Friday 15th March 2013

F1 2013: Will you be watching?

F1's about to kick in for 2013 - but with one less race on free-to-air TV. Here's our preview.

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Keen F1 buffs will already be getting excited about the start of the Formula 1 season this year – but those unable (or too tight) to pay for Sky’s coverage will have to keep their powder dry for the time being. The first race weekend in Australia might be mere hours away, but free-to-air coverage won’t get going until the Chinese Grand Prix on April 15.

Smiles for now but how long will they last?

That means BBC viewers will miss out on live coverage of the first two races – and this year they’ll also lose out on coverage of the Monaco race, too. That’s because the BBC agreed to cover the stillborn July 19 Grand Prix instead; with that race no longer taking place, only nine races will be broadcast live on the BBC. At least free-to-air viewers will still get Silverstone and the season finale at Brazil. Phew.

Still, it’s shaping up to be an interesting season. All eyes will be on Lewis Hamilton to see whether his move to Mercedes looks to be paying off. Don’t expect a championship-challenging performance this year – he isn’t – but Lewis will be hoping to build the team with an eye on a successful campaign in 2014. Along the way, though, he’ll still be hoping to collect as many trophies as he can to display in the Lewis Hamilton museum he’d like to open. Quite.

Of course, favourite for the championship this year will be Seb Vettel. The German’s won the last three on the trot, and there’s no sign of him slowing down; that said, reports coming back from free practise in Australia say that the man who looks set to be his main rival, Fernando Alonso, is looking confident and comfortable. Will this be the year that Ferrari wrests title honours back from Red Bull?

Button now No.1 at McLaren

Naturally, McLaren will be in the mix too, doing its best to make sure Vettel and Alonso don’t have it all their own way. Jenson Button, now the clear number one at Woking, has spent the winter developing the car and the team around him, meaning he’ll have a better shot at the top spot through the year. But with Lotus aiming to place third in the constructor’s championship this year, the top three teams will have to watch their backs. Kimi Raikkonen, one of the heroes of modern F1, still looks just as fast as ever, and providing he’s left alone – he knows what he’s doing, don’tchaknow – he might just be able to help his team achieve that aim.

And if you aren't one of those fans lucky enough to have access to Sky, why not check out our gallery of this year's cars on Sunday afternoon instead? Granted, it isn't quite as exciting as the coverage itself - but it's something enjoyably F1-related to look at. You can also compete as a PHer in the Castrol Grand Prix Predictor, a Fantasy Formula 1-esque game that could land you with real-life prize; we've set up a special league here.

[HorneyMX5]

Hoping to find a good free stream for the non BBC races and use the Radio 5 commentary.

[marshall100]

Really struggling to give a toss this year. Which is a pity.

[Wills2]

I'm guessing the highlights will be on the BBC? (just checked and yes they will)

I like F1 and never missed a race but I'm not paying for Sky TV!

[mat205125]

Is this year the swansong for live F1 on free to view terrestrial TV?

[Dr Interceptor]

I won't be missing a race, have Sky Sports, but unfortunately through Virgin so no F1 HD.

Not sure how to break it to the other half that Sundays are about to get a lot busier (we only met in December).

[Amanitin]

"F1 2013: Will you be watching?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_...

[Konan]

I think the 'too tight' comment might be a neck extension too far.

I'd like to watch the F1, but there's no way I want to subsidise the rest of the drivel on Sky. The quality of their coverage is also awful.

[rijmij99]

Amanitin said:

"F1 2013: Will you be watching?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_...

my first thought also

[Squishin]

Or.....
Get a trusted friend/relative who has Sky F1 to add your laptop to their skygo and watch it streaming to the telly. They can add 3 or 6 devices and most people don't use all of them.
(If you can stick the dumbed down commentary)

[P-Jay]

I'll be in there like swimwear!

The BBC / Sky agreement stands for another 9 years, so if you're "terrestrial only" you won't miss a race, if you might not be able to watch them all live.

This season should be great, looks like RB will be out of the blocks as fast as last year, but practice isn't a great indication of real pace, and thier MO will have to change because they can't rely on massive downforce and unlimited DRS in Qually to win.

I'll be rooting for Kimi, Lewis and Jenson this year!

[moanthebairns]

dont really care this year, loosing interest since it went to sky.

dont get me wrong i love watching it but im not going to pay £300 a year to watch it, especially when im out on the bike on a sunday/sleeping/or doing something else when its on anyway. I maybe watch 2 "live" races a year.

I shall continue to tape the live bbc shows and watch them later at night, as for the races the bbc dont have pirate bay is always your friend.

you just need radio silence for a few hours after the race.

[Itsallicanafford]

it was Sky TV or trackdays for me this year.

So its a big No from me..

[wotnot]

I was losing interest until last year, when it kind of ame alive again. I'll give it another season to see if the improvement looks like lasting.
I am in the fortunate(?) position of being a Sky HD customer (can't get cable here) so I get F1 thrown in as part of my package.
Coverage is certainly comprehensive but for reasons unknown appears to lacking something in the viewable stakes.
As a result, while I get to watch every race live, I will be watching it on the Beeb whenever I get the chance.

[PhilJames]

Konan said:

I think the 'too tight' comment might be a neck extension too far.

I'd like to watch the F1, but there's no way I want to subsidise the rest of the drivel on Sky. The quality of their coverage is also awful.

Agree there!

I'm too busy Sunday so a sky subscription is way over the top just to watch the F1. I used to like watching F1 in the evening on I player. Highlights only work if the race is boring and Monaco is one of the key races to watch, not sure if there will even be highlights if the BBC don't cover it live? BBC/Sky are really killing F1.

Is there any decent foreign coverage we can watch in the net?

[AlexKing]

Article said:

...those unable (or too tight) to pay for Sky’s coverage will have to keep their powder dry for the time being

The fact that I won't be watching it on Sky has nothing to do with ability or tight-fistedness, ta very much, I just have a problem with giving money to an organisation like Sky that's an offshoot of one of the most morally dubious corporations on the planet. I shall be doing what I did last year, and using the free-to-air satellite feed from RTL in conjunction with BBC five live for the races that aren't on BBC TV live. It required an investment of fifty quid in March last year for the dish and decoder. And the feeling of flicking two fingers at Sky is priceless!

[Nick644]

Dr Interceptor said:

I won't be missing a race, have Sky Sports, but unfortunately through Virgin so no F1 HD.

Not sure how to break it to the other half that Sundays are about to get a lot busier (we only met in December).

Classic! bit of a baptism of fire for her then!

[Shaw Tarse]

PhilJames said:

Is there any decent foreign coverage we can watch in the net?

PH can't allow links to be posted, but if people ask in the **offical** race thread you may get a pm.

[suffolk009]

Some journo to Kimi:

"So Kimi, are you missing Michael Schumacher this year."
"No." (Kimi walks off)

[MrTickle]

Konan said:

The quality of their coverage is also awful.

I have to disagree there, there coverage is excellent and far more insightful than the BBC ever was.

The beauty of the Sports F1 channel is they can dedicate so much more time (to the disgust of the o/h) to every race weekend.

Already had my fix this morning for P1 and P2 live!

[Nick644]

AlexKing said:

Article said:

...those unable (or too tight) to pay for Sky’s coverage will have to keep their powder dry for the time being

The fact that I won't be watching it on Sky has nothing to do with ability or tight-fistedness, ta very much, I just have a problem with giving money to an organisation like Sky that's an offshoot of one of the most morally dubious corporations on the planet. I shall be doing what I did last year, and using the free-to-air satellite feed from RTL in conjunction with BBC five live for the races that aren't on BBC TV live. It required an investment of fifty quid in March last year for the dish and decoder. And the feeling of flicking two fingers at Sky is priceless!

After the Jimmy Savile cover up by the BBC for the past 40 years, with clear implications that Mark Thompson was complicit in the cover up also, I'm not sure the BBC are any better than Sky....and they force you to pay for the privilege of having a TV whether you choose to watch the BBC or not...not very fair or moral I would suggest!