
James Allen On F1
Three-time BAFTA award-winning F1 commentator James Allen returns to the broadcast mic with a thoughtful and engaging new podcast, looking at the human side of the sport.
Every episode will feature an insightful 20-minute interview with a prominent figure from inside and around the sport focusing on themes beyond the everyday news cycle. Joining James in the studio for analysis and discussion will be a rotating cast of key figures from Autosport and Motorsport’s global editorial team and guests from the broader F1 media world.
Thoughtful, accessible and insightful, the James Allen on F1 podcast takes the helmet off the sport. It is a must for any fans looking for a glimpse behind the scenes at the human beings who make the fascinating world of F1.
Get in touch with the show on JamesAllenonF1@autosport.com
Latest episodes

Jul 2, 2025 • 49min
38: F1 Fans Make Their Voices Heard As New Survey Breaks Cover
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 jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

Jun 25, 2025 • 41min
37: Behind The Scenes Of A Visceral New F1 Documentary
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 jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

Jun 18, 2025 • 51min
36: Brad Pitt’s F1 Movie: The Verdict
Finally.. it’s F1 movie launch season. But is the film, dubbed by one critic “Barbie for men” any good? Our correspondents were given a preview showing in Montreal and give their verdict. We hear from the producer Jerry Bruckheimer and one of the stars, Kerry Condon.
Plus we examine the fallout from the Canadian Grand Prix - for the second consecutive race we saw a collision in the closing stages. This time Lando Norris hit his team mate Oscar Piastri, but the dent was in Lando’s championship challenge.
We look at the external and internal pressure mounting on Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur and discuss echoes from the past when Jean Todt was under pressure and Michael Schumacher protected him.
As Renault’s CEO abruptly departs, what next for Alpine F1 as they sink to 10th in the Constructors’ Championship while doing an exec search for their fourth team principal in two years?
Fernando Alonso gave Aston Martin a season best result in Montreal on their 100th Grand Prix, but is Lance Stroll’s form a concern? And should Montreal race winner George Russell take matters into his own hands and force a move to Aston?
In the studio with James Allen, one of our regulars, Motorsport Editor-in-Chief Ben Hunt and we welcome back Autosport’s F1 Business Correspondent Mark Mann-Bryans.
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/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

Jun 11, 2025 • 48min
35: Inside The F1 Race That’s Bigger Than Glastonbury
This week we look at what’s going on at Silverstone, as we count down to the British Grand Prix in a few weeks’ time, the UK’s largest ticketed event.
We look at how the Grand Prix is broadcast with Channel 4 TV presenter Lee McKenzie. Lee gives her view on Lewis Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari. And as a woman who has worked in the F1 industry for over 15 years, she gives her take on how F1 has managed to get to 42% of its fanbase being female.
We also have the latest in our series of race promoter interviews. James Allen travels up to Silverstone to meet with CEO Stuart Pringle, who tells us how his team handle 480,000 fans over four days, how Silverstone is becoming more than just a race venue and we get into the thorny question of ticket pricing.
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/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

Jun 4, 2025 • 51min
34: How To “Provoke” An F1 Team Into Ultra-High Performance
It’s a packed edition this week as James travels to the impressive new Aston Martin factory at Silverstone to speak to CEO and team principal Andy Cowell, the latest in our series of F1 Team Principal interviews.
Cowell speaks in detail about Adrian Newey’s involvement in the design of the teams Honda-powered 2026 car and how he’s ‘provoking’ the team to reach an ultra-high performance level.
Max Verstappen seemed to feel that his Red Bull team was anything but high-performing in the Spanish GP. But is that what drove his bizarre behaviour, colliding with Mercedes’ George Russell? James is joined in the studio by Motorsport.com Editor in Chief Ben Hunt and by Autosport’s Dutch F1 writer Ronald Vording to discuss the fallout.
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 jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

May 28, 2025 • 44min
33: F1 Is “Shakespeare on Wheels” And It’s Pulling In The Big Money
Monaco was not the most exciting Grand Prix, Lando Norris closed the gap in the title race on his team-mate Oscar Piastri with his first victory on the streets. McLaren extended their already massive lead in the Constructors table and no-one looked happier on the podium than McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
But away from the track, Monaco was a huge weekend, with more people, more boats and more going on than for many years. It reflected F1’s cultural and financial boomtime. And we are focussing on that in this episode.
F1 is attracting a lot of new sponsors, but what is bringing the big money into the sport? We hear from the largest of them, LVMH, who have come in with a 10 year $1bn deal, using its multiple brands like Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy and TAG Heuer, which was the title sponsor of the Monaco GP, the first time that the race has ever had a title sponsor. We also hear from the new Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang on his vision for how F1 grows from here.
James Allen is joined in the studio by Autosport’s F1 Business Correspondent Mark Mann-Bryans.
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/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

May 21, 2025 • 28min
32: Why McLaren Look Set For A Record 16th Monaco GP Win
We are in the middle of another triple header, the second of the F1 season so far. Imola proved a more exciting race than anyone expected and Monaco is next with a new rule making two pit stops mandatory.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull came roaring back to dominant form in Imola, while Ferrari had a weekend of two halves in front of the tifosi. And Aston Martin found some speed … in qualifying at least!
So what’s going on and will Monaco give us a different picture once again?
James Allen is joined by Motorsport.com Editor in Chief Ben Hunt, who is fresh back from Imola. And Autosport’s Jake Boxall-Legge explains why he thinks McLaren will be hard to beat on the streets and are favourites for a record 16th Monaco GP win.
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/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

May 14, 2025 • 54min
31: The F1 Season So Far In Numbers
This week we are doing something a little different. It’s the season so far in numbers.
We are a quarter of the F1 season down already, six rounds to analyse and comb through for narratives, patterns and trends. Whether it’s points, killer stats or fractions of seconds, we have all the key numbers from the season so far after Oscar Piastri extended his Championship lead over Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
James Allen is joined by former Ferrari and Williams engineer Rob Smedley, BBC 5 Live broadcaster, podcaster and former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley. And Autosport’s Jake Boxall-Legge joins the crew.
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/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

May 7, 2025 • 25min
30: Emergency Pod – Sainz To Challenge Ben Sulayem for FIA Presidency
Today Autosport broke the news of a challenge to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem from former WRC and Paris Dakar champion Carlos Sainz Sr.
In this emergency JAonF1 podcast we discuss why Sainz is taking on Ben Sulayem and what happens next.
Motorsport Network’s Global Editorial Director Rebecca Clancy, who broke the story on Autosport and Motorsport earlier today, joins James Allen in the studio to discuss the bombshell news and to report what Sainz Sr has told her about his plans.
Sainz is the father of Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz and a well-known figure in rallying and motorsport circles.
Will that father/son relationship be an issue? Can Sainz win? When is the election and how does it work? What does it mean for F1? How much trouble is Ben Sulayem in? Who will back Sainz?
These and many more questions are answered.
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/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producer: Dre Harrison
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport

Apr 30, 2025 • 58min
29: F1 Miami – Land Of The Bling And The Home Of The Brave
It’s Miami GP week. We have an exciting podcast with two special guests from different parts of the F1 spectrum. Racing Bulls F1 team principal Laurent Mekies invites James up to the new factory in Milton Keynes to chat about what it takes to be a modern F1 team boss as well as the season so far with all the dramas of Hadjar, Lawson and Tsunoda.
And ahead of this weekend’s Miami GP we speak to one of F1’s biggest influencers, Matt Gallagher of P1 with Matt and Tommy fame. They are hosting the Race Center Live watchalong on our Motorsport channel this weekend in Miami, so we get Matt’s irreverent take on all things F1.
James is also joined in the Studio by our ace F1 reporter Ronald Vording, en route to Miami.
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/
Join our new Race Center Live watchalong on Motorsport for Sunday’s Miami GP where Matt and Tommy from P1 will be hosting the feed.
Please donate to Matt Gallagher’s London Marathon fundraiser for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital here https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/matt-gallagher-5ef7e
Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X/Twitter or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.
Producers: Dre Harrison, Ben Holmes and Charlotte Griffiths
Executive Producer: Jason Swales
A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport