From Dublin to the F1 Grid

2026-01-21

Download

This week on Everything Trackside, Seán, Mairead and Coops sit down with one of Irish motorsport’s true trailblazers — Derek Daly.From jumping off a school bus in Dundrum and laying hands on a Brabham with a shamrock on the door, to lining up beside James Hunt on an F1 grid just 13 months after Formula Ford, Derek’s story is as Irish as it is unbelievable.In a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation, Derek takes us through:🇮🇪 Growing up in Dublin with no racing circuits, no money, and a...

This week on Everything Trackside, Seán, Mairead and Coops sit down with one of Irish motorsport’s true trailblazers — Derek Daly.

From jumping off a school bus in Dundrum and laying hands on a Brabham with a shamrock on the door, to lining up beside James Hunt on an F1 grid just 13 months after Formula Ford, Derek’s story is as Irish as it is unbelievable.

In a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation, Derek takes us through:

🇮🇪 Growing up in Dublin with no racing circuits, no money, and a very big dream
🏁 Santry stock cars, Mondello Park, Belfast-built Formula Fords and mining iron ore in Australia to fund a career
🚀 The fastest rise to Formula One in history — from Formula Ford to F1 in just 13 months
🍀 Full-circle moments involving Sydney Taylor, James Hunt, Eddie Jordan, and the tight-knit Irish motorsport community
📸 His favourite F1 memory — and why it’s not about trophies, but about the people beside him
🇺🇸 Life after F1: IndyCar, near-fatal injury, comeback, Sebring victories, and finding a second adrenaline rush in broadcasting
🎙️ Building a legendary broadcasting career on instinct, storytelling, and “the gift of the gab”
📖 His upcoming autobiography, Serial Survivor — a lifetime of chaos, courage, and coincidence captured at last
🧠 High-performance lessons from motorsport, now shared with corporate audiences around the world
👨‍👦 Being a racing dad, coaching without pushing, and watching Connor Daly forge his own path
🌱 The future of Irish motorsport, with glowing praise for Alex Dunne and the next generation flying the tricolour