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High Performance Racing

What Has F1 Lost From Its Past? | 2026 Regs, Mercedes Dominance & Hamilton's Comeback

4/22/20261 hr 5 min

In our very first episode, Jake Humphrey is joined by F1 insiders Otmar Szafnauer and Rob Smedley for an unfiltered first look at the 2026 season so far: the boldest regulation reset in modern Formula 1 history.

The trio cut through the early-season noise to assess which teams have genuinely cracked the new formula and which are already playing catch-up. From Mercedes' resurgence, to Aston Martin's alarming early struggles and Hamilton's long-awaited shot at redemption with Ferrari, Jake, Otmar and Rob break down what's real, what's hype, and what the data is actually telling us.

...

Clips

Are Mercedes sandbagging tokens?
Bring back the V8s
Drivers can’t go flat-out
Mercedes needed a humbling
How new teams catch up
Old F1 humbled young talents
Cap driver salaries inside budget
Antonelli delivers under pressure
Gap is biggest in decades
Checo’s night to remember

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Jake Humphrey· Host0:00

    High Performance Racing. [laughs] We've got Otmar Szafnauer and Rob Smedley joining us for our show. In all honesty, a man who's been at the forefront of what it's like to be a race engineer, a man who has led multiple Formula 1 teams. Could we be at the start of another Mercedes dominance?

  2. Rob Smedley· Host0:16

    I think yes.

  3. Otmar Szafnauer· Host0:17

    Yes.

  4. Rob Smedley· Host0:17

    I think a period of getting your ass kicked does you the world of good. He's suddenly in one of the biggest teams, in the biggest pressure cooker environment.

  5. Otmar Szafnauer· Host0:24

    You wanna see drivers drive at the limit. It's not what it used to be.

  6. Rob Smedley· Host0:28

    So the hybrid era and we went to the big tires and all the downforce. Fighter pilots train at 3, 3 and a half, and some of them will black out at 4. These boys are pulling 7G on the left-hander laterally.

  7. Jake Humphrey· Host0:41

    Is it time to go back to V8s? Is it time to go back to naturally aspirated? Is it time to go back to the biggest, loudest, fastest engines that Formula 1 can find? Welcome to High Performance Racing. Alongside me, Rob Smedley and Otmar Szafnauer. Guys, I'm excited for this. I think we- Us too. I wanna know why you're here, for a start, because I imagine the world has been asking you to do podcasts for years. Why have you finally decided that now is the moment?

  8. Otmar Szafnauer· Host1:05

    You know the answer.

  9. Jake Humphrey· Host1:06

    Money.

  10. Otmar Szafnauer· Host1:07

    Jake.

  11. Rob Smedley· Host1:08

    [laughs] Yeah, and cash.

  12. Otmar Szafnauer· Host1:09

    And cash.

  13. Rob Smedley· Host1:10

    [laughs] It's a public service.

  14. Jake Humphrey· Host1:12

    Is that right?

  15. Rob Smedley· Host1:14

    Yeah.

  16. Otmar Szafnauer· Host1:14

    We're, we're a public service.

  17. Rob Smedley· Host1:15

    With a bit of knowledge. With a bit of knowledge.

  18. Otmar Szafnauer· Host1:17

    Well, maybe not a bit of knowledge, with a bit of history, for sure.

  19. Rob Smedley· Host1:20

    Yeah.

  20. Jake Humphrey· Host1:21

    Yeah.

  21. Otmar Szafnauer· Host1:21

    For sure.

  22. Jake Humphrey· Host1:21

    But also, I know you two are, like, super connected s- still to the Formula 1 paddock, so I think knowledge is also the answer. I think the breaking news stories

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