Back At Base: 5. A New Year Begins

F1: Chequered Flag

BBC

Sports

4.2 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2024

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Back at base, Williams and Mercedes are returning to work after the winter shutdown. Now is the time for new beginnings – and whatever lies ahead for our two teams and the cars they are busy bringing to life inside their high-tech facilities. F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt are our guides as we catch up with the teams.

At Mercedes, there is one very familiar face that everyone is pleased to see - the team’s popular star George Russell. The British racer fell ill at the penultimate race of the 2023 season in Las Vegas and has been recovering ever since. George and his performance coach Aleix Casanovas have had to adapt their plans over the winter to get ready to go racing again.

Williams driver Alex Albon - who reveals he competes against his old friend Russell in other sporting contests - is also building up the strength and conditioning he needs to go racing. January is the most crucial time of the year for the drivers to get race fit. This winter it feels more important than ever, as the 2024 Formula 1 season will place even bigger demands on the drivers with a record 24 races on the calendar. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali joins the podcast conversation as the sport continues to grow.

Lewis Hamilton has been preparing for the new season in America, away from his Mercedes team. But on his last day at Brackley, the seven-time world champion spoke to this podcast about the crucial weeks ahead.

It’s not only the drivers who are operating at 100 percent. Williams team principal James Vowles and his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff have come back from their holidays with tales of how they spend their time outside of their demanding day jobs.

As our four star drivers do the hard yards to get race fit, it’s important to remember that they rarely drive an F1 car outside of the race season. BUT there is another tool at their disposal - the simulator. This is another top-secret facility closely guarded by the teams but for our podcast Williams driver Logan Sargeant is showing Holly Samos and Sarah Holt around. The drivers are doing all they can to prepare for the new season - but have the cars that they’re getting ready to race been built yet?

F1:Back at Base was created and produced by Holly Samos and Sarah Holt and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

Transcript

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0:00.0	On BBC Sounds.
0:01.7	Five Live delighted to be bringing you even more commentaries than ever before over the next four seasons with the Premier League.
0:07.5	Listen to exclusive live commentaries from the Premier League, Champions League and more with the Five Life Sport Team.
0:13.9	Stay on top of everything football every day with the Football Daily podcast.
0:18.2	Champions League and La League are winner Patrick Cliver.
0:20.5	We're also going to hear from the England captain Harry Kane.
0:23.0	Rodry, that was incredible.
0:24.5	Thank you for having me here.
0:25.9	Football from Five Live.
0:28.0	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:35.9	A new year is rung in, and with it the promise of a new Formula One season.
0:41.4	Back at base, Williams and Mercedes are returning to work after the winter shutdown.
0:46.9	Now is the time for new beginnings, and whatever lies ahead for our two teams and the cars they are busy bringing to life inside their high-tech facilities. January is also a juicy time for the drivers whose eyes are now
1:00.5	trained on the new season with laser-sharp focus and perhaps beyond. I'm Joseph Fines and
1:09.1	with broadcaster Holly Samos and journalist Sarah Holt as our guides,
1:13.5	we are heading to the heart of this winter work,
1:16.1	as we have been granted rare access to the inner workings of two of F1's most famous teams.
1:22.1	So Sarah, we are walking within the grove grounds of the Williams HQ to the simulator.
1:28.3	And it's another gorgeous day in Oxfordshire, isn't it?
1:31.3	It's absolutely chucking it down, yeah, love it.
1:34.3	We are in permanent racing mode.
1:41.3	We want to be so much further ahead and there's a long journey to get there.
	...

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