> "You don't need to be hanging it all on the line... you should be able to get through that even at a 90% lap." — vdb

Venerated motorsport communications journalist Andy van de Burgt and ageing armchair F1 fan Matthew Layton proudly present FLAT OUT: Unrestricted F1 Chat

On this week's show:

• Russell's Baku Victory
• The fallout from Colapinto's cock-up
• A look forward to the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang

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https://x.com/avdab and https://x.com/whingeingpom

Veteran motorsport journalist Andy Van de Burgt and armchair F1 fan Matthew Layton bring you FLAT OUT - unrestricted F1 chat.

Formula One is obsessed with pretending every race is perfectly fair, but the real story is luck, layout, and who actually builds a track that can deliver a race. Matthew and vdb tear into the latest F1 chaos, from Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli to the bizarre logic behind Madrid, Monaco, Baku, and the sport's never-ending habit of fixing one problem by creating three more.

They also get into the stuff fans argue about but rarely hear explained clearly: why some cars and engines still matter more than others, what "power unit" really means, why hybrid has become the compromise of choice, and why the future of racing may have less to do with idealism than with performance, price, and politics. If you've ever wondered why F1 keeps making decisions that seem obvious to everyone except F1, this one will hit home.You'll hear them break down:

• Why Madrid's new layout frustrates anyone who wants overtaking
• How VSCs, timing, and "luck as a virus" shape championships
• Why Baku could be chaotic, windy, and genuinely unpredictable
• The confusion around Mercedes, Red Bull, and engine advantage
• Why Alonso, Sainz, and the next generation keep the paddock interesting
• Whether Formula One should be leading the road-car conversation, or just racing it

Matthew brings the fan's-eye view and the cultural detours, while vdb brings the blunt, long-memory racing perspective and a refreshingly low tolerance for nonsense. Together they turn calendar politics, track design, and power-unit jargon into something genuinely entertaining.And because this show refuses to be one-dimensional, they finish with a proper cultural exchange too: a World War II film built around weather intelligence, a new Bonobo album, and a glorious Red Dwarf tangent that somehow includes luck viruses, audio books, and a Robert Llewellyn Formula E anecdote.Perfect for Formula One obsessives, casual fans trying to make sense of the sport's weird decisions, and anyone who enjoys smart, funny talk that doesn't pretend motorsport is fair when it very obviously isn't.

Unrestricted F1 Chat with Andy Van de Burgt.

Formula 1’s driver market may be dying, but the sport is about to get a lot more interesting.

vdb breaks down why Kimi Antonelli is already looking like a genuine superstar, how scouts spot once-in-a-generation talent at karting age, and why so many of the grid’s biggest seats now feel permanently locked down.

They also dig into the bigger question underneath it all: has the modern driver market F1 become too static? With Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris all seemingly set to stay with their current teams for the foreseeable future, the conversation turns into a sharp argument for why fans need more driver market movement.

Perfect for F1 fans, racing obsessives, and anyone who wants the sharpest possible take on where the sport is heading next.