F1: Back at Base has been given rare access to show what happens when the F1 teams return home – joining the end-of-season celebrations at Mercedes and Williams and entering restricted areas that hold the secrets to the year ahead
In this new fly on the wall, eight-part documentary series narrated by Joseph Fiennes, audiences are given unprecedented access to two of the biggest names in Formula 1 – Mercedes and Williams.
F1: Back at Base has been given rare access to show what happens when the F1 teams return home – joining the end-of-season celebrations at Mercedes and Williams and entering restricted areas that hold the secrets to the year ahead.
These champion teams have let the podcast inside their top-secret facilities and at the very heart of their extraordinary operations. Featured in the podcast are the teams’ star drivers – including Alex Albon as well as the seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton who speaks to the team just after he shockingly announces that he is leaving Mercedes for rivals, Ferrari.
In F1: Back at Base, experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt – who created and wrote the series – guide the listeners through the journey as they meet the workforce driving the teams forward ‘back at base’.
F1: Back at Base shows that despite how different the two teams are, they are both working towards a common goal – to design and build a race car for the looming 2024 season in less than 100 days. It seems like an impossible task and, as Williams team principal James Vowles says: “As much as the races look like the complicated bit – they’re not.”
The work that goes on in the winter is intense and Toto Wolff speaks about how he has the Mercedes team in permanent racing mode. The factory must stick to the plan to meet the car build deadlines and make it to the first race in Bahrain on March 2nd 2024. And there’s a new hurdle to clear. For the first time in the sport’s history, the F1 factories must close their doors for the new winter shutdown.
Even with a record-breaking 24-race season on the horizon in 2024, F1 is always changing. There are major technical rule changes coming in 2026 – and Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali discusses his big goals on sustainability.
As 2024 is rung in, few could have predicted the shocking news to come when Lewis Hamilton returned to his Mercedes team at the end of January. The British superstar speaks to the podcast shortly after the announcement was made that he was leaving Mercedes for rival team, Ferrari, giving audiences an exclusive glimpse into his mindset at that moment.
In the podcast, Williams and Mercedes stand on the brink of a new season. Just one question remains – how will their new cars perform when they hit the track and face their rivals?
Top names contributing to the series throughout the run include: From Team Mercedes, Sir Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Team principal Toto Wolff, Technical Director James Allison and COO Rob Thomas. From Team Williams we’ll hear from Alex Albon, Logan Sargeant, Team principal James Vowles, Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry and COO Fredric Brousseau. We’ll also hear from Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the FIA Director of the Single Seater Department Nikolas Tombazis.
Commissioning Executive for Podcasts, Stevie Middleton: “Our brilliant F1 experts have been able to gain unbelievable access for this fantastic F1: Back at Base series. We get to find out how an F1 car is built with two real heavy weight teams from the world of F1. Formula One has never been more popular and we’re delighted to bring audiences this new 8-part series.”
Source
BBC Sounds
