The history of F1 is littered with great stories and improbable comebacks, and Brawn GP’s title-winning season in 2009 is right up there with the best of them. It was late 2008 when Honda surprisingly pulled the plug on its F1 project, leaving a team hundreds strong with a bleak future. That the team not only survived but emerged with a grid-blitzing machine is the stuff of legend, and on the tenth anniversary of that success Tom Clarkson sat down with the man at the centre of the story – current F1 motorsports chief Ross Brawn – for the inside story on a true sporting fairy-tale…

SPECIAL EPISODE: Ross Brawn on Brawn GP’s fairy-tale 2009 title success

Formula 1's extraordinary stars slow down and open up, sharing untold stories and unrivalled insight. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length interviews and amazing anecdotes from superstar drivers, team bosses, tech geniuses and racing legends.

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A multiple title winner at junior level and a point-scorer on his unexpected F1 debut in 2016, Stoffel Vandoorne seemed on track for a long and prosperous career in Formula 1.


But his big break at McLaren in 2017 arrived during one of the team’s most challenging periods.


They finished second-last in the standings during Vandoorne’s first season, endured a difficult transition from Honda to Renault engines the following year, and there was huge organisational change at the top as Zak Brown came in as CEO.


After just seven points-finishes in two years, with a best result of P7, Stoffel was replaced by Lando Norris for 2019 and he hasn’t raced in F1 since.


Now a Test and Reserve driver for Aston Martin, the Belgian tells Tom Clarkson how he prepared for his first race in F1 at such short notice, the drama of signing his first McLaren contract, where it all went wrong during his two seasons on the grid, and what impact those struggles had on his mental wellbeing, motivation and enjoyment of racing.

 



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Stoffel Vandoorne: dramatic debut to 'tough' exit

20 years since his infatuation with Formula 1 began at China’s first race in 2004, Zhou Guanyu will race in front of his home fans for the first time as an F1 driver at the Chinese Grand Prix.


Zhou tells Tom Clarkson what racing in Shanghai will look like through his eyes; from his helmet design and sold-out grandstand, to the reaction he’s expecting on his first lap of the track and what it would mean to score his first points of the season in the city he was born in.


The Sauber driver also talks about what impact his success has had on motorsport culture in China, his crash at Silverstone in 2022, the documentary being made about his journey to F1, his passion for fashion, uncertainty over his future in the sport with no seat confirmed for 2025 yet, and much more.



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Zhou Guanyu: China’s hero making history at home

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Seven-time Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya joins Tom Clarkson for the first episode of F1 Beyond The Grid’s LEGENDS episodes.


Going into the final two races of 2003, Montoya was only three points behind World Championship leader Michael Schumacher in a three-way fight for the title, with Kimi Raikkonen just behind them.


But by the season finale, the Colombian was out of contention – so where did it all go wrong? Juan Pablo reflects on the highs of his wins at Monaco and Hockenheim that year, the lows of his championship-ending collision with Rubens Barrichello, and whether there was anything he could have done differently to become World Champion.


Montoya also discusses whether he treated Michael differently to other drivers on track and addresses their famous incident at Imola in 2004. He explains how he got the better of teammate Ralf Schumacher, why he couldn’t be friends with his rivals, and much more.


Plus, Juan’s son Sebastian drops by to talk about his Formula 3 ambitions this year, what it’s like having an ex-F1 driver as his dad, and the best piece of advice JPM has given him.



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LEGENDS: Juan Pablo Montoya’s race for the 2003 championship

The journey that has taken Ayao Komatsu from a teenager in Tokyo, dreaming of working in Formula 1, to the new Haas Team Principal is a gripping tale.


Featuring fascinating anecdotes of his father’s experiences as a political prisoner, the challenges Ayao faced when he left Japan for England, and how he engineered his way through university to a career in F1, this is a compelling conversation between Komatsu and Tom Clarkson.


Ayao talks about his relationship with his family, the influence Japanese F1 hero Takuma Sato has had on his career, why he once wanted to be a journalist, how he’s transforming Haas, and much more.



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SPECIAL EPISODE: Ross Brawn on Brawn GP’s fairy-tale 2009 title success

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