Away We Go Podcast returns for a second season, broadening its international footprint and format with new co-host, Ciara Gillan, co-founder of the Formula Live Pulse app.
Created by travel writer and motorsport PR Dianne Bortoletto, the podcast is co-hosted across two continents, with Bortoletto mostly based in Margaret River, Western Australia, and Irish-born Gillan between Berlin, Germany and Dublin, Ireland.
Together, the duo will build on the show’s established mix of race analysis, news-driven discussion and cultural stories surrounding Formula 1.
Bortoletto says Away We Go Podcast brings together two long-standing passions.
“I’ve always been a traveller and a storyteller, and for the last 30-odd years, I’ve also been a Formula 1 fan, something that happened almost by accident,” Bortoletto says.
“It was my first PR job at a London agency, working on a Formula 1 account when Jos Verstappen — yes, Max’s dad — was a driver. After a couple of weeks of reading every F1 article to track client coverage, I was completely hooked. I knew all the teams, drivers and stats, and while the media landscape has changed, my love for the sport hasn’t.”
Bortoletto says recording several episodes with Gillan toward the end of last season confirmed the pairing.
“Ciara and I had a great dynamic from the very start, which is essential in podcasting and I’m thrilled she’s jumped in the co-host seat,” says Bortoletto.
“She brings sharp insight and has a fabulous Irish wit that makes me laugh, which has really resonated with listeners.
“I love F1 so much I launched a podcast. Ciara loves F1 so much she co-founded an app,” Bortoletto quips.
Also entering its second season is the Formula Live Pulse app, co-founded by Gillan and her Italian partner in life and in business, Simone Scanu.
Available on the App Store, Google Play and on desktop, Formula Live Pulse is a second-screen race companion offering real-time telemetry and analysis, including team radio, split times, tyre data, and pit stop strategies as well as the latest F1 news.
“It’s a funny story actually, Simone built the app because he says he was tired of me always asking questions during races,” Gillan says.
“New data feeds and features are continuously added to Formula Live Pulse and we have big plans this year to expand it even further.
“I’m looking forward to the F1 season starting and get behind the microphone after each race to chat with Di about the happenings on track and off track.”
Launched in December 2024, Away We Go Podcast has quickly built a global audience with listeners from 61 countries and 334 cities.
The show has generated more than half a million impressions on YouTube, where a weekly video podcast is released alongside audio editions.
On non-race weekends, Away We Go Podcast invites guests to share their F1 and travel stories.
Guests have included motorsport journalists, broadcasters, motorsport administrators, and team personnel, including a chef who’s cooked for world champions, who offer behind-the-scenes insight into the world’s fastest growing sport.
Travel
New this year, Away We Go Podcast has developed a comprehensive Melbourne Grand Prix Travel Guide, a free downloadable designed to help travellers going to the Australian Grand Prix.
“I thought carefully about the structure of the guide, and I kept going back to my backpacking days when the trusty Lonely Planet was our travel bible containing of all the essential information, some useful insider tips and some top recommendations, that’s where I took inspiration from when creating the Melbourne Grand Prix Travel Guide,” Bortoletto says.
Travel Guides for other races will continue to be featured.
Play Along
Also new in 2026 is Away We Go Podcast’s F1 Prediction Tracker where fans can enter their predictions for the podium for every race and clock up points every time they get it right.
“Initially, I built a prediction tracker for Ciara and I to use so we could have a little competition during podcast episodes, but then I thought fans might like it too,” Bortoletto explains.
“It’s intentionally simple and quick to use – I didn’t want anything too complicated – with the new F1 regulations this season, the sport is already complicated enough.
“Register, choose a username and lock in your first, second and third race predictions at least one hour before Qualifying starts, it’s as easy as that,” she says.
“It’s open to everyone to play, but I’d like to challenge other F1 creators and journalists out there – we all talk about F1 well, but can we predict well? Show us what you’ve got!”
In 2025, Formula 1 averaged 70 million viewers per race, and more than 6.7 million spectators attended 24 races in 21 countries.
Formula 1’s global fanbase has reached 827 million people, a 12 per cent year-on-year increase and up 63 per cent compared to 2018. More than 40 per cent of the fanbase is female with Gen Z women aged 16–25 representing the fastest growing demographic.
Season Two of Away We Go Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and YouTube, with new episodes released weekly on Tuesdays during the Formula 1 season.
