F1 Beyond The Grid

F1 Beyond The Grid

Formula 1's fastest stars 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

September 9, 2025 55 mins
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 Clarkson, Gabriel looks back at his childhood, how his parents worked hard to fund his racing dream, how he made the diff...
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‘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 Italy and Ferrari fans all over the world really want Vasseur to deliver is the Formula 1 World Championship.

F...
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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 racetrack.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, James talks through the freak injury he suffered and how he made such a miracu...
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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 in the Drivers’ Standings twice, he was also a serial winner in Le Mans, the World Endurance Championship and even the...
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Adrian Reynard's motor racing outfit were one of the best in the world during the 1980s and '90s – winning multiple championships across Formula 3000, F3 and IndyCar.

Reynard Racing Cars also held an impressive record of winning the first race of every major single-seater competition they entered. 

But when Adrian helped create the British American Racing F1 team in 1999, expectations were high and tha...
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Alex Albon went into 2025 facing one big question. 

With the arrival of Carlos Sainz at Williams, how would he measure up against his most competitive teammate since racing alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull?

So far, Alex has answered that question on track – having the edge over Carlos in qualifying and on race day in the first half of the season. 

But Alex never doubted his ability to rise to tha...
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He drove for one of the least competitive teams in F1 history. He never started a race. Just making it to Formula 1 was ‘a million to one’ shot for Perry McCarthy. Through extraordinary determination, he did it.

When his raw talent behind the wheel was spotted at his local racetrack, McCarthy set his sights on racing at the top. He worked on a North Sea oil rig to raise money to fund his career. Racing in Formu...
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Racing twice in 2002 with Minardi and once again three years later with BAR Honda in 2005, Anthony Davidson’s Formula 1 career had a few false starts. But in 2007, he finally got a full-time shot with Super Aguri.

Although his F1 career ended just over a year later, Anthony is rightly proud to have reached the top of motorsport.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, he discusses the ups and down of his time in F1 – telli...
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To celebrate 75 years of the Formula 1 World Championship, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer invited drivers, Team Principals and others from the sport to 10 Downing Street - the heart of government in the UK. 

In a special episode of F1 Beyond The Grid, the Prime Minister tells Tom Clarkson why he's 'proud' of the sport's success and its £12bn annual contribution to the UK economy. Williams Team Principal James Vowles ...
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July 1, 2025 43 mins
This episode is brought to you by Dropbox Dash, an official technology partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team.

Now a multiple race winner, podium finisher and polesitter, Lando Norris is ready to take the next step in his Formula 1 career and become World Champion.

To do so in 2025, he’ll have to beat his equally talented teammate Oscar Piastri. But despite a sometimes challenging first half of t...
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For F1 The Movie, Brad Pitt lived the high-speed life of a Formula 1 driver. He drove with seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. He learned to race. He spent years shooting scenes at racetracks around the world. 

The result is what he calls ‘the most visceral feeling you will get in a race car of anything put on film’ - F1 The Movie, in cinemas on June 25th and June 27th in North America.

Brad Pitt tells ...
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June 17, 2025 39 mins
He took some blows on his climb to Formula 1. Now Isack Hadjar is toe-to-toe with the heavyweights.

Hadjar’s first F1 race was over before it began, as he slid off the track on a rain-soaked day in Australia. He tells Tom Clarkson how previous setbacks helped him get back on his feet, and establish himself as one of the best young drivers in the sport.

Hadjar describes himself as ‘a fighter’, an...
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Emerson Fittipaldi made history with Lotus in 1972 by becoming the first Brazilian to win the Formula 1 World Championship. In 1974, he won the title again with McLaren.

Emerson’s achievements on track are legendary, but his actions off track are just as iconic.

In a special F1 Beyond The Grid Legends episode, Emerson tells Tom Clarkson why he refused to take part in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix,...
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This year is the first time Valtteri Bottas isn’t racing in Formula 1 since he started as a rookie in 2013, but the 10-time Grand Prix winner says F1 is ‘still the number one thing in my life’ and his priority is to get back on the grid in 2026.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Valtteri discusses all the options he has for his next move.

Would he like to drive for the new Cadillac team that will join F...
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When he left Ferrari to join Mercedes, Simone Resta took decades of experience with him. In Italy, he worked with Michael Schumacher and designed race-winning cars for Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Charles Leclerc. Now, his task is giving George Russell and Kimi Antonelli the best Mercedes he can.

As Deputy Technical Director Simone is focusing on the 2025 season, but he tells Tom Clarkson he is also thi...
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Dario Franchitti has had a sensational racing career in the United States, becoming a four-time IndyCar series champion and a three-time winner of the Indy500.

But earlier in his career, Dario had plenty of interest from Formula 1 and tested for a few different teams. So why didn’t he end up racing in the pinnacle of motorsport?

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Dario talks about the three big opportuni...
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Mario Andretti was 10 years old when the first ever Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix took place at Silverstone, on the 13th of May 1950.

The 1978 World Champion has seen everything the pinnacle of motorsport has to offer over the past 75 years, and is one of just 34 drivers to win the ultimate prize, so he’s the perfect person to celebrate such a landmark anniversary.

Speaking to Tom Clar...
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When Claire Williams sold the Williams F1 team at the end of 2020, a very special 43-year association between the Williams family and Formula 1 came to an end.

Founded by Claire’s father, Sir Frank Williams, in 1977, the team have won 16 World Championships – a feat only bettered by Ferrari and McLaren. 

Claire rose through the ranks – starting as press officer in 2002 and eventually becoming Deputy Team Prin...
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As the new Team Principal of Sauber, Jonathan Wheatley is taking on one of the most exciting projects in Formula 1. 

With Benetton, Renault and Red Bull Racing, Jonathan has won 19 World Championships over the last 34 years. Now, after nearly two decades as Red Bull’s Sporting Director, he’s in a very different role with a very different team. And not just any team, because, in 2026, Sauber will become Audi.

...
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Tom Clarkson’s guest on this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid is McLaren’s Chief Operating Officer, Piers Thynne, who has been with the team since 2008.

He oversees everything that happens at the team's base, the McLaren Technology Centre, so he’s played a crucial role in their current success.

How have McLaren transformed into World Champions after finishing second to last in 2017? Why is their philosophy of gettin...
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