Back Of The Grid | F1 Podcast

It could be the last-ever Dutch Grand Prix, and Max Verstappen's final home race. Tom & Chris preview a potentially wet, sprint-format Zandvoort, plus Cadillac's shock team-boss change and a top 6 separated by just nine points over the last 4 Grand Prix.

In this episode: why Cadillac swapped Graeme Lowdon for Marcin Budkowski mid-season, whether McLaren's Hungary upgrade travels, the incredibly tight top-six title fight of recent races, Aston Martin & Honda's new engine, silly-season latest, our sprint-weekend predictions, and a mailbag on sim racing and ghost cars.

Chapters
0:00 – Intro: first race back
1:46 – Cadillac's shock team-boss change
13:24 – Dutch GP preview: Zandvoort's farewell
17:01 – McLaren, Ferrari & a title race in nine points
21:45 – Aston Martin & Honda's engine gamble
23:38 – Silly season & Max's last home race
25:35 – Predictions
30:28 – Mailbag: sim racing, ghost cars & deltas
39:46 – Wrap-up

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Back of the Grid is a weekly F1 podcast by fans, for fans, with Tom & Chris. New episodes every Tuesday.

#F1 #DutchGP #Verstappen

Only one driver made our S tier this season, but is it who you would expect?

It's summer break, so Tom & Chris dust off the tier maker and rank every 2026 F1 team and driver from S ("top tier") to D ("shouldn't even be here").

In this episode: with the driver market gone quiet, we go team by team from Cadillac at the back to a Mercedes side that's built the fastest car on the grid but can't stop it from breaking. Every call is backed by qualifying and race head-to-heads plus the average qualifying gap between each teammate pairing. Expect strong opinions on Verstappen's current form, Antonelli's record setting run, where Russell really landed, Hamilton vs Leclerc, and why Williams and Aston Martin ended up where they did.

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Back of the Grid is a weekly Formula 1 podcast by fans, for fans. Hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday through the season.

#F1 #Formula1 #F1TierList

Is Stefano Domenicali right that F1 fans don't understand, or even care about, the sport's technology? We get into it. Plus a wild calendar shake-up as Malaysia returns (sort of), and talk of a German GP comeback.

In this episode:
Domenicali says the wider fanbase doesn't grasp the power-unit rules — so we ask whether that's fair, or just a soundbite for the shareholders. We dig into the engine-regulation vetoes and MBS's push to claw control back from the teams, the strange "Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia" that finally brings Sepang back, the packed run-in with Abu Dhabi and Qatar still in doubt, Hockenheim's bid to bring back the German GP, and the mystery Silverstone/COTA announcement.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro & our first-ever missed review
1:17 Domenicali: are F1 fans 'too dumb' for the tech?
9:25 Engine reg vetoes & MBS's power play
13:44 Malaysia's back… as the 'Bahrain GP in Malaysia'
19:55 Calendar chaos: triple-header, Abu Dhabi & Qatar doubts
22:17 A German GP return? Hockenheim's push
24:32 Free-to-air, Sky & the F1 TV multi-screen game-changer
28:04 Silverstone & COTA's mystery announcement
30:35 Wrap-up & send us your questions

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Back of the Grid is a weekly Formula 1 podcast, by fans, for fans, hosted by Tom King & Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday through the season.

#F1 #Formula1 #BackOfTheGrid

Lewis Hamilton got five seconds for a 50/50 first-lap incident. Charles Leclerc practically ran Oscar Piastri off the road at the end of the Kemmel Straight and got nothing. We're not sure the stewards watched the same race we did.

In this episode, Chris and Tom review the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, the last one at Spa for a couple of years. George Russell's afternoon ends before turn six and his frustration with his power unit boils over, Kimi Antonelli takes a sixth win of the season with a drive well beyond his years, Isack Hadjar carves from P21 to P6, and Franco Colapinto pulls off the move of the race that F1's TV direction somehow forgot to show us.

Plus: our Prediction League and Fantasy results, and a look ahead to Hungary where Aston Martin's B-spec car is going to change everything. Allegedly.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro - Goodbye to Spa, for now
1:45 Russell's first-lap retirement & deployment woes
6:50 Should Mercedes have taken the engine penalty here?
11:14 Antonelli wins again — the mature championship drive
12:26 Ferrari's pace: Leclerc keeps it honest
13:59 Leclerc crowds Piastri — and gets nothing
17:31 The Hamilton/Russell penalty: policing the outcome
21:41 Hamilton's race unravels: pit lane chaos & damage
25:22 Verstappen's podium and a perfect Hadjar tow
26:12 Hadjar P21 to P6 — drive of the weekend?
29:28 Norris & McLaren's strategy miss
33:06 Bortoleto's run continues, Hulkenberg's doesn't
34:19 RB vs Alpine, and Haas' upgrade that wasn't
35:27 Driver of the Day
36:04 Move of the Day
37:48 WTF Moment:v TV direction, Perez's halo passenger & Stroll's DRS
45:49 Prediction League results
47:19 Fantasy League standings (F1 Fantasy & Grid Rival)
48:13 Hungary preview — the great Aston Martin hype
53:43 Our Hungarian GP predictions
57:46 Wrap up (and a very strange episode next week)

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Back of the Grid is a weekly Formula 1 podcast made by fans, for fans. New episodes every Tuesday during the season.

#F1 #BelgianGP #Formula1

The Verstappen-to-McLaren rumours refuse to die down and this week they got louder. Plus: F1 could run 10 sprint weekends in 2027, Aston Martin's big upgrade is delayed to Hungary, and we preview a brutal Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.

In this episode: Mark Weber's denial that Oscar Piastri is being replaced, why Red Bull's talent exodus makes a Verstappen exit feel more plausible (all speculation at this stage, nothing confirmed), what a McLaren hypercar detour could look like for Max, Stefano Domenicali's push for more 2027 sprints, Aston Martin's delayed upgrade, our Belgian GP storylines and predictions, and a mailbag question on the Middle East calendar situation.

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#F1 #BelgianGP #MaxVerstappen

Charles Leclerc delivered Ferrari's 250th race win, but it's the FIA's farcical safety car finish that everyone's talking about.

In this episode, Tom and Chris dig into the safety car controversy that ended the race under caution despite fans being told a final lap was coming, the FIA president's awkward driver parade cameo, and a controversial track-limits penalty for Antonelli. Then it's onto the race itself: Leclerc's much-needed win, Russell's home podium, Antonelli's reliability heartbreak, and Verstappen's rear-end snap at Stowe that ended his race early. Plus Drive of the Day, Move of the Day, and this week's Predictions League and Fantasy results.

⏱ Chapters
0:00 Intro 
0:40 WTF: Silverstone's safety car finish controversy
15:11 WTF: MBS's Lego kart parade drama
20:13 WTF: Antonelli's track limits penalty & Sainz's harsh call
26:53 Race review: Leclerc ends his drought with Ferrari's 250th win
33:56 Mercedes: Russell's stellar recovery & Antonelli's bad luck
38:01 Red Bull nightmare: Verstappen's spin and retirement
42:49 Midfield battle: RB, Alpine, Williams & Cadillac's new livery
45:19 Drive of the Day & Move of the Day
49:11 Predictions League & Fantasy results
51:48 Outro & Belgian GP preview

🔗 Links
Prediction League & Fantasy: backofthegrid.com
Patreon (includes our community Discord): https://patreon.com/backofthegrid

Back of the Grid is an F1 podcast by fans, for fans, hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday in season.

#F1 #BritishGP #Formula1

Should Russell's pole have even counted? We break down the yellow-flag row that overshadowed Austria, plus his bounce-back win, Verstappen's Red Bull revival, and a British GP preview.

In this episode, Tom and Chris review the 2026 Austrian GP: the controversial pole that had the whole paddock asking questions, George Russell's important win, Antonelli's mistake-strewn afternoon, Red Bull's upgrade step for Verstappen, Ferrari's latest strategy headache with Hamilton, and a chaotic Racing Bulls team-orders call. Then we look ahead to Silverston. Can the 2026 cars handle a proper high-speed circuit, and is this the weekend Russell finally breaks his home curse?

0:00 Intro & what's coming up
0:27 Austrian GP review: did Russell's pole count?
10:45 Russell converts pole into a win
13:17 Antonelli's messy weekend
16:48 Verstappen & Red Bull's upgrade step
24:18 The penalty trap on Norris's engine fix
27:21 Ferrari's strategy blunders strike again
31:32 Racing Bulls' team-orders mess
34:03 Midfield report: Audi, Williams, Aston & Cadillac
38:29 Silly season: where next for Pérez?
41:03 Driver of the Day
42:58 Move of the Day
45:05 Award: the camera gimmicks (drone & "head cam")
52:06 Prediction League results
54:05 F1 Fantasy & Grid Rival update
55:34 British GP preview: Silverstone storylines
1:03:13 Our Silverstone predictions
1:07:13 Your questions (mailbag)
1:12:55 Wrap-up & sprint weekend reminder

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Back of the Grid is a weekly F1 podcast by fans, for fans, hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday in season.

#F1 #AustrianGP #BritishGP

Ferrari are flying and Mercedes can't stop breaking down! Can Hamilton make it two wins in a row at the 2026 Austrian GP? We preview race week at the Red Bull Ring.

In this episode: the Monaco saga rumbles on (Mercedes withdraw their review, McLaren keep pushing), F1's new engine catch-up rules and why Red Bull are contesting them, Haas silly season heating up, Magnussen's NASCAR debut, plus full Austria storylines and our predictions.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:48 Monaco: The Latest
3:35 F1's Engine Catch-Up Rules (ADUO)
9:19 Haas To Drop Ocon?
16:53 Magnussen's NASCAR Debut
18:02 Austrian GP Storylines
26:28 Our Predictions
31:16 Prediction League & Wrap-Up

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Back of the Grid is a weekly Formula 1 podcast by fans, for fans, hosted by Tom King and Chris Evans. New episodes every Tuesday in season.

#F1 #AustrianGP #Formula1

Lewis Hamilton takes his first win for Ferrari at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix,  and it might just have reignited the title fight.

Tom and Chris break down how Ferrari out-strategised Mercedes in Barcelona, plus the Gasly Monaco penalty U-turn that's reopened a very messy can of worms.

In this episode: Hamilton's emotional first Ferrari win and the records that come with it, the strategy call that put Mercedes in an impossible spot, whether the VSC actually gifted him the win, Russell vs Antonelli and Kimi's latest DNF, Norris inheriting the podium, Leclerc's Q3 crash, a baffling Alpine team order, Lindblad's rookie pace, plus Driver of the Day, Move of the Day, the WTF moment, and your inbox questions.

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Back of the Grid is a weekly Formula 1 podcast — by fans, for fans. Every race, Tom and Chris recap the action, dish out Driver of the Day, Move of the Day and the dreaded WTF moment, and run prediction and fantasy leagues anyone can join.

#F1 #SpanishGP #LewisHamilton

The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix had more penalties than overtakes, and we're not exaggerating. Pit-lane speeding chaos, Gasly's lost podium, Russell's drive-through farce and Antonelli's fifth win in a row, all unpacked.

In this episode, Tom and Chris work through a Monaco GP defined by the stewards: the pit-lane speeding saga that caught five drivers by fractions of a km/h, why Tom thinks Hülkenberg's hairpin penalty was completely wrong, Mercedes' communication meltdown over Russell's penalty, and Cadillac throwing away their first-ever points. Plus Hadjar's debut podium, Racing Bulls' best-ever day, the Brembo brake row, and a look ahead to Spain.

 

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0:00 – Intro: a race defined by penalties

1:53 – Pit-lane speeding farce (five drivers, tiny margins) 14:01 – Russell's drive-through & Mercedes' mess

19:00 – Hülkenberg's hairpin penalty

25:30 – Perez & Cadillac's lost points

30:15 – Stroll's track limits & brake trouble

31:52 – Hadjar's red-flag investigation & the rest

38:38 – Antonelli's fifth win in a row & the title picture

42:29 – Leclerc's crash & the Brembo brake saga

47:09 – Verstappen's race over before it began

48:32 – McLaren's off day, Piastri P4 & Norris' engine

51:12 – Racing Bulls' best-ever day: Lawson & Lindblad

53:46 – Driver of the Day

55:38 – Move of the Day

57:03 – WTF of the Weekend

59:10 – Prediction League results

1:01:11 – Spain preview: is the title Antonelli's to lose?

1:06:48 – Our Spanish GP predictions

1:11:14 – Inbox

Back of the Grid is a Formula 1 podcast by fans, for fans. Tom King & Chris Evans break down the week's F1 news and preview and review every race. New episodes every Tuesday through the season.

 

#F1 #MonacoGP #Formula1