Formula One broadcasts have improved measurably over recent decades since the decision by Bernie Ecclestone for the sport to produce its own TV coverage. Prior to this is was national broadcasters who had the responsibility of providing the world with the TV pictures, which at times resulted in woeful self interest.
Prior to 2007 when the FOM TV world feed was introduced and F1 controlled the entire TV production individual broadcasters would produce their home races. In the UK this was ITV, in Germany it was RTL, RAI for Imola and Monza and Fuji TV for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The problem with this was TV executives are always looking at the bottom line cost of producing a sporting event. This meant they would scrimp on the number of cameras deployed for an Grand Prix, choosing high and wide angles to cover the circuit with less personnel behind the lens.
The reasons for wildly differing F1 TV coverage
Then of course there was favouritism. A French TV director would concentrate on any French driver in the race, even if they were trailing around at the back of the field. Also some directors didn’t really understand the sport and so the images coming to the viewers at times were pretty random.
Some TV companies had relationships with a number advertisers and so their focus would oftennbe at certain points of the circuit, where the advertising boards around the track were displaying their favoured companies merchandise. This was particularly the case with Monaco who only relinquished their control of the broadcast for the 2023 Grand Prix.
Some countries had inferior technology and bandwidth broadcasting capabilities, which would result in vastly differing qualify of pictures for the viewer. So in 2007, Bernie Ecclestone brought in house what is known as the “world feed.” Whilst much more expensive than allowing the national broadcasters to produce each Grand Prix, this guaranteed a quality control from race weekend to race weekend so viewers were not blighted by the antics of the national broadcasters.
It was then when FOM introduced the F1Digital+ broadcasts. Each corner would now have two low shot camera angles for the entry and exit along with a high camera that would cover up to three corners. Action cameras were introduced into bollards, walls and kerbs and the increase in cameras at the circuits almost tripled overnight.
F1 Tv technology differences
Improvements in bandwidth available meant not just four cars would have on board camera shots, this doubled immediately in 2007 to eight cars. Also the likes of RTL in the Netherlands and Sky F1 improved their pre and post race shows which in the 1990’s could be as little as five minutes before the start of the race and a twenty minute post chequered flag summary.
So today what we see is the best footage that F1 has ever delivered, but there’s a problem and that’s with certain choices made by the FOM TV director. The better national broadcasters used to select their coverage of on track battles by listening to the expert commentators who read the race through the timing screens.
Yet today, this doesn’t appear to be the case. Had the F1 TV director had an analysis alongside him watching the relative la[ ties of the drivers in Singapore, the coverage would have been far superior than it was.
For example with two laps to go, Lewis Hamilton suffered a catastrophic brake failure, literally he had no brakes left at all. This was obvious from the timing screens which showed the forty plus second gap to Fernando Alonso behind him was falling dramatically as echoing sector went by.
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Sainz criticises TV director choices
Carlos Sainz who started eighteenth and finished in tenth complained that the TV director was more interested in the girlfriends of the drivers than his many overtaking manoeuvres.
‘It’s becoming a bit of a trend,” Sainz told Spanish radio station El Partidazo de COPE, having reviewed the race coverage having returned hime. “It must have worked for them once upon a time, when people found it interesting to see our girlfriends, to see famous people on TV, the reactions.”
“I understand that if there is an overtake, a very tense moment in the race, it is understandable that the production team might want to show a reaction shot if they have seen that it has worked in the past.
“But [it should only be shown] if the competition is respected and you are always showing the important moments of the race. Last weekend they didn’t show any of the four of five overtakes I did at the end, nor did they show Fernando’s pursuit of Lewis – they missed a lot of things.”
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FOM TV director needs a timing screen analyst
Carlos is also unhappy over how many celebrities are allowed on the grid before the start of the race and to free roam in the paddock. Of course the theory behind this is that if fans see their hero’s – be they actors, singers or fly on the wall TV celebrities at an F1 event, they will drag their hundreds of millions of social media followers into F1.
“Don’t lose sight of the main thing,” Sainz cautions. “For me, they go overboard a little showing the celebrities and girlfriends. Sometimes there are so many VIPs in the paddock you can’t even walk. We move by bike or scooter [in the paddock] because if you don’t, you just can’t get around.”
The TV companies are contractually restricted to only broadcast the world feed for the entire race – and also for the national anthems and podium celebrations, yet Sky do add in a small window on the side for what they consider to be an on track battle not being covered by FOM TV. Yet even they failed to deliver on the Hamilton tragedy and Alonso’s rage while the pictures merely showed the McLaren crew celebrating a back to back constructors title for the first time since 1991.
TJ13 believes, the FOM TV director merely needs an old fashioned style ‘commentator’ by his side watching the timing screens. They never lie and always reveal where the next battle on track is imminent, something AWS with all its technology and AI appears incapable of doing.
The truth about Piastri’s Singapore rage
McLaren propaganda over Piastri’s petulance at the Singapore GP – The problem with much of the ‘official’ Formula One media is that they are in effect mouthpieces for the team’s propaganda messages. Wishing to curry favour with the great and good in the paddock sources like motorsport.com and ‘TheRace’ regularly run articles which support a hidden agenda.
In Singapore Oscar Piastri was particularly irritated by the fact the team refused to instruct Lando Norris to hand back the place he gained on his team mate on lap 1 turn 3 by some “brave” manoeuvres as Jenson Button described them.
Piastri made a mistake at the start believing he could find away around the outside of Max Verstappen starting ahead of him which opened the door for his team mate to make a move up the inside. As the cars switched from the left hander of turn one to the right hander of turn two, Piastri failed to following the racing line of Verstappen ahead and moved to block his team mate from the apex of turn 3….. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
