Stewart Bell has been covering Formula 1 from the inside for more than 20 years. He's had a front-row seat for some of the sport's biggest moments, from being the only media in the garage for Daniel Ricciardo's first Albert Park run, to interviewing Ayrton Senna's press officer about the day he died at Imola. Now he's turned two decades of paddock access into a book, published by Penguin.
In this episode, Stewart joins Dianne Bortoletto to talk about his career, the drivers he's worked with, and what Formula 1 looks like from the inside when the cameras aren't rolling.
They cover:
How Stewart pitched his way into F1 journalism with no contacts and no racing background
Working with Daniel Ricciardo through his Red Bull years, the McLaren nightmare, and his return
Interviewing Kimi Raikkonen, and the GQ India story that sums up why Kimi is every journalist's nightmare
The chilling behind-the-scenes account of the day Senna died, told by his press officer
The 2025 regulations, battery management in qualifying, and what needs to change
Lance Stroll, Leighton Hewitt, and the tennis hit that revealed a different side of a misunderstood driver
Lewis Hamilton's chances of an eighth title at Ferrari
Stewart's new book, Formula 1: The World's Most Brutal Sport, published by Penguin