Modern Formula 1 teams are vast companies, with hundreds of employees all working hard to try to be the best in the sport. But within these sprawling organisations sit the teams within a team – the small cadre of people centred around helping each driver perform at their absolute maximum.

Now F1.com is delving into those bubbles with a brand-new feature series that offers a fascinating insight into the individuals within an F1 driver's inner circle, exploring the figures working to fuel their success on and off the track.

No driver succeeds alone

Becoming a Formula 1 driver – let alone achieving success – doesn't simply come down to the competitor. It would be an impossible task to undertake alone, which is why every racer has an intricate team of people working alongside them every step of the way. Every point, podium, championship, and even the simple act of making it to lights out requires a remarkable amount of work not just from the individual, but from everyone that has helped them get to that stage, from race engineers to performance coaches.

Any driver will tell you that F1 isn't just about the relatively short time they spend on track – it is the hours in debriefs, the simulator work back at their team's base, the gym sessions and the media duties. In the series, F1.com speaks to the people who enable the sport's stars to thrive at each of these tasks and more, delving into the support they provide and just how large a network is necessary to help them reach the top and stay there.

The sports psychologist: inside the driver's mind

One of the most crucial, yet least visible, figures in that bubble is the sports psychologist. Hintsa Performance is one of the go-to organisations within the world of motorsport, and psychologist Robbie Anderson discusses how they help drivers behind the scenes – from managing the relentless pressure of a grand prix weekend to building the mental resilience needed to sustain elite performance year after year.

The opening features of the series explore exactly that, along with the other key roles surrounding the stars of the grid:

• How sports psychologists help the drivers maximise their performance
• Carlos Onoro explains his vital role as Carlos Sainz's manager
• What does a Formula 1 race engineer actually do?
• Esteban Ocon's performance coach explains how he helps the Haas racer maximise his potential
• Stoffel Vandoorne details his role as a Formula 1 reserve driver with Aston Martin

From the driver managers plotting career moves to the race engineers in the ear of the driver at 200mph, and from the performance coaches in the gym to the reserve drivers waiting in the wings, F1.com will feature each role as part of the series – check back for updates as each fascinating story is told.