A big part of every sport, including Formula One, are the broadcasters behind it.
Their calls on big moments are sometimes as iconic as the moment itself, and they remain a constant in an ever-changing sports world.
One of those voices belongs to Tony Jardine, a Liverpool native whose nearly 40-year career in Formula One has taken him from pit lanes to the broadcast booth, and everywhere in between.
From Merseyside
Growing up in Merseyside, he found his love for cars from his dad.
Tony said: “He used to take me out in some of his old cars and everything. I realized that I loved racing then.
“Sadly, my dad passed away, but my stepfather, who’s into his motorbikes, made a deal with me.
“If I got my degree at university, he would help me 50%-50% for my first racing car.
“So for four years, for every holiday, I worked in bars, on building sites, whatever I could.
“He did keep his word and gave me that 50% extra, and I bought a racing car.
“The only problem was I rode off and barrel rolled it at Oulton Park!”
Into Formula One
Realizing he lacked the skill to be a professional driver, he worked his way up to the bottom rung of Formula One.
“I worked for the American Racing division of Goodyear in Wolverhampton, and I was delivering all the tyres.
“Then they let me fit the tyres, and I became an engineer.
“[From there] I worked my way up through team management with McLaren.
“I ended up as the PR officer for the Lotus Grand Prix team, and I’ve been with Benetton, Williams, and Brabham.”
Working With Drivers
Working with the teams led to him working with many of the best drivers in Formula One history.
“During my time, I worked with Niki Lauda, Alan Prost, and Nigel Mansell.
“I had a very special time with Aryton Senna at Lotus.
“I would say because of my love of the sport, working with some of the most fantastic drivers in the sport has been an absolute honour, a privilege, and a pleasure.
“When you get to work with them and get to know them pretty well.
“I still get on well with Nigel Mansell, but one of my biggest regrets was getting too close to Nigel’s teammate, a very talented Italian driver called Elio de Angelis.
“Elio even came over and stayed at our house one weekend in the early years of my marriage, when our first child, our daughter, was only 6-7 months of age.
“I remember he brought his beautiful girlfriend with him, who was a German model, and they stayed at our little house.
“He came down to the rugby club to watch me play rugby.
“He’s pushing the baby around the ground, and he came up to the bar after the game and bought all the team beers.
“They could not believe that this Grand Prix driver was there at our rugby club, just one of the boys.
“About two years later, I was hosting the launch of the Virgin Atlantic Challenger with Richard Branson when one of the press agency guys just pulled me by the arm and said, Tony I think you should know that Elio has had a big accident at Paul Ricard in the South of France while testing the new Brabham.
“From then on, it was so sad. I just kept a certain distance from the drivers because it was so very dangerous, although it is much safer now.”
Into Broadcasting
From his work with teams, Tony transitioned into media, where he worked for Radio City in Liverpool, the BBC, ITV, Sky, and Bein Sports.
“The most exciting [job] for me has been broadcasting, because I think I can bring my passion and knowledge of the sport across.
“Just delving deep into the sport and developing the relationships with teams.
“You have a certain relationship that can get you into the back of the pits and find out what’s happened without being thrown out.
“Although I have been in trouble on many occasions with people like Ferrari.”
Current Day
Tony still does agency work and the occasional broadcast in Formula One today.
From delivering tyres to sharing unforgettable moments with legendary drivers, and eventually becoming a trusted voice in broadcasting, Jardine has experienced nearly every side of F1.
His story is more than just a long career in Formula One—it’s a reflection of how deep passion can lead to an extraordinary life in sport, even off the track.
