F1 Beyond The Grid

Putting aside Frank Williams, who is no longer in the active role at Williams he once was, Franz Tost is the second longest-serving team boss in the pit lane, behind only Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner. In his 14 years at the helm of Toro Rosso, Tost has overseen the team’s maiden pole and victory, nurtured talents like Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, and helped rehabilitate the careers of those moving the other way in the Red Bull pyramid. 

On this week’s show, Tom sits down with the affable Austrian to discuss all of the above, plus his early years in F1 with Ralf Schumacher, his involvement with BMW during the Williams years, his famous altercation with Scott Speed, and even his own racing days…

As motor racing stories go, Mario Andretti’s is pure Hollywood. Born in what was war-ravaged Italy in 1940, and later a refugee, he would rise to not only become arguably the greatest all-round racing driver in history, but also a household name, synonymous with speed, across America – his adopted homeland after emigrating in the 1950s.

 On this week’s episode we hear the full epic tale, from the moment he caught the motor racing bug watching hero Alberto Ascari at Monza, to the early years of his career, racing in secret with brother Aldo. And from the glory of racing for Ferrari at Monza to his tragic coronation as F1 world champion at the same track in 1978 – the incredible stories come one after another.

He’s regarded as arguably the fastest Japanese driver of all time, and yet it could all have been so different for Takuma Sato. A bike racing champion in his youth, Sato caught the racing bug watching Senna at Suzuka in his youth, and though he didn’t start racing until much later than almost all of his rivals, his talent and sheer bloody minded determination lifted him all the way to F1. 

On this week’s episode, the Indy 500 champion tells us about his brave switch from Japan to Britain early in his career, his breakthrough performance for Jordan on home soil, his memorable podium finish in the USA, beating Fernando Alonso in his unfancied Super Aguri, and much more…

He was a driver for whom much was expected, arriving in F1 as the younger brother of a double world champion. And though today Ralf Schumacher doesn’t rate his achievements that highly, those who raced against him will tell you the six-time Grand Prix winner was one of the quickest and most under-estimated of his era. 

On this week’s show, Ralf discusses being a racing dad to up-and-comer son David, what it was like to race brother Michael at the highest level, why he was never friends with team mates, and much more...

Our guest this week is someone who lived through one of the sport’s biggest fairy tales when, in 2009, he won the world title with Brawn, less than 12 months after the team had been put out of business by Honda. But though that season has come to define Jenson Button’s F1 career, in reality it was just one small part for a racer that clocked up more than 300 Grand Prix starts. 

On this week’s episode, Jenson discusses his remarkable career journey, including why the most enjoyable part was pre-world title, how frustrations in the early days shaped his future, the positive and negatives of his silky smooth driving style, beating Lewis Hamilton and much more…

As Lewis Hamilton’s team mate at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas finds himself consistently measured against a driver many consider the best of all time. But far from being overawed, the gritty Finn actively relishes the challenge, and has become a consistent race-winning threat. 

On this week’s show Bottas opens up about mental resilience, motivation and self-development, and also gives us a fascinating look into his private life: beards, dogs and - yes - porridge...

He’s a man with one of the toughest jobs in F1: tasked with leading one of the sport’s grandee teams back to the top, under the weight of huge public expectation. But if anyone knows Renault, it’s Cyril Abiteboul. The Frenchman has worked in a variety of positions for the French marque over the years and, though just 41, is now in his fourth season as Team Principal. 

On this week’s episode Abiteboul discusses how the oft-talked five-year rebuild is going, the pressures of the job, the inside stories of signing Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, and why he struggles to sleep at night...

This week’s guest is Dutch, caused a major stir when he first jumped into an F1 car, and has the surname of Verstappen… but we’re not talking about Red Bull star Max, we’re talking about his father. Jos Verstappen had the same meteoric rise through the junior formulas as his son, culminating in an F1 debut alongside Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1994. He’d end up making more than 100 Grand Prix starts and scoring two podiums – although it’s fair to say it was something of a rollercoaster career, and by the time it was over he’d switched his attention to nurturing Max’s prodigious talents. 

On this week’s episode he gives us the full story, describing in detail how what he learned along the way was vital for helping his son get ahead...

A year ago, Alex Albon didn’t have an F1 drive, and his prospects of getting one looked slim at best. He had no affiliation with an F1 team and, despite shining in F2, he was having to looking at alternative series in which to earn a living. It was not the first time his career faced a crossroads, but this time, things were turned upside down when he got a call from Red Bull – the same Red Bull that had dropped him years earlier – about driving for Toro Rosso in 2019. On this week’s show, the British-born Thai talks about that rollercoaster journey to the top, as well his sensational blockbuster promotion to Red Bull, his childhood obsession with Michael Schumacher and much more.

Pastor Maldonado was always a headline maker. The Venezuelan arrived in F1 in 2011 with Williams as GP2 champion, and the very next year delivered the team a first win in over seven years with a dazzling performance in Spain. But for all his speed, and all his talent, Maldonado also found himself on the end of a large amount of criticism, sometimes from his fellow drivers, sometimes from the press, for his flamboyant and always committed approach.

This week on Beyond The Grid, Maldonado pulls no punches as he discusses the highs and lows of his F1 career, including that famous victory in Barcelona, his run-ins with other drivers, being labelled a pay driver, the pressure from his homeland and much, much more.