F1 Explains

Go to the F1 Nation podcast feed to hear our first episode of 2026. Christian Hewgill and Lawrence Barretto talk through all you need to know ahead of the new season

Lando Norris' driving style, the food which fuels the Haas pit crew, the Apex GP cars from F1: The Movie and the team boss who lets his drivers use his office toilet. F1 Explains covered all this and much more in 2025 as we answered your questions on how the sport works.

Christian and the team have chosen their favourite moments from the season, which include a world-first episode recorded inside a garage during a Grand Prix, F1: The Movie director Joseph Kosinski explaining how the cars used in the film were created and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto's description of what happens inside the cockpit when drivers have to save fuel and tyres.

Thank you for listening in 2025. Happy holidays from the F1 Explains team!

Get your question answered on the podcast next season
If you have a question for F1 Explains email [email protected]

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation 

In the months between the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi and the five red lights in Australia, Formula 1 teams are still be racing. They're building in factories, testing on simulators and wind tunnels, working flat-out to get their cars ready for a new era.

New car design and power unit rules will change the game in 2026, so the work F1 teams do this winter is more important than ever. Williams Team Principal James Vowles and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto join Christian Hewgill to explain all.

Lawrence tells us why the teams have less time than in previous winters to be ready for the new season, starting with the first of three pre-season tests in January. James explains the work taking place at F1 team factories, and why 2026 is such a big change.

Get your question answered on the podcast
If you have a question for F1 Explains email [email protected]

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation 

What does a Formula 1 driver need to become a World Champion? Can they really approach a title decider as if it’s any other race? And is it better to be leading the way or chasing?

Ahead of this weekend’s three-way title showdown between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen joins Christian Hewgill in the Yas Marina paddock to explain what it takes to achieve motorsport’s biggest prize.

Mika remembers the moment in his career when he knew he could win a championship, how that changed his mentality and the approach he took to his title deciders in 1998 and 1999.

Get your question answered on the podcast
If you have a question for F1 Explains email [email protected]

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

In a shock reversal of the usual format, this episode of F1 Explains starts with a question that YOU have to answer. It's about an engine company with an incredible winning record in Formula 1. Any guesses?

For decades, Ford won in Formula 1. Their engines powered drivers and teams to World Championships. In 2026, the company will return to the grid, partnering with Red Bull on a new F1 engine project.

Christian speaks to Mark Rushbrook, Ford Global Director of Racing, to find out how the partnership with Red Bull will work, what knowledge Ford can use to help Red Bull hit the ground running and how F1 differs from Ford's other racing teams.

Plus we explain why Red Bull are building their own power unit instead of continuing to buy one from another team, and how the different approaches could affect every team's success in 2026 and beyond.

Get your question answered on the podcast
If you have a question for F1 Explains email [email protected]

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

One-day grandstand tickets for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix start at $85 - go to f1miamigp.com to get yours

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

How do you start a brand new F1 team? Does joining at the start of new regulations in 2026 give Cadillac an advantage or disadvantage? What are the team’s goals? 

Cadillac F1 Team CEO Dan Towriss joins Christian Hewgill to answer your questions and tell us what we can expect from F1’s newest team. 

Dan also talks about their driver line-up of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, Cadillac’s short and long-term engine plans, the role General Motors and TWG Motorsports play in this project, and whether IndyCar star-turned-Cadillac reserve driver Colton Herta could race for the team in the future.

Get your question answered on the podcast
If you have a question for F1 Explains email [email protected]

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com
Tickets for Las Vegas available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

To answer the latest load of F1 Explains listener questions, Christian is joined F1TV expert James Hinchcliffe, IndyCar race-winner who recently drove an F1 car for the first time, and F1TV lead presenter Laura Winter, who once drove an F4 car but doesn't like to talk about it...

Laura and Hinch answer your questions on the differences between F1 and IndyCar machinery, how Cadillac's arrival will change the sport in 2026, how they prepare to cover race weekends and the key people F1 teams try and poach from their rivals.

If you have a question for F1 Explains or a smoke machine F1TV can borrow, email [email protected]

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com
Tickets for Las Vegas available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

How many members of an F1 team does it take to answer the latest batch of your questions? 5, as it turns out!

Haas drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, Race Engineer Laura Mueller and F1 ACADEMY driver Courtney Crone sat down with Christian Hewgill at the US Grand Prix in Austin.

Ayao took questions about the parts Haas buys from Ferrari, and what he thinks about Cadillac's entry into F1 in 2026. Laura explains how F1 teams fix car problems during a Grand Prix. Courtney tells us how working with Haas is helping her racing career. Esteban and Ollie talk car set ups and simulators, all while eating their pre-race lunch.

Got a question about F1? We'll find the best person to answer it
Send your voice notes and emails to [email protected]

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com
Tickets for Las Vegas now available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

When Formula 1 drivers want to go faster, they study squiggly lines on a screen. This is F1 data, showing how drivers accelerate, brake, steer and more. Hidden in the squiggles are the secrets of speed.

Tom Stallard, Race Engineer to Oscar Piastri at McLaren, and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer join Christian Hewgill to decode F1 data.

Tom answers your questions on what data is recorded, how it is fed back to the teams by hundreds of sensors on each car, and how engineers analyse thousands of pieces of information.

Jolyon explains how F1 drivers study their own data to find improvements, what they can learn from looking at their team mates and rivals' data, and the data drivers need to know during qualifying and races.

Got a question? We'll find the best person to answer it
Send your voice notes and emails to [email protected]

Witness the crowning of the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com
Tickets for Las Vegas now available at f1lasvegasgp.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert insight before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation