Fleetwood Mac The Chain back in 2009

[Buleste]

Yes that's right F1 is back on the beeb next year which means all those years of humming the guitar riff from The Chain has pulled off.

[Harrison]

Wow! This is excellent news! Finally no more adverts breaking up the coverage!

You have to wonder how much this deal cost the BBC to get this back. ITV released the following statement:

"This was a straightforward commercial decision for ITV and we are pleased that Formula One will continue to be broadcast free-to-air," - said a spokesman for the broadcaster.

But do you think they really decided to drop the sport? Or did they really lose the contract because of some dispute with Bernie?

In contrast Bernie Ecclestone stated:

"I am delighted to conclude this new deal with the BBC. It is an exciting time in Formula One, and the BBC has some innovative new ideas to consolidate and expand our UK fan base."

Innovative new ideas? Could this mean we will finally get F1 in hi def? Maybe even some interactive features during the race? I hope so!

I wonder who will be commentating next year? Will we finally be getting rid of that annoying James bloke? I do however hope they keep Martin on as he is the only good part of the ITV coverage.

[Buleste]

Maybe we could have some of the Top Gear boys doing the commentary. "Wow. Bloody hell thats fast."

[AlexJ]

Looks like Bernie has pulled the contract away from ITV, they had two years to run on it. Seems the Beeb will be paying about the same as ITV for the rights, which means for the first time ever, Bernie has done a deal on something other than money!

The lack of HD coverage is actually down to FOM (aka BernieTV). ITV won't have a HD channel until later this year, but even then the feed they get from FOM is still likely to be SD. Interactive is currently available on Premiere in Germany and on Sky Italia, so perhaps the Beeb will be offering that too. Let's hope so.

[TiredOfLife]

Never mind the adverts, the BBC coverage is better just because of The Chain.

[Harrison]

That is true. We will finally be getting back the "official" F1 tune.

[Buleste]

Dooo, do, de, de, de, de, de, de, de, dooooh!!!!! Air guitars out!!!


Maybe we should petition for the Hamster to drive the saftey car at the British Grand Prix in 2009? Or Captain Slow or Clarkson?

[Harrison]

If they had James in the safely car all the F1 cars would crash into each other behind him trying to slow down.

[v85rawdeal]

I do get the sense that the 'beeb' got it back because of the fact they already have a HD channel in place, with the facilities to 'upscale', if necessary (although I hope that they don't need to and can get full HD transmissions going.

Also, the 'beeb' also had stated that they will also be able to transmit on radio, which may not sound like much, but imagine the fun you could have driving along the motorway listening to the F1 commentary (maybe this deal will be sponsored by GATSO).

I think that ITV may very well have shot themselves in the foot, but probably have something in line to replace it (maybe Indy Car... or Gladiators!!!). The BBC have picked up what certainly looks to be a gold-mine, especially with all the buzz surrounding the new drivers and the recent rules changes to the season.

In the end though, all we can really do is speculate on the decision, hoping that the reasons become clear soon.

My fingers are crossed though, because I always preferred the BBC coverage, primarily because the presenters always seemed so much more knowledgeable than the ITV crew (which seemed to be mostly made up from the cast-offs from other sporting programs, or F1 drivers who's careers had been less than impressive. At least the BBC had the late James Hunt on their time)

Lets just hope that this season is a good one and generates more interest in the sport and the drivers.

[AlexJ]

Also, the 'beeb' also had stated that they will also be able to transmit on radio, which may not sound like much, but imagine the fun you could have driving along the motorway listening to the F1 commentary (maybe this deal will be sponsored by GATSO).

BBC Radio 5Live have already being doing this for years.