It could be the last-ever Dutch Grand Prix, and Max Verstappen's final home race. Tom & Chris preview a potentially wet, sprint-format Zandvoort, plus Cadillac's shock team-boss change and a top 6 separated by just nine points over the last 4 Grand Prix.

In this episode: why Cadillac swapped Graeme Lowdon for Marcin Budkowski mid-season, whether McLaren's Hungary upgrade travels, the incredibly tight top-six title fight of recent races, Aston Martin & Honda's new engine, silly-season latest, our sprint-weekend predictions, and a mailbag on sim racing and ghost cars.

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Only one driver made our S tier this season, but is it who you would expect?

It's summer break, so Tom & Chris dust off the tier maker and rank every 2026 F1 team and driver from S ("top tier") to D ("shouldn't even be here").

In this episode: with the driver market gone quiet, we go team by team from Cadillac at the back to a Mercedes side that's built the fastest car on the grid but can't stop it from breaking. Every call is backed by qualifying and race head-to-heads plus the average qualifying gap between each teammate pairing. Expect strong opinions on Verstappen's current form, Antonelli's record setting run, where Russell really landed, Hamilton vs Leclerc, and why Williams and Aston Martin ended up where they did.

Back of the Grid is a weekly Formula 1 podcast by fans, for fans. Hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday through the season.

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Is Stefano Domenicali right that F1 fans don't understand, or even care about, the sport's technology? We get into it. Plus a wild calendar shake-up as Malaysia returns (sort of), and talk of a German GP comeback.

In this episode:

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Lewis Hamilton got five seconds for a 50/50 first-lap incident. Charles Leclerc practically ran Oscar Piastri off the road at the end of the Kemmel Straight and got nothing. We're not sure the stewards watched the same race we did.

In this episode, Chris and Tom review the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, the last one at Spa for a couple of years. George Russell's afternoon ends before turn six and his frustration with his power unit boils over, Kimi Antonelli takes a sixth win of the season with a drive well beyond his years, Isack Hadjar carves from P21 to P6, and Franco Colapinto pulls off the move of the race that F1's TV direction somehow forgot to show us.

Plus: our Prediction League and Fantasy results, and a look ahead to Hungary where Aston Martin's B-spec car is going to change everything. Allegedly.

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The Verstappen-to-McLaren rumours refuse to die down and this week they got louder. Plus: F1 could run 10 sprint weekends in 2027, Aston Martin's big upgrade is delayed to Hungary, and we preview a brutal Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.

In this episode: Mark Weber's denial that Oscar Piastri is being replaced, why Red Bull's talent exodus makes a Verstappen exit feel more plausible (all speculation at this stage, nothing confirmed), what a McLaren hypercar detour could look like for Max, Stefano Domenicali's push for more 2027 sprints, Aston Martin's delayed upgrade, our Belgian GP storylines and predictions, and a mailbag question on the Middle East calendar situation.

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Charles Leclerc delivered Ferrari's 250th race win, but it's the FIA's farcical safety car finish that everyone's talking about.

In this episode, Tom and Chris dig into the safety car controversy that ended the race under caution despite fans being told a final lap was coming, the FIA president's awkward driver parade cameo, and a controversial track-limits penalty for Antonelli. Then it's onto the race itself: Leclerc's much-needed win, Russell's home podium, Antonelli's reliability heartbreak, and Verstappen's rear-end snap at Stowe that ended his race early. Plus Drive of the Day, Move of the Day, and this week's Predictions League and Fantasy results.

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Should Russell's pole have even counted? We break down the yellow-flag row that overshadowed Austria, plus his bounce-back win, Verstappen's Red Bull revival, and a British GP preview.

In this episode, Tom and Chris review the 2026 Austrian GP: the controversial pole that had the whole paddock asking questions, George Russell's important win, Antonelli's mistake-strewn afternoon, Red Bull's upgrade step for Verstappen, Ferrari's latest strategy headache with Hamilton, and a chaotic Racing Bulls team-orders call. Then we look ahead to Silverston. Can the 2026 cars handle a proper high-speed circuit, and is this the weekend Russell finally breaks his home curse?

0:00 Intro & what's coming up

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Back of the Grid is a weekly F1 podcast by fans, for fans, hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday in season.

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Ferrari are flying and Mercedes can't stop breaking down! Can Hamilton make it two wins in a row at the 2026 Austrian GP? We preview race week at the Red Bull Ring.

In this episode: the Monaco saga rumbles on (Mercedes withdraw their review, McLaren keep pushing), F1's new engine catch-up rules and why Red Bull are contesting them, Haas silly season heating up, Magnussen's NASCAR debut, plus full Austria storylines and our predictions.

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Back of the Grid is a weekly Formula 1 podcast by fans, for fans, hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday in season.

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Lewis Hamilton takes his first win for Ferrari at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix,  and it might just have reignited the title fight.

Tom and Chris break down how Ferrari out-strategised Mercedes in Barcelona, plus the Gasly Monaco penalty U-turn that's reopened a very messy can of worms.

In this episode: Hamilton's emotional first Ferrari win and the records that come with it, the strategy call that put Mercedes in an impossible spot, whether the VSC actually gifted him the win, Russell vs Antonelli and Kimi's latest DNF, Norris inheriting the podium, Leclerc's Q3 crash, a baffling Alpine team order, Lindblad's rookie pace, plus Driver of the Day, Move of the Day, the WTF moment, and your inbox questions.

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The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix had more penalties than overtakes, and we're not exaggerating. Pit-lane speeding chaos, Gasly's lost podium, Russell's drive-through farce and Antonelli's fifth win in a row, all unpacked.

In this episode, Tom and Chris work through a Monaco GP defined by the stewards: the pit-lane speeding saga that caught five drivers by fractions of a km/h, why Tom thinks Hülkenberg's hairpin penalty was completely wrong, Mercedes' communication meltdown over Russell's penalty, and Cadillac throwing away their first-ever points. Plus Hadjar's debut podium, Racing Bulls' best-ever day, the Brembo brake row, and a look ahead to Spain.

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0:00 – Intro: a race defined by penalties

1:53 – Pit-lane speeding farce (five drivers, tiny margins) 14:01 – Russell's drive-through & Mercedes' mess

19:00 – Hülkenberg's hairpin penalty

25:30 – Perez & Cadillac's lost points

30:15 – Stroll's track limits & brake trouble

31:52 – Hadjar's red-flag investigation & the rest

38:38 – Antonelli's fifth win in a row & the title picture

42:29 – Leclerc's crash & the Brembo brake saga

47:09 – Verstappen's race over before it began

48:32 – McLaren's off day, Piastri P4 & Norris' engine

51:12 – Racing Bulls' best-ever day: Lawson & Lindblad

53:46 – Driver of the Day

55:38 – Move of the Day

57:03 – WTF of the Weekend

59:10 – Prediction League results

1:01:11 – Spain preview: is the title Antonelli's to lose?

1:06:48 – Our Spanish GP predictions

1:11:14 – Inbox

Back of the Grid is a Formula 1 podcast by fans, for fans. Tom King & Chris Evans break down the week's F1 news and preview and review every race. New episodes every Tuesday through the season.

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