Nelson Valkenburg Melroy Heemskerk’s F1 Commentary Magic

When the lights soon go out in Melbourne and the engines roar around the Formula 1 circuit, Nelson Valkenburg and Melroy Heemskerk provide the live commentary for Viaplay. How does a session like that work? A look behind the scenes. “There’s no ego between us.”

Nelson and Melroy are motorsport fanatics through and through and have been providing commentary for streaming service Viaplay for four years. It was high time to sit in on a session in the commentary position. “That’s not just exciting for the drivers, but for us as well. There’s so much action on track then, brilliant!”

With the special sticker on my media pass I gain access to the area where the commentary positions are located. I knock on the little booth with ‘Viaplay’ on the door and the two of them cheerfully welcome me into their modest setup. With two chairs and a table the space is already well filled. Add seven screens, a mixing desk with headsets and microphones, and you understand how cosy it is.

On the largest screen the pictures are shown that you also see at home on TV, and the rest are mostly screens packed with stats: lap times, live tracker, pit-stop information, the tyres — you name it. There’s even a small screen with useful tidbits about the drivers and the race. Always handy when you’re doing commentary.

“On the Wednesday before every Grand Prix we run through everything and test the whole setup. And before every session we do another test,” Melroy explains. All in all it’s a big operation and Viaplay alone has about fifty people working during a Grand Prix weekend to keep it all running smoothly.

Apart from these technical checks, the duo also prepares thoroughly for every race. “I always rewatch the last two races at the same circuit before the weekend starts,” Nelson admits. “But our biggest preparation begins in the hire car on the day of arrival. That’s when you start thinking about what could happen, how the week’s news will play out. That kind of stuff.”

Handling criticism

Viaplay deliberately opted for this two-man setup four years ago, as a break with Olav Mol’s solo commentary. At first they drew considerable criticism and pushback — change is hard for a lot of people — but by now they have become the voices of Formula 1 in the Netherlands.

“We’ve known each other for over twenty years and we clicked straight away,” Nelson reflects. The two met at the circuit and forged a strong friendship. “Sometimes you meet people where it just works. But for me the main thing is that there’s no ego between us. There never has been.”

Nelson had already more than earned his stripes as a sports commentator (see box) and, during one of the long-distance races he covers from Hoofddorp for Motors TV, he rang his mate. “Mate, you live just around the corner. Get on your bike and come sit next to me as an expert,” Melroy remembers. “That went so well we started doing it more often, like at Le Mans and the WEC rounds.” The fresh voice of the pairing appealed to Viaplay and the rest is history.

Qualifying at Spielberg is now almost underway and, from the commentary position among all the screens, we take one last look out at the track. A final equipment check is carried out and there’s one last link-up with Hilversum.

“For the workflow it’s clear that I open the broadcast, and I also do race starts,” Nelson says as he settles into his chair. “After that it depends on how things flow. I don’t mind who calls the decisive overtake.” The opening sequence, with all the fixed graphics and set moments, has become something of a ritual for him. “After this leader you’re ready and I know my rhythm. Once we come out of the graphics, we can go.”

I have to be quiet for a moment and, before I drop into the seat behind them, I notice them give each other a quick good-luck tap on the fingers. It’s something they do before qualifying and the race — a small sign of how close they are.

Q1 gets underway and everything stays fairly relaxed. It’s interesting to see how vital non-verbal communication is in a two-presenter setup. They watch the screens intently and signal with a finger when one wants to hand the commentary over to the other. They also switch regularly to Allard Kalff, who performs the Race Control role from Hilversum.

Completely rubbish

When that part of qualifying finishes, the studio takes back control. Time for a short break. Headsets come off and a few bottles of water are cracked open. I can imagine that after all those years in such a small room they must have had the odd argument.

“No, never,” Nelson shoots back. “However different we are. I’m really driven by emotion, he’s the rational one. That sounds like a recipe for a fight. But what we both do very well is give each other space and understand what the other needs. There are days you’re not feeling great and because you know each other so well — better than almost anyone else — you know what the other needs.”

There’s a pause and Nelson looks back at the early days of their stint at Viaplay. “Okay, during our second race in Jeddah a few irritations surfaced. The pressure of the lead-up, the travel, the lack of sleep. But it wasn’t directed at each other. Then we walked from the paddock to the hotel together. By car it was only twenty minutes, but we took an hour and a half. A bit of chatting, a bit of grumbling, a bit of laughing — and the tension melted away.”

“But we were absolutely wrecked then,” Melroy adds. “The media put so much pressure on us. Everyone had an opinion and thought it was completely rubbish that we were doing it instead of Olav. We still had to prove ourselves.” Nelson picks up the thread and says they’ve learned how important it is to keep listening to the viewers. “We’ll never be perfect for them and there’s always room for improvement. But if you change something and you see it works, that’s a good sign.”

Watching them work together is fascinating. Sometimes a look or half a nod is enough, and the other slips in effortlessly. Melroy has the mic in Q2, but Nelson signals he wants to take over. Not long after an onboard radio flashes up that Nelson hasn’t noticed. Melroy taps him, points at the message and Nelson’s thumb goes up. This is a well-oiled machine.

The track keeps getting faster and the tension in the commentary box rises as the session winds down. “Bortoletoooo!” Nelson roars when the Brazilian delivers a monster of a lap and slaps his thigh — you can tell he’s a proper fan at heart.

Blunders

During the break before the final part of qualifying, I ask whether any big blunders have ever happened live on air. Melroy shrugs, says mistakes happen and that he doesn’t lose sleep over them.

Nelson is cut from a different cloth and brings up Monaco 2022. “That was a wet race with delays, crashes, red flags, you name it. I misjudged the final flying lap. I was already heading for the finish line, thinking I was done, but they still had another lap to go. Oh, I was fuming! Okay, an hour later I could laugh about it, especially because Melroy put it into perspective so easily.”

The control room is back for the all-important closing phase of qualifying. Nelson even stands up. When Lando Norris posts a brilliant time, Nelson suddenly starts talking more with his hands. Like a conductor he stands in front of the screens and signals when Melroy should take over.

An and a half minutes to go — who will grab pole? Nelson shifts nervously from one foot to the other. Then Norris squeezes everything out of the McLaren one more time and puts the whole field half a second adrift. “Wooow,” both shout in disbelief and excitement. There’s an emotional release in the commentary booth when the session ends; the duo can relax again. Nelson closes the session by reading out the results. Back to Hilversum.

As we leave the commentary room and our eyes readjust to daylight, I ask what advice they’d give to readers who want to follow in their footsteps. “Don’t just focus on Formula 1 — learn the whole sport, every facet. It only makes you better,” Nelson advises. “Learn the sport from the ground up and understand it, and you’ll enjoy it all the more.”