The Autosport F1 Podcast

By definition, winning a Formula 1 championship requires excellence and a consistently high level of performance. But which are the best of the best from the 76 drivers’ title successes so far?  

When it comes to the crunch, we’ve favoured crowns won with cars that weren’t the best over dominant seasons. While pumping in win after win in the best car is harder than the greats make it look and some campaigns have been near perfection, there is something special about a fight against the odds, which pushes the drivers to dig deep, particularly when that effort is rewarded. 

Putting in a great season is about optimising the car and circumstances every time out – or close to it. If done with the best car, the result is win after win. But if done in a lesser machine, a bit of luck is sometimes required to get the job done – or some intra-team rivalry with your chief opposition… 

Kevin Turner is joined by Stuart Codling and journalist Damien Smith to try to put these epic campaigns into a top ten order.
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In this episode of the Autosport F1 show, Kevin Turner and Stuart Codling break down a wild third round that saw Kimi Antonelli claim his second win of the season for Mercedes, officially becoming the youngest driver ever to lead the World Championship standings.

But while Antonelli celebrates, the "new era" regulations are facing their biggest safety test yet. We dive deep into the massive 50G shunt between Oli Bearman and Franco Colapinto that has the paddock—and Andrea Stella—sounding the alarm.

In this episode:

The Silver Arrows Scuffle: How the safety car spared Mercedes from a very "public" conversation between Antonelli and George Russell.

The "Autocorrect" Problem: Why drivers are frustrated with "mechanical algorithms" taking control of their power deployment.

Max Verstappen’s Future: Red Bull is struggling, and Max is hinting at "life decisions" outside of F1. Is he actually ready to walk away?

Best of the Rest: Praise for Pierre Gasly’s "under the radar" brilliance and Oscar Piastri’s near-miss at a win.

Technical Deep Dive: Why Ferrari is killing it off the line but struggling on the straights.

With a five-week break before Miami, the FIA and teams are headed to the boardroom to "fix" the rules. Will we see a different F1 in May?

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro: A New Championship Leader

2:00 - Race Results & The Safety Car Flip

5:00 - The Bearman/Colapinto Crash: Safety Concerns

10:00 - "Beta" Regulations: Can F1 fix the power delivery?

17:00 - Oscar Piastri’s Performance

22:00 - Battle of the Aerodynamics: McLaren vs. Ferrari

25:00 - Pierre Gasly vs. Max Verstappen

27:00 - Is Max Verstappen actually leaving?

31:00 - What to expect during the April break

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Motorsport fans know that the best performers aren’t always rewarded with a title at season’s end. Unreliability, misfortune, bizarre scoring systems and inferior equipment can combine to deny drivers even when they are at the top of their game. 

For this list, we have picked out Formula 1’s greatest all-season performances by drivers who didn’t win the championship. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the champions from those years were unworthy; it’s more about highlighting star campaigns that went unrewarded.  

We’ve taken into account the machinery at their disposal, standout drives, the amount of bad luck they had and the points they gave away.  

F1 pundit Karun Chandhok joins Autosport’s Stuart Codling to assess host Kevin Turner’s selection. 
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Formula 1 cars are very reliable now – even when new rules arrive – but there have been plenty of drivers robbed of victory over the 75 years of the world championship, and we’ve decided to pick out the best unrewarded efforts. 

 

For our latest Autosport Top 10, we’ve prioritised those performances in which the driver was denied through no fault of their own. The circumstances of the defeat and the timing of the drama have also been considered, as have the overall quality of the drive itself and the significance of the failure. 

 

Autosport’s F1 reporter, Stuart Codling, and author and journalist Damien Smith join forces to assess host Kevin Turner’s ranking. What did he get right and wrong? 
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Welcome to the Autosport F1 Chinese GP Review! Host Kevin
Turner and Jake Boxall-Legge dive into the action-packed second Grand Prix of F1's new era in China. From historic maiden victories to fiery debates over the new regulations, there is plenty to unpack from the Shanghai circuit. We also hear directly from the paddock with Stuart Codling's on-the-ground insights.

The team also discussed Lewis Hamilton's first podium in red following a thrilling battle with Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen's second DNF of the year, which fuelled his frustration with the new "Mario Kart" style regulations. They break down the phenomenon of "super clipping" alongside the wider debate around F1's new energy management rules, and examine McLaren's disastrous weekend, where neither car made the start due to electrical issues.

 

00:00 - Introduction to the Chinese GP results and driver
performances
01:17 - Summary of top finishers and notable incidents
02:01 - Stuart Coddling reports from the paddock in China
06:28 – Antonelli’s Debut Win
12:22 - Hamilton vs. Leclerc Fight!
17:24 - Max Verstappen’s reliability issues and demotivation factors
20:27 - Liam Lawson’s impressive weekend and circuit variability
21:21 - FIA’s review of energy management rules and technical updates
24:20 - Fans’ perceptions: artificiality vs. realistic racing
27:15 - Explanation of super clipping and energy deployment regulations
32:22 - McLaren’s on-track struggles and software issues
36:16 - The race calendar’s impact on team development and strategic pauses
39:32 - Current Drivers’ Championship standings and future predictions

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