Episodes

  • Liam Lawson's racing line, how Ferrari found Ollie Bearman + Oscar Piastri's F2 preparation - The Best of 2024

    Liam Lawson's racing line, how Ferrari found Ollie Bearman + Oscar Piastri's F2 preparation - The Best of 2024
    Dec 20 2024
    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 win in F1
    • Jack Doohan explains braking at 200mph
    • Bernie Collins' guide to the F1 pit lane
    • Planning the F1 calendar
    • How performance engineers coach drivers to go faster
    • What happens on the grid in the minutes before the race start
    Whether you're a new F1 fan or a long-time follower, there's always something more to learn about F1. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, send it as an email or a voice note to F1Explains@F1.com

    Thank you for listening, for sending questions and for coming to our live shows in 2024. F1 Explains will be back for more in 2025.

    Listen to more official F1 Podcasts
    F1 Beyond The Grid - in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars
    F1 Nation - Grand Prix reviews and previews from inside the F1 paddock

    Experience F1 live
    Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

    Discover F1 Unlocked
    Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Avoiding DNFs: how F1 teams keep their cars racing

    Avoiding DNFs: how F1 teams keep their cars racing
    Dec 6 2024
    '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...'
    You can get your question answered on the podcast. Send your question to F1Explains@F1.com

    Listen to more official F1 podcasts
    • F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars
    • F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews
    Discover F1 Unlocked
    Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Pato O'Ward on driving 'amazing' F1 cars - in F1 Garage

    Pato O'Ward on driving 'amazing' F1 cars - in F1 Garage
    Nov 29 2024
    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 - in F1 Garage
    Catch all the on-track action and indulge in premium hospitality throughout the Grand Prix weekend. Find out more and book here

    Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com
    Discover F1 Unlocked
    Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free
    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • How Formula 1 takes over Las Vegas

    How Formula 1 takes over Las Vegas
    Nov 22 2024
    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 the non-stop entertainment capital of the world, including re-opening the track to regular traffic in-between the F1 action.

    Katie and Christian answer your questions about the Las Vegas Strip Circuit – the layout, the track surface and the barriers. Then, Christian heads to the grandstands to talk to fans who are loving watching F1 live in Vegas.

    If you want to experience the Las Vegas Grand Prix for yourself, you can place your deposit for 2025 tickets now at f1lasvegasgp.com/2025-deposits/. Plus, coming in Spring 2025, an F1 Drive karting track and other special events in Grand Prix Plaza.


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

    Listen to more official F1 podcasts
    • F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars
    • F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews
    Discover F1 Unlocked
    Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Inside the F1 Pit Lane - with Bernie Collins

    Inside the F1 Pit Lane - with Bernie Collins
    Nov 15 2024
    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 Explains, my F1 question is...'
    Be part of the podcast. Send your question to F1Explains@F1.com

    10 Teams, 20 Drivers, 1 Massive Season Launch
    A groundbreaking season launch event at London’s The O2 – featuring all the teams, their drivers and team bosses, plus top entertainment – ahead of the 2025 campaign.
    18.02.25!


    Listen to more official F1 podcasts
    • F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars
    • F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews
    Discover F1 Unlocked
    Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Miami GP ticket competition: Christian + Katie announce the winners

    Miami GP ticket competition: Christian + Katie announce the winners
    Nov 8 2024
    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 here.

    Send your F1 questions to F1Explains@F1.com
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • What really happens on the F1 starting grid - with Oscar Piastri's engineer + Gordon Ramsay

    What really happens on the F1 starting grid - with Oscar Piastri's engineer + Gordon Ramsay
    Nov 8 2024
    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 us what he and Oscar Piastri are talking about on the grid. Plus celebrity chef and F1 fan Gordon Ramsay describes the pre-race atmosphere.

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

    Listen to more official F1 podcasts
    • F1 Beyond The Grid - exclusive interviews with F1's biggest stars
    • F1 Nation - expert Grand Prix reviews and previews
    Experience Formula 1 live Tickets for the end of the 2024 F1 season and the start of 2025 are available now at tickets.formula1.com

    Discover F1 Unlocked
    Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem epic rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Strategy, slipstreams + sim racing - LIVE at F1 Arcade Washington D.C.

    Strategy, slipstreams + sim racing - LIVE at F1 Arcade Washington D.C.
    Nov 1 2024
    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 explain how drivers influence strategy during a race, what Team Principals do on the pit wall, and the difference between 'dirty air' and a slipstream.

    Plus, F1 Explains gave people who attended the Watch Party the chance to win tickets to the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. The competition is now closed. Winners will be announced on a future episode. Good luck to everyone who entered. Tickets courtesy of the Miami Grand Prix
    You can buy 2025 Miami Grand Prix tickets here

    Listen to more official F1 podcasts
    • For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid
    • For race previews and reviews from inside the F1 paddock, listen to F1 Nation

    Show More Show Less
    42 mins