Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes

The Formula 1 season has burst into life, with three different race winners in the past three grands prix, and a return to fast-paced racing rather than complaints about artificial overtakes and super-clipping. But the controversy around electrical energy looks set to be back with a spark at Silverstone, where its series of fast, sweeping corners offer little natural opportunity to generate power...

F1 wheel wars: are new rims behind Ferrari success? Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas explain how the new design works and why it could be the opening shot in a new round of wheel wars, with Formula 1 regulations giving teams more freedom in their design. They also consider whether this another example of Ferrari becoming F1's most innovative team, after its rotating 'Macarena' rear wing and clever spott...

Ferrari is favourite to win in Monaco this weekend - and that might just be the start of a Formula 1 title fightback. Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas reveal why the team could end the 2026 season with the fastest car, thanks to its innovative aerodynamic features, plus the prospect of two key engine upgrades that promise to put the team at least on a par with Mercedes — and potentially ahead of the cur...

George Russell saw the Canadian Grand Prix as a chance to relaunch his F1 world championship campaign but instead his worst fear was realised. Not only did he retire with engine issues, his team-mate Kimi Antonelli was bang on his pace — at one of Russell's strongest circuits. Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas explore the gripping Montreal team-mate brawl we saw before Russell bowed out and what it means...

Max Verstappen races in the Nürburgring 24 Hours this weekend on a mission to win. But it's not just about the four-time F1 champion taking on one of the world's greatest races amid a packed grid and sell-out crowd - it could also point to his own racing future, says Mark Hughes After heavily criticising the current generation of Formula 1 cars, could Verstappen find more satisfaction in GT racing...

Formula 1 cars are set to sound great again! Mark Hughes reveals the overwhelming levels of support in the F1 paddock to scrap the current V6 hybrid power units in favour of screaming V8s, for the first time in over a decade. The only question is when it's going to happen. Plus: George Russell has a big problem. After being outperformed by Kimi Antonelli, who took his third successive win in Miami...

How old is too old for an F1 driver? Fernando Alonso says he’s ready to race on into his late forties and Mark Hughes says he still has the talent, the adaptability and the burning desire to fight for a world championship — in fact, in some areas, he's better than any other driver. Plus: F1 is back on track this weekend - will we see a new frontrunner after a month of frantic factory work? More fr...

As F1 announces changes to its rules in a bid to improve the racing, Mark Hughes and special guest Matt Bishop explain what changes we're likely to see and why fans should keep criticising the series when it delivers artificial racing. Plus: Matt explains why former Ferrari driver and Le Mans winner Michele Alboreto should be more highly rated, and Mark answers your questions on whether F1 cars wi...

As F1 discusses rule changes after just three races in 2026, it's also set to unlock engine upgrades for the trailing pack. How will this affect the championship? This week's crunch F1 meeting looks likely to alter the energy split of the new power units: Mark Hughes examines who will be the big winners and losers, and asks what F1’s crisis of its own making says about the state of the sport? Plus...

Two top F1 drivers punished by the new regulations — with two very different reactions. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc can’t race the way that they want to and Verstappen is threatening to quit. But Leclerc has built a team to help him master the new rules. Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas look at what’s going on. Plus: F1 faces a crunch meeting, and who is F1’s greatest-ever team boss? More from Ma...

Leading the F1 title race at the age of just 19, Kimi Antonelli would be the youngest world champion in history if he tops the table at the end of the season. He's not just there by luck either. As Mark Hughes explains in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show, the young Mercedes driver's victory at the Japanese Grand Prix revealed that he's got the raw pace on take on his more experienced...

It's all change at Aston Martin's F1 team — but all is not as it seems. Mark Hughes cuts through the noise to explain why Adrian Newey is set to step down as team principal; the clash at the top of the team that started it all; and why Jonathan Wheatley might be the perfect replacement. Plus: Why you shouldn't write Max Verstappen off in the Japanese Grand Prix, and the potential reason Mercedes i...

Formula 1 found its happy place in Shanghai, says Mark Hughes. Can it recreate that sensational racing for the rest of the season? We look at why the Chinese Grand Prix was so much better than in the Australian round. Also: Can Kimi Antonelli challenge George Russell for the championship? How Ollie Bearman’s showing he’s ready for a top team, and why Aston Martin’s troubles might mean Fernando Alo...

One race into the season and Formula 1 is being criticised from fans and drivers alike over its "flawed" racing and safety fears under new rules. Now, change looks to be imminent, with F1 expected to tweak to its regulations before the third race of the year later this month. Mark Hughes explains the controversy and the likely fix. Plus: Why Mercedes is so far ahead of McLaren when they both have...

Is Aston Martin incompetent? Not at all, says Mark Hughes: its high-profile failures are simply a sign of its towering ambition... and it could all pay off Plus: Mark's expectations of the Australian Grand Prix; F1's contingencies if the Bahrain GP is called off; and Alex Albon's intriguing prediction of this year's champion. More from Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas on the stories that really matter,...

Ferrari's aero trick, revealed in F1 testing, has left rivals scratching their heads. Is this a sign that the team has got its mojo back? Also: Is F1 about to water down its green ambitions to reduce lift-and-coasting in races? Mark reveals his early championship predictions, and your questions answered. Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a...

Which teams are sandbagging in F1 testing? Plus: Why drivers are going 20 mph slower than they need to in some corners; is F1 losing its way by trying to pelase the car manufacturers? And your questions answered. More from Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas on the stories that really matter, in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show. Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want...

As rivals protest Mercedes' F1 power unit, used by four teams in 2026, Mark Hughes looks at the potential fallout Plus: Audi's impressive sidepods; why drivers are having to rewire their brains; Jenson Button's new diplomatic role at Aston Martin; and more of your questions answered, including whether Daniel Ricciardo could have shone in the new generation of cars. More from Mark Hughes and Bryn L...

Will having the best AI in F1 be more important than the best engine? Adrian Newey's extraordinary Aston Martin; Christian Horner's potential comeback; and what the drivers really make of their new cars. More from Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas on the stories that really matter, in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show. Subscribe now for every weekly episode in what looks set to be a thrilling...

The surprise verdict from the first days of 2026 Formula 1 testing; the mood at McLaren; how good really is Mercedes' power unit; and what next for Lewis Hamilton? In the very first episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show, Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas explore what's going on behind the stories that really matter. Subscribe now for every weekly episode in what looks set to be a thrilling 2026 Formula 1 se...

A five-time grand prix winner who partnered the likes of Niki Lauda and Alain Prost, John Watson came achingly close to winning the 1982 Formula 1 World Championship. He's our latest guest in a special podcast series marking 100 years of Motor Sport‘s publication, as he charts a changing era of F1 when Lauda and Mario Andretti introduced new levels of professionalism and ruthlessness to the sport....

F1 World Champion, four-time IndyCar title-holder and Daytona 500 winner, Mario Andretti is the first guest in a special podcast series marking 100 years of Motor Sport‘s publication Andretti has been a regular in Motor Sport‘s pages for more than half that time, and is still making headlines, with plans to be the first to test the Andretti F1 car, if the team is granted a place on the grid. He jo...

For over 50 years, Dick Bennetts has been central to some of racing's greatest stories. From giving Ayrton Senna his famous Formula 3 break, to communicating engineering feedback via hand signals with young prodigy Mika Häkkinen, and gaining respect for Nigel Mansell through his spectacular touring car cameos, Bennetts has lived and breathed motor sport through some of its most thrilling moments....

For success matched only by sheer diversity, few can hold a light to engineering ace Tony Southgate. Designer of Bobby Unser's Indy 500-winning Eagle 68 car, a key contributor to the trailblazing ground-effect Lotus 78 and the creative mind behind Jaguar's Le Mans-conquering XJR-9, the Coventry native has marked himself out as one of racing's great lateral thinkers. Along the way, Southgate worked...

As trailblazers go in motor sport, there aren't many that can match up with the groundbreaking achievements of Leena Gade, who joins Rob Widdows for our Engineering the Greats podcast series, produced in association with Scalextric. On her Le Mans debut with Audi in 2011 Gade became the first female race engineer to win at La Sarthe. She She would mastermind wins again in 2012 and 2014, sealing he...