There are just 10 races left to go in the 2024 Formula 1 season - the longest season in the sport’s history with 24 grands prix. In this final phase of the season, both Championships - for the world’s best racing driver and team - are still up for grabs.
At McLaren headquarters, in the commuter town of Woking just 23 miles outside London, the team is stirring again after the summer shutdown. The historic race team hit form before the summer holidays and has propelled itself into title contention for the first time in over a decade. British star driver Lando Norris and Australian ace Oscar Piastri are raring to go racing again but first they are paying a visit to the team back at base. That’s not to say the summer break wasn’t without competition. Norris has been playing golf with McLaren’s American CEO Zak Brown, with mixed results. Piastri has used the time out of the cockpit to recover from an injury that he sustained on track. Only one of them has been going full throttle during the holidays, and that’s the boss - Zak, who travelled to California to get behind the wheel. Meanwhile, in rural Northamptonshire - 80 miles north of McLaren’s F1 factory - the Aston Martin team is also returning to work after the summer break. The 2024 season marks the culmination of a radical transformation for the team, which is preparing to unveil the latest phase of its supersize F1 factory. For team principal Mike Krack, the regeneration going on back at base is an opportunity of a lifetime. F1 experts Sarah Holt and Holly Samos visited to get a very behind-the-scenes tour of the new facilities. Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are also preparing for the next race - the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Stroll has been at the factory working on the team’s simulator. Alonso, who will reach his 400th Grand Prix start in the next 10 races, is using all his experience to also guide the team forwards. For McLaren, the 2024 season is also one of opportunity. It has been 26 years since the team won the coveted Constructors’ Championship but, this season, the team is closing in on champions Red Bull for the crown while Norris is also hunting down Max Verstappen, who leads the Drivers’ Championship. The season has been a thriller for fans and, at Formula 1’s headquarters in London, the sport’s CEO and President Stefano Domenicali is also revelling in a phenomenal year. But what will the final 10 races bring?
F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC
Hosted by Josh Hartnett
Co-hosts & Executive Producers are Holly Samos and Sarah Holt
The Producers are Alasdair Cresswell, Joe Aldridge and Jack Winstanley
The Senior Producer is Ollie Kneen
The Executive Producer for IMG is Steve Tebb
The Story Editor and Scriptwriter is Sarah Holt
The Showrunner is Holly Samos
The Commissioning Editor at the BBC is Stevie Middleton
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38:08
Coming Soon – S2: How To Go Racing
In this eight-part series, hosted by actor Josh Hartnett, we have been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula 1 - McLaren and Aston Martin. These teams are unlocking the doors to their top-secret factories. It’s a critical moment in their season, but they are letting inside as they fight to the finish line in the final 10 races of 2024. With F1 experts Sarah Holt and Holly Samos as our guides, we will meet the workforce driving them forwards from the heart of their operations.The detailed work going on back at base has driven McLaren into contention for both World titles in 2024. British star driver Lando Norris is chasing down Red Bull’s reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, for the coveted Drivers’ Championship. This is Norris’ first title campaign and we will be with him every step of the way, from his first day back at work following F1’s summer break to after the chequered flag falls at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. This is a huge season of growth for Norris, and his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri. The drivers reveal just why in this series. At Aston Martin there is also change in the air. The team, owned by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, is in the final phase of building a supersize F1 headquarters on the fringes of the famous Silverstone racetrack, home of the British Grand Prix. The work going on at the evolving Aston Martin Racing Technology Campus is on a scale never seen before in F1. Holly and Sarah are given a VIP tour of the new facilities and speak to drivers Lance Stroll and double world champion Fernando Alonso about how the transformation is fuelling the team’s future ambitions.But it’s not only the factory making headline news, so too is the arrival of the team’s “Super Signing”. Aston Martin won the race to sign the most-wanted name in Formula 1. We were there to speak to the top-secret signing before the news broke to the rest of the world’s media. Formula 1 never stands still. The race for perfection continues around-the-clock at the factory. At McLaren, Piastri and Norris are set the task of working together to collect enough points to win a first Constructors’ Championship for McLaren since 1998. The effort to turn around the famous team’s fortunes has relied on the skill and commitment of hundreds of staff working back at base. Overseeing operations is McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella. But, as the season reaches its climax, all they can do is watch and wait. The fate of the team now lies in the hands of the drivers but taking on reigning champions Red Bull and arch-rivals Ferrari is no small feat. As the flag falls on a thrillin 2024 season, will there be commiserations or celebrations back at base?F1:Back at Base was created and produced by Holly Samos and Sarah Holt and is an IMG Production for the BBC.
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1:34
Back At Base: 8. The Final Piece in the Puzzle
For the last three months, we have followed the Williams and Mercedes teams as they prepared and built their cars for the 2024 season. Holly Samos and Sarah Holt have been our guides as we’ve gone with them inside the factories - but now it’s almost time to return to the track. First, the teams have to launch their race cars and reveal them to the rest of the world. Williams have travelled to New York to present their car in front of their American fans and partners. For homegrown driver Logan Sargeant this is a chance to mix business and pleasure. Even on the brink of a new season, Formula 1 is already looking ahead. On the horizon in 2026 is a major new set of technical regulations. The next generation of F1 cars will use less energy - and run on sustainable fuels with net zero CO2 exhaust emissions, as the sport’s CEO Stefano Domenicali explains. The teams are also looking to the future. Mercedes are introducing sustainability initiatives close to home and Williams are on the path to transforming their organisation. It’s the 14th of February, 2024. Valentine’s Day - and Mercedes are hoping it will be love at first sight, as their new race car makes its bow. The team have travelled just eight miles from Brackley for their pre-season launch at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix. It’s time for the wraps to come off the 2024 car. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton get their first drive in the car the team has lovingly built just for them. Now, as our series comes to a close, just one question remains. How will the Williams and Mercedes cars fair in the season to come?F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC
Hosted by me, Joseph Fiennes
Co-hosts & Executive Producers are Holly Samos and Sarah Holt
The Producers are Alasdair Cresswell, Joe Aldridge and Jack Winstanley.
The Senior Producer is Ollie Kneen
The Executive Producer for IMG is Steve Tebb
The Showrunner is Holly Samos
The Story Editor and Scriptwriter is Sarah Holt
The Commissioning Editor at the BBC is Stevie Middleton
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39:32
Back At Base: 7. The Bombshell
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.
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36:07
Back At Base: 6. Two Seconds to Shine
Inside their high-tech Formula 1 factories, Mercedes and Williams are in a constant cycle of pushing the boundaries in the car build. And the clock is ticking. With just a few weeks to go until the start of the 2024 season, Williams are working overtime as the final components of the car go into manufacture. Team principal James Vowles says these crucial weeks towards the end of January are the busiest time for the workforce at his Oxfordshire facility, bar none. But what will be the very last piece of the car to be made? Sarah Holt and Holly Samos are going inside the factories to find out. At the Mercedes factory in Brackley, COO Rob Thomas is aware time is now at a premium. The wind tunnel is still hard at work trialling aerodynamic upgrades that hold the promise of more performance on track. They then need to be put into production - but can the factory afford to leave it as late as possible to give the wind tunnel team more time? There are still some important milestones to go in the car build and for Mercedes’ technical director James Allison, that’s a cause for sleepless nights. Both factories are working as one to deliver the 2024 race cars for their star drivers in time to go racing at the opening Bahrain Grand Prix on 2nd March. The race team, who travel to the races around the world, are also honing in on their preparations. For the pit crews at Williams and Mercedes, it’s time to rehearse the quicksilver pit-stops that can make - or break - a race weekend.F1:Back at Base was created and produced by Holly Samos and Sarah Holt and is an IMG Production for the BBC.
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