The clock is ticking. The starting grid is full of people - drivers, engineers, reporters and celebrities. Formula 1 is about to go racing, but there's so much work to do. What happens on the grid in the crucial final minutes before lights out?

In the first podcast episode to be recorded on a Formula 1 starting grid before a race, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne push through the crowds and explain what teams and drivers are doing, why the pre-race countdown is so important and the rules of the F1 grid.

McLaren Race Engineer Tom Stallard tells us what he and Oscar Piastri are talking about on the grid. Plus celebrity chef and F1 fan Gordon Ramsay describes the pre-race atmosphere.

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Tickets for the end of the 2024 F1 season and the start of 2025 are available now at tickets.formula1.com

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