Listen to 80s F1 star Stefan Johansson discuss racing turbo monsters and tangling with wildlife

The 1980s turbo era of F1 is one of the most evocative in the sport's history, with the drivers having to contend with brutal, flame-spitting machinery as much as each other. This week on F1 podcast Beyond The Grid one of the stars of that era – Stefan Johansson – joins host Tom Clarkson to describe what it was like to be behind the wheel of those monsters.

With his iconic blonde hair and big smile, Johansson was a staple of the F1 grid in the Eighties, racing for McLaren and Ferrari and scoring 12 podiums. And he’d probably have been a race winner too were it not for team orders or Lady Luck intervening.

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A terrific raconteur, Stefan regales Tom with some incredible stories from his career, including fascinating insight into what made former team mate Alain Prost so good, his heart-breaking near miss at Imola ’85 while driving for Ferrari, and why he joked Sir Isaac Newton must have designed the 1988 Ligier…

Then there’s the barely conceivable tale of his weekend to forget in Austria in 1987, which included both a costly altercation with the local wildlife and an altercation with a drunk fan…

You can listen to the full episode in the player above, or alternatively listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.