The USA's Eddie Cheever on living his F1 dream after walking away from Ferrari

No American has started more Grands Prix than Eddie Cheever, the Phoenix-born, Rome raised racer, who took nine excellent podium finishes in the 1980s. In his long stay at the pinnacle of motor sport Cheever drove for eight teams (including Renault, Ligier, Tyrrell and Alfa Romeo), experiencing the highs of reaching the rostrum and the lows of losing fellow drivers. What’s more remarkable is that he achieved all this after walking away from a Ferrari test contract, so determined was he as a youngster to make it - right away - in the sport he loved.

On this week’s show he discusses all of the above, plus his lifelong admiration of his former boss, McLaren legend Ron Dennis, his admiration of team mates Alain Prost and Derek Warwick, the loss of Gilles Villeneuve, and his post-F1 success at the Indy 500…