“You just think there’s no way I could be good enough.” When Sam Michael arrived in F1, he worried he wouldn’t be able to keep up. But he became an influential and experienced leader at two of the sport’s biggest teams. From a race engineer at Jordan in the late 1990s, to senior director roles at both Williams and McLaren in the 2000s, Sam enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top before leaving F1 in 2014. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, he reflects on more than two decades in the pinnacle of motorsport and...
May 23, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast ‘I was a super cocky, arrogant kid’. Fast by name, fast by nature. Scott Speed was born to be a racer. He had natural talent and raw pace. But he didn’t need telling. After being discovered by Red Bull as America’s next star, Speed arrived in Formula 1 with a ‘massive ego’. Debuting for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2006, he lasted just 18 months. With no World Championship points to his name, Speed was replaced by Sebastian Vettel after the 2007 European Grand Prix. Rallycross is the epicentre of his ...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast BMW have been in and out of Formula 1 since the inaugural Drivers’ World Championship in 1950. As BMW’s Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen oversaw their most recent return at the start of the 21st century. Firstly with Williams and then with Sauber, the following 10 seasons provided plenty of ups and downs before the company decided to pull out of F1 altogether at the end of 2009. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Mario shares his memories of an unforgettable decade in the sport. Williams enjoyed a cou...
May 09, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode of F1 Beyond The Grid is presented by Salesforce, a global partner of Formula 1. To learn more about how F1 wows fans and grows its fanbase with Salesforce, visit Salesforce.com/F1 Cooler, calmer and now rocking a new hairstyle, Valtteri Bottas seems a completely different man to the one that left Mercedes at the end of 2021. The 10-time Grand Prix winner still has a burning desire to reach the top step of the podium again, but his approach to Formula 1 has changed a lot since joini...
May 02, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who’s Tom’s F1 Beyond The Grid guest this week? Hit play to find out, then share using #F1BeyondTheGrid Coming soon, the latest F1 Nation for reaction and analysis from the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Plus, check out F1’s brand-new podcast Formula Why to hear why F1 Sprint is such a challenge.
May 01, 2023•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2023, Aston Martin took a leap to the front of Formula 1. They went from midfield battlers to podium finishers, ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari. How? As the engineer who led the creation of the team's car, Technical Director Dan Fallows, is one of many possible answers to that question. Dan began his F1 career in 2002, as an aerodynamic engineer for Jaguar. Four years later, he joined Red Bull – where he learnt from one of the sport’s greatest car designers in the form of Adrian Newey and playe...
Apr 26, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Introducing Formula Why, a brand-new official F1 podcast about how F1 really works. Episodes weekly from Friday 28th April. Search your podcast app for Formula Why and hit the follow button to get the first episode fast.
Apr 21, 2023•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Japan has had plenty of Formula 1 heroes to worship over the years. But does Yuki Tsunoda have what it takes to become the country’s first World Champion? If he can drive as fast as he reached F1 then he’s in with a chance. The 22-year-old went from Japanese F4 to his drive at Alpha Tauri in the space of just three years. Since his points-scoring debut in 2021, Yuki has certainly caught the eye of many. But 2023 is a huge year. With Pierre Gasly leaving for Alpine, Tsunoda is now the team leader...
Apr 18, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Follow, rate and review F1 Beyond The Grid using #F1BeyondTheGrid
Apr 17, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast He didn’t come from a racing family. He followed in the footsteps of his father and qualified as a doctor. How Jonathan Palmer ended up driving in Formula 1 is an intriguing tale of passion for racing, intuition and plenty of graft. Palmer initially competed in Formula Ford but after qualifying as a doctor, he decided to focus on racing professionally. He became British Formula 3 champion in 1981 and European Formula 3 champion in 1983. That year, Williams gave him his F1 debut at the European G...
Apr 11, 2023•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast He’s one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula 1. Sir Jackie Stewart became World Champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973. 50 years since he retired after that final title, Sir Jackie is still in the top 10 for all-time F1 race wins - with 27 victories to his name. He started out with the BRM team in 1965, before joining Tyrell Racing three years later. They enjoyed five years of success, in which Jackie cemented his status as a legend of the sport. The Flying Scot, as he was also known, tel...
Apr 04, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Oscar Piastri came into Formula 1 with plenty of expectation. But it seems he has the potential to match the pressure. In three consecutive years, he became Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion. After winning the F2 championship, there was no space on the grid for the 2022 F1 season and Piastri had to take a year out from racing. But now his chance has arrived. McLaren have given him the opportunity to prove himself at the top and he’s keen to emulate the success of fellow Australia...
Mar 28, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tom’s heading to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, but who’s his guest on this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid? Follow F1 Beyond The Grid for the fastest way to get the next episode.
Mar 27, 2023•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Formula 1 loves a feel-good story and the Minardi fairy-tale is no exception. They wrote one of the most heart-warming chapters in the sport’s history. Mark Webber’s fifth-place finish on his debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2002 is one of many fond memories cherished by former team boss Paul Stoddart. A year earlier, Paul wasn’t even sure they’d be quick enough to qualify for the first race. But his confidence in a 19 year-old Fernando Alonso was rewarded and the team started life in F1 mu...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast A returning champion. A legendary rival. A chance to rise above the rest. 1993 was the year Alain Prost set himself apart from his competitors and became a four-time F1 World Champion. At the time, he was only the second driver to win more than three titles. But his fourth triumph was far from easy. Prost was racing against his long-term foe, McLaren’s Ayrton Senna. He had to get used to a brand-new car, with technology he had never experienced before. There were behind-the-scenes issues at his ...
Mar 15, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Win races. Catch F1’s ‘big three’ teams. Turn ‘beasts’ into team players. Laurent Rossi’s to-do list is intimidating. The Alpine CEO runs the French road car company and the F1 operation, which is split between France and the UK. He grew up in a racing heartland. He studied at leading universities and worked at top-tier companies. All that experience helped him handle clashing teammates Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso in 2022. Alpine’s 2023 line-up, Ocon and Pierre Gasly, have been rivals since...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast A dream start. A disappointing finish. 2022 was Charles Leclerc’s best F1 season so far. But for him and for Ferrari, only the World Championship is enough. Now, a fresh challenge. Ahead of a new campaign, Charles is determined to take the trophy for himself. In the first new episode of 2023, Charles tells Tom Clarkson why missing out on the title in 2022 has made him the best he’s ever been. He reveals the soul-searching and changes at Ferrari since last season, and explains why new Team Princi...
Mar 01, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast F1 is no ordinary sport. These are no ordinary interviews. Join Tom Clarkson for a new season of in-depth conversations with the sport’s biggest stars and brightest minds. New episodes begin Wednesday March 1st. Follow the podcast for the fastest way to get new episodes. Share using #F1BeyondTheGrid
Feb 28, 2023•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 21 drivers are getting ready for the first race of 2023 – the 20 F1 racers and Bernd Maylander, driver of the F1 Safety Car. When Bernd hits the track, in bad weather or after a crash, his job is to keep the F1 field to a safe speed until they can go racing again. He’s often criticised for driving too slowly, but as he told Tom Clarkson in 2020, that’s simply not true. For more Safety Car secrets from Bernd, check out the full conversation here...
Feb 27, 2023•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Drive to Survive Season 5 is out now on Netflix, which means more behind-the-scenes moments with Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner. He’s become an F1 paddock rockstar, but he’s still a boss who takes big decisions. In 2022, Guenther told Tom Clarkson about his celebrity status and his style of management. Hear a different side of Steiner in the full BTG interview here...
Feb 26, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast A winner from the World Championship’s first decade, the 1950s, Tony Brooks took F1 victories for Vanwall and Ferrari. Amazingly he’d studied to be a dentist before becoming a full-time racing driver. On what would have been Tony’s 91st birthday, Tom Clarkson revisits a 2019 conversation about the daring deeds of the first F1 stars. Listen to the full interview with Tony Brooks here for more stories from the early years of the F1 World Championship. New weekly episodes of F1 Beyond The Grid star...
Feb 25, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast F1 test sessions can reveal technical problems with cars, or unlock extra performance. They can also reveal stars of the future. Pedro de la Rosa, one of F1’s most experienced test drivers, was there to witness Lewis Hamilton’s first drive in an F1 car in September 2006. The Spaniard was stunned by Hamilton’s speed and what a ‘massive problem’ he’d cause anyone trying to beat him. On Beyond The Grid, Pedro told Tom Clarkson his memories of the test and his own magical F1 debut. Pedro’s full inte...
Feb 24, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the eve of the 2009 F1 season, Jenson Button and Brawn GP shocked the sport. The team, which barely survived the previous winter after the withdrawal of owners Honda, arrived at the final pre-season test with a car that had never been driven at full racing speed before. Immediately, it was fastest of all. Jenson Button told Tom Clarkson about that test day, and why dominating the early stages of the 2009 season felt far from easy. You can listen to the full BTG interview with Jenson Button he...
Feb 23, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 24 years ago, the original “Flying Finn” became a two-time F1 World Champion. That puts Mika Hakkinen in an exclusive club of just 11 drivers who have won F1 titles in consecutive years, which also includes Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. In this feature-length interview from the BTG archive, Mika tells Tom Clarkson about recovering from a serious crash to take on Michael Schumacher and win back-to-back championships with McLaren in 1998 and 1999. New episodes of F1 Beyond The Grid begin Wedn...
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who has won more F1 world titles than Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher combined? Aldo Costa. The Italian engineer’s work has helped Ferrari, Mercedes and their drivers win a total of 26 World Championships. That makes him a good person to talk to about winning, dealing with pressure and why it’s important to allow engineers to try, fail, and try again. Tom Clarkson is picking archive highlights in the build-up up to the new season of F1 Beyond The Grid. Follow the podcast and look out for a...
Feb 21, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast F1 loves Japan: the passionate fans, the stunning racetracks, and the exciting drivers. Yuki Tsunoda wants to be his country’s first F1 winner. In this clip, recorded during Yuki’s rookie season in 2021, he told Tom Clarkson about his love of Tokyo and how former Japanese racers have helped him in his career. Yuki talks food, swearing and friendships in the full interview. Listen right here....
Feb 20, 2023•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast A straight-talking, no nonsense, modern F1 legend Kimi Raikkonen became World Champion doing things his way. Before his final Grand Prix in 2021, Kimi told Tom Clarkson about his first drive in a Formula 1 car and whether age slowed him down. Look out for another archive highlight tomorrow. A brand-new episode of F1 Beyond The Grid will be with you on Wednesday March 1st. Kimi’s full, rare, in-depth interview is a must-listen. Hear it here ....
Feb 19, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast By age 2, Kevin Magnussen was already driving. What else do you expect from the child of an F1 driver? In this clip from 2019, Kevin tells Tom Clarkson how his racing career was inspired by his father Jan – a former McLaren driver – and encouraged by his mother, Britt. Follow F1 Beyond The Grid for daily archive clips in the build up to a brand-new episode on Wednesday March 1st. Want more Magnussen? Kevin’s 2019 BTG appearance is here . His 2022 interview can be heard here...
Feb 18, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Hulk is back in Formula 1, and he’s hunting a first podium finish. Revisit Nico’s 2019 interview on times a top three finish narrowly eluded him and his love of classic road cars. Tom Clarkson is choosing 30 highlights from the BTG archive in the run-up to brand new episodes, starting Wednesday March 1st. To get to know Nico before his F1 return, listen to his full BTG interview here...
Feb 17, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast As Alpine unveil their car for the 2023 F1 season, enjoy an all-time favourite Beyond The Grid story from Esteban Ocon. In 2018 he told Tom Clarkson how his family sold their property to help his race towards Formula 1. 30 Days of BTG is building up to the first new episode of 2023 on Wednesday March 1st. To hear the full 2018 interview with Esteban, listen here . You can listen to his second BTG appearance from 2022 here ....
Feb 16, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
