F1 is back soon and no more adverts!
SportPublished February 25, 2009 at 7:24 pm No CommentsThe new F1 season starts next month and i for 1 can’t wait for it! After 12 years of having to watching the qualifying and the race with adverts at all the key moments courtesy of ITV it is finally coming back to the BBC and they are certainly going for it with the coverage.
According to the official press release..
The new-look coverage promises to be the most comprehensive in the history of the sport, with all on-track sessions brought live through TV, Radio, Red Button, broadband and of course BBC iPlayer for any of those missed moments.
F1 fans will be able to customise their viewing experience through BBC Sport‘s multiplatform offering with options such as: split-screen action, live leaderboard, in-car cameras, choice of commentary, live online streaming, live text, interactive forums, circuit guides and blogs.
The TV Coverage will see all races on BBC One with qualifying for all races also on BBC One (with the exception of Brazil as it will be on BBC Two – probably because it will clash with the latest dancing competition).
They also put together a strong team to present the coverage and most importantly they haven’t signed James Allen, who has to be the worst ever commentator.
Lee McKenzie will be in the pits during the race
David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan will provide the expert analysis with Jake Humphrey presenting. Race commentary will be provided once again by Martin Brundle (or as the BBC press pack calls him ‘The Award-winning Martin Brundle) and Jonathan Legard, the pit lane interviews will be done by Lee McKenzie and Ted Kravitz.
Now this is where the BBC coverage will take F1 coverage to the next level -
Every session of the race weekend will be live via the Red Button, that’s practice, qualifying and race.
During the race you will be able to switch between BBC 1 commentators or the 5live team.
A Split screen option comprising of the main network feed, an in-car camera and the leaderboard.
After the race an additional one-hour program featuring Coulthard and Jordan will also be available on the red button.
In addition to all this stuff during the race you all Grands Prix will be available for downloading up to seven days after broadcast. Once the footage has been downloaded, it will be available for viewing for up to 30 days.
ITV why didn’t you do any of this!?
This certainly should be a better season for race coverage at least, lets hope there is some action on the track to make it all worthwhile.
Edit – I forgot to add that the 1st race takes place on the weekend 27th-29th March
