On the 12th April, the world of motorsport lost a giant with the news that iconic 16-time Grand Prix winner Sir Stirling Moss had passed away aged 90. In the final few years of his life, Moss stopped doing public appearances and interviews because of his health. But he did sit down for a chat with Mia Forbes Pirie, a close family friend, for what is believed to be his final in-depth interview, providing us with a compelling and poignant first-hand account of an incredible life lived at full spee...
May 20, 2020•32 min
F1 turns 70-years-old on May 13, so to celebrate we have invited perennial favourite Martin Brundle back on the show to discuss the best F1 cars he’s ever driven. The Englishman, a nine-time F1 podium finisher, is one of the only people on the planet to have driven race-winning cars 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…
May 13, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Few drivers have experienced as many ups and downs as AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat in his near century of Grand Prix starts, from the elation of three brilliant podium finishes to the dejection of demotion and losing his F1 seat. This week, the Russian opens up on the mental resilience needed to bounce back in F1, why his sabbatical year with Ferrari inspired him to fight back, that redemptive podium in Germany last year, and his thoughts on Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko’s school of hard knocks…...
May 06, 2020•1 hr 3 min
As one of the most successful driver managers in the history of the sport, Julian Jakobi has worked with the very best – including managing rivals Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at the same time! Currently managing Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, Jakobi – who oversaw some of F1’s biggest ever deals - gives us the lowdown on how an F1 driver’s contract is drawn up, plus regales us with some must-hear anecdotes about Senna, Prost, James Hunt, Michael Schumacher and more!
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 7 min
This week’s guest was one of the quickest and most consistent drivers of the 2000s. In fact, Nick Heidfeld stood on the podium 13 times, which is the most any driver has in history without winning a race. But don’t think of that as a dubious honour, more a reflection of the quality of a man who went toe-to-toe in equal machinery with the likes of Robert Kubica, Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen and frequently came out on top. On this week’s show Quick Nick chats to Tom Clarkson about his 183-race F...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 4 min
John Barnard can stake a claim to shaping all modern F1 cars. Not only was he responsible for victoriously introducing the now ubiquitous carbon fibre chassis to F1, he also was the brains behind the semi-automatic gearbox that is now an integral part of every Grand Prix car. On this week’s show he gives us an eye-opening look into these innovations, as well as describing what it was like to negotiate setting up a Ferrari factory in the UK with Enzo Ferrari, what it was like to work with the lik...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Like Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Nico Rosberg, David Brabham knows only too well what it’s like to forge a path to F1 under the shadow of a famous father, in his case triple world champion Jack Brabham – the only driver to win the title in a self-made car. On this week’s show, Brabs tells us about his unconventional start to racing, the perhaps surprising influence of his father, his stop-start Grand Prix career, the legacy of Brabham, and that dark weekend at Imola in 1994, when his team...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Fans of F1 racing in the Nineties will remember Mark Blundell well as part of a brilliant ‘Brit pack’ of racers including Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert and his pal Martin Brundle. The gritty racer reached the podium in underdog machinery three times in that period, whilst also acting as test driver for the two best teams at the time: Williams and McLaren. On this week’s show he discusses all of this and more, including the financial realities of racing for a back-of-the-grid outfit, his ‘useful’ fr...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 15 min
He may have been out of the sport for a few years now, but how could anyone forget Flavio Briatore? The former Benetton and Renault boss was one of the biggest and most controversial characters in F1 throughout the Nineties and Noughties, but he was also one of the most successful, with his inimitable style leading Benetton and Renault to multiple championships. On this week’s show he opens up about his unlikely journey from the fashion business to F1 team boss, about working alongside Michael S...
Mar 25, 2020•1 hr 11 min
As a racer, Pedro de la Rosa competed in more than 100 Grands Prix, and drove many, many more miles as an F1 test driver for the likes of McLaren and Ferrari. And on this week’s show the Spaniard gives host Tom Clarkson a fascinating perspective on F1, from life behind the scenes during the explosive 2007 season at McLaren, to what it was like being in the garage during Lewis Hamilton’s maiden test. Then there are stories of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, racing against Red Bull boss Christ...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Beyond The Grid is back, and to kick off the new season Tom Clarkson sits down with a driver who proved a rookie sensation last year, both on and off the track: McLaren’s Lando Norris. In a revealing conversation, the British racer opens up about his hopes for 2020, whilst also discussing his love of gaming, his relationships with other drivers, dealing with Twitter trolls, and his rather extreme approach to cleaning the house...
Mar 11, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Mark your diaries – Beyond The Grid is back Wednesday March 11. Make sure you subscribe today so you don’t miss out on Tom Clarkson in conversation with McLaren ace Lando Norris.
Mar 06, 2020•2 min
In a special one-off episode, we look back on the thrilling 2019 F1 Esports Series, speaking to everyone from drivers to organisers to explore what makes F1 Esports one of the most compelling and fastest growing racing series on the planet.
Mar 04, 2020•41 min
So here it is folks: your final episode of Beyond The Grid of the year. And what a year it’s been, with great guests every week from March to December. So what better way to bid farewell to 2019 than with Tom’s selection of his favourite moments of the season? We’ve stuffed a Christmas cracker full of anecdotes from the likes of Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard and more. Unwrap and enjoy!
Dec 18, 2019•58 min
He’s that rarest of creatures: a multifaceted, outgoing personality who also happens to be a world-class competitor, beloved by fans, media and even his fellow drivers. On this week’s show we go deep with Daniel Ricciardo on his life on and off the race track, from his present with Renault to his past with Red Bull; his relationship with Max Verstappen to his relationship with music, food and ultimate fighting. You asked for it, here it is: F1’s most colourful character in extended, unfiltered c...
Dec 11, 2019•1 hr 32 min
To many people, Bernie Ecclestone is the Godfather of Formula One. He transformed the sport from being the expensive indulgence of rich amateurs in the 50s into the global phenomenon it is today, watched by hundreds of millions of people on television and online. On this week’s special show, we speak to Mr E about his incredible career, including his attempts to qualify for races as a driver, managing the interests of tragic world champion Jochen Rindt and running Brabham – including withdrawing...
Dec 04, 2019•1 hr 6 min
This week’s guest is F1’s original iron man – a veteran of 19 seasons in the top class of racing and a record 322 Grand Prix starts. Over the course of that career, Rubens Barrichello experienced every emotion under the sun: from the despair of being injured and losing hero and countryman Ayrton Senna on the same weekend in 1994; he experienced the euphoria of winning races for Ferrari and Brawn, and also the disappointment of being forced to give up race wins for a team mate. The affable Brazil...
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 26 min
This week’s guest is a man whose name may not be immediately familiar to everyone, but it probably should be. Why? Well quite simply this is a man who has won more world titles than anyone in history - 26 in total. In a glittering career in F1, Aldo Costa was a key engineer for both Ferrari and Mercedes throughout their dominant dynasties, and on this week’s show he spills the beans on what it was like to be on the inside of both historic runs; the similarities, the differences and much more bes...
Nov 20, 2019•1 hr 25 min
He is regarded as one of the fastest drivers to ever grace an F1 racetrack, and arguably the rival Michael Schumacher feared the most. Not only was Mika Hakkinen’s commitment in a racing car absolute, particularly on a qualifying lap; he somehow came back from a horrifying accident at the end of 1995 not only to win races, but two world championships. On this week’s episode we catch up with the Flying Finn to discuss his truly remarkable career, including that rivalry with Schumacher, “kicking S...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 31 min
Putting aside Frank Williams, who is no longer in the active role at Williams he once was, Franz Tost is the second longest-serving team boss in the pit lane, behind only Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner. In his 14 years at the helm of Toro Rosso, Tost has overseen the team’s maiden pole and victory, nurtured talents like Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, and helped rehabilitate the careers of those moving the other way in the Red Bull pyramid. On this week’s show, Tom ...
Nov 06, 2019•1 hr 3 min
As motor racing stories go, Mario Andretti’s is pure Hollywood. Born in what was war-ravaged Italy in 1940, and later a refugee, he would rise to not only become arguably the greatest all-round racing driver in history, but also a household name, synonymous with speed, across America – his adopted homeland after emigrating in the 1950s. On this week’s episode we hear the full epic tale, from the moment he caught the motor racing bug watching hero Alberto Ascari at Monza, to the early years of hi...
Oct 30, 2019•1 hr 35 min
He’s regarded as arguably the fastest Japanese driver of all time, and yet it could all have been so different for Takuma Sato. A bike racing champion in his youth, Sato caught the racing bug watching Senna at Suzuka in his youth, and though he didn’t start racing until much later than almost all of his rivals, his talent and sheer bloody minded determination lifted him all the way to F1. On this week’s episode, the Indy 500 champion tells us about his brave switch from Japan to Britain early in...
Oct 23, 2019•58 min
He was a driver for whom much was expected, arriving in F1 as the younger brother of a double world champion. And though today Ralf Schumacher doesn’t rate his achievements that highly, those who raced against him will tell you the six-time Grand Prix winner was one of the quickest and most under-estimated of his era. On this week’s show, Ralf discusses being a racing dad to up-and-comer son David, what it was like to race brother Michael at the highest level, why he was never friends with team ...
Oct 16, 2019•50 min
Our guest this week is someone who lived through one of the sport’s biggest fairy tales when, in 2009, he won the world title with Brawn, less than 12 months after the team had been put out of business by Honda. But though that season has come to define Jenson Button’s F1 career, in reality it was just one small part for a racer that clocked up more than 300 Grand Prix starts. On this week’s episode, Jenson discusses his remarkable career journey, including why the most enjoyable part was pre-wo...
Oct 09, 2019•1 hr 18 min
As Lewis Hamilton’s team mate at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas finds himself consistently measured against a driver many consider the best of all time. But far from being overawed, the gritty Finn actively relishes the challenge, and has become a consistent race-winning threat. On this week’s show Bottas opens up about mental resilience, motivation and self-development, and also gives us a fascinating look into his private life: beards, dogs and - yes - porridge...
Oct 02, 2019•46 min
He’s a man with one of the toughest jobs in F1: tasked with leading one of the sport’s grandee teams back to the top, under the weight of huge public expectation. But if anyone knows Renault, it’s Cyril Abiteboul. The Frenchman has worked in a variety of positions for the French marque over the years and, though just 41, is now in his fourth season as Team Principal. On this week’s episode Abiteboul discusses how the oft-talked five-year rebuild is going, the pressures of the job, the inside sto...
Sep 25, 2019•1 hr 1 min
This week’s guest is Dutch, caused a major stir when he first jumped into an F1 car, and has the surname of Verstappen… but we’re not talking about Red Bull star Max, we’re talking about his father. Jos Verstappen had the same meteoric rise through the junior formulas as his son, culminating in an F1 debut alongside Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1994. He’d end up making more than 100 Grand Prix starts and scoring two podiums – although it’s fair to say it was something of a rollercoaster car...
Sep 18, 2019•45 min
A year ago, Alex Albon didn’t have an F1 drive, and his prospects of getting one looked slim at best. He had no affiliation with an F1 team and, despite shining in F2, he was having to looking at alternative series in which to earn a living. It was not the first time his career faced a crossroads, but this time, things were turned upside down when he got a call from Red Bull – the same Red Bull that had dropped him years earlier – about driving for Toro Rosso in 2019. On this week’s show, the Br...
Sep 11, 2019•59 min
Pastor Maldonado was always a headline maker. The Venezuelan arrived in F1 in 2011 with Williams as GP2 champion, and the very next year delivered the team a first win in over seven years with a dazzling performance in Spain. But for all his speed, and all his talent, Maldonado also found himself on the end of a large amount of criticism, sometimes from his fellow drivers, sometimes from the press, for his flamboyant and always committed approach. This week on Beyond The Grid, Maldonado pulls no...
Sep 04, 2019•1 hr 26 min
He raced in an era of heroes; a time when cars had no seat belts, yet could still be raced at averages of 150mph. Many he raced against in the 1950s – the first decade of the world championship – perished in pursuit of speed, but Tony Brooks emerged unscathed with six Grand Prix victories, having come ever so close to winning the world title his talents surely deserved. This week on Beyond The Grid, we caught up with this giant of F1, now 87, to look back over his remarkable career, which saw hi...
Aug 28, 2019•1 hr 8 min
