After a long absence Formula 1 is set to return to the BBC from the 2009 Grand Prix season.
Formula 1 will return to the BBC after over a decade away. They have won the rights to cover the series from 2009 onwards in a five year deal rumoured to be worth around £200 million. The agreement gives the BBC the rights to cover Fomula 1 on TV, radio and the web. Dominic Coles, BBC Sport’s Director of Sport Rights, said in a statement on the BBC website:
“F1 is a crown jewel of sports broadcasting, so to bring the rights back to their traditional home from 2009 is tremendously exciting.”
The BBC first started covering Formula 1 Grands Prix in 1978 until they lost the rights to rivals ITV from the 1997 season onwards. Fans of the sport will welcome the return of uninterrupted race coverage with no advertisement breaks. The BBC also plan to show live coverage from Grand Prix weekends on their website.
The BBC’s Formula 1 coverage became synonymous with the commentary of the excitable Murray Walker. It is unlikely that Walker, now in his eighties, will come out of retirement so they will probably have to look elsewhere for a commentary team. Ben Edwards is an experienced and popular commentator for Eurosport and may well be a target. Edwards is currently the commentator for the A1 Grand Prix series and the British Touring Car Championship. He does have experience of Formula 1 as he narrates the official season reviews and was previously a commenator for Eurosport's coverage.
Whoever the BBC chooses to commentate they will almost certainly be paired with an ex-F1 driver. The most famous duo was Murray Walker and 1976 World Champion James Hunt. Hunt’s abrasive style was an immediate hit with fans and he wasn’t afraid to criticise drivers live on air. Walker and Hunt always shared a single microphone during their commentaries to prevent one from talking over the top of the other.
The new agreement between the BBC and Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Administration Ltd looks like it will take Formula 1 coverage to a new level. Many fans will be wondering if the BBC will resurrect Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” as the theme music for their coverage. Previously the BBC used a distinctive part of the song as the intro and outro to their "Grand Prix" programme.
ITV have cited commercial reasons as being behind their decision to stop covering Formula 1. The company could well be relying on winning the rights to show Champions League football matches, but they are currently in a tense bidding war with the BBC and Sky Television for the rights.
