So here we go with 2019. (copied over from the old forum)
Bad news first for UK only: C4 & Sky have gone into a collaborative deal which means that Free to Air TV remains on C4 but is only “highlights” for all the races, with just the one exception of the British GP.
Sky have all the races live on Sky Sports F1 channel.
Changes to some of the more “interesting” spec’s & regulations for 2019 are; Simplified wing configurations with the aim of reducing front wing sensitivity in turbulent air & minimising the difficulty of following another car closely, also associated with the wing changes are simplified brake duct & barge-boards. One other change that affects race performance is fuel allowance is increased to allow races to be run at full power at all times.
However, I’m reading that the predicted improvement in racing with the new wing(s) - close following & better overtaking - are not giving the expected results in testing. Ferrari tested the front wing during practice at Abu Dhabi & the other teams testing all indicate that its does not meet expectations, forecasting only a small, maybe no effect.
Oh well, we shall see when pre-season testing kicks off.
Some Team Management Changes
Ferrari: Mattia Binotto replaces Maurizio Arrivabene as team principle.
McLaren: Andreas Seidl appointed as managing director reporting to CEO Zak Brown.
This is a new role in a series of McL management changes. He comes from Porsche World Endurance Championship team & was previously in F1 with BMW 2000-2009
The financial hit of having to subscribe to Sky to watch live will IMO reduce public engagement unless the highlights package on C4 is of a reasonable length (at least 45 mins racing).
I won’t be subscribing to Sky to watch F1 and no other sport. Will watch the highlights on c4 whilst my interest remains but suspect it will wane. F1 and the sponsors will be losing a long time viewer and I suspect many will be like me in that without live F1 to watch interest in it will fade.
Oddly, I have only one Sky Sports channel - the F1 HD channel. I got this as part of the HD package many years ago so don’t know if it’s still the same - worth asking though (this was when the F1 HD channel was launched).
If it gets dropped from my package by Sky it’s either goodbye Sky or goodbye F1 (or both) - over the past few years I’ve felt that if I had to pay for it it wouldn’t be worth paying for; like others I live in hope that “the next season” will bring back real racing, rather than processional driving. I’ve lost track of how many “the next seasons” there have been.
I’ve done the analysis and I can get all the channels I actively watch (except F1) from BT, but the convenience of the Sky system probably make it worth paying the extra. Unfortunatley we don’t get the full range of Free-view here (in fact we don’t get any Free View without a masthead amp).
Completely fell out of love with f1 which I’ve been following since 1972. I’m on VM at the moment and Sky is not an option. I’ll probably try to watch a few races live online on VPN and read the usual reviews and keep up-to-date with the latest news on Autosport. Of course, I’ll also be checking out this thread now and then.
Graeme, A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet . VPNs can be used to access region-restricted websites, shield your browsing activity from prying eyes on public Wi-Fi, and more.
Basically, it tricks your device, PC/laptop/mobile/into thinking that it is based in another location. There are several apps offering this service. I use TunnelBear with a small annual subscription and always found it reliable and secure.
Although not available in the UK, in certain countries, although very few, the races use to be in free-to-air channels. You do have to search the channels on the net. It’s not guaranteed but it’s also a bit of fun.
Formula 1’s race organisers have expressed concerns over the future of the sport.
F1 Promoters’ Association (FOPA), which represents 16 of the 21 races on the calendar says it wants “a more collaborative approach from F1”. Stuart Pringle, chairman of FOPA & MD of Silverstone cited amongst other concerns that the circuits are worried about the loss of free-to-air television coverage, a lack of clarity over rules and the methods F1 is using to attract new races. They feel that their voice has been ignored the new owners of F1, Liberty Media.
Would be nice if Haas showed some proper detail instead of those dark background publicity releases. I suppose one or all of the F1 techie publications will do something.
All the others will be announced next week.
