logo
episode-header-image
Jul 29
58m 49s

Adrian Reynard: a founding father of Bra...

FORMULA 1
About this episode
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 competition they entered. 

But when Adrian helped create the British American Racing F1 team in 1999, expectations were high and that previous success didn’t quite translate in the pinnacle of motorsport.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Adrian tells the fascinating story of BAR - how the team was formed with 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, why a big falling out with Team Principal Craig Pollock led to Adrian resigning, and how he helped lay the foundations for that team to later become World Champions as Brawn GP and then Mercedes.

Adrian reflects on his F1 ventures before BAR as well - including a failed attempt to create his own team in 1990, despite selling his house to fund it, and his experiences with March F1 as a 29-year-old Technical Director in the 1980s.

And Adrian also talks about inspiring legendary engineers like Rory Byrne and Pat Symonds, why he had an up-and-down relationship with the late Eddie Jordan, and the small part he played in the car that Michael Schumacher won his first F1 race in.
  
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHARTER
To find out more about the Diversity and Inclusion charter agreed by all 10 F1 teams, Formula 1 and the FIA, with support from the Royal Academy of Engineering and Sir Lewis Hamilton’s foundation, Mission 44, click here

It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there!
Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com

Listen to more official F1 podcasts
Every race analysed on F1 Nation
Expert answers to your questions on F1 Explains

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY:

Babbel: F1 Beyond The Grid listeners get 55% off subscriptions at babbel.com/grid

Vanta: visit vanta.com/grid to sign up for a free demo today
Up next
Oct 7
James Vowles: podium pride + Williams’ winning potential
With 16 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships combined, Williams are the third most successful team in Formula 1 history – behind Ferrari and McLaren. But they haven’t won a title since 1997 and it’s 13 years since they last won a race, so Team Principal James Vowles is ... Show More
56m 19s
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
Sep 23
Franco Colapinto: Buenos Aires boy who made F1 breakthrough
Franco Colapinto didn’t take long to make a name for himself in Formula 1. He became the first Argentine F1 driver in 23 years when he debuted with Williams in 2024. It only took him two races to then become the first Argentine points scorer in the sport since 1982. More than a y ... Show More
49m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
How Formula 1 teams work - from factory to racetrack
To win in F1, hundreds of people have to work together. From the mechanics at the track to designers at the factory, every team member plays their part. How are F1 teams organised, and why does every team have to build a unique car? Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill go back int ... Show More
35m 27s
Jul 2024
Meet the mechanics in an F1 garage - with Kick Sauber
Dozens of people work inside an F1 team garage, and they all have different jobs. Without these mechanics and engineers, the drivers would never get out on-track. Who are they, what do they all do, and how did they get their jobs? In this episode, recorded at the 2024 Canadian an ... Show More
38m 11s
Jul 2024
Mika Hakkinen on high-speed tracks + driver contract negotiations - LIVE at the British GP
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 ... Show More
29m 2s
Mar 2025
Rookie seasons - with Jenson Button + McLaren's Tom Stallard
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 Will ... Show More
37m 32s
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 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
Sep 2024
Damon Hill on F1 title fights - LIVE at F1 Paddock Club
What does it take to win the F1 World Championship? Is it better to be the leader or the chaser in a title fight? What changes when you become a champion? In a special episode, recorded at F1 Paddock Club, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill reveals all you need to know about winning ... Show More
27m 35s
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
Apr 2025
Alpine Team Principal Oliver Oakes answers your questions + Miami live show news
He's a former racer who's now boss of Alpine. Oliver Oakes joins F1 Explains for another 'Ask A Team Principal' special. He tells Christian Hewgill how he deals with feedback from drivers Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan, while keeping hundreds of team members working together. Plus, ... Show More
35m 50s