F1 Beyond The Grid

Oscar Piastri: fighting for his first F1 title

With three rounds left of the 2025 season, Oscar Piastri is still in contention to become Formula 1 World Champion for the first time. So what’s it like being in the thick of an F1 title fight with so much at stake? Speaking to Tom Clarkson before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Oscar opens up about the pressure of a title battle and why fighting a teammate is different to racing against any other driver. He also discusses whether his relationship with teammate Lando Norris has changed this year and how he feels McLaren have handled the challenge of treating them both equally. It’s easy to forget that this is only Oscar’s third season as an F1 driver. With seven wins, seven podiums and five pole positions, he’s taken a huge leap forward. What exactly did he work on over the winter to make so much progress this year? And how are race engineer Tom Stallard, manager Mark Webber and new physio Artturi Simila all helping his development? As well as reflecting on the highs, Oscar also talks about dealing with setbacks in Australia, at Silverstone and in Azerbaijan, which is good insight into how he’ll bounce back from a difficult weekend in Brazil. It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there! Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com [http://tickets.formula1.com/] Listen to more official F1 podcasts Every race analysed on F1 Nation [http://www.podfollow.com/f1-nation] Expert answers to your questions on F1 Explains [https://podfollow.com/f1-explains] THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY... SelectQuote: Get the right life insurance for you, for less, and save more than 50% at selectquote.com/beyondthegrid [https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flinks.uk.defend.egress.com%2FWarning%3FcrId%3D691387dc753337dab0a8c2a5%26Domain%3Df1.com%26Threat%3DeNpzrShJLcpLzAEADmkDRA%253D%253D%26Lang%3Den%26Base64Url%3DeNrLKCkpsNLXL07NSU0uKSzNL0nVS87P1U9KrczPSynJSE0vykwBAP68Dgs%253D%26%40OriginalLink%3Dselectquote.com&data=05%7C02%7Cjsmith%40f1.com%7C901ba6f61c38401319f408de21549e58%7Cb792abe295a94aff9e3a4beb3206df89%7C0%7C0%7C638984844488018339%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ynapMWUFpfSTspTEbZuKCfMkoG5xK%2FCguhbQLqMVb5E%3D&reserved=0] Rag & Bone: Upgrade your denim game with Rag & Bone! Get 20% off sitewide with code GRID at www.rag-bone.com [https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flinks.uk.defend.egress.com%2FWarning%3FcrId%3D691387dc753337dab0a8c2a5%26Domain%3Df1.com%26Threat%3DeNpzrShJLcpLzAEADmkDRA%253D%253D%26Lang%3Den%26Base64Url%3DeNrLKCkpsNLXLy8v1ytKTNdNys9L1UvOz9UHAG0qCJM%253D%26%40OriginalLink%3Dwww.rag-bone.com&data=05%7C02%7Cjsmith%40f1.com%7C901ba6f61c38401319f408de21549e58%7Cb792abe295a94aff9e3a4beb3206df89%7C0%7C0%7C638984844488035307%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=EPlBo58Ajh1fYzqtpTZ1PGi07WGTPksrDCnHVDB4mNA%3D&reserved=0]

Andrea Stella + Zak Brown: McLaren’s transformation + the Drivers’ Championship race

McLaren have won back-to-back Constructors’ titles for the first time since the early ‘90s. Just eight years ago, in 2017, they finished second to last, so how exactly have they transformed into World Champions since then? Speaking to Tom Clarkson at the McLaren Technology Centre, CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella outline how they’ve masterminded McLaren’s remarkable turnaround together, revealing just how desperate the team’s situation was at the start of this journey, and how they’re planning to sustain their recent success in the years to come. But in the immediate future, their eyes are on the next prize, as they chase a first Drivers’ World Championship since Lewis Hamilton won in 2008. Going into the final four rounds of the 2025 season, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are separated by just one point at the top of the standings. Zak and Andrea discuss how the pair have evolved during their time at McLaren, criticism of their approach to this title fight, and whether they’ll have any regrets should Max Verstappen beat Lando and Oscar to the crown.   This episode is sponsored by: Vanta: get started at Vanta.com/GRID [http://vanta.com/GRID] Indeed: listeners of this show can get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at indeed.com/GRID [http://indeed.com/GRID] Shopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid [http://shopify.com/beyondthegrid]

LEGENDS: Mika Hakkinen’s 1995 crash + incredible recovery

30 years ago, a 120mph puncture sent Mika Hakkinen’s car spinning over a high kerb and into a wall of tyres. His McLaren did not have many of the safety devices modern F1 cars have. Mika suffered serious injuries which left him in hospital, unsure if he would ever race again. Mika tells Tom Clarkson he thinks about his crash at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix every day, and he remembers the moment he lost control of the car and hit the wall vividly. He talks about his physical and mental recovery and the nerves he felt the first time he got back into a Formula 1 car after the crash. Hakkinen returned to Formula 1 for the 1996 season, but says the crash had a lasting impact. He recalls how he shook off his doubts, rediscovered his speed and became strong enough to win the Formula 1 World Championship in 1998 and 1999. This episode is sponsored by: Honda Vintage Culture: listeners can get 20% off the full Honda Vintage Culture range at hondavintageculture.com [http://hondavintageculture.com] and use the code BTG20 at checkout  CarGurus: go to cargurus.co.uk [http://cargurus.co.uk] for complete vehicle details without any surprises. Bitdefender: visit bitdefender.com [http://bitdefender.com] to learn more about how Bitdefender supports Ferrari to stay ahead of cyber threats and how YOU can make your digital life safer. Ridge: Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off Ridge with code GRID at https://www.Ridge.com/GRID [https://www.Ridge.com/GRID]

Enrico Cardile: Aston Martin’s 2026 ambitions + working with Adrian Newey

Ahead of a new era of Formula 1 in 2026, Italian engineer Enrico Cardile moved from Ferrari to Aston Martin. Working alongside Adrian Newey as Chief Technical Officer, his aim is to turn Aston into winners. Enrico tells Tom Clarkson how he studied Ferrari at university, before joining the company as a young engineer in the road car division. He moved on to the F1 team, developing single-seaters which took Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc to Grand Prix wins. Enrico left Ferrari and joined Aston Martin in summer 2025. He describes the differences between an established team and one which is still building. He describes working with Adrian Newey at Aston’s state-of-the-art factory, what Lance Stroll has in common with Raikkonen and how driver feedback from Stroll and Fernando Alonso is helping to drive the team forwards. This episode is sponsored by: Truewerk: get 15% off your first order at truewerk.com [http://truewerk.com] with the code GRID. Honda Vintage Culture: right now, listeners can get 20% off the full Honda Vintage Culture range. Just head to hondavintageculture.com [http://hondavintageculture.com] and use the code BTG20 at checkout.  Shopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid [http://shopify.com/beyondthegrid] Salesforce: visit salesforce.com/f1 [http://salesforce.com/f1] to learn more about how Formula 1 drives fan excitement with Agentforce - the powerful AI from Salesforce

Allan McNish: winning ‘the Audi way’

Serial winner in sports cars, Formula 1 driver and all-out racer: Allan McNish is using his experience to give Audi a fast start in F1. A Le Mans and World Endurance Championship-winner with the manufacturer, Allan knows how ‘the Audi way’ of racing will translate to F1. Allan’s own journey to F1 began with a McLaren test alongside Ayrton Senna. 13 years later, he finally made his Grand Prix debut. Allan tells Tom Clarkson how his sportscar career eventually led him to F1 with Toyota, and seeing a young Fernando Alonso’s unique driving style up-close while at Renault. Plus, Allan explains his work with the new Audi F1 team ahead of their 2026 debut, and why he thinks Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are the perfect drivers for the team. This episode is sponsored by: Babbel - right now, Babbel is offering our listeners up to 60% on their subscription. Go to babbel.com/GRID [http://babbel.com/GRID] to claim your discount. Liquid I.V - go to liquidiv.com [http://liquidiv.com] and get 20% off your first order with code GRID at checkout CarGurus - head to cargurus.co.uk [http://cargurus.co.uk] for complete vehicle details without any surprises Vanta - get started at Vanta.com/GRID [http://Vanta.com/GRID]