The Autosport F1 Podcast

A new Netflix documentary on Michael Schumacher that offers an intimate portrait of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion is released today.  You can read Jonathan Noble's review online here, and listen to today's podcast for a discussion about the documentary. Martyn Lee is joined by Jon and James Allen (Motorsport Network President, F1 Journalist and Schumacher biographer) to look at why the Schumacher family gave their blessing to this project. The movie features plenty of Formula 1 footage but stands out for how many home movies are used to show the human being rather than the character created by the media at the time. Netflix not only obtains rare footage of interviews throughout his career but also new interviews with his family, as they talk about how life has changed following Michael's accident in 2013. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ariana Bravo is joined as usual by Jess McFadyen (Director of Digital Strategy, Motorsport Network) and two new voices to the Autosport podcast. Haydn Cobb (Editor, Autosport.com) stands in for Luke this week, and we have a special guest with Harry Benjamin. Harry is a motorsport commentator for multiple series, including those on the F1 support calendar in 2021, and also host of the Motormouth Podcast.  No spoilers here, but once again Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen wanted the same piece of race track, but how did it turn out this time? And which team will be partying long into the night after a long-awaited return to the top step of the podium?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ariana Bravo is joined by Alex Kalinauckas (Grand Prix Editor, Autosport) as they're both in the Monza paddock to talk to the drivers and team bosses following today's Sprint Qualifying. Find out why a 2mm clutch error caused Lewis Hamilton a major headache, why the winner isn't technically a winner, and how the McLaren drivers could be the wildcard in the championship battle between Max and Lewis tomorrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This weekend at Monza sees the second sprint race format, so Friday afternoon was all about setting the grid for Saturday’s sprint qualifying.  The pole sitter tomorrow isn’t officially on pole, instead he earns the title of ‘speed king’. Ariana Bravo is in the paddock in Italy and she’s talking to Jonathan Noble (F1 Editor, motosport.com) about the action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What better way to get in the mood for an Italian Grand Prix at Monza, than an Italian who has driven the track. We’re joined by Vitantonio Liuzzi. Enjoying drives for the newly birthed Red Bull Racing team, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT, on the podcast today he looks back at a Formula 1 career which he says was often defined as being in the right place at the wrong time. Tonio talks about what it's like to race at Monza with the passion of the fans behind you, his best lap around Monza, why he credits Michael Schumacher as the key to his early success, the events which stopped him from rising up to be a team leader in a main Red Bull seat and remembering the famous Turn 1 crash which took out Nico Rosberg.   Finally he tells us why 2010 was the year he drove most of the season with just one hand on the wheel, and his duties this weekend as an FIA steward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Autosport podcast, we're bringing you something from our sister podcast channel Gravel Notes. Tom Howard talks to Molly Taylor who is currently competing in Extreme E and this weekend's WRC Acropolis Rally Greece. Molly reveals how a facetime call from Nico Rosberg got her interested in Extreme E, how successful female drivers can inspire a generation of young girls who see them as role models, and she previews this the WRC action this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Formula One will have new power units from 2025 that will run on 100% sustainable fuels.  So how big a change is that going to be? As great as the shift from V8s to hybrids? And while many governments around the world seem to speak today only of electric cars as the future, how powerful a message will Formula One be sending that the future of cars and mobility doesn't have to be all-electric? To help us answer this, we spoke to Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto and his F1 fuel partner István Kapitány, Shell’s Global Executive Vice president for mobility. Your host as always on #ThinkingFoward is James Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Monday 6th September and a breaking news episode on today’s podcast. Ariana is currently flying from the Netherlands to Italy to prepare for hosting this weekend's TV coverage, so you've got Martyn to introduce the news today. Well it's the announcement we thought was coming but you never know until it's a done deal. George Russell will be driving the Mercedes-Benz next to Lewis Hamiton and Valtteri Bottas will join the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team in 2022 at the start of what the Swiss outfit says is a multi-year deal. The Finn's departure from Mercedes has been expected for some weeks, and a return to Williams was also a potential option before it became clear that his destination was Alfa Romeo. Kimi Raikkonen's retirement announcement on Wednesday was the first in a series of pieces of the driver market puzzle fall into place. Confirmation from Mercedes that George Russell is to join the world champion team as replacement for Bottas will follow this week. Bottas is reunited at Alfa Romeo with team principal Fred Vasseur, with whom he worked at ART in F3 in 2009 and 2010, and in GP3 in 2011, when he won the championship. Despite the strong contribution of Bottas over the years, the prospect of promoting Russell from Williams ultimately proved irresistible for Mercedes and team boss Toto Wolff. The Austrian was involved in Bottas's management before a conflict of interest obliged him to step back. Wolff has long stressed that he wanted to ensure that his former protege found a new seat should Russell be given the nod for the Mercedes drive, and said after Bottas's move to Alfa was announced that "he would absolutely have deserved to stay" in 2022. The news that Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas will join Alfa Romeo next year is the first key move in Formula 1's 2022 driver market. In an exclusive interview with Autosport, team boss Fred Vasseur explains why the Finn he last worked with a decade ago has the traits his team needs for 2022, as F1 enters its brave new era. You can read all of that in the Plus section of Autosport.com. We think it's the best motorsport writing out there, but judge for yourself with half price access. New subscribers who sign up today can use the promo code PODCAST during checkout to save 50% off their first payment.  Go to Autosport.com/plus and click ‘Sign In’ at the top of the page, then use promo code PODCAST for that 50% discount. Thanks for listening today, we’ll be back soon. Read more: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/valtteri-bottas-to-drive-for-alfa-romeo-f1-team-in-2022/6661658/ Wolff: Bottas would have deserved 2022 Mercedes F1 drive https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wolff-says-bottas-would-have-deserved-2022-mercedes-f1-drive/6661703/ Why Alfa Romeo has picked Bottas to be its 2022 F1 "leader" https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-alfa-romeo-has-picked-bottas-to-be-its-2022-f1-leader/6661657/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Formula 1’s return to Circuit Zandvoort is all thanks to the Max Verstappen fever from his home fans, but did they go home delighted or despondent? Ariana Bravo is joined for our review podcast by Luke Smith (F1 Reporter, Autosport) and Jess McFadyen (Director of Digital Strategy, Motorsport Network)  to analyse all the action down the grid.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ariana Bravo and Matt Kew are both at Circuit Zandvoort to witness the action and passion from Verstappen’s orange army. No spoilers here, but it was a tight fight for pole, although Matt argues why a technical issue and driver error robbed one of the Top 3 of a large chunk of time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices