Trayan Sarafov's F1 Race Through Life

"You have to enjoy life whenever you can - no matter if you are in the lead, or you are following" – Jenson Button

Turkey, 2009. The Formula 1 season is already burning fast and bright. By now, the Istanbul Park Circuit is full of journalists, race officials, and eagerly anticipating the start of the Turkish Grand Prix.

And amongst them, perhaps no one notices a fresh-faced journalist for the Bulgarian TV7. It is his first Grand Prix live coverage, and he feels nervous and excited at the same time. He hopes to get the best out of the weekend and complete the job he has always dreamt of doing.

However, little does young Trayan Sarafov know that on that same weekend, he would get to meet and interview the world champion-to-be and his favorite driver, Jenson Button.

What is more, at that point, he cannot even imagine that in less than two decades he would be one of the most recognizable names in the world of F1 in Bulgaria.

Trayan Sarafov has been one of the leading Formula 1 commentators for Diema Sport 3 for the past 17 years. His dynamic commentary and passion for sport have inspired numerous viewers, and he continues to present the world of motorsport for audiences all over Bulgaria.

Besides that, Trayan works as a project manager at IBM and has a YouTube channel, Behind the Wheel, where he dives into detail about each F1 weekend.

In his free time, Trayan enjoys listening to classical and hip-hop music as well as playing through his favorite video game franchise, Battlefield. In addition to that, he spends a great proportion of his time raising a young daughter.

Trayan’s passion for Formula 1 began very early in his childhood.

“The weekends normally were associated with my father and my uncle getting together and watching the races,” Trayan shared. He described how the noise of Formula 1 got embedded within his head and how it still brings great emotions many decades later.

Trayan’s career in motorsport began in 2003 when he started in Sim racing. Then, in 2006, during his teenage years, he was writing motorsport articles in Sportal, and then took an internship at Eurosport Bulgaria to get to grips with TV commentary.

The young journalist’s journey had its big break when he joined TV7’s Formula 1 broadcast in 2009.

“I had the incredible chance and opportunity to join TV7 to become the leading commentator back in the day,” said Trayan. “I had the chance to go through a lot of races, mostly European races of the calendar, to do the reporting on site, to be presenting the races from the locations.”

Trayan described his connection with his commentator partners as “crucial” for his success. His first partner on air was Georgi Ivanov, whom Trayan saw as a personal idol.

“As a viewer, as a listener, I was a huge fan of Georgi and the work that he did for Eurosport back in the 2000s and with Formula 1 back in the 90s,” Trayan explained. For him, at first, it was a matter of meeting someone you admire, and after that, finding ways to incorporate himself into the style of his much more experienced colleague.

As he put it, “Georgi was the core, and I was a feature to this core.”

Trayan was then given the opportunity to work with Ivan Tenchev, another of his heroes. A few years later, Momchil Manchev would also join their team.

“This team [of commentators], we have been together for 11 years now, working amongst ourselves, and it is a constant battle for improvements,” shared Trayan. “None of this could be achieved if you do not feel respect towards the guy who is sitting next to you.”

When it comes to his career highlight, Trayan explained he finds it difficult to narrow it down to just one. For him, every single race weekend is a high point, and his passion and love for sport have not faded away despite the many years.

Throughout his career, there were many moments where Trayan felt obstacles. Yet, there is not a single moment when he did not enjoy them. “It is all about improving and learning from the mistakes and making sure that the next time you go live, it will be your best performance yet,” he elaborated.

“I think the best Formula 1 track to describe my personality would be Nürburgring Nordschleife,” laughed Trayan. “It has different elevations, and I think I have a lot of elevations in terms of personality. It is never flat!”

Trayan recalled personal advice he received from one of the legendary Formula 1 journalists, Peter Windsor: “Trust me, Tray, as long as you strive to make the best out of a situation, you will be alright, my friend.”

“When I was in my 20s, I was thinking: would there be a day where, perhaps, maybe this passion is going to fade? And the answer is clear, no. I am well in my mid-30s now and I love it. I love it to death,” Trayan stated.

 

 

 Edited by: Hary Dikov and Janina Ormanova

 

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