Episode Details
Back to EpisodesEp60: Ciara Gillan: Building Formula Live Pulse
Description
This week on Away We Go Podcast, Di sits down with Ciara Gillan — co-founder of Formula Live Pulse and now a regular voice on the show for the 2026 season.
You’ve heard Ciara on race recaps. You’ve heard her talk strategy, telemetry and team politics. But this episode is about her.
From asking “too many questions” during races (Simone’s words) to co-building one of the most data-rich second-screen experiences in Formula 1, Ciara’s journey into the sport is refreshingly modern — and unapologetically curious.
How Curiosity Built an App
Ciara didn’t grow up glued to sports channels. She knew Formula 1 was there — always hovering in the background — but access was limited. It wasn’t until she started watching regularly with her partner (and Formula Live Pulse co-founder) that the questions really started.
And they didn’t stop.
Those questions exposed a gap: fans wanted deeper context, clearer data, and access to the conversations happening behind the broadcast. That curiosity became Formula Live Pulse — an app delivering:
- Live telemetry
- Full team radio transcripts
- Radio playback
- Tyre and pit strategy data
- Fantasy league features
- Pulse Picks (vote your driver of the race)
- Community chat during sessions
- Coverage of F2, F3 and F1 Academy
What began as “stop asking me questions during the race” evolved into a global platform serving fans who want more than the TV feed.
Ciara talks candidly about building the app, expanding it beyond F1, and why she’s proud of what it’s becoming.
Ferrari, Carlos & Underdog Energy
If Ciara has to pick one team? It’s Ferrari. Always.
She knows it’s complicated. She knows the anxiety is real. But that love-hate relationship is part of the identity Ciara Gillan interview - Feb 2….
As for drivers:
- She’s drawn to Oscar Piastri’s humility and composure.
- She admires Charles Leclerc’s self-critical honesty.
- And she has a particular soft spot for Carlos Sainz — not just the charm, but the “racing brain.”
Ciara is fascinated by drivers who think strategically, who understand the bigger picture mid-race. It’s not just speed that impresses her — it’s intelligence under pressure.
Beyond F1: The Filmmaker
Outside of Formula Live Pulse, Ciara is a filmmaker and producer based in Berlin.
She studied film, worked across animation, visual effects and audio, and now runs a production company developing projects between Ireland and Germany. One of her recent short films, The Head On Him, is currently streaming on Disney+ — a milestone she speaks about with quiet pride Ciara Gillan interview - Feb 2….
At heart, she’s a writer. Fiction. Crime. Stories she’s still mulling over, waiting for time to sit down and write properly.
There’s something fitting about that — a strategist in racing and a storyteller off it.
The Final Three
Ciara’s answers tell you a lot about her:
- Race she’d attend:
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