Ever wondered how your Formula 1 heroes are found in the first place?

F1: Beyond The Grid

karenellenbevan

Leisure, Sports, Technology, Automotive

4.8 • 5.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2023

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ever wondered how your Formula 1 heroes are found in the first place?

Well, George Russell, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon may not be on the grid today if it wasn’t for the keen eye of F1 talent guru Gwen Lagrue.

He’s the Frenchman in charge of Mercedes’ junior driver programme, with a track record of uncovering hidden gems and helping them fulfil their potential in the pinnacle of motorsport.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Gwen talks about the traits that separated Russell, Ocon and Albon from others in their early karting years, what qualities he’s looking for when scouting young drivers, how regularly a future World Champion comes along, and some of the protégés currently on Mercedes’ radar.

Plus, you’ll hear the thoughts of Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff, on their recruitment strategy and whether Max Verstappen could have ended up at the team in different circumstances.

Related Episodes

Alex Albon

Esteban Ocon

George Russell

Toto Wolff

This episode is sponsored by:

Mercedes AMG-SL: test drive the AMG SL today at your local authorised Mercedes-Benz dealer or learn more at MBUSA.com/AMG-SL

Santander: want to win exclusive Formula 1 experiences and money-can’t-buy prizes just by answering questions about F1? With Santander Lap Zero, you can be in with a chance. For more information, competition rules. full terms and conditions and to enter go to santanderlapzero.com. That’s santanderlapzero.com or search Santander Lap Zero

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello, I'm Matt Ford.
0:01.2	And I'm Alice Levine and we're the presenters of British Scandal.
0:04.8	People do strange things, don't they, Alice?
0:06.9	I don't like the tone of your voice, what do you mean?
0:10.0	On our didn't mean you, I'm at the entire British public who in 2022
0:14.3	followed a live stream of a lettuce with a wig on.
0:17.5	Entirely normal behaviour.
0:19.2	There's more normal than what was going on inside Downing Street.
0:21.5	For this series on British Scandal we're taking you inside number 10,
0:24.6	covering the shocking and very short premiership of Liz Truss.
0:27.7	Listen to British Scandal wherever you get your podcasts.
0:35.7	Today's Formula One stars were all born to race,
0:38.8	but without careful nurturing from a young age,
0:41.7	their raw speed and ability would have remained nothing but potential.
0:46.0	Q. Guenlegru, the F1 talent guru,
0:49.3	responsible for polishing these hidden gems into refined jewels.
0:54.1	Take a bow, George Russell.
0:57.2	Finally, a Grand Prix winner and the 113th driver to do so.
1:06.5	An Esteban Ocon wins the Hungarian Grand Prix for his first ever win in Formula One.
1:17.8	Grand Prix winners, George Russell and Esteban Ocon both have Guenlegru to thank for their
1:22.9	place on the F1 grid. And as the man in charge of the Mercedes Young Driver program,
1:27.6	Guen scouts talented races, recruits them, takes them under his wing and fine tunes them
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from karenellenbevan, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of karenellenbevan and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.