F1 Beyond The Grid

'It's a very unforgiving job... you're helping making champions, but it's not yourself', says Fred Vesti. Through hundreds of hours and thousands of laps in the simulator, he has contributed to Mercedes' success in 2026. It seems certain that Kimi Antonelli will be crowned Drivers' World Champion, and the team are destined to become Constructors' Champions.
Fred tells Tom Clarkson about his demanding work at the track, at the team factory and especially in the simulator and explains how he stays ready to replace George Russell or Antonelli, should they be unable to drive. He explains the key to the Mercedes' drivers speed and how he plays a crucial role in deciding how to upgrade the car.
Fred tells the story of approaching Team Principal Toto Wolff at a party, and having a conversation which eventually led him to join the team's junior driver programme. A champion in sportscars, Vesti remains determined to race in Formula 1, even if that meant leaving the Silver Arrows.
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A fiery crash, a miraculous recovery, a shock disqualification, and a tense, rain-soaked title-decider. At the end of the drama-filled 1976 season, James Hunt emerged as Formula 1 World Champion.

Hunt was loved by fans and respected by his rivals, particularly by Niki Lauda. The pair fought for the world title in a remarkable year in which Lauda almost lost his life.

James retired from F1 as a World Champion with 10 race wins and 23 podiums. He later became a broadcaster, commentating for the BBC alongside Murray Walker. He died in 1993, aged just 45.

To mark the 50th anniversary of James Hunt's title win, Tom Clarkson speaks to his son Freddie - also a racing driver and TV presenter. Freddie shares stories of his ‘maverick' father, and how being the son of a world champion affected his own career.
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2026 was supposed to be the year Williams made a big step forward in Formula 1.

They’d scored their first podiums under Team Principal James Vowles in 2025, all while prioritising focus on this new era of regulations, so expectations of what they could achieve this season were high. But they’ve fallen well short of those.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, James talks about the phone calls he had with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz before the season to tell them the team was ‘in trouble’, whether he was worried both drivers would leave and why the car was overweight in the first place.

James is very honest and self-critical, reflecting on what he’d do differently and the advice he’d give himself in hindsight. But he’s also optimistic about the future, with the team fighting hard to overcome their struggles and showing ‘true innovation’ to create a new chassis that was introduced in Baku.
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From scoring his first podium with the team in Monaco, to missing three races with a wrist injury, and then re-signing for 2027, Isack Hadjar has had an eventful first season at Red Bull Racing.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Isack opens up about what happened to his wrist, how challenging it was to miss those races and what that new contract means to him.

Plus, Isack tells Tom why he’s been ‘surprising himself’ this year, what it’s like being Max Verstappen’s teammate and his targets for the rest of the season and beyond.

Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies also joins Tom to talk about their approach to Isack’s recovery, why they’ve decided to keep him on for another year and whether Red Bull have everything they need in place to start challenging for World Championships again.

‘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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