F1 Beyond The Grid

Tom’s heading to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, but who’s his guest on this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid?   Follow F1 Beyond The Grid for the fastest way to get the next episode.

Formula 1 loves a feel-good story and the Minardi fairy-tale is no exception. They wrote one of the most heart-warming chapters in the sport’s history. Mark Webber’s fifth-place finish on his debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2002 is one of many fond memories cherished by former team boss Paul Stoddart. A year earlier, Paul wasn’t even sure they’d be quick enough to qualify for the first race. But his confidence in a 19 year-old Fernando Alonso was rewarded and the team started life in F1 much better than expected. Paul tells Tom Clarkson the moment he realised Alonso had what it takes to become a World Champion, why the Spaniard still has that burning desire to compete at the very top and how to be his best at Aston Martin. Paul also remembers Michael Schumacher’s manners and the eye-opening time he lapped Ferrari’s test track with the seven-time champion. Plus, how Max Verstappen’s winning mentality was clear to see at a young age, when he raced his father Jos in a simulator. This episode is sponsored by:  MoneyGram: Flex your finances using the only digital wallets with real cash access activated by MoneyGram. Learn more at moneygram.com/stellarwallets.  ExpressVPN: visit expressvpn.com/grid and you’ll get three extra months free. Babbel: listeners can get three months free with a purchase of a 3- month subscription with promo code BEYOND. Go to babbel.com/podcast23 

A returning champion. A legendary rival. A chance to rise above the rest. 1993 was the year Alain Prost set himself apart from his competitors and became a four-time F1 World Champion. At the time, he was only the second driver to win more than three titles. But his fourth triumph was far from easy. Prost was racing against his long-term foe, McLaren’s Ayrton Senna. He had to get used to a brand-new car, with technology he had never experienced before. There were behind-the-scenes issues at his Williams team. Prost was also considering his future, and life after Formula 1. 30 years on, Alain tells Tom Clarkson his memories of his final F1 title, the end of his F1 career, and how close he came to a final chapter as Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate. This episode is sponsored by:  Moneygram: convert your digital currency to cash and back again using the only digital wallets with real cash access activated by MoneyGram. Learn more at moneygram.com/stellarwallets. 

Win races. Catch F1’s ‘big three’ teams. Turn ‘beasts’ into team players. Laurent Rossi’s to-do list is intimidating. The Alpine CEO runs the French road car company and the F1 operation, which is split between France and the UK. He grew up in a racing heartland. He studied at leading universities and worked at top-tier companies. All that experience helped him handle clashing teammates Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso in 2022. Alpine’s 2023 line-up, Ocon and Pierre Gasly, have been rivals since they were 6 years old. Now, Rossi needs them to work together to help the team ‘climb the mountain’, and close the gap to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. Laurent tells Tom Clarkson how he and Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer plan to make Alpine winners. He also explains what the team learned from the 2022 departure of junior driver Oscar Piastri, who now races with McLaren. This episode is sponsored by:  Babbel: get three months free with a purchase of a 3- month subscription. Go to babbel.com/podcast23 and use promo code BEYOND.  F1 Unlocked: you and a friend could win the ‘Key to the Grand Prix’ in Melbourne and unlock a level of access that’ll make you want to pinch yourself. Go to F1.com/competition to enter and for full terms and conditions.

A dream start. A disappointing finish. 2022 was Charles Leclerc’s best F1 season so far. But for him and for Ferrari, only the World Championship is enough. Now, a fresh challenge. Ahead of a new campaign, Charles is determined to take the trophy for himself. In the first new episode of 2023, Charles tells Tom Clarkson why missing out on the title in 2022 has made him the best he’s ever been. He reveals the soul-searching and changes at Ferrari since last season, and explains why new Team Principal Fred Vasseur is the right person to lead the famous red team to success. Plus, how going ice climbing, learning to fly and playing the piano helps Charles escape from the constant pressure of F1. The piano Tom brought to the interview isn’t very good, but Charles’ playing certainly is… New episodes of F1 Beyond The Grid every week during the F1 season. Hit follow for the fastest way to get them. Share using #F1BeyondTheGrid.  This episode is sponsored by:  F1TV: for a limited time F1 are offering a 7-day free trial for F1 TV Pro subscribers. Simply go to F1TV.com to sign-up and take your race weekend to the next level! LinkedIn Jobs: find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com/GRID.

F1 is no ordinary sport. These are no ordinary interviews. Join Tom Clarkson for a new season of in-depth conversations with the sport’s biggest stars and brightest minds. New episodes begin Wednesday March 1st. Follow the podcast for the fastest way to get new episodes. Share using #F1BeyondTheGrid

21 drivers are getting ready for the first race of 2023 – the 20 F1 racers and Bernd Maylander, driver of the F1 Safety Car. When Bernd hits the track, in bad weather or after a crash, his job is to keep the F1 field to a safe speed until they can go racing again. He’s often criticised for driving too slowly, but as he told Tom Clarkson in 2020, that’s simply not true. For more Safety Car secrets from Bernd, check out the full conversation here 

Drive to Survive Season 5 is out now on Netflix, which means more behind-the-scenes moments with Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner. He’s become an F1 paddock rockstar, but he’s still a boss who takes big decisions. In 2022, Guenther told Tom Clarkson about his celebrity status and his style of management. Hear a different side of Steiner in the full BTG interview here 

A winner from the World Championship’s first decade, the 1950s, Tony Brooks took F1 victories for Vanwall and Ferrari. Amazingly he’d studied to be a dentist before becoming a full-time racing driver. On what would have been Tony’s 91st birthday, Tom Clarkson revisits a 2019 conversation about the daring deeds of the first F1 stars. Listen to the full interview with Tony Brooks here for more stories from the early years of the F1 World Championship. New weekly episodes of F1 Beyond The Grid start Wednesday March 1st.

F1 test sessions can reveal technical problems with cars, or unlock extra performance. They can also reveal stars of the future. Pedro de la Rosa, one of F1’s most experienced test drivers, was there to witness Lewis Hamilton’s first drive in an F1 car in September 2006. The Spaniard was stunned by Hamilton’s speed and what a ‘massive problem’ he’d cause anyone trying to beat him. On Beyond The Grid, Pedro told Tom Clarkson his memories of the test and his own magical F1 debut. Pedro’s full interview from 2020 is right here. F1 Beyond The Grid’s new season begins on Wednesday March 1st. Get the latest from pre-season testing on F1.com, the F1 app and F1 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.