Ageless Alonso, Carlos’s comeback + super sub Bearman – The Best of 2024

This episode is brought to you by Dropbox Dash, an official technology partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team. Now a multiple race winner, podium finisher and polesitter, Lando Norris is ready to take the next step in his Formula 1 career and become World Champion. To do so in 2025, he’ll have to beat his equally talented teammate Oscar Piastri. But despite a sometimes challenging first half of the season, Lando says he’s a better driver this year and just needs to find some consistency. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Lando talks about how he’s evolved as a driver on and off track since winning his first Grand Prix in Miami in 2024, what McLaren are doing differently in their approach since becoming Constructors’ World Champions, how he moved on from his collision with Oscar in Canada and why he’s working hard to switch off from Formula 1 when he’s not racing. Lando also tells us how F1 The Movie star Brad Pitt performed in the 2023 McLaren car at Austin recently and what it would mean to win his home race at this weekend’s British Grand Prix. Plus, Lando’s race engineer Will Joseph joins the pod to discuss how their relationship has changed since they started working together in 2019. This episode is sponsored by:  Shopify - sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid Liquid.I.V. - go to liquidiv.com and get 20% off your first order with code GRID at checkout

1 Juli 43min

For F1 The Movie, Brad Pitt lived the high-speed life of a Formula 1 driver. He drove with seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. He learned to race. He spent years shooting scenes at racetracks around the world.  The result is what he calls ‘the most visceral feeling you will get in a race car of anything put on film’ - F1 The Movie, in cinemas on June 25th and June 27th in North America. Brad Pitt tells Tom Clarkson about making the movie, the ‘adrenaline’ he felt driving on spectacular Formula 1 circuits, what he learned from his time with Lewis Hamilton and how getting close to F1 cars and drivers took his breath away. Plus, he reveals the true F1 stories which inspired the character of Sonny Hayes, describes the feeling of driving a real F1 car, and hints at his hopes for a sequel. F1 The Movie – in cinemas June 25th internationally, June 27th in North America Find a screening near you at f1themovie.com It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there! Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com This episode is sponsored by: Ridge - improving the things you carry every day For a limited time, go to ridge.com and use the code GRID for 10% off wallets, key cases + more

24 Juni 26min

He took some blows on his climb to Formula 1. Now Isack Hadjar is toe-to-toe with the heavyweights. Hadjar’s first F1 race was over before it began, as he slid off the track on a rain-soaked day in Australia. He tells Tom Clarkson how previous setbacks helped him get back on his feet, and establish himself as one of the best young drivers in the sport. Hadjar describes himself as ‘a fighter’, and he picks the World Champion he most wants to face up to as team mates. He talks about the difficult step from Formula 2 to F1, life in Red Bull’s driver program, how his parents inspired him to reach the highest level, and how he earned his nickname, ‘Le Petit Prost’. Experience F1: The Movie on the big screen Only in cinemas June 27 Tickets at f1themovie.com This episode is sponsored by:  Shopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid  Vanta: for a limited time, listeners get $1,000 off Vanta at vanta.com/grid.

17 Juni 39min

Emerson Fittipaldi made history with Lotus in 1972 by becoming the first Brazilian to win the Formula 1 World Championship. In 1974, he won the title again with McLaren. Emerson’s achievements on track are legendary, but his actions off track are just as iconic. In a special F1 Beyond The Grid Legends episode, Emerson tells Tom Clarkson why he refused to take part in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, the extensive medical precautions he had in place during race weekends, and how he and some of the sport’s other big names at the time helped improve safety in the sport. Emerson also talks about leaving Brazil for the UK to pursue his racing career, forming his own Brazilian F1 team, and the incredible phone call he received from Enzo Ferrari after Niki Lauda’s serious accident in 1976. Plus, which current F1 driver reminds Emerson of himself? What impresses him the most about Max Verstappen? And how does he view this year’s title battle between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris? This episode is sponsored by MasterClass: see MasterClass’s latest deal–at least 15% off–at masterclass.com/GRID

10 Juni 47min

This year is the first time Valtteri Bottas isn’t racing in Formula 1 since he started as a rookie in 2013, but the 10-time Grand Prix winner says F1 is ‘still the number one thing in my life’ and his priority is to get back on the grid in 2026. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Valtteri discusses all the options he has for his next move. Would he like to drive for the new Cadillac team that will join F1 next season? Could he race for Mercedes again? Or will there be opportunities at other teams like Red Bull or Alpine? Valtteri tells Tom why he doesn’t want his F1 career to be over yet, what attributes he would bring to a team in a year of new regulations and cars, and the deadline he has put in place to make a decision on his future. He also explains why he rejoined Mercedes as a Reserve Driver this year instead of competing in any other series. F1: THE MOVIE starring Brad Pitt Don't miss the chance to see F1 on the big screen. Only in cinemas June 2025 Get tickets now It's All To Drive For in 2025. Be there! Book your seat for a Grand Prix this season at tickets.formula1.com THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Liquid I.V. : Go to liquidiv.com and get 20% off your first order with code GRID at checkout Indeed: Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com/grid Vanta: For a limited time, listeners get $1000 off at vanta.com/grid

3 Juni 39min

When he left Ferrari to join Mercedes, Simone Resta took decades of experience with him. In Italy, he worked with Michael Schumacher and designed race-winning cars for Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Charles Leclerc. Now, his task is giving George Russell and Kimi Antonelli the best Mercedes he can. As Deputy Technical Director Simone is focusing on the 2025 season, but he tells Tom Clarkson he is also thinking about the opportunity of 2026, when the rules on car design and power units will change. Simone talks about starting his career in the late 1990s with Minardi, a small team which struggled for results, his move to Ferrari, what engineers really want to hear from their drivers, and why he decided to leave his native Italy and ‘go for it’ with Mercedes F1: THE MOVIE – starring Brad Pitt Only in cinemas, June 2025 Don’t miss the chance to see F1 on the big screen Go to f1themovie.com to book a screening near you This episode is brought to you by Bitdefender, Team partner of Ferrari. Visit Bitdefender.com. To learn more about how Bitdefender supports Ferrari to stay ahead of cyber threats and how you can make your digital life safer.

27 Maj 38min

Dario Franchitti has had a sensational racing career in the United States, becoming a four-time IndyCar series champion and a three-time winner of the Indy500. But earlier in his career, Dario had plenty of interest from Formula 1 and tested for a few different teams. So why didn’t he end up racing in the pinnacle of motorsport? Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Dario talks about the three big opportunities he had to drive in F1 and why they never materialised – sharing fascinating insight into the negotiations he had and the tests he completed for different teams. He also discusses his racing idols, how three-time F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart became his mentor and what it takes to become a complete IndyCar driver. This episode is sponsored by:  Vanta: for a limited time, listeners get $1000 off at vanta.com/grid  Shopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at shiopify.com/beyondthegrid

20 Maj 57min

Mario Andretti was 10 years old when the first ever Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix took place at Silverstone, on the 13th of May 1950. The 1978 World Champion has seen everything the pinnacle of motorsport has to offer over the past 75 years, and is one of just 34 drivers to win the ultimate prize, so he’s the perfect person to celebrate such a landmark anniversary. Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Mario charts the history of F1 through his eyes. He explains how different the cars felt to drive in different eras of technical innovations, what it was like to compete in a very dangerous period of racing, and how safety improved over time. Mario also talks about what made World Champions Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher so special. Plus, he looks to the future of F1 – telling Tom about his role in the new Cadillac F1 team that will join the grid in 2026 and what they need to hit the ground running. This episode is sponsored by: MasterClass: see MasterClass’s latest deal–at least 15% off–at masterclass.com/GRID Saily: get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code GRID at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/GRID Indeed: listeners of this show will get a seventy-five dollar sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com/GRID

13 Maj 54min