Lessons from the Formula 1 traveling media circus

At a Formula 1 race, like the Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday, not only do the race cars go super-fast, but also the journalists who travel from one race to the next.

Called “pack journos,” or “a traveling circus” by the Monaco locals, these pros include many writers and photographers who cover every race. In Monaco, about 500 journalists from around the world reported the race. Ten thousand fans who came to Monaco and a global TV audience of at least 400 million watched the race.

Richard Micoud, communication and media manager for the Automobile Club de Monaco, said there was one WiFi network for the photographers and another for journalists. And the most popular media social platform in Monaco? Twitter.

This is not much different from other sports. Journalists often travel and gather together to cover the World Cup or the Super Bowl. But a Formula1’s ‘traveling circus’ also includes the same mechanics, engineers, and marketing reps for the teams, with a very select expertise—they know car racing, and the background and personalities of F1s.

What can the rest of us learn from this unique group?

1. Like F1 drivers, journalists must be fast.