Formula One Is Everything You Think It Is. And Nothing Like It.
An introduction to the part of the sport that nobody films.
I’ve been making Formula One cars for over fifteen years. When people ask me what I do, I usually make something up - because if I tell the truth, they nearly always ask if I can get them some free Silverstone tickets.
Or worse still, they corner me and ask my opinion on tyre compounds, or something else I won’t know the answer to.
Factory based, not the paddock. Never seen on TV, never interviewed. Just one of hundreds of people in Motorsport Valley eating mediocre canteen food while the hospitality suites fill up with considerably more glamorous people eating considerably better meals.
Mine is not an F1 job most would picture. No pit wall, no headsets, no precision tyre changes. A shift worker, in a factory, making parts of a car that will eventually go around a circuit watched by hundreds of millions of people - and that will never once be mentioned by a commentator.
I’ve seen teams win championships. I’ve seen teams quietly unravel. I’ve worked alongside people doing the same job for twenty years with absolutely no intention of leaving - and lately I’ve started to understand why. We call one place the retirement home. That story can wait for another day.
In all that time, I’m yet to read anything that describes what this world looks like from the inside. Having run out of all excuses not to, I’ve decided to write it myself. The stories, the characters — of which there are many — the things that will surprise you and the things that won’t. Some insight into what a career in motorsport actually looks like, and how to get in by the side door, like so many of my colleagues past and present.
Next time - Is working in Formula One high pressure? Bring your sleeping bags.
This is Ghost Lap. Weekly to start, fortnightly once we’re settled. Free to begin with. Anonymous, for reasons obvious to anyone who has ever seen a Formula One team’s contract of employment.
Welcome.
— David Whitmore
So glad I saw your post on reddit. I love your stories - so interesting and very well written. I look forward to reading more. Thank you
This is exactly the kind of motorsport writing I want more of. There’s something really fascinating about hearing from the people who make the sport happen behind the scenes, especially in such an honest and understated way. I’m really excited for this perspective on F1—incredibly done!