells us about how the late Eddie 'EJ' Jordan got him into Formula 1 before a horrific accident in 1990 ended his motor racing career. It is that accident which is the backstory of 'Sonny Hayes' in F1: The Movie, and Martin explains how a random phone call led to him being a key part of the film.  Plus we'll take a look ahead to the last F1 race before the summer break which is the Hungarian Grand Prix.  Please don't forget to follow Midweek F1 wherever you listen to your podcasts so you never miss an episode and leave a review or comment. 

A home hero, the incredible Hulk and horrendous weather - the British Grand Prix had it all and delivered one of the best races of the season so far. F1 oracle, Ben Edwards, and Red Bull F1 presenter, Nicola Hume are joined by Sky F1 presenter Rachel Brookes to talk about all the major stories from Silverstone, including Nico Hulkenberg’s amazing first podium finish, Oscar Piastri’s 10 second penalty, and what effect that might have on the championship battle with British Grand Prix winner Lando Norris.  Plus the truth about the Max Verstappen to Mercedes rumours, and a look forward to the next round in Belgium at another classic venue, Spa-Francorchamps. Don't forget to hit the follow button so you don't miss an episode.  #midweekf1 #podcast #landonorris #nicohulkenberg #ocsarpiastri #maxverstappen #lancestroll #f1 #formulaone #f1news #f12025 #grandprix

Kimi Raikkonen's former F1 Race Engineer Julien Simon-Chautemps joins Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume on this week's episode of Midweek F1 to give his unique perspective on the Austrian Grand Prix.  Lando Norris is now only 15 points behind Oscar Piastri in the Drivers Championship, so is Max Verstappen now too far away to challenge the McLaren pair for the Championship?  What about the school boy error from Kimi Antonelli and what is going on at Alpine? Liam Lawson is back in the points, while Yuki Tsunoda is still struggling at Red Bull so is it the car or the driver?  Plus we look forward to the next round which is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and Julie, Ben, Nicola and Producer Jim share their predictions, plus Ben gives us his review of F1 - The Movie. 

While Nicola is on a jolly at Le Mans, Claire Cottingham is back to join the guru Ben Edwards and our special guest, Formula E host, Nicki Shields to chat through a compelling Canadian F1 Grand Prix and take a look ahead to the Austrian GP.  We have a fourth Grand Prix winner this season! Mr George Russell saw off early pressure from Max and controlled the race from the front.  Meanwhile it was all going on behind him, we had Kimi’s amazing opening lap pass on Piastri, Hulkenberg doing the business again over taking a Red Bull and a Ferrari strategy horror show, and the McLaren pair clashing, taking out Norris and not making the podium for the first time this season!   Whilst we’ve all been talking up Hadjar Kimi Antonelli has been learning and then bang third place whilst defending from the championship leader, and he’s only 18! Ferrari once again look all over the place, plan A,B or C didn’t work and they end up looking bang average once again.  How do you solve a problem like Ferrari?  And the big one, the McLaren clash and are out of the top three for the first time this season. Could this be the start of 2024 in reverse for them? Plus another honourable mention for Nico Hulkenberg, another brilliant drive.  Could he be the big winner of the flexi wing rule change?  Piastri is now 22 points ahead of Norris and 43 ahead of Max, is this now the time for Mclaren to back Oscar? All this and more on this week's Midweek F1 podcast. Please don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from. 

Well that was quite some weekend in Spain to wrap up the triple header!  So much to discuss, and while Ben Edwards is away, fellow F1 commentary voice Harry Benjamin joins Nicola Hume and YouTube legend and massive F1 fan, Colin Furze who is back in the guest seat to chat through all the major talking points including: -Turn One -Return of the Hulk -What happened after the safety car?! -Should Max Verstappen have got a black flag? -Are Ferrari back or just Charles Leclerc? It's a tough dilemma this week for Max super-fan and official Red Bull podcast host, Nicola! Plus we take a look ahead to Canada with the Prediction Championship of the World!  Please don't forget to tell your F1 friends about Midweek F1 and follow us so you don't miss an episode.

The tame racing driver who never speaks has plenty to say in this week's episode as Ben Collins joins Ben Edwards and NIcola Hume to discuss the jewel in the F1 crown - Monaco. But was it really a great race or just a 78 lap drivers' parade? Plus he shares a great story about Jeremy Clarkson that he probably shouldn't be telling us.  Probably the biggest first corner of the year in terms of potential positions gained, and no repeat of Max at Imola on Piastri this time despite being side by side, was he put off by Lando lock up or thinking championship?  First lap rookie ruck, Antonelli and Bortolotti clash on track, should Bortoleto have seen Kimi coming or was it a naive lung from Antonelli?  The new two pitstop rules allowed Racing Bulls and Williams to use teammates to back the pack up to allow clean pitstops. Clever or destroying the F1 spectacle?  What has Fernando got to do for his first points?  Qualified 6th, then retired with engine trouble.  Despite that is this further proof Fernando and Aston are back?   Nightmare weekend for George Russell.  So frustrated he cuts a corner to overtake thinking he’ll get 10 second time penalty but gets drive through. Interesting tactics or awful cheat?   Special mention for Lando Norris who seems to have exercised the demons in Monaco, season defining for him do we think?  Also how do McLaren manage this with Max so close in the championship?   Don't forget to follow Midweek F1 so you don't miss an episode.

It's exam season, and after an action-packed Formula One race weekend in Italy, Vicki Butler-Henderson is back in the guest chair, armed with her big red pen and some exam results for all the drivers and teams so far this season. Some of her grades may well surprise you, so feel free to leave your own F1 grades in the comments!  Ben and Nicola also have plenty to discuss from Imola including: Max Verstappen's first corner Lando Norris 4th to 2nd Lewis Hamilton's Tifosi delight Charles Leclerc frustration Isack Hadjar - The Tyre Whisperer Adrian Newey's lunchtime lecture  Plus a look ahead to Monaco - is it a bit of a boring race unless it rains? And please don't forget to follow so you don't miss an episode of Midweek F1.

What a weekend! So much to talk about from the first corner tussle that probably cost Lando Norris the race, to Lewis Hamilton's tea-break and the star that was born in Miami. And as if that wasn't enough our special guest this week is Mr Sniff Petrol, Richard Porter who has some fascinating F1 stories to share. Plus we look ahead to Imola. Nicola is on a jolly in Paris, so Claire Cottingham sits in with the oracle, Ben Edwards and Producer Jim. 

This week everyone is working from home as it is a holiday weekend, but the racing doesn't stop and Jeddah provided the backdrop to some heat in the desert for the Saudi GP along with an appearance from F1's latest A-list fan, Jennifer Lopez. Joining Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume to chat through the weekend is BBC 5 Live's Jennie Gow. We also take a look ahead to the Miami GP with some interesting predictions. Don't forget to follow us so you don't miss an episode. 

Bahrain did not disappoint and it might just be BTCC Champion and Legend, Jason Plato's favourite new race. He joins Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume to give us some really interesting thoughts on the F1 grid from a racing driver's perspective and shares his predictions for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this coming weekend. Plus he's been in Enzo Ferrari's legendary apartment and shares the very unique item he found in it. Please don't forget to follow us so you don't miss an episode. 

This week we have not just one, but two of the voices of F1 together as BBC 5 Live commentator Harry Benjamin joins Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume in the Midweek F1 studio to take a look back at Suzuka. Was it a McLaren mistake that handed Max victory and what is Nicola's 20,000 Euro question? Plus we'll take a look ahead to Bahrain and Harry tells us why he thinks it's going to be like 2014 all over again. Don't forget to follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts so you don't miss an episode. 

What a weekend in China! You literally win some and lose some! Joining Ben Edwards and Nicola Hume this week is motorsport television presenter and journalist Louise Goodman. Louise has been in the sport a long time and knows everybody. In fact her old boss was Eddie Jordan and she shares a couple of great stories that could only have happened to EJ! We take a look ahead to Suzuka which is shaping up to be another interesting race. Can you believe it will only be Race 3! Don't forget to follow Midweek F1 so you don't miss an episode.