On a biased level, it's irrelevant whether or not it actually consists of 10% of the sporting coverage, when you consider it's the entire season of one particular sport. It's the full season, from start to finish. The BBC don't do that with any other sport (their Moto GP coverage is sketchy), right? So 10% of your budget for an entire sporting season seems pretty reasonable.

And I make it out to be around 126 hours of coverage each season. If you wanna do the rest..

If anyone has a BBC account could you ask them if they are doing the Classic Grand Prix series this year?

Good question, I'm sure during the season they said it'd be back this year, and obviously there's just under 2 weeks to go, so would be nice to know. Hope it is, I really enjoyed it.

Not sure they will. I understood it was a sort of "We're back!" feature.

Andrew Benson assured that the feature would be back on the eve of the 2010 season.

Though this was a while ago and the BBC may have decided to direct resources elswhere.

The only time we'll find out if the feature is back is if there is a blog from Benson on 3rd March. Or they might decide to bypass the Bahrain Grand Prix Classic Edition and launch it for Australia.

Correct: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/20...son_finale.html

"We are delighted you like it so much - yes, even those of you who have taken us to task for the way we have operated it! - and we give you our guarantee that it will be back on the eve of the 2010 season."

I wouldn't be surprised though if Bahrain is bypassed - unless they do a "Classic Season Openers" or "Classic Schumacher Races" for instance.

By the way, F1 Mole is, unsurprisingly, no more.

Just as well, they never really seemed sure what to do with it, sometimes it was just gossip, sometimes fuel weights, other times it was guest pieces from members of the team who didn't have their own blogs. Too messy by the end of the season.

I'm glad to see that Classic F1 is (hopefully) coming back, it was great for me to get to see some older races from before I was born and expand my knowledge of the sport. Did they do classic Bahrain races last year? I wouldn't be surprised if it is "Classic Season Openers", though obviously not too many recent races as they need to leave some for Australia.

I'd scan the comments page of Benson's latest blog for Classic Grand Prix details, but there are just too many comments to look through

The last comment on this blog is:

Hi Andrew,

Will BBC Classic F1 be returning soon for Australia?

Someone at BBC HQ has been busy:

- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8541673.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8541545.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8541651.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8541743.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/8541703.stm

Take you're pick.

Going to copy this very interesting comment made by tomhourigan on Digital Spy:



Hmm... yet he's been retained for this season? I'd speculate this may be round Hungary time where he made a stupid on-air comment about Massa - anyone remember?

That was just over half way into the season so thats certainly plausible - plus there was the one month break afterwards for him to change his mind again. I can't think of any other reason he would want to leave, by that point he was gelling much better with the rest of the team than at the beginning.

EDIT: I see tomhourigan has replied again with this (I'm on DS too):


That sort of makes sense - he worked much better when he was a bit less argumentative and started dragging unwilling people to the cameras for interviews! It felt like it took a while for him to settle in, but by the end of the season I think a lot of people (me included) had come around about him as a pundit.

Oh yeah, I think the guy on DS said he was listening to it. Also, to add onto the above comment:

Twenty minute or so interview (!) with Lee McKenzie: http://www.f1badger.com/2010/03/lee-mckenzie-2010

Haven't listened to it admittedly.

It's true - breaking on all news wires, from the BBC itself:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8544150.stm

EDIT: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/n...-cuts-plan.html

Never said it wasn't just that it was an early leak.

This might be a bit harsh, but in a purely selfish way I hope they cut the shit out of the BBC. My train goes to Shepherds Bush and I can barely fit on it in the morning. Trimming the beeb down to size will make my morning commute that much more tolerable.

The repeat of last seasons review will be at 13.00 this Saturday the 6th of March, on BBC One.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nxc1c

Just when the bbc start to look like a wide ranged, cater for all, people's service, that, yes for last years F1 coverage, I was happy to pay my licence fee for; they go and do this. F1 2009 coverage was superb, best in broadcasting history. Watch it get even worse than ITV was becoming..... in fact, watch it go to Sky, or even off air altogether.... come 2014.

What the hell are you on about? It's all very well having a rant, but wouldn't it better to see how it affects F1 first before complaining?

By the way, F1 was on ITV in 2008.

edited. You know what I meant.... These cuts and caps are just the start....

Lets wait until they actually announce something.

When is the BBC F1, 2010 season preview?

..of changes that should see more money go into less programmes.

I was going to say. It's not like they are going to start giving some of our licence fee back.

The savings in theory will go into making better programming.

In practice it'll probably get soaked up by upper and upper middle management.

There probably won't be much effect. I can't see BBC pulling the contract early. And Bernie definitely wouldn't take it from them.



There isn't one.

Pulling the contract maybe not, but the other cutbacks - red button stuff limited, no preview this year, they'll be dropping practise broadcast next..., and then they won't renew the contract cos some deem it too expensive and unworthy.... (actually just ranting cos of 6music, but hey it's all symptomatic of the way it's going..)

There wasn't a preview last year either.

It sounds like you want it to happen just to prove you right. So far AFAIK there hasn't been any announcement that F1 will be affected. Until there is then why get your knickers in a twist?

I think they'll keep it, it's one of their headline sports events and it's covers about half a year rather than other events which are one offs or limited schedules.

Ok Ok. I'm just a bit worried. And excited - 10 ish days to go. What time will the Bahrain practise be on (our time)?

7-8.30am, and 11am-12.30pm

I'd hope F1 would never ever go to Sky. Or any other stupid service like them. Bernie Ecclestone would be making a huge mistake if that happened. One of the reasons that F1 ratings have always been so good compared to other countries is that it's easily accessable. By that I mean it's always been on one of the mainstream channels (ITV and now BBC) that you don't have to pay any additional cost for unlike the likes of Sky. If that changed, then there would be a significant fall in viewers. I'm personally not stumping up the cost for something that should be a pleasure rather than a hassle. Besides, knowing the half-wits at Sky they've probably show some rubbish third-league Asian football match instead of Formula One when it was on.

But let's see what happens. I doubt BBC would suddenly dump F1. I find it natural really that BBC is starting to cut costs. In the recent times, every major buisness or corporation has had to go through similar steps. Why should BBC be any different?

Public funded companies have made huge cut backs so the BBC should hardly have immunity from this, I think possibly though the BBC will significantly review it's involvement in sports broadcasting but I doubt watered down F1 or any other sport they cover in the broad sense will be heavily impacted, in a way I see this as a positive, cut the crap and as there top dog said it's quality not quantity in terms of service deliverence

They are all moving to Manchester so thats all sorted for you

Business often do this by streamlining managment, rather than just closing down bits the daily mail doesn't like

They lost their "cater for all" tag when cut 302 off Freeview.


Anyway, DMN, did you say the coverage details would be finalised today? This should give us a look at whether us cheap, unimportant people are going to get a half decent service this year

http://twitpic.com/16d0bq

"You're late"
"Someone told us the meeting was in another building!"

From Jake's twitter:



Looks like some sort of preview show from the BBC Sport studio...should be good!

It doesn't look like the Classic Grand Prix series is returning, at least not at the moment. Wonder if the website cuts have anything to do with this.

Will e-mail Andrew Benson re. Classic GPs.

EDIT:

jakehumphreyf1

Just to say...we're on the road just like '09, studio pic was just for website preview pieces we've done...go on www.bbc.co.uk/f1 on Monday!
4 minutes ago via Echofon

Sounds similar to those "season preview" videos they did for the red button last year (it was just DC, MB and EJ last year though).

Not really sure what insight Jake and Legard can offer though.

Said a few weeks ago it wouldn't suprise me if that was just a "We're back!" feature to celebrate BBC covering the F1 again.

It seems like an actual discussion between them rather than each of the 3 taking it in turns to give there thoughts (presuming that this is the 2009 video that you are on about).

BBC have confirmed schedules for Bahrain - the race programme is on from 11:10 to 14:15, so it seems like BBC is taking into account the fact that there is no refuelling which will slow races down - by how much at the moment isn't really known I guess.

I doubt the cutting process has even begun. The classic GP feature has been a major success so I don't think it should go.

Yup that's the one, at least it doesn't look like they've filmed it in the back of Top Gears "mobile production facility".

accordi8ng to Jakes twitter no preview show but loads of videos going online from monday

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/20...and_prix_r.html

Classic F1 is back

How quickly will Brundle trot out the phrase "drag squares with speed" when he starts talking about the McLaren rear wing?

Well, he made it clear last year that it would be, and I'm delighted that it is!