The Starting Grid

Here are a few of my favorite and best-performing videos. Sit back and enjoy!

"It's Lights Out and Away We Go!"

The channel began out of a desire to have my own space in the F1 sphere, to have interesting discussions about the sport and learn from fellow fans. In addition, since F1 has a male-dominated fan base, I saw an opportunity to bring my perspective of the sport as a female fan. My autodidact nature was also drawn by the prospect of learning new skills like video editing, content creation, communication, storytelling, and content strategy.

Formula 1 has been a staple in my family for decades, and I've watched it off-and-on since F1 had the old logo (you know, the one with the terrible negative-space illusion). However, I truly began to follow the sport closely at the start of the 2024 season. The excitement of everything that was happening each weekend made me want to create a space to share my own opinions and passion for the sport. I'm aware that I'm a fairly new fan, but I continually strive to learn as much as I can about the inner workings and history of the pinnacle of motorsport.

Box, Box

What's the strategy and the process behind the making of each video?

1. Idea Generation

I research and generate ideas for future videos, based on inspiration from other content creators, or original concepts. I keep a list of ideas, schedule possible posting dates, and keep track of the performance of ideas that were used. I also keep a collection of video thumbnails from other creators that I feel compelled to click on, in order to study what makes them so appealing.

2. Research and Script Writing

Once I decide on a topic, I begin by writing the script. I research relevant news articles, quotes, or data to ensure the accuracy of my commentary. For race reviews, I write down memorable moments and lap numbers as I watch the race, which I then translate into a polished script. I usually try to add a touch of humor, so I note relevant references or memes to include.

3. Filming and Editing

When the script is finished, I film the video, paying attention to lighting and sound. I edit the raw footage using Premiere Pro, where I add music, sound effects, visual effects, color grading, and audio corrections.

4. Upload, Title, and Thumbnail

The trickiest part of it all! Once the video is uploaded to YouTube, I devise the perfect title and thumbnail to draw viewers to my video. I pay attention to the types of titles and thumbnails that other creators use, to see which ones work well and what techniques are they using (down to capitalization!).

5. Performance Analysis

After about 24 hours of uploading the video, I take a look at its performance via YouTube's analytics. Based on the metrics, I make edits to the video, title, and/or thumbnail. Observing video analytics also allows me to optimize my future output.

Thumbnail and Title Comparison

"Professional" appearance

This Race was PURE INSANITY | 2025 Dutch GP Review

• Title in title case, with vertical bar to separate ideas
• More elaborate thumbnail, with a colorful background and more text
• Features arrows and strokes to direct attention
• All-cap words add energy and urgency
• Consistent use throughout the channel so videos are recognized as part of the same category (eg. 2025 race reviews)

"Silly" appearance

unpopular F1 opinions
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• Title in all lowercase
• Minimalist thumbnail with flat background; intentional "bad design" appearance
• Minimal text use
• Attention is drawn to one central element (eg. a comment of a controversial opinion)
• Design can be experimental and vary throughout the channel, as these are usually "one-off" videos

Livery Design

In addition to my videos, I've also created a simple brand identity for Race Day Café.
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The channel is named after the fact that for fans in North America, most races in the season happen quite early in the morning, or even at night (the Australian GP is at 3am!). I also wanted the tone of the videos to be laid-back and conversational, as though you're at a café chatting with a friend about F1. As such, the brand was created around coffee, with the slogan "Stay Fueled!" (a play on caffeine and car fuel). The logo features a coffee cup surrounded by a laurel crown, a common motif in sports in general, but especially significant and present in motorsport.

The color palette is simple but colorful. I chose electric blue as the main color, mainly because I'm a fan of Williams Racing, but also to be eye-catching and energetic.

The typography is mainly based around Morganite, as its narrow italic letters have a sporty, speedy feel. For text in videos, I rotate between Morganite, Acumin Pro for legibility and seriousness, and Comic Sans for silliness (its use is quite popular on YouTube).

Podium Celebration

Here are some stats from my channel so far. Pop the champagne!
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As of October 2025:

The Cooldown Room

Running Race Day Café has been a massively enriching and rewarding experience so far. I've learned a lot about Formula 1 of course, but also a ton of skills that go into video editing and content creation. It's also given me a platform to express my ideas and my creativity, as well as build a small community where I can be part of interesting conversations and discussions.

My goal for the future is to keep expending my channel into something bigger. I want to try designing my own merch, with specific references to the channel. I also hope to collaborate with other creators in the F1 scene, not just on YouTube but other platforms as well, and learn from their experiences in the world of content creation. And of course I want to keep getting better at filming and editing, so my videos will look increasingly more professional.

Fun Facts

• My favorite team: Williams Racing (and McLaren, when they actually let their drivers race...)
• My favorite drivers: Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Fernando Alonso (in that order)
  
• My favorite tracks: Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps
• Races I've attended: 2025 Canadian GP... and very soon, the first-ever Madrid GP!
• Did you know? The color of this text is #F1F1F1. Definitely not intentional...