F1: Back at Base A Clean Sheet (Season 3, Episode 6)
Podcast Episode | 34 min | Documentary, Sport

F1: Back at Base

A Clean Sheet (Season 3, Episode 6)

Podcast Episode | 34 min | Documentary, Sport

'Formula 1' is in a moment of pause. The 2025 racing cars have been wheeled into storage, and the racetracks have fallen silent. But inside the top-secret 'F1' factories, each team is facing a winter like never before. Revised rules for ...See more'Formula 1' is in a moment of pause. The 2025 racing cars have been wheeled into storage, and the racetracks have fallen silent. But inside the top-secret 'F1' factories, each team is facing a winter like never before. Revised rules for 2026 are reshaping the cars and redefining what powers them, and that means the pressure is on for the hundreds working back at base. Before diving into the future, the team at Brixworth, the home of 'Mercedes High Performance Powertrains', are marking the end of an era. It's here that the engine - which drove 'Mercedes' to eight straight Constructors' Championships between 2014 and 2021 - first came to life. Brixworth boss Hywel Thomas has planned a very special celebration to mark the end of this engine cycle and our expert guides Sarah Holt and Holly Samos were there to join in the festivities. This is an important time of transition for 'Formula 1's engine suppliers. Thomas and his Brixworth team have been developing the new engine that will power 'Mercedes' and three other teams, on the grid in 2026. There is parallel work going on at Brackley, where 'Mercedes: Technical Director' James Allison is overseeing all other aspects of the new season's car design. The British engineer has more than three decades' experience in 'F1' but even he is a little daunted by what he calls the "biggest ever" rule change in the sport's history. While the work intensifies inside the 'F1' factories, it is, in contrast, time for the drivers to unwind. Italian 'Mercedes' star Kimi Antonelli is heading home to spend some time with his family and friends, while 'Haas' driver Ollie Bearman is holidaying in the Maldives before spending Christmas with his family in Monaco. Back at base, the 'Haas' team are hard at work preparing for 'F1's new era in 2026 and that means both sides of the garage are collaborating too. Laura Muller - who works alongside Esteban Ocon and is an 'F1' trailblazer as the sport's first female race engineer - has just wrapped up her first season on the pitwall. Like Bearman, she knows the experiences of 2025 will help her navigate what lies ahead. 'F1' race-winner Valtteri Bottas is preparing for his return to the grid with the 'Cadillac Formula 1 team' in South Australia. But even in an idyllic spot for winter training, the Finnish favourite is already counting down to pre-season testing and getting to the first race in Melbourne, Australia as he starts the next chapter of his 'F1' career. Written by 'F1 Back at Base' & Britrick_c21 See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
12 cast members

Name	Known for
Rosamund Pike Self - Host Self - Host See fewer	Gone Girl (2014)
Holly Samos Self - Co-Host & F1 broadcaster Self - Co-Host & F1 broadcaster See fewer	Formula 1: 2010 (2010)
Sarah Holt Self - Co-Host & F1 journalist Self - Co-Host & F1 journalist See fewer	Formula 1: BBC Sport (2009)
James Allison Self - Mercedes, Technical Director Self - Mercedes, Technical Director See fewer	F1: Back at Base (2024)
Andrea Kimi Antonelli Self - Mercedes, F1 driver (as Kimi Antonelli) Self - Mercedes, F1 driver (as Kimi Antonelli) See fewer	Italian Race (2016)
Oliver Bearman Self - Haas, F1 driver Self - Haas, F1 driver See fewer	F1: The Movie (2025)
Valtteri Bottas Self - 2026 Cadillac, F1 driver Self - 2026 Cadillac, F1 driver See fewer	F1: The Movie (2025)
Andrea De Zordo Self - Haas F1, Technical Director Self - Haas F1, Technical Director See fewer	F1: Back at Base (2024)
Laura Müller Self - Haas F1, Race Engineer Self - Haas F1, Race Engineer See fewer	F1 Explains (2023)
George Russell Self - Mercedes, F1 driver Self - Mercedes, F1 driver See fewer	F1: The Movie (2025)
Hywel Thomas Self - Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, Managing Director Self - Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, Managing Director See fewer	F1: Back at Base (2024)
Frederik Vesti Self - Mercedes, Reserve Driver Self - Mercedes, Reserve Driver See fewer	Formula 1 (1950)

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