Max Verstappen reportedly lifts himself off his seat at two corners of the F1 Austin Grand Prix circuit because the bumps are that bad. Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 United States Grand Prix from pole at the Circuit of the Americas. He now needs only ninth in Mexico to become the youngest Formula 1 world champion, by three years. Behind him, nine points separate George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Max and Charles Leclerc. Dianne Bortoletto and Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse unpack the late VSC that cost Ferrari, McLaren's team orders and Isack Hadjar's radio frustration. The halo and the refuelling ban made drivers safer, so why is a circuit surface still allowed to hurt them? Plus Alisha Palmowski's F1 Academy title, Liam Lawson's guitar gig in Austin and Christian Horner's soft 60 Minutes interview. In this episode: - Kimi Antonelli wins from pole and needs ninth in Mexico for the title - Ferrari top every practice session, then qualify fourth and fifth - The late VSC that robbed Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc - Lando Norris gambles on old tyres and Ciara backs the call - COTA's bumps, 9G vertical loads and the case for safer surfaces - Isack Hadjar's radio clashes and Red Bull's hard tyre test - McLaren team orders and pit calls Di and Ciara can't explain - Nine points split four drivers fighting for second - Alisha Palmowski's F1 Academy title and Joanne Ciconte chasing Kyojo Cup history - Liam Lawson's Austin gig, Brundle's grid walk and Horner on 60 Minutes Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ get 10% off with code AWAYWEGO Follow Away We Go Podcast: - Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast - Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast - Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you're watching on YouTube. Next stop, Mexico City.
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A three-day F1 ticket in China costs about US$68, while a weekend in Lewis Hamilton’s House 44 in Las Vegas runs to around A$26,000. Dianne Bortoletto and Ciara Gillan dig into the real cost of attending Formula 1 races, from a full season done on £20,000 to Paddock Club passes that do not actually get you into the paddock. Ciara argues everyday fans are being priced out of their own home races, while Di weighs up whether influencers belong at the track when sponsors such as Louis Vuitton and Barilla are paying to bring them. So who is Formula 1 really pricing its races for? Plus a €20 sandwich in Hungary, and why Melbourne’s four-day motorsport festival still delivers. In this episode: Why cheap general admission can mean no view and no big screen Full Time Formula’s 24 races on £20,000, finishing £487 over budget China the cheapest ticket on the calendar, Las Vegas the dearest $13,000 a head for Red Bull hospitality at the Australian Grand Prix Wimbledon drops content creator passes, and Di is conflicted on F1 influencers An English fan who can’t afford her home race at Silverstone €20 sandwiches, a rumoured food ban and one water fountain in Madrid Paddock Club from A$7,700 in Azerbaijan to A$21,500 in Melbourne 2027 grandstand prices for Hungary, Austria and Belgium, with Belgium up 10 to 15 per cent Why Melbourne’s four-day festival is worth the trip Links to mentioned episodes Colin Johnston's Ep77 https://youtu.be/ZzdvPT5yoSA Chris Chamberlain Ep71 - using points to access F1 hospitality https://youtu.be/W_KUs7eVB4M Chapters 0:00 Sticker Shock Intro 0:45 Welcome to Away We Go Podcast 1:10 The GA Reality Check 2:45 Views, Screens and Commentary 5:00 24 Races on a £20,000 Budget 9:05 Cheapest vs Vegas Prices 10:20 Influencers at the Track 11:15 Hospitality Price Tags 14:50 Sponsors and Creator Value 16:45 Fans Priced Out of Their Home Race 18:20 Food, Water and Facilities 20:20 Paddock Club Myths 21:10 Ticket Rush and Sellouts 22:00 Paddock Club Prices and House 44 22:45 Using Points for Hospitality 23:35 Next Year’s Ticket Prices 24:40 Why All Motorsport Costs So Much 26:05 Prices Keep Rising 27:40 Is It Worth Going? 28:25 Why Melbourne Delivers 29:30 Final Thoughts Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ get 10% off with code AWAYWEGO Follow Away We Go Podcast: Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you’re watching on YouTube. Next week, we’re back to the racing.
Away We Go Podcast
Lando Norris dive-bombed McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri on the second-last lap of the 2026 F1 Singapore Grand Prix sprint, put him out of the race, then told reporters it was a race, end of. Di and Ciara Gillan take apart the move and the media pen. Max Verstappen took both poles, the sprint and the race at Marina Bay, his first Singapore win at the 10th attempt and his 250th Formula 1 start. Lewis Hamilton ignored Ferrari’s call to pit under the VSC, ran 43 laps on softs and slid from a possible podium to sixth. After attacks targeting an airport in Saudi Arabia, should Formula 1 still race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi? Plus Kim Kardashian charms Martin Brundle on the grid walk, Ciara marks a year on the show, and Bathurst is decided by an empty fuel tank. In this episode: - Max Verstappen wins Singapore at his 10th attempt, plus the sprint and both poles - Toto Wolff dismisses claims Mercedes is favouring Kimi Antonelli over George Russell - Nine DNFs in the sprint, mostly mechanical, including both Cadillacs - Lando Norris takes out Oscar Piastri, and his media pen answer makes it worse - Lando asks on the radio if he can help Oscar; Di and Ciara aren’t buying it - Lewis Hamilton stays out under the VSC and drops from third to sixth - Isack Hadjar goes from the pit lane to a point in 10th - Kimi Antonelli could technically clinch the title in Austin - Should F1 still race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi? - Bathurst: the leader runs out of fuel on the last lap Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ get 10% off with code AWAYWEGO Follow Away We Go Podcast: Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you’re watching on YouTube. Next stop, Austin.
Away We Go Podcast
Max Verstappen took his first win of the season at the 2026 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and Di was in the grandstand at Sepang to see it. She rates the racing as first class and the organisation around it as dangerous. Rain delayed the Formula 1 start by an hour and 40 minutes, then a software bug had Ferrari telling Lewis Hamilton to stop and reboot. Hamilton still finished third behind Kimi Antonelli, while George Russell retired and now sits 84 points behind his Mercedes teammate. Di tells Ciara Gillan what the weekend was like for fans. The water station sold out before 2pm on qualifying day, and getting back to the hotel that night took five hours. Malaysia is reportedly in talks to host Formula 1 again. Would fans come back after this? In this episode: Max Verstappen's first win of 2026, Red Bull's first with its own power unit The software bug that had Ferrari telling Lewis Hamilton to stop and reboot Ferrari gamble on softs in the wet; Hamilton makes them last 33 laps George Russell's third DNF of the season leaves him 84 points behind Kimi Antonelli Seven races left, and no official word on Qatar and Abu Dhabi Trackside commentary in Arabic and English, not Malay The shuttle bus that lapped the circuit and returned to the start Water sold out before 2pm on qualifying day, and confusion over bringing your own Five hours to get back to the hotel, and fans fainting in queues What Sepang needs to fix before Formula 1 returns Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ get 10% off with code AWAYWEGO Follow Away We Go Podcast: Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you're watching on YouTube. Next stop, Singapore.
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George Russell led every lap of the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku for the first time in his career, then crossed the line less than two-tenths ahead of Max Verstappen after losing turbo on the final lap. The Formula 1 race turned at the lap 35 restart. Franco Colapinto locked up and hit Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, who took out Lando Norris. Norris came out swinging, saying some drivers shouldn't be in Formula 1 and calling for a race ban. Ciara Gillan says a world champion running eighth at a restart is just another driver in a car. Oscar Piastri was running third until a lockup dropped him to 14th. Kimi Antonelli climbed from 16th to fifth and still leads the championship by 66 points. Jamie Chadwick's Williams test also raises a bigger question: why has it taken 11 years since Susie Wolff for a woman to drive a Williams? In this episode: • Russell topped the practice sessions and qualified eight-tenths clear on pole • Antonelli hit the wall in Q1, started 16th and finished fifth • Isack Hadjar returned from a broken wrist to qualify fourth and finish third • Seven DNFs, including the Colapinto, Gasly and Norris restart pile-up • Norris calls for a race ban, and Ciara on his growing arrogance • Flavio Briatore warns Argentine fans over online abuse of Alpine drivers • Piastri's lockup from third to 14th, and Oscar Piastri's best qualifying in weeks • Should Red Bull have swapped Hadjar and Verstappen? Jacques Villeneuve says no • Carlos Sainz scores points for Williams, then takes a five-place grid drop for ignoring yellows • Jamie Chadwick tests the Williams FW45, and why women wait so long Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ get 10% off with code AWAYWEGO Follow Away We Go Podcast: • Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast • Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast • Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you're watching on YouTube. Next stop, Malaysia.
Away We Go Podcast
The Formula 1 2027 calendar is out with 24 races, 10 sprint weekends and Australia no longer the season opener, and Dianne Bortoletto and Ciara Gillan have problems with most of it. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia open the year, Qatar and Abu Dhabi close it, which puts the Middle East at both ends of the season while this year's races in the region were cancelled. Di and Ciara weigh two theories: a consolation prize for the host nations, or a tidy way to drop four rounds without leaving gaps if the conflict continues. Neither is confirmed. Sprint weekends go from six to 10, and one of them is Monaco. Di reckons every weekend ends up a sprint eventually. Ciara calls the Monaco call wild. There is also the small matter of F1's carbon neutral by 2030 target and a route that crosses the world seven times. In this episode: • Australia loses the season opener to Bahrain, and Di is disappointed • Middle East at both ends of the calendar while this year's races were cancelled • Sweetener for the host nations, or a plan for cancelling cleanly • Las Vegas is the only race Formula 1 owns and runs itself • 10 sprint weekends, up from six, and Ciara's fear it hits 15 • Di's prediction: one practice, sprint quali, sprint, race, every weekend • Monaco as a sprint weekend, and why Ciara calls it wild • Carbon neutral by 2030 versus a route that zigzags the globe • Di's fix: points for qualifying and a reverse grid • Portugal and Türkiye return to the calendar Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ get 10% off with code AWAYWEGO Follow Away We Go Podcast: • Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast • Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast • Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you're watching on YouTube. Next stop, Baku.
Away We Go Podcast
Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 F1 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, then said it probably should have been Lando Norris's. Di disagrees: McLaren pitted Lando after the virtual safety car had ended, then took seven seconds to change his tyres. Mercedes called Kimi in within three seconds. The better team won. On a Formula 1 weekend both hosts rate the dullest of the season, Di and Ciara Gillan still find plenty to argue about. Max Verstappen cut a corner and gave the place back before the stewards had to act. Lewis Hamilton lost his brakes on lap six for his first DNF of the year. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said publicly that Fernando Alonso cannot retire without a win. Lando's cool-down room behaviour gets picked apart, and the mid-September deadline for confirming the last two races has arrived with no announcement. Is F1 about to drop a Middle East round? In this episode: Madrid's designer promised flow; the race delivered almost no overtakes McLaren pit Lando Norris after the VSC ended, then a seven-second stop Lewis Hamilton's first DNF of the season: no brakes on lap six Max Verstappen cuts the corner, gives the place back, no further action Kimi Antonelli says it should have been Lando's win; Di thinks that's too much Lando in the cool-down room: feet on the table and the wrong drink FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says Fernando Alonso can't retire without a win Should Alonso and Lance Stroll give up their Aston Martin seats? Carlos Sainz retires at his home race after tangling with Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda A leaked 2027 calendar still lists all four Middle East races, unconfirmed Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ get 10% off with code AWAYWEGO Follow Away We Go Podcast: Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you're watching on YouTube. Next stop, Baku. #f1podcast #formula1 #F1madrid
Away We Go Podcast
Kimi Antonelli started 19th at the 2026 F1 Italian Grand Prix and was leading Monza by lap 18. He pitted, did it all again, and won: the first Italian to take the Italian Grand Prix since 1966. Behind him, Ferrari fell apart and Flavio Briatore accused McLaren of corruption in the team boss press conference. The open question is George Russell: second on the grid, second in the race, barely a word for his teammate afterwards. Has Mercedes already chosen its number one in this Formula 1 title fight? Plus Lewis Hamilton's barn-find F40, Charles Leclerc turning up in a Fiat 500, and a long-table pasta lunch on the Monza grid. In this episode Monza, the oldest purpose-built circuit on the calendar, built in 1922 in 110 days Antonelli's win from 19th: the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix in 60 years, and the first Italian Grand Prix winner anywhere since Fisichella in Malaysia 2006 Leclerc's lap-three crash, rated at 50G, in the same place he went off in 2020 Gasly's first pole, no tow, at the track where he won in 2020 after Red Bull dropped him The Monaco pit-lane speeding saga: Alpine's appeal upheld, then reversed by the International Court of Appeal on Saturday, Hadjar back to third Di on why drivers who appeal instead of serving penalties set a dangerous precedent Briatore accuses McLaren of a hand in the Court of Appeal ruling; Stella calls it offensive; Di and Ciara on the man who was once banned for life over Crashgate Colapinto confirmed at Alpine for 2027, on a one-year deal Ciara makes the case that Leclerc is his own worst enemy, and that he and Hamilton tried to win the race on lap one Full results: Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Gasly, Lindblad, Colapinto, Tsunoda Why Ferrari did not pit Hamilton under the VSC when his tyres were gone Hamilton's F40: one of 1,311 built, found in a shed with 69 kilometres on the clock, engine stamped with number 44 Piastri qualified third, locked up on the tow lap, Norris started ninth, and the abuse from some Norris fans that followed Norris pips Piastri for fourth on the last lap, and Ciara on whether McLaren should have pitted Oscar for a podium shot LN4 Fusion and the LN4 Legacy program, Norris funding a junior single-seater team and a driver pathway Barilla's long-table lunch on the Monza grid Antonelli's 25 overtakes, reported as a record, and his growing list of youngest-evers Is Mercedes now backing Kimi over George? The "stop the yo-yoing" radio call and the VSC pit decision Monza confirmed as a sprint weekend from 2027 The race weekend's economic impact: 400,000 fans expected and €208 million in the region, up from €192 million in 2025 The song the crowd sang to Kimi: Sarà perché ti amo by Ricchi e Poveri, from the film Poveri ma ricchi Follow Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ Follow Away We Go Podcast: Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast
Away We Go Podcast
If Kimi Antonelli starts down the order at Monza, Stewart Bell says he has the pace to fight through the field and even challenge for victory. Di can already hear it: every overtake met by the crowd just roaring. Hear the full conversation in EP85 of the Away We Go Podcast. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com #F1 #Formula1 #F1Podcast #AustralianF1Podcast #F1Fans #AwayWeGoPodcast #KimiAntonelli #Monza
Away We Go Podcast
Two race trips dominate this episode: Monza next week, and Sepang, hosting Malaysia's first Formula 1 race since 2017. Journalist and author Stewart Bell has worked both. At Monza he explains what the oldest track on the calendar feels like on foot: the historic banking too steep to walk up, and Ascari taken at speeds that look impossible from trackside. The practical layer is all here too. Stay in Milan near a metro, take the train from Milano Centrale in roughly 25 minutes, and leave the car alone. Then eat properly: risotto alla Milanese, cotoletta, and aperitivo with a Select Spritz instead of an Aperol. Sepang is a different trip. The circuit sits beside the airport but more than an hour from Kuala Lumpur, so Stewart shares how he plans a race weekend there, along with the guided street food day in Chinatown that produced the best laksa of his life, and what to do in KL beyond the track. On the racing, Kimi Antonelli takes his engine penalty at his home race, which Di rates as a smart call by Mercedes, and by Stewart's numbers Ferrari's upgrades are worth around 30 horsepower, though Mercedes start as favourites. Hanging over it all: Formula 1 has until mid-September to decide whether Qatar and Abu Dhabi can host the final rounds. Stewart says the fallback is Imola in December, with rumours of Malaysia again and even China opening next season. Di is gutted about not being in Monza. Happier news from Stewart: his book cracked Amazon's overall top 100 in its first week and regularly sits in the top 10 list for motorsport books. And the best news, his publisher Penguin are interested in book two. Next week: the Italian Grand Prix from Monza. In this episode: Stewart's promotional tour: radio spots, a nerve-wracking live cross on the Today Show, and the book hitting Amazon's overall top 100 in its first week Book two is confirmed with Penguin but the topic isn't, and Di invites listeners to drop suggestions in the comments What Monza feels like in person: the banking, the Tifosi, and Ascari at speeds that look impossible Di on Mercedes taking Kimi Antonelli's engine penalty at his home race, and Stewart on the chance it gives him to fight through the field Ferrari's engine upgrades, worth around 30 horsepower in total by Stewart's estimate, against Mercedes as outright favourites Getting to the circuit: trains from Milano Centrale in roughly 25 minutes, the Biassono Lesmo Parco station on the Lesmo side, and why driving isn't worth it What to eat in Milan: risotto alla Milanese, cotoletta alla Milanese, and aperitivo with a Select Spritz instead of an Aperol The waiter in Puglia who flatly refused to make a cappuccino after lunch Sepang hosts the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix, Malaysia's first F1 race since 2017: right beside the airport, over an hour from KL, with a direct train to the circuit Stewart's private street food tour through Chinatown, and the grey shrimp paste that transformed a bowl of asam laksa KL beyond the track: the Petronas Towers, hornbills at the Bird Park, the Batu Caves, and roti canai for under three dollars The mid-September deadline on Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the Imola fallback, and rumours of China opening next season Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. Stewart Bell is a journalist, broadcaster and author of Formula 1: The World's Most Brutal Sport, published by Penguin. Get the book: https://amzn.to/4nAWaNj Stewart on Instagram: https://instagram.com/StewartBellF1 Stewart's website: https://www.stewart-bell.com Watch Ep72 where Stewart Bell talks about his book and career https://youtu.be/OkBCRxl7P7g?si=IWIKnN6K1zQHaR_a Follow Away We Go Podcast: Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you're watching on YouTube.
Away We Go Podcast
McLaren put Oscar Piastri on hards, pitted him for another set of hards 13 laps later, then cost him a further second and a half with a 3.8 stop. He went from third to sixth. Di and Ciara Gillan spend most of this episode trying to work out why. Lando Norris won it, his second in a row, and left Zandvoort sounding like a man who thinks a second title is live. He is 83 points behind Kimi Antonelli with 11 races to go. Max Verstappen was out on the first racing lap. He caught a wet patch, hit the wall twice, and his car came apart, at his home race, in the last Dutch Grand Prix Zandvoort will hold. Di explains why the circuit walked away: no government backing, all three days had to sell out, and a long contract with Liberty Media was a risk the promoter would not take. Mercedes ordered Russell to hand second place to Antonelli. Russell's response on the radio, and his response in the pen afterwards, were two different things. The question the episode does not settle: with Mark Webber no longer welcome in the McLaren garage, who is arguing Piastri's case during a race? Russell arrived engaged and relaxed and won the sprint. Non-race weekend next, then Monza. In this episode • Why Zandvoort is off the calendar: no government underwriting, all three days had to sell out, and a long Liberty Media deal was too much risk. The circuit walked, not Formula 1. • Verstappen catches a wet patch on the first real lap, hits the wall twice, and is out at his home race in front of an orange grandstand. • Bortoleto spins 360 behind him and Hülkenberg misses T-boning him by inches through a wall of smoke. • Norris wins back to back and starts talking title on the team radio, 83 points down with 11 to go. • McLaren put Piastri on hards, then on hards again after 13 laps, then a 3.8 second stop. Ciara: "I feel like Piastri is driving a tractor." • Piastri's restart overtake on Russell, in a place nobody overtakes, which left the Sky Sports commentary team lost for words. • Ciara's argument for Piastri: at every other top team the two drivers are within reach of each other. Only at McLaren is there a gulf. • Hadjar out with a wrist injury from boxing training, Lawson promoted to Red Bull and finishing seventh, Tsunoda back on the grid in 11th. • Sainz slides into Albon on lap 66 and takes a penalty, weeks after both re-signed with Williams. The rumoured 30 million euro deal is still just a rumour. • Half the 2027 grid is unsigned: both Mercedes, both Racing Bulls, both Aston Martins, both Haas, both Audi, plus Hadjar and Colapinto. • Mercedes swap Russell and Antonelli for second. Russell to his engineer: "We've just lost a double podium here, mate." • Ferrari's radio war: Leclerc nearly into the back of Hamilton, and Hamilton asking whether he is a guinea pig out there. • Six retirements over 72 laps on the second shortest circuit after Monaco, and Di's tribute to the Dutch fans. • Ciara on what Piastri actually needs: to start demanding things, or someone in his corner doing it for him. Hosted by Dianne Bortoletto, Instagram @travelletto. With Ciara Gillan of Formula Live Pulse, Instagram @ciaragillan16. Formula Live Pulse: https://www.f1livepulse.com/en/ Follow Away We Go Podcast: Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you're watching on YouTube.
Away We Go Podcast
Silly season is meant to be silly. This one has been oddly missing all the silliness — until you look closer. Di and Ciara Gillan from Formula Live Pulse close out the summer break with the rumours that actually matter: Max Verstappen’s exit clause has been triggered, Carlos Sainz has reportedly been offered €30 million to stay at Williams, and Cadillac has already sacked its team boss six months into its debut season. Plus the question nobody wants to answer out loud — if Max walks, who replaces him? And would you wish that seat on Oscar Piastri? Away from the paddock politics there’s good news: George Russell and Carmen Montero Mundt are engaged (with a yellow diamond reportedly worth around a million dollars), and Charles and Alexandra Leclerc are expecting. We also get into the 2027 calendar chaos — Imola as a possible season finale, the ticket queue that caught everyone off guard, and whether Germany, Rwanda, Cape Town or Buenos Aires are realistic. Racing’s back next week. Dutch Grand Prix. See you there. Follow Dianne Bortoletto @Travelletto Ciara Gillan — her F1 video content at the moment is excellent: @ciaragillian16 Follow Away We Go Podcast: - Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast - Substack: https://substack.com/@awaywegopodcast - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast - Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Subscribe to Away We Go Podcast wherever you listen, and drop us a like or comment if you’re watching on YouTube. Next week: Dutch Grand Prix.
Away We Go Podcast
Dianne Bortoletto and Ciara Gillan recap the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, where Lando Norris took his first win of the season and McLaren's strategy left Oscar Piastri fuming before a gearbox failure ended his race. Recorded with Ciara reporting from Budapest on her final morning in the city, and Di in Melbourne. 70 laps, 4.38 kilometres a lap, 14 corners, all of them newly named after Formula 1 drivers, and 310,000 fans through the gates across the weekend. Piastri started third after Lewis Hamilton was penalised for impeding him in qualifying and Kimi Antonelli picked up a grid penalty of his own. By turn three, Piastri had the lead. He held it until McLaren pitted him into traffic, where a touch with a recovering Carlos Sainz cost him time, and then pitted Norris into clean air. Piastri's radio to his engineer, "I can't even talk to you right now," said plenty, though he had made peace with the strategy by the time he faced the media, repeating Andrea Stella's line that the stop was about beating Hamilton. He retired with a gearbox failure. Norris won ahead of Max Verstappen, who complained about the Red Bull all weekend and then drove the wheels off it, including a moment where tyres actually brushed with no damage done. Antonelli completed the podium and looked utterly wrecked afterwards, having come from seventh on the grid with a very late second stop just before the virtual safety car. Ferrari's afternoon: Charles Leclerc fourth, Hamilton fifth, and a pit call for Hamilton with around 15 laps to go that he said afterwards he regretted, because his tyres were fine. That stop then earned him a five-second penalty for exceeding the pit lane limit by 0.1 kilometres an hour. George Russell's anti-stall kicked in on the grid and dropped him to 22nd by the end of lap one. He recovered to seventh. Isack Hadjar sixth, Liam Lawson eighth, Nico Hulkenberg ninth for his first points of the season, Arvid Lindblad tenth, Gabriel Bortoleto eleventh. Both Cadillacs retired, Sergio Perez with his brakes on fire and Valtteri Bottas limping into the pits. Di had Ferrari one-two on both her Predict the Podium accounts. It did not go well. Credit where it is due: Norris is the reigning world champion, the McLaren had pace all weekend, and Hungary suits the team. Norris won there last year and Piastri the year before. Di and Ciara also address the abuse being directed at Hamilton in social media comments, and make clear there is no place for it on any of the show's accounts. Ciara's report from the track: the Hungaroring is only 30 minutes from Budapest, the organised shuttle was around 38 euro return and worth every cent, but getting out on day two took two and a half hours from seat to bus. Free water, plenty of toilets and a decent fan zone on one side of the ledger. Dust bowls, almost no shade, and a grandstand ticket check every single time you left your seat on the other. Bring food. A sandwich at the track cost 20 euro, about 32 Australian dollars. On Budapest itself: the Danube, the architecture, the thermal baths, the Time Out Market food hall, good Lebanese and Italian eating, and Di's story of the women-only bath house she braved in her 20s. It is no longer the cheap city either of them remembers. Also in this episode: the blue flag system and the GPS both failing during the race, what that chaos may have cost Piastri, and Malaysia confirmed at Sepang from 2 to 4 October, sitting between Azerbaijan and Singapore, which opens up a back-to-back for Southern Hemisphere fans. Away We Go is on a break for the four-week racing shutdown, with guest episodes to come before the Dutch Grand Prix. Follow Ciara at Formula Live Pulse: https://f1livepulse.com Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast
Away We Go Podcast
Dianne and Ciara Gillan recap the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, where Kimi Antonelli took pole by the biggest margin of the season, on his dad's birthday, and converted it into another win to extend his lead in the Drivers' Championship. Recorded late Sunday night in WA after a rare dry Spa race. Also on the table this week: - George Russell's heartbreaking lap-one DNF after clipping with Lewis Hamilton and the five-second penalty that neither Sky Sports nor we agreed with, - Russell close to tears in his post-crash interview, - Mercedes admitting all Merc-powered cars had start-line issues, - Max Verstappen stealing second on lap one thanks to a tow from Isack Hadjar and the FIA's confusing 30-place grid penalty, - Charles Leclerc briefly leading the race, the Piastri and Norris team orders drama with Lando's engineer telling him "no yo-yoing, I'll explain later," - Hamilton nearly running over his pit crew and the unsafe release investigation, - Norris's slow pit stop that cost him a podium shot, - Arvid Lindblad's career-best qualifying in P7, - Gabriele Bortoleto's equal career-best in P8, - Kimi's growing calmness in the car, and - the Leclerc and Piastri incident that somehow escaped a penalty while Hamilton's didn't. Plus a fun stat from Autosport: if you started in F1 at 20 and made every Q3 for 15 seasons before retiring at 35, you'd still be 50 short of Hamilton's Q3 record. And Lewis Hamilton going soft-launch public with Kim Kardashian and family on social media. Nicole Piastri's favourite hotel in the world? Right beside the Spa circuit. Budapest next weekend, then the summer break. Silly season is about to properly ramp up, and hopefully some clarity on the Middle East races before the next round. Follow Ciara at Formula Live Pulse: https://f1livepulse.com Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast
Away We Go Podcast
The mid-season break has barely started and the paddock is already on fire. Di is in Margaret River, Ciara is in Berlin, and this week they unpack every rumour worth talking about in the 2026 silly season. Is Max Verstappen really talking to McLaren? What would actually be in it for him, and what would Jos Verstappen do inside a team with two number one drivers? Then there's the other side of that swap: Oscar Piastri to Red Bull. Di and Ciara debate whether Laurent Mekies can build a championship-winning car around him, and whether McLaren would ever really back Oscar to win a title now Lando has one on the board. Also on the table this week: Christian Horner's next move and why Ferrari feels wrong on every level, the Flavio Briatore factor at Alpine, Gucci officially joining the grid and the fashion war brewing with Louis Vuitton, Yuki Tsunoda linked to Haas with money behind him, Fernando Alonso's future at Aston Martin, and whether Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are all at risk if the Middle East situation escalates. Plus a fun fact from the Second Seat Podcast about Oscar's cursed special helmets, and a big F1 Academy moment: 16-year-old Ciara Battig taking pole and P2 on debut as the wildcard at Silverstone, Abbi Pulling becoming the first woman to win a GB3 race, and Nina Gatterman testing an Alpine F1 car. Back next week after Spa. Follow Ciara at Formula Live Pulse: https://f1livepulse.com Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast
Away We Go Podcast