BEYOND THE GRID: McLaren chief Piers Thynne on the team’s championship transformation and life at Woking

Tom Clarkson’s guest on this week’s Beyond The Grid podcast is McLaren’s Chief Operating Officer, Piers Thynne, who has been with the team since 2008.

He oversees everything that happens at the squad’s UK base, the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, and as such has played a crucial role in their current success.

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How have McLaren transformed into World Champions after finishing second to last in 2017? Why is their philosophy of getting ‘comfortable with being uncomfortable’ so productive?

What impact have Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had on the whole team? And how are they preparing for new regulations in 2026, while fighting for both titles in 2025?

While answering those questions and many more, Piers provides fascinating insight into what it takes to run a championship-winning F1 team away from the track.

He also talks about his passion for McLaren’s heritage cars, the lessons he took into F1 from his time as an army officer serving in Iraq, and how his father helped a certain F1 legend become a World Champion.

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To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, 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.