Podcast: Will McLaren's secret weakness end its winning run?

F1 Show
August 27, 2026

Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes
What's the overlooked factor behind McLaren's Zandvoort dominance? And can it survive the trip to Monza?

August 27, 2026

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.

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