From track to television

In one of my first stories for Ti, I wrote about my journey from India to becoming a racing driver. After a 17-year career competing in a whole range of categories, the majority of my working life is now spent behind the microphone mainly on Sky Sports F1 but also in Formula E, Le Mans, Goodwood and on Fifth Gear.

From the earliest age, it was clear to me that my driving career could end at any point. And as we were desperately tight on budget through my junior formula career it was a deliberate choice to keep an eye out for other ways to earn a living from the sport. I was lucky that my obsessive love for motor racing in general and F1 in particular meant I was reading and watching everything I could about the sport.

I was also fortunate that whilst growing up in India and learning two separate languages, Hindi and Tamil, my parents generally spoke with us in English and I went to what is known as an ‘English medium school’ in Madras. This meant that while I may have lacked – and still lack – the range of vocabulary of some of my contemporaries in the commentary box, I could certainly hold my own from a relatively young age.