F1 Nation

F1 Nation

Step inside the Formula 1 Paddock for race previews, reviews, interviews and analysis with Tom Clarkson and expert guests. Get answers to your questions on F1 Explains with Christian Hewgill. Email F1Explains@F1.com An official F1 podcast. For in-depth F1 interviews, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid

Episodes

October 15, 2026 • 41 mins

Packed with drivers, cars, team personnel, media, celebrities and more, their voices drowned out by the noise of passionate fans in the grandstands and engineers at work, the Formula 1 grid before a race start is probably the most exciting, chaotic and loudest places to be in all sport.

But what actually happens on the grid before lights out? How are the drivers preparing in those final moments before going into battle? What w...

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Max Verstappen secured back-to-back wins from pole position with his first ever victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. With seven podium finishes from the last eight races, at a range of different tracks, are he and Red Bull now the benchmark in Formula 1?

Tom Clarkson is joined in the paddock by Jolyon Palmer and James Hinchcliffe to discuss Max’s ‘masterclass’ around the Marina Bay Circuit and what we can exp...

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Why does every Grand Prix have a different number of laps? How come some F1 teams have fewer employees than others? What are drivers and engineers doing during practice sessions?

Those are your questions. Christian Hewgill gets the answers from F1TV Lead Presenter Laura Winter and two-time 24h Le Mans podium-finisher (and budding stylist, apparently) Alex Brundle.

Laura and Alex also tackle your questions on tyre rules, whether...

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Tom Clarkson and F1 Correspondent Lawrence Barretto think Red Bull and Ferrari will be closely-matched at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, with Mercedes and McLaren also in the mix.

Will Max Verstappen win this Grand Prix for the first time in his career? Will the tight corners of the Marina Bay circuit suit McLaren and Ferrari? Will Mercedes' upgrades give Kimi Antonelli a chance of victory, and can George Russell recove...

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Jolyon Palmer and Alex Jacques join Tom Clarkson from the F1TV commentary box to debrief an epic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Max Verstappen secured his first victory of 2026 and the first win for Red Bull’s own power unit. How did Max recover from a slow start? Why were Red Bull so competitive in Sepang? And just how far have they come this year?

Meanwhile, there were mixed emotions at Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli co...

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Days after driving a modern Formula 1 car for the first time, Jamie Chadwick joined F1 Explains to answer your questions.

She tells Christian Hewgill what surprised her the most when she tested the 2025 Williams F1 car at the Portimao circuit in Portugal, and compares the experience to driving in W Series, Indy NXT and Le Mans.
 
Jamie also talks about working with Williams, supporting F1 ACADEMY drivers and her amb...

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Tom Clarkson and 1996 World Champion Damon Hill preview this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Damon competed in the very first F1 race at Sepang back in 1999 so tells Tom what we can expect from the track, the weather conditions and who will be competitive here.

The guys also discuss what George Russell will take into the weekend from his dominant victory in Baku, why Ferrari have felt the need to publicly reaffi...

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Tom Clarkson, James Hinchcliffe and Alex Brundle sit down in the Baku paddock to dissect a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

George Russell may have only won the race by a tenth after a dramatic drag race with Max Verstappen to the finish line, but he was dominant all weekend to take his third victory of the season.

Why was George back to his best in Baku? Has he finally got to grips with the car? And what does this result mean ...

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They're the racing series which prepare drivers for Formula 1. F2 and F3 are where Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto and many more F1 stars have honed their skills behind the wheel. How are these categories different, what do the drivers drive, and what does it take to win?

2026 Formula 3 champion Ugo Ugochukwu tells Christian Hewgill the key to topping a competitive field of 30 drivers, what he...

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Tom Clarkson, Jolyon Palmer and James Hinchcliffe look ahead to this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

The guys reflect on how different Kimi Antonelli’s European leg of the season was this year compared to last, before discussing how much the Italian’s success this season is down to his own progress and how much can be attributed to George Russell’s struggles.

With Lewis Hamilton now over 100 poi...

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September 17, 2026 • 26 mins

Every driver wants to stand above their rivals, hear their national anthem, life the trophy and spray the champagne on the Formula 1 podium. It's a moment of celebration which takes careful planning and is governed by strict rules... like a wedding... in race suits.

We've put your podium questions the two people who work together to make it all happen: Linda Boudabous – Master of Ceremonies and Special Operations Co-ordi...

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Tom Clarkson is joined by journalists Albert Fabrega and Julianne Cerasoli to reflect on the first Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit.

The Virtual Safety Car came at just the wrong time for race leader Lando Norris on lap 15, costing him victory after he’d made a great start from pole. Could McLaren have pre-empted the VSC? Why did Lando pit after the VSC ended? Could he have stayed out on the medium tyre?

Tom, Alb...

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September 10, 2026 • 27 mins

How did the Madring come to life? What makes it such a unique track compared to the rest of the F1 calendar? And why is ‘La Monumental’ the corner everyone’s talking about?

As we head to the heart of Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, Christian Hewgill has been finding out more about F1's newest circuit.

He's joined by F1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto, who was Carlos Sainz's passenger as he drov...

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Formula 1 is heading to a brand-new circuit in Madrid this weekend, as the Madring hosts the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time.

Tom Clarkson and F1TV lead commentator Alex Jacques discuss the unique challenges this track will present the drivers, why we could be treated to a chaotic race and which teams will be competitive there.

Jacquesy tells Tom why George Russell can still stop his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli from ...

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Tom Clarkson is joined by Lawrence Barretto and Davide Valsecchi to analyse an extraordinary Italian Grand Prix, which saw Kimi Antonelli climb from 19th on the grid to become the first Italian Formula 1 driver to win their home race in 60 years.

How did Antonelli complete such an incredible comeback? Where does his victory rank among the greatest drives in F1 history? And what will be going through George Russell’s head...

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What’s the difference between a high-speed track and a low-speed track? What challenges do both types of circuit present drivers? How does driving style and car setup differ between the two?

Christian Hewgill is joined by former F1 driver and F1TV pundit Jolyon Palmer to answer your questions about speed.

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Tom Clarkson, Jolyon Palmer and James Hinchcliffe turn their attention to the Temple of Speed for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

With championship leader Kimi Antonelli taking a grid penalty at his home race, can the Mercedes driver still fight his way through the field to win? How big an opportunity is this for George Russell? Can Lando Norris make it three wins in a row, or will Monza expose McLaren's weaknesses? 

...

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He spent more than a decade in the F1 pit lane, winning multiple World Championships and seven consecutive DHL Fastest Pit Stop Awards, but former Red Bull Racing mechanic Calum Nicholas has never faced your Formula 1 questions... until now!

Calum joins IndyCar race-winner James Hinchcliffe and Christian Hewgill to explain what pit crew members do when they're not changing tyres, how they know to be ready for a stop, and why t...

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Tom Clarkson is in the Zandvoort paddock with F1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto and F1TV expert Alex Brundle for reaction to a chaotic Dutch Grand Prix. 

Back-to-back wins for Lando Norris means he’s now 83 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli with 11 races to go, so is the McLaren driver back in the title fight? 

Despite being behind him for most of the weekend, Kimi Antonelli got the better of his...

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After the huge success of the LEGO Drivers’ Parade at Miami in 2025, the driveable LEGO cars returned at Silverstone for this year’s British Grand Prix. And this time, all 22 drivers had their own car to race in – creating even more chaos than the first time! 

Who designed and built the cars? Where does the construction happen? What contribution do the F1 teams make to the creation of the cars? And how a...

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