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Formula One is experiencing something of a boom time of late, thanks in no small part to a suite of strategic decisions made by new owners Liberty Media since their acquisition of the franchise from Bernie Ecclestone back in 2017.
Their mission statement was simple – to make the sport more accessible, intelligible and engaging in order to capture new fans the world over, especially in the North American market, a largely untapped sector for the sport.
F1 has long struggled to break into America, where IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA had always remained more popular. There are a number of reasons for this, but they can all be said to amount to a lack of intentional investment in curating the sport stateside.
Substantial Audience Growth
All that is changing now, though, and F1 is considered to be among the fastest growing sports in the world. The runaway success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries is credited with being a key driver in drawing people into the sport, particularly in the States.
Furthermore, the addition of two new US Grands Prix in the form of Miami, which debuted in 2022, and Las Vegas, which will see its inaugural race take place in the latter part of the 2023 season, are further making the case of F1 in the world’s largest domestic economy.
With the 2023 season well and truly underway, fans will no doubt be looking to make use of free bet offers, such as those furnished by DraftKings through leading comparison platforms, to back their favorites – but they may also reasonably wonder what the best way to catch the races is today?
The answer to this, fortunately, is simple – F1 TV. This in-house subscription service has been designed from the ground up to be the best way to catch all the action as it unfolds. With 2023 its feature-set has expanded further, cementing it as the ultimate package for F1 fans wanting to cover every angle.
Let’s take a look at the changes this year’s update has brought, and cover the core features that make it a significantly better proposal when compared to catching the action through conventional broadcasters.
New Features
Last year was the most widely used year for the platform since its launch back in 2018, with a record 115 million hours of F1 footage streamed over a twelve month period. For 2023, F1 TV has relaunched with an all new presenter line-up including commentators Alex Jacques, Jolyon Palmer, James Hinchliffe, and former F1 driver David Coulthard and expert analysis from Will Buxton, Laura Winter, Rosanna Tennant and Lawrence Baretto. Additionally, Sam Collins, who is reprising this role, will provide detailed technical analysis.
Also this year comes the ability to watch live races from the start, and even search for key moments throughout a race in real time. This year will also see F1 TV’s archives expanding to incorporate even more of F1 history, with classic races available to watch in full from across the decades.
Telemetry
One of the curious elements of F1 is how data driven it is. Being able to track a range of information can massively enrich your viewing experience, and F1 TV prides itself on ensuring you can access nearly as much real time data as the engineers on the pit wall.
This includes tracking sector times across a lap, comparing gaps between drivers and even assessing gear shifts and throttle control. More broadly, F1 TV lets you keep an eye on tyre wear and pit windows and assess team judgement calls in real time.
Ride Along
With ride along, you can watch an entire race from the perspective of a single driver, giving you unprecedented access to their race and the strategic moves employed by the team. If you’re a superfan of a given driver, this feature makes the service worth the price of admission alone.
Battle Mode
Battle mode is one of the most exciting features to launch as part of F1 TV. With battle mode, it’s possible to view two cockpit cams at once, side by side. This also gives you access to both team radio feeds for the drivers in question, giving you a panoramic overview of a battle as it unfolds in real time.
Expert Analysis
In addition to the race itself, F1 TV gives you access to all practice sessions, sprints and qualifying runs. There’s also pre and post show interviews and analysis, weekend build ups, and in-depth technical analysis to explore, giving you a broad overview of the race weekend as it develops.
Additional Broadcasts
F1 TV Pro furnishes viewers with a host of other feeds in addition to Formula One. These include all F2, F3 and Porsche Supercup Races, ensuring that you’ll never have to look far for some top tier motorsport action.
Platforms
F1 TV is available across all computing platforms as a desktop web app. Additionally, it can be installed as a standalone app for Android and iOS from the Google Play Store and App Stores respectively. However, the best way to enjoy it is undoubtedly through your smart TV – F1 TV Pro is available for download and installation on your Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV and Roku.
Availability
F1 TV is available in two tiers – these are referred to as F1 TV, and F1 TV Pro respectively. Only the pro tier features live broadcasts, and this will be restricted in certain regions due to licensing agreements. Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to work around this limitation by redeeming your subscription with an electronic payment processor, and tuning in with a VPN.
As it stands, F1 TV Pro is officially available in 89 countries, while F1 TV can be accessed in 118. The non-Pro version features all of the telemetry data listed above and audio commentary.
Cost
While subscription fees vary from region to region, they will not deviate far from USD prices. These are $79 annually for Pro, and $26.99 for standard access.
