Charles Leclerc made an unwanted record in F1 with his incredible qualifying output but disappointing race results. Before his Monaco GP win, Leclerc could not convert his pole position to a win on 12 occasions. Welsh TV presenter, Steve Jones brought this unfortunate reality in a broadcast during the 2024 Monaco GP.
However, he faced the fury of Ferrari boss, Frederic Vasseur. The Frenchman did not like the negative comments and “barked” at him because he felt Jones was being “negative about Charles Leclerc”.
Jones revealed he’s not a big stats guy because it doesn’t define a driver. However, he was shocked by this output from Leclerc, who is considered a future world champion. Despite the uncomfortable conversation, he defended his actions by saying he’s not friends with the drivers or the teams.
Speaking on The Fast and the Curious podcast, he said, “He [Vasseur] wasn’t very happy. But again, you know, that’s the job. He’s not my friend. And don’t get me wrong, I’m polite to him. And I bumped into him in a restaurant in Belgium recently. Had a nice quick chat. But that’s that.”
The teams might be acquainted with all pundits and presenters on the paddock. However, they’re not friends because of the nature of their jobs and the highly critical environment of F1. Red Bull’s boycott of Sky Sports is a perfect example of that. Although, there is always an exception.
Natalie Pinkham and Daniel Ricciardo are the exceptions in the driver-presenter relationship
Most drivers and presenters share an extremely professional relationship. However, that’s not the case with Daniel Ricciardo and Natalie Pinkham. The British TV presenter is on extremely good terms with the Australian.
In fact, Pinkham made Ricciardo her daughter Willow Mirela Walbyoff’s (Wilf) godfather. The Australian grew extremely close to her daughter when she was a toddler. His genuine love for Wilf convinced Pinkham to give Ricciardo that honor.
Last year on the Pitstop podcast, she revealed, “He and I started F1 at the same time. And then, I used to say to him, when I needed a ticket for my then-boyfriend, now husband, I used to say to Daniel, Wiggy needs a ticket and he’d be like yeah yeah, he can come with me, and then they hit it off. So, it’s almost like they’re better mates than I am with him.”
A similar scenario occurs when ex-drivers become pundits. Nico Rosberg is a prime example as the German does not hold back his words but is cordial with almost everyone on the grid. So, despite the subtle hostility between commentators and drivers, some of them break that barrier.
