About
Journalist and broadcaster Stuart Codling has worked in motorsport for over a decade, covering sportscars in the USA before joining F1 Racing, the world’s biggest-selling Formula 1 magazine, in 2001. He has ridden pillion with World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson, gone snowboarding with (former) FIA President Max Mosley, and been sworn at by sometime Ferrari F1 driver Eddie Irvine. He has appeared as an F1 expert on TV and radio, hosted for Renault F1, and contributes to F1 Racing, AUTOSPORT, Autocar and the Red Bulletin. He is the author of the new book Art of the Formula One Race Car.
Thanks to everyone at Sidepodcast for moral and technical support in firing this blog into life…
“been sworn at by sometime Ferrari F1 driver Eddie Irvine” – dude, you’re my hero! But unlike Eddie I won’t swear I promise!
By the way, what did you do make IRV swear at you? If it’s not a secret…
It wasn’t me, Guv, honest. One of my colleagues had written that he’d heard Irv was too fat to fit in his car.
Irv took a poor view.
It just so happened that I was sitting in the Jag tent (at a test in Valencia) having a coffee with a photographer when Irv and his trainer sat down with us.
Irv was carrying a copy of the mag in which the allegations had been published, and he left no stone unturned in his description of the shortcomings of the magazine and its staff. I thought I should stand up for editorial integrity. He turned the air blue. In hindsight it was quite funny. He said:
“Who the f–k are you? I don’t see your name in this piece of s–t.”
I pointed out that the first 12 pages of feature copy in the very issue he happened to be shaking at me furiously carried my byline.
“Oh, so you just write the a–e-kissing s—e, do you?”
Very, very angry man. He was definitely a character.
Cool, thanks for sharing the story with us! Pity IRV only has a daughter (who, apparently, is not into racing), Irvine Jr. would come in handy now.