BBC’s F1: Back at Base takes listeners behind-the-scenes of McLaren and Aston Martin Formula 1 teams, with exclusive access to drivers and an inside look at top-secret factories
studios
22.01.2025
F1: Back At Base episode one is available now wherever you get your podcasts. BBC Podcasts Premium subscribers get 1-week early access and can listen to episodes 1 & 2 now.
Calling all Formula 1 fans hungry for more as they await the start of the 2025 season – BBC’s F1: Back At Base podcast returns with exclusive access into two of the sport’s most historied teams, McLaren and Aston Martin, as they fight to the finish line in the final ten races of the 2024 season. Joined for the first time by actor and motorsport fan Josh Hartnett (Trap, Pearl Harbor) as narrator, F1: Back at Base returns for an eight-part season two, ’How To Go Racing’, beginning January 22, wherever you get your podcasts.
With F1 experts Sarah Holt and Holly Samos as guides, F1: Back At Base – How To Go Racing will take listeners inside the top-secret factories of McLaren and Aston Martin during the final 10 races of the longest – and one of the most unpredictable – seasons in F1’s history. Produced by IMG, the podcast includes exclusive interviews with the teams’ star drivers and executive and technical leadership, revealing new insights into McLaren’s race to beat rivals Ferrari and Red Bull to the Constructors’ Championship and Aston Martin’s hot pursuit to sign the sport’s most highly-coveted name Adrian Newey, the most successful car designer in F1 history.
Josh Hartnett, actor and narrator of F1: Back At Base – How To Go Racing, said: “As a longtime fan of Formula 1 and racing in general, I can honestly say that this season was unlike any other. With as much action as we see on track, there’s so much more work happening behind the scenes that we as fans rarely get to see. I’m delighted to raise the curtain on these two iconic F1 teams alongside the BBC, and take listeners inside the heart of the operations to learn the secrets of how these teams prepare for the fastest competition in the world.”
Stevie Middleton, Commissioning Executive for Podcasts at BBC, said: “F1: Back at Base is the offseason destination for F1 fans around the world. Thanks to the unparalleled expertise from Holly, Sarah and this hardworking team, we are bringing audiences an even more exciting lineup of exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes access for this latest season.”
The final 10 races of the 2024 season are brought to life with exclusive audio race commentary, analysis and actuality gathered from circuits around the world. Top names speaking to the series include: From Team McLaren, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, CEO Zak Brown, Team Principal Andrea Stella, Chief Designer Rob Marshall and Performance Engineer Amelia Lewis. And from Team Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Group CEO and Team Principal Andy Cowell, racing driver and Aston Martin Ambassador Jessica Hawkins, Chief Trackside Engineer/former Team Principal Mike Krack, and incoming Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey. We’ll also hear from Formula 1 CEO and President Stefano Domenicali and CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Renee Wilm.
Select quotes from the first and second episodes:
*Please credit the BBC’s F1: Back At Base podcast and link to the podcast*
F1: Back At Base Narrator and Actor Josh Hartnett on his longstanding love of F1:
(Episode 1 – 00:02:28-00:03-11)
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in cars and racing. Fifteen years ago, after attending a premiere at Cannes Film Festival, I was invited to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from the pit lane…It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced in sport. Since then, I’ve been able to drive on tracks, not in F1 cars, and so I’ve experienced what it’s like to be at the track on race day. But what we see there is only half the story.”
Lando Norris on fighting for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships:
(Episode 2 – 00:35:38 – 00:35:52)
“It’s not like we need to change our approach, or do something completely differently, or do this or do that. We have everything it takes, I feel like I have everything I need, I know what to do, it’s just simply going out and doing it.
In an interview recorded before his signing to Aston Martin was announced, Adrian Newey revealed his Day 1 plans:
(Episode 2 – 00:26:50-00:27:40)
“The first target really is to get to know everybody here, understand how everybody works, trying to integrate myself with everybody. It’s talking to the drivers. It’s talking to my fellow engineers, trying to bounce ideas off them. Getting that sort of creative flow going.
The reality is the aerodynamic rules for 2026 come out 1st of January. I start 1st of March so I’ll be two months behind the ball already.
“And then obviously I’ve got the challenge of getting to know everybody. Remember their names. I’m useless at remembering names. That’s the first challenge. So, I’m not making any predictions. I’m just looking forward to it.”
Fernando Alonso on Aston Martin’s investments to get to the front of the grid:
(Episode 1 – 00:33:53 – 00:34:20)
“It’s probably the best facility in the sport right now. So, the future is great for the team. It’s very attractive to everyone to come and work in Aston Martin. The same for the drivers. I feel privileged. I feel very proud to be part of the organization and hopefully we can translate those facilities and that investment into results soon.”
Oscar Piastri on McLaren’s racing philosophy:
(Episode 2 – 00:18:31-00:19:27)
“We don’t want to be having races where opportunities either way are limited because of team orders and stuff like that. We want to go out there knowing that we are winning because of what we’re doing, not because of the order that the team wants us to be in. In some ways, I think that’s the best way of going racing.
We are still racing for the team at the end of the day and we want to protect the points for them. But, if it was just us two on track, and we didn’t have to worry about anyone else, you know, we’d be trying to fight for wins for each of us. Because it’s a team sport, but an individual sport within the team. So yeah, it’s a bit of a balancing act but we know that we’re very capable of racing each other sensibly.”
CREDITS:
F1: Back at Base was created and produced by Holly Samos and Sarah Holt and is an IMG production for the BBC. Episode 1 is available starting January 22, with new episodes releasing weekly on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts. BBC Podcasts Premium subscribers get 1-week early access to episodes, available exclusively on Apple.
Hosted by Josh Hartnett. Co-hosts & Executive Producers are Holly Samos and Sarah Holt. The Producers are Alasdair Cresswell, Joe Aldridge and Jack Winstanley. The Senior Producer is Ollie Kneen. The Executive Producer for IMG is Steve Tebb. The Story Editor and Scriptwriter is Sarah Holt. The Showrunner is Holly Samos. The Commissioning Editor at the BBC is Stevie Middleton.
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