logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
35m 32s

Mick Schumacher + Bernie Collins explain...

FORMULA 1
About this episode
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 intense run to turn 1. Former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy Bernie Collins tells us how the race start affects the team's plan for tyres and pit stops.

Get in touch!
Send your question to F1 Explains. We'll find the experts to answer it! Record your question as a voice note or write it in an email and send it to F1Explains@F1.com

Catch up with our other episodes
2023
More Official F1 Podcasts
  • For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid 
  • For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation
Up next
Jul 3
75 Years of F1: How the sport arrived and thrived - with Damon Hill + Alex Jacques at the British GP
1996 Formula 1 World Champion, Damon Hill, and F1TV’s lead commentator, Alex Jacques, join Christian Hewgill at the British Grand Prix for an F1 history lesson - 75 years since the World Championship began at Silverstone in 1950. How did the pinnacle of motorsport begin? What did ... Show More
52m 14s
Jul 1
This Friday: F1 Explains LIVE at the British Grand Prix
F1 Explains will be live on-stage at the British Grand Prix with two special guests: Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, and F1 legend David Coulthard will join Christian Hewgill to answer your questions. See you there! F1 EXPLAINS LIVE AT SILVERSTONE Friday 4th July Main Stage 111 ... Show More
1m 10s
Jun 26
F1 commentary, team radio + qualifying questions - with Alex Jacques + Jolyon Palmer
How do F1 commentators call races? What do F1 team radio messages mean? How do drivers make sure their laps in qualifying are as fast as possible? In this 'mega' episode, F1TV commentary duo Alex Jacques and Jolyon Palmer explain how they do their jobs - the camera shots and data ... Show More
29 m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
REVISITED: Martin Brundle on the best F1 cars of each decade
Season 5 of F1: Beyond The Grid starts with a brand-new episode on Wednesday 16th March. With just days to go before we see the new 2022 cars go wheel to wheel, we revisit an episode from 2020 when Martin Brundle joined Tom to discuss the best F1 cars he’s ever driven. The Briton ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 2021
Mick Schumacher on learning from his father, his ambitions and F1 mentors
His father is a tough act to follow, but Mick Schumacher is loving writing his own Formula 1 story. In his debut season he’s often out of the spotlight at the back of the grid, but he’s proving he’s got what it takes to compete with the front-runners. Mick tells Tom Clarkson abou ... Show More
38m 25s
Jul 2022
Mike Krack: Vettel + Massa’s mentor, aiming high at Aston Martin
He’s the newest member of ‘The Piranha Club’ – the nickname for the ruthlessly competitive group of F1 Team Principals. Aston Martin’s Mike Krack is not a newcomer to F1, however. A former European go-kart racer, Mike earned his engineering stripes with Sauber in the early 2000s, ... Show More
50m 26s
Jul 2023
Home heroes + Red Bull records – British GP review ft Lando’s dad, Horner + Albon
Two British drivers on the podium. A record-equalling 11th straight win for Red Bull. The 2023 British Grand Prix will go down in history. Max Verstappen took his sixth win in a row at Silverstone, but McLaren stole the headlines with Lando Norris' first home podium and Oscar Pia ... Show More
51m 20s
Jun 2021
NASCAR icon Jeff Gordon on his famous F1 test and love of Grand Prix racing
Our guest this week is a driver who never actually raced in F1 – but he did test an F1 car and very nearly raced one: Jeff Gordon. The Californian is a four-time NASCAR champion and global motorsport icon, who in 2003 enjoyed a life-changing F1 test with Williams. He tells us all ... Show More
1h 5m
Mar 2023
Shocks at the start - Bahrain GP Review ft Newey, Stroll, Schumacher + Sargeant
Fernando Alonso’s podium, Charles Leclerc’s retirement, Red Bull’s pace advantage; the 2023 F1 season started with some shocks. We hear from Max Verstappen and Alonso, then Red Bull’s victorious Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey tells Tom Clarkson and Natalie Pinkham there wer ... Show More
49m 54s
Mar 2022
Tech boss Pat Fry: 35 years at the top of F1
Name a top F1 team or driver – Pat Fry is probably a big part of their success. He’s spent 35 years winning with Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari and Alpine, racing with world champion drivers Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. In that time he’s seen F1 ch ... Show More
51m 51s
May 2022
Alexander Rossi: twists, turns and tragedy on the road to F1
Growing up in Northern California, a young Alexander Rossi dreamed of racing in Formula 1. His route was not an easy one. Along the way he experienced false starts, unfulfilled promises, behind the scenes power moves and the tragic loss of his friend and teammate Jules Bianchi. A ... Show More
53m 36s
Dec 2021
Kimi Raikkonen on retirement, being a world champion and 20 years in F1
After 348 Grand Prix starts, just one remains. Ahead of his final race in Formula 1, Kimi Raikkonen joins Tom Clarkson to look back at his 20 year career: the races, the teammates, the bosses, the championship he clinched in 2007 and those he missed out on. ‘Everything comes to a ... Show More
1h 6m
Apr 2022
Steve Nichols: engineering domination for McLaren
Creator of an iconic F1 car, with an inside view of a ferocious racing rivalry: Steve Nichols has witnessed some extraordinary things. The American engineer designed the McLaren MP4/4, the car which stormed to 15 wins in 16 races in 1988. He tells Tom Clarkson the story of the MP ... Show More
1h 31m