BEYOND THE GRID: 90s racer Pedro Diniz talks fear, fiery escapes and partnering a world champion

Fear is something F1 drivers don’t often admit to feeling. But former Arrows and Sauber racer Pedro Diniz does.

In his 98 Grands Prix during the 1990s and into 2000, the Brazilian experienced the highs of hard-earned top-six points finishes, and was a match for team mates like Jean Alesi and Damon Hill. But as he tells Tom Clarkson in this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, lucky escapes from a fireball in Argentina and an upside-down car in Germany left a deep impression.

BEYOND THE GRID: Binge on the entire back catalogue of our podcast here, with episodes featuring Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Gerhard Berger and many more

“The biggest challenge was really the challenge of my mind,” Pedro says. How do fear and the immense pressure of racing in Formula 1 affect a driver’s performance? How can meditation and yoga help a racer go faster? Pedro tells all.

He also remembers first encounters with Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello at the very start of their racing careers, and explains his post-racing passion for producing organic food. Sebastian Vettel is among the people who are very interested in what Pedro’s doing today on his farm in Brazil.

Tune into this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid with Pedro Diniz in the player above, or click here to listen on your preferred podcasting platform.