F1 Beyond The Grid – Details, episodes & analysis

With 13 wins from 18 races, Michael Schumacher’s seventh and final World Championship was his best season in Formula 1.

Still to this day, Schumacher is the only driver to have won five titles in a row as he and Ferrari dominated F1 from 2000 to 2004. 

So why was the German at his most ruthless during that last triumph in ‘04?

20 years on, Tom Clarkson speaks to McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella (Michael’s performance engineer in 2004), Sabine Kehm (Michael’s media and PR consultant in 2004) and Ferrari Sporting Director Diego Ioverno (Ferrari’s gearbox engineer in 2004) for unique insight into how Michael obliterated his opposition that season, what he was like to work with and how it felt to be part of the most successful period in Ferrari’s F1 history.

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After winning his home race for the first time in 2024, Charles Leclerc has just one more item to tick off his Formula 1 bucket list.
But can the Monegasque and Ferrari still become World Champions together?
Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Leclerc reflects on that special victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, the reasons behind Ferrari’s struggles since then and why he’s confident of future success with the team.
Also on the agenda, Charles talks about having Lewis Hamilton as his teammate in 2025, what he’ll miss about Carlos Sainz, how ‘life-changing’ Leo the Dachsund is keeping him on his toes, and much more.

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He’s an engineer who won Formula 1 World Championships with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen. Now he’s working on the rules of the sport for 2026 and beyond.
Nikolas Tombazis is the Director of Single Seaters for the FIA. He is overseeing the regulations for the 2026 season, when F1 cars will be lighter, smaller and sustainably fuelled, with greater battery power and revolutionary active aerodynamics. He tells Tom Clarkson how the new rules have been designed to create close, competitive racing which is thrilling to watch.
Nikolas also looks back at his career in F1, when he enjoyed domination and experienced disappointment. Championships with Michael Schumacher at Benneton were followed by more success at Ferrari, with Schumi and Kimi Raikkonen. A move to McLaren during a difficult period brought challenges. His return to Ferrari brought agony as Fernando Alonso missed out on the 2010 title, in a showdown which still plays on Tombazis’ mind.
Experience Formula 1 live in 2024
Tickets for the United States Grand Prix in Austin, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and races around the world are available now at tickets.formula1.com

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In 2023, Aston Martin took a leap to the front of Formula 1. They went from midfield battlers to podium finishers, ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari. How? 

As the engineer who led the creation of the team's car, Technical Director Dan Fallows, is one of many possible answers to that question. Dan began his F1 career in 2002, as an aerodynamic engineer for Jaguar. Four years later, he joined Red Bull – where he learnt from one of the sport’s greatest car designers in the form of Adrian Newey and played a part in the team’s most successful period. 

His first two seasons at Aston Martin were difficult, but it seems to be third time lucky for Dan and the team. He tells Tom Clarkson why the 2023 car is far superior to its predecessor and how the talent of the team’s workforce surpassed his expectations. He explains where his passion for aerodynamics comes from, how playing guitar keeps him occupied outside of F1, and why Fernando Alonso has had such a big impact on the team.

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Related episodes:
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin team owner 


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Introducing Formula Why, a brand-new official F1 podcast about how F1 really works. Episodes weekly from Friday 28th April. 

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Japan has had plenty of Formula 1 heroes to worship over the years. But does Yuki Tsunoda have what it takes to become the country’s first World Champion? If he can drive as fast as he reached F1 then he’s in with a chance. The 22-year-old went from Japanese F4 to his drive at Alpha Tauri in the space of just three years. Since his points-scoring debut in 2021, Yuki has certainly caught the eye of many. But 2023 is a huge year. With Pierre Gasly leaving for Alpine, Tsunoda is now the team leader. How he performs this season will have a huge impact on his future in the sport. Is he ready for the challenge? Yuki tells Tom Clarkson what he's learned from his idol Fernando Alonso, why Daniel Ricciardo’s old trainer has made him fitter than ever before, and how he’s trying to be calmer on team radio. Plus, Yuki reveals why he loves being famous.

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Related episodes:

Nyck de Vries, Yuki's AlphaTauri teammate 


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He didn’t come from a racing family. He followed in the footsteps of his father and qualified as a doctor. How Jonathan Palmer ended up driving in Formula 1 is an intriguing tale of passion for racing, intuition and plenty of graft. Palmer initially competed in Formula Ford but after qualifying as a doctor, he decided to focus on racing professionally. He became British Formula 3 champion in 1981 and European Formula 3 champion in 1983. That year, Williams gave him his F1 debut at the European Grand Prix. He would go on to race for RAM, Zakspeed and Tyrrell over the next six years – scoring 14 championship points along the way. Palmer takes Tom Clarkson through his unique journey from studying medicine to competing in Formula 1. He reflects on some memorable drives in Monaco and we hear wonderful insight into what it was like working with Ayrton Senna as a test driver for McLaren in 1990. Palmer, whose son Jolyon also raced in F1 for Renault in 2016 and 2017, became part of the BBC’s Formula 1 coverage after retiring. He recalls working the day Senna lost his life at Imola in May 1994.
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He’s one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula 1. Sir Jackie Stewart became World Champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973. 50 years since he retired after that final title, Sir Jackie is still in the top 10 for all-time F1 race wins - with 27 victories to his name. He started out with the BRM team in 1965, before joining Tyrell Racing three years later. They enjoyed five years of success, in which Jackie cemented his status as a legend of the sport. The Flying Scot, as he was also known, tells Tom Clarkson that winning was all that mattered. But for all the highs, there were also dreadful lows. Formula 1 was an extremely dangerous sport in Jackie’s era. Three of his close friends were killed in F1 races – Piers Courage, Jochen Rindt and his Tyrrell teammate, Francois Cevert. Jackie explains how he became almost desensitised to death and how he removed all emotion from his racing to succeed. The hectic lifestyle of a Formula 1 World Champion eventually caught up with Jackie and proved to be a huge factor in his decision to retire. Much of his life after F1 was dedicated to improving the safety of the sport and many of the changes to protect the drivers today are thanks to him. Jackie opens up about the relationship with his wife, Helen, and sons, Paul and Mark. He reveals why he didn’t stop racing as Roger Williamson lost his life at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1973, and why Formula 1 still means so much to him now.
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To hear more of Sir Jackie Stewart’s F1 story, listen to his first BTG interview here.

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Oscar Piastri came into Formula 1 with plenty of expectation. But it seems he has the potential to match the pressure. In three consecutive years, he became Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion. After winning the F2 championship, there was no space on the grid for the 2022 F1 season and Piastri had to take a year out from racing. But now his chance has arrived. McLaren have given him the opportunity to prove himself at the top and he’s keen to emulate the success of fellow Australians, Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo. Piastri tells Tom Clarkson about leaving home at a young age and how his career in motorsport began with remote control racing. Although last season’s battle for Piastri’s signature between McLaren and Alpine is behind them, there’s now more attention on him than most F1 debutants are used to. But alongside Lando Norris, he’s confident of bringing back the glory days to McLaren.

Follow, rate and review F1 Beyond the Grid and share this episode using #F1BeyondTheGrid.

This episode is sponsored by: 

Athletic Greens: if you want to take ownership of your health, today is a good time to start. Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free
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