On this month’s Flat Chat podcast we discuss the major changes happening within Mercedes. At the beginning of this season, Toto Wolff claimed that Mercedes' basic car concept was a dead end and that a major rethink was needed. Our tech columnist Pat Symonds explains what this means for the team. He breaks down "car concept" and the challenges faced when attempting an engineering U-turn in the fast-paced world of Formula 1.

Hosts Stuart Codling, Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew also discuss the rising fortunes of Aston Martin. The team has been surrounded by innuendo regarding whether their cars are simply copies of other successful designs, particularly Red Bull. This month, Matt Kew takes aim at this popular narrative and sheds light on the reality of the situation, revealing that not everything is as it appears to be.

Lastly, we look forward to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend. For the first time, Baku will host a sprint race with a separate qualifying session replacing the normal Saturday morning practice. The race start order will be governed by a traditional qualifying session, which moves to Friday afternoon. The new Saturday morning session dictates the Sprint line-up, with the Sprint itself no longer having any bearing on Sunday. But is this a good move for Formula 1 given the high chance of damage at Baku.

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Flat Chat 🏁: Mercedes' Tech Turnaround, Aston Martin Success & Baku Sprint Changes