The Autosport F1 Podcast

It’s a hire car special! Whilst waiting to leave the track car park in The Mighty Lancia Ypsilon, Luke Smith and Matt Kew get the podcast mics out to run through their analysis of the sprint race at Imola, and how the pecking order is looking for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martyn Lee and Haydn Cobb look back at a chaotic Friday for Formula 1’s 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The grid is set for the 21-lap sprint race on Saturday, but the cars line up in an order very few fans would have predicted. Changeable conditions brought out five red flags in a highly disrupted qualifying session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

20Mechanics are an integral part of motorsport regardless of discipline and those that work in the World Rally Championship mechanics are regarded among elite. These unsung heroes are expected to perform miracles against the clock to prepare and repair WRC cars during events. Unlike other forms of motorsport, rallying’s version of the circuit racing pitstop is known as a service and these occur after a series or loop of special stages held on closed roads. Drivers and co-drivers will return to the service park, where teams deploy a group of mechanics to repair any damage or change items on the cars in an allotted time period before the next set of stages. To better understand the life of a mechanic Autosport WRC reporter Tom Howard was invited to become part of the M-Sport Ford WRC team to work on Pierre-Louis Loubet’s Ford Puma Rally1 WRC car at the South Belgian Rally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Easter traditionally marks the first round of British GT and the latest edition of the Autosport Podcast previews this weekend's season opener. After two years where the coronavirus pandemic has prevented the series getting under way at Oulton Park over Easter, this staple of the national racing schedules is back for 2022. With the reigning GT3 champions absent, we explore some of the likely contenders as well as the raft of changes for this year, including new teams, new drivers and new tyres. It's not just British GT that begins in Cheshire but also some of its supporting categories, including the GB3 Championship. The single-seater contest has a new car for this year and has attracted a strong line-up of over 20 drivers despite the difficult economic climate. Autosport's Group National Editor Stephen Lickorish is joined by Plus Editor James Newbold and Deputy National Editor Stefan Mackley to discuss who to keep an eye on in each series this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Editor of motorsport.com Australia, Andrew van Leeuwen, joins Luke Smith and Matt Kew to discuss the Australian Grand Prix. Martyn Lee is your host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luke Smith and Alex Kalinauckas are in the Albert Park paddock for the Australian Grand Prix, and here to dig into the details of a highly dramatic (and disrupted) qualifying session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Formula One is back down under after a two year break, and the cars were on track today for the two Free Practice sessions. The Ferrari vs Red Bull battle looks to have picked up where it left off in Saudi Arabia, with both teams running at the front. Alpine saw stronger pace in FP2 and McLaren were both in the top ten, but how much of that will translate to qualifying? Jonathan Noble is here to analyse the lap times around a newly remodelled Albert Park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autosport's Chief Editor Kevin Turner loves a list and this is the final part of our podcast mini-series, ranking the top ten drivers from another F1 team. Today we rank the greatest Lotus drivers. This time we’re doing it with the help of Matt Kew, and Alex Kalinauckas is your host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autosport's Chief Editor Kevin Turner loves a list and in Part 5 (of 6) of our new podcast series we're ranking another ten drivers. This time we’re doing it with the help of Matt Kew, and Alex Kalinauckas is your host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jess McFadyen and Alex Kalinauckas join Martyn Lee to analyse the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Red Bull started first and fourth, and finished in the same positions, but it wasn't the dream pole-to-flag victory Sergio Perez dreamed of. Perez was unfortunate to pit from the lead just before a safety car, which gifted his opponents a cheap stop and the chance to leapfrog him. Max Verstappen's late race battle with Charles Leclerc gave him a first win of the new season, and it gave F1 fans plenty of hope these new regulations will allow cars to more closely follow one another. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A polesitter who has waited 215 race starts to lead the pack away on a Sunday, and a massive accident for Mick Schumacher. Saturday in Saudi Arabia was memorable for many reasons, but one to forget for Lewis Hamilton, who could opt to start from the pitlane on Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A missile attack on an Aramco distribution facility, around 10 miles from the track, was the main talking point today. Thick black smoke was seen filling the air during Free Practice 1, which delayed Free Practice 2 as Formula 1 and the FIA met with teams to discuss the situation. Martyn Lee and Haydn Cobb talk about the implications of today's events, and analyse the pace we saw on track heading into qualifying tomorrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autosport's Chief Editor Kevin Turner loves a list and in Part 4 of our new podcast series we're ranking another ten drivers. This time we’re doing it with the help of Karun Chandhok, and Alex Kalinauckas is your host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luke Smith, Matt Kew and Haydn Cobb join Martyn Lee to look back at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and how three late retirements gave many of the points scorers a better finish on paper than they might have deserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the Bahrain International Circuit, Luke Smith (F1 Reporter) is joined by Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) to analyse a thrilling qualifying session. It's still far too early to say if the established order from the hybrid era is ancient history, but there's certainly a different look to the starting grid for tomorrow’s race. Shortly before Qualifying, and 97 days after the controversy of Abu Dhabi, the FIA released their report into how those final laps played out. The full report can be seen on autosport.com, but our team thinks there are still some questions which need answered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Noble (F1 Editor, Motorsport.com) was watching both Free Practice sessions from trackside today, and spoke to the drivers and team bosses afterwards. He's speaking to Martyn Lee (Head of Podcasts, Motorsport Network) to analyse the form guide as the fuel came out and the soft tyres went on, for some quick laps. Arguably more interesting was to come, when the teams fuelled up and gave us a clue to their long run pace. Are Red Bull and Ferrari REALLY favourites for pole, and how bad are things for Mercedes? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autosport's Chief Editor Kevin Turner loves a list and in Part 3 of our new podcast series we're ranking another ten drivers. This time we’re doing it with the help of someone who has unique insight into the cars these drivers piloted, because we’re joined by Williams Heritage Driver Karun Chandhok. In fact every driver on today’s list drove a car in which Karun has experienced behind the wheel. Alex Kalinauckas is your host. Join us next Thursday when Kevin attempts to put the Top 10 McLaren Drivers in order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The countdown is on until a new breed of Formula 1 cars hit the track for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Just days after the final test, the teams are ready to do battle for real at the Bahrain International Circuit. Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) stayed out in Bahrain and will be back in the paddock this weekend. They're joined by our latest recruit to the Autosport F1 team, Matt Kew. We get to know Matt on the podcast today and find out his favourite motorsport moments. With time over the last few days to crunch the numbers, we discuss why Mercedes might genuinely be struggling to dial in the setup of their new car, and not just talking themselves down (here's looking at you 2019, 2020 and 2021!). We discuss why Red Bull and Ferrari were looking strong based on what we witnessed trackside in Barcelona and Bahrain. The predictable midfield battle, as we have come to know it, looks ripe for a shakeup. The difference from the top to bottom of the timesheets is likely closer than we've seen in recent years, as demonstrated by moments of stronger pace from Haas and Williams during testing. Finally, we discuss some of the news of the week, including today's FIA clarification of the Safety Car rule, and that "ALL CARS that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap" (our caps) rather than "any cars", the source of so much Abu Dhabi controversy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Kew and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) recount their experience of watching the cars over the three days in Bahrain. They talk about how the Mercedes looked like it was struggling to dial-in the handling, how Red Bull grabbed a last minute glory run, and how Ferrari were not-so-quietly confident. With the final day of pre-season testing complete, is porpoising still a thing? What happened to the McLaren brake ducts? Why did Lewis Hamilton say Mercedes are not in contention for a win in Bahrain? And if Mercedes turn up next weekend and put the cars 5th and 6th on the grid, would be we surprised? All of those questions answered on today's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The second day of the final 2022 Formula 1 pre-season test is in the books, with Carlos Sainz Jr leading the way for Ferrari. It was a day that was blustery and blowy, meant the many red flags that flew were streaming strongly. Alex Kalinauckas is hosting the podcast today, summarising and understanding the day. To look ahead of the final day of the test here in Bahrain on Saturday, he's joined by Matt Kew and Luke Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WARNING: This podcast discusses specific events and moments in the new Netflix series. If you don't want to spoil any of those surprises, make sure you bookmark this episode and come back after you've watched the show. Jess McFadyen is joined by Luke Smith to discuss the fourth season of Drive To Survive, having been given access to the series some time ago. The series is out now and keenly anticipated amongst Formula 1 fans. Some of their highlights include Lewis Hamilton letting viewers into his Covid experience and worries about staying healthy. The 2021 rookies are all represented too, with Tsunoda, Schumacher and Mazepin given decent airtime. Once again there is an inflated sense of antagonism between some of the rivalries which does not please those looking for a ‘pure’ telling of the story. The largest omission is the lack of Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 World Champion, who finally provided Drive To Survive a title fight. Max has said he doesn't like the way some rivalries, such as the Norris vs Sainz in a previous series, are painted as more contentious than they really are. Without his direct involvement it's left to Christian Horner to talk about the Red Bull perspective on the title fight. The elephant in the room is the inclusion of Nikita Mazepin and discussions around Uralkali funding of the Haas team, given the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions against the Mazepin family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) joins Martyn Lee to explain THOSE Mercedes sidepods, or rather lack of them, and what it means for the development race in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autosport's Chief Editor Kevin Turner loves a list and in Part 2 of our new podcast series we're ranking another ten drivers. Just like the first which counted down the Top 10 Ferrari drivers, you'll no doubt have an opinion on this one too. This week it's the youngest team on our mini-series, Red Bull Racing. Kevin is joined by Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas and F1 Reporter Luke Smith. Thanks to the Autosport Podcast sponsor, BetterHelp online therapy. We talk about BetterHelp a lot on this show, and this month we’re discussing some of the stigmas around mental health. Many people think therapy’s for so-called crazy people. But, therapy doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. It means you recognize that all humans have emotions, and we need to learn to control them, not avoid them. And we’ve been taught that mental health shouldn’t be a part of normal life. But that’s wrong too. We take care of our bodies with the gym, the doctor and nutrition. We should be focusing on our minds just as much. BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to. ● It’s much more affordable than in-person therapy and you can be matched with a therapist in under 48 hours. ● Give it a try and see why over 2 million people have used BetterHelp online therapy Get 10% off your first month at https://betterhelp.com/autosport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we're joined by professional racing driver, TV commentator and MotorsportUK board member Karun Chandhok. We're looking ahead to the Bahrain test this week and discussing what was learned from Barcelona. Should the teams have foreseen the porpoising issue? And can teams fix any issues completely within the timescale and the budget restrictions? Karun also talks about how international sporting bodies have taken a stance against Russian and Belarusian athletes. He discusses, from his perspective as a driver, the role of professional sportspeople as influencers and role models. Finally we look at the driver line-ups following Max Verstappen's long term commitment to Red Bull Racing, and which driver pairings he thinks are the ones to watch this year. Karun is joined by GP Racing magazine editor Ben Anderson and your host, Alex Kalinauckas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the most successful constructor in Formula 1 history, and its only ever-present force since 1950, Ferrari has had its fair share of top-line drivers during its world championship history. Autosport takes on the task of ranking its very best from the past 71 years. Alex Kalinauckas is joined by Matt Kew and, of course, Kevin Turner to argue about which drivers deserve their place in the Top 10. Thank you to today's podcast sponsor BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month by using this link, which also let's the know you heard about BetterHelp on the Autosport Podcast: www.betterhelp.com/autosport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Howard is fresh off the plane from Sweden with his full review of how Kalle Rovanperä took an emphatic victory to take charge of the championship. The 21 year old decided on muted celebrations, after giving his support to the people of Ukraine currently under Russian invasion, exactly 21 years after his father Harri took his only World Rally Championship victory at the same event. In contrast, Elfyn Evans had a weekend to forget. A 10 second time penalty caused by him leaving the designated course, whilst recovering from crashing over a snow back on the final corner, would just be the start of his pain. To discuss that and a lot more, Martyn Lee joins Tom Howard to look back at memorable weekend of motorsport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mercedes put in some quick laps to top morning and afternoon sessions, with drivers running two by two, and both Red Bulls not far behind. For anyone hoping the new regulations might mean the competitive order was thrown up in the air will be disappointed. But for followers of Formula 1, you won't be surpirsed that the status quo is a good place to start when decoding the timesheets from testing. Maybe it's a sign that many of the teams are talking up Ferrari, or are they trying some smoke-and-mirrors to divert attention off their own cars. Joining Martyn Lee to discuss all the action from the final day of the first pre-season test is Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) and Haydn Cobb (Editor, Autosport.com). Formula 1 says it will not hold the Russian Grand Prix scheduled for 25 September "in the current circumstances" following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: “On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.” The promoter of the Russian Grand Prix confirmed the contract to hold the race had been suspended, but also asl fans not to seek refunds for tickets as "it is still possible that the round will take place and will be held as previously scheduled". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AL UNSER JR has lived a double life - supreme racing talent and self-inflicted personal turmoil. He won two CART championships and won the Indianapolis 500 twice. It's rare for someone so successful in their motorsport career to open up on struggles with addiction, depression and abuse. His new book "Al Unser Jr: A Checkered Past" is a brutally honest look at some of the stories which racing fans will know, and some which he has never talked about before. Growing up in Indycar with a famous surname he was put on a pedestal. Nephew to Bobby, son of Al. The story of 'Little Al' would too often leave the pages of Autosport for the tabloids to chart the fall from grace of an American darling. JAMES NEWBOLD asks about how he was able to supress his anger at Emerson Fittipaldi after his crash in the 1989 Indy 500, and win an award for sportsmanship, when he had to fight every natural urge not to retaliate. He says what he thinks of the current crop of teams and drivers, and who impresses him the most. He also talks about the process of writing his book alongside noted author JADE GURSS and how he had to stop several times because he was in tears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Day 2 of F1 pre-season testing saw global events overtake what was happening on track, with drivers and teams speaking out against the Russia/Ukraine conflict. Meetings between organisers will soon communicate Formula 1's stance on the planned race in Sochi. Martyn Lee is joined by Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) and Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) to dig into the timesheets and work out what's really going on. We've been trackside again today and observing how some of the cars are suffering with high speed instability, in a throwback to the 1980's ground effect cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to a bonus episode of the show featuring some exclusive content from the subscriber area of Autosport.com. Autosport Plus Red Bull was the first Formula 1 team to launch its 2022 season, but is the last to actually show off its new car. Finally unveiling its RB18 to the world on the first day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, here's what can be seen from the radical new challenger Max Verstappen will defend his 2021 title with. For a 50% discount on your first payment to the exclusive Autosport Plus subscriber area, using the code PODCAST at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Autosport Podcast will bring you coverage of Formula 1 testing at the end of every day of track action. On today's podcast we're looking at the first day of testing (officially a shakedown) and how any fears about early reliability were quickly dispelled. Eight teams achieved over 100 laps as they executed their individual run plans with little drama and no red flags to interrupt sessions. Martyn Lee is joined by Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) and Haydn Cobb (Autosport.com Editor) to talk about what it was like trackside, and also analyse some of the technical aspects of the Red Bull RB18 which made it's first real appearance today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we're using the build up to the 2022 season to look back at who excelled last year, and therefore who we should be watching this year. Settle in because this is a long one, with both Top 10 drivers argued out for British Touring Cars and the TOCA support series (Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Ginetta Junior, Mini Challenge and British Formula 4). We didn't rush this one out at the end of 2021 because so much of our time was spent with the incredibly late running F1 calendar, plus we knew that we had a healthy gap before these series started again. It's still around a month before we'll even see some F4 or Ginetta testing. And a couple of months before the opening round at Donington Park. Hosting todays podcast is Autosport's Chief Editor, Kevin Turner. He's joined by Marcus Simmons and Stephen Lickorish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Later than originally planned, the Autosport Awards 2021 were presented on Sunday 6th February at London's Grosvenor House. On the podcast today we bring you highlights of the winners speeches and some of the stars we met on the red carpet. The categories, voted on by readers of Autosport magazine and autosport.com, are below: Racing Driver of the Year presented by Pirelli Race Car of the Year presented by Blink Experience Rally Driver of the Year Rally Car of the Year Rookie of the Year British Racing Driver of the Year UK Racer of the Year Esports Driver of the Year presented by Motorsport Games Esports Team of the Year presented by Motorsport Games Pioneering and Innovation Award presented by Mahindra Gold Medal Award Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Haas has become the first Formula 1 team to unveil its car livery and design for the 2022 season after releasing a series of renders on Friday. The Haas VF-22 car is the first produced by the American team out of its new design office in Maranello, and offers a sign of what the new cars will look like this year following the overhaul of the technical regulations. On the podcast today, Alex Kalinauckas is joined by Luke Smith and Jonathan Noble to discuss first impressions on the renders, and how Haas is changing the organisation to be more competitive in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jake Boxall-Legge takes over the reins of our Formula E coverage for Season 8. Martyn Lee hosts alongside Matt Kew as we look at the action this weekend and Season 8 as a whole. How will qualifying changes affect the action? Which teams and drivers are the ones to watch? And we ask how Formula E can reach a wider audience as it heads towards the Gen3 era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's one month until Formula 1 reconvenes in Barcelona to run new cars for the first time, and we’re reconvening on the Autosport podcast to start our F1 technical coverage for the new season. After a short winter break, attention has turned from a controversial title-decider to how teams will have interpreted a new rule book. This year we’ll be talking about the Venturi effect, listed parts and wheel covers. The rule-makers have even mandated some open source parts which forces teams to upload their designs for anyone to see (because sharing is caring?). Our man who scours the technical regulations is Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor, Autosport) and he tells us what fans should be looking for when cars roll out of the garage. GP Racing’s Ben Anderson looks at what the extra year of development time could mean and, whilst people assume we’ll see a convergence of performance, it might actually mean the top teams stretch their advantage. Any new set of rules have the potential to throw the form book out of the window. But what is the chance of that happening this year? The last team to surprise everyone was BrawnGP in 2009 but, as Ben points out, the Honda team had written off two years of development to put all the might of a works team into that moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Howard is back on the Gravel Notes podcast for a new season of WRC. Joining him on the shows is Martyn Lee to talk about the new Rally1 cars and championship battle with Ogier running a limited season. We also hear from Sebastien Ogier, Craig Breen, Oliver Solberg, Ott Tanak, Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans ahead of action starting later today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's Autosport celebrates many of motorsport’s wild and spectacular machines. We’ve selected some of the most outrageous and, in a few cases, ridiculous cars ever to go into competition for our Monsters of Motorsport special. It is a look at some of the cars that can impress and entertain even if they are going around a circuit (or rally stage) all on their own. We're joined today by a special guest too, as Mark Blundell recalls his monster pole lap at Le Mans, and some of the other machinery he's driven to the limit. Martyn Lee hosts alongside Marcus Simmons (Deputy Editor, Autosport) and Gary Watkins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between now and F1 pre-season testing, and for the first time ever, we've decided to bring you something different on the Autosport podcast. Access to our subscriber only sction Autosport Plus. Autosport Plus give you access to enjoy exclusive long-reads, in depth analysis, technical insight and expert opinion. Each week our editors will be hand picking some of the subscriber content for you to sample via the podcast. If you like it, I'll tell you how to get a massive 50% discount on membership at the end of the podcast, so stay tuned in to the end. Later, we'll talk about Juan Manuel Fangio, as Nigel Roebuck writes about what made him such a gentleman. But first, our Chief Editor Kevin Turner has picked out this article our subscribers first read last week - rating the best drivers of the century so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The second part of Autosport’s annual podcast review of the Formula 1 season is here. In the second part of our season review, we tackle the races after the summer break and how we’re feeling about the events of Abu Dhabi, as the dust begins to settle. Martyn Lee (Head of Podcasts, Motorsport Network) is joined by Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autosport’s annual podcast review of the year is finally here! Whilst recent headlines have been dominated by the drama in Abu Dhabi, the balance of power between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton shifted many times throughout the season, and it was a year filled with storylines which deserve to be remembered. Today we go back to pre-season testing to remember what we learned even before the cars would race in Bahrain. With Ariana enjoying a well-earned break, Martyn Lee (Head of Podcasts, Motorsport Network) is joined by Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport). In the first part of our retrospective we take you from early Mercedes dominance to a 32 point lead for Verstappen by the time teams left Austria, finishing with the first shoots of a Hamilton recovery heading into the summer break. With so much to discuss we split our season review podcasts into two parts. Look out for the concluding part on Monday 27th December. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autosport’s Top 50 drivers of the year is our traditional list picking out the great and the good from the motorsport season just gone. The 2021 Top 50 is the 20th edition and we’ve had the usual tough task of selecting the best performers across Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, Formula E, sportcar and GT racing, touring car series and many other categories. The list appears in the 16 December issue of Autosport magazine and on Autosport.com, and the latest edition of the Autosport Podcast delves into how it was put together and covers the most controversial decisions. The Top 50 always stirs debate among fans, drivers and even within the Autosport team itself. How do you rate drivers in different cars, different series and at different points in their careers? Should standout moments mean more than consistency? And how far should controversial on-track moments count against a driver? All this and more are covered in this podcast special. Chief Editor Kevin Turner hosts and is joined – happily in person for once during these strange times – by Haydn Cobb (Autosport.com Editor), Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor) and sportscar guru Gary Watkins to discuss the final selection and the drivers who missed out. The debate gets quite dramatic at times, which seems apt given the motorsport season just gone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UK's junior single-seater landscape is set to change for 2022, with new cars being introduced and even a new series launching next year. The GB3 Championship – which was previously known as British F3 until a mid-season name change enforced by the FIA – has bridged the gap between British F4 and FIA F3 for several years. It will introduce a new machine for its upcoming campaign, the Tatuus MSV-022, which will offer more power and downforce as well as the inclusion of a halo head-protection device. MotorSport Vision which runs the series has also announced a new championship for 2022 – the GB4 Championship – has been created as an entry-level into single-seaters and is open 15-year-olds. Autosport Deputy National Editor Stefan Mackley and Autosport National Editor Stephen Lickorish discuss the changes with the second part of a UK single-seater podcast special. They are joined by MSV CEO and ex-Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer to discuss both the new car and championship, as well as what it could mean for the future of young drivers working their way up the motorsport ladder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our team were all in the paddock to witness the wild ending to an unforgettable 2021 season. Shortly after the FIA gave their verdict on the two protests which were lodged after the race, we tried to make sense of what happened, and congratulate our drivers championship winner. Ariana Bravo is joined by Jess McFadyen (Director of Digital Strategy, Motorsport Network) and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) is at the track alongside our host Ariana Bravo, as they reflect on a qualifying session which surprised many in the paddock, and look at some of the various scenarios which could play out on Sunday afternoon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Noble (F1 Editor, motorsport.com) is at the track alongside our host Ariana Bravo, to bring you a flavour of the atmosphere in the paddock and how the excitement is building for the championship battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

* No Spoilers* Ariana is already on her way to Abu Dhabi with the rest of the F1 team, so Jess McFadyen steps up to host today’s podcast alongside Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) and Haydn Cobb (Editor, Autosport.com). Luke is fresh from the drivers interviews and tells us who-said-what after the chequered flag, whilst Haydn was on live commentary duty today and had to make sense of today’s chaotic scenes for those following along. But can we make sense of it on the Autosport podcast? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) is at the track with our host Ariana Bravo, and they’re taking stock of a thrilling qualifying session today, which threw another curveball at the championship battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Noble (F1 Editor, motorsport.com) is at the track alongside our host Ariana Bravo, who are both experiencing the first running at the Jeddah Street Circuit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The four finalists who will contest the 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award have been selected. Ollie Bearman, Jonny Edgar, Louis Foster and Zak O’Sullivan are the finalists. None have been in the Award before. This week on the podcast we're talking to each driver individually, and hearing about their story so far. Previous winners include 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, current F1 drivers Lando Norris and George Russell, triple Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, and 2014 World Endurance champion Anthony Davidson. Today we're talking to Zak O'Sullivan. O’Sullivan has been the driver to beat in GB3 this year. The 16-year-old continued the impressive form from his first single-seater campaign last season, when he came oh-so-close to securing the British F4 crown. He seems set to make up for that disappointment this year, as he comfortably tops the points ahead of the finale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices