F1 Explains

Why can pitting a lap earlier than your rival be a race-winning move? Why do F1 cars have red lights on the back? How do drivers remember all their race plans at 200mph? How do people get to be F1 Team Principals, strategists or reporters? Former Aston Martin Head of Strategy Bernie Collins and F1 Chief Correspondent Lawrence Barretto are back with Christian and Katie on Formula Why to answer these questions and more in a quickfire special. Got an F1 question you'd like us to answer, or a message about the podcast? Record it as a voice note or write it in an email and send it to Why@F1.com Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: Why are pit stops so important? Why do F1 teams need simulators? Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade Why are street circuits the ultimate test? with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen Thanks for listening. Please leave us a rating and a review. Share the show to help other F1 fans learn more about the sport we all love using #FormulaWhy

Twenty teammates. Two seconds. Total teamwork. F1 pit stops are iconic, but why are they so important, and why are they so difficult to do perfectly? Who's on the pit crew, and what does each person do? Katie and Christian get the answers from: Gemma Fisher - the human performance specialist who revolutionised F1 pit stops Connor Swan - Alpine F1 Team's Pit Stop Performance Co-ordinator Kevin Magnussen - Haas F1 Team driver  Christian and Katie break down an F1 pit stop - from the role of the driver, to the mechanics who fit the tyres - and how the crew works together to get the car back on track in the shortest possible time. Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: Your F1 Car Questions Answered by Bernie Collins + Will Buxton Why are F1 wind tunnels top secret? Why do F1 drivers need race engineers? with Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu Why do F1 teams need simulators? with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade Why are street circuits the ultimate test? with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen Got an F1 question for Christian, Katie and our F1 experts? Record or write it, and email to Why@F1.com Thank you for listening. Please leave us a rating and a review. Share the podcast to help other F1 fans learn more about F1 using #FormulaWhy For more F1 podcasts, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid and F1 Nation

For learning racetracks to testing new car upgrades, simulators are a vital tool for every team in F1. Katie and Christian talk to four sim experts to explain why. Stoffel Vandoorne, Aston Martin's reserve driver, took a break from a long day in the sim to tell us why they're so useful for racers. Alpine's Technical Director Matt Harman breaks down how team engineers use them to test new parts and car set-ups. Motorsport scientist Dr Diandra Leslie-Pelecky explains how simulators work and why they're so realistic. Plus, a chat with Red Bull Racing Esports star Sebastian Job, who went from winning on video games to working in the real Red Bull F1 simulator, testing race weekend set-ups for Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: Why are pit-stops so important in F1? with pit-stop performance experts Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade Why are street circuits the ultimate test? with Mika Hakkinen + former strategist Bernie Collins Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered by F1 experts Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with former F1 driver Alexander Rossi Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen Send your F1 questions to Katie and Christian! Record or write them, and send to Why@F1.com Thanks for listening. Please leave us a rating and a review. Share the show to help other F1 fans learn more about the sport we all love using #FormulaWhy For more F1 podcasts, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid and F1 Nation

In F1, rain always means drama. Drivers fight to stay on track. Their skills are pushed to the limits. Why is steering, braking, and racing so much harder in the rain? Formula Why has the answers. After a quick guide to F1's wet weather tyres, motorsport scientist Dr Diandra Leslie-Pelecky explains why it's so hard to keep control on a wet racetrack. Haas F1 Team Race Engineer Mark Slade tells us why F1 teams have to put total faith in their drivers when the rain comes down. Plus, double Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen returns to explain why rain tests a driver's body, mind and reflexes and what it takes to win races in the rain. Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: Why are pit stops so important? Why do F1 teams need simulators? Why are street circuits the ultimate test? with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen Send your F1 questions to Katie and Christian! Record or write them, and send to Why@F1.com Thanks for listening. Please leave us a rating and a review. Share the show to help other F1 fans learn more about the sport we all love using #FormulaWhy For more F1 podcasts, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid and F1 Nation

Mika Hakkinen, a double F1 World Champion known for his street race prowess, shares why street circuits present the ultimate test for drivers with their low grip and narrow paths. Bernie Collins, a former McLaren strategist, discusses the critical timing of pit stops in these high-pressure environments. Together, they dive into the intense psychological and strategic challenges, emphasizing that each turn could be the difference between victory and disaster, especially in iconic races like Monaco.

Why do F1 winners get 25 points? Why do tyre-smoking lock-ups happen? Why do F1 cars change for every race? This week on Formula Why we're answering some of the questions you've sent in to Why@F1.com so far. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are joined by former Aston Martin Head of Strategy Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto to explore the whys, the hows and the whats. Along the way we learn why F1 cars haven't always had four wheels, why tyre warmers aren't just for warming tyres and why Lawrence takes an extra suitcase to every Grand Prix. Got a question about how F1 works? We'd love to hear it. Write it or record it as a voice note, then send it to Why@F1.com and we'll include it in a future episode. Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: 'Undercuts', red lights + F1 jobs - Your Questions Answered Why are pit stops so important? Why do F1 teams need simulators? Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

Insane speed needs incredible strength. If you’ve ever wondered why F1 drivers look so exhausted at the end of a race, here's your answer. Katie and Christian find out why F1 drivers need elite levels of fitness, why their necks, legs and cores need to be so strong and why staying hydrated is so important. Racing scientist Dr Diandra Leslie Pelecky talks through the ‘extremes’ F1 drivers experience. Sebastian Vettel’s former trainer Antti Kontsas of Hintsa Performance explains the real reason neck strength is so important. Former F1 driver Alexander Rossi returns to Formula Why to talk F1 training, to ruin Christian’s dreams of ever being an F1 driver, and why super-fit F1 drivers have problems when shopping for shirts… Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: 'Undercuts', red lights + F1 jobs - Your Questions Answered Why are pit stops so important? Why do F1 teams need simulators? Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen Record or write your questions and send them to Why@F1.com 

Passionate fans. Spectacular racing. A new home hero to cheer. Formula 1 has a long history in the United States. 2023 is a new chapter, with races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas.  Katie and Christian go back through the decades to tell the story of F1 in the US. Then it’s time to explore the present and the future with former F1 commentator Leigh Diffey, former US F1 driver Alexander Rossi and two passionate F1 fans who’ve recently discovered the sport. Why are they and millions of others across the States falling in love with F1? Why is the sport more popular than ever? Why is having a US driver to cheer for so important?   Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: 'Undercuts', red lights + F1 jobs - Your Questions Answered Why are pit stops so important? Why do F1 teams need simulators? Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen Record and send your questions to Katie and Christian at Why@F1.com

Less prep. More pressure. In 2023, F1 Sprint is more thrilling than ever. Listener Crystal from New York wants to know why F1 Sprint is such an exciting challenge for F1’s teams and drivers. Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill explore the answer with Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen and his race engineer, Mark Slade. Kevin and Mark had an F1 Sprint weekend to remember in 2022. Kevin took a stunning pole position, leaving Mark facing a huge restaurant bill! Then, former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy, Bernie Collins, tells us why tyre choice, overtaking and avoiding pit-stops are crucial to Sprint success. Plus, Christian and Katie have all you need to know about the changes to F1 Sprint for 2023, including the new Sprint Shootout session on Saturdays. Welcome to Formula Why.   Check out other episodes of Formula Why. Scroll through the feed or use the links below: 'Undercuts', red lights + F1 jobs - Your Questions Answered Why are pit stops so important? Why do F1 teams need simulators? Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023? Whether you’re new to F1 or a life-long fanatic, Formula Why is for everyone who wants to know more about how the sport works. Send us your F1 ‘why’ question, and we could answer it on a future episode. Write or record your question as a voice note and send it to Why@F1.com Follow Formula Why right here on your podcast app so you never miss an episode. Hit the share button and use #FormulaWhy to tell your F1 fan friends. Leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening To hear F1’s other official podcasts search for F1 Beyond The Grid and F1 Nation. For all the latest F1 news, check out F1.com and F1 on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook

The more you know about Formula 1, the more you'll love it. Join Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill for Formula Why, the official F1 podcast for every fan who wants to know how the sport really works. Write or record and send your 'why' questions to Why@F1.com and we'll get F1 experts to answer them on a future episode.