Serial winner in sports cars, Formula 1 driver and all-out racer: Allan McNish is using his experience to give Audi a fast start in F1. A Le Mans and World Endurance Championship-winner with the manufacturer, Allan knows how ‘the Audi way’ of racing will translate to F1.
Allan’s own journey to F1 began with a McLaren test alongside Ayrton Senna. 13 years later, he finally made his Grand Prix debut. Allan tells Tom Clarkson how his sportscar career eventually led him to F1 with Toyota, and seeing a young Fernando Alonso’s unique driving style up-close while at Renault.
Plus, Allan explains his work with the new Audi F1 team ahead of their 2026 debut, and why he thinks Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are the perfect drivers for the team.
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1:17:24
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1:17:24
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 on a mission to bring the glory days back to Williams.
In 2025, the team have taken big steps towards success. Carlos Sainz secured the team’s first podium in four years when he finished third in Baku, and they’ve amassed their highest points total since 2016.
Speaking to Tom Clarkson, James reveals what he and Carlos spoke about over dinner before that sensational podium, why that result means so much to the whole team, and the reasons Carlos had endured a frustrating season up to that point.
On the other side of the garage, James shares what he thinks is different about Alex Albon this year and how he’s risen to the challenge of having a much more experienced and competitive teammate.
And while Williams have performed better than expected in 2025 with such a strong driver line-up, their main focus is 2026. So what opportunities will the new era of Formula 1 bring them? Given James’s first-hand experience of the intense championship battles between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, what would his approach be if Alex and Carlos are fighting for a title in the coming years?
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56:19
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56:19
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 personally picked by Enzo Ferrari to make his Formula 1 debut for the team at their home race and what it was like going out for dinner with Ferrari’s founding father.
While he only registered one championship point during his F1 career, Derek went on to have incredible success elsewhere – winning five Le Mans, three Daytona 24 races and two World Sportscar Championships.
Derek explains why he achieved so much in sportscars, particularly alongside Belgium’s former F1 driver Jacky Ickx, and what it was like helping to make the Le Mans movie with Hollywood icon Steve McQueen.
This episode is sponsored by:
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1:01:03
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1:01:03
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 year since his incredible breakthrough, and now racing for Alpine, Franco tells Tom Clarkson the story of how a boy from the outskirts of Buenos Aires reached the pinnacle of motorsport.
Franco remembers the sacrifices he made by moving abroad as a young teenager to pursue his dream, the challenges of leaving his family and living on his own in a different continent, and how an unexpected visit from an F1 legend inspired him to keep going.
Franco also talks about how his experience at Alpine compares to his time at Williams, what his relationships with teammate Pierre Gasly and Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore are like, and his future in F1.
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49:11
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49:11
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 the Formula 1 grid is Team Principal Graeme Lowdon, who knows how to launch a brand-new team. He did it in 2010 with Virgin Racing, which raced at the back of the grid and was graced by the talent of the late Jules Bianchi.
Graeme tells Tom Clarkson how his experience led to a job with Cadillac, how the team won its place in F1, and the incredible preparation work happening as the clock ticks towards Cadillac’s debut at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. He explains why Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are the perfect drivers for the team, and why he admires Cadillac reserve driver Colton Herta for swapping IndyCar for a shot at racing in F1.
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The risk-takers, late-brakers and history-makers of Formula 1 slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends.
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