BEYOND THE GRID: Allan McNish on his F1 journey and winning ‘the Audi way’

A serial winner in sportscars, a Formula 1 driver and an all-out racer: Allan McNish is using his experience to give Audi a fast start in F1.

As a Le Mans and World Endurance Championship-winner with the manufacturer, McNish knows how ‘the Audi way’ of racing will translate to F1 when Kick Sauber become the Audi works team from 2026.

McNish’s own journey to F1 began with a McLaren test alongside Ayrton Senna. Thirteen years later, he finally made his Grand Prix debut.

On the latest episode of Beyond The Grid, he tells Tom Clarkson how his sportscar career eventually led him to F1 with Toyota, and seeing a young Fernando Alonso’s unique driving style up-close while at Renault.

Plus, McNish explains his work with the new Audi F1 team ahead of their 2026 debut, and why he thinks Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are the perfect drivers for the team.

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.