Interview with Tom from wtf1.co.uk

In a new monthly feature to Female Formula Fun I will be talking to members of the F1 media community.

So this month I am talking to Tom Bellingham who runs wtf1.co.uk
A brilliant website that takes a comedic look at Formula One.

So now I have wet your appetite
Here's our interview.

Firstly how did you get into watching/liking F1?

I saw a trailer for the 1996 Australian Grand Prix, I was only about 7 but it looks really cool. I watched the race with my parents and we were all hooked ever since.

Who's your favourite driver/team this year?

I've supported Vettel and Hamilton since 2007, through the highs and lows of both their careers. My favourite team is Toro Rosso so you can imagine what Monza 2008 was like for me.

So how did the idea for wtf1.co.uk come about?

I have been a big follower of the F1 Fanatic blog as well as a geeky technology blog called Geekologie. Every time I went on it I wished there was an F1 blog in that style, so a few months later I thought I'd set one up myself.

Why did you decide on a more comedy approach with wtf1.co.uk rather then taking a serious look at F1?

I didn't see the point in doing a blog about F1 news and race analysis as there are already so many out there. I wanted to do something completely different and original so I didn't have to compete with all the other F1 blogs out there. Also if I had any news it'd only be what everyone had already read on Autosport hours ago.

How much time do you spend on wtf1? Do you run it full time/part time and do you run it single handedly?

I run it on my own when I have some spare time. It works well not being based on real time news as I'd never be able to keep it 'up to date'. If I get a lot of time off I'll usual write about 5 or 10 articles in a day and then publish one each day, otherwise I'd end up posting 10 articles in a few days and then nothing for weeks.

Congratulations on hitting half a million views recently. What has been your most popular post on the site?

The single most viewed post is the fatboothed F1 drivers, people really took well to them. Jake Humphrey from the BBC also shared a cartoon that 'Chainbear' drew and it pretty much crashed the site, so that was another popular one. Any photoshop post goes down well too, I guess that's become the signature wtf1 post.

Have any F1 drivers seen any of your posts or videos?

Yes actually, I had a conversation with McLaren's @thefifthdriver about a Lewis Hamilton Cool Running's video I made. He shared it on Twitter and told me that Lewis himself had seen it and loved it. That was probably the most rewarding bit of news I've got since running the site.

What is your personal favourite post?

I really do like the photoshop posts. The guys at the Autosport forums always come up with some absolute comedy gold.

Since running wtf1.co.uk has it gained you any F1 perks? Eg: Trips, freebies or meeting any drivers?

I've been lucky enough to visit the paddock on 4 separate occasions and go to the Red Bull and McLaren factories, I'd love to say it was a 'perk' of running wtf1 but it's just because I'm a lucky bugger and won some competitions.

Your a known twitter-er. How has twitter helped in promoting wtf1.co.uk? Has it brought you closer to your fans?

Without Twitter wtf1 would have completely failed. It's a great way to get people viewing the site, I think without Twitter no one would be able to hear about wtf1. For me it's the best, the fact that so many F1 fans are on it too is just amazing.

Do your fans send you ideas and suggestions for posts/videos/photoshops? 

Occasionally, it's certainly something I like to see. More please! :)

What do you enjoy making more. Your own photoshops or your own videos?

I'm pretty rubbish at photoshop and I really enjoy making videos, so I'd have to say the videos. The annoying part is trying to get it on YouTube without FOM removing it.

Just like Female Formula Fun, Wtf1.co.uk has gone international, which countries love your website the most?

I've been using Google Analytics to check site views, it's a great tool if not a little scary. The site has been viewed in over 150 countries now, UK is easily the most popular, followed by USA, Brazil, Spain, Australia and then Poland. What I find weird though is seeing views from places like Uganda and Mongolia. Amazing.

Now your website is gaining more hits daily then Sniff Petrol and Badger GP, what's next for wtf1.co.uk?

Keep getting more fans and followers. I'm hoping to get to the stage where I get a lot of fan interaction, sharing ideas and posts on Facebook, Twitter and emails.

So if you fancy taking a look at Tom's website (Because after reading this interview why wouldn't you?)
Check out wtf1.co.uk or the facebook and twitter pages. 

Fancy being next months interviewee?
If you run a F1 related blog, website or anything F1 media based.
Then contact me at squiffany87@gmail.com