The life of an F1 substitute
Lingering in the shadows at the back of the garage lacks the glamour of being a race driver, but the role of understudy is an important one when the time comes to step into the limelight
Performance
Our experts' guide on how you can become a better racing driver
Access to a Formula 1 grid can feel as difficult as penetrating Fort Knox. Standing guard at the pitwall entrance is a line of security guards clocking the passes of every person who tries to traverse the hallowed asphalt.
Mechanics wheeling a set of four tyres wrapped in heated blankets have been known to be stopped if their passes are not visible. Only team members who have a job to perform are allowed on the grid.
Share Or Save This Story
Alonso: Hamilton has F1 weaknesses that haven't been stressed yet
Promoted: How secret simulations boost F1 performance
Heroes film exploring lives of racing legends to be unveiled in July
First look at F1 2020's Vietnam GP construction, new facility
Mercedes' corner speed nullifying Ferrari's F1 straightline edge
Surprise passes in Chinese GP Q3 prompted Verstappen to block Gasly
Racing Point unveils plans for £25m F1 factory at Silverstone site
Review: Gritty yet cinematic Netflix F1 series doesn't disappoint
Supercars reveals expanded 13-round 2025 calendar
Why lawsuit claims NASCAR leadership are “monopolistic bullies”
Podcast: The Best of Super Touring Power 2 - Steve Soper and John Cleland
The 2023 “nightmare” Martin is avoiding as MotoGP title pressure cranks up
When a generation of drivers learned skills for life from an atypical academy scheme
The enduring power of Prodrive at 40
Inside the archive that keeps motorsport’s most closely-guarded secrets
The choppy waters McLaren has navigated behind the scenes of its F1 success
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
