Can Charles Leclerc win from the back in Baku?

Charles Leclerc is dynamite in Baku: he started in pole position for four years in a row and is regularly the fastest on track in the race. But he's never won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.He's expected to start at the back of the grid on Saturday due to engine penalties so it doesn't look like he'll win in 2026... or could he?Just as Max Verstappen battled past 100 karts in a showcase race erlier this month, now Leclerc faces his own F1 challenge to overtake every rival driver to claim an unlikely win for the Leclerc/Ferrari combination that has often been the fastest in Baku."Game on!" says Mark Hughes as he delves into what makes Leclerc so quick on this circuit, and assess his chances of victory.He and Bryn Lucas also explore why Baku is often the scene of unlikely and inexplicable F1 dramas; whether McLaren can challenge Mercedes, and why there's plenty to watch for, even if Kimi Antonelli looks destined to win the title.There's a look ahead at the 2027 F1 calendar and the prospect of F1 drivers racing at Le Mans, which no longer clashes with a grand prix weekend. Will we see Lando Norris in action with McLaren's hypercar?Plus, Mark answers your questions on F1's sprint race plans; a whistlestop history of Ferrari power in grand prix racing; and tries to decode what is holding Red Bull back.Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4AwdatW and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4AwdatW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madrid's Madring circuit was every bit as flawed as predicted - but was Lando Norris's masterclass the real story of the weekend? And is he now as fast or faster than Max Verstappen?Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas break down the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring, dissecting the circuit's one-line layout, the chaos around the venue, and whether next year's tweaks can actually fix it.Plus: how Norris's pole lap and title-worthy form have fans finally catching up to what Mark says has always been there, and why a badly timed VSC cost him the win he deserved.Read Mark's column here: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4hcTbbaWebsite: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4j96r2QPodcasts: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/3UVtILWF1 Newsletter: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4do9xMHInstagram: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4h9PId7Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotorSport1924/X: https://x.com/Motor_Sport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Hughes joins Bryn Lucas to break down a stunning Italian Grand Prix, where Kimi Antonelli produced one of the most improbable wins in recent memory - starting 19th and beating a Mercedes team-mate who began 17 places ahead of him.Mark explains why the drive ranks alongside Formula 1's greatest recoveries, and whether George Russell can still realistically challenge for the title.Also this week: Liam Lawson's Red Bull return under the microscope, the fallout from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's Turn 1 clash and Hamilton's "no rules" comments, the qualifying paranoia gripping Ferrari and McLaren's driver pairings, and a first look ahead to Formula 1's new Madrid Grand Prix - including the banked corner everyone's talking about.Plus your questions answered: Max Verstappen's mysterious degrading dampers, how much of the current pecking order comes down to ICE performance versus energy deployment software, and who was really at fault in that Ferrari clash.Read Mark's column here: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4xlI1H4Website: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4zZEkJvPodcasts: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/3UNPCAuF1 Newsletter: https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4do9xMHInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorsport1924/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotorSport1924/X: https://x.com/Motor_Sport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Hughes previews the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, breaking down why F1's fastest car keeps changing hands - from Mercedes' early-season dominance to McLaren's gearing advantage and Ferrari's new turbo upgrade, which could make it the quickest car in the field. Mark and Bryn discuss why Monza will finally reveal how much of McLaren's recent form comes down to track-specific gearing rather than raw pace, plus a team-by-team rundown of each car's strengths, from Mercedes' power unit to Red Bull's tricky setup window.Elsewhere: what F1's static 2027 driver market means for the F2 pipeline, why proven IndyCar champions like Alex Palou never get a Formula 1 look, and whether Oscar Piastri risks becoming a "number two" driver at McLaren. Mark also answers your questions on the ADUO benchmark, how points of downforce are measured, and reveals his fantasy rulebook for reinventing Formula 1 from scratch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Hughes has found the piece of the jigsaw that explains McLaren's stunning Zandvoort form - and it isn't just the upgrades. Breaking down why Lando Norris's car was three tenths quicker through the high-speed sector but three tenths slower on the straights, Mark reveals the gearing trade-off baked into McLaren's concept since day one, and why it could leave the team badly exposed at Monza, where the Mercedes and Ferrari are geared to run all the way to 190mph before the fuel flow starts throttling back. Mark and Bryn Lucas discuss whether this is enough to put Norris back in a genuine title fight, or whether it's simply the right car turning up at the right circuits twice in a row. They also unpack Ferrari's clumsy team orders call that may have cost Lewis Hamilton a podium, why Mercedes' Toto Wolff says the development budget has run dry, and the reasoning behind Red Bull's surprise decision to hand Liam Lawson - not Yuki Tsunoda - the seat vacated by an injured Hadjar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Hughes has handed out just one A+ so far this season - and even Kimi Antonelli's own team-mate George Russell can't quite explain how he's making a rookie-in-his-second-year look this good.Using the old-school GCSE method, Mark grades every driver on the 2026 grid at the summer break, from the Ferrari pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc through to the biggest team-mate swings on the grid, where Oliver Bearman's A- dwarfs Esteban Ocon's C+ at Haas, and Carlos Sainz's A- leaves Alex Albon down on a C+ at Williams.Mark and Bryn Lucas talk through how the marking system works, why it can never be truly scientific, and what separates a driver doing everything right in a bad car from one who's simply not delivering.They also debate whether Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso deserves his grade given how far off the pace his car is, and name the team that's punched furthest above its weight - and the one that's fallen shortest - over the first half of the season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a year since F1 owner Liberty Media bought MotoGP. Is the "dangerous and dirty" world of motorcycle racing about to be sanitised and commercialised?In this special episode of the F1 Show, Bryn Lucas and Mark Hughes welcome Motor Sport's motorcycle expert Mat Oxley for the latest on how MotoGP's new owner is dealing with the very different world of two-wheeled motor sport.After masterminding F1's recent boom in popularity, Liberty is looking to give MotoGP a similar boost. In this episode, recorded ahead of the MotoGP summer break, Mat and Mark explore what has changed already; how the F1 playbook might apply to the series; and why riders need to be more outspoken to give MotoGP its Drive to Survive moment.Plus Mat looks back at Aprilia's rise to the front of this year's pack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

George Russell has complained of his struggles to adapt to this year's Mercedes Formula 1 car, but world champion Lando Norris hasn't offered much comfort, saying: This is our job, we are paid millions to do it. We must drive any car they give us."More than just exposing the difference between their driving styles, the comments reveal Norris and Russell's contrasting mindsets at the start of the summer break. The McLaren driver is riding high on a wave of confidence after victory in a Hungarian Grand Prix where he was miles clear of his team-mate, while his Mercedes rival is trailing team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the championship and still getting to grips with his car.Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas discuss what's gone wrong for Russell and how he can fix it, while asking how long a top-level F1 driver should be given to adapt to a new car.Mark also explains how he drew up his half-term scores for every F1 driver on the grid and answers your questions on Oscar Piastri's performance, and whether F1 cars need more downforce than they have.Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4fP3Tnq and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4fP3Tnq Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oscar Piastri and George Russell have both led the Formula 1 World Championship in the past 12 months, so why are these top-level drivers unable to get on terms with their team-mates?And how is Lewis Hamilton now looking to have the edge over Charles Leclerc after a crushing 2025 season?Mark Hughes outlines new evidence that emerged during the Hungarian Grand Prix to explain the sometime disparity between the drivers at Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari.Last weekend's race also generated some much-needed good news at Aston Martin, which made it into the second stage of qualifying for the first time this season, courtesy of Fernando Alonso. Its aerodynamic upgrades have worked; can an improved Honda engine put the team amongst the front-runners?In the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show, Mark and Bryn Lucas also ask whether Niki Lauda's sensational recovery from his horrific fireball crash at the Nürburgring, 50 years ago, represents racing's greatest comeback.And what viewer question does Mark rate as the best he's ever been sent?Listen to find out - and see what you make of the answer.Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4hFb8kc and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4hFb8kc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By removing data, cutting away from drivers' disparaging comments, and failing to broadcast in-car outbursts, F1 looks to be trying to minimise criticism of the 2026 championship. It's not a smart move, says Mark Hughes in the latest episode of the F1 Show.Watch Mark and Bryn Lucas discuss the issue in full, following a Belgian Grand Prix so dominated by energy management that it "sterilised" the normally magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit.This week's instalment also reveals just what was behind Mercedes' disastrous first lap, which saw George Russell drop down the running order before spinning out of the race after contact with Lewis Hamilton.Should the Ferrari driver have received a penalty? And should his team-mate Charles Leclerc got away without one after contact with Oscar Piastri?Mark and Bryn also review Isack Hadjar's sensational drive from the back of the grid to sixth place at Spa, and look ahead to Hungary, where talk of energy management should be replaced by a close battle for victory.Plus, your questioned answered: do team engineers still make set-up changes, or are they all dictated by simulators? How closely should we compare Ferrari in 1996 to Aston Martin today? And why was Piastri lagging Norris at Spa?Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4vK9CRm and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4vK9CRm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.