Over my lifetime I have fallen in love with many sports. It started with soccer, then basketball, and in recent years it has been Formula One. It most certainly is not the first sport that comes to peoples’ minds, but it’s had a way of capturing my attention unlike anything else.
As an adrenaline junkie I should’ve known this was going to be the sport for me, even if I never stepped foot into one of the cars. This sport is a lot more in depth than just the rush you get as you watch skilled drivers race around different circuits. It is about the people in and around the sport and what they do when they aren’t racing.
My introduction to Formula One came from my sister about six years ago. At the time she had a crush on Lewis Hamilton, and I remember her always mentioning how great he was, his activism and his eye for fashion. She only captured my attention when she brought up that he was a racecar driver, and that piqued my interest. After some light research and investigating, I discovered Hamilton raced in Formula One, however I was still unsure as to what it was.
For a few years I kept up with Hamilton on social media and slowly started to follow F1. I went from only knowing one driver to knowing all 20 that were on the grid. I remember watching the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, it was a giddy feeling I’ve never experienced before. Trying to anticipate what would happen each lap, and then getting to see my favourite driver finish first. It was truly one of the peaks in motorsport history. As a tradition every year during the Brazil Grand Prix, I tie my Brazilian flag around me like a cape and sit glued to my seat as I watch the race. Races like the ones in 2021 don’t happen often and it was incredibly compelling. I haven’t strayed away since.
Something I wasn’t aware I would gain as a fan of the sport is community. From discord servers to TikTok comment sections, you meet fans worldwide. Each person has a different experience, perspective and introduction to the sport. You do not have to look far to find a fellow fan even if they cheer for an opposing team, everyone bands together.
It is a little hard to capture the essence of the whole sport when there are many moving parts. This is currently my third consecutive year watching F1, my last year watching Lewis Hamilton race with Mercedes and the year I got to watch Charles Leclerc win in Monaco, his home country. So, in simpler words, it has been a big year. This sport has also taught me to push through adversities, never give up and always challenge myself.
I’m grateful to know Formula One and to have a show like Netflix’s Drive to Survive. I used the docuseries as a steppingstone to learn what the different terminology meant, what driver drove for which team and the behind-the-scenes stories that aren’t broadcasted. It has also helped me introduce my friends to the world of motorsport and what it can look like. Now every time I meet someone who is looking for a segway to the sport I direct them to watch Season One of Drive to Survive.
I would say that F1 is still a niche thing in North America. Its audience has grown tremendously in the last few years, with races expanding in the United States. As it continues to grow, I hope people will also fall in love with F1 Academy, a series for women and aimed at developing and preparing them to higher levels of competition. Women have a place on the track, too, and I hope in my lifetime I will get to see a female driver have a seat on a Formula One team.
Just as I hope to see more passion-driven women write and report in the world of motorsport.
Deidra Clarke is an emerging journalist. In the past few years she has studied Journalism & Creative Writing at the University of Trent Durham and Durham College. She aspires to write and create content in sports media, more specifically around Formula One. Her mission is to inspire others to challenge themselves and pursue their dreams.