Naomi Schiff, a former race driver, has joined Sky Sports’ F1 team as a presenter for the 2023 season.
But who is the F1 announcer?
Who is Naomi Schiff?
Schiff, a racing driver and TV presenter, was born in Antwerp, Belgium, to a Belgian father and a Rwandan mother.
She began racing at the age of 16 in the Southern African Formula Volkswagen, finishing 17th in her first season.
In 2014, she won seven of 10 races in the Clio Cup China Series.
Her victory won her a seat in the GT4 European Series the next year, as well as a spot in the grueling 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2018, widely regarded as one of the world’s toughest races alongside Le Mans.
Schiff joined the W Series in 2019, where she serves as a diversity and inclusion ambassador, and was a reserve last season.
Naomi was first seen by F1 fans in February, when she co-presented the Mercedes team vehicle presentation with Natalie Pinkham.
She then co-hosted the new Sky Sports F1 show Any Driven Monday, which is now available on YouTube, and joined the Sky Sports F1 team for 2022.
Yet it was her appearance that sparked the trolls’ outrage, with one tweeting, “Meet Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports’ latest Formula 1 commentator.”
“Can you guess what her main qualification for the job is?
“Hint: It isn’t Formula 1 experience.”
Schiff answered with three yawning emojis, clearly expressing her displeasure at such unneeded harassment.
Following the abuse and Lewis Hamilton’s defense of her, Schiff issued a statement thanking people who stood up for her.
She wrote on Twitter: “Thank you to everyone who has come to my defence.
“I appreciate all the love and support, none of you go unnoticed!
“Sadly the issue of online bullying, bashing, shaming etc. is one I don’t believe is going anywhere anytime soon.
“Social media, in some cases, gives voices to individuals who don’t deserve to be heard.
“So I encourage anyone reading this to not indulge in it or retaliate or seek revenge.
“Remember that your words do have impact and that therefore we should do something positive with these platforms and be kind to one another.”
Schiff went on to say that she would not “let anyone turn down my ambition or passion because they are uneasy with the volume.”
She has been a member of the Canal + F1 team since the Hungarian Grand Prix 2023.
