I don't know if I read a thread started on here about this very subject,but last night,Sky launched their F1 channel.
I.do.know that some of you good chaps probably don't or won't have Sky due to a whole myriad of reasons.
However,as a Sky subscriber who gets full value from my HD package I was looking forward to seeing this launch,and upto press,I'm impressed.
The launch show that aired last night was a well polished start to a season of quite promising footage.
Now at this stage,I have to admit that I'm not the most committed F1 devotee,I would rather watch Motogp,World Superbikes,British Superbikes,BTCC and WTCC,but if it has an engine in it,I'll watch it.Rugby,football,cricket,tennis,athletics etc never blew my frock up.
After this though,on Sky Premier HD at 10pm was the film Senna.
Wow.
I watched this film and have plussed it so I can watch it again,it is that good.
For those that don't know,Ayrton Senna was a Brazilian Formula One ace who was nicknamed the 'Proffessor'.An F1 world champ with a truly remarkable,short career cut tragically short by a high speed crash at the Tamburello curve at the Monza circuit during the San Marino GP in 1994.Having seen this film,I have to conclude that this is a film that portrays the man in a way that so many Hollywood blockbuster biographical jobs always fail to achieve.It is a film I would recommend to anyone to watch.
At the time,I.didn't really like Senna,mostly due to the fact that he always won,but,there were some great races and dices with Prost,Mansell and others such as Piquet,Patrese and at the very end of his career,a young German called Fake Stig.No,Micheal Schumacher.
Damon Hill was his last team mate at Williams.
As this film is on for the rest of this week,I'll watch it again.
A truly remarkable film about a truly remarkable,compassionate,focussed man and a truely great champion of his chosen sport,possibly the greatest in fact.

Pete

Used to watch all races live. Avid fan. I do have Sky (because where I am I have no alternative) but not Sports and never will.

I'm now using the BBC's dropout from many of the live races to not watch ANY live races unless I'm so bored/house bound through illness.  I don't watch other mainstream TV or TV News so won't know the results before then.

I thank the BBC, Sky and the Poison Dwarf very sincerely for giving me my life back. I'm cured!


I was given the Senna DVD for Christmas, have not watched it yet..............

F1 is no longer above my Radar.

I'm not an avid fan myself either,in fact,I used to watch a lot of the races through my eyelids so that tells you something.I will plus the first race next weekend and watch it when I get up just to see what the coverage is like.As I said earlier,I'm more into bike racing because there is actually more racing involved.F1 is more like chess if that is a comparison,due to all the pitlane activity placing cars in position.With bikes its just plain racing.The only strategy is to go hell for leather and the man who goes fastest wins.Or woman,as there are a couple on both international and national circuits.
Also,I have a bike myself.I don't own an F1 car.

Pete

As a tight wad who refuses to have anything to do with Sky, I am now forced by the lack of BBC purse to watch half the races in full and the other half as highlight shows. I am drawn like a moth to a flame for F1, MotoGP and British Superbikes (can't get WSB on my freeview box)
There are 2 programmes tonight on the 'Pick' channel I am recording about F1, and then I have to wait a week for the first GP
I see Kimi Raikkonen is also on Top Gear tonight

I cannot get Sky as my flat faces the wrong direction plus the building has a listed frontage so not even bird poo is allowed on there 

I too will miss F1, I especially enjoyed the views provided by the small cameras mounted on the cars giving a greater perception of speed (my drug of choice  )

I was not aware of that programme on Pick tonight so thanks for that heads up 

When F1 went to sky I binned my TV license, it was the only thing I kept the TV for. So now that we don't get proper coverage anymore I no longer want or need the TV, and I won't pay for something I don't want. With the olympic shams coming up that won't be a bad thing at all.

Love racing of all types (and Rugby).  Already have Sky so no real hardship however it will be interesting to compare the two (Sky & BBC) team so see who comes out the best.

I love endurance racing as well - tactically it makes F1 look like Draughts.  Doesn't get on tv much because you have to follow it closely (the car in front is not always leading) for about 6 hours on a short race. Went to Le Mans last year for the 24hr - if you ever get the chance then you have to go.  Weekend of beer and cars...  Exciting racing as well last years race was won by 18seconds - not much after 24hrs...

One small thing I am fairly sure that it was Alan Prost who was the named Proffessor for his ability, once he was in the lead, to drive metronomic laps that would have him driving away from his opposition.  Senna undoubted skill was his overtaking - brilliant and still much missed..


Whoever you support in current F1 - if you have Sky I'll see you there 4.30 next Sunday...

SWMBO and I are both big F1 fans, and had also been thinking about getting Sky for a while - so the news that F1 is mainly going to be on Sky F1 channel sealed it for us - the fitter turns up this afternoon! 

I'm really peed off with the Poison Dwarf for this, I will not put any more sheckles into that lying git Murdochs hands for Sky coverage of what, in my humble opinion, should be one of the protected sports. 

I'm an F1 fan and have been for many years, in fact I'm a Motor Racing fan and I used to Marshal at Oulton Park for many years and I must admit that BTCC is my favourite, and more power to the elbow of ITV for showing races live on ITV4, or will that be going to Sky as well. 

I'll have to make do with the 5-Live commentary, or try and find it online somewhere where someone is streaming it.

Yours really naffed off

Neal.

Quote from: Greybeema on March 11, 2012, 12:06:36 PM


I love endurance racing as well - tactically it makes F1 look like Draughts.  Doesn't get on tv much because you have to follow it closely (the car in front is not always leading) for about 6 hours on a short race. Went to Le Mans last year for the 24hr - if you ever get the chance then you have to go.  Weekend of beer and cars...  Exciting racing as well last years race was won by 18seconds - not much after 24hrs...

The 2011 British Superbikes ran for months and 25 races. It went to the last race, the last lap, and the winner won by 6/1000's of a second. Close, class racing

Know where your coming from Newportnobby.  Anything with an engine...  Found myself watching Offshore Powerboat racing the other day - now that looks like getting in a ring with Tyson....

Quote from: Calnefoxile on March 11, 2012, 12:59:38 PM
I'm really peed off with the Poison Dwarf for this, I will not put any more sheckles into that lying git Murdochs hands for Sky coverage of what, in my humble opinion, should be one of the protected sports. 

Sorry but I don't see why ANY sport should be 'protected' over any other, in fact I'd rather ALL sport got shoved off the main channels onto sports channels so us normal folk could enjoy our entertainment without it getting delayed/cancelled because the stupid football/cricket/F1/other-boring-sport overran or takes undue preference 

Only sport I watch now is the WRC and other rallying on Motors TV (see - dedicated channel), gave up on F1 years ago when it became a procession and it's never really recovered. The glory days of Senna, Prost, Mansell and co will never be seen again sadly as the sport has been ruined


Paul

The 2011 British Superbikes ran for months and 25 races. It went to the last race, the last lap, and the winner won by 6/1000's of a second. Close, class racing
[/quote]

Class racing? Totally agree NewportNobby Can't wait for this season to start! Much better than the overpaid, over hyped formula 1 bores, oops sorry racers 

Marty

Quote from: Sprintex on March 11, 2012, 01:53:05 PM
Sorry but I don't see why ANY sport should be 'protected' over any other, in fact I'd rather ALL sport got shoved off the main channels onto sports channels so us normal folk could enjoy our entertainment

I'm with you, Sprintex ...

One that really annoys me (hmmm - maybe most of this thread should be on the Angry Thread ?  ) is fishing on Shed ...  The fishing peeps keep insisting that sitting around a soggy river-bank, watching a bobbin in the water for hours on end, is a sport.  Fine - put it on Sky Sports then, & give Shed back to what it should be !

Mike

Having grown up during the days of edited highlights of F1 on BBC, with Harry C in the studio commentating on the same film we were watching, the new BBC coverage will be just like the old days. At least I will be able to watch on Freesat, as Freeview round here just has too much sound and video dropout.