logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
29m 2s

Mika Hakkinen on high-speed tracks + dri...

FORMULA 1
About this episode
A double F1 World Champion and three F1 Explains listeners joined Christian Hewgill live on stage at the 2024 British Grand Prix.

F1 Explains listeners Sophie from Rugby, Ryan from London and Alex from Atlanta Georgia asked Mika Hakkinen about how Formula 1 has changed since his final season in 2001 and how it feels to drive high-speed corners. The 1998 and 1999 World Champion also explains what is involved in contract negotiations between drivers and teams.

Special thanks to Ella Clarke, Jordan Henley and Tham Islam at F1, Nicki Seifert at Silverstone and the team at The Driver's Inn Stage.

Watch F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Austin, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

F1 Explains will be coming to the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas in October 2024, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November 2024. More details coming soon.

Find the answer in our previous episodes
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
Up next
Jul 31
How F1 teams find future stars – with Mercedes
Where do Formula 1 teams spot the drivers of the future? What are they looking for in young racers? And how did Mercedes guide Kimi Antonelli from karting to F1? F1 Explains explores junior driver programmes, which exist to find talented young drivers and support them as they cli ... Show More
48m 2s
Jul 24
Ask Stefano Domenicali – F1 President and CEO answers your questions
Being the boss of Formula 1 is a big job. F1 teams, drivers, race promoters, sponsors and more than 825 million fans worldwide rely on Stefano Domenicali to lead the sport forwards. It’s a huge responsibility, so how does he keep everyone happy? Speaking to Christian Hewgill, Ste ... Show More
33m 25s
Jul 17
Esteban Ocon explains F1 training, post-race weigh-ins + racing focus
He's a race-winner, a Haas driver and he lays claim to being the tallest person on the F1 grid (hairstyle permitting). Esteban Ocon joins F1 Explains to answer the latest batch of listener questions. Among the topics in our inbox: how drivers prepare mentally and physically, why ... Show More
36 m
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
Liam Lawson's racing line, how Ferrari found Ollie Bearman + Oscar Piastri's F2 preparation - The Best of F1 Explains 2024
What really happens on the grid before a race? How do Formula 1 teams scout their future stars? How are drivers coached to go faster?  In 2024, F1 Explains answered these questions and many more sent in by F1 fans from all over the world. F1 Explains takes your questions and find ... Show More
47m 18s
Jul 29
Adrian Reynard: a founding father of Brawn GP + Mercedes
Adrian Reynard's motor racing outfit were one of the best in the world during the 1980s and '90s – winning multiple championships across Formula 3000, F3 and IndyCar. Reynard Racing Cars also held an impressive record of winning the first race of every major single-seater competi ... Show More
1h 1m
Jul 4
F1 at Downing Street - with the UK Prime Minister, James Vowles, Oliver Bearman + Cadillac boss Graeme Lowdon
To celebrate 75 years of the Formula 1 World Championship, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer invited drivers, Team Principals and others from the sport to 10 Downing Street - the heart of government in the UK. In a special episode of F1 Beyond The Grid, the Prime Minister tells Tom ... Show More
23m 27s
Jul 21
Red Bull’s new era + Ferrari’s ‘silver bullet’? – 2025 Belgian GP Preview with Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver and F1TV commentator Jolyon Palmer joins Tom Clarkson to preview this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, which features the third F1 Sprint event of the season. What will new Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Laurent Mekies be hoping to achieve during his first wee ... Show More
43m 25s
Dec 2024
Carlos Sainz: pain, pride + potential
This episode is presented by Explora Journeys - redefining luxury ocean travel. 2024 has been a turbulent year for Carlos Sainz. It started with a shock: Lewis Hamilton would be replacing him at Ferrari in 2025. Then he missed a race with appendicitis. But the year is ending with ... Show More
1h 1m
Dec 2024
'One of a kind': Mercedes on Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes: their names are together forever in the Formula 1 record books. As the most successful team and driver partnership in the sport's history comes to an end, some of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes colleagues tell Tom Clarkson their stories of working with him ... Show More
1 h
Dec 2024
Ageless Alonso, Carlos’s comeback + super sub Bearman – The Best of 2024
A driver market for the ages, Verstappen at his very best, emotional race wins, new Constructor World Champions and the end of some iconic eras. The 2024 Formula 1 season was sensational. On F1 Beyond The Grid, the stars of this dramatic year of racing have sat down with Tom Clar ... Show More
1h 22m
Jul 8
Anthony Davidson: reaching the pinnacle through talent + testing
Racing twice in 2002 with Minardi and once again three years later with BAR Honda in 2005, Anthony Davidson’s Formula 1 career had a few false starts. But in 2007, he finally got a full-time shot with Super Aguri. Although his F1 career ended just over a year later, Anthony is ri ... Show More
1h 14m
Mar 2025
Yuki's chance + will the McLaren fight get 'spicy'? Japanese GP Preview with Natalie Pinkham + Lawrence Barretto
Tom Clarkson is joined by Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham and F1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto to discuss the big talking points ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunoda will make his debut for Red Bull Racing at his home race after replacing Liam Lawso ... Show More
57m 40s
Apr 2025
Verstappen 'perfection', a miss for McLaren? Japanese GP Review with Yuki Tsunoda, Christian Horner, Heikki Kovalainen + Laura Winter
F1 race-winner Heikki Kovalainen and F1TV presenter Laura Winter join Tom Clarkson for a post-race debrief following the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner praises Max Verstappen's 'inch-perfect' race win at Suzuka and reveals the engineering work ... Show More
51m 28s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami