F1 POLECAT INTERVIEW:
Pauline Goyon-Perrot
International Formula 1 journalist
Pauline Goyon-Perrot is a French Formula One journalist who provides regular coverage on the ins and outs of the sports.
Throughout the season and during the breaks Pauline releases updates on all things F1, from grid positions to race stats and facts.
Based in France I reached out to see what life is like as an international motorsport journalist…
Syd: As a formula one journalist and content creator, how do you think the likes of social media, specifically Drive To Survive, have impacted the motorsport industry ?
Pauline: I think that social media and shows like Drive to Survive, although highly criticised, is a good thing. Let me explain. For me, it allows the sport to be way more popular, especially towards young people or people that had zero knowledge in mechanics, strategy and everything. If I gotta be honest, I started watching Formula 1 after finding a TikTok talking about the Australian GP of 2023. Where I live, Formula 1 isn’t free, and covered by an only channel that you have to subscribe to. If I didn’t see that TikTok, I might have never found out about the sport. So I think that it’s a good thing! I’ve watched a bit of Season 1 of DTS, and it was nice, but one thing I can say is that Netflix over-dramatize everything and I think that one of the defects of the show is the want of making more and more drama. But overall, it’s a good initiative.
Syd: So there’s been a lot of media coverage over the last week about the F175 event in London, where the 2025 liveries were unveiled. As a journalist, did you provide any coverage of this, and do you think this was a worthwhile event for fans? I was also wondering how you’d like to see it develop for the future?
Pauline: My team and I couldn’t cover the event because we were overworking on everything we will publish this year, but we did ask our community what they thought of it. Overall, good impressions. I think, personally, it was a worthwhile event, yes. It was innovative, and very interesting. I loved it, but once again if I had anything to say about it, it would be the jokes and all. I mean, maybe it’s the British humor that I don’t get, but I felt like sometimes it was a bit too pushy. Don’t blame me, the guy was lovely! I think the future of that might be doing this every year, maybe in other countries? I’d love to see it in my city, Paris. I feel like it would be amazing for every fan around the world to see that.
Syd: Although your content tends to steer closer to primarily Formula One, as not only a strong female creator and journalist but a fan of the sport as well, how do you think women in motorsport have evolved in the past decade or so? (especially since the creation of F1 Academy)
Pauline: Well, I believe that women are more and more included in the sports. Of course, there’s still stupid people judging based on gender, but I feel like I see more and more female reporters when I watch TV. And, of course, how can we talk about women in motorsport without talking about this marvellous thing that is F1 Academy? Susie Wolff is such a powerful figure that I look up to, and all the drivers of this Academy are insanely talented. I truly wish that they’ll get the chance to compete more and more in higher categories when the time comes. I feel like we, women, are finally getting recognised as true fans and true athletes. And that makes me very, very happy.
Syd: How do you stay updated with the latest F1 news while also ensuring you’re providing unique perspectives in your content?
Pauline: Well, that’s a tough process. Indeed, I’m still a student and doing the whole @racingwpauline thing can get pretty hard. Hopefully, I have my team with me and everyone is working very, very hard. To stay updated, I mostly have the F1 app notification turned on, and I always try to do research all the time to try and get some lead, some news and all. Having a unique perspective is probably the hardest thing to do. Me and my friend ,who is working on design, are always having long conversations to ensure we have unique content and unique points of view. We try to just be us, and that people will like what we do. And we hope it’s working, especially with all the work we’re putting in this process. The 2025 season is our season, we hope!
Syd: Is there any specific moment in F1 history that you could have been a part of, either as a fan or a journalist?
Pauline: I think I would have loved to be a journalist during the whole Abu Dhabi 2021 controversy. It must have been so interesting to cover, so many points of view, so many interesting things to investigate… I think it would have been a very interesting challenge. As a fan, on the other hand, I would have loved to see some important victories, such as Pierre Gasly’s in Monza, or Lando’s one in Miami. I think seeing a Grand Prix when one of your favourite drivers win must be such an incredible experience.
Syd: What do you think makes the F1 fan community so unique compared to other sports and how do you engage with them personally through your content?
Pauline: I think the Formula 1 community is unique in so many ways. Firstly, the attendance at each race is phenomenal. Each fan is so amazingly into the sports, they live the sport and they breathe the sport. Formula 1 is epic, it’s very breathtaking. Above the drivers, there’s the unique performance of the cars that makes it stand out. For me, to engage with the community, my team and I are trying to make people feel connected to what we share. We’re trying to show them that behind this account, we’re people that just live for the sport. We’re not a machine that makes posts or reels on instagram, we’re people with dreams and we’re trying to show everyone that each project is worth trying.
Syd: For me, Lizzie Mackintosh and yourself are two of my favourite motorsport content creators, who are some of your favourite journalists, presenters and content creators in the industry and what in particular causes them to stand out so significantly ?
Pauline: First of all, it’s an honour to see that our content is lined next to Lizzie’s Mackintosh one, which is a woman I admire so much. I think I have to give a shout out to Julien Fébreau, who is the official French commentator. He’s a legend in France, honestly. I’d also say Margaux Laffite, a French journalist in the same team. Then, if we move onto content creators, I’d say that, of course, Lizzie is one of them, but I’d also say Ella. Of course, each and every content creator is unique and amazing.
Syd: And to finish off, what’s something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t yet had the chance to, whether it’s F1 related or not ?
Pauline: I think something I always wanted to try is a bit abstract. I wanna try to be bolder, to be more ambitious. This project helped me do it. Before @racingwpauline, I truly feared talking to people, or even calling the doctors sometimes. Now, I call people to talk to them about this project, and I’m bolder. I just try to be like « okay, you have nothing to lose ». And sometimes it’s hard to overcome social anxiety, but everyone always told me that when you want something, you have to try or else you’ll regret it. So what I want to try is to be more and more bold, and I try to never say « I’ll do it later », because I can do it right now. And on the other end, something I would love to try is go Karting with friends, but that’s way easier !
I would like to say thank you to Pauline for being such a fun interviewee and giving an enthusiastic insight to her life as a Formula 1 journalist. If you want to hear more about Pauline’s work follow her on Instagram @racingw/pauline.
Keep your eyes peeled for more brilliant interviews coming in the near future!