How do you watch F1 these days?

[Sakae 0]

How do you watch TV these days? I would guess its TV (alive or recorded), but is this assumption correct, and what's all that noise about new age of media? F1 on the Twitter?

Some thoughts of an old timer - here.

In my case:

- Used to attend races (usually about 3 or 4 per season). Read tonnes of magazines between races (all the time, as soon they hit a news stand).

- Then came (huge) color TV, no more travels. (Question of comfort).

. Then came even bigger TV w iPad (for data on timing info). I thought (felt), that I MUST know!

 

Recently, I got rid of TV, got rid of iPad, so now I see races on my 15" notebook, and/or sometimes TV on my sister's couch, while remained avid reader of any news on the internet concerning my favorite driver, and his team, which is daily routine. Joined racing discussion forum (with dubious results). Add replays, anything and everything about business of F1 and FiA, and that's it. No Twitter, Facebook, or an Apple Watch, nor any inclination to watch a race on my phablet. There is a limit for me in miniaturization.

 

[KoolMonkey 0]

Here in Australia a decades long run of having F1 live on free to air ended a few years back. We lost the Sky feed and got the BBC feed for half the race calendar. I've not once tuned into any of the broadcasts. As good as DC and Webber and whoever else is on there, it's just too alien for me. I'm so used to Brundle now, that if I can't watch them, I won't watch it.

Thus my options are, watching F1 live via streaming. The drawbacks are buffering, sometimes the whole stream being shutdown. But when it works it's as good as TV, and I can rewind up to 2hrs too, so if I start it and walk away, I can come back, rewind and watch it buffer free.

The second option is to go on a media blackout, not watch the news or goto any news websites, and then to download it in 720p or 1080. Sometimes it can take days actually to find someone whose uploaded the race.

In order to keep on following this sport, I have to resort to under the table tactics. Paying $150 a month for Foxtel to be able to watch F1 isn't going to happen. Even $15-20 a month to watch one sport is overpriced.

I've never been to a F1 race, but I have been to a few of the Champ/IndyCar races here in Australia in the 90s when Champ/IndyCar actually meant something.

[radical-one 0]

In japan there's only 1 channel left from 2016. pay channel cable 309. It sucks I have to pay unlike before....

[Sakae 0]

5 hours ago, radical-one said:

In japan there's only 1 channel left from 2016. pay channel cable 309. It sucks I have to pay unlike before....

I think if LM wants to expand customer base, your situation might change, because a few hard core fans will pay, but some new, would be customers might not. F1 in Japan (speaking from my own experience) is not really on a priority list of too many, yet considering that you have Suzuka, Honda, and country with as many people living there, potential for new customer base is huge, if done properly. This situation created by XYZ is really travesty. Showing there once a year, collect money and disappear for 12 months has earmarks of fly-by-night outfit, than a professional organization.

However, what's with rumors about Suzuka? I've heard that Honda might get rid of F1 for that property. True or false? This is Vettel's favorite (denotes most liked) race track of them all.

[radical-one 0]

Yep in recent years F1 has lost it's popularity here. First of all there isn't any F1 driver to cheer for plus the sluggish economy has brought Racing in general down the drain.

[Ruslan 0]

I get F1 via cable TV for every race. They show Friday's second practice, Saturday's qualifying, and the Sunday race. The cost is the price for my overall cable TV package (which I am going to pay for anyway), so no extra change. The commentators include David Hobbs (the driver) and Steve Machett (the mechanic) and Will Buxton (actually, a really great pit lane reporter). It is a decent effort.

[Sakae 0]

Are Hobbs and Machett still sitting in the front of TV like rest of us, interpreting race based on limited information, nevertheless sounding like Supreme Court Justices when rendering decisions in seconds based on optics only? I am quite familiar with styles of both men, being exposed to it for several years. Do you actually get more than 15 to 20 min of net broadcast on each 1/2 hr of race with that network?

[Ruslan 0]

Actually, they let them start traveling to some of the races again. It was a budget issue for several years. They do send Will Buxton (who is outstanding) to all the GPs to serve as a pit lane reporter. They do show the race in small screen during many commercials. I find it to be a very good broadcast and I do like the broadcast team.

One shouldn't undervalue Hobbs experience. When Vettel was complaining in qualifying yesterday that the front sway bar was broken, it was Hobbs that immediately noted that it had to be the rear to be able to lift the front tire.