F1 Beyond The Grid

He seemed destined to drive for Mercedes, but first George Russell had to prove himself at Williams. This is an in-depth conversation recorded in 2020, Russell’s second F1 season. He told Tom Clarkson how he first caught the eye of the Mercedes Young Driver Programme and how he introduced himself to Team Principal Toto Wolff. Plus, racing against friends, karting memories and how sim-racing kept him sharp when Covid 19 delayed the start of the season.  F1 Beyond The Grid’s 30 Day pre-season series continues tomorrow. Follow the podcast so you don’t miss our next highlight from the archive. New weekly episodes start on Wednesday March 1st.
George made a second appearance on F1 Beyond The Grid in 2022. You can listen to that here 

On the day Ferrari launch their 2023 F1 car, hear how Charles Leclerc followed his father into motorsport.  Charles told Tom Clarkson about racing and winning in Formula 2 on the weekend his father died, and how he races on to honour him.
For the full 2018 interview with Charles, recorded before he joined Ferrari, head here 

30 Days of BTG continues tomorrow with a full episode from the archive. Season 6 starts on Wednesday March 1st.

Is 2023 the year Aston Martin make their mark? Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman, wants to challenge for wins and championships. In 2021 he told Tom Clarkson about his Aston masterplan and his collection of classic cars.
Thanks for listening to 30 Days of Beyond The Grid so far. We’re halfway through our pre-season series of archive highlights. Season 6 begins on March 1st.
Head to F1.com and our social media accounts for the first pictures of Aston Martin’s 2023 car, plus news and images of the new McLaren.
Did you know Lawrence Stroll’s first F1 involvement was as clothing sponsor to Michael Schumacher? Listen to his full BTG interview for that story and many more.

14 seasons without a championship. Fred Vasseur needs to end that run. Ferrari’s new Team Principal has been working in elite motorsport for decades. A supreme talent-spotter, Vasseur hired Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and many more for his teams in junior formulas. Back in 2020, when he was Team Principal at Alfa Romeo, he told Tom Clarkson about working with a young Leclerc and his life outside racing.

For the inside line on Ferrari’s new boss, listen to the full BTG interview here 
Follow F1 on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook for all the pictures, video and news from Ferrari’s 2023 launch on Tuesday February 14th.

He’s Williams' most recent F1 winner. In 2012, Pastor Maldonado took an historic, epic F1 P1. The Venezuelan vividly relived his victory on BTG in 2019. Tom Clarkson is steering you through the huge BTG archive in the build-up to our new series on March 1st. Follow, rate and review the podcast and join us for 30 Days of BTG.
‘Sometimes I went over the limit. No more than others, but my mistakes were always on the front page’. Hear the full conversation with Pastor Maldonado here 

A difficult season. Just 12 points on the board. Now, a chance to rebuild. Mick Schumacher’s out at Haas and in at Mercedes as their reserve driver. He’s following in his famous father’s footsteps, but Mick’s been doing that for years. For Day 12 of BTG’s 30 Day pre-season warm-up, Mick tells Tom Clarkson what he learned from his parents. 30 Days of Beyond The Grid continues tomorrow and every day until the start of Season 6 on March 1st.
Listen to the full interview from Mick Schumacher’s rookie F1 season here 

‘I never knew when I was going to go back’. With no return ticket, but with a dream of racing in F1, Sergio Perez left Mexico aged 14 and travelled to Europe alone. On Day 11 of 30 Days of Beyond The Grid, Sergio tells Tom Clarkson about that journey and his determination to succeed.

Want more? Hear the full 2019 interview with Sergio Perez here 

Before his first F1 win, before he raced alongside Verstappen, Pierre Gasly told Tom Clarkson the first chapter of his F1 story. Enjoy a full in-depth interview recorded in 2018, when Pierre was a breakout star about to be promoted to Red Bull. The Frenchman told Tom Clarkson about his rise to Formula 1, his rivalry with Verstappen, his love of football and much more. Listen back to 30 Days of Beyond The Grid so far, and follow us so you’re ready for BTG Season 6 on March 1st.

As Alfa Romeo launch their 2023 F1 challenger, listen to their driver Valtteri Bottas talking teammates, titles and tasting coffee. Tom Clarkson is choosing 30 of his favourite Beyond The Grid moments in the build-up to Season 6 on March 1st. To join our race through the BTG archive, hit the follow button.
You can hear Valtteri’s full BTG interview here or listen to his Alfa Romeo teammate Zhou Guanyu here  

He’s an 8-time F1 winner who won’t be racing in 2023. Daniel Ricciardo is back with Red Bull as their Third Driver. For Day 8 of BTG’s pre-season series, Tom Clarkson introduces Ricciardo’s 2019 account of his move from Red Bull to Renault.
Enjoy 30 days of specially-chosen archive highlights in the build-up to BTG Season 6, starting March 1st.
Daniel Ricciardo has been on BTG three times. You can listen to those interviews below:

2019 – On Red Bull, Renault and teaching his nephew bad words 
2021 – On winning with McLaren
2022 – Why he’s not done with F1