logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
39m 44s

How the F1 season is scheduled - with Lo...

FORMULA 1
About this episode
24 spectacular Grands Prix in 21 incredible countries. A Formula 1 season is a world tour. How is it scheduled? F1 Explains gets the inside track from Formula 1 Director of Race Promotion, Louise Young. 

Her team is responsible for planning the Formula 1 calendar. They decide the order of races, negotiate contracts and work with promoters – the groups who own or operate the racetracks which host each Grand Prix. 

Louise explains how the F1 season is scheduled, how new races are chosen, and how Grands Prix are planned to allow freight to be moved sustainably using ships. 

Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill ask Louise where F1 is going next, whether some races could rotate in the future, and what the key ingredients are for a great Grand Prix. 

F1 Explains listeners Chris in Queensland, Cameron in Canada, Chrissy in the US and Bear from California had their questions on the F1 calendar answered in this episode. If you have a question about how Formula 1 works, send it to F1Explains@F1.com

You might find your answer in a previous episode:
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
It's all to drive for in 2024. Be there:
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

Up next
Oct 9
Marshals: The ‘first line of safety for F1 drivers’
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 dr ... Show More
30m 57s
Oct 2
The Medical Car: 'the world's fastest ambulance'
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 ... Show More
35m 49s
Sep 25
Alex Albon explains night races, car numbers + helmet designs
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 ... Show More
20m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 16
Graeme Lowdon: getting Cadillac on-track in F1
Six months before their first race, the new Cadillac Formula 1 Team is already moving fast. The drivers have been signed, the car is being developed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and engineers are running simulations to prepare for Grand Prix racing. Leading Cadillac to th ... Show More
55m 53s
Feb 2025
F1 TESTING 2025 | Listener questions, an F1 wedding and a HUGE announcement
Who is going to win the 2025 F1 World Championship? Well, we still have no idea. But what we do know is how much hi-vis paint McLaren have sprayed on their car, how quick Red Bull are looking and that Lewis Hamilton is pretty happy in his new Ferrari. We'll discuss all that and s ... Show More
36m 27s
Sep 15
‘Gloves off’ in McLaren title fight? Ferrari at the front? Kimi’s point to prove – 2025 Azerbaijan GP Preview
Former Renault driver and F1TV commentator Jolyon Palmer joins Tom Clarkson to preview this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After their awkward team orders in Monza, how do Jolyon and Tom think McLaren are managing the title fight between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris? What imp ... Show More
53m 7s
Sep 1
Oscar’s turnaround, Lando’s title blow + Hadjar’s ‘masterpiece’ podium – 2025 Dutch GP Review
Marcin Budkowski, who worked with Oscar Piastri at Alpine and held engineering roles at Ferrari and McLaren, joins Tom Clarkson in the Zandvoort paddock to reflect on an action-packed Dutch Grand Prix. After Lando Norris’s late mechanical failure, Piastri’s seventh victory of the ... Show More
47m 50s
Sep 2
Fred Vasseur: Ferrari’s ‘next step’ with Lewis Hamilton + Charles Leclerc
‘Pressure is the best motivation for all of us’. Fred Vasseur knows all about pressure. He leads Formula 1’s most storied team. At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the tifosi – Ferrari’s passionate fans – want to see Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton on the podium. But what they, ... Show More
58m 43s
Feb 2025
Racing for Ferrari: Vettel, Prost + Mansell from the BTG Archive
Lewis Hamilton is getting ready for his first season with Ferrari in 2025. He’s won seven World Championships and 105 races, but some of Formula 1’s most successful drivers have joined Ferrari in the past and missed out on the ultimate prize. So what lessons can Lewis take from t ... Show More
41m 37s
Sep 30
Derek Bell: from Ferrari F1 debut at Monza to five Le Mans wins
A whirlwind rise to Formula 1 with its most famous team in the 1960s, and one of the greatest sportscar racing drivers in the world during the ‘70s and ‘80s, Derek Bell has established an incredible legacy in motorsport. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Derek talks about being personall ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2025
'I'm here to win' | Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon & Jenson Button on Williams' hopes for 2025
In our second special pre-season episode from Silverstone we're joined by Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon and Jenson Button as Williams launch their 2025 season. We cover some serious ground from how Carlos and Alex are getting on as teammates, to what they learned from each other as ne ... Show More
50m 33s
Oct 2
Ted’s Singapore Podbook | A second chance for McLaren, why Red Bull are the inform team, and it’s not as hot as you think!
Ted is in the Paddock in Singapore alongside Jamie Chadwick and Anthony Davidson to bring you all the news from media day ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. They ask if this is the weekend when McLaren clinch the Constructors' Championship. They also discuss if Oscar Piastri can ... Show More
21m 55s