Two Formula 1 fans sharing their passion for motorsport on YouTube.
P1 with Matt & Tommy is a Formula 1 commentary channel run by friends and colleagues, Matt Gallagher and Tom “Tommy” Bellingham.
The pair began their partnership while working on WTF1, a website-turned-YouTube channel that Tommy launched in 2010 as a way to share his love for motorsport. Matt joined the team a few years later, and with fellow motorsport lover and journalist Katy Fairman, the trio developed a loyal following that eagerly tuned into their videos each week.
Toward the end of 2022, a few years after Tommy sold WTF1 to The Race Media, the three friends decided to venture off on their own. Katy has continued her passion for writing by contributing to several websites and has even launched her own podcast. Matt and Tommy, after a few months off, revealed P1 with Matt & Tommy.
Fans of the pair, myself included, were devastated to see them leave WTF1, so to say that we were excited at their return to YouTube – and on their own channel, at that – would be an understatement. The hype was so huge that the channel amassed around 100,000 subscribes in just 24 hours!
There’s a reason why myself and several hundred thousand others love P1 with Matt & Tommy. Not only are the two born YouTube stars with their charisma and natural ability to keep audiences engaged, but they offer a unique take on the F1 genre, blending race and driver analysis with good-natured banter.
Each race week, viewers can expect videos about Free Practice, Qualifying and the race itself. They also make predictions about what’ll take place over the weekend, have a hilarious meme review series and rate the drivers after each race (oftentimes ruthlessly). Outside of race weekends, they also film content with the drivers themselves, making for some quality content.
What ultimately draws viewers in is how passionate the pair are about the sport.
Matt is likely the biggest Charles Leclerc fan ever, while Tommy is a diehard Max Verstappen fan. Many, including myself, share in the physical pain Matt feels every week when Ferrari make a horrible strategy decision that inevitably hurts Charles’ chance at a podium, and pretty much everyone can’t help but agree with Tommy when he predicts that Max will take home first place.
It’s this personal connection that’s leant itself to P1 with Matt & Tommy becoming a success. Viewers are able to relate to them more than most YouTubers, and I feel that the two are proof that it’s the creators – not the platform or company – that fans connect with. I mean, just look at their subscriber count after just half a year of posting videos.
I’ve already commented this under one of their videos, and I’ll say it here, too: if there are two creators who deserve all the success afforded to them, it’s Matt and Tommy. They’re arguably some of the most sincere and passionate YouTubers in the F1 genre, and I can’t wait to see what they achieve next. They’re some of the few whose videos I eagerly look forward to, and if that’s not high enough praise, I don’t know what is.
What’s more, they’re on more than just YouTube! P1 with Matt & Tommy is also available in podcast form, meaning you can tune in on your favourite platform, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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