F1: Chequered Flag Folgen

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.