The Race F1 Rewind

On this week’s episode of And Colossally That’s History! Matt and Richard wind the clock back to 1950, as they reappraise the very first race of the F1 world championship era, which took place at Silverstone on May 13. 

Along the way, they look at the origins of the term ‘Formula 1’, dig into the debate over where the first race run to Formula 1 regulations actually took place, and explain why Alfa Romeo emerged as the dominant force in the post-war years, leading up to Silverstone.  

They also discuss the strange origins of Silverstone as a race venue, before chatting about the wonderful ensemble of drivers that assembled at the former bomber base for the first race - a remarkable list that included a Thai royal, a Colditz Castle POW, and a gigolo, but NO representative from Ferrari.

And finally, they look back on the race itself, which was won by man who, to quote the great Juan Manuel Fangio, “Drove like a madman...”  

Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a follow-up question about Silverstone 1950, join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today. For a limited period we’re giving you 75% off your first month!  

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On this week’s episode, Matt and Richard look back on the life and career of Eddie Jordan, who very sadly died of cancer, on March 20th this year, at the age of 76. 

For the generation who grew up on F1 in the 1990s and 2000s, Eddie was the most charismatic team boss in the game, and it was hard not to cheer for his underdog squad when they landed several big punches on the chins of their much better funded rivals, as well as the occasional knockout blow. 

But, having built an F1 team from scratch on a minimal budget and then not only kept it afloat, but turned it into a grand prix-winning (and at one point championship-challenging) outfit, should EJ be considered F1’s biggest overachiever? 

As Matt and Richard attempt to answer that question, they look back over Eddie’s time in F1, with Matt - who was good friends with Eddie - sharing amusing and poignant anecdotes and stories that perfectly illustrate a fun-loving, larger than life character with a steely inner core.

Get 75% off your first month when you join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an F1-only tier! Head to patreon.com/therace

• Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Eddie Jordan, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/therace⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Producer: Jonny Reynolds

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On this week’s episode, Matt and Richard look back at the controversial ‘crashgate’ scandal, when it emerged that the Renault driver Nelson Piquet Junior deliberately crashed during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to hand a major sporting advantage to his team-mate, Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race.

Matt and Richard look at the origins of the saga, peak into the murkiness around who came up with the idea and put it into action, explain how it came to be uncovered, and discuss the punishments handed out to those involved.

They also debate the morals of the incident itself - was it the worst example of cheating in sporting history (as some claimed at the time) or an example of F1 gamesmanship gone too far?

• Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Crashgate, head to ⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/therace⁠⁠⁠
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Producer: Jonny Reynolds

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On the latest episode of Colossally, join Matt Bishop and Richard Williams as they reappraise the life and career of a driver regarded by many as the quickest to ever sit in a Formula 1 car: Jim Clark.

A double world champion in the 1960s and STILL to this day the driver with the most 'grand slam' grand prix weekends (pole, victory, fastest lap, every racing lap led), Clark was widely considered among his fellow racers (and by Ayrton Senna, no less) to be a cut above - and on this podcast we'll try to explain why.

In doing so, Richard shares some incredible stories of watching Clark race first-hand, including his memories of seeing a young Clark win four races in one meeting, when the Scot was climbing the ladder to F1.

There's chat about Clark's most famous days behind the wheel, his relationship with iconic Lotus boss Colin Chapman, and about the harrowing moments that made him question whether he should race on. Matt and Richard also discuss Clark's idiosyncrasies out of the car, and the unique skillset that made Clark so quick - and possibly the quickest ever - when he jumped into the driver's seat.

Matt also shares an incredibly poignant story about visiting Clark's memorial at the Hockenheim circuit, where, completely by chance, he bumped into someone with vivid memories of the Scotsman's final moments.

• Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Jim Clark, head to ⁠Patreon.com/therace⁠
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A Race Media Production

Producer: Jonny Reynolds

With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support

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Today, Williams are a mainstay on the Formula 1 grid and one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history, having amassed nine constructors’ world championships, seven drivers’ world championships, and 114 grand prix victories. But it all could have been so different.

Ahead of the 1986 season, team boss Frank Williams had a devastating car crash which left him paralysed and fighting for his life. That he survived and that his team would go on to win the constructors' title that very same year is one of the great F1 stories - and it's reappraised in fascinating detail by Matt Bishop and Richard Williams in the latest episode of And Colossally That's History.

They discuss how, after years of struggle, Frank Williams and his eponymous team were arguably in their best ever shape heading into 1986, and how Frank's accident in France threatened to undo all that hard work. 

Richard and Matt also explain in poignant detail Frank's incredible survival and recovery, and the absolutely pivotal role his wife Ginny played in keeping him - and by extension his beloved team - alive.

They also outline the incredible ups and downs that played out on-track in 1986, in parallel to Frank's personal rollercoaster, looking in particular at the increasingly bitter intra-team rivalry at Williams between Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, which culminated in dramatic fashion in Australia.

And no episode of Colossally would be complete without some incredible personal anecdotes and impressions thrown in along the way!

• Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Williams in '86, head to Patreon.com/therace
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A Race Media Production

Producer: Jonny Reynolds

With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Bishop and Richard Williams return with part two of their two-part mini series on the life and legacy of one of motorsport’s most important and enduring individuals: Enzo Ferrari.

They finished the last episode at the point that Ferrari won its very first world championship Formula 1 race - the British Grand Prix in 1951. In this episode they’ll guide you through the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, during which time the idiosyncratic Enzo dealt with triumph and tragedy in almost equal measure, as he and his team cemented their legendary status in the sport. 

Richard and Matt discuss Enzo's uncomfortable relationship with success, the way his son Dino's death shaped his identity and world view, the 'dark glamour' attached to the Ferrari brand in the Fifties, and how Enzo kept going, even when drivers perished in his machinery.

There's also chat about his unique approach to motivating his workforce through 'creative tension', the myths and mystery that surrounded him throughout his life, his surprising weakness for innovation, and how he repeatedly drove his team on to success, despite setbacks including staff walkouts, in-fighting and mediocre machinery.

Plus, find out who the only driver in Ferrari history was to call Enzo by his first name!

• Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Enzo Ferrari, head to Patreon.com/therace
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A Race Media Production

Producer: Jonny Reynolds

With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ferrari is the most famous and celebrated marque in motorsport, and one of the most recognisable brands in the world - but how much do you really know about its founder, Enzo Ferrari?

If your answer to that question is 'very little' then help is at hand, because Season 3 of And Colossally That's History! is kicking off with a double header of Enzo episodes!

On this first episode, Matt Bishop and Enzo Ferrari biographer Richard Williams go back to the very beginning, to explore the events and experiences that helped shape the mindset and attitude of a man who'd build a racing empire.

They explain the mystique around his birth, the moment that a young Enzo developed a love of racing, and how his mother helped get him into the motor trade (Enzo having barely survived World War 1).

There's also detailed analysis of Enzo's own career behind the wheel, including why he gave up his career as a racing driver to become a team manager, and the key moments that led to him establishing himself as a constructor in his own right - despite him never designing so much as a hubcap in his life.

As is usual with Colossally, you can expect amusing anecdotes and amazing anorak facts in abundance, as Matt and Richard bring you right up to the point that Ferrari wins its first world championship Grand Prix at Silverstone, in 1951, before pausing to pick up the rest of the Ferrari story in Part 2.

• Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Enzo Ferrari, head to Patreon.com/therace
• Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
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A Race Media Production

Producer: Jonny Reynolds

With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt and Richard round off season 2 of the pod with the second half of our mini-series on Bernie Ecclestone, the man who, as F1's long-term commercial rights holder, did more than anyone else to turn the sport into the global spectacle it is today.

Having charted his rise to power in part 1, on this episode, Matt and Richard reappraise what life was like with Bernie ruling the F1 paddock, for the most part alongside his old friend (and FIA president) Max Mosley.

They discuss how he took control of F1's commercial rights (or stole them, according to Ken Tyrrell), the tactics and methods he used to get what he wanted, how he was able to bring in huge revenue and grow the global fanbase, and the controversies that mired his tenure at the top.

Matt and Richard also reflect on Bernie's F1 legacy, and what they learned from the many times they interviewed and interacted with him over the years.

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A Race Media Production

Producer: Jonny Reynolds

With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're rounding off season 2 of And Colossally That's History with a two-part mini-series on none other than Bernie Ecclestone, who, as Formula 1’s commercial rights holder, was F1’s most powerful individual for nearly 40 years. 

Matt and Richard discuss his humble origins, how he built his reputation and wealth in the used car and motorcycle trade, his early exploits in racing, and how he came to manage (and then have to deal with the painful loss of) two F1 drivers.

They also discuss his purchase of the Brabham F1 Team, his role in the Formula One Constructors' Association, and how he was able to build his reputation, influence and wealth so quickly.

Part 2, on Bernie's 30-plus year spell as F1's ringmaster in chief, coming next week!

• Want to listen ad-free? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace to take advantage of our special Black Friday offer, where you can get 30% off your first month
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A Race Media Production

Producer: Jonny Reynolds

With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As many as 10 British drivers have become world champion since the inauguration of the Formula 1 world championship in 1950, but only one had the distinction of being the first person from his country to do so.

On today's episode of Colossally, Matt and Richard discuss the battle to become Britain's first F1 world champion, which occurred in 1958 and boiled down to a straight fight between two very different drivers: Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss.

They discuss why their head-to-head rivalry represented the beginning of fandom in Formula 1, the triumphs and tribulations each faced heading into 1958, the unique differences in their personalities and driving styles, and of course the need-to-know details on the 1958 season itself.

Along the way there are some amazing and little known nuggets shared, as well as several personal recollections from Matt and Richard of meetings with the great Moss.

• Want to listen ad-free? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace to take advantage of our special Black Friday offer, where you can get 30% off your first month
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A Race Media Production

Producer: Jonny Reynolds

With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.