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Rain at the start, rain at the finish, and a race decided in between. 🌧️ Lando Norris wins the São Paulo Grand Prix by 14.6 seconds, Max Verstappen charges from the back row (P21) to P2 and now leads the fight for second by 17 points, and Mercedes seal their ninth constructors' title with three rounds to go. The new world champion, Kimi Antonelli, spins on the reconnaissance lap and again from the lead on lap 20, and still brings it home fifth. KT, Huppy, Schwags and Lachy review a soaking weekend at Interlagos: - full wets in qualifying (85 litres of water a second per tyre!) - Liam Lawson's drive to P2 at the start and P7 at the flag, and why he deserves a 2027 seat - Hamilton pleading for softs as the track dried - George Russell's pit-exit pirouette - Red Bull's team orders for Max - Oscar's tough day - Lando smashing his champagne bottle on the podium, and the Downshift twin-peak cap Plus a first look at our new live timing app. 🇧🇷 CHAPTERS 00:00 Coming up in this episode 00:30 Cold open 01:09 Welcome: who got up for the 4am start? 02:34 The weekend in 60 seconds 04:21 Weather watch: Lachy's forecast v reality 06:16 Wet qualifying and the grid shuffle 13:17 The race: Norris holds on as the rain returns 24:02 The result, and Oscar's shocker 28:48 Our live timing app 31:06 Mercedes champions and the fight for second 33:27 Lando's champagne and the twin-peak cap 36:40 Predictions results 40:02 Wrap up SÃO PAULO GP RESULT (after post-race penalties) 1 Norris · 2 Verstappen (+14.602s) · 3 Hadjar · 4 Russell · 5 Antonelli · 6 Piastri · 7 Lawson · 8 Leclerc · 9 Hamilton · 10 Hülkenberg Pole: Norris (his third in a row at Interlagos) THE FIGHT FOR SECOND (drivers' championship, three Grands Prix left) Antonelli 390 (champion) · Verstappen 279 · Russell 262 · Hamilton 261 · Leclerc 249 · Norris 246 Constructors: Mercedes 652 (champions) · Ferrari 510 · Red Bull 415 · McLaren 398 OUR PREDICTIONS: HOW WE WENT (pole / 1st / 2nd / 3rd / P2 fight) Actual: Norris / Norris / Verstappen / Hadjar / Verstappen Lachy: Norris ✓ / Norris ✓ / Verstappen ✓ / Russell / Leclerc (+8) Huppy: Verstappen / Verstappen / Antonelli / Hamilton / Verstappen ✓ (+3) KT: Hamilton / Antonelli / Hamilton / Verstappen / Russell (+1) Schwags and the magic hat: Antonelli / Leclerc / Russell / Piastri / Hamilton (0) Leaderboard: Huppy 72 · Lachy 64 · KT 56 · the hat 40. Join our free predictions competition at predictions.thedownshift.com.au 🏁 LIVE TIMING: follow every session with our live timing app (gaps, microsectors, race pace and live tyre life) at thedownshift.com.au Next up: our Las Vegas GP preview. Like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. We'll see you on the next lap! #F1 #Formula1 #SaoPauloGP #BrazilGP #Interlagos #LandoNorris #MaxVerstappen #KimiAntonelli #Mercedes #F1Podcast #TheDownshift

The title's done, but the fight for second is the closest it's been all year: four drivers covered by 16 points, with 100 still on the table. 🏁 Max Verstappen leads it for the first time this season, two points ahead of Lewis Hamilton, and the battle comes to Interlagos, the home of Senna and a track where nobody is ever out of it. KT, Huppy, Schwags and Lachy preview the São Paulo Grand Prix. There's a track guide to the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, from the downhill plunge into the Senna S to the full-throttle climb from Junção. Then four stories from its history: Carlos Pace, Senna stuck in sixth gear in 1991, and Massa's 30 seconds as champion in 2008. Plus "comeback central", where only 9 of the last 16 winners started on pole. Huppy asks if bumpy Interlagos worries Cadillac after Bottas's suspension failure. Can the Ferraris avoid taking each other out again? Lachy's weather watch says rain for qualifying. Schwags brings the softest tyres in Pirelli's range (C3, C4, C5). And can Mercedes wrap up the constructors' title with a 3-point swing? Kimi Antonelli races as champion for the first time, Hamilton makes his 400th start, and Bortoleto has the home crowd. 🇧🇷

Kimi Antonelli is the 2026 Formula One world champion. 🏆 At 20 years and 68 days he's the youngest champion in F1 history, more than three years younger than Sebastian Vettel's record, and Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. He sealed it in Mexico City with four races still to go, and with a dive down the inside of a Ferrari. Lachy is back from the man flu, so it's the full Downshift line-up of KT, Huppy, Schwags and Lachy reviewing a wild weekend. Liam Lawson's three strikes (the Verstappen clash, a qualifying disqualification and a pit-lane start, then up to P7). Esteban Ocon's shock Haas exit. Lewis Hamilton's first Ferrari pole at 41, the oldest pole-sitter since Mario Andretti in 1982. A red flag after Valtteri Bottas's suspension failure, two safety cars, Ferrari's "big problems", Kimi's 43 laps on a soft tyre, and Max Verstappen's sixth Mexico win to lead the fight for second. 🇲🇽 CHAPTERS 00:00 Coming up in this episode 00:27 Cold open 01:07 Welcome: Lachy's back and Kimi's the champion 02:23 The weekend in 60 seconds 10:04 Lawson's three strikes 16:05 Hamilton's first Ferrari pole, at 41 18:45 The race: red flag, restarts and Max's win 28:49 Tyre talk: 43 laps on a soft 30:18 Max's sixth Mexico win and Ferrari's big problems 33:46 Kimi Antonelli: youngest world champion ever 38:16 The fight for second 38:49 Hadjar's selfie scuffle and Checo's 300th 39:31 Predictions 41:09 Wrap up MEXICO CITY GP RESULT (final, after post-race penalties) 1 Verstappen · 2 Hamilton (+0.799s) · 3 Antonelli · 4 Leclerc · 5 Norris · 6 Russell · 7 Lawson · 8 Bortoleto · 9 Hadjar · 10 Hirakawa Pole: Hamilton (by 0.009s from Russell) THE FIGHT FOR SECOND (drivers' championship) Antonelli 380 (champion) · Verstappen 261 · Hamilton 259 · Russell 250 · Leclerc 245 · Norris 221 Constructors: Mercedes 630 · Ferrari 504 · Red Bull 382 · McLaren 365 OUR PREDICTIONS: HOW WE WENT (pole / 1st / 2nd / 3rd / Checo) Actual: Hamilton / Verstappen / Hamilton / Antonelli / P17 Lachy: Antonelli / Antonelli / Verstappen / Leclerc / P20 Schwags: Norris / Hamilton / Antonelli / Piastri / P18 Huppy: Verstappen / Verstappen ✓ / Leclerc / Antonelli ✓ / P19 KT: Leclerc / Leclerc / Norris / Verstappen / P17 ✓ Huppy still leads the season. Join our free predictions competition at predictions.thedownshift.com.au 🏁 Next up: our São Paulo GP preview. Can Mercedes wrap up the constructors' title, and who leads the fight for second? Like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. We'll see you on the next lap! #F1 #Formula1 #MexicoGP #MexicanGP #KimiAntonelli #WorldChampion #Mercedes #MaxVerstappen #LewisHamilton #LiamLawson #F1Podcast #TheDownshift

Ninth place. That's all Kimi Antonelli needs in Mexico City to become the youngest world champion in Formula One history, at 20 years and 68 days, more than three years younger than Sebastian Vettel's record. 🏆 With Lachy still out with the man flu, KT, Huppy and Schwags preview round 19 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. We cover the title maths, whether Kimi's record will ever be beaten, and who we'd mic up in the cockpit. Then it's the track guide, what 2,240 m of thin air does to the 2026 cars (Monaco wings at Monza speeds, with no MGU-H and no DRS), Pirelli's tyres a step softer than last year (C3/C4/C5), the weekend weather, Ferrari after Austin, McLaren's "Lego car", why pole is no guarantee here, and Checo's first home race in two years, now in a Cadillac, on the Day of the Dead.

Pole, a 13-second win, number nine for the season... and Kimi still has to wait. 🏁 On episode 113 of The Downshift, KT, Huppy and Schwags (Lachy is still crook with the flu, get well soon mate) review the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Kimi Antonelli did everything he could in Texas, but George Russell scraped eighth and Lewis Hamilton grabbed fourth, so the title party moves on to Mexico. We dig into the tyre offset that wasn't, Ferrari's two-stop that actually worked, McLaren swapping their cars again, and a very despondent George. In this episode: ⏱️ The weekend in 60 seconds: Kimi's first pole since Belgium, Ferrari flat in qualifying, Bottas' car dangling from the crane 🛞 Tyre talk: soft pit window lap 20-26, medium lap 21-27. Riddle me this: where's the offset? 🏆 Results and championship impact: Kimi on 365, and a fight for second with four drivers covered by 9 points 📈 Kimi's 9 wins in 42 starts (21.4%), and Kimi v George in 2026: 9 wins to 3 🧡 McLaren swap them again ("happy to be accused of Australian bias") 😔 "I'm just not fast enough": George Russell's post-race interview, and the definition of hopeless 🔴 Ferrari's strategy masterclass, and Max's new race engineer 🔮 Predictions: how we went, and the P9 that makes Kimi champion in Mexico 00:00 Cold open 00:43 Welcome: Lachy's still crook 03:47 The weekend in 60 seconds 07:16 Tyre talk: where's the offset? 11:45 The results 13:15 Championship impact 18:45 McLaren swap them again 19:34 Despondent George 22:33 Ferrari got it right 24:00 Predictions 25:08 Wrap-up: P9 for the title United States GP top 10 1 Antonelli, 2 Leclerc (+13.078s), 3 Verstappen, 4 Hamilton, 5 Norris, 6 Hadjar, 7 Piastri, 8 Russell, 9 Lawson, 10 Gasly. Fastest lap: Leclerc. DNFs: Bottas, Colapinto, Bearman. Drivers' championship: Antonelli 365, Russell 242, Hamilton 241, Verstappen 236, Leclerc 233. Constructors: Mercedes 607, Ferrari 474, Red Bull 355, McLaren 355. Kimi is champion in Mexico with P9 or better, whatever anyone else does. Predictions: our Austin picks are in Ep 112. The result was pole Antonelli, podium Antonelli / Leclerc / Verstappen, and 3 DNFs. Leaderboard after Austin: Huppy 63, Lachy 54, KT 52, Schwags 38. Join the waitlist for our free predictions app (launching 2027): predictions.thedownshift.com.au Corrections: Leclerc, Verstappen and Hamilton made two pit stops each, not three, and Russell, Hamilton, Verstappen and Leclerc are covered by 9 points, not 14. Mexico City GP preview coming later this week. Like and subscribe so you don't miss it. See you on the next lap! #F1 #Formula1 #F1Podcast #TheDownshift #USGP #AustinGP #COTA #KimiAntonelli #GeorgeRussell #Ferrari #McLaren #LewisHamilton #MaxVerstappen

Everything's bigger in Texas, including the stakes. 🤠🏁 On episode 112 of The Downshift, KT, Huppy and Schwags (Lachy is still down with man flu) preview the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Kimi Antonelli arrives in Austin 102 points clear of George Russell: win, with Russell P9 or lower and Hamilton P5 or lower, and he's world champion at 20, the youngest ever. We do the maths (eventually), break down COTA corner by corner, talk C2-C4 tyres and whether Pirelli should make them worse, Huppy fills in on weather, and our predictions descend into chaos. In this episode: 🧮 Match point: exactly what Kimi needs to clinch in Austin 👶 Youngest champion ever: 20 years 61 days v Vettel's record of 23 years 134 days 🛣️ COTA track guide: Turn 1, the esses, the 1.2 km back straight, and energy deployment with no DRS 🔧 Mercedes' upgrade, and whether a complaining Max means Red Bull are quick 🛞 Tyres: C2, C3, C4, one step softer; one stop or two? ☀️ Weather: hot and dry, 29 degrees for qualifying, maybe cloudy on Sunday 🔮 Predictions: pole, podium and the DNF count (and Huppy can't pick anything) Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:44 Welcome: howdy from Texas 02:13 Match point: can Kimi clinch in Austin? 09:34 Circuit of the Americas: track guide and tech 18:13 Tyre talk: C2, C3, C4 20:50 Huppy's weather watch 22:27 Predictions 31:18 Session times and wrap-up Session times (Melbourne, AEDT) Practice 1: Saturday 4:30am Practice 2: Saturday 8:00am Practice 3: Sunday 4:30am Qualifying: Sunday 8:00am Race: Monday 7:00am (Austin: 12:30pm and 4pm Friday and Saturday, race 3pm Sunday. London: 6:30pm and 10pm Friday and Saturday, race 8pm Sunday.) Our predictions (pole / P1 / P2 / P3 / total DNFs) KT: Verstappen / Verstappen / Antonelli / Hamilton / 5 Huppy: Hamilton / Hamilton / Russell / Verstappen / 4 Schwags: Piastri / Russell / Hadjar / Antonelli / 6 Lachy (picked by committee): Antonelli / Leclerc / Verstappen / Norris / 7 Predictions leaderboard after Singapore: Huppy 61, Lachy 51, KT 50, Schwags 37. Join the waitlist for our free predictions app (launching 2027): predictions.thedownshift.com.au Corrections: Kimi was 18 at his F1 debut, and Fernando Alonso is 45. What would you change to improve the racing in 2027? Tell us in the comments, and if you enjoyed the episode, like and subscribe so you don't miss our Austin review. See you on the next lap! #F1 #Formula1 #F1Podcast #TheDownshift #USGP #AustinGP #COTA #KimiAntonelli #MaxVerstappen #LewisHamilton #GeorgeRussell #F1Predictions

No race last weekend, but the paddock never sleeps. 🏎️ On episode 111 of The Downshift, KT, Huppy and Schwags (Lachy is out with man flu) run through F1's late silly season. Rafael Câmara lands the Haas seat alongside Ollie Bearman, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are locked in at Aston Martin, Racing Bulls have three drivers for two seats, and Red Bull have signed Laurent Mekies through to 2031. Plus: is George Russell's seat safe, and can Kimi Antonelli wrap up the title in Austin? In this episode: 📋 The 2027 grid: who's locked in, who's sweating, and Mercedes' missing announcement 🇧🇷 Câmara to Haas: his rise to the top of F2, and why Esteban Ocon lost his seat 🐂 Three into two at Racing Bulls: Lawson v Lindblad v Tsolov, and our picks 🔥 Alonso: still not done after 443 starts (649 with Stroll), and he'll never stop 🏢 Paddock pulse: Mekies to 2031, Horner's podcast tour, Red Bull 7 points off P3, and the Middle East finale 🏁 Match point in Austin: Antonelli leads Russell by 102 with six rounds left Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:42 Welcome: three of us and a sick Lachy 02:12 The 2027 grid: who's locked in? 05:58 Câmara to Haas, and why Ocon lost his seat 11:01 Three into two: Racing Bulls 18:07 Alonso: still not done 22:03 Paddock pulse: Mekies to 2031 and the Middle East finale 25:39 Match point in Austin, and wrap-up Next race: United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, 23-25 October. Our US GP preview, with the full title maths and our predictions, drops on Thursday. Who would you keep at Racing Bulls: Lawson, Lindblad or Tsolov? Tell us in the comments, and if you enjoyed the episode, like and subscribe so you don't miss our Austin preview. See you on the next lap! #F1 #Formula1 #F1Podcast #TheDownshift #SillySeason #F12027 #RafaelCamara #Haas #FernandoAlonso #RacingBulls #LiamLawson #GeorgeRussell #KimiAntonelli

Two McLarens, one gap, zero excuses. 🇸🇬 On episode 110 of The Downshift, Huppy, KT, Lachy and Schwags review a chaotic Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Lando Norris sent it on Oscar Piastri at Turn 5 in the wet sprint and put his teammate in the wall, and KT is still wearing his blacked-out McLaren shirt about it. Max Verstappen swept the weekend and finally won at Marina Bay at his 10th attempt, Lewis Hamilton fell from P3 to P6 in the last nine laps, and Kimi Antonelli heads to Austin 102 points clear on match point. In this episode: 🧡 KT vs McLaren: Lando, Oscar, papaya rules and a call-out to Zak Brown and Andrea Stella 🤡 Huppy's "exclusive images": which drivers can colour inside the lines? 🏆 Max's first Marina Bay win, his 73rd win on his 250th start, and the one track he still hasn't won at 😴 The bit of the race KT slept through 🛞 How to fix the sprint: tyre offsets, more points, hat-drawn grids and kangaroos 🔴 Hamilton's VSC gamble, Stroll's 12th DNF and Russell's nightmare weekend 📊 Red Bull vs McLaren for P3 in the constructors' 🏁 Can Kimi clinch the title in Austin? 🔮 The predictions leaderboard after Singapore Singapore GP top 10: 1 Verstappen, 2 Leclerc, 3 Antonelli, 4 Norris, 5 Piastri, 6 Hamilton, 7 Lawson, 8 Hülkenberg, 9 Russell, 10 Hadjar. Chapters 00:00 Coming up in this episode 01:08 Welcome: a long night of motorsport 02:05 KT vs McLaren: Lando takes out Oscar 14:52 Huppy's exclusive images: colouring in the lines 17:04 Singapore weekend wrap: Max's first Marina Bay win 24:53 How to fix the sprint 29:45 Hamilton's strategy, Stroll and Russell 33:03 Max is back and the constructors' fight 37:58 Match point Kimi: can he clinch in Austin? 39:41 Predictions leaderboard 41:17 Next up: Austin, and the predictions app Predictions leaderboard after Singapore: Huppy 61, Lachy 51, KT 50, Schwags 37. Next race: United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, 23-25 October. Join the waitlist for The Downshift predictions app (free tipping competition in 2027): https://predictions.thedownshift.com.au Was Lando's move on Oscar fair game or a team-killer? Tell us in the comments, and if you enjoyed the episode, like and subscribe so you don't miss our Austin preview. See you on the next lap! #F1 #SingaporeGP #Formula1 #F1Podcast #TheDownshift #MarinaBay #MaxVerstappen #LandoNorris #OscarPiastri #KimiAntonelli #McLaren

Under 1,600 floodlights and through 19 corners of concrete and sweat, F1's original night race faces something new: its first ever sprint. 🇸🇬 On episode 109 of The Downshift, Huppy, KT, Lachy and Schwags head back to Marina Bay, the place where this podcast was born on a boys' trip two years ago. Kimi Antonelli arrives 84 points clear and could clinch the championship this weekend. George Russell returns as defending winner needing a miracle. And Max Verstappen comes in hunting the one trophy he's never won. In this episode:🏁 The history of the Singapore GP, from Thomson Road to Crashgate to Sainz ending Red Bull's 2023 streak🗺️ A corner-by-corner track guide of Marina Bay and its five straight mode zones🛞 Pirelli's softest tyres (C3, C4, C5) and the sprint weekend squeeze🌧️ Lachy's weather forecast: humidity, heat and the chance of a night-race downpour🏆 Kimi's title maths, Russell's last stand and Max's missing trophy🎨 Audi's new livery: hit or miss?🔮 Our pole, podium and sprint winner predictions (Schwags is still picking out of a hat)📱 First look at The Downshift predictions app, launching in 2027. Join the waitlist! Chapters00:00 Cold open00:43 Welcome: Singapore, where The Downshift began02:41 History of the Singapore GP05:58 Track guide: Marina Bay11:07 Tyres & strategy13:36 Weather15:53 Talking points: Kimi's title, Russell's last stand17:38 Can Max finally win Singapore?18:33 Briatore, Colapinto & Crashgate19:13 Audi's new livery20:26 Predictions27:04 The Downshift predictions app29:15 Session times30:48 Wrap up Who do you think takes pole, the win and the sprint in Singapore? Tell us in the comments, and if you enjoyed the episode, like and subscribe so you don't miss the race review. See you on the next lap! #F1 #SingaporeGP #Formula1 #F1Podcast #TheDownshift #MarinaBay #KimiAntonelli #MaxVerstappen #F1Predictions

A tropical deluge, a formation lap where the cars simply stopped, slicks vs inters, and a field turned upside down 🌧️ Through it all, Max Verstappen took pole and his first win of 2026 (his 72nd career win) at the track where he won F1's last visit back in 2017. Martin Brundle called it one of the craziest races he's ever seen, and we reckon it's the race of the season. Huppy and Schwags report from the ground at Sepang: record crowds, transport chaos, decoy water bottles and a wild Malaysian crowd. Then we break down the formation lap software drama, Piastri's inters call, Hamilton overruling Ferrari to climb to P3, Alonso's stellar drive, Lando's near miss, and George Russell's heartbreaking power unit failure with five laps to go that pushes Antonelli's lead out to 84 points with seven rounds left. Plus, how far off were our overtake predictions? Try 185 overtakes 😳 📲 Think you can out-tip us (and five AIs)? Join the waitlist for The Downshift Predictions app, launching for 2027: predictions.thedownshift.com.au 👍 Like and subscribe so you don't miss our Singapore preview, and let us know in the comments: race of the season? #F1 #BahrainGP #Sepang #MalaysianGP #Formula1 #TheDownshift

Nine years ago, a 20-year-old Max Verstappen won what we thought was F1's last race at Sepang. Now F1 is back in Malaysia… to run the Bahrain Grand Prix 🤯 With Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled earlier in the year, Sepang steps in, and more than half the grid has never raced there. We cover how this unusual race came about, Huppy's memories from the 2017 race, a full track walkthrough, tyre choices, a stormy forecast with up to 80% chance of rain in qualifying, the Sepang veterans vs debutants, and whether Russell can turn Baku momentum into a real title fight against Antonelli's 66-point lead. Plus, the predictions get chaotic when Schwags' lucky hat strikes again 🎩 Huppy and Schwags are heading to Sepang as our official correspondents, so stay tuned for updates from the track!📲 Want to take us on? Join the waitlist for The Downshift Predictions app, launching for the 2027 season: predictions.thedownshift.com.au Like and subscribe, and drop your Sepang predictions in the comments! #F1 #BahrainGP #Sepang #MalaysianGP #Formula1 #TheDownshift

George Russell reclaims his Mr Saturday title in Baku 🏆 Pole by a massive 0.83s (the biggest gap in about a decade), leading every lap, then hanging on by just 0.196s as a charging Max Verstappen closed in with no turbo power on the final run to the line. Add Red Bull's first double podium since April 2024, and Antonelli's title lead shrinks to 66 points with eight rounds to go. Plus: Kimi's Q1 wall clout, Colapinto's ten-pin bowling restart that took out Gasly and Norris, Lindblad taking out his teammate, Piastri's heartbreak, the Bottas crash that somehow didn't bring a safety car, Leclerc's engine slip, Aston Martin's woes, and whether the broadcast is ignoring the midfield. And of course, the predictions leaderboard gets a shake-up 😂 👍 Like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and drop your Sepang predictions in the comments! #F1 #AzerbaijanGP #BakuGP #Formula1 #TheDownshift

The DownShift is heading to Baku — and this one could get seriously interesting! 🇦🇿🏁 Episode 105 previews the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where a 2.2km flat-out straight, a seven-metre-wide castle section and Baku's notorious walls could create the perfect recipe for F1 chaos. Kimmy Antonelli arrives with an 81-point championship lead, while Lando Norris continues to rack up pole positions without converting enough of them into wins. Max Verstappen is still searching for his first F1 victory of 2026 despite five podiums in his last seven races, while Charles Leclerc heads to one of his favourite circuits with a potential Ferrari engine penalty hanging over his weekend. The team breaks down the unique challenges of Baku — low downforce, tyre temperatures, energy deployment, slipstream tactics, track evolution, wind and the possibility of safety cars — before making their predictions for pole, the podium and the weekend's wildcard. And there's plenty happening away from Baku too: 🏎️ The 2027 F1 calendar is here🇦🇺 Australia moves to Round 3🏁 Portugal and Turkey return🔄 Spa and Barcelona begin rotating🎟️ Melbourne's new Australian Grand Prix membership and ticketing model comes under the microscope👀 Aston Martin's 2027 driver lineup is questioned following comments from Martin Brundle🔴 Ferrari face a potentially crucial decision over Charles Leclerc's engine Plus, as always, the boys throw in their completely unbiased, highly scientific Baku predictions… which may already require an emergency meeting after FP1. The DownShift — F1 talk, opinions, laughs and plenty of questionable predictions.

🏁 The first-ever F1 race at Madring is in the books… but did Formula 1’s spectacular new Madrid circuit actually deliver? The hype was enormous. A brand-new circuit, 22 corners, the spectacular banked La Monumental, and more than 100,000 fans packed into Madrid. But when the lights went out, there was one fairly major problem: overtaking was almost impossible. In Episode 104 of The Downshift F1 Podcast, we review the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix and ask whether Madring is a brilliant circuit for qualifying and hot laps — but a terrible circuit for actual Formula 1 racing. 🏆 Kimi Antonelli took another huge victory, with Max Verstappen second and Lando Norris third after a dramatic safety-car period and another costly McLaren pit stop. We break down: 🏎️ Why Madring produced so few overtaking opportunities😴 Whether F1 has effectively created a faster version of Monaco🔥 Why La Monumental looks spectacular but didn't necessarily improve the racing⏱️ An incredibly close qualifying battle between Norris and Antonelli🟠 How Lando Norris went from pole position to P3🔧 McLaren's costly seven-second pit stop🏆 Another outstanding drive from championship leader Kimi Antonelli🐂 Max Verstappen's impressive run to P2🇪🇸 A difficult home Grand Prix for the Spanish drivers😬 Whether Lance Stroll's future at Aston Martin should finally be under serious pressure📈 The latest championship picture — and whether anyone can realistically stop Kimi🔮 Plus our prediction results and an early look towards Baku And unlike the rest of us watching on TV, KT was actually at Madring for its inaugural Grand Prix. He gives us the view from inside the circuit — including the atmosphere, fan zones, hospitality, circuit access, viewing areas and some of the first-year teething problems Madrid needs to address before F1 returns in 2027. So after all the hype, was Madring worth it? Let us know in the comments:👇 Did you enjoy the Madrid Grand Prix — or does F1 need to change the circuit before next year? 👍 Like the episode if you enjoyed it🔔 Subscribe to The Downshift for our F1 race previews, reviews, predictions and plenty of questionable motorsport opinions throughout the 2026 season. #F1 #Formula1 #MadridGP #Madring #SpanishGP #KimiAntonelli #LandoNorris #MaxVerstappen #MercedesF1 #McLarenF1 #F1Podcast

Formula 1 heads into the unknown this weekend as the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix arrives at the brand-new Madring circuit in Madrid — and there are plenty of questions nobody can answer yet.🏁 Who will master the Madring first?🔥 Will the incredible La Monumental banked corner live up to the hype?⚡ Which teams will get their setup right quickest?🇪🇸 And can Fernando Alonso or Carlos Sainz deliver something special on home soil?In Episode 103 of The Downshift F1 Podcast, we preview the very first Formula 1 Grand Prix at Madrid’s new 5.4km Madring circuit.The headline feature is undoubtedly Turn 12 — La Monumental — a huge 550-metre-long banked corner with banking of around 13.5 degrees. With Formula 1 cars tackling it at speed for the first time, it could become one of the most spectacular corners on the F1 calendar.But the new circuit creates a much bigger challenge for the teams.There’s no previous Formula 1 race data. No established setup. No known tyre degradation. No reliable strategy history. Track evolution could be significant, temperatures are expected to be high, and the teams will need to learn quickly across Friday practice.We discuss:🏎️ What the new Madring circuit could be like to race🔥 The spectacular La Monumental banked corner⚔️ Where the main overtaking opportunities could be📈 How much the track could evolve across the weekend🛞 Pirelli’s C2, C3 and C4 tyre selection🔄 Whether we could finally see a genuine two-stop race⚡ Energy management and overtaking under the 2026 regulations🪽 Whether teams will favour medium or lower-downforce setups🐎 Ferrari’s small advantage from previously running at the circuit⭐ Why Mercedes could still be the team to beat🚀 Whether Kimi Antonelli can continue his incredible form🐂 Why Max Verstappen could be dangerous at a completely new circuit🟠 Whether McLaren can return to podium contention🇪🇸 The prospects for Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz at their home Grand Prix☀️ The hot and dry Madrid weather forecast🎯 And, of course, our Spanish Grand Prix predictions.With no previous winner, no established lap record and no real form guide for this circuit, our prediction competition gets even more difficult.Who takes pole? Who wins the first-ever Madring Grand Prix? And exactly where will Fernando Alonso finish?Let us know your predictions in the comments BEFORE the race.