F1 2015: BBC and Sky Guide

As has been the case for the last three years, Formula One coverage will continue to be split between the BBC and Sky Sports in the UK. All 19 races will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, while BBC will show ten live – including the Canadian, British and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – with nine as extended highlights. Here is a breakdown of each broadcaster’s coverage for the year ahead.

2015 Calendar

1. Australian Grand Prix 13th – 15th March
2. Malaysian Grand Prix 27th – 29th March
3. Chinese Grand Prix 10th – 12th April
4. Bahrain Grand Prix 17th – 19th April
5. Spanish Grand Prix 8th – 10th May
6. Monaco Grand Prix 22nd – 24th May
7. Canadian Grand Prix 5th – 7th June
8. Austrian Grand Prix 19th – 21st June
9. British Grand Prix 3rd – 5th July
10. German Grand Prix 17th – 19th July
11. Hungarian Grand Prix 24th – 26th July
12. Belgian Grand Prix 21st – 23rd August
13. Italian Grand Prix 4th – 6th September
14. Singapore Grand Prix 18th – 20th September
15. Japanese Grand Prix 25th – 27th September
16. Russian Grand Prix 9th – 11th October
17. US Grand Prix 23rd – 25th October
18. Mexican Grand Prix 30th October – 1st November
19. Brazilian Grand Prix 13th – 15th November
20. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 27th – 29th November

Races in bold indicate the races shown live in full by the BBC. As was the case in 2014, the BBC’s live races include Malaysia, Canada, Great Britain, Belgium, Japan, Russia and Abu Dhabi. In addition to those races the BBC will also show Bahrain, Hungary, and Brazil live. This means the new addition to the calendar – the Mexican Grand Prix – will not be broadcast live on the BBC.

Sky Sports F1

Continuity is key for Sky Sports F1 with the 2014 team returning for 2015. Coverage will be fronted by Simon Lazenby and Natalie Pinkham, alongside roving reporter Ted Kravitz. Martin Brundle and David Croft will provide commentary while expert analysis will be given by Damon Hill, Anthony Davidson, Johnny Herbert and Bruno Senna.

Race weekends will be complemented with weekly editions of The F1 Show and live coverage will also be shown of the supporting GP2 and GP3 races.

Viewers can watch live on TV with Dolby 5.1 surround sound, via Sky Go or using Race Control accessed via the red button or the Sky Sports App for iPad. Race Control users can choose two of up to ten camera views, including driver and pit-lane cameras, and data streams to watch on split-screen.

“There are so many exciting story lines next season and we’ll cover every twist and turn from Australia to Abu Dhabi,” Sky Sports F1’s executive producer Martin Turner said.

BBC F1

Although not explicitly stated, it appears the BBC F1 team will also remain as 2014 for the upcoming season. With coverage fronted by Suzi Perry, Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard, analysis will come from Allan McNish and pit-lane reporting from Lee McKenzie. Commentary will once again be provided by Ben Edwards and Coulthard for the TV feed, while James Allen will commentate on races for BBC Radio 5 Live joined by McNish. Jennie Gow will feature on the radio coverage as a pit-lane reporter.

There will be comprehensive coverage of the whole season across television, radio and online. All races will be live on BBC Radio 5 Live or 5 Live Sports extra and fans can also follow all the action and the latest news on the F1 section of the BBC Sport website and via the BBC Sport App. World Champion Lewis Hamilton will continue to write his column for the BBC website.

A new addition to the BBC F1 coverage this year is Formula 1 Rewind which will be presented by Suzi Perry. Murray Walker will be recounting classic Grand Prix from the past.

“Like all F1 fans, we can’t wait for the 2015 season,” Ben Gallop, the BBC’s Head of F1, said. “With Lewis Hamilton as World Champion, F1 in Britain is in a great position and we’re delighted with our race package. These live races, combined with our ever-popular highlights programmes and our extensive coverage on radio and online means F1 fans can follow every step of Hamilton’s title defence on the BBC”.

The BBC negotiates with fellow broadcaster Sky on the division of live and non-live races, with a variety of factors being taken into account when deciding the picks. For the races not shown live on BBC TV audiences are offered a wealth of ways to follow the action with extended TV highlights and live radio and online coverage.

The BBC has a deal to broadcast Formula 1 racing, through to and including 2018.

F1 2013: BBC and Sky Guide

As was the case in 2012, Formula One coverage in the UK will continue to be split between two broadcasters – Sky and the BBC. While all races will be broadcast live on the dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel, BBC will broadcast only nine of the races live. They had been due to show ten, with an extra European date being added to the calendar, but that since looks to have fallen through. Here is a break down of each broadcaster’s coverage for the year ahead, and how you can enjoy Formula One in the UK.

Who is showing what?

17th March – Australian GP
24th March – Malaysian GP
14th April – Chinese GP
21st April – Bahrain GP
12th May – Spanish GP
26th May – Monaco GP
9th June – Canadian GP
30th June – British GP
7th July – German GP
28th July – Hungarian GP
25th August – Belgian GP
8th September – Italian GP
22nd September – Singapore GP
6th October – Korean GP
13th October – Japanese GP
27th October – Indian GP
3rd November – Abu Dhabi GP
17th November – US GP
24th November – Brazilian GP

The BBC line-up is similar to 2012 – starting with the Chinese GP, and also showing the Spanish GP, British GP, Belgian GP, and the Brazilian GP. Races they had in 2012 but will not show live in 2013 are the Monaco GP, Singapore GP,  Korean GP and the Abu Dhabi GP. New live races for BBC in 2013 are the Canadian GP, Italian GP,  Japanese GP and the Indian GP.

The races in bold are the races which BBC will be broadcasting live with the remaining ten being shown as extended highlights. Races which are run in the European timezone will have extended highlights in the early evening while early morning races (such as Australia, Japan etc) will have extended highlights in the afternoon.

The races which aren’t shown live will also have extended highlights on the Saturday of the qualifying sessions.

Races not shown live on the BBC will still have live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC F1 website. Races which the BBC do broadcast live (as highlighted above) while be shown in the normal way as as per previous seasons, with the addition of free practice sessions on BBC2.

Sky, on the other hand, will be broadcasting every race live on the dedicated F1 channel through their Sky Sports package. As well as all the practice and qualifying sessions and live racing, they will continue with their weekly magazine show The F1 Show.

Who will be presenting?

The major presenting shake-up comes at the BBC with the departure of Jake Humphrey. Former MotoGP presenter Suzi Perry will step into his shoes, and take over the anchor duties, alongside David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan. Ben Edwards remains in commentary alongside Coulthard, with Lee McKenzie being joined in the pit-lane by Tom Clarkson, who has appeared on the BBC F1 coverage before. McKenzie will continue presenting Inside F1 on the BBC News Channel on the Friday and Saturday of live race weekends. Gary Anderson will remain in the pit-lane, as well as working with Radio 5 Live and for online content. James Allen and Jennie Gow both remain on Radio 5 Live joined by Allan McNish, who had appeared on Sky F1 in 2012, as an analyst.

Over at Sky, the line-up remains steady, but with the absence of Georgie Thompson. The F1 Show presenter has left the Formula One coverage, with pit-lane reporter Natalie Pinkham taking up her role, along with her own duties. Simon Lazenby will continue to host, with Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill continuing their roles as ‘expert analysts’. David Croft, Anthony Davidson and Martin Brundle stay in commentary with Ted Kravitz in the pit-lane.

For further information visit the BBC F1 website and Sky’s F1 page.

2013: Car Launches: McLaren

Launch Stats

Date: 31/01/2013
Location: McLaren Technology Centre, Woking
Chassis Name: MP4-28
Key Personnel: Jenson Button, Sergio Perez, Sam Michael, Jonathan Neale, Martin Whitmarsh

This year marks 50 years since Bruce McLaren set up his racing team, and the current McLaren F1 team took the opportunity to celebrate it by incorporating their history into the launch of their most recent car, the MP4-28. Prior to the unveiling of the car, compère Natalie Pinkham kicked off proceedings and introduced a poignant video about Bruce McLaren.

“But what might be seen as a tragic end was in fact a beginning. As I always said, to do something well is so worthwhile, but to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. Indeed, life is not measured in years alone but in achievement. That would make a good epitaph, wouldn’t it?

So on that beautiful summer day on that race track, I did more than leave a name and a memory, hopefully I became an inspiration.”

said the voice-over as the video drew to a close.

Following that, engines roared into life as a special convoy of McLaren’s classic cars, led by the M8D CanAm Sportscar, in which Bruce McLaren lost his life, paraded round the perimeter of the lake outside the McLaren Technology Centre and into the building itself, lining up on a grid. The cars were driven by McLaren test drivers Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey, McLaren GT drivers Rob Bell and Alvaro Parente, and Kevin  Magnussen – member of McLaren’s Young Driver programme.

Following that came the McLaren M23 from the 70s, in which Emerson Fittapaldi and James Hunt won championships. Next up was Ayrton Senna’s MP4-4 swiftly followed by the F1 GTR. Driver and Constructor championship winning MP4-13 was driven in, followed by McLaren’s most recent success – Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship winning MP4-23.

But what would the launch of the 2013 car be without the drivers who will be driving it? Sergio Perez arrived in the MP4-12c while Jenson Button got the first public drive of the development version of the new McLaren P1 super-car. They were then interviewed by Natalie Pinkham before taking the covers off the MP4-28.

For full analysis of the new car head over to James Allen’s blog. Follow McLaren on Twitter  and check out the car specifications on their website.

For a transcription of the launch click here!

 

 

2013: McLaren Launch Transcribed

Sam Michael: Obviously Checo is new to the team, so the main challenges that we face with him is that he hasn’t done a great deal of simulator work before. So, there’s a very intensive simulator programme between when he started at McLaren and the first race in Melbourne.

Also, just getting to know the team. It’s a short amount of time, he doesn’t know McLaren, he’s only 23 years old and developing relationships with so many new people, and new faces, compared to where he was before – it’s a big challenge. He’s on a really good course to do that and so far he’s shown us he’s really pushing to do it properly.

Last year the Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes pit crew was consistently the fastest crew in the second half of the season. We made a lot of progress through the year with the development of technology, working on our technique with the pit crew. Our fastest pit-stop time was a 2.31s, which was a world record at the time, and still is, at the German GP, which enabled Jenson Button to overtake Sebastian Vettel in that race.

During the season we’d seen plenty of signs that we could get down to a low two second pit-stop, and even below the sub two seconds. So our target definitely for 2013 is to target consistently under 2.5s, as an average, and I think that will naturally result in pit-stop times close to the two second mark, perhaps below.

The regulations are quite stable from 2012 to 2013, and what that enables you to do is have more bandwidth to apply to the areas you want to refine. So, when you have practices that are working very well everything can be improved, so you can go around the loop again to look at areas where you can gain performance, areas where perhaps, obviously areas like reliability are key. So, you put a lot of effort into those. Although there are some regulation changes, such as  the DRS regulations – those things are pretty second or third order in terms of our preparation for the season. It then means you can go back in and concentrate on those small things.

Unfortunately, at the same time, that also means that teams behind you, and the teams close to you, have more ability to catch up because there’s less differentials. It then means those things that used to be second or third order, become first or second order – they shift up a notch, so it means it is very important to use your bandwidth. It’s not time to have a holiday or anything, it’s time to really focus on the small refinements.

Jenson Button (JB): First of all, good morning everyone. The winter for me has been long and very enjoyable – time to rest and recharge my batteries.

Sergio Perez (SP): Lucky him!

JB: As always a Formula One driver wants to get back in the car and feel the speed again, so it’s been an exciting few weeks – seeing the car come together in terms of building the car, and finally seeing it as one late last night.

Natalie Pinkham (NP) (to Sergio): How does it feel to be a McLaren driver?

SP: Amazing! It’s been a pretty busy couple of months since my last race, it’s been incredible. It’s hard to believe that I am part of this great family, this great history, but I am very motivated and looking forward to meeting the targets that we have this year.

NP: Talking of family we can see Team Perez – I bet it’s nice to have them here, isn’t it?

SP: Yeah, it’s very nice. I think it’s a very special moment for all of them because they have supported me a lot, all through my career, and it’s a great moment for all of us.

NP: What about this man here (points at Jenson)? What’s it been like working with him so far?

SP: Good, very good he came late this year, I’ve been working for some months already.

NP: You’re the new kid at class aren’t you (laughs)?

JB: I’ve been doing all the work, yeah yeah… (Sarcastically like Sergio)

SP: It has been really good.

NP: So 50th anniversary it is obviously a huge year, how does it feel to be part of that legacy?

JB: Ah well as you saw today this some of the achievements of McLaren over the last 50 years, and it really is phenomenal.  I think everyone who has been a part of it , in terms of the drivers today, really feels the history of this team and what if has achieved – and this is only a small part of it as well. That’s really exciting I think for all of us, not just the drivers – but for all of us in the factory, building our racing cars and helping us hopefully to some great achievements this year.

NP: So for you is it still exciting for you to see a new car for the first time?

JB: I’m not that old… Yes. It’s all relative, but no, of course it’s always exciting, especially, you know, when you think you have a good possibility to fight for world championships. So, yes it’s exciting and you know, it’s exactly the same colour scheme so some of you might look at this and go, ‘ah it looks kind of similar to last year’ but I tell you this is completely different to last year. Under the skin it is so so different, and I think that’s why it is such an exciting season.

NP: And for you Sergio, your first McLaren – how does that feel?

SP: It’s amazing to see it, to see my name on it – it’s really special. It’s hard to believe, as they say, and I think as Jenson said, the car might look similar with the colours, but it is a big project. The people here have worked, they are mad for it and I think we’ve got a very strong car.

NP: I mean it’s different, but does it feel like a natural evolution from last year?

JB: Yes, yeah of course. We all know that the regulations haven’t changed much since 2012, but they’ve changed enough to make a difference. We have taken a good approach, I think, to this season. Obviously the future is a very different Formula One, in terms of 2014 and the regulations… but you go into this season aiming to win the world championship, and that’s exactly what we’re doing in 2013. We don’t hope because we know how much hard work has gone into this, and we’re going to be fighting for it.

NP: So it’s expectation rather than hope?

JB: I think we’re just really excited, you know, a lot of hard work from the guys over the winter, and me… of course, but in different ways.

NP: Not according to Sergio…

JB: Tuesday is a big day for us. I first get to drive the car and run through all the system checks and do reliability work, and it’s always exciting for a driver. Whether it tells you the car is good enough to fight for wins or not, we have to wait and see but, it’s a day I’m very much looking forward to.

NP: Checo, I’ve got a question here from a Vodafone staff member – what do you want to achieve this year in order to personally consider it a success?

SP: Well definitely I want to win the championship. Everybody wants to win, that’s my target. Once you come to the best team that has to be your target, and it’s a very big target to do. I want to work together with Jenson, with the team…

NP: You can’t do both… you can’t work together with Jenson and be his pal, and win the world championship… just a thought.

SP: Why not? We can work together.

More to follow…

Scrutineering: Sky Sports F1

With car launches at the end of this month, and winter testing just four weeks away, the 2013 Formula One season is already nearly upon us – here is how it is shaping up so far! While so many other things are changing in the sport, there will be at least one constant and that is that Sky Sports F1 will once again exclusively be broadcasting all races live. After securing the services of top pundits and commentators in 2012, such as Martin Brundle, Ted Kravitz, and Damon Hill, Sky Sports F1 will return for 2013 with the same line-up. But how did they get on in their first year?

‘Overall it was very good’

On Twitter I asked what people had thought of Sky Sports F1’s first season of coverage, and the feedback was generally positive. After their shaky start in Australia, where pre Free Practice coverage was far too long and was interrupted by ad breaks and interviews, it has been onwards and upwards for the broadcasters. Having to essentially take over from BBC F1, who do still broadcast the Formula One, but had been the sole broadcaster in the UK, was not any mean feat. BBC had been much acclaimed and their coverage is loved by many so Sky Sports F1 had a tough act to follow.

The Team

After the deal was announced way back at the Hungarian GP in 2011, there was much speculation about who would move to Sky from BBC, and would they bring in any new presenters.

Main anchor Simon Lazenby has been with Sky Sports since 1998 and has covered cricket and rugby, along with fronting Sky Sports News. His reviews from fans were mixed – some dubbed him ‘fake Jake’ (in reference to BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey), others claimed he was lazy and did not seem to be interested in F1, and people even said he frowned too much. It wasn’t all negative, however, as others found him interested and engaging, and said they enjoyed watching him more than they had Jake.

Georgie Thompson, another seasoned Sky Sports presenter, joined Simon Lazenby on presenting duties, taking the reigns during Free Practice on a Saturday while also fronting The F1 Show with Ted Kravitz (more later). She often accompanied Anthony Davidson in analysing coverage via the SkyPad, however, she did not overly impress some fans. She was described as being ‘useless’, ‘pointless’ and ‘boring’, and fans added that she brought nothing to the show.

Johnny Herbert, Damon Hill, and Allan McNish were brought in an expert pundits to work alongside Simon Lazenby. Fans thought they were a great addition to the line-up, and only wish that Allan McNish had been used more. Others felt that they needed to relax more and that they did not seem to be enjoying the atmosphere, and rather the coverage at times seemed too corporate.

In the pit-lane Ted Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham were on hand to keep viewers up-to-date with what was going on. Both moved from the BBC to Sky for the 2012 season. Fans enjoyed Ted’s Notebook while others particularly singled him out as being a ‘plus point’ of the coverage and said his insight was ‘great’.

Up in commentary David Croft was joined by Anthony Davidson for practice and Martin Brundle for qualifying and the race. Fans said at times Crofty became TOO excitable. Martin Brundle was also singled out as a ‘plus point’ while others said he was great. Fans enjoyed Anthony Davidson’s insights and analysis.

The same team will return for 2013.

The Coverage

Viewers said they felt that Sky Sports F1 lacked the “zing” that BBC have, however this could be expected as it has been their first year of broadcasting. They felt that the coverage improved as the season progressed and they started to find their way. Some fans enjoyed the technical features, while others suggested that the coverage appeared very biased at times towards particular teams, but this always seems to be the case with broadcasting of Formula One.

People enjoyed The F1 Show and F1 Legends but felt the same stuff was repeated too much on the channel. There is only so many times you can watch Paul di Resta in a helicopter over Silverstone. Back to the main coverage and fans had mixed views about the SkyPad. Some loved it, some hated it. Others felt that it could be used better, or just ditched completely as at times there seemed to be too much “faffing around”. Fans felt the race build-up contained too much fluff and filler.

McLaren cartoon Tooned was broadcast on Sky and viewers were glad to see that Martin Brundle’s famous grid-walk remained.

Onwards and Upwards?

After a generally good start to their F1 broadcasting, it seems it is only onwards and upwards for Sky Sports F1 in 2013.

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Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts. If you would like to share your views on the BBC F1 coverage get in touch via Twitter, Facebook, or by emailing thehduct@hotmail.co.uk.

F1 2013: BBC and Sky Guide

As was the case in 2012, Formula One coverage in the UK will be available on Sky and the BBC. Recently both Sky and BBC have been revealing their plans for the season ahead in recent days. BBC have confirmed that Suzi Perry will replace Jake Humphrey presenting their coverage while Sky Sports F1 will have an unchanged presenting line-up. As in 2012, BBC will broadcast just ten races live with Sky Sports F1 showing all 20 races live.

How will it work?

17th March – Australian GP
24th March – Malaysian GP
14th April – Chinese GP
21st April – Bahrain GP
12th May – Spanish GP
26th May – Monaco GP
9th June – Canadian GP
30th June – British GP
7th July – German GP
21st July – TBC (European event)
28th July – Hungarian GP
25th August – Belgian GP
8th September – Italian GP
22nd September – Singapore GP
6th October – Korean GP
13th October – Japanese GP
27th October – Indian GP
3rd November – Abu Dhabi GP
17th November – US GP
24th November – Brazilian GP

The races in bold indicate which races the BBC will broadcast in full while all of the others will be shown as extended highlights. As in 2012 BBC’s first live race will be race three of the season – the Chinese GP – followed by the Spanish GP a month later. Notably, BBC will not show Monaco live this year, instead showing the Canadian GP. As you can see above, there is one spot in the calendar still to be filled by an as yet unconfirmed European event. If this spot is filled then BBC will broadcast it live, and if not then they will be left with nine races.

While only ten (or nine) races will be broadcast live on the BBC, fans can still get full coverage of all 20 races on BBC 5 Live with a live commentary on the BBC F1 website. The rest of the team will be confirmed in “due course”, according to the BBC.

Over on Sky Sport’s F1 their line-up remains unchanged. Simon Lazenby will return to front the coverage along with Georgie Thompson. The pair will be joined by commentators David Croft and Martin Brundle, with Anthony  Davidon also offering his opinions on the action. Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill will be returning as well. Ted Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham will be on hand in the pit-lane to keep viewers up to date as the sessions unfold. Their coverage starts on the 15th February with The F1 Show along with coverage of winter testing.

Keep an eye on The H Duct for build up to the 2013 season. 

F1 2012: BBC and Sky guide

From 2012, Formula One coverage in the UK will be split between Sky and the BBC. Sky will show all races live, while the BBC will show 10 live races with the rest being broadcast in highlights shows later on in the day. The deal was announced on the morning of Friday practice for the Hungarian GP, back in July, and at the time details of the deal were not clear. More details have started to emerge with Sky confirming their line-up and BBC announcing which of the 20 races they will be broadcasting live.

How will it work?

18 March – Australian GP
25 March – Malaysian GP
15 April – Chinese GP
22 April – Bahrain GP
13 May – Spanish GP
27 May – Monaco GP
10 June – Canadian GP
24 June – European GP
8 July – British GP
22 July – German GP
29 July – Hungarian GP
(Summer break)
2 September – Belgian GP
9 September – Italian GP
23 September – Singapore GP
7 October – Japanese GP
14 October – Korean GP
28 October – Indian GP
4 November – Abu Dhabi GP
18 November – US GP
25 November – Brazilian GP

The races in bold are the races which BBC will be broadcasting live with the remaining ten being shown as extended highlights. Races which are run in the European timezone will have 90 minutes of extended highlights at 5pm while early morning races (such as Australia, Japan etc) will have 120 minutes of extended highlights at 2pm.

The races which aren’t shown live will also have extended highlights on the Saturday of the qualifying sessions. These will be 75 minutes long and will be shown at 5.30pm for European races while early morning qualifying will be shown at 1pm. 

Races not shown live on the BBC will still have live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC F1 website. Races which the BBC do broadcast live (as highlighted above) while be shown in the normal way as as per previous seasons.

Sky, on the other hand, will be broadcasting every race live on a dedicated F1 channel through their Sky Sports package. As well as all the practice and qualifying sessions and live racing, they will show weekly magazine shows as well, among other things.

Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard and Lee McKenzie will remain with the BBC. Ben Edwards will take the role of lead commentator from 2012. He has been lead commentator for a number of years for the British Touring Cars on ITV. James Allen will be joined by Jaime Alguersuari in the BBC 5 Live radio commentary box.

Sky’s coverage will be fronted by Simon Lazenby and Georgie Thompson alongside a number of familiar faces from the BBC. Martin Brundle and David Croft will join forces for commentating duties, with Brundle splitting his time between commentary box, paddock and pit-lane over the course of the weekend. Anthony Davidson will commentate during the practice sessions. Natalie Pinkham and Ted Kravitz will bring information from the pit-lane, with Kravitz also presenting a weekly magazine show with Georgie Thompson. Damon Hill joins the team for ten of the races to give his expert analysis.  Steve Rider, former ITV F1 presenter, is also on board, presenting interviews with Formula One legends past and present.

Sky have also announced that they will broadcast live coverage of both GP2 and GP3, the feeder series of F1, on their dedicated F1 channel.

For further information visit the BBC F1 website and Sky’s F1 page.