On the final episode of season 3, Richard and Matt wax lyrical about a driver whose name might be unfamiliar to many motor racing fans, but who could be regarded as the sport's first bonafide superstar: Tazio Nuvolari. Matt and Richard explain how, in the pre-war era of Grand Prix racing, Nuvolari became the embodiment of everything a racing driver was supposed to be: A virtuoso and a daredevil, who stirred the emotions in a way that crossed national boundaries. There are stories of his great ri...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 10
On this week's episode of And Colossally That's History! Richard Williams and Matt Bishop look back on the career of Mika Hakkinen, and in particular how he was able to overcome - thanks to a considerable slice of good luck - the devastating crash in 1995 that so nearly took his life to become a double Formula 1 world champion. Along the way, Matt and Richard explain what made Hakkinen - widely regarded as one of the quickest drivers of his generation, and a man who often went toe-to-toe with an...
May 30, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 9
On the latest episode of And Colossally That's History! Richard and Matt are reappraising the legacy of one of F1's most enduring cars: The Lotus 72. Named by no less than Adrian Newey as the car he wishes he'd designed, the 72 was a revolutionary machine in Formula 1 terms, setting the template, as it did, for all F1 cars that would follow. It was also one of the longest-serving and most successful cars in F1 history, spending six years in the top flight (from 1970 to 1975) , and being raced to...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 8
On this week’s episode of And Colossally That’s History! Matt and Richard wind the clock back to 1950, as they reappraise the very first race of the F1 world championship era, which took place at Silverstone on May 13. Along the way, they look at the origins of the term ‘Formula 1’, dig into the debate over where the first race run to Formula 1 regulations actually took place, and explain why Alfa Romeo emerged as the dominant force in the post-war years, leading up to Silverstone. They also dis...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 7
On this week’s episode, Matt and Richard look back on the life and career of Eddie Jordan, who very sadly died of cancer, on March 20th this year, at the age of 76. For the generation who grew up on F1 in the 1990s and 2000s, Eddie was the most charismatic team boss in the game, and it was hard not to cheer for his underdog squad when they landed several big punches on the chins of their much better funded rivals, as well as the occasional knockout blow. But, having built an F1 team from scratch...
May 09, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 6
On this week’s episode, Matt and Richard look back at the controversial ‘crashgate’ scandal, when it emerged that the Renault driver Nelson Piquet Junior deliberately crashed during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to hand a major sporting advantage to his team-mate, Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race. Matt and Richard look at the origins of the saga, peak into the murkiness around who came up with the idea and put it into action, explain how it came to be uncovered, and discuss the punis...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 5
On the latest episode of Colossally , join Matt Bishop and Richard Williams as they reappraise the life and career of a driver regarded by many as the quickest to ever sit in a Formula 1 car: Jim Clark. A double world champion in the 1960s and STILL to this day the driver with the most 'grand slam' grand prix weekends (pole, victory, fastest lap, every racing lap led), Clark was widely considered among his fellow racers (and by Ayrton Senna, no less) to be a cut above - and on this podcast we'll...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Today, Williams are a mainstay on the Formula 1 grid and one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history, having amassed nine constructors’ world championships, seven drivers’ world championships, and 114 grand prix victories. But it all could have been so different. Ahead of the 1986 season, team boss Frank Williams had a devastating car crash which left him paralysed and fighting for his life. That he survived and that his team would go on to win the constructors' title that very same ye...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Matt Bishop and Richard Williams return with part two of their two-part mini series on the life and legacy of one of motorsport’s most important and enduring individuals: Enzo Ferrari. They finished the last episode at the point that Ferrari won its very first world championship Formula 1 race - the British Grand Prix in 1951. In this episode they’ll guide you through the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, during which time the idiosyncratic Enzo dealt with triumph and tragedy in almost e...
Apr 11, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Ferrari is the most famous and celebrated marque in motorsport, and one of the most recognisable brands in the world - but how much do you really know about its founder, Enzo Ferrari? If your answer to that question is 'very little' then help is at hand, because Season 3 of And Colossally That's History! is kicking off with a double header of Enzo episodes! On this first episode, Matt Bishop and Enzo Ferrari biographer Richard Williams go back to the very beginning, to explore the events and exp...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Matt and Richard round off season 2 of the pod with the second half of our mini-series on Bernie Ecclestone, the man who, as F1's long-term commercial rights holder, did more than anyone else to turn the sport into the global spectacle it is today. Having charted his rise to power in part 1, on this episode, Matt and Richard reappraise what life was like with Bernie ruling the F1 paddock, for the most part alongside his old friend (and FIA president) Max Mosley. They discuss how he took control ...
Dec 06, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 10
We're rounding off season 2 of And Colossally That's History with a two-part mini-series on none other than Bernie Ecclestone, who, as Formula 1’s commercial rights holder, was F1’s most powerful individual for nearly 40 years. Matt and Richard discuss his humble origins, how he built his reputation and wealth in the used car and motorcycle trade, his early exploits in racing, and how he came to manage (and then have to deal with the painful loss of) two F1 drivers. They also discuss his purchas...
Nov 29, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 9
As many as 10 British drivers have become world champion since the inauguration of the Formula 1 world championship in 1950, but only one had the distinction of being the first person from his country to do so. On today's episode of Colossally, Matt and Richard discuss the battle to become Britain's first F1 world champion, which occurred in 1958 and boiled down to a straight fight between two very different drivers: Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss. They discuss why their head-to-head rivalry re...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 8
The latest episode of Colossally has a distinctly French flavour, as Matt and Richard look back on a golden age of French Formula 1 drivers. Believe it or not, having endured a 13-year winless drought in Formula 1 between 1958 and 1971, France then produced 10 different F1 winners in 11 seasons in the 1970s and early 1980s - a remarkable achievement for the country that gave rise to Grand Prix racing. Matt and Richard look back on the history of Grand Prix racing in France, before explaining why...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 7
On this episode, Matt and Richard explore the genius of one of Formula 1's most celebrated drivers: Gilles Villeneuve. The unassuming French-Canadian only won six Grands Prix in his all-too-short career, but his reputation remains up there with the very best, and his legacy still looms large over the sport, not least because of his artistry behind the wheel and pure love of racing. To help reappraise the Villeneuve legend, Matt and Richard have picked out three races from his F1 career which the...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 6
With Andretti Global still trying (and currently failing) to gain a place on the F1 grid, Matt and Richard thought it was high time to look back at the American teams that have come and gone from Grand Prix motor racing over the years. They tell the tale of the American upstarts who shocked the French establishment in the 1920s, explain the story of the billionaire named Lance (no, not that one) who hobnobbed with movie stars before starting his own team in the late 1950s, and look back on the r...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 2Ep. 5
On this episode, Matt and Richard wind the clock back to 1995 when McLaren shocked the sportscar establishment by winning the Le Mans 24 hours at its first attempt. The guys reflect on McLaren's sportcar heritage, the origins and incredible pedigree of the organisation's somewhat confusingly named 'McLaren F1' road car, and why the Le Mans project came at a good time for the beleaguered Formula 1 operation. They also dig into the details of the 24-hour race itself, explaining how a fleet of cars...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This week Matt and Richard are winding the clock back to 1966 - a year when the worlds of Formula 1 and Hollywood collided with the on-location production of John Frankenheimer’s epic movie Grand Prix . The film has received mixed reviews over the years, but what made it so interesting for motor racing fans back then - and what makes it such compelling viewing for modern fans today - is that although the story and characters are fictionalised, much of the action footage used in the film is genui...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 3
On this episode of the pod, Matt and Richard tell the remarkable story of Niki Lauda’s Monza comeback in 1976, which came just 40 days after the horrific F1 crash at the Nurburgring that nearly killed him. It was described at the time by Jackie Stewart as “the most courageous thing I’ve ever witnessed in sport” - and all these years later, the nature of the comeback remains unparalleled in sporting terms. Listen in as Matt and Richard reappraise the events of August and September of 1976 through...
Oct 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 2
And Colossally That's History! - the podcast that reappraises motor racing history - is back for a second season! In episode 1, join Matt Bishop and Richard Williams as they embark on a critical reexamination of the remarkable Formula 1 'spygate' scandal of 2007, which centred around the transfer of confidential technical information between two engineers from F1’s biggest and most historic teams, Ferrari and McLaren. Matt (who was editor of F1 Racing Magazine at the time and in the paddock thro...
Oct 02, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Attention fans of motor racing history: Matt Bishop and Richard Williams will be returning shortly with Season 2 of And Colossally That's History! Join them as they take an unadulterated look at the earth-shattering events, epic sagas and huge characters that have shaped the sport's past. Season 2 begins with a bang, with a critical reexamination of the remarkable Formula 1 'spygate' scandal of 2007, featuring a whole host of behind-the-scenes stories and eye-popping personal recollections. To m...
Sep 24, 2024•2 min
On this episode (the final episode in season 1 of the podcast) Matt and Richard tell the tale of James Hunt and Hesketh Racing - perhaps the ultimate underdog success story in Formula 1 history. They explain how a small, privateer racing team with a crash-prone driver rose to prominence in the 1970s, culminating with them beating the might of Ferrari to take victory at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix. Their reputation is one of party loving playboys, but is that an entirely fair representation of the ...
May 22, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 10
On this episode, Matt and Richard remember several pioneering female drivers from the past; each an inspiring character who competed on equal terms with their male peers and who achieved, against the odds, some incredible things. Those discussed included Maria Theresa De Filippis (the first woman to compete in a world championship Grand Prix), Pat Moss (the talented rally driving sister of F1 star Stirling Moss), Lella Lombardi (the first woman to score an F1 point), Desire Wilson (the only woma...
May 15, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 9
For many motor racing fans, the month of May means one thing: The Indianapolis 500. Famously known as 'the greatest spectacle in racing', the Indy 500 captured American hearts from its inception in 1911 - but the race has also tantalised Europe's racing elite over the years, charmed by its big prize pot and unique challenge. On this episode, Matt Bishop (journalist, editor, novelist and PR) and Richard Williams (journalist, author and broadcaster) take a look at the roots of oval racing and the ...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Matt Bishop (journalist, editor, novelist and PR) and Richard Williams (journalist, author and broadcaster) are here to reappraise the past - and they'd love to have you along for the ride! In the final episode of our trilogy marking the 30th anniversary of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Matt and Richard look at the fallout and lasting legacy of F1's so-called blackest weekend, when both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed in action. They discuss what happened at the next ...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Matt Bishop (journalist, editor, novelist and PR) and Richard Williams (journalist, author and broadcaster) are here to reappraise the past - and they'd love to have you along for the ride! In the second part of our three-episode mini series, marking the 30th anniversary of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Matt and Richard take a chronological look at the events of F1's so-called blackest weekend, when both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed in action. It's been described a...
Apr 30, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Matt Bishop (journalist, editor, novelist and PR) and Richard Williams (journalist, author and broadcaster) are here to reappraise the past - and they'd love to have you along for the ride! 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most tragic events in motorsport history: The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, when both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed in action. In this episode, the first part in a three-episode mini series, Matt and Richard examine how F1 had evolved as ...
Apr 28, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Matt Bishop (journalist, editor, novelist and PR) and Richard Williams (journalist, author and broadcaster) are here to reappraise the past - and they'd love to have you along for the ride! On this episode, Matt and Richard take a trip back to Germany in the 1930s to explain how Adolf Hitler used motor racing as a tool - and perhaps even a weapon - of the Nazi regime. They discuss why Hitler felt it was so important to have a state sponsored motor racing programme, how Mercedes and Auto Union us...
Apr 17, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Matt Bishop (journalist, editor, novelist and PR) and Richard Williams (journalist, author and broadcaster) are here to reappraise the past - and they'd love to have you along for the ride! On this episode, Matt and Richard are taking a close-up look at Michael Schumacher: One of F1's greatest and most revolutionary drivers ever. Over the course of this episode, we chart (with the usual first-hand stories and anecdotes) six ways in which the seven-time world champion changed the sport forever, f...
Apr 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Matt Bishop (journalist, editor, novelist and PR) and Richard Williams (journalist, author and broadcaster) are here to reappraise the past - and they'd love to have you along for the ride! On this episode, Matt and Richard are ranking the Top 5 British drivers to have raced for Ferrari in F1, in anticipation of Lewis Hamilton's blockbuster move to motor racing's most famous team in 2025. With youngster Ollie Bearman having recently joined the list, there are 12 drivers to pick from - but who wi...
Apr 03, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 2
