F1 Beyond The Grid

40 years ago, in May 1982, Formula 1 lost a marvellous maverick. No-one else drove a car quite like Gilles Villeneuve. He lost his life in a crash while at the very peak of his racing powers. In this special episode, those who knew Gilles share their memories and stories with Tom Clarkson. F1 World Champions Mario Andretti and Jody Scheckter and 7-time Grand Prix winner Rene Arnoux raced alongside Villeneuve and were close to him as friends. Jonathan Giacobazzi idolised Gilles; his family’s name appeared as a sponsor on the Canadian’s race suit, and their families travelled the racetracks of Europe together. Jochen Mass was also a good friend of Villeneuve – a fact that makes his blameless involvement in the crash which claimed his life even more tragic. They remember Gilles as a person, a teammate, a rival and a friend, and consider why he is still so adored, 40 years after his death.


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Growing up in Northern California, a young Alexander Rossi dreamed of racing in Formula 1. His route was not an easy one. Along the way he experienced false starts, unfulfilled promises, behind the scenes power moves and the tragic loss of his friend and teammate Jules Bianchi. Alex tells Tom Clarkson everything that led to his 5 Grands Prix in 2015 and just how close he was to staying in the sport for a longer time. Today, Alex is pushing to add the IndyCar Championship to his Indy 500 win,  supported by team boss Michael Andretti, and challenged by teammate Colton Herta. Alex also has tales of racing at Indy with Fernando Alonso, and competing in Mexico’s extreme truck race, the Baja 1000.


Related episodes from the BTG archive
The USA’s first F1 World Champion, Phil Hill, remembered 

Mario Andretti – 1978 F1 World Champion 

Eddie Cheever – the USA’s most experienced F1 driver 

Danny Sullivan – from NY taxi driver to F1 

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon on his F1 drive 

F1 driver and IndyCar star, Juan Pablo Montoya


This episode is sponsored by:

F1 Manager: Launching on PC, PlayStation & Xbox, Summer 2022. Visit F1manager.com to Wishlist the game on your platform of
choice and follow @F1Manager on Twitter to stay up to speed 


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 He says it himself, Alex Albon is back in F1 wanting to prove a point. After a 2020 season in which he scored his first podiums, but ultimately failed to match Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, he lost his race drive and spent 2012 on the side lines. ‘It killed me’, he says, ‘but the hunger never went away’. Alex tells Tom Clarkson how hard he worked behind the scenes to help Verstappen win the Drivers’ Championship, and to fight for his F1 return with Williams in 2022. Now Alex is revitalised. He feels smarter and more at peace with himself. He’s certainly lost none of his skill behind the wheel -  in Australia he drove 57/58 laps on a single set of tyres to score his first point for Williams in only his third race – and his friendship with rivals Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz is as strong as ever. A round of golf with those guys sounds like a lot of fun…
Related episodes from the BTG archive:

Nicholas Latifi, Alex’s Williams teammate

Jost Capito, Williams CEO and Team Principal

Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal
Lando Norris
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
George Russell

This episode is sponsored by: 

Harry's: Get hold of a free travel sized shower gel when you redeem a free Harry’s Trial set at harrys.com/grid. All you need to do is pay £3.95 for delivery. 

Calm: Get 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at CALM.COM/grid 

Creator of an iconic F1 car, with an inside view of a ferocious racing rivalry: Steve Nichols has witnessed some extraordinary things. The American engineer designed the McLaren MP4/4, the car which stormed to 15 wins in 16 races in 1988. He tells Tom Clarkson the story of the MP4/4’s creation and what made it so fast. Working closely with Ayrton Senna as his race engineer, Steve felt the tension between the Brazilian and his teammate Alain Prost as they fought for the title in the car Steve had designed for them. He also tells the story of how and why he left McLaren and followed Prost to Ferrari, a difficult period which included another famous clash with Senna.
Related episodes from the BTG archive:
Alain Prost
Mika Hakkinen
David Coulthard
Julian Jakobi - on managing Senna and Prost

This episode is sponsored by:

BetterHelp: get 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/grid

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A year out of F1 changed Kevin Magnussen’s world. He became a father, he moved back to his native Denmark with his family and he tasted US sportscars and the Le Mans 24 hours. When the chance to return to F1 with Haas suddenly came along, KMag said yes immediately. No fear. No doubt that it’s where he belongs. Kevin tells Tom Clarkson how it felt to lose his place in F1, why his second stint in the sport feels different, what it’s like racing as a dad, and his goals now he’s back in F1. 
Related episodes from the BTG archive:
Mick Schumacher
Guenter Steiner
Romain Grosjean

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This episode is sponsored by:

Babbel: Go to uk.babbel.com/play and use promo code GRID for an extra six months free

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F1 Manager: Launching on PC, PlayStation & Xbox, Summer 2022. Visit F1manager.com to Wishlist the game on your platform of choice and follow @F1Manager on Twitter to stay up to speed

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‘I risked a lot more than people know’. In 1992, Nigel Mansell – a three-time runner-up – finally achieved his lifelong ambition. To win the Formula 1 World Championship, he fought through physical injury and psychological challenges. In this 30th anniversary special episode, Nigel tells Tom Clarkson the story of his championship winning year. He relives his dominant race victories, a Monaco battle for the ages with Ayrton Senna, the incredible celebrations that year at the British Grand Prix, and his crowning moment in Hungary. Mansell also remembers the stunning revelation, less than 24 hours after he won the title. which changed the course of his life.

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Riccardo Patrese, Mansell's 92 teammate
Sir Patrick Head, Williams co-founder
Mansell, Prost, Vettel and Leclerc on racing for Ferrari

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This episode is sponsored by: 

F1 Manager: Launching on PC, PlayStation & Xbox, Summer 2022. Visit F1manager.com to Wishlist the game on your platform of choice and follow @F1Manager on Twitter to stay up to speed

ExpressVPN: Protect yourself at expressvpn.com/GRID today and get an extra three months free on a one-year package

From the age of 8, Susie Wolff dreamed of making it in motorsport. Formula 1 was her goal. In 2014 she got her chance – driving for Williams in Free Practice at the British Grand Prix, becoming the first woman to drive in an official F1 session for more than two decades. She tells Tom Clarkson how she earned her F1 opportunity through making life-changing decisions and dedication to her dream. She proved her speed in karting, where she raced Lewis Hamilton, in Germany’s DTM touring car championship with Mercedes and in several F1 runs with Williams. Today, Susie is pushing to create opportunities for women who want to follow her path, and has valuable insight and advice to share. She’s also a leader, as CEO of the front-running Venturi Formula E team, and she lives the highs and lows of the Mercedes Formula 1 team through husband Toto.

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Toto Wolff
Lewis Hamilton
George Russell
Claire Williams

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This episode is sponsored by: 

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F1TV Pro: Go to F1TV.com to sign-up and take your race weekend to the next level!
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Babbel: Go to uk.babbel.com/play and use promo code GRID for an extra six months free.

Name a top F1 team or driver – Pat Fry is probably a big part of their success. He’s spent 35 years winning with Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari and Alpine, racing with world champion drivers Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. In that time he’s seen F1 change massively, and played a big role in developing game-changing racing technology. Pat tells Tom Clarkson about the challenges of F1’s new 2022 rules, his favourite drivers, his toughest bosses and how to build a winning team. Pat’s still racing as hard as ever as Alpine’s Chief Technical Officer. Today he’s chasing the performance gains he hopes will make the French team F1 world championship contenders in the future.

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Fernando Alonso
Esteban Ocon
Flavio Briatore
Mika Hakkinen

This episode is sponsored by: 

Harry's: go to harrys.com/grid and redeem your free trial set and bonus shower gel. All you cover is £3.95 for delivery

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Will 2022 be a life-changing year for Carlos Sainz? He sits in a Ferrari which looked fast and reliable in pre-season testing. He’s proved he has what it takes to win in Formula 1. Can he make that final step to top of the podium? As Carlos tells Tom Clarkson, he still looks back with frustration on races he feels he could have won. You’ll hear how his seasons at McLaren shaped Carlos into the driver he is today, and how he offered reassurance to Daniel Ricciardo during the Australian’s tough times at the team. Plus his rivalries and friendships with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, how contract security changed his approach to racing, the physical and mental gains he’s made during early morning gym sessions and why F1’s Smooth Operator is not actually smooth at all…­

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Charles Leclerc
Lando Norris
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari Team Principal
Kimi Raikkonen - 2007 World Champion with Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel
SPECIAL: Racing for Ferrari

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This episode is sponsored by: 

Blue Nile: UK listeners can get £50 off £500 with code GRID50 at bluenile.com/uk 

Express VPN: visit expressvpn.com/GRID for an extra three months of ExpressVPN for free! 

LinkedIn Jobs: visit linkedin.com/GRID to post a job for free. Terms and