Paddock 43: An F1 Podcast

It is our 100th episode what the hell!!!?? where did time go...!!! And today we have a special recording studio.. What happens when you put an F1 presenter and a diehard Liam Lawson fan in a papaya McLaren? F1 content creator Dani Clarkson joins Elle Baillieu for a special passenger-seat edition of Paddock 43, recorded in a McLaren Artura Spider around Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix circuit. W...

When does supporting an F1 driver cross the line? Motorsport content creator and comedian James Coker joins Elle on Paddock43 for an honest—and often ridiculous—conversation about F1 fandom, life as a creator, and why he stepped away from the WTF1 podcast. James opens up about the cumulative impact of toxic comments and DMs, why chasing controversy wasn’t worth the toll on his mental health, and h...

LONG YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION Fresh back from the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, and I have thoughts. Max Verstappen finally won at Marina Bay, I think Lewis Hamilton got his Ferrari strategy gamble wrong, and McLaren’s Sprint collision was completely unnecessary. Kim Kardashian, though? Brilliant PR weekend. This week on Paddock 43, I’m unpacking the Singapore GP from both sides: being there in person, th...

Drivers pressing the accelerator. Cars barely moving. An entire Grand Prix waiting on a software fix. What actually happened in Malaysia? F1 journalist and published author Luke Smith joins Elle on Paddock 43 to unpack the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. With more than a decade covering Formula 1, Luke writes for The Athletic, part of The New York Times, and is the author of On the Grid. He was on...

F1 cars needing a software update before they can race? Honestly, put them in rice. This week on Paddock 43, we unpack the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia—from the chaotic start at Sepang to the software bug that left cars struggling to move. What actually went wrong, how do the 2026 regulations fit into it, and why didn’t testing catch the problem? Plus, Max Verstappen’s first win of the season, K...

George Russell deserves his flowers for Baku. Max made him work for the win, Isack Hadjar returned with a podium, and Oscar Piastri’s race unravelled at Turn 1. But I don’t think you need another lap-by-lap recap from me. This week, I’m getting into Franco Colapinto’s crash with Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris. Was a five-place grid drop really enough, and why were there no penalty points for that c...

Andy Harriss has run track safety on the F1 movie, Top Gear, Mission Impossible, No Time To Die, Napoleon and more, and worked directly with Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton along the way. In this episode we go deep on what it actually takes to keep an F1 set, a live street show, or a Top Gear stunt safe when everything is moving at 200mph. Andy tells the story of Vettel coverin...

Kimi Antonelli has won Formula One’s first race at the Madring—but should it have been Lando Norris’s victory? Kimi now has an incredible eight wins from his first 38 F1 starts, surpassing George Russell’s seven wins. But after producing one of the best qualifying laps of his career, Lando controlled the Spanish Grand Prix until a badly timed Virtual Safety Car and a seven-second pit stop changed...

Eat your pasta, you will drive fasta. 🇮🇹 The 2026 Italian Grand Prix gave us one of the wildest weekends of the F1 season, with Kimi Antonelli charging from P19 to win his home Grand Prix at Monza and becoming the first Italian driver to win the Italian GP in 60 years. Elle is solo this week to unpack everything that happened at the Temple of Speed: Pierre Gasly's incredible maiden pole for Alpine...

This week, Elle is joined by two legends from very different corners of Formula 1: F1 commentator Cameron Van Den Dungen and FIA Formula 1 Medical Car driver and former Supercars driver Karl Reindler. Cam and Karl are also long-time friends, former neighbours and former radio co-hosts, so this episode quickly turns into story time. We hear how Cam went from racing to calling Formula 1 and working...

This week's group chat: Max signs through 2030 then crashes out on Lap 1 of his own final home race, Isack Hadjar breaks his wrist and history repeats itself, Cadillac quietly axes their team principal mid-season, and everyone's calling Lando's title fight "reignited" — except me. Solo episode, recorded from Tuscany because apparently that's where Paddock 43 happens now. TOPICS: 00:00 Cold open 02...

Esme Buxton didn't come up through motorsport — she came up through fashion, shooting editorials and film sets, until a headshoot with F1 presenter Laura Winter turned into a question she couldn't shake: why doesn't a proper fashion-and-culture magazine for F1 exist? So she built it. In under 18 months, The Paddock Journal went from a Substack to millions of monthly views and a sold-out print annu...

The Hungarian Grand Prix gave us papaya drama, brilliant racing and another painful day to be an Oscar Piastri fan. We unpack the McLaren battle, Lando Norris’ performance, Oscar’s race, Carlos Sainz and the blue-flag controversy, Kimi Antonelli’s casual podium, Aston Martin’s mountain of upgrades and what could happen during F1’s summer break. We also discuss Malaysia’s surprise return to the cal...

Pat's away this week, so it's a solo one from Elle. First up, an apology and an explanation: no episode after Silverstone because a certain trackside glamping situation and a David Guetta set got the better of her. From there it's a proper catch-up, Red Bull's factory in Milton Keynes and their NASA-built control room, Goodwood Festival of Speed, the McLaren Technology Centre, and a very stressful...

The Austrian Grand Prix may have just changed the entire Formula 1 season. George Russell returned to the top step, but the biggest story might actually be Red Bull. After months of chasing Mercedes and Ferrari, Max Verstappen finally had a car capable of fighting for victory again. Is this the comeback we've been waiting for? Meanwhile, Ferrari's highly anticipated upgrade package completely miss...

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari fairytale finally arrived in Barcelona. The seven-time world champion silenced the critics with his first victory in red, while Kimi Antonelli suffered heartbreak, Williams imploded, and Formula 1 found itself at the centre of another stewarding controversy. This week on Paddock 43, we're unpacking everything from an unforgettable Spanish Grand Prix weekend, including the...

Kimi Antonelli extends his championship lead with a dominant Monaco Grand Prix victory, but the result only tells half the story. Verstappen's race ended before it even began, Leclerc suffered more Monaco heartbreak, Russell's disastrous weekend continued and a late red flag turned the final laps into absolute chaos. We break down the biggest winners, losers and championship implications from one...

Elle is back from NASCAR and we're catching up on everything she experienced behind the scenes before diving into the biggest talking points currently taking over the Formula 1 world. This week we discuss the online speculation surrounding Liam Lawson and Hannah St. John, the rumours involving Alexandra Leclerc, and why fans can't stop talking about the Leclerc family right now. We also celebrate...

The Canadian Grand Prix delivered absolute chaos, and this week I’m flying solo to break it all down. Mercedes had the fastest car all weekend, but somehow walked away with heartbreak after George Russell’s race-leading car failed on lap 30, handing victory straight to teammate Kimi Antonelli. Four wins in a row, 43 points clear in the championship, and suddenly the 19-year-old looks unstoppable....

The 2026 F1 season keeps delivering headlines and we’re unpacking all of it ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli arrives in Montreal leading the championship after an unbelievable three wins from three pole positions at just nineteen years old. Ferrari is reportedly reverse-engineering its own car after a “soul-destroying” Miami weekend. Max Verstappen spent 24 hours driving a Mercedes...

This week on the Paddock 43, Pat sits down (virtually) with American F1 content creator Sarah Kaye for a fun and candid chat all about her journey into Formula 1 and the world of motorsport content creation. Sarah opens up about how she first fell in love with the sport, what inspired her to start creating F1 content online, and how her platform has grown within the motorsport space. The pair also...

Kimi Antonelli just won his THIRD race in a row at the Miami Grand Prix 2026 and he's only 19 years old. McLaren brought their biggest upgrades, Lando Norris led the race, and they STILL couldn't beat Mercedes. We break it down exactly why. This week on Paddock 43, we're deep in the Miami GP 2026 race review: Antonelli's record-breaking hat-trick, the McLaren undercut, Charles Leclerc's catastroph...

F1 is (ALMOST) BACK after a five-week break… and somehow, it seems as though its returning as a completely different sport with the updated 2026 regulations In this episode of Paddock 43, we break down the FIA’s early tweaks to the 2026 F1 rules, from energy management changes and increased power deployment to new race start safety systems and wet weather adjustments. After just three races, F1 is...

Formula 1 is already shifting… and we’re only just getting started. In this episode of the Paddock 43 Podcast, we break down one of the most important moments for women in motorsport, unpack why the FIA is already tweaking the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, and get real about whether V8 or V10 engines are ever actually coming back. After a short break (because let’s be honest, even F1 needed a holida...

Kimi Antonelli takes control of the 2026 Formula 1 season with a dominant win at the Japanese Grand Prix, becoming the youngest championship leader in history. But was this a statement drive… or did McLaren throw away a guaranteed victory? In this episode of Paddock 43, we break down everything from the Japan GP, including Antonelli’s rise as a genuine title contender, Oscar Piastri’s missed oppor...