F1 Explains

Where in the world is Christian Hewgill? He’s in Bahrain to find out why F1 pre-season testing is so important for teams, engineers and drivers.

Katie Osborne has a list of listener questions, Christian gets the answers from McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, Alpine Reserve Driver Jack Doohan, Mercedes’ Communications Director Bradley Lord and McLaren Racing Director Randy Singh.

F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast which answers your questions about how F1 works.

Record your question as a voice note or write it in an email and send it to [email protected]

Check out our previous episodes:

Catch up with our other episodes

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner and F1 Explains listeners

Suits, boots + underwear: what F1 drivers wear - with PUMA

The job of an F1 Team Principal - with Aston Martin's Mike Krack

Why F1 teammates are friends + foes - with Valtteri Bottas + Zhou Guanyu

How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri

F1 Academy - with Susie Wolff + Lia Block

The F1 race start - with Mick Schumacher + strategist Bernie Collins

Behind the scenes on Drive to Survive - with Exec Producer James Gay-Rees

How F1 teams build their new cars - with Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows

What we learned in 2023 - the best bits of series 1

LIVE at the US Grand Prix - with F1 Explains listeners + David Coulthard

The incredible logistics of F1 - with DHL + Alfa Romeo

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds behind Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - how to do them perfectly

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

F1 Explains is back for 2024! Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are starting by answering your questions about new F1 cars. When do teams start working on their challengers for a new season? How much of a new F1 car is actually new? What happens when a team comes up with something that has never been seen before?

Aston Martin's Technical Director Dan Fallows explains how a new Formula 1 car goes from sketches on paper to carbon-fibre reality.

F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast that answers your questions about the sport.

You can send your question - as a voice note or an email - to [email protected]

F1 Explains Season 1 is available to listen to now:

LIVE at the US Grand Prix - with F1 Explains listeners + David Coulthard

The incredible logistics of F1 - with DHL + Alfa Romeo

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds behind Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - how to do them perfectly

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

Your F1 questions answered by F1 experts. Katie Osborne + Christian Hewgill are back with drivers, engineers + exclusive interviews with people who make F1 work. 

Send your questions to [email protected]. 

Brilliant questions, fascinating answers. F1 Explains explores how our favourite sport really works. In 2023, Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill put your questions to drivers, engineers, strategists, designers and many more of the people who do great work behind the scenes.

At the end of the podcast's first season, Katie and Christian have picked the things they loved learning the most, including the advantages and disadvantages of having F1-ready neck muscles and how the sport's rulemakers keep an eye on teams at their factories. You'll hear from some of our favourite guests including Gemma Fisher, who turbocharged F1 pit stops, DRS expert and race strategist Ruth Buscombe and motorsport scientist Dr Diandra Leslie-Pelecky.

Thank you very much for listening to F1 Explains in 2023. Join us in 2024, and send us a question to answer. Write or record your question using the voice memo app on your phone, then email it to [email protected].

F1 Explains Season 1 is available to listen to now:

LIVE at the US Grand Prix - with F1 Explains listeners + David Coulthard

The incredible logistics of F1 - with DHL + Alfa Romeo

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds behind Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - how to do them perfectly

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

‘Being here in person is incredible’. ‘Insane. It blows my mind’. ‘It’s a different and amazing experience’. We love watching F1 on-screen, but this episode is all about why going to a Formula 1 Grand Prix is next level.

Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne head to the grandstands at the 2023 US Grand Prix to hear why seeing F1 live is a must-do for any F1 fan. Whether it’s seeing how fast the cars really are, the chance to buy exclusive merch or getting to meet your favourite driver, a weekend at the track is full of unforgettable experiences. 

Ready to go? You can buy official Formula 1 tickets for the 2024 season at tickets.formula1.com

Not sure which race to choose? F1.com Destination Guides will help you decide

Want to get even closer? F1 Experiences has you covered with exclusive access and world-class hospitality

We love answering your F1 questions! If you have something you'd like Christian, Katie and our team of experts to dive into, record a voice note or write us a message and email it to [email protected]

We might have answered your question on a previous episode:

LIVE at the US Grand Prix - with F1 Explains listeners + David Coulthard

The incredible logistics of F1 - with DHL + Alfa Romeo

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds behind Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - how to do them perfectly

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

How do teams and drivers get ready for a track they've never been to before? It takes complex calculations, decades of data and a dash of racers' instinct. F1 Explains has the full answer as we prepare to head to Las Vegas.

Plus, who gets which garage in the pit lane? What happens in 'parc fermé', what's an 'anti-stall' and which drivers are interview chatterboxes? 

Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill put more of your questions to race-winning F1 strategist Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent & Presenter, Lawrence Barretto:

We love answering your F1 questions! If you have something you'd like Christian, Katie and our team of experts to dive into, record a voice note or write us a message and email it to [email protected]

We might have answered your question on a previous episode:

LIVE at the US Grand Prix - with F1 Explains listeners + David Coulthard

The incredible logistics of F1 - with DHL + Alfa Romeo

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds behind Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - how to do them perfectly

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

How do F1 drivers find the fastest way around a racetrack? Why do the stars of our sport use special drinks bottles? Do some F1 teams have No 1 and No 2 drivers? Race-winning F1 strategist Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto return to answer your questions in another quickfire special. Plus, why do F1 tracks get grippier, what really goes on in F1 hospitality and how does the bonus point for fastest lap work?

If you have a topic you'd like Christian, Katie and our team of F1 experts to explain, record a voice note or write us a message and email it to [email protected]

We might have answered your question on a previous episode:

LIVE at the US Grand Prix - with F1 Explains listeners + David Coulthard

The incredible logistics of F1 - with DHL + Alfa Romeo

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds behind Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - how to do them perfectly

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

A Formula 1 legend, F1 fans with questions and a loud Texas crowd. F1 Explains took to the stage at the Circuit of The Americas for our first ever live show!

Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill welcomed former McLaren, Red Bull and Williams driver David Coulthard to COTA's Amphitheatre stage. F1 Explains listeners Crystal from New York, Sammi from Massachusetts and Amanda from Tennessee brought their questions about F1 teammates, reaction times and training. You'll hear why F1 drivers backsides are so important and discover DC's hidden talent for singing...

If you have an F1 question you'd like us to answer, record it as a voice note or write it in an email and send it to [email protected]

Special thanks to Jordan Henley, Isabelle Hutt, Mark Jones and the stage team at Circuit of The Americas.

The incredible logistics of F1 - with DHL + Alfa Romeo

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds of Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

Priceless cars, team headquarters, crucial equipment, thousands of spare parts, tyres, fuel... and the Team Principal's favourite coffee. Every item F1 teams need to compete is moved from race to race by an amazing team of logistics experts.

Formula 1's Global Logistics Partner, DHL, moves the sport around the world. It's a year-round, tight deadline task which is being achieved more sustainably than ever before - using bio-fuelled trucks and efficient freighter aircraft.

Every Formula 1 team has its own logistics staff. Alfa Romeo's Deputy Head of Race Part Logistics, Josef Pfandl, explains how he moves tens of thousands of parts from race to race. Plus, how F1 team motorhomes are transported, and what it's like to drive a truck packed with invaluable F1 equipment across Europe.

Got a question about how F1 works? Christian, Katie and our team of experts would love to answer it. Record a voice note on your phone or write us an email and send it to [email protected]

Check out our previous episodes:

How F1 racetracks are designed - with the masterminds of Miami

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

High-speed corners or tricky hairpins? Flat-out straights or tight chicanes? Every Formula 1 racetrack is a unique challenge for the drivers and teams, and the work to create them is a blend of artistry and engineering.

F1 Explains how F1 circuits go from a sketch on a piece of paper, through state-of-the-art digital simulation, to reality.

What are the challenges of building a racetrack? How are they designed to allow close racing, overtaking and interesting strategy? Christian and Katie put your questions on track design to the team from Apex Circuit Design, who were behind the Miami International Autodrome:

We want to answer your F1 question. Record a voice note on your phone or write us an email and send it to [email protected]

Check out our previous episodes:

How car liveries are created - with Alfa Romeo + McLaren

The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do

DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu

Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.