F1 Explains

2025 is a year of change for Jonathan Wheatley. He left Red Bull in the UK to join Sauber in Switzerland. He also stepped up from Sporting Director to Team Principal.

Jonathan answers your questions about moving from a World Championship-winning team to one seeking success. He tells Christian how he leads the hundreds of people working at Sauber's factory and at the racetrack, including drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.

More change is ahead for Jonathan and Sauber in 2026, as Audi-take over the team. Jonathan answers your questions on how the transition is going and Audi's...

Ferrari is synonymous with Formula 1 around the world. They’ve won more World Championships than any other team in the sport’s history.

But is that success why they’re regarded as one of the most iconic names in F1? Or is there more to it?

F1 Explains is at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza to find out what makes Ferrari so special.

Christian Hewgill is joined by ESPN F1 journalist, Nate Saunders, who is also the author of ‘Forza Ferrari: How F1’s most famous team can win again’, and 2012 GP2 champion and F1TV pun...

The driver hits the brakes. The car stops in the pit lane and 20 people go to work. Wheel guns roar. Tyres spin. The car speeds back into the race. An F1 pit stop is 2 seconds of precision under pressure.

F1 Explains meets the people who make lightning-fast pit stops happen. Christian Hewgill puts your questions to Haas pit crew members Matt Thompson, Monique Hurrell and Marcus Farrer.

Matt, Monique and Marcus explain how they became part of the pit crew, what happens during a stop, and what they do for the rest of the race weekend.<...

Where do Formula 1 teams spot the drivers of the future? What are they looking for in young racers? And how did Mercedes guide Kimi Antonelli from karting to F1?  
 
F1 Explains explores junior driver programmes, which exist to find talented young drivers and support them as they climb the motorsport ladder.
 
Most F1 teams have these academies. Red Bull signed a young Max Verstappen, Ferrari supported Charles Leclerc and Oliver Bearman, Lando Norris was part of the McLaren programme, and Mercedes developed George Russell, Kimi Antonelli and Esteban Ocon during their junior racing.
 
F1 ACAD...

Being the boss of Formula 1 is a big job. F1 teams, drivers, race promoters, sponsors and more than 825 million fans worldwide rely on Stefano Domenicali to lead the sport forwards.
 
It’s a huge responsibility, so how does he keep everyone happy? 
 
Speaking to Christian Hewgill, Stefano explains exactly what his job involves and how the role compares to his time as Ferrari Team Principal.

He also answers your questions about the cost cap, the calendar, the points-scoring system, the sport’s growth in the US and why Formula 1 is entering a new era in 2026...

He's a race-winner, a Haas driver and he lays claim to being the tallest person on the F1 grid (hairstyle permitting). Esteban Ocon joins F1 Explains to answer the latest batch of listener questions.

Among the topics in our inbox: how drivers prepare mentally and physically, why they get handed a little paper ticket at their post-race weight check, how being tall affects the job of an F1 driver, and whether fireproof underwear is comfortable.

Esteban also talks about working with his Haas race engineer Laura Mueller, how drivers sense when it's time to change tyres...

How do F1 teams help new drivers settle in? What are the secrets of Silverstone? Could Taylor Swift help Ollie Bearman go faster? Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu answers these questions and more in the latest F1 Explains live show, recorded at the British Grand Prix.

F1 Explains listeners Eilín from Ireland, Maya from New York and honeymooning couple Amie and Sam join Ayao and Christian Hewgill on-stage. They ask Ayao how Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman adapted to their new team, the differences between rookies and experienced drivers, and how F1 stars stay focused during a r...

1996 Formula 1 World Champion, Damon Hill, and F1TV’s lead commentator, Alex Jacques, join Christian Hewgill at the British Grand Prix for an F1 history lesson - 75 years since the World Championship began at Silverstone in 1950.

How did the pinnacle of motorsport begin? What did the first World Championship look like in terms of the cars, the calendar and the Constructors? Who were the sport’s biggest superstars in the early decades? What have been the biggest technological advances? How has safety improved over time? 

Alex takes us through the defining moments of each era, how Formu...

F1 Explains will be live on-stage at the British Grand Prix with two special guests: Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, and F1 legend David Coulthard will join Christian Hewgill to answer your questions. See you there!

F1 EXPLAINS LIVE AT SILVERSTONE Friday 4th July Main Stage 1115-1145 Free to all British Grand Prix Friday or weekend ticket-holders Send your questions for Ayao and David to F1Explains@F1.com

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F1: THE MOVIE starring Brad Pitt
Only...

How do F1 commentators call races? What do F1 team radio messages mean? How do drivers make sure their laps in qualifying are as fast as possible?

In this 'mega' episode, F1TV commentary duo Alex Jacques and Jolyon Palmer explain how they do their jobs - the camera shots and data they look at during a Grand Prix

Alex and Jolyon also help Christian Hewgill decode F1 team radio messages,
and break down how teams approach qualifying.

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Send voice notes and emails to F1Explains...

Filmed on real F1 racetracks, in the middle of real F1 action, F1 The Movie is the most authentic racing movie ever.

Director Joseph Kosinski tells Christian Hewgill how the movie was made - how it all started with an email to Lewis Hamilton, how the team modified real race cars to film the spectacular racing sequences, and how he shot scenes on the grid, on the track and in the pit lane during F1 race weekends.

F1 The Movie – in cinemas June 25th internationally, June 27th in North America
Find a screening near you at...

Watching F1 on TV is incredible. Seeing the action live is even better. With 24 amazing races, different ticket options and viewing positions to choose from, how do you plan a trip to a Formula 1 Grand Prix?

Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill speak to Gavin and Megan, F1 fans from Colorado who are going to this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix during their honeymoon. They want advice planning their weekend - what to take to the track, where to sit, and what to do besides watching the races.

F1 Experiences is the closest you can get to Formula 1...

What is a ‘driving style’ and how many different ones are there? What’s the secret to executing a champagne pop on the podium? And how do F1 drivers come up with ideas for special helmet designs and create the final product?

McLaren driver Lando Norris joins Christian Hewgill at the Canadian Grand Prix to give you the answers.

Lando also tells us what he likes to eat for breakfast, why he has to get up so early on race day, his guilty pleasures, what he’d be if he wasn’t an F1 driver, and why he wan...

He's a legend of Formula 1, a three-time World Champion who fought to make the sport safer. Sir Jackie Stewart's good work continues today with his charity Race Against Dementia.

Sir Jackie joins Christian Hewgill to answer your questions on how F1 has changed since the 1960s and 70s, the great drivers of the past and how F1 cars and racetracks have become safer over the decades.

Lady Helen Stewart, Jackie's wife, was once his timekeeper. She stood at the side of the track with a stopwatch to record his lap times. In 2014 they learned she has...

Teamwork. Racing. Pasta. We explore all that and more as Mika Hakkinen joins Christian Hewgill and F1 Explains listeners live on-stage at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Double World Champion Mika talks about what he learned from racing Michael Schumacher. Their rivalry started as teenagers in karts and continued when they fought for F1 titles in the late 1990s.

F1 Explains listeners Lisa, Daniel and Tessa ask Mika their questions on whether the friendships between today’s drivers affect how they race on-track and what skills Mika took from F1 into life post-racing.

Plus Mika ta...

No room for mistakes. No time to breathe. The Monaco Grand Prix is a unique challenge. Legends win here, but even the greats have failed to complete 78 laps on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo.

Christian Hewgill is in Monaco to find out what makes this race special. Monaco winner and two-time F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen explains why it's such a difficult Grand Prix, mentally and physically. F1TV Commentator Alex Jacques tells us about the history of the race, and about the brand-new tyre rule which will change things this year.

Plus, Christian tours...

F1 Explains LIVE with Mika Hakkinen
Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix 2025
Saturday 24th May, 1:30pm
F1 Fanzone stage
Send your question to F1Explains@F1.com, tell us you're coming and you could be part of the show

F1: THE MOVIE starring Brad Pitt
Only in cinemas June 2025
Watch the trailer now

It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews on F1 Beyond The Grid
...

What happens in a Formula 1 team's garage during a race? In a world-first episode, recorded inside the Haas garage during the Miami Grand Prix, mechanics, engineers and strategists tell F1 Explains what they do while the cars are racing.

How are the pit crew told it's time for a pit stop? How do strategists make their calls? How do mechanics make sure new tyres are ready to go? Christian Hewgill explains it all from an exclusive position surrounded by data screens, engineers and equipment.

Plus, we listen in to team radio channels, learn what F1 tyres...

How do F1 bosses keep the pressure off young drivers? What's it like launching a brand new team? Former Haas Team Principal and future star of the F1 movie Guenther Steiner answers these questions and more in an episode recorded live at the Miami Grand Prix.

F1 Explains listeners Jenny, Joshua and Sydney join Christian Hewgill on-stage to ask Guenther their questions about running an F1 team. Guenther explains how to keep experienced drivers motivated and names the drivers he thinks will help the new Cadillac get off to a strong start in F1 next season.

...

Formula 1 races in incredible places. Miami is unique. Home of two-time Superbowl champions the Miami Dolphins, the Miami Open tennis, other world-class sporting events and concerts, the Hard Rock Stadium is transformed into a Grand Prix track where hundreds of thousands of fans enjoy the action both on and off the circuit.

Christian Hewgill is in Miami to answer your questions how the event happens, meeting Miami GP President Tyler Epp, plus John Murphy and Kathy Nowak, who oversee building the racetrack, the one-of-a-kind F1 paddock inside the stadium itself and the campus with its marina, yachts, and...

He's a former racer who's now boss of Alpine. Oliver Oakes joins F1 Explains for another 'Ask A Team Principal' special.

He tells Christian Hewgill how he deals with feedback from drivers Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan, while keeping hundreds of team members working together.

Plus, Oliver explains how he became a Team Principal in Formula 1 after starting out as a driver and team boss in F3 and F2.

See F1 Explains LIVE with Guenther Steiner at the Miami Grand Prix
Friday May 2nd - 1:45pm
Hard Rock Stadium, 300 Level
Free...

How do drivers stay so calm when they’re about to crash? What’s the difference between a slipstream and dirty air? Why do F1 cockpits have small ‘windscreens’? How do you become an F1 presenter? And what exactly is the role of a driver’s press officer? 

Christian Hewgill is joined by F1TV main presenter Laura Winter and IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe to answer your quickfire questions.

Get your question answered by an F1 expert
Big or small, if you've got a question we'll find the best person to answer it.
Send your e...

Drivers, sponsors, repairing crashes and making big decisions; Formula 1 Team Principals have a lot to handle. Williams Racing boss James Vowles answers your questions about his job.

What does it mean when a team says they're focusing on F1's new rules in 2026? How does James deal with team mate battles? How are Williams supporting young women reach F1? Christian Hewgill asks James these questions and more in an interview which is hilariously interrupted by Alex Albon. It's safe to say this episode really lifts the lid on what happens behind the scenes in an F1 Team Principal's...

190 mile per hour corners. Heavy braking zones. Twists and turns with no room for error. Suzuka, home of the Japanese Grand Prix, tests Formula 1 drivers' skills to the limit. But what are those skills? What are the 20 drivers actually doing with their hands, their feet, and their eyes, which allows them to drive so fast?

Former F1 racer and Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa answers your questions on the incredible abilities of F1 drivers. He tells Christian Hewgill how they hit corner apexes perfectly, brake and accelerate precisely and how they develop their racing instincts.
<...

What does the CEO of a Formula 1 team actually do? What happens in the F1 boss group chat? How are McLaren going to handle their drivers in 2025? Who decides who gets to go on the podium to collect the Constructors' Trophy?

Zak Brown answered these questions and more on-stage at the Australian Grand Prix. Christian invited F1 Explains listeners Chloe, Samantha, Lauren and Katy to ask Zak their questions, including whether Zak will be celebrating success with more tattoos or shoeys.

Send us your F1 questions
Drivers? Cars? Something else you want to know more...

A new car to drive. A new Race Engineer to talk to. When Formula 1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz move teams, they have a lot to learn.

Mercedes Reserve Driver Valtteri Bottas tells Christian Hewgill about the challenges drivers face when switching sides, from learning buttons on their steering wheel to understanding the voices in their ear.

Then, 2009 World Champion Jenson Button returns to the podcast to share his experiences of moving from Williams to Honda to McLaren.

Send us your F1 questions
Drivers? Cars? Something else you want to know...

Faster cars. Brighter spotlight. Higher pressure. A Formula 1 debut is a dream come true, but rookies need to impress, or their first season could be their last...

2009 World Champion Jenson Button tells Christian Hewgill the lessons he learned from his first year in F1 with Williams, what the 2025 rookies should try and achieve and the mistakes to avoid.

Oscar Piastri's Race Engineer Tom Stallard explains how he and the team supported Oscar in his rookie season, and answers your questions about how new F1 drivers adapt to racing the fastest cars on the planet.

...

Christian's just about to leave for the Australian Grand Prix, but before he goes he's got all the details of F1 Explains LIVE in Melbourne - with special guest, McLaren CEO Zak Brown

F1 Explains LIVE at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2025 F1 Fanzone Stage, near the Brabham Grandstand 1130-1200, Saturday March 15th Got a ticket for the track on Saturday? You can come to the show If you'll be at the race and have a question for Zak Brown, email it to F1Explains@F1.com - we might be able to make you part of the...

Formula 1 teams have one chance to test their cars before the 2025 season. With every lap, drivers and engineers learn more about their new machines. Why is pre-season testing so important, and how do teams get the most out of it?

From Bahrain, Christian and Katie are joined by F1TV Lead Presenter Laura Winter, who gives us the lowdown on testing. Then Alpine rookie Jack Doohan, McLaren's Oscar Piastri and other key team members explain what happens at testing, and how they gather data ahead of the first race.

Got questions about F1? We'll answer them! ...

F1 pre-season testing is just days away, and F1 teams are racing to be ready. What's going on inside their factories? How long does it take drivers to be 100% confident in a brand new car? How do strategists get ready for the first race? Plus, who do you root for - the driver or the team?

Ahead of the 2025 season, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne get the answers to these questions and more from F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto, and F1TV strategy expert Ruth Buscombe Divey.

Get your F1 question answered in 2025
Send...

On F1 Beyond The Grid, Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth conversations with Tom Clarkson.

They reveal what it’s like being at the centre of the biggest stories of the season and share fascinating insight into what life is like as a Formula 1 driver, Team Principal, engineer, designer, and more. In this end-of year special, Tom picks his favourite moments from a long list of stellar guests.

Fernando Alonso reflects on becoming the first driver in F1 history to compete in 400 Grands Prix and why he nearly retired much earlier in his career. Ca...

How do Formula 1 drivers find the fastest way around the track? How do teams scout future superstars? Why is driving in F2 the best way of reaching the top? What really happens on the grid before a race? In 2024, F1 Explains answered these questions and many more sent in by listeners from all over the world.

Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne have picked the most fascinating moments from the podcast's second season:

Liam Lawson on how drivers find the racing line Ollie Bearman reveals Ferrari's young driver scouting camps Oscar Piastri on how F2 prepared him...

'To finish first, first you have to finish'. Formula 1 teams can't score points, wins or championships unless their cars make it to the chequered flag.

Reliability Engineers like Sauber's Laura Villadelprat work in the garage and the factory to keep the cars on-track and avoid the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish).

Laura explains how F1 teams know when it's time to swap old car parts for new ones, how they monitor reliability in real time, and what they do to investigate the causes of race-ending problems.

'Hi F1 Explains, my F1 question is...'<...

F1 cars are out-of-this-world to drive, even for experienced racers. Pato O'Ward is a race-winner in IndyCar with Arrow McLaren, but when he jumps in a Formula 1 car as Reserve Driver for McLaren F1 Team, he's blown away.

Pato joins Katie and Christian to answer your questions about the differences and similarities between Formula 1 and IndyCar - the cars, the racetracks, the pit stops and more.

'Hi F1 Explains, my question is...'
Be part of the podcast. Send your question to F1Explains@F1.com

Experience the inner sanctum of Formula 1...

F1 cars are racing on the streets of Las Vegas at more than 200 miles per hour. It’s the most spectacular race of the season, and it takes months of work by a team of more than 15,000 people.  

Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are in Las Vegas to find out how Formula 1 takes over the city. Las Vegas Grand Prix VP of Sporting and Race Operations Silvia Bellot explains how public roads, including the famous Las Vegas Strip, are transformed into a racetrack with miles of special lights, safety barriers and fences. She reveals the challenges of racing in...

It's where pit crews go to work, where strategies are decided and where races can be won and lost. 

Katie and Christian step into the Formula 1 pit lane to put your questions to former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy Bernie Collins.

Bernie explains how the length and speed limit of the pit lane affects race strategy, why every team's pit box is different, what all the screens and buttons on the team pit wall are for and what it's like to be in the pit lane during a Grand Prix.


'Hi F1 E...

F1 Explains gave listeners who attended our live show at F1 Arcade Washington D.C. the chance to win tickets for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.

Courtesy of the Miami Grand Prix, two lucky listeners have won a pair of tickets for the new McLaren grandstand, some exclusive McLaren merchandise and the chance to win a hot lap of the track with a professional driver.

The draw was done at random and it's time to announce the winners. Congratulations to them, and thank you to everyone who entered.

You can buy 2025 Miami Grand Prix tickets...

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...

Want somewhere to watch a Grand Prix with F1 fans, race against your friends and enjoy food and drink? Look no further than F1 Arcade! Christian and Katie recorded a special episode of F1 Explains at F1 Arcade Washington D.C. after the Mexico City GP Watch Party.

F1 Arcade is open now in Washington D.C., Boston MA, plus London and Birmingham in the UK. Go to f1arcade.com to buy tickets for Watch Parties or a high-speed night out.

F1 Explains listeners Kim, Lindsay, Nick, Hayden and Kat asked Katie and Christian to...

A Formula 1 legend and a brand new star took to the stage at Circuit of the Americas for F1 Explains LIVE. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne put your questions to 2-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen, and Ferrari Academy Driver and 2025 Haas F1 Team Driver, Ollie Bearman.

F1 Explains listeners Rachel from Austin, Texas, Michelle from Cleveland, Ohio, Erin from Los Angeles, California and Ryan and Daniel from New Zealand asked Mika and Ollie questions about how Ferrari spotted Ollie, how to be fast at your next karting party and how drivers gain confidence.

NBA star and...