How do you stay on top of a sport that doesn’t have a home, but travels the world?

Giulia Zecchini, who works in Business Intelligence for Formula One, spilled the secrets of the World Championship series and the challenges of relocating across it’s many circuits worldwide.

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Speaking exclusively to UCFB, she said: “As an organisation we actually produce all of our own broadcast, so not only do we have ten teams, 20 drivers and all the engineers travelling around the 22 locations in the world, but we also have a team of broadcast TV producers that travel to every race.”

Giulia added: “In three or four days they set up this whole broadcast centre to be able to do a three or four-day event and broadcast it to millions on TV, so it’s actually the most outstanding set up ever!”

The popular racing series, of which Brit Lewis Hamilton is the current champion, witnesses astonishing speeds of up to 350km per hour – nearly six times the national speed limit! Renowned for being one of the most daring and dangerous sports there is, the behind-the-scenes operation provide a very different experience of Formula One.

Giulia, who used to play competitive basketball at her native home in Italy, said: “The sports industry has always been close to my heart. I’ve always been quite intrigued in terms of how the mechanics of a sporting organisation, a league, a team, even an athlete as an individual, work. I just really wanted to see that world from behind the scenes, and not just be a fan of sport.”

 But that’s not to say that working in Formula One, or indeed any sport, requires an in-depth knowledge of the discipline. She added: “I don’t think, for example, knowing all the players on a football team necessarily adds to your commercial acumen, but it is an assumption that is made.”