Who comments on formula 1 along with Popov. Interview with Natalya Fabrichnova: Alonso has the largest vocabulary. And from the point of view of the result

Natalya Fabrichnova is one of the invited guests at the “Women in Motorsport” meeting within the framework of the General Assembly of the International Automobile Federation. She speaks to the female racers and talks about how she single-handedly represents the fair sex in commentating. Then the young athletes rush to take a photo with Natalya, and she seems a little embarrassed, realizing that their racing merits are no less than her television ones.

In the past, Natalya was a racer herself and was a professional karter. It was the professional look of the pilot that she once brought into the Formula 1 broadcasts, forming a pair of commentators with the guru of this matter, Alexei Popov. In addition, she graduated from VGIK and worked on television for a long time, so in terms of working on air, she is also a professional, and not a random passerby.

“Western colleagues still roll their eyes”

How do you like today's event? Do you consider such meetings important for the popularization of women's motorsport?

For me personally, this is a great honor, because such women have gathered here who have achieved success in different types motorsport, a traditionally male environment. They work two or three times harder to get anywhere. I was even a little worried, because I needed to say something, inspire. But when I saw the little karting girls, I was inspired myself. As a rule, everyone says that women’s motorsport needs to be developed, but there is not much progress. And there are some girls here who are doing it right now and beating guys on the tracks. For the next generation of riders, these meetings are important because they will see women supporting each other and the community growing.

- How do you feel in the world of motorsport? After all, you are the only female commentator in the world.

I feel great, but my colleagues are still not used to it, they still roll their eyes. In the West there is a lot of talk about equality, but it all remains only in words.

Natalya Fabrichnova with the first Russian F1 driver Vitaly Petrov at the 2015 Russian Grand Prix. Photo: © RIA Novosti / Mikhail Korytov

- But in reality?

But in fact, I regularly hear: “Are you the only female commentator? What? From Russia?” This is particularly surprising to them, because, in principle, they allow women to do interviews, they allow them on the radio, but on television they try to hire only male commentators.

- So we are ahead of them in this regard?

Yes! Can you imagine?!

- It was difficult for you to take on this role. Have you finally gotten the hang of it now?

Oh, almost seven years already. Yes, at first it was very difficult, because the profession is public, and you get everything twice as much. If a man made a mistake, they can point it out to him, and that’s all. And here it is also mixed in that this mistake arose due to the fact that she... she! It makes you work harder. I’ve already gotten used to this rhythm and I’m very glad that I’m working with Alexei Popov, because he’s the kind of person who never stops developing, and that only makes it more difficult: you have to match him all the time.

"Sirotkin is a strong guy, I'm waiting for his return"

How did it happen with Sergei Sirotkin that there was no place for him on the team? Is this fair? Because the story of the return of Robert Kubica, who comes to replace him, is similar to pure marketing. Will he even reach the Formula 1 level now after his injury?

You know, there is irony in this. After all, when Seryozha arrived, everyone said: paid pilot, paid pilot. But this year Williams hired the driver who paid the most money. But they don’t call him that, because he created his reputation, albeit eight years ago, which, especially by F1 standards, is an incredibly long time ago. But in sports we need beautiful stories, such comebacks. This is turning out to be real Hollywood, especially since the Americans are now at the helm, for them this is ideal.

- And from the point of view of the result?

We need to wait for at least the tests. Everyone is worried about the city stages: will he be able to drive the car there. Because it seems like the hand is movable, but...

- He does 70% of the work anyway.

Yes. That is, you understand, in “Formula”...

- So you don’t have any forecasts yet?

We have to wait at least until Barcelona, ​​where there will be full tests on the new car. I was in Abu Dhabi, and I saw that the lag was not too big. But there the teams do not disclose what tires they are on or what fuel they use. When this information is open, it will be possible to compare, now everything is a pitchfork in the water.

Are we expecting a comeback from Sergei? Because he has proven himself within the team as a hard worker and in the peloton as a good guy.

Yes. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t expect justice in Formula 1. As for Seryozha, it’s simple... I can imagine his feelings, you’ve just gained experience - and they immediately ask you to leave. I hope this will give him strength, fuel his motivation and set him up to come back.

- You talked to him. How is he not giving up?

No no no! He is a very strong guy, even despite his age. So we told him that we would definitely wait for his return.

“Kvyat’s fate will be decided by the team’s attitude towards him”

- We'll all be waiting! And Danya Kvyat, what are his chances in his second coming to Formula?

Danya and I have not yet communicated one-on-one. The Ferrari team had a slightly strange attitude regarding press access: they did not give it to us. I hope that I will be able to talk in Barcelona or Australia, and then it will be clear how determined he will be to fight in this team. Because, you can imagine, it’s like returning to your ex-wife!

Many compare Kvyat’s story with what Felipe Massa had in his time. He also didn’t start well in Formula 1, then he was a test driver for Ferrari and returned as a very strong driver. Do you think his experience in the Scuderia will help Dana?

Alexey Popov is a famous television commentator and journalist. It is difficult to find a person who knows more about the world of auto racing than he does. An entire era of motorsport in Russia is associated with him, since the beginning of Alexey’s career coincided with the appearance of the royal races of the Formula 1 series on the screens of our country.

Beginning of journalistic activity

Alexey Lvovich Popov was born in Moscow on July 13, 1974. Thanks to a coincidence of circumstances, he managed to very quickly meet his true calling, which became a passion, hobby, love and work. Since motorsport was not popular in the USSR, there was no information about the events taking place in it. Alexey's grandfather worked in a sales office Soviet Union in Belgium. Therefore, his grandson sometimes went to him on vacation, where in 1988 Alexey Popov saw the first Formula 1 race in his life. Despite the fact that he was not at the stadium, but simply watching a television broadcast, this was enough to find his true love for life.

His passion captured him so much that it prompted him to quickly learn French, which made it possible to receive information about the results of races from French newspapers.

Alexey's debut in the journalistic field coincided with the beginning of the career of Michael Schumacher. It was in 1991, following the results of the Belgian Grand Prix, where the legendary racer’s first performance took place, that Alexey Lvovich Popov prepared his first article for Sport Express. The editor liked the quality of the material, so his works began to be published regularly in the newspaper.

Start of a career in television

In 1992, RTR decided to start broadcasting Formula 1 races in Russia. Despite the fact that the channel had excellent television commentators (G. Burkov, S. Cheskidov), there was a need for a first-class specialist who understood all the intricacies. Alexey Popov attracted attention thanks to his articles on the topic of motorsport, which is why he was invited as a consultant. His young age came as a shock to everyone. At the time of his debut as a commentator, he was 17 years old.

1992 became a very busy year for Alexey. He was invited to work for a company that has television rights to broadcast Formula 1 in Russia. The Samipa company was located in Monaco, where he moved permanently and remained there for ten years. Alexey Popov, a commentator on the French channel for racing of various series at that time, still managed to make the Russian-language television magazine “Chrono”.

Work in Russia

Alexey began working on Russian television again in 1996, but fate decreed that Formula 1 broadcasts stopped in the middle of the season. They resumed in 1999 on the TVC channel. They were commented by Sergey Cheskidov and Alexey Popov. “Formula 1” was not Alexey’s only place of work at that time; “Chrono” was broadcast on the same channel, on which he also continued to work. Sergei and Alexey came up with an interesting quiz, which greatly inspired the fans. At the end of the broadcast of the next stage of the race, they asked some tricky question. The experts ran to the post office, since it was very important to be the first to send a telegram with the correct answer.

Since 2000, Alexey began commenting on races alone, since Sergei Cheskidov left the project.

Formula 1 without Popov

Since 2006, the rights to broadcast races belonged to the REN TV channel. After working with Alexey for a whole season, the channel did not renew his contract for the new year 2007. The true reasons for this event are not known for certain. According to the channel's management, they were not satisfied with the presenter's financial requests. According to Alexey himself, the channel decided to choose a new TV commentator and announced a casting, to which he did not receive an invitation. One way or another, he went to work on the Russia-2 channel. And the races on the REN TV channel were hosted by other people. The extent to which this step was justified is a rather controversial issue; neither fans nor experts came to a common point of view. But in the end, because lack of funding Formula 1 changed channels once again, moving to the Sports channel in 2009.

New blood

In the 2012 season, the personnel structure is updated and Natalya Fabrichnova and Alexey Popov begin to commentate on the race. Formula 1 has found a charming professional who perfectly complements Alexey. Despite some doubts from fans at the beginning of the duo's work, they quickly changed their point of view. Natalya has a pleasant voice and competent speech; her work reveals her knowledge of the world of auto racing and the ability to improvise.

Since November 2015, Natalya has stopped commenting on races due to a change of position, and Alexey is again left alone, which cannot be called a disadvantage. He can work equally well when paired with another presenter or alone.

And at the beginning of the 2017 season, fans can again hear Natalia’s voice in a duet with Alexey.

Outside the world of Formula 1

The personal life of Alexei Popov is practically not covered, and there is little information about it. What is known is that he was married twice, and is currently divorced. The first wife was French by nationality; two children were born in the marriage. The second marriage produced a third child. About 20 years ago I gave up alcohol.

Alexey can be called a polyglot. He speaks five foreign languages: French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English. The degree of mastery of them varies. In addition to auto racing, he commentates on biathlon and rugby matches, which he also enjoys. He also conducts sports news and comments on major sports tournaments. In addition, his numerous articles are published in a variety of publications.

Advantages, disadvantages and interesting facts

All fans know that Alexey Popov is the Russian voice of Formula 1. This phrase is part of the greeting with which Alexey begins each of his broadcasts. As it turned out later, these words referred to the channel, and not to the journalist himself.

Among the undeniable advantages is the experience that Alexey Popov has. His biography is inextricably linked with Formula 1 and other auto racing series. And his correct speech and real emotions also inspire respect. Even when battles are not raging on the track, he always knows what to tell.

Among the shortcomings is that it does not always finish the started phrase and change the topic. And also sometimes distracts from the events on the track, telling something exciting from the life of the pilots.

Exactly 25 years ago, the television career of one of the best sports commentators of our time began with the Spanish Grand Prix. The consistently high ratings of auto racing, which changed the broadcast channel several times, are associated primarily with Alexey’s talent. His emotions, knowledge and genuine excitement and ability to convey the festive mood reigning in the paddock can turn even the most boring car race into an interesting event watched by millions of spectators.

Formula 1 commentator on Russian TV Natalya Fabrichnova in an interview with the newspaper “Sport Day by Day” spoke about the nuances of work and communication with racers.

Question: Most ordinary people believe that commentators on short leg with all Formula 1 drivers. Is this really true?
Natalya Fabrichnova: It all depends on how long you have been a commentator. If you are a beginner you should follow general rules, use exclusively press windows, which have their own schedule. But there are also people in the paddock who have been working in Formula 1 for 10-20 years. Naturally, they have already been with many pilot press attaches for almost half their lives, everyone knows them, so they can feel a little freer. But commentator, of course, is a bit of a privileged profession. Unlike newspapers, you need to give out the information you receive not the next day, but right there on the air. Therefore, we need as much fresh news and some inside information as possible.

Question: Personally, can you already approach any pilot or only Russians?
Natalya Fabrichnova: Alexey Popov, who has been in Formula 1 for 23 years, helps me a lot. He knows everyone, so he shows me the rules of good manners. Everyone has access zones written on their pass, so Alexey acts as a guide, showing how the world organized by Bernie Ecclestone functions. It is clear that I am on good terms with Spanish-speaking pilots, because I speak their language, and it is more difficult for me with the same Lewis Hamilton, a native speaker. in English. Alexey, for example, speaks excellent French, so he communicates fluently with native speakers. And of course, we were lucky that both Vitaly Petrov, when he was in Formula 1, and Daniil Kvyat are very open guys. You can always approach them to talk outside the general press window, and they will tell you something that interests you at that particular moment.

Question: Judging by what I saw in the paddock, the most open of the drivers is Daniel Ricciardo. Or are there more talkative guys?
Natalya Fabrichnova: Due to the fact that he is the leader of the team, and therefore in full view of everyone, he really smiles all the time. Ricciardo is always in good mood, maybe make a joke. Overall, a cool guy. But there are guys like Pastor Maldonado who are on the other side of the pit lane, if you know what I mean. He plays for a team that is not top right now. He gets a lot of flack because he crashes his car almost every weekend and gets into some situations after which he gets punished. He took number 13 for this season, and it seems to me that everything that happens to him is no coincidence. This is a man of bad luck. But he's a really open guy, he can wave at you and say "Hi" even when he's walking along the track with the engineers. Well, we can also mention Adrian Sutil. Where is Sauber now - zero points. There is no crowd of journalists in front of him, but he is also a very interesting person. You can talk to him about something other than Formula 1, which is a big plus.

Question: And who is this “Snow Queen”?
Natalya Fabrichnova: The answer to this question can be guessed by watching just five minutes of communication between the racers and the press (laughs). "Snow Queen" from a snowy country.

Question: Kimi Raikkonen?
Natalya Fabrichnova: Yes. Moreover, it seems to me that in the last year or two he has begun to work a little on this image. I myself saw how he smiles when he is asked a long, three-story question, to which he says “Yes,” “No,” or simply nods his head. And everyone laughs.

Question: Are there anyone who has caught a star?
Natalya Fabrichnova: They all have the right to feel like stars; there are only 22 of them in the “Queen of Motorsport”. Most often, star fever comes to those who achieve success early. Then they all calm down and become normal guys.

Question: Which of the foreign racers managed to master the Russian language the best?
Natalya Fabrichnova: Fernando Alonso has the largest vocabulary.

Question: Everything is clear, thanks to his friend Dasha Kapustina.
Natalya Fabrichnova: Yes, Dasha has made and continues to make her contribution to this. We talked a little, and she said that Fernando knows not only “ Good morning" Although this, you see, is not bad, because this expression is more complex than “Hello” or “Bye.” Alonso is a polyglot. He gives press conferences in several languages ​​and easily switches from one to another.

Question: What are the advantages of working at your home Grand Prix?
Natalya Fabrichnova: On the one hand, it is not important that the organizers speak Russian in order to understand how to obtain accreditation or reserve a place in the press center. On the other hand, it is much more pleasant psychologically. To the point where you don’t have to think about a visa or pack a big suitcase (smiles). There are even gingerbread cookies in the press center, which already helps you feel more pleasant.

Question: And if we talk about difficulties?
Natalya Fabrichnova: More complex schedule. We have noticeably increased the number of live broadcasts and reports. At the same time, intensive preparation for inclusions remains - you need to read everything in the same volume and at the same time work two to three times more.

Question: Is the TV show any different?
Natalya Fabrichnova: It's standard. But this time we showed free runs at “Russia-2”, and not at “Sport-1”, as at other stages. And of course, the film crew in Sochi is much larger.

Question: Paddock, press center... Is everything in Sochi done according to a template or is it somehow different from foreign Grand Prix?
Natalya Fabrichnova: If there is a template, then it is the highest (smiles). Let me give you an example. The press center at the city stages is some kind of prefabricated structure. In Canada, it’s almost like a tent, which is blown by all the winds, and people are forced to sit in jackets. Everything is much more convenient here. And it’s not like at the Asian Grand Pr’s, where the streets are very hot, and in the press centers the air conditioners work so hard that you have to sit in jackets. In Sochi there is even food for journalists.

Question: So it's not like this everywhere?
Natalya Fabrichnova: Not everywhere. Sometimes they just give you water, but here you see the variety of everything. The devil, as they say, is in the details.

Question: Daniil Kvyat becomes a Red Bull driver from next season. How likely is it that he will immediately be able to fight, even if not for the championship, but at least for the top three, taking into account the strength of the new car?
Natalya Fabrichnova: I'm always wary of forecasts. Sometimes seemingly insignificant things can be changed in the regulations, but once the pace is lost. The same McLaren are switching to Honda, Lotus is switching to Mercedes engines. It is impossible to say in advance that Red Bull will be in such good shape. Although, of course, we hope so. Especially knowing the talent of Kvyat himself. If everything goes well, we will be rooting for podiums and victories.

Question: Is there any talk on the sidelines about the appearance of some other Russians in Formula 1?
Natalya Fabrichnova: Not yet. We are glad that we have Kvyat, we are counting on Sauber test driver Sirotkin... But usually teams keep information of this kind closed until the last minute.

Question: It turns out that the only likely return of Vitaly Petrov is if he finds a sponsor?
Natalya Fabrichnova: Yes. This is a defining moment. Even Alonso has the Santander bank behind him. We are lucky that Kvyat supports Red Bull, we need someone to support Petrov.

Question: Do you see a Russian in other racing series who can make a name for himself in Formula 1?
Natalya Fabrichnova: We've been following Artem Markelov from GP2 all season. This is a very talented boy. All he needs to do is just get through the qualifications. He drives brilliantly in races, but in qualifying, in his words, he “constantly fails.” Either there is no clear lap, then the car breaks down, then it’s his own mistake... He often manages to arrive in the points zone, starting from the end of the twenty. I would advise everyone to remember this name.

April 27 through the Old City of Baku along the highway"Formula 1" Racing cars will rush by. We met withFormula 1 race commentator Alexei Popov and Natalya Fabrichnova, the only woman in the world commentating Formula 1, and discussed the impact modern technologies to professional motorsport, we learned what Russian pilots lack and how racers drive in everyday life

Photo: Anastasia Karagodina

Ɔ. Formula 1 is one of the most popular types sport in terms of television audience and the number of spectators who come to see the races in person. How can you explain such popularity of this sport?

Natalya Fabrichnova: Uniqueness. Because Formula 1 is technology that will come into our lives in the future. Here are the best of the best, in cars that are at the cutting edge of technology and that cannot be seen in everyday life.

Ɔ. Are there any examples of technologies that have come from Formula 1 into our lives?

Alexey Popov: Almost everything we have in a modern car comes from racing. Nowadays, sports officials are even in some ways holding back the development of technology in racing so that it does not catch up with the automobile industry, because otherwise it will become uninteresting. Now there is a trend towards full electrification, robotization of cars, and in the future - a transition to fully automatic driving. But for racing this is bad, because the element of danger, struggle, human emotions, even a fight after the finish is important for the viewer, otherwise no one will watch. It would be like football without contact and without a ball. Nowadays, the electronic component is already too large: the engineer monitors a million sensors and dictates to the rider what to do. At this time, 50 people are calculating a strategy: what will happen if you stop now, and what will happen if a circle later. It turns out that the romance of racing in the 60s is fading away, when a person not only had no radio communication, but he could drive a whole lap and not know where he was. The 1976 world champion won the race in pouring rain and thought he had lost. He ran to punch his mechanics in the face. They told him: Why are you mad, you are a champion! For a long time he thought that he was being played. Therefore, in ordinary life I am for progress, but in racing I am for regression, because, in my opinion, they, unfortunately, have become too electronic. I would go back to loud gasoline engines. Even if it is not environmentally friendly.

Ɔ. Environmentalists are generally shocked by motorsports lately. Is the situation really a stalemate?

Alexey Popov: This is complete hype. I’ll tell you more: even the electrical industry as a whole is hype. I understand that Tesla and so on are fashionable, hipster. But making a lithium battery is no less harmful to the environment than a modern internal combustion engine because it has evolved so much. I’m not trying to protect the horse in front of the car, but look: the books are still there, you now have a notepad and pen in your hands. I myself am for the metro, for the tram, for clean electricity.

Natalya Fabrichnova: And I am for the electric Formula E, after all! This is a new championship, a fashionable one. The fifth season of such races is already underway.

Alexey Popov: The cars look like in comic books, space-like, and drive slowly.

Ɔ. Are the car manufacturing companies in Formula E the same as in Formula 1?

Alexey Popov: The same because they need to follow fashion. And it's funny! In Formula E, all teams have absolutely identical cars, with the same electric motors. And I was shocked that all the manufacturers fit in there. Now there are factory teams of BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan - all the whales. That's where the hype is! Four German manufacturers who are supposedly fighting among themselves can report to their hipster audience: we are participating in an ecological product. In this situation, I regret to state that Formula 1 is the last stronghold of real motorsport.

Ɔ. How to make auto racing great again?

Natalya Fabrichnova: It seems to me that these should be the same gladiator fights that happened before. The struggle for technology that Alexey spoke about should not affect entertainment. Because when they started making hybrid engines, the sound disappeared. I remember my first Grand Prix in 2008 - it was Italy, Monza. When you go to the track, you walk through the park. And I remember that the earth literally shook from this sound, because when they cranked up 20 thousand revolutions, there was a whistle all over the park. And now you're standing next to the car, and you don't even need earplugs.

Alexey Popov: I first went to the races in 1992. And that’s the first time I go out into the pit lane. The car hasn't left yet; it was started in the garage. At a distance of five meters from the car, the asphalt under the sneakers began to vibrate. Asphalt! I had already written about Formula 1 before, commented on it, and already loved it. But to hear it and see it with my own eyes was just a blast.

Ɔ. One gets the feeling that the new generation doesn’t really like cars at all.

Alexey Popov: Of my three sons, the two eldest are French, their mother is French, they live in France. Therefore, I see this cross-section of society from the inside there. My eldest son is 23 years old. By this age, living in the Soviet Union, I was counting the days until I received my license. My dream was an old seven, which I still had to save up for... I prayed for this car. My son at 23 years old does not have a license, he uses Blablacar. The second one is 17, but fortunately he is interested in cars.

In Europe, the car has long become politically incorrect, even in the country where Renault, Peugeot, and Citroen are produced. That is, riders are driven into reservations like smokers. Paradoxically, I live in Moscow and I don’t have a car, I have legs and a subway. I don't like traffic jams and don't understand why I should buy a car.

Ɔ. Let's talk about ordinary people who would like to start watching Formula 1. What should you pay attention to, how to understand what is happening in this sport?

Natalya Fabrichnova: On my female gaze, it all starts with you choosing who to root for. Sometimes people decide to root for a Ferrari driver because he is a legend, a red car, Italy. Choosing by appearance is a classic. This approach is closer to me: listen to what they say and write about the athlete, and choose the personality you want to root for. For example, Lewis Hamilton, a glamorous man who is always on everyone’s lips, a kind of Ronaldo. Ferrari has Sebastian Vettel, a very private German who lives in Switzerland. He did not immediately admit that he already had a wife and two children. In our era, he has neither Twitter nor Instagram.

Alexey Popov: We need to go to the karting track. The cost is within 1000 rubles for a ten-minute ride on the map. A person will immediately understand what Formula 1 is. Every time I see a “racer” in a roaring Gelendvagen, I want to go up and invite him to go go-karting. And on karting tracks I saw thousands of such examples, when such “racers” are torn apart by such modest skinny girls, like Natalya, who won races. Or grandfathers older than me.

Ɔ. It’s interesting that none of you advised to follow our Russian racers. Why?

Alexey Popov: We do not yet have such a level of development of motorsport. Germany, a supercar and racing nation, largely didn't have a Formula One boom before Schumacher, and neither did Spain before Alonso. We need this guide.

Ɔ. Is Kvyat not a conductor?

Alexey Popov: Not yet. It is necessary for a person to start winning races, and more than one.

Natalya Fabrichnova: And also so that he gets into a competitive team.

Alexey Popov: Everyone should start promoting him, like Khabib Nurmagomedov. Until he started defeating the best in the world, no one really knew about MMA. Everyone asks about Formula 1: how are our guys doing, but try to explain that he came tenth and that’s great, because his car is like that. To do this, you must first become interested. We have our own audience, but for a quality explosion we need something to happen. Vitaly Petrov paved this way. Kvyat continued.

Ɔ. What's missing now? Russian athlete Kvyat and our motorsport in general?

Alexey Popov: Unfortunately, the case. After all, if not for chance, the same Schumacher might not have existed. And we still have everything ahead. Already now there are Markelov, Mazepin - two guys who are close. And behind them there is another younger guy, Robert Shvartsman, from St. Petersburg, he is already at the Ferrari Academy. He's very fast.

Natalya Fabrichnova: There are only 20 seats in Formula 1, and this a big problem. The competition is crazy. In addition to the fact that you must be the best, you must have sponsorship, and you must also have luck and good support from the media. And in Formula the press, especially the English-language one, has enormous weight; the teams also read, listen, and evaluate something.

Ɔ. In Russia, it seems, they have started to follow motorsport more. Is this because of the new highway in Sochi?

Alexey Popov: It’s very fortunate that we were able to take advantage of the Olympics. If it weren’t for the Olympics, no one would have built a highway in Sochi, which costs about 11 billion; it would mean leveling an entire plain near the sea. In Sochi, even if it’s cold, you can go anyway. Yes, it takes a little longer to warm up the tires. Test drives can be organized for journalists in Sochi. Our own races take place there too. This is a qualitative breakthrough for sports in the country as a whole.

Ɔ. Natalya, how much do you think professional career changes the normal driving habits of Formula 1 drivers and other professional motorsport drivers?

Natalya Fabrichnova: Behind the wheel of a regular driver's car, everything moves very slowly compared to how it all happens on the track. I once watched a video of Jenson Button, a racing driver, how he was recording a test drive of some ordinary car, looking somewhere to the side, doing something at the same time. The driver grasps everything that is happening around him on the fly; for him, driving a car at a speed of 60 km/h is like walking. There's one more thing video, where Ricardo Patrese, a Formula 1 driver, takes his wife around the race track, in what I believe is a regular car.

Ɔ. The next stage of Formula 1 in Baku will begin on Saturday. What is interesting about this route?

Alexey Popov: This is the longest straight line of the entire World Championship, there is a section of 2 kilometers along the Caspian Sea. Baku itself is very interesting, I would say that it is a city that at the same time resembles Paris, Barcelona, ​​in some places Moscow, and in others Sochi. A very interesting city.

Natalya Fabrichnova: The racing there is always great, because the track is narrow, and when there is a fight, if someone overdoes it a little, they immediately drive into the wall, and at that speed this means damage to the car.

The live broadcast of the Baku Grand Prix qualifying can be seen on the Match! TV channel. Arena" on April 27 at 15:55, the race itself - on April 28 at 14:50 on the Match TV channel.

Interviewed by Dmitry Elovsky

His catchphrase-performance “Russian voice of Formula 1”, sports commentator Alexey Popov did not come up with this at all in order to make it clear that it was he and no one else. An example was a now forgotten American channel, whose presenter began the program in a similar way, trying to stand out from the flow of advertising information that preceded the start of the broadcast. The Russian liked it. And for more than a quarter of a century, Alexey has not been called anything else: when you say “Formula 1,” you mean “Popov,” and vice versa.

Childhood and youth

Alexey Popov was born in Moscow in July 1974. Parents are university teachers: father is a chemist, and mother is a philosopher. As a teenager, my friends and I listened and even managed to create our own group, but after the first concert it all ended because the school director figured out what her students were singing about - “everything revolved around death and Vikings.”

In 1991, the young man went for higher education at the Faculty of Sociology of the Moscow Pedagogical Institute. When there was a month left before the start of classes, Alexey accidentally bought the Sport Express newspaper with an article about Formula 1 racing. He liked the publication as a whole, but the article did not, it did not reflect the essence of the events. By that time, Popov knew quite a lot about the F-1: he had visited his grandfather, who worked at the trade mission, abroad more than once.

The guy, who, by the commentator’s own admission, had gained the impudence of the article, told the author Vladimir Geskin, who turned out to be the first deputy editor-in-chief, about the shortcomings of the article. He instructed Alexey to write an article about the Belgian Grand Prix and the next day he hired the young journalist as a staff member. Popov studied at the institute for six months.

Career

In 1992, Alexey moved to RTR, to the sports editorial office “Arena”. At the Olympics in Albertville, the channel's management met the head of the Monegasque company Samipa, which was entrusted by Formula 1 owner Bernie Ecclestone to conquer the media space of the former USSR. When Russia received the rights to broadcast the races, the question of who would comment was no longer raised. Subsequently, Popov moved to Monaco to freely travel around the world and report directly from the competition venues.

In 2001, Alexey was awarded the title of best sports commentator. In 2005, the journalist began producing his own program “Grand Prix with Alexei Popov”, first on “Russia-2” (formerly “Sport”), then on REN-TV. After 2 years, he returned to the Russia-2 channel, where, at the request of General Director Vasily Kiknadze, he helped host the “Sports Week” program. When the TV channel ceased to exist in 2015, Popov signed a contract with the newly formed Match TV.

“Formula 1” in Alexey’s view is a single organism, it has roots, a past and a future. During the 10 years he spent in Monaco, Popov did nothing but motorsport. Alexey produced the weekly review “Chrono” for Russian television viewers, and worked as editor-in-chief of French and Italian programs.

However, since childhood he loved biathlon and was a hockey fan. As you know, in France and Monaco there is “no hockey”, so rugby played its role. Besides, this is “the sport of real men, like racing, only Formula involves death.” That’s why Popov undertook to commentate on shooting skier competitions and the game with an oval ball.

By the way, it was on Alexey’s initiative that Rugby World Cup matches were broadcast on Russian TV. The final tournament, which was attended by a commentator, caused much more emotions than the biathlon races at the Vancouver Olympics. Popov compared it with the first exciting days on the Formula tracks, when the young journalist was entrusted with interviewing Alain Prost, Jean Alesi and.

Broadcast with commentary on what is happening in F1, as well as on the DTM, GP2, GP3 and World Series by Renault Alexey went out in the company of Natalia Fabrichnova. The girl left her colleague for a short time, but it was not possible to part with the world of motors for good.

Personal life

Little is known about the personal life of the popular commentator. In 2011, Alexey divorced his second wife Tatyana. In his first marriage to a French woman, two children were born, in the second - another child, all of them were sons.

“I really could say more than is generally allowed in the modern world. Under the guise of such a fool, he said really tough and politically incorrect things - and it worked. This is great".

Alexey Popov now

In the spring of 2018, the sports commentator presented his second literary work - the book “Formula 1. Russian voice." The first one is called “Formula 1. First hand. Season 1999” Popov wrote in tandem with his colleague Sergei Cheskidov.

From the first lines, Alexey explained that he does not lay claim to the laurels of a serious writer, since this is not even a book, but an arrangement of voice recordings of conversations with a journalist friend. The content was a mixture of biographical facts with memories of pilots, races, travel, meetings with people who were, to one degree or another, involved in a dangerous and fascinating sport.

The reaction to Popov's book turned out to be contradictory. Readers not familiar with the behind-the-scenes life of the “car stables” were interested in getting to know Gilles Villeneuve or Riccardo Patrese from a previously unknown side, seeing how Damon Hill’s accident made it possible to win another world title, and plunging into the technical details of preparing the cars.

However, professionals and ordinary people who are passionate about Formula 1 have found a lot of mistakes and inconsistencies. And we are talking not only about the mistakes of the publishing editor, but also about the distortion of facts. For example, a detailed “debriefing” indicating the places where Alexey made a mistake is provided by the Sports.ru portal.