Annie Bradshaw has been working in Formula 1 PR since 1971. Over five decades she has worked for Williams, BMW Sauber, the A1 Grand Prix, Lance Stroll, and a list of teams and drivers long enough that the easier question is who she has not worked for.
This conversation goes deep into what that career actually looked like — starting with the very first Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1985, which she helped run from the media centre and describes as pure party time from the moment the plane landed.
The stories are extraordinary. At the 1994 Adelaide Grand Prix, with Damon Hill in contention for the championship, George Harrison — yes, that George Harrison — arrived at the Williams garage concerned about the karma. His solution was to cover every surface with fruit from the catering area and light joss sticks throughout. Annie had to gently explain that Frank Williams would not be approving a group floor-chanting session.
There is also the story of Dame Edna being helped into Damon Hill’s car for a celebrity race, getting thoroughly stuck, and requiring mechanic Robbie to extract her. Annie still wishes someone had filmed it.
The episode turns more serious when Annie talks about managing the media on the weekend Ayrton Senna died at Imola in 1994. She was working for Williams at the time. Her account of what those hours were like, and how you function professionally while processing something that devastating, is one of the most honest and moving things we have heard on this podcast.
Annie is still working in the sport. She is one of the most connected people in Formula 1 and one of the best storytellers in it.