Authentics Store Tickets Hospitality Experiences Previous Next Upcoming The beginner's guide to Formula 1 in 2026 Meet the 2026 Formula 1 drivers! Carlos Sainz is the guest on the first Beyond The Grid episode of 2026. Five years after Carlos Sainz left McLaren, his former team and his former team mate are the reigning Formula 1 World Champions. As he watched Lando Norris reach the summit of world motorsport, did he ever think ‘that could have been me?' On the latest episode of Beyond The Grid, Sainz tells host Tom Clarkson about leaving McLaren and becoming a race winner with Ferrari before joining Williams. He also recalls feeling ‘powerless' during a difficult start to the 2025 season, and reveals the work which led him to stand on the podium later in the year. The Spaniard also gives his first impressions of the 2026 F1 cars and explains why he wants to use the ‘peak' of his career to take Williams back to the top. To listen to this week's episode, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform. You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library here. Next Up © 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited

Jack Doohan previews what's to come as a Haas reserve driver, and looks back on his time at Alpine, in an exclusive interview with F1.com. However, 2026 marks a fresh start for the Australian, who has since joined Haas in a reserve role and is now focused on writing another, more positive chapter in the top echelon… This time last year, Doohan was preparing to make his long-held F1 dream a reality – becoming a full-time racer with Alpine for the 2025 season after debuting at the 2024 finale in Abu Dhabi. However, it was a dream that soon turned into a nightmare, with persistent speculation over the youngster's future – which started in the winter – coming to a head at the Miami Grand Prix, where he made what turned out to be his seventh and final outing for the squad. A journey 22 years in the making, one that took him from Australia to Europe and beyond, was over in a flash – his time as an F1 racer lasting just under 150 days. Doohan spent the rest of the season watching on as 2024 Williams super-sub Franco Colapinto raced in his place, with any talk of a potential return soon quashed, before edging towards the Alpine exit door and officially departing in January of 2026. Then, a month later, some good news finally came out of the Doohan camp, with confirmation arriving that he had joined Haas in a reserve capacity – crucially keeping him in the F1 paddock, and in the frame for a future return. It completed a wild 12 months for the F2 and F3 race winner, who was all smiles when he joined F1.com for a chat via video call at the end of 2026 pre-season testing. “It was a little bit later than I would have liked to have had everything sorted, but just in time [for the new season], and enough time to make sure that I was able to get out to the first Bahrain pre-season test, and get things under way.” Doohan's move to Haas, and what's next in his career, is the focus of our half-hour conversation, but it would be remiss not to ask how he reflects on that seven-round run at Alpine, who had supported him on his rise through the single-seater ranks before the relationship turned sour. “It was a tough period,” Doohan states, with Season 8 of Drive to Survive shining a light on the situation, which included death threats – amid calls for Colapinto to be promoted – while he tried to perform, bounce back from a couple of heavy accidents, and win over demanding Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore. I was always on borrowed time, I guess, and it's difficult to maximise things when you know what's to come. Doohan has, at least, taken plenty of valuable lessons from the experience. “Certainly… I don't think it can get… well, maybe, maybe not, but I don't think, at least in normal circumstances, that the situation, environment, atmosphere, could probably get much worse than it was,” he comments. With that stint discussed and parked, we get back to the topic of Doohan's new home at Haas – the 23-year-old currently focused on supporting regular drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman as much as possible, rather than pondering if or when another race opportunity might arise. “I wish the best for the two boys who are in, that they can move up and go on to strong things, which would obviously pave a pathway for myself, but I have no expectation. “If that all develops well and the opportunity arises, then I'll take it with both hands, but until then, to be honest, I'll be focusing on anything that I can do in my power to help the boys. “It's a bit selfish to be thinking of myself right now. I'm putting that to the side, and if I'm able to contribute in a way that helps the team going forward, then I'm sure that won't position me in a bad place either.” He is also working on a racing programme to complement his Haas reserve duties, having been limited to those seven Grand Prix appearances over the last two years, and having last competed full-time in 2023 when he finished third in the F2 championship. “For ideal scenarios, we're about like six months too late!” Doohan says with a wry smile when quizzed on what might be possible. “It's very difficult to maximise options being in mid-February, but first and foremost, the main thing is just for me to race. “We had to make sure that everything was all clear on the Alpine side of things before we were able to fully, finally proceed and confirm with Haas, which, like I said, was a little bit on the later side, pushed things out a little bit, and held some potential race plans back. There's no reason for there to be anything that was happening to continue, at least the way I see it. It's something that I enjoy, and that is my life and more, so to be able to get back into a place where I can feel at home with it, feel safe and welcome, would be ideal.”