An Unscripted Chat: with Chris Soulsby

by Alex Johnston

For my latest interview I’m joined by Pace Six Four’s Chris Soulsby! When I initially spoke with Chris I told him I wasn’t really sure what to ask a journalist so we came up with the idea of ‘An Unscripted Chat’; no prepared questions, just chat about racing. 

With no further ado..

1. What is your current role?

“I’m the Senior Editor at Pace Six Four.”

2. What have you done in your previous roles?

“Before I started working at Pace Six Four I was a journalist. I first started writing when I was 17 and looking back, I’ve probably covered most forms of motorsport including F1, WEC, IndyCar, and NASCAR and feeder series like F2 and F3”.

“More recently, I’ve been working in Formula E, and I’ve been in and around the series since Season 3. I started covering the championship at a really exciting time when big brands like Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes were pledging to join the grid. It’s been incredible to experience that growth first-hand.”

📸 In the paddock with Venturi.

“The Berlin E-Prix is the 100th Formula E race I’ve covered in a row, and looking back, that just feels crazy. The time has flown by, but it’s something I’m very proud of.”

3. At Pace Six Four, you’re working with one of their clients, Maserati MSG Racing; what is it you enjoy most about that?

“I’ve been working on our account with Maserati MSG Racing, which used to be Venturi, since I joined Pace Six Four in 2019. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’ve been lucky to make some amazing memories along the way. Experiencing my first race win team-side with them was very special, but one of my favourite memories probably came at the Berlin E-Prix last year.

“It was one of the first peloton-style races in Formula E, so it was very intense but Max Günther drove this incredible race to finish on the podium. That podium happened to be the Maserati brand’s first podium in World Championship single-seater motorsport since 1957. I walked with Max from the podium to the media centre for the post-race press conference. I was the first person to tell him that he was the first driver since Juan Manuel Fangio to score a single-seater podium for the Maserati brand. Seeing his reaction to essentially making history, and being the person to tell him, was a great honour and I’ll always remember it.

📸 Soaking up success with Maserati.

“Aside from results, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know so many team members on a personal level. I love using platforms to tell stories, so just being able to learn about people, learn from people, and then turn that into content is an enjoyable process.”

4. Do you have a standout moment in FE? 

“One of my fondest memories in Formula E came at the first race I attended as a journalist. I would have been a teenager at the time, so working on-site as an accredited journalist at such a young age was a humbling and mind-blowing experience.

“I remember walking down the pitlane for the first time, and it was a real pinch-me moment. So much hard work had gone into reaching that single moment, and ironically, a photographer captured my first minutes in the Formula E paddock. I think the smile on my face says it all!”

📸 First time in the paddock.

“That weekend, Jean-Eric Vergne was one of the first people I interviewed face-to-face in my career, and because of that, it’s something I’m very sentimental about. He’s always someone I’ve admired. It’s less of a standout moment, but more of a sentimental experience.”

5. More on Vergne; what was so great about him to you? 

“I’ve always admired him and I’ve always rated him. I think he deserved more from his time in F1 and to this day, his performance at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix is probably one of the best - and most underrated - midfield drives I’ve seen, especially if you look at Toro Rosso’s all-round performance that season.”

📸 ‘JEV’ in F1 trim.

“During lockdown when I was still working as a journalist, I did a long-form interview with Vergne and we had a great chat. It was very candid and relaxed and to be able to really get into and understand the mindset of a two-time World Champion was fascinating, but I also found it quite inspiring as well. I asked JEV about leaving F1, his emotions when he joined Formula E, and then how it felt to finally win the title in Season 4. He told me how happy he was, but he also told me that ‘you’re only as good as your last race.’ He said that once the feeling of winning his first title wore off, he immediately put his focus into winning a second, and after he did that, he put his focus on winning a third.”

📸 Vergne is now a multiple Formula E Champion.

“That hunger and ambition is something that I respect massively. When fans watch motorsport on TV, they understand that every driver wants to win, but they don’t always experience a driver’s mindset first-hand. Hearing Vergne’s mentality first-hand opened my awareness, and if anything, my respect for him grew even more.”

6. What are your ambitions still?

“I love Formula E. It’s the championship that allowed me to build a career in motorsport, and Season 10 is my eighth season working in it. Even after all that time, and even after nearly 100 races, I still see my future in Formula E.”

📸Rubbing shoulders with legends in the paddock.

“I think a lot of people who work in motorsport, or even want to work in motorsport, view working in F1 as the pinnacle. I’ve been very fortunate to do that, both as a journalist and team-side but honestly, I can’t imagine doing anything else right now.”

“Like anyone, there are things I want to achieve outside of motorsport. But, and I know this sounds like a cliche- a massive cliche - I would love to be able to experience winning a World Championship in Formula E. Venturi missed out on winning the Drivers’ title by only seven points in Season 7, and then missed out on winning the Teams’ title by 24 points in Season 8. After coming so close in the past, I’d love to finally know what it feels like.”

7. Could you talk a bit about your process when it comes to your writing? How would you describe it?

“Strange and oddly specific! Whenever I do an interview, be it with a driver, an engineer, or even a colleague, I try to make the environment as relaxed as I possibly can. What they say is obviously very important but for me, the key ingredient for a good feature is in getting to understand someone on a personal level. I want to understand who they are, and what they’re like, and ideally, I want their personality to come through when I write. I very rarely follow a question-and-answer format. I tend to lead an interview as a conversation because I think it goes both ways.”

“When it comes to writing, I also never write an interview from start to finish. I get my quotes first, I let that form the basis of my story, and from there, I’ll write my introduction and adjoining sections so I can keep the same tone and feel throughout. The headline is the last thing I usually write. I think every single article has its own personality and feeling, and I think it creates itself.”

8. Let’s talk a little about your interest in racing: What are your early memories? 

“I’ve always been a car enthusiast. One of my earliest memories is of playing with a Hot Wheels Dodge Viper when I was a kid, I loved watching Top Gear, but I didn’t get into motorsport until around 2009.”

“My first memory of motorsport was in 2008. I was at my grandparents’ house, and my Grandad put on a race which I now know was the Brazilian Grand Prix. He watched the first lap, turned the TV off, and told me that you usually don’t need to watch the rest because whoever is leading at the end of the first lap tends to win. I don’t think it was true for that race, but in current F1, maybe it is!”

📸 Chris’s Grandad was right on this occasion - but this race had many layers to it.

“Malaysia 2009 was the first race I properly watched. The race was rained out, and the cars were parked longer than they were on the track, but I remember seeing Jenson Button fighting his way through the spray, and that stuck with me. I was hooked, and Button became the first driver I followed.”

9. First race you attended? 

“The 2016 British GP. It was the same year I started writing, strangely enough!”

📸 One of the most exciting British GP’s in recent history, a wet/dry one won by Lewis Hamilton.

10. Racing hero/heroes? 

“Jenson Button was my first racing hero. He was a hero and an idol, and he’s my dream interview. My first seasons following F1 and supporting Button defined my love for motorsport, and without that love, I know that I wouldn’t be doing the job I’m doing today. I don’t know what I’d be doing, actually!”

📸 Button last appeared in 2017, retiring with damage after a collision with Pascal Wehrlein - for which he still has a grid penalty for his next race!

“NASCAR is also something I’ve always liked following too. I watched the Xfinity Series, which used to be the Nationwide Series, in my early teens. Back then, Joey Logano was making guest appearances with Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske, and he was always winning. If there’s such a thing as a modern-day racing hero, Logano is mine, and it’s a very left-field choice!

📸 Joey Logano is a multiple race winner across the several divisions of NASCAR.

“Logano comes across as a nice guy, and he has his own charity foundation which offers second chances to children and young adults who are facing adversity, which I respect. He also has this fierce will to win on the track, and I admire his mindset a lot.”

📸 Logano on track.

11. Favourite track?

“It’s a boring answer, but I’d have to say Spa. It’s just a classic. I like Monza as well because of the sheer speed. If I had to pick a favourite Formula E track, I would say Montreal. It only appeared on the calendar once, but it was a proper street circuit.”

📸 Monza(top) and Montreal(bottom).

📸 Image credits: Chris Soulsby, ABB FIA Formula E, NBC Sports, Sky Sports, Formula Motorsport Limited, Autodromo Nazionale Monza.