trying to get into F1/motorsport journalism

antz182

Hi all,
I was just wondering if anyone would know anything about how to get into F1 journalism? I have been following the sport now for about 18 years and I have a keen interest in writing, but I have no idea where to turn to. I have tried emailing places like F1 Racing and Autosport magazines, but neither have replied, I wouldnt mind starting to write for a website or something, but I really dont know where to turn, any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

se conman

Why not start by posting a review of each race here ? you could ask for feedback and see what people here think of your abilities/style and would then have a CV to submit to mags/F1 web sites.

amacachi

frostie500 is a poster here and has started a WordPress site with his articles: http://stephenenglish.ie/

Be warned it's a tough industry to get into with or without qualifications. frostie's stuff is of a very high standard (bearing in mind it's unpaid :pac:) but it'll take a lot of luck for anything to come of it. Obviously the more work and time put in will increase the chances.

Unless you can afford it I wouldn't think it wise to view it as your main career path yet.

frostie500

The most important thing that you can do Antz is start writing. I had never given journalism much thought when I was younger, I am a Computing graduate, but after spending some time on this forum I found that I enjoyed writing and as a result before the start of last season I set up a blog.

Throughout the last year I have written previews for each F1 and MotoGP race and posted them here and on a couple of other sites. I have found that this is invaluable for getting feedback from fans of the sport, ie your target market. The PMs or general comments that I have received has been hugely beneficial in improving my writing while still maintaining the style that I want to use.

In relation to getting work published, its a cliche but it really is very difficult to get into the industry. I was lucky that the Circuit of Ireland started in Dundalk last year. I went to the opening ceremony and to the stages and wrote a report of the rally which was published by my local papers. From this I managed to, somehow, talk one of those papers, The Dundalk Democrat, into letting me write a weekly column which predominately covers F1.

From that point onwards I started to take writing more seriously and began making contact with numerous people in the industry. The advice that you get from people on the inside is invaluable and while it has yet to turn into anything substantial for me it is important that people know who you are and recognise your name. In relation to your name I've very lucky that a former writer for Autosport and now the head of Team Lotus' PR is called Steven English so I think one or two emails were opened by people thinking it was him! Even so most people are more than willing to offer advice and assistance because they remember how it was when they started so don't be afraid to call or email them.

In relation to Autosport/F1 Racing your best bet is to call the editor. I was lucky enough to have a week's work experience with Autosport two weeks ago and you actually gain quite a lot just by sitting in the office watching how they work and go about their business and it also let me get a few pieces published on Autosport.com.

As a final note I've found that the most important thing is that you write something unique. There are lots of people out there that look to reword press releases and the like and they do little or nothing to improve you as a writer. There is always a time for this kind of thing but its far more important that you produce work that informs and teaches the reader something that they wouldnt get elsewhere. That was actually the reason that I started to post analysis as well as just previews and race reports. I'm not sure how everyone feels about all of the things I post but by an large most people will give you constructive feedback.

I enjoy writing a "thoughts I have following....." piece after races just so that I can get a few things off my chest from the weekend and this, which started off as nothing more than a rant after one race, has become very popular on my site. The great thing about having your own site is that you have complete freedom to post as you wish. So use that freedom to find out what works and what doesnt work.

The most important thing for anyone looking to get into any field of journalism is an ability to see through the bull and latch onto an important element of the story. To give you an example when the crashgate incident in Singapore came to light and Renault were given a suspended sentence I immediately posted that the team must have come to an agreement with the FIA that they would sell their team in the near future if they could avoid expulsion, which obviously has come to pass. An ability to find the true story in something is far more important than having fancy prose etc.

It's a tough nut to crack but its important to not get disheartened if doors dont open for you but write as much as you can, read the work of the better writers and most of all good luck!

Whirlie

What blog site do you use?