Monday 10th March 2014

F1 on TV: when and where

It's go, go, turbo this weekend at Melbourne. Here's where to watch the F1 action this year

---

The excitement is mounting for the start of what will surely be the most unpredictable season in ages, so make sure you know where and when you're watching it.

For the third year running the BBC is showing around half the races live, nine of 19 to be exact and Melbourne this weekend isn't one of them. We've highlighted the races they have got live below, starting with Malaysia at the end of the month. Though with Russia on the list, we might only get eight...

The main change to the team this year is the absence of technical advisor Gary Anderson and the addition of Allan McNish as a pundit. Mark Webber has also been signed up to do a handful of films for the build-up programmes.

Here are the BBC times.

BBC F1 Australia
Friday 19:00 Build-up show, Red Button
Saturday 14.55 Qualifying highlights, BBC2
Sunday 14.00 Race highlights, BBC1 (Scotland 15.00, BBC2)

Sky coverage without Sky
If you haven't got Sky then there is another way to see Melbourne live and that's by buying a Day Pass from Sky's Now TV. That'll give you 24 hours of coverage for a tenner and let you stream it onto a laptop or other device via broadbrand or even 3G if you're feeling brave.

If you've got Sky Sports then you're sorted for the season. One new addition to their team is Bruno Senna.

Radio 5
The old favourite radio option this year sees Allan McNish joining James Allen as a co-commentator on the race itself for the Radio 5 Live (and digital Sports Extra), which should be good.

Formula 1 schedule 2014
(Including UK start times and whether the BBC is showing it live)

• March 16: Australian Grand Prix 06:00
• March 30: Malaysia Grand Prix 09:00 (BBC live)
• April 6: Bahrain Grand Prix 16:00
• April 20: Chinese Grand Prix 08:00
• May 11: Spanish Grand Prix 13:00 (BBC live)
• May 25: Monaco Grand Prix 13:00
• June 8: Canadian Grand Prix 19:00 (BBC live)
• June 22: Austrian Grand Prix 13:00
• July 6: British Grand Prix 13:00 (BBC live)
• July 20: German Grand Prix 13:00
• July 27: Hungarian Grand Prix 13:00
• August 24: Belgian Grand Prix 13:00 (BBC live)
• September 7: Italian Grand Prix 13:00 (BBC live)
• September 21: Singapore Grand Prix 13:00
• October 5: Japanese Grand Prix 07:00 (BBC live)
• October 12: Russian Grand Prix 12:00 (BBC live)
• November 2: United States Grand Prix 20:00
• November 9: Brazilian Grand Prix 16:00
• November 23: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 13:00 (BBC live)

[Image: LAT Photo]

[kezsan]

Can't wait for all this to start! Unsure whether to listen to 5 Live on the way to Sunday Service for Melbourne or to try and avoid the results and other PHers chatting "did you see the 10 car pileup" etc and watch it in the afternoon.

[cdrx]

Does anywhere stream it online?

[Pixelpeep]

i am fortunate enough to have sky sports but still feel really aggrieved at what bernie has done to the sport. Effectively turning it into pay-per-view.

It just reminds me of when greedy councils make people pay to park outside shops. give it a few years and the local retail park/supermarket becomes the place of choice because people don't have to pay to park.

really excited for the 2014 season but BBC losing/giving up/not being able to afford full coverage leaves a funny taste in my mouth

[BBS-LM]

I never stay up to watch the Australian Grand Prix, so, service as normal for me, looking forward to the season if I'm honest.

[Pixelpeep]

BBS-LM said:

I never stay up to watch the Australian Grand Prix

Stay up? - it's on at 6am man, go to bed and set an alarm!!

[vrooom]

race highlight on bbc ??? what a joke!!

[Dion20vt]

no live Monaco on BBC?! Thing is, sky sports is such an expensive package just for the F1 channel! Which you could get with a HD pack before, but not anymore, you have to have the sports pack! Thieving ba****ds!

[LordGrover]

F1 has left me cold the last few seasons, quite looking forward to this one. Hoping the sweeping changes will have a levelling effect.

[TheTalentedMr]

Dion20vt said:

no live Monaco on BBC?! Thing is, sky sports is such an expensive package just for the F1 channel! Which you could get with a HD pack before, but not anymore, you have to have the sports pack! Thieving ba****ds!

I get it and I haven't got the Sports pack!. Last time I spoke with Sky they said you had to pay for the full HD pack (not the £5pm one) and you will get the F1 channel. Is this a new customer only thing?

[Tyre Tread]

kezsan said:

Can't wait for all this to start! ... try and avoid the results and other PHers chatting "did you see the 10 car pileup" etc and watch it in the afternoon.

I wonder if people arriving could be asked to keep the results to themselves as I'll be watching the BBC highlights and it really does spoil it.

Have you ever noticed that when a radio station gives out the football results they always say something like ' And now the football results...' or ' In Derby County's match with Liverpool today... ' which gives you time to go la la la and put your fingers in your ears whereas with FI they state 'Max Chilton* won today's Australian Grand Prix ...' so you know the result before you even realise what they're announcing IYSWIM.

Grrrr

• And then you wake up from a bad dream

[scubadude]

Pixelpeep said:

i am fortunate enough to have sky sports but still feel really aggrieved at what bernie has done to the sport. Effectively turning it into pay-per-view.

It just reminds me of when greedy councils make people pay to park outside shops. give it a few years and the local retail park/supermarket becomes the place of choice because people don't have to pay to park.

really excited for the 2014 season but BBC losing/giving up/not being able to afford full coverage leaves a funny taste in my mouth

You can't blame the poisoned Dwarf in one breath then the Beeb in the next- the fact F1 isn't on free-to-air in the UK is solely the BBC's fault.


FWIW- PH Correction, you DO NOT need Sky Sports, if you have a legacy HD package you still have F1 included for free :-)

[RossP]

I have ordered a NOW TV box that comes with five day passes for £35.

[Dion20vt]

I would be happy even if axing BBC THREE meant that all F1 races were live on the BBC!

[sunsurfer]

Tyre Tread said:

...whereas with FI they state 'Max Chilton* won today's Australian Grand Prix ...' so you know the result before you even realise what they're announcing IYSWIM.

Grrrr

• And then you wake up from a bad dream

Sounds a great dream. It is fantastic to see unknowns or little fancied drivers winning grand prix. Just as it was entertaining to see Wigan beat Manchester City, I cheered along to see Bruto Maldonado win Williams first GP for nearly a decade.

[MissChief]

Only took 3 posts before someone started having a go at Sky. Sky were OFFERED the F1 by the BBC and, of course, they took it. They'd have been stark raving bonkers to do anything else. If anything your ire and anger should be towards the BBC, not to Sky. I do like the F1 channel though. All practices and Qualifying with no time constraints or having to make way for the news or Antiques Roadshow/Songs of Praise.

[Mr Whippy]

Pretty sure you can watch it via a VPN internet stream from a country where it's aired for free and in HD, and then just get the 5 radio coverage playing over the top to save you trying to listen in some other language!?

[FTW]

LordGrover said:

F1 has left me cold the last few seasons, quite looking forward to this one. Hoping the sweeping changes will have a levelling effect.

Quite the opposite I suspect, the advantage just might not be with Redbull.

Come on Merc and Hamilton

[Bargenosenti]

Up for GP - then straight out from SW London to PHSS for a tour of Silverstone, not a bad day IMO

[smilo996]

Seeing as Bernie rescued F1 from virtual bankruptcy and has done the same thing as virtually all other sports and especially motorsport then difficult to blame the guy. Dorna are even worse.

All those that criticise the BBC, interesting how people miss it when progs go pay per view and the corps fight for rights on different networks.

Now you need Sky to watch F1 or BBC to watch part of it, Eurosport to watch WSBK, BT Sport to watch MotoGP, ITV sport to see some of BSB. ITV sport to see BTCC. Then again some of it is shown on Virgin as well.

145GBP per annum for no adverts and not supporting Murdoch seems cheap to me. All we can hope is that BT Sport finishes gutting Sky Sport and Murdoch shufles off back to Aus.

mod edit to remove link.

Edited by eybic on Monday 10th March 15:27

[soxboy]

Previously I wasn't too bothered about Sky having half the GPs as it meant that I got my Sundays back and wasn't wasting 3 hours in front of a dull race, however I must admit I'm a bit narked that the race I would love to see (Monaco) is now with Sky.