F1 TV coverage threadFormula 1

[MagpieRacer]

Jenson Button. I've yet to hear him let any of Croft's nonsensical quips slide when it's something related to how someone drives, strategy, etc — he shuts it down almost immediately as it's presented. The only "problem" is he may not be as complete of a package as Brundle, at least as things stand currently.

Button's never had to lead (or co-lead) a broadcast. He's always alongside David and Karun.

The intense bias in me also wants to suggest Nico Rosberg. I have never in all of my years heard someone call a time (before it's set) and that's exactly the time that was set. Then he proceeds to explain exactly why that time was set and how much time they could potentially knock off with a better lap and, again, that's what happens. Hearing him call things wonderfully illustrates why he beat Hamilton in the same car (luck or not, I don't care, luck plays a factor in literally everything).

Rosberg is a good shout to be fair. His voice is a tad annoying but his analysis is spot on.

 

[Terronium-12]

Rosberg is a good shout to be fair. His voice is a tad annoying but his analysis is spot on.

I like that we both said Button, too.

He's good. There's really no getting around that, but is he good enough to lead? That's my only question at this point.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Rosberg is so frustrating to watch because his ego cannot deal with anyone talking him down or not bringing up all his success. He's a frustrating person to listen to in the commentary box because he makes all the other commentators stroke that ego to make the situation feel awkward.

The best driver analyst out there at the moment is Jolyon Palmer, it's just a shame that because he was so bad in F1 not enough people take his word seriously, when he often speaks the most sense and most relatable stuff out there.

 

[Pupik]

Rosberg is so frustrating to watch because his ego cannot deal with anyone talking him down or not bringing up all his success. He's a frustrating person to listen to in the commentary box because he makes all the other commentators stroke that ego to make the situation feel awkward.

The best driver analyst out there at the moment is Jolyon Palmer, it's just a shame that because he was so bad in F1 not enough people take his word seriously, when he often speaks the most sense and most relatable stuff out there.

I haven't heard Rosberg, and Palmer isn't too bad. Chandon's enthusiasm is appreciated, too; he's bubbly in way the other commentators are kind of forced to be vanilla. Though the last two weren't amazing at F1, but neither was David Hobbs, who was an excellent commentator.

Coulthard is more in the Hobbs mould so I can see where there's a "really like them or find him annoying" aspect (similar to Bill Walton for NBA games); David does make the dry commentary more interesting. Been watching the old races on F1 Archive and sometimes Murray and Hunt were a good pairing but sometimes there was a bias that isn't necessary.

Button isn't bad but there's something missing I can't put my finger on. Maybe he's not egotistical enough, or doesn't want to be a lead commentator? It's like; oh yeah, we have this world champion here, but we can't let him speak for too long or we might get a real angle on things.

 

[shoemaker]

Alex Brundle is great, really enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Great on F2. Also sounds like his Dad-perfect

 

[Fezzik]

More reports and speculation that Netflix are looking to acquire the rights for coverage in the US, starting in 2026. Makes sense given their success with DTS. Hopefully it would be less glitchy than their initial live coverage of the WWE (and VPN friendly for those of us cheapskates in the UK that don't want to pay Sky Sports).

 

[Northstar]

Seems ESPN is no longer interested in F1. Personally as long as it doesn't affect the availability of F1TV I don't care where it goes.

 

[Fezzik]

F1 TV launched their Premium tier, with 4K and extra feeds, but it appears to be limited to Apple TV / Roku devices at the moment, no joy for Android users.

I decided not to send my VPN into battle and just subbed to Sky F1 this year as they were offering a discount.

 

[Pupik]

I wonder what it was renegotiated at, since it only cost $90 million to ESPN. (Compared to the gargantuan prices of the big league events.) Of course, back in their early-80s days, I heard figures that were vaguely 1 million or even half that, just because motorsports were cheap compared to the more popular series.

 

[Touring Mars]

F1 TV launched their Premium tier, with 4K and extra feeds, but it appears to be limited to Apple TV / Roku devices at the moment, no joy for Android users.

I decided not to send my VPN into battle and just subbed to Sky F1 this year as they were offering a discount.

Not that I'll be buying it anyway, but how do you get F1 on Apple TV in the UK? Do you need to be signed up to the US service while using a VPN?

I already pay for Now TV for my Dad, so I can watch F1 at his place from time to time, but I've never been a fan of Sky's 'pay-as-you-go' services, which I reckon are deliberately bad to convince you to sign up for Sky TV.

 

[Fezzik]

Yes, you’d need to use a VPN to create a F1 TV account in a country that offers the Pro level (there are cheaper options than the US). It can get quite awkward with payment methods and might end up blocked anyway so I didn’t bother this year, even though it is much cheaper than subbing with Sky either as part of a TV plan or via Now streaming.