The First Corner Formula 1 Podcast

We kick off part 2 with the beginning of the Benson and Hedges era, discussing Jordan's early troubles in 1998 to become eventual grand prix winners. Ian gives his take on dealings with Mike Gascoyne, Damon Hill, Heinz Harld Frentzen, Giancarlo Fisichella and Takuma Sato. 

Jordan's halycon wins in 1998 and '99 are discussed, along with how Ferrari ensured that Eddie Irvine didn't leave with the number 1 at the end of 1999.

Jordan transitioned into a works supplied outfit sharing the Honda engine with BAR, not without tension between the two teams, BAT eventually paid Honda to make Jordan go away, and left with a leech seeding deal with Cosworth engines in 2003. Giancarlo Fisichella's win in Brazil 2003 is discussed, Ian had a close relationship with Giancarlo up until Spa 2009 in the Force India team.

The car manufacturer influx of the early 2000's sent the team budgets soaring, but without sponsorship deals to match them, it lead to Jordan's eventual decline towards the back of the grid.

Ian also discusses F1 today, and how manufacturer teams can circumnavigate the budget cap.

From messenger boy at Autosport to Eddie Jordan's right hand man for 15 years. Ian Philips was officially Jordan Grand Prix's commercial and marketing director, you only have to speak to him to know he was more of a team manager and had all the inside information for the top guns from his sources. In this episode, we talk about Ian's first steps into journalism in the seventies and delivering Autosport Magazine every Friday, eventually transferring those skills into commercial and F1 team management with Leyton House, giving Adrian Newey a chance in F1 in the process. Ending up at Jordan at the start of 1991, Ian was involved first hand at the legal battle between Benneton and Jordan over Michael Schumacher's services, and was part of the Jordan Grand Prix's deals with Sasol and Brian Hart in the early 90's. At one point, Ayrton Senna was interested in becoming a part team owner of Jordan Grand Prix. 

Kyle Forster is a Ph.D in aerodynamics, and specializes in racecars with his consultancy JKF Aero. The chat begins with Kyle's background growing up in Australia, developing his interest in motorsport and his buggy project, eventually specializing in aerodynamics at university. The cause of the porpoising issue the F1 teams have suffered from in the preseason tests, and other aerodynamic F1 questions are put to Kyle for his take. Kyle's time working at Mercedes is also discussed, along with getting an insight into the traits observed in the 2022 cars at the pre-season tests.

After her assessment in Bedford, Laura Hannon has made it to the last 50 of the Formula Woman competition culminating in the finals on 2nd and 3rd of March 2022. The ultimate prize is a full time seat in a McLaren GT4 in the British GT Championship. Sim racing with Digital Motorsports and track days at Mondello Park are the bread and butter of preparation for the competition. How do the sims compare to real life? Why is Mondello Park an important circuit for drivers starting out?

The top 2, a deep dive into the highs and lows of each driver, against the back drop of the championship situation.

A short recollection of the technical challenges the teams faced at the beginning of the 1999 season, along with audio clippings of the protagonists of the time and the dramatic season opening Australian Grand Prix. Recognize all of the voices?

Kevin and Ben are back! Chewing the fat of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, the lads unpack what we have learned about Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen this season, presenting the factors at play into the multi varied equation that predicts the championship winner, and why 2021 will be fondly remembered as the best championship fight since Senna versus Prost.

Children's picture book author Laura Hannon joins the podcast to discuss her first book "Daisy's First Race Car". Laura's background is in engineering and looks to inspire future female talent in STEM and motorsport with Formula Female. We also discuss her recent track experiences at Mondello Park in preparation the Formula Woman competition in the UK, where the prize is a seat in a McLaren in the GT4 championship. In the latter half of the podcast, we discuss the recent events in F1, and a look back to Laura's earliest F1 memories that ignited the flame.

Kevin and Ben discuss Daniel Ricciardo's issues with the 2021 McLaren, with a check in with the rest of the midfield and how they stack up with the early season predictions

Kevin and Ben evaluate the upcoming circuits in the context of Red Bull vs Mercedes. If Mercedes can't win on performance, they are going to have to get creative, could an early promotion of a wildcard like George Russell be the answer?

Kevin and Ben discuss historical events from 2007-2013 that slowly split the seemingly unbreakable marriage of Mclaren and Mercedes, the loss of it's star driver and Mclaren's "front" in the aftermath for several years eventually reared it's head in 2018, leading Zak Brown to make the necessary changes to make McLaren a fighting force again.

In a follow up episode to the Greatest Drivers of the Modern Era series, Kevin and Ben discuss Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill  and Jacques Villeneuve. What were Williams Renault looking for in a potential world champion driver? 2009 champion Jenson Button is also analyzed, was his time as Hamilton's McLaren teammate underrated?

Kevin and Ben examine Lewis Hamilton's competitive demeanor using the title fights with Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg as data points. Ahead of the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, how is Max Verstappen's demeanor shaping up for the biggest season of his Formula One career? Minor use of strong language.

In this first long form episode, Kevin and Ben digest the changing of the guard in Formula 1 from Senna to Schumacher in 1993 to 1994, The rise and fall of Fernando Alonso's short lived time as king of the hill in 2007. In an alternate reality, just how many championships could Fernando Alonso have won?

Kevin and Ben examine the potential impact the newly introduced sprint qualifying format will have on the typical Grand Prix weekend.

Kevin and Ben discuss the performances of Lando Norris, Sergio Perez and the Aston F1 drivers in the aftermath of the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. 

Kevin Joyce and Ben O'Driscoll discuss the psychological battle between Hamilton and Verstappen after an eventful round 2, plus all the reaction from the Bottas and Russell accident and what it means for the second Mercedes seat going forward.

Should data and telemetry be banned? A look ahead to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Formula Ones 2025 future with efuels, and does Charles Leclerc cut it with the megastars of F1?

An analysis of the rivalry leads to a wider discussion about the Senna film, and how narratives "sell the story" in modern day Formula 1.