Opinion: if you are able to call your passion work, then you're part of the lucky few

My route to F1 came from a happy coincidence. BBC 5 Live was looking for a pitlane reporter for the sport I have always loved, and I was looking for a job. That was 13 years ago. It was a great place to cut my teeth, I was under the radar and came in with commentators David Croft and Ant Davidson as teammates, they had been working together there for years, and were great travel pals who had my back.

Oh boy, did I need them. It was an assault on the senses, overwhelmingly intoxicating, as mesmerising as it was intimidating. I had to interview Michael Schumacher on my very first race weekend, and he had just crashed out of the Australian GP. Producer Jason Swales counted me in, “live in 10 seconds". I reached out and grabbed Schumacher’s arm. Inadvertently, instinctively. The seven-time world champ looked down at his arm gripped in my hand, and then slowly back up to me. I went bright red. I awkwardly released my hold and apologised. The next few seconds felt like a lifetime. He smiled and started talking. Race one done.

The following 13 seasons have been full of drama and joy. Two kids later and now in a presenting role for Sky Sports, I have grown up in the job. Much like many of the drivers around me. Well, the ones I started with are now one by one hanging up their race suits, but it’s incredible to see the kids who were barely karting when I started, now dominating the sport.

Lando Norris was a shy awkward boy dreaming big about a career in F1 as a McLaren Junior when I first met him, now he is supremely confident... bagging a GP win, front rows at fashion shows and dates with models. Part of his and his generation of drivers’ superstardom is of course Drive to Survive, the series which has successfully deified and humanised the 20 drivers at the same time. We all feel invested in them; we understand the sacrifice it takes to become one of the very best in the world, and the superhuman traits demanded of them once the visor comes down.

It’s my job to maintain that compelling narrative from race to race, even when there may be utter dominance by one driver. Fortunately, there are countless sub plots to explore, and a chasing pack separated by tenths of a second. Tenths of a second; just think about that, for a tenth of a second. Absolutely remarkable.

Anyone who says F1 is just drivers going round in circles is welcome to come and hang out with me for a race weekend. Take the time to appreciate and understand one layer of the sport and there are countless more to envelop you. The technology alone that F1 trailblazes is changing lives around the world. Telemetry that predicts when a car may have an engine problem is also being used on baby heart monitors in paediatric units across the UK.

I once interviewed an incredible man called Prof Martin Elliot, an esteemed heart surgeon who was the longest serving at Great Ormond Street, until his recent retirement. He told me that he watched and learned from F1 methodology. The teamwork he witnessed in F1 was then implemented in the operating theatre, and to great effect. Its efficiency saved lives. I was blown away. Our sport is more relevant and important than ever.