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<p>Step inside the Formula 1 Paddock for race previews, reviews, interviews and analysis with Tom Clarkson and expert guests.</p>

<p>Get answers to your questions on F1 Explains with Christian Hewgill. Email F1Explains@F1.com</p>

<p>An official F1 podcast. For in-depth F1 interviews, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid</p>

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F1 Nation

This episode is sponsored by AWS - Global AI Partner of Formula 1
As Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest F1 World Champion in history, Tom Clarkson and James Hinchcliffe review the Mexico City Grand Prix.
9th place would have been enough for Antonelli to take the title, but he fought his way to the podium. What does that say about his character? Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton lifted the new champion onto their shoulders on the rostrum. Could Kimi go on to challenge their incredible records?
Race-winner Verstappen showed all his speed and composure to take the victory. What was key to him taking the lead, and is the momentum with him ahead of 2027?
After the Ferraris went wheel-to-wheel, Lewis Hamilton wants 'serious talks'. TC and Hinch assess the situation at the Scuderia and ask what can be done to bring harmony between Hamilton and Leclerc?
How is George Russell feeling now his teammate is officially champion? Does his 2027 title challenge begin in Brazil next week? 
Elsewhere there's praise for Liam Lawson after another points finish and we hail Haas stand-in Ryo Hirakawa for a scoring a point on his Grand Prix debut.
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Kimi claims his crown - 2026 Mexico City GP Review

Their names are on the F1 World Championship trophy, now they're answering F1 Explains listener questions! 1978 and 1996 title-winners Mario Andretti and Damon Hill joined us for a special legends live show at Circuit of the Americas.
Mario and Damon tell Christian Hewgill about the incredible growth of F1 in the USA, then listeners Nick and Brian take the stage to ask questions about winning in different forms of motorsport, data vs driving instinct and Mario's movie career...
Get your questions answered by an F1 expert
Email F1Explains@F1.com
Follow the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2026
Race previews and reviews on F1 Nation
Daniel Ricciardo opens up about life after F1
Listen now on F1 Beyond The Grid

F1 Explains: Mario Andretti + Damon Hill LIVE at Circuit of the Americas

With Kimi Antonelli two points away from becoming the youngest World Champion in F1 history, Tom Clarkson and broadcaster Diego Mejía preview the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Can anyone delay Kimi's coronation? Perhaps one of the drivers in contention for P2 in the championship - George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, or Charles Leclerc? Verstappen is a 'turn one specialist' in Mexico, but might the high altitude favour the Ferrari drivers? Why are the final races of 2026 so important for Russell and anyone else hoping to mount a title challenge in 2027?
Tom and Diego also hail Liam Lawson's impressive season at Racing Bulls, look forward to a future teammate battle between Ollie Bearman and Rafael Câmara at Haas and discuss a new Cadillac deal for home hero Sergio Perez ahead of his 300th Grand Prix.
Follow the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2026
Watch live on Apple TV in the US, F1TV in selected countries or your national F1 broadcaster
Highlights and updates all weekend on the F1 app and YouTube channel
Daniel Ricciardo opens up about life after F1
Listen now on F1 Beyond The Grid

Ask a question, get an expert answer
Listen to F1 Explains right here on the F1 Nation podcast feed

F1 history awaits Kimi + the tight battle for P2 - Mexico City GP Preview

This episode is sponsored by AWS - Global AI Partner of Formula 1.
James Hinchcliffe and Lawrence Barretto join Tom Clarkson in the Austin paddock to reflect on the United States Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli’s dominant win from pole wasn’t enough to secure the title this time around, but he’s moved even closer to becoming the youngest World Champion in F1 history. How did he make the one-stop strategy work so well? And what are the permutations for Kimi to seal the championship in Mexico?
On the other side of the Mercedes garage, George Russell could only manage P8 after a very difficult weekend compared to Kimi. Is there any chance George might start considering a life away from Mercedes given his teammate’s dominance this year?
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc made it back-to-back podiums with a very impressive drive to P2. Was this as good a performance as we’ve seen from Charles all season? Why was he quicker than Lewis Hamilton this weekend? And was this a missed opportunity for Ferrari – given how strong their race pace was, could they have won had they qualified better?
The guys also discuss why Max Verstappen and Red Bull weren’t the team to beat despite being many people’s favourites, some spicy team radio from Isack Hadjar, another challenging weekend for McLaren and why they think Racing Bulls haven’t given Liam Lawson a contract for next season yet.
Listen to more official F1 podcasts
In-depth interviews on F1 Beyond The Grid
Your questions answered on F1 Explains

Kimi on the brink + George at a crossroads? – United States GP Review

What’s the difference between understeer and oversteer? How is race pace different to quali pace? And how do drivers deal with jet lag?
Haas Reserve Driver Jack Doohan joins Christian Hewgill in the Austin paddock to answer your questions about Formula 1.
Jack opens up on the challenges of dealing with the mental pressures of the sport and explains what downshifts are, how they feel in the car and why good downshifts are so crucial to lap time.

F1 Explains: Understeer v oversteer, quali v race pace + mental pressure - with Jack Doohan

This episode is sponsored by AWS - Global AI Partner of Formula 1.
Jolyon Palmer and Alex Jacques join Tom Clarkson for some energetic debate ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin.
With Singapore still fresh in their minds, the guys discuss the strategy call from Lewis Hamilton that cost him a podium and whether a driver should go against their team’s strategic decisions.
Lots of listeners disagreed with Jolyon’s take on last week’s podcast about the crash between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the Singapore Sprint race. Having had more time to reflect, has JP changed his view?
Looking ahead to Austin, Kimi Antonelli could mathematically become World Champion at the Circuit of the Americas. But do Mercedes have the car to fight for victory? Is their recent form a cause for long-term ‘concern’? 
And with back-to-back wins from pole position, momentum is fully with Max Verstappen as we head to a track where he’s won four of the last five races. Will he make it five out of six this weekend? Jacquesy and Jolyon discuss the turnaround Red Bull have made since the start of the season and their thoughts on Team Principal Laurent Mekies signing a long-term contract extension. 
Plus, Haas have announced that Brazilian F2 driver Rafa Camara will drive for them in 2027, replacing Esteban Ocon. What can we expect from the Ferrari Academy driver? And what does his arrival mean for Ollie Bearman?

Kimi’s title chance, Max’s momentum + should drivers decide strategy? – United States GP Preview

Packed with drivers, cars, team personnel, media, celebrities and more, their voices drowned out by the noise of passionate fans in the grandstands and engineers at work, the Formula 1 grid before a race start is probably the most exciting, chaotic and loudest places to be in all sport.
But what actually happens on the grid before lights out? How are the drivers preparing in those final moments before going into battle? What work is being done on the cars? 
Christian Hewgill and Molly Hudson, F1 correspondent for UK newspaper The Times, are together on the grid before this year’s F1 Sprint race in Zandvoort to answer those questions and explain the rules everyone has to follow on the grid.
Plus, Cadillac Reserve Driver Zhou Guanyu, who drove for Alfa Romeo/Sauber between 2022 and 2024, gives us the drivers’ perspective of what it’s like being in that environment when you’re about to go racing.

F1 Explains: The Grid – what happens before lights out?

Max Verstappen secured back-to-back wins from pole position with his first ever victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. With seven podium finishes from the last eight races, at a range of different tracks, are he and Red Bull now the benchmark in Formula 1?
Tom Clarkson is joined in the paddock by Jolyon Palmer and James Hinchcliffe to discuss Max’s ‘masterclass’ around the Marina Bay Circuit and what we can expect from Red Bull for the rest of the season.
Charles Leclerc claimed his first podium in seven races with P2, but should he have taken the lead from Max at the start after a great launch at lights out? And if he had succeeded, could he have held on to win? 
There was disappointment on the other side of the Ferrari garage, as Lewis Hamilton’s decision to stay out under the final Virtual Safety Car cost him a podium. He apologised to the team over the radio at the end of the race, but should they have been more forceful in asking him to pit?
The guys also discuss Kimi Antonelli’s ‘opportunistic’ drive to P3, the crash between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the Sprint race and Liam Lawson’s future at Racing Bulls after another big points haul for the New Zealander.
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Are Max + Red Bull now the team to beat? - Singapore GP Review

Why does every Grand Prix have a different number of laps? How come some F1 teams have fewer employees than others? What are drivers and engineers doing during practice sessions?
Those are your questions. Christian Hewgill gets the answers from F1TV Lead Presenter Laura Winter and two-time 24h Le Mans podium-finisher (and budding stylist, apparently) Alex Brundle.
Laura and Alex also tackle your questions on tyre rules, whether driver or car is more important, and why a race with every driver in the same car would not tell us who's 'best'
Got F1 questions? We'll get you an answer
Emails and voice notes welcome at F1Explains@F1.com
Listen to more official F1 podcasts
F1 Nation for race previews + reviews
F1 Beyond The Grid for big interviews with big names

F1 Explains: lap count calculations, team size differences + the purpose of practice - with Laura Winter + Alex Brundle 

Tom Clarkson and F1 Correspondent Lawrence Barretto think Red Bull and Ferrari will be closely-matched at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, with Mercedes and McLaren also in the mix. 
Will Max Verstappen win this Grand Prix for the first time in his career? Will the tight corners of the Marina Bay circuit suit McLaren and Ferrari? Will Mercedes' upgrades give Kimi Antonelli a chance of victory, and can George Russell recover from a back-of-the-grid start due to an engine penalty?
In the highly competitive midfield, Audi, Racing Bulls and Alpine will be watching Aston Martin closely. The pressure of F1 Sprint, the humidity and the high chance of a Safety Car mean a dramatic weekend is guaranteed.
More official F1 podcasts
F1 Explains answers your questions about the sport
F1 Beyond The Grid brings you in-depth interviews with the sport's biggest stars