Jeremy Clarkson submits F1 request as ‘new hero’ discovered
Jeremy Clarkson in the paddock during a visit to the 2024 British Grand Prix
Celebrity F1 fan Jeremy Clarkson has called for Davide Valsecchi to perform all post-race interviews going forward after his starring performance at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Valsecchi, who won the prestigious GP2 (now F2) title in 2012, has emerged as a fan favourite since moving into the media as a result of his excitable broadcasting style.
Jeremy Clarkson finds ‘new hero’ in former Sky F1 Italy pundit Davide Valsecchi
The 38-year-old performed the post-race interviews with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in the immediate aftermath of the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend.
Clarkson has called for Valsecchi, a former Sky F1 pundit in Italy, to be given a permanent slot on the Formula 1 broadcast, describing the ex-racing driver as “brilliant.”
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In a post on social media, Clarkson wrote: “I don’t know who this Italian post race interviewer is but can we have him every week. He’s brilliant.”
When informed of Valsecchi’s identity, he added: “Davide Valsecchi is my new hero. I want him to follow me around all day, asking stuff.”
Who is Davide Valsecchi and why did he never race in F1?
Despite following in the footsteps of the likes of Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg by winning the GP2 title in 2012, Valsecchi failed to secure a graduation to F1.
He made a single FP1 appearance for the Team Lotus (later rebranded Caterham) team at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang, where he stood in for regular driver Heikki Kovalainen.
After becoming test and reserve driver for Lotus-Renault (now Alpine) the following year, Valsecchi was left aghast when the team instead turned to Kovalainen after Kimi Raikkonen was ruled out of the final two races of 2013 through injury.
In a furious rant, Valsecchi described the decision to overlook him for Kovalainen as a “tragedy” before pointing out that the Finnish driver’s last results were “five years ago” with McLaren.
He said at the time: “From the sporting point of view, it’s a tragedy.
“It makes me angry to have lost the battle with Kovalainen who is not a great champion, not even an active driver; his last results were five years ago.
“If they had taken Hulkenberg I could have understood, even [Pastor] Maldonado, but this…
“I was sure from the point of view of motivation and desire, the team would have taken me and I would have been right up there.
“Perhaps I lack experience, but what chance do you have to gain any like this?”
Valsecchi cut ties with Lotus-Renault at the end of that season and last competed in 2016 before moving into the media, joining Sky F1 in Italy as a pundit.
The Eupilio-born star was briefly suspended by the broadcaster for sexist comments made on air at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix before parting company with Sky at the end of that season.
He is now a regular face on Formula 1’s in-house platform F1 TV.
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