BEYOND THE GRID: Perry McCarthy on driving for 1990s F1 non-starters Andrea Moda and becoming Top Gear’s ‘Stig’

He drove for one of the least competitive teams in F1 history. He never started a race. Just making it to F1 was “a million to one” shot for Perry McCarthy. Through extraordinary determination, he did it.

When his raw talent behind the wheel was spotted at his local racetrack, McCarthy set his sights on racing at the top. He even worked on a North Sea oil rig to raise money to fund his career.

Racing in Formula 3000 and sports cars in America led to a chance in F1 with Andrea Moda – a team that only raced for one season in 1992. When McCarthy made it to the track, the car either broke down or was too slow to make it through an extra ‘pre-Qualifying’ session.

From climbing the motorsport ladder with drivers including Damon Hill, to testing with Michael Schumacher at Benetton, and later becoming the mysterious ‘Stig’ on TV’s Top Gear, Perry tells Beyond The Grid’s Tom Clarkson an eye-opening story from a different era of F1.

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.