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HILL & HERBERT: Damon and Johnny on testing secrets and mad car launches

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HILL & HERBERT: Damon and Johnny on testing secrets and mad car launches

The Race F1 Podcast

Feb 07
The Race F1 Podcast

The Race F1 Podcast

Feb 07
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

With F1 pre-season in full swing, Damon and Johnny return with another episode of Stay On Track, and this time they’re discussing car launches and testing from a driver’s perspective. They share some weird and wacky stories from their own careers, includin...

Highlights

Damon and Johnny dive into the high-stakes world of Formula 1 car launches and pre-season testing—not from a marketing or engineering manual, but through the eyes of drivers who’ve lived it: from near-sackings at debuts to accidental space operas, from explosive all-night tests to fuel-starved race-day collapses.
02:59
The Sauber digital car launch was the worst and most awkward experience compared to big, showbiz-style reveals
07:32
A Formula 1 team collaborated with Cirque du Soleil for a car launch at the Royal Albert Hall
14:02
The car ran out of fuel after 1.5 laps in Melbourne
18:34
An engine explosion at Paul Ricard lit up the entire circuit during night testing
29:11
Putting Monza wings on the car made it 1.5 seconds faster, but the assumption about downforce was wrong
34:05
Goodyear developed tires only for top F1 teams in the early 90s, disadvantaging smaller teams in qualifying
38:56
The 50/50 split of combustion and battery presents major challenges in battery cooling, charging, and deployment
46:26
Cutting power through cylinders is smoother than throttle-cutting for traction control
48:50
Drivers must forget past skills and adapt to battery depletion as a new racing discipline

Chapters

What happens when a car launch almost gets you fired?
00:00
How did F1 launches go from garage reels to Hollywood blockbusters?
05:24
Why did a Jaguar-green Melbourne night end with zero laps?
11:50
When did testing stop being about sparks—and start being about spreadsheets?
16:19
Did Nigel Mansell really skip testing on purpose?
24:32
Why do lap times in Bahrain tell you almost nothing about Melbourne?
31:33
How did a 1988 wing mod shave 1.5 seconds—and what’s the new 'toolbox' for 2026?
36:43
What does traction control *really* do—and could it help smaller teams catch up?
41:01
Can nine days of testing prepare drivers for battery-depletion racing?
48:50

Transcript

Damon Hill: Hey, it's Adam Grant from Ted's podcast, WorkLife, and this episode is brought to you by ServiceNow. AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into. That's why it's no surprise that more than 85% of the Fortune 500 companies use the Ser...