The first three parts of my ‘2012 Verdict’ series looking at all things UK F1 Broadcasting focussed on the BBC and Sky teams and how they could be improved for 2013. Parts four, five and six will move onto focussing on the individual programming that each broadcaster puts out, starting with the BBC in this part.

Practice
BBC’s Formula 1 coverage starts on a Friday morning, with coverage of practice. For the live race weekends, practice is live behind the BBC Red Button service with commentary from the BBC Radio 5 Live team. For the highlight races, the coverage is on 5 Live only – minus the pictures. Coverage begins five minutes before the session, and finishes five minutes after the session, with footage fully from the Formula One Management (FOM) World Feed.

Despite this, the coverage that is provided is fantastic with James Allen, Jaime Alguersuari, Jennie Gow and Gary Anderson taking us through the action and inviting viewer discussion throughout via Twitter and e-mail. The format, which has been the same since 2009 when BBC won the rights from ITV, has largely worked.

With the reduction of BBC Red Button streams from five to one, however, one wonders how, if at all, this will affect BBC’s practice coverage. At this stage, it is impossible to know as BBC have not yet announced which races they will be covering live. But if there is a sport clash, then practice may draw the short straw and be restricted to online only. On the other hand, is there a possibility of some practice sessions being live on BBC Two? The Delivering Quality First changes (DQF) means that BBC Two’s daytime schedule will be radically overhauled, and CBBC being axed from BBC One and BBC Two. I don’t think practice being on BBC Two is very likely, but is definitely worth noting, in my opinion.

Inside F1
Introduced in 2009, Inside F1 for its first few years was largely presented in the BBC News’ studio, but since 2011 has been presented track side, in 2011 by Amanda Davies and 2012 by Lee McKenzie. Broadcast on the BBC News Channel, the programme rounds up the Friday action and features an interview or two.

There is not much to say here, except it feels completely out of place on BBC News. I’m not sure where else it could go there, maybe BBC Two at 19:00 as a result of the DQF changes, or BBC Three at 19:00 to appeal to a younger audience, but either way it being on BBC News feels out of place, but that’s just me. I think as a programme the format works, for those that just want a quick round-up of practice, and should be kept.

Pre-Session
The pre-qualifying and pre-race programmes are normally an hour in length with Jake Humphrey, David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan discussing and analysing key points, interspersed with VT’s. For me though, looking ahead to 2013, this could end up being the biggest drop down in terms of quality.

This year, and in previous years, we have seen some fantastic features with the three of them such as the Silverstone Wing Walking or camping in the middle of the Spa Francorchamps. The features worked and were widely praised. Yes, they were crazy and a bit bonkers, but that is why people loved them! My point us that all three people, Humphrey, Coulthard and Jordan were willing to do that. The dynamic between the three elsewhere in the build-up became top notch fast with little room for improvement. It is the area where it could all go wrong in 2013, depending on who the front man or woman could be. People choose BBC over Sky because of the build-up, and if the new presenter does not gel well, then that could turn the tide into Sky’s favour.

The quality of the VT’s should remain top notch as it has done so consistently since 2009, but as always it is the presenter who holds the show together, who keeps the viewers engaged and not many people can do that as well as Humphrey. It will be interesting to see how much the live build-ups change for 2013 with a new dynamic. Elsewhere, the new live grid walk with Coulthard has been a success, who has filled Martin Brundle’s role nicely in grabbing the right people at the right time. The highlights programmes should not change too much compared to this year as it is a quick intro, grid walk and into the race.

Post-Session
Post-qualifying and post-race coverage on the BBC largely remained the same for 2012. The main feature of the post-race coverage is the F1 Forum, which follows the main BBC One broadcast. For me, this was a huge advancement on ITV’s F1 coverage which had the tendency to rush off air wherever possible. The amount of time BBC dedicated to Formula 1 after the race had finished was more than any broadcaster previously. The format of the F1 Forum has changed slightly since 2009, instead of being based in a team motor home as they were in 2009 and 2010, in 2011, the team instead choosing to wander around the paddock to see who they could find. I think both formats have their positives and negatives, the motor home style allows for a more analytical style with more debate, whilst the wander around style allows them to pick up anyone they find along the way and see the team photos at the end of each race.

Whilst the F1 Forum has been there for live races, its absence from highlights races has been extremely disappointing. Yes, whilst there may be twenty minutes on BBC One after the highlights races, the F1 Forum allows for a more relaxed style and to discuss things that they may not have had time to discuss on the BBC One show. It says a lot when one of the best half an hour segments of the weekend was the recorded Bahrain Grand Prix forum. The joy of the forum is that it helps nicely wind down the weekend, and that video was for me one of the best pieces all season with the BBC wrapping up the action. I do hope the F1 Forum appears on the website for all the highlights races next year, even if it just a 20 minute cut.

Other programming
Outside of the race weekend, all of BBC’s output happens online and on the Red Button with blogs from Andrew Benson and Gary Anderson. Also, the Classic F1 series has continued for several races on the Red Button, with extended highlights from several rounds including Belgium and Italy, reaffirming BBC’s commitment to covering the past in Formula 1 as well as the present.

On the whole, BBC’s output is top notch. But like any production, as always there are areas where improvements could be made. Part four will look at Sky Sports F1’s weekend output, and as always, your thoughts are welcome.

After being wiped out last year as a result of the deal with Sky Sports, the BBC F1 production team was left to replace and fill the empty holes that had appeared. Out went Martin Brundle and Ted Kravitz from BBC TV, along with Anthony Davidson, David Croft and Natalie Pinkham from BBC Radio 5 Live. In their place came Ben Edwards and Gary Anderson for TV, whilst James Allen, Jaime Alguersuari and Jennie Gow formed the all-new 5 Live F1 team.

With the season now over, all in all, the BBC did a fantastic job with their recruitments, and in this piece I shall look at each member of the team in detail. As with my August piece, though, I will not be looking at the 5 Live team as I have not listened to them a lot this season, so it would be unfair to write about their team. I did do a brief piece on them here though for those interested.

Ben Edwards
Regular motor sport watches will have recognised Ben Edwards’ voice long before 2012. Edwards made his first Formula 1 commentary appearance at the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix, commentating alongside John Watson for British Eurosport. That race was just the beginning for Edwards as the two formed one of the best motor sport commentary partnerships of all time. Edwards continued his Formula 1 duties until the end of 1996 when Eurosport (and the BBC) lost their Formula 1 rights to ITV. Edwards moved his commentary duties stateside, commentating on CART for Eurosport.

In 2002, Edwards was part of the F1 Digital+ team, again alongside Watson and also alongside Matthew Lorenzo, Damon Hill, Peter Windsor and Perry McCarthy. A great team did not reap rewards, as Bernie Ecclestone closed the channel down at the end of the year. Despite his commentary being well-received, though, ITV or BBC never gave him the lead commentary position. Edwards moved onto A1 Grand Prix, commentating on their world feed alongside Watson until that particular series went bust. Whilst Edwards commentated live on ITV’s British Touring Car Championship programming, it was not until this year that Edwards broke back into Formula 1, joining the BBC as lead commentator.

It was worth the wait. Although Edwards was not alongside Watson this year, his partnership with David Coulthard quickly became a favourite with BBC F1 viewers. The partnership was in sharp contrast to other partnerships in previous years that have not gone so well, as the two gelled well together and called the action enthusiastically and excitedly. Alongside Gary Anderson, the three make the race day commentary worth watching. 2013 prediction = Edwards to stay with the BBC team

David Coulthard
A successful Formula 1 career for Coulthard spanning 15 years and 13 wins concluded in 2008, following spells at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. A long career left Coulthard well placed for a broadcasting role, so it was no surprise to see BBC sign Coulthard up to restart their coverage from 2009. Coulthard to me seemed like one of those drivers’ that would move onto broadcasting at the end of his racing career due to the way his Formula 1 career ebb and flowed, which leaves him in a better position than those that have just had success to talk about the sport he loves – something I think will also happen to Jenson Button when he retires.

The three man team of Coulthard, Jake Humphrey and Eddie Jordan from 2009 has excelled in the past four years, and the same can be said for this season. Coulthard took on extra responsibility this year, performing the grid walk for BBC’s ten live races, a role he managed successfully, even bumping into Martin Brundle on more than one occasion.

Whilst his commentary with Edwards has also been top-notch, the question must now be asked whether Coulthard will remain with BBC for 2013. As I outlined in my 2013 predictions piece though, I do not see what Coulthard has to gain from moving to Sky Sports. There is an arguable point that he may want to reduce his commitments, but at the age of 41, Coulthard is in his prime, so I really don’t anticipate that happening just yet! In my opinion, Sky don’t offer him anything BBC do, unless he considers the prospect of live TV as appealing as Martin Brundle… it is worth noting that the few articles this morning say Coulthard will indeed remain at BBC for 2013. 2013 prediction = Coulthard to stay with the BBC team

Eddie Jordan
Probably the most charismatic member of the BBC team, Jordan has been with them since the start of 2009 as analyst alongside David Coulthard before and after the races. Jordan, who was well known for being the boss of Jordan Grand Prix through their stay in Formula 1, has appeared at all of the live races this year as well as a few highlights rounds. Although some will interpret this as him winding down his BBC commitments, I think it was the sensible option and probably one Jordan would have preferred. There was no real point of him travelling out to the ten highlights races only to talk for about 5 to 10 minutes in the pre and post-race show.

Despite his air-time reduction, Jordan is still a real asset alongside Coulthard and one to bring along a few scoops with him. The Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes scoop, started by him was dismissed by some on the paddock, including Sky Sports F1, only for the scoop to turn out to be 100 percent accurate. It is the scoops like this that give Jordan credibility, and you can see why BBC will be extremely keen for him to say with them for 2013.

I think with no Jordan as well, the life would be taken out of the live BBC F1 shows as I do not think Jordan would be very easy to replace. 2013 prediction = Jordan to stay with the BBC team

Gary Anderson
Like Jordan above, before his BBC duties, Anderson was most famous as the chief designer of Jordan Grand Prix, Anderson being there for the majority of its lifespan. Since then, Anderson has done TV work mainly for Setanta in Ireland, as well as doing website work for AUTOSPORT.com, amongst various other pieces.

Anderson succeeded Ted Kravitz as BBC’s pit-lane reporter. For the first few races, to be honest, I was sceptical about Anderson’s appointment. I got the impression that he was not gelling well with the remainder of the team on screen and that he was not being utilised properly, this a particular concern for the highlights races where sometimes he was heard very little. As the season has progressed though, Anderson definitely wins the award for most improved member of the team. Anderson, who also played a part in 5 Live’s practice coverage, is heard a lot more during the race day commentary, with Edwards bouncing back to him regularly in races, which has helped integrate him in the team.

In the pre and post-race programming, Anderson gives his technical analysis, and, despite not having the budget as Sky Sports F1’s Sky Pad, Anderson puts the latest developments over to the general audience in a language they understand – without dumming it down too much. As I said during the Summer, this was where he struggled in early races, but has improved massively now. 2013 prediction = Anderson to stay with the BBC team

Jake Humphrey
Advancing through the BBC ranks from CBBC to Fame Academy and onto BBC Sport, Humphrey became BBC F1 presenter in 2009. It was clear from day one that BBC had made the correct decision.

This part of ‘The 2012 Verdict’ will not be long, because as we all know now, Humphrey is moving onto pastures new for 2013, so there is not much for me to say here. I do think, though, that BBC F1 will be worse off without Humphrey. Reading a lot of Twitter comments, and you can tell that Humphrey’s style of presenting has helped open Formula 1 open to a new audience that did not exist before, which should not be forgotten. I do hope, ten or fifteen years down the line we do see Humphrey back in the motor sport circles in some capacity. But for the moment… 2013 confirmed = Humphrey is off to BT Vision

Lee McKenzie
Throughout the 2000’s, McKenzie filled several motor sport broadcasting roles, such as A1 Grand Prix pit-lane reporter and presenting Speed Sunday on ITV1 in 2004. It was in 2009 when McKenzie joined F1, becoming BBC F1 pit-lane reporter alongside Ted Kravitz.

McKenzie has continued that role ever since, stepping in as presenter for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix and the 2012 Canadian, German and Hungarian Grand Prix’s. With her presenting experience, alongside her good relationship with all the drivers’ thanks to her reporting from 2009 to 2012 makes her the prime candidate for the BBC F1 presenter role. One of the best interviews for me this year was her interview with Lewis Hamilton, which shows her ability to get the best answers out of drivers and acting professionally when doing so. Her interviews with Sebastian Vettel are another stand-out, such as his championship winning interview and when the two presented the first part of the F1 Forum at Silverstone this year.

For me, McKenzie is not only the obvious candidate, but the logical one. Any other decision may make her reconsider her BBC F1 future if the presenter role gets given to a Formula 1 newcomer. 2013 prediction = McKenzie is promoted to the role as BBC F1 presenter

Tom Clarkson
As Clarkson has not been on the BBC programme since Summer, I will not add any more to what I wrote back in August, which you can see below:

“If you are from Australia and are reading this, you will be familiar with Clarkson as he is a regular voice on TEN Sport’s Formula 1 coverage. As Humphrey is back for the remainder of the season as a presenter, I don’t believe that we will see Clarkson again, but as we have seen him several times, I thought I would give him a section here too. My memory of Clarkson though comes from Canada when he was asking questions to a slightly miffed Mark Webber here,Webber either unimpressed or bored with Clarkson’s line of questioning.”

I will end this part with a story that is making the rounds this morning and that is that Suzi Perry is the front-runner to become BBC F1 presenter from 2013. The move, if true, would be a surprising one. As I noted in September, Perry was dropped from BBC’s coverage of MotoGP a few years ago. The fact that she was dropped from the MotoGP coverage makes it seem far-fetched that she would be considered for a higher priority role. To me, the two do not add up. Perry also has been more two wheels than four wheels in the past thanks to her MotoGP commitments. The reason given publicly that she was leaving was because of time commitments, however Formula 1 takes up more time than MotoGP with 20 races.

But, I note from her Twitter than she has said that she “will be back in full flow soon [with presenting]” and she will be back on TV “soon“. So this story appears to have some legs…