F1 TV or Sky Sports: who wins the pre-race battle?

In recent years, Formula 1 has evolved its direct-to-consumer product, F1 TV. The platform has grown since launch in 2018, with the championship now providing fans with a rich in-house offering during a race weekend.

As well as their non-live YouTube offering, the series also presents live pre- and post-race content on YouTube and through their DTC platform, meaning the F1 now stands directly alongside the broadcasters that air the sport.

F1 TV caters to international fans, similar to how Sky Sports serves fans in the UK. But how to the services compare from a pre-race build-up perspective?

Motorsport Broadcasting has analysed F1 TV’s and Sky’s build-up to last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix to see where the similarities and differences lie in their offering. With both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships well wrapped up, it is challenging for F1 and its stakeholders to create engaging content as the 2023 season concludes.

How did F1’s in-house team fare with 60 minutes to play with, and how did Sky fill 70 minutes of content (excluding commercials)? And are UK fans missing out by being unable to access F1 TV’s premium live content?

Where F1 TV takes the lead

Laura Winter and James Hinchcliffe led F1 TV’s output that included former Lotus and Renault race engineer Julien Simon-Chautemps on-site. Technical expert Sam Collins and commentators Alex Jacques and Jolyon Palmer provided additional build-up analysis from F1’s UK base.

The pre-race broadcast focused on the thing that mattered the most: the racing, dissecting the fortunes of all 10 teams and 20 drivers, each part given time to breathe, without the need to rush into an ad-break or onto the next segment.

F1 TV’s ‘all drivers covered’ mantra was evident during their grid walk, where Hinchcliffe walked from the rear to the front of the field. The format reminded me of NBC’s IndyCar build-up (a team that Hinchcliffe is also part of), serving to bring fans up to speed with the storylines in a digestible manner.

Whether it was Red Bull or Alfa Romeo, F1 TV had it covered. ‘Hinch’ was brilliant throughout the build-up. Like Sky’s Karun Chandhok, Hinchcliffe is a walking F1 encyclopaedia!

By way of comparison, Sky’s broadcast predominantly focused on the top contenders (similar to their 2022 output) in a circular and sometimes disjointed fashion, with the tailenders receiving minimal coverage from the pay TV broadcaster.

F1 TV’s broadcast felt accessible to fans of all generations, introducing everyone to the race as if it was their first time watching during the weekend, irrespective of their viewing habits. The broadcast never ‘assumed knowledge’, which I really liked. Features aired to recap both Friday’s qualifying and Saturday’s Sprint race, reminiscent of the BBC’s and ITV’s old F1 broadcasts.

James Hinchcliffe and Laura Winter presented F1 TV’s broadcast from the grid.

As expected, the show utilised F1’s Biggin Hill archive and the terabytes of data that they receive during a race weekend. However, while both features in question were good, I was left wanting more in both areas.

Will Buxton narrated a piece looking back at Brazil 2003, showcasing F1’s history, but never gave fans a new take on events. It felt like a piece I could watch on YouTube with no ‘added value’ like previous segments on Sky have had.

Later in the broadcast, Collins compared the tyre degradation of Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, showing where Russell lost out to Verstappen over the course of the Sprint. This was a superb piece of analysis and really showed where Verstappen is a class ahead of his rivals.

An issue I had with both Sky’s and F1 TV’s broadcasts though, is that neither broadcaster explained the tyre degradation situation is simple terms.

There was lots of chat, and helpful analysis from Collins on F1 TV, but neither aired a graphic comparing the amount of tyre compounds (Soft, Medium and Hard) each driver had left, which felt like a major oversight considering how much chatter there was on the subject.

Nevertheless, there is only so much data-driven and technical content you can create for the build-up without overwhelming (or alienating) the audience.

Each weekend, F1 creates Tech Talk, a segment fronted by Collins for their social channels, highlighting the technical updates across the whole of the grid.

While Sky adopts a personality-led approach to attract the Drive to Survive convert, F1 is streets ahead of the competition when it comes to data and technical content creation.

…and where Sky hit the DRS

If you want a show that brings you closer to the personalities involved with F1 as well as the wider storylines beyond the race, Sky Sports is the place for you.

Fronted by Simon Lazenby, Naomi Schiff and Karun Chandhok, Sky’s build-up as always aired interviews with the key drivers in their 90-minute broadcast before lights out. David Croft gave a brief summary from the commentary box, with Rachel Brookes and Ted Kravitz down in pit lane and the paddock.

There were two standout features in Sky’s expansive pre-show: a behind the scenes look at Ferrari, and Martin Brundle’s grid walk.

Filmed during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, a camera crew followed the Ferrari team around, giving fans a new perspective on the Scuderia. In the week following the race, Sky’s production team turned around a 15-minute edit, which aired in two segments during the Brazil weekend.

Arguably, it is one of the best behind the scenes pieces you will see any F1 TV broadcaster air this season, even more impressive considering the turnaround to get the piece on-air.

In comparison, Netflix’s Drive to Survive airs months after footage is shot. That is not to do Drive to Survive a disservice, merely to highlight the effort involved from Sky on this front.

As amazing as features like these are, the logistics of organising the pieces mean that they are few and far between. Sky’s other build-up features on George Russell’s firsts and Daniel Ricciardo were likely much quicker to turn around that the Ferrari segment.

Brundle’s grid walk was its usual chaotic self, with a mix of driver and celebrity interviews, and clearly different to the style offered up by F1 TV. ‘Inform, educate and entertain’ may be the BBC’s mission, but it is also a statement that is pertinent across the whole of the broadcasting landscape.

Sky’s iteration of the grid walk (and its predecessors) serves to inform and educate, by bringing fans the latest news from the grid, intertwined with interviews from stars past and present.

In Brazil, this included a brief catch up with Safety Car driver Bernd Maylander, ex-Brazilian star Rubens Barrichello (informing), and explaining what has changed on the Ferrari since Friday qualifying (educating).

But there is the third branch: entertaining, and Brundle’s grid walk fulfils that mantra. Whether it is hearing him say “Balloons out and away we go!” or him trying to get some sense out of Machine Gun Kelly, it is entertaining television. Sometimes the grid walks miss wildly, but that is live television for you.

While the F1 TV version of the grid walk was informative and entertaining, the format was dry and unsuitable for a broadcaster like Sky who are trying to attract new fans to F1.

Brundle’s grid walk lasted almost twice the length of Hinchcliffe’s, but had a ‘Fast and Furious’ style to it, rather than wandering from back to front. Both grid walks were good, but the target audience for both parties is different and that is the key here.

Elsewhere, Sky’s broadcast featured 3D analysis on the Sky Pad, overlaying Verstappen’s and Leclerc’s qualifying laps, the graphic and Chandhok’s usually excellent description giving fans an idea of where the differences were between the two drivers during Q3.

Chandhok’s knowledge came into play throughout the build-up, linking Lance Stroll’s qualifying performance to engineer Tom McCullough, who was also Nico Hulkenberg’s engineer when he took pole at Brazil in 2010.

Looking ahead to 2024

Whether you like F1 TV’s or Sky’s build-up more really depends on what you want out of your pre-race content.

If you are an F1 fanatic who does not care so much about the glitz and glamour that surrounds the sport, F1 TV is likely the place for you, the in-house broadcaster continuing to enhance its product.

F1 TV	Sky Sports F1
+ Archive	+ Behind the scenes
+ All rounded	+ Grid walk
+ Data usage	+ Leading contenders
+ Line-up	+ Sky Pad

Quick comparison of the pros of F1 TV’s and Sky’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix build-up

On the other hand, if you are newer to F1, or like to see the personalities that F1 has on offer, then Sky has this in abundance. The recent changes to their broadcast team, with the additions of Bernie Collins and Naomi Schiff, in place of Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta, have helped their broadcast.

Having a former Strategy Engineer as part of Sky’s team has benefited them this season, however Collins’ absence has been felt during some race weekends, when she either has not been there or she has been with…. F1 TV.

Arguably, having two separate English speaking presentation teams presenting live F1 dilutes the talent pool, at a time when broadcasters are trying to save costs. Sky likes to put their own mark on their premium events, which makes the idea of them sharing a broadcast with F1 TV unpalatable.

However, the next six months may be tough for F1 at the pay TV broadcaster as inflation bites across the broadcasting world.

F1 has yet to face the brunt of Sky’s cost cuts in the same vein as Sky’s Premier League offering, which saw veteran faces Geoff Shreeves, Martin Tyler and Jeff Stelling leave at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Sources have indicated to Motorsport Broadcasting in recent months that Sky’s F1 budget will be cut for the 2024 season. As F1 TV continues to grow their offering, Sky F1 may well be changing theirs, which will change the dynamic again heading into 2024.

UK fans can access F1 TV’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix build-up via F1 TV Access here.

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F1 to remain on Channel 4 until 2026

Channel 4 will continue to broadcast Formula 1 highlights until the end of 2026 after agreeing to an extension with Sky Sports.

As part of Sky’s arrangements with F1, the pay TV broadcaster must make certain aspects of the Grand Prix season available on a free-to-air basis.

Sky has chosen to extend its partnership with Channel 4, now covering the 2024, 2025, and 2026 seasons.

The free-to-air broadcaster will air live coverage of the British Grand Prix weekend, as well as highlights of every qualifying session, sprint, and Grand Prix over the next three seasons.

Channel 4’s Chief Executive Alex Mahon said “We’re thrilled to have struck another Formula 1 deal with Sky and are delighted to once again bring UK audiences Formula One for free.”

“The partnership between Channel 4 and Sky benefits the British public and allows everyone to get into the sport and brings in new fans and ensures Formula 1 gets much wider reach and prominence with British audiences.”

“Just like British audiences I love that unique Formula One combination of engineering technology, personal humanity, glittering glamour and unbelievable race tension.”

Stephen van Rooyen, CEO Sky UK & Ireland said “Together with Channel 4 we’ve shared some of the most iconic moments in sporting history and our relationship is as strong as ever.”

“The length and nature of this deal shows Sky’s deep commitment to help increase the reach of Formula 1 and continue to support one of the most exhilarating, and fastest growing sports in the world.”

Whisper produces Channel 4’s F1 offering, their existing agreement running until the end of this season. Steve Jones and Lee McKenzie present their output, alongside analysts such as David Coulthard, Mark Webber, and Alice Powell,. Alex Jacques leads the commentary in collaboration with F1 TV.

FTA broadcaster extends arrangement despite tightening purses

Channel 4’s Formula 1 audience has been declining in recent years, with the majority of the Grand Prix fanbase now consuming the sport that they love through Sky.

As the jointly issued press release notes, Sky’s audience has surged in recent years, with 2022 being the most-watched season ever on Sky, experiencing a 49% increase compared to when Sky first began exclusively broadcasting live F1 in 2019.

Sky has also seen an increase in younger audiences, with 28% of viewership now coming from those under 35, compared with 20% in the previous year. However, while Sky has benefited from Drive to Survive, Channel 4 has not.

According to consolidated audience data published by industry website Thinkbox, highlights of the Austrian Grand Prix averaged 1.21 million viewers, a decrease of half a million viewers compared with 2019. Overall, Channel 4’s highlights programme has gradually declined in viewership since 2019.

In recent months, Channel 4 has faced financial constraints due to persistent inflation and the cost of living crisis, with shows such as Naked Attraction, Four Weddings, and The Last Leg impacted.

Despite this, the latest extension between Channel 4 and Sky indicates that sports programming has been unaffected. However, neither party has revealed the financial terms of the latest deal.

It remains crucial to maintain a free-to-air path for F1 moving forward, even if free-to-air audiences are declining. This ensures that an open option is available in the future for championship showdowns or other scenarios to air live.

How to follow Formula 1 in 2023

After an extended winter break thanks to the men’s football FIFA World Cup, Formula 1 roars back into action this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix, and fans have a plethora of ways to enjoy the action.

23 races take Formula 1 from Bahrain on March 5th through to Abu Dhabi on November 26th, with twists and turns guaranteed. Familiar venues such as Suzuka, Silverstone and Spa combine with newer venues such as Las Vegas, Miami and Zandvoort, giving fans a mixture of the new world and old throughout 2023.

From a broadcasting perspective, the landscape is increasingly fierce for content creators who want to stand out from the chasing pack. There are multiple options for fans consuming the content to choose from across live and highlights, video, and audio, and online or in the traditional newspaper format.

So, what is returning, what has changed over the hibernation period, and who are new kids on the block? Motorsport Broadcasting takes an in-depth look…

Channel 4 to take F1’s in-house commentary

A new year means new graphics on the television front, with F1 promising some incremental changes for 2023.

Speaking recently to SVG Europe, F1’s director of broadcast and media Dean Locke highlighted that fans will see six to eight live helmet cameras during a race weekend, audio upgrades, “new opening titles”, as well as the potential for biometric graphics later in the season, subject to FIA approval.

The sport has revamped their UK TV base, giving broadcasters the choice of hosting their offerings from an augmented reality (AR) studio at Biggin Hill. Locke says that F1 “will host various broadcasters’ commentary here as well, potentially.”

Fans in the UK can watch every session live on Sky Sports. Sky returns as the UK’s main F1 broadcaster, the pay television outlet entering their 12th season covering the series.

Sky will remain involved for the foreseeable future after agreeing a new rights deal late last year, taking them to the end of 2029 in the UK, and to the end of 2027 in multiple other European territories.

Their roster of motor sport programming expands beyond F1, and this year the broadcaster will air Formula Two, Formula Three, IndyCar, as well as the Indy NXT series for the first time.

The latter, previously branded Indy Lights, features current W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, Chadwick making the jump stateside. However, it is unclear whether W Series, minus Chadwick, will happen in 2023 owing to financial issues.

In the off-season, Sky have tweaked their on-air roster, with both Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta departing. The rest of the team, including the commentary pairing of David Croft and Martin Brundle, remains the same.

Expect Nico Rosberg’s presence on Sky’s coverage to increase this year, as the FIA have relaxed its COVID-19 paddock protocols for 2023. F1 banned Rosberg from the paddock last season due to his COVID vaccination status.

As announced late last year when they renewed their deal with F1, Sky viewers can access all 20 on-board cameras this season in addition to a new ‘Battle Channel‘, giving Sky Q and Sky Glass subscribers a similar level of service to that overseas fans can receive via F1 TV Pro.

All details for Sky Sports F1 unless stated.

Friday 3rd March
11:00 to 13:00 – Practice 1 (also Sky Sports Main Event)
14:45 to 16:20 – Practice 2 (also Sky Sports Main Event)
17:00 to 18:00 – The F1 Show (also Sky Sports Main Event)

Saturday 4th March
11:15 to 12:40 – Practice 3
14:10 to 16:30 – Qualifying (also Sky Sports Main Event from 15:00)
16:30 to 17:00 – Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
19:30 to 21:00 – Qualifying Highlights (Channel 4)

Sunday 5th March
13:30 to 18:30 – Race (also Sky Sports Main Event from 14:00 to 16:00)
=> 13:30 – Grand Prix Sunday
=> 14:30 – Race
=> 17:00 – Chequered Flag
=> 18:00 – Ted’s Notebook
21:00 to 23:30 – Race Highlights (Channel 4)
The full UK TV schedule for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix. Updated on 3rd March to reflect the shorter ‘Grand Prix Sunday’ length and longer ‘Race’ length for Sky F1.

Channel 4’s free-to-air highlights package continues this season, with highlights of every race, as well as live coverage of the Silverstone weekend, airing on their main linear outlet.

Their coverage features a change which appears minor to begin with, but is significant underneath the surface. Alex Jacques remains Channel 4’s F1 lead commentator, however Jacques is no longer part of the core Channel 4 team. Confused?

Jacques has moved back to F1’s in-house team in the off-season, and will commentate on every race for F1’s streaming service, F1 TV Pro.

Instead of producing their own bespoke commentary, Motorsport Broadcasting can confirm that Channel 4 will take F1’s in-house commentary this year, Jacques alongside a team that includes ex-IndyCar racer James Hinchcliffe, Jolyon Palmer, and Channel 4 analyst David Coulthard.

The look and feel of Channel 4’s pre- and post-race programming stays the same. For Bahrain, Steve Jones will present alongside Coulthard, Mark Webber, Alice Powell, and Ariana Bravo, while Lee McKenzie, Jamie Chadwick, Billy Monger, and Lawrence Barretto will join them throughout the year.

F1 has announced various rights extensions in the off-season overseas, including in Mexico and Belgium, where the sport will continue to air on FOX Sports Mexico and Play Sports.

Over in Asia, the sport will continue its long-standing partnership with Fuji Television in Japan, with their agreement with DAZN also continuing in the market until the end of 2025.

Fans in India will have access to live action via F1’s over-the-top service for the first time, while beIN SPORTS will cover F1 in ten territories across Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Elsewhere in the motor sport spectrum, 2023 sees the end of the BT Sport brand in the UK. While MotoGP remains live on BT Sport, and both World Superbikes and British Superbikes remain on Eurosport, all three will become part of the TNT Sports brand in the medium term.

TNT Sports becomes the new name for BT Sport from July, with Eurosport merging into the brand “sometime into the future” following the announcement of a joint venture between BT Group and Warner Bros. Discovery last year.

The F1 Academy series launches in April; however, details of broadcasting arrangements are unknown as of writing.

Plenty on offer in the podcasting world

The BBC remains F1’s radio rights holders in the UK, with every race airing across either BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra or the BBC Sport website.

Thursday 2nd March
20:00 to 21:00 – Season Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)

Friday 3rd March
11:25 to 12:45 – Practice 1 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
13:30 to 14:00 – Bahrain Grand Prix Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)
14:55 to 16:15 – Practice 2 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)

Saturday 4th March
11:25 to 12:45 – Practice 3 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
14:55 to 16:15 – Qualifying (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)

Sunday 5th March
14:45 to 17:30 – Race (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
The full UK radio schedule for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Rosanna Tennant leads their offering for the start of 2023 season following Jennie Gow’s serious stroke at the end of December. Writing on Twitter last week, Gow said “I’m gutted not to be well enough to return to the paddock and to bring you all the excitement.”

“My recovery is progressing well – considering eight weeks ago I wasn’t able to move fully or speak at all!” Motorsport Broadcasting wishes Gow well on her recovery.

Jack Nicholls and Harry Benjamin will share the lead commentator microphone on 5 Live, alongside a roster of talent including Formula E driver Sam Bird, Chadwick and Palmer. Supplementing the BBC’s main race offering will be their Chequered Flag podcast, presented by the 5 Live team.

Joining 5 Live in the motor sport space this year is talkSPORT, who have launched a one-hour weekly show in collaboration with Formula E.

Presented by Jon Jackson, On Track airs on talkSPORT 2 on Tuesday afternoons, focusing not only on the electric series, but also on other championships, including F1 and MotoGP.

Where original audio and podcast content is concerned, the BBC’s and talkSPORT’s offering is only the beginning in a vast landscape this season.

Sky have launched their own podcast, with new episodes premiering every Tuesday. Presented by Matt Baker, The Sky Sports F1 Podcast replaces Any Driven Monday, which will not return to Sky’s YouTube channel after a single season on air.

Say hello to the faces of the newest F1 podcast, *The Fast and The Curious*: Greg James, Christian Hewgill and Betty Glover (l-r).

The Race Media have refreshed their WTF1 brand in the winter break, with two of the brand’s key players, Tom Bellingham and Matt Gallagher moving to pastures new.

The two have been largely responsible for the brand’s growth over the past decade, taking the brand from start-up to major player in the motor sport landscape. Instead, the two opted to create P1 with Matt & Tommy, a brand that they have full creative control over.

Content creators Andre Harrison, Hannah Atkinson, Ciaran Oakes, and Charley Williams have joined WTF1 ahead of the new season, with Jack Nicholls’ hosting WTF1’s s flagship Internet’s Best Reactions YouTube series.

“I believe the new team we have assembled gives us the best opportunity to keep the brand relevant and cater to the next generation of Formula 1 fans,” said The Race Media founder and COO Andrew van de Burgt.

Another new addition to the podcasting world this season is The Fast and The Curious, with a few recognisable faces to a non-F1 audience. BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James hosts the podcast alongside Betty Glover and Christian Hewgill.

The show’s creators says that the podcast is “die-hard fans as well as those who are curious to learn more about the fascinating F1 world and the characters that inhabit it,” with guests in the opening episodes including Mercedes driver George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, and new Williams rookie Logan Sergeant.

And, if that was not enough, ex-Sky F1 pundit Herbert and Monger have launched the Lift the Lid podcast, while Whisper have launched a podcast with Coulthard and Eddie Jordan.

Lift the Lid has been “brought together through a love of F1 and their joint experience of life-changing crashes,” the two “join forces to give a unique drivers-eye-view on all the hottest topics from up and down the F1 grid each week!”

The Athletic joins the F1 media pack

A big addition on the writing front for 2023 is The Athletic, who have snapped up journalists Luke Smith from Autosport and Madeline Coleman from Sports Illustrated to kick start their coverage.

Introducing their F1 offering, The Athletic’s Managing Editor for F1, Alex Davies said “Our coverage will build on The Athletic’s mission of going beyond the chyron delivering scores and stats to the bottom of your TV screen.”

“From each racetrack around the world, we’ll dive deep into the personalities, technology, strategy, business, politics, culture and miscellanea of F1,” Davies added.

“Whether you’re new to F1 or a Serious Fan, we’ll get you up to speed by telling you not just who won, but how and what it means. Not just fighting words, but the roots of the rivalries. Not just how to tune into a race, but how to watch it like a pro.”

Davies highlights Drive to Survive as a factor in The Athletic beginning its F1 coverage, which has already been recommissioned for season six covering the 2023 season.

Autosport and The Race remain on the starting grid both in the written media and podcasting world, the latter now firmly embedded into the paddock and heading into their fourth season covering the sport.

Other faces to follow across social media in 2023 include Auto Motor und Sport’s Tobi Grüner and technical expert Albert Fabrega, the two breaking stories before the UK contingent of journalists.

AMuS’s most recent exclusive concerns the future of the AlphaTauri team, with owners Red Bull considering to put the team up for sale, a suggestion later denied by the team.

If journalists or broadcasters are not your thing, there is the other option of going DTT: direct-to-team. Expect plenty of content across the ten teams’ and 20 drivers social media channels this year, bringing fans closer to the action.

While Drive to Survive and broadcasters, such as Sky, aim to give all the grid ample coverage, some teams receive the short straw last season.

A tweet posted a few weeks ago by Williams suggested that they were releasing a behind the scenes documentary series focusing on their 2022 season, however Williams have since deleted the tweet.

Whether it is Red Bull’s Behind the Charge series or McLaren’s Unboxed, there is plenty of content to engage fans throughout 2023 across the different platforms.

Are Red Bull set to dominate 2023?

Audience figures stayed stable in 2022, with F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media reporting a cumulative audience of 1.54 billion viewers, resulting in an average per race worldwide of 70 million viewers.

Other metrics reported by Liberty indicate that F1 remains on the rise, with strong attendances following the COVID-19 pandemic and a 23% rise in the number of social media followers.

Early signs from testing suggest that Red Bull are the outfit to beat this year, as Max Verstappen looks to clinch his third consecutive Drivers’ Championship. Nevertheless, F1 will be hoping for a closer championship battle this year to keep the audience engaged through the 23 races.

Can Red Bull remain at the front, or will Ferrari, Mercedes and even Aston Martin pose a threat this season? Will it be Verstappen celebrating at the end of 2023, or are we looking at Verstappen vs Hamilton, round 2?

In the words of Sky Sports: enjoy the ride.

Last updated on March 3rd at 20:20 to add details about Channel 4’s on-air team, Sky’s multi-screen options, a minor tweak to Sky’s schedule and a new podcast from Whisper.

Analysing the disparity between the front runners and tailenders in Sky’s F1 offering

Teams at the front of the Formula 1 grid are eight times more likely to appear during Sky Sports’ coverage of the sport compared to those in the midfield and beyond, new research from Motorsport Broadcasting shows.

The research focuses on the areas of Sky’s offering which are prepared in advance. This includes their build-up to each qualifying, sprint, and race session during 2022, encompassing paddock interviews, driver analysis via the Sky Pad and feature-length segments.

The main aim of the research is to understand what level of coverage that the broadcaster actively gives to each Grand Prix team. A gap in coverage between those at the front and the rear would be unsurprising and has existed for decades, however, the level of disparity from a UK perspective is currently unknown.

Excluded from the research are the ‘glamour’ VTs before and after a commercial break, ad-hoc analysis from within the paddock, post-race analysis, and Sky’s supplementary programming, including The F1 Show and Any Driven Monday given their lower audience.

While Sky primarily serves its audience at home, English-speaking countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia, take their UK offering.

Leclerc and Horner lead the field

There were two men during 2022 that featured predominantly during Sky’s pre-session output: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Out of all the content last season that Motorsport Broadcasting attributed to a given driver, Leclerc featured in 13.7% of it.

Leclerc’s fortunes at the front of Sky’s field were in stark contrast to team mate Carlos Sainz, who was part of just 4.9% of their driver offering, the biggest disparity on the grid during 2022.

Sky focussed on Leclerc through the majority of his 2022 campaign with analysis of his pole position laps, before his championship challenge ended, while Sainz comparatively speaking struggled to get a look in.

However, Sky did air one of the most insightful pieces of the year with Sainz, taking a behind the scenes look at his preparation for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with trainer Rupert Manwaring also involved.

From an airtime perspective, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pipped Red Bull driver Max Verstappen by 0.04 percentage points, the two coming in on 11.60% and 11.56% respectively. Hamilton beat team mate George Russell by 1.6%, while Verstappen beat Sergio Perez more convincingly.

Position	Driver	Team	Percentage of content featured in during 2022
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	13.7%
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	11.6%
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	11.6%
4	George Russell	Mercedes	10.0%
5	Lando Norris	McLaren	9.4%
6	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	6.1%
7	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	5.2%
8	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	4.9%
9	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	4.8%
10	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	4.5%
11	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	4.5%
12	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	3.3%
13	Alex Albon	Williams	2.3%
14	Nyck de Vries	Williams	1.7%
15	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1.6%
16	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	1.4%
17	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1.3%
18	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1.2%
19	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	0.7%
20	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	0.4%
21	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	0.0%
22	Nico Hulkenberg	Aston Martin	0.0%

A look at the percentage of driver-related content that Motorsport Broadcasting attributed to each driver. Note: Motorsport Broadcasting has counted all Nyck de Vries’s interviews as Williams for the purpose of this analysis.

Like Sainz, Perez received inferior treatment compared to his championship challenging team mate, with Sky opting to feature Perez at his home race in Mexico along with a segment off-site earlier in the season in Canada following his Monaco victory.

Outside of the leading six drivers, Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was best of the rest ahead of another veteran in Fernando Alonso, the two drivers beating their younger team mates.

The difference between Vettel and team mate Lance Stroll was far more pronounced than the duel at Alpine, the difference between the two drivers the third biggest in the field. Sky featured Vettel in 5.2% of driver content compared to 0.7% for Stroll.

At the other end of the leader board, Williams driver Nicholas Latifi did not feature in a single interview during Sky’s pre-sessions build-ups in 2022.

A surprising entry down also at the bottom is Valtteri Bottas, with both Alfa Romeo drivers rarely featured. If it was not for Zhou Guanyu’s crash at the British Grand Prix, which Sky followed up with an extended segment at the next round in Austria, it is likely Zhou would have joined Bottas at the back.

Out of all the content last season that Motorsport Broadcasting attributed to a given team member (excluding drivers), Red Bull boss Horner featured in a whopping 33.7% of it, almost double his nearest rival. Horner featured more in Sky’s build-ups than 19 of the 20 drivers during 2022.

Position	Person	Team	Percentage of content featured in during 2022
1	Christian Horner	Red Bull	33.7%
2	Toto Wolff	Mercedes	18.2%
3	Guenther Steiner	Haas	7.9%
4	Mattia Binotto	Ferrari	7.7%
5	Andreas Seidl	McLaren	6.8%
6	Felipe Drugovich	Aston Martin	4.3%
7	Otmar Szafnauer	Alpine	3.8%
8	Hannah Schmitz	Red Bull	2.9%
9	Zak Brown	McLaren	2.8%
n/a	Other	Other	11.7%

A look at the percentage of team personnel related content that Motorsport Broadcasting attributed to each team member. Note: As Felipe Drugovich was in Aston Martin gear during his interviews, Motorsport Broadcasting has classified Drugovich as a member of the Aston Martin team for the purpose of this analysis.

In comparison, Sky aired 18.2% and 7.7% of team content related to Mercedes lead Toto Wolff and then-Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. Pipping Binotto into third was someone who has risen in popularity thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive: Haas boss Guenther Steiner.

Sky eight times more likely to feature top three teams than bottom three teams

If a large disparity between the top and bottom teams exists on track, a similar (but not as large), exists off the track as well.

Analysis from Motorsport Broadcasting suggests that Sky were eight times more likely to feature the top teams compared to the bottom teams during the 2022 season. Again, this largely consists of material pre-prepared by the production team, such as an extended interview off site.

But all the interviews add up, showing that it is much easier for fans to get to know and understand the livelihoods of the personnel at the front of the field compared to the rear, even with hours of air time to fill across a season.

Red Bull and Mercedes led the way from a team perspective, this metric encompassing the drivers and key team personnel, such as team principals and technical directors.

The Milton Keynes based outfit led their Brackley rivals by just under a percentage point, with Red Bull on 21.8% and the Silver Arrows on 20.9%. Sainz’s weak showing, combined with Binotto trailing Wolff and Horner, meant that Ferrari slipped behind their rivals, sitting on 16.6%.

Position	Team	Most talked about during…	…because…	Percentage of content featured in during 2022
1	Red Bull	Abu Dhabi	Post-Brazil fallout and one year on from Abu Dhabi 2021	21.8%
2	Mercedes	Bahrain	Pre-season interviews with both drivers	20.9%
3	Ferrari	Monaco	Interview with Charles Leclerc at home Grand Prix	16.6%
4	McLaren	France	Interview with Daniel Ricciardo addressing rumours about his future	13.2%
5	Alpine	Hungary	Special grid walk and one year on from Ocon’s Hungary 2021 victory	10.2%
6	Aston Martin	Abu Dhabi	Feature reflecting on Sebastian Vettel’s career	5.6%
7	Haas	Saudi Arabia	Interviews following good result in season opener	5.2%
8	Williams	Brazil	Sky Pad track guide with Alex Albon	3.2%
9	AlphaTauri	Japan	Interview with Pierre Gasly following 2023 announcement	2.0%
10	Alfa Romeo	Austria	Interview with Zhou Guanyu following Silverstone accident	1.4%

A look at the percentage of team related content that Motorsport Broadcasting attributed to each team.

Red Bull featured in Sky’s offering in all but one round. Sky barely featured them during their British Grand Prix build-up coverage, an indirect result of the Silverstone round airing live on free-to-air television on Channel 4.

Sky focussed on Mercedes from the outset, the broadcaster filming pre-season segments with both drivers, while an extended feature in Australia sought to understand the team’s struggles in more detail. Up until Abu Dhabi were Mercedes the team that Sky had focused on the most throughout 2022.

But while the top three teams equated for 59.3% of air time when focusing on teams only, the bottom three teams made up just 6.9% of the share.

It is a massive difference, considering the swathe of air time that Sky has on offer through each of the 22 race weekends.

To put the percentages into time perspective, Motorsport Broadcasting associated 10 minutes of content to Alfa Romeo compared with 2 hours and 40 minutes of content to Red Bull. The gulf between the two would likely be even larger if the analysis covered general paddock discussion between Sky’s pool of analysts.

The story of Sky’s coverage offering evolved as the season progressed. Ferrari’s presence halved in the second half of the season, while Aston Martin were three times more likely to feature later in the season compared to the beginning.

McLaren have historically been popular with British F1 fans, and 2022 was no exception. In addition, the Daniel Ricciardo rumours that swirled round the team meant they received a disproportionate amount of air time on Sky during their build-up programming last year.

The Woking outfit earned 6.8% of the points on offer in 2022, but Sky showed the team for 13.2% of the available air time that Motorsport Broadcasting attributed to teams, the biggest positive difference for a single squad.

The ‘non-team’ angle to Sky’s offering revealed

One aspect not covered until this point are those who do not work for a specific team, yet played a significant role in Sky’s Formula 1 coverage in 2022. Enter Stefano Domenicali, Felipe Massa, and James Corden.

Domenicali became F1 CEO in 2020, and has since regularly appeared on Sky to discuss the latest political events. Off the back of events at the end of 2021, Sky sat down with Domenicali at the season opener in Bahrain, the segment taking up a portion of their qualifying build-up.

Combining this feature with various grid and paddock interviews meant that Sky featured Domenicali in their build-ups more than 8 drivers, and more than all but two team principals.

Working for F1 in an official capacity as part of their digital team meant that Sky interviewed Massa during six separate race weekends. Massa was one of many ex F1 drivers featured last year, a list that included names such as Emerson Fittipaldi (encompassing a special Lotus 72 feature), Sir Jackie Stewart, Jean Alesi, and Flavio Briatore.

During the 2022 season, Sky spent as much time interviewing Aston Martin personnel as they did speaking to celebrities in the paddock or on the grid. Sky interviewed at least 45 celebrities, with James Corden and Tom Brady leading the way thanks to their contribution to Sky’s Miami Grand Prix coverage.

Impressionist Conor Moore rounded out the top three, Moore playing his part in one of the best segments of the year on Sky, Moore doing his best impression of Carlos Sainz on the Sky Pad, before the real Sainz interrupted during their US Grand Prix offering.

Race	Teams Featured	Teams Not Featured
Brazil	10	0
Singapore	10	0
Monaco	8	2
Canada	8	2

Italy	5	5
Miami	5	5
Abu Dhabi	4	6
Azerbaijan	4	6

A look at how the teams featured in each build-up session on Sky during 2022. Note: Sky reduced their coverage of the Italian Grand Prix due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Miami, Britain, and Austin led the way from a celebrity perspective, while fans yearning for a celebrity free zone got their wish on six occasions during 2022, with no celebrities in sight in Imola, Azerbaijan, France, Hungary, Italy, or Japan.

The inaugural Miami race was a major outlier for Sky, with only six drivers getting any attention during the qualifying and race build-up. The broadcaster opted to give fans a behind the scenes look at the event, with segments at the Beach Club, a guide to the city and celebrity interviews prioritised.

In comparison, Sky featured all ten teams and 15 of the 20 drivers in both Singapore and Brazil, aided by a rain delay and a Sprint weekend respectively. Kevin Magnussen’s shock pole position in Brazil for Haas helped give the broadcaster a different angle later in the season.

Where are we now?

The analysis from Motorsport Broadcasting shows a clear gulf between the top and bottom teams during 2022.

Last season, Sky aired at most Grand Prix around 150 minutes of build-up across their qualifying and race day shows, a vast increase on what free-to-air broadcasters offered prior to 2012 when Sky came into the fold.

While the jump is great for fans, what is not clear is whether the added exposure has led to a more equitable balance across the grid. The analysis would suggest that this has not happened, at least a decade on since Sky began airing F1.

In other news, Paul di Resta and Johnny Herbert will not be part of Sky’s line-up for the upcoming 2023 season. In a statement to Mirror Sport, the broadcaster confirmed that the remainder of their 2022 talent pool would remain with them for 2023.

Over 22 races, around 17 hours of feature-based content aired, encompassing grid walk interviews, Sky Pad driver segments and off-site interviews, during Sky’s build-up coverage.

The coronavirus pandemic has limited the possibilities for Sky in recent years, but the wider paddock was back to a near-normal situation in 2022.

Sky aired many features covering F1, both past and present, but did not cover the British contingent in either F2, F3 or the W Series, such as rising F3 star Oliver Bearman, despite having the broadcasting rights to all three series (it is possible that segments aired on The F1 Show, outside of the scope of this analysis).

One could argue that with 22 races now on the F1 calendar, there is no excuse not to feature every F1 driver in-depth during their race day programming.

As nice as it was to hear from Leclerc last season, hearing from the same driver during the track parade, in the paddock, on the grid and then in pit lane immediately before lights out becomes repetitive.

Mixing up the voices we hear on air would be no bad thing, but broadcasters would rightly say that teams at the front of the field bring the casual fan to their programming. A segment with Leclerc an hour before lights out is likely to bring more viewers than, for example, a segment with Stroll at the other end of the pit lane.

There is no denying though that, unless an incident occurs at the tail end of the field that requires follow-up analysis, they are for the most part neglected and pushed to the side.

Arguably, from a broadcasting perspective, the teams at the back of the grid would lose the most should an 11th team join F1.

The broadcasters airing F1 would still focus on the front, but anyone from the midfield downwards would find themselves increasingly squeezed if a new outfit joined the grid, unless they began to progress to the front.

For now, ten teams and twenty drivers enter the fight, both on the track and off it, heading into the 2023 season.

F1 and Sky extend broadcast deals across UK, Italy and Germany

Sky Sports will continue to broadcast Formula 1 across key European territories in forthcoming seasons, the two parties have today (September 30th) confirmed.

In the UK and the Republic of Ireland, Sky will air Formula 1 until the end of the 2029 season, a five-year extension to their existing deal which was set to expire at the end of 2024.

Further afield in Europe, the broadcaster has extended their rights agreements with F1 in Italy and Germany until the end of 2027. Deals in both territories were set to expire at the end of this season.

The deal includes broadcast rights to Formula Two, Formula Three and the Porsche Supercup.

Live coverage of the home race, and highlights of all other races, will remain available on a free-to-air basis. This is the same as the current UK deal, but an increased level of exclusivity for Sky in Italy and Germany, with fewer races available live on a free-to-air basis.

As part of the new agreement, F1 TV’s premium-level offering, which allowed fans access to live action, will no longer be available to fans in Germany.

Sky Sports will remain the exclusive home of Formula 1 in the UK and Ireland until 2029 🤩🤝 pic.twitter.com/V6uMkNyuzP
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 30, 2022

F1 says that, from 2023, viewers watching via Sky will have an “improved multi-screen and second-screen option, tracking their favourite driver’s position on the circuit or selecting a driver’s on-board camera.”

The wording here indicates that UK fans will not have access to F1 TV, a source of contention for some fans in the UK. However, it is possible that the experience via Sky’s improved options will be on parity with that offered by F1 TV.

Formula 1’s president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said “We are incredibly proud of our long-term partnership with Sky, and we are delighted to announce that we will continue working together until 2029, a very important commitment from Sky.”

“Since the beginning of our relationship in 2012 we have both strived to bring the excitement, emotion, and drama of Formula 1 to our traditional fans while engaging new and more diverse audiences. Formula 1 has seen huge growth in recent years, and I can’t think of a better partner to continue to reach our fans with dedicated, expert and in-depth coverage.”

Sky not only brings fans live coverage but a range of behind-the-scenes access and content that brings F1 to life. We are hugely excited about the future of the partnership and the journey of Formula 1.”

Stephen van Rooyen, Executive Vice President & CEO, Sky UK & Europe, added “Every race. Every moment. Every twist and turn. All exclusively live on Sky for years to come!”

“Formula 1 continues to break records on Sky, with millions more watching than ever before across our markets, driven by new younger and female fans which is fantastic for the sport. More than 80 countries will continue to enjoy our world class analysis and content of one of the most exhilarating sports in the world.”

While Sky Sports will continue to broadcast F1 in the UK until 2029, it is unclear whether Channel 4 will remain involved from a free-to-air perspective following the conclusion of the 2022 season.

The broadcaster, which has aired Formula 1 on free-to-air television since 2016, issued a “no comment” statement when asked by this site whether they will continue to cover F1 next season.

Announcement in the making for some time

Motorsport Broadcasting understands that the announcement has been in the making for some time. The extension is not a surprise to this writer, who accurately predicted the timing of the announcement back in July 2021.

F1 and Sky were originally set to announce the extension on the Friday of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, however both parties agreed to delay the announcement following the death of Queen Elizabeth II the evening before.

Sky have made moves in recent months to lock in long-term deals in the UK: Scottish football (2029), England cricket (2028) and PGA Tour golf (multi-year) some of the most recent extensions, however the F1 extension is their most high profile yet.

By the end of 2029, Sky will have broadcast 18 F1 championships and close to 400 races live on their F1 channel, compared with 12 full seasons on ITV and 22 full seasons on the BBC (19 under the ‘Grand Prix’ banner and 3 from 2009 to 2011).

While Sky’s F1 viewing figures in the UK largely plateaued when coverage of half the races also aired across the BBC and later Channel 4, their viewing figures have surged in recent years.

The broadcaster was the beneficiary of a titanic championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen last year, while also benefiting from Netflix’s Drive to Survive season, increasing their younger audience.

The positive trajectory has continued for Sky in the UK into 2022, with the British Grand Prix in July recording Sky’s highest ever audience for the home round.

Sky say that their audiences are skewing younger than in previous years, their offering also attracting more women to F1.

F1 audience statistics
Sky UK and Ireland

Average audience for 2022: 1.7 million (up 60% since 2019)

4.3m new viewers to Sky Sports F1 since 2019, of which 1.7m were women

4 of the top 5 most watched races ever on Sky during 2022

Sky Italia

Average audience for 2022: 1.5 million (up 20% since 2021)

Most watched Grand Prix in Italian pay-TV history was Saudi Arabia with 1.937 million viewers

Sky Deutschland

Average audience up 24% since 2021

Half of new viewers aged under 35

40% of new viewers overall are women

Most watched Grand Prix was Saudi Arabia with 1.38 million viewers

Source: Sky

Sky will be hoping the Drive to Survive halo continues into future seasons, as their new deals with F1 come into effect.

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