F1 Explains

Once McLaren team mates fighting for the Formula 1 World Championship, now legends of the F1 Paddock, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard know how it feels to be in the middle of a title battle.

The pair join Christian Hewgill and F1 Explains listeners live on stage in Austin, Texas, to answer your questions.

David and Mika explain how McLaren handled their title rivalry in the late 1990s, compare their experiences to this year's intensifying battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and discuss whether team mates can be friends.

Plus, why braking in an F1 car literally takes your breath away, some dogs named after F1 stars and the racing jobs David and Mika would want to do if they weren't drivers.

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Witness the crowning of a World Champion
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What does ‘lift and coast’ mean and why do drivers use this technique? How do they reduce their speed under a Virtual Safety Car? Why do they use a different engine mode when driving in the pitlane? And what do the buttons on an F1 steering wheel do? 

Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto joins Christian Hewgill in the paddock at the United States Grand Prix to answer your questions.

Gabriel also reveals what has surprised him the most about teammate Nico Hulkenberg, how he feels about racing his manager Fernando Alonso on track and the differences between F2 and F1 cars.

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It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
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In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
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Without marshals, we wouldn't be able to go racing.

In their bright orange jumpsuits, they're hard to miss. Hundreds of them are dotted around the track to ensure the safety of all the drivers competing in every series during a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.  

So how do they keep drivers safe? What roles are different marshals performing at different parts of the circuit? How do they know which flags to wave? What’s the process they go through when responding to incidents on track? And how do they work with Race Control? 

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne have been speaking to Mike Vandament and Jennifer Kelly, both of whom volunteer as marshals at the Circuit of the Americas, to answer your questions about what they do during a race weekend. 

And if you're interested in becoming a marshal, Sydney Davis Yagel works for the Sports Car Club of America. It’s her job to get people started with marshalling and other trackside jobs. Sydney tells Christian and Katie how she gives people those opportunities and what type of person she thinks makes a good marshal.

THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO FORMULA 1 FLAGS
Click here to find out what all the different flags in Formula 1 mean.

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When F1 drivers crash, the FIA Medical Car rushes to the scene. It's a high-performance machine with a racing driver at the wheel and a doctor in the passenger seat.

The Medical Car crew, Dr Ian Roberts and driver Bruno Correia, answer your questions about their vital jobs. They tell Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill about responding to crashes, assessing driver injuries and the part of a Grand Prix when they're most likely to be called into action.

Dr Ian explains how he went from working in a hospital to racetracks around the world, Bruno tells the story of swapping a racing car for the Aston Martin and Mercedes Medical Cars, and we hear what drivers are like after a crash.

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It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
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How different is driving at night compared to racing during the day? What impact does being a celebrity have on an F1 drivers’ life? How are car numbers decided? And what’s the process behind designing a special helmet?

Williams’ Alex Albon joins Christian Hewgill in the Formula 1 paddock to answer your questions. 

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It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
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In-depth interviews with the stars of Formula 1, including Alex Albon, on F1 Beyond The Grid

Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

What are race strategists doing during a Grand Prix? How are strategies decided for each driver within a team? What happens to that strategy when something unexpected happens, like teammates colliding with each other? And is Artificial Intelligence used when deciding the best tactics for a race?

Bernie Collins, former F1 strategist at Aston Martin and McLaren, joins Christian Hewgill in the paddock to answer your questions about the sport.

Bernie also explains why teams change their engine power during different sessions, why drivers try and leave their final qualifying run as late as possible, and what the rules are when a driver is asked to give a place back to an opponent.

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2025 is a year of change for Jonathan Wheatley. He left Red Bull in the UK to join Sauber in Switzerland. He also stepped up from Sporting Director to Team Principal.

Jonathan answers your questions about moving from a World Championship-winning team to one seeking success. He tells Christian how he leads the hundreds of people working at Sauber's factory and at the racetrack, including drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.

More change is ahead for Jonathan and Sauber in 2026, as Audi-take over the team. Jonathan answers your questions on how the transition is going and Audi's ambition to win in Formula 1.

F1 Explains puts your questions to F1 experts and insiders. Send yours to [email protected]

More from official F1 podcasts:

F1 Beyond The Grid
Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto's story of leaving Brazil aged 11 to chase his F1 dream

F1 Nation
Valtteri Bottas on why he chose to join Cadillac for 2026

Ferrari is synonymous with Formula 1 around the world. They’ve won more World Championships than any other team in the sport’s history.

But is that success why they’re regarded as one of the most iconic names in F1? Or is there more to it?

F1 Explains is at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza to find out what makes Ferrari so special.

Christian Hewgill is joined by ESPN F1 journalist, Nate Saunders, who is also the author of ‘Forza Ferrari: How F1’s most famous team can win again’, and 2012 GP2 champion and F1TV pundit, Davide Valsecchi.

They discuss how Ferrari’s long history with Formula 1 began, the legacy of legendary founder Enzo Ferrari, the team’s famous Tifosi fanbase, the pressure they face from the Italian media and why winning a title with Ferrari is extra special.

Christian also meets some very passionate Italian Ferrari fans, who tell us why Ferrari mean so much to them, what it was like being at Monza when Charles Leclerc won in 2024, and how they would feel if Ferrari became World Champions again after such a long wait.

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It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
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In-depth interviews on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

The driver hits the brakes. The car stops in the pit lane and 20 people go to work. Wheel guns roar. Tyres spin. The car speeds back into the race. An F1 pit stop is 2 seconds of precision under pressure.

F1 Explains meets the people who make lightning-fast pit stops happen. Christian Hewgill puts your questions to Haas pit crew members Matt Thompson, Monique Hurrell and Marcus Farrer.

Matt, Monique and Marcus explain how they became part of the pit crew, what happens during a stop, and what they do for the rest of the race weekend.

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It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

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In-depth interviews on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation

Where do Formula 1 teams spot the drivers of the future? What are they looking for in young racers? And how did Mercedes guide Kimi Antonelli from karting to F1?  
 
F1 Explains explores junior driver programmes, which exist to find talented young drivers and support them as they climb the motorsport ladder.
 
Most F1 teams have these academies. Red Bull signed a young Max Verstappen, Ferrari supported Charles Leclerc and Oliver Bearman, Lando Norris was part of the McLaren programme, and Mercedes developed George Russell, Kimi Antonelli and Esteban Ocon during their junior racing.
 
F1 ACADEMY leader Doriane Pin is also part of the Mercedes Junior Driver Programme. She tells Christian Hewgill how Mercedes spotted her and answers your questions on what the team is doing to support her career.
 
The Mercedes programme is led by Gwen Lagrue, the man who discovered Russell, Antonelli and Ocon. Gwen explains how he identifies those with the most potential, guides them into junior car racing and decides when they are ready to step up to Formula 3, F2 and, finally, F1. 

Get your question answered on the podcast

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It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews on F1 Beyond The Grid
Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation