The Autosport F1 Podcast

Autosport’s Top 50 drivers of the year is our traditional list picking out the great and the good from the motorsport season just gone.    The 2021 Top 50 is the 20th edition and we’ve had the usual tough task of selecting the best performers across Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, Formula E, sportcar and GT racing, touring car series and many other categories.    The list appears in the 16 December issue of Autosport magazine and on Autosport.com, and the latest edition of the Autosport Podcast delves into how it was put together and covers the most controversial decisions.     The Top 50 always stirs debate among fans, drivers and even within the Autosport team itself.    How do you rate drivers in different cars, different series and at different points in their careers? Should standout moments mean more than consistency? And how far should controversial on-track moments count against a driver? All this and more are covered in this podcast special.    Chief Editor Kevin Turner hosts and is joined – happily in person for once during these strange times – by Haydn Cobb (Autosport.com Editor), Jake Boxall-Legge (Technical Editor) and sportscar guru Gary Watkins to discuss the final selection and the drivers who missed out. The debate gets quite dramatic at times, which seems apt given the motorsport season just gone.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UK's junior single-seater landscape is set to change for 2022, with new cars being introduced and even a new series launching next year. The GB3 Championship – which was previously known as British F3 until a mid-season name change enforced by the FIA – has bridged the gap between British F4 and FIA F3 for several years. It will introduce a new machine for its upcoming campaign, the Tatuus MSV-022, which will offer more power and downforce as well as the inclusion of a halo head-protection device. MotorSport Vision which runs the series has also announced a new championship for 2022 – the GB4 Championship – has been created as an entry-level into single-seaters and is open 15-year-olds. Autosport Deputy National Editor Stefan Mackley and Autosport National Editor Stephen Lickorish discuss the changes with the second part of a UK single-seater podcast special. They are joined by MSV CEO and ex-Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer to discuss both the new car and championship, as well as what it could mean for the future of young drivers working their way up the motorsport ladder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our team were all in the paddock to witness the wild ending to an unforgettable 2021 season. Shortly after the FIA gave their verdict on the two protests which were lodged after the race, we tried to make sense of what happened, and congratulate our drivers championship winner. Ariana Bravo is joined by Jess McFadyen (Director of Digital Strategy, Motorsport Network) and Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) is at the track alongside our host Ariana Bravo, as they reflect on a qualifying session which surprised many in the paddock, and look at some of the various scenarios which could play out on Sunday afternoon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Noble (F1 Editor, motorsport.com) is at the track alongside our host Ariana Bravo, to bring you a flavour of the atmosphere in the paddock and how the excitement is building for the championship battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

* No Spoilers* Ariana is already on her way to Abu Dhabi with the rest of the F1 team, so Jess McFadyen steps up to host today’s podcast alongside Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) and Haydn Cobb (Editor, Autosport.com). Luke is fresh from the drivers interviews and tells us who-said-what after the chequered flag, whilst Haydn was on live commentary duty today and had to make sense of today’s chaotic scenes for those following along.  But can we make sense of it on the Autosport podcast? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) is at the track with our host Ariana Bravo, and they’re taking stock of a thrilling qualifying session today, which threw another curveball at the championship battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan Noble (F1 Editor, motorsport.com) is at the track alongside our host Ariana Bravo, who are both experiencing the first running at the Jeddah Street Circuit.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The four finalists who will contest the 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award have been selected. Ollie Bearman, Jonny Edgar, Louis Foster and Zak O’Sullivan are the finalists. None have been in the Award before.   This week on the podcast we're talking to each driver individually, and hearing about their story so far.    Previous winners include 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, current F1 drivers Lando Norris and George Russell, triple Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, and 2014 World Endurance champion Anthony Davidson.   Today we're talking to Zak O'Sullivan. O’Sullivan has been the driver to beat in GB3 this year. The 16-year-old continued the impressive form from his first single-seater campaign last season, when he came oh-so-close to securing the British F4 crown. He seems set to make up for that disappointment this year, as he comfortably tops the points ahead of the finale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The four finalists who will contest the 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award have been selected. Ollie Bearman, Jonny Edgar, Louis Foster and Zak O’Sullivan are the finalists. None have been in the Award before.   This week on the podcast we're talking to each driver individually, and hearing about their story so far.    Previous winners include 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, current F1 drivers Lando Norris and George Russell, triple Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, and 2014 World Endurance champion Anthony Davidson.   Today we're talking to Louis Foster. After a winning cameo outing last year, Foster has been racing full-time in Euroformula Open this season on his graduation from British F3, and is embroiled in a close title fight. The 18-year-old Hampshireman has won three races with the Motopark-run CryptoTower Racing Team – all of them on one incredible weekend at Spa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices