How do you consume F1?

Ferg · Post by **Ferg** » Sat Mar 16, 2019 10:29 pm

I'm wanting to watch a bit more F1 than I did last year and wondered what feeds, channels etc people used?

Don't have SKY so interested on alternative sources.

j2 lot · Post by **j2 lot** » Sat Mar 16, 2019 11:14 pm

I intend sticking with Ch. 4 highlights. Part of me is pleased the full races aren’t live so I won’t end up spending Sunday’s stuck in front of the telly. The only challenge is not seeing results on the news or on-line thereby rendering the highlights useless.

Post by **campbell** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:16 am

Another vote for C4 here.

And I find it poor form that in the ad breaks for their highlights prog, there is a commercial for Sky’s live coverage

Who booked that !!

The BBC also deliver 2 excellent Chequered Flag podcasts each race weekend.

And the Missed Apex podcasts are ok in small doses.

I also follow Joe Saward’s F1 blog, and the BBC F1 blog.

rossybee · Post by **rossybee** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:07 am

Sky F1 when home, but this morning was SuperSport in Angola which is basically Sky under licence

IanD · Post by **IanD** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 12:30 pm

Download to phone and watch on train commute Monday/Tuesday sometimes highlights only sometimes full GP.
Looks like All4 on mobile this year then with about 4 sets of 3min adverts all in the 1st 20mins of the programme

Alistair · Post by **Alistair** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 9:19 pm

Channel 4 - and avoiding Sky coverage as much as possible - don't agree with all the sport that's on pay tv now - stops kids "coming across it" and taking an interest. Classic example the other day when Cameron spotted snowboarding - he's been pestering me for days now about when he can try it. (might not be such a good thing if he sees the Red Bull cliff Diving though?!?!)

Good article here covering it - matches up with what I've long thought about tennis, golf, rallying and various other sports for a while (football too, but at least there is still plenty to see on free to air tv) - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47542802

Sky One showed the race for free - and according to that article might show another couple (deliberately trying to reduce C4 viewing figures in my eyes). I loved DC's quip at the interview with Binotto at the end of Qually "C4 - the F1 programme in the UK with the highest viewing figures". Tempting as it was to get the full bhuna on Sky One - we chose to support terrestrial tv and watch on C4 - and it was an entertaining watch. So unless there is a specific reason that doesn't fit with our schedule - we'll continue to watch the highlights "as live". Makes the Saturday and Sunday more interesting too with social media and news outlet blackouts

ScottJ-PS · Post by **ScottJ-PS** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 8:47 am

Last few years I have watched C4, and highlights will be good, as saves half a Sunday. However I noticed SKY were showing Melbourne on Sky 1 which is a free channel for many. So I recorded that and started watching at 8am with breakfast . Finished by 10 .

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:59 pm

Live on Sky, pretty much every race. Always happy for fellow fans to join me for watching the race.

Corranga · Post by **Corranga** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:26 pm

I'm another Sky viewer. I'm still on a legacy Sky package that allowed the F1 channel when you subscribed to HD. I tend to record and watch later nowadays, to fit in with family life, and mean I don't have to almost block out whole days for the afternoon races.

I was reading about the restrictions that Sky put on the C4 highlights - only a maximum of 50% of the show can be footage of cars on track, no grid walk, and nothing transmitted within 3 hours of the race end, and even rumours about any paddock interviews outside of the press pen having to be approved by Sky first. All sounds way too restrictive to me, and the I prefer to consume entire races to get past the commentary teams bias (especially as a Ferrari fan...) and tend to spot things before them, or that they miss, presumably whilst checking some of their other sources.

The Sky coverage, and indeed their team is very good, I can't complain, though if the option to use the FIA streaming service was available, I'd probably go to that.

I've read elsewhere that the official highlights on YouTube are good, and uploaded very quickly after the race - might be worth looking into if you don't have Sky.

I also thought that Sky were supposed to be transmitting their own highlights on a free to air channel (freeview) not sure what they are like mind - I have a feeling the channel is called Sky Sports Mix, but might be wrong.

Sky also do a NowTv stream subscription thing for £195 for the season, though I don't know if it's live only, or what..

Alistair · Post by **Alistair** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:30 pm

The NowTV subscription is an interesting one - as you say they are doing a 9 month F1 pass for £195 - however on closer inspection, it actually gives you access to all 11 Sky Sports channels for 9 months - that's quite a deal at around £23 per month. For comparison the normal NowTV Sky Sports pass is £33.99 per month. I think even if you have sky - it's about £20-30 to add on sports is it not? NowTV deal seems like a good one. Oh, and if you can find a friend to share it with then you are allowed to watch on 2 devices at once......

The tempatation is strong - but reckon I'll stick with C4 for the moment.

Post by **campbell** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 5:04 pm

These Sky strangles on C4 are a shame.

I really rated C4 coverage last year even in (or maybe moreso in) highlights form.

Features, interviews and gridwalk were always top grade.

Plus they’ve lost The Chain theme. That’s the last straw. I think I’m moving to Formula E

Corranga · Post by **Corranga** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 8:31 pm

campbell wrote: ↑
Mon Mar 18, 2019 5:04 pm
That’s the last straw. I think I’m moving to Formula E

... Joking aside, I've been watching Formula E this season and it's been good. The cars look amazing, there are different manufacturers involved and even the lack of sound doesn't put me off.
The attack zone is a nice idea ( drive through a zone on the outside of a corner for 4 minutes of power increase, must be useful twice per race ) and works really well, perhaps better than the fake overtakes we get in F1 with DRS.

My only major gripe with it is it's somehow impossible to record, despite being on, what must be all of the channels. BBC 2, red button, freesports, VR sports, Eurosport, Channel 4...

j2 lot · Post by **j2 lot** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:56 pm

I’ve only seen one race live this season and missed every other as they seem to crop up in random places/ times and series link doesn’t work due to when and where it’s on.

But it is attracting some big names driving and good manufacturer support so will keep looking out for it.

Post by **campbell** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:31 pm

Corranga wrote:
campbell wrote: ↑
Mon Mar 18, 2019 5:04 pm
That’s the last straw. I think I’m moving to Formula E
... Joking aside, I've been watching Formula E this season and it's been good. The cars look amazing, there are different manufacturers involved and even the lack of sound doesn't put me off.
The attack zone is a nice idea ( drive through a zone on the outside of a corner for 4 minutes of power increase, must be useful twice per race ) and works really well, perhaps better than the fake overtakes we get in F1 with DRS.

My only major gripe with it is it's somehow impossible to record, despite being on, what must be all of the channels. BBC 2, red button, freesports, VR sports, Eurosport, Channel 4...

Think it’s on iPlayer? So Auntie Beeb has actually recorded it for you. And no ads

Post by **campbell** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:38 pm

I also just noticed. No Lee McKenzie interviews etc

Scottish Elises