Back at Base, Series 1: 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 the 2023 season in Las Vegas and has been recovering ever since. George and his performance coach Aleix Casanovas have had to adapt their plans over the winter to get ready to go racing again.Williams driver Alex Albon - who reveals he competes against his old friend Russell in other sporting contests - is also building up the strength and conditioning he needs to go racing. January is the most crucial time of the year for the drivers to get race fit. This winter it feels more important than ever, as the 2024 Formula 1 season will place even bigger demands on the drivers with a record 24 races on the calendar. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali joins the podcast conversation as the sport continues to grow. Lewis Hamilton has been preparing for the new season in America, away from his Mercedes team. But on his last day at Brackley, the seven-time world champion spoke to this podcast about the crucial weeks ahead.It’s not only the drivers who are operating at 100 percent. Williams team principal James Vowles and his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff have come back from their holidays with tales of how they spend their time outside of their demanding day jobs. As our four star drivers do the hard yards to get race fit, it’s important to remember that they rarely drive an F1 car outside of the race season. BUT there is another tool at their disposal - the simulator. This is another top-secret facility closely guarded by the teams but for our podcast Williams driver Logan Sargeant is showing Holly Samos and Sarah Holt around. The drivers are doing all they can to prepare for the new season - but have the cars that they’re getting ready to race been built yet?F1:Back at Base was created and produced by Holly Samos and Sarah Holt and is an IMG Production for the BBC.