Following a request for comment from this blog last night to the BBC concerning Gary Anderson’s departure from the team and subsequent comments made by Anderson, the blog has today received the following statement from BBC’s Head of Formula 1, Ben Gallop.

Ben Gallop, BBC’s Head of F1 said: “We’ve adjusted our line-up for 2014 to bring what we feel is the best package for audiences across TV, radio and online. We’ve enjoyed working with Gary and thank him for his valued contribution to the BBC’s Formula 1 coverage across all platforms over the last two years and we wish him all the best for the future.”

Gary Anderson has revealed the reasons behind him and the BBC parting ways in the close season. Whilst he noted the reasons at a Cass Business School event last week, he has expanded on the reasoning today.

In the first of his ‘Ask Gary Anderson’ pieces on the AUTOSPORT website (subscription required), Anderson said that his intention was to make the technical aspect a bigger part of the BBC’s coverage. Speaking to AUTOSPORT, Anderson commented “Ever since I started work with them, I’ve been pushing them to do more on the technical side, and during the second half of 2013 it appeared to me that they were wanting to do less. For example, I set up an open-house visit to Renault to cover the engine package for 2014 in detail and twice on the day before we were due to go it was cancelled by the BBC. The reasoning was that as far as they were concerned, the viewers were not that interested.”

Anderson, who will have an expanded AUTOSPORT role in 2014, was not happy with the impression that BBC were leaving him. “I believed that with the enormous technical changes for 2014, we should be doing more, not less.” Anderson commented. Whilst it appears that Anderson wanted to leave the BBC, BBC made the decision moments before he informed them. “I was in the midst of writing a resignation email when I got the call from them to meet up for a chat, which is when [..] they got rid of me!”, Anderson said. Nearly 95 percent of you, or over 2,500 blog readers believe Anderson leaving will be bad for BBC in the long run.

An interesting turn of events that Anderson and BBC appeared to have been thinking along the same wavelengths: BBC wanted to get rid of Anderson and in the end Anderson wanted to leave. The question I have to ask is whether there was always the intention from the start of 2013 to phase out Anderson from their coverage. I don’t disagree with Anderson, but I’m not sure I agree either regarding the latter half of 2013 sentence. With Sebastian Vettel dominating, the whole of the broadcasting scene in terms of features dried up, on both sides of the fence. The evidence that Anderson gives though about the Renault visit is immensely disappointing and disheartening to read.

I have reached out to the BBC for comment.

The BBC have today confirmed their line up for the 2014 Formula One season. Suzi Perry returns as presenter to front the coverage, with David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan serving as expert analysts.

Coulthard will also partner Ben Edwards in the commentary box, whilst Tom Clarkson and Lee McKenzie will be in pit-lane. However, as noted a few weeks ago, Gary Anderson is absent. Disappointingly, and in some ways disgracefully in my view, BBC have not acknowledged this in today’s press release. Why? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been with a team ten days or ten years, your contribution should be acknowledged. BBC, and Ben Gallop, acknowledged Legard’s contributions when the two parted ways at the end of 2010, so why not Anderson now? As it turns out, Anderson is doing more AUTOSPORT work for 2014, so BBC’s loss is AUTOSPORT’s gain.

The radio team is identical last year, with Allan McNish on board for fifteen races instead of the six races as it was last year. James Allen and Jennie Gow are back on board as well. McNish it appears has an extended role for 2014. Ben Gallop, BBC’s Head of F1, said: “The 2014 F1 season picks up pace tomorrow as testing begins and the BBC’s F1 team is ready to deliver another exciting year of coverage. We’re delighted that Allan McNish is on board with the team this year in an expanded role – his experience and expertise is an invaluable addition, especially as he joins us straight from a highly successful career on the track. The strength of our presenting line up is something we are very proud of and it’s great to have them back again for 2014. We’re looking forward to the new season and delivering audiences a great package across TV, radio and online.”

Allan McNish said: “Now that I have hung up my racing helmet, I am really looking forward to joining the BBC team again for what I am sure is going to be a fantastic new F1 season. With so many technical rule changes, as well as team and driver movements, there will be lots of things happening on and off track for the BBC team to bring to you.” McNish’s quote amuses me purely because: if the technical side was so important, then surely they would have kept Anderson? As much as I am looking forward to McNish’s contribution, I have to question why BBC are going in the same direction of travel as Sky with a driver heavy line-up. An interesting note is that BBC say that McNish “will also feature across the BBC’s F1 output”. How he will fit into TV’s plans I have no idea. I suspect he’ll be part of BBC’s highlights weekends on TV and some live weekends to add some variety to the line-up.

The last quote on the BBC press release is confusing and potentially misleading “BBC One and BBC One HD will show nine races live on TV [..] with extended highlights programmes of the remaining races. This goes the same for practice and qualifying.” I don’t envisage highlights of practice in any form (especially on BBC One!) and I think this is simply a mistake, but I will update this blog if I hear differently.

Gary Anderson is to leave BBC’s Formula 1 coverage, The F1 Broadcasting Blog can confirm. Anderson was a part of the team for the 2012 and 2013 seasons as pit lane reporter and technical analyst alongside Lee McKenzie. In 2013, he was joined by Tom Clarkson in the pit lane, however it must be emphasised that whilst Clarkson is a great pit lane reporter, he is not a technical analyst. It appears that Anderson’s role will not be replaced and means that for the first time in nearly two decades, there will not be a technical view point in Formula 1’s terrestrial television coverage.

The role of technical reporter has been a part of Formula 1’s coverage since 1997 when ITV replaced BBC as rights holders. Before then, you would have had Tony Jardine or Jonathan Palmer doing the odd technical feature, but nothing on a full time basis. ITV’s coverage expansions changed that. James Allen was designated the role of pit lane reporter, which also covered the technical side of events. When Allen moved to the lead commentator role in 2002, Ted Kravitz moved over from the production area into the role, which he held throughout ITV’s coverage until 2008, and then until 2011 on the BBC. Of course it goes without saying that this was all playing out to a terrestrial television audience, so whilst there was technical information, it was not massively in-depth or mundane as it needed to cater to a casual audience. Which is fair enough, but the fact is, it was there.

Changes came into swing with the BBC and Sky rights deal beginning in 2012, but the role of technical role remained, and in fact turned into a better role. As good as Ted Kravitz was, having an actual former technical director on BBC’s team I felt boosted it immensely. In my 2013 Verdict piece last month focussing on the BBC team, I went as far as saying:

It is a strange one actually, as you would probably logically feel that Anderson and Kravitz should be the other way around. Anderson doing more technical stuff on Sky Sports F1, with Kravitz on BBC F1. Both do fantastic things in their respective roles though and I would not want that to change.

However, whilst that is true, I have not come across a comment on this blog with anyone who has an issue with that. I felt it was brilliant that Anderson could do his technical analysis to a bigger audience. 2014 is a year of massive, far reaching and drastic changes where the technical aspects of Formula 1 are concerned. Today’s news leaves a gaping hole in BBC’s coverage. They need a technical analyst, and they need one fast. For me, it is a fundamental part of the F1 coverage. As good as David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan are, they are not designers. Only a select few can hold that role. They can’t leave Anderson’s role vacant, and they also can’t expect Clarkson to fill Anderson’s role. You need the technical mindset to fill the role. Kravitz over on Sky, despite not being a technical director in the past, has justified his position in the past ten years with some fantastic work. Maybe BBC are thinking, or already have done, of giving Ross Brawn a phone call. I hope so, but the outlook appears bleak.

To anyone suggesting Sky should pick up Anderson: him and Kravitz on the same team would not work, in my opinion. Why have two people in very similar roles? By hiring Anderson, you’d be basically telling Kravitz to leave. The latest move by BBC feels, sadly, like an attempt by someone, whether within the F1 team itself, or higher up in the chain, to dumb down their coverage. This blog understands that Anderson was pushed from the role, rather than Anderson leaving of his own accord. I hear one or two people saying that “this is the beginning of the end for BBC F1”. This is the same people that predicted the end at the end of 2011, and then 2012, and then 2013. In my opinion, short term and long term, BBC F1 is not going anywhere. As always, there could be changes where radio is concerned, as Ben Constanduros hinted to earlier although it has to be said that TV and radio exist out of different budgets, the TV coverage is in-house, the radio coverage is USP Content.

Regarding Anderson, to quote a phrase, and more apt considering his role: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Update on February 5th – As noted above, and confirmed this evening, the BBC did indeed let Gary Anderson go and that it was not his decision. At a Cass Business School event, Anderson commented on the departure. I quote from tweeter @CausticCorner who was present at the event: “Ooh, Gary Anderson says it was #BBCF1 who decided viewers “don’t appreciate technical #F1 analysis…” and let him go.” So, there you have it.