20 F1 cars. 5 red lights. 0.2 seconds to react. 5 seconds to 120 mph. The start of a Formula 1 Grand Prix demands extraordinary skill from the drivers and quick decisions from the team strategists. Katie and Christian explore the start of a race with Mercedes reserve driver and former Haas racer Mick Schumacher, who explains what happens in the cockpit in the moments before the start, and the intense run to turn 1. Former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy Bernie Collins tells us how the race st...
Mar 01, 2024•36 min
The latest season of Drive To Survive is another fascinating look inside Formula 1. How is the show planned, filmed and edited? How do the producers decide what stories to tell? What does the future hold for the series? To find out, Christian and Katie speak to Drive to Survive's award-winning Executive Producer, James Gay-Rees of Box To Box Films. F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast which answers your questions about how F1 works. Send us your F1 question and we'll find the expert to answer ...
Feb 24, 2024•35 min
Where in the world is Christian Hewgill? He’s in Bahrain to find out why F1 pre-season testing is so important for teams, engineers and drivers. Katie Osborne has a list of listener questions, Christian gets the answers from McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, Alpine Reserve Driver Jack Doohan, Mercedes’ Communications Director Bradley Lord and McLaren Racing Director Randy Singh. F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast which answers your questions about how F1 works. Record your question as a voice no...
Feb 23, 2024•46 min
F1 Explains is back for 2024! Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are starting by answering your questions about new F1 cars. When do teams start working on their challengers for a new season? How much of a new F1 car is actually new? What happens when a team comes up with something that has never been seen before? Aston Martin's Technical Director Dan Fallows explains how a new Formula 1 car goes from sketches on paper to carbon-fibre reality. F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast that answers...
Feb 16, 2024•37 min
Your F1 questions answered by F1 experts. Katie Osborne + Christian Hewgill are back with drivers, engineers + exclusive interviews with people who make F1 work. Send your questions to [email protected].
Feb 06, 2024•2 min
Brilliant questions, fascinating answers. F1 Explains explores how our favourite sport really works. In 2023, Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill put your questions to drivers, engineers, strategists, designers and many more of the people who do great work behind the scenes. At the end of the podcast's first season, Katie and Christian have picked the things they loved learning the most, including the advantages and disadvantages of having F1-ready neck muscles and how the sport's rulemakers kee...
Dec 08, 2023•53 min
‘Being here in person is incredible’. ‘Insane. It blows my mind’. ‘It’s a different and amazing experience’. We love watching F1 on-screen, but this episode is all about why going to a Formula 1 Grand Prix is next level. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne head to the grandstands at the 2023 US Grand Prix to hear why seeing F1 live is a must-do for any F1 fan. Whether it’s seeing how fast the cars really are, the chance to buy exclusive merch or getting to meet your favourite driver, a weekend a...
Dec 01, 2023•38 min
How do teams and drivers get ready for a track they've never been to before? It takes complex calculations, decades of data and a dash of racers' instinct. F1 Explains has the full answer as we prepare to head to Las Vegas. Plus, who gets which garage in the pit lane? What happens in 'parc fermé', what's an 'anti-stall' and which drivers are interview chatterboxes? Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill put more of your questions to race-winning F1 strategist Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent &am...
Nov 10, 2023•48 min
How do F1 drivers find the fastest way around a racetrack? Why do the stars of our sport use special drinks bottles? Do some F1 teams have No 1 and No 2 drivers? Race-winning F1 strategist Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto return to answer your questions in another quickfire special. Plus, why do F1 tracks get grippier, what really goes on in F1 hospitality and how does the bonus point for fastest lap work? If you have a topic you'd like Christian, Katie and our...
Nov 03, 2023•47 min
A Formula 1 legend, F1 fans with questions and a loud Texas crowd. F1 Explains took to the stage at the Circuit of The Americas for our first ever live show! Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill welcomed former McLaren, Red Bull and Williams driver David Coulthard to COTA's Amphitheatre stage. F1 Explains listeners Crystal from New York, Sammi from Massachusetts and Amanda from Tennessee brought their questions about F1 teammates, reaction times and training. You'll hear why F1 drivers backsides ...
Oct 26, 2023•31 min
Priceless cars, team headquarters, crucial equipment, thousands of spare parts, tyres, fuel... and the Team Principal's favourite coffee. Every item F1 teams need to compete is moved from race to race by an amazing team of logistics experts. Formula 1's Global Logistics Partner, DHL, moves the sport around the world. It's a year-round, tight deadline task which is being achieved more sustainably than ever before - using bio-fuelled trucks and efficient freighter aircraft. Paul Fowler, DHL Vice P...
Oct 19, 2023•52 min
High-speed corners or tricky hairpins? Flat-out straights or tight chicanes? Every Formula 1 racetrack is a unique challenge for the drivers and teams, and the work to create them is a blend of artistry and engineering. F1 Explains how F1 circuits go from a sketch on a piece of paper, through state-of-the-art digital simulation, to reality. What are the challenges of building a racetrack? How are they designed to allow close racing, overtaking and interesting strategy? Christian and Katie put yo...
Oct 12, 2023•45 min
Ferrari is red, Red Bull is blue... F1 car liveries are much more than paint and stickers. They're part of a team's identity, they're worth money to sponsors and they can even affect how the car performs on track. F1 Explains how F1 car liveries are created with the help of two experts: Markus Höpperger tells us how Alfa Romeo's livery is designed and how paint schemes, sponsor placement and graphics are chosen McLaren's Louise McEwen explains why the team turned papaya and how they decide when ...
Oct 05, 2023•50 min
Formula 1 is a high-speed, high-stress sport. Staying cool, ignoring distractions and recovering from setbacks requires huge mental strength, composure and resilience. How do F1 drivers cope? How do they make sure their minds are in the right condition? What support and training do they get to help them? F1 Explains with the help of two expert guests: Pete McKnight - performance coach who gets F1 drivers mentally ready to race. Performance Director for Hintsa Performance David Coulthard - 13-tim...
Sep 28, 2023•49 min
Each one is different, but they're all high-tech pieces of equipment made of military-spec materials, designed to work in extreme conditions. F1 steering wheels do so much more than turn the car. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne explore steering wheels with the help of two expert guests: Jose Manuel Lopez, Mclaren Principal Race Engineer Jolyon Palmer, former F1 driver with Renault and GP2 champion Jose and Jolyon tell us how wheels are designed, what all the buttons do, how drivers learn the...
Sep 21, 2023•49 min
Who decides where F1 teams do their pit stops? How do F1 cars and racetrack corners get their names? How much is F1's prize pot? Race-winning strategist Bernie Collins and award-winning F1TV commentator Alex Jacques are back with Katie and Christian to answer more of your questions. Along the way you'll hear which F1 car is named after a team founders' wife, the different ways F1 corners get their names, and why drivers leave it until the last possible moment to do their qualifying laps. We'd lo...
Sep 14, 2023•34 min
How do F1 race starts work? Can you score a podium in F1 Sprint? What are the rules on teams sharing reserve drivers? You ask, F1 Explains with the help of F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and F1 strategist Bernie Collins. The team explains why F1 Grands Prix start when five red lights go out, explore the history of F1 race starts, and Alex reveals the secrets to commentating on the action-packed opening moments of a race. Plus, how is a top 3 finish in F1 Sprint officially recorded, which teams ha...
Sep 07, 2023•41 min
It has given us more action, more overtaking and more chances to change the race with strategy. DRS, the Drag Reduction System, can help F1 drivers get in position for a race-winning overtake. Why was it introduced? How does it work? What's the best way to use it? F1 Explains with the help of three experts, who tell Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne all about this fascinating subject: McLaren Aerodynamics Specialist Emel Cankaya works on designing DRS systems. She explains the physics of DRS, ...
Aug 31, 2023•38 min
They're round, they're black, they keep you on the track. Tyres are one of the most important parts of a Formula 1 car, but getting the best performance from them requires tireless work from drivers, teams and engineers. Three tyre experts join Katie and Christian to explain all you need to know about F1 tyres: Former F1 racer Jolyon Palmer explains why tyres are so important to drivers Mario Isola, Head of Motorsport for official F1 tyre supplier Pirelli, tells us why different tyre compounds a...
Aug 24, 2023•52 min
Racing more regionally. New power for the F1 Paddock. Game-changing fuels for F1 cars and, potentially, your car. Big things are happening to help make Formula 1 more sustainable. Christian and Katie ask F1's Head of Sustainability, Ellen Jones, why re-organising the race calendar for 2024 will help reduce the sport's carbon footprint. Ellen also reveals how F1's trialling new ways of reducing the amount of energy used at races and developing a game-changing sustainable fuel with potential to tr...
Jul 27, 2023•30 min
Why don't F1 drivers get to keep their trophies? How do F1 people cope with travel? What do drivers actually mean when they talk about having 'pace in the car'? Bernie Collins, former Aston Martin F1 strategist, and Will Buxton, F1TV presenter, are back with Christian and Katie to answer these questions and more. Bernie tells us about a time a driver was allowed to keep a special trophy, while Will explains how drivers avoid jet lag during the Singapore night race. We'd love to answer your F1 qu...
Jul 20, 2023•30 min
Why are some F1 cars faster than others? Why do some upgrades work and some don't? Why don't F1 teams all just copy the fastest car? F1TV presenter and Drive to Survive star Will Buxton, and former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy Bernie Collins join Katie and Christian to answer those questions in more in a quickfire Formula Why special all about F1 cars. You'll hear what upgrading an F1 car has in common with online clothes shopping, why copying a successful car is like trying to cook withou...
Jul 13, 2023•40 min
Hidden inside F1 factories, engineers use blasts of high-speed air to shape race-winning cars. Wind tunnels are multi-million dollar, high-tech facilities where aerodynamicists experiment. What happens in the wind tunnel usually stays in the wind tunnel, but Formula Why is going into this secretive world with Alpine F1 Team's Technical Director, Matt Harman. He tells us why F1 teams use wind tunnels, why they're so secretive and the incredible way the sport's rule makers, the FIA, keep an eye on...
Jul 06, 2023•25 min
They're the voice in the driver's ear, guiding them through every lap. F1 drivers can't compete without their race engineers, but why are they so important? Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu and his race engineer Jorn Becker join Formula Why to answer your questions. Why do engineers speak like they do? Why do they use some words and not others? Why are all F1 Team Radio messages in English? Zhou and Jorn explain the secrets of a great driver/race engineer team. We want to answer your questions on Formul...
Jun 29, 2023•29 min
Why can pitting a lap earlier than your rival be a race-winning move? Why do F1 cars have red lights on the back? How do drivers remember all their race plans at 200mph? How do people get to be F1 Team Principals, strategists or reporters? Former Aston Martin Head of Strategy Bernie Collins and F1 Chief Correspondent Lawrence Barretto are back with Christian and Katie on Formula Why to answer these questions and more in a quickfire special. Got an F1 question you'd like us to answer, or a messag...
Jun 22, 2023•34 min
Twenty teammates. Two seconds. Total teamwork. F1 pit stops are iconic, but why are they so important, and why are they so difficult to do perfectly? Who's on the pit crew, and what does each person do? Katie and Christian get the answers from: Gemma Fisher - the human performance specialist who revolutionised F1 pit stops Connor Swan - Alpine F1 Team's Pit Stop Performance Co-ordinator Kevin Magnussen - Haas F1 Team driver Christian and Katie break down an F1 pit stop - from the role of the dri...
Jun 15, 2023•47 min
For learning racetracks to testing new car upgrades, simulators are a vital tool for every team in F1. Katie and Christian talk to four sim experts to explain why. Stoffel Vandoorne, Aston Martin's reserve driver, took a break from a long day in the sim to tell us why they're so useful for racers. Alpine's Technical Director Matt Harman breaks down how team engineers use them to test new parts and car set-ups. Motorsport scientist Dr Diandra Leslie-Pelecky explains how simulators work and why th...
Jun 08, 2023•47 min
In F1, rain always means drama. Drivers fight to stay on track. Their skills are pushed to the limits. Why is steering, braking, and racing so much harder in the rain? Formula Why has the answers. After a quick guide to F1's wet weather tyres, motorsport scientist Dr Diandra Leslie-Pelecky explains why it's so hard to keep control on a wet racetrack. Haas F1 Team Race Engineer Mark Slade tells us why F1 teams have to put total faith in their drivers when the rain comes down. Plus, double Formula...
Jun 01, 2023•41 min
No room for error. No time to breathe. When F1 races on city streets – like in Monaco, Miami or Singapore – drivers and strategists face a challenge like no other. Double F1 World Champion and street race-winner Mika Hakkinen joins Christian and Katie to answer why low grip, narrow streets lined with unforgiving metal barriers are the ultimate test of a drivers’ skill – and why spilt drinks and moving boats can make it even harder. Plus, Aston Martin’s former Head of Strategy Bernie Collins retu...
May 25, 2023•32 min
Why do F1 winners get 25 points? Why do tyre-smoking lock-ups happen? Why do F1 cars change for every race? This week on Formula Why we're answering some of the questions you've sent in to [email protected] so far. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are joined by former Aston Martin Head of Strategy Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto to explore the whys, the hows and the whats. Along the way we learn why F1 cars haven't always had four wheels, why tyre warmers aren't j...
May 18, 2023•30 min
