Rhys Benjamin wrote:Bernie Ecclestone, April 2011: "Pay-per-view F1 would be disastrous."
Pfft.
Gavin Chipper wrote:Rhys Benjamin wrote:The BBC say they're showing "key races."
VALENCIA!? SINCE WHEN WAS THAT A "FRICKIN'" KEY RACE!?
A few of them are strange. Given a free choice I would probably have had Australia (first race of the season), Canada, Italy, Japan and USA, and maybe ditch China, Spain, Europe (Valencia), Korea and Abu Dhabi. And obviously keep the rest that they have already - Monaco, Britain, Belgium, Singapore and Brazil.
Each one had picks of 3 but neither could have more than 2 consecutive live (or 2 consecutive (in the case of sky) exclusively live).
Back on this, I
read that BBC had the first three picks, and then Sky had three, and then it was one each from then on (with no-one allowed three in a row). So this is how I think it went:
BBC: Monaco, Britain, Brazil (three fairly obvious choices)
Sky: Australia, Italy, USA (Australia being the first race, Monza being a "classic", and USA being prime time and being America)
BBC: Belgium (classic track)
Sky: Canada (prime time race)
BBC: Singapore (fast becoming a modern-day classic)
Sky: Germany
BBC: Spain (by the three-in-a-row rule, this would commit Sky to Bahrain)
Sky: Hungary
BBC: Europe (Valencia)
Sky: Malaysia (second race of the season, which would give them a head start with their coverage with the first and second races, but it seems in preference to Abu Dhabi despite the latter being a European time race - BBC now committed to China)
BBC: Abu Dhabi
Sky: Japan (classic track, but early in the morning - not good for viewing figures)
BBC: Korea (picked over India it seems)
The rest are now set by the three-in-a-row rule:
Sky: Bahrain, India
BBC: China