Australian Grand Prix local coverage

[Durge Driven]

That time of year to cringe, Aussie commentators are just downright embarrassing

Coverage :
FRIDAY - 10 BOLD 12:00PM - 5:30PM
SATURDAY - 10 HD 10:00AM - 5:30PM
SUNDAY - 10 HD 10:00AM - 5:30PM

 

[Kindly]

Really? I watch it at 4am and have to endure the same old boring English idiot presenters, aside from Herbert or Brundle or Button etc. who had some balls.

 

[Durge Driven]

V8 Commentators much better
I will watch Sky later
New track layout is good

 

[Antony Snook]

I was verry lucky as there was a re run at 10:30 am here in Canada on TSN. I recall when i had to go to a bar in Toronto to meet a club who watched events recorded and aired via a laptop. But this one was going to be live.and seeing it like at 2am there. And walking home part of the way as there was no night service. Downtown gets a little spooky at night in that area. And the bus took us the majority of the way. It goes fast and over pot holes. (If it where daytime i would be on subway) But sleeping in day is hard espeshaly in my apartment where residents get noisy in the afternoon.

 

[Antony Snook]

V8 Commentators much better
I will watch Sky later
New track layout is good

I agree sky TV has no character in commentary. It makes me miss Murray Walker who brought so much excitement and passion into the job.

Really? I watch it at 4am and have to endure the same old boring English idiot presenters, aside from Herbert or Brundle or Button etc. who had some balls.

They are better than the clowns who used to do it in Canada. I wont say their names but one was a driver who did not know what he was talking about. Another worked for the papers (Not that i read his articles) And the third was a generic person who would talk about any sport. But do we need 3 or 4 drivers just doing the same job in complete agreement. Though i do like Brundle on the walk around track when he talks about braking zones and where to put on power. Sometimes i just hit mute button and talk myself through what i see.

 

[Antony Snook]

I remember the good old days. I had a pack of VHS tapes labeled round 1-16 and used VCR. And watched the races in sequence each weekend in the winter.

 

[Durge Driven]

Sorry I should have said presenters not race commentators

Mark Webber for race call is not bad still Sky coverage is heaps more informative

 

[Ruttman98]

In related complaints: Aussies can have Lee Diffie back anytime they want. IMO, he has a knack for saying too much (in a loud and long-winded manner) at the wrong time during NBC IndyCar coverage. He also has a tendency to be a spoiler of F1 results. He is enthusiastic, perhaps annoyingly so.

 

[Kindly]

I wouldn't mind if all racing broadcasts worldwide used ex drivers as presenters. You either need to be a top presenter of all topics and in particular male dominated sports, or you need to bring some value in terms of entertainment and humility and let the guests talk more than you do. What oftentimes happens is that the presenters see themselves as owners of the sports and judge or joke about elite athletes.

For example, if you ask any top driver about pit lane journalists with notebooks, their private opinion will be extremely derogatory. Part of that reason is because the guy writing has never been in a car at those speeds. I have no problem with other people criticising the likes of Latifi, for example, but realistically speaking I may be 5-10 seconds off his pace and making the same mistakes.

 

[Antony Snook]

Sorry I should have said presenters not race commentators

Mark Webber for race call is not bad still Sky coverage is heaps more informative

I don't think sky is that informative at all. They deal with basic stuff that a casual fan relates to and what i call "Fluff" basically silly stuff to kill time. History of nation or what happened before. Interviews with drivers about personal life (Like who cares what they do outside F1) Its like when i watch NASCAR and it rains. They have to fill time and keep you from chaining channel. We used to have "SPEED VISION" where commentators had personality and it was for intense fans like me that know the basic stuff.

 

[Antony Snook]

I wouldn't mind if all racing broadcasts worldwide used ex drivers as presenters. You either need to be a top presenter of all topics and in particular male dominated sports, or you need to bring some value in terms of entertainment and humility and let the guests talk more than you do. What oftentimes happens is that the presenters see themselves as owners of the sports and judge or joke about elite athletes.

For example, if you ask any top driver about pit lane journalists with notebooks, their private opinion will be extremely derogatory. Part of that reason is because the guy writing has never been in a car at those speeds. I have no problem with other people criticising the likes of Latifi, for example, but realistically speaking I may be 5-10 seconds off his pace and making the same mistakes.

The formula in American broadcasting works you have 1 or 2 drivers. Then a Engineer or somone who sits over the wall that knows what happened if the car has a problem. And a media person that represents the basic fan and the question's they may ask. I really would like a Engineer to bring insight into the technical side. Just today i saw on utube a model of a fuel tank with a demo of how it works with sections and valves and pumps. It was fascinating.

 

[Ruttman98]

Even though the North America-based Bob Varsha-David Hobbs-Steve Matchett Speedvision / Speed Channel / combo usually didn't broadcast from trackside they brought more to the F1 party than any team since. The team relied on the FOM world feed to comment from the studio, while Peter Windsor and later Will Buxton were their eyes and ears in the pits. It was a treat to watch and listen to them for their inimitable ways with words, enormous passion, deep knowledge, keen eyes, and entertaining on-screen banter.