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Formula 1

Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends.

Hit the follow button for the fastest way to get new episodes. Watch episodes exclusively on the F1 YouTube channel.

An official Formula 1 podcast. For race reviews + previews, listen to F1 Nation. To learn more about how F1 works, listen to F1 Explains

F1: Beyond The Grid

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes: their names are together forever in the Formula 1 record books. As the most successful team and driver partnership in the sport's history comes to an end, some of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes colleagues tell Tom Clarkson their stories of working with him:

 

Toto Wolff – Team Principal, on how Lewis got stronger every year of their partnership

Andrew Shovlin – Trackside Engineering Director, who was on the pit wall for all of Lewis’ history-making races

Clare Robertson – Head of Communications. She first met Lewis when he was 15, and has worked with him since his days at McLaren 

Victoria Johnson – Marketing Operations Director, who's seen Hamilton go from Formula 1 driver to global icon 

Stephen Lord - Race Team Co-ordinator, one of Lewis' closest colleagues, on the grid with him for every Grand Prix

Listen to more official F1 Podcasts

F1 Nation - Grand Prix reviews and previews from inside the F1 paddock

F1 Explains - answering your questions about Formula 1

Experience F1 live

Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

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'One of a kind': Mercedes on Lewis Hamilton

A driver market for the ages, Verstappen at his very best, emotional race wins, new Constructor World Champions and the end of some iconic eras. The 2024 Formula 1 season was sensational.

On F1 Beyond The Grid, the stars of this dramatic year of racing have sat down with Tom Clarkson, revealing what it’s like being at the centre of the biggest stories of the season and sharing fascinating insight into what life is like as a Formula 1 driver, Team Principal, engineer, designer, and more. In this end-of year special, Tom picks his favourite moments from a long list of stellar guests.

Fernando Alonso reflects on becoming the first driver in F1 history to compete in 400 Grands Prix and why he nearly retired much earlier in his career. Carlos Sainz explains how he recovered from physical and mental setbacks to win multiple races. And Ollie Bearman describes what it was really like making his F1 debut at such short notice in Saudi Arabia.

As well as today’s big names, legends of the past like Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard relive their career-defining moments. Plus, you’ll hear memories of Lewis Hamilton’s time at Mercedes and Bruno Senna’s stories of growing up with his uncle Ayrton, 30 years on from his death.

Thank you for listening in 2024. F1 Beyond The Grid will return in 2025.

To hear the full interviews with the guests featured in this show, click on the links below…

Toto Wolff

Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz

Juan Pablo Montoya

David Coulthard

Bruno Senna

Fernando Alonso

Andy Stevenson

Ollie Bearman

Ayao Komatsu 

Tom Stallard

Paul Monaghan 

Listen to more official F1 Podcasts

F1 Nation - Grand Prix reviews and previews from inside the F1 paddock

F1 Explains - answering your questions about Formula 1

Experience F1 live

Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

Discover F1 Unlocked

Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free

This episode is sponsored by: 

Vanta: visit vanta.com/GRID for $1,000 off

SelectQuote: Get the right life insurance for you for less at selectquote.com/BEYONDTHEGRID

Unbound Merino: head over to unboundmerino.com where new customers can use the code GRID for 10% off of their order!

Masterclass: get up to 50% off at masterclass.com/GRID

Ageless Alonso, Carlos’s comeback + super sub Bearman – The Best of 2024

What really happens on the grid before a race? How do Formula 1 teams scout their future stars? How are drivers coached to go faster? In 2024, F1 Explains answered these questions and many more sent in by F1 fans from all over the world.

F1 Explains takes your questions and finds the experts to answer them. In this special episode, presenters Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne have picked the most fascinating moments from the podcast's second season:

 • Liam Lawson on how drivers find the racing line

 • Ollie Bearman reveals Ferrari's young driver scouting camps

 • Oscar Piastri on how F2 prepared him to win in F1

 • Jack Doohan explains braking at 200mph

 • Bernie Collins' guide to the F1 pit lane

 • Planning the F1 calendar

 • How performance engineers coach drivers to go faster

 • What happens on the grid in the minutes before the race start

Listen to previous episodes of F1 Explains here

Whether you're a new F1 fan or a long-time follower, there's always something more to learn. If you have a question you'd like F1 Explains to answer, send it as an email or a voice note to F1Explains@F1.com

Experience F1 live

Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

Discover F1 Unlocked

Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free

Liam Lawson's racing line, how Ferrari found Ollie Bearman + Oscar Piastri's F2 preparation - The Best of F1 Explains 2024

Lewis Hamilton is getting ready for his first season with Ferrari in 2025. He’s won seven World Championships and 105 races, but some of Formula 1’s most successful drivers have joined Ferrari in the past and missed out on the ultimate prize.

So what lessons can Lewis take from those who came before him? How difficult is it to win titles with the Scuderia? And why is driving for Ferrari so different to any other team in the sport?

Digging through the F1 Beyond The Grid archives, Tom Clarkson has found interviews with Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Jody Scheckter – all of whom provide fascinating insight into their time at Ferrari and help answer some of those key questions as Lewis embarks on an exciting new era in red.

This episode is sponsored by: 

Indeed: get a seventy-five dollar sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com/GRID.

Babbel: is offering our listeners up to 60% on their subscription. Go to babbel.com/grid to claim your discount.

Racing for Ferrari: Vettel, Prost + Mansell from the BTG Archive

2024 saw McLaren become Constructor World Champions for the first time since 1998.

Will they defend their title in 2025? And will Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri become the team’s first Drivers’ World Champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008?

Tom Clarkson has been digging through the F1 Beyond The Grid archives to find out how McLaren have transformed into the fastest team in Formula 1 and whether their success will continue in the new season.

Providing in-depth insight into the winning culture they’ve created at McLaren, you’ll hear interviews from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, plus McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella.

This episode is sponsored by Babbel: Right now, Babbel is offering our listeners up to 60% on their subscription. Go to babbel.com/grid to claim your discount.

McLaren’s revival: Norris, Piastri, Brown + Stella from the BTG Archive

The arrival of four-time Grand Prix winner Carlos Sainz from Ferrari marks the start of an intriguing new adventure for Williams in 2025.

Is Carlos the man to drive Williams back to their glory days? How will Alex Albon stack up against a much more experienced teammate? And can Williams move further up the grid this season or is the introduction of new regulations in 2026 the priority for Team Principal James Vowles?

Tom Clarkson has been listening back to his interviews with James, Carlos and Alex from 2024 to try and find the answers to those questions ahead of the new season.

LISTEN TO TOM’S FULL INTERVIEW WITH THE WILLIAMS TRIO HERE

James Vowles 

Carlos Sainz 

Alex Albon

Williams’ winning formula? – Vowles, Sainz + Albon from the BTG Archive

Adrian Newey began his new job at Aston Martin this week. Is he the man who will make Aston Martin World Champions? How does Adrian’s arrival change Fernando Alonso’s future plans? How has team owner Lawrence Stroll transformed Aston since he took over in 2018? And what is it really like for Lance Stroll to have his dad as his boss?

Tom Clarkson has been listening through his interviews with Lawrence, Adrian, Fernando and Lance from recent years here on F1 Beyond The Grid to find some answers to the key questions facing Aston Martin ahead of the new Formula 1 season.

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEWS HERE

Lawrence Stroll 

Adrian Newey 

Fernando Alonso 

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin’s masterplan – Newey, Alonso, Lawrence + Lance Stroll from the BTG Archive

First up in 2025: Liam Lawson. Listen to a preview of the Red Bull racer's conversation with Tom Clarkson here.

Don't miss the full episode on Wednesday 12th March.

Listen to F1 Nation's 2025 Preview

Romain Grosjean, Laura Winter + Tom Clarkson answer the big questions ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. Listen here

Experience F1 live in 2025

Head to tickets.formula1.com to book your place trackside

Get ready for the first race

F1TV has had an upgrade. Get F1TV Premium now

'I felt so out of control': BTG returns Wednesday 12th March

With 11 Grands Prix under his belt, Liam Lawson is technically no longer a rookie – but he is about to embark on his first full Formula 1 season in 2025 and race at many tracks he’s never driven before.

So how does the New Zealander feel about this next step with Red Bull Racing? Speaking to Tom Clarkson at the team’s UK headquarters in Milton Keynes, Liam answers all the big questions ahead of a potentially career-defining year.

What did Liam do to persuade Team Principal Christian Horner and Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko that he was the right man to replace Sergio Perez? How is he approaching the challenge of having four-time World Champion Max Verstappen as his new teammate? And, with five other drivers kickstarting their F1 careers this season, why does he think more teams are choosing youth over experience?

Experience F1 live in Las Vegas

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This episode is sponsored by: 

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Liam Lawson: ready to go at Red Bull

Aston Martin’s Team Principal knows what it takes to win in Formula 1. Andy Cowell leads a team which now includes Adrian Newey. They have the newest factory in the sport. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are in the driving seat. Owner Lawrence Stroll is funding the team’s future. When will these ingredients bring trophies?

Andy tells Tom Clarkson that Aston Martin are in ‘the building phase’ against ‘mighty’ opponents, but he’s confident they will overtake their rivals. He compares his current job to his time winning championships with Mercedes, and explains why F1’s new era of racing with sustainable fuel from 2026 is so important. He also shares his hope that partnering with Honda will give them an advantage.

It’s All To Drive For. Be there!

Book your seat at a 2025 Grand Prix – tickets.formula1.com

This episode is sponsored by: 

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Andy Cowell: Aston Martin 'want to win’

This week, for the first time on Beyond The Grid, presented by Bose, we’re not speaking to a driver or a team boss, but to an engineer – and someone who’s been directly involved of some of the biggest moments in F1 in the past 20 years. Rob Smedley is probably best known to most fans as Felipe Massa’s long-standing Race Engineer, and in that role he experienced the full gamut of emotions, from the elation of race wins to the heartbreak of a narrow title loss, and the horror of seeing ‘his’ driver severely injured. 

We also talk to him about working for Ferrari, issuing controversial team orders, his impending departure from Williams, and why Michael Schumacher – a man he worked so closely with – was much more than a driver…

Rob Smedley: “I cried for about an hour after Massa lost the 2008 title – it was so intense…”

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