At every race during the F1 season, one of the most popular questions submitted for #FifthDriver to answer is: Who is the #FifthDriver? This is closely followed by: What is the #FifthDriver? So, as we don’t have any racing to speak of at the moment, perhaps it’s time for a refresher…  

Who… and what…  is the #FifthDriver? 

We’ll never tell!  

The #FifthDriver has been our anonymous trackside pundit and analyst since 2009. They work closely with our commentator – but not so close that they'd reveal who they are - across the race weekend on the commentary feed, answering questions from McLaren fans and McLaren Plus members, while adding context and analysis to the commentary, explaining bits and pieces about garage operation, race craft and strategy.  

Although their identity remains a mystery, the #FifthDriver has been at the forefront of McLaren's social media presence since we joined X (formerly Twitter) in 2009 and is one of the most widely read F1 handles.  

Why #FifthDriver? Well, ‘third driver’, tended to be the catch-all term for a Test and Reserve Driver. Located somewhat lower down the knowledge tree, the #FifthDriver hashtag began as a pun on that. Over the last decade-and-a-bit, the #FifthDriver has contributed everything from race weekend blogs to team interviews. By far the busiest part of the role, however, is contributing to commentary.  

How do I submit questions for #FifthDriver? 

Couldn't be easier. Ahead of each round, we'll ask for questions on X. Simply reply with the #FifthDriver hashtag and we’ll see it.  

What sort of questions are we looking for?  

That’s really up to you! We’re very happy to shed light on whatever it is you’re interested in. We’ll cheerfully dig down into the deeply technical for lifelong F1 fans, but we’re equally pleased to explain some of the basics if you’re new to all of this. The latter is actually quite helpful to us! It’s easy to take some of this stuff for granted, and it’s good to have the occasional reminder that it can all seem rather weird and wonderful – so don’t be shy!  

Is #FifthDriver ever stumped by a question?  

Yes! All the time! But questions to which we don’t have an immediate answer are always good… because it’s an opportunity to ask someone who does. Most people in the team will have been grilled for their input but more often than not, #FifthDriver tends to rely on a cadre of experts to answer some of the more specific questions that come in, everyone from Jono Brookes, Director of F1 Build (and former Chief Mechanic) who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the MCL38, to Jon Malvern, Lando’s physio, and an expert on human performance.  

And that’s the #FifthDriver, happy to discuss everything from garage superstitions to the finer points of the F1 Sporting Regulations, with diversions through garage playlists, driver diets and biometric sensor technology. Each race the best question (chosen independently) wins a prize, so if you’ve got a burning desire for technical info, quirky garage facts, bizarre sporting regs or just Lando’s breakfast order on a Sunday morning, please do let us have a look and we’ll do our very best to find an answer.