To win in F1, hundreds of people have to work together. From the mechanics at the track to designers at the factory, every team member plays their part. How are F1 teams organised, and why does every team have to build a unique car? Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill go back into the sport's past with F1 Correspondent and Presenter, Lawrence Barretto, who explains how car design has been part of F1 since the very beginning. Then, Mercedes Head of Communications Bradley Lord talks about the diff...
Jul 18, 2024•35 min
A double F1 World Champion and three F1 Explains listeners joined Christian Hewgill live on stage at the 2024 British Grand Prix. F1 Explains listeners Sophie from Rugby, Ryan from London and Alex from Atlanta Georgia asked Mika Hakkinen about how Formula 1 has changed since his final season in 2001 and how it feels to drive high-speed corners. The 1998 and 1999 World Champion also explains what is involved in contract negotiations between drivers and teams. Special thanks to Ella Clarke, Jordan...
Jul 11, 2024•29 min
In F1, every thousandth of a second is crucial. Drivers' performances are often separated by less than the blink of an eye, so how are F1 cars timed so accurately? To find out, Christian and Katie speak to James Clarke, a highly-trained F1 timekeeper. James explains the technology on cars and at circuits which make the timing system work, how lap times and race positions are accurately recorded, and what happens if two drivers set identical times. Get your question answered by an F1 expert Recor...
Jul 04, 2024•31 min
As high-performance athletes, F1 drivers have to eat the right things at the right times. Everything they eat and drink, plus the timing of their meals, is carefully planned by expert nutritionists like Dr Dan Martin from Combine Performance. Dan works with McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne find out what an F1 driver's diet is and how it helps them perform at their best. We also get the story behind the banana smoothie which interrupted a previous F1 Explains interview...
Jun 27, 2024•46 min
They’re essential pieces of safety kit, made from specialised materials. But F1 helmets do far more than just protect the driver. F1 Explains explores helmet design, testing and technology with Stephane Cohen, co-CEO of Bell Racing – the company which makes helmets for 13 current F1 drivers. Stephane tells Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill how Bell make helmets that are strong and light, visors that don’t fog up and why a car update can require helmets to be modified. Plus, hear how F1 helmets...
Jun 20, 2024•37 min
What do reserve drivers do? Why are F1 stars weighed after every race? What is the racing line (and how can it help you when doing grocery shopping)? Cindy from California, Ana in India, Pierre from France and lots more F1 Explains listeners sent in questions about the life of an F1 driver. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne get the answers from Red Bull Reserve Driver, Liam Lawson. Liam explains how drivers change approach between an all-out qualifying lap and a long race stint. He tells us ab...
Jun 13, 2024•28 min
It's there to keep F1 safe, and it can transform a race. The FIA Safety Car is sent out in poor weather or after a crash to protect marshals, drivers and fans. But there's more to it than meets the eye... Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne explore the secrets of the safety car: how the decision to use it is made, its purpose on-track and how drivers and strategists can gain an advantage when the SC is deployed. Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer tells F1 Explains about his job and the incredible...
Jun 06, 2024•32 min
Cars that feel F1-fast. Racetracks that look real. Drivers in detail. EA SPORTS F124, the latest official Formula 1 game, is out on 31 May and it's more lifelike than ever. How do game designers bring the world of F1 to life on your console? Katie and Christian speak to two of F124's creators to find out: Lee Mather - Senior Creative Designer Casey Ringley - Senior Game Designer + Vehicle Handling Lead Lee explains how photos and radar are used to make sure racetracks look like the real thing. C...
May 30, 2024•40 min
Grand Prix-winning strategists Ruth Buscombe and Bernie Collins are back with Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill to answer another batch of your Formula 1 questions. On the list this week: Why do teams sometimes get their race strategies wrong? How are car upgrades planned? How do you become an F1 race strategist? What do drivers do to look after their tyres? What are the T-bars on top of F1 cars, and why are they different colours? Send us your F1 question and we'll find the expert to answer i...
May 23, 2024•43 min
Two race-winning F1 strategists answer your questions on how teams plan their pit stops, what happens if fewer than 10 cars finish a Grand Prix and how teams hide their secrets when they speak to drivers on the radio. Bernie Collins and Ruth Buscombe join Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill for a quickfire episode of F1 Explains. Why do some teams hope they'll finish a lap behind the leader? What happens when a driver is told to 'keep their head down'? What words did Ruth struggle with when she ...
May 16, 2024•46 min
At the Miami Grand Prix, F1 Explains went live on-stage with former Haas Team Principal and Miami GP Ambassador, Guenther Steiner. F1 Explains listeners Joan from Florida, Amanda from Tennessee and Nick from Washington D.C. asked Guenther questions about the life of an F1 Team Principal and whether Steiner's office door survived being smashed by Kevin Magnussen. Special thanks to Sam Rose, Carla Corbet, Lyndsey Fairburn, Lindsay Krushner, Jamil Russell-Lewis + Jason Gol Watch F1 live in 2024 Tic...
May 09, 2024•37 min
A Formula 1 car is like a musical instrument: to perform at its best, it has to be tuned. Aerodynamics, suspension, tyres, and transmission can all be changed to suit the racetrack, the driver and the weather. In Miami, Christian Hewgill joins Aston Martin to explore car setup, with driver Fernando Alonso, Ambassador and former F1 racer Pedro de la Rosa, and Performance Director Tom McCullough. Send us your F1 question and we'll find the expert to answer it Write an email or record a voice note ...
May 03, 2024•30 min
When F1 drivers get dressed for a race, safety is the number one priority. Their gloves, balaclavas, boots, suits and underwear protect them from fire and heat. But race kit can't slow them down. It needs to be light, comfortable and breathable, with a few special features built-in to help them perform at their best. Maurizio Sicco, Consultant at PUMA Motorsport and racewear expert tells Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill all about F1 race kit, how it's designed and tested, and the special requ...
Apr 25, 2024•38 min
Taming the insane speed of an F1 car takes extraordinary skill and incredible technology. The brakes glow red hot. The drivers feel extreme G-forces. How do F1 braking systems work, and how do drivers cope every time they slam their left foot into the pedal? Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill break down F1 brakes with: Andrea Algeri, engineer from Brembo, which produces brakes for the entire F1 grid Jack Doohan, Alpine Reserve Driver Send us your F1 question and we'll find the expert to answer ...
Apr 18, 2024•47 min
Formula 1 Team Principals have a lot to do. They have to manage the drivers, engineers, mechanics, designers and hundreds of other employees at the racetrack and in the factory. Team Principals lead them all through wins, podiums and retirements. If things don't go well, they sometimes pay with their jobs. Aston Martin's Team Principal Mike Krack tells Katie and Christian about his job and how it differs from his fellow bosses. Plus, how he manages drivers, keeps on top of the rulebook and why h...
Apr 11, 2024•40 min
In Formula 1, a driver's teammate is their biggest rival. Each wants to beat the other, but they also need to score maximum points for their teams. When teammates work together, big rewards can follow. When they clash, it can get messy. Kick Sauber F1 Team duo Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have been teammates since 2022. They tell Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne the secrets of their relationship, how they help each other, how they race each other on track, how they balance teamwork and riv...
Apr 04, 2024•29 min
'Please can you summarise how F1 rules have changed since Fernando Alonso's F1 debut?', asks Richard in Dallas, Texas. 23 years of engines, tyres and points systems? No problem for Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne! That's just one of the questions tackled in this episode, featuring F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and former Renault F1 racer Jolyon Palmer. Also answered: What's the difference between F1, FOM and the FIA? What happens in a team after a bad pit stop? Why did Jolyon Palmer never we...
Mar 29, 2024•39 min
F1 stars of the future show their speed in Formula 2 and Formula 3. The categories immediately below Formula 1 in the motorsport ladder are the perfect place for a driver to sharpen their skills and prove they're ready to move up. How do F2 and F3 work? How are the cars different? How do they prepare drivers for Formula 1? To answer those questions and many more, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne speak to: Oscar Piastri - 2020 F3 champion, 2021 F2 champion, McLaren F1 driver Alex Jacques - com...
Mar 22, 2024•41 min
Why is finishing outside the points still important? How do you really say 'Charles Leclerc?' How did the pit lane get its name? Christian and Katie put these listener questions and more to F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer. Ask us a question! We love answering your F1 Qs. Write them in an email or record them as a voice note and send them to [email protected] Catch up with our other episodes How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri F1 ...
Mar 15, 2024•35 min
The game-changing, trailblazing, all-female racing series is back for 2024 with new drivers, top teams and wheel-to-wheel action. The second season of F1 ACADEMY starts this weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill find out everything there is to know ahead of the first race. Susie Wolff, who's driving the series forwards as Managing Director, tells Katie and Christian about the series' mission in 2024 and how it will inspire young women to pursue careers in m...
Mar 08, 2024•37 min
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
