F1 Explains Formula 1

Each one is different, but they're all high-tech pieces of equipment made of military-spec materials, designed to work in extreme conditions. F1 steering wheels do so much more than turn the car. 

Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne explore steering wheels with the help of two expert guests:





Jose Manuel Lopez, Mclaren Principal Race Engineer
Jolyon Palmer, former F1 driver with Renault and GP2 champion

Jose and Jolyon tell us how wheels are designed, what all the buttons do, how drivers learn their wheels, how they make sure their unique wheel works best for them, and what happens if a driver hits the wrong button. 

If you have an F1 question you'd like answered, write or record it and email it to Why@F1.com

Level-up your F1 knowledge with our previous episodes:






DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio

Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

Who decides where F1 teams do their pit stops? How do F1 cars and racetrack corners get their names? How much is F1's prize pot? Race-winning strategist Bernie Collins and award-winning F1TV commentator Alex Jacques are back with Katie and Christian to answer more of your questions.

Along the way you'll hear which F1 car is named after a team founders' wife, the different ways F1 corners get their names, and why drivers leave it until the last possible moment to do their qualifying laps.

We'd love to answer your question about F1. Whatever the topic, record it as a voice note or write it in an email and send it to us at Why@F1.com

Listen to our other quickfire question specials:






Trophies, travel + 'pace in the car' - with Will Buxton + Bernie Collins

F1 cars, upgrades + 'copycats' - with Bernie Collins + Will Buxton

Tyres, Championship points + car set-up - with Bernie Collins + Lawrence Barretto

'Undercuts', red lights + F1 jobs - with Lawrence Barretto + Bernie Collins



For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

How do F1 race starts work? Can you score a podium in F1 Sprint? What are the rules on teams sharing reserve drivers? You ask, F1 Explains with the help of F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and F1 strategist Bernie Collins. 

The team explains why F1 Grands Prix start when five red lights go out, explore the history of F1 race starts, and Alex reveals the secrets to commentating on the action-packed opening moments of a race. 

Plus, how is a top 3 finish in F1 Sprint officially recorded, which teams have deals to share their reserve drivers, why are F1 rule changes announced years before they come into effect, and how do race strategists like Bernie work out how fast their car will be in a race?

Send Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill your latest Formula 1 question and F1 Explains will tackle it in a future episode. Write an email or record and attach a voice note and send it to Why@F1.com

F1 Explains tackles a different F1 topic every week. Check out our previous episodes using the links below:






DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters

Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio

Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

It has transformed racing and given us more action. DRS, the Drag Reduction System, gives drivers a better chance of overtaking. Why was it introduced? How does it work? What's the best way to use it?

F1 Explains with the help of three experts, who tell Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne all about this fascinating subject:





McLaren Aerodynamics Specialist Emel Cankaya works on designing DRS systems. She explains the physics of DRS, why it makes cars go faster and the rules on DRS design
Alfa Romeo's Head of Race Strategy Ruth Buscombe studied DRS at university. She tells us how DRS is controlled and how it has changed F1 racing for strategists
Former Renault F1 racer Jolyon Palmer puts us in the cockpit to explain DRS driving and overtaking

Write, record and send your F1 question to Why@F1.com and we will answer it in a future episode.

F1 Explains tackles a different F1 topic every week. Check out our previous episodes using the links below:






Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter

The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio

Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

They're round, they're black, they keep you on the track. Tyres are one of the most important parts of a Formula 1 car, but getting the best performance from them requires tireless work from drivers, teams and engineers.

Three tyre experts join Katie and Christian to explain all you need to know about F1 tyres:


Former F1 racer Jolyon Palmer explains why tyres are so important to drivers
Mario Isola, Head of Motorsport for official F1 tyre supplier Pirelli, tells us why different tyre compounds are chosen for each race weekend and why F1 tyres wear out
McLaren's Director of Race Engineering, Hiroshi Imai, explains how F1 teams choose which tyres to use and the tyre rules they must not break


You ask, F1 Explains! Send your F1 question - as an email or a voice note - to why@F1.com

F1 Explains tackles a different F1 topic every week. Check out our previous episodes using the links below:






The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable

Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created

Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio

Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork

Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins

F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer

F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023

F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.

Racing more regionally. New power for the F1 Paddock. Game-changing fuels for F1 cars and, potentially, your car. Big things are happening to help make Formula 1 more sustainable.

Christian and Katie ask F1's Head of Sustainability, Ellen Jones, why re-organising the race calendar for 2024 will help reduce the sport's carbon footprint. Ellen also reveals how F1's trialling new ways of reducing the amount of energy used at races and developing a game-changing sustainable fuel with potential to transform the way we all travel in the future. 

McLaren's CEO, Zak Brown, and Sustainability Director Kim Wilson reveal how Lando Norris' race seat and the lake outside their factory are helping the team cut carbon. 

We'd love to answer your F1 question. Record or write it, then email it to Why@F1.com

Why not listen to another episode?


Trophies, travel + 'pace in the car' - Your Questions Answered
Your F1 Car Questions Answered by Bernie Collins + Will Buxton
Why are F1 wind tunnels top secret?

Why do F1 drivers need race engineers? with Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu

Why are pit stops so important? 

Why do F1 teams need simulators? with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne

Why is racing in the rain so difficult? with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade

Why are street circuits the ultimate test? with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins
Tyres, points + car set-up - Your Questions Answered

Why do F1 drivers need to be so fit? with Alexander Rossi + Vettel's former trainer
Why does the USA have 3 F1 races in 2023?

Why is F1 Sprint such a challenge? with Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.