F1 Beyond The Grid

‘I did all I could to survive’. A fiery crash put his life in danger, but Romain Grosjean escaped the flames and returned to racing.

As Romain tells Tom Clarkson, the crash in Bahrain was not the first time he had to rebuild his career. After a seven-race spell in Formula 1 in 2008, he was dropped for the following season. Determined to find a way back, he took a step down the motorsport ladder to the junior category, GP2, became champion, and earned a Formula 1 comeback with the same team that had previously let him go.

Romain, who has 10 F1 podiums to his name, reflects on Grands Prix he could have won, how his former team Haas have changed since he scored points for them on their debut 10 years ago, and considers his future in the Formula 1 paddock.
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After describing 2025 as the ‘toughest year of my career’, Yuki Tsunoda was thrilled to make his F1 comeback with Racing Bulls after the summer break – stepping in for Liam Lawson while he fills in for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull.
Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Yuki gives a very honest account of his struggles at Red Bull last season – revealing how it affected him personally, the biggest mistake he made and what it really felt like when he found out he wouldn’t be on the grid in 2026.
Or so it would seem… Yuki received the call that he’d be back racing in Zandvoort just three days before the first practice session, so he takes Tom inside the chaotic week that ensued, how he prepared to drive the 2026 cars for the first time at such short notice, and what it meant to score points in the second race of his comeback at Monza.
And while Yuki’s unsure how many more races he’ll compete in this season as Isack recovers, Tom asks him what the future holds from 2027 onwards.
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Aston Martin Global Ambassador Pedro de la Rosa joins Tom Clarkson to discuss how Aston are fighting back after a difficult 2026 so far.

Pedro tells Tom how it really felt when they realised just how far behind they were during the Barcelona shakedown and whether the team’s strategy of waiting until halfway through the season to bring upgrades risked them losing two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.

Pedro also talks more about his relationship with Alonso, including how they communicate with each other through eye contact, and what it’s like working with Aston Team Principal and legendary designer Adrian Newey.

Plus, 20 years on, Pedro reflects on his first and only F1 podium at Hungary in 2006, why that result didn’t guarantee his seat at McLaren and how ‘hurt’ he was to not race alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
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Why did he sign a new multi-year deal with Ferrari? What caused his rough patch earlier in the season? How did those struggles really make him feel? And what did victory at Silverstone mean to him after that difficult period?

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Charles Leclerc opens up and shares really interesting insight into the ups and downs he’s experienced so far in 2026.

Charles also tells Tom what it’s like being a Ferrari driver at Monza, why Michael Schumacher had such a big influence on him growing up, whether he thinks Ferrari can challenge Mercedes for the World Championship this season, and how it feels to now be married to his wife Alexandra.
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After a year away from Formula 1, following his exit from Red Bull Racing at the end of 2024, Sergio Perez is back with the sport’s newest team - Cadillac.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Sergio talks about his last six months at Red Bull being mentally demanding, the new perspective having a year out has given him, the initial reservations he had about returning to F1 and why the Cadillac project is just as motivating for him as fighting at the front of the grid.

Checo also discusses Cadillac’s decision to replace Graeme Lowdon with Marcin Budkowski as Team Principal, why he wishes he’d enjoyed his career more and how he thinks age affects racing drivers.

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