Fuel and lubricants are often taken for granted by F1 fans, but it’s a crucial battleground that has a big impact not only on performance, but also reliability.

We hear from Exxonmobil’s Fiona McKewan, whose role as Red Bull technical advisor means she attends races and closely monitors and analyses the various fluids that are essential to the operation of the car and power unit.

She explains the rigorous processes that ensure not only are the products working as intended, but also how the trackside lab can be used to warn of and prevent imminent reliability problems.

Gary Anderson explains why the competitive order will change after F1’s August break despite the focus being on 2026.

And we also tackle listener questions on AI, tyre pollution, attitudes to reliability and containing outwash.

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Edd Straw interviews Nick Wirth, founder of Wirth Research, about how his company is using CFD technology sharpened over his decades in motorsport to tackle wider-world problems.

Wirth, boss of the Simtek team that raced in F1 in 1994-95, who also had stints with Benetton and Virgin, has long been an evangelist for the power of CFD.

He offers some characteristically strong opinions on why it should have replaced the use of windtunnels in F1, as well as explaining the ever-growing potential of the technology.

We also get Gary Anderson’s insight on windtunnel research versus CFD aero testing, as well as answering your questions on calculations, the cost of manufacturing parts, the plank and Ferrari’s troubles.

Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com

Want bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Get 90% off your first month's membership to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier!

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On this week's episode of The Race F1 Tech Show, Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson reflect on the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix, and whether anything can be done to solve F1's current problems with cars running in severe wet weather.

After that, Edd and Gary discuss whether Ferrari has really turned a corner with its suspension upgrade, and whether Gary would have appreciated the feedback documents Lewis Hamilton has been creating and sending to colleagues at Ferrari.

And finally, Gary tackles another batch of questions sent in by listeners, covering topics including dampers, materials science, driver weight, tyre changes and the point of TPC running.

Got a question for Gary? Send it to podcasts@the-race.com

Want exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier!

Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.