Will Buxton has come a long way as a leading F1 journalist and recently recalled his days of struggle on the Fast and the Curious podcast. The F1TV presenter mentioned how he had to choose between buying petrol or food while traveling to cover F1 Grands Prixs.
Buxton mentioned his journey from his university days to getting a job with the Formula 1 magazine. He gathered good experience working over there, following which he landed a job at Grandprix.com. However, it shut down before the start of the 2004 season.
This put Buxton in a fix as he was rather young and lost his full-time job. So, he “jumped in a camper van” to drive to every race he could and decided to keep pursuing his dream of working in F1.
The 43-year-old added, “Offered to write for the Metro newspaper for relatively little, which meant most days I had to choose between ‘do I buy petrol today or do I buy food today and most days it was petrol because I had like a finite period to get to the next Grand Prix.”
Buxton revealed that he relied upon the kindness of teams who offered him food in their hospitality areas. The hosts also quipped that all he needed was the hospitality area pass and his problem of food would have been solved. Buxton then also mentioned how his fellow journalists were very kind to help him out.
Cut to 2024, Buxton has become one of the most recognizable faces in F1. He currently works as the Lead Presenter for F1 and hosts the F1TV broadcast alongside Laura Winter and his fellow journalists.
Even Netflix’s Drive to Survive has made Buxton a household face. The 43-year-old has provided crucial commentary and analysis for the docu-series that has educated many new fans about the sport.
Buxton has also written two books about F1. The first of his books, titled ‘My Greatest Defeat: Stories of Hardship and Hope from Motor Racing’s Finest Heroes’, came out in 2019. In 2024, Buxton published his second book, titled ‘Grand Prix: An Illustrated History of Formula 1’.
