F1 Beyond The Grid

Flavio Briatore and ‘Team Enstone’ go back a long way.As Benetton in the 90’s, he led them to multiple World Championships with Michael Schumacher. And as Renault in the 2000s, he did the same with Fernando Alonso. So how can he achieve similar success with Alpine?Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Flavio talks about the progress the team have made since he became Executive Advisor, what he makes of his drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and whether he has a timescale for Alpine to be fighting for titles.Flavio also shares some funny anecdotes about replacing Jenson Button with Alonso at Renault, firing Jackie Stewart and his criticism of Franco in the latest series of Drive to Survive. Plus, Flav tells Tom about the arrival of Gucci as the team’s main sponsor in 2027.This episode is sponsored by: CarGurus: go to cargurus.co.uk for complete vehicle details without any surprises

2025 has been a year of firsts for Laura Mueller and Esteban Ocon.For Laura, it’s her first season as a race engineer. For Esteban, it’s his first season with Haas. And it’s their first time working with each other.So how are they finding it? What do they need from one another to get the best out of each other? And how do they communicate in and out of the car?Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Laura and Esteban take us inside their first year working together and how the relationship between a race engineer and an F1 driver works.They provide fascinating insight into how they talk to each other on team radio – explaining when the right time to speak during a lap is, how often they should speak and why that can change in different scenarios.Laura and Esteban also reflect on the highs and lows of this year – including how they bounced back from a challenging season-opener in Melbourne to score points in China the week after.And you’ll hear all about Laura’s path to becoming F1’s first female race engineer and the childhood hero who inspired this journey.This episode is sponsored by:F1 Store: treat the F1 fan in your life this festive season with exclusive gear from the Official F1 Store. Shop now at F1Store.formula1.comShopify: sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid Aura Frames: For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting AuraFrames.com to get $35 off Aura’s best-sellingCarver Mat frames by using promo code GRID at checkout Vanta: get started at vanta.com/GRID Honda Vintage Culture: right now, listeners can get 20% off the full Honda Vintage Culture range. Just head to hondavintageculture.com and use the code BTG20 at checkout

Every driver who wants to win with Red Bull needs to impress Helmut Marko. The veteran Motorsport Advisor oversees the team’s young driver programme and helped launch the careers of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. A former F1 driver himself, he knows what it takes to race under the highest pressure.Helmut tells Tom Clarkson about his life in racing: childhood adventures in Austria with future world champion Jochen Rindt, and the serious eye injury which ended his driving career just as he was about to join Ferrari. He tells the story of how he met Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, and how they started the F1 team which would go on to win races and championships with Vettel and Verstappen.Plus, Marko explains how Verstappen and Team Principal Laurent Mekies have changed the team’s approach in 2025 and picks the young driver with potential to be a future champion.This episode is sponsored by: CarGurus: go to cargurus.co.uk for complete vehicle details without any surprisesVanta: get started at Vanta.com/GRID.F1 Authentics: discover unique F1 items found nowhere else at the official home of F1 memorabilia. For a limited time, use the code BTGRID10 for an exclusive 10% off your next order. Exclusions apply.Shopify: sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid

McLaren have won back-to-back Constructors’ titles for the first time since the early ‘90s.Just eight years ago, in 2017, they finished second to last, so how exactly have they transformed into World Champions since then?Speaking to Tom Clarkson at the McLaren Technology Centre, CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella outline how they’ve masterminded McLaren’s remarkable turnaround together, revealing just how desperate the team’s situation was at the start of this journey, and how they’re planning to sustain their recent success in the years to come.But in the immediate future, their eyes are on the next prize, as they chase a first Drivers’ World Championship since Lewis Hamilton won in 2008. Going into the final four rounds of the 2025 season, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are separated by just one point at the top of the standings. Zak and Andrea discuss how the pair have evolved during their time at McLaren, criticism of their approach to this title fight, and whether they’ll have any regrets should Max Verstappen beat Lando and Oscar to the crown. This episode is sponsored by: Vanta: get started at Vanta.com/GRID Indeed: listeners of this show can get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at indeed.com/GRIDShopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid