In Part Two of our Summer Special featuring a panel of movie industry experts, we analyse the most cherished racing movies; the classic Grand Prix (1966) as well as other celebrated motorsport films Rush (2013), Days of Thunder (1990) and Le Mans (1971). Are they any good as movies and what does it take to create a film that appeals to all audiences, not just motorsport enthusiasts? And what, if anything, did this summer’s Apple blockbuster F1 Movie with Brad Pitt take from them?

We explore how well the various stories and plotlines work and the all-important action sequences. We reveal which cues they take from each other.  How are female characters depicted and how does their treatment compare across the decades? Which films were commercially successful and which ones flopped?

Finally, if the master rolls of all these films were in a burning warehouse and only one could be saved for posterity, which one would the experts rescue?  The answer may surprise you. 

With James Allen in the studio are: 

Eddie Hamilton, editor of Top Gun Maverick and the two most recent Mission Impossible films.

Adrian Wootton OBE, runs the British Film Commission (encouraging productions like F1 to film in the UK). 

Mark Lane is an award-winning movie producer, with over 40 credits including I am not a serial Killer and The Cut. 

Nick Manzi is a producer with a string of hits from Blitz to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and a lifelong F1 enthusiast. 

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

This week we gather a stellar line-up of movie industry insiders as we break down the summer blockbuster F1 Movie, which has now earned over half a billion dollars at the box office, so deserves some deeper consideration.

Having earlier looked at it from the point of view of journalists and fans, we now get the movie experts to cast an eye over it; is it technically a good film?

How well does the story work, and what about the all-important action sequences? How does the treatment of female characters compare? And do movies like this do any long-term good for the sport?

In Part II next week, the panel will compare it with the 1960s classic Grand Prix as well as other classic motorsport films Rush, Days of Thunder and Le Mans. Are they any good as movies? And what does it take to create a movie that appeals to all audiences, not just motorsport enthusiasts?

With James Allen in the studio are: 

Eddie Hamilton, editor of Top Gun Maverick and the two most recent Mission Impossible films.

Adrian Wootton OBE, runs the British Film Commission (encouraging productions like F1 to film in the UK). 

Mark Lane is an award-winning movie producer, with over 40 credits including I am not a serial Killer and The Cut. 

Nick Manzi is a producer with a string of hits from Blitz to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and a lifelong F1 enthusiast. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to F1 Movie Discussion

03:00 Audience Reception and Expectations

05:58 The Art of Filmmaking in F1 Movies

08:59 Motorsport as a Cinematic Backdrop

11:55 Elements of a Successful Film

14:51 Character Dynamics and Storytelling

18:08 Technical Achievements and Authenticity

20:46 The Role of Female Characters

23:59 Budget and Financial Aspects of F1 Movie

26:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

F1 people are enjoying their summer break as the three-week Shutdown enters its second week. 

But one man who has not shut down is our F1 Writer Ronald Vording, who joins James Allen from the Netherlands to take stock of the season and look ahead to what we can expect when the racing starts again later this month. 

Max Verstappen confirmed before the break that he’s not looking to move teams for 2026 and he will race for Red Bull next season. What went on behind the scenes in his decision-making process? What is Max’s state of mind now with 10 rounds to go and no chance of winning the title?

We answer some listener questions and talking points on how McLaren shows no favouritism towards its drivers as they duel for the World Championship. 

Where is Lewis Hamilton now on the Motivation-ometer and why is he writing “documents” for Ferrari? 

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

This week as F1 starts its Summer Shutdown we look in detail at how F1 driver contracts work and why this period of the season is critical for options being triggered (or not), renewals being signed and decisions being taken by drivers and teams about next season.

To help James Allen go deep into F1 driver contracts is one of the best known and most successful driver managers in F1 history. Julian Jakobi has managed dozens of great names like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya and more recently Checo Perez. He continues to manage a stable of drivers across multiple race series.

What does a driver manager do? What is in the scope of the role? What kinds of considerations do teams have around drivers during the Summer Shutdown? 

And what was it like to manage Senna and Prost at the same time, while they were in open conflict?

Chapters

00:00 The Role of a Driver Manager

08:45 Understanding Driver Contracts and Options

12:05 The Impact of Rookies in F1

14:47 Key Clauses in Driver Contracts

18:14 The Influence of Team Management on Drivers

21:39 Future Driver Moves and Team Strategies

This week we look ahead to the F1 summer shutdown, which starts after the chequered flag falls in Hungary until Zandvoort at the end of August. But rather than use it as an excuse for tired old repeats, we are embracing the shutdown and looking at its significance to F1.

This week we look at what the F1 drivers need to do during the break; how they recover after 14 gruelling races in five months, how they stay in shape while recharging. We also explore more broadly the physical and mental challenges on F1 drivers today. Is it true that F1 drivers are among the fittest athletes in sport?

Taking James Allen deep into this fascinating topic is Nick Harris, who has trained and mentored many great drivers in the past 20 years from Mark Webber, David Coulthard and Jenson Button to Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg. He has also worked with top performers from other sports, like Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova.

To view the highlights of the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey and to download the Whitepaper, go to https://fansurvey2025-formula1.motorsportnetwork.com/

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

Producer: Dre Harrison

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

In F1 the numbers never lie; whether it’s zeros on a paycheck, thousandths of a second on a stopwatch or points of downforce on a new front wing.

At the halfway stage of the F1 World Championship, the points tables for drivers and constructors tell their own story. McLaren are well ahead in both; Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull trail badly.

But by looking at the underlying numbers we can spot trends and learn more about what’s really going on this season and what might happen in the second half.

We did this at the quarter stage and now at we look again, after 12 rounds in this 24 race F1 World Championship.

Joining James Allen are special guest Dan Fallows - one of the top F1 engineers of the last two decades, he headed up the Red Bull aero department from the Sebastian Vettel era up to the first ground effect car in 2022 and was most recently Technical Director of Aston Martin F1 team.

Also joining us are F1 data guru Rob Smedley, of Smedley Group and Autosport’s Jake Boxall-Legge.

To view the highlights of the Global F1 Fan Survey and to download the Whitepaper, go to https://fansurvey2025-formula1.motorsportnetwork.com/

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

Producers: Dre Harrison, Ben Holmes

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

On this week’s podcast we speak to the most powerful woman in F1 today and the American who plans to be one of the two most powerful men next year.

As Chief Commercial Officer of F1 and CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Emily Prazer is responsible for bringing billions of dollars of revenue into the sport. She tells us her plans to make Vegas bigger and better this year and reveals its economic impact.

Meanwhile Tim Mayer will face off against Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December’s election for FIA President. He faces an uphill task, but he strongly believes the FIA can be more professionally run. He explains why he has decided to run, what he would do differently from the current President and how he would avoid conflicts with F1 drivers over topics like jewellery and swearing.

James Allen is also joined in the studio by Autosport’s F1 Business Correspondent Mark Mann-Bryans.

To view the highlights of the Global F1 Fan Survey and to download the full Whitepaper, go to https://fansurvey2025-formula1.motorsportnetwork.com/

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected]

Producer: Dre Harrison

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

In this emergency podcast we react to the news that Christian Horner has been sacked with immediate effect by Red Bull Racing.

During 20 years in charge of Red Bull Racing Horner won eight Drivers’ championships, six constructors’ and took 124 Grand Prix wins. But after some key departures and the poor performance this season of the car the team has dropped Horner.

His role will be taken by Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies, who in turn will be replaced by Alan Permane, Racing Bulls Racing Director.

We’ll get into the background to the sacking, what role Max Verstappen and his father may have played and what it means for Ferrari, who may well move for the 51 year-old to replace Fred Vasseur, whose contract expires at the end of this season.

James Allen is joined in the studio to analyse the news by our correspondents Ronald Vording from Netherlands, Christian Nimmervoll from Austria and Motorsport Editor-in-Chief Ben Hunt.

To view the highlights of the Global F1 Fan Survey and to download the full Whitepaper, go to https://fansurvey2025-formula1.motorsportnetwork.com/

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

Producer: Dre Harrison

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

This week we get behind the numbers to find out what fans think of F1, as the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey is launched, ahead of the British Grand Prix.

Over 100,000 respondents took part from 186 countries. Fans were self-selecting, so this isn’t a complete picture of all F1 fans worldwide, but what it does show is that F1 is managing the juggling act of attracting new fans, while keeping its long-standing fans on board. And the responses show there is quite a bit of common ground between the two cohorts, not least that the sporting product of F1 is the most important thing for both.

We look at the box office numbers for the opening weekend of F1 The Movie and ask what it means for the sport.

And we’ll hear from the newest team principal on the grid, Graeme Lowdon, why Cadillac will be operating out of both the US and the UK when they come into F1 next season. You can watch the full YouTube video on the Autosport YouTube Channel.

Joining James Allen in the studio to talk through all this are Motorsport’s Editor-in-Chief Ben Hunt and F1 writer Emily Selleck.

To view the highlights of the Global F1 Fan Survey and to download the Whitepaper, go to https://fansurvey2025-formula1.motorsportnetwork.com/

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

Producer: Dre Harrison

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

A new F1 documentary film launches next week that brilliantly shows both the raw emotional journey and the lived experience of an F1 driver.

It covers Damon Hill’s life from when his idyllic childhood was shattered after his World Champion father Graham Hill died in a place crash to finally winning the F1 World Championship in 1996. It’s a story laced with good and bad luck and a burning desire to put right what had gone wrong when his father died.

What marks out this film is the rawness of the emotion in the storytelling, particularly from Damon and his wife Georgie.

F1 drivers make good subjects because they are so extreme; extraordinary people who do extraordinary things.

The timing is perfect as F1 the Movie hits cinemas this week, telling an underdog story. Damon was a real-life F1 underdog. So what is it really like to lose everything, but come through to triumph? And why did he feel Williams were never really behind him in his title quest?

Damon Hill joins James Allen to discuss the film, along with Sky Sports F1 presenter Simon Lazenby, whose production company Sylverent brought the project to life.

And joining them is Autosport’s Editor in Chief Kevin Turner.

“Hill” debuts 2 July on Sky Documentaries.

Don’t miss the chance to compete against our expert writers on Motorsport’s hugely popular F1 Fantasy League. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/race-our-writers-motorsport-launches-its-first-ever-featured-league-on-f1-fantasy/10702182/

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or [email protected].

Producer: Dre Harrison

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport