F1 Explains

Precision at 200 miles per hour. Millimetre-perfect steering, Millisecond-perfect braking and acceleration. That's what it takes to race in Formula 1. Performance Engineers help the 20 fastest drivers in the world to be their very best.

McLaren's Tom Stallard, a former Performance Engineer, tells Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne about the incredible work these engineers do with Formula 1 drivers. It's a mix of studying data, finding improvements, and coaching drivers to go faster on-track.

Plus, Tom explains the teamwork among Performance Engineers, Strategists and Race Engineers (the role he currently does with Oscar Piastri). They have to communicate efficiently to get the best result in every qualifying session and race.

For more from Tom Stallard, follow F1 Beyond The Grid for an in-depth interview coming soon.

F1 EXPLAINS LIVE - AT THE FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2024
Saturday October 19th, 1815 (after F1 qualifying)
Circuit of the Americas, Amphitheatre stage near the F1 Fanzone
Join Christian, Katie and special guests for a live show - with your chance to put a question to an F1 expert
Email [email protected] to get involved

Send your questions to [email protected] and we'll answer them in a future episode

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

Be there when the 2024 Formula 1 World Champion is crowned:Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and F1 ACADEMY weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are available now at tickets.formula1.com

16 drivers in identical cars, racing wheel-to-wheel on Grand Prix weekends. F1 ACADEMY, the game-changing racing series for female drivers, returns at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi are F1 ACADEMY race-winners, teammates and sisters. They answer your questions on staying calm under pressure, racing in different junior categories and how they recover after a race.

They tell Christian Hewgill how F1 ACADEMY has changed their careers, and the support they get from Formula 1 teams and drivers through the Red Bull Racing Pepe Jeans and Visa CashApp Academy Programmes.  Plus, the story of when the sisters clashed on-track and in the stewards’ room, post-race. 



You can watch F1 ACADEMY action on the series YouTube channel or F1TV

Get the latest on the season on f1academy.com or by following F1 ACADEMY on Instagram

Next up: listen to our episode with F1 ACADEMY boss Susie Wolff and driver Lia Block

Send your questions to [email protected] and we'll answer them in a future episode

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

It's all to drive for in 2024. Be there:Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and F1 ACADEMY weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are available now at tickets.formula1.com

24 spectacular Grands Prix in 21 incredible countries. A Formula 1 season is a world tour. How is it scheduled? F1 Explains gets the inside track from Formula 1 Director of Race Promotion, Louise Young. 

Her team is responsible for planning the Formula 1 calendar. They decide the order of races, negotiate contracts and work with promoters – the groups who own or operate the racetracks which host each Grand Prix. 

Louise explains how the F1 season is scheduled, how new races are chosen, and how Grands Prix are planned to allow freight to be moved sustainably using ships. 

Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill ask Louise where F1 is going next, whether some races could rotate in the future, and what the key ingredients are for a great Grand Prix. 

F1 Explains listeners Chris in Queensland, Cameron in Canada, Chrissy in the US and Bear from California had their questions on the F1 calendar answered in this episode. If you have a question about how Formula 1 works, send it to [email protected]

You might find your answer in a previous episode:

Meet the mechanics in an F1 garage - with Kick Sauber

How F1 teams work - from factory to racetrack

LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners

How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper

What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin

How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing

Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions

Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer 

How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners

F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA

F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan

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

Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine

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

It's all to drive for in 2024. Be there:
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

What does it take to win the F1 World Championship? Is it better to be the leader or the chaser in a title fight? What changes when you become a champion?

In a special episode, recorded at F1 Paddock Club, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill reveals all you need to know about winning the sport's ultimate prize - including how teammate rivalry goes beyond the racetrack and onto the dinner table!

F1 Explains listener Lilly from Amsterdam joins Christian Hewgill and Damon on-stage to ask her question. To have your F1 question answered on a future episode, send it to [email protected]

Special thanks to Tom Perkins, Charlene Nyantekyi, Jodie Porter, Jordan Franckeiss, Davide Demontis, Phil Hornby, Hollie Cruise, Suzanne Simmonds, Neil Medland, Buzz Allan, Seb Hancock and Karl McClumpha.


F1 Paddock Club - the ultimate trackside hospitality
Experience premium track views, delicious food, open bars, daily Pit Lane Walks and more. Click here for packages

Listen to more official F1 podcasts

Why is the 'undercut' pit stop strategy more powerful at some tracks than others? Formula 1 strategists make race-changing decisions under huge pressure. How do they practice? What is a 'DRS train' and how does being in one change a driver's race?

Former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy Bernie Collins answers these questions and more in a quickfire special.

Yiorgios in Greece, Carla in Kentucky, Luana in Switzerland, Chad in Tennessee, Katherine in Illinois, April in Toronto, John in Minnesota, Lennon in New Jersey and Ken in Ohio had their questions answered in this episode. Send yours to [email protected]

You might find your answer in a previous episode:

Meet the mechanics in an F1 garage - with Kick Sauber

How F1 teams work - from factory to racetrack

LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners

How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper

What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin

How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing

Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions

Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer 

How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners

F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA

F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan

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

Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine

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

It's all to drive for in 2024. Be there:
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

How does a Formula 1 team stay fit, healthy and ready to race? The team's Physiotherapist (or Physical Therapist) treats every member of the team like an athlete, helping pit crew members avoid or recover from injury, keeping engineers active and making sure jet lag doesn't knock mechanics off their game.

Faith Atack-Martin from Combine Performance works with Haas F1 Team. She tells Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill how she looks after the staff who travel to races all over the world, and how her job involves everything from filling water bottles to white-water rafting.

Kelly from Birmingham, UK inspired this episode of F1 Explains. You can suggest a topic for a future podcast by emailing your question to [email protected]

You might find your answer in a previous episode:

Meet the mechanics in an F1 garage - with Kick Sauber

How F1 teams work - from factory to racetrack

LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners

How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper

What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin

How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing

Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions

Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer 

How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners

F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA

F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan

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

Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine

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

Experience F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

What are the most frequently asked questions sent to the [email protected] inbox? We answer three of them on this summer break mini episode. 

Plus, Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill have news of F1 Explains live shows. We're coming to:

Tickets to all three races and the rest of the 2024 season are on sale now at tickets.formula1.com

If you'll be there, let us know at [email protected], and you could be part of the show.

Send us your questions for the second half of the season. Thanks for listening in 2024 so far.

You might find your answer in a previous episode:

Meet the mechanics in an F1 garage - with Kick Sauber

How F1 teams work - from factory to racetrack

LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners

How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper

What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin

How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing

Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions

Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer 

How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners

F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA

F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan

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

Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine

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

Dozens of people work inside an F1 team garage, and they all have different jobs. Without these mechanics and engineers, the drivers would never get out on-track. Who are they, what do they all do, and how did they get their jobs?

In this episode, recorded at the 2024 Canadian and British Grands Prix, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne speak to three of Kick Sauber's garage team:

The trio explain a typical race weekend, the challenges of their jobs and how they all work together to get Sauber's cars ready to race.

Stacey from Colorado and Reshma from London's questions inspired this episode of F1 Explains. You can suggest a topic for a future podcast by emailing your question to [email protected]

You might find your answer in a previous episode:

How F1 teams work - from factory to racetrack

LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners

How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper

What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin

How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing

Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions

Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer 

How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners

F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA

F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan

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

Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine

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

Experience F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

To win in F1, hundreds of people have to work together. From the mechanics at the track to designers at the factory, every team member plays their part. How are F1 teams organised, and why does every team have to build a unique car?

Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill go back into the sport's past with F1 Correspondent and Presenter, Lawrence Barretto, who explains how car design has been part of F1 since the very beginning. Then, Mercedes Head of Communications Bradley Lord talks about the different departments of an F1 team and how they all contribute to on-track performance.

Experience F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

Find the answer in our previous episodes

LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners

How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper

What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin

How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing

Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions

Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer 

How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners

F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA

F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan

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

Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine

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

A double F1 World Champion and three F1 Explains listeners joined Christian Hewgill live on stage at the 2024 British Grand Prix.

F1 Explains listeners Sophie from Rugby, Ryan from London and Alex from Atlanta Georgia asked Mika Hakkinen about how Formula 1 has changed since his final season in 2001 and how it feels to drive high-speed corners. The 1998 and 1999 World Champion also explains what is involved in contract negotiations between drivers and teams.

Special thanks to Ella Clarke, Jordan Henley and Tham Islam at F1, Nicki Seifert at Silverstone and the team at The Driver's Inn Stage.

Watch F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Austin, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

F1 Explains will be coming to the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas in October 2024, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November 2024. More details coming soon.

Find the answer in our previous episodes

How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper

What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin

How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing

Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions

Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer 

How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124

LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners

F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA

F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan

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

Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine

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