BEYOND THE GRID: Mario Andretti on his 1978 title, what made certain F1 champions so special and celebrating F1 75

Mario Andretti was 10 years old when the first ever Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix took place at Silverstone, on the 13th of May 1950.

The 1978 World Champion has seen everything the pinnacle of motorsport has to offer over the past 75 years, and is one of just 34 drivers to win the ultimate prize, so he’s the perfect person to celebrate such a landmark anniversary on this episode of Beyond The Grid.

READ MORE: 10 fascinating facts about the very first F1 race – held at Silverstone on this day 75 years ago

Speaking to host Tom Clarkson, Andretti charts the history of F1 through his eyes. He explains how different the cars felt to drive in different eras of technical innovations, what it was like to compete in a very dangerous period of racing, and how safety improved over time.

Andretti also talks about what made World Champions Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher so special.

Plus, he looks to the future of F1 – telling Clarkson about his role in the new Cadillac F1 team that will join the grid in 2026 and what they need to hit the ground running.

READ MORE: ‘We want to be fresh, bold and new’ – Cadillac chiefs on their plans for F1, and the drivers on their shortlist

To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, 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.

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