F1 fan's who have made the plunge and signed up to Sky Sports F1 for 2012 are in for a massive treat. Yesterday I had an incredible experience thanks to Sky Sports F1 HD. As part of the promotion of the brand new dedicated F1 HD channel Sky Sports are currently touring around the UK with a Formula One car that is connected to a computer giving fan's the opportunity to drive a handful of laps of Silverstone's short circuit.
On Sunday and Monday the car was in St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle was in Dublin on Sunday for a photoshoot with the car. Over 200 people showed up on Sunday at the launch of the F1 Experience and I found out about it late on Sunday afternoon via Facebook as 98FM were broadcasting live from the centre to celebrate the launch of Sky's F1 coverage.
I was out of Dublin for the weekend so couldn't make it up to Stephen's Green however yesterday I raced into the city centre with my fingers and toes crossed that the car was still there. I arrived at the shopping centre just after 1.30 and to my delight the car was still there. I got talking to the Sky team at the car and after a short time they asked me if I wanted a go. My eye's lit up. I was like a kid in a candy store. They said to me to come back in 15 minute's as they were setting up the car so that you could get as realistic an experience of the the sensation of what it is like to drive an F1 car.
I left the centre and a sort time later I arrived back and luckily there wasn't a big queue. In fact I was the only one in the line hahaha. So I stepped into the car and was guided through the circuit and told to put plenty of pressure on the throttle pedal. The car was fully automatic so that as great and I was told that because there wasn't anyone waiting I could take my time and get comfortable with the feel of the car.
The last time I drove and F1 car in that situation sitting in the car was back in 2003 when I was actually in Silverstone for the Grandprix and got to drive the B and H Jordan Ford around the Silverstone circuit, The old layout which I prefer to the new layout. That time around I came very close to winning the F1 challenge that was in association with the Jordan team themselves. Had I won it I would have worked with Eddie Jordan for the day in Silverstone. Alas it wasn't to be I ran wide on the exit of the final corner and spun the car.
In the Sky car however I absolutely loved the experience I spun the car twice but that was while I was getting used to the sensitivity of the controls. Driving the car was incredible sensation. I felt the pressure in my leg's as braked into and accelerated out of corners and raced down the straight. I was guidded by one the guy from Sky for the first few laps which was fine and then it was time for me to try it myself.
I did around ten lap's of the circuit and managed a fastest time of 48.9 seconds which had I done it on Sunday I would have placed tenth out of 200 people. No bad haha.
I have been extremely lucky over the years as I have taken part in a number of pitstop challenges where you are given the opportunity to change the tyre on an F1 car. Twice I have changed the tyre on a Ferrari F1 car and I have also changed the tyre on a Jordan car. Which if you ever get the opportunity to do go for it, it is a fantastic experience.
Anyway back to Sky F1, I wasn't very happy when it was announced last July at the Hungarian GrandPrix that the BBC and Sky would be sharing the right's to the UK and Ireland's F1 coverage from 2012 onwards. I was even more disappointed when I learnt that Martin Brundle, Ted Kravitz, Natalie Pickham, Anthony Davidson and David Croft were all moving from the BAFTA winning BBC F1 team to Sky Sports F1HD.
However I have to say that although Sky have a massive mountain to climb and a battle to beat the BBC they have assembled a fantastic team that will enable them to go into this season confident in the fact that they are going to do extremely well against the BBC.
From what I have seen of Sky Sports coverage of F1 so far it is going to be BRILLIANT. I don't have Sky Sports yet however I have Sky Sports News and during the Winter when the team's were launching their car's Sky had a correspondent at every launch and interviewed the driver's and team personnel. They have also had reporters in Jerez and Barcelona giving live updates on testing and all the latest F1 news.
This year Sky's coverage of F1 is going to be far more compressive then the BBC's coverage ever was and Sky have also promised that like the BCC their live coverage will be commercial free and uninterrupted. Sky have all 20 races live this season while the BBC will show an hour long extended highlight's package of over race on Sunday evening's. The Beeb will however show 10 races live for 2012.
Martin said that the reason he moved to Sky was to do with the fact that they are showing all 20 races live and the fact that he will be doing many more technical features then he did with the Beeb. The first feature that he will do will be driving the Ferrari F2012 at Fiorano Ferrari's test track next month.
Australia - Sky Sports F1HD
Malaysia - Sky Sports F1HD
China - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Bahrain - Sky Sports F1HD
Spain - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Monaco - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Canada - Sky Sports F1HD
European GP - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Britain - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Germany - Sky Sports F1HD
Hungary - Sky Sports F1HD
SPA- Belgium - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Italy - Sky Sports F1HD
Singapore - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Japan - Sky Sports F1HD
Korea - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
India - Sky Sports F1HD
Abu Dhabi - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
United States - Sky Sports F1HD
Brazil - Sky Sports F1HD/ BBC F1
Breakdown of 2012 F1 Coverage between Sky and the BBC note for Irish F1 fans Setanta Sports no longer carry's Formula One so they have a choice of Sky Sports for all 20 Live races or 10 races live with the BBC.
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