Formula 1, explained by the people inside it.
F1 Beyond The Grid uses interviews to get beyond race results and into the people shaping Formula 1. Recent episodes move from safety car procedure and driver preparation to team rebuilds, technical leadership, and the pressure of proving yourself in the paddock.
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F1 Beyond The Grid is a Formula 1 interview show built around access, patience, and detail. It treats the paddock as a workplace, not just a spectacle. Recent episodes bring in safety car driver Bernd Maylander, F1 ACADEMY champion Doriane Pin, Red Bull Racing team principal and CEO Laurent Mekies, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, and Aston Martin chief technical officer Enrico Cardile. The conversations are shaped by practical questions. What happens before the cars run on Friday? How does a driver prepare for dry, damp, wet, and fully wet conditions before the weekend begins? What does a team sacrifice when it fights deep into one season while another regulation era is approaching? The show is strongest when it connects personal drive to operational reality. Bernd Maylander's episode turns the safety car into a window on procedure, television timing, race control, restarts, red flags, and the strange pressure of having the fastest drivers in the world stacked behind him. Doriane Pin's interview gives equal weight to childhood sensation, competitiveness, sponsor meetings, endurance racing, Mercedes support, and the discipline of visualization. Laurent Mekies' appearance frames Red Bull's Formula 1 commitment through powertrains, facilities, sporting reach, and the internal demand to return to a more competitive car. Ayao Komatsu's episode looks at Haas through leadership, recovery, expectations for Esteban Ocon, Oli Behrmann's potential, and the team owner's role. The show also makes space for history, as in its Jacques Villeneuve episode, where confidence, pressure, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, and Williams form the spine of the story. It is not a hot-take show. It is closer to a paddock debrief, with enough technical substance for committed fans and enough human context for listeners who care about careers, pressure, and ambition. The editing gives interviews room to breathe. The questions tend to reframe a guest's answer, then push toward one more concrete detail. That makes the show useful for understanding both the machinery of Formula 1 and the people trying to master it.
Made for: For Formula 1 fans who want more than race reaction, especially listeners interested in team culture, driver development, technical change, and paddock decision-making. It also suits newer fans who want insider context without a wall of jargon.
What sets it apart: F1 Beyond The Grid stands out through calm interviews that let guests explain their work in depth. It connects personal stories to the systems behind race weekends, team rebuilds, car development, and career pressure.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Tom Clarkson makes Formula One's hidden work visible through specific interviews about driving, team building, safety and recovery.
F1 Beyond The Grid turns Formula One experience into clear, patient conversation. Tom Clarkson interviews drivers and decision-makers about the work behind performance, following answers with questions about preparation, team rebuilding, technical operations and career pressure.
The safety car driver still gets nervous after 500 Grands Prix; your F1 curiosity gets the passenger seat.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Bernd Meylander's 500th Grand Prix becomes a grounded look at the pressure, preparation, and safety work behind Formula One's safety car.
F1 Beyond the Grid uses Bernd Meylander's 500th Grand Prix as the FIA safety car driver to look at the controlled side of Formula One emergencies.
A focused look at the preparation, persistence, and racing ambition behind an F1 Academy champion's rise.
Dorian Pan's road toward Formula One begins with the rush of driving at 90 kph at age nine, then widens into a clear study of preparation, persistence, and competitive focus.
Red Bull's 2026 challenge is viewed through fighting instinct, power-unit ambition, and Max Verstappen's exacting habits.
Laurel Mechiers frames Red Bull Racing's 2026 challenge around a hard choice: keep pushing through a difficult 2025 or shift attention to the new regulations.
Cadillac frames its Formula One debut as a test of identity, ambition, and fan conversion.
Cadillac's arrival gives Formula One a rare kind of story: a team trying to earn belief before it has a race record. The episode follows that early work, from a car taking shape on a computer to a first Cadillac Formula One livery meant to introduce the project to the grid.
Carlos Sainz frames Williams as a long rebuild that tests patience, belief, and ambition.
Carlos Sainz's Williams chapter lands here as a question of timing, conviction, and what a top driver is willing to build when the rewards are not immediate.
A Downing Street reception frames F1's 75th anniversary as a polished home-race story with a technical edge.
F1 Beyond The Grid uses F1's 75th anniversary gathering at 10 Downing Street as a polished frame for the British Grand Prix build-up. With the UK Prime Minister welcoming drivers, team bosses, and early-career figures, the episode places the sport's history and UK standing…
A composed, intimate account of recovery, doubt, and the decision to race again after Hakkinen's Adelaide accident.
Mika Hakkinen's Adelaide accident anchors a restrained look at what recovery required after the emergency was over. He recalls medication being reduced, constant headaches, and doctors warning him away from jogging, weights, or anything that put pressure on his body.
Tom Clarkson interviews two-time Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen about his near-fatal crash at the 1995 Adelaide Grand Prix.
Tom Clarkson hosts a special episode of F1 Beyond the Grid from 10 Downing Street, celebrating 75 years of the Formula 1 World Championship.
Safety car driver Bernd Maylander discusses his experience and the thrill of leading F1 drivers after 500 races.
F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin discusses her journey from go-karting to becoming a Mercedes development driver and her dream of racing in Formula One.
Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies discusses the team's decision to fight for 2025 rather than focus on 2026 regulations, and the impact of their competitive spirit on current performance.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu discusses the team's medium-term goals of establishing themselves at the front of the midfield pack and the challenge of retaining promising driver Oli Behrmann.
Jacques Villeneuve's journey from a racer since childhood to becoming a bold F1 rookie who challenged champions like Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill.
Dan Towriss tells Tom Clarkson on F1 Beyond The Grid how Cadillac F1 moved from a Sauber pursuit into a 2026 grid entry, with General Motors and Mark Reuss as decisive partners.
Carlos Sainz and Tom Clarkson use F1 Beyond The Grid to trace his 2025 Williams season, from a "powerless" first 10 races to the Baku podium and a very different Qatar setup.
Enrico Cardile discusses his move from Ferrari to Aston Martin as chief technical officer, focusing on the 2026 F1 regulations and working with Adrian Newey.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur discusses the team's ambitions with drivers Charles Leclerc and new signing Lewis Hamilton.
Tom Clarkson hosts a special episode of F1 Beyond the Grid from 10 Downing Street, featuring interviews with Haas driver Oliver Bearman, Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon, and the UK Prime Minister to celebrate F1's 75th anniversary.
Mario Andretti reflects on 75 years of Formula One, from its dangerous early days to modern safety innovations.
Esteban Ocon discusses his move to Haas, his passion for racing, and his transition from Alpine.