The Race
patreon
🔧 Tech Show: Gary unpicks Ben Sulayem's F1 vision + The tech impact of Horner's Red Bull exit (ad-free)
🕑 Added 2025-07-17 15:16:35 +0000 UTCOn the latest episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, former F1 technical director Gary Anderson explains what impact Christian Horner’s sudden removal as team principal could have on Red Bull technically, both in the short and the long-run given the team’s longstanding balance issues.
Host Edd Straw then quizzes Gary on what he thinks of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s vision for F1’s future, built around a lighter, V8-powered car with standard gearboxes designed to lower costs and increase the spectacle. Is it a good direction, and does it leave enough room for technical innovation?
Gary then answers your questions on several topics including how much lighter F1 cars could be while maintaining safety standards, the management of qualifying laps, intermediate to slick crossover points and how a team can go from midfield mediocrity to the front in F1 as McLaren has in recent years.
Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com or leave it in the comments
Comments
Xepha
I think na high cyl count engines simply will make the sport more attractive even by Gary’s own analysis of “does the audience experience it”. I think they should reopen the formula though: ban turbos, or make a really significant displacement limit on engines that use them, and tell everyone “you’ve got 3 liters; don’t exceed the cost cap!”
Jose' Cardoso
I have to disagree about the engine noise with Gary. I've been to quite a few races over the years, WEC, F1, & Nascar. You want the crowd to go nuts? The engine noises do that. Look at WEC right now with the Aston V12 HY, that's all anyone talks about and wants. The videos that WEC youtube puts out most of the comments are about how amazing the Aston sounds. Remember Le Mans Garage 56 Nascar? The engine noise was the talk of the race among fans and how it dominated over the cars. Go see a Nascar race and ask fans one of the top things they love, it'll be the noise. Hearing a screaming V8/10/12 fly by at full tilt is something fans want. We want to feel it in our chests, we want our ears to hurt the next day because we didn't wear protection. 90% of us never go to more than a handful of races in our life times, if ever. When I come back from a race one of the first things my friends will ask me was how did it sound? Engine noise puts butts in seats and makes kids go crazy with happiness. It can't just be an American thing either. I'm positive its World Wide. Its like when you hear a Lambo do a tunnel blast. It gets your blood flowing and puts a big smile on your face. Having been to F1 races in the early 00's and present. 00's wins every time in terms of noise. Today's hybrid v6 has no feeling or heart in it. It just sounds dull to me. I'm not even excited when present F1 go by like I am when I see Nascar or I was in the early 00's. The thunder and screams is something we want back and a lot of us think racing needs.As much as I hate MBS, he's right about V8/10/12 needing to come back in 29/30.
