F1 Beyond The Grid

1995 was a 'catastrophe' for Damon Hill, a bruising battle on and off the track. He was determined that 1996 would be his year.
30 years since his title triumph, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill joins Tom Clarkson to reflect on his winning season. From four wins in the opening five races, to finding out he was being dropped by Williams at the end of the season while still in the championship fight, Damon talks candidly about the ups and downs of a very dramatic title-winning campaign.

He also tells Tom how he changed his approach going into 1996, after some tough battles with Michael Schumacher on and off track the year before, and why he turned down an offer to sign for McLaren despite wanting to join them.
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Ferrari discovered him, trained him and gave him a place in Formula 1 with Haas. Ollie Bearman dreams of driving for the Scuderia, but with Lewis Hamilton enjoying a revival and Charles Leclerc committed long-term, what does Bearman's future hold?
Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Ollie discusses what he still believes he can achieve with Haas, why this year’s results don’t reflect how much his driving has improved, and whether he’d ever leave the Ferrari family to pursue other options.
Ollie also talks about stepping up as a team leader this year, recalling the time he picked up the microphone and addressed the whole team after a few difficult races.
Plus, he explains why he was moved to tears after driving Ayrton Senna’s 1985 Lotus at Silverstone.
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Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane says his exit from Alpine in 2023 was both ‘devastating’ and a ‘defining moment’ in his career.

‘Devastating’ because he’d been with Team Enstone for more than 30 years, winning World Championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. But ‘defining’ as it led to his first role as a Team Principal in Formula 1 – his biggest job yet.

One year since taking the reins, Alan tells Tom Clarkson why the role was not initially a natural fit for him, how he’s risen to the challenge and what changes he’s made at Racing Bulls.

He also shares fascinating insight into his drivers. What state of mind was Liam Lawson in after his demotion from Red Bull Racing? How did he produce such an impressive turnaround in form? Why does Alan describe rookie Arvid Lindblad as ‘very pushy’? And how has he dealt with some intense moments between Lawson and Lindblad on track?

Alan also talks about the unique way they decided which driver would receive the team’s latest upgrade first, whether they’d ever give Max Verstappen a test in the Racing Bulls car, and what he makes of Red Bull junior driver and F2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov.
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Damson Idris describes playing Formula 1 rookie Joshua Pearce in F1: The Movie - the Oscar-winning, highest-grossing sports film of all time - as a life-changing moment.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson a year since its release, Damson talks about racing in the F2 cars they used for the film, how he and co-star Brad Pitt compared against each other on track and what it was like to immerse himself in the world of Formula 1.

Damson also tells Tom about his relationship with Lewis Hamilton and why he believes the seven-time World Champion ‘has that Michael Jordan thing’. You’ll also hear about a dramatic moment during filming that showed Damson what it’s truly like to be a Formula 1 driver pushing to the limit.
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For 20 years, Italy waited for a driver to join Giancarlo Fisichella as a Formula 1 Grand Prix-winner. Now, Kimi Antonelli is flying Il Tricolore on the top step of the podium once again. Fisi tells Tom Clarkson about the pressures of carrying Italy’s hopes in F1 and what Kimi needs to do to end the nation’s even longer wait for a World Champion.

Fisi looks back on his own F1 career - the ‘hard’ moments he had supporting Fernando Alonso in his teammate’s title-winning seasons, how they relaxed before the race and how close he came to moving to another team in the mid 2000s.

Giancarlo remembers living his dream and joining Ferrari during the 2009 season. Does he think Kimi Antonelli could ever do the same?
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