Words by Shayni Solanki
From playing football for Tottenham Hotspur to presenting Formula E in Saudi Arabia, Jermaine Jenas’ career has taken him across the world.
For those of you who don’t know, Formula E is an electric car racing series that drives change across the globe. The first of its kind, former footballer Jermaine Jenas joined it’s crew in travelling across the world for 16 rounds of high-speed action.
“The calendar is incredible for me. I enjoy going to different locations and,to be honest, I feel quite honoured that they felt safe enough to put this role in my hands – for me to be the voice of the sport,” Jenas shared.
Formula E is celebrating its 10th season in motorsport this year and more exciting than ever, “With three drivers winning early, they’ve created a bit of a mini league at the top of the championship,” he said, “I’m hoping that when we get into the last five races, it’ll get really competitive. Everyone has a chance to win the championship, especially when people start taking risks.”
Joining as the l TNT Sports’ lead Formula E presenter for last December, he’s got off to a great start.
Getting yourself situated in the world of motorsport is harder than most think, and it’s definitely been a learning curve for Jenas, “There was a lot to get my head around and there’s a lot of new knowledge to take in, but I’m learning fast”.
Although he’d been a Formula 1 fan for years, Formula E was a whole new venture, “This generation of cars only came out last year, so most people are only a year into understanding the car. With the improvements made this year, it’ll be a completely different car next year or the year after so people will have to relearn it yet again.”
One standout thing for Jenas as an ex-footballer is the access that media get to enjoy on the grid. Across motorsport, you’ll see presenters, engineers, racers, and everyone else walking around the track or the grid all at once. Jenas explained, “For me, personally, if I had a match and I was in the tunnel and a guy brought a camera or mic into my face I’d lose it”.
As a presenter, it’s a different story. It makes the job even more fun and immersive,. “It gives us a little bit more insight. It’s the accessibility element, not just to the drivers, but the teams as well. People have welcomed me into the garage as if to say, ‘Look if you want to come and see what this is like, we can give you that information’”.
That unbridled access only helps to aid the viewer too: “We’re all on the same journey. We all want a good product for the viewer and I don’t think there’s a more accessible sport out there right now. If you’re a viewer that wants to really get inside a sport and see every angle of what goes on, there’s nothing like Formula E.”
When he’s not walking around a race track though, Jermaine Jenas loves to cook.. Just like his work, his culinary tastes are global, from beef Wellington to aubergine parmigiana, he really does it all.
Although he retired from playing football years ago, his love for it won’t ever fade, “I’ve played football my whole life: if there’s a ball within five yards of me I’ve got to go and kick it. But I think it’s important for all athletes to find a new passion and something they really enjoy that will still challenge them after their careers”.
Looking ahead, he hopes that Formula E follows a similar path to Formula 1. With the ever-growing popularity of the sport, Jermaine Jenas is sure to bring a whole new audience to Formula E.