logo
episode-header-image
May 2025
54m 55s

Celebrating F1 75 with Mario Andretti

FORMULA 1
About this episode
Mario Andretti was 10 years old when the first ever Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix took place at Silverstone, on the 13th of May 1950.

The 1978 World Champion has seen everything the pinnacle of motorsport has to offer over the past 75 years, and is one of just 34 drivers to win the ultimate prize, so he’s the perfect person to celebrate such a landmark anniversary.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Mario charts the history of F1 through his eyes. He explains how different the cars felt to drive in different eras of technical innovations, what it was like to compete in a very dangerous period of racing, and how safety improved over time.

Mario also talks about what made World Champions Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher so special. Plus, he looks to the future of F1 – telling Tom about his role in the new Cadillac F1 team that will join the grid in 2026 and what they need to hit the ground running.


This episode is sponsored by:

MasterClass: see MasterClass’s latest deal–at least 15% off–at masterclass.com/GRID

Saily: get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code GRID at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/GRID

Indeed: listeners of this show will get a seventy-five dollar sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.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
Nov 14
James Hinchcliffe on driving an F1 car + how Laura Winter prepares for an F1 weekend
<div>To answer the latest load of F1 Explains listener questions, Christian is joined F1TV expert James Hinchcliffe, IndyCar race-winner who recently drove an F1 car for the first time, and F1TV lead presenter Laura Winter, who once drove an F4 car but doesn't like to talk about ... Show More
33m 30s
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
Oct 20
Max on the attack. How do McLaren fight back? – 2025 US GP Review with James Hinchcliffe
<div>F1TV expert and six-time IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe joins Tom Clarkson in the Austin paddock to dissect all the action from the United States Grand Prix. <br> <br> Max Verstappen dominated the weekend with victories in the Grand Prix and F1 Sprint to make up more ... Show More
50m 57s
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
Feb 2025
F1 TESTING 2025 | Listener questions, an F1 wedding and a HUGE announcement
<p>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. </p><br><p>We'll discuss ... Show More
36m 27s
Feb 2025
"I can say whatever I want!" Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri take us inside McLaren's shakedown
<p>We're back! Betty Glover, Christian Hewgill and Greg James return with The Fast And The Curious and where else could we start the season than with the Formula 1 Constructors World Champions, McLaren!</p><br><p>We're at Silverstone behind the scenes as the team's 2025 car is dr ... Show More
48m 52s