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Formula 1

Your questions about Formula 1, answered by the experts. Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill explain F1 with drivers, engineers and more of the amazing people behind-the-scenes.

Send your questions, voice notes and messages to F1Explains@F1.com

An official F1 podcast. For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race reviews and previews, listen to F1 Nation.

F1 Explains

Lando Norris' driving style, the food which fuels the Haas pit crew, the Apex GP cars from F1: The Movie and the team boss who lets his drivers use his office toilet. F1 Explains covered all this and much more in 2025 as we answered your questions on how the sport works.

Christian and the team have chosen their favourite moments from the season, which include a world-first episode recorded inside a garage during a Grand Prix, F1: The Movie director Joseph Kosinski explaining how the cars used in the film were created and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto's description of what happens inside the cockpit when drivers have to save fuel and tyres.

Thank you for listening in 2025. Happy holidays from the F1 Explains team!

Get your question answered on the podcast next season

If you have a question for F1 Explains email F1Explains@F1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

Driving secrets, pit crew cookies, movie star cars + a Team Principal's toilet - The Best of F1 Explains 2025

In the months between the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi and the five red lights in Australia, Formula 1 teams are still be racing. They're building in factories, testing on simulators and wind tunnels, working flat-out to get their cars ready for a new era.

New car design and power unit rules will change the game in 2026, so the work F1 teams do this winter is more important than ever. Williams Team Principal James Vowles and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto join Christian Hewgill to explain all.

Lawrence tells us why the teams have less time than in previous winters to be ready for the new season, starting with the first of three pre-season tests in January. James explains the work taking place at F1 team factories, and why 2026 is such a big change.

Get your question answered on the podcast

If you have a question for F1 Explains email F1Explains@F1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

The F1 winter - with James Vowles + Lawrence Barretto

What does a Formula 1 driver need to become a World Champion? Can they really approach a title decider as if it’s any other race? And is it better to be leading the way or chasing?

Ahead of this weekend’s three-way title showdown between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen joins Christian Hewgill in the Yas Marina paddock to explain what it takes to achieve motorsport’s biggest prize.

Mika remembers the moment in his career when he knew he could win a championship, how that changed his mentality and the approach he took to his title deciders in 1998 and 1999.

Get your question answered on the podcast

If you have a question for F1 Explains email F1Explains@F1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

Becoming F1 World Champion - with Mika Hakkinen

In a shock reversal of the usual format, this episode of F1 Explains starts with a question that YOU have to answer. It's about an engine company with an incredible winning record in Formula 1. Any guesses?

For decades, Ford won in Formula 1. Their engines powered drivers and teams to World Championships. In 2026, the company will return to the grid, partnering with Red Bull on a new F1 engine project.

Christian speaks to Mark Rushbrook, Ford Global Director of Racing, to find out how the partnership with Red Bull will work, what knowledge Ford can use to help Red Bull hit the ground running and how F1 differs from Ford's other racing teams.

Plus we explain why Red Bull are building their own power unit instead of continuing to buy one from another team, and how the different approaches could affect every team's success in 2026 and beyond.

Get your question answered on the podcast

If you have a question for F1 Explains email F1Explains@F1.com

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion

Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

One-day grandstand tickets for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix start at $85 - go to f1miamigp.com to get yours

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

Ford's Formula 1 return with Red Bull

How do you start a brand new F1 team? Does joining at the start of new regulations in 2026 give Cadillac an advantage or disadvantage? What are the team’s goals? 

Cadillac F1 Team CEO Dan Towriss joins Christian Hewgill to answer your questions and tell us what we can expect from F1’s newest team. 

Dan also talks about their driver line-up of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, Cadillac’s short and long-term engine plans, the role General Motors and TWG Motorsports play in this project, and whether IndyCar star-turned-Cadillac reserve driver Colton Herta could race for the team in the future.

Get your question answered on the podcast

If you have a question for F1 Explains email F1Explains@F1.com

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion

Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Tickets for Las Vegas available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

How Cadillac are getting ready to race in F1

To answer the latest load of F1 Explains listener questions, Christian is joined F1TV expert James Hinchcliffe, IndyCar race-winner who recently drove an F1 car for the first time, and F1TV lead presenter Laura Winter, who once drove an F4 car but doesn't like to talk about it...

Laura and Hinch answer your questions on the differences between F1 and IndyCar machinery, how Cadillac's arrival will change the sport in 2026, how they prepare to cover race weekends and the key people F1 teams try and poach from their rivals. 

If you have a question for F1 Explains or a smoke machine F1TV can borrow, email F1Explains@F1.com

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion

Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Tickets for Las Vegas available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

James Hinchcliffe on driving an F1 car + how Laura Winter prepares for an F1 weekend

How many members of an F1 team does it take to answer the latest batch of your questions? 5, as it turns out!

Haas drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, Race Engineer Laura Mueller and F1 ACADEMY driver Courtney Crone sat down with Christian Hewgill at the US Grand Prix in Austin.

Ayao took questions about the parts Haas buys from Ferrari, and what he thinks about Cadillac's entry into F1 in 2026. Laura explains how F1 teams fix car problems during a Grand Prix. Courtney tells us how working with Haas is helping her racing career. Esteban and Ollie talk car set ups and simulators, all while eating their pre-race lunch.

Got a question about F1? We'll find the best person to answer it

Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion

Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Tickets for Las Vegas now available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

Ask Haas - with Ocon, Bearman, Komatsu, Mueller + Crone

When Formula 1 drivers want to go faster, they study squiggly lines on a screen. This is F1 data, showing how drivers accelerate, brake, steer and more. Hidden in the squiggles are the secrets of speed.

Tom Stallard, Race Engineer to Oscar Piastri at McLaren, and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer join Christian Hewgill to decode F1 data. 

Tom answers your questions on what data is recorded, how it is fed back to the teams by hundreds of sensors on each car, and how engineers analyse thousands of pieces of information.

Jolyon explains how F1 drivers study their own data to find improvements, what they can learn from looking at their team mates and rivals' data, and the data drivers need to know during qualifying and races. 

Got a question? We'll find the best person to answer it

Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion

Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Tickets for Las Vegas now available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

How data helps F1 drivers go faster - with McLaren's Tom Stallard + Jolyon Palmer

Once McLaren team mates fighting for the Formula 1 World Championship, now legends of the F1 Paddock, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard know how it feels to be in the middle of a title battle.

The pair join Christian Hewgill and F1 Explains listeners live on stage in Austin, Texas, to answer your questions.

David and Mika explain how McLaren handled their title rivalry in the late 1990s, compare their experiences to this year's intensifying battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and discuss whether team mates can be friends.

Plus, why braking in an F1 car literally takes your breath away, some dogs named after F1 stars and the racing jobs David and Mika would want to do if they weren't drivers.

Have your question answered on the podcast

Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

Witness the crowning of a World Champion

Book your seat for a Formula 1 Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

David Coulthard + Mika Hakkinen explain F1 team mate title battles - LIVE at the US Grand Prix

What does ‘lift and coast’ mean and why do drivers use this technique? How do they reduce their speed under a Virtual Safety Car? Why do they use a different engine mode when driving in the pitlane? And what do the buttons on an F1 steering wheel do? 

Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto joins Christian Hewgill in the paddock at the United States Grand Prix to answer your questions.

Gabriel also reveals what has surprised him the most about teammate Nico Hulkenberg, how he feels about racing his manager Fernando Alonso on track and the differences between F2 and F1 cars.

Have your question answered on the podcast

Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!

Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

Gabriel Bortoleto explains F1 driving tricks, F2 v F1, steering wheels + driving in the pit lane

Passionate fans. Spectacular racing. A new home hero to cheer. Formula 1 has a long history in the United States. 2023 is a new chapter, with races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas. 

Katie and Christian go back through the decades to tell the story of F1 in the US. Then it’s time to explore the present and the future with former F1 commentator Leigh Diffey, former US F1 driver Alexander Rossi and two passionate F1 fans who’ve recently discovered the sport. Why are they and millions of others across the States falling in love with F1? Why is the sport more popular than ever? Why is having a US driver to cheer for so important? 

Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below:

'Undercuts', red lights + F1 jobs - Your Questions Answered

Why are pit stops so important?

Why do F1 teams need simulators?

Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered

Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer

Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen

 

Record and send your questions to Katie and Christian at Why@F1.com

Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? - with Alexander Rossi + Leigh Diffey

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