Back At Base: 8. The Final Piece in the Puzzle

For the last three months, we have followed the Williams and Mercedes teams as they prepared and built their cars for the 2024 season. Holly Samos and Sarah Holt have been our guides as we’ve gone with them inside the factories - but now it’s almost time to return to the track. First, the teams have to launch their race cars and reveal them to the rest of the world. Williams have travelled to New York to present their car in front of their American fans and partners. For homegrown driver Logan Sargeant this is a chance to mix business and pleasure. Even on the brink of a new season, Formula 1 is already looking ahead. On the horizon in 2026 is a major new set of technical regulations. The next generation of F1 cars will use less energy - and run on sustainable fuels with net zero CO2 exhaust emissions, as the sport’s CEO Stefano Domenicali explains. The teams are also looking to the future. Mercedes are introducing sustainability initiatives close to home and Williams are on the path to transforming their organisation. It’s the 14th of February, 2024. Valentine’s Day - and Mercedes are hoping it will be love at first sight, as their new race car makes its bow. The team have travelled just eight miles from Brackley for their pre-season launch at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix. It’s time for the wraps to come off the 2024 car. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton get their first drive in the car the team has lovingly built just for them. Now, as our series comes to a close, just one question remains. How will the Williams and Mercedes cars fair in the season to come?F1: Back at Base is an IMG Production for the BBC Hosted by me, Joseph Fiennes 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 Showrunner is Holly Samos The Story Editor and Scriptwriter is Sarah Holt The Commissioning Editor at the BBC is Stevie Middleton

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Your go-to destination for Formula 1 news, interviews and reactions.F1 Chequered Flag from the BBC offers expert analysis of every F1 race, with exclusive insight into every twist and turn of the F1 season. Each episode brings you in-depth race reviews, breaking down the strategies that shape each Grand Prix and the key players making headlines. Hear from F1 stars like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, and the bosses of powerhouse teams like Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. And get up to speed on the cars and tactics changing the game. Coming up this season: what will it take for Max Verstappen to win his fifth consecutive world title? Can McLaren retain their lead from the 2024 Constructors Championship? Will Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris take the lead, the two McLaren team-mates turned rivals? How will Lewis Hamilton perform after his shock switch to Ferrari? And what can we expect from this season’s rookie drivers, Oliver Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto?Stay tuned for the latest F1 updates, straight from the track.