“It Makes Me Proud To Bring A Different Type Of Representation In Motorsport”

“Racing has been my entire life since I was very young. It’s a tough sport and the odds of winning are against you,” says racing driver, presenter and Puma ambassador Naomi Schiff, who’s the face of the new PUMA for Scuderia Ferrari June Ambrose Collection. “When you’re outside of the car on the track, it’s noisy and stressful, but for me, when I was in the car, it was like therapy. I was at one with the car, trying to put together the most perfect lap.”

Now 28 years old, it’s no wonder Schiff felt so at home in a racing car – she has spent most of her life immersed in the world of motorsports. Following her career as a driver, she’s stayed close to the action and is now a presenter and analyst covering Formula One.

Schiff is part of the changing face of F1 right now. “Motorsport has traditionally been very male, pale and stale,” she says. “But Formula One is very much in a space at the moment that's not that anymore.” She says that this progress is partly being led by viewers. “There's a whole new audience pushing to see that change. That's not necessarily just about presenters, but also within the paddock – the drivers, the team members, the whole ecosystem.”

Born in Belgium but brought up in South Africa (her dad is Belgian and her mum is Rwandan), Schiff’s interest in racing was sparked at an indoor go-karting birthday party when she was 11 years old. “I absolutely loved it. I liked that there was speed involved and the competitive element of overtaking your friends. It was fun and exciting. And I was quite good at it.” When the party ended, Schiff didn’t want to stop racing and begged her dad to take her back.

That was the start of what turned out to be a 16-year racing career. It wasn’t always a smooth journey. As a teenager, Schiff represented South Africa at world championships. When she was 18 years old, her dad took out a second loan on his house to help her enter a European championship. After one race, the championship went bankrupt and they lost all the money. After that, Schiff spent her days knocking on doors and handing out business cards. But then there were triumphs again. After winning a championship in China in 2014, she signed a five-year contract with a race car manufacturer and spent the next few years competing in races such as the GT championships. She also took part in the first-ever W Series, the women-only championship which launched in 2019.

Schiff’s last race was in 2019. After that, she was approached about becoming a presenter for W Series, which eventually led to her becoming an F1 broadcaster. This new chapter felt like a fresh start. “I had a real sense of unfinished business,” she says. “For the last six years of my racing career, I was never able to properly prove myself. I felt like I had to correct that. The fact that I've been able to move on to a career that keeps me in the sport that I love has put away that feeling of unfinished business.”

Throughout her career, Schiff has fought to overcome obstacles. She says that one of the biggest barriers for anyone wanting to make it as a professional racer is money, as it’s an expensive sport. But as a Black woman trying to make it in the incredibly white, male world of motorsports, she has faced other barriers, too. “I was basically like an alien because I was both female and Black. I was always the only one in the room. I don't even know if there were any other Black female racing drivers at all when I raced.”

By being visible on TV, Schiff hopes that she can inspire others who might not necessarily think that F1 is for them. “It makes me proud to be able to bring a different type of representation to broadcasting in motorsport that hasn't existed prior to me, in terms of being a young woman and a woman of colour,” she says.

The opportunity to showcase women in the F1 space was part of the reason Schiff was so keen to be involved with Puma’s latest campaign for its Scuderia Ferrari collaboration, designed by celebrity stylist June Ambrose. “I was excited about the concept because they’re using women who are in the paddock and women who are involved in motorsport. I knew that would resonate with a lot of the young women who watch the sport,” she says. “There are very few collections in motorsport made for women. And this collection very much hits the market – there's loads of stuff that’s really appealing to women, like crop tops and cute cycling shorts. The fact that they went out there to make items specifically for women in a campaign with only women in it is a very powerful thing.”

It goes back to that idea of representation and inspiration, which is so important in everything Schiff does. “What I do today is not about me. It's much more about other people who may be watching it and who I may have an impact on in a positive way. That's really important. Any time that a young woman comes up to me and tells me that what I'm doing inspires them, I can't describe what that feels like.”