F1 pre-season testing is just days away, and F1 teams are racing to be ready. What's going on inside their factories? How long does it take drivers to be 100% confident in a brand new car? How do strategists get ready for the first race? Plus, who do you root for - the driver or the team?

Ahead of the 2025 season, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne get the answers to these questions and more from F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto, and F1TV strategy expert Ruth Buscombe Divey.

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F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars

F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews

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On F1 Beyond The Grid, Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth conversations with Tom Clarkson.

They reveal what it’s like being at the centre of the biggest stories of the season and share fascinating insight into what life is like as a Formula 1 driver, Team Principal, engineer, designer, and more. In this end-of year special, Tom picks his favourite moments from a long list of stellar guests.

Fernando Alonso reflects on becoming the first driver in F1 history to compete in 400 Grands Prix and why he nearly retired much earlier in his career. Carlos Sainz explains how he recovered from physical and mental setbacks to win multiple races. And Ollie Bearman describes what it was really like making his F1 debut at such short notice in Saudi Arabia.

As well as today’s big names, legends of the past like Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard relive their career-defining moments. Plus, you’ll hear memories of Lewis Hamilton’s time at Mercedes and Bruno Senna’s stories of growing up with his uncle Ayrton, 30 years on from his death.

Thank you for listening in 2024. F1 Beyond The Grid will return in 2025.

To hear the full interviews with the guests featured in this show, click on the links below…

Toto Wolff

Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz

Juan Pablo Montoya

David Coulthard

Bruno Senna

Fernando Alonso

Andy Stevenson

Ollie Bearman

Ayao Komatsu

Tom Stallard

Paul Monaghan

Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

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How do Formula 1 drivers find the fastest way around the track? How do teams scout future superstars? Why is driving in F2 the best way of reaching the top? What really happens on the grid before a race? In 2024, F1 Explains answered these questions and many more sent in by listeners from all over the world.

Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne have picked the most fascinating moments from the podcast's second season:

Whether you're a new F1 fan or a long-time follower, there's always something more to learn about F1. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, send it as an email or a voice note to [email protected] 

Thank you for listening, for sending questions and for coming to our live shows in 2024. F1 Explains will be back for more in 2025.

F1 Beyond The Grid - in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars

F1 Nation - Grand Prix reviews and previews from inside the F1 paddock

Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

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'To finish first, first you have to finish'. Formula 1 teams can't score points, wins or championships unless their cars make it to the chequered flag.

Reliability Engineers like Sauber's Laura Villadelprat work in the garage and the factory to keep the cars on-track and avoid the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish).

Laura explains how F1 teams know when it's time to swap old car parts for new ones, how they monitor reliability in real time, and what they do to investigate the causes of race-ending problems.

You can get your question answered on the podcast. Send your question to [email protected]

F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars

F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews

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F1 cars are out-of-this-world to drive, even for experienced racers. Pato O'Ward is a race-winner in IndyCar with Arrow McLaren, but when he jumps in a Formula 1 car as Reserve Driver for McLaren F1 Team, he's blown away.

Pato joins Katie and Christian to answer your questions about the differences and similarities between Formula 1 and IndyCar - the cars, the racetracks, the pit stops and more.

'Hi F1 Explains, my question is...'

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Catch all the on-track action and indulge in premium hospitality throughout the Grand Prix weekend. Find out more and book here

Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

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F1 cars are racing on the streets of Las Vegas at more than 200 miles per hour. It’s the most spectacular race of the season, and it takes months of work by a team of more than 15,000 people.  

Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are in Las Vegas to find out how Formula 1 takes over the city. Las Vegas Grand Prix VP of Sporting and Race Operations Silvia Bellot explains how public roads, including the famous Las Vegas Strip, are transformed into a racetrack with miles of special lights, safety barriers and fences. She reveals the challenges of racing in the non-stop entertainment capital of the world, including re-opening the track to regular traffic in-between the F1 action. 

Katie and Christian answer your questions about the Las Vegas Strip Circuit – the layout, the track surface and the barriers.  Then, Christian heads to the grandstands to talk to fans who are loving watching F1 live in Vegas.  

If you want to experience the Las Vegas Grand Prix for yourself, you can place your deposit for 2025 tickets now at f1lasvegasgp.com/2025-deposits/. Plus, coming in Spring 2025, an F1 Drive karting track and other special events in Grand Prix Plaza.

 

Be part of the podcast. Send your question to [email protected]

F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars

F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews

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It's where pit crews go to work, where strategies are decided and where races can be won and lost. 

Katie and Christian step into the Formula 1 pit lane to put your questions to former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy Bernie Collins.

Bernie explains how the length and speed limit of the pit lane affects race strategy, why every team's pit box is different, what all the screens and buttons on the team pit wall are for and what it's like to be in the pit lane during a Grand Prix.

Be part of the podcast. Send your question to [email protected]

A groundbreaking season launch event at London’s The O2 – featuring all the teams, their drivers and team bosses, plus top entertainment – ahead of the 2025 campaign.

18.02.25!

F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars

F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews

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F1 Explains gave listeners who attended our live show at F1 Arcade Washington D.C. the chance to win tickets for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.

Courtesy of the Miami Grand Prix, two lucky listeners have won a pair of tickets for the new McLaren grandstand, some exclusive McLaren merchandise and the chance to win a hot lap of the track with a professional driver.

The draw was done at random and it's time to announce the winners. Congratulations to them, and thank you to everyone who entered.

You can buy 2025 Miami Grand Prix tickets here.

Send your F1 questions to [email protected]

The clock is ticking. The starting grid is full of people - drivers, engineers, reporters and celebrities. Formula 1 is about to go racing, but there's so much work to do. What happens on the grid in the crucial final minutes before lights out?

In the first podcast episode to be recorded on a Formula 1 starting grid before a race, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne push through the crowds and explain what teams and drivers are doing, why the pre-race countdown is so important and the rules of the F1 grid.

McLaren Race Engineer Tom Stallard tells us what he and Oscar Piastri are talking about on the grid. Plus celebrity chef and F1 fan Gordon Ramsay describes the pre-race atmosphere.

Be part of the podcast. Send your question to [email protected]

F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars

F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews

Tickets for the end of the 2024 F1 season and the start of 2025 are available now at tickets.formula1.com

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Want somewhere to watch a Grand Prix with F1 fans, race against your friends and enjoy food and drink? Look no further than F1 Arcade! Christian and Katie recorded a special episode of F1 Explains at F1 Arcade Washington D.C. after the Mexico City GP Watch Party.

F1 Arcade is open now in Washington D.C., Boston MA, plus London and Birmingham in the UK. Go to f1arcade.com to buy tickets for Watch Parties or a high-speed night out.

F1 Explains listeners Kim, Lindsay, Nick, Hayden and Kat asked Katie and Christian to explain how drivers influence strategy during a race, what Team Principals do on the pit wall, and the difference between 'dirty air' and a slipstream.

Plus, F1 Explains gave people who attended the Watch Party the chance to win tickets to the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. The competition is now closed. Winners will be announced on a future episode. Good luck to everyone who entered. Tickets courtesy of the Miami Grand Prix

You can buy 2025 Miami Grand Prix tickets here