Chequered Flag Extra: Mid-Term Report

Harry Benjamin reflects on the first half of the season - school parents evening style! Accompanied by classroom favourite, former British racing driver Alice Powell, and the feared and revered BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson. Who has been the A* driver so far this year? Who must do better and who will be most improved in the second half of the campaign?

Harry Benjamin and Nicola Hume dive into F1’s silly season, debating Max Verstappen’s future. Could the four-time world champion leave Red Bull, and if so, where? How would this impact other driver-market moves? Plus, what do the drivers get up to in the summer break… using our own imagination of course. And we analyse Toto Wolff’s “Teletubbies” comment by asking the important question - which driver would be which Teletubby?

Harry Benjamin, Jennie Gow, British racing driver Alice Powell and the BBC’s F1 correspondent Andrew Benson react to an action-packed Hungarian GP. Lando Norris started on pole. Could he convert that to victory? Ferrari looked like the favourites coming into the weekend. Could they deliver on their promise heading into race-day? And what about championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes team? The team dissect it all plus hear from the key drivers, including Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

Harry Benjamin and British racing driver Alice Powell react to a dramatic qualifying at the Hungarian GP. Who would take pole position? Could Mercedes continue their domination, or would Ferrari deliver on their potential?  Plus, post-qualifying penalties dominate the agenda. And Jennie Gow speaks with some of the main protagonists.

F1 has its last outing before the summer break. Kimi Antonelli is the in-form driver following his victory in Belgium. He leads the drivers’ championship by 45 points. Can anyone stop him? Lewis Hamilton had a chaotic race at Spa, but could the Ferrari have strong pace this weekend, and could the seven-time champion challenge for victory and continue his title challenge? Jennie Gow is joined by the BBC’s F1 correspondent Andrew Benson as well as F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling and W Series race-winner Alice Powell to look ahead to the weekend. Plus, Harry Benjamin sits down with Carlos Sainz to reflect on Williams’ difficult season.

Could Mercedes have experienced two more contrasting races? Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth victory of the season to extend his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton to 45 points, while George Russell's afternoon was over before he'd even completed the opening lap. Harry Benjamin, Sam Bird and Rebecca Clancy look back on a dramatic race and assess what it means for the title fight. They hear from race winner Antonelli, a frustrated Russell after his early retirement, and second-placed Charles Leclerc.

Can Kimi Antonelli convert pole position into his sixth win of the season? The Italian edged out Charles Leclerc in a thrilling qualifying session at Spa, with Lando Norris setting the third-fastest time, but a 10-place grid penalty will see him start from 13th. We hear from the top three and look ahead to the race.

Why won't the Max Verstappen rumours go away? And is F1 really considering bringing back mid-race refuelling? Andrew Benson, Harry Benjamin and Jolyon Palmer get stuck into those topics and more as they look ahead to the Belgian Grand Prix. They also hear from Oscar Piastri, who says there's still belief at McLaren that they can turn their season around. Plus, should Formula 1 come up with a solution to stop races finishing behind the safety car?

Do we believe Oscar Piastri when he says McLaren can fight for this year's world championship? Harry and Becky are at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where they catch up with the McLaren driver to discuss the title race and the rumours linking Max Verstappen with a move to Woking. They're also joined by Alisha Palmowski, fresh from her F1 Academy victory at Silverstone, and debate whether Formula 1 should consider alternatives to prevent races from finishing behind the safety car.

In this special edition of the pod, Damon Hill joins Rosanna Tennant and Harry Benjamin live on stage at Silverstone to reflect on a thrilling British Grand Prix in front of a packed audience. Charles Leclerc claimed his first victory in almost two years after Kimi Antonelli's race was compromised by a wheel failure, meaning Ferrari have now won two of the last three Grands Prix. We hear from Leclerc, and the team also unpick the confusion that unfolded in the closing laps as the race finished behind the safety car.