Advertise on podcast: Flat Chat with Codders by GP Racing

In this month's edition of GP Racing magazine, we preview the upcoming F1 2024 season. Has Red Bull got the jump on the pack? Can they make the concepts Mercedes came up with work, or will they discover the same issues? Plus, we talk about the Andretti rejection and how much pressure is Lando Norris under? Find out in today's episode, plus all of the other talking points from March's edition as Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew joins Stuart Codling.       

All the latest from the February 2024 edition of GP Racing magazine.

All the latest from the January 2024 edition of GP Racing magazine.

On this month’s edition of the Flat Chat podcast, Stuart Codling is joined by Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew to discuss how Max Verstappen joined exclusive club of F1 champions who clinched the title on a Saturday. This month the cover star of GP Racing is Fernando Alonso. We charged our reporter Oleg with the task of finding out what makes him tick, and why Formula 1 is “like a drug to him”.  And around this time of year we like to do a tech analysis of the constructors’ championship-winning car. As Matt Kew has written about recently, Red Bull’s RB19 doesn't have any one trick up it's sleeve, thereby denying the opposition the opportunity to either complain or copy. On the podcast this month we talk about how Adrian Newey continues hunt for perfection.

On this month's edition of the Flat Chat podcast, Codders is joined as usual by Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew. Mark has been to see how the Las Vegas street track is coming along. Whilst there's still work to do, he was left feeling impressed. Also this month, Andrew Benson has written an excellent analysis for GP Racing looking at McLaren's renaissance. Elsewhere, Alex Kalinauckas reports on how he was embedded in the Haas team over the Silverstone weekend to listen in to their top secret engineering debriefs and came away surprised.

On this month’s edition of the Flat Chat podcast, Stuart Codling is joined by Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew to discuss the unstoppable Max Verstappen. As he continues to break records, it’s striking how matter-of-fact Verstappenis about his continued success. Our panellists discuss the question faced by every other team in the paddock: is there any way he can be stopped? Also on the podcast we discuss the recent Monza Grand Prix and what happened afterwards as Carlos Sainz was attacked for his Richard Mille watch. Elsewhere in this issue of the magazine we have an interview with Alexander Wurz, the chairman of the GPDA, and a key figure is driving forward safety in the sport.

The latest Flat Chat podcast from GP Racing magazine weighs up Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s next move and delves into the chaos at the Alpine F1 team.   The squad formerly known as Toleman, Benetton, Renault, Lotus, Renault again and now Alpine has had many names above the door over the past 40 years. And, recently, plenty of leaders who have been shown the (revolving) door after failing to meet the aspirations of those who ultimately pay the bills.  Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane became the latest casualties. At the same time it was revealed senior engineer Pat Fry was to become chief technical officer at Williams, amid strong suggestions that a toxic atmosphere created by former CEO Laurent Rossi was a reason for Fry choosing to leave.  GP Racing columnists Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew join editor Stuart Codling to analyse the implications of these latest moves. As Alpine embarks on an ambitious expansion of its road car line-up and accompanying sales, is this a sign Renault Group boss Luca de Meo wants the team to be competitive earlier than its previous 100-race target?  And have the latest departures had as big an impact on staff morale at Enstone as claimed?  The cover story of this month’s GP Racing focuses on Charles Leclerc’s next moves. While it’s unlikely he would move to either Red Bull or Mercedes in the short term, it’s clear the relationship with Ferrari is strained.  The Scuderia and its loyal tifosi like to draw parallels between Leclerc and Gilles Villeneuve. Both brave, both occasionally prone to messy mistakes while pushing too hard – and might Leclerc, like Villeneuve, be contemplating a future elsewhere?  This month’s GP Racing also celebrates Williams hitting its 800th grand prix with a package including an exclusive interview with team principal James Vowles. The former Mercedes engineer and chief strategist opens up about his fight to get into Formula 1 in the first place, early learnings at a struggling BAR-Honda, his role in changing the face of race strategy, and why the Williams team’s new owners aren’t looking to cash out any time soon. 

On this month's episode of the Flat Chat podcast, Stuart Codling is joined as usual by Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew to discuss the stories in July’s edition of GP Racing magazine.   Ahead of the British Grand Prix, we’ve spoken to Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and George Russell for this month’s edition.  On the podcast we profile Lando Norris as not just a McLaren hotshot but an entrepreneur launching new businesses to connect with his growing fanbase. Also on the podcast is a discussion about the recent investment in Alpine F1, led by the figurehead of Ryan Reynolds, and what it means for the sport. Finally we talk about the consequence of decades of focus from F1 teams into aerodynamic complexity, and how this had led to suggestions that rule makers need to intervene (again) to make overtaking easier.

On this month's episode of the Flat Chat podcast, Stuart Codling is joined as usual by Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew to discuss the talking stories in June's edition of GP Racing magazine. A key talking point is the seeming shift in F1 from a young driver's sport to a battlefield for experienced veterans. We explore Fernando Alonso's continued success as he approaches 42, highlighting that, in this adrenaline-fueled sport, age is truly just a number. Rumours are circulating of 33-year-old Daniel Ricciardo's potential move to AlphaTauri, which sparks a conversation about the team's current flux. Mark Gallagher takes us through the after-effects of Dietrich Mateschitz’s death, the regime change at AlphaTauri, and its impact on the Red Bull talent pipeline. On another front, the team discusses the challenges presented by an expanding F1 calendar, diving into the potential strain on teams, drivers, and all involved with the sport. With a poignant quote from the Haas team manager serving as a conversation starter, we explore the physical, mental, and logistic challenges that accompany the increasing number of race weekends.

The latest Flat Chat podcast from GP Racing magazine leads on Valtteri Bottas becoming the first and possibly the last F1 driver on the cover with a moustache and mullet. Bottas is the subject of an exclusive no-holds-barred interview (and an unusual photo shoot) in GP Racing this month. Now free of the corporate leash he’s enjoying life – and racing – once again. He explains why he rejected advice to ‘be more evil’ while at Mercedes and why he’s taking a stand for drivers to be able to express themselves. GP Racing columnists Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew join editor Stuart Codling to discuss this latest incarnation of Bottas as well as some of the most recent developments in F1. As senior Ferrari engineer David Sanchez leaves for McLaren, the panel reflect on the chaos which seems to be enveloping the teams currently in the wake of the dominant Red Bull outfit. If former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto was as much a victim of regime change in the boardroom as of operational problems on track, why is his successor Frederic Vasseur – the preferred choice of the new executives – seemingly at loggerheads with CEO Benedetto Vigna? While team principal and senior executive squabble over peripheral topics such as who gets a paddock pass, the team has bigger issues to face: a car concept that may not be working and a lead driver, Charles Leclerc, who may be on the verge of throwing Ferrari over for a better offer when his contract expires. At McLaren, meanwhile, what is the thinking behind yet another management restructure? Having dropped the much-derided 'matrix management' system three years ago in favour of a conventional top-down hierarchy, McLaren's decision to have three technical leaders represents a major pivot. Elsewhere on the grid another team with a new leader, Williams, has enjoyed an unexpectedly positive start to the season considering the latest upheaval over the winter. First impressions are that new boss James Vowles is taking exactly the right approach to dealing with the problems which have pegged Williams back in recent years: measured and diplomatic, but decisive, as befits a leader with a background in engineering and strategy. It’s the opposite tactic to that recently adopted by AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost, who seems to be following the playbook of Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur by throwing his backroom staff under the bus…

In this episode, we're getting ready for a new season of racing and looking at the season-preview issue of GP Racing magazine. Our cover features Red Bull, who seem to be the ones to beat based on their form and pre-season test. But with 23 races scheduled, there's still hope for an exciting year of competition. Joining Stuart Codling to discuss the pecking order are special guests Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew. We'll be looking at the second year of the new technical regulations and whether they have succeeded in bringing us closer and more competitive racing. We'll also be discussing Red Bull's penalty for breaking the budget cap in 2021 and whether it will affect their performance this season. Testing has given us a glimpse of what to expect in the season opener, with Red Bull looking fastest, Ferrari close behind, and Mercedes potentially lagging. We'll be exploring how the teams have adapted to rule tweaks that aim to slow the cars down and reduce bouncing. We'll also be discussing the new Aston Martin factory and whether they can manage the logistics of moving in during a month with three GPs. Plus, we'll take a look at the revolving door of team managers and the transition to a football manager-style culture of regular hirings and firings.

The latest Flat Chat podcast from GP Racing magazine analyses a chaotic scene: half of the grid is swapping managers while F1’s stakeholders argue over how much it’s worth. GP Racing columnists Mark Gallagher and Matt Kew join editor Stuart Codling to discuss the latest developments in F1, from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulyayem vs Stefano Domenicali to the (James) Vowles movement at Williams and much, much more. It’s remarkable that Alpine’s Otmar Szafnauer, who has been in post for a year, is now the fifth longest-serving team principal in F1. Some have likened the sweeping changes at the top of several teams to a football-style rent-a-manager culture. F1 teams were once run by the individuals whose names were above the door but now, with more corporate involvement, team principals are seemingly now disposable assets answering to higher masters. Our panel asks if this gives managers the time required to effect change – and examines the prospects of former Mercedes strategist James Vowles importing some of that team’s winning culture to the struggling Williams organisation. Is $200million now too cheap a buy-in for aspiring new entrants? And is F1 worth the widely mooted figure of $20billion? These two questions are interlinked and the source of the apparent rancour between the FIA and the commercial rights holder, exposed and exacerbated by the FIA’s president freely expressing his thoughts on social media. F1’s legal department responded with a stiffly worded letter saying commercial matters are not within the FIA’s bailiwick – but how accurate is that, given the governing body’s role in policing the budget cap which is so vital to F1’s commercial ecosystem? Speed is the theme of this month’s issue of GP Racing, which courts controversy by assembling an international panel of experts – from journalists to engineers and team managers – to vote on the 50 fastest grand prix drivers in world championship history. While the identity of number one may not provoke too much anger, the list’s reach also includes many drivers whose sheer speed over a lap wasn’t reflected in race wins and championship trophies. Refocusing the frame of reference on last season, this month’s GP Racing also ranks the drivers on the 2022 grid scientifically in speed order and examines the significance of the fastest pitstops of the year. The findings may come as a surprise.