F1 Beyond The Grid
Formula 1
Updated 4 days agoThe 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
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Episodes (429)
Tony Brooks: “If you made a mistake in my day, you were in the lap of the gods…”
He raced in an era of heroes; a time when cars had no seat belts, yet could still be raced at averages of 150mph. Many he raced against in the 1950s – the first decade of the world championship – perished in pursuit of speed, but Tony Brooks emerged unscathed with six Grand Prix victories, having come ever so close to winning the world title his talents surely deserved. This week on Beyond The Grid, we caught up with this giant of F1, now 87, to look back over his remarkable career, which saw him move from the world of dentistry to going toe-to-toe with the likes of Fangio and Moss, driving for Ferrari, mastering the treacherous Nurburgring and much more.
SPECIAL EPISODE: Six of the best anecdotes from Season 2 so far!
It’s the F1 summer break, and on this week’s episode Tom has trawled through the archives and picked out six of his favourite anecdotes from Season 2 so far. We won’t give anything away, but listen out for gems from Kimi Raikkonen, David Coulthard and Jean Alesi among others. So whether you’re a diehard fan or a new listener to the show, sit back and enjoy some fabulous F1 conversations with the best in the business…
SPECIAL EPISODE: Jo Ramirez on being in the middle of Senna and Prost at McLaren
He may not be a household name, but Jo Ramirez is one of those people who has seen it all and worked with them all. He broke into F1 in the 1960s, working with emerging superstar Ricardo Rodriguez. His Mexican countryman sadly perished before his star had truly emerged, but by then Ramirez was set on a path that would eventually see him work with Jackie Stewart at Tyrrell, Emerson Fittipaldi at Copersucar, and - most famously - with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at McLaren in the midst of their bitter rivalry. This week on Beyond The Grid, Ramirez - a former mechanic, team manager and co-ordinator - lifts the lid of his four decades in motor racing’s premier category, from his early years working alongside a young Ron Dennis and Dan Gurney, to his latter years alongside Mika Hakkinen.
Jacky Ickx: "I lived through an incredible era. I'm a survivor"
He may never have claimed the world championship his supreme talents probably deserved, but Jacky Ickx remains one of the most revered drivers of the 60s and 70s. An eight-time Grand Prix winner, and twice runner up for the title, the lightning quick Belgian also won the famed Le Mans 24 Hours six times in arguably its most brutal era - not bad for someone who never wanted to be a racing driver... On this week's Beyond The Grid, Ickx reflects on a career in motorsport: Those who nurtured him, like Ken Tyrrell; those who he raced against, like Jackie Stewart and Jack Brabham; and those who shaped his career, like the great Enzo Ferrari. A legendary chat with a legend of the sport - you don't want to miss it!
Alex Wurz: “On the morning of the day I scored my first podium, I was fired…”
He’s one of the most interesting characters in the F1 paddock: a podium-scoring driver who remains just as busy today as he was when he was racing. Then again, Alex Wurz was never your average racer; from his unconventional introduction to speed as a BMX world champion to airbrushing his own helmets to ensure they looked correct. On this week’s episode, the affable Austrian talks about both of those things, as well as the stand-out moments from a fascinating career which included 69 Grand Prix starts, surviving the fastest crash in F1 history, clocking over 100,000 test kilometers and winning Le Mans twice before moving into the world of race track design, heading up the Grand Prix Drivers Association and more.
Jean Todt: “I’ve been blessed to enjoy success in an world that has always fascinated me. But now I want to give back…”
Among F1 fans, Jean Todt is perhaps most famous for leading Ferrari out of their early 90s slump and into a period of unprecedented domination in the 2000s. As mighty as that period was - and don’t forget that Schumacher’s drivers’ title in 2000 was Ferrari’s first since 1979 - that success was to some extent only the tip of the iceberg for a man with one of the most impressive CVs in world motorsport. He’s currently President of motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, but in a previous life was a successful rally co-driver, before taking the reins of Peugeot Sport and dominating all forms of rallying and the world sportscar championship, not to mention Le Mans. In a revealing and open interview, the Frenchman tells Tom Clarkson about all of the above and more, as well as revealing a remarkable mathematical ability...
Derek Warwick: "The bravest thing I ever did was get back in the car the day after my team mate was nearly killed"
From the rock ‘em, sock ‘em world of stock car racing to the pinnacle of motorsport, Derek Warwick’s career was one hell of a rollercoaster ride. In an F1 career spanning 146 Grand Prix starts, the tough Brit raced for the likes of Renault and Lotus, and stood on the podium four times, albeit always missing out on the top spot. But he’s perhaps best remembered for the bravery he exhibited: not just behind the wheel of some of the most ferocious F1 cars of all time, but for the way he kept going, especially after his beloved younger brother was killed while racing. So get ready for a thrilling and at times deeply moving look back through the career of one of motor racing’s good guys, from the time Senna stepped in to stop him becoming his team mate to negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone; surviving that big crash at Monza to nearly punching Michael Schumacher…
SPECIAL EPISODE: Ross Brawn on Brawn GP’s fairy-tale 2009 title success
The history of F1 is littered with great stories and improbable comebacks, and Brawn GP’s title-winning season in 2009 is right up there with the best of them. It was late 2008 when Honda surprisingly pulled the plug on its F1 project, leaving a team hundreds strong with a bleak future. That the team not only survived but emerged with a grid-blitzing machine is the stuff of legend, and on the tenth anniversary of that success Tom Clarkson sat down with the man at the centre of the story – current F1 motorsports chief Ross Brawn – for the inside story on a true sporting fairy-tale…
Kevin Magnussen: "Racing-wise, I don't care what people think of me. I'd feel weird if everyone was saying I'm a nice guy..."
His F1 career began with a bang, with a podium finish on debut with McLaren in Australia in 2014. Though he hasn't hit those heights since, in the intervening period Kevin Magnussen has established himself as a hard-edged, no-nonsense racer who, after losing his McLaren drive and then spending a year with Renault, is now really hitting his stride with the American team Haas. Tom Clarkson sat down with the Dane during a quiet period at the Austrian Grand Prix for a candid and honest talk about the highs and lows of his career to-date, including his racing origins, his growth as a driver, and - of course - that famous withering put-down of Nico Hulkenberg...
Patrick Tambay: “There was a time after Gilles’ death I felt he was in the car with me”
He raced for some of Formula One’s top teams, including McLaren and Renault, but Patrick Tambay is probably best remembered as a Ferrari driver. Having arrived in F1 via the circuitous route of downhill skiing, the US college system and the North American CanAm series, Tambay ended up driving for the Prancing Horse after the death of close friend Gilles Villeneuve. He then helped carry the team through one of its most tumultuous periods, famously providing spirit-lifting victories in Germany and San Marino. This week on Beyond The Grid the amiable Frenchman talks us through his memorable career, regaling Tom with anecdotes of partying with former team mate James Hunt, Villeneuve’s madcap antics off-track and that turbulent Ferrari period…
Jody Scheckter: "When you first get into F1 you’ll do anything. I remember once thinking I'd rather be dead than not drive in F1…"
Jody Scheckter’s life has been anything but conventional. Having arrived in Britain from South Africa in 1970, Jody broke into Grand Prix racing in 1972 with McLaren where he caused a stir with his great speed and somewhat wild race craft. Rough edges polished, he’d go on to win the sport’s ultimate prize - the world title - in 1979 while driving for Ferrari, though in some ways that was just the beginning. Less than a year later he’d announce his retirement from F1, turning his attention instead to the world of business, where he went on to have great success, first with his firearms training company and then with his ground-breaking organic farming business. On this week’s show, host Tom Clarkson is treated to a trip down memory lane, with stories of Jody’s 70s rivals and the danger of the era, his relationship with Enzo Ferrari and team mate Gilles Villeneuve, how he applied F1 processes to the business world, and much, much more…
Nico Hulkenberg: "Winning Le Mans was unforgettable - but I'm an F1 guy"
He arrived in F1 in 2010 as one of the hottest properties in motorsport, and showed his promise by scoring a sensational pole position before his rookie season was out. Today, Nico Hulkenberg is still regarded as one of the most talented drivers on the grid, despite the fact he's surprisingly yet to make it to the podium. On this week's show, the driver known affectionately at ‘The Hulk’ talks Tom Clarkson through his career to date, from his early days at Williams, to his time at Force India and Sauber when Ferrari rumours swirled, to the present day at Renault, where he’s tasked with taking the French marque back to the front. There's also fascinating insight into his Le Mans win, thoughts on his fellow drivers, and revealing information about his life and interests away from the track...
Gordon Murray: "As an F1 car designer I was always looking for an unfair advantage. I still am..."
This week’s guest on Beyond The Grid is renowned as one of F1’s great innovators and technical brains – perhaps the best. In a 20-year Grand Prix racing career this blue-sky thinker was responsible for introducing such things as tyre warmers, mid-race fuel stops and the ingenious Brabham fan car – not to mention a host of championship-winning machines and the acclaimed McLaren F1 road car. It’s an amazing resume – especially given Gordon Murray arrived in the UK from his native South Africa in the late Sixties with not much more than a dream to work in motor racing. So sit back and enjoy hearing the back stories behind some of the best cars in F1 history, anecdotes about working with Bernie Ecclestone at Brabham, fascinating insight into the design process, and what it was like to engineer some of the quickest drivers ever…
John Watson: “I learned to calculate risks – I didn’t go into areas where there was no escape”
He may not be as well-known as James Hunt or Nigel Mansell, but for a good period in the late Seventies and early Eighties, after the former had retired and before the latter became a household name, John Watson was Britain’s Grand Prix hero. Over the course of 152 starts, Watson reached the podium 20 times, winning five races – including one from 22nd on the grid! But it wasn’t all roses for the Northern Irishman – over the course of his career he saw many colleagues killed or badly injured, and that’s one of the topics that’s discussed on this fascinating episode of Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose. There are also stories about his recently departed former team mate Niki Lauda, what it felt like to drive the infamous Brabham fan car, winning in F1’s first carbon fibre chassis and much more…
Felipe Massa: “I have no bad feelings about 2008 – but winning the title at home would have been incredible”
As a driver Felipe Massa experienced every emotion under the sun: The joy of winning races for Ferrari; the utter despair of losing a world title at the final race of the year; and the huge uncertainty of recovery from life-threatening injuries. This week on Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, the popular Brazilian bares his soul on all three subjects - and much more besides. Recorded in Massa’s Monaco home, there are stories on his F1 beginnings with Sauber, his relationships with team mates Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, revelations about his 2008 title near miss, and fascinating insight about former team Williams’ current plight...
Jean Alesi: “The day I stopped driving in F1 was the worst day of my life”
With his trademark head tilt and unique grip on the steering wheel, there was no mistaking the driver of Ferrari number 27 in the early Nineties. But then in many ways Jean Alesi embodied the perfect Ferrari driver: passionate, fast and driven by heart-on-sleeve emotion. No wonder he was such a firm favourite of the Tifosi. This week on Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, the popular French-Sicilian regales host Tom Clarkson with stories from his stellar F1 career, including the tale of his near-move to Williams, his high jinks with team mate Gerhard Berger in boss Jean Todt’s car, the role Nelson Piquet played in his contract negotiations, and the passion of driving for - and winning with - Ferrari...
James Allison: "For an engineer, F1 is an unending work of invention and skill"
Mercedes have been the standard setters in F1 since 2014, and this year they've started the season at a relentless pace. This week on Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, we speak to one of the key figures in the Silver Arrows' incredible winning machine: Technical Director James Allison. In an F1 career spanning nearly 30 years, Allison has enjoyed successful spells with the likes of Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes, and knows better than most what it takes to win. So get ready for fascinating insight on life as an engineer for three of the sport's biggest teams, the inside line on working alongside great drivers like Hamilton and Schumacher, and an honest appraisal of the rivalries that drive F1's brightest technical minds to push the boundaries ever further...
Damon Hill: "I had an innate desire to race - and a need to make things right"
In the current era, it's not unheard of for a driver aged 24 to have hundreds of Grands Prix under his belt. At the same age, Damon Hill had only just begun racing cars. Then again, had his father - charismatic double F1 world champion Graham Hill - not died tragically in his formative years he might never have raced at all. This week on Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, Damon talks Tom Clarkson through his remarkable career, including his long battle to get to the top, the despair of losing team mate Ayrton Senna in 1994, his eventual title glory in 1996 and much, much more...
Alan Jones: “I was a pretty aggressive driver. If someone passed me I took it personally…”
He’s renowned as one of racing’s toughest nuts – a driver who gave his all on the race track and didn’t suffer fools off it. And this week on F1’s official podcast, Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, 1980 World Champion Alan Jones regales host Tom Clarkson with no-nonsense tales from his extraordinary career. Having arrived in Europe from his native Australia in the early 70s, Jones worked his way into F1 before becoming a Grand Prix winner with Shadow in 1977. But it’s with Williams that AJ is inextricably linked, winning 11 world championship races for the squad, as well as their first drivers’ crown. Forthright and brutally honest, get ready for a no-holds-barred account of Jones’ career and rivals, including his flirtations with Ferrari, falling out with team mate Carlos Reutemann and his regretted early retirement. No punches are pulled! (Contains explicit content)
Sergio Perez: “There are no coincidences in F1. There’s a reason why I’m always there when there’s an opportunity to take…”
He’s known as a driver who makes the most of every opportunity – in the thick of the midfield battle, give Sergio Perez a sniff of a podium and the Mexican will normally take it. This week on Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, ‘Checo’ tells host Tom Clarkson about where that desire and racing ability came from, taking us on a journey from his childhood in Guadalajara to his formative years in Europe, when he journeyed across the world on his own at 15 with little more than a dream to reach F1. In a revealing conversation, Perez also describes why his big move to McLaren turned sour, outlines his role in Force India’s dramatic rebirth as Racing Point, discusses his unique strengths as a driver, and reveals just why he has a steadily growing collection of watches…
1000th race special with Murray Walker - ‘The Voice of F1’
He's been called ‘The Voice of F1’ - and for good reason. For more than 25 years, Murray Walker provided commentary on Grand Prix racing for the majority of the English-speaking world - and always in his own inimitable style. This week on a special 1000th race edition of Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, host Tom Clarkson speaks to the legendary British broadcaster, a man whose exhilarating, excitable style behind the microphone was once memorably summed up by Australian wit Clive James as akin to someone whose "trousers are on fire".But there was much more to Murray Walker's super-charged F1 delivery than an iconic voice - he also had authority, wit and incredible knowledge. So get ready for stories on sharing the commentary booth with James Hunt and Martin Brundle, forging relationships with Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill, dealing with the tragedies of Imola ’94, and his favourite drivers and races from F1's first 1000 races...
Guenther Steiner: "F1 fans like an underdog to fight with the big boys"
He's the colourful Team Principal of the American Haas team, and thanks to an unforgettable appearance in the recent Netflix documentary series Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Guenther Steiner has also become something of a fan favourite. This week on Beyond The Grid, supported by Bose, the Italian joins host Tom Clarkson for a lively conversation about his fascinating career to date, from his early years in rallying to his time at Jaguar, and from his stint in F1 with Red Bull to the foray into NASCAR that eventually led to him spearheading the Haas F1 project. So standby for stories on being hired by Niki Lauda, working with Carlos Sainz's dad and - yes - that Netflix appearance...
Luca Di Montezemolo: "Ferrari is passion, Ferrari is emotion, I thank God I worked for them"
He was handed arguably the biggest job in motor racing in his mid-twenties, when none other than Enzo Ferrari made him Sporting Director of his famous team. But rather than falter under such pressure, Luca Di Montezemolo flourished. In the Seventies, as the 'Old Man's' trusted man on the ground at races, he led the team to their first world titles in over a decade. Then in the Nineties, after several years away, he returned as President to lead Ferrari out of the doldrums and into the most successful period of their history. So sit back as Luca shares with Tom startling revelations about Enzo Ferrari, incredible anecdotes about Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, and his forthright views on the last two superstars he signed for Ferrari: Alonso and Vettel.
David Coulthard: “I loved being an F1 driver - but I don’t miss the mental anguish”
David Coulthard arrived in F1 amid one of its most turbulent periods, getting his big break at Williams in 1994 after the tragic death of superstar driver Ayrton Senna. He’d go on to race in 246 Grands Prix, winning 13 of them, including two victories each at classic venues Monaco and Silverstone. But amid the champagne celebrations there were bumpy periods too – moments of self-doubt and big crashes, both on and off the race track. In this week’s Beyond The Grid, DC joins TC for an honest and open appraisal of his remarkable F1 career, including his career-defining years at McLaren battling Schumacher and Hakkinen, the special diet he adopted to compete with the best, and why being super organised is the key to success…
Kimi Raikkonen: “Racing and partying – for me it was normal“
He exploded onto the F1 scene in 2001 as a 21-year-old super rookie – barely any experience, but tons of raw speed. In the years that followed, Kimi Raikkonen became an F1 icon, winning 21 races for McLaren and Ferrari and the 2007 world championship crown before taking a sabbatical where he raced almost everything else with four wheels. Grand Prix racing’s resident Iceman remains the same unflinchingly no-nonsense character that fans have come to love. And whilst he’s famous as a man of few words, the Iceman was on great form as he chatted to host Tom Clarkson about everything from family life to partying to what it feels like to drive at 200mph...