Welcome to the Pistonheads F1 TV guide. Last year it was blissfully simple: turn on BBC and there was your racing. This year a sneaky deal with Sky means only half the races are available live on the BBC, with the rest shown in a highlights package only.
With Australia kicking the season off on Sunday, we thought you might like to know what gets shown where, starting with the BBC's schedule this weekend.
For all a list of all the races shown by the BBC, scroll down to the highlighted calendar. If you've got any added advice or tips, let fellow PHers know in the comments.
Australia on the BBC
The lights go out on the season opener 6am Sunday morning, but it's not one covered live by the BBC. Instead, it's highlights only. The BBC won't show the whole race at any point.
Saturday 17 March:
Qualifying highlights: 1pm-2:15pm, BBC Two/BBC HD/online
Sunday 18 March:
Grand Prix highlights: 2pm-4pm, BBC One/BBC HD/online
Radio 5Live
Live from 5.30am, Sunday 18 March.
James Allen and Jaime Alguersuari commentate
It'll cost to watch these guys
Ways to watch F1 this season:
BBC
The BBC will show 10 races live, with the rest shown as two-hour highlights packages, either in the afternoon if it's a morning race or in the evening if it's an afternoon race. They haven't said what timing we can expect from the evening races. You also get qualifying highlights too.
As for the 10 races, there are four of the best in Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Brazil but there are some duffers too, notably Korea and Valencia.
Those resolutely holding out against paying for Sky get the benefit of established team of Jake Humphrey, David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan, with experienced commentator Ben Edwards standing in for Sky defector Martin Brundle.
Could be the perfect way to cut down on an F1 addiction that can leave sufferers full of self-disgust at wasting a nice summer's afternoon watching Vettel romp away with it again.
Sky
Those with existing Sky Sports or HD (high definition) packages are pigs in the proverbial because the new F1 channel comes free. To join this happy band costs a minimum of 40 a month with Sky Sports or 30.25 with the HD package. You need a satellite dish screwed onto the side of your house, of course. Installation is free. Do that and you can watch all 20 races live, as well as getting a much larger fix of F1 news and gossip from more regular magazine shows scheduled in the evening every day (many repeated of course).
You also get to watch races live online via smartphone, tablet or computer via Sky Go, no matter whether you get your broadband via Sky or not.
Lead commentator is the ever-reliable Martin Brundle, with David Croft pinched from BBC 5Live to help out. Croft teams up with Anthony Davidson again to commentate on practise sessions, which get screened too.
Pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz also made the switch and old-stager Steve Rider is wheeled out for interviews. With both the BBC and Sky competing for access to the drivers and teams it remains to be seen whether we get as much as previous seasons when the stars got just one British camera in their faces.
Virgin
Cable viewers can get the Sky F1 channel if they sign up to the whole Sky Sports package for an extra 22.50 or 28 depending on the size of channel bundle already chosen. BT Vision currently doesn't offer Sky F1 as part of its two-channel Sky Sports package.
Race calendar
BBC live races in bold, UK times shown
Australia: March 18
Albert Park, 6am
Malaysia: March 25
Sepang, 9am
China: April 15
Shanghai, 8am
Bahrain: April 22
Bahrain International, 1pm
Spain: May 13
Circuit de Catalunya, 1pm
Monaco: May 27
Circuit de Monaco, 1pm
Canada: June 10
Montreal, 7pm
Europe: June 24
Valencia, 2pm
British: July 8
Silverstone, 1pm
Germany: July 22
Hockenheim, 2pm
Hungary: July 29
Hungaroring, 1pm
Belgium: Sept 2
Spa-Francorchamps, 1pm
Singapore: Sept 23
Marina Bay Street Circuit, 1pm
Korea: Oct 14
Korea International Circuit, 7am
India: Oct 28
Jaypee International, 9:30am
Abu Dhabi: Nov 4
Yas Marina Circuit, 1pm
United States: Nov 18
Austin, 7pm
Brazil: Nov 25
Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, 4pm
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)