With a career spanning four decades, Frank Dernie knows a thing or two about how to make a car fast – and he's the guest on the latest Beyond The Grid.
After joining Williams in the late 70s as Patrick Head's aerodynamic assistant, helping design the successful FW08 chassis, he went on to work with some of Formula 1's biggest stars, greatest teams and the fastest cars on the grid.
A pioneer in his field, Frank was the first person in the sport to use computer aided design and is the man to thank for bringing the Williams team's active suspension to life.
His analytical and data-driven mind was in hot demand in the paddock from teams and drivers alike as he developed his race-winning cars.
In this episode of Beyond The Grid, Frank lets us take a peek inside his brilliant mind as he takes us back to those early days at Williams working with Sir Frank Williams, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, testing with Alain Prost and all that fell in between.
Listen to the latest episode of Beyond The Grid in the player above, or head here to catch the podcast on your favourite platform.
Next Up
Related Articles
VOTE: Choose your favourite race of the 2025 season
Brown insists McLaren ‘won’t change the way we race’
Vasseur says he misjudged impact of switching focus to 2026
F1 AcademyFerrari sign Larsen for 2026 F1 ACADEMY campaign
Formula 1 to return to Portugal in 2027 and 2028
Piastri 'will be a world champion' in future – Norris
