Introducing Formula Why, a brand-new official F1 podcast about how F1 really works. Episodes weekly from Friday 28th April. 

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Japan has had plenty of Formula 1 heroes to worship over the years. But does Yuki Tsunoda have what it takes to become the country’s first World Champion? If he can drive as fast as he reached F1 then he’s in with a chance. The 22-year-old went from Japanese F4 to his drive at Alpha Tauri in the space of just three years. Since his points-scoring debut in 2021, Yuki has certainly caught the eye of many. But 2023 is a huge year. With Pierre Gasly leaving for Alpine, Tsunoda is now the team leader. How he performs this season will have a huge impact on his future in the sport. Is he ready for the challenge? Yuki tells Tom Clarkson what he's learned from his idol Fernando Alonso, why Daniel Ricciardo’s old trainer has made him fitter than ever before, and how he’s trying to be calmer on team radio. Plus, Yuki reveals why he loves being famous.

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Related episodes:

Nyck de Vries, Yuki's AlphaTauri teammate 

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He didn’t come from a racing family. He followed in the footsteps of his father and qualified as a doctor. How Jonathan Palmer ended up driving in Formula 1 is an intriguing tale of passion for racing, intuition and plenty of graft. Palmer initially competed in Formula Ford but after qualifying as a doctor, he decided to focus on racing professionally. He became British Formula 3 champion in 1981 and European Formula 3 champion in 1983. That year, Williams gave him his F1 debut at the European Grand Prix. He would go on to race for RAM, Zakspeed and Tyrrell over the next six years – scoring 14 championship points along the way. Palmer takes Tom Clarkson through his unique journey from studying medicine to competing in Formula 1. He reflects on some memorable drives in Monaco and we hear wonderful insight into what it was like working with Ayrton Senna as a test driver for McLaren in 1990. Palmer, whose son Jolyon also raced in F1 for Renault in 2016 and 2017, became part of the BBC’s Formula 1 coverage after retiring. He recalls working the day Senna lost his life at Imola in May 1994.

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He’s one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula 1. Sir Jackie Stewart became World Champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973. 50 years since he retired after that final title, Sir Jackie is still in the top 10 for all-time F1 race wins - with 27 victories to his name. He started out with the BRM team in 1965, before joining Tyrell Racing three years later. They enjoyed five years of success, in which Jackie cemented his status as a legend of the sport. The Flying Scot, as he was also known, tells Tom Clarkson that winning was all that mattered. But for all the highs, there were also dreadful lows. Formula 1 was an extremely dangerous sport in Jackie’s era. Three of his close friends were killed in F1 races – Piers Courage, Jochen Rindt and his Tyrrell teammate, Francois Cevert. Jackie explains how he became almost desensitised to death and how he removed all emotion from his racing to succeed. The hectic lifestyle of a Formula 1 World Champion eventually caught up with Jackie and proved to be a huge factor in his decision to retire. Much of his life after F1 was dedicated to improving the safety of the sport and many of the changes to protect the drivers today are thanks to him. Jackie opens up about the relationship with his wife, Helen, and sons, Paul and Mark. He reveals why he didn’t stop racing as Roger Williamson lost his life at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1973, and why Formula 1 still means so much to him now.

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To hear more of Sir Jackie Stewart’s F1 story, listen to his first BTG interview here.

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Oscar Piastri came into Formula 1 with plenty of expectation. But it seems he has the potential to match the pressure. In three consecutive years, he became Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion. After winning the F2 championship, there was no space on the grid for the 2022 F1 season and Piastri had to take a year out from racing. But now his chance has arrived. McLaren have given him the opportunity to prove himself at the top and he’s keen to emulate the success of fellow Australians, Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo. Piastri tells Tom Clarkson about leaving home at a young age and how his career in motorsport began with remote control racing. Although last season’s battle for Piastri’s signature between McLaren and Alpine is behind them, there’s now more attention on him than most F1 debutants are used to. But alongside Lando Norris, he’s confident of bringing back the glory days to McLaren.

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This episode is sponsored by: 

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Tom’s heading to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, but who’s his guest on this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid?

 

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Formula 1 loves a feel-good story and the Minardi fairy-tale is no exception. They wrote one of the most heart-warming chapters in the sport’s history. Mark Webber’s fifth-place finish on his debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2002 is one of many fond memories cherished by former team boss Paul Stoddart. A year earlier, Paul wasn’t even sure they’d be quick enough to qualify for the first race. But his confidence in a 19 year-old Fernando Alonso was rewarded and the team started life in F1 much better than expected. Paul tells Tom Clarkson the moment he realised Alonso had what it takes to become a World Champion, why the Spaniard still has that burning desire to compete at the very top and how to be his best at Aston Martin. Paul also remembers Michael Schumacher’s manners and the eye-opening time he lapped Ferrari’s test track with the seven-time champion. Plus, how Max Verstappen’s winning mentality was clear to see at a young age, when he raced his father Jos in a simulator.

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A returning champion. A legendary rival. A chance to rise above the rest. 1993 was the year Alain Prost set himself apart from his competitors and became a four-time F1 World Champion. At the time, he was only the second driver to win more than three titles. But his fourth triumph was far from easy. Prost was racing against his long-term foe, McLaren’s Ayrton Senna. He had to get used to a brand-new car, with technology he had never experienced before. There were behind-the-scenes issues at his Williams team. Prost was also considering his future, and life after Formula 1. 30 years on, Alain tells Tom Clarkson his memories of his final F1 title, the end of his F1 career, and how close he came to a final chapter as Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate.

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Win races. Catch F1’s ‘big three’ teams. Turn ‘beasts’ into team players. Laurent Rossi’s to-do list is intimidating. The Alpine CEO runs the French road car company and the F1 operation, which is split between France and the UK. He grew up in a racing heartland. He studied at leading universities and worked at top-tier companies. All that experience helped him handle clashing teammates Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso in 2022. Alpine’s 2023 line-up, Ocon and Pierre Gasly, have been rivals since they were 6 years old. Now, Rossi needs them to work together to help the team ‘climb the mountain’, and close the gap to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. Laurent tells Tom Clarkson how he and Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer plan to make Alpine winners. He also explains what the team learned from the 2022 departure of junior driver Oscar Piastri, who now races with McLaren.

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