Television camera positions to change in Formula 1 for 2019
- Bevan Youl
F1’s head of TV and media Dean Locke has explained to Autosport that they want to change the camera angles and audio at races to improve the translation of speed and sound from the cars on a screen.
Locke is looking to explore different ways of emphasising the 2019 cars downforce and speed for a better viewing experience.
"There's a big push for 2019 to reflect the speed of the sport, and the pace of the cars," Locke said.
"There's a rethink on all camera positions. If you're in the grandstand and watch them, they look incredible, don't they? Camera angles, or lenses, can cheat that quite a lot, and make them look not so dramatic and not quite as quick.”
"So we looked at different ways to do that, a few little tricks. We've always been good at doing whip-pans to show the high speed of the cars, making them look a little bit more edgy in places."
"There were some tracks last year - in Japan for instance - where we really highlighted where these cars are good."
Engine sound is another area of Formula 1 that has been criticised since the introduction of the hybrid era in 2014. Since then the noise of the cars have reduced dramatically, removing part of what made F1 thrilling to spectate.
Locke and his team are also working on improvements in the broadcasting of engine sound.
"Audio has changed quite dramatically. We've done a lot more around the car and on the car.”
"It is successful, but at some tracks it's better than others. The Honda engines sounded really good last year. We've done some really exciting stuff on that."