Long-standing Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham has detailed her first-ever Formula 1 interview, which happened to be with seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher.
Starting her career in F1 in 2011 with BBC Radio 5 before joining Sky Sports F1 in 2012—Schumacher’s final year in the sport before his retirement—Pinkham was thrown in at the deep end when she had to interview the German driver after his race ended early at the Australian Grand Prix.
During an appearance on the Red Flags podcast, the presenter opened up about her stressful experience, explaining:
“The hardest would have been Michael Schumacher. I cannot tell you how scared I was of interviewing him—it was a joke.
“That was my very, very first interview ever in Formula 1 [and it] was with Michael Schumacher. It was the Australian Grand Prix, and he finished his race prematurely.
“They were just in my ear and I inadvertently grabbed him. I don’t know what the hell I was doing but I just grabbed him. I was squeezing his arm and he looked down at his arm and looked back at me to say ‘why are you touching me?’
“I was then like ‘Oh, I am so sorry’. At this point I am live. That was such a baptism of fire. It was ridiculous.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren with Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP in the FIA Press Conference
Photo by: James Moy
Despite the awkward start, Pinkham shared that they both laughed it off and continued with the interview as usual.
At the time, the motorsport legend was battling against a troublesome Mercedes as he worked with the Brackley-based team to bring them to the front of the grid.
After leaving F1 at the end of the 2006 season, when he finished second in the championship behind Fernando Alonso, Schumacher came out of retirement in 2010 to join Mercedes. Unfortunately, his time with the Silver Arrows was far less fruitful than his staggering success with Ferrari. However, this was to be expected with the stage the team was at at the time.
2012 was Schumacher’s final season in F1. As he left the sport for good, he was replaced by Lewis Hamilton, the driver who was to follow in his footsteps and match his championship record.
Prior to making the move to F1 broadcasting, Pinkham hosted the Isle of Man TT races for Men and Motors as well as covering the Tennis Masters Cup. She also co-hosted ITV4’s World Cuppa during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, reported on Beach Soccer Leagues and worked on David Beckham’s Soccer USA documentary.
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