Sky Sports F1's broadcast of Australian Grand Prix will be different

Sky Sports F1's coverage of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix will be completely different from what they have done before. Sky has had the rights to broadcast Formula 1 in the United Kingdom since 2012 and will continue to broadcast the races exclusively until at least 2029. F1 had 'just' 20 races in 2012 (which dipped to 19 in 2013, 2014 and 2015), but now there are 24 races scheduled, so Sky are changing their plans.

Fear not. Sky Sports F1 will broadcast the entire 2024 Australian Grand Prix weekend. They will cover all the action during the 2024 Formula 1 season for viewers in the United Kingdom, so fans won't miss anything. GPblog will also provide a live blog with updates throughout each day. 

Why Sky Sports F1's coverage will look completely different in Melbourne

Sky regularly field a team of eight in the paddock, but that will be reduced to four this weekend. The 'core presenting team' will be in Sky Sports' new studio, which is surrounded by high-resolution screens and immersive AR graphics. The addition of ambitious AR graphics creates an immersive space, with a modern, mixed reality lighting set up above and a “fourth wall” that conceals camera positions to create a 360-degree filming environment.

Pioneering sporting analysis is made possible with an enhanced touchscreen and a massive LED floor that gives our presenters a huge canvas to guide viewers around the track and run through the qualifying grid. Sky will use this studio for race weekends in Australia, Japan, and China. Sky Sports will return to the paddock in their usual format for the Miami Grand Prix in May.

This has happened previously. Prior to Sky Sports and the BBC holding the rights, ITV sometimes presented Formula 1 from the studio. This was for some of the flyaway races. Channel 4's current coverage of Formula 1 highlights opt for this method as well. The recent Rugby World Cup also saw the presenters and pundits host the shows from a studio in the United Kingdom rather than the stadiums in France. As a result of this new broadcast method for Sky Sports, their shows have been reduced in length. 

What is the Sky Sports F1 broadcast schedule for the Australian Grand Prix?

Sky Sports F1 returns on Saturday at 1:10am for a 20-minute build-up to FP3. They will continue to broadcast for 40 minutes after, allowing a little build-up for qualifying. They return at 4:15am for another 45-minute build-up to qualifying. Sky Sports F1 will continue to broadcast for one hour after qualifying. Ted's Notebook will then summarise the qualifying session, which starts at 7am and lasts 30 minutes. 

Sky Sports F1 return on Sunday for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Coverage will start at 3:00am, which is just a 60 minute build-up rather than the usual 90 minutes. Ted's Notebook will then summarise the Bahrain Grand Prix, which starts at 7am and lasts 30 minutes. To see the full Grand Prix schedule, click here.

Will Sky Sports F1 broadcast F2 and F3 this weekend?

Sky Sports F1 will show every session from Formula 2 and Formula 3 in Australia. This includes practice and qualifying. 

Who will be on the Sky Sports F1 team in Australia?

Ted Kravitz will be present in Australia. He will be joined by David Croft, Martin Brundle and Rachel Brookes. Whilst Karun Chandhok, Naomi Schiff and Natlie Pinkham bring fans insight from Sky’s Osterley (London) base.

How can you watch Sky Sports F1?

Sky Sports F1 is available in the United Kingdom. You can purchase the channel through a package offered by Sky themselves. You can also buy a package which includes Sky Sports F1 on Virgin Media TV. You can add Sky Sports F1 if you are with BT TV. You can stream Sky Sports F1 online via NOW TV, where you can purchase a monthly package.

How can you watch the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend without Sky Sports F1?

If you are located in the United Kingdom, you can't watch the Australian Grand Prix without paying for Sky Sports F1. For fans outside of the UK, the Australian Grand Prix will be shown on F1TV Pro in most countries worldwide. Sky have the rights to broadcast Sky Sports F1 in Germany, Italy and others. ViaPlay have the rights to broadcast F1 in some locations worldwide, including The Netherlands.