Sky/BBC confirm line-ups

A very quick update today, just to run through a couple of announcements which have had me thinking that BBC viewers in 2012 won’t be so badly off after all (no, not the ridiculous announcement that the BBC have won an award for being best F1 broadcaster of the year - a consolation prize from Bernie Ecclestone if ever there was one).

Firstly, the excellent Ben Edwards has been confirmed as lead commentator for the BBC’s coverage, alongside the bland-but-inoffensive David Coulthard.  Edwards has been doing sterling work on F1 season review DVDs and British domestic motorsport for years, so this is excellent news for all concerned (except anyone who was planning to boycott Formula 1 in favour of BTCC coverage next year I suppose).

The linked article also makes reference to Eddie Jordan continuing his role as pundit, but you can’t have it all. And to look on the bright side, this picture should remind you how bad we once had it (particularly the gurning buffoon on the right).

Sky have also announced their line-up in the last few days, with Anthony Davidson and David Croft joining Martin Brundle as commentators and Simon Lazenby (who?) fronting the coverage. Pit lane reports will be handled by Theodore Slotover (no really) and the hitherto-atrocious Natalie Pinkham, formerly of Radio Five Live and the beds of various celebrities. Georgie Thompson (recently done for drink driving, so there’s a positive message) will also do some presenting, or at least her interpretation of it, with Steve Rider given a job of sorts as some kind of F1-themed continuity announcer.

So on the whole, there’s a decent line-up of presenters spread over both channels but neither has a particularly great line-up on their own. For what’s its worth, if I was doing some kind of ‘Fantasy F1 Presenting Team’ competition I’d have Rider, Edwards, Brundle, Davidson, Coulthard, Kravitz/Slotover and at a push Lee McKenzie (although I'd consider Louise Goodman for a comeback) in my ensemble.

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Just in case you were starting to think this was a blog about TV coverage of F1 rather than the sport itself, a quick prod (again) towards the Pits Take 2011 F1 Season Review which will be published next week and promises to be at-least adequate* in every way. Think of it as a reward for all the non-British readers who've spent the last 6 months wondering who on earth Jake Humphrey is...

*assuming adequacy equates to length - five thousand words and counting!

Formula 1 Coverage in the UK: An Update

More facts have emerged in the last few days from the BBC and Sky about their controversial deal to share the rights to screen Formula 1 in the UK from 2012. Sky’s coverage is shaping up nicely, with confirmation that they will screen the races advert-free on a new dedicated channel, ‘Sky Sports F1 HD’.

Sky promise plenty of programmes away from the races to fill up the new channel, and one wonders quite what these will be – classic races would be fantastic, but BBC/ITV-style F1 lifestyle features are perhaps more likely.

In addition, Martin Brundle has unsurprisingly confirmed he will be making the switch to Sky, which is just reward for his ever-entertaining commentary. The fact that he has moved from ITV to the BBC and now Sky shows how synonymous Brundle’s voice, forthright opinions and sharp sense of humour have become with television coverage of F1.

Current BBC Radio 5 Live presenter David Croft is expected to join him, a solid if slightly surprising choice given the sometime darts pundit’s relatively low profile (despite a cameo appearance in the latest Formula 1 video game). I for one would like to see Ben Edwards given a shot, although it would be a shame if he left ITV’s increasingly-fine BTCC coverage.

Meanwhile, the BBC has confirmed the 10 races they will be showing live. It’s a mixed bag really, with the most significant absentees being Montreal, Monza and Suzuka. Apparently both broadcasters were only allowed to pick two races in a row to screen live (or exclusively live in Sky's case), which explains some of the decisions, although how the BBC ended up with both Valencia and Barcelona I cannot imagine. At least Spa remains on the BBC roster.

The European races not shown live will get 90 minutes of highlights on Sunday evening. For no obvious reason the races from Asia get two hours of highlights instead, and these will be shown at 2pm. How much of this time will be race coverage and how much no-doubt hilarious banter between the presenters remains to be seen.

Speaking of presenters, David Coulthard will remain, much to everyone’s acquiescence. No mention is made by the BBC on this blog post of Eddie Jordan, which is probably for the best – his ‘me, me, me’ rantings have worn rather thin of late. The somewhat vacant Lee MacKenzie will be “pit lane reporter” – does that mean she will take over the superior Ted Kravitz’s responsibilities as he is not mentioned by the BBC?

But, worst news of all (even in comparison to the loss of Martin Brundle) is that the puerile Jake Humphrey will continue to ruin what little coverage the BBC has left with his loose interpretation of top-class sports presenting. The fact that Sky showed no interest in taking him speaks volumes. As Eddie Jordan commented (inadvertently summing up the thoughts of the nation) during the Brazilian Grand Prix pre-race coverage, isn’t he a children’s television presenter?

One question that remains is whether the BBC and Sky will share the same main commentary feed. In the absence of Murray Walker making a comeback, and given the fact that I will most probably be watching on the BBC, I really hope so. Especially given how excellent Brundle has been in recent years and how poor the alternatives are – the return of Jonathan Legard or, whisper it, James Allen [shudder]? But my hopes aren’t exactly high given that Sky will inevitably want to keep their probably-pricey presenter to themselves.

So to sum up, it doesn’t look great for F1 fans with access to free-to-air coverage only - no Martin Brundle or Ted Kravitz, no live coverage of half the races (including some real classics), and just as much Jake Humphrey as before. It’s as if the BBC has taken inspiration from my nightmares…

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Apologies for the rather half-arsed, BBC-esque approach to updating the site in the last few weeks and months. Despite the lack of driver ratings appearing on the site, I have been diligently recording them privately, and will incorporate them into the Pits Take F1 Season Review which will appear… well, before Christmas I expect. I will also crown the Pits Take Driver of the Season, taken from an average of all the ratings across the year. Since I haven’t actually worked these out myself yet, I can genuinely say that literally anyone could win (although Karun Chandhok is unlikely…).

Marco Simoncelli 1987 - 2011

I make no apologies for a second post in a week which is about the wider world of motorsport, rather than Formula 1. Yesterday at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Sepang, Marco Simoncelli lost his life in an appalling accident. The 24 year old crashed and slid into the path of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards, who helplessly hit him, removing his helmet. By all accounts the accident was not survivable, and the young Italian was declared dead at the circuit.

I will not attempt a comprehensive obituary for Simoncelli, as my knowledge of MotoGP is not great enough for that. Others have succinctly captured what the Italian meant to them and to the sport elsewhere. Indeed, my own personal interest in the sport has waned somewhat over the last couple of seasons, due to the dwindling numbers of bikes on the grid.

But Simoncelli was undoubtedly the star of the majority of the limited number of MotoGP races I have seen in full this year. His tall, gangly frame made it appear that he was constantly on edge, but he was incredibly quick (though accident prone). Two podiums in recent races, including a second place just a week ago in Australia, seemed to indicate that he had calmed down somewhat, whilst still retaining his speed. And then came yesterday’s horrific accident.

Of course, this is the second prominent motor racing fatality in the last week, after Dan Wheldon’s untimely death in an IndyCar race. Once again, we have been reminded of what we all know; that motor racing in any form is inherently dangerous, and accidents can and do happen, occasionally with devastating consequences.

For two sportsmen to die in this way in such a short space of time makes me feel almost guilty for following motor racing, but it is important to remember that, just like Wheldon, Simoncelli was a true racer and died doing what he loved. As well as hearing of these two deaths in the last week, I also had the privilege to watch the last rounds of the British Superbike Championship on television. This clip, from the last lap of the championship decider, helps to remind me why I and thousands of others around the world watch motor racing so avidly. No doubt Marco Simoncelli would have approved.

Dan Wheldon 1978-2011

I was saddened to hear this morning of the death of Dan Wheldon in the final IndyCar race of the season at Las Vegas yesterday. Wheldon was involved in a frightening 15 car pile-up in the early stages of the race, receiving fatal injuries when his car was launched into the air and hit protective catch-fencing. Wheldon leaves behind a wife and two infant children, and his tragic death has shocked the American and world motorsport fraternity.

Admittedly this is not a Formula 1 story per se – despite his achievements in the US, Wheldon only ever registered as a blip on Formula 1’s radar. He was reportedly offered a drive with BMW Sauber in 2006, and was also linked with a move to Honda, the engine supplier which powered him to his IndyCar victories. But Wheldon did race in the UK and Europe in his early career; indeed, Jenson Button was one of his closest rivals, and the 2009 World Champion has expressed his sadness at Wheldon’s death today.  

Despite early success, Wheldon suffered from the funding difficulties that blight many a talented driver’s career, and made the brave decision to move to the USA to live and race there at the age of 21. His rise to IndyCar racing was rapid, and his success there almost instant – he won three races in his first full season and finished runner-up in the championship, before taking the title in 2005 as well as the coveted win in the Indianapolis 500.

To call the Indy 500 America’s equivalent of the Monaco Grand Prix belittles the significance of the annual 500 mile race to American fans, which perhaps gives some indication of the level of Wheldon’s achievements. It also explains why Wheldon never openly sought a move to Formula 1, instead preferring to remain a big fish in the fairly large pond of American open-wheel racing, which has become significantly deeper recently after the merger of the Champ Car and IndyCar series which had split in the mid 1990s.

The quality of the field is such that Wheldon himself was unable to find a full-time drive this season, but he sensationally won the Indy 500 for the second time after rival JR Hildebrand crashed in the last corner. He also tested and developed the next generation of IndyCar, built by former HRT collaborator Dallara, which will make its debut next season. The significance of his death will hit home again next May, when 33 drivers will line up for the 96th running of the Indy 500 race in cars heavily influenced by Wheldon himself, but without the 2011 winner among them.

The tragic loss of such a talented driver serves to proof that no matter how much safety standards are improved, motor racing remains a dangerous sport. The dangers of IndyCar racing in particular have been discussed today by Jonathan Legard (suddenly ‘promoted’ to being a BBC motorsport expert after his removal as F1 commentator at the end of last year) and Mark “tyres what were on the car” Blundell, who predictably both claim that Indycar racing is far too dangerous. Certainly the speeds involved are extreme, with cars racing wheel-to-wheel at well over 200 miles an hour. But motor racing in general and Indycar racing in particular will never be truly safe activities.

Certainly lessons need to be learned from this tragic incident, but precisely what these lessons are should wait for another day. Suffice it to say that despite the danger, men and women will continue to race cars due to their inherent love of the sport, which we as fans all appreciate. Wheldon himself was only participating in Las Vegas as a one-off, in an attempt to win $5 million to be split between himself and a fan if he could come through the field from the back and triumph.

Dan Wheldon wrote in his last blog entry of putting on a show and providing the fans with “pure entertainment” in yesterday’s race, and it is the fantastic racing action that he provided in his career, as well as his success, which he will always be remembered for.

Normal Service Will Soon Be Resumed

Hello everyone. Pitstake (i.e. me) is currently without the internet, and therefore no updates are currently possible. However, this situation will soon be rectified, and the regular mix of driver ratings, comment and Jake Humphrey bashing will be available again soon. I had considered treating this as practice for next season, and asking for money so that you could view half a season's worth of content, but I have relented...