Column: FastestPitStop talks getting into F1, the 2023 calendar, driver market rumours and more!

We’re joined by FastestPitStop for a brand new column feature. Look out for it regularly and be sure to check out @FastestPitStop on Twitter and Discord!

As I’m writing this, I’m in my hotel room in Belgium, together with most staff members. The land of waffles, chocolate and very good racing tracks!

If you’re wondering who I am, I go under the name of FastestPitStop. I’ve been working in Formula 1 for about 8 years now and it’s been great, don’t get me wrong, but there are countless downsides as well, including waking up at the craziest times on race weekends, not being able to see your family for most of the year, and having to run around like a headless chicken on most race weekends.

However, I do enjoy it. If you’re reading this you probably want to work in F1, or had some thoughts about what working in F1 is like. Well let me tell you, I’ve had quite a handful of people ask me “what’s the best way of getting a job in F1?” and I always told them that If you want to work in any kind of industry these days, even the littlest experience helps a lot.

Whether it’s an internship or a part-time job, job recruiters often look at what experience you have with certain things in F1. So let’s say you want to be a future engineer in F1, then an internship where you have to learn about engineering will help excessive amounts. Also standing out helps a lot, make your CV stand out by adding some things that most people won’t think of. 

Another crucial point is connections in the sport, in fact that’s how I got hired at the current F1 team I work for. Connections are crucial in F1, and it’s easy to find some! You can easily make connections via LinkedIn and ask current employees for advice as well. 

With that being said, I’m happy