F1: Chequered Flag

F1 Back at Base - A deep dive into the high-octane world of Formula 1 with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. F1 Chequered Flag: Home of Formula 1.

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Episodes

Back At Base S2: 1. Opportunity Of A Lifetime

There are just 10 races left to go in the 2024 Formula 1 season - the longest season in the sport’s history with 24 grands prix. In this final phase of the season, both Championships - for the world’s best racing driver and team - are still up for grabs. At McLaren headquarters, in the commuter town of Woking just 23 miles outside London, the team is stirring again after the summer shutdown. The historic race team hit form before the summer holidays and has propelled itself into title contention...

Jan 22, 2025•38 min

Coming Soon – S2: How To Go Racing

In this eight-part series, hosted by actor Josh Hartnett, we have been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula 1 - McLaren and Aston Martin. These teams are unlocking the doors to their top-secret factories. It’s a critical moment in their season, but they are letting inside as they fight to the finish line in the final 10 races of 2024. With F1 experts Sarah Holt and Holly Samos as our guides, we will meet the workforce driving them forwards from the heart of their...

Jan 17, 2025•2 min

Back At Base: 8. The Final Piece in the Puzzle

For the last three months, we have followed the Williams and Mercedes teams as they prepared and built their cars for the 2024 season. Holly Samos and Sarah Holt have been our guides as we’ve gone with them inside the factories - but now it’s almost time to return to the track. First, the teams have to launch their race cars and reveal them to the rest of the world. Williams have travelled to New York to present their car in front of their American fans and partners. For homegrown driver Logan S...

Feb 28, 2024•40 min

Back At Base: 7. The Bombshell

Lewis Hamilton has returned from the Christmas break with some shocking news for his Mercedes team. His bombshell makes headlines around the world - with some calling it the biggest story in Formula 1 this century. Even if that’s a little far-fetched, there is no doubt that his decision has sent shockwaves through the F1 community. At Mercedes, team principal Toto Wolff is used to having to react quickly - almost as quickly as his drivers on track. The Austrian has to face a barrage of media que...

Feb 27, 2024•36 min

Back At Base: 6. Two Seconds to Shine

Inside their high-tech Formula 1 factories, Mercedes and Williams are in a constant cycle of pushing the boundaries in the car build. And the clock is ticking. With just a few weeks to go until the start of the 2024 season, Williams are working overtime as the final components of the car go into manufacture. Team principal James Vowles says these crucial weeks towards the end of January are the busiest time for the workforce at his Oxfordshire facility, bar none. But what will be the very last p...

Feb 26, 2024•34 min

Back At Base: 5. A New Year Begins

Back at base, Williams and Mercedes are returning to work after the winter shutdown. Now is the time for new beginnings – and whatever lies ahead for our two teams and the cars they are busy bringing to life inside their high-tech facilities. F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt are our guides as we catch up with the teams. At Mercedes, there is one very familiar face that everyone is pleased to see - the team’s popular star George Russell. The British racer fell ill at the penultimate race of ...

Feb 25, 2024•36 min

Back at Base: 4. No Fat in the Plan

When it comes to designing and building the new Williams and Mercedes Formula 1 cars for the looming 2024 season, there is precision and, most importantly, there is a plan. There has to be because all 10 teams are facing their first winter shutdown - a new ruling by the sport’s governing body, the FIA. But things don’t always go to plan - and the teams face a race against the clock to finish key bits of the car build before the Christmas holidays. Holly Samos and journalist Sarah Holt are going ...

Feb 24, 2024•34 min

Back at Base: 3. A Shot at Redemption

Inside the Williams and Mercedes factories, where F1 cars come to life, the workforce is putting its heart and soul into the winter tasks now well underway. There are just 14 weeks between the 2023 season and the first race of 2024 in Bahrain. In this series, we have been allowed rare access into the heart of the operations. And at the Williams facility, in rural Oxfordshire, we are about to go on a VIP tour to learn how to build an F1 car. At Brackley, home to the Mercedes’ F1 team, the factory...

Feb 23, 2024•32 min

Back At Base: 2. Big Air

The Williams and Mercedes Formula 1 teams have given us unprecedented access to their top-secret facilities as they work over the winter preparing their cars for the 2024 season. At Mercedes, the team’s superstar driver Lewis Hamilton is going into a restricted area to see how that crucial work is coming along. We follow in his footsteps as F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt get a VIP tour of one of the most important tools when it comes to designing and building the most complex race cars in...

Feb 22, 2024•32 min

Back at Base: 1. The Homecoming

In this series, we have been given unprecedented access to two of the biggest teams in Formula 1 - Mercedes and Williams. It’s a few days after the final race of the 2023 season, and the teams are returning home to their UK factories after an epic year. It’s time to enjoy the year’s hard-fought success with the workforce of hundreds back at base. And we are there with them - our F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt added to the guest list. After a dramatic season finale in Abu Dhabi, the sport’...

Feb 21, 2024•35 min

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