F1 Beyond The Grid

The story of how Michael Schumacher made his debut, 30 years ago this week in Belgium, could have been lifted from a Hollywood movie. The German rookie got his chance when Jordan’s regular driver Bertrand Gachot was dramatically sent to prison on the eve of the race – the rest, as they say, is history. But what of Gachot himself? This week the Luxembourg-born racer joins Tom to tell his incredible story – including the full, incredible story of how he ended up in prison, what life was like for an F1 driver behind bars, how he feels about Schumacher now, and how he got his career back on track after his release. This episode is sponsored by: Calm - go to calm.com/GRID for 40% off unlimited access to Calm’s entire library

This week we welcome F1 royalty onto the show: Sir Patrick Head, co-founder of Williams and an engineering legend. After going into business with Frank Williams in the late 70s, Patrick helped build one of the greatest teams in history, his engineering acumen leading to world championships aplenty. He speaks about that journey, including what it was like to work with Frank, how he responded to Frank’s life-changing car accident, what he looked for in the drivers that shaped Williams and much more. And as you might expect, there are plenty of brilliant anecdotes! This episode is sponsored by: Babbel.com/play promo code GRID for 6 months free with a purchase of a 6 month subscription 

This week’s guest has spent 30 years in F1, working with some of the sport’s greatest drivers. As Driver Coach of Ferrari’s vaunted academy, Jock Clear’s job is to help the likes of Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher perform to the best of their ability – a role he’s performed with others before. Clear became widely known to many F1 fans as race engineer to Jacques Villeneuve at Williams in the late Nineties and then – surprisingly – as engineer to the man who famously ran into the Canadian in 1997, Michael Schumacher, when the German ace was at Mercedes. He also worked with and alongside the likes Rubens Barrichello, Nico Rosberg, and Jenson Button – and as a result has great stories and insight to offer about all of them!

Nicholas Latifi always thought he’d follow his father into the world of business – but childhood karting and trips to the Canadian Grand Prix made him dream of racing in Formula 1. Chasing that dream meant leaving home to compete in Europe, and it’s a home he still misses at times. He earned his stripes in Formula 2 alongside Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon. His second season of Formula 1 has brought improved performances and his first World Championship points. He’s also closing in on Williams teammate George Russell in qualifying. Nicholas tells Tom Clarkson about his journey to F1, the importance of good team radio communication and why he can’t eat too much of his favourite chocolate spread… This episode is sponsored by:  Babbel.com/play promo code GRID for 6 months free with a purchase of a 6 month subscription  Calm.com/GRID for 40% off unlimited access to Calm’s entire library. 

Daniele Audetto was a key figure in arguably one of the most tumultuous and exciting seasons in F1 history: 1976. As team manager at Ferrari, he reported directly back to Enzo Ferrari from each race – and that included giving him the bad news when Niki Lauda was critically injured at the German Grand Prix. In this week’s show, 45 years on from that dreadful moment, Audetto recounts that weekend in detail, as well as Lauda’s heroic comeback and that tense title finale with James Hunt in Fuji. He also discusses life after Ferrari, and in particular his stints at Lamborghini – when Senna tested and nearly raced a Lambo-powered McLaren – and everyone’s favourite minnows, Super Aguri.

This week’s guest may not be a household name, but for 20 years he was at the epicentre of Formula 1. Between the late 70s to early 90s, Peter Collins worked for Lotus under Colin Chapman, then Williams under Sir Frank, then Benetton alongside Flavio Briatore, before returning to run Lotus. In various managerial roles during that period he worked with some great drivers too: Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger, Mika Hakkinen and Johnny Herbert. And the great news for us is that Peter has great anecdotes about all of them! So settle in for fabulous insight into a golden era of the sport – including the time he dispatched Hakkinen to do the school run… This episode is sponsored by:  SumUp

Charles Leclerc returns to Beyond The Grid for a second time – and hasn’t a lot happened since his last visit? Charles last came on the show in 2018, when he was in his rookie season with Alfa Romeo Sauber but had just signed to race for Ferrari. Since then he’s become a superstar of the sport, winning races and taking brilliant poles, but also having to endure heart-breaking loss and team mate tension, amongst other things. He chats to Tom about all of the above and more, including what he likes to get up to away from the track, his relationships with new and former team mates Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel, and how it has felt to race for Ferrari, in good times and bad… This episode is sponsored by:  SumUp  

This week’s guest, Norbert Haug, held one of the most influential jobs in motorsport for more than 20 years. As the boss of Mercedes-Benz motorsport, he oversaw all of the company’s racing activities – indeed it was him who decided to return the Silver Arrows to F1 as an engine supplier in 1993. Once back, Mercedes enjoyed great success in partnership with McLaren – and Haug has great anecdotes to tell about Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. He also opens up on his role in Michael Schumacher’s career, and Mercedes’ decision to buy Brawn GP at the end of 2009, setting them on the path to their recent glory as a fully-fledged works team… This episode is sponsored by SumUp Express VPN/GRID - get an extra 3 months for free 

F1 Beyond The Grid welcomes back Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who was one of Tom's first guests on the back in 2018. Since then the team have re-emerged as title protagonists, with a real chance of taking both titles in 2021. Horner discusses their turnaround in fortunes, plus the journey they’ve been on to reach this point. There’s talk about the key staff in the team, the new power unit department, the most influential drivers in squad’s history, and of course the team’s dynamic driver duo of Max Verstappen and Checo Perez. Oh, and they also reveal the things that had to be cut out of Horner’s original episode in 2018… This episode is sponsored by: Express VPN/GRID - get an extra 3 months for free

Jacques Laffite was part of a wave of fast French F1 drivers who hit the grid in the 1970s and 80s. His 12-year F1 career brought six race victories and he had more than one shot at the World Championship. It’s a record he’s pleased with, but as he reveals, his career is tinged with regret. Jacques tells Tom Clarkson about his eye-opening debut at the original Nürburgring, his championship chances, and admits he wishes he’d worked harder. He tells great stories about turning up to practice in his pyjamas, how wearing big shoes made him faster and the eyedrop mix-up that once stopped him racing. Jacques also remembers the 1986 crash which ended his career and his emotional return to an F1 cockpit at the age of 64.