The son of a motorsport legend, a racer since childhood, Formula 1 was Jacques Villeneuve's destiny. In 1996, the young Canadian arrived at his first Grand Prix and immediately proved he belonged there by taking pole position. 

In his rookie season Villeneuve won races, went wheel-to-wheel with Michael Schumacher and took Williams teammate Damon Hill to a final race title-decider. 30 years on, he sits down with Tom Clarkson to remember how he shook up the sport. 

Jacques explains why he left IndyCar as reigning champion to join Williams in Formula 1, and how racing on ovals influenced how he drove Grands Prix. He talks about working with race engineer Jock Clear, and experimenting with his throttle pedal and steering wheel paddles to find extra performance.

Tom asks Jacques about the highlights of his first year in F1: his first pole position, his first race win and the spectacular pass he made on Michael Schumacher - an overtaking move still regarded as one of the best in F1 history.

F1 Nation + F1 Explains are together in 2026
Get race reviews + answers to your questions all in one place

This episode is sponsored by:
CarGurus: buy or sell your next car today at cargurus.com

 Shopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/beyondthegrid

 Saily: get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code grid at
 checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/grid

<div>
The son of a motorsport legend, a racer since childhood, Formula 1 was Jacques Villeneuve's destiny. In 1996, the young Canadian arrived at his first Grand Prix and immediately proved he belonged there by taking pole position. In his rookie season Villeneuve won races, went wheel-to-wheel with Michael Schumacher and took Williams teammate Damon Hill to a final race title-decider. 30 years on, he sits down with Tom Clarkson to remember how he shook up the sport. Jacques explains why he left IndyCar as reigning champion to join Williams in Formula 1, and how racing on ovals influenced how he drove Grands Prix. He talks about working with race engineer Jock Clear, and experimenting with his throttle pedal and steering wheel paddles to find extra performance.Tom asks Jacques about the highlights of his first year in F1: his first pole position, his first race win and the spectacular pass he made on Michael Schumacher - an overtaking move still regarded as one of the best in F1 history.F1 Nation + F1 Explains are together in 2026 <a href="https://www.podfollow.com/f1-nation">Get race reviews + answers to your questions all in one place</a>This episode is sponsored by: CarGurus: buy or sell your next car today at <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcargurus.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CCBrowning-Brant%40f1.com%7Cb15836396ecf4234538108de8430ba0c%7Cb792abe295a94aff9e3a4beb3206df89%7C0%7C0%7C639093541993820014%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=IG59pl8gj5Dp%2F0xr53uneKx%2B%2B7nW2DfKe%2BPSG3XpYQY%3D&amp;reserved=0">cargurus.com</a> Shopify: sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshopify.com%2Fbeyondthegrid&amp;data=05%7C02%7CCBrowning-Brant%40f1.com%7Cb15836396ecf4234538108de8430ba0c%7Cb792abe295a94aff9e3a4beb3206df89%7C0%7C0%7C639093541993848940%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=qM4I3X5qm3StGzj6DIwFkUyPUnpgSJ8OBJwOw5hvCVA%3D&amp;reserved=0">shopify.com/beyondthegrid</a> Saily: get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code grid at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to <a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsaily.com%2Fgrid&amp;data=05%7C02%7CCBrowning-Brant%40f1.com%7Cb15836396ecf4234538108de8430ba0c%7Cb792abe295a94aff9e3a4beb3206df89%7C0%7C0%7C639093541993868681%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=MPoOXoClkvZDsplMztfe5Rq7h7gXHCt4fSRW5ug98%2Fw%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://saily.com/grid </a> </div>

Formula 1's fastest stars slow down for in-depth interviews. Tom Clarkson brings you revealing, feature-length conversations with drivers, team bosses, engineering experts and F1 legends.

Hit the follow button for the fastest way to get new episodes. Watch episodes exclusively on the F1 YouTube channel.

An official Formula 1 podcast. For race reviews + previews, listen to F1 Nation. To learn more about how F1 works, listen to F1 Explains