Peter Windsor Exclusive Interview

Peter Windsor has done it all in F1, journalist, broadcaster, team manager, marketing manager, pitlane reporter, technical office head in an F1 career spanning 4 decades, he is now the host of popular online F1 show The Flying Lap .

Peter very kindly agreed to answer some questions for Pitlane Magazine

1) One of the aims of this site is to provide a showcase for the next generation of F1 writing talent, what advice would you give a would be F1 journalist?

Don’t set out to be “an F1 journalist”. Submit articles about motor racing (not just F1) to club magazines and local newspapers. Try to look for a local angle. Start small and work on the writing. Don’t expect to make any money. Know your history, for without the past at your fingertips you can make no assessments about the present. Read as much as possible. Know your English grammar like the back of your hand; you cannot be creative unless your platform is solid and stable.

2) While I appreciate you can’t go into specifics regarding USF1 has your experience put you off or if the right opportunity came along in the future to own or part own an F1 team would you go for it again?

Of course.

3) With F1 returning to the USA this year and 2 American races next year do you think F1 can finally crack the USA market in a big way?

Depends what you mean by “big way”. Don’t forget that the Indy F1 race attracted the biggest at-race crowds on the Grand Prix calendar. If you mean “rival NASCAR TV viewing figures in the US” then, no. I think we would at least four F1 races in the US per year for that - and that the drivers and the F1 industry in general would need to spend much more time promoting the sport in the US.

4) Following on from Q3 what do you think F1 has to do to really crack the USA market? an American driver, better marketing or something else?

As I say, I think we need more races and much more F1 presence. The problem is that F1 does not have its own, global race marketing budget. All the race promotion therefore has to be generated by the F1 teams, which in turn will only do something if their sponsors push them into it. The race organisers are meanwhile struggling to cover costs, let alone spend money on marketing, so we can’t rely on them.

5) With the season just past the halfway point what are your thoughts on the season so far and who do you think will win the WDC?

I predicted Fernando to win the title in February, even as the Ferrari F2012 was running into pre-season testing problems. It was always clear that this year was going to be incredibly close, and in that situation it’s hard to beat a guy like Fernando, a team with the resources of Ferrari and a driver line-up that ensures that the number two isn’t going to “take points from” - or annoy - the number one.

6) What do you think F1 needs to do to be more fan friendly and accessible? there are things like autograph sessions at races and pitwalks for certain ticket holders but should f1 be doing more and if so what?

Get rid of all the dark-windowed motorhomes from the F1 paddock! I’m joking, obviously, but you see my point. It’s incredible how much time the drivers spend behind closed doors over a Grand Prix weekend. I think there should be a curfew on the time drivers spend in “de-briefs” just as there’s a limit to the number of tyres, engines and gearboxes they can use - and on the time the mechanics can work in the evenings. With the time that’s freed-up, the drivers could then be much more available to the fans.

7) As someone who was bought up in the era of old school politically incorrect drivers who spoke their minds do you feel today’s generation of drivers are too corporate and politically correct?

On the contrary: I also worked in an era when drivers respected their audience and thought before they spoke. You’d never have heard a Jackie Stewart or a James Hunt swearing on network TV in the USA. Having said that, drivers like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell loved sharing their ups and downs and were expressive with their words; today, thanks to Michael’s approach, it’s “cool” to say as little as possible and to hide yourself away. It’ll change with the next generation of drivers, I think, but at present they’re still very much influenced by the way Michael did things when he was winning races.

8) You have been in F1 as a marketing man, team manager, design office boss, journalist, broadcaster, which has been the one you enjoyed most and why?

I enjoy every aspect of my life; always have and always will. Asking me to differentiate is a bit like asking a driver which circuit he likes most.

9) The Flying Lap is a great concept, what are future plans for Flying Lap? for example making it a tv show

It is a TV show! It’s an on-line, weekly TV show with a large, global audience. And it’s free, too.

10) What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I’m not into holidays, as such, because, for me, life is always fun. I try to learn as much as possible, which means reading lots of books and attending lectures from time to time. I follow most sports very closely - particularly tennis, golf and cricket - anything that requires a ball to be hit by something.