Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes

Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Fred Vasseur has already given Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a dressing down for banging wheels in Monza. Now he needs to step up the consequences, says Mark Hughes in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show.

Battling for the lead in Mexico cost Ferrari a likely 1-2 finish; it's a situation that the team can't tolerate as it looks to carry its from through to a championship challenge in 2027.

"You can't put two bulldogs in the car and expect them to behave like puppies," says Mark as he and and Bryn Lucas discuss the difficulty Vasseur faces and look at the extreme measures that Mercedes took to cool the friction: should Hamilton and Leclerc have to pay for any crash damage they cause or would Ferrari work better with one lead driver and a slower wingman?

At Mercedes, Toto Wolff believes he has a different approach with Kimi Antonelli ushering in a new era where there's no longer a win-at-all costs mentality. Can F1 drivers really be coaxed into playing the team game? A sceptical Mark gives his view and looks ahead to how much Antonelli can achieve in his career after being crowned the youngest world champion.

There's also discussion of Esteban Ocon's future; F1's artificial 'speed limit' that was exposed in Mexico; and an examination of Colton Herta's claim for an F1 seat.

Plus: your questions answered on how the new regulations have helped Antonelli, and why flexing bodywork has dropped off the agenda.

Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4yWLWL7 and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.

Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4yWLWL7
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kimi Antonelli is on the brink of becoming Formula 1 world champion - but what made his Austin Grand Prix performance so impressive, and what does it mean for George Russell? Mark Hughes joins Bryn Lucas to look back at the US GP, assess the championship picture and look ahead to the Mexican Grand Prix.

Mark explains why Russell may be finding life alongside Antonelli so difficult, picks out the young Italian’s most impressive performance of the season, and assesses the technical factors behind Ferrari’s struggles and Red Bull’s resurgence.

The conversation also turns to F1’s growing popularity in the United States, Isack Hadjar’s fiery temperament, Fernando Alonso’s criticism of the backmarkers, and Valtteri Bottas’s future at Cadillac.

Plus, Mark discusses the uncertainty surrounding the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, explains why the order of any cancellation matters financially, and answers your questions on the FIA’s cost-cap controls and why following other cars tends to get harder as a regulation cycle progresses
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kimi Antonelli has his first chance to claim this year’s Formula 1 title in Austin this weekend and become the youngest-ever world champion in history - by some margin.

It’s an extraordinary story for a driver who began his second grand prix season as a teenager but, as Mark Hughes tells Bryn Lucas, it was entirely predictable: Antonelli looked destined to be a megastar before he even arrived in F1.

We look at what made him so obviously special from a young age, and what his chances are of winning at Circuit of the Americas against a resurgent Red Bull and ever-threatening Ferrari.

Antonelli needs a victory (and lowly finishes for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell) to claim the title in Austin, but if he doesn’t manage to clinch it on Sunday, the 20-year-old has such a lead in the title race that it’s only a matter of time before he’s crowned.

Mark also considers Haas's signing of Rafael Camara and gives his view on the highlights of Christian Horner's autobiography: what does it tell us and is it worth buying?

Plus: your questions answered on McLaren's Singapore clash; the upsides of 2026 power units; and whether Racing Bulls is allowed to be faster than Red Bull.

Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/3UfEaxw and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.

Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/3UfEaxw
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why couldn't Lewis Hamilton get a clear answer to an "easy question" that could have prevented him from pursuing a disastrous strategy at the Singapore Grand Prix?

Ferrari's communication issues date back to the days of Sebastian Vettel and show no signs of being resolved. Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas explain what it is about the team that means it can't convey clear messages, leading to untrusting drivers, bad decisions and missed opportunities.

They discuss whether Red Bull has got its mojo back. After criticism from former team boss Christian Horner, Max Verstappen has won two grands prix – plus the Singapore sprint. Is Mercedes now on the back foot?

It raises the question of who would win in a straight fight between Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, and whether the Red Bull driver is even more formidable without a title fight to worry about.

We also answer your questions on some team's mysterious rear wing triangles and whether Ferrari bosses are legally obliged to interfere with the running of its F1 team.

Plus: Mark's take on the news that F1 will return to Africa with a grand prix in Rwanda.

Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4dYtLgH and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.

Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4dYtLgH
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Max Verstappen wins in Malaysia, Red Bull's rough-track advantage, and a restart that took two hours: Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas look back on the Sepang Grand Prix and ahead to Singapore.

This week, Mark explains why Verstappen's first win of the season came in the fastest car on the grid, and why Fernando Alonso's eighth place was the drive that impressed him most.

Mark also explains how a rough track surface changes a car's underbody aerodynamics, and why that may have helped Red Bull.

They discuss Lewis Hamilton's slicks gamble, Mercedes' upgrade that nobody can quite judge, and what George Russell should do with the rest of 2026, including whether he could ever play Rosberg-style mind games with Kimi Antonelli.

They also cover Rafael Camara's likely move to Haas, Red Bull Powertrains' win in its first season, and the software glitch that stalled cars on the grid and left everyone arguing over whether they should keep their places.

There are viewer questions on tyre graining and McLaren's gearing, plus a look at who could be quick in Singapore and what the haze might do to the cars.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.