At just 16, Lindsay Muddle is already making a name for himself in the world of motorsport commentary. Coming off the back of the first round of AU4 in Victoria and with his sights set on bigger things, we sat down with him to talk racing, commentary and passion.
Q: Hi Lindsay, thanks for sitting down with ENA! Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: To start off, I’m 16 years old and I’ve loved motorsport since I was only a couple of years old. I absolutely love doing commentary. I’ve been doing it for a few years online and now it’s led me to this awesome opportunity with AU4 and Sydney Motorsport Park this year.
Q: Recently you were flown to Winton to call Round One of AU4 (formerly Australian Formula 4). That’s a big opportunity for such a young bloke – how are you feeling in the wake of it?
A: It’s such a big opportunity for me and I definitely didn’t let that get away from me, especially in the week leading up to the first round. Now that I’ve completed my first full AU4 weekend I have to say it’s been an amazing experience.
Being in Victoria for round one was an incredible time, and I definitely learnt a lot. I can’t wait to call the rest of the season with those lessons from over the weekend.
Q: AU4 is part of the FIA pathway to Formula 1 in Australia. Has it dawned on you that you might be calling the next Doohan or Piastri or is it just about putting down some solid commentary?
A: It 100 per cent dawned on me that I could be commentating the future top talent in motorsport because that’s what AU4 intends to do. It wants to breed such a high level of driver to take on the rest of the world.
I spoke about it over the weekend on the broadcast. The likes of Liam Lawson, Will Brown and Jayden Ojeda have raced in Australian F4 in years gone by and now they are such prominent figures in Australian and global motorsport.
I want to lay down good commentary as well, there’s no doubt about that, especially when I’m trying to build my own name in the scene. But just getting to be the person calling these young future stars has its own feeling to it that’s really hard to describe.
Q: Take us back a bit. How did you gain proximity to the sport? Where did your love for racing come from? And what role has sim racing played in that?
A: I’ve had an obsession with motorsport for a very long time; since I was very little. But the way I really fell in love with it was through sim racing. I used to race a lot of people, all the time, taking part in any competition I could.
Over time I started to delve into the other sides of it as well, and the one that always caught my eye was commentary. I fell in love with it very quickly and I slowly found myself choosing to commentate instead of jumping behind the wheel.
There is just this raw emotion I feel from calling a race that really powers my commentary. After doing it for the Motorsport Australia OFI Cup, I got the opportunity to commentate at Sydney Motorsport Park in September last year.
That led to ongoing opportunities with SMSP, and AU4 reaching out to me. I think sim racing is such an excellent platform for drivers and commentators to rapidly build their skills due to the sheer amount of racing going on.
It creates the ability to jump into the real world very quickly and not have a long adjustment time to hit the ground running.
Q: Was there a particular moment where it shifted from passion to ambition?
A: No, not really. The passion I have is still very much alive and still drives my commentary. Without the passion my commentary wouldn’t be what you hear on the microphone. That isn’t to say that ambition hasn’t built alongside that passion though.
I find myself more motivated than ever to do my best commentary and really make a name for myself that will allow me to rise up and make it my full-time career.
Q: A lot of people love motorsport, but very few try to translate it into words. Do you know what drew you to that side of it?
A: I’m not sure, to be honest with you. I know it’s not the most clear or helpful answer but there’s just something that I love about it. I just feel so connected to the racing when I commentate and I just can’t get that feeling in any other type of involvement.
I just love commentating.
Q: How would you describe your voice and style as a commentator?
A: I would describe my voice and style as a commentator as quite in the moment and punchy. I don’t try to think ahead about what I might say, I just call it as I see it and use my emotions to guide how I say it.
For example, if something really amps me up or I’m really enjoying a battle, you will hear me amp up. It’s no different to what I might think when I’m watching a race, I just put it into words.
At the end of the day I just want to create the most raw, exciting entertainment for the viewers, and I think my voice goes a long way to doing that. By letting my emotion drive my words, I think it allows my passion and knowledge to shine through.
Q: Do you think about the audience while you’re calling a race?
A: Of course I do, a big part of being a commentator is being able to translate what you feel and see into words that are both exciting and make sense to the audience. While commentators may not always interact directly, I am always thinking about them.
Q: How do you balance learning the technical side of the sport with developing your own voice behind the mic?
A: I guess I’m fortunate enough to be absolutely obsessed with motor racing so I never really had to learn the technical side from scratch when I started commentating. That’s not to say I am not learning though, because I always am.
I usually learn at the race track. For example, if I see something that I think isn’t quite right or I can’t make sense of, I go out of my way to learn what it is or what it means, then I have the full picture. But overall I have a pretty good understanding of the sport.
Behind the mic however I am always learning new things about commentating and myself. I’ll be open about this. An example of some work I’m doing on my commentary at the moment is learning how to slow it down a bit. I can get amped up and go a bit too fast sometimes.
Since pacing is incredibly important, I’m making a dedicated effort to iron that problem out. I hope that well into my career I’m still doing that because perfection in commentary will never exist, but I want to get as close as I can to it.
Q: You have to be on your game when calling a live race, right? How do you deal with that pressure? Similarly, motorsport is full of unpredictability. Do you prepare for that, or just trust your reaction in real time?
A: Yeah you do have to be on your game when calling a live race. That is a huge thing but sometimes you might not do a call quite the way you wanted to and that’s fine. You just need to cop it on the chin, not dwell on it and keep calling the race.
There is a lot of pressure on the surface when doing commentary because there’s a lot to be thinking about and a lot to be keeping track of during a race. After a while you do learn to manage the pressure of all that.
When I stepped up to the mic during AU4 at Winton I was feeling a bit of pressure, but you just need to park it, or in my case I use it to build my excitement so when the lights go out I’m completely ready to go and call the action.
During the leadup to an event I also prepare notes, but I never prepare what I’m going to say. The most I might do is mid-race – if someone is looking like they will win – I might think of something nice to say on the final lap to call their victory.
But I’ll never [make notes] down to the smallest detail or I feel like it doesn’t come across as genuine.
Q: Do you have any professional influences, any commentary “greats” you look up to?
A: Yeah, I have a few commentary greats and inspirations I look up to. The first person I looked up to as a commentator and still do is Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft. I grew up watching him, so naturally I took a liking to his style.
I look up to him as a big commentary figure. My second inspiration is the legendary Neil Crompton. I always found his raw, passionate commentary so entertaining to watch and that’s why I drive my commentary in the same raw type of way.
My final main inspiration is George Morgan. He is lesser known than the other two because like me, he is still building himself up in the racing world, but he is an awesome commentator. He already calls GT Open, Formula Regional, F1 e-Sports, and a heap of others.
He’s also done a lot of sim racing commentary, and I took his path as an inspiration to forge my own. I have actually commentated with George a few times now, mostly during the Motorsport Australia OFI Cup.
He is not just an awesome commentator but a top bloke and I still ask him for advice when I need it. He is such an approachable guy and he is just so passionate about his commentary and helping others get into the craft as well.
Q: And what’s next in the world of Lindsay Muddle?
A: That’s the question I continuously ask myself. For now I just want to continue doing what I’m doing with AU4 and SMSP, however the more opportunities to get behind the mic the better. I’m always looking for more opportunities and will see where it ends up taking me.
Q: We can’t wait to see your progression. Any parting words for the readers?
A: Thanks for having me and thank you for the kind words. I don’t necessarily have any big parting words, but I will say, make sure to tune in to the rest of the AU4 Championship to hear me and how I am progressing over the year. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
