The First Corner F1 Podcast

24/07/2022

Rating the drivers after the halfway point of the season. Do you agree with these? https://firstcornerf1.com/2022/07/24/half-term-22-report-the-grid/

Do you agree with these ratngs? Feel free to comment below on what you think!

04/07/2022

We've had a few messages lately asking about the podcast. While we've had some great guests come on and chat to us about their life experiences in racing, chatting to a trusted F1 buddy and friend to chew the F1 fat over was the heart and soul of the show which we haven't had in a long time. Not getting podcasts out on a predictable repeatable basis nerfs the retention of our audience and makes it difficult to build any momentum. We're on hiatus for the foreseeable future. We've learned a lot along the way and we've had fun putting the shows together.

Keep an eye out for some written articles as F1 continues to roll around the grand prix calendar, but it's all quiet on track where we are for now,

Thank you for your support, would love to get the show going again if any guests either past or future would like to chat over F1.

All the best,
Kevin

05/06/2022

Reflecting on the Senna movie, why some of it's omissions are good grounds for a follow up sequel titled: "Prost"

http://firstcornerf1.com/2022/06/05/senna-grounds-for-a-sequel/

Reflecting on the Senna movie, why some of it’s omissions are good grounds for a follow up sequel titled: “Prost”

30/05/2022

Monaco Grand Prix analysis, why Perez was quicker than Verstappen, is Perez now in the title fight?

http://firstcornerf1.com/2022/05/30/article-monaco-grand-prix-will-perez-create-a-headache-for-verstappen/

The circuit The Monaco Grand Prix is an extreme low speed circuit, barely averaging 100mph on a fast lap. While conventional tracks are near billiard table smooth, the narrowness, bumps and surface…

24/05/2022

Article: Resurgent Mercedes? What we have learned from their much improved Spanish Grand Prix form.

http://firstcornerf1.com/2022/05/24/resurgent-mercedes-what-we-have-learned-from-their-much-improved-spanish-grand-prix-form/

The Spanish Grand Prix gave some encouraging signs that Mercedes car concept for 2022 is one that now at least works fundamentally. It’s porpoising(bouncing) issues heavily reduced with the d…

18/05/2022

I've written an article on whether the Ferrari vs Red Bull battle will go the distance, comments and feedback welcome!

http://firstcornerf1.com/2022/05/18/ferrari-vs-red-bull-a-title-fight-that-will-go-the-distance/

Red Bull’s upgrades introduced at Imola have turned the tables on Ferrari in the past two races, who now need to respond and are anticipated to bring a large update at Barcelona. Red Bull& #82…

16/03/2022

A little preview of our latest podcast with former Mercedes F1 employee Kyle Forster. A little insight working through the highs and lows of F1!

Link to full https://open.spotify.com/episode/0gNsnwei9XxynYpJiCINLT?si=76a10ffa81ca4985

15/03/2022

A new season is ahead of us! To dust off the F1 cobwebs, we have just recorded a podcast with Kyle Forester, a former Mercedes F1 aerodynamicist turned consultant who worked in F1 from 2018 to 2020. The podcast released tomorrow is a long form discussion featuring:

- Kyle's background and getting involved in motorsport.

- An insight into the porpoising problems the teams are facing in testing. Turns out it's not as simple an issue to understand and eliminate as many say!

- Kyle's time at Mercedes F1, discussing some common aero (mis)conceptions.(my own mainly!)

- A lookahead to the 2022 season, and how useful testing really is into giving a form guide.

As a little taster, see a link below to his latest video analyzing the potential benefits and drawbacks of the Mercedes sidepods. Kyle's video analysis of F1 designs are available on his YouTube via his channel Kyle Engineers. There is a full back catalog of race car first principle videos. If you are an F1 anorak, you are in for a treat.

Keep an eye out tomorrow on all podcast platforms!

In quite a visually apparent update to the car, Mercedes has brought quite a radical change in sidepod concept to the W13. They have essentially created a large downwashing wing with a shroud around the side impact structure, and then have inverted the sidepod inlet and put it towards the floor. This seems to be in an attempt to get more downwash and stronger vortices from the top of the sidepod, but the legalities are certainly interesting!

https://youtu.be/pP6T1comENg

21/12/2021

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0tKOIgo68snsI8xYjGcxyL?si=snTrXdWoRReRGSF5ZdQ4Xg

Murray Walker in Springfield! Credit to the Amarillo artist who put this together for us!

17/12/2021

A real treat this week, legendary F1 commentator Murray Walker is our subject matter, and who better to talk to than close friend and colleague, F1 author Maurice Hamilton. Maurice compiled a tribute book about Murray this year after his passing. He commentated alongside Murray when he came out of retirement for a one off race at the Nürburgring 2007. We discuss Murray at length. To say it was a privilege is a masterpiece of understatement.

The book is available at all good outlets and on audiobook narrated by Maurice. A good Christmas treat for the F1 fanatic in your life.

I hope you enjoy our chat, Happy Christmas to all our followers and listeners.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0tKOIgo68snsI8xYjGcxyL?si=OJFKKmXQS_GidUZDkz221A

15/12/2021

Podcast 15 is Live! We're joined this week by F1 author and former BBC Radio broadcaster Maurice Hamilton to give his take on the events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix! Available on all podcasting services.

https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e1bms19

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6fMkDavRk5W1XeKlvJGuev?si=f7be0edae2904209

22/11/2021

A little snippet from our latest episode! Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the two title contenders. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms!Analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the two title contenders. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms!

https://open.spotify.com/show/55pw7mXgtE73BJXvaetO1e?si=e0219ea5e748409f

18/11/2021

Podcast #13 is up! We're back!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rsS5Rgy9m2BvDHYvX3mRH?si=rspBbCtxSRiDYnMXJ910UA

https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1/episodes/13---The-Title-Run-In--who-will-come-out-on-top-e1admr6

Chewing the fat of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, we unpack what we have learned about Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen this season, presenting the factors at play into the multi varied equation that predicts the championship winner, and why 2021 will be fondly remembered as the best championship fight since Senna versus Prost.

We hope you enjoy! Who do you think will win the championship this year and why?

09/08/2021

Pod 12 is up! Children's picture book author Laura Hannon joins the podcast to discuss her first book "Daisy's First Race Car". Laura's background is in engineering and looks to inspire future female talent in STEM and motorsport with Formula Female. We also discuss her recent track experiences at Mondello Park in preparation the Formula Woman competition in the UK, where the prize is a seat in a McLaren in the GT4 championship. In the latter half of the podcast, we discuss the recent events in F1, and a look back to Laura's earliest F1 memories that ignited the flame.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zVPmlcZvGRdXpBt1HUx2j?si=08333610fc414169

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-first-corner-formula-1-podcast/id1574847465?i=1000531456617

03/07/2021

https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1/episodes/11---The-plight-of-Daniel-Ricciardo-e13pps7

Pod #11 is up! - The Plight of Daniel Ricciardo; in this episode we discuss the affable aussie's ongoing struggles at McLaren, analysing the root cause of them and debating whether or not they can be rectified this year. We ponder what this potentially means for his reputation in the long run.

We also look at Ferrari's brilliant young driver line up where we pay tribute to Carlos Sainz's impressive start with the Scuderia, and discuss Leclerc's tremendous peak performances this year, and wonder just how stellar his talent could potentially be, particularly when measured against Hamilton and Verstappen.

All this including Perez, Norris, Alonso and more in this jam-packed 30 minute episode.

02/07/2021

https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1/episodes/10---Styrian-Grand-Prix-Review---Mercedes-on-the-hop-e13i3q9/a-a60k9fp

Pod #10 is out!

Kevin and Ben review Max Verstappen's dominant Styrian Grand Prix victory, and assess what Mercedes' chances are in retaking the initiative in the world championship. Is Hamilton's rear gunner Bottas doing enough, or do Mercedes need a wingman in George Russell to take the fight back to Red Bull? Find out in this in depth discussion.

28/06/2021

A short dialogue from our latest episode. Are Red Bull starting to run away with it?

09/06/2021

An insightful video from F1 explaining the different engine architectures across the teams, and the materials science secrets behind Honda's progress to become the state of the art F1 engine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56xphL0XdWg

What's going on inside of an F1 team's power unit? Tech Talk hosts Sam Collins and Craig Scarborough dive into them to look at the subtle changes which make ...

29/05/2021

https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1/episodes/9---The-fall-of-McLaren-and-divorce-from-Mercedes-e11o9nf

Pod #9 is now out! Following on from our discussion about Jenson Button at McLaren, we explore the team's subsequent fall from grace in the Martin Whitmarsh era, and the politics that ultimately led to their split from long time partner Mercedes, a separation which they are now recovering from under the measured leadership of Zak Brown.

We also speculate on the strange events at the end of McLaren's traumatic 2007 season, and if they really can be taken at face value in the political world of F1.

BONUS VIEWING:

Istanbul 2010 - Hamilton won the race, but was he losing the hearts and minds of the team to Button? Evidence that all was not well in the McLaren stable in 2010. P.S. Listen closely and you'll hear a 'come on Jenson!' https://youtu.be/lAB4YjiUUsQ?t=979

A pivotal moment in McLaren's history, and arguably the beginning of the end for them as one of F1's true superpowers - Spygate 2007 https://youtu.be/f2PgqLKRuv0

Did McLaren lose the 2007 driver's title on track, or was it off it, behind the scenes? https://youtu.be/OK3FEfaZf9U

29/05/2021

A short preview of Episode 9 - The fall of McLaren and it's divorce from Mercedes.

https://open.spotify.com/show/55pw7mXgtE73BJXvaetO1e

28/05/2021

https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1/episodes/8---Williams-World-Champions-of-the-90s-and-Jenson-Button-e11ddj7/a-a5lc9s2

Episode #8 is here! We take time to discuss the honourable mentions that didn't get a look in during our last pod on the modern greats, in particular the Williams World Champions of the 90's; Prost, Mansell, Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.

We look at how Adrian Newey is the thread that links so many of these world champions together, including Vettel, but point out why he is sometimes a thorn in their side when it comes to rating them amongst the all time greats.

Lastly, we spend a moment going back to analyse how another world champion, Jenson Button, fared when he was pitted against Lewis Hamilton in the same car between 2010-2012. Was Button underrated or overrated?

***BONUS VIEWING!***

The Tortoise vs the Hare - Prost defeats Senna in a straight fight to take a memorable victory on home soil at the 1988 French GP https://youtu.be/75_hIBU_Zmg

Hamilton vs Button's head to head as McLaren team mates, 2010-2012 - https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hamilton-and-buttons-head-to-head-record-at-mclaren/3219323/

26/05/2021

Not such a well known story about Max, infamous for many reasons but worth mentioning in the aftermath of his passing.

“Although I didn’t have time to become involved in karting, I did interfere directly once when I received a call to say a that a kart driver was being kept out of a big competition in France on the apparently spurious grounds that his medical certificate was not in order. I called the president of karting and asked him to check that the certificate was ok and, if it was, insist the organizers allow the driver to compete. It worked and the driver rewarded us by winning his heat and the final. A few days later, the 15 year old driver sent me an autographed picture by way of thanks. That was the first time I’d heard of Lewis Hamilton” – Max Mosley, Formula One and Beyond: The Autobiography

19/05/2021

Part 2 of our longform discussion on the modern greats of F1 switches to the present day; Hamilton vs Verstappen, the pressure Max is under, and how Rosberg exposed the chinks in Hamilton's armour.

https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1/episodes/7---The-Greatest-Drivers-of-the-Modern-Era---Part-2-e10g2ge

Companion viewing/reading material:

Hamilton's racecraft - https://vimeo.com/85619413
Rosberg's 'total war' approach - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/formula1/42115104
Pre-eminent F1 jouro Mark Hughes writing on Verstappen in 2015 - https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-2015/28/old-head-young-shoulders

14/05/2021

Check out the first part of our longform discussion on the modern greats of F1 here https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1/episodes/6---The-Greatest-Drivers-of-the-Modern-Era---Part-1-e10f78k/a-a5gdg0f

For the curious souls among you who want to dig further on the topics discussed, some essential supplementary viewing for you:

Senna's intensity - https://youtu.be/NeFqsWWG1qE
Schumacher's speed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Czacauviyk&t=113s

Hakkinen's theatrical pole lap Imola 2000 - https://youtu.be/iMbZBziNlbc
Vettel's spectacular, Adrian Newey assisted pole lap, Melbourne 2010 - https://youtu.be/qGW_Hu25-c0?t=67

Alonso's bizarre steering technique - https://youtu.be/M4Dv0Ja6HQU
Alonso's miracle at Valencia 2012 - https://youtu.be/gKjxYRMvHxQ

Alonso vs Hamilton intra-team tension - https://youtu.be/AydTnIxXYU4?t=5739

Enjoy!

13/05/2021

12/05/2021

Your hosts...... (before and after the bar) at Marina Bay, Singapore GP 2017. For literal track level expertise on F1, look no further than The First Corner F1 Podcast.

11/05/2021

11/05/2021

A sneak preview of our two part special on the greatest F1 drivers of the modern era. What are their strengths and weaknesses based on historical events throughout the years? https://anchor.fm/thefirstcornerf1