F1 Explains

Cars that feel F1-fast. Racetracks that look real. Drivers in detail. EA SPORTS F124, the latest official Formula 1 game, is out on 31 May and it's more lifelike than ever. How do game designers bring the world of F1 to life on your console? Katie and Christian speak to two of F124's creators to find out: Lee Mather - Senior Creative Designer Casey Ringley - Senior Game Designer + Vehicle Handling...

Grand Prix-winning strategists Ruth Buscombe and Bernie Collins are back with Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill to answer another batch of your Formula 1 questions. On the list this week:  Why do teams sometimes get their race strategies wrong? How are car upgrades planned? How do you become an F1 race strategist? What do drivers do to look after their tyres? What are the T-bars on top of F1 car...

Two race-winning F1 strategists answer your questions on how teams plan their pit stops, what happens if fewer than 10 cars finish a Grand Prix and how teams hide their secrets when they speak to drivers on the radio. Bernie Collins and Ruth Buscombe join Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill for a quickfire episode of F1 Explains. Why do some teams hope they'll finish a lap behind the leader? What...

At the Miami Grand Prix, F1 Explains went live on-stage with former Haas Team Principal and Miami GP Ambassador, Guenther Steiner. F1 Explains listeners Joan from Florida, Amanda from Tennessee and Nick from Washington D.C. asked Guenther questions about the life of an F1 Team Principal and whether Steiner's office door survived being smashed by Kevin Magnussen. Special thanks to Sam Rose, Carla C...

A Formula 1 car is like a musical instrument: to perform at its best, it has to be tuned. Aerodynamics, suspension, tyres, and transmission can all be changed to suit the racetrack, the driver and the weather. In Miami, Christian Hewgill joins Aston Martin to explore car setup, with driver Fernando Alonso, Ambassador and former F1 racer Pedro de la Rosa, and Performance Director Tom McCullough. Se...

When F1 drivers get dressed for a race, safety is the number one priority. Their gloves, balaclavas, boots, suits and underwear protect them from fire and heat. But race kit can't slow them down. It needs to be light, comfortable and breathable, with a few special features built-in to help them perform at their best.  Maurizio Sicco, Consultant at PUMA Motorsport and racewear expert tells Katie Os...

Taming the insane speed of an F1 car takes extraordinary skill and incredible technology. The brakes glow red hot. The drivers feel extreme G-forces. How do F1 braking systems work, and how do drivers cope every time they slam their left foot into the pedal? Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill break down F1 brakes with: Andrea Algeri, engineer from Brembo, which produces brakes for the entire F1 g...

Formula 1 Team Principals have a lot to do. They have to manage the drivers, engineers, mechanics, designers and hundreds of other employees at the racetrack and in the factory. Team Principals lead them all through wins, podiums and retirements. If things don't go well, they sometimes pay with their jobs. Aston Martin's Team Principal Mike Krack tells Katie and Christian about his job and how it...

In Formula 1, a driver's teammate is their biggest rival. Each wants to beat the other, but they also need to score maximum points for their teams. When teammates work together, big rewards can follow. When they clash, it can get messy. Kick Sauber F1 Team duo Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have been teammates since 2022. They tell Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne the secrets of their relation...

'Please can you summarise how F1 rules have changed since Fernando Alonso's F1 debut?', asks Richard in Dallas, Texas. 23 years of engines, tyres and points systems? No problem for Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne! That's just one of the questions tackled in this episode, featuring F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and former Renault F1 racer Jolyon Palmer. Also answered:  What's the difference bet...

F1 stars of the future show their speed in Formula 2 and Formula 3. The categories immediately below Formula 1 in the motorsport ladder are the perfect place for a driver to sharpen their skills and prove they're ready to move up.  How do F2 and F3 work? How are the cars different? How do they prepare drivers for Formula 1? To answer those questions and many more, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osbor...

Why is finishing outside the points still important? How do you really say 'Charles Leclerc?' How did the pit lane get its name? Christian and Katie put these listener questions and more to F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer. Ask us a question! We love answering your F1 Qs. Write them in an email or record them as a voice note and send them to F1Explains@F1.com Catch...

The game-changing, trailblazing, all-female racing series is back for 2024 with new drivers, top teams and wheel-to-wheel action. The second season of F1 ACADEMY starts this weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill find out everything there is to know ahead of the first race. Susie Wolff, who's driving the series forwards as Managing Director, tells Katie and Ch...

20 F1 cars. 5 red lights. 0.2 seconds to react. 5 seconds to 120 mph. The start of a Formula 1 Grand Prix demands extraordinary skill from the drivers and quick decisions from the team strategists. Katie and Christian explore the start of a race with Mercedes reserve driver and former Haas racer Mick Schumacher, who explains what happens in the cockpit in the moments before the start, and the inte...

The latest season of Drive To Survive is another fascinating look inside Formula 1. How is the show planned, filmed and edited? How do the producers decide what stories to tell? What does the future hold for the series? To find out, Christian and Katie speak to Drive to Survive's award-winning Executive Producer, James Gay-Rees of Box To Box Films. F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast which answ...

Where in the world is Christian Hewgill? He’s in Bahrain to find out why F1 pre-season testing is so important for teams, engineers and drivers. Katie Osborne has a list of listener questions, Christian gets the answers from McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, Alpine Reserve Driver Jack Doohan, Mercedes’ Communications Director Bradley Lord and McLaren Racing Director Randy Singh. F1 Explains is the off...

F1 Explains is back for 2024! Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are starting by answering your questions about new F1 cars. When do teams start working on their challengers for a new season? How much of a new F1 car is actually new? What happens when a team comes up with something that has never been seen before? Aston Martin's Technical Director Dan Fallows explains how a new Formula 1 car goes...

Your F1 questions answered by F1 experts. Katie Osborne + Christian Hewgill are back with drivers, engineers + exclusive interviews with people who make F1 work.  Send your questions to F1Explains@F1.com. 

Brilliant questions, fascinating answers. F1 Explains explores how our favourite sport really works. In 2023, Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill put your questions to drivers, engineers, strategists, designers and many more of the people who do great work behind the scenes. At the end of the podcast's first season, Katie and Christian have picked the things they loved learning the most, including...

‘Being here in person is incredible’. ‘Insane. It blows my mind’. ‘It’s a different and amazing experience’. We love watching F1 on-screen, but this episode is all about why going to a Formula 1 Grand Prix is next level. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne head to the grandstands at the 2023 US Grand Prix to hear why seeing F1 live is a must-do for any F1 fan. Whether it’s seeing how fast the cars...

How do teams and drivers get ready for a track they've never been to before? It takes complex calculations, decades of data and a dash of racers' instinct. F1 Explains has the full answer as we prepare to head to Las Vegas. Plus, who gets which garage in the pit lane? What happens in 'parc fermé', what's an 'anti-stall' and which drivers are interview chatterboxes?  Katie Osborne and Christian Hew...

How do F1 drivers find the fastest way around a racetrack? Why do the stars of our sport use special drinks bottles? Do some F1 teams have No 1 and No 2 drivers? Race-winning F1 strategist Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto return to answer your questions in another quickfire special. Plus, why do F1 tracks get grippier, what really goes on in F1 hospitality and ho...

A Formula 1 legend, F1 fans with questions and a loud Texas crowd. F1 Explains took to the stage at the Circuit of The Americas for our first ever live show! Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill welcomed former McLaren, Red Bull and Williams driver David Coulthard to COTA's Amphitheatre stage. F1 Explains listeners Crystal from New York, Sammi from Massachusetts and Amanda from Tennessee brought th...

Priceless cars, team headquarters, crucial equipment, thousands of spare parts, tyres, fuel... and the Team Principal's favourite coffee. Every item F1 teams need to compete is moved from race to race by an amazing team of logistics experts. Formula 1's Global Logistics Partner, DHL, moves the sport around the world. It's a year-round, tight deadline task which is being achieved more sustainably t...

High-speed corners or tricky hairpins? Flat-out straights or tight chicanes? Every Formula 1 racetrack is a unique challenge for the drivers and teams, and the work to create them is a blend of artistry and engineering. F1 Explains how F1 circuits go from a sketch on a piece of paper, through state-of-the-art digital simulation, to reality. What are the challenges of building a racetrack? How are...