F1: Chequered Flag

The McLaren and Aston Martin Formula 1 teams are preparing for a “Super Sunday” in Brazil. For just the sixth time in the sport’s history, both qualifying and the race are taking place on the same day. Stormy weather is testing the teams’ resources and resolve at the Interlagos Circuit, home to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The teams and drivers arrive at the track at the crack of dawn, ready to think on their feet in a marathon day ahead.

After a well-orchestrated performance in Saturday’s Sprint Race, Championship contenders McLaren are looking to seize advantage on Sunday. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri know they must work together to claim maximum points for the team. At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll sense an opportunity in the wet. All the drivers know that rain can level the playing field at any grand prix, and this weekend is no different.

It’s the Monday after the race before. Brazil’s historic Interlagos circuit staged another epic grand prix, and one which may prove pivotal in McLaren’s hunt for both World titles. Now, it’s time for the Aston Martin and McLaren teams to return to their factories. Back at base, they can analyse their performance with the bulk of the team who don’t travel to the races.

Aston Martin race engineers Chris Cronin and Andrew Vizard explain how vital the factory debriefs are to understanding what went right - or wrong - after every race, and how to take the learnings into the next event. Drivers Stroll and Alonso may be taking time to recuperate after an epic race weekend but they stay in touch with their engineers and work going on back at base.

At McLaren, team boss Andrea Stella is making it his mission to create a winning culture at the factory, as well as at the track. The Italian is only in his second season as team principal but has driven the team into title contention. Back at base, he shares some of the secrets to his success so far.

Aston Martin are also plotting a renaissance under new Group CEO Andy Cowell. Our guides Sarah Holt and Holly Samos are given a VIP pass to join the workforce assembled at the heart of the factory as Cowell makes his first address to the team.

While Aston Martin are looking to the future, McLaren must focus on the present. This is a team who has won multiple World titles. Now the factory is fixed on ending the 26-year wait for the next Constructors’ crown and they are determined to protect their lead over rivals Ferrari and Red Bull. British star Lando Norris hasn’t given up his hopes of reeling in reigning champion Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings. With three races left to go in the 2024 season, there is still all to play for.

F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

Rick Edwards joins Jennie Gow, Harry Benjamin and Andrew Benson at the F1 75 launch event. The team look ahead to the start of the new season, discuss the glitz and glamour of this new day in the F1 calendar, and speak to the drivers, including George Russell and Lando Norris, as well as the team bosses, including Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and Fred Vasseur.

There are just five races left to go in the frenetic 2024 Formula 1 season - and the stakes are getting higher. McLaren are still in the hunt for both World titles but, after a penalty for Lando Norris at the U.S. Grand Prix, the team must regroup back at base. The next race in Mexico is vital for the team if they are to keep Norris’ hopes alive in the Drivers’ Championship. The events in Austin saw the British star’s title fight with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen heat up. Will the Mexico race see it become even spicier?

The race takes place at the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and, at nearly 3,000 metres above sea level, that makes the Mexico City Grand Prix a unique challenge in F1. The cars are starved of air and the drivers have to work that bit harder too. All signs are pointing to another dramatic slice of action in the World Championship battle.

Whatever happens on track, the Aston Martin team is preparing to toast a landmark in Mexico. It’s here that double World Champion Fernando Alonso will make his record 400th Grand Prix start. At the age of 43, the Spanish legend is reflecting on his F1 journey so far while Formula 1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, explains why Alonso is still an important reference in the sport.

At the Silverstone Museum, overlooking the famous British racetrack, another event is also hoping to inspire the next generation of motorsport talent. F1 broadcaster Holly Samos and journalist Sarah Holt are also there to find out how the sport’s female leaders are aiming to reach out to its young fans. Aston Martin Team Ambassador and racing driver Jessica Hawkins is meeting the young females hoping to make it all the way to the pinnacle of motorsport. Hawkins has driven a current generation F1 car - but the quest for the next female F1 driver to join the grid continues.

Formula 1 is not only about looking to the future, it's also about looking back at its rich history. McLaren continues to honour one of the greats of their past - their magnetic three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna. The 2024 season marks the 30th anniversary of his tragic death at the San Marino Grand Prix held at Imola. For McLaren this was an opportunity to celebrate his legacy and impact in F1. Back at base, McLaren’s Heritage Department is also working to preserve Senna’s memory, rebuilding the car that took him to his final grand prix win.

This history is at the heart of McLaren’s modern ambitions too. This is a team that has won 20 World titles and it’s down to 2024 drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to add to the growing trophy cabinet. The next race in Brazil - the birthplace of Senna - unites its history and current ambitions. But the Sao Paulo skies are ready to burst and throw the race weekend into chaos.

F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

It’s late September. The seasons are turning – but the wheels of Formula 1 have stopped. There is now a three-week pause before racing resumes at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

At Aston Martin’s Silverstone headquarters, the cars have made a rare return home. In 2024, the cars travel to 21 countries across five continents - that’s a total 127,000 kilometres in air distance. Head of Build and Car Assembly Mark Gray is the man in charge of logistics and caring for Aston Martin’s racing cars when they are back at base. Inside the teams’ fast-paced factories, there is no respite as his work continues around the clock.

This teamwork is essential to the fates and fortunes of the drivers during a grand prix. Formula 1 is a team sport, but it also relies on the performance of just one individual - the driver. McLaren stars Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reveal the pressures of driving a piece of work that takes hours to create and costs millions of dollars. Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll also share how crucial the team is when it comes to performance and reliability.

It’s not only the drivers who are feeling the pressure with six races to go in the 2024 season. Victory for Lando Norris at the last race in Singapore – and another podium for Oscar Piastri – saw McLaren stretch their lead in the team standings by 41 points. But the title hasn’t been won yet - and there is work to do back at base, as team principal Andrea Stella knows only too well.

Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali has been in Stella’s shoes, when he was at the sharp end of Championship fights during his 22-year stint with Ferrari. Domenicali understands only too well that this pause in competition is, for all 10 teams on the grid, just the calm before the storm.

The seasons have shifted again, and October is here. It’s time for racing to return at the U.S. Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas. At Aston Martin’s Northamptonshire headquarters, the team is battening itself down against forecast heavy rain and winds in the UK. It’s vital the team’s connection from Mission Control to the track doesn’t go down.

F1 journalist Sarah Holt and broadcaster Holly Samos have been given unprecedented access inside the team’s Mission Control. They have been given their own headsets, desks and data screens. For the first time, we will hear what a Sprint race sounds like from inside the team. As Aston Martin reveals top-secret radio communications, a visit to Mission Control might just change the way we understand how the teams go racing.

There are also pivotal moments for both Championships at the U.S. Grand Prix. A storm is brewing on track between friends-turned-title-rivals, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, while Ferrari launch themselves into the battle for the Constructors’ Crown.

F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

Tension is building inside the McLaren factory. The team is closer to a title than they have been for 12 years and, after dramatic races in Zandvoort and Monza, there is much to discuss. Not least the team’s philosophy that allows their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to freely race each other. Team Principal Andrea Stella has returned to the factory to consider whether there now needs to be a change of policy.

While Stella smooths out any wrinkles caused by the battling teammates, Production Director Ross Hood is assessing the cars ahead of the next two races in Azerbaijan and Singapore. The MCL-38s are now back at base for a service in between races.

At Aston Martin, there is also continued work going on in production. The team’s Chief Operating Officer Ben Fitzgerald is fixated on speeding up the production of the car’s floor - with the hope that it will also increase performance on track for drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. These small gains on track come from highly-detailed work back at base - and the next race is fast approaching, around the ancient city walls of Baku.

From Azerbaijan, the Formula 1 field flies on to Singapore, for the sport’s original night race. But, for the first time in our series, we will hear what happens inside an F1 factory during a grand prix weekend. F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt are visiting the McLaren Technology Centre. They have been given rare access to see inside Mission Control. This top-secret room connects the factory with the track through an exchange of detailed data which flows back and forth at high speed. But will it help the team secure victory in Singapore?

The racing around Singapore’s bumpy street circuit is unpredictable, and often attritional. Sarah and Holly will witness how McLaren’s qualifying and race unfolds from the heart of the team’s inner sanctum. With two Championships on the line, the stakes are high.

Fresh from a red-eye flight from Singapore, Aston Martin reserve driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, is already back in the team’s simulator. Here – hunkered down in the cockpit of a giant driving rig – he’s laying the groundwork for the final six races of the season. In the high-paced world of F1, the chase for pure speed never ends.

F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

The Aston Martin team is preparing to unveil the super signing of the 2024 season. Someone who will shape their Formula 1 cars and - if things go to plan - the team’s future at the front of the grid. But until then the news has to be kept under wraps. In the ultra-competitive world of Formula 1 secrecy is a necessity.

The McLaren and Aston Martin teams are also gearing up for a return to racing at Round 15 of the World Championship, the Dutch Grand Prix, held at the seaside circuit of Zandvoort. Here, Lando Norris will take on Red Bull title rival Max Verstappen in his own backyard. Since becoming an F1 race-winner at the Miami Grand Prix, Norris has been racing at the next level, but he’s taking nothing for granted as he goes up against the Dutch hero in front of his adoring fans.

The titles, trophies and Championships that spur on the teams are hard-fought. The art of racing can perhaps be compared to the art of war. Aston Martin’s Performance Director Tom McCullough says the teams must steel themselves with a “war mentality” before each race weekend. Within their ranks, Aston Martin boasts a seasoned warrior - double World Champion Fernando Alonso. Team insiders call the Spanish legend a human “supercomputer” because of the high-level performance he brings on and off the track.

At Monza, the famous Italian circuit known as the Temple of Speed, the scene is set for another dramatic grand prix. Sometimes the art of racing means you have to battle those closest to you, and there’s no-one nearer than the driver on the other side of the garage. McLaren have two exciting, young drivers on their books in Norris and Oscar Piastri. Letting them race - so long as it’s a clean fight - is part of the team’s philosophy. But, after the Italian Grand Prix, will McLaren re-examine how they take on the battle for both Championships?

At their Silverstone headquarters, Aston Martin unveils a big-name signing with a live television broadcast. The team’s owner Lawrence Stroll is on hand to make the big announcement, not only to the world’s media, but the workforce assembled back at base. But even the arrival of one of F1’s most-famous names doesn’t stop the focused work inside an F1 factory. This is the pinnacle of motorsport and the stopwatch never stands still.

F1:Back at Base is narrated by Josh Hartnett. It is created and produced by Sarah Holt and Holly Samos and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Back at base, Williams and Mercedes are returning to work after the winter shutdown. Now is the time for new beginnings – and whatever lies ahead for our two teams and the cars they are busy bringing to life inside their high-tech facilities. F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt are our guides as we catch up with the teams.

At Mercedes, there is one very familiar face that everyone is pleased to see - the team’s popular star George Russell. The British racer fell ill at the penultimate race of the 2023 season in Las Vegas and has been recovering ever since. George and his performance coach Aleix Casanovas have had to adapt their plans over the winter to get ready to go racing again.

Williams driver Alex Albon - who reveals he competes against his old friend Russell in other sporting contests - is also building up the strength and conditioning he needs to go racing. January is the most crucial time of the year for the drivers to get race fit. This winter it feels more important than ever, as the 2024 Formula 1 season will place even bigger demands on the drivers with a record 24 races on the calendar. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali joins the podcast conversation as the sport continues to grow.

Lewis Hamilton has been preparing for the new season in America, away from his Mercedes team. But on his last day at Brackley, the seven-time world champion spoke to this podcast about the crucial weeks ahead.

It’s not only the drivers who are operating at 100 percent. Williams team principal James Vowles and his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff have come back from their holidays with tales of how they spend their time outside of their demanding day jobs.

As our four star drivers do the hard yards to get race fit, it’s important to remember that they rarely drive an F1 car outside of the race season. BUT there is another tool at their disposal - the simulator. This is another top-secret facility closely guarded by the teams but for our podcast Williams driver Logan Sargeant is showing Holly Samos and Sarah Holt around. The drivers are doing all they can to prepare for the new season - but have the cars that they’re getting ready to race been built yet?

F1:Back at Base was created and produced by Holly Samos and Sarah Holt and is an IMG Production for the BBC.

When it comes to designing and building the new Williams and Mercedes Formula 1 cars for the looming 2024 season, there is precision and, most importantly, there is a plan. There has to be because all 10 teams are facing their first winter shutdown - a new ruling by the sport’s governing body, the FIA. But things don’t always go to plan - and the teams face a race against the clock to finish key bits of the car build before the Christmas holidays. Holly Samos and journalist Sarah Holt are going behind the scenes at two of the biggest names in F1, to the heart of their mammoth operations

One of the first hurdles for the teams to clear are the FIA crash tests. This series of tests is designed to ensure the safety of the sport, and crucially the drivers. However, for the teams they present one of their biggest challenges in the car build. At the Mercedes factory in Brackley they are waiting anxiously for news from the sport’s crash-testing facility at Cranfield University.

For the all-important drivers and team principals - the faces of Formula 1 - the winter is a chance to step back from the spotlight. For Williams star Alex Albon this is a time to reconnect with family while Lewis Hamilton has some thinking to do on his Christmas break in the U.S.

There are also holiday plans on the horizon for team principals Toto Wolff and James Vowles but the responsibility for the workforce back at base is never far from their minds. At Williams, Vowles knows his factory at Grove is preparing to dig deep - but what will he find when his workforce gets back to work in the new year?

F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC Narrated by 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

Inside the Williams and Mercedes factories, where F1 cars come to life, the workforce is putting its heart and soul into the winter tasks now well underway. There are just 14 weeks between the 2023 season and the first race of 2024 in Bahrain. In this series, we have been allowed rare access into the heart of the operations. And at the Williams facility, in rural Oxfordshire, we are about to go on a VIP tour to learn how to build an F1 car.

At Brackley, home to the Mercedes’ F1 team, the factory is united by a common purpose. Mercedes dominated F1 from 2014. But when new technical rules came in at the start of 2022, Red Bull overtook Mercedes as the fastest team on track. The desire to return Mercedes to the top runs deep - and for a very significant reason.

The motivation to get the 2024 car right is massive for both teams - but first Williams and Mercedes have to absorb the lessons from last season’s car. And each team has a very specific problem that it now wants to put right.

At Brackley, work continues around the clock on the new Mercedes and the Williams factory is also working at full capacity - with extra shifts and overtime standard at this crucial time in the car build. The factories are moving up a gear, because a new car for a new season - that’s a chance to start again.

F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC Narrated by 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

The Williams and Mercedes Formula 1 teams have given us unprecedented access to their top-secret facilities as they work over the winter preparing their cars for the 2024 season. At Mercedes, the team’s superstar driver Lewis Hamilton is going into a restricted area to see how that crucial work is coming along. We follow in his footsteps as F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt get a VIP tour of one of the most important tools when it comes to designing and building the most complex race cars in the world.

From his position at the very top, Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff is reflecting on how the team lost ground when major new technical regulations on car design came in for the 2022 season.

At Williams, new team principal James Vowles is welcoming his first major hire - as they plot a return to the front of the grid for the nine-time World Champions. The duo are part of a crack team back at base who have been getting to grips with the 2024 car since last March.

At both teams, the drivers also have their wish-list for the new cars. Alex Albon knows what avenue he wants Williams to go down and there is one person Hamilton has on speed dial when it comes to car design.

The cars that will be driven by Albon, Hamilton & co during the 2024 season are being built by 1000s of people. It’s time for them to get to work - as the race to the 2024 season picks up pace.

F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC Narrated by 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

In this series, we have been given unprecedented access to two of the biggest teams in Formula 1 - Mercedes and Williams. It’s a few days after the final race of the 2023 season, and the teams are returning home to their UK factories after an epic year. It’s time to enjoy the year’s hard-fought success with the workforce of hundreds back at base. And we are there with them - our F1 experts Holly Samos and Sarah Holt added to the guest list.

After a dramatic season finale in Abu Dhabi, the sport’s seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, and team principal, Toto Wolff, are leading the celebrations at the Mercedes team’s twin facilities at Brackley and Brixworth. But there is a familiar face missing.

At Williams’ home in Oxfordshire, the historic team’s star drivers, Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant, have also come home. But for Sargeant, who made his F1 debut for Williams in 2023, the American’s future remains uncertain. Will he keep his place as one of just 20 drivers on the F1 grid? That’s a decision for James Vowles, who has had to make a few big calls in his first season as team principal - and his first since leaving Mercedes.

The homecoming - as happy as it is - is only a brief pause. Formula 1 is a shark. It’s always moving forward. Mercedes and Williams are not standing still. Because the winter is when the real work begins. For the teams. For the drivers. For the men and women designing, manufacturing and building the cars that will race in the 2024 season.

It’s impossible to know what lies ahead but before he leaves to spend the holiday season in America, Lewis Hamilton has one more visit to make. He’s going to a top-secret part of the Mercedes’ factory.

F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC Narrated by 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