55 episodes
F1 Explains Formula 1
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- Sports
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4.7 • 133 Ratings
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Your questions about Formula 1, answered by the experts. Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill explain F1 with F1 drivers, engineers and the people behind-the-scenes.
F1Explains@F1.com = the place to send your questions, voice notes and messages
For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race reviews and previews, listen to F1 Nation.
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Meet the mechanics in an F1 garage - with Kick Sauber
Dozens of people work inside an F1 team garage, and they all have different jobs. Without these mechanics and engineers, the drivers would never get out on-track. Who are they, what do they all do, and how did they get their jobs?
In this episode, recorded at the 2024 Canadian and British Grands Prix, Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne speak to three of Kick Sauber's garage team:
Tyre Performance Engineer, Dominic Cheng
Composite Technician Michael Loacker, who looks after the car's bodywork
Car Chief Mechanic for Zhou Guanyu, Camilo Zurcher
The trio explain a typical race weekend, the challenges of their jobs and how they all work together to get Sauber's cars ready to race.
Stacey from Colorado and Reshma from London's questions inspired this episode of F1 Explains. You can suggest a topic for a future podcast by emailing your question to F1Explains@F1.com
You might find your answer in a previous episode:
How F1 teams work - from factory to racetrack
LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners
How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper
What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin
How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing
Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions
Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer
How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124
LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners
Car setup with Fernando Alonso + Aston Martin
F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA
F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan
The job of an F1 Team Principal - with Aston Martin's Mike Krack
Why F1 teammates are friends + foes - with Valtteri Bottas + Zhou Guanyu
How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri
F1 Academy - with Susie Wolff + Lia Block
The F1 race start - with Mick Schumacher + strategist Bernie Collins
Behind the scenes on Drive to Survive - with Exec Producer James Gay-Rees
Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine
How F1 teams build their new cars - with Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows
Listen to more official F1 podcasts
For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid
For race previews and reviews from inside the F1 paddock, listen to F1 Nation
Experience F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com -
How Formula 1 teams work - from factory to racetrack
To win in F1, hundreds of people have to work together. From the mechanics at the track to designers at the factory, every team member plays their part. How are F1 teams organised, and why does every team have to build a unique car?
Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill go back into the sport's past with F1 Correspondent and Presenter, Lawrence Barretto, who explains how car design has been part of F1 since the very beginning. Then, Mercedes Head of Communications Bradley Lord talks about the different departments of an F1 team and how they all contribute to on-track performance.
Experience F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Texas, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com
Find the answer in our previous episodes
LIVE at Silverstone with Mika Hakkinen + F1 Explains listeners
How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper
What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin
How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing
Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions
Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer
How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124
LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners
Car setup with Fernando Alonso + Aston Martin
F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA
F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan
The job of an F1 Team Principal - with Aston Martin's Mike Krack
Why F1 teammates are friends + foes - with Valtteri Bottas + Zhou Guanyu
How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri
F1 Academy - with Susie Wolff + Lia Block
The F1 race start - with Mick Schumacher + strategist Bernie Collins
Behind the scenes on Drive to Survive - with Exec Producer James Gay-Rees
Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine
How F1 teams build their new cars - with Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows
Listen to more official F1 podcasts
For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid
For race previews and reviews from inside the F1 paddock, listen to F1 Nation -
High-speed tracks + driver contract chats - LIVE at the British GP with Mika Hakkinen
A double F1 World Champion and three F1 Explains listeners joined Christian Hewgill live on stage at the 2024 British Grand Prix.
F1 Explains listeners Sophie from Rugby, Ryan from London and Alex from Atlanta Georgia asked Mika Hakkinen about how Formula 1 has changed since his final season in 2001 and how it feels to drive high-speed corners. The 1998 and 1999 World Champion also explains what is involved in contract negotiations between drivers and teams.
Special thanks to Ella Clarke, Jordan Henley and Tham Islam at F1, Nicki Seifert at Silverstone and the team at The Driver's Inn Stage.
Watch F1 live in 2024
Tickets for the US Grand Prix in Austin, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 F1 season are available now at tickets.formula1.com
F1 Explains will be coming to the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas in October 2024, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November 2024. More details coming soon.
Find the answer in our previous episodes
How F1 lap times are recorded - with an official F1 timekeeper
What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin
How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing
Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions
Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer
How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124
LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners
Car setup with Fernando Alonso + Aston Martin
F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA
F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan
The job of an F1 Team Principal - with Aston Martin's Mike Krack
Why F1 teammates are friends + foes - with Valtteri Bottas + Zhou Guanyu
How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri
F1 Academy - with Susie Wolff + Lia Block
The F1 race start - with Mick Schumacher + strategist Bernie Collins
Behind the scenes on Drive to Survive - with Exec Producer James Gay-Rees
Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine
How F1 teams build their new cars - with Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows
Listen to more official F1 podcasts
For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid
For race previews and reviews from inside the F1 paddock, listen to F1 Nation -
How F1 lap times are recorded
In F1, every thousandth of a second is crucial. Drivers' performances are often separated by less than the blink of an eye, so how are F1 cars timed so accurately?
To find out, Christian and Katie speak to James Clarke, a highly-trained F1 timekeeper. James explains the technology on cars and at circuits which make the timing system work, how lap times and race positions are accurately recorded, and what happens if two drivers set identical times.
Get your question answered by an F1 expert
Record a voice note, write an email and send it to F1Explains@F1.com
Find the answer in our previous episodes
What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin
How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing
Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions
Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer
How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124
LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners
Car setup with Fernando Alonso + Aston Martin
F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA
F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan
The job of an F1 Team Principal - with Aston Martin's Mike Krack
Why F1 teammates are friends + foes - with Valtteri Bottas + Zhou Guanyu
How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri
F1 Academy - with Susie Wolff + Lia Block
The F1 race start - with Mick Schumacher + strategist Bernie Collins
Behind the scenes on Drive to Survive - with Exec Producer James Gay-Rees
Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine
How F1 teams build their new cars - with Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows
Listen to more official F1 podcasts
For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid
For race previews and reviews from inside the F1 paddock, listen to F1 Nation
See Formula 1 live this season
Tickets for races in Texas, Las Vegas, across Europe and around the world are available now. Go to tickets.formula1.com to book your seats -
What F1 drivers eat - with Oscar Piastri's nutritionist, Dr Dan Martin
As high-performance athletes, F1 drivers have to eat the right things at the right times. Everything they eat and drink, plus the timing of their meals, is carefully planned by expert nutritionists like Dr Dan Martin from Combine Performance. Dan works with McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne find out what an F1 driver's diet is and how it helps them perform at their best. We also get the story behind the banana smoothie which interrupted a previous F1 Explains interview with Piastri...
Get your F1 question answered by an expert
Record it as a voice note or write it in an email and send it to F1Explains@F1.com
Learn more about F1 with our previous episodes:
How F1 helmets are made - with Bell Racing
Ask a Formula 1 Driver – Liam Lawson answers your questions
Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer
How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124
LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners
Car setup with Fernando Alonso + Aston Martin
F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA
F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan
The job of an F1 Team Principal - with Aston Martin's Mike Krack
Why F1 teammates are friends + foes - with Valtteri Bottas + Zhou Guanyu
How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri
F1 Academy - with Susie Wolff + Lia Block
The F1 race start - with Mick Schumacher + strategist Bernie Collins
Behind the scenes on Drive to Survive - with Exec Producer James Gay-Rees
Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine
How F1 teams build their new cars - with Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows
More Official F1 Podcasts
For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid
For race previews and reviews from inside the F1 paddock, listen to F1 Nation
Experience Formula 1 live this season
Tickets for races in Texas, Las Vegas, across Europe and around the world are available now. Go to tickets.formula1.com to book your seats -
How F1 helmets are made – with Bell Racing
They’re essential pieces of safety kit, made from specialised materials. But F1 helmets do far more than just protect the driver. F1 Explains explores helmet design, testing and technology with Stephane Cohen, co-CEO of Bell Racing – the company which makes helmets for 13 current F1 drivers.
Stephane tells Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill how Bell make helmets that are strong and light, visors that don’t fog up and why a car update can require helmets to be modified.
Plus, hear how F1 helmets differ from those worn by the stars of the NFL.
Send us your question and we'll find the F1 expert to answer it
Write an email or record a voice note and send it to F1Explains@F1.com
Learn more about F1 with our previous episodes:
Ask a Formula 1 Driver – with Liam Lawson
Inside the FIA Safety Car - with driver, Bernd Mayländer
How F1 video games are so realistic - with EA SPORTS F124
LIVE in Miami with Guenther Steiner + F1 Explains listeners
Car setup with Fernando Alonso + Aston Martin
F1 race suits, boots, gloves + underwear - with PUMA
F1 brakes - technology + technique - with Brembo + Jack Doohan
The job of an F1 Team Principal - with Aston Martin's Mike Krack
Why F1 teammates are friends + foes - with Valtteri Bottas + Zhou Guanyu
How Formula 2 + Formula 3 prepare drivers for F1 - with Oscar Piastri
F1 Academy - with Susie Wolff + Lia Block
The F1 race start - with Mick Schumacher + strategist Bernie Collins
Behind the scenes on Drive to Survive - with Exec Producer James Gay-Rees
Why F1 pre-season testing matters - with Mercedes, McLaren + Alpine
How F1 teams build their new cars - with Aston Martin Technical Director Dan Fallows
More Official F1 Podcasts
For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest stars, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid
For race previews and reviews from inside the F1 paddock, listen to F1 Nation
Experience Formula 1 live this season
Tickets for races in Texas, Las Vegas, across Europe and around the world are available now. Go to tickets.formula1.com to book your seats
Customer Reviews
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As a new f1 fan, this podcast helps understand f1 really good. I recommend this for beginners and I think I won’t have as many questions during a race. Thank you soooooooo much!!! Also, how does the drs button open the wing during drs. And one more thing…. 🎵 Max Max Max Super Max Max Super Super Max. And du du du DU, Max Verstapen 🎵
Good idea but
Some good information but it’s like the hosts are talking to small children. Honestly, just let the experts talk
I learn so much from this show!
I LOVE this show! Katie and Christian are delightful! They bring on guests that you know, and others that you SHOULD know, from the world of Formula 1!
They definitely care about what their listeners have to say, and try to answer our questions - I submitted a question about name pronunciations, and they asked THE Jolyon Palmer and THE Alex Jacques (sorry, Christian, I also love your "The Fast and the Curious" podcast). They even played a clip of Will Buxton asking a driver the same question!!!
This is a great podcast for newer fans (like me), and for lifelong for fans! I frequently hear episodes where their guests, who are often experts in their fields, have exclaimed about something they've learned, too!
Give it a try!