Autosport F1 & Motorsport Motorsport Network

With James Vowles's appointment at the start of 2023, Williams has been placed in a rebuilding phase, to return to the front end of the field.
However, with ageing facilities and antiquated equipment, the team's investments have been focused on bringing them up to a modern standard while also securing the team's future with Alex Albon's contract extension. With this renewed sense of direction under James Vowles, the question remains: Is Williams' revival working?
Kevin Turner is joined on the Autosport podcast by Jake Boxall-Legge, who recently sat down with James Vowles to discuss the current issues that Williams is facing.
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It’s almost time for one of the biggest single races in Motorsport, the 2024 Indy 500, with over 300,000 expected to flock to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday for “The greatest spectacle in racing”. 
Joining Steph Wentworth on the Autosport Podcast are Motorsport.com’s Global Editor-In-Chief Charles Bradley, and IndyCar Editor Joey Barnes to cover a wide-range of topics, such as asking if Penske are set to dominate the race after their first front row lockout of the race since 1988, with Scott McLaughlin making history with the fastest pole position run ever seen at the speedway (234.220mph), with Will Power and Josef Newgarden sharing that front row. 
There’s also discussion on McLaren as the potential top contenders to challenge Penske, whether Helio Castroneves can become the 500's first five-time winner, the drama of bump day as Dale Coyne Racing’s Nolan Siegel was bumped from the field in qualifying, and a full interview with Marcus Ericsson to discuss his own dramatic week with a crash and “Bump Day” appearance and ponder what the 2022 winner and 2023 runner-up can do from 32nd on the grid. 
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It’s almost time for the first double-header of the 2024 F1 Season as the sport’s travelling circus makes the short trip over from Imola to the most famous street track of them all, the Monaco Grand Prix for Round 8 of the 2024 World Championship. 
Filip Cleeren joins Bryn Lucas on the Autosport Podcast to discuss some of the fallout from Imola’s race weekend, as well as previewing what’s to come at Monaco in a few days' time, and how it could be a three-way fight between Red Bull, Ferrari and a new one-off, green and yellow McLaren. 
Alex Albon also made the news during the weekend for signing a new long-term contract at Williams which could keep the Thai driver in Grove until the end of 2027. Is his signing proof of “The Vowles effect”, or a lack of top team interest? 
There’s also chat about the state of the F1 Calendar, as Thailand’s Prime Minster Srettha Thavisin was in attendance to push for a Grand Prix for 2027 or 2028. Could it mean more European rounds are sacrificed as the sport admits it's making a push for more racing in Asia? 
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The Formula 1 Imola Grand Prix peaked with a dramatic finish as Max Verstappen just about held on to win ahead of Lando Norris, who closed down a six-and-a-half second deficit in the final third of the race that led to Verstappen saying: "I had to work for it!"
Is it a sign that McLaren's upgrades have made it a legitimate contender for the world championship, or another blip from Red Bull that opened the door?
Joining Bryn Lucas on the Autosport podcast is Alex Kalinauckas and Filip Cleeren as they debate the quality of the race itself and the frustration over the lack of early action, not helped by a shorter DRS zone compared to two years ago, and the lack of other overtaking opportunities.
There's also a deep dive into Sergio Perez's horrible weekend as a Q2 exit in qualifying was combined with going off-road early on and a shocking lack of pace across the race. Also, should Ferrari be disappointed on home soil for finishing third with Charles Leclerc?
There's also an update to the silly season, as the trio discuss the latest on Perez's seat, as well as Valtteri Bottas' trip to Williams for "coffee", and whether Kevin Magnussen's seat is secure at Haas.
Be sure to listen all the way to the end as well for a sneak preview of Episode 2 of the James Allen on F1 Podcast, as the man himself sits down with the most powerful woman in F1, Liberty Media and Las Vegas CEO, Renee Wilm.
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It was a surprise win for the Porsche customers Jota Sport as they took victory in the World Endurance Championship's Six Hours of Spa... depending on your definition of the term "Six Hours"! With Earl Bamber having a huge wreck on the Kemmel Straight with just under two hours to go, a lengthy red flag was needed to fix the armcoe barrier, and with it, the stewards took the discretion to reset the clock back to the time of the Red Flag. But was this ultimately the "right" move?
Joining Kevin Turner on the Autosport Podcast is Gary Watkins and James Newbold as they break down why the clock was reset, why Ferrari lodged a formal protest against the result, as well as where all their cars sit performance wise with Le Mans just around the corner. There's also discussion on Alpine as they bridge the gap to the sport's "Big Three" of Porsche, Toyota and Ferrari, and the LMGT3 class, where Manthey took the class victory after the Iron Lynx Lamborghini's had to stop for fuel in the closing stages.
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Formula 1 is back on European soil this weekend as the travelling circus heads to Italy, and a return to Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Round 7 of the World Championship, and a welcome comeback after the horrible flooding of 2023 that led to the race’s cancellation.  
Joining Bryn Lucas on the Podcast is Alex Kalinauckas, and together they discuss the big speculation around Williams and the future of American driver Logan Saregant. Miami had rumblings that Williams were pursuing an exemption from the FIA to potentially have Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the car despite jot turning 18 until August, against the factory team's wishes. Is the writing on the wall for Saregant? And with Max Verstappen disagreeing with the superlicense system entirely, saying it was brought in because of him, has it outlived its usefulness?
The pair also discuss the changes made at Ferrari, with Loic Serra and Jerome D'Ambrosio confirmed to be joining the Maranello factory in October, with the latter taking up a new role as deputy team principal. What sort of role will they play in red, and should there be concern for Charles given his well documented frosty relationship with previous engineer Xavi Marcos?
There's also a full preview of Imola this weekend, including the upgrade packages due for McLaren and Ferrari this weekend, whether Pirelli bringing softer rubber will make for more strategic options, and pondering if they'll be any chance of more passing given the complaints about the lack of it in Miami from McLaren's Andrea Stella and Aston Martin's Mike Krack.
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