Special F1 podcast alert! Send us your questions
Added 2025-01-07 08:00:06 +0000 UTCHappy New Year everyone! We know there's still a long way to go until the F1 season starts, and we've listened to all of you who have been asking for an opportunity before March to put questions to our podcast team.
So here goes: next Monday's episode of The Race F1 Podcast will be devoted to whatever you want to ask us!
Feel free to ask about what is to come in 2025, tying up loose ends from 2024 or anything else about the art of grand prix racing.
Edd Straw, Mark Hughes, and our new recruit Jon Noble will be on hand to get through as many of your questions as possible - and we'll answer some more in a members-exclusive F1 Extra too!
Drop a question in the comments below before 1pm UK time on Thursday.
Comments
I wonder what the panel thinks about drivers in 2025 plotting moves for either 2026 or 2027? There's not only the prospect of an Adrian Newey designed Aston Martin in the first year of the new regs, but Fernando could retire (as hinted) at the end of that season. We also don't know how long Lewis will be around at Ferrari either, other than he also wants to race on into the new regs. After you've looked into your crystal ball, who do you think we should be keeping an eye for a future move as 2025 progresses?
Steve D
2025-01-09 12:55:04 +0000 UTCWhich will be the first driver switch of 2025? Doohan and Lawson seem the most vulnerable at the moment
Anssi Rulamo
2025-01-09 12:48:11 +0000 UTCAre we going to see Sauber pull a "Haas 2021" this year and launch the car that will end the season and put all effort into the 2026 Audi?
Arron Riley
2025-01-09 09:08:29 +0000 UTCHappy New year. Has Carlos picked the wrong team, both for 2025 and further into the future? Given Sauber actually looked a lot better than expected by the end of the year and Williams looked at sea, has he backed the wrong horse?
Colin Gallagher
2025-01-08 23:53:05 +0000 UTCHappy new year guys, love all you work. 2025 is looking amazing however I can't help but think if the top 3 or 4 teams are really close in performance this could lead to a processional race, with no team having enough of an advantage. Qualifying could determine the whole race? How possible is this? ( and for the record we really hope this is not the case.)
Scuderia Irish
2025-01-08 19:11:23 +0000 UTCWhat are your thoughts on Spa becoming a rotational event on the F1 calendar, and which other races are at greatest risk of joining Spa on the "substitute bench"? (Personally, I wish the Middle Eastern races could be rotated, especially the awful Yas Marina, but I know there is zero possibility of that happening)
Stuart Coulter
2025-01-08 18:11:58 +0000 UTCIn a season with more Bottas sympathy corners than the Nurburgring, I believe the worst by far was F1 cursing his season with a wheel nut graphic immediately after him in the F1 broadcast opening credits. Jokes aside, what's your vote for top in-race sympathetic Bottas moment of the year?
Vin Narayan
2025-01-08 17:09:47 +0000 UTCWhich of the new drivers are best positioned for success in 2025 either in terms of points or, perhaps for the sake of fairness, to perform well vis a vis their more experienced teammate
Cory Caouette
2025-01-08 16:25:55 +0000 UTCIs the McLaren now a car that’s easier to handle? There wasn’t really much Said about it. Norris last year Said he would love a more stable Front end, but did he get it? Piastri had a lot of mistakes in Quali- was the handeling the problem or more the pressure to deliver? Zero poles against eight and the Head to Head Overall - is there an explanation for it? Thanks for all your work! And great to see Jon with you guys!
Andrea
2025-01-08 14:56:25 +0000 UTCWhen Hulk joined F1, we heard a lot about his potential which the car didn't suit. Since returning, the car suits him better and we have seen him shine. What driver do you think would have seen the biggest uptake in their career had they driven in a different era?
Gareth Anstee
2025-01-08 10:00:16 +0000 UTCDo you think any of the drivers who lost their seat in 2024, will be back in 2026 or in 2025 if someone under performs? Or should we expect another rookie.
Andrew Ferg
2025-01-08 08:32:59 +0000 UTCJack Doohan, if he even start the season
Julien
2025-01-08 01:19:18 +0000 UTCThere were unusually many driver changes during 2024, even without considering those because of injury, illness or penalties. Which driver is most at risk of not making it through the 2025 season in your opinion?
Jan Alexander
2025-01-07 20:24:40 +0000 UTCI’ve been wondering how we would have evaluated the RB20 this year if Red Bull had both drivers performing at Perez’s level. Would we have just assumed it was a mid-tier car? Can you think of a great (or potential championship-winning) car from the past that we may not have realized was great because both drivers so dramatically under-performed?
Michael DiRuggiero
2025-01-07 17:55:51 +0000 UTCAn obvious 2024 (companion) question that I’ve never heard answered…despite Horner’s representations otherwise, how much of RBR’s spending the summer lost in their development path was due to Newey’s departure? I know he wasn’t intimately involved in design, but he could certainly have looked at the approach and suggested a course correction?
Professor Graz
2025-01-07 15:50:17 +0000 UTCI get the feeling from your podcasts that you suspect Aston might come into 2026 with the top car, courtesy of Newey… also speculating that Max may not be as locked into RBR as assumed. Is it possible that Daddy Stroll is brilliantly keeping Lance in the seat as a placeholder for Max’ arrival in 2026 in the top car?
Professor Graz
2025-01-07 15:42:50 +0000 UTCHappy New Year The-Race team and thank you for everything you do. What is the expected impact of Red Bull taking over engine manufacturing for 2026? Business as usual or a big drop off? Would this impact 2025 development at all?
Esteban Rivera
2025-01-07 15:28:14 +0000 UTCIf Aston Martin doesn’t have the 5th best car to start out the 2025 season and/or decides to put more of its development towards the 2026 car, which team do you think has the best chance to lead the mid field battle?
Allie McWilliams
2025-01-07 14:47:26 +0000 UTCHappy new year guys, Who do you feel is most likely to find themselves back on the grid at some stage in 2025; Perez, Bottas, Magnussen or Colapinto?
Tod Bryant
2025-01-07 14:46:21 +0000 UTCOn a couple of podcasts in recent months you’ve hinted at the progress of the 2026 engines. Most recent one suggesting Red Bull behind. Previous ones suggesting Audi making surprising progress and Mercedes potentially strongest. Are you able to give a more comprehensive overview of your understanding of all suppliers? Also, on a BBV10s episode about Hybrids I listened to recently you covered how underprepared Renault and Ferrari were in 2014. Are all engine suppliers in 2026 more likely to be much better prepared due to the standard set my Mercedes in 2014?
Neil Clarke
2025-01-07 14:43:46 +0000 UTCHappy New Year and cheers to an exciting 2025 season for all motorsports! Aside from Pato O'Ward, do you see potential for other Indy Car drivers to crossover into F1 in the future?
Anne Turnage
2025-01-07 14:17:34 +0000 UTCDo you think the pink Mercedes could of won more races with different drivers?
Jake
2025-01-07 12:30:54 +0000 UTCGuys first Happy New Year and all the best in 2025 :) With so many driver changes and also team personnel movement for the 2025/2026 season, which team do you see is now best equipped for next few years?
URBAN MOTO-BIKE
2025-01-07 11:40:58 +0000 UTCWith 6 rookies (or first full year season) on the grid this year do the team strategists plan for an increase in safety cars, VSCs, red flags throughout the whole weekend. I can see more disruptive practice sessions, crashes in critical qualifying moments, and who knows in race scenarios. Considering 2024 was low and Bernd Maylander could usually put his feet up. What are your thoughts?
Alex Hindley
2025-01-07 11:18:43 +0000 UTCWhich rookie is under the most pressure? Is it Antonelli because of the weight of expectation, or Hadjar (or even Doohan) because of the possibility of being replaced?
Daniel Hayes
2025-01-07 11:16:47 +0000 UTCIf one of the many rookies this year is dropped, who do you think is most likely to fill the gap? Would teams go with the experience of bottas or take another punt on someone like colapinto?
Charlie Pascoe
2025-01-07 11:03:32 +0000 UTCAnyone have a case for another race series we should pay attention to in 2025 (F1 associated or not)? MotoGP? Maybe one with a race in Europe that I could actually afford...
Kenny Stoltz
2025-01-07 10:38:40 +0000 UTCSurely they must do. Imagine the fallout if Red Bull lose Verstappen - they'll be a little bit stuffed
Simon Emms
2025-01-07 10:33:12 +0000 UTCIs Jon keeping the tradition of him being on a plane when driver announcements are made? If so, has he shared his flight schedule with Franco Colapinto?
Simon Emms
2025-01-07 10:31:58 +0000 UTCWhich of the drivers to leave the grid at the end of 2024 are most Likely to reappear in 2026 and when do u expect F1’s new entry to announce its driver lineup?
Chris Parrott
2025-01-07 10:17:23 +0000 UTCI was wondering what your thoughts on the length of the season and how it's now grouped together. While this is great for fans of F1 and Liberty's cashflow, the first five rounds are all flyaway races with only a 2 week gap between China and Japan - by May we would have had 5 races. I have two parts to my question: What concerns does the F1 paddock (from the teams to the media) have with the number of races that is proliferating the calendar?; and What is the F1 team's (Edd, Mark, Scott, Samarth and now John) feelings about the intense calendar that would, if seriously dedicated, would mean almost living out of a suitcase for nearly 2 months. BTW if you're in Melbourne for Round 1, would you host a The Race catchup somewhere so us poor sods that live 22 hours (by plane) from the UK get to meet and thank you for your awesome work?
Alexander Law
2025-01-07 09:27:55 +0000 UTCHappy New Year, guys! Do you think if Lawson underperforms in the first half of the season, Red Bull will bung Tsunoda in at the summer break? Or will they invest in him for the long-term? I can see the disappointment of Tsunoda not getting the seat for this year turning around.
Alex Morris
2025-01-07 09:22:10 +0000 UTCWhat team do you think is most likely to pull a Haas 2021 and focus 100% on 2026 and not upgrade the 2025 car at all after launch?
Thomas Knights
2025-01-07 09:17:19 +0000 UTCPromoted by Mark’s article on why Ferrari’s car may suit Lewis better than Mercedes - are there any drivers that have switched teams that you think could benefit from the traits of their new car, relative to their driving style? Or even the other side of the coin - drivers that may struggle with their new car for a particular reason!
Olli Emmerson
2025-01-07 08:43:28 +0000 UTCHow will Ferrari handle its car development for 2025? Given Hamilton is at the latter stage of his career if he sees an opportunity for a title in 25 he’ll presumably be pushing to stay developing later into the season whereas Leclerc, being much younger, could be more open to switching over the develop the 26 car earlier into the season as he has much longer left of his career and could see the rule change as a better long term option to win races/titles.
Ben Saint
2025-01-07 08:42:24 +0000 UTCAfter 2024 I would expect flexi body parts to appear on more cars of a similar type to McLaren and Mercedes, considering Ferrari and Red Bull were in the fight without these, if they do a reasonable job developing them, could these 2 teams jump ahead of McLaren as they're base cars are potentially stronger? Or does the flexi body parts fundamentally change how a car should be designed so McLaren still have that advantage?
Ed R Gaming
2025-01-07 08:33:29 +0000 UTCWhen could we possibly see Hamilton in his new Ferrari colours?
Matthew McMahon
2025-01-07 08:33:11 +0000 UTCBiggest letdown of the season/ biggest surprise of the season
Daniel Collyer
2025-01-07 08:14:33 +0000 UTCAccording to you, the next champion of Ferrari is going to be a toss between Charles Leclerc or Oliver Bearman. Even though it's early, I don't personally see Lewis' contract being extended beyond 2026 purely on lack of performance. It's been widely suggested that even though he was part of a winning team at Mercedes, he's never been one to be able to build up a team like Michael Schumacher did during the decade of 1990s. What are your thoughts about this? Thank you.
Xerxes Balsara
2025-01-07 08:06:35 +0000 UTCWhat tyre changes are there for 2025? Thanks
Gavin Cameron @ the_loft_workshop
2025-01-07 08:06:23 +0000 UTCWhat's with the calibration problems at Aston Martin's new wind tunnel and how can this delay affect their 2025 and 2026 cars?
Disc Infiltrator
2025-01-07 08:04:31 +0000 UTCDoes Red Bull have to invest in Lawson like never before in order to try & stabilise the MV team-mate carousel? It’s allowed Sainz, Albon & Gasly to go elsewhere, now MV could if Red Bull doesn’t up its game.
Stephen Camp
2025-01-07 08:03:56 +0000 UTC
