Hello everyone and welcome once again to the O Rouge of Podcast Land.

It's beyond the grid with me Tom Clarkson.

We're off to Spa this weekend, one of the greatest challenges on the calendar for both

Man and Machine.

More than 70% of the lap is spent at full throttle, so it's a power track in the truest

old school meaning of the words.

And it's one at which Mercedes, with all of their engine modes still in place for one

last hurrah, will expect to go very well.

And they're used to success.

Yes they are.

Since the Turbo Hybrid Era was introduced in 2014, Mercedes of one 94 of the 127 races

that have taken place, a 74% winning percentage.

And Mercedes High Performance Power Trains, the sister company to the racing team, have

an even better stripe rate when it comes to pole positions.

Their power units have taken 101 poles during the same period, 100 for Mercedes GP and

1 for Mercedes-powered Williams back in 2014.

That's 80% of the races on pole.

And this week my guest is the man in charge of Mercedes HPP Andy Cal.

He's worked at the company since 2004 and he's been the engineering and program director

since 2008.

It was Andy and his team of boffins that oversaw the design and development of the all conquering

power unit that has rewritten F1 stat books over the last seven years.

...