Verstappen’s F1 future and Komatsu’s climbing

In this month’s episode, we ask whether Max Verstappen will be ‘four and done’ with Red Bull – and, indeed whether Red Bull will be able to win another world championship in the foreseeable future as their driver academy might not be holding up as well as it once did, despite two and a half decades of success… Are we in the strange situation where Red Bull literally “can’t afford” to let Sergio Perez go?

Elsewhere the trio chat about their latest feature on Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu and his favourite climbing wall. Consider this a boulder dash rather than balderdash, as they discuss his engineering background and rising through the ranks within the sport, being Romain Grosjean’s race engineer and the awkward timing of his favourite cappuccino… (PS: You can also see a video of the interview on Autosport’s YouTube channel!)

And finally, marketing comes to the forefront with a deep dive into F1’s latest idea, a live show to celebrate their 75th anniversary with all ten team’s liveries being revealed at the O2 Arena in February, as well as Monaco being extended on the sporting calendar until 2031. Is the live show an insult to long-standing fans or a brilliant commercial idea? And is Monaco still as important as it used to be?