Rob Smedley: “I cried for about an hour after Massa lost the 2008 title – it was so intense…”

Rob Smedley: “I cried for about an hour after Massa lost the 2008 title – it was so intense…”

This week, for the first time on Beyond The Grid, presented by Bose, we’re not speaking to a driver or a team boss, but to an engineer – and someone who’s been directly involved of some of the biggest moments in F1 in the past 20 years. Rob Smedley is probably best known to most fans as Felipe Massa’s long-standing Race Engineer, and in that role he experienced the full gamut of emotions, from the elation of race wins to the heartbreak of a narrow title loss, and the horror of seeing ‘his’ driver severely injured.

We also talk to him about working for Ferrari, issuing controversial team orders, his impending departure from Williams, and why Michael Schumacher – a man he worked so closely with – was much more than a driver…

Episoder(420)

Laurent Mekies: relishing Red Bull challenge

Laurent Mekies: relishing Red Bull challenge

Red Bull Racing were at a crossroads when Laurent Mekies took over as Team Principal halfway through 2025. After a difficult first half of the season, should they continue working on their 2025 car or...

31 Mar 49min

Ayao Komatsu: aiming high with Haas

Ayao Komatsu: aiming high with Haas

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu is Tom Clarkson’s guest on this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid.Ayao has been with Haas since their debut season 10 years ago, but he’s only been in charge since 2024. What ...

25 Mar 59min

LEGENDS: How Jacques Villeneuve shook up F1

LEGENDS: How Jacques Villeneuve shook up F1

The son of a motorsport legend, a racer since childhood, Formula 1 was Jacques Villeneuve's destiny. In 1996, the young Canadian arrived at his first Grand Prix and immediately proved he belonged ther...

18 Mar 43min

Dan Towriss: the ‘passion and drive’ behind Cadillac F1 Team

Dan Towriss: the ‘passion and drive’ behind Cadillac F1 Team

The newest team in Formula 1 are here to compete. Cadillac have earned the respect of their rivals. Now they’re pushing to get faster.CEO Dan Towriss takes Tom Clarkson back to the start of the story ...

11 Mar 48min

Carlos Sainz: pushing for progress with Williams

Carlos Sainz: pushing for progress with Williams

Five years after Carlos Sainz left McLaren, his former team and his former teammate are the reigning Formula 1 World Champions. As he watched Lando Norris reach the summit of world motorsport, did he ...

4 Mar 54min

Lando’s champion evolution, Vowles’ podium pride + Brad Pitt’s ‘need for speed’ – The Best of 2025

Lando’s champion evolution, Vowles’ podium pride + Brad Pitt’s ‘need for speed’ – The Best of 2025

A title fight full of twists and turns, a new World Champion, rookies reaching major milestones and Formula 1 on the big screen.The 2025 season was nothing short of dramatic on and off track. Here, on...

17 Des 20251h 15min

Toto Wolff + Hywel Thomas: racing towards 2026

Toto Wolff + Hywel Thomas: racing towards 2026

As Formula 1 enters an exciting new era of fast, thrilling and sustainable racing in 2026, what can we expect on track?Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, and Managing Director of Mercedes AMG High Pe...

10 Des 202536min

Laura Mueller + Esteban Ocon on their race engineer-driver dynamic at Haas

Laura Mueller + Esteban Ocon on their race engineer-driver dynamic at Haas

2025 has been a year of firsts for Laura Mueller and Esteban Ocon.For Laura, it’s her first season as a race engineer. For Esteban, it’s his first season with Haas. And it’s their first time working w...

3 Des 202549min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
fotballpodden-2
det-store-bildet
rss-gukild-johaug
rss-ness
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5