Formula 1 is a high-speed, high-stress sport. Staying cool, ignoring distractions and recovering from setbacks requires huge mental strength, composure and resilience. How do F1 drivers cope? How do they make sure their minds are in the right condition? What support and training do they get to help them? F1 Explains with the help of two expert guests: Pete McKnight - performance coach who gets F1 drivers mentally ready to race. Performance Director for Hintsa Performance David Coulthard -...

Each one is different, but they're all high-tech pieces of equipment made of military-spec materials, designed to work in extreme conditions. F1 steering wheels do so much more than turn the car.  Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne explore steering wheels with the help of two expert guests: Jose Manuel Lopez, Mclaren Principal Race Engineer Jolyon Palmer, former F1 driver with Renault and GP2 champion Jose and Jolyon tell us how wheels are designed, what all the buttons do, how...

Who decides where F1 teams do their pit stops? How do F1 cars and racetrack corners get their names? How much is F1's prize pot? Race-winning strategist Bernie Collins and award-winning F1TV commentator Alex Jacques are back with Katie and Christian to answer more of your questions. Along the way you'll hear which F1 car is named after a team founders' wife, the different ways F1 corners get their names, and why drivers leave it until the last possible moment to do their qualifying...

How do F1 race starts work? Can you score a podium in F1 Sprint? What are the rules on teams sharing reserve drivers? You ask, F1 Explains with the help of F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and F1 strategist Bernie Collins.  The team explains why F1 Grands Prix start when five red lights go out, explore the history of F1 race starts, and Alex reveals the secrets to commentating on the action-packed opening moments of a race.  Plus, how is a top 3 finish in F1 Sprint officially recorded, which...

It has transformed racing and given us more action. DRS, the Drag Reduction System, gives drivers a better chance of overtaking. Why was it introduced? How does it work? What's the best way to use it? F1 Explains with the help of three experts, who tell Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne all about this fascinating subject: McLaren Aerodynamics Specialist Emel Cankaya works on designing DRS systems. She explains the physics of DRS, why it makes cars go faster and the rules on DRS...

They're round, they're black, they keep you on the track. Tyres are one of the most important parts of a Formula 1 car, but getting the best performance from them requires tireless work from drivers, teams and engineers. Three tyre experts join Katie and Christian to explain all you need to know about F1 tyres: Former F1 racer Jolyon Palmer explains why tyres are so important to drivers Mario Isola, Head of Motorsport for official F1 tyre supplier Pirelli, tells us why different tyre...

Racing more regionally. New power for the F1 Paddock. Game-changing fuels for F1 cars and, potentially, your car. Big things are happening to help make Formula 1 more sustainable. Christian and Katie ask F1's Head of Sustainability, Ellen Jones, why re-organising the race calendar for 2024 will help reduce the sport's carbon footprint. Ellen also reveals how F1's trialling new ways of reducing the amount of energy used at races and developing a game-changing sustainable fuel with potential...

Why don't F1 drivers get to keep their trophies? How do F1 people cope with travel? What do drivers actually mean when they talk about having 'pace in the car'? Bernie Collins, former Aston Martin F1 strategist, and Will Buxton, F1TV presenter, are back with Christian and Katie to answer these questions and more. Bernie tells us about a time a driver was allowed to keep a special trophy, while Will explains how drivers avoid jet lag during the Singapore night race. We'd love to answer...

Why are some F1 cars faster than others? Why do some upgrades work and some don't? Why don't F1 teams all just copy the fastest car?  F1TV presenter and Drive to Survive star Will Buxton, and former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy Bernie Collins join Katie and Christian to answer those questions in more in a quickfire Formula Why special all about F1 cars. You'll hear what upgrading an F1 car has in common with online clothes shopping, why copying a successful car is like trying to cook...

Hidden inside F1 factories, engineers use blasts of high-speed air to shape race-winning cars. Wind tunnels are multi-million dollar, high-tech facilities where aerodynamicists experiment.  What happens in the wind tunnel usually stays in the wind tunnel, but Formula Why is going into this secretive world with Alpine F1 Team's Technical Director, Matt Harman. He tells us why F1 teams use wind tunnels, why they're so secretive and the incredible way the sport's rule makers, the FIA, keep an...

They're the voice in the driver's ear, guiding them through every lap. F1 drivers can't compete without their race engineers, but why are they so important? Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu and his race engineer Jorn Becker join Formula Why to answer your questions. Why do engineers speak like they do? Why do they use some words and not others? Why are all F1 Team Radio messages in English? Zhou and Jorn explain the secrets of a great driver/race engineer team.  We want to answer your questions on...

Why can pitting a lap earlier than your rival be a race-winning move? Why do F1 cars have red lights on the back? How do drivers remember all their race plans at 200mph? How do people get to be F1 Team Principals, strategists or reporters? Former Aston Martin Head of Strategy Bernie Collins and F1 Chief Correspondent Lawrence Barretto are back with Christian and Katie on Formula Why to answer these questions and more in a quickfire special. Got an F1 question you'd like us to answer, or a...

Twenty teammates. Two seconds. Total teamwork. F1 pit stops are iconic, but why are they so important, and why are they so difficult to do perfectly? Who's on the pit crew, and what does each person do? Katie and Christian get the answers from: Gemma Fisher - the human performance specialist who revolutionised F1 pit stops Connor Swan - Alpine F1 Team's Pit Stop Performance Co-ordinator Kevin Magnussen - Haas F1 Team driver  Christian and Katie break down an F1 pit stop - from the role...

For learning racetracks to testing new car upgrades, simulators are a vital tool for every team in F1. Katie and Christian talk to four sim experts to explain why. Stoffel Vandoorne, Aston Martin's reserve driver, took a break from a long day in the sim to tell us why they're so useful for racers. Alpine's Technical Director Matt Harman breaks down how team engineers use them to test new parts and car set-ups. Motorsport scientist Dr Diandra Leslie-Pelecky explains how simulators work...

In F1, rain always means drama. Drivers fight to stay on track. Their skills are pushed to the limits. Why is steering, braking, and racing so much harder in the rain? Formula Why has the answers. After a quick guide to F1's wet weather tyres, motorsport scientist Dr Diandra Leslie-Pelecky explains why it's so hard to keep control on a wet racetrack. Haas F1 Team Race Engineer Mark Slade tells us why F1 teams have to put total faith in their drivers when the rain comes down. Plus,...

No room for error. No time to breathe. When F1 races on city streets – like in Monaco, Miami or Singapore – drivers and strategists face a challenge like no other. Double F1 World Champion and street race-winner Mika Hakkinen joins Christian and Katie to answer why low grip, narrow streets lined with unforgiving metal barriers are the ultimate test of a drivers’ skill – and why spilt drinks and moving boats can make it even harder. Plus, Aston Martin’s former Head of Strategy Bernie Collins...

Why do F1 winners get 25 points? Why do tyre-smoking lock-ups happen? Why do F1 cars change for every race? This week on Formula Why we're answering some of the questions you've sent in to [email protected] so far. Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne are joined by former Aston Martin Head of Strategy Bernie Collins and F1 Correspondent and Presenter Lawrence Barretto to explore the whys, the hows and the whats. Along the way we learn why F1 cars haven't always had four wheels, why tyre warmers...

Insane speed needs incredible strength. If you’ve ever wondered why F1 drivers look so exhausted at the end of a race, here's your answer. Katie and Christian find out why F1 drivers need elite levels of fitness, why their necks, legs and cores need to be so strong and why staying hydrated is so important. Racing scientist Dr Diandra Leslie Pelecky talks through the ‘extremes’ F1 drivers experience. Sebastian Vettel’s former trainer Antti Kontsas of Hintsa Performance explains the real...

Passionate fans. Spectacular racing. A new home hero to cheer. Formula 1 has a long history in the United States. 2023 is a new chapter, with races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas.  Katie and Christian go back through the decades to tell the story of F1 in the US. Then it’s time to explore the present and the future with former F1 commentator Leigh Diffey, former US F1 driver Alexander Rossi and two passionate F1 fans who’ve recently discovered the sport. Why are they and millions of others...

Less prep. More pressure. In 2023, F1 Sprint is more thrilling than ever. Listener Crystal from New York wants to know why F1 Sprint is such an exciting challenge for F1’s teams and drivers. Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill explore the answer with Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen and his race engineer, Mark Slade. Kevin and Mark had an F1 Sprint weekend to remember in 2022. Kevin took a stunning pole position, leaving Mark facing a huge restaurant bill! Then, former Aston Martin Head of Race...

The more you know about Formula 1, the more you'll love it. Join Katie Osborne and Christian Hewgill for Formula Why, the official F1 podcast for every fan who wants to know how the sport really works. Write or record and send your 'why' questions to [email protected] and we'll get F1 experts to answer them on a future episode.