Away We Go Podcast

Ep72: The brutal truth about Formula 1, with Stewart Bell

45 min · 18. maj 2026
episode Ep72: The brutal truth about Formula 1, with Stewart Bell cover

Description

Stewart Bell has been covering Formula 1 from the inside for more than 20 years. He's had a front-row seat for some of the sport's biggest moments, from being the only media in the garage for Daniel Ricciardo's first Albert Park run, to interviewing Ayrton Senna's press officer about the day he died at Imola. Now he's turned two decades of paddock access into a book, published by Penguin. In this episode, Stewart joins Dianne Bortoletto to talk about his career, the drivers he's worked with, and what Formula 1 looks like from the inside when the cameras aren't rolling. They cover: * How Stewart pitched his way into F1 journalism with no contacts and no racing background * Working with Daniel Ricciardo through his Red Bull years, the McLaren nightmare, and his return * Interviewing Kimi Raikkonen, and the GQ India story that sums up why Kimi is every journalist's nightmare * The chilling behind-the-scenes account of the day Senna died, told by his press officer * The 2025 regulations, battery management in qualifying, and what needs to change * Lance Stroll, Leighton Hewitt, and the tennis hit that revealed a different side of a misunderstood driver * Lewis Hamilton's chances of an eighth title at Ferrari * Stewart's new book, Formula 1: The World's Most Brutal Sport, published by Penguin Get the book here: https://amzn.to/4nAWaNj [https://amzn.to/4nAWaNj] Stewart on Instagram: http://instagram.com/StewartBellF1 [http://instagram.com/StewartBellF1] Stewart's website: http://www.stewart-bell.com [http://www.stewart-bell.com] Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com [https://awaywegopodcast.com] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 [https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast] Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com [https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast [https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast] Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast [https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast]

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80 episodes

episode Ep79: Ferrari's 250th, a safety car finish and the British GP that should have been artwork

Ep79: Ferrari's 250th, a safety car finish and the British GP that should have been

Show notes: The British Grand Prix delivered wheel-to-wheel battles, a championship leader fighting a broken car, and a finish that left almost every fan deflated. Charles Leclerc took Ferrari's 250th Formula 1 win at Silverstone, but it came under a safety car after Max Verstappen's late DNF, which is exactly as unsatisfying as it sounds. Dianne Bortoletto and Ciara Gillan, motorsport journalist at Formula Live Pulse (f1livepulse.com), break down everything: Kimi Antonelli's fighting spirit on a mechanically compromised car, George Russell's fortunate second place, Ferrari's decision to keep Lewis Hamilton's five-second penalty quiet until the pit stop window, and the track limits debate that nobody can fully agree on. There's also a fun fact about who actually controls the lights at the start of every Formula 1 race. This week: the safety car controversy, the track limits debate, Oscar Piastri's nightmare race, the sprint results and Predict the Podium leaderboard update. Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast Next race: the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.

Yesterday40 min
episode Ep78: Ferrari disappoints in Austria artwork

Ep78: Ferrari disappoints in Austria

Ferrari arrived in Austria with a big upgrade package and left with Lewis Hamilton fifth and Charles Leclerc eighth. George Russell inherited pole position beating a split-second yellow flag, then he led every lap, and won. Dianne Bortoletto and Ciara Gillan break down the race, the qualifying controversy, Kimi Antonelli's chaotic opening laps, and why the Red Bull Ring broadcast left viewers feeling seasick. Also this week: the FIA removes presidential term limits, Rachel Brookes departs Sky Sports, Cadillac's double DNF inside five laps, and Carlos Sainz's proposal that would change Formula 1 entirely. Ciara Gillan is co-founder of Formula Live Pulse: https://f1livepulse.com Predict the Podium: https://awaywegopodcast.com/play-along/ Subscribe to the Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast

29. juni 202639 min
episode Ep77: Classic Monaco F1 just €150, with Colin Johnston artwork

Ep77: Classic Monaco F1 just €150, with Colin Johnston

Most Formula 1 fans file Monaco under one day, one budget you don't have: yacht money, championship-week crowds, a Sunday grandstand seat that costs more than the flights. Motorsport historian Colin Johnston has spent years doing it the other way. This week Colin joins Dianne Bortoletto to show how to experience Monaco, Goodwood and the great old European circuits as an independent traveller, without the championship-weekend price tag. He makes the case for the Monaco Grand Prix Historique: the same iconic circuit, the cars you grew up watching, a fully open paddock, and three days of racing from 150 euros. He breaks down where to sit at Sainte Dévote, why Menton beats Nice as a base, and the 7 euro 80 train ride that drops you right at the track. There's Monza in 2024 from inside the paddock the day Charles Leclerc won, the Tifosi compared to Irish rally fans, and why Goodwood Members' Meeting is the most carefully curated weekend in motorsport. Colin writes Formula 1 history for Mercedes, so the conversation also turns to myth-busting the 1950s, the Mille Miglia and Stirling Moss, and whether something real is lost from the sport now that the danger has gone. Plus the final three: the race Colin would travel to, the race destination he would pick for a holiday, and the driver, dead or alive, he would take on holiday. Colin Johnston Website: https://racingdaydreams.com [https://racingdaydreams.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinjohnstonuk/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinjohnstonuk/] X: https://x.com/CJGrandPrix [https://x.com/CJGrandPrix] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjgrandprix/ [https://www.instagram.com/cjgrandprix/] Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com [https://awaywegopodcast.com] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 [https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast] Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com [https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast [https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast] Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast [https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast]

22. juni 202649 min
episode Ep76: Hamilton's first win wearing red - Ferrari win in Barcelona artwork

Ep76: Hamilton's first win wearing red - Ferrari win in Barcelona

Dianne is wearing every piece of Ferrari merch she owns, because Ferrari are finally back. After a 595-day drought, Lewis Hamilton took his first race win in red at the Barcelona Catalunya Grand Prix. It came almost to the day, 30 years after Michael Schumacher won his own first race for Ferrari at the very same track, and Hamilton now has seven wins in Barcelona, one more than Schumacher ever managed. If that does not give you goosebumps, Di is not sure what will. Di and Ciara Gillan from Formula Live Pulse break down how it actually happened, because for the first half it did not look like a Hamilton win at all. A slow start gave way to a bold three-stop strategy, and once Lewis came out on fresh tyres he was on rails, increasing his lead every lap and finishing nearly 20 seconds clear. He even said afterwards that the virtual safety car robbed him of a proper battle, which tells you everything about the confidence in that garage right now. They get into the Lewis effect at Ferrari, from the brake change to the way Charles Leclerc says having Hamilton in the team has shifted how the whole operation works. There is plenty to unpack elsewhere too, with Kimi Antonelli still leading the championship despite a heartbreaking DNF, another retirement for Leclerc, and a George Russell second place that Di reckons owed more to luck than pace. This was a brutal race for reliability with eight DNFs, and the conversation turns to the FIA's decision to reverse Pierre Gasly's Monaco penalty while leaving everyone else's in place. Di and Ciara do not hold back on the precedent that sets. There is also the Fernando Alonso retirement chatter, the Flavio Briatore rumours, and a reminder to go and read up on Crashgate if you do not already know it. Next week is a non-race week with a very special guest interview, and then the season rolls on to Austria. Play along with Predict the Podium at awaywegopodcast.com/play-along and see if you can beat Di on her own leaderboard. LISTEN AND FOLLOW AWAY WE GO PODCAST Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com [https://awaywegopodcast.com] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 [https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast] Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com [https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast [https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast] Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast [https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast]

15. juni 202640 min
episode Ep75: Kimi Antonelli's Monaco masterclass and a race of chaos artwork

Ep75: Kimi Antonelli's Monaco masterclass and a race of chaos

Monaco is the race everyone loves to call boring, and this year it was anything but. Nineteen-year-old Kimi Antonelli took pole, led every lap, and won, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the Monaco Grand Prix and stretching his championship lead to 66 points after just six rounds. It is the kind of statistic that stops you in your tracks. Behind him, the race fell apart. Max Verstappen stalled on the grid and was out before the first corner, the first of seven retirements from a field of 22. The stewards handed out penalties like a casino dealer on a hot streak, with pit lane speeding catching driver after driver, and a late red flag set up a standing restart that Antonelli handled without flinching. Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari and equalled Ayrton Senna's record of eight Monaco podiums, a moment that clearly meant something to him. Isack Hadjar held off George Russell for a hard-fought third while wrestling a car he was fighting the entire race, and to Di's surprise and delight, Fernando Alonso banked Aston Martin's first point of the season in tenth. Away from the track, Ciara and Di got into Kim Kardashian's Formula 1 debut and that very awkward grid walk moment, the tired idea that the sport is only now discovering glamour when it has always been there. Controversy is never far in F1 and Mohammed Ben Sulayem's push to scrap FIA term limits is right up there. Di applauds Charles Leclerc committing his future to Ferrari while Ciara questions it. And Las Vegas extends its deal to 2037, the only race Formula 1 actually owns. Ciara Gillan joins from Formula Live Pulse. Follow the next race with live telemetry on the Formula Live Pulse app: https://f1livepulse.com [https://f1livepulse.com] Website: https://awaywegopodcast.com [https://awaywegopodcast.com] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/away-we-go-podcast/id1783230663] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6 [https://open.spotify.com/show/4zhYpuRy3mL6y44ZERI0X6] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast] Substack: https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com [https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast [https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast] Threads: https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast [https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast] You’ll find more photos and videos on the Away [https://www.andawaywegof1podcast.com/2423050]  [https://www.andawaywegof1podcast.com/2423050]We [https://www.andawaywegof1podcast.com/2423050]  [https://www.andawaywegof1podcast.com/2423050]Go [https://awaywegopodcast.com]  [https://www.andawaywegof1podcast.com/2423050]Podcast [https://www.awaywegopodcast.com/2423050] social media channels: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AwayWeGoPodcast] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/awaywegopodcast] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/awaywegopodcast/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/away-we-go-podcast] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@awaywego.podcast] | Threads [https://www.threads.com/@awaywegopodcast] | and also on Substack [https://awaywegopodcast.substack.com ] Or drop us a line at hello@awaywegopodcast.com [hello@awaywegopodcast.com] Your support means the world to us - please rate and review our show on your favourite podcast listening app, we might even read out your review next episode FORMULA LIVE PULSE App: Formula Live Pulse is the ultimate second-screen experience for F1 fans. Try it for free for 7 days - no credit card needed f1livepulse.com App Store: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/formula-live-pulse/id6739639442 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.f1livepulse&pcampaignid=web_share. #Formula1 #F1 #F1podcast #Formula1podcast #FormulaOne #bestf1podcast #australianF1podcast #femalef1podcast #femaleF1podcasthosts #f1travel #travelwriter #f1creator #f1writer

8. juni 202642 min