logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
37m 32s

Rookie seasons - with Jenson Button + Mc...

FORMULA 1
About this episode
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...

2009 World Champion Jenson Button tells Christian Hewgill the lessons he learned from his first year in F1 with Williams, what the 2025 rookies should try and achieve and the mistakes to avoid.

Oscar Piastri's Race Engineer Tom Stallard explains how he and the team supported Oscar in his rookie season, and answers your questions about how new F1 drivers adapt to racing the fastest cars on the planet.

Get your question answered on the podcast!
Send emails and voice notes to F1Explains@F1.com

F1 Explains LIVE at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2025
  • With special guest, McLaren CEO Zak Brown
  • F1 Fanzone Stage, near the Brabham Grandstand
  • 1130-1200, Saturday March 15th
Official Formula 1 podcasts
Reaction to every race on F1 Nation
In-depth interviews on F1 Beyond The Grid

Experience F1 live in Las Vegas
New ticket options, expanded grandstands and lower prices for 2025
Find out more at F1LasVegasGP.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
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 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
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 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
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 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
'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
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
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 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
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami