F1: Chequered Flag

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F1 Back at Base - A deep dive into the high-octane world of Formula 1 with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. F1 Chequered Flag: Home of Formula 1.

5 MAR • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

Back At Base S2: A Lot More To Lose

To access this episode early and ad-free, subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts. The episode will be available for free with adverts on 5th March. In just 15 days’ time, the final chapter in the story of the 2024 Formula 1 season will be written. A triple header of races - from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the heat of Qatar and Abu Dhabi – will decide the World Championships. It’s late November, and time for Formula 1 to take up residency in Las Vegas. The sound of engines roaring down the city’s world-famous Strip will soon bring in the crowds. Unlike other races on the calendar, which are organized by local promoters, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is run by F1 itself. So the pressure is on the event’s CEO Renee Wilm to get everything just right. There will be extra focus on this year’s Grand Prix, as Las Vegas is the first race where the 2024 Drivers’ Championship can be decided. The season has seesawed between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren challenger Lando Norris. But it’s Verstappen who can defend his World title, simply by finishing ahead of his British rival in the Grand Prix. Back at base, McLaren are studying the data as they prepare for another crucial event in the U.S. Aston Martin race engineers Chris Cronin and Andrew Vizard are also doing their homework ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It’s not just the racing that the teams are preparing for back at base. At every Grand Prix across the season, the team's wine and dine guests and there are some big celebrity names on the Las Vegas guest list. But when night falls for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and the starting lights go out, all eyes will be on Norris and Verstappen. The penultimate race of the season for the F1 teams lies 8,000 miles east of Vegas in Qatar. The 2023 race around the Lusail Circuit, which was held earlier in the year, was brutal. Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll and his Performance Coach Henry Howe reveal how they are preparing for the rigours of the desert race. The 2024 Formula 1 season is also the longest in the sport’s history, with 24 races on the calendar. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is taking it all in his stride but the Australian does have a unique take on the brain power that is needed in F1. McLaren are aiming to flex their muscles this weekend because Qatar offers the first chance to clinch the Constructors’ crown. To do that they need to out-score rivals Ferrari by 45 points. The heat is on, in more ways than one, in Qatar. F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

39 min
2 DAYS AGO

Back At Base S2: 6. Total Commitment

The McLaren and Aston Martin Formula 1 teams are preparing for a “Super Sunday” in Brazil. For just the sixth time in the sport’s history, both qualifying and the race are taking place on the same day. Stormy weather is testing the teams’ resources and resolve at the Interlagos Circuit, home to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The teams and drivers arrive at the track at the crack of dawn, ready to think on their feet in a marathon day ahead. After a well-orchestrated performance in Saturday’s Sprint Race, Championship contenders McLaren are looking to seize advantage on Sunday. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri know they must work together to claim maximum points for the team. At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll sense an opportunity in the wet. All the drivers know that rain can level the playing field at any grand prix, and this weekend is no different. It’s the Monday after the race before. Brazil’s historic Interlagos circuit staged another epic grand prix, and one which may prove pivotal in McLaren’s hunt for both World titles. Now, it’s time for the Aston Martin and McLaren teams to return to their factories. Back at base, they can analyse their performance with the bulk of the team who don’t travel to the races. Aston Martin race engineers Chris Cronin and Andrew Vizard explain how vital the factory debriefs are to understanding what went right - or wrong - after every race, and how to take the learnings into the next event. Drivers Stroll and Alonso may be taking time to recuperate after an epic race weekend but they stay in touch with their engineers and work going on back at base. At McLaren, team boss Andrea Stella is making it his mission to create a winning culture at the factory, as well as at the track. The Italian is only in his second season as team principal but has driven the team into title contention. Back at base, he shares some of the secrets to his success so far. Aston Martin are also plotting a renaissance under new Group CEO Andy Cowell. Our guides Sarah Holt and Holly Samos are given a VIP pass to join the workforce assembled at the heart of the factory as Cowell makes his first address to the team. While Aston Martin are looking to the future, McLaren must focus on the present. This is a team who has won multiple World titles. Now the factory is fixed on ending the 26-year wait for the next Constructors’ crown and they are determined to protect their lead over rivals Ferrari and Red Bull. British star Lando Norris hasn’t given up his hopes of reeling in reigning champion Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings. With three races left to go in the 2024 season, there is still all to play for. F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

40 min
19 FEB

Chequered Flag Special: F1 75 Launch

Rick Edwards joins Jennie Gow, Harry Benjamin and Andrew Benson at the F1 75 launch event. The team look ahead to the start of the new season, discuss the glitz and glamour of this new day in the F1 calendar, and speak to the drivers, including George Russell and Lando Norris, as well as the team bosses, including Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and Fred Vasseur.

57 min
19 FEB

Back At Base S2: 5. Echoes From The Past

There are just five races left to go in the frenetic 2024 Formula 1 season - and the stakes are getting higher. McLaren are still in the hunt for both World titles but, after a penalty for Lando Norris at the U.S. Grand Prix, the team must regroup back at base. The next race in Mexico is vital for the team if they are to keep Norris’ hopes alive in the Drivers’ Championship. The events in Austin saw the British star’s title fight with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen heat up. Will the Mexico race see it become even spicier? The race takes place at the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and, at nearly 3,000 metres above sea level, that makes the Mexico City Grand Prix a unique challenge in F1. The cars are starved of air and the drivers have to work that bit harder too. All signs are pointing to another dramatic slice of action in the World Championship battle. Whatever happens on track, the Aston Martin team is preparing to toast a landmark in Mexico. It’s here that double World Champion Fernando Alonso will make his record 400th Grand Prix start. At the age of 43, the Spanish legend is reflecting on his F1 journey so far while Formula 1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, explains why Alonso is still an important reference in the sport. At the Silverstone Museum, overlooking the famous British racetrack, another event is also hoping to inspire the next generation of motorsport talent. F1 broadcaster Holly Samos and journalist Sarah Holt are also there to find out how the sport’s female leaders are aiming to reach out to its young fans. Aston Martin Team Ambassador and racing driver Jessica Hawkins is meeting the young females hoping to make it all the way to the pinnacle of motorsport. Hawkins has driven a current generation F1 car - but the quest for the next female F1 driver to join the grid continues. Formula 1 is not only about looking to the future, it's also about looking back at its rich history. McLaren continues to honour one of the greats of their past - their magnetic three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna. The 2024 season marks the 30th anniversary of his tragic death at the San Marino Grand Prix held at Imola. For McLaren this was an opportunity to celebrate his legacy and impact in F1. Back at base, McLaren’s Heritage Department is also working to preserve Senna’s memory, rebuilding the car that took him to his final grand prix win. This history is at the heart of McLaren’s modern ambitions too. This is a team that has won 20 World titles and it’s down to 2024 drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to add to the growing trophy cabinet. The next race in Brazil - the birthplace of Senna - unites its history and current ambitions. But the Sao Paulo skies are ready to burst and throw the race weekend into chaos. F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

37 min
12 FEB

Back At Base S2: 4. The Calm Before the Storm

It’s late September. The seasons are turning – but the wheels of Formula 1 have stopped. There is now a three-week pause before racing resumes at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. At Aston Martin’s Silverstone headquarters, the cars have made a rare return home. In 2024, the cars travel to 21 countries across five continents - that’s a total 127,000 kilometres in air distance. Head of Build and Car Assembly Mark Gray is the man in charge of logistics and caring for Aston Martin’s racing cars when they are back at base. Inside the teams’ fast-paced factories, there is no respite as his work continues around the clock. This teamwork is essential to the fates and fortunes of the drivers during a grand prix. Formula 1 is a team sport, but it also relies on the performance of just one individual - the driver. McLaren stars Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reveal the pressures of driving a piece of work that takes hours to create and costs millions of dollars. Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll also share how crucial the team is when it comes to performance and reliability. It’s not only the drivers who are feeling the pressure with six races to go in the 2024 season. Victory for Lando Norris at the last race in Singapore – and another podium for Oscar Piastri – saw McLaren stretch their lead in the team standings by 41 points. But the title hasn’t been won yet - and there is work to do back at base, as team principal Andrea Stella knows only too well. Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali has been in Stella’s shoes, when he was at the sharp end of Championship fights during his 22-year stint with Ferrari. Domenicali understands only too well that this pause in competition is, for all 10 teams on the grid, just the calm before the storm. The seasons have shifted again, and October is here. It’s time for racing to return at the U.S. Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas. At Aston Martin’s Northamptonshire headquarters, the team is battening itself down against forecast heavy rain and winds in the UK. It’s vital the team’s connection from Mission Control to the track doesn’t go down. F1 journalist Sarah Holt and broadcaster Holly Samos have been given unprecedented access inside the team’s Mission Control. They have been given their own headsets, desks and data screens. For the first time, we will hear what a Sprint race sounds like from inside the team. As Aston Martin reveals top-secret radio communications, a visit to Mission Control might just change the way we understand how the teams go racing. There are also pivotal moments for both Championships at the U.S. Grand Prix. A storm is brewing on track between friends-turned-title-rivals, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, while Ferrari launch themselves into the battle for the Constructors’ Crown. F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

39 min
5 FEB

Back At Base S2: 3. Mission Control

Tension is building inside the McLaren factory. The team is closer to a title than they have been for 12 years and, after dramatic races in Zandvoort and Monza, there is much to discuss. Not least the team’s philosophy that allows their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to freely race each other. Team Principal Andrea Stella has returned to the factory to consider whether there now needs to be a change of policy. While Stella smooths out any wrinkles caused by the battling teammates, Production Director Ross Hood is assessing the cars ahead of the next two races in Azerbaijan and Singapore. The MCL-38s are now back at base for a service in between races. At Aston Martin, there is also continued work going on in production. The team’s Chief Operating Officer Ben Fitzgerald is fixated on speeding up the production of the car’s floor - with the hope that it will also increase performance on track for drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. These small gains on track come from highly-detailed work back at base - and the next race is fast approaching, around the ancient city walls of Baku. From Azerbaijan, the Formula 1 field flies on to Singapore, for the sport’s original night race. But, for the first time in our series, we will hear what happens inside an F1 factory during a grand prix weekend. F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt are visiting the McLaren Technology Centre. They have been given rare access to see inside Mission Control. This top-secret room connects the factory with the track through an exchange of detailed data which flows back and forth at high speed. But will it help the team secure victory in Singapore? The racing around Singapore’s bumpy street circuit is unpredictable, and often attritional. Sarah and Holly will witness how McLaren’s qualifying and race unfolds from the heart of the team’s inner sanctum. With two Championships on the line, the stakes are high. Fresh from a red-eye flight from Singapore, Aston Martin reserve driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, is already back in the team’s simulator. Here – hunkered down in the cockpit of a giant driving rig – he’s laying the groundwork for the final six races of the season. In the high-paced world of F1, the chase for pure speed never ends. F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

42 min
29 JAN

Back At Base S2: 2. Project Pencil

The Aston Martin team is preparing to unveil the super signing of the 2024 season. Someone who will shape their Formula 1 cars and - if things go to plan - the team’s future at the front of the grid. But until then the news has to be kept under wraps. In the ultra-competitive world of Formula 1 secrecy is a necessity. The McLaren and Aston Martin teams are also gearing up for a return to racing at Round 15 of the World Championship, the Dutch Grand Prix, held at the seaside circuit of Zandvoort. Here, Lando Norris will take on Red Bull title rival Max Verstappen in his own backyard. Since becoming an F1 race-winner at the Miami Grand Prix, Norris has been racing at the next level, but he’s taking nothing for granted as he goes up against the Dutch hero in front of his adoring fans. The titles, trophies and Championships that spur on the teams are hard-fought. The art of racing can perhaps be compared to the art of war. Aston Martin’s Performance Director Tom McCullough says the teams must steel themselves with a “war mentality” before each race weekend. Within their ranks, Aston Martin boasts a seasoned warrior - double World Champion Fernando Alonso. Team insiders call the Spanish legend a human “supercomputer” because of the high-level performance he brings on and off the track. At Monza, the famous Italian circuit known as the Temple of Speed, the scene is set for another dramatic grand prix. Sometimes the art of racing means you have to battle those closest to you, and there’s no-one nearer than the driver on the other side of the garage. McLaren have two exciting, young drivers on their books in Norris and Oscar Piastri. Letting them race - so long as it’s a clean fight - is part of the team’s philosophy. But, after the Italian Grand Prix, will McLaren re-examine how they take on the battle for both Championships? At their Silverstone headquarters, Aston Martin unveils a big-name signing with a live television broadcast. The team’s owner Lawrence Stroll is on hand to make the big announcement, not only to the world’s media, but the workforce assembled back at base. But even the arrival of one of F1’s most-famous names doesn’t stop the focused work inside an F1 factory. This is the pinnacle of motorsport and the stopwatch never stands still. F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

38 min
22 JAN

Back At Base S2: 1. Opportunity Of A Lifetime

There are just 10 races left to go in the 2024 Formula 1 season - the longest season in the sport’s history with 24 grands prix. In this final phase of the season, both Championships - for the world’s best racing driver and team - are still up for grabs. At McLaren headquarters, in the commuter town of Woking just 23 miles outside London, the team is stirring again after the summer shutdown. The historic race team hit form before the summer holidays and has propelled itself into title contention for the first time in over a decade. British star driver Lando Norris and Australian ace Oscar Piastri are raring to go racing again but first they are paying a visit to the team back at base. That’s not to say the summer break wasn’t without competition. Norris has been playing golf with McLaren’s American CEO Zak Brown, with mixed results. Piastri has used the time out of the cockpit to recover from an injury that he sustained on track. Only one of them has been going full throttle during the holidays, and that’s the boss - Zak, who travelled to California to get behind the wheel. Meanwhile, in rural Northamptonshire - 80 miles north of McLaren’s F1 factory - the Aston Martin team is also returning to work after the summer break. The 2024 season marks the culmination of a radical transformation for the team, which is preparing to unveil the latest phase of its supersize F1 factory. For team principal Mike Krack, the regeneration going on back at base is an opportunity of a lifetime. F1 experts Sarah Holt and Holly Samos visited to get a very behind-the-scenes tour of the new facilities. Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are also preparing for the next race - the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Stroll has been at the factory working on the team’s simulator. Alonso, who will reach his 400th Grand Prix start in the next 10 races, is using all his experience to also guide the team forwards. For McLaren, the 2024 season is also one of opportunity. It has been 26 years since the team won the coveted Constructors’ Championship but, this season, the team is closing in on champions Red Bull for the crown while Norris is also hunting down Max Verstappen, who leads the Drivers’ Championship. The season has been a thriller for fans and, at Formula 1’s headquarters in London, the sport’s CEO and President Stefano Domenicali is also revelling in a phenomenal year. But what will the final 10 races bring? F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC Hosted by Josh Hartnett Co-hosts & Executive Producers are Holly Samos and Sarah Holt The Producers are Alasdair Cresswell, Joe Aldridge and Jack Winstanley The Senior Producer is Ollie Kneen The Executive Producer for IMG is Steve Tebb The Story Editor and Scriptwriter is Sarah Holt The Showrunner is Holly Samos The Commissioning Editor at the BBC is Stevie Middleton

38 min
17 JAN

Coming Soon – S2: How To Go Racing

In this eight-part series, hosted by actor Josh Hartnett, we have been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula 1 - McLaren and Aston Martin. These teams are unlocking the doors to their top-secret factories. It’s a critical moment in their season, but they are letting inside as they fight to the finish line in the final 10 races of 2024. With F1 experts Sarah Holt and Holly Samos as our guides, we will meet the workforce driving them forwards from the heart of their operations. The detailed work going on back at base has driven McLaren into contention for both World titles in 2024. British star driver Lando Norris is chasing down Red Bull’s reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, for the coveted Drivers’ Championship. This is Norris’ first title campaign and we will be with him every step of the way, from his first day back at work following F1’s summer break to after the chequered flag falls at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. This is a huge season of growth for Norris, and his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri. The drivers reveal just why in this series. At Aston Martin there is also change in the air. The team, owned by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, is in the final phase of building a supersize F1 headquarters on the fringes of the famous Silverstone racetrack, home of the British Grand Prix. The work going on at the evolving Aston Martin Racing Technology Campus is on a scale never seen before in F1. Holly and Sarah are given a VIP tour of the new facilities and speak to drivers Lance Stroll and double world champion Fernando Alonso about how the transformation is fuelling the team’s future ambitions. But it’s not only the factory making headline news, so too is the arrival of the team’s “Super Signing”. Aston Martin won the race to sign the most-wanted name in Formula 1. We were there to speak to the top-secret signing before the news broke to the rest of the world’s media. Formula 1 never stands still. The race for perfection continues around-the-clock at the factory. At McLaren, Piastri and Norris are set the task of working together to collect enough points to win a first Constructors’ Championship for McLaren since 1998. The effort to turn around the famous team’s fortunes has relied on the skill and commitment of hundreds of staff working back at base. Overseeing operations is McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella. But, as the season reaches its climax, all they can do is watch and wait. The fate of the team now lies in the hands of the drivers but taking on reigning champions Red Bull and arch-rivals Ferrari is no small feat. As the flag falls on a thrillin 2024 season, will there be commiserations or celebrations back at base? F1:Back at Base was created and produced by Holly Samos and Sarah Holt and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

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