Racing Lives with Aurélie Donzelot

Joanne Revill has a wealth of experience in production and communication, having juggles both extremely successfully throughout her career.  Her motorsport journey started in the heart of it all, working for Formula One Management. Over 16 years, she went from strength to strength within the company, working behind the scenes at first and then very much in the thick of it as Floor Manager dur...

We’re doing things a little bit differently this time, as I welcome not one but two guests on the show: Alice Powell and Abbi Pulling! A first for Racing Lives.  Both racing drivers, both podium finishers. One is a Formula Renault champion and has scored points in pretty much every series or championship she’s ever taken part in. The other is going from strength to strength, as a fully-fledge...

Lindsay Orridge is the person you should call if you want to make something happen in motorsport. She has a wealth of knowledge and contacts throughout the industry, as well as an incredible knack for getting brands seen through clever and meaningful activations.  On a personal note, today’s guest is largely responsible for the fact that I now have my own company. Thanks to her friendship, he...

Kate Beavan may be a lawyer, but I know her more for her incredible hospitality and creativity, than her legal skills.  She did start in motorsport as a lawyer however, working for the Arrows F1 Team before joining FOM - Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Management company - to eventually develop and lead the Paddock Club into the VIP hospitality experience as we know it now. That changed in 20...

My guest today is a World Champion. She is a multi-world champion in fact, having successfully played her part in achieving World Champion status for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team no less than three times. As the team's Head of Hospitality and Events, Rachael Laenen developed and managed all hospitality offerings for the team's partners both on and off track for years. Proud daughter of r...

My guest today is Fiona Rees, a logistics expert, an authority in coordination, a worldwide events organiser on a scale that is utterly impressive.  In a career spanning 16 years in motorsport, Fiona has ensured the successful completion of countless events across all manner of racing disciplines, carving a highly respected name for herself throughout the motorsport industry.  As the FIA...

This week's Racing Lives guest is Reema Juffali, a driver from Saudi Arabia who has only been racing for a handful of years and yet has carved out such a resounding space within motorsport that I’ve been looking forward to speaking to her ever since I started this podcast.  Reema has competed in British and UAE F4, as well as GT endurance racing and she finished second in this year’s Internat...

Beth Georgiou is a multi-hyphen powerhouse who has developed her passions into credible and successful professional avenues so well, I am in awe of everything she has achieved already.  She is a clever, articulate and dedicated advocate for electric cars, which combined with a lifelong passion for motorsport, has culminated in the birth of the world’s first all-electric junior formula racing...

My guest today is best known for Formula 1 engineering, specifically strategy, and is absolutely brilliant to chat to. What better way to start off Season 3 of Racing Lives than with the utterly awesome Bernie Collins! Starting as a graduate trainee at the McLaren Formula 1 Team back in 2009, fresh from studying Mechanical Engineering at the Queen’s University in Belfast, Bernie has gone on to Gra...

My guest today is a racer through and through. Tatiana Calderon has driven karts, single-seaters, GT and LMP cars across the world and has been the ‘first woman’ in so many instances that I lost count.  Born in Colombia, karting since nine-years-old, her path has taken her to British F3, European F3, Macau, World Series 3.5, GP3, Formula E, Formula 2, Le Mans… If it’s on a track and has four...

Racing Lives is proud to welcome W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir to the show! Catherine created and runs the single-seater series that is supporting F1 for its first time this weekend. In a short few years, she has gone from having a disruptive and ambitious idea to getting on the events’ bill of the most prestigious motorsport championship in the world.  It’s not been easy, I don’t think it...

Today's guest is the extremely talented Ruth Buscombe, Head of Race Strategy at Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen F1 Team and Dare To Be Different Ambassador, now known as Girls On Track and part of the FIA.  She has held Strategy roles with Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari, and graduated from the prestigious University of Cambridge with a first class degree in Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering. R...

In this episode, I chat to sports journalist and broadcaster Amanda Davies on her experiences in motorsport, her career in professional broadcasting and everything in between. From Sky Sports and the BBC to CNN, Amanda has been involved in creating coverage for every major sporting event for at least 15 years. She has done this passionately and diligently, bringing us interviews with almost every...

My guest today is Ellie Norman, the Marketing and Communications Director at Formula 1. She is in fact the very first Marketing and Communications Director at Formula 1, before her appointment in 2017, that function didn’t exist.  Prior to working in Motorsport, my guest held high-ranking positions in Marketing and Communications for huge brands such as Virgin Media and Honda, she is a Fellow...

My guest today has built an impressive career as a journalist and a presenter across so many sports, that asking her to come on this podcast focusing solely on motorsport feels like a disservice. She started early, becoming a journalist at just 15, and hasn’t stopped since, with her vast experience spanning news, horse riding, Formula 1 of course, but also rugby, tennis, the Olympics, the Par...

My guest today is Lou Johnson, an award-winning photographer - having being named Motorsport UK’s Young Photographer of the Year in 2019 - and is the Team Photographer for Mahindra Racing in Formula E. With experience in the World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series alongside her Formula E work, as well as corporate and event work, she has gathered a huge amount of experience since...

We are back for a second season! I have an amazing guest this week to celebrate the return of Racing Lives, the incredible Claire Williams. Claire was Deputy Team Principal of Williams Racing, the Formula 1 Team founded by her father Frank Williams, until last September 2020 and has had an amazing career in the sport covering PR, Marketing and Commercial before taking on the running of the team. T...

My guest today is a champion. Figuratively, of course, but importantly, she is a champion in the literal sense of the word too. She is the 2015 British GT Champion for GT4, the MRF Challenge Champion for the 2018-2019 season and became the inaugural W Series Champion in 2019.  She is also breaking new grounds: the youngest ever British GT Champion at the time, as well as the first female to w...

This week, Racing Lives is seriously proud to welcome PR legend Ann Bradshaw! Ann held the role of Team Press Officer for Williams F1 for 12 years, during which they secured no less than 6 constructors’ championships, and has been asked back no less than 4 times over the years (!!), she has worked in Communication roles for A1GP, BMW Motorsport, Sauber F1, many F1 circuits around the world, racing...

My guest today is the utterly brilliant Louise Goodman, who is known in every motorsport paddock there is, having worked in Formula 1, Touring Cars, Endurance racing and rallying throughout her incredible career.  Louise counts roles such as TV presenter, pit-lane reporter, media trainer, event host, racing driver, and team PR as part of a her extensive experience. She is as approachable and...

This week's episode welcomes the wonderfully brilliant Amy Shore. Amy has a photo collection featuring some of the most iconic cars ever made. What’s most special about this photo collection however, is that she took every single one. She is indeed a photographer, and a bloody good one at that. She has carved a career from showcasing beautiful machinery, while passionately finding brilliant storie...

My guest today is the rather awesome Rebecca Jones. Bex has worked with some of the best-known automotive brands in her highly successful motorsport career, counting the likes of Skoda, Aston Martin, BMW and more recently Bentley as part of her client roster. She’s represented brands and drivers in Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, the World Endurance Championship and many many other series...

My guest today is the uber-talented Amy Overy, a hugely experienced producer working for Formula One itself. She is a brilliant interviewer, trusted by F1 drivers and team PRs alike, she is a relaxed professional that gets the job done with a smile. And it’s hugely appreciated throughout the paddock. She is also an incredibly knowledgeable food enthusiast, using the little spare time we have aroun...

Welcome back to Racing Lives! This week, my guest is a familiar name to most Formula 1 fans: the brilliant Sophie Ogg. Sophie has worked her entire professional life in motorsport, climbing up the racing ladder from Formula BMW UK, via the World Touring Car Championship and A1 GP - with a touch of America’s Cup for good measure - ending up of course in Formula 1 where she now heads up the com...

My guest today is Rebecca Banks; a hugely experienced PR and Events expert, with over 20 years in the sport and entertainment industries. She’s a Director at Revolution Communications, where - and I love this description - her and her team have carved a niche in fusing the worlds of motorsport and automotive with lifestyle and entertainment.  Her client list reads like the who’s who of automo...