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Holly Samos’ F1 podcast – ‘Back at Base’ – Series 2 OUT NOW

Posted on 29th January 2025

Holly Samos’ podcast series F1: Back at Base has returned for a second series.

The new eight-part series on BBC Sounds is narrated by Hollywood mega star Josh Hartnett, and this year they embed themselves exclusively with the McLaren F1 Team and Aston Martin F1 team, and followed their last ten races of the 2024 season. The series has been released as a boxset on BBC Sounds, and a weekly episode release on all other platforms.

Season 1 of F1: Back at Base had over a million downloads, clinched the ‘Moment of Factual Clarity’ award at the International Women’s Podcast Awards last June and was shortlisted in the Sport category for the British Podcast Awards.

About the podcast:

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?

All eight episodes are available now on BBC Sounds.

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