PODCAST · sports
F1 Beyond The Grid
by Formula 1
The risk-takers, late-brakers and history-makers of Formula 1 slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends. Hit the follow button for the fastest way to get new episodes. Watch episodes exclusively on the F1 YouTube channel. An official Formula 1 podcast. For race reviews + previews, listen to F1 Nation. To learn more about how F1 works, listen to F1 Explains
Episodes
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Fred Vesti: 'making champions' as Mercedes Third Driver
'It's a very unforgiving job... you're helping making champions, but it's not yourself', says Fred Vesti. Through hundreds of hours and thousands of laps in the simulator, he has contributed to Mercedes' success in 2026. It seems certain that Kimi Antonelli will be crowned Drivers' World…
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50 years since James Hunt’s dramatic title win - with Freddie Hunt
A fiery crash, a miraculous recovery, a shock disqualification, and a tense, rain-soaked title-decider. At the end of the drama-filled 1976 season, James Hunt emerged as Formula 1 World Champion. Hunt was loved by fans and respected by his rivals, particularly by Niki Lauda. The pair fought for…
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James Vowles: ‘the most difficult year of my career’
2026 was supposed to be the year Williams made a big step forward in Formula 1. They’d scored their first podiums under Team Principal James Vowles in 2025, all while prioritising focus on this new era of regulations, so expectations of what they could achieve this season were high. But they’ve...
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Isack Hadjar + Laurent Mekies: trust, teamwork + targets
From scoring his first podium with the team in Monaco, to missing three races with a wrist injury, and then re-signing for 2027, Isack Hadjar has had an eventful first season at Red Bull Racing. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Isack opens up about what happened to his wrist, how challenging it was to...
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Romain Grosjean: a career of comebacks
‘I did all I could to survive’. A fiery crash put his life in danger, but Romain Grosjean escaped the flames and returned to racing. As Romain tells Tom Clarkson, the crash in Bahrain was not the first time he had to rebuild his career. After a seven-race spell in Formula 1 in 2008, he was…
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Yuki Tsunoda: racing for F1 return
After describing 2025 as the ‘toughest year of my career’, Yuki Tsunoda was thrilled to make his F1 comeback with Racing Bulls after the summer break – stepping in for Liam Lawson while he fills in for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Yuki gives a very honest…
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Pedro de la Rosa: Aston’s ambition, Fernando’s future + McLaren memories
Aston Martin Global Ambassador Pedro de la Rosa joins Tom Clarkson to discuss how Aston are fighting back after a difficult 2026 so far. Pedro tells Tom how it really felt when they realised just how far behind they were during the Barcelona shakedown and whether the team’s strategy of waiting...
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Charles Leclerc: full faith in Ferrari
Why did he sign a new multi-year deal with Ferrari? What caused his rough patch earlier in the season? How did those struggles really make him feel? And what did victory at Silverstone mean to him after that difficult period? Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Charles Leclerc opens up and shares really...
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Sergio Perez: bouncing back with Cadillac
After a year away from Formula 1, following his exit from Red Bull Racing at the end of 2024, Sergio Perez is back with the sport’s newest team - Cadillac. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Sergio talks about his last six months at Red Bull being mentally demanding, the new perspective having a year out...
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LEGENDS: Damon Hill – from ‘humiliation’ to World Champion
1995 was a 'catastrophe' for Damon Hill, a bruising battle on and off the track. He was determined that 1996 would be his year. 30 years since his title triumph, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill joins Tom Clarkson to reflect on his winning season. From four wins in the opening five races, to…
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Ollie Bearman: High hopes with Haas + Ferrari
Ferrari discovered him, trained him and gave him a place in Formula 1 with Haas. Ollie Bearman dreams of driving for the Scuderia, but with Lewis Hamilton enjoying a revival and Charles Leclerc committed long-term, what does Bearman's future hold? Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Ollie discusses what he...
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Alan Permane: Lawson, Lindblad + leading Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane says his exit from Alpine in 2023 was both ‘devastating’ and a ‘defining moment’ in his career. ‘Devastating’ because he’d been with Team Enstone for more than 30 years, winning World Championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. But…
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Damson Idris: F1: The Movie ‘changed my life’
Damson Idris describes playing Formula 1 rookie Joshua Pearce in F1: The Movie - the Oscar-winning, highest-grossing sports film of all time - as a life-changing moment. Speaking to Tom Clarkson a year since its release, Damson talks about racing in the F2 cars they used for the film, how he and...
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LEGENDS: Giancarlo Fisichella on winning for Italy + Antonelli’s potential
For 20 years, Italy waited for a driver to join Giancarlo Fisichella as a Formula 1 Grand Prix-winner. Now, Kimi Antonelli is flying Il Tricolore on the top step of the podium once again. Fisi tells Tom Clarkson about the pressures of carrying Italy’s hopes in F1 and what Kimi needs to do to end...
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Lando Norris: ‘success is addictive’
Lando Norris achieved his lifelong dream in 2025, becoming Formula 1 World Champion for the first time after a rollercoaster title battle that went all the way down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Lando talks about not being nervous before that season-finale, what it really...
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Flavio Briatore: growing Alpine with Colapinto, Gasly + Gucci
Flavio Briatore and ‘Team Enstone’ go back a long way. As Benetton in the 90’s, he led them to multiple World Championships with Michael Schumacher. And as Renault in the 2000s, he did the same with Fernando Alonso. So how can he achieve similar success with Alpine? Speaking to Tom Clarkson…
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Tom Kristensen: the best who never raced in F1?
As a child, Formula 1 was his dream. As a young driver, he was on the same trajectory as Michael Schumacher. Tom Kristensen was offered a chance to join a Formula 1 team, but he saw it as too risky. Instead, he found success in sportscars and made history at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a record…
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Alex Albon: making history with Williams
In Barcelona, Alex Albon became the driver with the most race starts in Williams history – surpassing Nigel Mansell’s record of 95 Grands Prix. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Alex talks about what that milestone means to him and how he’s changed, as a driver and as a person, since joining the team in...
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LEGENDS: Jean Alesi’s one and only win
At the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix, Jean Alesi achieved the sole Grand Prix victory of his Formula 1 career. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Jean relives the standout moments from that unforgettable moment in Montreal – like only finding out from the fans that he was leading the race, doing a lap of…
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Mattia Binotto: ‘Audi are serious’ about F1 success
He learned how to win at Ferrari. He believes Audi can become Formula 1 World Championship contenders by 2030. For Mattia Binotto, the first step is raising the ambition of every person in his team. Audi aren’t on the grid to take part. They’re there to win. The Audi Team Principal tells Tom...
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LEGENDS: David Coulthard on finding the best seat in F1
The Formula 1 driver market is potentially just one domino away from exploding into a frenzy, so what exactly does an F1 driver need to do to get themselves into the best seat on the grid? With multiple wins, poles and podiums throughout his 15 seasons at the pinnacle of motorsport, David…
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LEGENDS: Jenson Button’s first F1 win
20 years ago, Jenson Button added his name to the illustrious list of drivers to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix, when he emerged victorious at Hungary in 2006. A moment long overdue after multiple podiums, Jenson admits he did get to a point where he thought a win might never happen. So how did he…
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LEGENDS: When Emerson Fittipaldi shocked Formula 1
Why would a double F1 World Champion at the height of his powers walk away from a winning car? For the 1976 season, Emerson Fittipaldi stunned the sport by leaving McLaren and setting up his own team. He wanted a challenge, and he certainly got one. 50 years later, Emerson tells Tom Clarkson why…
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Arvid Lindblad: fast, fresh + fearless
‘I’ve always been the youngest, the new kid, the underdog. It helps me not be intimidated’. Arvid Lindblad, the fourth-youngest F1 driver in history, is full of confidence. In his first race he fought wheel-to-wheel with World Champions. The Racing Bulls driver has made a fast start to his first...
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Colton Herta: 'my goal is Formula 1'
Formula 1 has always been a dream for Colton Herta. Walking away from IndyCar to race in Formula 2 is a gamble. His reward, should he prove himself, could be an F1 drive with Cadillac. Colton has come close to F1 before. This time he’s determined to make it. Speaking on the day he had a seat-fit...
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Bernd Maylander: 500 races in the Safety Car
At this year’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Bernd Maylander reached a remarkable milestone of 500 races as the FIA Safety Car Driver. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Bernd reflects on how the Safety Car and his job have evolved since his first race back in 2000 and some of the most iconic…
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Doriane Pin: F1 ACADEMY champion, still pushing
From the first time she sat in a kart, aged 9, Doriane Pin has wanted to race in Formula 1. F1 ACADEMY champion, Mercedes Development Driver, poised to drive an F1 car for the first time - Doriane is getting closer and closer to that dream. Doriane tells Tom Clarkson her racing story so far, from...
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Laurent Mekies: relishing Red Bull challenge
Red Bull Racing were at a crossroads when Laurent Mekies took over as Team Principal halfway through 2025. After a difficult first half of the season, should they continue working on their 2025 car or write that year off and prioritise the new regulations for 2026? Their decision to stay focussed...
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Ayao Komatsu: aiming high with Haas
Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu is Tom Clarkson’s guest on this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid. Ayao has been with Haas since their debut season 10 years ago, but he’s only been in charge since 2024. What has he learned about leadership in that time? How did he guide the team’s recovery from such a...
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LEGENDS: How Jacques Villeneuve shook up F1
The son of a motorsport legend, a racer since childhood, Formula 1 was Jacques Villeneuve's destiny. In 1996, the young Canadian arrived at his first Grand Prix and immediately proved he belonged there by taking pole position. In his rookie season Villeneuve won races, went wheel-to-wheel with...
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Dan Towriss: the ‘passion and drive’ behind Cadillac F1 Team
The newest team in Formula 1 are here to compete. Cadillac have earned the respect of their rivals. Now they’re pushing to get faster. CEO Dan Towriss takes Tom Clarkson back to the start of the story - how he and his TWG Motorsports company first became involved in discussions about F1,...
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Carlos Sainz: pushing for progress with Williams
Five years after Carlos Sainz left McLaren, his former team and his former teammate are the reigning Formula 1 World Champions. As he watched Lando Norris reach the summit of world motorsport, did he ever think ‘that could have been me?’. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Carlos reflects on leaving…
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Lando’s champion evolution, Vowles’ podium pride + Brad Pitt’s ‘need for speed’ – The Best of 2025
A title fight full of twists and turns, a new World Champion, rookies reaching major milestones and Formula 1 on the big screen. The 2025 season was nothing short of dramatic on and off track. Here, on F1 Beyond The Grid, Tom Clarkson has sat down with the people in the thick of all that drama…
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Toto Wolff + Hywel Thomas: racing towards 2026
As Formula 1 enters an exciting new era of fast, thrilling and sustainable racing in 2026, what can we expect on track? Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, and Managing Director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, Hywel Thomas, explain how the new power units and advanced sustainable...
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Laura Mueller + Esteban Ocon on their race engineer-driver dynamic at Haas
2025 has been a year of firsts for Laura Mueller and Esteban Ocon. For Laura, it’s her first season as a race engineer. For Esteban, it’s his first season with Haas. And it’s their first time working with each other. So how are they finding it? What do they need from one another to get the best…
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LEGENDS: Sebastian Vettel’s World Champion wisdom
Winning four Formula 1 World Championships is a feat only six elite drivers have achieved. Competing under the highest pressure, year after year, has given Sebastian Vettel rare racing insight. Since retiring from the sport in 2022, he’s been raising awareness of causes he cares about, and...
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Helmut Marko: choosing champions at Red Bull
Every driver who wants to win with Red Bull needs to impress Helmut Marko. The veteran Motorsport Advisor oversees the team’s young driver programme and helped launch the careers of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. A former F1 driver himself, he knows what it takes to race under the highest...
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Oscar Piastri: fighting for his first F1 title
With three rounds left of the 2025 season, Oscar Piastri is still in contention to become Formula 1 World Champion for the first time. So what’s it like being in the thick of an F1 title fight with so much at stake? Speaking to Tom Clarkson before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Oscar opens up about…
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Andrea Stella + Zak Brown: McLaren’s transformation + the Drivers’ Championship race
McLaren have won back-to-back Constructors’ titles for the first time since the early ‘90s. Just eight years ago, in 2017, they finished second to last, so how exactly have they transformed into World Champions since then? Speaking to Tom Clarkson at the McLaren Technology Centre, CEO Zak Brown…
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LEGENDS: Mika Hakkinen’s 1995 crash + incredible recovery
30 years ago, a 120mph puncture sent Mika Hakkinen’s car spinning over a high kerb and into a wall of tyres. His McLaren did not have many of the safety devices modern F1 cars have. Mika suffered serious injuries which left him in hospital, unsure if he would ever race again. Mika tells Tom...
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Enrico Cardile: Aston Martin’s 2026 ambitions + working with Adrian Newey
Ahead of a new era of Formula 1 in 2026, Italian engineer Enrico Cardile moved from Ferrari to Aston Martin. Working alongside Adrian Newey as Chief Technical Officer, his aim is to turn Aston into winners. Enrico tells Tom Clarkson how he studied Ferrari at university, before joining the company...
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Allan McNish: winning ‘the Audi way’
Serial winner in sports cars, Formula 1 driver and all-out racer: Allan McNish is using his experience to give Audi a fast start in F1. A Le Mans and World Endurance Championship-winner with the manufacturer, Allan knows how ‘the Audi way’ of racing will translate to F1. Allan’s own journey to F1...
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James Vowles: podium pride + Williams’ winning potential
With 16 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships combined, Williams are the third most successful team in Formula 1 history – behind Ferrari and McLaren. But they haven’t won a title since 1997 and it’s 13 years since they last won a race, so Team Principal James Vowles is on a mission to...
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Derek Bell: from Ferrari F1 debut at Monza to five Le Mans wins
A whirlwind rise to Formula 1 with its most famous team in the 1960s, and one of the greatest sportscar racing drivers in the world during the ‘70s and ‘80s, Derek Bell has established an incredible legacy in motorsport. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Derek talks about being personally picked by Enzo...
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Franco Colapinto: Buenos Aires boy who made F1 breakthrough
Franco Colapinto didn’t take long to make a name for himself in Formula 1. He became the first Argentine F1 driver in 23 years when he debuted with Williams in 2024. It only took him two races to then become the first Argentine points scorer in the sport since 1982. More than a year since his...
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Graeme Lowdon: getting Cadillac on-track in F1
Six months before their first race, the new Cadillac Formula 1 Team is already moving fast. The drivers have been signed, the car is being developed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and engineers are running simulations to prepare for Grand Prix racing. Leading Cadillac to the Formula 1 grid…
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Gabriel Bortoleto: ‘my dream was so big’ - the long journey to F1
Aged 11, Gabriel Bortoleto left Brazil, determined to make it in motorsport. His family’s passion, hard work and sacrifice gave him a start. His talent saw him accelerate towards a racing career. A two-time World Champion saw he was special, and helped guide him to Formula 1. Speaking to Tom...
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Fred Vasseur: Ferrari’s ‘next step’ with Lewis Hamilton + Charles Leclerc
‘Pressure is the best motivation for all of us’. Fred Vasseur knows all about pressure. He leads Formula 1’s most storied team. At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the tifosi – Ferrari’s passionate fans – want to see Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton on the podium. But what they, the rest of…
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James Hinchcliffe: F1TV expert on surviving ovals + being inspired by Villeneuve
Today he's on F1TV giving us expert racing insight. But 10 years ago, James Hinchcliffe suffered a near-fatal accident during practice for the 2015 Indy500, which left many people doubting that his racing career could continue. A year later, he scored a sensational pole position at the very same...
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Jacky Ickx: Belgium’s F1 + Le Mans legend
Jacky Ickx didn’t grow up wanting to be a racing driver, so how did he become Belgium’s most successful Formula 1 driver and one of the most versatile racers in the history of motorsport? Competing in all types of cars and competitions, not only did Jacky win eight F1 races and finish runner-up…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The risk-takers, late-brakers and history-makers of Formula 1 slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends.
Hit the follow button for the fastest way to get new episodes. Watch episodes exclusively on the F1 YouTube channel.
An official Formula 1 podcast. For race reviews + previews, listen to F1 Nation. To learn more about how F1 works, listen to F1 Explains
HOSTED BY
Formula 1
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does F1 Beyond The Grid have?
F1 Beyond The Grid currently has 446 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is F1 Beyond The Grid about?
The risk-takers, late-brakers and history-makers of Formula 1 slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends. Hit the follow button for the fastest way to get new episodes. Watch...
How often does F1 Beyond The Grid release new episodes?
F1 Beyond The Grid publishes regularly with 446 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to F1 Beyond The Grid on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts F1 Beyond The Grid?
F1 Beyond The Grid is created and hosted by Formula 1.
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