Formula 1 Exhibition in Madrid Explained: Sergio’s Chat with Peter Windsor, Part 1

Interview by Sergio Álvarez; photos by Diego Merino.

If you’re a Gen Z person, you’ll know Peter Windsor from his YouTube channel. If you’re slightly older, you’ll remember him from being involved with the best of the best of Formula 1 for what seems like forever.

Here’s Sergio’s chat with the brain behind the F1 Exhibition in Madrid.

A must-see for every F1 fan.

Q: Is there an F1 artifact that didn’t make it to the exhibition, but you wish it had?

A: I’m not frustrated by the lack of anything because I know Formula 1 and I know Formula 1 people, and Formula 1 teams. So we were never trying to get something that we knew we wouldn’t get. Instead of trying to force the issue with teams or drivers, for example, we forged a very close relationship with Classic Team Lotus. And we made things with Classic Team Lotus. We’re standing right now by a Lotus 25 monocoque and this was made specially for the Exhibition by Lotus. And there’s a Lotus 49 monocoque, this also was made specially for the Exhibition. So this is what’s been so fulfilling. There’s a Lotus 12 with the “Chapman strut” rear end, the Coventry Climax engine, the Coventry Climax original fire pump, all that stuff has been just amazing. There’d be no way of creating that, unless we had an exhibition. It’s been an incredible tool to have fun with really with the teams.

Not what Oscar Piastri wants. Or maybe he does want that!

Q: How would you imagine the next F1 Exhibition 20 years from now?

A: The next Exhibition and how it will evolve? There’s no reason why this F1 Exhibition shouldn’t just continue forever because it fills in some of the gaps between the fans and what is going on in the paddock area, in the Formula 1 pit lane. Not all fans have access to that for obvious reasons. I think what we have in Formula 1 today is a brilliant live television sport and you see what happens instantly but you don’t necessarily know why things happened instantly and the Exhibition’s role in time more and more will be to explain why things happened that we’ve already seen on the race track.

Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 of Sergio’s chat with Peter, come back for more. You think we’d post everything straight away? Gotta work for it, tweeps.