Mode Push: The F1 Podcast

It’s the end of the longest season of F1 yet and we’re going full Formula Wrapped. MVPs, favorite moments, biggest surprises, and the storylines that actually defined the season. We finally crack the McLaren mystery of what really happened with Piastri—the turning point no one fully explained all year.  Somewhere along the way, we both became Max & Red Bull girlies. We're acknowledging it...

Lando’s comeback is giving redemption arc energy, and the momentum shift is real. Meanwhile, Mercedes is storming back into the fight for 2nd in the constructors. Will Ferrari hold on? Or do all roads lead back to the Verstappen of it all?  Max is radiating unexpected girldad calm while Jos plays Little Finger to Piastri’s rise.  On the biz side, Mercedes’ new valuation just redefined the price of...

Oscar Piastri looked unstoppable at Zandvoort, giving off some low key WDC energy. Meanwhile, Hadjar locks in Rookie of the Year with a heartwarming podium, and Antonelli and Lawson are racking up penalties (and travel bans?) like it’s a new F1 tradition. Italy won’t let Kimi in for punting Leclerc? Spain / Sainz shuts the door on Lawson? The drama is continental. Also: insane returns on the busin...

Oscar Piastri RETURNS at Spa looking like a WDC if we’ve ever seen one. The McLaren drama/dominance continues, and it looks like we’re officially entering our Max Verstappen fan era? We unpack how the most dominant driver on the grid is suddenly giving main character energy in all the right ways, and what’s changed in how fans (and we) are seeing him. Meanwhile, Albon & Sainz brought the heat...

Christian Horner is OUT — and the F1 world may never be the same. We break down what finally pushed Red Bull to act, how long this has really been brewing, and what it means for the team’s future. Is Max headed to Mercedes? And if so, what happens to Poor George? Plus: Is Yuki quietly winning the Hunger Games? Does this echo the Andretti/Cadillac/Audi of it all? Change is clearly coming — and fast...

We have to talk about the man of the hour — and depending on the hour, that’s either Oscar Piastri exuding dominance , or Lewis Hamilton, who slayed Met Gala hosting just hours after a brutal weekend on track. Is the season already in the bag for OP and McLaren? Is Lando drifting toward Danny Ric territory — the beloved culture carrier left behind? Or could a major shakeup (hello, Cadillac) still...

Three races, a new driver’s championship favorite, and LOTS of rumors — it’s been a busy month in F1. We talk about the changing of the tide at McLaren and what Papaya Rules 2.0 should look like in the reign of Piastri. Can Lando get his head in the game and change the momentum? Meanwhile, Max pulled out a miracle in Suzuka. Is it enough to keep him at Red Bull or is Daddy Stroll’s offer (of $300M...

We are only two races in and 2025 already looks like it’s going to be a wild season in F1 . McLaren’s dominance is clear but which driver will take the top step before team orders descend? And while they’re duking it out, will Max or George pick up the scraps on their way to the top of the driver rankings. Speaking of the battle in the front, Yuki is officially IN at Red Bull, leaving Liam in his...

Preseason testing in Bahrain is over, sandbagging and all, and there are vastly different strategies for this season 1) ahead of the new regs next year and 2) with 6 rookies on the grid.  After unpacking that, we dive into the 2025 season with our predictions. Who will win the constructors and drivers championship? Could this be the end of Max’s reign? Best of the rest? Rookie of the year? Who wou...

There are SIX(ish) rookies on the grid, after a year with no change. Even the ones we thought we knew, we didn’t really know. This cohort of Gen Z frenemies brings new drama: Doohan’s seat is already up for grabs and the season hasn’t even started! Ollie Bearman: a star is born with The Bear Necessities ! Cue an ex-girlfriend fiasco a la Ocon & Gasly with another driver on track? Bortoleto v &...

McLaren takes it to the wire but wins the constructors championship for the first time since ’98! Charles is emo but Sainz stays classy. We look at the final race, the winners and losers and the implications for next year which shakes up the grid completely. We also circle back to our drivers champion Max who’s in his Daddy era. And maybe making other major life moves too? Has VCARB been mismanage...

Max isn’t having any fun, but we are! Austin and Mexico City felt like two ends of the same race. We saw Ferrari’s dominance and a Max v. Lando tiff turned into 25 seconds of penalties. To quote the Great George Russell, 19/20 drivers are on one side. Have the drivers turned on Max? Will he retire and ditch his Red Bull bedtime? Meanwhile, the championships are up for grabs. Can Ferrari pull this...

We’re still emotional about Danny’s goodbye fastest lap, as is Zak Brown it seems! McLaren pulls further away in the constructor’s championship and Lando laid down a dominant message in his bid for the driver’s. Meanwhile, Max picked up second but was more focused on his day of community service. We talk about his word strike in interviews after the FIA’s new swearing rule and what all the shakeup...

Piastri and Leclerc drove their hearts out in Baku and McLaren reclaimed the top of the constructors chart for the first time in a decade. Also, George Russell was there: the king of the accidental podiums rounded out the top 3 after an epic crash. We talk who’s to blame, how papaya rules & team orders should play out from here and what’s ahead in both championships. Read: someone needs to sag...

Break out those red hats because Ferrari won at Monza! And more impressively, no one saw it coming including them! We were emotional during the ceremony while the Tifosi roared and Oscar unleashed his inner Max. Which is to say, it looks like more success, more problems at McLaren. We chat “papaya rules” and debate if Oscar is going to be next season’s diamond if that team doesn’t address the Bad...

We are *back* from summer break and things are *spicy*. Will McLaren steal the constructors championship and become dominant? Is Mercedes all smoke and mirrors? This season feels like anything could happen so we kick things off with some refreshed predictions. Then, we talk through the Dutch GP and Lando’s absurd margin of victory. We sidebar into Max’s headspace after getting grounded for too muc...

LEWIS. WON. We pull apart the steps that led to the season's most emotional race ending yet, as Lewis found his way back to the top step at his home race. That moment also marked Merc's second straight win. Given that and McLaren's meteoric rise in the last 6 races, do we have a dead heat between a new top 3 cars? Which is partially to say: has Ferrari totally fallen behind? We brea...

Montreal did not disappoint! This was anyone's race and the most action per second we've seen since... 2021?! Did Red Bull win the race or did McLaren / Mercedes lose it? Which is to say, welcome back Mercedes! We relished the great equalizer - rain - and break down the winners and losers of the Canadian GP.  Throughout, we cover silly season updates and the fate of the top seats. There...

The Monaco curse has been broken! Charles drove the "parade" of a race all the way to the top step with an incredibly emotional last couple of laps. Yes, we are gushing, but that was the goosebumps-heartstrings-feel good moment F1 needed.  Thankfully, Monaco delivered a little drama, even if it was all packed into a single lap. Yes, we're talking about the career-ending lap one that...

Miami was actually about the racing! Homeboy Logan delivered the safety car needed to spice things up and Lando brought home his maiden win! There were tears, F-bombs and lots of Zak Brown fist pumps. We talk through the race but quickly dive into the hot mess happening off the grid -- silly season has exploded into a mega rumor mill.  Was this Ric's return and is there a path to Red Bull? Es...

China is back on the calendar and everyone got caught in the sprint race by the paint, the rain and the new-ish track. Bridgette channels her inner Cersei Lannister as she decides "I choose violence" as we break down the Ferrari drama, Alonso's wiley moves and Lando's fall & redemption. Hard to miss poor Danny Ric though. From Liam inching all the way to the pit wall to Str...

Australia delivered again! The controversy started in FP with James Vowles's unprecedented Sophie's choice (cue his ChatGPT response). What should he have done? What does it mean for both sides of the Williams garage? And will someone please let us turn on some macros for this master spreadsheet already! From surgery to top step, Sainz is driving like a man on a mission. Or as he puts it...

Young Ollie Bearman wins "Most likely to succeed" at Saudi, only to be rivaled by KMag's double penalty team game. We talk about the second race of the season which seems to indicate a clear ranking of teams already. Then, we get into it. Something's rotten DEEP down at Alpine, watch out Ryan Reynolds. Red Bull says hold my beer with another PR moment (and we're not talkin...

Bahrain is the books and it looks... same same but different? We look quickly at the first race before talking about what this week and preseason testing mean for the season. That is: mistakes made in fantasy, Alpine's new spot in the caboose and problems for Mercedes-powered cars.  Next, we lay out 2024 predictions including for constructors and top 5 drivers championship. That includes Jame...

We are BACK. It's 2024, half the grid is due for their Saturn return and all but 2 principals are basically underclassmen. We're 7 weeks out from full chaos and we cannot wait. First things first: we break down Guenther's unceremonious exit and what it might mean for Haas. Is Gene stripping the team for parts or was it fame? This marks another shift in team principals -- is F1 getti...