Pole position: How Alex Jacques became the voice of Formula 1

Alex Jacques has been nominated as Sports Commentator of the Year for a second time

His voice is known to millions of viewers and gamers worldwide. But how did Formula 1 commentator Alex Jacques fight his way from the back of the grid to broadcasting's front row?

He has voiced some of the most dramatic moments in F1.

From the "chaos" of Max Verstappen's last-lap title win in 2021 to Charles Leclerc's first home victory in Monaco in 2024, Alex Jacques has been the man behind the microphone.

The 36-year-old from Ipswich is lead commentator for F1TV and Channel 4, and features in Netflix's hit fly-on-the-wall series Formula 1: Drive To Survive.

He is also the voice of EA Sports' F1 video games.

Jacques' journey began far from the glamour of Monte Carlo at non-league football club Ipswich Wanderers, where he first went on air for BBC Radio Suffolk.

So how did the broadcaster, once so shy that he filed his reports hiding behind a stand, go from Humber Doucy Lane to Hockenheim?

Jacques commentated as Charles Leclerc won before a home crowd at Monaco in 2024

As a motorsport-crazy youngster, he quickly realised he was not destined to be a top driver.

"I got beaten by a seven-year-old at Anglia Karting in Ipswich when I was 10. I knew then I wasn't going to be Michael Schumacher," he laughs.

"From then, I always wanted to be a commentator."

Lewis Hamilton's 2024 Silverstone victory was another key moment in Jacques' commentary career

Jacques' career mirrors the rise of drivers including Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris: through the youth formulas, into F3 and F2 before finally reaching F1.

"I have known some of them since they were very, very young," he says.

"I know the moments when their careers nearly fell over... sliding door moments, which meant we might never have known them.

"There is no certain bet in motor racing. So knowing the trials and tribulations and seeing them on that journey makes it a lot easier to highlight their big moments when they get to Formula 1.

"If you have Lewis Hamilton's comeback win, or Lando Norris winning his home race at Silverstone, it's the drivers making the history. I'm just there to make loud noises and do it justice".

Jacques' first-ever broadcast was a match report from Ipswich Wanderers' ground at Humber Doucy Lane

On a visit back to the ground where he began as a freelance football reporter, he recalls: "I was so nervous the first time I did a match report for Radio Suffolk, I had to actually sneak out of the press box and go behind the stand and mumble it into my phone because I was so scared about being on the radio.

"In non-league football, if a manager doesn't like it, they will turn round, look you in the eye and tell you with a few fruity words!

"It is a weird thing to start on Humber Doucy Lane and end up at the Monaco Grand Prix. But I love Formula 1, and thought I could get there."

Graeme McLoughlin, sports editor of BBC Radio Suffolk, gave Jacques his first break in broadcasting

He was loaned some kit by BBC Radio Suffolk's Graeme McLoughlin, enabling him to broadcast for various stations and build a showreel.

McLoughlin also secured him a pass for Silverstone to interview Suffolk-based McLaren F1 reserve driver, Gary Paffett.

McLoughlin remembers: "I knew he was into motorsport at the time but when I heard this interview I was like 'Wow... he's good!'

"When you listen to Alex, there's a lot of natural talent but obviously so much prep goes in. His career has been brilliant to watch."

Meeting McLoughlin again for the first time in a decade, Jacques says: "I owe this man an awful lot.

"Genuinely, if it wasn't for Graeme lending me equipment and giving me a start on the radio, none of what I've been able to do would have been possible."

Jacques maintains a hectic schedule, covering 24 Grands Prix a year

His colleagues include former racers Jolyon Palmer (centre) and David Coulthard

The F1 season runs for nine months, from the glitz and glamour of Monaco to the sweltering heat of Singapore.

Melbourne, where the season opens, is more than 10,000 miles (16,000km) from Jacques' Suffolk home, and there are "triple headers" - races on three successive weekends - dotted throughout the season.

"We do a 24-Grands-Prix year, and I spend half the year on the road. I have a very supportive wife who understands," says Jacques.

"Sometimes, I won't send the picture of the amazing view or the amazing dinner I'm having because it's raining sideways back in the UK."

Jacques recently became a first-time father to a baby girl and says time away from his wife and child is the hardest part of his job.

"One minute, you're in Texas, and the next thing, you're going through the door, being handed your daughter and being asked to change the nappy," he says.

"You are straight back down to earth, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"This is, and always will be, home. I love travelling the world but nothing beats coming back to my family."

"That's more like it... tyres screeching, and the smell of petrol in the air" - even at a karting centre, Jacques says he feels more confident trackside than pitchside

Jacques has been nominated for Sports Commentator of the Year at the Broadcast Sport Awards, having previously won in 2022.

This year, his competition includes Sky Sports' football lead commentator, Peter Drury, and ITV Sport's Sam Matterface.

He has also published a book celebrating 75 years of F1, and says the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in Northamptonshire is not only the highlight, but "where it all began back in 1950".

His advice to aspiring broadcasters? "Above all else, don't count yourself out," he says.

"There is no-one who should be or shouldn't be in the Formula1 paddock. And if you work hard and you are kind to people, there is every opportunity you can get there as well. Even someone from little old Ipswich!"