BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. In the desert kingdom of Abu Dhabi, the sun is about to set on a record-breaking Formula One season. After an intense battle across 23 races, just one will now decide which team will be crowned world champions. In this series, we have gone to the heart of the title race with McLaren.
To know that we're fighting for a Constructors' Championship is pretty incredible. And we've witnessed the multi-million dollar revolution taking place at Aston Martin. I'm not making any predictions. I'm just looking forward to it and what will be all be. I'm Josh Hartnett. And together, we've ridden shotgun alongside two famous teams reimagining their futures across the final 10 races of the 2024 season. Our guides are F1 journalist Sarah Holt and broadcaster Holly Samos.
who have been given exclusive access to the team's top secret inner sanctums. Here we are at McLaren again, and there's just one race to go. And one title still on the line. This is F1 back at base. Episode 8, The Search for Perfection. It's the final race of the 2024 season, and history is waiting in the wings. Formula One's oldest rivals, McLaren and Ferrari, are once again pitted against each other in a title fight.
have battled on track for nearly six decades, and the final races of 2024 have been no different. Ferrari and McLaren are the most decorated teams in F1. The Scuderia have 31 titles, and McLaren 20. But only one of them will claim the constructor's crown in Abu Dhabi to add to their tally. It just shows that Ferrari have to go into this thinking it's wide open and there's...
There is something on the line. 21 points sounds like a big lead, but I'm sure there's nervousness at McLaren. The tension is high at McLaren, and no wonder. At the last two races in Las Vegas and Qatar, the British team lost ground in the title race. They struggled for pace in the cool nights of Vegas, and in Qatar, McLaren missed an opportunity to wrap up the Constructors' Championship.
when Norris dropped from second place after being penalized for failing to slow under yellow flags. Holly spoke to the British star driver after two bruising rounds in the championship battle. Lando, two very different weekends in Vegas and Qatar. Yes. What are your reflections on them? My reflections on Vegas? Shocking. It was a terrible weekend for us, clearly. We struggled a lot with just the pace, tyres, several different things. All things that I think we understand and have reasons for.
Turning those reasons and understandings into physical improvements is not always an easy or quick fix. But we were confident going into Qatar that we could have a good weekend and return back to normal, which we did exactly that. It proved more that Vegas was more a one-off and an outstanding race conditions wise and track layout wise.
But Qatar was great from a pace point of view. The car was performing incredibly all weekend, especially on Sunday. And of course things didn't end anywhere close to the way that I wanted with the penalty. I could only apologise for the team. I'm definitely never that kind of driver that would risk something or want to even get close to doing something like that. It was just a clear mistake.
I don't even know the reasons for why I wasn't able to see it, but no excuse in the end of the day, it's just it happened. We'll try and put in some fixes for next time and move on to the next one. But I think the conclusions are... We're still great. We're still a very strong team. The car is still performing well. I'm performing well. It's just we've had a couple hard knocks and we'll make sure we end on a high.
So you've said also that one of your biggest motivations is the team. Yeah. Tell us how it feels now going into this last race, trying to finish the job alongside Oscar, bringing back, hopefully, that Constructors' Championship. For me, it means everything. Every driver is selfish and they want to win a Drivers' Championship. For me, in many ways, it means just as much for me to win a Constructors' Championship too, from a team point of view.
Because they make everything happen. I love the team. They're the ones who gave me this opportunity in Formula One. When I joined McLaren... We were honestly shocking and we were lost. We were one of the worst teams in Formula 1 and that's something that you should never say when you're mentioning McLaren in the same sentence. But that was the truth. We were struggling as a team, no sponsors.
hardly any partners that kind of thing and and a bit lost with everything so to go from that to have the ups and downs we've had the last few years to what we've had this year achieving my first win in Formula One and two more after that. fighting for a constructor, so proving that the team is the best team in Formula One. That's an incredible moment for all of us, so I'm very proud.
We still need to do it and get it across the line, but we all believe it's possible and it's going to happen this weekend. So we're working hard. We've worked hard all season. But I think I'm just more proud of being part of the team that I'm in and proud of everyone that's worked on the car and improved so much in the last couple of years because not many people would have thought it's possible. Probably very, very few in the world.
even us would have thought it was not possible this year from where we were a couple years ago. So I think an exciting moment. It's not happened to McLaren since 1998. So it's a historic thing for us and I'm proud to be part of it and play a small role in it too. In Abu Dhabi, McLaren can't afford the title to slip through their fingers, like the proverbial sands that surround the track.
And that means Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri must work together to keep Ferrari at bay. McLaren are protecting a 21-point lead at the top of the table. And to win, they must outscore Ferrari by 15 points. Sarah spoke to Piastri about the team's unfinished business. So tell us, it was an eventful weekend in Qatar. How are you personally reflecting on events, winning the sprint race and then hustling for P3 in the Grand Prix?
It was a very hard-fought weekend, I would say. The sprint was obviously good in terms of results, the race as well, but I think... Probably the feeling of a bit left on the table. We're a bit unfortunate on my side with the timing of the safety car, which meant that Leclerc got back ahead. But I think apart from that, it was a good weekend. solid points even if it wasn't necessarily quite as much as I wanted but overall reasonably happy but the feeling of a bit more left to go.
As you said, you left a little bit on the table in Qatar and that's put you all into another big weekend in Abu Dhabi. What's the feeling inside McLaren now with just one race to decide the Constructors' Championship? I think still very... confident you know we're in a good spot in the constructors championship obviously I'd much rather be where we are than than trying to to chase us down like Ferrari are so
I'm, yeah, pretty confident. It's going to be an interesting race. I think, you know, this is going to be the top four teams really that have a chance of winning the race. So let's see. Let's see what we get. Yeah, I think we're in for a good weekend, I think. It's sundown at the Yas Marina circuit, and the Formula One field is preparing to go qualifying for the final time in 2024.
With its long straights and tight technical corners, the track offers something for everyone. And the chase for lap times is unpredictable and wide open. There's a surprise bit of luck for McLaren's title bid. When Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, already on the back foot with a penalty for changing engine parts, is knocked out in Q2 Leclerc is out in 13th position plus a 10 place grid penalty to come for Charles Leclerc as well that is a disaster for Ferrari
But McLaren wait until the final fight for pole position to show their hand. Cross the line, fastest of anyone, Lando Norris, unprovisional pole for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It will be a McLaren front row lockout. On the McLaren pit wall, Zac Brown breaks into a smile and claps Andrea Stella on the back. When it came to giving everything, McLaren had timed it to perfection.
Sunday, and the fans are gathering for the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi's billion-dollar circuit. This is a day-night race, and the ultimate spot for fans to watch the sun go down on a thrilling 2024 season. This is my first time here at an F1 and I'm so excited and just in awe of all of the drivers but Lando Norris is my favourite. We've been coming here for five years with the yacht.
And it's absolutely brilliant. The party atmosphere, just the whole aura of being here is amazing. We've been watching all the drivers come, even the principals. I've been jumping up going, there's Zac Brown! As the start draws closer, the rock anthem, the final countdown, blasts around the stands. It's the final countdown. And a giant McLaren versus Ferrari logo is beamed across the track.
There can be no doubt what is at stake. McLaren stand on the brink of becoming world champions for the first time since 1998. Stella gives his team a last-minute pep talk in the pit lane. But as the team retreats back to the garage, there are nervous faces, knees are jiggling, and jaws are locked. Back at base, the team has organized a fans' watch party.
Now all eyes are on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, lining up on the front row. The final race beckons round 24 of this longest season in Formula One history and there are still scores to be settled. This is Formula One in 2024, and you have to expect the unexpected. It may be the final chapter, but there's still a twist in the tale. They spin out! Yep. Piastri loses 17 places and tumbles to the back of the pack. The enormous pressure now falls on race leader Norris.
He and the team can't afford to put a wheel wrong if they're to bring home the title. The Ferraris are right in the hunt. Leclerc has surged forward from 19th on the grid to 4th, and Carlos Sainz is chasing hard in 2nd. But when the Ferraris pit, Norris waits. This is a race to perfection. and that must include the pit stop too. It's now a straight fight to the flag.
One McLaren versus two Ferraris. No one wants to pit again and give up track position, so keeping the tires alive is vital. Another Leclerc 24 laps is struggling with the grading, so the next few laps could be crucial. The laps tick nervously by, but Norris stretches his lead over the chasing Ferraris, and Piastri climbs into the points.
Going racing in Formula One asks the drivers to absorb physical, mental, and emotional pressures at high speed. That pressure is doubled when a championship is at stake. But at the Abu Dhabi finale... Norris is unshakable. 1998. We did it, mate. We did it. World champions. Well done. Next year's going to be my year too. As the fireworks fly over the finish line, the skies burst with a papaya hue. The McLaren and Ferrari mechanics shake hands in the pit lane.
In the highly competitive world of F1, this is a rare sight, but a sign of respect for a championship well-raced and well-won. And back at base, there are celebrations, too, at the McLaren factory. McLaren's wait for a world championship is over. This means everything to the hundreds of staff at the MTC, and it came down to the two drivers to bring it home. As they told this series, fresh from the tense Abu Dhabi finale.
Wow, Lando, congratulations. I mean, what did you think when you saw what happened to Oscar at the start? Yeah, I mean, I saw in my mirror that he got taken out in 10-1. So it definitely put like a little bit more pressure on me and I knew it was going to be on me, right? Like the pressure was then on me.
to make sure I didn't make a mistake, a lock-up, I made sure I looked after the tyres, we had a good pit stop, so for the mechanics as well, there's a lot of nervous and pressure for them. So it was tougher than what we would have liked again.
I think we proved we have what it takes they performed under pressure I performed under pressure and I'm very proud of the whole team for what we've achieved not just this weekend of course but the bigger picture and the championship is something to be extremely proud about and what about for everyone back at base i mean considering the last one was 26 years ago it shows how difficult and how long they've been trying for oscar and myself to be part of that to deliver the
the car and deliver the rewards back to them, deliver what they deserve. It's a special moment for us, you know. It's been a long time coming for us. Our big goal was always a championship and this is what, you know, since the very beginning. Since one of my first ever meetings with Zach, this is what we spoke about was how can we get McLaren back to winning and back to winning a championship.
and that's exactly what we proved this year and we've done it even when we didn't think we were going to be able to do at the beginning of the year so our turnaround has been incredible to fight against the competitors we've got red bull mercedes ferrari who've been fighting at this level for a lot longer than we have
is even more incredible. So big thanks to them. Oscar, how big is this win? Yeah, it's massive. You know, it's... been a tough season a long season and you know it's been a great achievement for everybody at mclaren so uh very very happy that i could play a part in it and uh yeah just very excited for everybody How big a role does everyone at the factory play in what you've achieved winning the Constructors' Championship?
I mean, it's everything. It's not just one person, obviously. It's the whole team. Here, trackside, back at the factory. you know, with the help of Mercedes and the engines. It's a massive team effort from everybody involved. So, yep, very, very happy for everybody in the team and excited for what we can achieve next year. In Abu Dhabi, the McLaren party is set to continue into the night, and the celebrations are led by McLaren CEO, Zach Brown. So I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
I'm sorry if you couldn't hear me when I said it! As McLaren celebrate becoming world champions in Abu Dhabi, Aston Martin continues to map out their own future. For the Silverstone team, 2024 has also been a season of transition back at base. Consolidating fifth place in the World Championship was a reminder of the team's potential, which is now waiting to be unlocked inside the team's impressive multi-million dollar campus. Sarah spoke to driver Lance Stroll.
who has been an integral part of the team's journey for the last six years. Aston Martin is a team with such incredible ambition, isn't it? What's your ultimate dream of what you can personally achieve with Aston Martin? oh you want to get to the front of the grid and uh
you know, win races and fight for championships. That's the ambition. You know, that's what we're all working towards. Yeah, I mean, and the factory is such a brilliant foundation for you to do that, isn't it? Everything that's been put in place there. yeah it is um for sure it's on the people as well lance not just the factory yeah yeah i mean it's a very uh i think exciting project for everyone um
And there's more that's coming to the factory. There's a wind tunnel being built. It's going to be a huge addition to the project. And I think a motivating place for people to... to go to work every day. And yeah, I think all of that makes for a very exciting, bright future. Everything being built at Aston Martin has its roots in family.
Throughout the series, many of the staff working at the technology campus have spoken to us about the team's family feel. And Lance explains, that's how it's always been for the man at the top, his dad, Lawrence Stroll.
And I wanted to ask you, there are loads of stories in F1 of drivers getting into the sport because of their dads. Were you the one that sort of... ignited your dad into the amazing work that's now going on Aston Martin under no no not at all like others I was inspired through him I grew up around cars. He was a hobby driver himself, so I spent some weekends at racetracks with him when he was racing back in the day.
We were throwing F1 on the TV Sunday morning back in Canada. So, yeah, I definitely got the bug from him. Yeah, I got my first go-kart when I was five years old, and it was like a parking lot close to where we live. We put cones, and I... driving around the cones and all those little things gave me passion for the sport. But I never thought too far ahead like when I was younger about Formula One.
when i was eight years old i started racing but it obviously escalated from there and uh yeah here i am Stroll and Fernando Alonso are staying as part of the Aston Martin family in 2025. It will be Alonso's 22nd season in Formula One, and the Spanish legend still has a laser-sharp focus on what lies ahead. as he tells Holly. And will soon be next year, 2025, because the challenge is obviously going to be an evolution of this year's car. So is that the focus? Yeah, at the moment it's obviously...
a lot of focus into next year's project, try to keep the good parts of the 24 car into next year's. And yet next year, again, it's going to be another challenge with 26 cars. So Formula One is always... running behind the clock, you know, and we are facing, I think everyone, you know, the same problems.
Yeah, for us, it's important to do a good 20-25 season. That's why you love it, isn't it, Fernando? All these changes that are coming. Yeah, obviously, you know, Formula One, you can never stop, you know, if you stop. two weeks you know some of your competitors will uh will try something different or will find a new philosophy you know that the car will go immediately faster so you know there is a never ending search
for perfection. So that is a very motivating job for sure for everyone. That never-ending search for perfection will soon begin at the team's new wind tunnel. It's the final part of the puzzle that will transform the team's factory since its mega facelift began in the summer of 2021, after opening the doors to our series for unprecedented VIP access to its factory.
Aston Martin has cut the ribbon on new buildings and facilities and announced major new signings. But the wind tunnel could be the biggest game changer so far when it comes to turning the team into future world champions. This is a highly complex and top-secret tool, where the team can analyze how the air flows over its constantly evolving car. Sarah spoke to the team's head of aerodynamics, Ian Grieg, at the epicenter of the project.
What's on your to-do list at this stage of the year? You're sat in one of the biggest to-do's on my list. It's a new wind tunnel, which I don't know how well-versed the listeners will be. There was a time where I personally thought that nobody would build a new wind tunnel.
In Formula 1, the direction of travel of all the regulations and discussions was such that it didn't seem possible or probable. But here we are nonetheless, and in such a short time too. There's not a tool that we lack, and this is the biggest tool that we did lack. It's here and ready to work. I think if you were to put it into a priority list, it would be at the top without any doubt.
So yeah, this is a massive piece of engineering itself and a massive thing that we'll use as a tool. No words can do it justice. personal level for all of the hard-working aerodynamicists on the team as well as for the capabilities and the potential and everything else. It's such a statement of intent and it is such a massive boon to our desire to be champions.
Without the resources to build their own facility in the past, Aston Martin have had to rely on using a rival team's wind tunnel for all their aero testing. But now the team will have their own facility up and running in early 2025.
That might be too late to test the first iteration of the new car, but it will tie in very nicely with the arrival of managing technical partner Adrian Newey, who has spent quite a bit of time in wind tunnels during his four decades designing championship-winning race cars.
And when he starts work, he might just have the best one in the business at his fingertips. It is the most impressive wind tunnel in Formula One by a long way. I was going to say, and why is that? A number of reasons, but just the specification of it. is better than any Formula One wind tunnel that exists right now. Sensors, construction technology, accuracy of building. We've reinvented so many things and we've adopted.
So many new techniques and whatnot that weren't around 20 years ago now, nearly. So the tunnel benefits from everything. Everything you can think of in those intervening years. Digital manufacturing. Making sure that it's being built like you think it should be, so scanning and all that sort of thing. The tolerances we can expect of it are higher, so we specify that from the outset with the expectation that they can be achieved. How we thought about the wind tunnel is probably different.
F1's got nothing if it doesn't have intelligent people. I'd hope we are talking about it in a way that's more holistic than perhaps was done in the past. Can you just build me a wind tunnel? That kind of a request. This one's more of a, how do you make aerodynamic performance? That's been the question that we've been asking ourselves, not how do you build a wind tunnel. Was there anything else you wanted to add that you felt was important to the story?
of the season or the work you're doing? To be honest, to sign it off I just give credit to all the people who work hard behind the scenes who never get a chance to hold a microphone. I do this because of their hard work. They make me look good and when I mess up, I make them look bad. So they've got a lot of blood, sweat and tears going on behind the scene.
Hopefully this just makes all of those things more worthwhile because I do think it'll end up giving us that solid shot at the top of the podium. It's two days after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and the McLaren team is gathering at its factory in Woking. The welcome sign is pulsing papaya, proudly lighting the team's achievements with a new addition, McLaren.
2024 Constructors' Champions. It's time for the end-of-season debrief. This is a private moment for the team to come together, celebrate and reflect. But for this series only... Holly and Sarah have been given an exclusive invite to share the moment. They make their way to the race bays where hundreds of staff, not the racing cars, are waiting for team principal Andrea Stella to arrive. These are the faces, men...
women, young, and, well, more experienced, that are never seen at the track. This is the people power that has propelled McLaren to the title. When Stella arrives, he stands like a rock star. Center stage, fist pumping in the air to a standing ovation. We are the 2024 World Champions. We are here to celebrate, we are here to acknowledge the success but let's take some minutes for us to reflect on what we have acknowledged, how we have acknowledged it.
and also how do we keep winning in the future because we don't want to be a one-off. After the buzz of speaking to his team, Stella also had an exclusive debrief with Holly. We've been with the team since the summer shutdown. It's the 12th of December. Tell us why this debrief will be remembered. We have a debrief after all races.
But this is the one after the race that gave McLaren the Formula One 2024 Constructor Championship after 26 years. And this is a huge... achievement that we wanted to celebrate together here. in the in the debrief we will celebrate in a party in a couple of days but also we wanted to take advantage to reflect together on how we have achieved this and how do we create the conditions to keep this sort of achievement happening in the future. But I have to say that at the moment I'm glad.
that I'm with the team. Especially here today at Debrief has been probably the highlight of the post title because this is the... true moment in which the entire team factory and the trackside were all together and we reflected together and we enjoyed it together and we somehow set the conditions, like I said before, and hopefully to keep doing this in the future. As you said in the debrief, looking ahead, we've still got a big fight on next year and then into 20-6. Well, that's...
That's what we do, because it would be incredibly naive to think that because we achieved the Constructor Championship, now we deserve it for the future. it's something that you have to deserve by doing a good job and in a way by doing a better job that you have done in 2024. and it was important to discuss the many opportunities we have to do better. We have achieved the 2024 Constructor Championship, but the performance advantage we had was 0.04% in average.
and the points margin we had was 2%. over 666 points in a season these margins they simply mean that if you don't do better next year then you have to be ready to face a loss and we don't want to face a loss we want to continue winning therefore we need to raise the bar for the future. Are these also some of the reasons why you love Formula One? I think working in Formula One is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because...
We enjoy the constant pursuit of excellence, of improvement. And we know why, because if we don't improve... we're not going to win in equivalent terms it will be like moving backwards because let's think Mercedes, Ferrari, Rebel now they will be thinking to do better and if we don't do it we will not celebrate days like this and it's a curse because as soon as you are in this space of being
forced to continuously improve you are always a discomfort because there's no day in life in which in which you can say I've achieved enough what I'm doing is enough it's always living in a deficit effectively so it's a blessing and a curse but it's also a massive privilege and what we are trying to do at McLaren is to create the conditions to enjoy somehow this constant discomfort It makes me quite pleased when I hear people, colleagues.
team members mentioning that that was enjoyable independently of the result. Well a huge congratulations from us, well done. Thank you very much. In his office on the first floor of the McLaren factory, CEO Zac Brown is surrounded by racing memorabilia. Posters and photos of racing legends line the walls and helmets balance on top of display cases filled with model racing cars.
It's from here, cocooned in racing history, that Zach is overseeing a new era at McLaren, as he explains in an exclusive end-of-season review with Sarah. Zach, here we are, the end of our series, and now you've written another chapter in McLaren's history. What does that mean to you? Oh, boy, where do I start? I am a massive McLaren fan. might be the biggest McLaren fan, and I have been since 1988.
And to be part of this championship team after 26 years is an honor and a privilege. And I don't think it's fully set in yet because it was so stressful. the final race but uh it's magical to be part of this racing team tell us a little bit about that stress on the pit wall i did hear that you said it was the most stressful two hours of your life two hours of my life
For sure. You know, we'd had a lot of people six, seven, eight races out going, oh, you've got this all sewn up. And each person, I wanted to punch in the nose. I didn't because I never felt. that in this sport we see how quickly things change, that it was anything but wrapped up. And sure enough, it came down to effectively a two-second pit stop and probably...
Seven-tenths of a second, because had we been a 2.7-second pit stop, Carlos gets in Lando's DRS. Pretty hard to defend, and had Lando finish second. we would have lost the championship. So it came down to one finishing position and kind of a two-second pit stop. So it was far from wrapped up as far as I'm concerned. And then when the incident happened in turn one.
That made it just a brutal two hours because just any slip-up of any sort, and we saw in Qatar with the, you know, you could get into safety cars, you get into penalties and things of that nature. We were just on the brink for two hours. And I guess in a way, let's be honest, it was super stressful. I was super stressed watching it at home. But I guess in a way, does that make the championship sweeter in a way?
Going down to the wire with Ferrari, who did an awesome job. You've got the two most iconic historic teams in the sport. The two traditional heavyweights, they finished second and third, so they kept there. foot on our throat the entire race and we're coming fast so I think yeah now it's exactly the story you'd want to write the perfect movie ending but it's certainly
Didn't feel like a good movie watching it play out for two hours. Have you had any congratulatory messages from any of the McLaren alumni since Sunday? Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's been amazing.
I think I received between text, email, and WhatsApp about 1,800 messages. And I'm type A. I don't like to... not clear my inbox every night took me two days and wonderful notes from definitely from mclaren alumnis you know whether it was lewis hamilton mika hackneyn emerson fittipaldi you know some of the legends that have raced for us um you know bernie and everybody. It was amazing.
To get McLaren back to winning ways and to win that ninth Constructors' Championship, it has been a long road. Can you tell us about the huge effort from everyone here back at base? my leadership team, which I call kind of my pit wall.
which, of course, Andrea Stella has done a fantastic job leading the racing team. But then you need every other department firing on all cylinders, forgive the pun. So everyone has been... stellar in in their roles and then andrea stella he's led by example he's very technical very hard working very performance driven and a great communicator
and then to be able to bring back the Constructors Championship trophy and celebrate with all the men and women here and their partners and their family and friends because you can't underestimate the contribution. that the families make in support of everyone here at McLaren that are either traveling for 24 races and live on the road.
or working night shifts or working seven days a week. And so to be able to celebrate not only with our team, but the wider family, which is also very much part of the team, was a pretty awesome moment.
team and said right this is what we need to do better to give Lando and Oscar a fair go at the title next year so I think we had a lot of learnings this year I think mistakes are are good in the sense of as long as you're learning from them they make you stronger so some of the things we could have done better in hindsight we'll just do better
next time and whether that's development to the car strategy or tires or what the racing drivers are doing or preparation that's the name of the game and formula one is constantly improving thanks ever so much zach thank you very much The season may not have been perfect for McLaren, but the ending was. Now, after a record 24 races, Formula One is about to go into hibernation. A nine-day winter shutdown begins on Christmas Eve.
and it will be weeks before the drivers can climb back into the cockpit. For McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, time will stand just a little stiller until the racing begins again, as he told Sarah. You're heading into the winter when you can't race an F1 car for ages, like for months. If there were no restrictions and you could race an F1 car whenever you wanted to, how often would you go racing? I would probably take the week off for Christmas and New Year's and then I would probably be back in.
straight away and every day would you go in every day maybe not every day but definitely like three or four days a week i think like firstly just from the being able to learn and practice would be nice but also i mean just because it's
it's awesome it's amazing fun so I'm sure after a few weeks of that I'd probably be pretty pretty knackered physically but I yeah I would definitely take some of the testing opportunities to try some stuff so If I could then I definitely would and I think the whole grid would. It's only your second season in F1 Oscar, but it's been pretty major. You've had a couple of wins, some amazing battles, which we've all enjoyed. What are you going to take forward into 2025 and beyond?
I feel like I've definitely improved from my rookie season I think there's Still room to go to improve. I think the races this year have been a great step forward from my rookie season. I think qualifying I've made life a bit more difficult for myself. I would like this year, but I think the positive in that has been that I've had the ability to come through in the races and make the ground back up. I think if I can tidy a few things up for next year, then I'll be very happy.
happy with the level I'm at. And it's now a case of just getting everything together rather than trying to filling in some missing gaps, which I think was the case last season. in his final exclusive interview for our series, is also looking forward to what lies ahead, as he tells Holly. How do you assess your season of growth? Because it has been...
It's been a good one, yeah. Superb. That might not be what everyone thinks, for sure. And I completely understand that not everyone will think it's been a great season from my side. But 99% of people on the outside... don't know what goes on behind the scenes and goes on with the car when you have certain problems and certain issues because not everything is spoken about and and said publicly you know
So there's been plenty of things that have set us back this year and not allowed us to perform as well as what we wanted. But I'm also always honest when I say I've not done a good enough job in certain cases and scenarios. I've always been the first to say that and I'll always tell you the truth of when I feel like I've done a good job, when I've not, when I deserve something and when I don't.
It's been a year where I've been pretty proud of my performance, proud of performing under the pressure that we've been under, delivering when I have. Of course, I wish I could go back and change some things. a couple of decisions along the way. I'm like, I wish I could just go and change it because the outcome will be quite different. But at the same time, that is life. I've made my mistakes this season.
At the same time, I've learned a lot from those mistakes. So if I look into next season and hopefully go into the season thinking we can win a championship, which we've never done before. This year we didn't come into it or I didn't come into it going. we think we can win the championship this year it was not even a close thought so for us to go into next year going we have what it takes we have a car
I believe I'm a good enough driver to do so, and I've got everything it takes to be the driver to do so. This is not something we've had before, so I'm excited to go into 25 knowing I've learned a lot, I've improved a lot, and I'm ready to bring the freight to everyone. That's my final question. Literally, what is the most important thing that you personally and the team can take forward into 2025? That was some of the best in the world, which is...
in a non-egotistical and non-arrogant way, but as a team we're proving to be the best team in Formula One and that's in the world and that's something I think we should all be proud to say. And also as a driver. I think people get mixed up between ego and confidence and I've never, normally I don't have either.
Confidence is something I've struggled with in the past and probably I've only built enough up throughout this season to go. I'm confident that I'm a good enough driver to win a championship next year and I can bring a fight to whoever wants to fight me for it. But there will be no wheel-to-wheel battles just yet. It's the factories that are at full speed from December through February, not the racing cars. On the horizon lies the 2025 season with the promise of new cars.
Rivalries renewed and dreams to chase on track. For the Aston Martin and McLaren teams, the next chapter is yet to be written. Now the waiting game to become the best in Formula One begins again. F1 Back at Base is an IMG production for the BBC, hosted by me, Josh Hartnett. Co-hosts and executive producers are Holly Samos and Sarah Holt. The producers are Alistair Cresswell, Joe Aldrich, and Jacqueline Stanley. The senior producer is Ali Neen.
The executive producer for IMG is Steve Tebb. The story editor and script writer is Sarah Holt. The showrunner is Holly Samos. And the commissioning editor at the BBC is Stevie Middleton. We're delighted he's found a bit of time to be on the...
podcast tonight, David Moyes. We're also going to hear from the England captain, Harry Kane. It was just a reminder how special it is to play for England. What's it been like doing Aaron Ramson over the last 12 months or so? Rodri, that was incredible. Thank you for having me here. Daily Podcast. Everything football every day. Listen on BBC Sounds.