Moving teams, TV and half a car

There’s been lots of driver move chatter in the Formula 1 press this week, particularly focusing on Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber.

Hamilton is out of contract with McLaren at the end of the season, but what are his options? I can’t see him going to Ferrari to partner Fernando Alonso for obvious reasons, nor Red Bull where it may upset Sebastian Vettel’s equilibrium, although having said that rumours are that Red Bull boss Dieter Mateschitz thinks Hamilton’s image would fit well with the Red Bull brand.

Mercedes looks to be the most likely option if he moves but only if Schumacher retires, which I don’t think he will. So to me at least I think he’ll stay with McLaren.

The most interesting move, and I think entirely more probable is Mark Webber to Ferrari. Let’s face it, even with the improvement in form in Monaco, Felipe Massa’s days at Ferrari are probably numbered unless he somehow wins the title.

Webber is coming to the end of his career, he’s on a rolling one year contract with Red Bull. I think he’d expect to play second fiddle to Alonso, but we know he’s more than capable of upsetting the pecking order occasionally as seen in 2010.

I think if you’re going to end your career in a top car, why not with Ferrari? Webber and Alonso are great friends, and I think would work well together. Also I believe after four years of the same driver line up at Red Bull, they might believe it’s time for a change too.

They also might want to make sure a star is established such as Hamilton or a new coming star from their young driver programme in the event of Vettel leaving at the end of 2013 to go to Ferrari. Rumours go that he’s signed a pre-contract agreement with Ferrari depending on various performance clauses for next year, so Red Bull will want to combat that.

At the moment though, it’s all just rumours.

BBC vs Sky

Quick mention about the television coverage, the BBC have broadcast the last two races live and their quality has shown. Switching between them and Sky, you’re left with the impression that the only thing that holds Sky’s race coverage together is the large contingent of ex-BBC personnel, especially Martin Brundle and Ted Kravitz.

The BBC have a great sense of camaraderie with their presenters, while Simon Lazenby for Sky is still coming across as nervous and prone to a few gaffes and not quite sure what to say or do. I’d quite like to see Georgie Thompson take the helm for a few races as she seems a much more natural presenter.

Lee McKenzie, the BBC pit lane reporter, will be taking over from Jake Humphrey for four of the next five races as Humphrey covers the European Championships and Olympics which is good for her as I still feel she’s under used in the coverage and has an obvious depth of knowledge.

BBC also seem to be a lot more relaxed with their sharing of the coverage typified by  the opening of the Monaco F1 forum on the red button. The opening shot was of the Sky team before you hear Jake Humphrey telling the cameraman he’s looking at the wrong presenters! I can't imagine Sky doing that at all.

Half an F1 car

Finally, it’s been in the press a bit, but if you missed it, below is a five minute video of a Sauber cut in half, showing you just how complex and compact a Formula 1 car is. It’s well worth checking out.

Sky reach for the BBC

We’re four races into the UK’s shared broadcasting of Formula 1 between Sky and the BBC. Apart from providing us viewers with the massive fun of spotting the other broadcaster in the background, what are the BBC and Sky doing with this new deal and how do they compare so far?

Starting with Sky the first thing you notice is just how much depth they’re prepared to go into with their coverage. They know they’re not presenting to a mass audience of millions, they’re plying their trade for the hard core fans, the people who know what a DRS wing is without a need for explanation.

This is not to say their coverage alienates new comers to the sport, but they know their core audience and their presentation acknowledges it, as well as the fact they have a whole channel dedicated to it.

Sky are masters at sports presentation which is why it’s a bit strange that I find some of the coverage rather clunky. They’ve done many good things so far; showing all sessions live with race and qualifying uninterrupted by adverts and have the F1 show every week to keep you updated as well as F1 legends interview shows and coverage of the GP2 and when it starts the GP3 support series following the drivers of the future.

They love their technology and the use of the Skypad is a highlight to get into those technical issues with virtual cars and super slowmo clips. The actual race coverage is fine, however it does follow a very similar pattern to the way the BBC do things, with presentation from the pit lane, paddock then a grid walk, then after the race wondering the paddock again finding people to chat to.

Now there’s nothing wrong with that, I’m not sure there’s really that many ways of doing anything different with that, but I’m not sure it’s quite as slick as it could be yet. Presenter Simon Lazenby is sometimes coming across a bit nervous and the rapport between him and pundit Damon Hill (who also doesn’t seem to be overly assured all the time) hasn’t had time to build yet which leads to a few awkward moments.

Georgie Thompson is best as presenter for the F1 show and makes a good combo with Ted Kravitz. Here’s where the team excel, along with Kravitz Sky also poached from the BBC; Anthony Davidson (great analyser), Natalie Pinkham (although can be slightly cringe worthy in her VTs), David Croft and of course the jewel in the crown of Formula 1 broadcasting Martin Brundle.

Kravitz is as good as ever, Brundle and Croft make a good pairing in the commentary box which is when you really need to be good anyway. So overall Sky are doing a fantastic job but sometimes it feels as if Brundle is holding it all together, especially when wondering around the paddock.

They’ve stolen the best parts of the BBC and added that depth and detail, and the hours of coverage they have (sometimes it feels like they have a bit too much time either side of the race that they don’t know what to do with) make it a sound investment, although they know they have tough competition from the BBC.

It was noticeable that in the build-up to the Chinese Grand Prix, the only time Sky and BBC have shared live coverage of a race so far this year, Sky didn’t run adverts during the time the BBC were on air, just in case some people channel hopped over I imagine.

And they’re right to be worried because if you did pop in on the BBC to see how they’re doing then you might well have stayed because they are still just as good as ever, there is a reason they’ve won BAFTAs.

It was like sitting back down with familiar friends, despite half of them being on another channel (although if you caught the BBC Bahrain forum you can see a quick chat with Martin Brundle).

Even if the banter can get a bit much, there’s just a great sense of camaraderie between Jake Humphrey, David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan. Having said that, the highlights show haven’t included EJ all that much if at all and it hasn’t suffered for that.

Jake Humphrey is a great sports presenter in general and has a real knack of sharing his passion for sport with a mass audience. David Coulthard has grown brilliantly as a pundit over the last few years to a point where I think Brundle leaving has given him more room to shine.

Gary Anderson is a fine addition as pit lane reporter, a former F1 designer he certainly knows his stuff but might need to hone his interview technique. Ben Edwards has a wealth of motor sport commentary experience for Eurosport and ITV and has fitted in perfectly with David Coulthard to form an equal partnership to Croft and Brundle.

The only lowlight is that Lee McKenzie seems underused in the programmes. She’s a great interviewer and has proved to be a good presenter before but the highlight shows prevent many VT’s leaving her in the back ground which is a shame.

I’ve mentioned them already but with their contract saying they can only cover 10 races live (all are live with a fine BBC 5live team), obviously that means the other 10 are highlights. Early races mean a 2 hour package, European timed ones 90 minutes.

The 2 hour package was great, it didn’t feel like you were missing massive chunks of the race and the commentary was seamless. Ninety minutes may not be quite enough. The analysis afterwards was to the point but not a lot of detail but they still run the F1 forums even if they’re not live which is great.

They’re a much more relaxed affair and they often provide plenty of laughs as well as insight to the behind the scenes goings on in Formula 1 after the champagne has been sprayed but you have to search for this extra coverage via red or web.

Although it’s a shame all races aren’t live on free to air, in a way it’s good to have two broadcasters as they’ll push each other along and a nice bit of healthy competition hasn’t done any harm to overall viewing figures so far.

It should be noted that they do cater to different audiences and Sky have been brilliant in pushing F1 coverage to a new level, but a comparison between them is inevitable and I feel that when the BBC share live coverage I’d still just about opt for them.

BBC vs Sky

The BBC has announced the plans for their scaled down Formula 1 coverage next year. You can find the full details here on the BBC website.

In short the BBC will show ten races live including all practice and qualifying sessions, with the other potential ten having race highlights packages of 90 minutes for European races and 2hours for early race starts.

Now I’m a firm believer in watching sports events live, but the BBC are not just going to cover the non-live races from a Manchester studio, they’re still sending what seems like a full presentation team to all races.

What concerns me about that is that when they’re going to the expense of flying their staff over to the races then obviously they’ll be a fair amount of pre-race coverage and post-race analysis, otherwise what would be the point? But is that really needed when the event will have been shown on Sky Sports hours earlier, with many viewers perhaps knowing the result already?

And if you have deliberately avoided the result, surely you’ll want as much of the race covered as possible to have as much as a live experience as you can in the current circumstances, assuming many F1 fans don’t buy into the Sky Sports package, costing as it does £40 a month.

Another thing to strike me is the races the BBC have picked to cover live. Now the two broadcasters took it in turns to pick  which events they wanted to broadcast or have exclusivity for, it seems the BBC have ended up with the short straw.

They’ve ended up with both the Spanish races, which with no disrespect intended aren’t traditionally the most thrilling in the world. However, BBC only viewers do get Monaco, Britain, Belgium and the final race of the season in Brazil covered live, although having said that it takes until the third race in China for live BBC coverage to start.

The BBC has provided the best Formula 1 coverage I have ever seen, brilliantly in depth, and that’ll at least continue ten times a year. They’re certain to maintain a lot of their current team, Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard are definite BBC men.

However, Martin Brundle looks likely to make a move to Sky, and pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz is rumoured to be joining him there. With a dedicated Formula 1 channel being announced for Sky, it looks like they’re going all out to create a truly immersive Formula 1 experience, although full details of their coverage have yet to be announced, but the likes of Brundle and Kravitz will be tempted at such opportunity.

It remains to be seen whether a dual commentary role could be applied for both Sky and BBC’s coverage as it would be a shame to split Brundle and Coulthard who have made a brilliant impression in their first year together, although again the likely rumour to be true is the David Croft from the BBC radio 5 live commentary team will be the lead commentator.

Sky has yet to confirm their presentation team or the full details of their coverage but at the price, a dedicated channel is definitely a good start.

However, is that enough for the average fan of which there are many? The BBC has recorded record figures with at least six million people tuning in regularly. I speculate that many won’t buy into Sky if they don’t already have it, and viewing figures will take a dive. It could drive many regular fans away whom are unhappy at the reduced terrestrial coverage and the potential separation of the BBC team which has welcomed many new people to the sport.

Overall despite the money Sky look like spending on their coverage, and it does look very promising, it still seems a shame that a compromise deal wasn’t reached with another terrestrial channel. Or even an option from Sky to sell each race at £5-£10 wouldn’t be as off-putting as the full £40 whack on the wallet.

But for now all that can be said is that Sky have a lot to live up to the award winning BBC team, although I have no doubt they’ll do a superb job in the end and there is still a lot to be decided by both broadcasters, but it still feels a bit like the British fans have been slightly short changed. We’ll see how it all pans out from Australia 2012.

Anyway the BBC aren't finished quite yet, with rain forecast for Brazil tomorrow it could be quite an action packed send off for their full live coverage!

edit: Martin Brundle has confirmed he is off to Sky next year. Not really a surprise, but it does give Sky instant credibility for their coverage from the start.

BBC to share coverage with Sky

I believe I share a common opinion with many fans of Formula 1 when I say I’m hugely disappointed with the announcement today that the BBC will only be screening 10 races live at the most, with highlights* packages of the rest. Sky now has the rights to the full calendar of 20 Grand Prix from next year including practice, qualifying and the main event. This deal runs to 2018 and at least keeps the BBC involved beyond their current deal which ran to 2013.

It’s a bit of a shock to be honest. As far as I was aware in major markets the teams have certain guarantees in the Concorde agreement (the deal the governs how the sport is run) with Bernie Ecclestone that Formula 1 should remain free to air so as to guarantee maximum exposure.

Obviously with this deal the UK, one of the major markets, loses half of its free to air exposure. There had long been rumours that with the BBC having to cut expenditure due to the license fee freeze, Formula 1 was on the chopping block.

Having trawled through the various Formula 1 websites, I have noticed that Channel 4 were rumoured to be in the running to secure the rights should the BBC not be able to continue with the coverage. If Channel 4 were prepared to bid for the rights, surely there could have been a compromise deal whereby Channel 4 and the BBC share the rights, thus keeping it on free to air television.

It's of course conjecture but Channel 4 would have had a ready made 6million audience just ready to be dumped on its doorstep every other race and the teams and their all important sponsors would have got full exposure to the British public. Sky, not being free to air could perhaps expect to get half that at the very most.

However, rumours go that the Sky deal is worth £60m, £20m above what the BBC has been paying per year since 2009. Taking a wild stab in the dark here, it appears to me that Bernie Ecclestone has gone with the more money option than thinking about the fans of the sport. In fact the teams are looking into clarification as to what this deal really means for the sport, so maybe it’s not over yet.

This deal obviously means that if you’re a Formula 1 fan and want to watch all the races you will not only have to continue paying your license fee, but also have to shell out nearly £40 to obtain a Sky sports package.

What this effectively means is that because the BBC will be showing 10 races live, if you don’t already own Sky sports and would only want it for the Formula 1, you will be paying for the privilege of only 10 live races. It’s a deal that looks to short change the fans.

Having said all that, Sky generally present fantastic coverage of sports and are already looking into whether they can do a few races in 3D (I wonder how many of you already own a 3D television?). As I’ve said they’ll be showing all the sessions live and have extensive multi platform coverage utilising their television coverage, the internet as well as phone coverage. They’ll obviously be full pre and post race discussion, probably until your heart’s content. They’ve also guaranteed not to show adverts during the race, which is a definite blessing.

As good as the coverage will be on Sky, I still feel a compromise could have been found to keep it on free to air television. The fans have to pay more money in hard financial times, the teams and sponsors lose an awful lot of audience and after the hard work of the quite fantastic BBC team, the BBC lose out too. If you’re paying so much for Sky, why would you watch the BBC coverage?

However, I’m sure they’ll be more details announced that may placate the fans including who’ll be involved in the coverage for both sides. There are many options available to them both and that will be interesting to keep note of. Despite this and having looked at opinion on various websites, most fans seem to not be best pleased at all.

*Update: According to Jamesallenonf1.com Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren's team boss and FOTA chairman has said after a meeting with Bernie Ecclestone that the BBC will now show the full race delayed by a few hours instead of highlights. Shall wait for this to be confirmed, but that's fairly positive I think. 

Sources: Autosport.com, bbc.co.uk/formula1, Planetf1.com, Jamesallenonf1.com