F1: Beyond The Grid

The history of F1 is littered with great stories and improbable comebacks, and Brawn GP’s title-winning season in 2009 is right up there with the best of them. It was late 2008 when Honda surprisingly pulled the plug on its F1 project, leaving a team hundreds strong with a bleak future. That the team not only survived but emerged with a grid-blitzing machine is the stuff of legend, and on the tenth anniversary of that success Tom Clarkson sat down with the man at the centre of the story – current F1 motorsports chief Ross Brawn – for the inside story on a true sporting fairy-tale…

His F1 career began with a bang, with a podium finish on debut with McLaren in Australia in 2014. Though he hasn't hit those heights since, in the intervening period Kevin Magnussen has established himself as a hard-edged, no-nonsense racer who, after losing his McLaren drive and then spending a year with Renault, is now really hitting his stride with the American team Haas.  Tom Clarkson sat down with the Dane during a quiet period at the Austrian Grand Prix for a candid and honest talk about the highs and lows of his career to-date, including his racing origins, his growth as a driver, and - of course - that famous withering put-down of Nico Hulkenberg...

He raced for some of Formula One’s top teams, including McLaren and Renault, but Patrick Tambay is probably best remembered as a Ferrari driver. Having arrived in F1 via the circuitous route of downhill skiing, the US college system and the North American CanAm series, Tambay ended up driving for the Prancing Horse after the death of close friend Gilles Villeneuve. He then helped carry the team through one of its most tumultuous periods, famously providing spirit-lifting victories in Germany and San Marino.  This week on Beyond The Grid the amiable Frenchman talks us through his memorable career, regaling Tom with anecdotes of partying with former team mate James Hunt, Villeneuve’s madcap antics off-track and that turbulent Ferrari period…

Jody Scheckter’s life has been anything but conventional. Having arrived in Britain from South Africa in 1970, Jody broke into Grand Prix racing in 1972 with McLaren where he caused a stir with his great speed and somewhat wild race craft. Rough edges polished, he’d go on to win the sport’s ultimate prize - the world title - in 1979 while driving for Ferrari, though in some ways that was just the beginning. Less than a year later he’d announce his retirement from F1, turning his attention instead to the world of business, where he went on to have great success, first with his firearms training company and then with his ground-breaking organic farming business.  On this week’s show, host Tom Clarkson is treated to a trip down memory lane, with stories of Jody’s 70s rivals and the danger of the era, his relationship with Enzo Ferrari and team mate Gilles Villeneuve, how he applied F1 processes to the business world, and much, much more…

He arrived in F1 in 2010 as one of the hottest properties in motorsport, and showed his promise by scoring a sensational pole position before his rookie season was out. Today, Nico Hulkenberg is still regarded as one of the most talented drivers on the grid, despite the fact he's surprisingly yet to make it to the podium.  On this week's show, the driver known affectionately at ‘The Hulk’ talks Tom Clarkson through his career to date, from his early days at Williams, to his time at Force India and Sauber when Ferrari rumours swirled, to the present day at Renault, where he’s tasked with taking the French marque back to the front. There's also fascinating insight into his Le Mans win, thoughts on his fellow drivers, and revealing information about his life and interests away from the track...