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Tom Clarkson and James Hinchcliffe are in the Interlagos paddock to dissect the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, as Lando Norris took his third race win of the season and Mercedes became Constructors’ World Champions for the ninth time in their history. 

How did Lando make the difference in the wet and dry conditions this weekend? And how big a step forward is this result for McLaren?  

Max Verstappen delivered another sensational drive through the field in Brazil to climb 19 places from P21 to P2, with Isack Hadjar coming home in third to secure a double podium for Red Bull. How did Max complete another magical comeback? And what have we learned about Isack this weekend? 

Both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell had eventful races, but still scored the points needed to ensure Mercedes claimed their first title since 2021. Tom and Hinch discuss how Merc have returned to the top and reflect on a chaotic weekend for their drivers.  

Also on the agenda: a frustrating end to a challenging week for Ferrari, another stellar performance from Liam Lawson, and Rafa Camara’s F1 debut.

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What role do CEO's play in signing drivers? How is the position of sponsor logos on cars and team kit decided? Who decides a team’s colours? 

McLaren CEO Zak Brown joins Christian Hewgill in the F1 paddock to answer your questions about the role of an F1 CEO.

Zak explains what his days look like away from the track and during Grand Prix weekends, including what he does on the pitwall during sessions, and how his responsibilities differ to those of Team Principal Andrea Stella.

Plus, Zak tells the story of how he ended up becoming McLaren CEO.

Brazilian journalist Julianne Cerasoli joins Tom Clarkson in the Interlagos paddock to look ahead to this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Julianne tells us what we can expect from Haas Brazilian driver Rafa Camara ahead of his unexpected Formula 1 debut at home, how Rafa's been preparing for his first Grand Prix and how he’ll fare against teammate Ollie Bearman in their fight for a Ferrari seat.

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest World Champion in F1 history last time out in Mexico City. Now that he’s sealed the title, will we see a different Kimi for the rest of the season?

Tom and Julianne also discuss the battle for P2 in the Drivers’ Championship, with just 16 points separating Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Charles Leclerc going into the final four races.

And finally, we pay tribute to 1980 World Champion Alan Jones, who has passed away at the age of 80.

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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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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 [email protected]

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

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
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Listen to F1 Explains right here on the F1 Nation podcast feed

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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

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.

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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?

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.

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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