Unlike so many sports, Formula 1 offers its viewers so many different options for how to follow the live action – albeit limited by region based on broadcast agreements.
The sport has evolved unrecognisably from the early 90s, where all that fans had available was a single world feed broadcast that provided all the coverage and information about the race that was available to viewers.
Over time, Formula 1 and its broadcast partners expanded some of the viewing options available to audiences. The growth of the internet also had a major impact on how fans consumed the sport, with F1 and even the teams themselves opening up all new channels of data and information during races that had previously never been available before.
In modern times, there’s more choices and options available than ever before. For many fans, F1 is no longer just a ‘single screen’ experience, as many will watch along with multiple windows on their computers or with their phones or tablets as well as their television.
So in 2024, how do you, the readers of RaceFans, like to follow the live action from a grand prix? Is simplicity best, or is there no such thing as information overload when it comes to following F1?
Radio commentary
One less common avenue of following Formula 1 live that does not involve any images at all is radio commentary. Broadcasters like BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom provide live radio commentary of races, describing the action without the benefit of pictures.
This is convenient for those fans who want to follow along live but are unable to watch, such as those stuck at work on Sundays or out driving when the races are on. But they also allow fans who might be happy to carry on with their weekend activities from home the opportunity to keep doing what their doing while listening along to how the race is progressing, without having to sit down on the sofa to watch.
Some viewers might also prefer the commentary teams available on the radio to the television crews and may mute their TVs to listen to their preferred announcers.
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World feed
The quintessential form of watching Formula 1, the world feed curated by FOM is shared to all networks who broadcast the sport and is how the vast majority of fans follow along with what is happening.
Providing an overall picture of how the race is progressing, the world feed attempts to cover the key and major action throughout the field. A timing tower to the left of the screen provides the live race positions at all times, while regular replays are used to ensure viewers don’t miss any of the action.
Over time, team radio clips have become a critical part of the world feed coverage. FOM selects which excerpts from driver radio they share with the viewers.
Live timing
A quintessential ‘second screen’ feed for many fans, live timing offers an detailed level of insight into the on track action that often can’t be gained from simply watching the world feed coverage.
Giving live data on gaps between cars, sector times, lap times, tyre compounds and tyre life, speed trap data and more, living timing provides viewers with much of the same information that the teams themselves are using to make critical race decisions on the pit wall.
As well as an official service on the F1 website and app, there is also a live timing feed available on many broadcast services including F1 TV, FOM’s own direct-to-consumer service.
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Onboard cameras
Few sports offer as close a view of the action from the competitors’ perspective as motorsport. Over the decades, the onboard camera has gone from occasional gimmick to a ubiquitous part of the broadcast with all 20 cars offering live feeds to the world feed.
Many F1 broadcast services offer some kind of access to selected onboard camera feeds. Whether that is a single curated feed that swaps between selected drivers based on the whim of a director, or F1 TV, where viewers can select which driver they want to follow along with during the race.
As well as being able to watch the race from the perspective of the viewer’s favourite driver, onboard feeds also provide the team radio chatter between driver and engineer – albeit slightly delayed and subject to censorship from FOM.
Driver tracker
A more recent addition to the options available to viewers compared to many others, the driver tracker is effectively a live map of the circuit that allows viewers to follow where each driver is on track throughout the race.
While live timing provides gaps between cars, the driver tracker offers a visual representation of where they physically are on the circuit. Not only can this help to show whether a driver is likely to emerge from the pit lane in front or behind a rival, it can also be used to track any drivers who might not be featured in the world feed coverage, such as the teams towards the back of the order.
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Social media feed
Like every form of entertainment in the current age, watching Formula 1 is a social experience if you want it to be. With so many social media platforms like Reddit, Threads or X (formerly Twitter), fans can react and debate the race live as they watch.
Although the quality of discourse on social media platforms can become fairly toxic to say the least, especially as many users are incentivised to say the most provocative and outrageous things for easy attention, a lot of fans do get extra enjoyment from participating in live discussions with other fans while watching.
Live watchalongs
A relatively new phenomenon that has arisen over the last decade with the growth of streaming platforms like Twitch, some popular figures in the F1 fan community broadcast live watchalongs of races where they watch and react to the events in real time.
Channels like P1 with Matt and Tommy regularly have thousands of viewers watching their reactions to races and interacting on live chat. Although they are prohibited from showing any race footage, many fans clearly enjoy the shared experience of watching live action with their favourite creators.
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Private voice calls
A variation on the watchalong format, only limited to select group of friends or family as opposed to open channels with hundreds or thousands of viewers.
With so many F1 related Discord servers out there open to members to join at their leisure or private communities of friends, some fans will join together on live calls to talk to each other and react to what is happening on track. If friends are unable to physically be together to watch races, this is perhaps the next best thing.
You say
How do you consume live Formula 1 in the modern age? Do you like to access as much data as possible or prefer a minimalist approach?
Which of the following do you regularly use to follow a live F1 event? (Select all that apply)
- Live voice call (Discord, Skype, etc) (0%)
- Live watchalongs (Twitch, etc) (2%)
- Social media feed (Reddit, Threads, etc) (4%)
- Driver tracker (11%)
- Onboard cameras (9%)
- Live timing (16%)
- TV world feed (56%)
- Radio commentary (no video) (2%)
Total Voters: 25
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