Back At Base: 7. The Bombshell
F1: Chequered Flag
BBC
4.2 • 2.2K Ratings
🗓️ 27 February 2024
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Lewis Hamilton has returned from the Christmas break with some shocking news for his Mercedes team. His bombshell makes headlines around the world - with some calling it the biggest story in Formula 1 this century. Even if that’s a little far-fetched, there is no doubt that his decision has sent shockwaves through the F1 community.
At Mercedes, team principal Toto Wolff is used to having to react quickly - almost as quickly as his drivers on track. The Austrian has to face a barrage of media questions about the driver who has won six World titles with his team - and who has also become a friend. Holly Samos has exclusive interviews with the key protagonists.
While Mercedes take just a moment to reflect on Hamilton’s news, Williams are making their final preparations for the 2024 season. Logan Sargeant is back at Grove for his seat fitting along with his race engineer Gaetan Jego. Making sure the driver is comfortable in the cockpit is crucial, especially when racing on bumpy tracks at high speed.
The Mercedes factory at Brackley is also now getting back to the tick-list of preparations. The car needs a new paint job and the team has to be kitted out. With the 2024 season coming ever closer, the anticipation is building. And none more so than for the drivers, who get to drive these magnificent machines in the heat of competition.
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 | You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy. |
| 0:05.4 | My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:10.8 | The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that. |
| 0:17.5 | With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts to |
| 0:22.4 | helping you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're all put |
| 0:28.3 | together by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music in your life, |
| 0:35.0 | check out BBC Sounds. Good afternoon, everybody. We're just going to kick off with a little bit of housekeeping |
| 0:40.3 | and then pass over first to Toto, who's over at Pirelli at the moment, |
| 0:45.3 | so he's in a meeting room in Milan. |
| 0:47.3 | It's Thursday the 1st of February at 2pm. |
| 0:50.3 | The Mercedes staff at Brackley are gathered in the race base |
| 0:53.3 | for an unexpected team briefing |
| 0:55.5 | led by Chief Communications Officer Bradley Lord. |
| 0:58.6 | Just that on housekeeping. |
| 1:00.1 | Also something that we don't always say and I think we sometimes take as read but notwithstanding |
| 1:05.5 | all that you're now doubt being messaged about by friends and family, you're reading |
| 1:09.6 | on the internet and everything else. |
| 1:11.1 | What we say in here is confidential to us. |
| 1:14.3 | With that, I will try to hand over to Toto. |
| 1:18.1 | Hi everyone, can you hear me? |
| 1:20.1 | Yeah, great. |
| 1:22.1 | Like Brady said, I'm not purely. |
... |
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