TEASER: First up on F1 Beyond The Grid Season 5…
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…
Mar 14, 2022•2 min
F1: Beyond The Grid
Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends.
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Episodes
REVISITED: Martin Brundle on the best F1 cars of each decade
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...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 7 min
BONUS: F1 Nation's Barcelona Breakdown
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 p...
Mar 02, 2022•50 min
REVISITED: Alain Prost on showdowns and phone calls with Senna
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 ...
Mar 02, 2022•52 min
REVISITED: Toto Wolff on F1 rivalries and records
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, t...
Feb 23, 2022•40 min
REVISITED: Lando Norris, before his podiums
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 lifesty...
Feb 16, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Leclerc, Alonso, Ricciardo + more in The Best of 2021
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...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Kimi Raikkonen on retirement, being a world champion and 20 years in F1
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 wi...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Pedro Diniz on fear, his fiery escape, and F1 pressure
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....
Dec 01, 2021•50 min
Fernando Alonso on chasing a third title, Schumacher + Hamilton
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 Ham...
Nov 24, 2021•41 min
Danny Sullivan: from taxi driver to F1 points and Indy glory
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 hel...
Nov 17, 2021•52 min
Valtteri Bottas on Mercedes, Alfa Romeo goals, coffee and cycling
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 diffe...
Nov 10, 2021•47 min
Tommy Byrne: Senna’s early rival, a lost F1 champion?
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...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Jean-Eric Vergne on learning from F1 regrets
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. H...
Oct 27, 2021•57 min
Daniel Ricciardo on winning with McLaren
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 enjo...
Oct 20, 2021•55 min
Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin masterplan
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 ca...
Oct 13, 2021•45 min
Emanuele Pirro on developing an iconic McLaren and being a Driver Steward
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 Pri...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 25 min
Race-winning strategist Ruth Buscombe on making the right calls
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 dissects 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 ...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Nikita Mazepin on his debut F1 season, racing Mick Schumacher and learning with Haas
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 sinc...
Sep 22, 2021•58 min
Jackie Oliver on going from F1 driver to F1 team boss with Arrows
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 t...
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 3 min
America’s first F1 champion Phil Hill, as remembered by his son
In 1961, Phil Hill became the first American to win the Formula 1 World Championship after triumphing for Ferrari in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. But that moment of monumental personal achievement was extraordinarily bittersweet, with team mate and title rival Wolfgang von Trips losing his life, along with scores of spectators, in the very same race. In this special episode of Beyond The Grid, Phil’s son Derek Hill tells Tom Clarkson how his father coped with both the win and the loss. He al...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Mick Schumacher on learning from his father, his ambitions and F1 mentors
His father is a tough act to follow, but Mick Schumacher is loving writing his own Formula 1 story. In his debut season he’s often out of the spotlight at the back of the grid, but he’s proving he’s got what it takes to compete with the front-runners. Mick tells Tom Clarkson about adjusting to life in F1, the lessons he’s still learning from his father’s career, and drops some hints about his future. Plus he takes us inside his F1 support system: he’s got Haas, Ferrari Driver Academy, Sebastian ...
Sep 01, 2021•38 min
Bertrand Gachot – The driver whose prison sentence handed Schumacher his F1 debut
The story of how Michael Schumacher made his debut, 30 years ago this week in Belgium, could have been lifted from a Hollywood movie. The German rookie got his chance when Jordan’s regular driver Bertrand Gachot was dramatically sent to prison on the eve of the race – the rest, as they say, is history. But what of Gachot himself? This week the Luxembourg-born racer joins Tom to tell his incredible story – including the full, incredible story of how he ended up in prison, what life was like for a...
Aug 25, 2021•55 min
Sir Patrick Head looks back on a life at Williams
This week we welcome F1 royalty onto the show: Sir Patrick Head, co-founder of Williams and an engineering legend. After going into business with Frank Williams in the late 70s, Patrick helped build one of the greatest teams in history, his engineering acumen leading to world championships aplenty. He speaks about that journey, including what it was like to work with Frank, how he responded to Frank’s life-changing car accident, what he looked for in the drivers that shaped Williams and much mor...
Aug 18, 2021•2 hr 32 min
Engineer Jock Clear on Villeneuve, Schumacher, Leclerc and Ferrari’s next generation
This week’s guest has spent 30 years in F1, working with some of the sport’s greatest drivers. As Driver Coach of Ferrari’s vaunted academy, Jock Clear’s job is to help the likes of Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher perform to the best of their ability – a role he’s performed with others before. Clear became widely known to many F1 fans as race engineer to Jacques Villeneuve at Williams in the late Nineties and then – surprisingly – as engineer to the man who famously ran into the Canadian in ...
Aug 11, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Nicholas Latifi on racing Russell, Williams' future + chocolate spread
Nicholas Latifi always thought he’d follow his father into the world of business – but childhood karting and trips to the Canadian Grand Prix made him dream of racing in Formula 1. Chasing that dream meant leaving home to compete in Europe, and it’s a home he still misses at times. He earned his stripes in Formula 2 alongside Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon. His second season of Formula 1 has brought improved performances and his first World Championship points. He’s also closing in on Williams team...
Aug 04, 2021•58 min
Ex-Ferrari manager Daniele Audetto remembers Niki Lauda’s fiery crash and famous comeback
Daniele Audetto was a key figure in arguably one of the most tumultuous and exciting seasons in F1 history: 1976. As team manager at Ferrari, he reported directly back to Enzo Ferrari from each race – and that included giving him the bad news when Niki Lauda was critically injured at the German Grand Prix. In this week’s show, 45 years on from that dreadful moment, Audetto recounts that weekend in detail, as well as Lauda’s heroic comeback and that tense title finale with James Hunt in Fuji. He ...
Jul 28, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Peter Collins on working under Colin Chapman, living with Hakkinen and running Benetton
This week’s guest may not be a household name, but for 20 years he was at the epicentre of Formula 1. Between the late 70s to early 90s, Peter Collins worked for Lotus under Colin Chapman, then Williams under Sir Frank, then Benetton alongside Flavio Briatore, before returning to run Lotus. In various managerial roles during that period he worked with some great drivers too: Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger, Mika Hakkinen and Johnny Herbert. And the great news for us is that Peter has...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Charles Leclerc on Ferrari wins, his future and love of piano
Charles Leclerc returns to Beyond The Grid for a second time – and hasn’t a lot happened since his last visit? Charles last came on the show in 2018, when he was in his rookie season with Alfa Romeo Sauber but had just signed to race for Ferrari. Since then he’s become a superstar of the sport, winning races and taking brilliant poles, but also having to endure heart-breaking loss and team mate tension, amongst other things. He chats to Tom about all of the above and more, including what he like...
Jul 14, 2021•43 min
Norbert Haug on bringing Mercedes back into F1, buying Brawn GP and more
This week’s guest, Norbert Haug, held one of the most influential jobs in motorsport for more than 20 years. As the boss of Mercedes-Benz motorsport, he oversaw all of the company’s racing activities – indeed it was him who decided to return the Silver Arrows to F1 as an engine supplier in 1993. Once back, Mercedes enjoyed great success in partnership with McLaren – and Haug has great anecdotes to tell about Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. He also opens up on h...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 2 min