A new revolution in motorsport sparks into life on September 13 with the first ever Formula E race, a new series exclusively for electric-powered racing cars, and Jennie Gow will be presenting ITV4’s live coverage of its inaugural season.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP, rallying to Formula Ford, motocross to blind land speed records, Jennie has covered an impressive breadth of motorsport events for all major UK broadcasters throughout her career and now she can add this new FIA-backed global electric racing series to this list.
Having previously worked in a variety of roles across TV, radio and newspapers, Jennie’s first high-profile motorsport role came in 2010 when she succeeded Suzi Perry as the BBC’s MotoGP presenter, a job she says she “didn’t have to think twice about”.
After spending a year with the global grand prix circus on two wheels, she swapped for four wheels the following year, after deciding to base herself back in the UK, where she presented Channel 4’s British Formula 3 and British GT Championship highlights shows, among other domestic series, as well as taking up regular sports presenting stints on Sky News and Sky Sports News.
Now part of BBC Sport’s Formula 1 team on Radio 5 live, along with regular appearances on the BBC’s TV coverage, Jennie has signed up to lead ITV Sport’s Formula E studio presentation team based in London for all 10 races.
Alongside Jennie and her guests in the ITV team in London for each race, commentary comes from the circuit via the world feed team led by Jack Nicholls, who will be joined by co-commentator and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, as well as pit-lane reporters Nicki Shields and Marc Priestley.
Ahead of the inaugural ‘ePrix’ in Beijing on September 13, Jennie spoke to Sport On The Box about her hopes for the world’s first electric racing series and gives viewers a taste of what to expect on ITV4 when the first race revs up in Beijing on September 13.
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Follow Jennie on Twitter: @JennieGow
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SOTB: How much are you looking forward to being involved with ITV Sport’s coverage of the new Formula E championship?
Jennie Gow: It is going to be really exciting! There are so many things to look forward to, so many fascinating aspects to the series and I’m just waiting for all the talking to stop and for the action to begin.
From big-name drivers and high-profile endorsements from famous celebrities, to racing in exotic city centre locations featuring some of the world’s iconic landmarks, a strong set of ambitious plans have been put in place for the series to suceed.
They have worked extremely hard to make it unique and unlike anything else that we have seen before, which makes for a fascinating prospect. I can’t wait for it all to start!
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You’ve seen and heard the electric cars up close in a recent test day at Donington Park. What are your first impressions?
First impressions of the cars are very positive. They are totally different to anything else we have seen or heard before.
Having worked across various championships over the many years, it is completely disconcerting to be in a Formula E pit-lane as you have no idea whether a car is about to pull out of the garage or not, as there is no difference in sound.
In relation to the sound of the cars in Formula 1 at the moment, you could say the Formula E series has come at a perfect time, because the difference between the former V8 engines used in F1 and an electric car would be massive, but the difference between the new hybrid-powered F1 cars and a Formula E car isn’t actually that different.
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What elements about Formula E draw you in and excite you the most?
The thing that drew me most towards the series was the environmental aspect and the fact that is something completely different to anything seen before.
To be involved in a motorsport series that can actually develop the green credentials, which hopefully can help drive the whole electric car industry forward into the future, is hugely exciting.
But I also feel that Formula E, because it is so different and unique, has the ability to appeal to a newer and perhaps younger generation of motorsport fans, as the series could give us an indication as to what the future of motorsport may look like.
For example, the new Fanboost idea that Formula E will be using is a great way of getting younger, more social media-minded people into the sport.
We have to find a way of evolving the fans far more than we do at the moment and it is one of F1’s downfalls that people pay an awful lot of money to come to a race weekend, but they don’t actually get to take part or interact with what’s going on very much, other than just watch from the trackside.
It is good to look at new ways and explore new means in interacting with people that make and take part in the sport, as if there are no fans, there is no sport and we can’t afford to do it behind closed doors, so I think Formula E could well steal a march on F1 from a social media point of view and they will listen to what fans have to say about the series, and where, if any, improvements can be made to the show.
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Looking longer term, do you think electric racing has the ability to gain a mass appeal?
Electric racing has every potential to be able to do that, but whether it can or not – who knows? That is the gamble that the organisers and the various stakeholders and sponsors are taking.
But I can’t see any reason why it shouldn’t succeed in the long term and it will be really interesting to see how people, whether they are stalwart fans or complete motorsport newcomers, do respond to it.
Someone recently sent me a message saying they were really looking forward to take their five-year-old to see the cars for the London event next June, as he doesn’t like the loud noise! So Formula E is something which you can enjoy with the whole family and doesn’t exclude anybody.
Fingers crossed, the series will gradually gain mass appeal as it grows year-on-year and hopefully the people at the top will continue to back it for years to come.
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One of the aims of Formula E is to promote electric motoring and encourage growth within the industry worldwide.
Do you think the series and potential others like it can achieve this goal?
From the people I’ve spoken to within the paddock, I think that is the key message that the everyone involved with the series will be looking to put across.
One of the most exciting things about the series is that it will be at the forefront in developing electric motoring technology going forward, which hopefully means that the electric cars of the future can do more than just a local trip to the shops and run for many hundreds of miles.
I hope the series will be able to generate the brainpower that is needed to work out how best to make affordable electric cars run to an acceptable mileage, because that is the next step for the industry.
I think with all the money that has been poured into the series so far, coupled with some of the cleverest brains in the business, that is something that Formula E can do in terms of assisting the development of electric car technology.
You can bet your bottom dollar that if anyone can do it, these guys can!
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It is fair to say that Formula E has assembled an relatively impressive grid of drivers for its debut season, featuring several high-profile former F1 stars alongside many established names from other global series. Who are your ones to watch?
Earlier this week I was looking through my notes about the drivers – all their biographies, career statistics etc – and when you start to work out what their pedigrees are and what they have achieved, it is a really interesting mix of drivers.
I know a lot of them personally and some of them haven’t had the financial backing to progress up the ladder and have been denied the chance of succeeding in other championships, but Formula E could give them that chance.
It is a hugely varied field. There are many drivers with a mixture of experience in some of the biggest championships in a world motorsport and they will be competing alongside others who have promising potential, which makes for a fascinating series.
I think it is going to be a really close championship and I certainly hope it will be! Of those who I think will really challenge for the title, then I would say we are going to have a real battle between the likes of Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, who were team-mates at Toro Rosso in F1 a few years back, as well as experienced campaigners such as Nick Heidfeld and Jarno Trulli, but at this stage it is really too close to call.
It is anyone’s championship for the taking!
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What can viewers expect in terms of ITV4’s coverage of the series?
I will be presenting ITV’s coverage of the races from the studio and we will have a couple of guests with us, who will analyse the action, one of which will cover the technical aspects and another who will offer the driver’s point of view.
Obviously there is a lot of new technology involved and there will be lots of things for fans to get their heads around, so hopefully we all will be able to break that down and make it more accessible.
There is lots to look at before the race starts and so we will have an hour before the lights go out to look the action from qualifying earlier in the day, as well as all the talking points and have a look at the series more in-depth.
After our segment in the studio, we then hand over to the team on the ground, who will do the grid-walk and pre-race interviews. Then, of course, we have the race, which we will be showing uninterrupted from lights to flag.
After the race we about half-an-hour to wrap up all the podium celebrations as well as further analysis from our two guests in the studio, plus we also have a one-hour highlights show shortly after the race, so we hope we have all bases covered.
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How important do you feel free-to-air coverage of Formula E races is in the UK at this stage, particularly in its debut season?
Free-to-air coverage is extremely important. There is a lot of motorsport going on across the country and we have always done it incredibly well in the UK, but if look at the current situation at the moment, we are perhaps not maximising what we have compared to the past in terms of terrestrial TV exposure.
It is therefore fantastic that ITV has got involved with the series in this way. ITV4 has turned itself into the home of motorsport in many ways and to have another big championship coming to the channel is great news for fans, and it is even better for people who don’t know they love it yet as we will try our best to convince them to tune in!
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Finally, is Formula E and electric racing the future of motorsport?
I went to the very first electric race in Pau, France, about five years ago, and it was terrible! The cars looked like dodgems and they sounded even worse, so it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
However, looking at how electric racing has developed between then and now, it is almost unrecognisable. So as long as the development and the finance going into it stay at the highest rate possible, then it has every chance of succeeding.
I’m not sure electric racing will ever take over from the likes of Formula 1 completely, but I don’t think that is the intention anyway.
The plan at the moment is just for Formula E to stand on its own two feet and not fall over! I think it stands a really good chance of succeeding and when you’ve got names like Senna, Prost, Leonardo Di Caprio and Richard Branson involved, then it’s got the best chance possible to succeed.
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See Jennie presenting ITV4’s live Formula E coverage from September 13 – CLICK HERE for more details
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