Show Notes
In the very first episode of our new F1 history podcast, The Race F1 Rewind, hosts Edd Straw and Mark Hughes look back at Sebastian Vettel’s six-year stint with Ferrari and a partnership that promised much, but delivered nothing like what was hoped for.
Driven by the romantic dream of replicating the golden era of his hero Michael Schumacher, the four-time world champion arrived at Maranello in late 2014 ready to lead the team to new glories, only to find that his footing was already being undermined by internal wrangling and political upheaval at the Scuderia.
Edd and Mark explain the timeline of events and extraordinary behind-the-scenes details that meant Vettel never stepped into the supportive environment he thought he was joining.
They outline how Vettel came to leave Red Bull, how Ferrari's incumbent star Fernando Alonso was blindsided by his team's secret talks with Vettel, how the rapid turnover of senior leadership continually impacted the German's standing, and how the sudden promotion of young phenom Charles Leclerc served as an internal test of Vettel's worth.
Edd and Mark also hit the fast forward button to explain how the hangover of this period is still felt today, with Leclerc having faced many of the same issues as his former team-mate.
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More from The Race F1 Rewind
In the latest episode of The Race F1 Rewind, Edd Straw and Mark Hughes dig into the truth about Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari exit in 2006, which brought the curtain down on a period of unprecedented dominance that included five drivers’ and six constructors’ world titles and 72 Schumacher victories. They explain the circumstances around the news breaking and explore the conspiracy theory that Schumacher was pushed out, before hitting the fast forward button and speculating on what might have happened if Schumacher had never left.
Peer into the Red Bull garage on an F1 race weekend and the chances are you’ll see Max Verstappen’s dad, Jos, somewhere in the background, keeping a close eye on his son. But how much do you know about the part Jos played in Max becoming the driver he is today?
When Fernando Alonso eventually decides to hang up his helmet, he'll rightly be remembered as one of the finest drivers as his generation - but also as someone who could and probably should have won even more, had he made some different career choices. And that description could just as easily be applied to a driver from an earlier era of F1: John Surtees.
On the latest episode of The Race F1 Rewind, Edd Straw and Mark Hughes examine the formative years of Ayrton Senna's F1 career, and a time when the Brazilian regularly ruffled the feathers of more established drivers with his scintillating speed and unusual single-mindedness. While his later championship-winning years with McLaren were where his megastardom was cemented, Edd and Mark explain how Senna's three seasons at Lotus (from 1985 to 1987) provided the crucial foundation for his legendary career and set the template for the 'young driver in a hurry' prototype since replicated by modern F1 greats.
Coming soon, a new sister show to The Race F1 Podcast focusing on F1 history: The Race F1 Rewind. In each episode, Edd Straw and Mark Hughes will hit the rewind button and dive into an exciting chapter in F1 history before hitting fast forward again and explaining the lasting impact of the story, topic or person today. Having attended over 800 grands prix between them, we can't think of two better hosts to guide listeners back in time and add colour to the moments that mattered and we look forward to bringing you early access to episode 1 in due course! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.