Former W-Series racer admits her surprise at Sky Sports call-up

Sky Sports have overhauled their broadcasting team for 2023, with favourites Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta dropped from the presenting team.



One name that will remain on TV screens this season is Naomi Schiff, with the 28-year-old being retained by Sky Sports.



Schiff was born in Belgium but grew up in South Africa and began her journey in motorsport with a single-seater career in 2016.



The 28-year-old experienced limited success in her racing career, finishing 16 th  in the inaugural W-Series campaign back in 2019, being outshone by the likes of Jamie Chadwick.







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Clearly being a talented and intelligent driver with a strong knowledge of motorsport, Schiff decided to try and forge a career in broadcasting.



The former driver was appointed by Sky Sports for the 2021 season as an F1 pundit and Schiff has admitted that this call-up came as something of a surprise at the time.



“I was very surprised to have a call from Sky,” she told the Kidd in a Sweet Shop podcast.



“Weirdly, I didn’t ever thing that they would consider me as a pundit because of the fact that I obviously, had never driven an F1 car.



“But I was so delighted when they suggested it because I was like, ‘This is going to fill the void in my life on not being a driver anymore’.




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“And I can still speak from the point of experience because whether it’s an F1 car, an F3 car or a KTM GT4 or Ferrari challenge car, whatever it is, I’ve driven so many different cars and racing is, at the end of the day, racing, and drivers are drivers.



“Yes, the pressure is higher and yes, the equipment is quicker and more technologically advanced, but it’s the same thing. If we’re realistic, there aren’t many women or many drivers who have careers in motorsport which are secure, with a steady income.”



There has been some backlash from fans to Sky Sports new broadcasting team, with some suggesting that Johnny Herbert paid the price for being so vocal about the injustice of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite Sky choosing to remain more neutral.
The post Former W-Series racer admits her surprise at Sky Sports call-up appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk .

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