Rick and Matt discuss the final race of the 2025 Formula One season in Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris’s first time becoming world champion, and Max Verstappen’s valiant second half of the season, which saw him come within two points of finishing top.

The pair ask: Was this Max’s best ever season?

They also review the F1 highlights of 2025, look ahead to what’s to come in 2026, plus we hear Red Bull chief engineer Paul ‘Pedals’ Monaghan’s assessment of the season.

Also in this episode:

• The key moments which led to Lando Norris’s first world championship win
• Why Max was ‘the most upbeat person’ in the Red Bull camp
• Rick’s favourite F1 memes
• Next season’s Formula One regulation changes explained
• Rick & Matt’s 2026 predictions

Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC.

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick and Matt discuss yet another strong race from Max Verstappen in Qatar, as a tactical pit stop saw Red Bull outwit McLaren. 

The pair also discuss all highlights from the Formula One race in Qatar, preview the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, and consider whether Isaac Hadjar is the right man for the job at Red Bull for 2026.

Also in this episode:

• Have the Papaya Rules damaged McLaren’s driver championship title hopes?
• How Carlos Sainz secured the podium
• Will Isaac Hadjar break the ‘curse’ of the Red Bull second seat?
• Rick and Matt share their final race predictions for the 2025 season

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick and Matt react LIVE to McLaren’s double disqualification in the Las Vegas GP, and discuss Max Verstappen’s renewed chances of winning the Championship, at just 24 points behind Lando Norris.

The pair also discuss all the drama from the race in Vegas, share insight from Red Bull on their second seat for 2026, and hear from Red Bull strategist Hannah Schmitz on proposed mandatory two-stop races in future Formula One seasons.

Also in this episode:

• Why the Vegas road surface was so tricky to drive on in the wet
• Was Kimi Antonelli’s five-second penalty fair?
• Max Verstappen set to lose ANOTHER engineer
• Matt misses out on a SIX-POINTER in the podcast predictions league

 

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calum Nicholas, Red Bull team ambassador, tells Matt Majendie why he thinks Max Verstappen is the best driver on the grid in 2025.

Calum also discusses his time behind the scenes at Red Bull, including the 2021 Championship Season win, what he learned over ten years in his role, and how the culture within the team breeds success.

Also in this episode:

• Calum’s struggle with leaving work behind
• Max’s personal character and being a ‘great human’
• Calum’s mission to diversify the F1 workforce
• Laurent Mekies Vs Christian Horner
• Calum’s experience writing his book: Life in the Pit Lane
• Will Max stay at RB beyond 2026?
• Why Red Bull’s powertrain shift for 2026 is a bold strategy

Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC.

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Hodgkinson, technical director of Red Bull Powertrains, discusses the team's progress in making the new Powertrains for Red Bull and Max Verstappen's thoughts on its progression.

He also talks about leaving Mercedes to work for Red Bull and what he believes could go wrong with the new regulations in 2026.

 

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick and Matt discuss how Max Verstappen’s pit to podium effort in the Brazilian Grand Prix overshadowed Lando Norris’s perfect weekend, and whether the title race is over for the Red Bull driver.

The pair also review how Red Bull’s engineers and mechanics changed the power train and floor changes to boost Max’s chances in the Brazil Grand Prix.

Also in this episode:

• Yuki Tsunoda’s nightmare double time penalty
• Can Lando Norris cope with the pressure of being top?
• How young drivers Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman show real promise
• Why Lewis Hamilton’s described his first season with Ferrari as ‘a nightmare’

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Majendie speaks with Rebecca Clancy, ex-F1 correspondent for the Times and former Editor-in-Chief at Autosport, about Max Verstappen’s chances of winning the 2025 Grand Prix Championship.

Rebecca explains how luck, mentality and raw talent will decide who wins, previews what’s to come in Brazil, shares her predictions for the end of the season, and shares her take on driver moves ahead of 2026.

Also in this episode:

• How McLaren have “shot themselves in the foot” 
• Why 2025 has been Verstappen’s ‘most mature’ season
• Rebecca’s take on why the best drivers end up with the best cars
• Remembering Max Verstappen’s impressive drive in the rain in Brazil 2016 
• The difference between Verstappen and the McLaren drivers
• Why F1 fans now have more respect for Max Verstappen

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick and Matt discuss whether the late virtual safety car was necessary in Mexico, as Max missed out on second place to Charles Leclerc.

The pair review all the drama from Mexico City, and Matt shares some exclusive insight from Max’s manager Raymond Vermeulen on his future at Red Bull.

Also in this episode:

• Will the pressure of being top unsettle Lando Norris?
• Liam Lawson’s stewards near-miss
• Ollie Bearman’s impressive record finish
• Matt shares an update on McLaren V Red Bull “tape-gate”

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix, Max Verstappen tells Matt Majendie the ‘secret’ behind his recent success, the moment he felt like the title was out of reach, and the one thing that would stop him from winning the championship.

Max explains how significant winning the championship would be for him and the team, and shares his thoughts on McLaren’s approach this season.

Also in this episode: 

• Why he won’t name the ‘best’ driver on the grid
• Laurent’s impact on Red Bull
• The success of his Esports team Red Line
• Max’s mission to get Esports drivers into Formula One

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Red Bull’s Head of Sporting, Steve Knowles joins Matt Majendie to reveal how Max Verstappen has rediscovered his winning form, and why his belief could deliver a fifth world title. 

Steve explains Laurent Mekies’s influence on Red Bull, the tactical tweaks made behind the scenes, and how important mentality will be for the end of the 2025 F1 season.

Also in this episode:

• Lando vs Oscar - McLaren’s ‘tricky situation’
• The pit wall dynamic under Laurent Mekies
• The mindset shift from “hunted” to “hunter”
• Max’s ‘very relaxed’ demeanor as the competition hots up

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive F1 insights, race recaps, and all the gossip from inside the paddock.

-

For the entire season Matt Majendie and Rick Edwards are embedded with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. Matt will be in the pits and in the garage, with the drivers and in the factory, at the debriefs and the strategy session.

Get involved with the show!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @theinsidetrack_podcast

TikTok: @theinsidetrack_pod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinsidetrack_podcast

This podcast is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is wholly owned by the BBC. 

No money from the licence fee was used to create this podcast. The money BBC Studios makes is re-invested to help fund the BBC.

Producer: Jon Weeks

Executive Producer: James Cook

Social Media and Video Editor: Georgina Revell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.