The secrets of F1 race commentary - and the unique challenge of calling a race in 2026
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What are the secrets of F1 race commentary?
The Athletic. The race is on. And with TV commentary of F1 races, the primary portal through which most consume F1, even in this fractured media age, how do you go about calling a race in a year when the nature of the racing has fundamentally changed? I'm Ed Stewart, and to answer that question and explain the commentator's art, I'm joined by two of the best in the business in Alex Jakes...
The Japanese Grand Prix is underway. Watch Piastri. Race leader Piastri. Past one Mercedes. Past two Mercedes. Third to the lead. And he's brought Charles Leclerc to second place. Both the Mercedes crawled off the line. Lando Norris to third.
How do commentators adapt to the challenges of F1 races in 2026?
Game on in Japan. It's Piastri, Leclerc and Norris.
And Nelson Valkenburg.
Well, this podcast is all about F1 TV commentary. And actually, it was inspired by a question from the race members club from Harry, who said, I would like for you guys to do a pod with Nelson Valkenburg on how it is a challenge to call the race live with all the complexities involved and differing personal and professional views, which we thought was a great suggestion. But we thought we'd go a little bit further and actually get Nelson from Viaplay Netherlands and also F1 TV lead commentator, Alex Jake. So, Alex, how have you been filling the time with no F1 races in April.
It's been a bit of a strange one, isn't it, to have no races in April? That just never really happens with any form of motorsport. I've been doing a lot of odd jobs that I should have done about five years ago, such as the way of travelling the world. I also did rowing commentary for the first time.
What unique experiences do commentators share during races?
Yeah, massive day of the British sporting calendar in the UK is the boat race, university boat race between Cambridge and Oxford. And yeah, it's the first time I'd ever done a commentary on a rowing contest. And I thought I'd start with the most famous one of them all. So no pressure at all. It was really lovely to learn a new sport from scratch. But there are parts of it where I was like, could I just not have gone on a beach here? This would have been nicer to have a holiday than this. than to learn everyone's backstory. But it was a lot of fun. And I'm really glad that Channel 4 asked me to do it. It was a great day.
Did you get that gig because of your race calling experience?
Yeah, I think I got that gig because they were like, who's going to get excited at sport? Oh, yeah, we know a guy. Yeah, a guy from July at Silverstone. Yeah, I think you'll be into it. So I was very, very glad that they rang.
And how about you, Nelson? I have spotted you inevitably doing something a little bit closer to home in the motorsport world.
Yeah, clearly.
How do commentators handle criticism and accusations of bias?
NLS, Nordschleife racing at the Nürburgring. We were lucky to get the rights just before Verstappen announced that he was going to race there. And we're gearing up for the 24 hours of the Nordschleife right after Miami. Doing some documentary work, which is very cool to do. And we had a little theater show with Max Verstappen as well to put together. So it's been quite busy in the last few weeks. But really looking forward to get back on the plane.
And I never thought I'd say that. What's really funny is everybody I've spoken to in F1, whether it's media, people in teams or anything, everybody's basically commented on how busy they pretty much are. Because...
What challenges do commentators face with the changing nature of F1 racing?
There's a growth of just general work to be done. And even if there isn't work to be done, as Alex said, there's all those little things that you've been putting off for years because there's no time the rest of the time. So this has been a long way from the summer break, I think it's probably fair to say. But yeah, all raring to go. Now, let's get into our commentary chat because the races this year in particular have really been transformed by these new regulations. So how How big a challenge has it been to adapt to these races, given that increased overtaking and the nature of that passing, Alex?
Yeah, it has been a bit of a, not a culture shock, but it certainly led to having to examine what goes into your commentary and what doesn't go into your commentary, certainly from my side, in a way that I haven't had since I started.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the secrets of F1 race commentary?
0:02–0:47
2
How do commentators adapt to the challenges of F1 races in 2026?
0:47–1:43
3
What unique experiences do commentators share during races?
1:43–2:39
4
How do commentators handle criticism and accusations of bias?
2:39–3:18
5
What challenges do commentators face with the changing nature of F1 racing?
3:18–4:47
6
How do commentators balance excitement and information during a race?
4:47–6:07
7
What strategies do commentators use to improve their performance?
6:07–7:56
8
How do commentators cope with social media feedback?
7:56–1:07:32
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from The Race F1 Podcast
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