Essential F1

Lando Norris was unstoppable once the slicks went on, Max Verstappen carved from 21st to second, and Mercedes clinched the Constructors' Championship. The Brazilian Grand Prix delivered again.
Vicki Butler-Henderson stands in for Nicola this week, alongside the captain of the ship, F1 commentating legend Ben Edwards. They're joined by former Top Gear and The Grand Tour script writer and leading motoring podcaster Richard Porter to dissect the race and look ahead to Las Vegas. 
In this episode:
Lando Norris takes pole and the win. Norris makes the most of McLaren's upgrades and the damp conditions to take pole. He drops to third from the lights, but once he gets slicks on he's unstoppable. McLaren are now 14 points behind Red Bull in the constructors'. Can they get third back?
Max Verstappen and Interlagos equals overtaking. Starting 21st because of an engine penalty, Max carves through the field to third. His teammate Hadjar then lets him into second, despite looking quicker in the last part of the race. Was it an error by Red Bull? Could Hadjar have put pressure on Norris?
Mercedes clinch the Constructors' title. Antonelli was leading when Russell spun in the pit lane, textbook 2026. Russell recovered, then Antonelli had a spin of his own. Both cars showed a strange imbalance on slicks in the damp, but they finished 4th and 5th to seal the constructors' championship. Could Russell's recovery to 4th be the start of getting his head right for 2027?
The curious case of Lewis Hamilton. Starting 20th, Hamilton puts in a wonder first lap to climb to 9th, then struggles on intermediates. He calls for slicks but the team delays. Once on slicks he's fastest on track, but he spins just before his second stop and finishes 9th. Does this sum up his season of missed chances and strange strategy calls? He's now down to 4th in the drivers' championship.
Liam Lawson impresses again. The out-of-contract Lawson qualifies his Racing Bull 4th, climbs to 2nd in the opening laps and finishes 7th, the only midfield runner not lapped. If you're Audi, Alpine or even Aston Martin, would you be regretting not signing him for 2027?
F1's Expendables. Fernando Alonso (45) produced a masterclass in qualifying, and Nico Hulkenberg (39) was best of the rest behind Lawson in 10th. Both excelled in the wet. How old is too old for F1?
We Need to Talk About... Haas. Last week's public bust-up and the sacking of Ocon seemed to work out, with Ryo Hirakawa scoring a point. But with Ryo on WEC duty, Rafael Camara was thrown in at the deep end. He crashed, recovered in qualifying, then finished last, with Bearman 17th. A good learning experience, or too much too soon?
Richard's Brazilian story. A well-travelled man but he's never been to Brazil!
Las Vegas Grand Prix preview. Both championships are heading to Mercedes, but three drivers are still fighting for second in the drivers' standings. It's a night race with lower temperatures and plenty of overtaking in the past. Max won there last year. What do we think?
The Prediction Championship of the World. Nicola, be afraid: Ben's comeback continues. Nicola holds 74 points after a big fat zero, Ben has 59, Producer Jim 55 and Team Guest 41. Richard gives his top three and fastest lap for Las Vegas, and we see Nicola's picks by video.
Join the conversation: Who wins in Las Vegas? Drop your predictions in the comments.
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HISTORY MADE IN MEXICO CITY! 
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the youngest Formula 1 World Champion ever at just 20 years old, sealing the title with a calm drive to third on the podium alongside Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Can he go on to match their achievements?
Nicola and Ben are joined by BBC Radio 5 Live F1 reporter Rosanna Tennant, who has covered Kimi's rise all the way to the top. Together they look back at a hectic Mexico City Grand Prix and ahead to rainy Brazil.
In this episode:
The boy from Bologna does it. Antonelli becomes the youngest champion in F1 history. We ask whether he can go on to match the sport's greats.
Ferrari watch, part 1. Hamilton delivers a fantastic pole lap, but Leclerc gets a run from third. The Ferraris go side by side through turns one and two before an ambitious move takes both off track and lets Verstappen through. Should Leclerc have given the place back? Was the 5 second penalty strong enough? Should there have been team orders before the race?
Ferrari watch, part 2. Bottas's scary crash brings out the red flag, and Hamilton gets a better restart to pressure Max for the win. He is still fuming about lap 1. Imagine the debrief, and what would you say to the drivers if you were Fred Vasseur?
Verstappen's return to form. Red Bull claim their third win in four Grands Prix despite a bizarre run-in with Liam Lawson in free practice that earned Max a grid penalty. Two great starts and some robust but controlled defending put him second in the championship. Are we seeing a more mature Max?
Russell has dropped from second to fourth. Last week we debated whether he needed second place for his own sanity, and we read out your comments.
Midfield mayhem, part 1. Arvid Lindblad was having possibly the best weekend of his career until he tripped over Oscar Piastri's McLaren. Ollie Bearman suffered a similar fate when Hulkenberg punted him off. Was Arvid really to blame? Plus Lawson's pit lane to points recovery.
Midfield mayhem, part 2. Haas drop Esteban Ocon after a major bust-up in free practice. Reserve Ryo Hirakawa steps in, qualifies 18th, drives a stellar race to 12th and picks up a point on debut after the Alpines are thrown out of the results. How bad must the row have been to sack a driver mid-weekend? And who would you pick for Brazil, Ryo or Rafael?
We Need to Talk About... Cadillac. The spotlight was on them for Perez's home race, but a frightening failure caused the Bottas accident and Perez finished last on track. With sackings off track and little improvement through the season, what's going wrong?
Rosanna's Mexico City story. After years travelling the globe for BBC Radio 5 Live, she shares a tale from Mexico.
Brazilian Grand Prix preview. The constructors' fight is far from over, and three drivers are now chasing second behind Kimi. Can anyone stop Max? Can the Ferrari drivers finally work together to put pressure on Mercedes? Interlagos has delivered classics before.
The Prediction Championship of the World. Points were scored this time. Nicola leads on 74, Ben and Producer Jim are tied on 51, and Team Guest has 39. Rosanna gives her top three and fastest lap picks for Brazil.
Join the conversation: Who wins in Brazil? Drop your predictions in the comments.
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Kimi Antonelli has pole, a win in Austin and a title within touching distance. He only needs a top 9 finish in Mexico to become the youngest World Champion in F1 history. Is he a worthy champion, or have his rivals massively underachieved?
Nicola and Ben are joined by F1 YouTuber, Talking Bull podcaster and TalkSport F1 correspondent Tommo McCluskey to break down a dramatic United States Grand Prix and look ahead to Mexico.
In this episode:

🏁 Antonelli's Austin masterclass. A stunning pole lap followed by a mature drive to victory. We dig into his season and what it means for the title race.
🏁 George Russell's tough weekend. He qualified 6th, got hit with a 5-second track limits penalty, struggled past the McLarens and finished 8th, 54 seconds behind his team-mate. With the championship pressure gone, can he rescue some pride in Mexico?
🏁 Ferrari and Charles Leclerc. Leclerc was rapid after his first stop and Ferrari got the strategy right. He was closing in on Antonelli before the late VSC. Without it, could he have taken the win?
🏁 Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Max was looking to chase a third win in a row, but Leclerc got him on lap 1 and he had engine and gearbox issues. He still pulled off a brilliant overtake and defence against Norris and Leclerc. Is this teething trouble or just bad luck?
🏁 The McLaren mystery. Qualifying was poor again, with 7th and 8th on the grid. Norris recovered to 5th and Piastri to 7th, but McLaren are now tied with Red Bull in the constructors' championship. How do they get out of this slump?
🏁 Lawson and Racing Bulls. Another standout drive from Liam Lawson, 9th and best of the rest. Racing Bulls look set for 5th in the constructors', 31 points clear of Alpine. Who should partner Lindblad next season? Plus the latest on the Haas signing and the wider driver market.
🏁 We Need to Talk About... Williams. Both cars out in Q1, then a miserable race, beaten by both Aston Martins. Is it a small team pouring everything into next year, or is something fundamentally wrong?
🏁 Tommo and the Max 100. Tommo was one of the hundred go-karters who raced Max Verstappen at Silverstone. We ask what it was actually like.
🏁 Mexico Grand Prix preview. Antonelli needs a top 9 to clinch it. Russell needs to win with Kimi finishing 10th or lower to take the fight to the next round. What do we think happens?
🏁 The Prediction Championship of the World. For the second time this season, nobody scored a point in Austin. Nicola leads on 68, Ben has 50, Producer Jim 45 and Team Guest 35. Tommo makes his picks for Mexico: top three and fastest lap.
Join the conversation: Who wins in Mexico, and does Kimi seal the title? Drop your predictions in the comments.
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Guest: Tommo McCluskey (TalkSport / Talking Bull / YouTube)
Hosts: Nicola, Ben Edwards and Producer Jim
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Harry Benjamin stands in for Nicola this week and is joined by legendary F1 commentator Ben Edwards and Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours class winner Johnny Mowlem to break down a the Singapore Grand Prix and look ahead to the US GP in Austin! 
This week's talking points:
Russell's nightmare weekend: A spin in the wet Sprint, a start from the back, then a fightback to 7th. Is 2026 turning into a George Russell disaster zone?
Antonelli steals third: He ran 6th for most of the race and picked up a black and white flag, then pounced on a squabbling Norris and Hamilton. Kimi can now win the championship in Austin. Should he go for it, or play it safe?
Max is back: Three wins in a row, including the Sprint, and a lights-to-flag victory with serious 2023 vibes. Should the rest of the grid be worried about 2027? 
Hamilton's strategy gamble: He switched from a two-stop to a one-stop and it all unravelled. Should Ferrari be letting Lewis make strategy calls at all?
McLaren's misery: Both cars collided in the Sprint, and Lando got caught out in the Grand Prix. The gap to Red Bull in the constructors' standings is down to just 7 points. Can they hold on to P3?
Liam Lawson, best of the rest (again): Another stellar drive to 7th, but still no confirmed 2027 seat. They wouldn't… would they?
We need to talk about… Fred Vasseur: The Ferrari board backs him publicly, but the Christian Horner rumours won't go away. Is Fred on his way out?
US Grand Prix preview: Could Antonelli become F1's youngest-ever world champion in Texas? Or will Russell's luck finally turn, or Verstappen keep rolling?
The Prediction Championship of the World: After Ben's famous top-three call last time, can "Team Guest" climb the table with Johnny's picks?
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Max is back! Chaos in Sepang as Verstappen wins in the wet
Nicola Hume and legendary F1 commentator Ben Edwards react to a wild Bah-rain Grand Prix. They're joined by BTCC and Formula E presenter Nicki Shields.
2026 cars in the rain: The first wet race for the new-spec cars caused trouble for Ferrari, Red Bull and more. Should the affected cars have been allowed to restart?
2Max Attack: A vintage Verstappen drive gives him his first win of 2026. Can Red Bull's upgrades help them catch McLaren for third in the constructors'?
Russell Watch: Mercedes nailed the inters call, but a technical problem put George out of a podium spot. Is his title fight now over?
Hamilton's masterstroke: Lewis made the call to stay out on slicks himself, then carved through the field to finish third. Does that take the heat off Fred Vasseur?
Alonso magic: Fernando dragged his Aston Martin to P8. Was it a one-off or a turning point?
McLaren misery: Slicks at the start, a near-collision between teammates behind the safety car... bad luck or failing upgrades?
Midfield madness: Liam Lawson starred early, and Racing Bulls scored another double points finish while Alpine got nothing. Is best of the rest now theirs?
Upgrade watch: Mercedes and Ferrari both brought upgrades. Are we in for closer racing at the front?
We need to talk about... the safety car rules. Should lapped cars still be allowed to unlap themselves when it costs us a grandstand finish?
Singapore preview: The last stop of the triple header brings brutal heat, first-corner drama and big championship stakes.
The Prediction Championship of the World: Can Nicki get Team Guest climbing the table?
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