Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
Year 9 student Sam and Formula 1 commentator generously reviewed the recent Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
‘Spending four days out at the Australian Grand Prix was the most amazing experience. I am hoping to one day become a Formula 1 commentator or reporter and have been lucky enough to have already been given some amazing opportunities to work towards this goal.
My Dad and I host a podcast called The DRS Zone, where we talk about Formula 1, previewing and recapping races throughout the year, so I guess from this my knowledge of the sport is growing all the time and being heard by people in the industry.
Last Friday I was asked to be a guest on Network Ten’s morning show Studio 10 to talk about the upcoming race which was fun, but being interviewed on live TV was a little bit stressful. Then on Saturday I was invited in to the on-course Track TV commentary booth during one of the F1 practice sessions. I thought I was just going in for a look, but before I knew it, they put a set of headphones on me, turned on the microphone and started asking me questions about the session. This broadcast went out right across Albert Park – luckily, I didn’t know that until I finished and started receiving text messages from friends at the track saying they heard me.
Then Sunday morning before the race, my mum got a call from a producer at The Project asking if I could do a live cross after the race with my thoughts on the results. I had done this for The Project last year, so I wasn’t too nervous about that. However, the race was so crazy with three red flags and a number of restarts, it meant that the race finished about an hour later than scheduled – so I had to run halfway around Albert Park to get to the interview spot to make it in time. I arrived with about a minute to spare, the cameraman threw an earpiece in my ear so I could hear the hosts, then before I knew it, he was counting me down to the interview.
Overall, it was a great experience and I feel very grateful to be able to be doing something so interesting and hopefully will get me closer to my dream job.’
Sam Wyatt
You can watch Sam on the Project
