As soon as the 2022 Mercedes F1 car hit the racetrack, the man who oversaw its creation realised it had problems. ?We made a mistake?, admits Technical Director Mike Elliot. In finding fixes, Mike and his team of engineers have improved Mercedes? results and learned a lot about themselves. Mike tells Tom Clarkson how they traced the car?s problems to a single design decision, how a year of not winning has helped the people at  Mercedes develop, and how he craves a return to the team?s championship-winning form. Looking back, Mike remembers why he chose a career in F1, and the remarkable day two top teams offered him a role. That led him to work in aerodynamics for McLaren, and he recalls a surprising early conversation he had with the team?s young test driver, Lewis Hamilton. McLaren?s former leader Ron Dennis, legendary car designer Adrian Newey, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and drivers Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and George Russell also feature in Mike?s story. He explains how F1 engineering has become ?more specialised? and has advice for anyone who aspires to work in F1 car design.
More BTG interviews with F1 Technical Directors:
AlphaTauri?s Jody Egginton 
McLaren?s James Key 
Alpine?s Pat Fry
James Allison, former Mercedes TD


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He?s a survivor, who fought back from a crash which could have broken his spirit. Martin Donnelly?s racing career was cut short at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix, when his Lotus left the track and hit a barrier at 160 miles per hour, throwing him from the car. Martin tells Tom Clarkson his memories of that fateful weekend, and the great lengths he went to as he tried to return to racing ? including treatment from the doctor who had helped Niki Lauda after the Austrian?s life-changing crash. He reflects on his close friendship with Ayrton Senna, who rushed to the scene that day in Spain, and on his brotherhood with fellow racing drivers like Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert, alongside whom he rose to Formula 1. Support from his father and deals with shrewd team owner Eddie Jordan shaped his career. His time at the top of motorsport was short-lived, his potential never fully realised, but Martin never stopped racing.


Related episodes:

Eddie Jordan
Damon Hill 
Tommy Byrne
Johnny Herbert 
Derek Warwick


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It?s been a dramatic year for Red Bull Racing, from the titanic battle Max Verstappen fought with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes for the 2021 title, to setting up their own power unit arm, before taking a commanding lead in both championships this season ? with a flirtation with Porsche thrown in for good measure. Team boss Christian Horner tells host Tom Clarkson all about that incredible 2021 title fight from Red Bull?s perspective, including his thoughts on rival team boss Toto Wolff, and that intense Abu Dhabi season finale. He also reflects on whether Verstappen approaches racing Charles Leclerc differently to how he takes on Hamilton, what he makes of Daniel Ricciardo?s early McLaren exit, and why Red Bull decided now was the right time to set up their own engine division. Plus he reveals what happened to the proposed Porsche partnership, touches on some of the company?s non-F1 projects ? including designing a submarine ? as well as how it feels to have led the team back to the brink of championship glory once again.

Related episodes:

Christian Horner in 2021 and 2018

Sergio Perez

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He was part of one of F1?s most dramatic finales, but there?s so much more to Timo Glock?s story than that rain-soaked lap in Brazil. A relative late-comer to racing, he quickly showed speed, made smart sponsorship deals and caught the attention of F1 teams. Timo tells Tom Clarkson about the surprise phone call which led to his points-scoring Grand Prix debut, the disappointment of dropping out of the sport, the moment he felt it was ?game over? for his racing career, and an all-or-nothing season which gave him a second chance at F1. With Toyota in 2008 and 2009, Timo scored podiums which proved he was worthy of a race-winning car. He reveals how agonisingly close he came to a career-transforming move in a pivotal period at the end of 2009, only to find himself racing at the back of the grid in 2010. Plus, his friendship with the Schumachers, the moment lawyers decided his F1 future and that final lap in Brazil in 2008: the ?impossible? action, the crazy reaction and an unlikely friendship that followed, ten years in the making.  


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He?s a Zandvoort ?beach boy?, who became a local hero in F1. Racing in the Dutch Grand Prix was a dream come true for Jan Lammers, but he struggled to show his speed in Formula 1 and dropped out of the sport after 4 difficult seasons. He was always determined to return to motorsport?s pinnacle and waited a record 10 years for his chance. Jan tells Tom Clarkson about his rise from junior European champion to F1, the impact impatience had on his career, how bad luck repeatedly ruined his best chances of a life changing F1 result, and how a change in attitude and focus on learning helped him take Le Mans victory in 1988 and return to F1 after his decade away. Today, Jan is Sporting Director of his hometown racetrack, Zandvoort, and is working to make the Dutch Grand Prix a spectacular and sustainable event.


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He fought one of F1?s all-time greatest duels, was often untouchable in qualifying, and his victories were celebrated by entire nations. René Arnoux spent a decade racing the likes of Gilles Villeneuve, Alain Prost and Niki Lauda. He raced and won for both Renault and Ferrari, leading the Scuderia to a world title in 1983. René passionately and vividly talks Tom Clarkson through his remarkable career, remembering his epic wheel-to-wheel battle with his great friend Villeneuve in 1979, negotiations with Enzo Ferrari, his lost chance to become World Champion and his rivalry with Renault teammate Prost. Arnoux also picks the 2022 F1 driver he thinks is most like himself


Related episodes

Gilles Villeneuve Remembered 

Racing for Enzo Ferrari 

René?s pick of 2022: Lando Norris 


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He?s an F1 star, and he?s still getting brighter. Lando Norris is on a mission with McLaren, determined to deliver trophies and titles. He?s twice come agonisingly close to his first F1 victory. That is just fuel for his fire. Lando opens up to Tom Clarkson about the races he feels he should have already won, his moments of self-doubt, his ambitions, his attitude to life and work, and how he?s seen by the public and his fans. Lando reveals he sometimes dwells on past frustrations, but his focus is fixed on future glory. He?s honest and illuminating about things he and his team can improve. One day soon, he says, ?there won?t be any excuses?. Working on winning will ?make things sweeter? a much cooler story?. As you?ll hear, the hard work has already begun?
Have a listen to Lando?s first F1 Beyond The Grid appearance in March 2020
Plus other related interviews from the BTG archive
Daniel Ricciardo
Carlos Sainz 
McLaren CEO (and Lando?s golf buddy) Zak Brown 


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Since South Africa 1993, Beat Zehnder has not missed a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Hungary 2022 was his 538th race weekend, and he?s spent them all with the same team. Once it was known as Sauber, today it?s Alfa Romeo. Before joining Sauber, Beat was a ship engine mechanic. He was kicked out of his first job interview with the Swiss racing team because he had no interest in motorsport. How and why, then, has he spent so long in Formula 1? Beat tells Tom Clarkson incredible stories of the tiny Sauber team?s amazing entry into F1, and its repeated struggles for survival. Schumacher, Frentzen, Raikkonen, Kubica, Vettel and Leclerc are just some of the drivers Beat has worked with, but who does he call ?the most complete? of them all? Beat?s love for the sport was shaken at times of tragedy, but his loyalty and love of teamwork have never faltered.


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He?s the newest member of ?The Piranha Club? ? the nickname for the ruthlessly competitive group of F1 Team Principals. Aston Martin?s Mike Krack is not a newcomer to F1, however. A former European go-kart racer, Mike earned his engineering stripes with Sauber in the early 2000s, where he moulded and mentored a young Felipe Massa. He witnessed the supreme strength and skill of Robert Kubica, and steered Sebastian Vettel through his Grand Prix debut at BMW in 2007. Vettel and Krack are now back together at Aston Martin, and Mike has illuminating insight into how the four-time champion has developed as a person and as a racing driver.  Mike tells Tom Clarkson about his life leading major manufacturers? racing programs, including the reason he previously walked away from Formula 1. He explains how he?s ?finding his way? as boss of the sport?s most ambitious team, charged with fulfilling owner Lawrence Stroll?s aims of challenging for the World Championship.
Related episodes from the F1 Beyond The Grid archive:
Sebastian Vettel 

Robert Kubica

Lance Stroll 

Lawrence Stroll 

Felipe Massa


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When Marc Surer reached Formula 1 in 1979, he was a rising star: the reigning Formula 2 champion from the mountains of Switzerland, surely destined for the summit of F1 success. But two leg-breaking crashes made Marc?s climb steeper and harder. He relives those crashes with Tom Clarkson and remembers his remarkable recovery and return to racing. Amazingly, he scored points for Arrows, and almost made the switch to Ferrari after the death of Gilles Villeneuve. Marc also came close to racing for McLaren after a secret meeting with boss Ron Dennis. Later, he survived a fiery rally crash in which his co-driver was killed. Marc shares stories of racing up mountains as a child in a country where motorsport was banned, working with F1 design genius Gordon Murray, driving brutal turbocharged F1 cars armed with more than 1000 horsepower and wrestling Group B rally cars on snow and ice.


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Before he started, as he puts it, ?playing with racing cars?, Jody Egginton trained as a schoolteacher. His love of motorsport led him to Formula 1, and he worked his way up from Tyrell during the early years of computer-aided design (CAD) to Technical Director at AlphaTauri today. Along the way he helped Force India achieve a stunning result in 2009, fought to keep the brand-new Caterham team afloat in the 2010s and worked with Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz at the very start of their F1 careers. He?s now driving AlphaTauri?s car development, pushing a team of engineers flat out to give Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda a car which can challenge for 5th in the F1 Constructors? Championship. Jody tells Tom Clarkson about his approach to learning, communication, problem-solving and leadership, and shares advice for aspiring F1 engineers.
Related episodes from the Beyond The Grid archive
Pierre Gasly
Yuki Tsunoda 
Franz Tost, AlphaTauri Team Principal
James Key, McLaren?s Technical Director
John Barnard, legendary F1 technical genius


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Jenson Button. Jacques Villeneuve. Colin McRae. Sebastian Loeb. The list of elite racing drivers David Richards has led is long and legendary. As an F1 Team Principal in the 2000s, he, Button and the BAR team challenged Ferrari for race wins. David tasted podium champagne, but the bottle never had ?1st? printed on it. Not so in the World Rally Championship and at Le Mans, where his teams and drivers have won a multitude of titles. David tells Tom Clarkson the story of his incredible life in motorsport: success in rallying, decades in F1 with Benetton, BAR and Honda, and he remembers the behind the scenes negotiations to bring his own company, Prodrive, onto the grid. Plus, desert racing with Sebastian Loeb, Extreme E with Lewis Hamilton?s team and his ongoing work to make motorsport more inclusive and sustainable as chair of Motorsport UK.


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?It?s a huge step? but the peak is miles away?. That?s how George Russell sums up racing for Mercedes. Since George joined the team?s young driver programme in 2017 he knew he could rise to the seat of a Silver Arrow Formula 1 car. How did he get there, and how high will he rise in the future? George tells Tom Clarkson about emotive highs with his former team, Williams, a bitter disappointment on his Mercedes debut in Sakhir and a learning moment in Italy which helped shaped him into the driver and the man he is today. Hear about the pressure George races under at Mercedes, his relationships with his colleagues, his view of his place in the sport, his principles and his ambitions in this in-depth conversation.
Related episodes:  George Russell?s first BTG interview from July 2020


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Zhou Guanyu?s route to F1 was epic. As a child he watched the Chinese Grand Prix from the grandstands and dreamed of joining his racing heroes. But with no footsteps to follow in, he had to plot his own path. Before he was even a teenager he moved from his home city of Shanghai to the other side of the world to test his talent behind the wheel. Fighting homesickness and intimidation from his racing rivals, he proved himself. Zhou tells Tom Clarkson about the sacrifices, key decisions, victories and personal loss he experienced along the way. Now he?s racing his childhood heroes as the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula 1.  Zhou has already made history for his country and, as he says himself, he?s only just getting started.


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During his ten year career, Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen delivered consistently. He stacked up 164 races, 15 podiums and 3 Grand Prix wins; even beating the legendary Ayrton Senna to the top of the podium when driving for Williams at the Hungaroring in 1990. Thierry has always been driven by his passions, his love of speed began racing motorbikes in rainy Belgian woodland where he would develop the skills that would eventually help him take his first victory in difficult conditions at the 1989 Canadian Grand Prix. His Formula One debut was with Arrows at his home race in Spa in 1983, the same track it would end on a decade later when he briefly joined the Jordan team. Thierry tells Tom Clarkson all about his journey to F1, the race wins that define his career, his deep interest in engineering and his close bond with good friend Ayrton Senna.


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With a career spanning four decades, Frank Dernie knows a thing or two about how to make a car fast. After joining Williams in the late 70's as Patrick Head's aerodynamic assistant, helping design the successful FW08 chassis, he went on to work with some of Formula One's biggest stars, greatest teams and the fastest cars on the grid. A pioneer in his field, Frank was the first person in the sport to use computer aided design and is the man to thank for bringing the Williams team's active suspension to life. His analytical and data driven mind was in hot demand in the paddock from teams and drivers alike as he developed his race winning cars. In this episode Frank lets us take a peek inside his brilliant mind as he takes us back to those early days at Williams working with Sir Frank Williams, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, testing with Alain Prost and all that fell in between.

Related episodes:

Nigel Mansell


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As a young racer growing up in America in the 60s, Bobby Rahal idolised people like Phil Hill, Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti - drivers who had made it across the Atlantic to drive in Formula 1. He dreamt of doing the same; of travelling to Europe to race at the circuits he'd read about in magazines and going wheel to wheel with his racing heroes. After making a name for himself on US road circuits and putting in some stand-out performances in Formula 3, that F1 opportunity came in 1978 when Walter Wolf offered Bobby a seat alongside Jody Scheckter at the US and Canadian Grand Prix. They were the last two races of the season and, sadly, they would be the first and last races that Bobby would contest in Formula 1. Although his time at the top was brief, Bobby?s legacy lives on as one of a handful of American drivers to have made it to F1. In this episode, Bobby addresses the need for more US drivers on the grid and he winds back the decades to reveal the passions that fuelled his love of European motorsport, his journey to F1 and what really happened at those two races back in 1978. 


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McLaren technical director James Key is one of the youngest tech chiefs in Formula One. He?s very bright, he?s super-organised and he?s ultra-competitive, all attributes that he?s using to drive the team back to the top of the sport. In this episode, James opens up to Tom Clarkson about McLaren?s difficult start to the 2022 season, when their cars finished 14th and 15th in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and how the team pulled together in the days that followed to improve the MCL36. Only three races later Lando Norris finished third at Imola. James also gives a fascinating insight into what it?s like to work with McLaren drivers Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and how they're adjusting to the new 2022-spec cars, and he hints at what we can expect from them as the season unfolds. We also hear about James'  journey to F1, the technological advances he's been a part of, the highs, the lows and most importantly: what the future holds for McLaren.

:
Related episodes from the BTG archive:

Lando Norris  Daniel Ricciardo  Andreas Seidl, McLaren Team Principal  Zak Brown, McLaren CEO
Steve Nichols, Engineer  Alain Prost
Mika Hakkinen


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From frustration which drove him to tears in 2019, to an incredible F1 victory in 2021, Esteban Ocon has felt the extreme lows and highs of a racing driver?s life. After losing his race seat at Force India, Ocon spent a season as reserve driver for Mercedes in 2019. A year of ?low moments? opened his eyes to what he jokingly calls ?the dark side? of F1 ? the off-track negotiations which can determine a driver?s future just as much on-track results. Wiser and more determined, Esteban returned to racing with Renault in 2020, scored his first podium and became a Grand Prix winner with Alpine. On his return to F1 Beyond The Grid, the Frenchman tells Tom Clarkson all about that chapter of his life, and looks ahead to the story he?s determined to write with Alpine. Plus, F1 friendships, the importance of clean racing, and why he sees the Spanish Grand Prix as a home race.
Related episodes from the BTG archive
Esteban Ocon?s first appearance 

Fernando Alonso, Esteban?s Alpine teammate 

Otmar Szafnauer on Force India?s administration 

Mick Schumacher

Lance Stroll


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40 years ago, in May 1982, Formula 1 lost a marvellous maverick. No-one else drove a car quite like Gilles Villeneuve. He lost his life in a crash while at the very peak of his racing powers. In this special episode, those who knew Gilles share their memories and stories with Tom Clarkson. F1 World Champions Mario Andretti and Jody Scheckter and 7-time Grand Prix winner Rene Arnoux raced alongside Villeneuve and were close to him as friends. Jonathan Giacobazzi idolised Gilles; his family?s name appeared as a sponsor on the Canadian?s race suit, and their families travelled the racetracks of Europe together. Jochen Mass was also a good friend of Villeneuve ? a fact that makes his blameless involvement in the crash which claimed his life even more tragic. They remember Gilles as a person, a teammate, a rival and a friend, and consider why he is still so adored, 40 years after his death.


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Growing up in Northern California, a young Alexander Rossi dreamed of racing in Formula 1. His route was not an easy one. Along the way he experienced false starts, unfulfilled promises, behind the scenes power moves and the tragic loss of his friend and teammate Jules Bianchi. Alex tells Tom Clarkson everything that led to his 5 Grands Prix in 2015 and just how close he was to staying in the sport for a longer time. Today, Alex is pushing to add the IndyCar Championship to his Indy 500 win,  supported by team boss Michael Andretti, and challenged by teammate Colton Herta. Alex also has tales of racing at Indy with Fernando Alonso, and competing in Mexico?s extreme truck race, the Baja 1000.


Related episodes from the BTG archive
The USA?s first F1 World Champion, Phil Hill, remembered 

Mario Andretti ? 1978 F1 World Champion 

Eddie Cheever ? the USA?s most experienced F1 driver 

Danny Sullivan ? from NY taxi driver to F1 

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon on his F1 drive 

F1 driver and IndyCar star, Juan Pablo Montoya


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 He says it himself, Alex Albon is back in F1 wanting to prove a point. After a 2020 season in which he scored his first podiums, but ultimately failed to match Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, he lost his race drive and spent 2012 on the side lines. ?It killed me?, he says, ?but the hunger never went away?. Alex tells Tom Clarkson how hard he worked behind the scenes to help Verstappen win the Drivers? Championship, and to fight for his F1 return with Williams in 2022. Now Alex is revitalised. He feels smarter and more at peace with himself. He?s certainly lost none of his skill behind the wheel -  in Australia he drove 57/58 laps on a single set of tyres to score his first point for Williams in only his third race ? and his friendship with rivals Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz is as strong as ever. A round of golf with those guys sounds like a lot of fun?
Related episodes from the BTG archive:
Nicholas Latifi, Alex?s Williams teammate
Jost Capito, Williams CEO and Team Principal
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal
Lando Norris
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
George Russell
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Creator of an iconic F1 car, with an inside view of a ferocious racing rivalry: Steve Nichols has witnessed some extraordinary things. The American engineer designed the McLaren MP4/4, the car which stormed to 15 wins in 16 races in 1988. He tells Tom Clarkson the story of the MP4/4?s creation and what made it so fast. Working closely with Ayrton Senna as his race engineer, Steve felt the tension between the Brazilian and his teammate Alain Prost as they fought for the title in the car Steve had designed for them. He also tells the story of how and why he left McLaren and followed Prost to Ferrari, a difficult period which included another famous clash with Senna.
Related episodes from the BTG archive:
Alain Prost
Mika Hakkinen
David Coulthard
Julian Jakobi - on managing Senna and Prost

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A year out of F1 has changed Kevin Magnussen?s world. He?s now a father, he?s moved back to his native Denmark with his family and he?s tasted US sportscars and the Le Mans 24 hours. When the chance to return to F1 with Haas suddenly came along, KMag said yes immediately. No fear. No doubt that it?s where he belongs. Kevin tells Tom Clarkson how it felt to lose his place in F1, why his second stint in the sport feels different, what it?s like racing as a dad, and his goals now he?s back in F1. 
Related episodes from the BTG archive:
Mick Schumacher
Guenter Steiner
Romain Grosjean

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?I risked a lot more than people know?. In 1992, Nigel Mansell ? a three-time runner-up ? finally achieved his lifelong ambition. To win the Formula 1 World Championship, he fought through physical injury and psychological challenges. In this 30th anniversary special episode, Nigel tells Tom Clarkson the story of his championship winning year. He relives his dominant race victories, a Monaco battle for the ages with Ayrton Senna, the incredible celebrations that year at the British Grand Prix, and his crowning moment in Hungary. Mansell also remembers the stunning revelation, less than 24 hours after he won the title. which changed the course of his life.

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Riccardo Patrese, Mansell's 92 teammate
Sir Patrick Head, Williams co-founder
Mansell, Prost, Vettel and Leclerc on racing for Ferrari

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From the age of 8, Susie Wolff dreamed of making it in motorsport. Formula 1 was her goal. In 2014 she got her chance ? driving for Williams in Free Practice at the British Grand Prix, becoming the first woman to drive in an official F1 session for more than two decades. She tells Tom Clarkson how she earned her F1 opportunity through making life-changing decisions and dedication to her dream. She proved her speed in karting, where she raced Lewis Hamilton, in Germany?s DTM touring car championship with Mercedes and in several F1 runs with Williams. Today, Susie is pushing to create opportunities for women who want to follow her path, and has valuable insight and advice to share. She?s also a leader, as CEO of the front-running Venturi Formula E team, and she lives the highs and lows of the Mercedes Formula 1 team through husband Toto.

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Toto Wolff
Lewis Hamilton
George Russell
Claire Williams

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Name a top F1 team or driver ? Pat Fry is probably a big part of their success. He?s spent 35 years winning with Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari and Alpine, racing with world champion drivers Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. In that time he?s seen F1 change massively, and played a big role in developing game-changing racing technology. Pat tells Tom Clarkson about the challenges of F1?s new 2022 rules, his favourite drivers, his toughest bosses and how to build a winning team. Pat?s still racing as hard as ever as Alpine?s Chief Technical Officer. Today he?s chasing the performance gains he hopes will make the French team F1 world championship contenders in the future.

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Fernando Alonso
Esteban Ocon
Flavio Briatore
Mika Hakkinen

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Will 2022 be a life-changing year for Carlos Sainz? He sits in a Ferrari which looked fast and reliable in pre-season testing. He?s proved he has what it takes to win in Formula 1. Can he make that final step to top of the podium? As Carlos tells Tom Clarkson, he still looks back with frustration on races he feels he could have won. You?ll hear how his seasons at McLaren shaped Carlos into the driver he is today, and how he offered reassurance to Daniel Ricciardo during the Australian?s tough times at the team. Plus his rivalries and friendships with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, how contract security changed his approach to racing, the physical and mental gains he?s made during early morning gym sessions and why F1?s Smooth Operator is not actually smooth at all?­

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Charles Leclerc
Lando Norris
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari Team Principal
Kimi Raikkonen - 2007 World Champion with Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel
SPECIAL: Racing for Ferrari

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Season 5 of F1 Beyond The Grid launches on Wednesday 16th March, but who?s our first guest? Tom Clarkson has the answer and an exclusive preview?

Season 5 of F1: Beyond The Grid starts with a brand-new episode on Wednesday 16th March.

With just days to go before we see the new 2022 cars go wheel to wheel, we revisit an episode from 2020 when Martin Brundle joined Tom to discuss the best F1 cars he?s ever driven. The Briton doesn?t just boast 158 race starts and nine podiums in F1 ? he?s also one of the only people on the planet to have driven Grand Prix machinery from every decade of the sport, so he?s perfectly placed to describe how the unique challenge of driving flat out has evolved over time?


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F1 is back and so is F1 Nation! Tom Clarkson, Damon Hill and Natalie Pinkham chat about the news, views and pre-season clues from three days of running in Barcelona. Which teams have made strong starts, and which still have work to do? Plus, rumours of ?brand new cars? being prepared for the Bahrain test, exciting early signs for close wheel-to-wheel racing in 2022, and expert insight on the new generation of cars from Aston Martin?s Performance Director, Tom McCullough. We also breakdown F1?s porpoising problem, hear tales of Damon?s worst pre-season sessions, and learn that we?ve all been pronouncing his name incorrectly (according to his mother, anyway).
Send your F1 question to the 1996 World Champion for our first Ask Damon of 2022. Record it as a voice note and email it to [email protected]

Don't forget to search for F1 Nation in your podcast app and follow the show so you don't miss out new episodes, weekly throughout the 2022 season. 

Season 5 of F1 Beyond The Grid starts with a brand-new episode on Wednesday 16th March.
Alain Prost is a four-time Formula 1 World Champion, star of one of the sport?s most thrilling eras, and Ayrton Senna?s great rival. In this 2018 interview from the Beyond The Grid archive, Alain tells Tom Clarkson the story of his rise to the top of the sport, the championships he missed out on, the titles he won, and the dazzling drivers he raced along the way. Prost v Senna was the duel which dominated F1 in the late 1980s and early 90s. You?ll hear Alain?s take on their relationship, and memories of their heart-to-heart phone conversations which finally helped him understand Senna as a driver and as a person.

Season 5 of F1 Beyond The Grid starts with a brand-new episode on Wednesday 16th March.
Before another year of in-depth conversations with Formula 1?s biggest stars, we?re revisiting some of our favourite episodes from the past four seasons.
In October 2020, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff told Tom Clarkson about his love of competition, what breaking records means to him, the challenge of managing the warring Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, and how much he misses his friend and colleague, the late, great Niki Lauda.


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Season 5 of F1 Beyond The Grid starts with a brand new episode on Wednesday 16th March.
Before another year of in-depth conversations with F1?s biggest stars, we?re revisiting some of our favourite episodes from the past four seasons.
When Lando Norris chatted to Tom Clarkson in March 2020, he was just about to start his second F1 season. He?d driven brilliantly in his rookie year, but podium finishes and his first pole position were still in his future.  Lando talked about his late-night lifestyle, social media, gaming, his housework routine, and relationships with his fellow drivers. Plus tales of getting in trouble with McLaren and a slightly awkward pre-F1 meeting with Red Bull?s driver programme boss, Helmut Marko.


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2021 gave us amazing action on the racetrack, and captivating conversations on F1 Beyond The Grid.

For this special episode, Tom Clarkson has picked his favourite moments from the past year. Red Bull?s Christian Horner explained how Max Verstappen evolved from teenage sensation to World Champion, Charles Leclerc remembered his emotional race victories for Ferrari and showed off his musical talents, Monza winner Daniel Ricciardo explained why that victory meant so much to him, and Valtteri Bottas revealed the pressure he was under during his time at Mercedes, plus his favourite type of coffee. All that plus Fernando Alonso, race strategist Ruth Buscombe, Aston Martin CEO Lawrence Stroll and many more. To listen to these interviews in full, scroll through the F1 Beyond The Grid back catalogue. There are more than 150 episodes for you to enjoy over the winter break, including conversations with Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Alain Prost. F1 Beyond The Grid will be back in 2022 with more in-depth conversations with F1?s biggest stars. Thank you for listening.



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After 348 Grand Prix starts, just one remains. Ahead of his final race in Formula 1, Kimi Raikkonen joins Tom Clarkson to look back at his 20 year career: the races, the teammates, the bosses, the championship he clinched in 2007 and those he missed out on. ?Everything comes to an end sometime?, says the most experienced driver in F1 history, who remembers his very first time in an F1 car and his debut in 2001. Kimi explains what makes him so fast, and picks his favourite race victories. What will he miss about Formula 1, and what will he love about retirement? Plus, Kimi?s long-time therapist and trainer, Mark Arnall, shares his insight and memories from 20 years by Kimi?s side. The final chequered flag is almost flying, but Kimi will always be a racer.


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Fear is something F1 drivers don?t often admit to feeling. Pedro Diniz does. In his 98 Grands Prix during the 1990s and into 2000, the Brazilian experienced the highs of hard earned top-six points finishes and, on his day, was a match for teammates Jean Alesi and Damon Hill. But, as he tells Tom Clarkson in a rare interview, lucky escapes from a fireball in Argentina and an upside-down car in Germany left a deep impression. ?The biggest challenge was really the challenge of my mind?, Pedro says. How do fear and the immense pressure of racing in Formula 1 affect a driver's performance? How can meditation and yoga help a racer go faster? Pedro tells all. He also remembers first encounters with Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello at the very start of their racing careers, and explains his post-racing passion for producing organic food. Sebastian Vettel is among the people who are very interested in what Pedro?s doing today on his farm in Brazil.

In 2021 he returned to the F1 podium with Alpine, but he still wants so much more. Fernando Alonso has his sights set on silverware in 2022 and beyond. In this exclusive episode, the double world champion opens up on his past, present and future with Tom Clarkson. He explains why racing Michael Schumacher was so special, why he ?wasn?t ready? for their fierce championship fights in 2005 and 2006, and what he learned from his ?magic? Ferrari opponent. Alonso reflects on his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren and the world titles he missed out on in 2007, 2010 and 2012. Does he feel his talent deserves more? Did he fall out of love with F1 when he walked away in 2018? How long is he planning to stay in the sport this time? One thing is certain, Fernando is still pushing for wins, for championships and to create a sporting ?legacy? he can truly be proud of.


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How does a young man from Kentucky go from driving a New York taxi to racing in Formula 1 and winning the Indy 500? Danny Sullivan?s extraordinary story starts with a childhood obsession with F1 books. It sparked a dream of becoming a racing driver, and he moved to Europe to make it come true. Incredibly, Danny lived with the legendary team boss Ken Tyrrell, who gave him an F1 drive in 1983. Danny tells Tom Clarkson about his best moments in Formula 1: how an inspired but risky strategy call helped earn him a 5th place at Monaco, and the time he battled wheel-to-wheel with world champion Keke Rosberg in a thrilling race finish. After a short stint in F1, Danny returned to America and wrote a dramatic new chapter with victory at the 1985 Indy 500. Even now his story continues, helping to make big calls as a FIA Driver Steward - all part of a whirlwind career that he recounts in vivid detail.

Five seasons, one unfulfilled dream. Valtteri Bottas will leave Mercedes as a race winner whose brilliant performances contributed to a Constructors Championship quadruple. Yet, as he tells Tom Clarkson, he?ll look back on his years in silver and black with some dissatisfaction. How did Valtteri?s determination to prove himself, the constant uncertainty about his F1 future, and the need to support the team and his teammate Lewis Hamilton combine to make his life difficult? What would he do differently if he could go back, and why will things be different at Alfa Romeo from 2022? Plus, the Finn explains his love of coffee and cycling, and hints at an F1 grand plan which could see him in a red race suit one day?


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Tommy Byrne?s talent in a racing car was likened to that of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. To those who watched him closely, he was a champion in the making. Why, then, did his Formula 1 career last just five races in an uncompetitive car? Tommy tells Tom Clarkson the story of the impressive wins in junior categories ? including one in Ayrton Senna?s car ? which got him to F1 in 1982. He explains why his straight-talking personality and party lifestyle upset the F1 establishment and why he never got the opportunity to race for a front-running team. Tommy also remembers the McLaren test that could have changed his life and the shock, decades later, when he learned what was really going on behind-the-scenes that day at Silverstone.

Matching Daniel Ricciardo in the same car and twice finishing 6th in a Grand Prix is a Formula 1 record to be proud of. But looking back at his three seasons driving for midfield team Scuderia Toro Rosso, Jean-Eric Vergne thinks he could ? and should ? have done better. In an honest and unflinchingly self-critical interview, Vergne tells Tom Clarkson how his mentality and even his physical size negatively affected his F1 career, and recalls the many things he wishes had turned out differently. He tells the astonishing inside story of his 2014 F1 exit, and reveals the unfortunate timing, bad luck and driver moves which edged him out of the sport. JEV also explains how Lewis Hamilton inspired him to kickstart his own racing career to win championships in Formula E and why he wants to face new challenges at Le Mans.


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New team, new trophies, new targets: a lot?s changed in Daniel Ricciardo?s mind since his first Beyond The Grid interview in 2019. But one thing has stayed the same: his will to win. Daniel relives the ?relief and happiness? brought by his Monza victory and explains why it meant so much to him and his McLaren teammates. The ?bitter? feelings of the past are gone, he says, and his mindset has shifted; he?s now driving for much more than just World Championship points. He?s also determined to enjoy himself away from the track, and tells Tom Clarkson why he loves dirt biking, surfing (despite a fear of sharks), the Buffalo Bills NFL team and life on his farm in Australia. 

Related episodes from the BTG archive
Lando Norris
Zak Brown, McLaren CEO
Andreas Seidl, McLaren Team Principal

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Aston Martin is ?the next big thing to happen in Formula 1?. So says Lawrence Stroll, who?s brought the historic brand back into the sport. Stroll first entered the F1 world as a clothing sponsor for Lotus in the 90s before teaming up with Ferrari and Michael Schumacher. A life-long lover of beautiful cars, he tells Tom Clarkson what two things convinced him to buy the Force India team and transform it into Aston Martin. Now ? with son Lance and Sebastian Vettel at the wheel of the dark green cars - Stroll?s aiming to win in Formula 1. He explains his masterplan for a talented team and a state-of-the-art factory that he believes will change the face of Grand Prix racing.

In his long career, Emanuele Pirro has experienced everything motorsport can throw at a driver. In the 1980s, the Italian raced for Benetton while simultaneously helping to develop Prost and Senna?s mighty McLaren Honda MP4/4. Later, he battled soaking conditions at the infamous 1991 Australian GP and won Le Mans five times. Emanuele has enjoyed an incredible career, and has great stories to tell. Why did he reject Ferrari? Why did Riccardo Patrese hit him on the helmet after his final Grand Prix? Emanuele also tells Tom Clarkson about his current role as an FIA Driver Steward.

Sebastian Vettel's first Ferrari victory, Haas' points-scoring debut, the race that saved Sauber - all masterminded by race strategist, Ruth Buscombe. Today, as Alfa Romeo's Head of Race Strategy, she's the unseen hand that helps guide the teams race fortunes. Ruth dissect how race strategists operate, how they use data to plan for and react to wild races, what a race-winning strategy call feels like and the rivalry between strategists. Plus, Ruth remembers her route to F1, and talks about the importance of championing diversity and opportunities for all in motorsport. 

  For more information on FIA Women in Motorsport and Girls on Track, check out: https://www.fia.com/women-motorsport https://www.fia.com/thegirlsontrack https://www.motorsportuk.org/the-sport/women-in-motorsport/girls-on-track-uk/    

 
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Nikita Mazepin has spent his first year in Formula 1 fighting at the back of the field. He has big ambitions, and is determined to get to the front. Ahead of the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, he tells Tom Clarkson how he?s finding the ?huge step? from Formula 2 to Formula 1, and what he?s learning on and off track. Plus, Mazepin explains his long competitive relationship with Haas teammate Mick Schumacher, and remembers how he left Russia to pursue his driving career, with his father by his side since his very first race.


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This week?s guest is that rarest of creatures: a man who was both a Formula One driver and a team owner. Jackie Oliver?s F1 journey started in the worst possible circumstances when he had the unenviable task of replacing Jim Clark at Lotus in 1968, after the Scotsman had been killed at Hockenheim. He went on to start 50 GPs for Lotus, BRM, McLaren and Shadow, scoring two podiums, before hanging up his helmet to start his own team: Arrows. He gives a fascinating insight into life as a driver in the 60s, what he learnt from Colin Chapman that he would apply to life as a team boss, the incredible dramas that beset Arrows in the early days, and that ?almost victory? with Damon Hill in 1997?


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