Esme Buxton: Building The Paddock Journal & the Rise of Print in F1

Esme Buxton didn't come up through motorsport — she came up through fashion, shooting editorials and film sets, until a headshoot with F1 presenter Laura Winter turned into a question she couldn't shake: why doesn't a proper fashion-and-culture magazine for F1 exist?

So she built it. In under 18 months, The Paddock Journal went from a Substack to millions of monthly views and a sold-out print annual — all shot by an all-female team inside the paddock.

We get into the rise of print in a digital sport, the "two ecosystems" pulling F1 in different directions, whether the paddock is becoming too elitist (and why Le Mans might be the real racing fan's race), the Atelier, staying independent while the big brands circle, and her advice for anyone waiting for permission to start: stop asking for the playbook.