logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
1h 17m

Ageless Alonso, Carlos’s comeback + supe...

FORMULA 1
About this episode
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 Clarkson, revealing what it’s like being at the centre of the biggest stories of the season and sharing fascinating insight into what life is like as a Formula 1 driver, Team Principal, engineer, designer, and more. In this end-of year special, Tom picks his favourite moments from a long list of stellar guests.

Fernando Alonso reflects on becoming the first driver in F1 history to compete in 400 Grands Prix and why he nearly retired much earlier in his career. Carlos Sainz explains how he recovered from physical and mental setbacks to win multiple races. And Ollie Bearman describes what it was really like making his F1 debut at such short notice in Saudi Arabia.

As well as today’s big names, legends of the past like Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard relive their career-defining moments. Plus, you’ll hear memories of Lewis Hamilton’s time at Mercedes and Bruno Senna’s stories of growing up with his uncle Ayrton, 30 years on from his death.

Thank you for listening in 2024. F1 Beyond The Grid will return in 2025.

To hear the full interviews with the guests featured in this show, click on the links below…

Toto Wolff
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
Juan Pablo Montoya
David Coulthard
Bruno Senna
Fernando Alonso
Andy Stevenson
Ollie Bearman
Ayao Komatsu 
Tom Stallard
Paul Monaghan


Listen to more official F1 Podcasts
F1 Nation - Grand Prix reviews and previews from inside the F1 paddock
F1 Explains - answering your questions about Formula 1

Experience F1 live
Tickets for the 2025 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com

Discover F1 Unlocked
Unseen. Unheard. F1 Unlocked. Dive into exclusive content from F1 experts, redeem rewards and enter money-can't-buy competitions. Click here to join for free

This episode is sponsored by:

Vanta: visit vanta.com/GRID for $1,000 off

SelectQuote: Get the right life insurance for you for less at selectquote.com/BEYONDTHEGRID

Unbound Merino: head over to unboundmerino.com where new customers can use the code GRID for 10% off of their order!

Masterclass: get up to 50% off at masterclass.com/GRID


Up next
Nov 19
Helmut Marko: choosing champions at Red Bull
<div>Every driver who wants to win with Red Bull needs to impress Helmut Marko. The veteran Motorsport Advisor oversees the team’s young driver programme and helped launch the careers of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. A former F1 driver himself, he knows what it takes to ra ... Show More
48m 48s
Nov 12
Oscar Piastri: fighting for his first F1 title
<div>With three rounds left of the 2025 season, Oscar Piastri is still in contention to become Formula 1 World Champion for the first time.<br> <br> So what’s it like being in the thick of an F1 title fight with so much at stake?<br> <br> Speaking to Tom Clarkson before the Sao P ... Show More
1h 2m
Nov 5
Andrea Stella + Zak Brown: McLaren’s transformation + the Drivers’ Championship race
<div>McLaren have won back-to-back Constructors’ titles for the first time since the early ‘90s.</div> <br> <div>Just eight years ago, in 2017, they finished second to last, so how exactly have they transformed into World Champions since then?</div> <br> <div>Speaking to Tom Clar ... Show More
58m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
Alonso, Sainz, Wolff + more - The Best of F1 Beyond The Grid 2024
On F1 Beyond The Grid, Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth conversations with Tom Clarkson. They reveal what it’s like being at the centre of the biggest stories of the season and share fascinating insight into what life is like as a Formula 1 driver, Team Principal, ... Show More
1h 22m
Mar 2025
Rookie seasons - with Jenson Button + McLaren's Tom Stallard
<div>Faster cars. Brighter spotlight. Higher pressure. A Formula 1 debut is a dream come true, but rookies need to impress, or their first season could be their last...<br> <br> 2009 World Champion Jenson Button tells Christian Hewgill the lessons he learned from his first year i ... Show More
37m 32s
Sep 1
Oscar’s turnaround, Lando’s title blow + Hadjar’s ‘masterpiece’ podium – 2025 Dutch GP Review
<div>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.<br> <br> After Lando Norris’s late mechanical failure, Piastri’s seventh ... Show More
45m 4s
Sep 15
‘Gloves off’ in McLaren title fight? Ferrari at the front? Kimi’s point to prove – 2025 Azerbaijan GP Preview
<div>Former Renault driver and F1TV commentator Jolyon Palmer joins Tom Clarkson to preview this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.<br> <br> After their awkward team orders in Monza, how do Jolyon and Tom think McLaren are managing the title fight between Oscar Piastri and Lando No ... Show More
51m 25s
Nov 10
Lando ‘peaking at perfect time’, Max’s ‘fantasy’ fightback + optimism for Oscar? – 2025 Sao Paulo GP Review
<div>F1TV lead commentator Alex Jacques and Brazilian commentator Felipe Giaffone join Tom Clarkson in the Interlagos paddock to analyse an eventful race in Brazil.<br> <br> Converting two pole positions into Grand Prix and Sprint wins, Lando Norris produced a perfect weekend to ... Show More
43m 48s
Aug 4
David Coulthard: From Senna's Seat to Red Bull's Rise | The Story of My F1 Career (E363)
David Coulthard is a 13-time Grand Prix winner and former F1 driver for Williams, McLaren, and Red Bull. Known for his sharp insights and calm exterior, he’s lived through some of the sport’s most intense moments, on and off the track.In this episode, David opens up about that li ... Show More
1h 6m
Feb 2025
'I'm here to win' | Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon & Jenson Button on Williams' hopes for 2025
<p>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. </p><br><p>We cover some serious ground from how Carlos and Alex are getting on as teammates, to what they learned from ea ... Show More
50m 33s
Oct 23
David Coulthard + Mika Hakkinen explain F1 team mate title battles - LIVE at the US Grand Prix
<div>Once McLaren team mates fighting for the Formula 1 World Championship, now legends of the F1 Paddock, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard know how it feels to be in the middle of a title battle.<br> <br> The pair join Christian Hewgill and F1 Explains listeners live on stage i ... Show More
31m 49s
Sep 2024
Coaching F1 drivers - Performance Engineers with McLaren's Tom Stallard
Precision at 200 miles per hour. Millimetre-perfect steering, Millisecond-perfect braking and acceleration. That's what it takes to race in Formula 1. Performance Engineers help the 20 fastest drivers in the world to be their very best. McLaren's Tom Stallard, a former Performanc ... Show More
35m 38s