Episodes

  • Gabriel Bortoleto explains steering wheels, ‘lift and coast’ + driving in the pitlane

    Gabriel Bortoleto explains steering wheels, ‘lift and coast’ + driving in the pitlane
    Oct 16 2025
    What does ‘lift and coast’ mean and why do drivers use this technique? How do they reduce their speed under a Virtual Safety Car? Why do they use a different engine mode when driving in the pitlane? And what do the buttons on an F1 steering wheel do?

    Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto joins Christian Hewgill in the paddock at the United States Grand Prix to answer your questions.

    Gabriel also reveals what has surprised him the most about teammate Nico Hulkenberg, how he feels about racing his manager Fernando Alonso on track and the differences between F2 and F1 cars.

    Have your question answered on the podcast
    Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

    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 with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
    Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation
    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • Marshals: The ‘first line of safety for F1 drivers’

    Marshals: The ‘first line of safety for F1 drivers’
    Oct 9 2025
    Without marshals, we wouldn't be able to go racing.

    In their bright orange jumpsuits, they're hard to miss. Hundreds of them are dotted around the track to ensure the safety of all the drivers competing in every series during a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.

    So how do they keep drivers safe? What roles are different marshals performing at different parts of the circuit? How do they know which flags to wave? What’s the process they go through when responding to incidents on track? And how do they work with Race Control?

    Ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne have been speaking to Mike Vandament and Jennifer Kelly, both of whom volunteer as marshals at the Circuit of the Americas, to answer your questions about what they do during a race weekend.

    And if you're interested in becoming a marshal, Sydney Davis Yagel works for the Sports Car Club of America. It’s her job to get people started with marshalling and other trackside jobs. Sydney tells Christian and Katie how she gives people those opportunities and what type of person she thinks makes a good marshal.

    THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO FORMULA 1 FLAGS
    Click here to find out what all the different flags in Formula 1 mean.

    Have your question answered on the podcast
    Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

    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 with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid
    Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation
    Show more Show less
    31 mins
  • The Medical Car: 'the world's fastest ambulance'

    The Medical Car: 'the world's fastest ambulance'
    Oct 2 2025
    When F1 drivers crash, the FIA Medical Car rushes to the scene. It's a high-performance machine with a racing driver at the wheel and a doctor in the passenger seat.

    The Medical Car crew, Dr Ian Roberts and driver Bruno Correia, answer your questions about their vital jobs. They tell Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill about responding to crashes, assessing driver injuries and the part of a Grand Prix when they're most likely to be called into action.

    Dr Ian explains how he went from working in a hospital to racetracks around the world, Bruno tells the story of swapping a racing car for the Aston Martin and Mercedes Medical Cars, and we hear what drivers are like after a crash.

    Get your question answered on the podcast
    Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

    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 with the stars of Formula 1 on F1 Beyond The Grid

    Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation
    Show more Show less
    36 mins
  • Alex Albon explains night races, car numbers + helmet designs

    Alex Albon explains night races, car numbers + helmet designs
    Sep 25 2025
    How different is driving at night compared to racing during the day? What impact does being a celebrity have on an F1 drivers’ life? How are car numbers decided? And what’s the process behind designing a special helmet?

    Williams’ Alex Albon joins Christian Hewgill in the Formula 1 paddock to answer your questions.

    Get your question answered on the podcast

    Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

    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 with the stars of Formula 1, including Alex Albon, on F1 Beyond The Grid

    Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation
    Show more Show less
    20 mins
  • How strategy is influenced by tyres, drivers, crashes, AI and more – Quickfire Questions with Bernie Collins

    How strategy is influenced by tyres, drivers, crashes, AI and more – Quickfire Questions with Bernie Collins
    Sep 18 2025
    What are race strategists doing during a Grand Prix? How are strategies decided for each driver within a team? What happens to that strategy when something unexpected happens, like teammates colliding with each other? And is Artificial Intelligence used when deciding the best tactics for a race?

    Bernie Collins, former F1 strategist at Aston Martin and McLaren, joins Christian Hewgill in the paddock to answer your questions about the sport.

    Bernie also explains why teams change their engine power during different sessions, why drivers try and leave their final qualifying run as late as possible, and what the rules are when a driver is asked to give a place back to an opponent.

    Get your question answered on the podcast

    Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

    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
    Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation
    Show more Show less
    36 mins
  • Ask a Team Principal with Sauber's Jonathan Wheatley

    Ask a Team Principal with Sauber's Jonathan Wheatley
    Sep 11 2025
    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 ambition to win in Formula 1.

    F1 Explains puts your questions to F1 experts and insiders. Send yours to F1Explains@F1.com

    More from official F1 podcasts:

    F1 Beyond The Grid
    Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto's story of leaving Brazil aged 11 to chase his F1 dream

    F1 Nation
    Valtteri Bottas on why he chose to join Cadillac for 2026
    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • Forza Ferrari – Why Ferrari are F1’s ‘most famous’ team

    Forza Ferrari – Why Ferrari are F1’s ‘most famous’ team
    Sep 4 2025
    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 pundit, Davide Valsecchi.

    They discuss how Ferrari’s long history with Formula 1 began, the legacy of legendary founder Enzo Ferrari, the team’s famous Tifosi fanbase, the pressure they face from the Italian media and why winning a title with Ferrari is extra special.

    Christian also meets some very passionate Italian Ferrari fans, who tell us why Ferrari mean so much to them, what it was like being at Monza when Charles Leclerc won in 2024, and how they would feel if Ferrari became World Champions again after such a long wait.

    Get your question answered on the podcast

    Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

    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
    Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation
    Show more Show less
    46 mins
  • Meet a Formula 1 pit crew - with Haas

    Meet a Formula 1 pit crew - with Haas
    Aug 28 2025
    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.

    Get your question answered on the podcast

    Send your voice notes and emails to F1Explains@F1.com

    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
    Expert reaction before and after every Grand Prix on F1 Nation
    Show more Show less
    24 mins