I buy some snacks and a sports magazine for my flight, before I find my gate.
Soon enough, we are taking off. I look out over the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.
Goodbye, Chicago, hello world.
Chapter 2
JESSICA
I spend the first few days behind the camera, getting to know the system, the other reporters, cameramen, and the rest of the crew.
It isn’t a big team, which I appreciate because it makes it easier to get to know everyone and ask questions about the process. Anne has been very helpful and has introduced me to the whole crew over the last few days.
We have Steve, the cameraman, a man in his sixties who lives and breathes the sport of Formula 1. Aside from a passion for the sport, he’s also a very capable cameraman, chasing after our prominent reporter, Andrew.
Andrew is the semi-famous member of our crew, a former racing driver who commands a lot of respect in the paddock, making it easier to get interviews with the top guys.
Then there’s Molly, who is the editor for our online stories. She is the closest to my age, and was a little shy at first, but as the days go on, she’s warming up.
When I first arrived, everything felt very overwhelming, but the whole teamhelped me get settled and assured me that I’d pick things up quickly.
“Hey Jessica!” Molly calls as she approaches our spot. Each race weekend, the media outlets are assigned to their own area, which serves as our base for the weekend.
“Hi Molly, how is everything?” I ask her. We have the first race this weekend, and everyone is feeling the excitement build.
“It’s good, I can’t believe the first race is already here! Who are you cheering for?” she asks me, and even though our job is to report as neutral and unbiased as possible, everyone has their favourites.
“I don’t know yet, I think I’ll have to see them perform before deciding on anyone. How about you?”
A beautiful thing about F1 is that people can cheer for whoever and whichever team they want, and it won’t stir bad behaviour or fights, as you may see in other sports.
During a race weekend, fans from different teams sit together, enjoying the excitement of F1 with good vibes.
“Yeah, I agree, but I must say, Peter is looking ready to fight for it again this year.” Molly is talking about last year’swinner, Peter Centimo. Among many reasons, it’s his looks and attitude that stand out.
Everyone loves a good villain, and Peter delivers exactly what the audience wants. He’s often moody and rude to reporters, so even though I don’t find him charming or appalling, many fans, like Molly, enjoy the bad boy act.
He likes to give reporters a hard time, and Molly buys into all of it.
As for me, I believe the BMW team, led by Luke Hastings, has a strong chance at the championship this year. There’s just something about him.
One thing is certain in F1: nothing is ever guaranteed.
“Yeah, if I have to choose, I’ll put my money on Luke Hastings and BMW, they’re looking really strong.”
Molly agrees with me, but says she’s hoping for some paddock rivalry between the two drivers.
???
I’m looking down into my notebook full of questions, ready to go if the opportunity arises. The dream, of course, is to interview one of the drivers, and hopefully I’ll get there sometime during the season.
For now, though, I’m happy with either an interview with a team official or, even better, a team principal. They usually take the time in the interview zone, which is where we are currently set up.
Suddenly, Steve is pushed forward, causing him to stumble, while the camera comes flying towards me. I react swiftly, grabbing hold of the camera before it crashes to the ground.
“Watch where you’re going!” I nearly shout at the person who pushed Steve, clearly annoyed that they almost caused him to fall, along with our expensive equipment.
As I help Steve regain his balance and put the camera back on our stand, I look up and freeze.
