As more and more women make their way onto motorsport’s world stage, we have seen a rise in female presenters, pundits and tech-sperts on our screens. Nina-Jade Paul is a presenter and broadcaster who has worked alongside Formula 1, Ferrari and Girls On Track, hosting fan stages at the British Grand Prix and panels championing women in motorsports.
With the likes of Natalie Pinkham, Naomi Schiff and Bernie Collins becoming regulars on our screens during race weekends, it’s clear that the industry is changing and creating more space for women to take on prominent roles within Formula 1. However, there is still plenty of work to be done.
“I wouldn't actually say I've found being a woman in this industry challenging and I'll tell you why,” Nina-Jade tells Females in Motorsport.
“Because of the role I've chosen to do - a presenter, a host - you are seeing more women in front of the camera. So, it's like people are seeking that diversity, which is nice. However, what I would say is the moment you turn that camera around, it's still heavily male-dominated.”
Nina-Jade always knew that she wanted to work in the fast lane, especially after watching her mother’s career with the FIA alongside Charlie Whiting.
“You have a lot of people where their dad got them into motorsports, but no, my mum got me into it. I remember being three years old and absolutely hating it because every other weekend we would have to watch races because mum worked for the FIA.
“And then from the age of four, I started supporting Ferrari, which was like blasphemy because my mum supported Williams. I always wanted to work within Formula 1 like my mum, I suppose.”
Nina-Jade didn’t have the most conventional route into broadcasting, pursuing other careers in her twenties, before revisiting her desire to work in the motorsport industry. She started a TikTok account, posting updates on motorsports news.
“I'm a millennial, so for me, starting a TikTok felt very foreign and uncomfortable, but it was one of those things where I just had to try and push myself out of my comfort zone. I probably had TikTok a year and a half before anything started happening, and it didn't blow up or anything like that.”
After a year of posting on the platform, Nina-Jade came across an opportunity to further her career. A football channel branching out into F1 was looking for presenters, but they wanted reels of previous work.
“I was like: I don't have anything,” says Nina-Jade. “So, what I did was I downloaded a bunch of my TikTok videos of me talking about the latest F1 news. I made a compilation and sent it to them because that's all I had. From that, they invited me to a casting and I booked the job. And then last year, I got signed to an agent.”
From there, Nina-Jade worked with On Track GP and began to build up her career, getting to work alongside FIA Girls on Track UK, a programme that aims to encourage young girls into male-dominated sectors of the motorsports industry, such as engineering.
“Girls on Track is such an important initiative,” says Nina-Jade. “It creates a community for these young ladies to see that there is a rightful place for them within motorsport and the access some of the events get them is priceless. When I was growing up, there were no female racing drivers - I didn't even think females were allowed to race because I didn't see it.”
Nina-Jade cites F1 Academy as a hugely important factor in promoting visibility to young fans who dream of working in motorsports. The racing series, with former racing driver Susie Wolff at the helm, has signed a deal with Netflix to create a documentary similar to the streaming service’s hit show, Drive To Survive.
“If young girls are seeing that representation is being shown, it inspires them to not necessarily be a racing driver, but there are so many different avenues that you can go into in motorsport,” Nina-Jade says.
“You don't necessarily have to be an engineer, you can work in graphic design, brand deals; there are so many things that you can do within motorsport, and having that representation inspires you to do so.”
As a woman of colour, Nina-Jade was aware of how intimidating it could be to work in a sector that is dominated by white males. A report by the Hamilton Commission concluded that only one percent of people working within Formula 1 are from black backgrounds, showing a glaring issue in the sport.
“I'm really happy and proud to represent myself and my community. I am a black woman from the Caribbean, my mum was born there and I'm happy to walk in that room, bust down that door and create space. I've had no negative experiences whatsoever thus far, which is great. I would say it's just daunting; sometimes you do get imposter syndrome of ‘do I deserve to be here’ but it's just in my head.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got a job to do and that’s what I was hired for.”
This March, Nina-Jade will be flying out to the US to work as a pit lane reporter for Ferrari Challenge USA. The challenge is exclusive to Ferrari owners, who compete on different tracks across North America in specially designed race cars.
“Working with Ferrari is a dream because that was the first entity I ever supported in terms of sport; I was only four years old when I chose Ferrari, so to then be working with them last year and this year is a dream come true and I’m very, very grateful.”
The presenter has also worked closely with Formula 1 and Lenovo to host esports events, which she has also done alongside Ferrari HP. She has also hosted and commentated on Sky Sports Women’s Esports Series.
Nina-Jade’s venture into motorsports is a true testament to the importance of hard work and following your passions, no matter what. She is also a fantastic example of how far the sport has come and must continue to go in terms of female representation and the importance of inclusivity.
“I didn't study broadcast journalism. Half the time I'm just learning as I go. I think the most important thing is putting yourself out there. The moment I decided to put myself in an uncomfortable position and start a TikTok at my older age, that was me putting myself out there, and that was the first step in trying to create a career for myself. Putting yourself out there is subjective, it's whatever that looks like for you.
“Believe in yourself and think: ‘what have you got to lose?’”
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