Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes

Why couldn't Lewis Hamilton get a clear answer to an "easy question" that could have prevented him from pursuing a disastrous strategy at the Singapore Grand Prix?

Ferrari's communication issues date back to the days of Sebastian Vettel and show no signs of being resolved. Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas explain what it is about the team that means it can't convey clear messages, leading to untrusting drivers, bad decisions and missed opportunities.

They discuss whether Red Bull has got its mojo back. After criticism from former team boss Christian Horner, Max Verstappen has won two grands prix – plus the Singapore sprint. Is Mercedes now on the back foot?

It raises the question of who would win in a straight fight between Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, and whether the Red Bull driver is even more formidable without a title fight to worry about.

We also answer your questions on some team's mysterious rear wing triangles and whether Ferrari bosses are legally obliged to interfere with the running of its F1 team.

Plus: Mark's take on the news that F1 will return to Africa with a grand prix in Rwanda.

Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4dYtLgH and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.

Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4dYtLgH

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Max Verstappen wins in Malaysia, Red Bull's rough-track advantage, and a restart that took two hours: Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas look back on the Sepang Grand Prix and ahead to Singapore.

This week, Mark explains why Verstappen's first win of the season came in the fastest car on the grid, and why Fernando Alonso's eighth place was the drive that impressed him most.

Mark also explains how a rough track surface changes a car's underbody aerodynamics, and why that may have helped Red Bull.

They discuss Lewis Hamilton's slicks gamble, Mercedes' upgrade that nobody can quite judge, and what George Russell should do with the rest of 2026, including whether he could ever play Rosberg-style mind games with Kimi Antonelli.

They also cover Rafael Camara's likely move to Haas, Red Bull Powertrains' win in its first season, and the software glitch that stalled cars on the grid and left everyone arguing over whether they should keep their places.

There are viewer questions on tyre graining and McLaren's gearing, plus a look at who could be quick in Singapore and what the haze might do to the cars.

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Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas discuss the latest speculation and Mark's latest column on what would happen if Horner took charge at Maranello, what level of control he would demand, and whether Ferrari's senior management is brave enough to give it to him.

Horner also says Red Bull has lost its mojo since he left. Does he have a point?

Then it's on to a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Why did Charles Leclerc avoid a grid penalty after all? How did George Russell and Max Verstappen produce such a thrilling finish? Should Laurent Mekies have swapped Isack Hadjar and Verstappen? And should Franco Colapinto have been punished for his turn one clash?

Your questions are answered too, on the cost cap and off-season simulator work, before a preview of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.

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Charles Leclerc is dynamite in Baku: he started in pole position for four years in a row and is regularly the fastest on track in the race. But he's never won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

He's expected to start at the back of the grid on Saturday due to engine penalties so it doesn't look like he'll win in 2026... or could he?

Just as Max Verstappen battled past 100 karts in a showcase race erlier this month, now Leclerc faces his own F1 challenge to overtake every rival driver to claim an unlikely win for the Leclerc/Ferrari combination that has often been the fastest in Baku.

"Game on!" says Mark Hughes as he delves into what makes Leclerc so quick on this circuit, and assess his chances of victory.

He and Bryn Lucas also explore why Baku is often the scene of unlikely and inexplicable F1 dramas; whether McLaren can challenge Mercedes, and why there's plenty to watch for, even if Kimi Antonelli looks destined to win the title.

There's a look ahead at the 2027 F1 calendar and the prospect of F1 drivers racing at Le Mans, which no longer clashes with a grand prix weekend. Will we see Lando Norris in action with McLaren's hypercar?

Plus, Mark answers your questions on F1's sprint race plans; a whistlestop history of Ferrari power in grand prix racing; and tries to decode what is holding Red Bull back.

Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4AwdatW and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.

Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4AwdatW

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Madrid's Madring circuit was every bit as flawed as predicted - but was Lando Norris's masterclass the real story of the weekend? And is he now as fast or faster than Max Verstappen?

Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas break down the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring, dissecting the circuit's one-line layout, the chaos around the venue, and whether next year's tweaks can actually fix it.

Plus: how Norris's pole lap and title-worthy form have fans finally catching up to what Mark says has always been there, and why a badly timed VSC cost him the win he deserved.

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Mark Hughes joins Bryn Lucas to break down a stunning Italian Grand Prix, where Kimi Antonelli produced one of the most improbable wins in recent memory - starting 19th and beating a Mercedes team-mate who began 17 places ahead of him.

Mark explains why the drive ranks alongside Formula 1's greatest recoveries, and whether George Russell can still realistically challenge for the title.

Also this week: Liam Lawson's Red Bull return under the microscope, the fallout from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's Turn 1 clash and Hamilton's "no rules" comments, the qualifying paranoia gripping Ferrari and McLaren's driver pairings, and a first look ahead to Formula 1's new Madrid Grand Prix - including the banked corner everyone's talking about.

Plus your questions answered: Max Verstappen's mysterious degrading dampers, how much of the current pecking order comes down to ICE performance versus energy deployment software, and who was really at fault in that Ferrari clash.

Read Mark's column here: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4xlI1H4

Website: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4zZEkJv

Podcasts: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/3UNPCAu

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Mark Hughes previews the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, breaking down why F1's fastest car keeps changing hands - from Mercedes' early-season dominance to McLaren's gearing advantage and Ferrari's new turbo upgrade, which could make it the quickest car in the field. 

Mark and Bryn discuss why Monza will finally reveal how much of McLaren's recent form comes down to track-specific gearing rather than raw pace, plus a team-by-team rundown of each car's strengths, from Mercedes' power unit to Red Bull's tricky setup window.

Elsewhere: what F1's static 2027 driver market means for the F2 pipeline, why proven IndyCar champions like Alex Palou never get a Formula 1 look, and whether Oscar Piastri risks becoming a "number two" driver at McLaren. 

Mark also answers your questions on the ADUO benchmark, how points of downforce are measured, and reveals his fantasy rulebook for reinventing Formula 1 from scratch.

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Mark Hughes has found the piece of the jigsaw that explains McLaren's stunning Zandvoort form - and it isn't just the upgrades. 

Breaking down why Lando Norris's car was three tenths quicker through the high-speed sector but three tenths slower on the straights, Mark reveals the gearing trade-off baked into McLaren's concept since day one, and why it could leave the team badly exposed at Monza, where the Mercedes and Ferrari are geared to run all the way to 190mph before the fuel flow starts throttling back. 

Mark and Bryn Lucas discuss whether this is enough to put Norris back in a genuine title fight, or whether it's simply the right car turning up at the right circuits twice in a row. 

They also unpack Ferrari's clumsy team orders call that may have cost Lewis Hamilton a podium, why Mercedes' Toto Wolff says the development budget has run dry, and the reasoning behind Red Bull's surprise decision to hand Liam Lawson - not Yuki Tsunoda - the seat vacated by an injured Hadjar.

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Mark Hughes has handed out just one A+ so far this season - and even Kimi Antonelli's own team-mate George Russell can't quite explain how he's making a rookie-in-his-second-year look this good.

Using the old-school GCSE method, Mark grades every driver on the 2026 grid at the summer break, from the Ferrari pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc through to the biggest team-mate swings on the grid, where Oliver Bearman's A- dwarfs Esteban Ocon's C+ at Haas, and Carlos Sainz's A- leaves Alex Albon down on a C+ at Williams.

Mark and Bryn Lucas talk through how the marking system works, why it can never be truly scientific, and what separates a driver doing everything right in a bad car from one who's simply not delivering.

They also debate whether Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso deserves his grade given how far off the pace his car is, and name the team that's punched furthest above its weight - and the one that's fallen shortest - over the first half of the season.

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It's been a year since F1 owner Liberty Media bought MotoGP. Is the "dangerous and dirty" world of motorcycle racing about to be sanitised and commercialised?

In this special episode of the F1 Show, Bryn Lucas and Mark Hughes welcome Motor Sport's motorcycle expert Mat Oxley for the latest on how MotoGP's new owner is dealing with the very different world of two-wheeled motor sport.

After masterminding F1's recent boom in popularity, Liberty is looking to give MotoGP a similar boost. In this episode, recorded ahead of the MotoGP summer break, Mat and Mark explore what has changed already; how the F1 playbook might apply to the series; and why riders need to be more outspoken to give MotoGP its Drive to Survive moment.

Plus Mat looks back at Aprilia's rise to the front of this year's pack.

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