ITV lose rights to show F1 from 2009

At the start of the year. I think he may have a couple more boxing matches left to go but after that he'll not be contracted with ITV anymore.

Glad its going back to the BBC - the adverts gone and if they ditch James Allen even better

I wonder if the BBC have insisted on 16:9 pictures as part of the deal?

Formula One seems to be the only sport left that's always in 4:3 at present.

Check your digital source, it's 16:9 since 2006.

And HD since the end of the 2007 season.

This isn't a good outcome I reckon! I prefer Formula 1 on ITV! Despite the adverts, ITV have done a great job of showing Formula 1 for the past 12 years. Jim Rosenthal and Steve Rider have been essential to their coverage. Formula 1 has more of a commercial tone to it as well rather than the regimental attitude the BBC used to treat it.

When it was on BBC before:-
- They never showed qualifying
-There was no backstage action/info/very few interviews
-There was little behind the scenes with pit crew
-Very little analysis of the race
-No grid walks
-The same boring theme tune for "Grand Prix" which had been around for around 30 years or so...
-Boring coverage all round really...

ITV have transformed this and it is a shame that it is going back to the BBC.

I agree, apart from the ad breaks at some key points of the race in the past, the coverage on ITV has been outstanding in terms of hours shown than the BBC.

As already pointed out it's 16:9 already. No one 'insists' on anything from Bernie E, it's the other way round. You've obviously never dealt with the man

Don't you think that since its 12 years since the BBC last showed F1 that its coverage might be a little different? To be honest, I think it'll be good for them as ITV will have set the standard and I doubt Bernie would have let it go back if he didn't think the quality would be the same - cos the sport in the UK would suffer with it if the coverage was bad. Plus.....NO ADVERTS MID RACE! As has already been stated many, many times.

Despite my username, its better off with the BBC. Hope they can lure Brundle and Rosenthal now that they'll be at a loose end - their coverage has been sterling!

I expect they'll keep 'The Chain', but do a remix of it. It worked for the Snooker without pissing off too many people.

Ditto, ISTR that when the BBC showed it, the main programme only tend to run about five minutes before the start of the race and not much afterwards. Shame to see it leave ITV really, they've done a good job considering they had adverts too, although I didn't see why they couldn't have experimented with split screen advertising like they do in other countries.

Although with it being back on the BBC, they should hopefully put a bit more efffort in this time due to the standard of coverage ITV has provided and that being part of Grandstand was clogging the schedule up, so they have more time to play with now.

From a commercial POV I understand why ITV have dropped the F1 pretty early, it's only in the last year that the ratings have picked up mainly thanks to Lewis Hamilton and that it doesn't seem to get the same amount of viewers as the football and that more could be made in return.

Last point, is the race going to be on BBC Two or BBC One? ISTR the main Sunday afternoon races were on BBC Two.

Yeah, I don't think anyone can compare the BBC coverage of F1 with their coverage that starts next year. The sport and TV technology has moved on, as has the viewers expectations.

For a start, In 1996 there was no BBC3, 4, HD, BBCi or proper bbc.co.uk website. ITV have done a good job with their pre-race programming, explaining various changes and analyising past races/qualifying. One cannot assume that the BBC will throw all that away now it's been done. Qualifying has become a bigger part of the sport in recent years, it'll be a must-show now.

Lack of adverts is a big plus factor, hopefully they won't fall into the ITV trap of curtailing the coverage at it's scheduled time to make way for a soap opera. If the BBC were covering it the day that Lewis Hamilton won his first grand Prix we would most likely have seen the presentation and the post race press conference - ITV missed both

Also remember that the BBC has continued to cover F1 for the past 12 years (blimey I can't believe it's that long) - on Five Live; it's not as if they're suddenly coming back into the sport

Apparently the contract states that the races will be on BBC1. Although I wonder what they'll do when a race clashes with the Wimbledon Mens finals. The Beeb could be on for a few busy live weekends, juggling Glastonbury, F1 and Wimbledon.

Although the F1 contract straddles digital switchover which will make things a lot easier - I suspect that qualifying will end up on BBC3 when the schedules demand.

I suspect there'll be a Top Gear F1 special cropping up next March, can't see the beeb not taking advantage of that connection