Nikita Mazepin has spent his first year in Formula 1 fighting at the back of the field. He has big ambitions, and is determined to get to the front. Ahead of the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, he tells Tom Clarkson how he’s finding the ‘huge step’ from Formula 2 to Formula 1, and what he’s learning on and off track. Plus, Mazepin explains his long competitive relationship with Haas teammate Mick Schumacher, and remembers how he left Russia to pursue his driving career, with his father by his side since his very first race. This episode is sponsored by: Calm - get 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at CALM.COM/GRID Express VPN  - get an extra three months FREE at expressvpn.com/grid

This week’s guest is that rarest of creatures: a man who was both a Formula One driver and a team owner. Jackie Oliver’s F1 journey started in the worst possible circumstances when he had the unenviable task of replacing Jim Clark at Lotus in 1968, after the Scotsman had been killed at Hockenheim. He went on to start 50 GPs for Lotus, BRM, McLaren and Shadow, scoring two podiums, before hanging up his helmet to start his own team: Arrows. He gives a fascinating insight into life as a driver in the 60s, what he learnt from Colin Chapman that he would apply to life as a team boss, the incredible dramas that beset Arrows in the early days, and that ‘almost victory’ with Damon Hill in 1997… This episode is sponsored by: Babbel - Go to uk.babbel.com/play and use promo code GRID for an extra six months free

Exactly sixty years ago, Phil Hill became the first American to win the Formula 1 World Championship after triumphing for Ferrari in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. But that moment of monumental personal achievement was extraordinarily bittersweet, with team mate and title rival Wolfgang von Trips losing his life, along with scores of spectators, in the very same race. In this special episode of Beyond The Grid, Phil’s son Derek Hill tells Tom Clarkson how his father coped with both the win and the loss. He also describes in vivid detail his father’s beginnings as a mechanic and hot rod enthusiast in California, and how that led, via sportscar racing in the US, to an invitation to race in Europe for Enzo Ferrari. With fascinating insights into his father’s unique character, struggles with self-esteem and driving style, this is Phil Hill’s extraordinary F1 story.

His father is a tough act to follow, but Mick Schumacher is loving writing his own Formula 1 story. In his debut season he’s often out of the spotlight at the back of the grid, but he’s proving he’s got what it takes to compete with the front-runners. Mick tells Tom Clarkson about adjusting to life in F1, the lessons he’s still learning from his father’s career, and drops some hints about his future. Plus he takes us inside his F1 support system: he’s got Haas, Ferrari Driver Academy, Sebastian Vettel, his family - and his dog, Angie - cheering him on every lap of the way. This episode is sponsored by: Babbel  - go to uk.babbel.com/play and use the code GRID for an extra six months free

The story of how Michael Schumacher made his debut, 30 years ago this week in Belgium, could have been lifted from a Hollywood movie. The German rookie got his chance when Jordan’s regular driver Bertrand Gachot was dramatically sent to prison on the eve of the race – the rest, as they say, is history. But what of Gachot himself? This week the Luxembourg-born racer joins Tom to tell his incredible story – including the full, incredible story of how he ended up in prison, what life was like for an F1 driver behind bars, how he feels about Schumacher now, and how he got his career back on track after his release. This episode is sponsored by: Calm - go to calm.com/GRID for 40% off unlimited access to Calm’s entire library