Formula 1 - Season 2012

[alan45]

Jaime Alguersuari will join Radio 5 live’s Formula 1 commentary team as an expert summariser, completing the experienced BBC presentation line-up that will bring the 2012 season to fans through a mix of live coverage and highlights, across TV, radio, red button and online.

Alguersuari started his racing career at 15 years old, competing at the Italian Formula Renault 1600. He subsequently moved on to win the Formula Renault 2.0, before winning the British Formula 3 Championship, racing for the Carlin Motorsport team at the age of 18 and graduating to the Renault World Series the following year.

He received the call to join Toro Rosso’s F1 team in 2009 and became the youngest Formula 1 driver in history, at the age of 19, at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. He continued to race for Torro Rosso through the 2010 and 2011 seasons, beating all the Toro Rosso records since the team became independent from Red Bull. In the 2011 F1 season Jaime built his reputation further, qualifying in a career best 6th position at the Belgian Grand Prix and finishing 7th in both the Korean and Italian Grands Prix and 8th in the European Canadian and Indian GP's with a total of 26 points.

Jaime Alguersuari said: “It’s great to be part of the BBC’s F1 commentary team on Radio 5 live. It will be interesting to look at the action from a different angle and bring that excitement and insight to listeners. Given that I’m still only 21, this agreement permits me to return to F1. It promises to be another exciting season and I can’t wait for it to start.”

BBC Radio 5 live Controller Adrian Van Klaveren said: “We’re delighted to have Jaime on board, his engaging personality makes him a great addition to 5 live for the 2012 F1 season. We are going to make the most of Jaime's first-hand experience right now knowing he could well be driving for one of the teams again in the near future.”

Jaime will follow the F1 season for Radio 5 live offering his expert analysis to complement the commentary team of lead commentator James Allen, who as F1 correspondent will also report on F1 across the station throughout the season and pit lane reporter Jennie Gow.

The signing completes the BBC team for 2012. As previously announced, Jake Humphrey leads the BBC’s Formula 1 coverage on television, with Eddie Jordan as primary analyst and David Coulthard combining the role of analyst and co-commentator. Ben Edwards joins as lead commentator, Gary Anderson as technical analyst, with Lee McKenzie once again reporting from the pit lane.

The BBC will bring all the key action from the season including live commentary of all 20 Grands Prix live on Radio 5 live and live TV coverage of ten Grands Prix (including Monaco, Silverstone and the season finale from Brazil) and extended highlights of the other ten races.

[Siobhan]

Hamilton stripped of Pole.. I knew that would happen.. they were fined the last time this happened so just knew it would be a mistake for them to do it again.. silly mclaren

[Chloe O'brien]

Schumey out again. Come on Michael screw the nut, what are you doing Man!!! Great race for the Williams team & Lotus.

[Siobhan]

Loved that Maldanardo won but was super excited when Vettel overtook the two Maclarens at the end... super racing this season

[Perdita]

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has suggested that coverage of the world's premium motorsport could end on the BBC following Sky's successful debut as broadcaster of the sport.

Yesterday, it was announced that the rights to air live F1 races in Italy have been sold to Sky Italia, the pay-TV giant owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

Many commentators are viewing this as a sign that the days of free-to-air (FTA) coverage of Formula One in Europe are numbered.

In Britain, this year marked the first time that not all Grand Prix are available live on FTA television, after the BBC agreed to share the rights with Sky, the satellite broadcaster 39.1%-owned by Murdoch.

Sky is showing every practice, qualifying and race session live on its new Sky Sports F1 channel, while the BBC has rights to show half the races live, with delayed highlights of the others.

Formula One fans reacted with anger to the deal, as many faced the prospect of stumping up nearly £500 a year to get the Sky Sports package to watch all the live coverage.

Ecclestone reassured fans in other regions that the sport will remain on FTA, in part at least, but refused to give the same assurances for UK viewers.

"We will never move all countries to pay‑per‑view only, though it wouldn't make any difference here in the UK," he told The Guardian.

Ecclestone praised Sky for doing a "super job", and noted that the BBC showed complacency in letting the live rights slip through its grasp.

"The Beeb were sure we wouldn't be able to go anywhere else," he said.

Ecclestone said that Sky is able to reach 10m UK homes, which the sport doesn't get with the BBC.

"Sky reaches over 10 million households," Ecclestone said. "We don't get 10 million on the BBC, normally about six or seven million".

The BBC's viewing figures have also suffered from the arrival of Sky's coverage, as the corporation's opening live race, the Chinese Grand Prix in April, was down around 1m on the 2011 audience.

Grand Prix coverage on Sky Sports F1, Sky's first channel dedicated to just one sport, has averaged 1m viewers over the first four races of the 2012 season, noted The Guardian.

Sky is also more able to flex its financial muscles in picking up live rights to sport, as the BBC recently suffered a 15% cut in its budget for sports rights bidding.

"The thing that TV stations want to buy most is live sport," said Ecclestone. "People don't want to watch delayed stuff because nowadays it's hard not to know the result if you don't want to."

The BBC has not commented on the report.

[Siobhan]

really funny and Seb is sexy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsc_6...ature=youtu.be

[alan45]

really funny and Seb is sexy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsc_6...ature=youtu.be

But Lewis is the one to beat

[Siobhan]

But Lewis is the one to beat

for now.. on the track but for sex appeal and 100% niceness, SEB has it all!!!!

[alan45]

for now.. on the track but for sex appeal and 100% niceness, SEB has it all!!!!

Obviously their SEX appeal is of no interest to me

[Siobhan]

and so it goes to the final race!! Seb 13 points ahead and only needs 4th to secure 3rd world title. Very dubious tactics from Ferrari for King Alonso. Brilliant race in America from Hamilton. He and Vettel were in a class of their own. Come on Vettel.. you can do it