Episode list

Rookie driver Stoffel Vandoorne, is about to begin his first season in F1 with 'McLaren-Honda' alongside two-time champion Fernando Alonso. Stoffel has his first seat fit, tests the new car and engine in a simulator, sees the chassis of his car being completed. Stoffel finds out the price to be paid for entering the exclusive world of F1, with a gruelling PR schedule.

Stoffel Vandoorne, Fernando Alonso and the McLaren-Honda racing team continue to prepare for the 2017 season. Stoffel's grueling fitness regime intensifies with endurance training. In the UK, 700 engineers, mechanics and designers are racing to build a new car for Stoffel and Alonso. The final piece of the car-build arrives: the new Honda engine for fire-up. But will all go according to plan?

The ramifications of not making shakedown are being felt throughout the factory. The floor has finally turned up. However, there are not enough parts to make a dummy car for the launch and a working car for testing, which takes place immediately after the car launch. For the car-build team, it means long hours to get only one car ready for both events. It's the day of the car launch which has attracted media from all across the world. The design of the car has been a closely guarded secret and this will be the first time anyone will see what the team at McLaren-Honda has been up to. We follow the frenetic activity on launch day from the point of view of the management, drivers, guests and journalists. Just before they are due to go on stage, we catch up with Stoffel and Fernando who are eagerly anticipating the design and speed of their new car. Down in the race bay, the engineers are finalizing the build and preparing the car for the first test in Barcelona.

It's the final two weeks of testing in Barcelona before the F1 season officially begins. Mission control is monitoring every aspect of the cars' and drivers' performance on track. Testing is a disaster. On day one, Fernando Alonso's car breaks down repeatedly due to oil issues and the engine is replaced overnight. On day two we ride with Stoffel to the track, his first day of testing as a fully-fledged McLaren driver. Stoffel finds the car difficult to manage and there are problems with the engine again. A second Honda engine is replaced and the engineers must fly out more units from Sakura, Japan. The press is going wild with stories of impending doom for McLaren and their partnership with Honda. By the end of the test, Honda has blown nine engines, one more than they are allowed to use for both cars during the entire season. The most the car has driven continuously, with the power turned down, is 11 laps. At this pace, the car will not even qualify for the race in Melbourne. McLaren-Honda is in crisis. All of the engineers, mechanics and PR team are deeply disappointed. Fernando Alonso's contract is up and there are rumors that he will not put up with another season at the bottom of the rankings. The entire workforce of McLaren is called together for an update on where they are with Honda and the engine design. Jonathan Neale makes it clear that in terms of the season ahead McLaren "are no longer travelling hopefully".